The Journey (EvaRose & Rage)

"Just because I said this world is survival of the fittest doesn't mean that I like it." Haine stated, his eye still glued to the skies. "I think this is exactly what life is about: the strong beating the weak. But I can't stand it... that shouldn't be the case at all. I hate living in a world where all people care about is surviving and doing all they can to live out their days instead of helping out one another. And that's why I joined the knights." He sat back up, glaring back at her.

"But it's not like you would understand." He narrowed his eyes, "You probably wouldn't give a rats ass about the king's daughter anyway. It's only because he tossed down that huge sack of money at your feet. If you weren't so shocked, I bet you'd ask for three times that amount. You mercenary types are all the same... you all look so dark and mysterious, but as soon as money is thrown out you swarm around it like a pack of dogs." He was getting too heated for this. He growled softly to himself and laid back down, grinding his teeth.

"Forget I said anything. We aren't going to get anywhere arguing like this."

How dare he say that? He didn't even know her, and here he was talking about her as if he did. She was a little girl before after all. The things that she went through to actually get through life, and here he was talking about her as if she hadn't a heart. She couldn't stand him.

Jyade felt the sickening feeling in her throat, she knew that she shouldn't of but she picked up the bag and rose to her feet anyway. She couldn't forget what he said. She went over to the fire, and took a fish out of the bag, tossing it into the flames. The smell of fish quickly intensified, the wind blew it into the air, and into the canyon. "I wouldn't sleep if I were you. The gryphons out to be here soon for the fish." She took a dagger out then, taking one of the other fish and cutting it, letting the blood spill to the ground. She knew how to lay a trap for animals, and did it well. She dropped that fish and tossed the last a few feet away, still inside of the bag.

She didn't want to be here anymore, and wouldn't stay. "So, now, I'll be going through the canyon." She slid the dagger back into her skirt and turned away, walking back to Hunin. She bent down long enough to pick up the gryphon, but after that she stood straight and walked in the direction of the canyon. She was still thinking about what he said, finding that it made her feel rather sick. She felt sick to her stomach really. Hunin chirped sleepily in her arms as she carried him. She could smell the fish that she tossed into the fire still, and knew that the gryphons could smell it too.

Haine glared, watching her toss the fish into the fire. He wasn't stupid... he knew what she was doing. He figured that something he said had gotten to her, and here she was ready to leave him to die when the gryphons all came. Haine quickly climbed to his feet, his hand gripping the sword. He wanted nothing more than to charge over to her and jam it as far into her body as he could, killing her and her ridiculous baby gryphon... but that wasn't what a knight was supposed to do. That wasn't a part of the king's plan... Haine grinded his teeth together.

"Real smart, elf-girl." Haine growled, "entering the canyon at this time of night? Have you decided on committing suicide or something?" He walked over to his horse, Agro, and pulled out the reins and saddle from his horse. He knew that there was no way Agro could follow him in. "Get back to the Imperial City, Agro." He said, running his hand over his horse's mane, I'll be back to get you. I promise." He slapped Agro light on the flank and his horse took off, sprinting away to take shelter.

Haine grabbed his remaining things and growled, following after the elf-girl. As much as he hated the idea of being with her much longer, he knew that they only way they could survive was to fight together. He quietly made his way after her, refusing to speak as they made their way into the next dangerous part of their journey.

Jyade didn't answer him, instead stroking Hunin's back lightly as she started to focus on everything. Without a fire burning in front of her eyes, they started to focus on the dark until she could see shapes and move out of the way of any boulders in her path or keep from putting a foot on a sharp looking pebble. With her boots off, she was able to walk around as silently as before, without kicking a pebble and making a lot of noise in the silent canyon. Hunin was soon quiet and sleeping in her arms, too tired to protest about how she was walking instead of sitting, or about how she woke him up. In her rage, she forgot to bring her boots with her. She still had her gold of course, and could buy a better pair later if needed. She hadn't been this angry in a long time.

She could hear them, their panting breaths as they tried to calm down, excited about what they'd done with her. Each time was worse than the last, and she wished she was at home with her parents instead of there, where her body was sold so she could eat and earn money. There were a few bruises and cuts on her frail body, but nobody every worried. She always healed, better than any human could.
It was then that she heard it, a terrifying roar that shook the very earth. The man over her was up in an instant then fell over, still as drunk as he was when he paid for a moment with her. As soon as he was up, so was she. She got her shirt and pulled it on. It was a man's shirt, so big that it went down to her knees, with filth covering most of the white shirt. She ran out as fast as she could, her bare feet scrambling against the floor. "You! Elf!" A hand snatched her, pulling her to a man who was taller, and fatter, than herself. He glared at her, his angry showing in his eyes. "How dare you try to run away?! I don't care if a dragon is attacking! You are to sta-"
Another roar sounded, making him shake slightly where he stood and let go of her. As soon as he let go she was off, running as fast as she could to the kitchen. He was there though. She could hear his feet pounding against the floor as he followed. She couldn't stay there any longer! She'd rather die than live the life of a harlot!
She saw the knife almost as soon as she got into the kitchen. He was on her then, grabbing the edge of the shirt. No! Her eyes went wide in fright until she turned and kicked her foot out, hitting him in THAT place. He fell in seconds, groaning softly. She turned and ran across the room, picking up the knife. He was up though and upon her as soon as she spun around, angry beyond reasoning after what she did. Everything went black then.

