Taltos

[Neve Luna]

His reaction to her playful rant made Neve blink in confusion, as well as send a bad feeling down to her stomach - whatever she said, she was sorry. When his familiar landed on his hand, she smiled and scanned the beautiful creature before reaching up and scratching at her under-feathers.

"Animals are amazing creatures, especially the natural ones." Dy'tre, a large Snow Leopard, approached the group out of the brush, his gigantic paws making no noise as he seemed to avoid every branch and dead leaf. "This," she removed her gentle hand from Allain and motioned to Dy'tre, "is Dy'tre, my familiar." All she wanted to do was lower herself to the ground and nuzzle him, but she refrained herself.

Dy'tre looked up at the bird and bowed. "He's a real gentleman." Neve said playfully.

[Devyn Astratos]

Devyn bowed his head at the leopard in front of her. He didn't even know the great cat was in the area until it approached them. But then, he assumed that was the point.

I didn't know he was there either. He's good. Allain sent. But I like them.

"Allain here told me that these bridges led out of the Forest. Were you two on your way to the outside as well?" He asked her out of curiousity.

[Neve Luna]

Neve watched Dy'tre walk to a stream and bend forward, his tail swishing slightly as he lapped up the cool water, before answering Devyn. "I wanted to go find the prison that is breaking the world in half. I was given a mission and it's not that simple." Her eyes seemed to distance themselves as she drifted off into a memory.

"Neve." Dy'tre's strong voice echoed in her head, pulling her back to the moment, and she turned to look at him. No more words were needed to be said between them, so she silently turned her attention to Devyn.

"I'm just in love with my home - leaving it is just one of the many personal battles I have to overcome if I want to continue on my mission. But to be more thorough, I'm planning on leaving the Forest, but I also know it will be here when I get back." Her smile was saddened a little when she looked back at her home and then back at the man in front of her. "You are more than welcome to join us, that way you're not alone, nor will you have to fend for yourselves alone. Dy'tre and I are amazing hunters, and by the looks of you," her hand nonchalantly motioned to him and his figure, "you have no problem with protecting yourselves." Her eyes scanned the handsome man without shame before smiling.

[Devyn Astratos]

"Prison?" Devyn wondered aloud in confusion.

Remember, I told you about the prison. It came from beneath the earth and is draining energy from it, even as we speak.

"Yeah, you did, now that I think about it..." There was a slight twinge of guilt in his words, having forgotten. He couldn't help the slight smile that involuntarily graced his lips afterward though; as naive as he was, Devyn did notice Neve looking him up and down.

"I feel as if I have an obligation to help." He eventually admitted. "It is my planet as well, even if it hasn't been gracious to me. I do have...some ability to protect myself, though I much prefer not using it. Still, I would take you up on your offer of joining, but only if Dy'tre is fine with it as well. I'm pretty sure Allain likes you both already."

[Neve Luna]

Dy'tre didn't answer, he knew what Neve would say even if he did object to the situation - and Neve knew it as well. Smiling, Neve nodded. "He has no objections, then again, he'snever too trusting so his answer is always no." Her smile turned into a smirk as she turned to the stream and pulled the canteen from her waist.

"I think you might want to fill up here, because after we leave the Valley, there won't be anymore clean water to indulge in." Her elegant form bent to the stream and began to fill up her cantene, speaking a soft spell to condense it, making it last a lot longer than it would if she hadn't.

[Devyn Astratos]

Devyn laughed softly. "Never too trusting? I can't very well blame him for that. I'm much the same way." He said, unhooking the white goat-skin gourd from his waist. Holding the bottom, he dipped the open mouth of the gourd into the stream, keeping it there until it filled up.

"I do have a question about this mission of yours though. From what I do remember of the story Allain told me, there's no actual way to get into this prison. So what do we do when we get to it?"

[Neve Luna]

Chuckling, Neve reattached her canteen and turned to look at Devyn. "On the contrary- if the animals and half-men can find their ways out, there has to be a way in." Her smirk seemed to be a mix of playful teasing and smugness.

Dy'tre rolled his eyes as he hopped onto the bridge heading East. Even though his Vai'aja was smart, she had no problem with being smug about her cleverness - but that's what he adored about her. Looking behind him to see if they were following, his eyes locked onto Drevyn's familiar with a slight curiosity.

"If we can go to the source of the problem - the crack in the Mother's surface - then we can focus on where they're coming from. There's not much time to figure it out - the trees whisper of their kin dying all the time, so we must act quickly." Her weightless step onto the bridge made her seem she was floating rather than walking, but that was just the way of the Vai'aja.

[Devyn Astratos]

Devyn looked up at Allain, flying just above their heads. She had glided over to the other end of the bridge and back. It was what she did for pretty much all the time she was with Devyn; scouted potentially dangerous areas so her partner didn't walk into something he was unprepared for.

Nothing?" He asked the falcon when she reached him again.

No, nothing to worry about yet. Allain responded.

By then, Neve had started moving across the bridge herself, so Devyn jogged a bit to catch up. "This seems like an extremely important quest you're on." He thought hard about how to word what he wanted to ask next. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her. Or Dy'tre. "Not saying you're not capable, I want it to be clear that's not what I'm saying at all..." He instinctively glanced upward.

Go on. The bird urged.

Devyn nodded. "I was simply wondering why it was just the two of you on this mission."

[Neve Luna]

The question made Neve stop for a moment, a painful surge flowing through her heart before she turned around and smiled at him. "There were more Vai'aja and Notei, but some backed out, and others died." It didn't take long before her hand reached up to her forehead and then back again. "Everyone has their own quests, mine was for the rest of the planet we have left. Simple as that. And don't judge a book by it's cover." A playful wink was directed his way before turning around and continuing on the bridge. "I'm a lot stronger than I look. I'm one of the first Vai'aja to be born from Mother - I've been ripe for quite some time now."

Although she knew she had plenty more to learn from the Universe, Dy'tre and herself, she knew some deadly moves that she had to use a few times before - and had to live with it.

"Ask him what his mission is, Neve, don't be afraid to intrude." HIs tone was rather bitter but Neve ignored it.

"So, Devyn," her gaze stayed forward as she spoke to him, "what are you doing in the forest. Crotyre aren't particularly Forest people, nor Prison people, but they're not known for fighting for either side."

[Devyn Astratos]

"Oh no, I meant no disrespect - " He began, before Allain cut him off. She's just teasing you Devyn. Calm down.

" - Right. I just...I do believe you when you say you're strong." Devyn did sense this was a rather painful memory, and his desire to defend himself did not trump his compassion, so he dropped the subject. He focused on her next question. "Nothing so noble as your mission, I assure you. I don't exactly consider myself an 'anything' person, neither forest nor prison...I was just born in the forest."

He thought about it for a while. "Well, technically I was born in this sort of...outside space, molded into this shape, and transplanted onto this world in the forest. I've just been wandering aimlessly ever since. This is the first time I've had anything resembling a purpose."