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The Journey (EvaRose & Rage)

Jyade looked up when Haine approached her, not moving her hand now. The edge of her blade pointed to him, as if she were getting ready to cut him right across the chest. Blinking in surprise at what he said, the woman couldn't help but step back in surprise. The elf looked at him, staying silent when she heard him speaking, not really having expected it from an arrogant prick like him. She watched him as he walked back to the wagon, sighing softly before turning away. "The same goes for you," she said, loud enough for him to hear. Hunin looked back at the man and chirped softly, though it wasn't the same annoyed chirping sound that he made earlier.

She stepped away from the caravan, knowing that the humans would only be able to stand her presence while they thought about the attack. After some time they would begin to glare at her again, and the knight would start to criticize her and call her names. She didn't want to hear it or deal with it any more than she had to. She had the rest of the journey ahead, where she would have to spend time with the knight. Once they reached the border though, the two of them would be alone to annoy each other. She just hoped that he would be able to keep his mouth shut.

The elf woman went to the same tree that she sat by earlier, sitting at the roots yet again. Hunin looked at her and ran over, chirping softly a few times before sitting beside Jyade. She continued to wipe the blood from her sword until she was sure it was clean and then sheathed it. Once the sword was away Hunin moved into her lap, his talons hanging off her leg as the gryphon laid down. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep in her lap.
 
Haine sat down onto the ground, his back to a tree on the opposite side of the camp. His sword was on the grass beside him, awaiting the next time it would be drawn in battle. Haine sighed, watching the bodies get buried one by one. The night was getting later and later, and unfortunately he was starting to get a little tired. He had already been on a long, long ride to the Imperial City, and the fight somehow drained all of his energy. It had been a while since he had gotten a good rest. Finally, his eyes closed, and he fell into a light slumber.

One of the guards saw him sleep and smiled, feeling like the knight deserved. "I guess I'll stay on watch them." He stated, standing by himself out in the dark forest, eager eyes on the darkness in the forests around them.

The rest of the night went on peacefully, Haine's eyes sliding open at the crack of dawn. He stood up and stretched, his bones all cracking and his muscles a tad stiff. He grunted, reaching back down to the earth to pick up his longsword. He slid it onto its rightful place on his back and walked over to the caravan, his armored boots sliding through the drew on the grass.

Some of the travelers were already up, stomping out campfires and distributing food and water. "Hey," one of the guards said, walking up and handing him a loaf of bread. "Here, it's for all you did last night." Haine nodded his thanks but looked around, noticing that nobody was even trying to get close to the elf girl. And although he disliked her as much as she disliked him, she did just enough fighting as he did last night. Sighing, he made his way over to her.

He stopped before her, glaring at her once again. He wordlessly tore the loaf in half and bent down, offering it to her.
 
Jyade made sure to look and see if anybody was watching over the caravan before she stopped focusing altogether. Instead, she was silent for the entire night, her eyes were closed though she didn't sleep. Meditating was enough for her, connecting herself with the forest and the animals around her. So much at peace was she that she didn't think about the knight and his snarky comments about her. Her thoughts were mostly on the gryphon in her lap, hoping that he would grow up without any problems. Maybe he was an animal, but she knew animals in a way that humans didn't. She knew why creatures like gryphons attacked them and sometimes resorted to hunting and eating them. And so, she wouldn't let the gryphon be hurt by one.

Hunin was awake as soon as the sun came up, nuzzling her softly and soon waking her up. She reached down as she opened her eyes, scratching the back of the gryphon's head softly. He chirped as he looked at her, rubbing his head against her hand the way a cat would sometimes do. "Don't worry Hunin. I promise, I'll catch you a nice, big fish later."

The gryphon's eyes went from her though as he turned slightly, looking at the approaching Haine. Jyade looked up as well, glaring back at him and never parting her gaze. She was certain that he'd start criticizing her yet again, calling her a pig and other demeaning names. Imagine her surprise when he held out half a loaf of bread.

"Thanks," she said, taking it from him a bit uncertainly. She looked at him as she took a bite of the bread, expecting him to say something about the way she dressed yet again. She still needed to eat, just like any living creature. Hunin looked at the man and opened his beak, screeching for the first time. "No Hunin!" The gryphon looked up at her then lowered his head obediently.
 
