"Looks like rain." muttered Bill. With his eyes squinted towards the sky, the old man watched the signs. He was a plain old man in what looked like a farmer's attire. He ran the small INN that resided within Viorek. A young looking boy with orange hair and brown eyes, possibly his grandson, placed a hand on their cow's shoulder. "How can ya tell?" He asked with a look of wonder. Squeezing his eyes as tight as he could without completely closing his eyes, the boy also looked for signs of rain. "I don't see anything!"

With a kind smile to his grandson, Bill pointed towards the sky, "There's lightening striking over Kali." Placing his hands across his chest, Bill nodded more to himself then his grandson, "I 'pect it to be a heavy downfall." It had dawned on him how unnatural this was. Rain didn't just suddenly appear. There was always a warning beforehand. And he was almost right.

It was an uncomfortable feeling that left her feeling somewhat light headed. One minute she was standing in Lagro's lab telling him she was sure about this and then he was gone! Or was it she who was gone? It didn't matter. The quick journey seemed to go on forever. She had become what some would call a ball of light or a blue speck.

Hovering above Lagro's head seemed unreal until she was floating out the window. He had told her the effects would be temporary but he was definitely sure she would make he... he thinks. Despite her whacky Uncle's "science experiments" he was usually right about these things. Lagro was considered "weird" for he tends to meddle in human ways. Most of her kind tends to stay clear of him. But that didn't matter now. Soon she was up close and personal with stars, nymphs and pixies. She even thought she passed a falling comet!

As she neared Earth, the clouds darkened beneath her. It was like they were coming to life, reaching for her in order to swallow her. Was this a bad omen? There wasn't time to think of that. Soon she went through them and had to shake off the wet chills that went through her body. It was raining now, heavy at that. Lightening raged around her as she drew closer to the ground. It soon came to her attention that the lightness she felt was now gone. Heaviness gripped her as gravity took over. It wasn't until she neared the ground that Alysha realized... Lagro didn't tell her how she would land. Crossing her arms over her head, she waited for the impact.

With a loud thud, Alysha went head first into a small clearing. She tumbled forward as lightening struck, lighting the area around her. It was a moment before she moved again, groaning loudly as she used a nearby tree for support. Everything was moving away from her grasp. Kill wasn't even the word for Lagro. When she saw him again, she was going to strangle him with her bare hands and enjoy every minute of it. That is... if the trees would stop moving long enough for her to figure out where she was. Taking a step forward, she fainted on the spot.

Unknown to her, Alysha landed in the middle of Kali forest. A rustle in the bushes showed signs of life. Was it good or bad?

-------------------------------

For the past three weeks Leo has been on the move. Leaving the mountains he had grown to love these past four years wasn't easy but he knew it was the right thing to do. About four years ago, Leo was found nearly dead by the Kohen family. When he awoke, the boy had no recollection of his past let alone name. The only link to his past was a photo of a young woman with a baby girl. The woman was blue eyed blonde with a sweet smile like her baby, barely a year old. Their names, he assumed, were written on the back of the picture. "Love always, Kira and Mary." This he kept in a small locket, close to his heart. Yet now, he was on the search.

About four weeks ago, Leo received a "message in a bottle" which looked quite old, possibly more than a year old. It was addressed to him and mentioned Kira and Mary briefly. How anyone knew where or who he was he never knew. All he knew was that a family, possibly his family was alive. It filled him with excitement as he explained his departure to the Kohen family who took such great care of him. They were quit sad about his leave due to growing fond of him but they understood his need to find himself. They only asked that he waited a week before departing. Only a fool would rush off unprepared with no memory or knowledge of the land.

Currently he was hitching a ride that an old farmer was kind enough to grant him. Despite the rocky and rather smelly ride, the wagon wasn't too bad. It wouldn't be too long before they reached Mar'Virn and then he could find a boat and sail off. Yeah, it wouldn't be too long. He leaned back as a few pigs made their way too him and placed his hands beneath his head. The coin purse filled with silver, bronze and gold acorns bounced against his hip from time to time making a jingle sound. He smiled thoughtfully at how kind his substitute family had been to him. They'd given him clothes, money and even a new sword. They had been far to kind to him and he had nothing to offer them. Before he left, Leo had made a promise to return their kindness in whatever way he could, and he meant it. His eyes started to droop slightly and soon he was asleep.

"'ey son! Wake up!"

With a start, Leo jumped up to see the driver staring back at him. When he was relaxed Leo spoke. "Is everything okay? Why have we stopped? It's night time already?" His green eyes watched the sky uneasily. There was an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was it a bad omen?

"Just makin' a pit stop sonny. Looks like rain ya see!" The old man pointed towards the sky, "Ain't no way my girl is moving. Thunder gives her the shakes." Too empathize his point, the old man shook himself which made Leo smirk.

