a muddy situation...

[Whisper]

Whisper shivered as she jogged through the gloomy marsh, just wanting to find the cabin before evening. but Whisp had taken a wrong turn sometime back, and she was trying to find another way there. But as for now, she was hopelessly lost.

the sun was still up, but clouds shrouded it, giving the scene a gray and bleak look. as she ran along a creek, she looked into it, wondering if fish ever lived in here. But what she saw made her scream and jump back.

in the water, a face strickin with pain stared up at her, and it's hand slowly was reaching up. Whisp screamed bloody murder and jumped back, her strong legs, propelling her father than she wanted, right into a quicksand lot. Whisper screamed again and tried to get out, but with no such luck. "HELP ME!!!" she screamed, hoping that someone would come and help her....

[Alyth]

"Still now, Jager," The battle muse murmured to the stallion, gray as the clouds above. The battlehorse was steeping nervously, slightly spooked by the apparititions around them. So why was the duo in the creepiest part of Litharia? Simply because the unemployed knight felt that there was nothing to do and it might have been worth to go visit the Marshes. She was absolutely glad that she had brought the trustworthy stallion along, for his sense of danger was better than hers. Not just once had he saved her from stepping into a pit of quicksand, but numerous times. Alyth knew that if it wasn't for her companion, she might not have made it out of here.

Suddenly, a piercing scream filled the air, echoing around due to the heavy fog. Jager reared and screamed in fright, making Alyth snarl in frustration as she reined in the stallion. "Steady, dear companion, it is but a sound," She murmured, stroking the horse's neck with her gauntleted hands.

"HELP ME!" The scream came again. Alyth raised an eyebrow. Well, that was definitely a new voice that genuinely sounded terrified. She was well aware of the myths and legends that the Marshes held the remnant souls of those that had died--especially those close to you. The battle muse's red eyes flicked around; nope, no one anywhere close, but they had better go see anyways.

"Find the voice please, Jager," She told the stallion, readying her double-bladed halberd in case there should be any threat to them. With a snort, the battlehorse started out at his pace, a quick trot, heading towards the screams. The animal's ears were better than Alyth's, with her green cape billowing out behind her as wind coursed through her scarlet hair. There was no sun here, meaning that her armor wasn't as bright. That she was thankful for; it meant that she wouldn't be spotted so easily.

But wait, what was that? Alyth caught sight of a figure thrashing wildly, more or less human and half-sunken into a pit of quicksand. She arched an eyebrow. So that was the girl that had been making all that noise. Jager stopped on the safe ground at the rim of the sandpit. Judging from her build, the girl would be light. Flipping the halberd around so the blades were at the battle muse's shoulder, she extended the smooth stick towrds the girl. "Grab on." She ordered the shifter. She didn't have her glamour on, but didn't think that she needed it either; after all, the girl had two choices: die, or grab onto the halberd.

[Whisper]

Whispered thrashed in the quicksand, trying to get towards the dirt. A voice in the back of her mind was shotuing something about not moving, but she payed no attention and continued her struggle. she was up to her thighs, and her pants were dripping with mud, dragging her down. there were no branches in reach, and it seemed there was no way out.

Then she saw movement, and lashed her head back. A red haired battle muse riding a stallion was approaching her, and a filcker of hope flared in Whisper's mind. Maybe she'll help! The woman crouched down and held out a stick.
"Grab on."
the battle muse ordered. Whisper reached out and clung to the stick, and slowly got out. She collapsed onto the ground, panting and trying to wiping off the majority of the mud that clung to her tattered clothing. Being a loner and a constant traveler, She didn't exactly have the time, or the money to get reliable clothing. But her leather boots were fine, and that was all that mattered.

Whisp turned to the heroic stranger and expressed her thanks. "Thank you, so much. it was foolish of me to not watch where i was going, but the spirit in the river, and the hand, and.." Whisper burst into tears, cursing herself for ever getting into something like this.

Whisper wiped the tears off her face. And slowly stood up. "sorry about that. Thank you for saving my life, I'm very grateful." She bowed quickly, and continued to try to wipe off the mud.

