Into the Fray

Anne was glad he said something to her, that was in its own way something that she needed. It was alright to feel loss at the moment but for now she needed to pull herself together and do what little she still could. She stood, looking Doruth over. He was hurt, she could see it even though the wounds were now scars. She would normally have been confused as to how he healed so fast, but she already understood his magic probably was the cause. She gave a small breath, her eyes now drew but still a slight red as she moved to his side to offer him help walking if he needed it. "I think there might still be some stuff around where everyone else is....clothes and perhaps clean water... It's not far." She said, walking along beside him. She made herself look ahead and away from the things around her. She just had to make it to the cellar, that area where it was dark, cool and like it had been before all of this. She pulled Doruth towards the door and descended the stairs. Everyone looked up from where they were, 8 people in total at the moment, seeming like they all had fallen into the same state of depression she had. Mildred however seemed the most lucid, her face scrunching in aversion when she saw the blood on Anne and Doruth.
"Dear god Anne--are you two alright?" She said, hurrying over to them. She gave Doruth a hesitant glance. Anne noticed that and wondered if Mildred had seen something she shouldn't. Anne tensed and moved closer to Doruth so that she was partially between him and Mildred. "I need some water and a change of clothes." Mildred looked Anne in the eyes and Anne stared back at her. "Please." She added and Mildred gave her a small nod before going to grab the stuff. She made Doruth sit on one of the crates of wool that sat against the wall and she lightly touched one of the scars. "Are you hurt anywhere-anything not fully healed?" She asked softly hoping he would forgive her minor set back...She could feel people's eyes one her, most of them on Doruth and she glanced over her shoulder. She met Emmet's eyes and gave him a frown of warning, should he decide to start any trouble with Doruth while he was healing. She noticed Emmet hadn't gotten up to greet them and chalked it up to him being too moody to speak. She looked back at Doruth just as Mildred came back with water in a pan used for dying clothes and a cloth. "Sorry but there aren't many homes still .so no bathrooms with tubs are available. This will have to make due." She took the cloth and wiped the blood and dirt from his face. It made her feel a lot better to see something at least a little like it used to be. "There." She whispered after letting the cloth glide down his neck and to his shoulders. He was sure as a guy he'd prefer to change and clean himself off, so she turned a bit to find him something else to wear. There were tons of clothes lying around since it was a tailors shop, but finding the right thing made it complicated. She returned with a couple shirts and some pants she could find that would fit his taller frame. "Sorry its not much." She said and heard Emmet behind her. "Nah really, in case you haven't realized it we're in a cellar." Mildred who walked out from the back gave him a glare. "Hush." She said impatiently before looking to Anne and Doruth. "There's a place in the back with clothes racks and shelves thats rather secluded enough to change in." She looked Doruth over, still looking like a scared mouse when faced with him but Anne knew she wouldn't do anything to harm him.

"ah.." doruth nodded the cool rag had felt so good he wished anne hadnt stopped but he sighed and stood grabbing the clotes and walking into the back room. the only things that fit him was a rather tight white shirt that was too short in the arms so he rolled it to his elbow, a dark vest that he pulled over and buttoned and a pair of pants that were actually a bit on the long side. he walked out after pulling his boots back on tucking his pants into them and sat back down on the stool

he looke dup at emmet and then at the others and frowned "why..." he then remembered that he used to wear a bandana and he dropped his head quickly "anne... my eye..." he heard the word devil being whispered by someone and he felt his shoulder twitch

Anne saw Doruth and gave the slightest showings of a smile. "Looks nice." She said, glad to see the clothes fit. She had hold of the water pan when he mentioned his eye and looked to him. His head was dropped and she gave him a concerned look. His eye was uncovered and that's when she realized she hadn't really noticed it. That made her pause for a moment, but not long enough to really understand it. She heard placed the pan down and heard the mutterings of foul names nearby by a few of the people and saw Doruths shoulder twitch. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to face everyone. They all looked at Doruth with fearful and guarded glances, some even gave her strange looks. On top of everything else, this was just the fuel to her anger. "Tell me," She said, looking at all of them, " Which of you helped someone that would have died if you hadn't stopped to worry? Which of you stood by your brothers and fought against the enemy? Which of you would have stopped to protect the same people that shunned you your whole life?"
She swallowed hard. "He risked his life trying to save this place...he saved me and even you, Emmet?" She looked at his face and could see her assumption was true. There was no way he got back to town that quickly with that broken leg of his.
"But that doesn't change that he's a demon. How can we trust he won't turn on us?" A woman said as she held her frightened looking child closer to her. Anne gave her a small pained smile. "How? By really looking at him. He's different, but that doesn't judge his actions or him as a person. But I guess that's a little too humane an idea for most of us." She saw there was a conflict of emotions traveling around and she simply turned back to Doruth.
"Don't pay them any mind. Let them just try and come over here to cause something..." She muttered angrily, feeling ashamed for her people and their treatment of him. Anne gave him a small wink before she froze when a hand was on her shoulder. She looked back to see Mildred there, her face still looking unsure but her eyes showing her resolve to be there. Anne smiled at her and Mildred looked to Doruth.
"Doruth right?" She began before giving him a small bow. "Thank you...for saving my fiance and my friend." Anne looked to Doruth touching his shoulder that still seemed tense. Anne knew she couldn't change their beliefs on things that they'd been told their whole lives, but at least she could offer him a little comfort.