"Okay, I get it. So where are we then?" Standing up, Leo stretched and yawned taking a glance at the area. There seemed to be a couple of people heading inside what looked like an INN along with an old man, a boy and a cow staring at the sky. "We be in Viorek. Safest place to be. I'll get us a room but don't ya wander too far now, ya hear? There be Kali forest over yonder." His aged hand pointed towards the west, "It be a man's deathtrap. Stay clear from that, sonny. I'll get us a room."

"Eh... sure thing." Leo mumbled yet his eyes were looking in the direction of Kali. Man's deathtrap? The letter had briefly mentioned Kali. Was he meant to go there? Picking up his things, Leo glanced around to make sure no one was looking. Surely there would be no harm if he took a look, would there? He proceeded in that direction.

As a gentle choir hits the chorus of their piece, Ion can't help but to question the legitimacy of their praise. The Argyros Shrine stares back at Ion as he ambiguously looks about, exploring with uncertainty about the true purpose of those raising their offerings to the shrine. Only one person was aware of his presence and discerning. And that was Shonomaru; a man about his thirties who's reputation exceeded him in Argyros Peak Village. But his fame was not that of a star or celebrity, he was infamous for strictly bearing the protection of the shrine and it's surroundings.

But ignorance was not one of Ion's arsenal; he was fully aware of the daunting task this man was placed for. Even so, Ion was not his current conflict. There was a common goal within the two men, and that was to identify a thief who's been robbing the townsfolk off their offerings.  It has been the rumor among all that the shrine had been tainted by a shadowy figure, not at night, but at plain daylight, during several rituals around the shrine, which was separate from the shrine at the base of Argyros Peak in the Hill Point Church.

The monks who lived at the very peak near the shrine, were quickly questioned by the village's chief. None of them seem to even have a clue that the offerings were even being adulterated. Other suspects were questioned but the chief couldn't figure it out. Ion had heard of the rumor, but that was it; he suspected it was a matter to be resolved quicker, but it had been four months since the initial rumors, which were now a fact.

Earlier this day, Ion had been asked to assist Shonomaru to identify the thief on today's ritual, which is mainly done for people to bring up the offerings to the goddess Martel, which most consisted of gold and silver laces and chains. However, both were certain it was a splendid occasion for a thief to act, and so they stayed through special permission to be close to the ritual, which was now halfway done with.

"Oh the light of Marteeel~"

"Martel shine on us, Marteeel~!"

Those were the lines repeated in the hymn's chorus. The young man that was singing had a relaxing voice with such beautiful color, that it almost seem to distract Ion from his objective. It may have done so in small fracture of time but it didn't enough; he kept a careful watch at all times, whilst only praising the singing in the back of his mind.

There was a point where the singing stop and a moment of silence crept in. In the mean time the young man that was singing grabbed a few bells and go ready for the next act, he then approached Ion who was obviously pleasured by the ritual.

"The moment of silence is for those who gave their lives in the name of Martel." The young man was eager, it was the first time someone outside the monks and priests saw him sing.

"You did good up there. Very relaxing." Ion kept his eyes fixated on the shrine, but was still able to direct his voice to the singer and applaud him for it.

"You better go, they might think I am keeping you." With such a responsibility he had to be careful of not letting distractions happen.

"Okay, I better get up there." He power walked to his position as the golden bells he had in his hand rattled out of place and tempo.

This was followed by a chant by one of the older monks in an ancient language, then slowly harmonized by the hand bells which the singer and some priests carried. The priests then soaked the bells in a holy water reservoir, and later blessed them with special perfumes that they had in crystal vases. These bells were then agitated by the priests along with the singer around the shrine as more chanting ensued.

It was clear how much dedication these people had in order to do this, and it was indeed considered an honor, but it wasn't for someone. Someone who decided that stealing instead of honoring this place was easier for them. Ion wasn't religious, however he still had great respect for those that were; he believed faith was something that only a few people could grasp, and even fewer practice. So there was indeed some personal meaning to him when he took this responsibility; a hunter, is never really allowed near these shrines, because they are thought to be too menacing for the atmosphere in which these rituals take place. And now, it was a special privilege.

It didn't take too long for the priests to finish, and as soon as they did Ion and Shonomaru were allowed to step closer to the shrine to take a look.


"Did you see anything?" Said Shonomaru as he stared down at the offering altar which was not evident that was missing some of it's contents.

"I saw what you saw." Ion affirmed with a steady voice. After looking at the altar he approached the priests, who where gathered in expectation.

"Your bells; their chains... where are they from?" Asked Ion to the lead of the group who did the ritual. He seemed quite confused; he knew why Ion was there, but he didn't know if to be frightened or insulted by the obvious approach of accusation.

"Well they are brought here from Hiesha from a bronze miner." The monk's response was clear and just. He obviously wasn't responsible, but Ion squinted at him and searched his wrinkled and rough face which had steadily began to secrete sweat. Ion zoomed in closer to his face, then suddenly, he backed off.

"Okay." Ion began walking back to Shonomaru who had seen and heard the dialect.

"What in Martel's name was that?" Shonomaru and Ion were told to no longer question the monks and priests, for they had been absolved of the problem, but when Ion disobeyed he made Shonomaru aberrant.

