The dangers within {open}

[Lael]

The shapeshifter stood in somewhere in the Tangle, mouth agape as she took in the vast trees, so tall that almost no light made it in. It was just enough for her to see and get by with it. The only thought going through her head was "Wow". She was fascinated by the tall trees, so many of them in one place. And it was so... green. So very green compared to the Island.

The next thing that came to her mind was the fact that she was lost. Lael had absolutely no idea where she was and since this was a new territory to her, she had no idea of the dangers that this place possessed. All she could do was walk around, fascinated by the huge trees.

Lael's eyes were wide, taking every little thing from vine to branch to leaf, turning her head so fast that her blond hair covered her view for a few seconds before she was able to see. And taking in all this left her no time to check where she was going. And that was when she fell.

The shapeshifter's foot got caught on a root, making her fall with a surprised wail. Uh, that really hurt. The ground was soft, but her bare foot was really sore. "Why me?" She muttered to herself as she picked herself up slowly.

She had no idea that a beast was right behind her, ready to spring and tear the oblivious shapeshifter apart.

[Calandra]

Calandra had been sitting in one of the oldest trees in the Northern Tangle when she saw the shifter. She was rather young, even as humans and shifters went, and she seemed to be of the Fallen Celestial variety. The girl possessed silky blonde hair, long blue wings, and mournful brown eyes to identify her as such.

She seemed in awe of the forest around her to an almost naive degree, looking every which way without seeing the true dangers that lay in wait. Calandra however watched every detail with cold amber eyes, always tense for any sign of the numerous creatures that roamed the woods.

The Celestial continued to walk forward, causing Calandra to follow out of sheer curiosity. The Daemon followed from the trees, making no sound despite the elaborate armor and sword she wore.
Suddenly the girl pitched forward as if she had been shoved. Of course, that was when the leopard that had been stalking her for a good five minutes chose to strike. It was huge, as the animals in the Tangle tended to be, and filled to the brim with murderous intent.

Had Calandra not chose to intervene, the shifter would have surely been lunch.
The Daemon launched herself off the tree, staying stiff and graceful as a diver as she pulled her wings tight against her back so that they would not catch any breezes as she fell. Right before she hit the ground Calandra snapped her pale, gray-gold wings out to slow her descent, flicking her sword out of it's sheath as she landed.

She plunged her blade into the beast with pitiless efficiency, watching blankly as the light left it's eyes. The leopard dropped a few inches short of the Celestial, still sprawled in a phantom of a leap.
Calandra wiped the blood in the grass at her feet, giving the leopard an almost remorseful glance as she slid her sword back into it's place of holding.

She spoke in a high, harsh voice that closely resembled the cry of the bird she took after, a steppe eagle, "What are you doing you fool? You were nearly killed!" The Daemon's imperious expression showed traces of anger and concern as she looked down at the girl. "Don't you know how dangerous this place is?"

[Lael]

A metallic noise behind her and a sudden rush of wind. Now that certainly wasn't normal. Something heavy--very heavy hit the ground. The celestial paused and winced, startled. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Not good at all. Her blood went cold and all of a sudden, she didn't have the energy to get up any more. She collapsed onto her knees, breathing heavily. What... was that? That was scary, very scary.

"What are you doing you fool? You were nearly killed!"

A shiver coursed through the celestial's body as the high-pitched, merciless voice pierced her ears. A-ah, was that the person that had made the metallic sound? That was a sword, right? That's what it sounded like, at least.

"Don't you know how dangerous this place is?"

[/i]

No, no she didn't know how dangerous this place was. Now that her savior pointed that out, she decided to take a reality check. Shutting her eyes as tight as she could, she opened them again, turning around slowly, eyes wide with fear.

The woman that stood above her looked large and powerful. She was covered in armor and looked... well, authoritative and... angry? She made the woman angry? Oh, that wasn't good... she was grateful to the woman and she didn't want to make her angry.