Haine turned around, taking a bite out of the bread while keeping an eye on the caravan. He wasn't standing too close to her, but it was as comfortably distant as it could be. The people were almost ready to get a move on, the horses all being fed and the guards double-checking to make sure everything was in order. They last nobody in the attack last night, and that was a big confidence booster. Haine took another bite and peered down at Jyade. It wasn't a scowl like before, but it wasn't completely drained of all disdain, either.

"You're pretty fast." He stated, looking at her exotic sword before looking back to her clothes. "I can see why you dress so lightly, then." He made one last look at the griffon before turning back away, quickly scarfing down the last of the bread. He leaned back against a tree, folding his arms over one another. "I still find your outfit atrocious, though." His icy blue eyes kept a firm watch at the caravan, the guards already climbing onto their horses.

One of the guards trotted over, looking uncomfortable at Jyade. "We're ready to head out, sir knight." He nodded, looking respectfully at Haine. Haine nodded and got up, stretching his limbs once more before making his way over to untie his horse from the tree. His stallion had been happily grazing in the tall grass outside of the forest, not a care in the world. He was thankful that the bandits didn't try to take him during the confusion of the fight.
 
Jyade continued to eat the piece of bread as she looked at him, not taking her eyes off of him. She was uncertain about him, since he was so mean to her earlier and being a tad bit nicer now. Still though, maybe there was something about this guy that made him different from the other knights she saw and talked to before. He did give her a piece of bread after all, and Hunin was only angry at him when she was. Still though, there was one thing she was sure about when it came to him. He was still an arrogant knight, a bit too arrogant in her opinion.

She had to blink when he spoke, not having been paying attention to him.She couldn't help but laugh softly when he scarfed down his bread. "And you called me a pig?" She ate the rest of the piece of bread while she listened to him, raising her eyebrow slightly in question. "If you find it so disgusting them you shouldn't look at me, at all."

The elf glanced away when the guard came over, starting to scratch Hunin's head again. She could see the way he was looking at her before. They were going to look at her that way no matter how she dressed. They could easily see her ears sticking out of her hair and knew she was an elf. Elves were nothing but things to be scorned, just like gryphons and the rest of the predatory creatures.

When the man walked away from her she reaching down and pushed Hunin off her lap. He had to start walking sometime, and right now was as best a time to start as any. She stood up and started for the caravan, the confused gryphon following at her heels. Once she reached it she stood a little ways away, watching the guards move along each wagon.

"We're moving out!" The call from the lead wagon sounded yet ago. They started into the forest and Jyade stepped back, able to still see a little ways ahead of the lead wagon without Hunin being near a wheel.
 
Haine quickly put his feet in the stirrups and climbed on top of his horse, gripping the reins tightly in his hand. He pulled his horse out, slowly making his way back to the caravan. In half a day they would surely be out of the forest and hopefully out of trouble. But when they left the forest, they would basically be leaving the border of the country... and out there was much danger. Haine quickly brought out his map, looking up and down at its markings. He wasn't quite sure where to head next, so this meant that he was going to have to ask her...

He sighed, shaking his head and trotted his horse over towards her, matching her quick walking speed. He handed down the map, "where do we go after this?" Haine asked, "once we're out of this forest, we'll be out of the country. I know the lands very well, but I don't know the best way to take." He hated leaving the directions up to her, but he had no other choice. He had never been to the lands where she came from, and he had no clue how to get there.

Haine sat straight up in his saddle, looking once more to the caravan. There were more bandits that lived in the woods, but they wouldn't attack in broad daylight. However, he couldn't stop feeling that somebody was watching them from the trees, just waiting for the right moment to strike from the shadows.
 
Jyade sighed softly when she saw the map, taking it from him before unfolding it so that she could look at every detail. She looked at the map, trying to think about the path she traveled six years ago. They would have to pass through the forest of the fairies, which was a bit unfortunate given the fact that fairies were annoying and pestered people. That wouldn't be until later though. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she had the map back over to him. "We'll have to go through Gryphon Canyon. I'm sure that you want to take the fastest way there, and it's either we go through the canyon or all the way around. The land we'll be traveling through is full of beast, which is exactly why I didn't spend much time in it. About halfway through though, we should reach a forested area full of fairies. Make sure you don't call them pixies, they really hate when you do that. Pixies are the little annoying ones that bite no matter what, fairies are more helpful. I lived with them for almost a year."