"How much value do you think bronze has around this area?" They both kept inspecting the altar and shrine as the chief walked to them from a distance. Shonomaru realized they soon needed to get to a conclusion. It wasn't obligatory to have this solved, but he didn't want a vague report.

"Would you get to your point?" Ion fiddled with what was left of the offerings brought to the shrine, while Shonomaru examined him.

"This stuff is made of bronze. Not worth stealing unless you have a hundred times as this." He wrangled the chains with his finger tips. "This has been going on for about four months. I am sure he has that quantity by now." Shonomaru has defended the shrine since he was a teenager, so this meant to him not only as a situation of morale, but of his pride as well. He wasn't going to allow for this ungrateful deviant to keep corrupting his reputation, that although damaged, was still standing.

"Oh no; he's been stealing gold and silver alright." Ion was confident, but Shonomaru knew this was obvious.

"Glad you had an euphoria." Sarcasm was considered vulgar to the monks, so Shonomaru whispered his wit to Ion.

"The monks, they said the chains of their bells were made of bronze." Ion gazed at Shonomaru. Shonomaru moved his eyes for a moment, recalling his time. "They are; I've been close to them enough to know that."

"Then I suppose you know these are those chains." He weighed the chains with his fingers before releasing them back onto the altar, as he steadily looked at Shonomaru. "What? That's impossible!" He meddled Ion away from the altar and searched the chains himself. "Drats! How could I have missed that?"

"He had such a relaxing voice." Shonomaru looked at Ion in doubt, and at the same time dropped the chains from his palms and postured himself side to side of Ion, who was once again staring at the shrine. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Webster stepped carefully through the trees, avoiding as much foliage as he could, though still the occasional twig cracked under his boot. It was getting hard to see, with the only light in the sky being the moons and the occasional flash of lightening, which seemed to be fading. Even those didn't help that much, with the tall trees surrounding him on all sides. Web stopped in his place and began to unfasten his goggles from around his neck.

"What am I bloody doing here!", he muttered as he struggled with the clasps on the back. "I'm gonna bloody well get killed. Blast it all though. That blasted light. I have to find it. I just..."

The clasp came free, but not without pricking his finger.

"Blood and ashes!", he yelped as sucked on his finger. "I always have to make things the complicated way. Next time I'm sticking with some basic blasted bloody buckles."

Webster pulled the goggles around his head, and flipped a small switch on the side. A low whir and whine emitted from the lens of his work goggles, and as he looked around, he began to see more clearly. Not quite like day, and colors were distorted, coming off as mostly black and shades of gray, but he could see at least. It was a small device he managed to build onto his goggles, that allowed him to see into the dark. It was a trick Miguel had taught him some years back. The small noise might be annoying, but Webster was confident enough now that he could see. At least nothing in the night should take him by surprise.

In moments, Webster realized with a bit worry, that it was raining, only lightly now, but the ground was damp and wet beneath his feet. Plants and trees dripped large droplets, which screamed heavy rainfall. He waited for a moment and ran his fingers over the ground. The heavy rain already passed through, that much was obvious, but it was dry back in town, back near his house. Did it just stay over the forest? He heard another crack of thunder somewhere in the distance, no longer able to see the lightening. He supposed it was moving away now. He rubbed his mechanical arm. That's good at least. He'd hate to take it off in the middle of the woods. It would only waste more time. Carefully wrapping his arm with his work jumpsuit, he stepped forward, sloshing through large muddy puddle after large muddy puddle.

Web was sure he was getting close to it. whatever it was. There was no way it could have fallen much further away than he was already. He wondered what kind of ore he would find. IF it caused the rain and lightening, maybe it was magnetic or something. That would be a nice surprise, a new kind of magnet would offer wonders for the guild. The tests and experiments. Hell, he might even get to lead some of them for finding it. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he approached a clearing ahead. This would be the 6th clearing he passed through so far, and with how wet the ground was, he contemplated going around it. The clearings were made up of soft earth, and would be too runny for him to pass through anyways. He paused as he heard something though, coming from the direction of the clearing. Waiting with abated breath, he approached the edge of the trees slowly and carefully, only able to hear what sounded like scuffling and the quiet whirring of his goggles.

Webster almost choked in shock. In the clearing he saw a figure, crumpled on the ground, towards the other far end. Whoever it was wasn't stirring or moving. He couldn't make out the details from where he stood, mainly because of what stood in between him and the figure. Gulping back a shout, Webster quickly spun around a tree, keeping his back towards it, his palm sweaty with perspiration. A spider. A big spider. He closed his eyes and shuddered. He hated spiders. He was such an idiot, he thought. He was so concerned with following the blue light, that he didn't even realize that he headed into Kali Forest, and not Viorek. He recalled seeing somewhere along the way, a warning sign, but he completely ignored it. What an idiot he was. Webster considered slowly stepping away, then running as fast as he could back towards town... but there was a person out there. By the time he reached any guards, he was sure it would be too late. He peeked back around the tree.