Looking behind her, Lael caught sight of the huge leopard that was oozing blood. It looked lethal, very lethal. "I'm sorry!" She squeaked, truly sorry and perhaps looking a little too sorry and woeful.[/center][/size][/color][/font]

[Calandra]

Calandra's features softened into something of a wry smile as she let her hand drop from the hilt of her sword. The girl was very obviously of no danger to her. In fact, she seemed to have all the ferocity of a kitten.

It was not often that you found a shifter who wasn't ready to fight at a moments notice. This one looked more like she had never held a blade in her life, let alone survived combat.

Calandra offered one gauntlet-covered hand to the girl, and swept her long dark gold hair behind an ear with the other. Her features remained beautiful and soft, giving her the appearance of a kind lady. Well-used armor, cold shining eyes, and slightly protruding fangs directly contradicted this image. Every word seemed to command attention, though her voice stayed quiet. Her stance was proud and wary, ready to fight or flee if needed.

"So what are you doing here little shifter?" the Daemon purred, dainty fangs flashing in the pale light. "This is one of the most dangerous places you could ever choose to go without knowledge of a blade or at least a body-guard. Do you not know this?"

[Lael]

Aaah, her hand was still on the hilt of her sword, like she feared Lael for some reason. Noooo, not good, she was going to die if she drew it against her. She didn't want to die, no, not now...!

She dropped her hand from the hilt, face relaxing slightly into a sort of smile. Ok, that was a bit better. Now she didn't feel so threatened any more. Calm down, Lael, calm down. She isn't going to hurt you if she just saved you, use your brain, She is no threat to you.

And it worked. The lady offered her a hand. Lael couldn't help but breathe a huge sigh of relief. At least she seemed to be nice. She let a tiny smile creep onto her face, slightly sheepish and grateful. "Thank you," She said, dusting herself off.

The lady was making her feel only slightly self-conscious. She was wearing clothes, where as she wasn't. Wait, she was human, wasn't she? Right, then there was no reason to feel self-conscious. She wasn't human and she had no problem with her nudity, exactly. But the woman seemed so powerful! It was hard not to admire her.

"So what are you doing here little shifter?"

[/i]

For the first time, Lael looked into her savior's eyes and her own grew wide. They were bright, very bright. Unnaturally bright for a human's. Were they...? Was she...?

"This is one of the most dangerous places you could ever choose to go without knowledge of a blade or at least a body-guard. Do you not know this?"

Her teeth, her teeth were long, too long. She wasn't a human. "You-you're a daemon!" She squeaked, stumbling back. She was a daemon... daemons... her parents... killed...

But the daemon saved her, she wasn't going to hurt her... for now. Her eyes clouded with the memory, but looking at the daemon, she looked kind and actually wanted to help. "I'm sorry!" She apologized. "This is my first time in this place, I didn't... know."[/center][/size][/color][/font]

[Calandra]

"You-you're a daemon!"

Calandra raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What did you think I was youngling, a human?" The daemon flexed her golden wings, letting them extend to their full wingspan before folding them neatly against her back. "These are not for show you know."

"I'm sorry! This is my first time in this place, I didn't... know."

The daemon smiled, causing her teeth to show prominently. "Oh but it is my first time as well." She gave a rich, musical kind of laugh, "I only wished to see if the stories were true. I never expected to find anyone."

This shifter was very entertaining. That said, it was hard not to give off the predatory vibe around her. The girl was a mouse to Calandra's eagle; so nervous she even squeaked.

The daemon looked down at the shifter, tilting her head to the side with a lazy smile. "Tell me truthfully little shifter, do you fear me, or my race?"

[Lael]

Lael was not what one would call the most attentive person around. Neither was she exactly the sharpest. But at least she had common sense. Sense enough to know that those golden wings were beautiful, powerful and totally un-human-like. She was a daemon and she was scaring Lael more by the second. But those wings should have been expected; it wasn't very natural to fall from a great height and make a soft landing like that. See? It was natural to have wings. Perfectly natural.

Or as natural as being a daemon got. She could feel that the daemon lady was giving off a very superior sensation, like she could do anything she wanted to Lael, which was entirely true. She could do anything to Lael and she'd be powerless to stop it.

"Oh but it is my first time as well. I only wished to see if the stories were true. I never expected to find anyone."

