Welcome to Gaia! ::

Saro hid a smile, glad that she had the two to help.

"I'd get it for you, but you konw what happened last time...." she said, blushing. Other than accidentally making the water boiling and killing any fish in the stream, they'd had to find another stream, about a days walk away for water.

Karik left the room and saw Skeith bringing Ako inside. "What happened? Nevermind, I don't think I want to know... I'm going to find your priest, can you manage to stay out of trouble until we get back?" he asked, to Ako as much as the person holding her.

"Whatever. But, could you make sure nothing else happens to her? He'll want her in one piece when he gets here..." he said before running off, taking a wolf form before racing into the forest.

Saro turned to her, hiding the fear from her features. "What? Was is a, a black smoke almost? That seemed like it was trying to get out of the water?" she asked, speaking quickly.

"How would you know about it?" Zyriaut asked, uneasy about how the elf new about the water.

"Long story. I'm not going into it now." Saro spat back, ignoring her.

"Not again..." she moaned softly, sighing. "We have to leave, now. He's sent it again, we don't want to be near when it's able to get out of the water." she said, hurridly rolling up one of the bedrolls that had been laid out the night before. She paused when they heard a wolf howl, and a puzzled look flickered across her face. "Karik?" she whispered before going back to packing up.

Zyriaut extinguished the fire, making sure the ashes were cold and couldn't be reheated.

Saro finished, and grabbed her bow from where it was by the tree, pausing to string it. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she waited for the others to finishe packing, as she'd only get in the way if she tried to help.

Zyriaut followed them, grabbing the bag as she passed it. "So what exactly is it that we're running from? And what did you mean by "not again"?" she asked, knowing she was walking on a knife's edge by asking.

Saro sighed as she fell into step near them, and paused a moment before replying. "It's, I don't know what it is. It's this thing that obeys the command of whoever summoned it, and it's probably after me, again. I'm wanted back on the ship, my leaving wasn't appreciated. If he wasn't at the point of a blade, he never would have let me go. About a year ago, he summoned it and sent it after me. It takes the form of a black smoke, and has to manage to group itself enough to rise from the water. Once out though, it can travel extreamly quickly. It's poisonous, and can take a physical form, I don't know what it is though. Last time, it was trapped in a bottle, I forget how it ended up in there...." she explained quietly, keeping her eyes down.

Zyriaut slipped around Syanthe and ushered Father Michael foreward. "Leave them, wait till they, mainly Syanthe, calms down. You don't want to be around her when she's like this..." she whispered, leading him away from the two.

"The captain of the ship I grew up on, Akarni." she said quietly, then added so quietly it was barely audible, "my father...." She stopped, keeping her eyes downcast and continued. "Was leaving even worth it? I was accused of murder, which was one of the few I didn't commit, and he took to the slave trade, kidnapping anyone who I knew and left. I only gained my freedom because I caught him off-guard and my sword was at his throat, there is no other reason. Anyone who actually looks can find the ship's brand on me, I can't escape being part of his crew... He controls the only person who can control me, he might as well have direct control over me..." she finished, her voice barely over a whisper.

"You think I can control it? I've been running for the last few years, never staying anywhere for more than a week. My father is a murderer and wanted in every port, and I'm hated by any who know this simply because I sailed under him and was born by him. I grew up trying to stay out of the grasps of all the other men, do you know how many times I only got away only because Akarni saw me pinned against the wall? I stay away from people so they don't get hurt because of me, but that doesn't even work! I was killing before I was 10, do you know how much guilt I've felt since then? All the people who's lives I've destroyed, yours included? Could you stand knowing that so many people are dead because you were born? My mother and her daughter, born to another man. All the innocents I tricked and slaughtered in their sleep as a child. Could you stand the guilt?" she cried, tears slipping down her cheeks. "No I don't understand, but neither do you." she whispered, turning and darting off, her tread as silent as if she were walking.

Zyriaut smiled faintly after hearing Saro's response. "And I for Syanthe... If they see each other again, I'd like to hear what happens. We should probably get further away, we don't want them to know we stayed close enough to listen." she said, pulling him farther down the path.

Zyriaut sighed, then pulled one of the orbs from the pouch at her hip. It raised from her hand shakly, then flew in the direction Saro had gone. "I don't trust to leave her alone, she'll end up doing something we'll all regret." she explained. "Keep going, they'll catch up to us when they do."

Saro sat in a tree from where she could see the stream, watching the thing within curling around, gathering itself together enough to come out of the water. She let her head rest on her knees, then looked to the dagger balanced on the branch in front of her, wondering who would care if she did...