The large spider was now nudging the figure with one of it's legs. The figure wasn't moving at all. It was starting to reach down towards the person with it's mandibles. Shaking his head in an exasperated and sick way, Webster pulled out from behind the tree and ran towards the spider, the mud sucking at his boots, making him struggle and stumble through the clearing. The spider dexterously turned around and easily skittered along the side towards a tree, climbing up the large trunk. Webster drew his wrench and held it readily with two hands, facing the spider's tree. Everything was silent again, except for his goggles. He shuddered, now even more wet and cold than he had been before. It was starting to rain again, hard. He bit his lip in anticipation. This wasn't good, too much rain and his left arm would be useless.

He waited, and nothing, the spider must of ran off. With a sigh of relief, he rushed to the person lying on the floor.

"Blast it all. Don't be dead, don't be dead. Come on wake up you blasted..."

When he reached the figure on the ground, he stopped, startled. It was a girl. Unlike any he had ever seen. Her ears... her face... it all seemed human... but different. And her clothing, was not like any clothing he had ever seen before. As confusion clouded his mind, he bent to pick her up. Instead he got a face full of mud. He struggled face down on the ground, pushing and elbowing at his back. The damn spider! He should of never turned his back to it. It hissed in his ear as he managed to turn around underneath it. It was almost as large as he was, and with it's many unblinking eyes in his face, Webster couldn't help but scream out loud. With a swift punch from his left hand, the spider rolled off of him and scuttled to the side, before charging at him again. He managed to get to his knees and swung his wrench this time, smacking the creature in the side of of it's torso. He forced himself to his feet, his knees shaky. So close. But the spider wasn't done yet. It artfully ran at him, and once again, Web only pulled ahead by yanking on his heavily suctioned feet. This wasn't good. He could barely move a foot and this spider could run circles on him. That was exactly what it did. Even as he swung at it when it came close, it only moved behind him, causing his swing to miss widely and to fall on the ground again. This time he felt the spider run heavily into his back, lifting him out the mud with its mandible. He grimaced in pain as the sharpened hooks dug into his flesh, before he was thrown a good 10 feet forward.

He crashed into a tree, and fell again. He reached for his wrench but couldn't find it. Frantically he began crawling around, searching for it. Looking up, he saw the creature quickly crawl up another tree. This wasn't good. Already his left arm was getting slow and sloppy. In a matter of moments, it would be dead. Then he would be screwed. Taking in a deep breath, Webster quickly reached into his pack and began digging around. The leaves on a tree not far away rustled. He found what he was looking for. A drill, big enough to fit over his hand. Quickly he began pulling up clasps and with his teeth, stripping and yanking out a screw. He watched as his mechanical hand fell into the mud with a loud plop. The drill was a bit heavier, and harder to screw in, but he managed to get it in place. Picking up his hand and tossing it in his bag, he looked up just as he heard the rustle again. Instead of the spider though, a string of white rope shot down at him. He batted it away from his face, but in a matter of moments his arms and legs were tangled in it. Even as he fought to free himself, he began to lift from the floor, and dangle like a marionette.

He was lifted till his feet were a good 5 feet off of the ground. The spider heavily jumped down before him, in the mud, and hissed victoriously. Struggling and shaking with anger, Web yanked and twisted in the web. He felt his left arm going dead. If it died on him he had no choice, but he'd never be able to reach the spider it from how high up he was tangled, even if he freed it. He pulled and pulled until his arm did snap free of the web though. He quickly brought it over to his right hand, but the button was dead and the drill wouldn't turn on.

"Bloody hell and ashes! Work you stupid thing. Don't do this now!"

Even as he spoke his arm was going heavy and lifeless. The drill sat at the edge of his wrist loosely. The screw... he had stripped it. It was loose. With the last bit of strength that his left arm held, Webster undid the clasps that held the screw in place and made a violent motion in the direction of the spider. The drill came off easily and managed to stab the creature through 3 of it's eyes. It screeched and hissed in pain. Shooting more web into the air, this time erratically. It stumbled around for a moment, before finally darting off into the trees. With a sigh of relief, Webster carefully freed himself from the web, before quickly picking up the drill and his wrench.

He stared at his arm. It would take hours to fix, if he was lucky. It wasn't the first time he had damaged it, but still, it was always a pain. He almost turned to leave before he remembered. The girl! Rushing quickly to where she still laid collapsed upon the ground, he began to check her vitals. She was alive still. He checked her body for any wounds, but found none besides a few bruises. She was in better condition than he was. Wasting no time he quickly hefted her up with his right arm. It was uncomfortable, and she was heavy, but he couldn't leave her out here alone. If she wouldn't be eaten by more mutant spiders, she may very well drown in all of the rain and mud.

Shaking his head, Webster began to half carry, half drag, the girl back to his small shack. "Blasted bloody girls. They always manage to make a blasted mess of things... Blood and ashes. What is she... who is she?"