Stories? If there were stories about this place, she wouldn't know. She didn't even know that this place existed until a few hours ago! Lael was so not prepared, not at all prepared compared to the daemon and she was going to pay for that. She already owed the daemon her life... not good.

"Tell me truthfully little shifter, do you fear me, or my race?"

Ok, seriously, think. Her... or her race...? This daemon woman had spared her life, she couldn't see why she should have any quarrel with her, but on the other hand, the daemons were the one who murdered her family. "Daemons," Lael replied. "You didn't so much to me, so you're fine," She managed a weak smile at that.

[Calandra]

Calandra nodded, a pale smile crossing her lips. "Then I would presume that you would not wish to be in my debt then, correct?" She leaned backwards to lounge against a nearby tree. "Well here's an offer: Daemons love stories more than most anything. If you will tell me why you are so afraid of my people, and I will free you from any bond."

The daemon smiled. "I shall even include stories of my own if you wish it. Anything of Litharia or it's people that you wish to know, I would be happy to tell."
This was a very generous offer. Daemons were masters of storytelling, able to create a whole new world with only the sounds of their voices. And Calandra, being an obvious traveler, would know much about the world around her.

Asking about her whereabouts or the geography of Litharia was quite possible for the girl; since she must have been straight off of Shifter Island. But some part of the daemon wished that she would ask about something more interesting. Maybe the daemon government, dangerous factions, or people of importance. That would be far more interesting to tell.

Calandra turned her bright eyes back to the young girl, waiting patiently for an answer. "What say you little shifter, sound like a fair deal?" She paused, stopping to inspect one gauntlet covered hand. "Of course, if that is disagreeable I'm sure I could do with a new slave."

The latter was, in fact, untrue. While the girl was entertaining, Calandra didn't keep slaves, even if she would be fun to keep around. Of course there was the nasty little detail of her either staying back in Calandra's home, or following her around.
Calandra did not like traveling in companies much. The only one she ever seemed to actually travel with was Gabriel, the Daemon Lord himself. Which was still not very often. She preferred to travel in silence, with nobody to get in her way.

But the shifter did not know this. And Calandra was terribly curious as to the nature of the girl's crippling fear of the Daemon race. It must have been a very terrible thing to do this to a person.

[Lael]

Lael looked down. The smile that she had caught off the daemon did not mean anything good and she knew it. It was like the daemon knew that she was aware that she was indebted. And daemons never forgot their debts. The only thing that meant for her was trouble.

"Well here's an offer: Daemons love stories more than most anything. If you will tell me why you are so afraid of my people, and I will free you from any bond."

Stories... did she have any stories? Lael's brain began to start panicking. She didn't have any good stories. Things were starting to look bad, real bad for her and pretty good for the daemon. But if she didn't have a good story, she wouldn't be killed, right? A story about her fear of daemons. But she didn't know that much about the attack on her family either. She had been asleep then, fast asleep and oblivious to everything.

But when the daemon offered stories of her own, she perked up. Stories from a daemon were sure to be good. Though she hadn't heard one narrated by the daemons, she could tell that this daemon would be happy to relive her encounters. And what harm could it do to her if she knew a little more about Litharia? The more she knew the better it would be anyways, she could refrain from getting into tight spots like this and being indebted to someone else who might not be as merciful.

"What say you little shifter, sound like a fair deal?"

Yes, it was a fair deal, if only Lael knew more about her past. It was a very good deal, but she was rather afraid that she had to decline the offer. She knew that the daemon wouldn't be satisfied with her story, not at all.

"Of course, if that is disagreeable I'm sure I could do with a new slave."

Lael bit her lip. She didn't think that she could ever satisfy the daemon lady, but she wondered, just wondered what slavery was like. Having spent most of her like with the shifters, she had no idea what it was like to be or have a slave. Maybe she could learn some stuff from the daemon. And being called "little shifter" was somewhat annoying and a little degrading. "My name is Lael," She said. Her name wasn't that big of a deal, it was the name that she used, not her original human name which lay half forgotten in her memories.

