[Ionia]

It was the cat that did it.

“Hel's teeth and Stolos on fire,” Nia hissed nonsense as she stumbled on the gravel path and used the wall for leverage. The pain in her left leg thudded with each step that she took, reminding her of the multiple marks of teeth along her calf. The bandages still felt cool from the blood they had absorbed, but they should start to dry soon. Again, Nia regretted not bringing better salves. At the very least, they would have alleviated the pain in her flesh and muscles.

She was moving at an excruciatingly slow pace down the mountain. It was hard enough to find a good foothold upon a path with loose gravel, let alone go down with a leg injury. Nevertheless, she hopped where she could with her one good foot and with the other foot raised. There were still a few hours left, but if the skies started getting dark, Nia might just toss herself off a cliff and fly home despite the cramp in her left wing. That was better than risking the night out alone, wounded, in an area littered with wildlife. Flying would be the last choice, however, given the medium-sized bag on her back. It was filled with handfuls of herbs she'd scavenged, as well as some ores that she'd purchased from the small mining town of Lesoles. No, it would be a hassle to fly with those.

At the moment, Nia was cursing the damned spine-tailed cat nine ways to Hel's surface, even though she knew full well that the creature in question was off on some ledge, dying from the poison she'd pumped into it. If it hadn't fallen off the cliff, she might have salvaged its spines for the shop, and the thought only worsened her mood.

Not that it could get any worse. Probably.

[Maaike]

“Mama, do you think we'll see a nagrim?”

Sammy had asked the same question about six times since they set off into the mountains a week ago. Maaike would normally have preferred to leave him with the clan, just like she always did when she went off on a hunt, but Niamh had been worried about him. “He keeps talking about how lonely you are, sweetie, but I think there's something deeper.” Taking her mother seriously, and figuring it couldn't hurt since she was pretty sure she knew exactly where her bounty was (she'd dealt with him before and he was pretty easy-going for a crook and would never harm a child since he'd lost his own son a few decades before), she'd agreed to take him along if he swore to follow the rules.

So here they were on a mountain trail, Sammy's arms and legs wrapped around her and her loose hair whipping in her face. They travelled light, accustomed to sleeping out under the stars and versed well enough in survival to manage without camping gear. She'd made her son wear actual clothes, this time, just to be sure he stayed warm, but she herself was wearing her normal hunting ensemble of yoga pants, boots, gloves, vest, shirt and thick, fur-lined denim jacket. Finnbar glinted silver in the afternoon light.

“Mommy, do you think Magda's getting tired?”

Chuckling despite herself, because it was his way of saying he was tired, Maaike teased, “Nah, she could go all day.” But as she glanced over her shoulder to see her son pulling a face, her own expression froze. Voices?

Without needing to be told, Sammy helped her ease him off her back and scampered quietly up an embankment to hide in the bushes. Maaike waited until he was out of sight to tread carefully further up the trail where it turned into a frighteningly narrow ledge, bracing herself with one hand on the wall. She didn't so much turn the corner as peer around it cautiously, all too aware of what happened to Therians when they were caught off guard...

Hmm. The Anyelos looked injured, but while Maaike would have risked it if she'd been alone, Sammy's presence made her far more cautious. Instead of immediately jumping to help the woman, Maaike raised her voice, still partially hidden by the rock face as it curved around toward Ionia. “Stop right there!”

[Ionia]

Springtime didn't bring much warmth into the mountains, so Nia kept her wings around herself to shield some of the cold breeze. Most of her attention was focused on going down the trail with as few scrapes as possible, but Nia still glanced alertly at her surroundings, including the skies. Many a fool-hunter would forget to do so, but years of service in the skotadi army had trained Nia to always look up. The worst enemies were those of her own kind. Today's skies only held brown sparrows and a lone falcon that didn't seem interested in feeding upon the smaller birds.

Suddenly, the dirt shifted beneath her feet, and as she hastily set her bad foot down and pain raked up her calf, she immediately broke into a colorful string of anyeli curses. “Bloody archon--son of a kelpie,” she hissed at the same moment when another sharp voice made its presence known. Flattening her backpack and wings against the wall of the mountain, Nia grit her teeth and glared ahead of the trail.