doruth looked up at the people again and looked at the scared and confused faces. he made his spine crawl. he couldnt put his finger on it so he brushed it away. he looked to mildred and smiled "your welcome. I'm simply doing my job and protecting the weak." he said then looked back at his hands "or in need... not really weak..." he muttered remembering how emmet kicked the crap out of him "defidentally not weak..." he sighed and stood up "if i stay though.. you are all right... it will cause you more trouble. ive been spotted by te redgaurds and no doubt that the ones that survived will come back to try and hunt me down... i suggest you all go more inland to a closer tow and warn them of this threat." he said and turned to anne

"i have to leave..." he said and frowned "to be kept in a cage is a fate worse then death... and thats all i can forsee if i stay here." after a long pause he smiled slightly

"would you... come with me?" he asked anne "i can take care of you ... and keep you safe... i must find my father and ask for his wisdom on this situation at hand.." he said and looked at her hesitant face "we can search for your father aswell" he said and smiled "i promise ill find him"

The others listened to him and some showed more fear at leaving. But they all knew there was nothing left for them there. "Inland, to perhaps Baslen." Mildred said looking to Emmet and Horace. The two gave her a look before nodding. "What option do we have?" Another man said.
When Anne heard Doruth say he was leaving and she gave him a look that showed her shock. She hadn't thought of him leaving, she didn't like the thought at all. But then again when he asked her to go with him her shock only grew. "Leave...but..." She looked down, her mind racing around the idea. She'd never traveled outside of her hometown, only to her aunt's farm but even that was only two miles away. She looked back at her friend saw Mildred was beside Emmet, taking care of his leg. She obviously cared about him by the way she looked at him and he cared for her by his need to be gentle with her. Her friend no longer needed her protection... Besides Mildred, what else did she have there? She looked back at him when he mentioned his father and then her's. She couldn't help the eagerness that brought to her to see him again. And the thought of Doruth being alone again...well it worried her still. "I-" She gave a small nod her smile returning. "Of course, I'll go with you. I can't have you running around by yourself and besides Baslen is too big a town for farm girl." She said though she still felt the pain of leaving her home town...This was no longer her home, not even a house left to claim. She would have to start a new and perhaps find something better along the way.

doruth smiled at her and nodded "we leave at once then. i suggest everyone do the same" e said and gathered up some things putting them into a bag and placing the bag on anne's back "i will be back soon. meet me at the road that leads north, away from the forest" he said and bound up the stairs stopping and looking back "i will try to lead them further sout. everyone leave quickly" he said and left through the door leaping up onto the roof top dashing until he got to their camps that where set up across the burned down farms he let out an anamalistic howl and when he caught their attention bolted for the forest. out of sight from the remaining towns people the redgaurds following him


~*~

doruth wove his way through the branches breathing heavily. they where just under him running and he was having a hard time loosing them. he would get away from one and jump into the sight of another. he kept leaping and climbing until he lost sight of them and then burst to the top of the tree canopy and away from their sight for food. he felt the cool gentle breeze and inhauled. the forest went on as far as the horizan was stretched. strange ow peaceful it was up there. a sudden rush of scared loneliness and uncertainty hit him and he instinctively reached for the necklace. anne must have been touching it and worrying. he could feel her every emotion when she did that "ahh... anne im fine" he muttered with a bit of a smile knowing she couldnt hear him.. it was nice to have someone worry over him though. it made him feel important. "alright. back to the village." he muttered looking down to see the redgaurds still wandering after nothing now.