A loud chirp made her focus again, just in time to duck as a gryphon flew overhead. It screeched loudly, looking at her before turning and joining the other gryphons. They were interested in the food more than they were them, which meant that the eggs had yet to hatch. The fire was in her eyes again as she turned away, continuing to walk through the canyon. She stepped lightly but briskly, hoping her companion would fall far behind and get eaten. Being near him brought back those horrible memories. They were resurfacing with a vengeance.

"That damned harlot..." Haine growled, concentrating to see in the darkness. The sun had finally fallen underneath the horizon, and the only light he could rely on was the striking pale moonlight from above. It wasn't perfect, and and the narrow path of the canyon was a bit difficult for his bulky armor to fit through. He kept his arms out, feeling the rocky walls to be able to navigate. The elf-girl was all but gone, and he could no longer hear her footsteps or the chirping of the gryphon. She could be closer or farther away, but he would never know. His armor was quiet, but it still clinked with every step he took, letting out a light banging noise each time they scraped against a rock.

He heard a loud, bloodcurtling screech from the skies, and a group of large gryphons darted through the night sky. He was only able to see them from their shadows in the moonlight, and his hand readied itself on his sword hilt on his back. The rush of wind from their wings made his silver hair blast back, sparkling in the pale light.

And that's probably what said it off.

He suddenly heard snarling behind him, and Haine whipped around, his hand clenching around the hilt of his sword. A large, intimidating gryphon had landed on the cliffs above him, peering down at him with it's large eyes. It fluttered it's wings, its claws scraping against the rocky surface of the canyon. It hissed, flashing its terrifying beak at the shimmering knight. Haine growled back, clenching his teeth. His icy blue eyes glared piercingly into the creature's, an almost beastly snarl erupting from Haine's throat.

"Come on," he snarled. The two beings were locked in a silent staring battle, their dangerous auras working to overcome one another. The feathers behind the gryphon's head ruffled up, its wings raising. Haine slowly started pulling his sword out from its scabbard, his eyes never leaving those of the winged-monster. It seemed like they glared at each other for a whole day, their heated breaths fueling the fire in their hearts.

A faraway screech startled the gryphon, turning its attention away from Haine for the moment. It let out it's own screech before glancing back to Haine. It snarled in disgust before turning away, its wings throwing it back into the air where it disappeared. Haine shoved his sword back into his scabbard and turned away, grumbling as he continued his journey through the dark canyon.

"Only thing I hate more than gryphons is that damn elf-girl..." He mumbled to himself.

Jyade was starting to calm down the further she went through the canyon, looking around the area before glancing back down at the gryphon in her arms. She breathed out a soft sigh before stopping to look back in the direction she came from, seeing no sign of the knight. With a huff, the girl turned and continued on, going as fast she could. She wasn't going wait for him in the canyon, or even go back for him. Let the human find his way through in the darkness, maybe even stumble on a gryphon nest and get eaten. A soft hiss escaped her lips as more memories came to mind, hurting her in a way it didn't before.

When she opened her eyes the man was over her, his eyes glassy and without a bit of emotion. She stepped back from him, drawing the blade of the knife out as she moved away. There was blood on the shirt she wore, and as the man fell to the floor, more blood spilled out and onto the ground. She turned ans ran out of the house as fast as she could, only to meet a horrifying sight. Bodies were on the ground, humans crawling across the ground without an appendage or two, or sometimes with burnt legs. Houses were burning or crumpled as a red dragon moved through the city, its tail swinging about to knock everything and everyone over. It saw her then, growling softly. She looked back at it, feeling ready to die now that she was away. It turned away though and started for the forest, a little black dragon following at its heels. She couldn't move for some time, and when she did her legs were shaky. She felt like crumpling to the ground as she went in the opposite direction of the dragon, going in the direction she heard the forest of the fairies was.