[Alyth]

Alyth arched an eyebrow as the shifter girl attempted to fight her way through the sinking mud. She obviously hadn't heard of the fact that fighting through quicksand made you sink faster. At least she was there to pull the shifter out. Once the girl grabbed onto the rod, she gently pressed her heels to Jager's side, causing him to brace himself and let Alyth pull the girl out. She noticed that the girl had rather tattered clothing on. Under normal circumstances, she would have offered the girl (even though she was a shifter) a change of clothing, but it happened that she had none.

The battle muse was about to ask if the girl was ok, but before she could get down to doing so, the girl burst into tears. She was mumbling something about foolish and spirit in the river, probably what had happened. If she was any good at comforting, she would have helped, but the battle muse was not used to such situations, so she had to wait for the shifter to calm down.

"sorry about that. Thank you for saving my life, I'm very grateful."

Alyth nodded, sliding off Jager's back and landing gracefully. The halberd was once more strapped to her back faithfully. "I do agree that you were foolish," The battle muse told the shifter who looked small from her height. "Do not thrash about in quicksand, for that would surely seal your deathwish. The marshes are a dangerous place and I would advice you not to travel alone." The battle muse's expression softened a little as she tossed some of her hair over her shoulder. "You should wash off in the river. Do not worry, it is perfectly safe." She gestured to the wicked blades that could surely cleave through any substantial matter.

[Whisper]

Whisper nodded as the red haired woman told her to wash in the river. Though she couldn't see the spirit anymore, Whisper was still wary of the water. But as the battle muse gestured to her weapons, She felt a little safer.

After finally getting off the mud caked onto her pants., Whisp leaped out of the river, squeezing the excess water off her clothing. She turned to the battle muse, surprised that she was still there. "The reason i was ever in this dreadful place is because i have a cabin here, but i took a wrong turn and got horribly lost. And then i saw a spirit, and it well, scared me. I'm not used to seeing them, because the path to my home is usually a mild trek, unlike the rest of this marsh. Thank you again for saving me, i was stupid and it won't happen again." Whisper bowed slightly to the battle muse.

"if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? it doesn't seem like you've a place to go..." Whisper looked nervously to the ground. "You don't have to answer that, i was just wondering. Not many people, well, not many GOOD people, go into the marsh."

[Alyth]

The battle muse watched the shifter as she cleaned herself up. She noticed that the girl was still afraid of the water, but not so much as before, probably because there was someone watching her back now. She didn't blame the shifter; she would feel similar if in such a situation in the shifter's shoes. She smiled to herself; as she was now, she wasn't frightened very easily.

Alyth caught the shifter's eye, raising an eyebrow at her surprise. Did the shifter expect her to leave? She was a peculiar little shifter, this one. "The reason i was ever in this dreadful place is because i have a cabin here, but i took a wrong turn and got horribly lost. And then i saw a spirit, and it well, scared me. I'm not used to seeing them, because the path to my home is usually a mild trek, unlike the rest of this marsh. Thank you again for saving me, i was stupid and it won't happen again."

And she also liked to talk. Give excuses and reasons. Alyth wasn't a very talkative person, but could tell that this one was. "I should really suggest that you move homes." She told the shifter somewhat sharply. "No offense meant, but if the next time you are lost, no one might be there and it would not end well."

"if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? it doesn't seem like you've a place to go..."

Why was she here? Alyth gave the shifter a wry smile. "Satiating my curiosity. It seems that I have picked up a little'un on my way." She tapped the shifter girl on the head lightly, indicating her to be the "little'un".

[Whisper]

Whisper looked down shyly as she heard the battle muse's words of warning. "I usually don't live in my cabin, i just came back to get new clothes..." she blushed, looking at her tattered attire compared to the womans gleaming armor. "My name is Whisper by the way, or Whisp. And yours?" Whisper looked fondly towards the stallion. "I like your horse..."

[Alyth]

"I usually don't live in my cabin, i just came back to get new clothes..."

Now that was a rather strange thing. A really peculiar little shifter. Alyth herself did not see the wisdom in keeping her clothes in dangerous territory as this, but if that was the way that the shifter wanted it, she was in no position to complain. She also agreed that the shifter needed new clothes; she wasn't sure if it was the quick sand that had tattered her clothes so badly or her travels or wandering. Either way, she needed new clothes.