~*~

he made it back to the town nearly half a day later and jumped down looking about. the people had left and he sighed with relief 'at least they listened to me..' he thought and walked towards the road t othe north. he saw a horse standing in the middle of the town and blinked "willow?" he asked and the horse now startled looked up at him with a scared expression "easy! easy!" he said and walked to her stroking her neck "someone will be happy to see you" he said taking her lead and walking to the road "ahhh! anne! come out! i have a present for you!" he called

Anne's hand lightly clutched the necklace she wored as she followed the others away from town. It was hard for everyone but they all got through it. When they came to the point where Anne was suposed to meet Doruth she stopped and Mildred looked back at her.
"Anne." She walked over to her and gave her friend a hug.
"I'm sorry I'm leaving. You'll always be my friend..." Mildred pulled away.
"Don't be. You're needed with the de-" She caught herself her face apologetic, "Doruth isn't what I expected but.....just trust your judgement Anne. If things get too hectic, you know you'll always have a home with me." Anne smiled before looking ahead at Emmet who waited awkwardly for Mildred.
"I hope you find happiness..." She said before letting Mildred walk back to the others.
Anne gave a sigh and sat down on the a rock near the treeline. Her thoughts were caught up in things far off. Like if she would really be able to travel with Doruth and would she find herself lost. She played with the necklace at her neck, the marble rolling along her fingers. She could still see that face of his, when he had transformed into that creature. She looked at the sky and swallowed hard. Was that the true face of a Jutlik? She shivered slightly at the image of the blood on his lips and on those claws. 'I'll have time to discover more about him later....for now, its best not to assume.' She thought and gave a small sigh.
She passed hours watching the forest and humming to herself. She was starting to regain some color to her face now that she was away from the blood and gore of town.
It was towards the end of the day that she finally decided to rest, falling asleep under the tree she was by. She hardly heard Doruth when he approached but the sound of his voice did wake her. She shifted with a small groan and sat up and toward him. "Doruth what's going on?" She froze when a whinny caught her attention. She widdened and saw a frin spread across her lips. "Willow?!" She walked forward, stroking the mares nose with happy surprise. She kissed the horses nose, her eyes misty with unshed tears of joy. Out of the one thing she could have material wise, to see her father's horse made her feel better than she had before. "Hey old girl, you found us didn't you? Sweet girl. Yep daddy's girl." She looked to Doruth and gave him a bright smile. "Thank you-I don't even know how to repay you for this-" She said and internally kicked herself for her previous thoughts. It was things like this that reminded her just how genuinely good Doruth was. Just because his appearance changed, that didn't mean he would, right? "The regaurd....they're far from here, right?" She said, as she adjusted the horses lead and went to check her feet for any injury. Besides a few minor singed fur spots, Willow was looking as healthy as...well a horse!

"not as far as we would like. come on lets get going eh?" he said and helped her up onto the horse "ride fast" he said with a smile stretching his arms "ill run next to you, im not much of a rider" he said and when she galloped off her lept forward running ahead of them but not so far she couldnt see him. he ran until he noticed she was falling behind and back tracked

"anne... is the horse tired?" he asked but it was obvious by its frothy moath that it needed a break. "there is a nord war camp about 20 miles west of here..." he said with a huff "but i guess we can rest here tonight," he said and walked with her off the side of the road and down to a tree and pond he cupped the water in his ahnds and gulped it down before resting back against the tree with a tired sigh "what does your father look like?" doruth asked her suddenly after they had settled in

Anne had led Willow to the water to let her drink. She felt a little bad for making the horse run all this way but she knew she could take it. When Doruth asked her about her father and Anne smiled absent mindedly. "My father...He's like most nords men. Large in stature almost like a tree, even compared to Horace he had more bulk." She ran a hand through Willow's maine as she spoke, enjoying her soft fur. "He has a strong face, one that's always full of warmth. He has hair the color of a hazle nut and green eyes. Auntie always said I shared his eyes....Oh, and he has a scar on his arm, a burn mark from when he was working on a sword for my uncle. And his name is Markus." She sat down on the bank and splashed her face with some water to expel some of the humidity that filled the air around them. She used that time to wonder about this Nord camp they would visit. Would her father be there? Her description was a couple years old though. Would she even be able to recognize him now?
"He'll like you, I think. He always liked unique people, he said they made the world a more interesting place." She was obviously very attatched to her father by the way she smiled. She smiled a bit and splashed him with a bit of water. "So what about your father...you said he had the powers of the earth and he's away at war like mine is. What does he look like so I know what to be looking for?" She asked, also remembering his added words about his father being very cold and enjoyed killing people...that wasn't exactly a very nice mental image for her to go by if they needed to find this man.