"I'm not really sure if my story would satisfy you," In fact, it wouldn't, "But I guess I could try..." she gave a weak smile at this, deciding to sit down rather than stay standing. If there was one thing that she didn't like, it was recounting that memory. "Well, it was one night ago. My mother, she had put me to sleep in my room. I was about seven then. And in the middle of the night, I woke up, feeling scared for some reason. I wanted my mother's comfort, so I got out of bed and went to find her," a shiver coursed through her body, making her shut her eyes and wince.

Even now, the sight of moonstruck blood and the three dead bodies terrified her. But she had better tell the daemon anyways. "When I got to the main room, everything was wrecked, and then, I... saw them. The first thing I noticed was that the floor was wet. As a human, I didn't have good night vision. I couldn't tell what I was stepping on. I walked a little further out, where the table wasn't blocking me," Another deep breath. "They were mangled, lying in a pool of dark liquid. They were ripped and the blood, the blood was flowing towards me. I was afraid, so I ran." The sight of the mangled bodies, eyes clawed out, mouths open in terror and body parts strewn around, spilling blood that was flowing towards her was haunting. And no matter how much she wanted to curl into a ball and hide herself, she bit her lip and forced herself to look up and try to smile at the daemon. Surely she had witnessed such atrocities before and couldn't be as bothered as she was.

[Calandra]

"My name is Lael."

The daemon nodded. "Lael is a fine name. You may address me as...Calandra." The girl had no knowledge of her social standing, and the ties of daemon government were very simple anyway. There was no need for the girl to use a titles such as miss, lady, or ma'am.

Calandra's face became unreadable as the shifter finished her story. "Are you positive that it was a daemon? There was some kind of reason for the attack?" Her mouth dipped into the smallest of frowns. "And why do you smile? The death of loved ones is a tragedy, is it not?"

Calandra sighed. "I am not impervious to sorrow. I too have those I do not wish to lose and those I have already lost. Daemons feel pain, same as any other creature." She turned her eyes away from Lael. "If it is too painful, you may tell me about your life in Shifter Island instead. I have heard it is a beautiful place to go, though I have not yet had the pleasure of traveling there myself."

Calandra paused before adding, "And please do try not to be terrified by me. I'm only used to seeing that expression on the faces of challengers who try and fail to take my place in society. It's rather unnerving to see a child in such terror." She shrugged, "I do not know if this will frighten or comfort you, but if I wanted to kill you, I would have let the leopard do it for me.

The daemon's thoughts drifted to one of the most important daemon rules: Do not let a child starve. Teach them how to survive. They are our future and must be raised accordingly. Calandra felt that this situation applied.

She pushed away from the tree and motioned for Lael to follow. "Come. I will lead you out of the forest and get you some clothes," she looked the girl up and down, "You will need them and without me you will never make it out alive. We can talk on the way and see if you have any tales to satisfy your debt." She smiled slightly, though her eyes remained cold and thughtful. "It is against my nature and laws to just leave you here."

[Lael]

Lael smiled at the compliment to her name. That was the first time someone had complimented her name for a long time. The first reaction of many was to point out that it was a guy's name. The fact that Calandra hadn't pointed that out was earning her points. Here was one daemon that didn't wish her death and was truly curious about her past--no snide comments or anything. And as she finished her story, she could detect a slight change in the daemon's demeanor. She was unwilling to show what she was feeling.

""Are you positive that it was a daemon? There was some kind of reason for the attack?"

Lael thought about that, there was something more to that... what was it? She couldn't quite remember, but piecing the facts together, she thought about it. "My father... I remember that my father was a gambler..." She said. He had come home one day rather distressed--about a week or so before the attack actually happened she hadn't thought of it before, but now it made sense. No shifter could really have been able to tear them up that badly or mercilessly, after all, the mammalian ones would resort more to teeth. But then it would be easy to kill a beast, wouldn't it? "He wasn't very good at it, so could that be a reason?" she suggested.

"And why do you smile? The death of loved ones is a tragedy, is it not?"