Fallyn nimbly pranced through the forest as the leaves above her soaked up the golden twilight. Goodness, the sky was so pretty at this time...it was her favorite time of day, when the sun was still hanging on by a thread, but all the while night is so obviously eager to take her turn with the world. She had just finished her usual feast of berries and was making her attempt back towards her shelter hidden by trees when the cries started. That was the only thing she didn't like about her home, but this type of howling had been sounding off every night for hundreds of years. The noise was background music to Fallyn now.

Nonetheless, the safety of her secluded home in the trees was beckoning to her, so she quickened her already fast pace...and tripped. God, no matter how long she lives in the forest and no matter how often she has traversed this path, something always seemed to mess with her footing. Honestly, she should stop getting so scared of the stupid crying. The beasts making the noise wouldn't hurt her. At least, they haven't in all the time they've lived there.

After slowing her pace down to one where she could make sure she didn't fall on her face again, she arrived at the clump of trees that had hidden her tree house for 900 years--it was deep in the forest and unless you knew it was there, you wouldn't see it. The branches of the trees curled beautifully around each other, seeming to form a cage. There was one hidden spot, however, where you could slip inside and take shelter. It was into this whole Fallyn crawled into to take her leave of the night, which had fallen about twenty minutes before she arrived.

Fallyn curled up into the cradle the trees so kindly provided closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the night. She heard a cricket chirp...a night-bird sing her lovely melody...the soft weeping of a beast far away...the rustle of leaves as something ran underneath her...and...voices?

Crawling to a slit in the tangled branches, Fallyn peered down to see two people standing outside of her home, on the ground, appearing to talk to each other. When was the last time she had spoken with anyone? God...it had been years. Slowly, so the trees didn't creak, Fallyn made her way down the tree and peered around, spying on the couple. One appeared rather disgruntled, and the other...she couldn't tell. It was as man, though. A very handsome man.

 

   A silver brow rose, the woman’s lips twitching somewhat as she attempted to keep herself form snarling at the human whom had been rude enough to be in her way. At the sound of a shriek, Akira ducked her head, fear racing through her body.

Was the war starting already? Did she not have a choice – Akira couldn’t just run off if someone was in trouble, it wasn’t in her blood. Wasn’t allowed to happen, but the scream had not sound like the dying of a coyote, and that is what they fought in. Their coyote forms, that is. The girl stopped for a bit, taking in a deep breath and smelling the surrounding area.

   The air smelt of human and coyote’s, along with the heavy multiscented aroma of the forest. A low snarl seemed to build in the woman’s throat, it was obviously the Spider-Folk, getting ready to attack her home. Yellow eyes flinched back and forth between dirty brown feet, and the male in front of her. Should she warn him off, take him into safety (by force, if necessary)? She didn’t want too, but then again she didn’t know if she –could-. The human was much bigger than she was. She froze though, astonished by his words.

"I think someone's in trouble, maybe you should hide? It might be safer for you."

For a moment, Akira was shocked, her eyes went wide, before she could do anything. The woman’s fingers curled into a fist, and she tossed her silver locks while fixating a dangerous yellow glare on the man. “Why don’t you get safe?” She spat out, mouth filled with rocks. “It’s only the Spider-Folk, Hum—Male.”

   Fear was evident on her dirty face, teeth pressing to her lower lip, “Time to go, there is a war..” She shrugged, helplessly. She could not tell the human more, but hoped he’d leave. ’Cause she’d rather not be hurt moving him.

“Why don’t you get safe?” Startled, Leo looked at the girl with his mouth hanging open. Had he offended her? It could explain the angry face but there was something else, was it fear? “It’s only the Spider-Folk, Hum—Male.”

“Spider-Folk?” He whispered more to himself then her as the word Hum-Male reached his thoughts. What a strange thing to say. “Who are these Spider-Folks?” Yet she seemed to be ignoring his question.

“Time to go, there is a war..”

“War? What war are you talking about?” With a look of frustration, Leo through his hands up at her lack of replies. Was this what had her so afraid? Spider-Folk? Could that explain the deaths or “missing” people? A rustle caught his attention.

Turning, Leo grasped in shock as his flashlight took hold of a new being. "I know this Spider, and I know what it does to people. I would greatly like to help you...I cannot just sit here and wait to hear your deaths." The woman who seemed a bit of a klutz managed to make her way away from them. The courage she was showing inspired Leo as he too started to follow her before he remembered the other one. Turning Leo looked at the frightened girl, “Coming? Maybe it would be best if you weren’t by yourself?” A small smile cross his face in what he hoped was reassurance for the girl. She seemed so young and reminded him of something, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it. “The name’s Leo, by the way.”

With that, Leo ran after the new girl in an attempt to catch up, his light leading the way, stumbling occasionally. “H-hey! Wait up, don’t go wondering by yourself!”  Placing both hands on his knees, Leo bent over attempting to catch his breath. “Geez… How can you see in the dark so well?”

Trailing his light to the girl, he took a good look at her, his mouth dropped in shock. “Your eyes… what happened to them?” His first thought was she was blind but how could she move in the dark so well?

A woman’s scream cut through the air.

“Put me down this instant!!!”

