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Sauron had been hearing disturbing rumors from the south. It seemed that an Oban lady had aquired a young shifter boy. It was a potential slavery situation and that made Sauron see red. His people were not possesions, they were beautiful souls...for the most part and they deserved more then this. And to do so to a child who could not fight back was just so much more wrong!

He let Kelina know he was going on a trip. He left the kids with her, figuring they would be much safer and he would be much less distracted, then if he worried about them every second. He packed up a small bag and headed down to the location where the rumors said the boy was. He hunted along streets hiding as much as he could in the shadows flitting from place to place. It seemed to be and area of mixed peoples. Still, he felt the need to skulk. He kept his ears alert for updates, eavesdroping as much as he could without being noticed.

Sauron got the perfect information source in the form of a chatty baker talking with another Oban. He bought a bun and listened to the tale about the boy's brother needing healing at the local healers. He slunk down that way, and watched the door, a woman popped out then a moment later a small shifter face. Ahah! He had found them.

He peeked up and down the street, no one was there, so he dashed across. "Hello boys my name is Sauron, do you want some help getting back to Jauhar, I heard of your predicament and came to help." He said and knelt before the younger boy so he wouldn't be so intimidating from his full height, his spear canted out to the side.

"Jauhar is a wonderful place to grow up, at least my children think so, they have learned to scurry through the trees and which fruits are good, how to hide well so they can watch the wildlife undisturbed. My daughter has even found herself a lovely pet. The jungle is good for the soul, and there is not reason whatsoever that you may not return later on to check on your friends, but it might be that with the end of the war so close it might be a bit unstable here, I would rather see you and your brother healthy and safe and wise enough with time to choose whichever path you like."

That was his best ditch effort. If the young lad chose to stay, Sauron would respect that, perhaps if the older brother still wished to leave, he could try with him. Better that both children be healthy then him getting caught trying to take a lad who didn't want to go. It must be terribly confusing for the child.

Well there was no time to waste, he hastened to get them organized and out the door. He looked at Isaris and picked him up, cradling him to his chest. "I'm sorry lad, but we have to move fast, I'm sure you will be able to outrun me in no time, but for now you get to ride, I'll try to keep it smooth."

He popped his head out the door, and jerked out into the traffic, he looked back to make sure Isaly was behind him and dove into another alley, breathing hard with adrenaline. "I will be much happier when we are far away from here. Its unnatural being so dry and crispy to my eyes." Even his lips were chapped the air seemed to suck away all moisture. "How you doing lads?" He whispered to his companions, he heard noises at the side of the alley he had ran down it made his skin crawl and he led them to the other side.

Sauron frowned down at the boy in his arms. "I'll have you know young sir that I happen to have two younglings at home. I am a father myself and I know how much your brother means to you, I do think however that he is also a bright, intelligent young man who knows the gravity of our situation. I do not believe he would leave your side and if you haven't noticed we happen to be in a giant town of Obans who are probably less then sympathetic to our plight and much more likely to side with your captor." He felt bad for reprimanding the boy but well, he had his own pride too. He was here to help not to follow orders.

Soon enough the lad in his arms would choose his class, and if he had survived this long, Sauron had no doubt he would be a force to reckon with in the future. But that did not excuse disrespect to his elders. The boy looked like he had been dragged through a knot hole backwards, but he would hopefully learn once he was back in a stable environment that the world was a beautiful place and he and his brother would be safe. The trick was to get them out of here first.

"It is true I have lead rather a charmed life, but the war touches all in someway. In my case it was the choice of staying home to protect my daughter while my wife went to fight, if the Obans had gotten through her during the war, I would have run all the way to Zena with Sezarra." He had been most fortunate that his entire family had made it through the final days before the treaty, they were whole. "Perhaps I am a bit more altruistic then others who have been through a lot more or were less lucky. But in my eyes there is a right and wrong and if I have the power to save someone elses family with risk only to myself then I will at least try. I would do the same for the other tribes I think but fortunately you are both shifters so I did not have to worry about a deeper moral dilemma, Tendajians of all kinds have fought beside me and so they deserve respect as well."

Sauron wanted to pat the boy's shoulder to comfort him but didn't want to accidentally drop his brother. "I think first we will stop and get as much water as we can carry, then we will head out on one of the caravan routes like you said, there may be others that are not Oban there that we can blend in with. Do you know where a well is Issaly?" Water was more precious then any gold out in the desert and with one of them sick they couldn't carry enough to please him fully but it would have to do. He would make the crossing as fast as he could with a youngling and a very sick prentice. "Also maybe a Xaraan for hire?"

"Excellent," It was useful to lean on others who knew the area better, he had no qualms with asking for directions. Now the problem was being seen at the well. He set Isaris down gently and said. "Issaly if you could stick right close to your brother that would be perfect, we need water and I will be less suspicious this way, you two stay in this alley until I'm back I won't be just a moment."

Sauron shrugged under a tatty old blanket and tried to hide the majority of his skin, drapped in shadows he hunched and tottered like someone with a severe old leg injury, as he went out to the well with his canteens. He told himself he would be just a minute but it tore at him to be away from his charges for even that long. Kelina would probably call him an old mother hen and well, she would probably be right.

He dunked the canteens fast and mummbled random things so people would avoid his uneven shape as he shuffled back to the alley. "We are gonna have to move swiftly to the caravans through the open area, I don't think there is a connecting alley the way I would have liked. Any ideas?" He asked hopefully. They seemed like a canny sort.