She went quiet, not wanting to talk about the rest of the journey. The lands they would be going through gave her nightmares. She had to travel along this path on her own at a young age, even younger than the poor princess. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she bent down, picking up Hunin. She held the little gryphon in her arms as it curled up a bit, scratching the back of his head softly. "We'll be near a river sometime later, and I have to catch a fish for Hunin. Maybe some for us too. We can't just eat bread all day."

She went quiet as she looked ahead of herself, trying not to think about sharp comments to send his way. He may have been mean and nasty before, though he was still rather arrogant in her opinion. She didn't need to talk to him, especially if he was going to begin putting her down the same way he did yesterday. It would only make her feel depressed and angry, and anger was something that would cloud the judgment of people. "We might run into a troll or two," she muttered under her breath. She was worried about the little gryphon, knowing that there was a chance he could get hurt. What was worse though, was that the gryphons in the canyon might chase them because she had Hunin. She wasn't completely sure though, since she never went through the canyon with a gryphon at her side. It'd be a new experience, about as new as fighting side-by-side with a loud mouthed knight was.
 
"Gryphon Canyon?" Haine growled in disgust, shaking his head atop his horse. "Great... that's the last place I'd want to go. Oh well..." He wasn't going to whine about it, but gryphons were among the creatures that he absolutely hated the most. He had only been in the outskirts of the canyons, but he had fought numerous amounts of those avian-beasts, and the idea of waltzing into their breeding grounds wasn't exactly on his bucket list. Haine grumbled softly, taking back the map and folding it up to throw back into his pouch. No matter how much he detested her, he had no choice but to trust the mercenary... he glanced over at her before pulling his horse away, getting back at a much more comfortable distance.

"A river? That's fine." He shrugged, "outside of the forest, there's a river that's rather abundant. We can probably separate from the caravan when we reach it." He yanked the reins of his horse and lightly tapped its sides. The horse started to speed up, kicking off ahead until reaching the very first wagon of the caravan. Haine made sure to let them know that they would leave the merchants from there, but they didn't seem too worried. They presented him with a few bags of coin and rations in their thanks.

"Um..." A small voice asked, a child slowly showing her face from the interior of the wagon. She held out a small bracelet made of black and white shimmering beads. "Do... do you think you could give this to that real pretty elf lady?" She asked. Haine blinked, taking the small bracelet. But before he could say anything the little girl disappeared into the interior, quickly hiding her presence. Haine glanced down and sighed, scratching the back of his head. It wasn't like he was going to say no...
 
Jyade hummed softly as she walked behind the caravan, looking around every now and again to see a bird flying away or a butterfly land on a leaf. She was still thinking about what Haine said earlier, about Gryphon Canyon being the last place he wanted to go to. Sure, it wasn't a place she wanted to be near either, especially since there were baby gryphons like her own probably moving around the place. The older gryphons were protective enough about the eggs, let alone the gryphons that came out once they hatched.

Hunin was starting to move around in her arms again, a bit tired of being carried already. The elf sighed softly as she bent down to place him on the ground. “And don’t you whine if you fall back. Start using those wins of yours.”

The little gryphon looked at her and chirped softly, his head cocked to the side in a show of confusion. Jyade just continued to walk though and he followed, the two soon falling into step yet again. She looked up to see the knight talking to people, envying him like no other. He had the ability to talk to people without them glaring at him or calling him strange names. They couldn’t call him a demon or say anything about what he was because he did good things for them, and he was a human just like them. She knew that in the game of life she’d been dealt a bad hand. Being an elf alone meant that she was doomed to be criticized. After all who ever heard of an elf being a knight? If there was one or two, then they weren’t being talked about the way other knights were being talked of.

She started to focus a bit, just in time to see a little girl give the knight something. She looked away with a sigh, hearing Hunin chirp at her feet. She looked down at the gryphon as he nuzzled her leg lightly, smiling a bit. He looked so cute like that, she couldn't help but stop thinking about the bad things in her life and smile a bit.
 