"My name is Whisper by the way, or Whisp. And yours?"

And Whisper was a friendly one too. Trusting with her name. After a moment of thought, the battle muse decided that the shifter could pose no threat to her. "Alyth." She told Whisper. Looking to the gray stallion, she added, "And this is Jager, my battlehorse." It shouldn't come of much as a surprise, for battle muses were indeed made for war and it was always good to be prepared, hence her most trustworthy companion, armor and weapons.

The gray battlehorse swung his head over to the shifter girl, gently nudging her and snorting. He understood her comment and was rather pleased. He flicked his ears, watching Alyth's smile out of the corner of his eye. The girl was timid, but he dared not move in case he stepped into the quicksand.

[Whisper]

Whisper smiled brightly as Alyth told Whisper her name and the horses name. Jager approached Her, seeming pleased that Whisper liked him. She laughed as the horse nudged her and stroked his face lovingly, stepping to the side so the horse could move without stepping into the quicksand. She'd had enough of that today.

"Well, since i'm completely lost, I may as well just get out of the marsh and buy some new clothes in the city. The one's at cabin aren't exactly worth getting lost again. If you're still going to explore, well, don't let me stop you." But Whisper had a feeling that Alyth didn't think she could make her way out of the forest (which she probably couldn't) So Whisper just continued to pet Jager. She reeally did like the horse..

[Alyth]

She smiled as the battle muse revealed their names. It was as if she did not expect her to reveal their identities--not that she actually did reveal her true identity; that wasn't happening any time soon. Especially not to a wanderer and shapeshifter. No matter how nice the girl seemed, she was a wanderer and a shapeshifter; two traits of a person that she should never reveal her true name to. A fae had to be cautious as they could never lie.

Watching Whisper and heaering her words, she made up her mind. At a slight pressure, Jager turned away from the shapeshifter, getting into a comfortable position for his rider to mount him. Though he enjoyed the shifter's attention, his loyalty was ultimately with the battle muse. "Well," She said as she mounted smoothly, bending down almost double (mainly because of her uncanny height) and offering a gauntleted hand to Whisper. "Up you get, kid. Can't see no point in delaying the inevitable." She told the rather naive shifter.

[Whisper]

Whisper hesitated as the battle muse held out her hand. She hadn't actually looked over her situation yet, and she realized that she was being completely stupid, trusting this stranger, no questions asked. Whisper took a step back, still thinking. Fae's can't lie, but they can choose what they say carefully. "I-i....." Whisper stuttered. She didn't know what to do anymore.

The fae were a good people, but nobody trusted shifters these days. Maybe Alyth didn't trust her either....Whisper shook her head. Alyth saved her life, she had earned Whispers trust, and she wouldn't betray whisper.So Whisper took Alyth's waiting hand and swung herself onto Jager, landing gracefully in front of Alyth.

"So....." Whisper asked. "Where to?"

[Alyth]

When Whisper took a step back, Alyth couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Now that certainly was a surprise. She wondered what the shapeshifter was thinking, but had no reason to pry. Maybe the girl was afraid of horseback or heights or something. Perhaps she was shy about riding on the battlehorse's back, who really knew what could go on in one's mind.

In the end, Alyth grinned as the girl took her hand. She hoisted the girl up with her reknown arm muscles (from wielding the halberd) and noticed with approval that the girl managed to land soundly.

"So... Where to?"

That was an easy one. With a simple touch to the gray horse's flank, he automatically turned. Alyth hadn't ridden with anyone on the same horse before, but she trusted Jager to lead them safely. "Grab the pommel," She told Whisper as she took the reins. It was for her safety. The battle muse did not know how much experience the girl had with horseback, but it was always safe to make sure. "We're getting out of here and into the Spirit." She declared as Jager broke into a gentle trot.

[Whisper]

Whisper grabbed the pommel with both hands at the Battle muses command, and smiled as she said that they were heading to Spirit. She could actually get some new clothes now! She really needed a cloak....

