When dancing, Callum craved nothing more than a partner. It was when two souls moved in sync with one another that true magic was born, and inevitably others would join in. There was no anger in dancing; just pure passion. No war could drown that out.

Apparently, though, dancing with another man's wife was not the best of choices. Callum had been deceived by the flirting woman, who had been eager enough to show him a thing or two, considering she was a professional performer. They had spent the better part of the day together, and when the other man had shown up Callum had offered to let him join.

Then the man punched Callum in the jaw. Hybrid b*****d! Get your hands off my wife! She hadn't even tried to step in between them and the man had gotten in a good kick to Callum's ribs before he managed to get away. How that had happened, he hadn't a clue. The man was still after him, this time with a few more, and Callum was running as best he could. His side ached to the point that he feared he would be caught again. Just a little faster...keep going, you can't stop!

Talisia was enjoying her time in Jauhar. Working around her foster family was one thing, but spending time exploring the area was her relaxation. Since Silva had decided to reappear at random it was no surprise to her to feel the brush of fur against her thigh. "Welcome back."

The raptrix gave her a stern gaze, but Talisia just smiled. It was rare for the creature to show a lot of love, but she knew that he did. After all why else would he have put up with her for so long? Or even taken time to save her over and over? If only people were so easy to figure out. The thought made her flush as she remembered her last encounter in the market. That had been a beautiful day.

Her gaze flickered upwards though as she heard movement. What was going on here? As the familiar figure of Callum sped past she had to blink. That was?No way... Quickly though she dashed through the trees after him and her raptrix stayed by her side.

Callum leapt for an opposing branch and came just short due to a pulling pain from his side. In a panic he reached out for anything to hold onto and found a vine. The burn that assaulted his palms as his weight pulled him towards the ground was harsh, but at least he was still in the tree. So to speak.

He tried taking a deep, albeit shaky, breath. Where were they...? Twisting his head this way and that Callum tried to pin point his pursuers. Bergchi above, they're hiding. This was bad. Really bad. Callum reached up for the branch he had missed, and after much struggling managed to pull himself up. Just as he had readied himself to stand up one of the assailants droppe down infront of him on the branch. The man smirked and twirled a danger inbetween his fingers. "Nighty night, whelp."

Maybe that wasn't Callum running through the trees. Still though the image of the pale skinned hybrid flashed through her mind once more. What were the chances of someone that looked like him being here? If he had been a full bloodied shifter it might have been a trick of the mind, but those looks definitely stood out just as her own did here.

He's probably just in a rush and I shouldn't bother him. It wasn't like her to stick her neck out to be social anyways. So why did she keep following? Talisia had to stop and brace herself against a tree, "This is silly..." Trailing off her sharp ears caught sounds of others moving around them.

Maybe she was wrong and he wasn't in a rush to get somewhere after all. It looked more like he was in a rush to get away from others instead. Biting her lip the girl sighed. He was so nice to her that she coudln't turn away now, right? "Silva please." Letting out a soft clicking noise with her tongue Talisia pointed towards the tree where she spotted the moving shadows and Callum. A howl ripped through the air as the silver form of the beast rushed through the trees and landed before the hybrid.

Growling towards the ones with the dagger Silva pulled his wings back threateningly. Below them Talisia grabbed a vine and started her climb up as well. Let's hope this works out for us. At the thought she heard the snapping of her raptrix's jaws and the shimmer of sharp fangs as he barked a warning to the strangers.

Whatever Callum had been expecting it certainly was not this. The great winged beast had him falling back against the trunk of the tree, and if he was stunned silent then his attacker was near pissing himself.

"Oh come off it, Riu, just stab the damn thing!" The growled threat came from the woman's husband, who was safe on a tree some odd feet away. There were two others with him, and no one else. He carried an axe big enough to lob off Callum's head with one swing.

"Easy for you to say!" The man took a step back, then remembered Callum was back there and was suddenly wary. What if the kid had a weapon on him? Suddenly he was in a bad, bad situation. "Y-yeah, alright. Come at me, you winged brute!" He held his daggers at the ready and charged.

Callum, on the other hand, was planning an escape. Maybe they had gotten into this creatures territory, or maybe it was just aggressive. Either way, he couldn't just let this opportunity pass him by.

Silva's sharp gaze veered over towards the tree where the others yelled from. His great wings raised threateningly to cast a huge shadow over the guy infront of him. The raptrix did not look like he was playing games and as the man charged the beast veered forward with a threatening snap. If he had to he would throw this earthling off of hte branch onto the ground below.

Talisia swung her legs up and found herself finally on the tree where Callum was. Quietly she took the advantage of Silva's wings blocking both her and Callum from sight and moved forward, "Psst." Reaching forward she grabbed the other hybrid's hand and gave it a tug, "Come this way while they're distracted."