After a few hours of walking the caravan finally made it out of the forest, entering the new plains of the land beyond. Haine took a moment to survey the area, spying the large mountains that protruded on the horizon. Gryphon Canyon was somewhere over there, and it looked liked quite a walk before they would finally make it there. Haine sighed, tugging his horse back over to the lead wagon in the caravan. They were going to go in a whole different direction entirely at this point, so their entire safety rested on the shoulders of the young guards they had employed. Haine was nervous about leaving them alone, but there wasn't much else he could do for them.

He tugged his reins, bringing his horse over to Jyade. "The river isn't too far, elf. I'd like to be able to get as far to Gryphon Canyon as we can before nightfall... unlike you, us humans aren't very keen in the nighttime." His voice still leaked with distaste for her, not afraid to show his true feelings. It wasn't that she was an elf that made him mad... it was that she was a living embodiment of what he thought was wrong. She was a woman warrior, the way she dressed was horrendous, and he despised her attitude above all else. He had met quite a few elves on his journey, but none gave him as much anguish as she had.

"Oh," he stopped, pulling something out of his pouch. "A little girl that was traveling with the wagons wanted me to give you something." He took out the beaded bracelet and delicately tossed it over to her, "I notice that they didn't exact thank you like they thanked me, but this was very kind of her." He tugged his horse towards the river, his steed slowly trotting over the earth. "I don't mind splitting the rations they gave me, either. I may not like you, elf-girl, but right now you're still a comrade and I'll try and treat you as much."
 
Jyade caught the beads as soon as they got close to her, looking at them before putting the bracelet on her wrist, feeling rather happy for once. That's why she liked children so much, because they weren't corrupted yet by something called pride. She looked down at the beads as she listened to him speak, not really taking his words to hurt. "No, I don't want any part of those rations. They gave it to you, so you can have them, oh gallant knight," she said, her voice leaking sarcasm. "Do me a favor, and don't talk to me. The words that come out of your mouth give me an aching headache." She turned when he steered his horse in another direction, looking in the direction of the river ahead. "So, I would appreciate if you didn't talk unless it is necessary. Apes like you are meant to be seen and not heard; and preferably not seen."

She picked up the pace, walking so fast that she was going a little ways ahead of the horse. It was unfortunate, that they had to stop just because he was a human. If she was alone then she'd be able to walk in the shadows of the night, unseen by the gryphons whose eagle eyes gave them an advantage. "Hunin!" When she shouted the little gryphon leaped up, spreading his wings and gliding to her. She took him in her arms quickly and, without a single word, sped up into a run. She ran at a pace the horse would be able to match if he brought it to a gallop.

She ran smoothly across the terrain, relaxing a bit as she tried to focus. Once or twice she tripped while running like that and the fall left her with more scratches and bruises than she could count. She slowed down when she saw the river was getting closer, having luck on her side today and not having hit a rock while she ran, and soon came to a stop. "Here we are Hunin," she said softly, setting the gryphon on the ground beside her. Her gaze went to the river then and she just sat sown. She didn't have a drink of water since the day before, or even bathed for that matter. Bathing would have to wait though, and it wasn't like she couldn't wash off most of her body while still wearing her clothes. For now though, she put her hands in the water and cupped them, bringing them to her lips to drink the river water. Hunin watched her, looked down at the water, then looked at her again before plunging his beak into it and starting to drink the liquid.
 
"Ape?" Haine growled, "Useless cur... Working with a barbarian harlot like you would be the last thing on my list. I hope you starve on the way there." His armored jingled with every step his horse took, its heavy hooves pounding into the dirt. He watched the elf-girl trudge ahead before breaking off into a sprint, dashing away at a speed that he could only dream of running. Growling, he flickered his reins and tapped his horse's sides with his feet. His horse took off at a full gallop, fast enough to at least keep Jyade within his sight.

He finally caught up when Jyade was drinking the water, moving his horse over to the stream. He slowly slipped off, dropping his canteen into the water with his horse shoving its snout into the cold waters, already feeling refreshed. Haine sighed in relief, taking a deep gulp from his canteen. He had forgotten to pick up some water from the wells in the city, and was relieved that this stream wasn't too far away from the outside of the trees. Haine dipped his canteen in again, the shimmering sun reflecting beautifully off of its surface. It was midday, and they still had much time to travel.