It took her a moment before she noticed somebody hiding behind a tall slab of rock that jutted out from the mountains. That glimpse alone set her nerves on an ominous edge. Eyes narrowing, Nia angled her left wing downward to block the person's view of her injury, and the shadows flickered beneath her feet. She loosened the binds around her shoulders and let the backpack fall to the ground. If there were thieves looking for an easy picking, Nia was determined to show them wrong. Right hand curling against the hilt of her dagger, Nia called out, “You stop whatever the Hel you're plotting.” For who else but a crook would hide like that?

[Maaike]

Maaike's grip on the rock face twitched. Stalemate. Fortunately, the path between them was too narrow and dangerous to try anything on, so she could afford to be a bit more charitable than she would normally. Still, she remained cautious as she slowly poked herself out around the corner, eyeing the Skotados warily. A quick sniff at the air told her they were the only two people in the vicinity (Sammy not included), but there was something else, something dangerous, nearby. And blood.

Maaike was torn. She wasn't completely heartless, and after all, the point of becoming a bounty hunter was to help people. But she'd learned the hard way not to trust people, so stopping to help strangers didn't come naturally. There wasn't really anything to suggest this woman actually needed any help, either. The blood may not belong to her. Maybe she'd been out hunting, or defeated her attackers, or merely scraped her hand on the rock.

No. The scent of blood was just a little too strong for that. With this wind, it would have to be just to reach Maaike's nose.

“Relax. I'm just passing through .” Truth, and necessary because, as things stood, neither one of them could get by the other. This was why Maaike hated mountain trails — but for the Skotados to be blocking her path, there had to be a reason for her to be on the ground in the first place. She didn't look like a fledgling, but beyond that Maaike hadn't a clue how they came by their aerial prowess. Not all Anyeli could fly well, apparently, but she'd encountered some with such grace... not that she'd admit that envy was one of the smaller reasons she'd chosen a bird form.

“Look, I'll back up.” She said it through gritted teeth because doing so would make her lose half a day, whereas if the Anyeli backed up instead, she'd only lose a half hour, tops. But Maaike couldn't — wouldn't — proceed without Sammy. He may be able to scamper along the top of the rock face, but he was five years old. None of Maaike's forms would help if he fell.

Damn, she wished she'd thought to bring Cailean. He'd eat up this trail like it was nothing, but she hadn't wanted to risk him amid the clan and he didn't like children, so it had seemed safest to leave him at home.

[Ionia]

Despite the labor of bumbling down the trail, Ionia forced herself to breathe slower in order to hear signs of movement. Leaning forward in case there was sudden movement, Nia glanced behind quickly, in case of an ambush, before focusing again on what was downhill. Whether by moral character or actual species, Nia still didn't know what kind of person she was talking to. Regarding the same matter, she couldn't be sure that they were the only two here, since she couldn't see what was beyond the boulder. Then, the stranger moved slowly from behind the barrier, and Nia's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The woman had taken only a few steps, but Nia knew a fighter's walk when she saw one.

“Relax. I'm just passing through.”

Still judging--and she expected the woman was doing the same--Nia tilted her head haughtily, as if those words did not matter. And they didn't. The two would have to pass by each other regardless. Gaze flickering toward the ground, Nia was only slightly comforted by the sight of the shadows. The sun had made its way beyond the mountains, providing ample spots of darkness on the trail.

“Look, I'll back up.”

That did nothing to soothe Nia's wariness, because she knew her weakness would show if she started walking. But she knew her surroundings, and she knew that there was no other way but down. “Alright,” she responded only loud enough for the stranger to hear. Lifting her pack from the ground, Nia slung it over her shoulder and wound the strap two times around her hand. Inching sideways with her back still to the wall, she shuffled down the hill and tried to mask her limp by keeping her wing curled in front. She moved very slowly as the result, and that furthered her frustration. If there was a fight, she was handicapped in more ways than one.

Hel's fire, if the muscles in her wings weren't hurting right now, she would have launched herself off the cliff and begone. Damn the cat, again.