Jyade stumbled a bit, catching herself just before she fell to the ground. Hunin was shaken a bit and looked at her for a moment before closing his eyes and falling back asleep. Once she was up in a good position, the elf leaned back against the wall of the canyon. She didn't want to move anymore, not with that memory in mind. That had been the second time she escaped death, the first being the day she escaped her land with the help of her parents. She couldn't stand it, thinking about what her parents did for her. It was too much. She ran off. The elf ran through the canyon, stopping short a few times as to not hit a wall or boulder, getting angrier each time. She wished that she didn't take the job. If she didn't then she wouldn't be thinking of her past. This wouldn't be happening! She stopped suddenly. The girl moved from the middle of the canyon and to a wall, just leaning on it and breathing deeply as she tried to calm down a bit. She had to stop thinking about the past. And now she left the man she was supposed to be traveling with. "I guess I should wait," she muttered softly.

Bang. "Ow." Haine's head smacked into the side of one of the canyon walls, this particular part of the path being particularly dark. The knight reached up his hand and rubbed at his temple and then held out his armored hand in front of him. He wasn't bleeding, but that fucking hurt. He grumbled to himself, his feet stomping over loose rocks, dirt, and probably a few things incredibly disgusting. Every now and then, he'd come across the leftover carcass of a deer or goat that the gryphons had left as a nice little gift to any travelers to cross the canyon. He was happy that none of them were rude enough to leave their wastes blocking off the path.

He had to admit... it was his fault that this was happening. Maybe if he had kept his trap shut and had not spat out all his thoughts, they wouldn't have clashed like that. All she did was ask him a question, and in the end it turned into something like that because he couldn't help but take a shot at her. Man, some knight he was turning out to be. Haine pressed on, his heavy boots crushing a few helpless twigs under the weight and bulk of his armor.

He barely spotted her up ahead, leaning against one of the canyon walls. She almost melded into it, her presence almost gone. She was probably a good assassin... Haine shook his head and sighed, making his way over to her. He stopped, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of her. His hands found the canteen on his belt and he took it out, giving it a small swig. He stopped and looked up at her, slowly reaching it over to offer it to her. His silver hair still shimmered in the pale moonlight.

"Sorry." He said briefly, casting his eyes away. Although it was quiet and short, his words were leaking with honesty.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand," she said softly. She didn't want to talk too loudly, knowing the gryphons were probably fighting over the fish or just getting done doing so. She looked at the canteen he held out and took it from him, so he'd at least feel like she accepted his apology. She drank some of the water from the canteen then closed it, not liking that she drank from the same thing he drank from. The thought still disgusted her quite a bit, even after he apologized. "I would've done this for less than what the king gave me. He gave me too much really. Besides that, I do care about that poor girl. I'm just glad that she isn't being used the same way I was when I first came to your land, there are enough women there for the men to use for their pleasure. Men have sold me to others so they could earn money. Understand that and stop calling me names."

Jyade sighed softly as she pushed herself off the wall and over to him, holding the canteen out for him to take. "Now, you can hold my hand and I'll lead you through so you won't step on anything else," she couldn't help but laugh a bit, smelling something on his armor. She was sure he'd have to wipe it down later, or at least the part that covered his feet. "Or you can try to follow me, stumbling about like a babe." She held Hunin carefully in one arm, knowing that if he fell the gryphons would be on them as soon as they heard his screech.

Haine clenched his fists through her small taunts and teases, holding back his words with everything he could muster. If he exploded out in anger now, he would most likely be heard throughout the entire canyon. So he pretended to ignore her, keeping his mouth shut... which she probably found much more enjoyable. Now that thought made him even angrier- no, he had to stay quiet to get through this. He'd have a few things to say when they got out of this terrible place. He snatched back his canteen and set it back onto his belt, brushing off whatever had stained his armor. With a scowl and a quiet grunt, Haine followed right behind her, struggling to see in the dark of night.

Whether she had known it or not, she had shared a tiny bit of her past. Being sold to others... so she was a slave then? That's what it pointed to. Although slaves were perfectly normal in this day and age, the thought of owning another person was revolting to him. When you were a slave, you weren't even considered a pet. You were just a body for labor, or for certain pleasures of the flesh. For her sake, he hoped that it had been for the former. In any case, Haine stayed silent, keeping all his thoughts to himself.

Jyade looked at around the canyon as she walked through it, sometimes saying something to Haine if she thought he had to move out of the way of something. Hunin was quiet the entire time, which was good for them. Unfortunately, they'd taken too much time getting through the canyon, and she could hear the sound of wings flapping, and knew very well that there were gryphons flying through the air. She was starting to think that what she did would send them both to their death, and only thought that this would be good for herself. She escaped death a few times, and life wasn't something she wanted to go through right now. With everybody being mean to her all the time, sometimes it didn't seem worth it.

"We have to pick up the pace," she said softly. The elf started to move a bit faster, just not enough to outrun the man. She clung to Hunin, slowly stroking his head to keep him from crying out if he happened to wake up. She just hoped that the gryphons wouldn't swoop down to attack them. Of course, if they did, the two of them would be able to take one or two of them down easily. Of course, there was always a chance that the gryphons would swarm around them. She never fought gryphons before though, and didn't know how to.