That one was easy. "I was told to smile, no matter what. He said my smile was more beautiful than my frown." She replied with a shy smile, wondering if Calandra thought so too. They had a lot in common, Calandra saving her and being able to put up with her and him... well, he was her source of life for over half her life. But he was gone now. Would Calandra go too? Ah, but she had just come to like the daemon. Perhaps life wasn't that bad all the way around. Calandra had people close to her that she lost, and others dear to her as well. Lael wondered what it was like to be able to protect your loved ones and fail--it must be terrible.

Her life on the Shifter Island... that was nothing good, there was no real interesting facts about her life, but the island itself was certainly more interesting. "Well, I can take you there--if the volcano has stopped erupting." She tilted her head curiously, wondering if Calandra would take up the offer. Shifter Island was the place that she knew the best and she would be happy to guide the daemon around--if she was allowed in.

"And please do try not to be terrified by me. I'm only used to seeing that expression on the faces of challengers who try and fail to take my place in society. It's rather unnerving to see a child in such terror. I do not know if this will frighten or comfort you, but if I wanted to kill you, I would have let the leopard do it for me."

[/i]

Ok... not to be terrified... see some reason, Lael. She left you alive, that means she doesn't wish for your death. As long as you're alive, you're good. Done. "Ok!" Lael nodded earnestly. "And thank you... thank you very much!" She was rather glad that Calandra had offered to lead her out. Otherwise, she might have starved here. Not a pretty picture. Not a picture that she liked either. She sprang to her feet happily, leopard forgotten.[/center][/size][/color][/font]

[Calandra]

"I was told to smile, no matter what. He said my smile was more beautiful than my frown."

Calandra glanced back just in time to see a fleeting smile cross her features. "He was right," she said simply, before giving a wicked grin. "Terror does not suit you quite as well as a smile." The daemon seemed slightly brighter now, cheerier. It wasn't often that she felt this happy in the company of one she had just met. Maybe it was that the girl was rather sweet and too nice for her own good.

"Well, I can take you there--if the volcano has stopped erupting."

The daemon fought back a chuckle, "I'd like to take you up on that someday. Maybe when this ridiculous war is over."
Calandra had heard about the volcano. Supposedly it was so bad that most of those who lived there had moved into the Southern Boil, a town that had been burned to the ground by some man out for revenge.

They walked on in companionable silence for some time before Calandra's stomach rumbled silently. "Would you like to stop for a meal or wait until we make it to city limits? It could be quite a while, or I could hunt now." The daemon looked to Lael for an answer.

"You never asked for me to tell you anything, do you not wish to know anything?" Calandra added, only just remembering her offer to give the girl information. That could be interesting to hear what she wanted to know, and it honestly made the daemon happy to be able to help out such a naive thing as Lael.

[Lael]

Lael blinked, pleased and surprised. "Ah, alright then." She said, smiling and bounding up to catch up with Calandra. She would smile for Calandra, then. She wouldn't be afraid of her. It wasn't that she could promise that she wouldn't be afraid of anyone else, it was rather hard to say what kind of characters they would meet. Some were prejudiced against shifters--the exact thing that she was.

Lael's smile faded for a moment. She supposed that she was lucky that she hadn't been taken prisoner yet on the war that the humans had raged onto the others of Litharia, shifters and fae alike. The daemon chose their own sides, but it was mainly the fae that were affected. This wasn't good for the well being of Litharia. Hopefully someone would stop the pointless war. But Calandra's saying that she wanted to take her up the volcano made her hopes soar. She had been too afraid to make the journey up, afraid of what might be along the way, bandits, treasure hunters that wouldn't care to ambush a single shapeshifter, all kinds of things that she could think of. It was as if Calandra could sense her fear.

That would be nice. And Lael guessed that if she was thinking of doing all that, she wouldn't be Calandra's slave. And despite her fear of being a slave (which had eased considerably) she couldn't help but ask, "Would I still be your slave?" Well, it didn't really matter to her, Calandra had proven to be a nice person and she wouldn't mind being a "slave" to her. After all, in her mind, the daemon seemed too nice to be a slave master. And after that, the question of food came up. Go to a town... or hunt here. She was fine with either, but now that Calandra had pointed out the subject of food, she was pretty hungry.