(going to kristina's house ^^ my mom wanted me to tell you hi though XD lol)

"hmm.. he said and blinked at the water "my fathers skin is made of rock except for his face. due to when he was younger and he forced himself to do a full transformation before he was ready to hold all that magic. he is very powerful but.. his face looks very unhappy. he is much taller then me and much stronger too, like a giant nord." he said and shivered at the thought "he was kind to my mother though, very tender to her and to me in my childhood. if you ever run into him i suggest running. he hates humans unless they pay him, he loves money more then his hate." he said and sighed "he left my mother and i believe has a nice house near the palace of the king. but he fights in the war to feed his hunger for hunting." he said and sighed "you would expect a softer person to represent earth but if you think about it it makes sense, the land is very unforgiving.. and he is rock" he said with a shrug "he is still my father and i should seek his wisdom in this time of need" he said with an impatient huff

(lol well I say hey too! Tell Kristina I said hey also and have fun!)
Aaaaand still the mental image didn't get any better. In fact she felt only a bit more uneasy. A man of rock and a woman of fire having a child that was like Doruth. It was strange to think of that and try to compare. She laid back on the grass and gave a small sigh. "Yeah, your right. Family is always family." She looked up at the sky and began to wonder something when he mentioned his father making an early transformation that deformed his skin to rock. "So, about yesterday...that change you made. Has something like that happened before?" She asked, refering to the beast like form he had taken on. She hadn't expected that, after all she originally thought he said he was the most human he could be. Did that mean his mother and father could transform into something much more powerful and that he had the potential too aswell? She shook the thought away and rolled onto her stomach so that she could look at him. That and she was a bit sore from riding bareback and restless from sitting still for so long.

"no.." he said and sighed and lifted the hair up from his neck revealing that his neck had turned black and hard, almost pebbly. there was also a few black feathers growing out of the back of his neck meshing in with his hair "my body will never be able to handle magic." he sighed and leaned back against the tree again plucking one of the feathers off his neck with a wince and twirled it in his fingers "how... terrifying." he muttered and sighed. te feather felt like silk and was beautiful still he sighed and twirled it "every jutlik no matter how weak can call on the power of his ancestors in a time of need... sometimes if we are near death it happens on its own to keep us from dieing.." he said and with a snicker tickled her nose with the feather.

Anne laughed when the feather grazed her nose and and recoiled back with a sniff. She reached out curiously and let her finger lightly touch it. It was soft, like a down feather and reminded her of a birds feather. "That's definatly a form of protection in an emergency..." She said and rested her head on her hands. She looked up at him, her eyes bright with wondering about this and that. "That's not true though...about your magic. You can do alot of things no one else can. Perhaps it's like....ah, learning to swim. Little by little you build strength till your a pro." She knew that probably made her sound like just a naive little girl but she felt it might actually be a thought to consider. She felt she could say alot more than she normally would when there was silence to fill.
It was rather quiet out in the middle of nowhere, with no one else around. It gave her a sense of peace that she didn't know could be found in something so simple as some trees and a water front. She felt something tug at her hair and lifted her head to look behind her. She saw Willow was there, looking at her with doe eyes. This was also Willow's first time away from a barn or town road. Anne blew air into her face and Willow shook out her maine before lying down in the grass like a dog would. Anne laughed at her and looked to Doruth. "You know, this kinda like an adventure, don't you think? Like the knights from those stories Papa used to tell..." She said with a smile.

he laughed slightly and nodded "yes. although most jutlike 'fairy tales' end in tragedy" he said and chuckled

"its best we get some sleep. we need to rest up tomorro will be a good distance to travel" he said closing his eyes and slumping to the side for a moment before falling asleep

~*~
everything was black as he walked forward until the black gave way to open sky. but he still was so far above it all. he looked down at the moon hitting the river below him and the trees and not far off lights of a distant village. he felt the breeze run through his hair and held a hand up his fingers running through a white cloud. "why cant this be real?" he said and then opened his eyes
~*~

doruth opened his eyes just in time to levitate his face into a tree branch "GAH!" he yelled crashing to the floor with a thud "im going to need to start tying myself down at night?!?!" he growled at himself rubbing his head

(I swear my teachers suddenly decided to pile on the homework. I have like 2 tests tomorrow and my brain feels like an egg cooking on a sidewalk!)
Anne nodded, rolling onto her back in the grass. She noticed he fell asleep rather quickly but she was up a bit longer. It was in that quiet that she was able to think things over and to greive a little. She gave a small dismal sigh, before her tired mind slipped into fitfull dreaming of war and loss...