The woman stopped backing up after some time, and when the trail seemed wide enough for the both of them. By now, Ionia had no doubt that the stranger had seen her bandages. Nia's discomfort of both the wound, and the stranger seeing the wound, showed clearly in her scowl. Raising an eyebrow, she halted a few meters away from the woman. “Do proceed.”

[Maaike]

Maaike had seen the woman's injury, and also noticed the way she'd marked the shadows. Of course, there was always the possibility that she was one of those poncy peacekeepers, but Maaike hadn't survived as a bounty hunter by being positive. Besides, there was something about a fighter that tickled the hairs on the back of her neck, an indefinable scent or attitude or body posture that shouted "don't mess with me", predator to predator.

As they came face to face where the path widened, Maaike hesitated but ultimately did proceed as the Anyelos haughtily suggested. The woman's injury was none of her concern, and if she wasn't asking for help then it was on her own head if she died up here.

Sammy had other ideas. “Mama, no!”

Maaike pivoted and hissed when his head popped over the rim of the rock face a couple of feet over their heads. She'd instinctively put herself between him and the Skotados, but it was useless. If she wanted to attack Sammy, the woman only had to leap into their air and flap her wings long enough to strike, whereas Maaike would have to transform into her falcon form and would still be at a disadvantage.

Her glare flicked first to Sammy to tell him he'd have a sore bottom later, and then to the Skotadi to warn her off like a mother bear with her cub.

“But Mama, she's hurt!” Maaike's eyes squeezed shut for just an instant. Damn her parents for instilling the same kind of values in him that they'd taught her. That she'd still hold, if not for her vlareon of a husband. That was probably going to get them both killed...

“Xanth-dammit, fine. You get your little butt down here this instant.” She had half a mind to leave him up there so he was harder to get to, but if the woman did attack, it'd be easier for Maaike to protect him if he were right next to her.

As Sammy obediently scoured the path for the best way down, Maaike scowled. “And I don't suppose you have a real kit in there, right?” It was obvious the Skotados had attempted to treat her own wounds, but bandages wouldn't prevent infection and she needed a compress to stop the bleeding. None of the herbs Niamh taught her about grew up her, so maybe the woman had something useful in her pack instead.

[Aria]

It had been a tiring day, even by her usual standards. Aria rarely let her mind wander when navigating the mountains, knowing full well the dangers of precarious footholds and habitats rife with potentially threatening creatures even when approached with an alert mind. Especially when the explorer in question had neither weapon nor company. This day, however, had been bad enough to merit reflection – and Aria was following the path into Kyriake, which wasn’t as unforgiving as a few of the paths she had already navigated today - so she indulged in some self-pity.

Her usually relaxing morning bath had begun with the discovery of a Kumo amongst the rocks (while Aria usually didn’t mind spiders, stepping on one large enough to step back – with several times more foot – was not a pleasant experience). She had finally managed to squish the damn thing with a rock, but not without several new scratches to add to her growing collection. A pitiful haul had been the reward for a morning’s worth of hard work, and when trying to find her way back to her campsite, Aria had gotten a little lost. It had been hugely embarrassing at the time, but now Aria thought of it as a testament to her prowess in the art of tent disguise. Aria smiled to herself as she moved down the mountain, suddenly proud – proud of her developing skills, her applied knowledge, but most of all for her perseverance. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone but herself, but living alone in the wilderness as she was now – well, it was the hardest challenge she had ever faced.

Lost in her thoughts, Aria didn’t notice the rock jutting out from the cliffside, even as it tore through the bottom of her rucksack. Out fell her box tumbler, which opened upon impact, scattering its contents (half-polished gemstones) across the ground and over the nearby precipice.

“Non!” Aria cried as she dropped to the ground, scooping up her stones. Only a handful of stones were within reach – most had gone over the edge. Two weeks’ worth of work, wasted. Aria cursed quietly, reverting to her native French as she always did when alone or stressed. She looked over the edge, hoping to see some more of the stones – and instead saw people on the path beneath hers.