And besides, she was curious to see how Calandra hunted. "Hunt?" She suggested. She didn't want to point out that she was eager to see (not learn, that was too hard!) her hunt. And then Calandra could tell her about the daemons without others listening in. "Well, you could tell me what you do within daemon society, and how they deal with people." She suggested. "And what people are good and bad, you know!" She waved her arms around rather pointlessly to emphasize her point.

[Calandra]

"Would I still be your slave?"

That startled a laugh out of Calandra. Her laugh was high and clear, and far too innocent sounding to have come from a daemon. "No Lael, I do not think so. I was never really serious about you being my slave I was just curious as to the nature of your phobia. I do not actually keep slaves." She shrugged, "No use for them I suppose."

"Hunt?"

Calandra nodded, she much preferred fresh meat anyway. The daemon pursed her lips and let out a shrill whistle that echoed through the woods. A dark shape launched itself from a tree and came spiraling down to rest on her arm. "Yes, Lady Daemon?" asked the large raptor bird that rested on Calandra's shoulder.

To the girl, the only noise would be the screech of the bird's cry. To Calandra, it's cry formed into the cultured, lilting voice that was so common to the birds in the Tangle. The speech was a rarely used gift that she had possessed for as long as she could remember, and on occasion it came in handy.

"Would you hunt for me, Brother?" Calandra asked respectfully, to which the bird nodded it's great head. "Can I entrust you with this task?"
"It would be my honor, Lady." The bird crouched down and leaped off of Calandra's shoulder, snapping it's wings out to disappear into the trees.

"Well, you could tell me what you do within daemon society, and how they deal with people."

Calandra gave a light laugh. "I am one of the strongest fighters in the Dreamlands, few save the strongest fighter and the daemon lord himself can rival me." She glanced over at Lael. "But what do I do? I am lieutenant under Lord Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar. We both do the same thing: Travel. We spend most of our time on the road just for the pure pleasure of it. Not often do we actually return to the Dream land."

Calandra looked over at the shifter to judge her reaction. Gabriel's name was well known, as was hers. It would probably be almost funny to see if Lael would recognize her name. Most didn't ever guess that she was so powerful in the daemon community. Not until they figured out the mystery of her name at least.

"Anyway, they usually do not deal with others unless they are challenged or someone is trespassing in their territory. The daemon race is not a peaceful one. All disputes are settled through battle. If it is not important enough to fight over, then you must get over it." Calandra shrugged, "Sometimes a negotiation can be held though."

[Lael]

A sudden sound, high, clear and joyful. Lael grinned slightly giddily. She had made Calandra laugh. That made her happy, surprisingly happy. Calandra had a nice laugh. She wanted to point that out. "You have a nice laugh. You should laugh more." She noted to the daemon. Being serious didn't really suit her; she was too... serious. That was the only explanation that she could come up with. Nice people should laugh. Calandra was nice and the fact that she didn't keep slaves proved it too.

Watching Calandra as she let out a shrill whistle, she wondered what that was for. Moments later, a large shape appeared from one of the trees. It seemed to come down to them. Lael ducked automatically as the bird flew over her head and landed on Calandra, screeching and seeming to be speaking with Calandra. Her eyes opened wide. Oh, she hadn't realized that Calandra could speak with huge birds or prey like that. She should have; she had wings and wasn't afraid of birds like that. In fact, she was probably part bird as well, which was why she conversed with the bird; to ask it to hunt for her.

Lael felt a little bad for being useless like that. At the Shifter Island, she didn't really have to hunt. She hadn't had any experience with hunting either way. But hunting was better compared to wasting money, right? Still keeping her head low, she watched the bird as it hopped off Calandra's shoulder and rose into the air. On a random thought, she wondered how heavy that bird was. Since it was rather pointless, she decided not to ask the question.

"I am one of the strongest fighters in the Dreamlands, few save the strongest fighter and the daemon lord himself can rival me."