Anne's eyes ripped open when she heard the shout and sat up. Her hair had caught itself in a mess of morning curls and she had a bit of a grass stain on her cheek from rubbing against the ground in all her tossing and turning last night. She looked around her quickly for any sign of danger. Her obviously still half asleep mind didn't process things well at the moment, especially when she looked up and saw Willow treading over to Doruth. He was on the ground, muttering something frustratedly. That made both Willow and Anne give him a quizical looks. "Something wrong?" She asked, sitting on her knees as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

( i know the feeling! get back from break for a unit test >.> ugh)

doruth rubbed his head and looked over at her. his face went from a frown to his normal blank stare while he coughed to clear his throat "no im alright." he said and stood up "we should leave soon" he said and pulled his vest and shirt off walking over to the water kneeling at the edge dunking his entire head in the water he ran his fingers through the thin black hair as he pulled it from the pony tail it normally was in. he flipped his hair back and sniffed wipping the water from his eyes. his ears looked so weird, they where actually very slender and long. he had a few earings in them aswell. most metal but some where a weird crystal

he yawned and stretched pulling his pants off. his people didnt really have any social rules against being naked. infact most Jutlik prefered to be naked. it was just a good masking device to blend in as of the late decades. luckily for anne he still had a pair of boxers on

he jumped into the deeper part of the water. he smiled dunking under and swimming around. he came back up with a gasp of air and laughed looking at her "are you going to clean up before we leave?" he asked walking over to the shallow area so the water came up to his waist

Anne gave a small purse of her lips when he said there was nothing the matter. She looked out in the direction they were headed and gave a mental sigh at how long she knew this travel was going to be for today. She ran a hand through her hair and caught a few tangels that made her wince. Perhaps they could spare enough time for her to wash off before they left. The movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked back to Doruth to see his strange ears. She examined the thiness and found herself unable to compare them to anything else she'd seen.
She was so caught up in his ears that she didn't notice what he was doing till he had stood and took his pants off. Her eyes widdened and her mouth fell open. She recovered her shock and glanced away with a bit of red in her cheeks. She may not have been a stickler for the society rules, since she herself was out of the norm, but she was raised with the moral ideals on clothing. Anne fell under the restriction of female purity and grace underneath not only society but more her father and aunt, though she had never really paid any mind to things like that before.
She heard him say something about her cleaning up and she looked up, her cheeks still colored pink at her awkwardness. "Uh-I-" She cleared her throat at the odd stammer and tried to connect her thoughts. So to be able to clean up she needed to get in the water. To get in the water she had to take off her dress to have something to be warm in. And since she was a working girl, she didn't wear the multiple layers that most girls with money did because it was still the summer months. That meant it was down to a bra and underwear for her. So what to do? She hated feeling dirty and she really wanted to have the cold water wake her up. But she couldn't help the thought of what if her father found out she did something like that out in the middle of nowhere with some man she hardly knew? She looked at the water and then at Doruth. Then again, she had to take into account that Doruth wasn't like most men. He was not raised on the same social standards as she was and more than likely saw this as nothing wrong. And this would be anything wrong. It was just a swim, a way to clean off, a quick process that didn't involve any funny buisness or contact of any kind. She mulled that over and walked to the edge of the water, taking in one last quick breath of measure before she slipped off her dress.
She waded into the cool water, her arms wrapped around her middle awkwardly. When the water came up to her shoulders she shivered a bit at the chill on her skin. "It's freezing!" She chirped in small laughter, this having been her first experience in open water this deep. She leant her head back her hair catching the water and cascading down her back in wet wavy tendrils as she tried to wash some of the dirt and ash that still had clung to her hair away. She kept mindful of her distance from Doruth however and couldn't help but wonder if Jutlik even noticed humans in anyway other than destructive creatures. She didn't know why that thought came to mind and simply blew it off as she cupped some water in her hands and washed off her face.

doruth looked a little puzzled at how awkward she got for a moment and then finished cleaning his own hair brushing it till it was silky. he looked over at anne and suddenly felt a bit of interest strike him. as she wasked her face he wadded over to her nearly touching her he was so close he looked down at her "what a peculiar body humans have" he said and pulled the hair away from her ear bending down to look at it "so round. like a child. how cute" he said with a chuckle "you turn red rather easily dont you? are you warm?" he said and put is cheek to her forehead "we cant really afford you to get sick. let me know if your not feeling well" he said letting go of her he walked back out of the water shaking his hair in all directions it clinging to his shoulders and back. he sighed pulling his pants back on and his vest but didnt bother to put the shirt on. he tucked the shirt in one of the bags and stretched looking around curiously

