Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nathanial cocked his head in an almost unheard of confusion. It was clear to him by his nose alone that the wolf was really a man. The transformation that occurred before him only bolstered his beliefs that his nose would never fail. However, the truly perplexing part was that though he wore the skin of man he talked like one of the pack. He addressed his name first, clan, and then took one step further by calling nature by it's pack name. All wolves called nature the Great Mother because they too felt very close to it. Nathanial took a moment to shake his head of the confusion before saying, "You must have been gone a long time to think what has happened to the Great Mother as new. Great Mother has been ravished by a mysterious darkness. It poisons her and kills the fauna. Whatever survives becomes twisted by the darkness either becoming something evil and unnatural or loosing the intelligence that was gained through the Great Mother. These flowers you see before no longer hold a name each, they no longer speak any tongue, not even the animals can speak. The animals use some unknown guttural language. Even the wolfs who I hold a close affinity to, have been stripped of such knowledge that to listen to them takes much effort and is barely intelligible."

Lecta and Serobi seemed to have focused their attention to an unknown individual. Draku, being human, had not sensed anything as Nathanial did until now. Nathanial spoke to someone in the distance, Draku unable to pick up their conversation. Slowly, he approached Nathanial plowing the snow with his frozen legs. He stood behind Serobi, curious of the stranger's appearance. Draku was unable to determine his race but according to his physical appearance, assumed he was human. Perhaps far more skilled than he ever will be, judging by his log like weapon. No low-class warrior would wield a staff such as his. Nevertheless, he kept his distance and tried to pick up on the conversation.

A whiff of a Druid's scent brought Kalupaan back to his senses. His dark brown eyes scans through the area, and he found himself surrounded by the group he was supposed to discreetly follow. He brushes his long braided black hair with his free hand in embarrassment; his face though was still as emotionless as it always is.

"Great mother will be awfully upset with you when she discovers that you have awoken late..." the fellow druid sighed, shaking her head slowly and rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps it is fate that has kept me asleep," he answers the druidess. "Lest I would have marched to this darkness by myself, and died in vain."

"My apologies, noble beast," he bows his head to the wolf. "My demands were coarse and forceful."

He lifts his log to his shoulders and gestures the same gesture he had to the wolf to the group, especially the Druidess. "I am Kalupaan, Druid to the Order of the Red Wood. I offer to form a pact with the Druidess before me. Let us be one as we are with our Mother. Let us not rest until Nature has found balance once again."

Nathanial could only stand there watching the conversation commence between the two people. He didn't really know what they were discussing, but didn't try to pretend to understand. He waited patiently surveying the area so no others would sneak up on them. He would rather them move into the safety of the city, but if they insisted on talking in the open then he would not argue. Instead he would merely stand guard taking down whatever would come there way.

"This man has awoken from a deep slumber?" a person asks and tilts his head to one side. "In that case, he must be starving! Let us take this conversation to Meldonar shall we? There, we could make a feast for him."

A faint smile came painted on Kalupaan's face. "Indeed, I am hungry. I shall accompany you since we follow the same path."

As the group starts to move, he whispers to the Druidess. "I do not understand what it is that you are trying to tell me, Lecta, but I have only this to say: We are Druids, not because we have a purpose or duty, but because we have become one with the Great Mother. We are still capable of human feelings and errors, and our Mother understands that; she is ever patient. The disturbance in your heart is only proof that you are still you. You are alive and is capable of feeling. Nature cares not for your future or your past. What matters is what you do right now." He gently pats Lecta's left shoulder with his free hand. "Knowing your name means our pact is growing. Soon we will be one, like roots that can break even the tallest of mountains."

The group moved slow as the glacial ice, not to mention the snow contributing to their pace. The mountains grew taller by the minute as they approached it. The waterfall was now clearly visible but still doesnt seem like an illusion. A fierce wind conjured among the mountains, blowing Serobi's face numb for it carried ice particles which drifted in the air. The overhead sun's heat was nullified by the dropping temperatures. If they were to reach Meldonar today, might as well use up his energy to make this trip the more convenient. Raising a palm by his waist, a monotonous light of gradient blue emerged as the winds began to disipate.

((Where is everyone?!))

((So where to next?))