The instant her eyes open, everything was spinning. Or was it moving? It took her a moment to realize someone or something was carrying her. She had heard horror stories from home of the kind of creatures on this land, mostly of their love for defiling virgins and eating their own babies. To think of the possibility of being touched by a monster was what caused her to scream. Pounding her fists on Webster’s back, Alysha proceeded to kick and twist while screaming. “Let me go!!!”

Such noise was sure to attract attention.

Fallyn looked behind her with a bemused expression. Don't go off wandering off by herself? She knew these woods better than she knew herself. She also knew that as long as she stayed out of the view of the spider, it wouldn't approach her. All she had to do was show them how to hurt it, and hide in a tree...and helping only if they need it. Fallyn wasn't going near that spider unless she had to.

"Your eyes...what happened to them?"

This made her stop. Her eyes. Why had he mentioned her eyes? And then the girl--who had followed almost silently--looked at her with a look that could kill. She was obviously scheming...WHY had he mentioned her eyes?

"Nothing happened to my eyes. I was created like this." Fallyn mumbled so she was barely audible, then continued forward at a quicker pace than before, almost leaving them behind. Then the scream broke out. Fallyn had never heard a cry like this before...She knew all the sounds of the forest--the wail of the beasts, the hiss of the spiders, the rustle of the leaves...but this cry, she had never heard before. It was almost...ethereal. It didn't sound like it belonged.

Then Fallyn heard it. The characteristic hiss of one of The Spiders. She stopped, fear freezing her muscles. No. I cannot be afraid. I have to help these innocent people.

She turned to the man, "I will tell you how to chase The Spider away." Here, Fallyn sniffed the air. What she was looking for had a specific scent she had grown used to...Ah. Over about ten feet...In a pile. There. She walked forward, but as she did, she didn't notice the ground beneath her feet was slowly growing less and less stable. And then the ground fell out from underneath her.

Fallyn hardly had time to scream, but she still managed to. Which was really stupid of her to do, seeing as The Spider was barely 20 feet away and probably heard it. She landed with a sickening thud on her stomach, her chin bouncing violently off the ground. She felt blood stream down her neck as she slowly lifted her head off the ground and looked around, stars dancing in front of her vision. She tried to move her arm, but her wrist let out a twang of protest. Definitely sprung, if not broken. She moved her legs carefully, testing them. Nothing else hurt too badly, so she assumed they were just cut and bruised. Her knees seemed to be pretty bad as she felt the blood leek through her thin dress...damn, it was ruined, wasn't it?

Akira blinked twice, a silver brow creeping up her forehead as she surpressed a snort at the gallant behavior of the human male. Of course she felt some small nuisance of admiration towards the male, but he had to go and dash that by trying to get her to run from the creature. Yellow eyes narrowed a tiny bit, lips drawing back in a snarl as she hissed at him, “Why are you always trying to get me to run?!” The girl shook her head, rolling her eyes as she crouched forward, but she was too late.

   Watching in complete and utter contempt, Akira planted her hands onto her hips. Should she shed this skin and go help him in her natural form or continue to parade around as a human being?  Decisions, decisions… The girl let out a fowl curse, twisting her torso to look at the girl without pigmentation in her eyes, only to realize that the woman was not there. Frowning a bit, she huffed at herself, near pacing around as she attempted to make her decision. If she ran off, she'd feel like a coward!

   She was just a shifter who was going to let some human get himself killed… Bile rolled through the young woman’s stomach, and she questioned herself on if she was doing the right thing, but shook it off with a quick side-to-side notion of her head, silver dreadlocks brushing against her tanned cheek. No need to doubt herself. If the male died she’d just avenge him – and take his gleaming sword into the world outside her forest.

The spider looked up from it's attack and spat out a glob of poision at the female. The green acidic spray misted through the air, thankfully misting the hole and Akira winced, shoving herself out of the way and hoping the acidic mist did not hurt the girl who'd fallen.

Snarling at herself Akira realized she'd became attached to the small party -or, at least, the girl. Damned if they'd die, she had been attempting to get away from the war not fight in a new one.

Run. That was his current train of thought, he didn't care for his safety but the girls, they must survive. If anything happened to them, well he wasn't sure if he'd be able to deal with it. The creature was following him now, it's fangs clicking together as a hiss escaped it's mouth; if you could call it that. What Leo didn't realize was despite the creature's size, it was incredibly fast and flexible. The beast was using the branches for leverage and eventually there was silence. Slowing to a halt, Leo looked around. It was still dark yet his sword gave him enough light to show the area surrounding him, and then he heard it. Above him. A thick mist fell down causing him to cough as heavily as the creature came gliding down from an old Oak tree. It hissed as it's upper body lifted up slightly.

Quickly Leo jumped to his right side and rolled to the side. His vision was wavering a bit, but Leo had no time for this. Shaking his head, the hunter stood up on wobbly feet and headed away from the beast. He had to keep going, no matter what. With heavy footsteps, Leo ran as fast as he could using trees to lean on when he felt it was safe. However, his eyes started to close. Whatever was in his system was taking hold of him now, his body was moving slower and a stiff feeling swam through his legs. Would he lose here, now?