Haine stood up, making his way up to a small hill to take a glance at their surroundings. The land was empty of people for miles, but there was a small settlement just past the Gryphon Canyon. Their supplies would definitely last them that long unless they somehow got lost in the rocky gorge.
 
Jyade looked up in time to watch Haine walk to the small hill, clicking her tongue lightly before standing up. Some hums escaped her as she stood up straight, concentrating a little as she peered down at the water. Fish swam by, fish of various breeds, colors and sizes. Animals, they got along in a way humans never could, or ever would be able to. In one swift move, she drew her sword and thrusted it into the water. The elf knew when to slow her sword's descent so it wouldn't touch the riverbed, stopping almost as soon as the tip went through the scales of a fish. She picked her sword up then brought it back down on another fish, and another, and another. She only stopped when there were six fish on her sword, stacked up on top of each other. "That's better than last time," she said softly as she picked her sword up and out of the water. Hunin, knowing what was coming, stood beside her and watched as she brought the blade closer to herself. She started to slide fish off the blade one by one. Hunin caught the first that fell in his beak and moved away as she dropped the other five. There was a bit of blood in the water, but it was soon washed away.

Now that Hunin was eating and she was satisfied, somewhat, Jyade started to think of things. She wanted to tick the knight off, and there were so many things she could do to do that. Hurting his horse wasn't an option for her, and neither was hurting him at the moment. Still though, the sun was high in the sky and would take some time to go down and leave them with the moon as their light source. Sheathing her sword, the elf woman continued to hum as she took the sheath off ber belt and set it on the ground. She reached around her back to remove the bow and quiver as well, and placed those on the ground beside the sword and sheath.

"Don't look back!" She shouted as she pulled the piece covering her chest off, no longer humming the sweet melody. Her mind was on the world around her, hearing plants sway in the wind and animals scurry about as she got undressed. She always focused on other things when she did that, knowing that she was vulnerable when she left her sword on the embankment. She pushed everything back though, only when she got in the cold water. A shiver ran down her spine and she didn't move for a moment, just letting the water wash over her. As soon as the cold didn't bother her though, she moved to where she had her things, taking a clean looking rag from the pile. She always had two on her, one for her weapons and one for herself. With everything she needed, the elf moved to the deeper part of the river and started to wash off, even going as far as to submerge herself and dampen her hair.

It took her a few minutes to get done and step back to the embankment, the water just low enough for her to walk in without it touching her chin. She stepped out of the water, wringing the piece of cloth out and dropping it on her sword. Her hair clung to her and her body glistened from the water that clung to it. She felt cleaner than she did earlier, and that was all that really mattered. She may not of dressed like one, but she was a woman nonetheless, and staying clean was something she yearned to do. She started to get dressed then, moving her hair every now again so the wet locks didn't stay anywhere uncomfortable.
 
"Don't look back? You can't tell me what to-" Haine glanced back, seeing the bare skin of her back in an instant. His faced instantly flushed, a fire igniting within his cheeks making him quickly look away. Although he was a proud, strong knight, and she was an under-dressed, irritating woman, he still saw her as a lady. And ladies deserve privacy... especially when they bathe. Haine snorted in annoyance, crossing his arms on top of the hill, his crimson cape dancing happily in the breath of the wind. His horse even whinnied, seeming to laugh at him.

"Shut up, Agro..." Haine grumbled at his horse. His horse snorted and bent back down, sipping more of the icy cool water. The knight sighed, running his armored hands through his strange, shimmering silver locks.

Haine pulled out one of the enchanted daggers, slowly taking the blade out of its sheathe. It's strange markings and runes were very foreign to him, and he mentally hitting himself for not asking Godfrey what they meant. He swung it around a few times, spinning it delicately in between his fingers and hands. "A little light for me," he said to himself, shoving it back into his dagger. With his tremendous strength, he barely used his two-handed sword like he was supposed to, and he preferred to keep it gripped in one hand while keeping his other free. He wasn't a speed-devil like the elf-girl, but his heavy armor and swordsmanship built him up like a tank.

He heard her emerge from the water, but didn't even think of looking back yet. He knew better than that... she needed time to get dressed. Bathing didn't sound like a bad idea to him, but he threw that thought away... getting out of the armor took too long, and getting back into it wasn't very fun either. By himself it would take nearly five minutes, and there was no way he was going to ask HER for help!