Anne heard the water moving before her and could sense there was a presence near her. She moved her hands from her face and jumped a bit when she found Doruth was there by her, their bodies so close she knew if she moved their skin would be touching. "What a pecuilar body humans have." His words made her face turn that same red and she quickly coiled her arms around her torso. She was flustered by the proximity since she knew this was exactly what she said she wouldn't let happen. She didn't know what to say however, wether to tell him to back up or for her to move away. But she didn't think he'd understand even if she did mention it. He looked so completely calm and simply curious. To react quickly and harshly to this would only cause him to be confused. Perhaps if she just let it slide things would work out a bit better. She was about to laugh off the cooment about her human body and but he suddenlu his hand was moving her hair, only getting even closer to her to look at her ear. She turned only turned a darker red and tried to move a bit back from him. However he crossed that space quite quickly once again this time with his cheek against her forehead. By mentioning her red face it didn't help to soothe her red cheeks that were only growing warmer with his complete nonchalance and lack of space.She blinked when he said he got that close because he thought she was getting sick and gave a small sigh of relief as he left. She continued to wash off the remnants of the other day, all the while allowing herself a glance in his direction.
That exchange was strange, even for her other experiences that then involved magic. She reminded herself he was not raised in society like she was but still... he was a guy. Did the Jutlik's reallly live in such a different way than humans that even their views on women were different?
She gave a shrug and finished up washing off. She jumped out of the water and dried off the best she could before slipping the dress over her. She had her still wet hair tied back in a braid, her thoughts having calmed down alot in that time to where she was back to being peppy. "So this camp we"re headed too...have any idea what to expect when we get there?" She asked as she checked Willow over to make sure she was still in good shape.

"probably a very unwelcome greeting. but its alright" e said with a sigh "we just need to get ahold of te general and then talked to him about the events of lately." he said and looked at willow

"are you ready?" when she was he helped her up onto willow and started running. after a few hours he was pretty tired and slowed down "ah... camp fires" e said with a sigh of relief looking at the smoke not to far off

"ill walk from now on." he said and walked next to her until they reached the camp. just before doruth pulled the red cloth out of his pocket that he had grabbed before they left down and put it over his eye

as they walked into the camp doruth couldnt help but stiffen. all the war raged eyes and tired souls looking at them as they walked through the camp.

"is that a woman?" one man said squinting at anne and a few of the men chuckled standing doruth walked up to the side of willow and held her lead glaring at the men making them stop walking and sit back down.

they walked to the leading officer's tend and doruth helped anne down from willow walking into the tent

"excuse me sir?" he asked and looked at the mans weary face

"who the hell are you two?" he said confused and doruth cleared his throat "we are from the village about 40 miles to the west. it was attacked and burned to the ground." the general jumped up from his seat in shock "we didint know they where so close!!" he said and stormed from the tent "follow me" he said as they hurried after him

"MEN!" he yelled and they stood to listen to him "this young man has just informed me that the town 40 miles west was destroyed..." there was a murmur that ran though the crowd and then a shout "DID THEY KNOW BELLE?" "IS DENISE OK?" "MY UNCLE USED TO LIVE THERE DID HE MAKE IT?" the general raised his hand and they stopped talking and he looked to doruth who looked at the men

"only a handful of people survived.. including us" he said and some of the men looked like they had been blind sided

"we have to meet them head on!" the general said raising his fist with a yell and the men did the same

doruth frowned and looked at looked at anne "sir.." he asked and the general looked at him "she is looking for her father... " he said and touched anne's shoulder lightly bringing her to the mans attention "what is his name anne?" he asked

"miss why dont we talk in a more private place" the man said and walked with her and doruth back to his tent sitting back at his make shift desk

"so where are the survivors? did they stay?" he asked and doruth shook his head "they deaded inland for protection. we headed to you, we are both looking for someone" he said and the general raised an eyebrow "your father aswell?" doruth only stared at him and the general sighed "ill do my best but if they arent among my men or above my rank it will be difficult to track them down." he said and doruth nodded

"im looking for Tiber." he said and the mans nose and lip twitched into a foul frown "i dont know that name..." the man growled and doruth shook his head "i know that you do. he is far above your command" he said and the general huffed "thats exactly why. he would be fighting where ever General Hawthorn would be fighting. thats the kings First General..." he said and doruth sighed "where is Hawthorn stationed?" he said and the man snorted "that i dont know. i would imagine closer to the heat of the front line" he said and doruth's ear twitched under his hair. right where he didnt want to go.