Aria cursed again as she quickly withdrew from the edge and out of the sightlines of those below. She considered her options – hope that they hadn’t noticed her intrusion and retreat? As if. Alright, so then – she needed more information. Aria picked up the rock lying at her feet as a precautionary measure and crept towards the edge yet again, hoping to make out more of the strangers. She could see an Anyeli, a woman whose race she couldn’t identify, and... a little boy? Aria took a quick moment to evaluate this. In her experience, children were harmless. Although that didn’t mean that the adults shouldn’t be considered a threat. Best to wait until they reveal their intentions, Aria decided, retreating a little further from the edge once more. If they were dangerous; well, she’d soon find out, and from above she had the advantage. The boy, too, made them somewhat vulnerable.

If they were friendly (Aria scoffed a little at the thought), then perhaps they would just let her be. Provided that they didn’t take her showing stones upon them as an attack. She would need to either wait for them to move on, or pass them by eventually, however – they were blocking the only safe path down to town.

[Ionia]

All the while, Nia kept her back flattened against the wall, as much as her wings would allow for it. She did this partly so the woman could get by, and also so nobody could sneak up on her from behind. And as the red-haired woman hesitated, Ionia tilted her head downward in a curt nod of dismissal.

“Mama, no!”

Abruptly, Nia's shadows flared up from behind her. They swished like tails, at the ready for anything undesirable to go down. Narrowing her eyes toward the figure that had suddenly popped up, Nia realized that it was a mere child, and a very young one at that. Shadows sullenly slinking back into her wings, Nia hissed as the woman glared from her to the child. With the child there, Nia doubted that the woman would try anything.

“And I don't suppose you have a real kit in there, right?”

She hadn't expected this sudden change of events. Surprised, Nia finally realized what the outburst from the child was about. No, she didn't have anything--she'd used it all--and it embarrassed her to admit it even to herself. “I'm fine. Don't need help,” she scowled, even though the pain in her leg said otherwise.

A clatter from above was the only warning for the stones that fell from above, and as Nia unfortunately glanced up, one of the rocks grazed her forehead. Yelping as she recoiled, her shadows burst again from her wings to form a protective claw around her. The other woman was apparently just as surprised by Nia about the rocks, so Nia turned her head angrily at the skies. Hel, Nia hoped it was an animal of peaceful nature. “Who's there?” All the while, her shadows unfurled to swirl menacingly.

[Maaike]

If it hadn't been for Sammy, Maaike would have thrown up her hands and moved on, and never mourned for the churlish woman if she ever discovered her gruesome fate. As it was, she could kind of understand why the woman didn't want to trust them, and somehow was eased by their mutual suspicion.

When the rocks fell, Sammy was already on the same path as them. It would probably have been more natural for anyone else to assume he'd set off a landslide by climbing down, but Maaike had learned to trust her instincts and before the first rock could hit the ground they stood on, she'd pushed Sammy against the rock face and used her body to shield his.

She was fortunate. A few bruises on her shoulders and back, but Sammy was untouched and she'd live. Peeking out from under her arms at the Skotados, afraid for a second that she'd feel a blade sliding into her kidney any second, Maaike was relieved to find her, instead, glaring up at the mountain with the same kind of stance she herself might have assumed if she'd been on her own.

Squeezing Sammy's shoulder, where he was curled up against the wall like a good boy, to tell him silently to stay where he was, Maaike stepped back and turned her nose up to sniff. The Anyeli's swirling shadows made her spine tingle and she kept her distance, but Maaike wasn't stupid enough to keep two enemies. It could be a trick, of course, and whoever was up there could be this woman's partner — but her reaction suggested otherwise, and it would be better to team up.

Morphing her nose briefly to sniff at the air, she frowned. “Doesn't smell like an animal.” It was hard to tell, though. The scent of blood was still in her nostrils from the other woman's wound, and the small rock fall had covered everything in an earthy stench. She was pretty sure there was a person up there, though.

[Aria]

Aria sighed as she heard the Anyeli shout up at her. Aria knew she wasn’t the best at reading people, but she felt confident in her assessment here – these people seemed angry. What a pain. I only wanted to go down into town, and now I have a situation to deal with. Aria briefly considered just running away, but soon discarded the idea; running was for cowards. Besides, she believed in her ability to resolve the situation, and at least she wasn’t being attacked. Yet. Aria spared one more glance below to confirm that they had neither left nor begun preparation for an assault, before placing her rock back on the ground (wouldn’t do to be the aggressor here; Aria had enough common sense to realize attacking would not end well for her - and as it stood, she had nothing to gain from fighting) and standing up. She held her hands out so that they would see she was unarmed – unless they construed the ripped backpack she held in her right hand as a weapon.