"You finished?" He asked gruffly, "I'd like to get a move on."
 
Jyade huffed softly as she pulled her top back on, not really liking the way her clothes got damp from the water on her skin and started to cling to it. "I'm dressed, if that's what you're asking." She bent down and picked up her quiver, putting it over her shoulder, and did the same with her bow. She bent down to pick up her two rags, putting the clean one in her bosom and the other in her skirt, letting it stick out a little bit. She picked up her sword and its sheath, attaching it to her belt before looking at the fish that were left. Before she put her boots on she took the burlap bag that the coins had been in out of her boot, then slipped her boots back on. Then she started to put the fish into the bag, feeling the wind blow against her body and chilling her to the bone.

She looked down at Hunin to see that he was picking the last of the meat off the fish bone and basically was done eating. Jyade looked down at the gryphon and sighed softly before looking down the river, watching the way it cut through the land and in the direction of the mountains, but not in the direction of the canyon. "Come on Hunin." He looked over at her and chirped softly before walking to her side, nuzzling her softly with his feathered head. Jyade turned around, looking in the direction of the canyon before starting to walk toward it, the gryphon following at her heels. She went at a nice pace at least, so he would be able to follow her easily on his horse. She resisted the urge to run ahead of him and to the canyon, knowing that she could be there before the sun started to fall if she ran as fast as she possibly could. Still though, patience is a virtue. The sun seemed to beam down on her, drying the water on her skin and soon her hair as well. As she walked, with her free hand, the elf combed through her black hair until it was no longer a tangled mess.
 
Haine shrugged, making his way to Agro. "You gonna be alright, old horse?" He smiled, Agro neighing playfully at his master. "That's a good boy." He gently padded Agro's head, his fingers slowly gliding through his man, "not that much longer until the next rest, and it looks pretty easy on the hooves." He grabbed the reins, pulling up onto his horse and slipping his feet into the stirrups. He gave Agro another pat on the head before his horse stepped out, patiently following Jyade to Gryphon Canyon.

Haine... wasn't quite displeased with the sight, but he was quiet distracted. The elf-girl had a better developed body than most women that he'd seen, and the way her damper clothes clung to her hips and waist were... goddamnit. Haine nudged his horse onward, coming up a few meters on her side at her pace. They were still at a comfortable distance, and he absolutely refused to even acknowledge her existence for the rest of the journey to the canyon. More than likely, she was doing the same.

They were patient, and before they knew it the sun was starting its journey down toward the horizon. The mountains were growing bigger and bigger, and scraps of trees and bushes were starting to appear more often. There still wasn't a good chance of an ambush, but Haine kept his icy blue eyes out for any trouble.
 
Jyade looked ahead at the canyon as they neared it, sure that she could hear the sound of gryphons chirping as they flew through the air. All she could do right now is hope that they would both reach the other side alive. Never did she go through the canyon, having gone around it the first time. Even then, the gryphons attacked them every once in a while, scaring her and the humans a few time in the middle of the night, and more frequently during the day. As a child she could understand animals even more than she did now and knew why they attacked, which was why she didn't have nightmares about them.

The sun had sun down so far that the sky was painted red and purple, a beautiful picture for anyone who happened to stop and stare. She stopped after some time, seeing that they were closed to the canyon entrance. "Shall we camp here then?" She looked around the area, seeing enough trees nearby they could use branches from to start a fire.

She stopped for a moment and turned to look at Hunin, seeing that the gryphon was a little ways behind by now. As soon as she stopped, the little gryphon hopped over to stand behind him. He stopped at her feet and looked up at her, chirping softly as he looked into her eyes. She bent down to stroke the gryphon's head with one hand, looking up at Haine was she did so. For a human, he was a bit strange, with his white hair and his strength. Once someone really thought about it, he was about as inhuman as her. While he had his strength she had her speed and connection to nature. Now that she thought about it though, knowing that made her hate him hate much more.
 
"I don't see any place to camp, so it'll have to do." Haine stated, slowly sliding down from his horse. He took a moment to stretch out his muscle, feeling a few satisfied cracks echo up and down his spine, ending at the base of his head. He grunted in relief, looking from left to right. It was already starting to get a bit chilly, and the day of traveling had already ended. He patted Agro's head and peered up at the sky, smiling at the unique colors. It wasn't that often that they saw a sight like that, and not even a painting could truly capture its magnificence.

