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Torvil smirked. "No, that'll be fine, and yes you do, you look better in my clothes than I do, I don't weather to be jealous or just start giving you my clothes," He chuckled and leaned in, stealing a kiss from her before hopping up onto his table to sit.

"Tight is good, but you'll want range of motion, make sure you can stretch to your fullest in those, if you need something larger let me know now... Yaan could show up at any moment and when he shows up you're going to have to leave..."

"That would be now..." Yaan said as he pulled the curtain out of his way, stepping into the room. "You will come with me," He pointed at Morgana. "You will stay here until her trial is complete..." He pointed at Torvil, then turned and headed out the door.

Yaan bowed his head, and started down the hall, leading Morgana out of the Caves and to the center of the Cliff complex, the sun still had not risen, and it was dark, the torches lit earlier in the night sputtering down towards their deaths. Yaan seem unconcerned about the darkness as he made his way down into the center of the complex.

From where they walked a large bonfire could be seen around it a mass of bodies standing in the night, waiting for the two to join them. Once they reached the center of the complex, Yaan moved to the fire, motioning Morgana to stand on the opposite side.

"Today..." Yaan began, causing a hush to overtake the crowd.

"Today, I lay a challenge before this outsider's feet... She has seen our most Sacred place, seen our most sacred rite..."

A low gasp rose from pockets in the crowd.

"Therefore I lay this challenge before her... She is to partake of the Rite of the Hunt, and if she fails, she is to be cast out along with the man that brought her. Should she succeed..." Yaan grew quiet. "If she succeeds, she will be granted the full rights of our people, an adult among us, outsider no more..."

Moving to a small podium he walked up it, and picking up a withered staff from beside it struck the podium. "Are there any here assembled that will vouch for this woman-child, who will guide her and will show her our ways?"

There was silence for a few moments.

"I see, then I shall..."

"I will vouch for her," A familiar female voice spoke up, and from the edge of the crowd strode a figure pale in the bonfire light, black clothing whisking in the darkness.

Yaan's hackles rose and he smacked the staff against the podium. "Foul! Foul I say! You cannot vouch for her! I forbid it!"

Whisper entered the full light of the bonfire, moving before the podium, standing tall even given her short size. "And why is Yaan? Are you setting her up to fail?"

There was a low gasp once more through the entire crowd.

"HOW DARE YOU SLANDER ME DEMON-CHILD!" Yaan spoke raising his staff high as if to strike Whisper.

Whisper just looked up into his eyes, unflinching.

"That will be quite enough Master Shaman Yaan," A stern young female voice broke through the early morning air.

Yaan blanched and lowering the staff he turned his head towards a young female dressed in fur, her skin was pale, but held more color than Morgana's, her eyes were locked on Yaan, the white scales on her face glowing rainbows in the bonfire light. "I apologize Priestess... It is just that this outsider... she has defiled our sacred place!"

"I have not heard of any defilement from our Tomb Keepers Yaan, and I am quite sure they would have informed myself or my Mother..." The Priestess said, moving to the Podium to stand next to Whisper.

"This... tainted child whishes to vouch for the outsider..." Yaan pointed his staff at Whisper.

Whisper's eyes narrowed a bit, and she hissed exposing her fangs, a few of the dragons in the crowd backed up instinctively, but Yaan was getting his fair share of dirty looks from the crowd as well.

"Magess Whisper is far from tainted Master Shaman, she has been more of a help to us than any other child born outside these walls. She has shown us how to better ourselves, a lesson you seem to refuse to accept." The Priestess flipped her fur stole, which slid from her neck, exposing a strange runic tattoo on her collar bone.

"THE OLD WAYS MUST BE PROTECTED!" Yaan bellowed slapping his chest with the staff in his hand. "To not do so spits in the eye of our ancestors!"

"Yaan... You poor old man... Some ways must in time go with time, to make way for the new ways, so that we may grow and learn, that which cannot adapt dies... You have seen it as well as I Yaan, those who did not change died... We lost many of the old Elders in the war, because they would not listen to reason and instead they charged blindly into battle and died, killing many... You listened to reason you accepted what allies we could gain and now you spit in their faces?!"

Yaan seemed cowed, bowing his head, he once more struck the staff against the podium.

"So it shall be... Whisper shall vouch for..."

"Morgana," Whisper spoke.

"Morgana, and be her voice in this trial..."

Whisper nodded, and moved over to Morgana's side, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Morgana... The Rite of The Hunt has been invoked, until such time as you have slain the beast you must slay, you may not return... You and your Voice are dead to us. I invoke the right as Master Shaman to chose your path to prove you are worthy..."

"Now wait a damn minute!" Whisper started.

"The dead do not speak," Yaan said loudly, and Whisper growled but grew silent.

"You are to travel north,"

Murmurs suddenly ran through the crowd.

"Once you have slain the beast of your choosing you shall return to life and become one of us. Go now..."

Yaan spryly jumped from the podium and scooping a handful of dust from a bag beside the fire he cast it into the flames, causing the fire to explode upwards with a loud roar, causing all five of the pillars to come into full view, carvings of each totem visible for a fleeting moment.