“My name is Aria Opes. I didn’t intend to drop the rocks. It was accidental.” She spoke confidently in clear Elysian, projecting her voice so that they would be able to hear her. She paused to consider her next words. "I mean you no harm. I just want to get down to Kyriake.”

She wasn’t planning on apologizing – she didn’t apologize for accidents – but another look at the boy huddled against the wall made her stomach twist in a knot of guilt. Aria didn’t like seeing people in pain, unless they deserved it. From her position Aria had trouble seeing much detail in the scene below her. Besides that, she felt exposed. Best to move, she decided – if I’m on their level, maybe they’ll be less inclined to see me as an aggressor.

“I’m coming down.” She declared, not giving them much time to react before scaling down the rock face. She took a brief moment to feel grateful that her clumsiness earlier wasn’t affecting her climbing now. Most of all, though, she felt exposed; her back was a viable target, despite her quick movements. I’m taking a risk here, Aria thought. They’d better appreciate it.

She turned her back to the rocks once she reached their level. She’d climbed so that she was now positioned between the Anyeli and the other two. Her backpack still hung limply from her hand. If it came to violence – well, Aria had her chisel and hammer with her. But they were small, and technical tools, rather than weapons.

“Hey.” Aria addressed the woman with the child. “Is your kid alright?”

Aria looked to the Anyeli. She was the one Aria considered the biggest threat; the other woman would have the child to consider. Now that she was closer, she could see the shadows surrounding the Anyeli. Aria found it creepy; she’d read about the skills’ of other races, but this was the first she’d seen of shadow manipulation. Her gaze swept down, to focus on the Anyeli’s injury. Aria cursed inwardly – was that my fault? No…

“You didn’t get that from the rocks?” Aria asked her, gesturing to the injury. Although it was more of a statement – Aria was fairly certain those were teeth marks, not a rock-related injury.


((OOC: I hope this alright? I realise I haven't allowed much time for reactionary action, so PM me if I need to edit this.))

[Ionia]

Touching her forehead, Nia felt faint scratches from where the rock had hit it, and she rubbed away the blood. Fortunately, the rocks hadn't done much to her, and same for the duo. Probably based on motherly instincts, the woman had shielded her child away from most of the rocks, and the child had emerged shocked but unharmed.

With a grumpy 'mm' at the therian-esque comment, Nia continued scanning above and at their ground level. Now that she'd seen the boy, Nia was positive that the duo meant no harm to her. However, she wasn't feeling charitable enough to trust people at the moment, so she still kept a wary eye. Shifting her weight entirely onto her good leg, Nia leaned against the wall and allowed her shadows to flicker and fade. Maintaining the shadows took energy, and she'd rather have them fresh and ready for whatever came down. If there was a fight, she wouldn't rely on the therian, since she didn't expect much from their species anyway.

Soon enough, a dark-haired figure introduced her presence. Frowning deeply at the new stranger, Nia chose not to say anything as Aria explained the situation. Whether or not the rocks were intentional, they still hurt, and it rankled Nia when the woman didn't show any guilt for it. And hadn't she lurked a bit too long up there, before revealing her presence? Inherently suspicious, Nia stood forward from the wall in a ready stance. Her shadow-self flickering, Nia shifted aside to prevent herself from being surrounded as Aria came down from the rocks.

Hearing the question about the injury, Nia scoffed before she re-shouldered the straps of her backpack. “Of course not. Old wounds.” Rocks couldn't have possibly made these kinds of injuries, was the woman daft? Nia's shadows receded, but the ones below her feet still blurred under her control. Her wings ruffled impatiently before she spoke tersely, “You were going downhill.” It wasn't a question, but instead a reminder for the woman to move on. Already, Nia's leg was starting to twitch again from the throbbing wound. She'd only wrapped it with bandages, and she needed to treat it as soon as possible. Tilting her head, Nia waited for the people to get out of her way. Damnit, how did the path get so clogged up?