He heard the sound of soft padding and glanced behind, the small gryphon giving him a look before making its over to the elf-girl. His eyes met hers when she stroked the gryphon's head, and he frowned, feeling as if she was trying to see into his soul. He looked back down at the griphon and cocked his had. "Where did you get that thing, anyway?" He asked, "from here?" He walked over to a dead tree and grasped its thick, twisted branches. He tore it off with ease, setting aside for a campfire.

Haine looked over at the entrance of the canyon and frowned. The way looked difficult, and he wouldn't be able to proceed over horseback.
 
"Out in the forest," she said softly. She laid the bag of fish on the ground, determined to cook them before the night was through so no gryphons would be attracted by the scent of blood. Hunin moved closer to her and chirped softly, nosing her leg lightly as he did so. "I was camping in the forest and heard him chirping. He kept chirping all day and night so I finally went to see him. Poor thing had the dullest looking wings and eyes, and decided to feed him. I stayed for another day and he started to chirp again so I fed him again, but when I started to leave he tried to climb out of his nest and follow. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him to die of starvation or by getting eaten, so I took him."

Jyade sat back on the ground and the gryphon quickly climbed into her lap, nuzzling her hand lightly until she began to scratch his head again. Chirping in happiness, Hunin moved his head so she could scratch it more. He relaxed in her lap, tired after walking for so long, and after having a fish no less.

She stayed still for a minute, scratching the back of the gryphon’s head for a few minutes before picking him up and laying him on the ground. He moved a bit before staying still, his head on his paws. When she was sure that he wouldn’t wake up she got up and moved away from the half eagle, half lion creature. Without a word, the elf unsheathed her sword, looking at the blade for a moment. It looked clean of blood, but she knew that she would have to clean it once they reached another city or town.
 
Haine listened, and could understand her sympathy. Even with his hate for the bloodthirsty creatures, he wasn't sure if he could leave that gryphon all alone either. Well, he definitely wouldn't have taken in it with him that's for sure. Haine continued to gather firewood, breaking off the dead branches from the trees or finding them on the ground. Finally when he was finally satisfied with his amount, he stacked the sticks together and stood aside, taking out his flint and one of the enchanted daggers. The sticks were dry enough, but it might take a while for them to light.

He smiled when something had finally lit, reaching down to blow it into a small fire. In a few moments the sticks were all lit, the fire burning proudly before the canyon. He stacked few more stick onto it before making a make-shift seat out of rocks, his bags, and some leaves. He grabbed a bag of his rations, taking out a small stick of jerky. He looked over at Jyade, watching her take a look at her weapon.

"Elven made?" He asked, peering over at its strange curved blade. "I don't see swords like that very often."
 
"No," she said softly. Jyade ran her hand across the dull side of the blade, concentrating as she looked at it. "Made by a man from a faraway land. I think he pitied me," she said, laughing darkly. She had to bite her tongue then to keep from saying more, from saying anything about her past that she didn't want him to know. He was being too nice right now, so much so that she almost forgot who she was speaking too. She opened her bag and took a fish out, stick the blade of her sword through it so that the tip went through the tail. She went over to the fire, sitting on the opposite side of Haine before putting the fish over the dancing flame. She did this a few times before and the sword as fine, as it should be unless somebody hit it with a hammer.

"How about you let me ask you a question?" She asked, looking across from him. The fire danced in her eyes, as if to amplify the hatred she felt towards the man. She didn't feel too much hatred for him right now, she actually didn't feel much of anything until she thought too much, and even then she hated the things that came out of his mouth more than she did the actual person. She didn't want to ask him the real question that was on her mind, worrying more about her pet than she did herself. "Why do you hate gryphons so much? Mine hasn't stolen a meal from you yet."

She turned the fish over onto its other side, watching as the blade of her sword turned red from the heat. She lifted the fish slightly to look at it, making sure it wasn't burnt before lowering it once again. She looked at the fish for a moment before looking at him again, looking rather sad in all truth. And why not be sad? After the last two questions she was beginning to think about the past again.
 