Whisper leaned forward a little and continued to stroke Jager gently with one hand, careful not to distract him. It was going to be a long ride, but at least Whisper was finally going to get out of this dreadful marsh. Whisper had a feeling that she wouldn't be coming back here for a while, and that was just fine with her.

[Alyth]

Internally calculating the route, the fae decided that it was a smart idea if they rested for a while on the border of the marshes. There would be no creatures that bothered them and it would be good to give Jager a rest. Although the shifter was light, she had been riding him for the whole day; her partner needed a good rest.

Looking down, she smiled a little as she saw the shifter stroking the light gray stallion's neck gently, so normally that it seemed that she was doing it without even being conscious that she was. The gray stallion was experienced enough not to so much as flick an ear at the attention that he was receiving, and instead picked his way through with ease; there were still hoofprints here and there and it was easy to retrace the route.

"Alright, Whisper. We're going to have to make camp just at the end of the Marshes. It is quite safe there and I would think that Jager deserved a rest; is that ok with you?" She asked the shifter. Even though she knew that she was going to take the break no matter what Whisper said, she still felt that it was polite to give her a heads up just in case she was too scared.

[Whisper]

Whisper shifted slightly, her muscles groaning from the lack of movement all day. But they were almost at the edge of the marshes. Whisper frowned slightly, sensing Jager's tiredness. They should probably rest soon....
"Alright, Whisper. We're going to have to make camp just at the end of the marshes. It is quite safe and i would think that Jager deservers a rest; is that okay with you?"
Alyth asked from behind Whisper. "That sounds reasonable, I think there's a dryish clearing over there that seems safe, should we stay there?" Whisper asked, pointing over to a clearing filled with dead grass. It was probably the driest place they would find, but there might be more further on. "Unless you have another place in mind, of course. I don't really care either way. It's your choice."

[Alyth]

"That sounds reasonable, I think there's a dryish clearing over there that seems safe, should we stay there?"

Alyth looked in the direction that the shifter indicated, indeed it was a clearing that seemed dry and safe; there were no apparitions that might choose to appear in the water and neither did it seem that anything would bother them there. Jager was indifferent to this decision, showing neither approval nor disapproval, it was like he was leaving the choice up to Alyth.

The battle muse frowned in thought, the clearing was dry and there was grass, albeit it was dead. There was no quicksand either and she knew that Jager would be able to take care of himself ration-wise. What harm could it do to rest there for a while? A few stones would stop the fire from burning the grass and there was sure to be prey around here that they could catch easily. She touched a light heel to Jager. "It will suffice." She said as the horse moved in that direction.

[Whisper]

Whisper slid off the horse into the clearing, sighing as she collapsed onto the grass. She took her pack out and took out a lump of bread and began to nibble. But Whisper wasn't very hungry, so she re-wrapped it and stuff the lump back into her rough leather pack. Whisper looked around the clearing, absentmindedly scratching at flecks of mud on her cloak. She saw a stream at the edge of the tree line. A small one, but the water looked clear and inviting. "Jager can get a drink over there." Whisper called pointing towards the stream. "The water looks clean, But I'll go check it out." Whisper hauled herself to her feet and strolled over to the stream. She dipped a hand into the stream, flinching at it's frigidness. The stream was only about 2 feet deep, but fished still darted along, nipping at things Whisper couldn't see. Whisper smiled slightly, and got up to walk back to the clearing.

[Alyth]

Once the shifter had gotten off, Jager took a couple of steps towards a tree. The battle muse was a little larger than the shifter and might accidentally deal a fatal wound with either of the axe blades. But as she cleared the range between the shifter, the battle muse swung off her battlehorse with trained fluidity and landed on the ground softly, green cape billowing out and coming to rest as it settled. Alyth grinned, ruffling the gray horse's mane. Today was certainly an interesting day where she had picked up yet another shifter kid.

After a moment or two (where she was sure Whisper could take care of herself), she unbuckled the packs and placed them by a nearby tree; Jager was comfortable with the saddle and in case of emergency, buckling up the saddle was too streneous a task and would take too long even for her. "Jager can get a drink over there." Alyth turned absentmindedly at Whisper's call. "The water looks clean, But I'll go check it out." Alyth nodded to Whisper, following with Jager at her heels.