Lael's eye opened wide at that. Calandra was one of the strongest fighters? That meant that she must have been famous. Ah, this was rather... uncomfortable? She was helpless, utterly helpless compared to daemons. She made a mental note not to mess with daemons--she was probably going to lose her life if she did. Her eyes opened even wider (if that was possible) as she realized Calandra's position. Lieutenant under Lord Gabriel... that meant that she was the second most important person in daemon society. That was... flustering. "But then won't there be trouble if the rulers of Dreamland aren't there to control it?" She asked, slightly worried. Well, Dreamland was another place, but nevertheless it was part of Litharia.

Daemon society was new to her, at least she knew more than she did before. Daemons were rough and they fought to see who was the better. Well, she wasn't going to be a daemon any time soon. "And even you have to fight if you want something from someone else? Or if you disagree with Lord Gabriel?" She asked, slightly curious about that matter as well. "And I wouldn't survive being a daemon for too long, would I?" She smiled sheepishly.

[Calandra]

Calandra smiled at the girl's compliment and nodded her thanks. The bird seemed to surprise her, and for a moment the daemon wondered what she must seem like to others. Her personality, though occasionally serious as she was now, was usually very happy or very sadistic.

In a way she had asked the bird to hunt for her so that she wouldn't scare the girl. When she fought or hunted all thoughts were turned off, leaving nothing except for instinct. Which would terrify Lael.

"But then won't there be trouble if the rulers of Dreamland aren't there to control it?"

"The only thing that ever really needs attention in Dreamland is challengers. And in the words of Gabriel, if they want to challenge me so badly, they can hunt me down themselves." Calandra laughed. "The daemon people are a very independent race. Unlike humans we do not have laws for every aspect of life. There are only a few, that are more guidelines than anything."

"And even you have to fight if you want something from someone else? Or if you disagree with Lord Gabriel?"

Calandra mused over the question, smiling. "Not exactly. We have a law that states: If you have a problem, fight it out. If it’s not worth a fight, get over it." She chuckled, glancing over at Lael. "You fight for problems, not for every aspect of life. And as for Gabriel? We've been friends for almost three-hundred and fifty years. We've long since learned how to negotiate and talk about things." Calandra shrugged. "If we fight it's for fun or for practice. I have no desire to kill Gabriel to become the daemon lord."

"And I wouldn't survive being a daemon for too long, would I?"

Calandra shook her head slowly. "As you are now? No way in hell." She grinned wickedly, her eyes dancing, "Were you born a daemon you would be far, far different. As a shifter though, it is nice to find one who is not a mercenary or something of the like."

[Lael]

"The only thing that ever really needs attention in Dreamland is challengers. And in the words of Gabriel, if they want to challenge me so badly, they can hunt me down themselves."

Challengers... so the daemons were a pretty disciplined people, much unlike the humans or shapeshifters, it was rather disconcerting to know that. They were powerful and independent, a worthy opponent. Well, not for someone like her, but someone who could actually fight. Him, perhaps, since he had chosen to wield a battle-axe rather than the more popular choice of whips. He was strong. Lael wondered what it was like to be able to wield a weapon. How would she feel, powerful?

And how would it feel, being a daemon, bound to Dreamland but traveling free, giving up your immortality for, well, fun. At least it seemed that they were having fun until someone dared to challenge them and lose. Perhaps she was being too curious? After all, as a shapeshifter that no one trusted, it wasn't easy to get information. Here she was able to learn much more about the daemons and already now she knew not to fight with one unless she had a good weapon and skill.

Lael's eyes widened. Three hundred and fifty years! That was a long time! Hundreds of times older than she was. So much older than she was--in fact, she didn't think that she would be able to live for that long. And Calandra still looked young and healthy. That was, well, amazing. No wonder she was respected and had such skill with the sword. "That's... a long time..." She managed to get out. Ah, what would it be like, to live for a couple of hundred years and watch everything around you change.

"But even if I was a daemon, I don't think I would be capable of fighting," Lael shook her head disbelievingly. "I don't think I could be able to learn how to fight easily, it seems scary. Killing others is scary." Lael shuddered at that thought. "I don't think I'm strong enough for that kind of thing," She dismissed that thought.