Haine growled, trying his best to keep up with the elf. However, with his limited human speed and the bulk of his armor slowing him down, there wasn't much hope that he could find. He was able to follow the elf as closely as he could, but she was light on her feet while he was heavy and bigger. There were narrow moments when he had to twist his body sideways in order to slip through a crevice, or almost half to crawl to avoid obstacles. The gryphons began screeching above soon, their bodies hidden in the darkness of the sky. Haine grinded his teeth. With him slowing them down, there was no way to escape their vision. He already had an encounter so they most likely knew they were there. Fearing the screeching and the beating wings get closer and closer, Haine finally saw his small window of opportunity. He dashed up, his muscles burning to catch up to Jyade.

"GET DOWN!" He growled, suddenly grabbing her with his arms and leaping to the sound towards the small opening of a cave. That moment, a gryphon had swooped down, its claws slicing into the rocky floor. Haine gritted his teeth, shielding Jyade from the impacts when they tumbled into the small cave entrance, holding her close enough and twisting so that his armor would constantly take the impact, banging loudly on the rocky surface. It was even darker in the cave, so they had no idea where they were going.

Finally, they managed to hit something flat and Haine landed roughly on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He coughed, releasing her from his hold. He lay on his back, his lungs desperately clutching any air they could muster.

She was starting to feel rather uneasy when he grabbed her, having spent most of her time focusing on looking around and forgetting to listen for the sound of beating wings. She clutched Hunin to her chest almost instantly, actually doing what he said instead of arguing with the man. There was no time to argue with him really, because soon they were crashing through the tunnel of a cave. She couldn't stand it though. It was too close to a man for her liking, at it wasn't long before her chest started to heave as her old worries set in. Even though he was hitting everything, or at least his armor, she was shaken up a little, as was Hunin. It scraped her body a few times, scratching it up quite a bit. By the time he stopped and fell back onto the ground she was more than ready to get up and off of him. Hunin clutched her top, his body shaking as he chirped frantically. Jyade was so shaken though that she couldn't console him.

She swiveled her head around in an effort to see something, anything. She just couldn't see anything. There wasn't a single beam of moonlight shining down into the cave, making her feel as helpless as she did when she first came there. A soft whimper escaped her before she let go of Hunin, making the gryphon screech as he hit the floor. She fell down beside him, her chest continuing to heave. Hunin moved to her, nuzzling her hand softly until she calmed down enough to pull him to her. She pulled him to her chest, petting him until her chest stopped heaving.

"This-this isn't g-good." She stopped talking for a moment, knowing very well that she was stuttering once again. She hadn't stuttered since she left that world. She took in a few breaths, calming down a bit now. "Are you okay?" She was close enough to him to hear his breathing, and after a collision like that, she was sure he'd be out of breath. The dirt on the ground was dusty, obviously not having gotten much water in a long time. It was like they were meant to die in this canyon, meant to never get out and save the little princess.

Haine grunted and finally sat up, seeing nothing in the pitch black darkness of the small cave. He coughed a bit more before messing with his belt, searching for his flint and dagger. He moved his limbs around, satisfied that nothing was broken. There could very well be a chance that he could be bleeding or scraped up, but he wouldn't know unless he had some light. Haine cursed, not finding his small pouch of items. He guess that it broke off when they finally stopped tumbling and began to search, his hands moving aimlessly around the ground around him. After a few moments he finally found it and picked it up, taking his dagger out of its sheathe.

"I'm fine." He answered with a grunt, still wincing at the pain on his back. "You were stuttering... did you get hurt?" She was usually cool and calm, but her voice sounded shaky and maybe even a bit nervous. Did something happen? He was wondering if the gryphon was hurt but he heard it chirping and padding around the earth quite audibly. The screeches from the gryphons were still heard from the outside, sounding angry and hungry.

Haine cursed, realizing his stupidity. How was he going to create a light from just a flint and dagger? He could create sparks at most, but without anything to light it was useless. "Feel around for anything we can use as a torch..." He stated, moving his gauntlets around on the floor. "There's got to be something we can use..."

Jyade couldn't help but sigh softly at his question, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment, not wanting to talk about why she was stuttering. In a moment of confusion she had been scared of him, of this stupid man. "Just shaken up a bit is all." She was more than shaken up though. She couldn't stand the fact that she couldn't see him, even if she could hear him moving around. It wasn'tenough to satisfy her though. Inside, she was beginning to freak out, feeling as if time went backwards instead of forward. There was no baby gryphon in her lap, there was no Haine, and she wasn't an amazing swordsman. All she was, was a scared girl used by men for their pleasure.