With that she started to climb down a vine ladder that had been around the side of the tree. Silva meanwhile was making a ruckus on the upper level by baring his teeth at the earthlings. He was quick that was for certain and did not plan on getting so easily stabbed. If only Talisia could hurry with the other hybrid down the tree and to safety then he could fly off as well.

The man tried to dodge the snapping jaws with a solid upper cut to the winged beast. He was too frightened of being bit to get close enough to do any real damage. A cut, at best! His colleagues kept pushing him on with cat calls and threats.

What? When did...? Callum looked to the winged creature and back to Talisia. He didn't waste time asking stupid questions; instead he took her hand with a grateful smile and started his own descent. A sharp cry caught Callum's attention. He craned his head to see the dagger man's boots dangling from the branch. Either the creature had knocked him off or he had fallen one.

"Get up, dammit!" The leader cursed. "I said - Where the hell is the runt?!"

Callum felt his heart drop in his chest. He looked down to Talisia and back to the trees as he worked his way down. It was bad enough for him to be caught in this, but it wasn't right to drag them into it!

At the sharp cry Talisia flinched. Did it really bother her to see someone that mean in trouble? Still she could only shake her head before tugging Callum along, "Just run." Once she hit the forest floor she found her feet flying over the ground. Roots and loose rocks were nothing new to her and the slender girl gracefully dodged through them all.

The only moment she took to pause was to let out a sharp whistle that was answered with a howl. Silva would let off of the strangers since Callum and Talisia had managed to give them the slip. I probably won't see him for a few more nights again, but at least I know he's alright. She was grateful for her familiar's help. But she just had to wonder what Callum had gotten himself into for this to happen.

Callum was much more at home on the ground than he ever would be in the trees. He was used to running over rough terrain, and easily sailed over the obstacles in his path. What concerned him was low hanging vegetation that was as apt to choke him as the very men chasing them.

When Callum could go on no longer he held out one of his hand to the base of the tree, and placed the other on his bruised ribs. His jaw ached, no doubt it was as dark as a shifter's skin and twice as swollen. Even with his breathing labored, he looked up from his crouch through a veil of white hair to smile at Talisia. "T-thanks...for the...the help..."

Leaning against the tree Talisia took a moment to catch her breath, "You're...welcome." Her bi-colored gaze studied him with concern, "How badly hurt are you?" Slender fingers reached up to trail over his jaw which was pretty swollen. She hadn't seen someone this beat up in a while. She was afraid of exactly what would have happened to the hybrid if she hadn't run into him just then. I really don't want to think about that. It sent a shiver through her to match that memory with her mother's past violent rampages.

Quietly she peered around the tree before pulling more hanging vines down around them. Surely the curve of the tree would help protect them and it was best this way to keep those above from seeing them on the ground below. "You seem to have gotten into some good trouble..." She bit her lip thoughtfully, "Is there anything I can do to help?" She was used to tending to animals not earthlings. What exactly could she do for him? She was no healer...Talisia sighed softly.

As long as he was safe for now.

He leaned his face to the side so that she could inspect him easily. Callum did, however, reach up to push his hair from his eyes. The right side of his jaw was fairly swollen, making it difficult for him to talk, but beyond his ribs those were the only places he bore recent bruises.

"Stay with me until I catch my breath?" Callum laughed and winced, putting pressure on his ribs. He slowly sunk down so that he was sitting next to the tree instead of standing. "I'm sorry...probably ruined your day, and I'm asking for more. It's really selfish." His tone was as self-deprecating as always.

Poor Callum. Talisia felt her heart wrench at the sight of his injuries. She could only imagine how painful they must have been. Frowning she wished that she had turned on those guys and let Silva really rip into them. As bad as it was of her the girl hated seeing others bullying hybrids. I thought Jauhar was a safer place than Zena. She was wrong. Like all places there was always the good and bad. The thought really was saddening. No matter where she went it seemed trouble would always be around the corner.

"Definitely." Talisia replied swiftly as she settled down next to him, "You did no such thing." She forced a small smile on her lips, "More like you made a boring day into something interesting." She shook her head in protest and white tendrils of hair danced into her face, "You are fine. Not selfish at all of you." She just hoped he would be alright.

Turning his back to the trunk, Callum tried to relax, but found the more comfortable position to be when his back was as stiff as the tree itself. "You're too kind to me, Talisia." He took a shaky breath and exhaled on a hiss. There had a be a rhythm to this; if only he could find it. Maybe then his innards wouldn't ache so bad.

"...What was the creature that helped you to save me? I've never seen one like it before." Even in his travels in Sauti he'd never come across something quite so strange. Clawed like a radaku, but with wings like a kinfa? It was the strangest thing; and terrifying to boot!

Talisia shook her head once more, "Far from it." She replied gently, "Just consider it as repaying your earlier kindness to me in the market." It was strange that the usually stiff girl was more relaxed in her caring nature for the other hybrid. As was she watched him in pain with a worried expression, "You know if you need this area doesn't seem bad for a rest." She could stay here and watch over him then until he felt steady enough to walk and those thugs were gone.