---

And high above them, watching from the edge of the cliffs, stood Torvil, wrapped in a cloak of leather and furs.

"Gods speed your way my love... May they bless your return... May the totem I have given you grant you luck... May the stars guide and protect you... May the Hawk watch over you with his infinite freedom..." Closing his eyes he lowered his head tears dripping from his eyes onto the cold stone.

"May my tears bring you water..."

Drawing from his sleeve a long dagger he drew it down his hand.

"And my blood... Sustenance..." Blood mingled with tears on the cold stone, as Torvil bound his wound and cleaned his blade re sheathing it inside of his sleeve.

"So is my prayer to the Ivory Dragon, may the Spirits guide you home..."

Watching the bonfire flare bright into the night, tears falling from his eyes he whispered. "And so you are dead... May you live always into my heart, until you return, love of loves..." Closing his eyes and bowing his head he turned, and made his way down into the warrens of the cliffs from which he had come, returning to his room...

He would fast and pray for Morgana's safe return, marking his door with a runic symbol indicating mourning, he finally pasted the curtain. Packing away things, and cleaning his room quickly, he put away the pallets and pushed his table into a small alcove.

Moving to his desk, he pulled candles and incense from the cabinet" there, as well as large ivory idols of a Dragon and a Hawk in flight. Placing these before him, he lit the candles and incense, and closing his eyes he began to pray.

"And so it came to pass upon the night of his victory Hawk's mate was struck with an arrow and died..."

Whisper nods and taking Morgana's hand she lead her out of the cliff complex and once more out into the planes. Looping around the cliffs she turns them north before letting go of Morgana.

"This was not how I hoped to see you again Morgana," Whisper said as she walked through the waist tall grass, her eyes looking from side to side every so often, it was still dark, so there was little fear of some predators and more for some others.

"But I am glad you are marrying my father, his luck with women has been... Iffy to say the least..."

Turning her head to Morgana Whisper smiles a very... sinister smile. "And I swear to god... If you hurt him, they will not be able to even make SENSE of your body when I am done with you..."

Her eyes radiated a feeling that she meant that.

"All I've ever heard was that they are the same as any other dragon... Arrogant, armor plated, vicious...." Whisper waved her hand, her eyes still sweeping the planes now and then. "I could take one down... Probably, if I prepared the right spells... My last stepmother did so with only a dagger... but it nearly cost her her arm..." Shaking her head, Whisper sighed. "Bitched deserved to lose it..."

Snapping her fingers a small ball of flame came to life in her hand she held it up high and let it float above them giving them light.

"Don't worry about anything, I've got your back, there isn't a critter out here I can't take down..." Smiling at Morgana she moved to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her close and sighing.

"That Yaan dude tho... Seriously... I know he hasn't ever really liked me but damn... He's one mean mother fu..."

Whisper frowned and sighed. "Actually, the only help I can give you is to keep any animal you chose not to kill at bay or kill it for food... If you noticed, we don't got much in the way of provisions..." Whisper was actually carrying nothing on her but a belt with several pouches on them.

"Well... Technically that's not true..." pulling open one of the smaller pouches she pulled out a rather large book holding it her hands and flipping the pages. "I could always summon food and drink for us... But I don't know... That's kinda technically cheating..." Smiling she placed the book back in it's bag and turned her eyes to the sky, watching as the stars started to fade and give way to a false dawn.

"I had an interesting relationship with my last step mother, one that I will not repeat with you, as I respect you, and frankly it wouldn't be fair to my husband or my father..." Shaking her head she sighed.

"Tho... I am going to have to figure out how I'm going to eat... I may be of Vampire blood, but I do need sustenance like everyone else..."

Whisper growled in irritation, waving her hand and chanting in a low voice.

"Usstan lar ulu dos kyorl rrorrok d' uoi'nota, doer ulu ussta dortho, ragar nindyn bauth nindel orn'la xun jivviim ulu uns'aa dosst jabbuk."

A low guttural howl sounds out from where Whisper points as she finishes her chant, and the ground begins to crack, and from it clawing it's way to the surface, is a large pony sized dog, covered in spikes, it's eyes are a baleful red and it's ears are pinned back against it's head, raising it's head to the sky it bays out a waling cry of woe, before turning to Whisper and moving to walk beside her.

Whisper smiles and brushes the side of the hellbeast's neck, cooing. "Who's a good puppy? You are! You are!"

Turning to Morgana she smiled. "He'll keep away some of the worse predators... and also help us figure out where to find food and water..." Chuckling she looked back towards teh cliffs which had now faded far into the distance.

"And if Yaan doesn't like it he can kiss my pale and pasty a**... Not that Joman would like that much,"

"From what I've heard... Probably four days out and four back unless you want to bag a BIG one... Though I've heard some of the bigger ones will even roam withing two days of the cliffs... If you get injured it'll take longer coming back because we'll have to move slower or faster depending... Though I might just use a teleport spell in the case of that sort of an emergency, or if you want to bring the whole kit and caboodle of your dragon..."