Haine frowned, watching her use her sword to pierce into the fish. Here she was, using a weapon for spilling blood as a... cooking utensil. It made him rather mad, seeing her use such a fine blade as something to simply cook fish with. He would never dare use his sword for something as menial as that... his sword was like an other companion, and it was his life. He wouldn't use something as important as that for food. Doesn't it disturb her that she was using the same sword that ended the lives of a few bandits earlier for something like this? He rubbed at the three scars over his left eye, feeling them bother him once again.

"Why do I hate gryphons?" Haine peered over at the sleeping Hunin, cuddled up not too far away. Sure, it looked innocent enough, but in a matter of time it would be feasting upon the flesh of humans. Haine sat back, chomping on a few sticks of jerky in thought. Here, she was asking a genuine question and looking rather... depressed. If there was a weakness that Haine would never be able to speak of, it would be the sad eyes of a woman. Haine frowned, taking a swig from his canteen.

"A gryphon took something special away from me," he answered, "something that can never come back." He tossed a few sticks onto the fire, peering back over at the elf-girl. His icy blue eyes looked cold in the flames, focusing on her form before him. "Looks like you don't have a pleasant history either." He stated, turning his eyes back to the hot coals.
 
Jyade nodded when she heard him, looking down at the fish now as she tried to think. "No humans ask why," she said softly, ignoring what he said about her. "The cities you have weren't there forever, animals used to live there and you chase them away so that you can kill the land by putting stone on the soil. You get angry when they take your cattle or eat your crops, when they take lives from you. Animals remember, especially gryphons and dragons. They remember unlike any other. They are angry, just like the humans."

She paused for a moment, as if to let him soak it in. "I'm not saying that they're right, I think that they are no better than the humans they hate." She pulled her sword back, taking the cooked fish off the sword before putting another on. The elf hung the fish over the fire again, going quiet as she stared at the dancing flames. She wasn't going to respond to what he said about her "supposedly" unpleasant history. She didn't want to talk about it, and so she wouldn't. She turned the fish over, looking at it a bit before lowering it into the fire again. She planned on cooking the rest of the fish that way. She wasn't in the mood to ask another question, or even talk to him.
 
"I figured you'd go on one of your elvish 'nature rants'." Haine growled, glaring over at her. It was a bit of unreasonable anger, but he couldn't help but feel rage building inside of him. "It's always about how humans are so bad for industrializing, cutting down the forests, and destroying the homes of the creatures that dwell there. I know humans aren't the most elegant, kind, or graceful creatures out there, but in the end it doesn't matter. In this world it's all survival of the fittest, and those who can't stand against the strong will be cut down. I'm sure the animals know this, and I'm sure many of them are scared." Haine turned back adjusting a little bit of his makeshift bed for him to lay down into.

Haine stared up at the sky his eyes peering at the countless stars that lay above him. They still had quite a journey, but it was comforting knowing that wherever they traveled, and no matter how far they were from the kingdom, the stars would always look the same. He folded his armored hands behind his head, his sword laying still at his side. He wouldn't get much sleep tonight since he was a light sleeper, but that had saved his life many times in the past. He gave one last glance to the baby gryphon before closing his eyes, decided to shut out his anger for the night.
 
Jyade clicked her tongue lightly at what he said, glaring at him. "If that is true, then the girl we are going to save is supposed to die and you shouldn't be angry over what it is you've lost." She got up now, slising the fish off the sword before sheathing it. She couldn't stand being near this man and his backward ways. Survival of the fittest? That phrase alone condemned many to death. She still stood firm on what she said earlier, she would rather be traveling with orcs.

The elf got the two cooked fish and her bag before turning and strolling back to where Hunin laid. Let the man fall asleep before she cooked the rest of the fish, at least then she didn't have to think about his ignorant ways. She looked beyond, in the direction of the canyon, still holding the bag in hand. If she kept it with her all night, the gryphons would surely descend upon them by morning. And she was too tired to even think about going near the knight just to cook them. Letting go of the bag for a moment, the elf reached down to take her boots off, leaving her feet bare. She wanted, more than anything, to just get up and start walking away. Instead, she started to stroke Hunin's back softly, feeling the area where feathers and fur met. She had to keep a cool head during this trip, or else she'd leave like she did a few years before. Leaving did seem like a good option though. If she had a quieter companion then she wouldn't be thinking these, but in her mind this "knight" was worse than a woman chasing man.
 
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