At his question she flushed lightly, "Oh, Silva?" She tucked back a loose strand of hair behind a pointed ear, "He's a raptrix. His species is native to Zena so it's not a surprise that no one around here knows of him. They're mostly wild beasts hard to tame, but for some reason he stuck with me."

The idea had merit. Callum wasn't sure how much further he could go without a good rest to heal him, but he also didn't want to put that sort of strain on Talisia. She would have someone to worry about her when she didn't make it home. He shook his head with a pleasant sort of lilt. "That's sweet of you to offer, but I can make it home." Or at the very least he would try. After all, he wasn't too far out.

"Silva, huh?" How appropriate for the bell named hybrid to give such a charming name to the creature who had taken to her. "I feel as if I should have heard of the raptrix before, but it likely slipped out of my head when I wasn't watching." He laughed, this time coming out a little easier. "He's smart, I'll give him that. Is he the only raptrix you know?"

Raising an eyebrow Talisia frowned at him, "I'm sure you can make it home if you leave now. It would just be in a body bag instead." Sure she might have been more dramatic about it, but the girl was firm. She wasn't about to let him try leaving by himself not in this state, "It's okay if it's a short rest at least, right? No one will realize if I'm gone for a few more hours."

Smiling at the compliments the girl nodded, "He is probably too smart for his own good, but yeah. I always watched the raptrix when they ran through the snows at night, but he was the first I ever got close too." The others were mostly feral or too indifferent to worry with a small girl like her. But that was alright Silva was enough for her.

Callum snorted on a silent laugh. He must have looked pretty rough for her to be able to see through that so fast. Or maybe he was just a terrible liar. It was obvious she wasn't going to budge on it so Callum raised his hand in defend. "Right, right, a short rest would be nice. But, the moment you feel like leaving, don't feel like you have to stay. I don't want to hold you back."

It must have been wonderful to have that kind of bonding with such a wild animal. Silva may have fancied her, but he had come to her of his own free will. Callum felt a connection with Faulina that borderline paternal, though she had been one of his father's before becoming his. Tariel had bred her, and then gifted the small avian to his son before ditching him in Jauhar. Callum had always wondered if the strong will kinfa was meant to be his protector. At the very least something to keep him from running into a sword.

"Tell me about the snows. What did they look like? What does snow feel like? I've only ever heard stories." Fond memories of Laini holding onto him at night and feeding him legends of great warriors from foreign lands. "Is it true that great beasts with huge noses walk on ice?"

"Aye, aye." Talisia smiled faintly, "I'll let you know when I want to leave and I'll make sure just to dump your body on the ground somewhere." Teasing was rare for her, but his stubborness brought it out for her. Still she was determined not to leave his side for now.

At his quesiton she laughed, "They looked pretty white." She paused in her reply, "But some nights they glimmered like diamonds under the moon while the ice could become rainbows of colors beneath the right skies." She smiled at him, "And it's cold, colder than the coldest waters you have ever been in." The girl tucked her legs beneath her body, "It could be beautiful or destructive depending on things. And the great beasts do exist, but they truly are gently giants. I've never had to fear them ever in my life."

"Woah, ho! So there is a fire ball that lives inside of you." Callum chuckled, looking to Talisia with wide excited eyes. He much preferred her smiles and sarcasm to the quieter facade she liked to use as a barrier. Surely she was coming around to him now.

Callum tilted his head back against the tree, and used his hair as a sort of natural pillow. "It almost doesn't sound real. Like a story a grandmother might tell to a youngling. You're truly blessed to have seen them. Cold and all." Callum had known cold before; the sort of chill that didn't leave you when the sun came up in the morning. The kind that would kill in the night, but he knew there was much worse. "Some day I think I would like to see one. Just to see if they're as big as my Gran says."

Callum wasn't even aware of when his eyes closed. It happened naturally. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, or the peace that came around being someone he was comfortable with. Either way, he slipped into a very much needed nap.

Talisia just shook her head at his teasing, "If you want to call it that. I won't argue against you." It was strange that she was so easily bantering with this boy. The last time she had felt so relaxed was with her own father long ago when she was just a little girl. Back then she definitely had more spirit than ever.

"Just as Jauhar didn't sound real to me. My father always told me about this place and his stories of the world were just so amazing. I never knew that the snows would end and that there could be such green grass out there." She smiled lightly, "Maybe one day you might find them, but just be prepared. The snows aren't the easiest thing on an earthling used to heat. You have to survive those to see the gentle giants of Zena." Her father had loved their beauty as well, but his body had never been able to fully adjust. The thought brought a sad smile to her lips. How was it that she was remembering so much now?

As he fell asleep Talisia found herself resting close to him. Ever so quietly she reached out to trail a finger through his hair before leaning back to relax herself. Soon the girl who was watching over him would easily fall into a nap herself while they both were protected in the tree's embrace.