Alyth grinned, there were fish. Perfect for a good, hot meal. She swung the double-bladed halberd from her back and pointed it into the river. "I'll fish, you get some stones and twigs for the fire, ok?" She called to Whisper.

[Whisper]

"I'll go fish, you get some stones and twigs for the fire, ok?"

Whisper nodded and went off in search for good cooking stones, absentmidedly picking up sticks and twigs as she searched. Farther off, on the bank of the stream, a patch of smooth, flat stones sat next to the water. Whisper smiled an picked a couple up.
A hand creeped out of the water, looking exactly like the hand from before. Whisper jumped back. "BE GONE!" She screamed at the hand waving her free hand at it, then sprinted in the other direction, which just happened to be away from camp.
After a little while, Whisp slowed down, panting. She still had the sticks and stones, but the stream was no where in sight. But something about the area looked familiar.... "My house!" Whisper cried, seeing a small cottage a little ways away. She'd finally found it!
Whisper sprinted towards the house, making sure she only stepped in the grass. In quick bounds, Whisper leaped up the stairs and threw open the door. A small room lay before her, with a bed in one corner, a dresser in the other, and a Tattered rug in the middle. A door shaped gap led to the small kitchen, with a fire pit, a bucket, and a small cabinet. Whisper was finally home again.
Whisper walked over to the dresser and took out a new pair of clothes, stuffing an extra shirt in her pack. She changed clothes and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bucket from the cabinet to fetch some water.
That was when Whisper emembered Alyth and Jager. "Oh no!" Whisper gasped. She'd forgotten all about them! Whisper set the bucket and her old clothes down and picked up the bundle of sticks and rocks, sprinting back to the forest, and then in the direction of the stream.
Whisper reached the spring an ran along it, searching for the mud print on the rocks that her shoes left. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found them. Whisper jogged back to the clearing. "I'm so sorry! he hand was back, so i ran away, and then i found my home, and i forgot about everything, but then i remembered! So i came back as fast i could. I"m so sorry!" Whisper opologized, the words streaming out her mouth. How could she be so foolish?

[Alyth]

Out of the corner of her eye, Alyth saw Whisper wander off. She shook her head. That kid's head was still up in space, she just hoped that she would be in reach in case anything spooked her once again. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel guilty if she accidentally lost her charge. Strange, but perhaps it was the nature of the Fae themselves to feel responsible for the others that were less capable of taking care of themselves.

Watching the water motionlessly, she waited for one of the multicolor-scaled fish to swim a little closer. All she hoped was that these fish were edible. Of course, anything was edible if they used the right method. Alyth herself had never had much problems with food and seemed rather insensitive to it, she just hoped that Whisper shared the same feeling. Reflexively, the halberd's speartip flashed downwards, disturbing the water noiselessly and piercing the fish's body. Well, one down, a few more to go. Pulling it out of the water, she pulled the fish off the spearhead, placing it on the grass.
"Now who'll be the next...?" She muttered to herself. Jager whinnied and shook his head, wandering off towards the grass and beginning to shave it delicately.

As this process repeated, Alyth soon caught a worthy pile of this strange fish. She sighed. All the fish were more or less edible, but what worried her was Whisper. That kid must have found something interesting. Did she have a short attention span? That certainly was a worthy explanation. She had met a few changelings before and some certainly seemed to have a major attention issue. Shaking her head, the battle muse went off to go gather the missing items. The flint was already in her pack and Jager could take care of himself.

"I'm so sorry! he hand was back, so i ran away, and then i found my home, and i forgot about everything, but then i remembered! So i came back as fast i could. I"m so sorry!"[/i]

Alyth listen half-heartedly to this explanation. It was a good thing she was in an offhand mood today. She had already gutted the fishes and buried their innards, so all that was left was the fire. "Alright." She decided, nodding towards the center of the clearing. "Set the rocks and twigs down; we can start with the fire." She told the shifter as she picked the fish up. and brought them to the clearing.[/size][/color][/font]