A deep green leaf fell before him. Blue eyes followed it's path to the ground and an image went through his mind. A young girl with golden locks, possibly three years old, with a laugh of pure innocence opened her arms to him. She was saying something, but what she was saying he couldn't hear and then a scream. Flinching back to reality, Leo realized someone was screaming. And what was worse? He could hear rustling from above him. How long had he been dreaming? He moved as quickly as he could, his legs felt like dead weight now, as the monster came crashing down at the exact spot he was resting in moments ago. With strained effort, Leo dragged himself towards the noise.

He eventually came to a clearing where a young man was carrying a screaming woman over his shoulder; she was fighting with him. "H-hey! L-let her go!" Leo cried out as he limped his way towards the duo. The red haired woman froze at the sight of him and eventually she was released as the boy holding her fell. She too, fell towards the ground with an "umph" and rolled away from them. Quicker then the males, Alysha stood up and pointed her hand palm up towards them both. "Come any closer and I will kill you both." Her voice was soft yet there was a harshness about it as her blue orbs traced Leo's face unsteadily. Could that be fear he saw in her eyes?

"L-look out!" He called as a giant beast crept up behind her. A chuckle escaped her lips, "As if I will fall for your human tricks you monster." But was he a human? She wondered. Weren't they suppose to be monstrous? And hungry for blood? Isn't that what the other boy wanted from her? To defile her and eat her? Her eyes fell on the other one, he seemed broken. A growl caught her attention and she turned her head slightly as it clicked it's pincers. Leo's jaw dropped as he saw something he couldn't comprehend, she was smiling.

With a quick tumble forward, Alysha turned towards the beast and yelled, "Fireball!" and to his utter disbelief a giant ball of fire flew from the girl's hands to the monster's face. It shrieked in pain as the flesh burned off slightly yet it had the opposite effect of what she intended. It seemed she had made the overly large spider angrier then it was before. Taking a step back towards the males, Alysha placed two fingers in her mouth and blew. A low whistle sounded and with a rustle of a nearby busy, a white furball shot past Leo's hand, he was practically on the ground by now, and sat next to the Elf. She looked at the small animal and it shook its head. With a sigh, Alysha stepped back more and the beast followed her wearily.

"Stupid Human Male.” Akira mumbled as her luminous eyes cut through the thick mist around her. Those yellow orbs where quick in picking apart vague shapes in the thick whiteness as the fighting lead her further into the dark forest. Her nose was scrunched up as she attempted to get a scent off the wind, but it was heading in the opposite direction- tugging at her silver strands of hair and attempting to cut her vision off and send her sprawling upon the ground over various rotting trees.

Of course the woman’s foot got caught and sent her sprawling a cross the ground – right in time to see the surrounding area light up in a dark flame as the scent of roasting spider filled her lungs. A primitive growl slipped out of the woman’s throat and saturated the air with the primal sound as she shoved herself to her feet and crouched downwards a tad bit, wild strands of hair shoved behind the multiple pierced ears, tarnished copper gleaming in the moonlight.

“Male,” she snarled out, her eyes searching for the familiar mug. There were three silhouettes in the clearing, one on it’s knees, one on it’s feet, and another one – also on it’s feet.  She did not feel comfortable there, not with the male whom she’d made an unconscious vow to protect struggling for breath.  Scampering forward, bare feet scraping against the poisoned ground, she curled an arm around the fragile human’s neck,  eyes narrowed upon the two being’s she didn’t know.

As her eyes picked at their appearance, Akira noticed that one was a female – and her chest tightened, human fingers curling into makeshift claws.  “Yo—“ She started out, before the appearance of another Spider made it’s self known. With a loud rawr, the mountain cat within Akira being let free in the savage sound, Akira flung herself in front of the three and started to wave her arms, backing up and attempting to corral the three towards safety –whatever that might be.

Of course, if they continued to stumble backwards, as Akira was attempting to get them to do, they’d drop into a hole that would deposit them exactly where the blind woman had gone.

Ohgodohgodohgod... was the one thought rampaging around Fallyn's head as The Spider's form took it's ominous shape in front of her. She backed up, stopping only when her head hit the rickety shambles that hardly passed for a wall. Unbidden, a whimper forced it's way out of her throat. What a stupid situation to end up in...She should have stayed in her lovely treehouse. The others were probably already dead. And soon, she would  be, too.

The Spider seemed to take his sweet time. Watching her cower for a little bit, then taking a small step closer. His fangs would click together occasionally. His legs would pound on the floor every once in a while. What took just over thirty seconds in felt like hours. Then, just as the spider was about to lunge at her, a crash filled the tunnel, distracting the spider enough to allow Fallyn to move into a darker part of the tunnel. After a brief pause, she watched as a form stood up and appeared to remove a blade from it's encasement on his--or her--back. The spider jumped, releasing a frenzy of a fight that Fallyn could hardly follow...The person (She assumed) would stab, the spider would dodge. The form would disappear, only to re-appear with the upper-hand.

