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Spyse raised an eyeborw and smirked. So much for his ego... I meant leave it in one of the trees closer to the building outside. It'll be eaiser to guard that way, I can hear if someone shows up. She fluttered her cat ears, but then quickly stopped and flattened them against her head. Why am I showing off so much?!..... Probably because he hasn't run screaming from or drawn a weapon on me yet. Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Spyse began examining the knot to see the best way to undo it so as not to waste the rope. In her manner of hunting it had never been necessary to allow the creature to bleed out, she'd just bring it home for the family. Plus the only predators in the area were her village of wereleopards and they never made it a habit of stealing other people's food. For a breif moment she remembered her family and why she left, sighing outwardly without relizing it or that she was speaking aloud. Just could never be proud of me...

What appeared to be people in a dimly lit room turned out to be chairs set on dusty tables. There was nobody in the main room and probably nobody in the rest of the tavern. Everything reeked of abandonment, except for the shuffled footprints in the dust that had been made recently by Aniane and Spyse, who were coming back.


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Aniane nodded in embarrassed consent. Of course that was what she had meant. How could he think otherwise?

The slip knot was designed to come apart at a tug on the loose end. Aniane had plenty of experience with knots.

The poor boy was about to help with the rope when Spyse started talking to herself. It didn't seem like the sort of thing to interrupt, so he checked to see that all his things were in order instead; nothing had been dropped and lost.

"Need help?"

Her grumblings to herself could be discussed later. The boy felt a need to get on with their task.

Aniane had to climb the tree to reach the knot properly. There wasn't much to show her about the knot since most of the skill lay in tying it. Aniane grinned at her before undoing it; A simple tug on the loose end dropped the deer to the ground with a thud, and Aniane was down moments later.

"Then we'd better hurry," he agreed pessimistically. He started to lift the deer at the head, putting his back under it.

Aniane's jaw dropped. He stared at her as they walked back to the inn, not sure what to say and not quite sure why he was so amazed. She was so much stronger than him, and he wouldn't have guessed it even with her animalistic appearance. Maybe deep down, he was sexist.

The young man ran ahead of her to loop the rope around a tree that was pushing against the side of the tavern. He made a noose for the deer before jumping down and stepping back out of her way.

Something occurred to him as he watched her carry the heavy carcass to the tree. "Where is it that you're going?" And can I come with you?

"I came here for solitude," he agreed, "and there is no reason to go back exactly the way I came. I've been looking for someone to talk to about my magic... Someone I might learn from. I've been taking odd jobs, most of them guarding caravan. I've been to a lot of places with magic but natural elementals seem to be rare. Every one is all books and spells, but all I can do is fire no matter what spells I memorize."

Aniane had to raise his head in order to see her, but being as young as he was, he was used to this. He reached up as soon as he was done speaking and touched his fingertips to her shoulder. "We should go inside and rest. Doesn't changing forms tire you?"

Aniane followed her with the manners of a servant, dashing to open the door for her and accosting her with questions once they were inside. "Do you need any thing to drink? A blanket? I can get one from another room. You could rest first and I would wake you in a few hours when I need sleep."

He was trying to think of some way to ask if they could travel together, but blurting the words out right seemed inappropriate. He wasn't sure how much he trusted her, but it had to be worth a try even if just to avoid traveling alone again. She could hunt and that by itself was very useful to him even if she couldn't teach him any thing about his magic.

Aniane nodded uncertainly. "I might be tired." To find out, he would do as she said; he settled down in the corner of the main room with a blanket over himself, in the clothes he'd been in when she'd first met him not so long ago. It took over an hour, but eventually his breathing settled to the steady pace of sleep.

He'd be up with the dawn the next day, although perhaps a little groggy.