It was Hunin who woke her from her trance, biting her hard enough to draw blood and make her scream. The sounded echoed through the cave, making the gryphons screech louder in protest and Hunin tremble. The little gryphon scurried off her leg and stopped a few feet away, sure that she would hit him because he bit her arm. She clutched her arm instead, mumbling softly under her breath as she tried to push the thoughts back. They kept resurfacing though, making her shake a little from fear.

She tore her quiver off her back, in a frenzy as she searched rhe inside of it for an arrow or two. Most of them fell out or broke onthe way down, but she was able to grip two. One was without its tip, and the other was still ready to be shot into an animals chest. She needed light right now, and she knew that. "Al-All I h-h-have are two a-arr-arrows." She held them out for him to take, that familiar rush of adrenline shooting through her body. She was starting to feel the urge to run away again, to flee like a coward would away from battle.

"Shaken up? You sound a little worse than that." He kept his hands padding the ground, looking absolutely silly at the moment. Here they were, alone in the dark with gryphons just waiting for them to run out of the tunnel and into their vicious beaks with no light or any idea how the hell they could get out of this situation. It's not like they could wait for the gryphons to leave... they were very patient predators, and they would wait until they came out or until they died in this cave. There's always another way, and Haine was going to find it.

The scream of the elf-girl froze Haine's bones, as he was not expecting such a reaction from her. What happened to the cold-blooded mercenary that he assumed she was? She was afraid of the dark, was she? Why was she in such a panicked state?! Haine growled but stomped himself, taking in a deep breath instead. This wasn't good... if she was starting to lose her grip, than if he did it would only mean trouble. He had to be calm... he had to think straight for the both of them. Something was bothering her, and it didn't matter what it was at the moment... he needed her in her right state of mind.

"Why are you stuttering?" Haine asked, his voice sounding strangely soothing and calm. "It's okay. We're safe in here for the time being." He wasn't sure what was making her freak out, but the first thing to do was make her feel safe. "Nothing can get us in here, and no one is going to hurt you." He listened to her voice and reached down, touching the wooden shaft of the arrow. "Okay... breathe slowly." He stated, slowly grabbing the two arrows from her hand. This was decent, but it wasn't like he could light them with just sparks. Thankfully, Haine had a simple solution.

He pulled out a small bottle from his pouch. It was some sort of alcohol that he had obtained on one of his other quests, and he was happy to have some left. Carefully, he poured the liquid over the arrows and went to work. He scraped his dagger against the flint, the sparks quickly igniting the wooden shaft of the arrows. It wasn't too bright, but Haine was able to get a good look at the cave. His eyes blue eyes pierced into the darkness, his bright silver hair illuminated by the fire.

Jyade tried her best to listen to what he said, and breathe slowly the way he told her too. It just wasn't working though. After some time she fell forward onto the ground, burying her face in her arm. She felt ashamed of herself for ahowing weakness like that, and in front of someone else for that matter. Even though he said they were safe she didn't feel it. The absolute darness was scaring her, making her think about nothing but bad thoughts and horrible memories. That's how he was when she was when he lit the fire, not noticing for a moment or two. When she did, she quickly sat up and looked around the cave. She started to breath slowly, not noticing that her top was torn for a moment. The elf glanced down when she felt a slight breeze though, quickly crossing her arms over her chest to hide her breast from sight. Her eyes went to Hunin, glaring at the little gryphon. "I were as little as it is and you have to tear my top!"

He chirped softly as he looked at her, not really noticing how angry she was. He hopped over to her quickly, nuzzling her back softly before curling up beside her. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the creature, not able to stay mad at the baby for too long. Then again, she couldn't keep covering the tears he made all night long. For once, she wished that she had something else on besides the top. An incident like this never occured before though, and she never it would. "You wouldn't happen to have anything, would you?"

It wasn't long before the gryphon was asleep beside her. She looked down at him then around the cave. There had to be another way out of the cave, a way that they could go that didn't involve the two of them being picked on by gryphons. "Are we going to wait for them to leave or try to find another way out? They have eggs that need to be watched right now, so the females should be leaving at least." She stopped thinking about her past at least and was starting to relax.

Haine blinked, catching a glimpse of her torn top before becoming flustered and whipping his head to the side. He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his nervously. "I... think I have something." He dug into his pouch and frowned, not finding anything decent enough to cover her with. He sighed and grabbed his knight cloak, unhooking it from his armor. He tossed it over to her, its big size practically a blanket. "That should work for now," he stated, glancing back and forth in the cave. He took another look at the two burning sticks and sighed, his mind working to come up with a plan. For some reason, without the cloak his armor looked less bulky.