"might i ask... how did you survive that attack... and the others... and why do you ask about tiber..." the mans eyes where growing more evil by the second and anne, standing so close to him could see the rocks by doruths feet floating just above the ground as doruths fear and frustration started to grow

"im just on a mission ... sir. that does not concern you"

When they arrived at the camp, Anne wasn't quite sure what to expect. She just felt the anxiety creeping into her gut at the idea of seeing her father....or not seeing him at all. But when they arrived she found a completely different story. All around her were strangers and some looked alot less like desireable company. A couple of men noticed her and she felt uneasy when they got up, even Willow took a few uneasy steps back at their advances. But Doruth was by her side without pause and made the men back up. She was thankful he stepped in but didn't say anything. She was too busy searching around her for a familiar face, someone that could be her father. She came up short however, since she was then taken to meet the head officer. She glanced at the man, gave him a once over and decided she didn't quite feel comfortable. She stayed close to Doruth as the events unfolded and things steadily grew more tense. But in that process she learned more about Tiber, aparently he was of a high rank to the King, meaning they would have to go into the middle of the conflict to find him.
Finally the static in the air was unbearable, making her glance at the floor to avoid the leading officer's eyes. There she found the floating rocks and instantly her demeanor changed. She took Doruth's arm, subtly trying to calm him before he did something he would regret. These men were Nordic warriors, bull headed and often powerful, but not impossible to speak with. And besides they weren't the enemy and they outnumbered them 2 to close to 500. "Sir, these past few days have been rough-well I should say these past couple of years. My friend and I lost things and people we cared about. We're just trying to move on and follow what little we have left...so please....any information on either men would be grately apprecated..." Her voice was soft and her words very cordial as she'd learned from experience and watching her aunt deal with buisness in town. Because of their roles as home makers and caretakers, women were allowed to be naive, innocent and persuasive. As long as a woman could make the man feel as though they have the control, she could get any information she wanted, even out of the orneriest man. She just put on a face of complete compliance and innocent hope, hoping the man took the bait and didn't lash out against them. "Please, I haven't seen my father, Markus of the Havenly family, since I was little. I'd really like to know if he's alright..." She was trying to sway the conversation from Tiber even a little. Something about bringing him up lead to even the leading officers unease. That worried her as well as made her wonder just what finding such a man would lead to for them.

the general sighed and looked at anne with a worn face "you like most other children in this country right now , are looking for their fathers. is name doesnt sound familiar to me and im sorry" he said and sat rubbing his brow line with gun powder stained fingers

"perhaps he may be in our advancing line... i could send a message... it would only take a few days... you are welcome to stay my dear" he said and gave a heavy sigh and a small smile

"your about the age my daughter would be..." he said with a huff and then looked over at doruth again his smile fading back to a frown

"i suppose your friend can stay with you... i expect no trouble from you though..." he said with a growl "i'll have someone set your tents near mine. for now go ahead and get yourselves something to eat" he said and doruth nodded in respect and then turned walking out of the tent waiting for anne to follow

"that man... is tense." he mumbled. "much like evryone else here..." he said and sighed "i hope it doesnt take too long before we are on our way again."

(lol long time no see )
Anne hid her dissapointment quite well at the general not knowing her father. She had to remind herself she was asking to divert whatever problem Doruth had caused through mentioning Tiber. "Thank you." She said with a small smile at his offer for them to stay, at least to recoup after the trip out there. She walked ahead from the tent, trying to keep her mind from clouding over. She had to stay focused on the task at hand and keep her hopes up. "Well can you blame them? It's a hard life out here, well for anyone caught up in this war." She said her eyes taking in the state of the camp, there were men busying themselves and others just sitting there looking quite hollow despite themselves. "Very hard life..." She whispered, just thinking of her father being somewhere, like one of these men. She glanced at Doruth when he mentioned the time spent here. "It wont be long. There really is no reason to stay, since my father isn't here and yours seems to be further into the territory." She was thinking of the general's reaction though and wondered if that had to do with Tiber's character. From what Doruth said, she already summized he wasn't very pleasant to be around, for a human anyways.

