Welcome to Gaia! ::

Night was falling over the island, and the last rays of light were struggling to light the island as the sun fell behind the horizon to give way to dusk. Curfew for the fauns was in effect, and there were none to be seen outside of the the protection of Laisidhiel. That didn't mean that there weren't guards about, however, and they were certainly on guard. The only reason they didn't see the orange and purple fauness standing there before the tree was thanks to her protective charm, which allowed her to camouflage herself to be undetectable by others. She wasn't moving, however, as she stared up at the Great Tree, tears welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

I'm home... Finally.

Quickly drying her eyes, she walked through the thresh hold of Laisidhiel, her camouflage evaporating the moment her hoof crossed the line, and Amadorine felt the safety of the Great Tree for the first time in seasons. For any onlooker, she didn't look well: her hair was matted with dirt and oils, her fur barely orange under the black-brown grime that coated her, and one could count the ribs and spines on her she was so thin. Wherever she had been, she had not been eating or taking care of herself well. Even her clothes were tattered, grimy, and torn, and the leather bag over her shoulder had seen better days.

Her amethyst eyes slowly looked over faces until she found a faun dressed in guard uniform, charging up to her and obviously not recognizing her. Placing her right fist over her chest, she saluted him, cautiously making sure to show that she was not a danger to prevent from being arrested. "Please take me to Rais; I have information for him."

The guard had nearly shat bricks when a fauness literally appeared from out of thin air, as had the others on duty around him. Charging forward with the rest of the guards, he eyed her suspiciously, not recognizing her from the other fauns that he'd seen daily in the tree. Her salute surprised him, as did her statement and request to be brought right to the Cheiftan, and he frowned.

"Harold, with me. The rest of you, stay on guard." He ordered, pulling one of the others with him to escort the fauness to her requested location. She didn't look like she could put up much of a fight, if any, should things go sour, but they weren't about to let a repeat of what happened with Faroth happen again. After all, he'd looks pretty weak himself, and yet his strength was surprising.

"Come with us, and keep your hands in view at all times." He glared at her as he and Harold began escorting her.

"Why were you late for curfew." It wasn't a question.

Well, this was certainly different. The fauness didn't question the escorting, or their accusations. "I was late because I wasn't aware of a curfew. I haven't been home for over 4 seasons."

"Where have you been all this time."

"Around the entire Island, multiple times."

"Doing what, exactly."

A frown twitched over Amadorine's mouth. "Unfortunately, that information is classified and I can only divulge with either Mo or Rais himself." Before the guard could grill her more, she dropped her 'power' card. "It is the oath I took before I was allowed to be the Pathfinder. I may not hold the title now, but I plan to honor that oath till death."

The faun guard glared at her, not liking the answer that he received. They all knew there was no Pathfinder, and the reason was that disgusting Blood Pae that was in the cells below Laisidhiel. "Disgusting..." He muttered to himself as they came up to the Cheiftan's meeting room and knocked.

Amadorine heard him anyways, but bit back her remark back at him. She didn't need to raise any more suspicions to herself. Instead, she focused on how she would address Rais.

The two faun guard opened the doors to the meeting room, escorting Amadorine in. "Sir, she requested to speak with you immediately" Harold explained, taking over speaking for his much more sour looking partner.

Amadorine stepped into the room, then bowed her head and placed her fist over her chest. "Rais, sir." She straightened and looked at her leader, seeing him for the first time in over a year. He looked so tired, like more time had passed him than any one else on this world. She felt herself lost for words, what she had prepared to say to him was gone. "I am sorry it took me so long to come home..." She knew that her absence was the least of his worries, but at least it was something instead of the awkward silence of saying nothing.

The two guards stayed by the door, not leaving until dismissed. After all, this was the Ex-Pathfinder who betrayed them for a stupid Blood Pae. And they had no idea what was in that bag, just that it was classified. Maybe she was still working with them, working with the fool who had hurt Laisidhiel in the first place, and was here to finish the job.

A very small smile flickered over Ama's face as Rais recognized her. Apparently, despite the grime and the lack of meat on her bones, she still had a resemblance to her old self. "Alive is a loose term, but I do still walk and breath." She'd probably feel a lot more alive after a long shower and a good and filling meal. One that she didn't have to eat raw and cold.

At his request, she sat down at the chair pointed to her, a soft sigh escaping her lips as her hoofs appreciated the rest. Oh, it was going to be difficult to stand back up, her body just ached so much. Without waiting for a prompt, she lifted her bag up to the table and slid out a many times folded large parchment, pushing it towards Rais. "I hope this makes up for the time away."

The entire time that she had been gone, Ama had ben wandering the island, checking every inch that she could get into, and building a topographical map with the location of every Pae she had discovered. Symbols indicated what species the Pae were, as well as various other landmarks. The only area that was unaccounted for was the Dragnid Forest- brave as she was, even she couldn't find the courage to take more than a few steps in before needing to leave. There was something overwhelming about the place, something that made her sick to her stomach.

Guilt hit her as the implication was silently said, but she'd expected it. The Faun were family, and she had just left. Not a word or a note about where she would be or at least what she was doing was left, she'd just disappeared. She had needed the time though, after having her known world turned upside down and inside out. "I needed time, after everything. To go through my past and decide on my future. A soul search of sorts." She gave a small smile as Rais spent time looking at her map, feeling a bit of pride of her work.

"Well, I had to do something while I was off, and I felt like I had a lot to make up for." She hadn't done her duties as Pathfinder when she held the title, and while she knew this was too little too late she still felt that it was something she needed to do.

"Yes, these are settlements, and I kept a margin tally along the sides for who made up the population. It's just an estimation, but I did spend quite a few days at each watching. They all seem to have a trade specialty or service. I noticed a few that were farmers of either plants or animals. Some where making products like cloth and earth ware. I didn't actually go into any of them, so I can't tell you too much about how they work, but they seem to be pretty random where they're springing up." She brushed some hair from her face, feeling how knotted and matted it was and realizing what a mess she must look like. She was truly exhausted, and as she felt her balance suddenly go for a moment she attempted to be subtle about using the table to steady herself.