"This isn't good," he stood up, peering into the darkness of the ceiling. "The sticks won't last for very long... at most, I'd say we have about three more minutes of light left." No matter where he looked, the cave had nothing but rocks and dirt. There was nothing around that he could use to keep the flames from going out. Looking outside was, of course, not an option. The gryphons were still snarling and growling, their powerful claws just waiting to tear their flesh. There was an option, however... but he would rather use that for last minute.

"First, I want to know what the hell happened to you back there." He frowned, sitting down onto the cold floor. I don't know you, elf-girl, but you're not the kind of person that would just panic like that." He leaned his back against a stalagmite, crossing his arms to look over at her. "You usually seem calm and collected, but if that happens again when the fire goes out we're going to be in a bit of trouble. If it's something that we can prevent, I want you to tell me."

Jyade took the cloak and wrapped it around her arms, looking down to see Hunin was covered by the cloak as well. It covered her chest at least, but she had to keep hold of it so that it wouldn't slip off her shoulders and onto the ground. She didn't like using his cloak, but there was no other option. She couldn't stand it if her breast were showing for the entire world to see, even if there were only a few areas showing. The only reason she didn't like it though was because it was something of his. She still thought of him as a dumb, arrogant knight who ought to keep his mouth shut instead of talk about her and the way she dressed.

The elf shifted uncomfortably from side to side as he talked, looking away from him as she tried to think. There was no way she couldn't tell him though, not when she might have another episode as soon as the fire went out. "I don't like when I can't see, unless it's because I closed my eyes." There was that sad look in her eyes, and she was starting to shake a bit. "A man took me off the street and took care of me for some time. Once I started to grow up and men showed interest in me though, he allowed them to have their way with me as long as they shoved a bag of coins in his hand. They always had me in a dark room so I couldn't recognize the person."

She breathed out a soft sigh, surprised that she even got through all of that. The fire would go out soon, and the two of them would be shrouded in darkness yet again. "So, I'm sort of scared of being in the darkness, without light, and with a man." She never told anybody about that, and for good reason. It was a weakness of hers. It made her weak. Her grip on the cloak tightened, and she pulled it tighter around herself.

Haine said nothing, staring straight at the elf-girl. He listened to her story, his eyes and expressions as still as stone. This world wasn't all flowers and rainbows, and no one knew it more than he did. He had seen enslaved children getting beaten by their masters, with their fathers forced to watch as they burned alive. He had run into many dark pasts, and he had met people who had seen and done things that no human could have ever done in their right minds. The elf-girl's story was tragic... and it was the kind of dark past that made him wait the world the most. She is what she is because of what those men did, and there was no forgetting that. Haine clenched his fist, pounding it quietly against the floor of the cave. She shared a bit of her past with it, and its dark outline was already burning a raging fire within him.

He finally decided to speak, the two arrow shafts already starting to dwindle out. Haine stood up, taking in a deep breath. "Okay, then..." He cleared his throat, "I'm letting you know that I absolutely hate doing this, elf-girl, but I'm doing this for you." He put out his hands, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "It's not much, but I know a simple illumination spell. It's not very strong and I can't use it for very long because... well, I just can't use it for very long. While I'm using it, I want you to take a look around the cave and see if there's some sort of place for us to get out. If you feel any breeze or rush of air, there's a chance we can get out through there." Now Haine wasn't a mage, and his magical abilities were equivalent to that of a young child, but he admitted that there were times when it was needed to be used.

"Nggggh!" Haine grunted, clenching his teeth. His body seemed to blink with light slowly before a golden shining was emitted from his body. This was one of the first spells that young children were taught when studying magic... and Haine could barely sustain it. His body wasn't meant for this, and it felt like every bone in his body was twisting and ready to break. "Go!" He growled, "Quickly... start looking!" He was betting everything on this. If she did find a way through, he was going to have to go through it in this condition... he was hoping it wouldn't be too far.

Jyade was about to protest and tell him he didn't have to, but she couldn't. She was... touched by what he said. She wanted to punch him for saying it and making her feel embarrassed, and weak, again. There would be time for that later though. As soon as his body started to glow, the girl turned to Hunin and picked him up along with the cloak, turning and moving closer to the walls. She felt the slightest of breezes from the side, and moved closer so that she could feel it more. Once she was sure she found the right spot, the elf got to her feet, kicking a foot out and at the wall. She expected her foot to twist and for a scream of pain to escape her, instead the wall crumpled a bit to show a hole. It hadn't been used in years she was sure, and she wasn't eager to crawl through the little tunnel, holding the cloak to cover her chest and carrying Hunin at the same time.

She wished that they did this before, before she started going on about her fear of darkness and men. She couldn't take back what she said though. "I found a tunnel. I can feel the wind but..." she bent down to look inside, and saw nothing. "I can't see anything so you'll have to go ahead." She looked down at Hunin to see that the grtphon was clinging to her again, having been woken by his shout and all the yelling. It was blinking slowly as it looked at her, looking kind of like a sleepy child. If their lives weren't possibly in danger, she would've stood there to pet the baby and say how cute he was.