"What do you plan to do once we get out of the forest?"

Well, Lael had no real answer to that. She was just wandering around aimlessly until something happened or she came across something--like now. "Um... well... I don't know." She admitted. "What do you plan to do?"

[Calandra]

"That's... a long time..."

Calandra smiled, "Not for a daemon it isn't. I'm still considered young. The fae and daemons have very long lifespans." She stopped for a moment studying Lael closely. "You are young even by human and shifter standards, correct? Seventeen to twenty perhaps?"

"What do you plan to do?"

Calandra shrugged, biting her lip out of habit. "Maybe I'll go to the City of Thieves or Spirit. Those are probably my favorite cities." She adjusted her sword and sat down, pulling her knees comfortably up to her chest. "Why, do you not have any places you always wished to see?"

Calandra looked around, "Hm, I'm getting hungry." As if she had called it, the large bird dropped down toting a large rabbit. Moments later a smaller, tawny colored bird followed suit. Calandra flipped a dangerous looking kinfe out of her boot and set to work skinning the fur from it. "Lael would you snap some twigs off of the trees? Just enough for a small fire to cook these."

[Cadrian]

A high-pitched shriek above him made the blonde mammalian changeling freeze in his place, one foot slightly lifted as he had been about to take a step. Holy mother of God, what was that? What kind of bird made that kind of sound? A shiver ran up from the tip of his tail all the way to back of his neck. The boy flicked his hands out to the side of him, as if the chill had ran its course there as well.

This is why he hated the Tangle.
That, and his having to live tethered here, but that's a totally different story.

Even with his dislike, Cadrian knew he was relatively safe here. As a fae, most animals chose not to attack him, and the ones that did would be surprised - the boy was quick on his feet and he knew this forest just as well as any of the animals here. So, should a hungry animal try and eat him, Cade could at least force it to put in effort. He was not going to be some easy meal.

As he walked, the boy could feel the forest moving around him in his chest. This area was wild, wilder than any other forest in Litharia. Vaguely, he wondered how many victims this patch of land had claimed and how many ancient bones he could be walking across right now, though he would never know it because they would be buried.

The boy was so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't really paying attention to where he walked, he just let his instincts take over and lead him through the Tangle. Unfortunately, his instincts led him right through a bush, and as Cadrian looked up, he realized that he was staring right at two people - one was obviously a daemon, the other was either human or shifter, for he couldn't tell where he was.
Shit.
Why did this always happen to him?
"Oh, hello there. Nice day for a stroll, isn't it?"

[Lael]

"You are young even by human and shifter standards, correct? Seventeen to twenty perhaps?"

[/i]

Lael reddened slightly. Calandra had guessed her age wrong by one year. "Actually, I'm sixteen," She admitted with a tiny smile. Did she look that old? Perhaps it was a kind of compliment. Following suit, Lael sat down, resisting the urge to lie down. What were the places that she wanted to see? Well, Calandra had pretty much hit it spot on; she didn't know where to go or what to do. And besides, she'd probably get herself into some kind of predicament like this again.

"No, not really," Lael admitted. "I'm still rather... afraid of cities and such. There are so many people that I... I feel as if I could do something wrong and--" Automatically, Lael ducked as two birds dropped prey on the ground, presumably for them. Though Lael would have liked to thank them, they were already gone. But she could help Calandra by getting the twigs that she was told to get. Looking around for a bush or tree of some sort, she turned her head, standing up to go find some. Calandra was skinning the hares (and Lael didn't really want to watch either) so she was happy to help. Bounding over, she saw a low-hanging branch and reached up, breaking twigs off the branch and getting leaves in her hair simultaneously.

"Oh, hello there. Nice day for a stroll, isn't it?"

The voice startled Lael. It wasn't Calandra's and it was deeper, like a guy's. She held on to the twigs, turning around. He had furry ears... he was... fae? The fae were more or less peaceful. Biting her lip, she turned around to pluck a few more twigs before scampering back to Calandra. She gave the fae a small, rather timid smile. "Is this enough?" She asked Calandra, taking care to keep out of the way of the blade.[/center][/size][/color][/font]