((Totally fine! ))

[Maaike]

Like the Skotados, Maaike was suspicious. It was actually kind of funny, really, meeting someone, entirely by chance, who just happened to share her attitude. Honestly, by now, if Sammy hadn't been with her, she probably would have morphed into her falcon form to make a quick get-away — but she couldn't carry him like that, so she'd have to make do.

The 'Varian's eyes made the hair on the back of Maaike's neck stand up, and the second Sammy saw them, he launched himself behind Maaike's left leg to cringe at the woman. His fear broke Maaike's heart. She couldn't tell him "it's not like that", or "not all 'Vari are dangerous", because she had the same illogical and unreasonable fears. And as the Skotadi backed up to make sure she wasn't cornered or trapped, Maaike's only recourse was to back up too — to the edge of the path, so the woman could "get down".

She didn't like the way the rocks at her feet skittered off the edge.

“Is your kid all right?”

Maaike glowered. No, he wasn't all right. “He's just surprised.” She wouldn't say "shocked", like she wanted to, because that would give them both more leverage over her boy. “And he doesn't like 'Vari.” Her eyes narrowed and her chin dropped a bit as she said this, making it quite clear that he wasn't the only one. It was unfair, she knew, but Ashton had a hell of a lot to answer for and was too dead to do it — the rest of his slit-eyed species might as well answer for it instead.

But in some things, even her obedient and well-trained son had a mind of his own, and when he realised the Anyeli wanted to keep going without being treated, he was brave enough to poke his head out from behind her thigh and tug on her hand. “But mommy, the shadow lady's still hurt...”

[Aria]

Aria frowned at the Anyeli’s scornful reply. “I thought as much.” She asserted, not wanting to give the impression that she was unfamiliar with such injuries. It so happened that she was familiar with all manner of injuries – her father had run his healing practice from home, after all – but she’d never been interested enough to learn their origins. Her disinterest extended to a stubborn refusal to learn how to do anything beyond dressing a wound – which to Aria’s half-trained eye, the Anyeli appeared to have done just fine. Aria wouldn’t know how to help beyond that, even if she had the inclination to (and she didn’t). The woman was clearly impatient to move on without aid. As someone who also tended to refuse help when offered it, Aria understood and was quite happy to move on as encouraged. The other woman confirmed that her child was not hurt, and Aria considered the encounter over as she shrugged on her backpack and walked on past the group. The woman’s next comment about Dracovari stopped her in her tracks, however, and Aria turned back to glare at her.

Having grown up on Earth, Aria was not unfamiliar with people who felt fear and discomfort at the sight of her eyes. Not that many people had seen them; she’d lived in the Alps, after all, and had mostly worn goggles when venturing outside to climb the mountains. Adults had rarely noticed her eyes even when they were exposed, but human children were all too inquisitive. Aria had always been secretly thrilled when her unusual eyes were noticed; as a child, she delighted in telling other children scary stories (the one about the mountain Yeti who stole eyeballs and replaced them with ones like hers, “made from snow and ice” had been a particular favourite), or convincing them that her eyes meant that she had special powers, so “they’d better do as she said or else”. The human children she’d met were more open-minded than the adults, and it disappointed Aria to encounter a child, here in Elysia of all places, that reacted with the prejudiced behavior of an adult. Not that it was hard to tell where such behavior had come from – his caretaker clearly felt the same way.

Aria felt stirrings of anger. She hated how adults pushed their bias onto children. The fact that there was prejudice in Elysia at all was something Aria had already begrudgingly come to terms with. Nirim sure wasn’t the haven her brother had made it out to be; she had experienced bias even there as a third-generation immigrant and an unsepted ‘Vari. Aria had long ago concluded that prejudice was something that was just always there – but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to speak up against it. She was proud of being a Dracovari, and much as she wanted to just get on and go, she wasn’t about to let that comment slide. Aria took the woman’s narrowed eyes as a challenge, and she stood tall and proud as she addressed her.