Haine grinded his teeth , his muscles coiling into an inferno of pure pain. "Damn body..." He growled, "don't give up on me now..." He quickly undid the sheath strap of his sword that hung around his body, his sword and its scabbard clattering to the ground. He grunted, grabbing the sword hilt and using the sword inside the scabbard as some sort of walking stick. He panted heavily, his eyes twitching in pain with every step he took towards the hole in the wall. It was way too small for either of them to really fit in, but the rest of the wall looked rather weak and crumbly. If he were to apply a little bit of force, then maybe he could collapse the whole thing.

"Close your eyes," he growled, "I'm going to cease the spell and try to break down the wall... you said the darkness when you close your eyes is okay, right? This'll be just a second..." Normally, Haine would have stopped the spell quite a while to go. The pain coursing through his veins was excruciating, and it was nearly enough to force tears from his eyes. But the fact that the elf-girl was there and watching him... well, he better try to be as manly as he could. For him, for her... and maybe even that baby gryphon. With a quick intake of breath, his spell ceased and the cave was once again draped in a curtain of darkness. The pain lessened substantially, but they still throbbed and ached. Haine let out a battle cry, dashing straight at the weakness of the wall. With his legs pumping at top gear, his shoulder pauldrons slammed into the cave wall.

The crash was loud and it echoed. Haine's body broke through the wall successfully, cleaving a rough hole right through the wall. Haine landed onto his back, groaning in the combination of pain that was now circulating through is body. He opened his eyes, expecting the pitch black-darkness to once again envelope his body. This time, however, the cave was dimly lit. A small crack had opened in the ceiling, letting in a small amount of moonlight.

"Hey..." Haine's voice was quiet and rough, "....we got some light. You fine if I... rest for a second?" Man, he felt pathetic.

Jyade moved out of the way as he stepped to the hole, wondering how using such a simple spell made him seem so weak. She saw people using it a few times, children she even saw playing in the dark used that spell, yet this man didn't have the strength to keep one up for long. Not that she could talk. She didn't learn the type of magic the humans knew, only simple, useless spells that the fairies taught her. She wished she did learn that one though, maybe then he wouldn't have to go through this pain. She scolded herself inwardly, noting that she was starting to show compassion for the knight. She couldn't help it though, with him doing this for her she couldn't help but feel... something. She didn't know what it was, but it was something.

When he said so, the elf closed her eyes tightly, holding Hunin tightly against her chest as she tried to stay calm. And she was. She was actually calm, even if there was this man beside her who seemed strong enough to force her down if he wanted to. She didn't think he would though. She didn't think this man was the type that would force themselves on a woman. It was strange, trusting someone that she hated. She still felt the need to yell at him and punch him for making her feel so weak but she wanted to thank him at the same time for caring. She shook and whimpered lightly when she heard the crash, doing her best not to feel scared. She couldn't see what he did though and, for a moment, wondered if a gryphon got in and was trying to rush at them.

A chirp from Hunin and Haine's words made her open her eyes, feeling rather ridiculous when she saw the dim moonlight shining down into the cave. With that, she could see shapes again. She could see stalagmites sticking out of the ground, stalactites jutting out of the top as if the cave wanted to eat them itself. Even with this new knowledge though, she felt okay. "Yeah, I'm fine with that," she said softly. She felt small again, like a child next to a giant. What was worse though, she couldn't be mean to him after this. How could she be mean to a person who did that because of her fear of having a man near her in the dark? If she were a child, she would've ran over and hugged him. But, she wasn't, so she sat down a few feet away instead.

She was silent for some time, staring down at her feet as she tried to think. What was there to really think about though? He did something nice for her, and now she had to say something to show her appreciation. "Thank you," she whispered. "And, I'm sorry about what I did. I might have overreacted, if I didn't we wouldn't be in here." She looked over at him now, able to see him now that there was a bit of light. She looked away soon though, not having had to say sorry like that in a long time. She couldn't remember the last time she apologized to somebody. She had to bite her tongue to keep from threatening him the way she usually would. Would he tell people about her fear? She wasn't sure, but decided not to bring it up. She ought to start trusting somebody.

"Ugh..." Haine grunted, taking in a deep breath of the air in the new tunnel. The aches and throbs were lessening and feeling much less painful, but it still didn't change the fact that he was feeling exhausted. The cave wall was pretty loose, so he didn't really take any damage from it. At the moment, he was lying flat on his back, his arms spread out with his eyes gazing up at the moonlight from the ceiling. Things were calmer and much more peaceful than before, and the elf-girl really seemed to calm down. The gryphons were still scratching and howling at the entrance of the cave, but hopefully this tunnel would lead them to some safety.