Then, the person finally spoke--alerting Fallyn to the fact it was a man. "Hold still, you overgrown abomination against nature!" ...Well, at least he shared her views on spiders. The nasties.

Apparently this threw the spider off, because shortly afterward the man emerged from the shadows, disgusting blood staining his clothing and sword. She stood up, catching his attention--seemingly for the first time, but he hid it. "You're welcome." Annoyance arose throughout her system at these arrogant words, but she ignored it. Besides, when he finally noticed her freakish eyes, she had no room for annoyance as resignation made her hang her head and look down, saving him the trouble of having to look at them.

In a small voice she wasn't sure he could hear, she replied, "I thank you, dear Sir." Turning her back to him, she looked up to the hole she fell through, again trying to find a way out. She walked to the walls, gently feeling up their twisted, unstable sides, searching for a significant handle for her to grasp onto. She found none. Sighing, she looked around for the man, calling out. "I'm sorry, but I think...I think we might need each others help to get out of here."

Blue? Was he referring to her? An eyebrow twitched slightly as she became annoyed yet now was not the time to reprimand him. The creature had attacked, causing her to jump back as the human attempted to whack it away. Placing her hands up again, she threw another flame at the beast yet it was smaller then the first one. Her hands were starting to tremble a bit as she lifted them again. It seemed her energy was not up to par, had the trip taken away that much from her? The rain was starting to fall down heavier as the moments went by.

Sinking further to the ground, Leo barely heard the boy's questions. Everything seemed to be spinning now as he spoke, "Th-there are... two..." and he slumped into Akira's arm. As his eyes started to close, Leo whispered, "Lady Martel..." As quickly as her presence came, it was gone. Lying against the ground he waited until it was over, yet that moment never came. The ground started to crumble around him and he heard a scream.

"What are you doing!?” Alysha cried out as she took a step back as Akira continued her assault. The creature was becoming berserk, it soon started charging them backwards before retreated, a repeated pattern. Grumbling, Alysha looked at her companion whose attention was drawn to Leo. With a loud groan, Alysha spoke as her eyes went from the monster to the dying man, "Are you sure about this?" The furry creature looked at her quizzically with bright almond blue eyes before nodding its approval. "Fine." Digging in her side poach, Alysha withdrew a Panacea bottle; it had the shape of a small peanut, colored brown and had the taste of stale bread but it was enough to cure your ailments.

Approaching Leo cautiously, she tipped his head and poured the liquid between his lips. He coughed and spat it up as the foul taste went down but eventually he opened his eyes and smiled weakly, "Thanks." Snap! Their attention turned back towards the others as the ground started to shift and open. "Look out!" Leo pushed Alysha out the way as silk webbing landed at the spot she once occupied. He landed on top of her and for a moment was stunned, "Err..."

Her dark skin flushed darker as her hand went up. A loud smack was heard as Leo slid off her and she stood up, brushing her self off yet it was pointless. A moment later, the ground beneath them gave way and they slid down to the darkness.

Akira’s plan to escape the maniacal Spider-Kin seemed to work for the soil beneath their feet gave away and the party fell through the complex system of underground tunnels long since forgotten by many creatures inhabiting Kali. Silver hair slapped at the coyote-shifter’s face, eliciting several savage growls that poured out of her lips.  Akira had not wanted to save the other female, but it seemed by the screaming that she’d heard, and that still echoed throughout her head, the woman had dropped as well.

Slippin’ through the system for a few moments, which seemed to stretch into an indefinite amount of time simply because the woman’s scent filled her nostrils and made her light headed.  She disliked this, hated the thought of another woman, besides the seemingly blind one who she had meet earlier, upon her mission.

Her mission? The coyote snorted a tad bit, letting out a sharp cry as she hit the ground and her spine arched. Warm heat flowed through her body as the jarring sensation of ass-hitting-ground overcame her. Those yellow orbs flickered open for a moment, the pupil expanding and her form shimmering for a slight moment as she almost shifted to combat the pain and to assert her dominance over the woman – but she didn’t have to do that.

At least that was what she was attempting to convince herself. The woman let out a soft high-pitched yip that sounded like it would be home to her other form before her eyes narrowed and she became aware of another scent.

All around her smelled like the open plains and dry heat. It was not at home in  this place of mold and lush, thick greenery and instantly set Akira’s hackles on the rise. Jerking to her bare feet the woman tugged at her tunic, pulling the dirty fabric from her sweat-soaked skin as she started to scan through the dust, tear ducts streaming water to get rid of the harmful substance from fragile human orbs.

“Who’s there?” She snarled out, the sound holding the edge of a warning, tinged with a bite. Mixed in with that weird, exotic scent were tinges of other people. Something, human? And of course the blind girl. They were close, everyone was so close, and it made her feel surrounded. That was not good, and the canine within the human shell started to peek out, turning her yellow orbs a dark amber and making her voice bestial. It was a shock she had not started to salivate.

The coyote was out to play.