“Oh? Care to elaborate? No, wait, I don’t actually care to hear it. Because there is nothing that justifies condemning a whole race. Unless you’ve met every Dracovarian in existence and discovered us all to be-” Here Aria faltered, not able to think of the appropriate equivalent for the word she wanted in the Elysian language. She resorted to the use of a French curse word, and continued, “-which I think unlikely. It’s much more probable that you’re just ignorant. For which I pity you, and ask that you at least try to teach your son otherwise.”

Aria exhaled heavily, unused to issuing such long verbal diatribes. She wanted to be done with all this; there was nothing to be gained but further frustration. Her outburst had calmed her down somewhat, but she knew that if provoked she would rise to the bait, despite all the odds being stacked against her. Common sense intervened, and Aria concluded that leaving was the best option, so that a bad day would not worsen here. She realized that turning her back on the situation could be dangerous, but Aria was beyond caring. She turned her back on the mother, child and Anyeli woman yet again before moving on down the path, her stride strong and quick as she endeavored to get down to town. She needed a drink.

((OOC: I'm sorry for being so late with this. And, unless your character cares to stop her, you can consider Aria gone. Thanks for the RP, guys.)

[Ionia]

Impatiently, Nia's attention flickered to the reddish-haired woman, and then the woman's son as they identified the 'vari. Clearly, the boy didn't like something about the stranger, because he'd launched himself behind his mother to avoid the 'vari's sight. At the same time, the therian lowered her face in a defensive glare. Yeah, beware the dragon because it will eat you. Whatever the reason for their dislike of dracovari, Nia didn't care. Truth be told, she thought of most 'vari as stuck-up, greedy vlareons, too.

As if she'd felt their collective hostility, the 'vari woman stiffened defensively. Frowning as the woman responded on behalf of the 'vari race, Nia was tempted to simply push past the lot and fly to Kyriake--to Hel with her strained wings. But even as Nia took her first step forward, the 'vari exhaled and wordlessly proceeded downhill.

Nose held high, Nia glanced at the woman and son, with an expression that neither rebuked nor praised their action. She still had a sour look on her face from the pain, however, so that could be misconstrued. But her mood softened as she looked at the boy who was so considerate to worry on behalf of a stranger. That was the thing about children--they had their fears, but they were frequently more generous, and brave, than the adults around them.

However, Nia was sure that she'd make it to Kyriake just fine, as long as there were no further distractions. So she scoffed lightly and responded confidently, as if the wound was merely a superficial wound. “Don't worry, kid. Shadow lady's fine.” At this point, Nia had little reason to believe that the woman and child would attack her, so she walked as quickly as her wound would allow. As she passed the two, she scooted toward the walls of the mountain to place her hand on it as support. With that, her limp would be less apparent.

((Thanks for introducing Aria! Though I'm sorry she had to leave the thread so soon.
Same thing with Nia. Unless you stop her, she's exiting the thread. ))

[Maaike]

((Aww, I wish Maaike was the type to stop you guys. This has been fun; thanks, ladies. ))


For any other species, Maaike might have felt bad, because she'd clearly upset the woman, but it was hard to apologise for her prejudices in this case — and she'd be damned if she'd explain herself. Even knowing why Maaike and her son couldn't see past her slitted pupils probably wouldn't make any difference anyway, and having to justify her actions, or her son's, just didn't sit well with her.

So let her think whatever the Hel she liked, and let the Anyeli judge if it meant that much to her (because that was how Maaike interpreted Ionia's expression). She'd never see either of them again, anyway.

“Don't worry, kid. Shadow lady's fine.”

Clearly, she wasn't, but it put Sammy at ease and Maaike had to be thankful for that. She didn't want to be dragged into something she couldn't get out of, or for him to be fretting for the next two weeks over whether the "shadow lady" survived. Still, her smile to the woman, by way of thanks (even though she doubted the Skotadi had said that for Sammy's benefit), was a little tight as they skirted around each other.

She paused, ever so slightly, as she looked back to see the woman surreptitiously using the wall as a crutch. Honestly, if Sammy weren't here...

But he was, so the woman was on her own. “Let's go.” He didn't need a second urging to climb up onto her back and wrap his arms and legs around her, but as she set off back up the trail, she could feel him twisting to get a last look at the injured woman, so she was forced to distract him with games of "I Spy" cleverly disguised as a way to help him practise his tracking and wilderness survival skills.