(haha yeah sorry busy past few weeks preparing for all the unit tests before spring break! but its spring break now~ oozah!!! and i watched the patriot so im so in the mood for this thread!! hahaha)

Doruth nodded and sighed before walking over to where the food was being passed out. te man handed him very watered down now cold soup and stale bread. he gradded too and walked with anne to a fallen log to sit down on. he held her bowl is hand heating it till it steamed "be careful its hot" he said handing it to her and sipping his own hot soup taking a bite of the bread

"we will find your father" he said to anne when he saw how her face was

"and 'ho the 'ell are you too?" a man said walking up to them a few other men looking over in curiousity

"doruth and anne..." he said going back to his soup ignoring the man. the man knocked the bowl out of doruths hand and it landed on the floor. doruth sighed and stood up. this man was alot more muscular then doruth but doruth was much taller

"'hat makes you think you 'an waltz in 'ere and just eat 'our food then?" he yelled and doruth rolled his eyes

"if you want to cause trouble you will only bring more work upon yourself. im sure your general would be displeased with scuffling with his guests" he said making the man sneer and fold his arms

"ah i reckon so... then doruth... why you bring a girl to a war zone? dont you know its not safe?" he said and doruth smiled "she is much safer with me then anywhere else" he said making the man look confused "you? your just a bag o' bones!" he said with a laugh patting doruth on the back "i like your spirit though kid! not yet broken from this war!" he said with a hardy laugh then his laughing stopped and he became serious again "it will eventually though, just like the others" he said and doruth grimaced a littled slippin gout of the mans welcoming hold "ah thank you very much-"
"Robert... " he said and doruth patted roberts shoulder uncomfortably "-robert" and then robert motioned for them to join him and a group of soilders sitting around a fire

as they sat down a blurr of conversation softened and they looked up at doruth anne and robert "AYE LADS! this is doruth and anne... guests of the general" he said and they all frowned and then robert began to laugh "they are from that little farm town bout 20 miles from here" he said and they all looked curiously at the two of them before questions began to pour from their mouths

"have you seen my family?" "did everyone make it out okay?" "what happened?" "how many redgaurds where there?" "is the town completely destroyed?" "did you know rose?" "did the tailor girls make it out alright?" "my aunt lives there she owned the flower shop is she ok?" "my uncle was a butcher did he make it out? "what about my cousins leonard and richard are they okay?"

the questions just blurred together and doruth just shrugged trying to block out the mess of words that was obviously making him uncomfortable as he tried to answer all the questions he could "not alot of people got out okay" doruth said to one man and then turned to the other while the questions kept pouring at the two of them "um... id say at least a couple hundred men.." after answering the two questions doruth shrunk behind anne trying to use her as a sheild from this large conversation

"AYE give them a break they obviously have just been through alot! dont make them relive it" robert said and the men quited down and went back to talking amungst themselves and eating.

doruth came back from hidding behind anne and cleared his throat "do any of you know her father?" he asked and they all looked up at anne

Anne was worried when the man approached them. He looked war worn and mouthy, two things that didn't go well with the situation. But Doruth handled it, admittedly he did so by just being his self. Had it been any other person, there would have been trouble. She wasn't sure what to think when they were brought to sit beside the other warriors. They all started talking at once, cornering Doruth a bit with their words. Anne listened to their questions, all the while knowing it had been a while since Doruth had been in a group like this.
She thought to herself about each of those faces that their words called to mind. Some were faces she vaguely remembered seeing in that cellar, others were recognizable but not in the group that left. It brought up the helplessness she felt that night. She closed her eyes and held the marble around her neck close, rolling it in her fingers.
Suddenly Robert's voice snapped her out of her daze, and she looked between both men before she noticed she had an audience. They were looking at her, awaiting her input. She took in a small breath, reminding herself that alot of these men were probably once friends and neighbors back in her town, so she would try to talk to them as such. "I'm sorry I really don't know exactly who was in that group at the time. They all headed further inland though, to Balsen, so perhaps you could-" She began not realizing the conversation had switched to her father.
"Ah thanks kid but what about your father?" One man said and she gave a rather mute look of surprise.
"O-Oh." She thought for a moment before she spoke again. "His name is Markus, from the Havenly family. I guess if you lived a good deal of time back in the town, you would probably know him as the guy who took over the smith's position after the previos smith married and moved up north." She remembered another peice of information, one that made her heart sink a little. "Gina Havenly is..was his sister, the woman who bred the Welsh Cobs." She motioned to Willow who had taken a place next to the other horses and was being a glutton over their feed. She didn't know exactly what to say. These men probably had met hundreds of others over the years and wouldn't remember someone just like them. Even she couldn't remember names and faces after a while of not seeing them. She could already tell a few of the men didn't know who she was talking about, while others seemed to be thinking. She braced herself this time for the nos and the sorrys so that she wouldn't show that it bothered her. After all, all this talk of girls not belonging in warzones was starting to rub her the wrong way. She could handle herself quite nicely, after all, with some help of course, she'd survived this long hadn't she?