After a few moments Haine finally gathered enough strength to sit up, resting his back against one of the stalagmites. Sitting up, he could now get a better look at the cave tunnel. It seemed like it went for a ways, but there were constant cracks in the ceiling for the moonlight to slip through. Sure, they might have to walk through a dark patch every now and then, but it probably wasn't a problem. Haine dug his canteen out of his belt and took a long swig, the cool liquid soothing his burning throat. He gave out a sigh of relief and looked at Jyade before tossing her his canteen.

Haine looked at her, noticing her awkward thanks. She must not be used to saying thanks... Haine let out a bit of a chuckle which turned into a small cough. "You're welcome." Haine nodded, taking another sigh before looking up. "You don't have to apologize for overreacting... if I didn't say any of that garbage than we would have stayed safe. You can keep my cloak on for as long as you need to... it's made to be fire-resistant and is pretty durable, so it should help keep you safe just in case something comes out." Haine cleared his throat, resting the back of his head against the stalagmite.

"This body of mind... isn't meant for magic at all." He stated, "I don't have a natural resistance for it, and even using it can put my life into jeopardy. It's what I get for having tremendous strength in return." Haine looked over at her, "sorry I couldn't use the illumination spell earlier... if I did, you wouldn't have had to go through reliving your past." Haine frowned, scratching the back of his head. "I... well... I... erm... I'm sorry for calling you a harlot all those times...." His apology was awkward.

Jyade nodded at what he said, looking at him to show that he had her attention for once. "It's okay," she said, laughing a bit when she heard how awkward his words were. "You sound about as nervous as a boy telling a girl she's cute." She couldn't help but laugh more then. It was just so funny, seeing a man with his strength and build stumbling over his words like a nervous child. Hunin had, for the third or forth time, fallen back asleep and was now hanging limply in her arms, the tip of his tail twitching every now and then. Every time he fell asleep and did that, she couldn't help but think that animals had dreams just like elves and humans. They had hearts and brains after all, so why couldn't they dream? She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud, though her body was shaking a bit from the laughter. She laid the gryphon on the ground beside her, knowing he wouldn't wake up if she did that.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't mean to laugh like that, but it is kind of funny to hear you stumble over your words. You're so big, and strong and all..." She shrugged slightly, doing her best to keep him from getting angry at her. "One wouldn't expect that from you." There was a hint of laughter in her eyes, instead of the cold and calculating look she usually had in them. She didn't feel too bothered by his words any more, especially after he sounded so strange with his apology.

A soft sigh escaped her as she finally finished laughing, looking away from him and turning her attention to the tunnel. She looked down it, feeling rather relieved when she saw the areas where moonlight shone through to light their way. The last thing she needed was to be in a dark tunnel. It was still night, which came as a surprise to her. It felt like they'd been in there for a while. She moved back from the tunnel though, intent on going through after him. "Are you going to go to sleep? I don't mind sitting here and waiting for you to wake up if you do." She leaned back against the wall of the cave, holding the cape around her. It was enough to keep her warm in this cold place. As she looked at him, the elf wondered if he slept like that. It looked uncomfortable, the armor that is, and she couldn't imagine sleeping in something like it.

"I-I didn't stumble over my words!" Haine protested, a heat inflaming his cheeks from within, "I- erm- forget it..." He grumbled, looking away with her laughter. Man, was he embarrassed... he had shown a side to the elf-girl that he hated having. Truth is, it was easy for him to be flustered or embarrassed... for a guy like him, it was kinda humiliating. Compliments made him blush, winking girls made him feel woozy, and when he had his own knighting ceremony he was weak in the knees and nauseous from the attention and his own nervousness.

He cast a glance over at the girl, quickly noticing the brightening in her personality. He didn't know she could laugh, and even though she was laughing at him it was... kind of nice. She had very nice laughter. He had seen many sides of her and it confused him somewhat... he had seen a tough, cold-hearted mercenary that would kill anyone and anything in her way. Then he had seen a scared little girl panicking in the dark... and now he saw a laughing woman, cradling her beloved sleeping pet in her arms. She was quite a mystery.

Haine took a deep breath, grabbing the stalagmite to help him stand. "No need," He stated, using his word and scabbard to help him stand up straight. "Sleeping in these caves make me nervous... something may have tunneled these in, and with all those cracks in the ceiling I'm worried that even a little bit of pressure may break them." The body in his body was bearable now, and all he really had to deal with was the tired feeling in his muscles. He strapped his sword on to his back, motioning for her to press forward. "I'm sure this tunnel opens up somewhere, so let's see where it goes." He looked forward, his steps dragging tiredly on the cave floor.