Wandering (open)

[Darrow Lark]

Darrow had only spent a few days at the fort, and she was already feeling a bit overwhelmed. Emerald Bay was a bit larger than most of the forts she had already visited. The Topaz market was horribly busy, the tavern was loud, and she didn't even want to go anywhere near Diamond Hall. All she had wanted to do was to find a job or a new master to help her learn the ways of a blacksmith. It was difficult for Darrow to get used to the new world around her.

The scarred she-wolf stepped swiftly through the crowds of the Topaz market, making her way to the orchards and gardens. It was not a place that most beasts would expect to find the rather unsociable she-wolf, but at least she would be away from the majority of the fortbeasts. Darrow glanced over her shoulder, her milky right eye staring, unmoving while her right blue irises glinted in the sunlight. The wind brushed across her sleeveless blue tunic and toyed with her flowing black trews. Her scars itched today, possible due to the changing weather, or maybe due to stress.

Darrow sighed under her breath and turned around at the same time that an apple tree decided to reach for her. She hit her muzzle on the low limb with a resounding Crack! Staggering back, Darrow held her smarting nose and uttered a few curses at the tree. Ah! She hated being half blind! She still had problems with something as simple as walking. Darrow drew her paw away from her nose and was relieved to find that there was no blood. Good. She didn't want to have to clean another tunic.

This was just turning out to be a wonderful day... Darrow ducked beneath another tree limb and came to a grove of apple trees far away from some dibbuns and their parents. It was shaded, but not too dark, which was good since Darrow didn't exactly enjoy the darkness. It would at least keep her out of the heat.

The wolf slowly settled down beneath one tree and stretched out her arms. Her muscles creaked in protest, but she felt a little better now. It was quiet here. Darrow reached to her side and drew her scimitar. The blade looked to have been taken care by loving paws. The edge was sharp and could split a piece of fur. Neither dirt nor blood tainted the precious metal.

Darrow withdrew a whetstone and began to run it along the weapon carefully. Time and again she would glance up, but for the most part the she-wolf just focused on her weapon. Her taut face loosened, and her muscles relaxed as she fell into the rhythm of treating the blade.

[Keleanth Windspiral]

What a day. What a day. Kenyon whistled through his teeth as he sifted through his newest pouch of coins pilfered from an unsuspecting donor in the market. The little mouse hadn't been at Fort Emerald Bay for long, but he already knew that this was by far the best place he'd ever taken up residence. It was large enough to play host to almost as many civilians as there were soldiers, and the variety of beasts passing through the gates ensured that he could easily spend several seasons here. As long as he was careful.

The little thief quickly stashed his loot in the first of his several hideouts. After running a paw through his headfur Kenyon took stock of his situation. With the take from today's victims he was set for at least a week. It would be best not to go out again in search of more "prizes" right now, as he would risk detection by the soldiers standing guard over the marketplace. His other hideouts were secure...the mouse doubted anyone was going to locate them, so he wouldn't have to check them today. No, now it was time for food and fun.

It took some time, but Kenyon finally got himself cleaned up and into a decent set of clothing. His white fur had been dyed a deep brown three days earlier, and now had faded to a light tan. The mouse had decided to don black breeches, a white tunic, and a hunter green vest. The vest was embroidered with red and gold thread, and the pattern matched the embroidery on the cap he placed jauntily on his head. A quick check in the mirror showed that the dye he used for his pink eyes was wearing off, but the mouse figured it would hold up for one more afternoon out.

After putting on a belt and securing his belt pouches the tiny troublemaker slipped out of his hideout and back into the main flow of beasts moving through the market. He took his time meandering through the booths and examining the various wares being presented by different beasts. It wasn't often that Kenyon took the time to actually browse. He was usually seeking his next mark, then doing his best to succeed in relieving that beast of his next bit of treasure.

After finding a warm meal and a hot drink the agile thief maneuvered his way across the market and towards the orchards and gardens. Once there he pulled himself up into the low hanging branches of one of the apple trees to enjoy his food and watch everything going on below him. It didn't take long for another beast, this one a she-wolf, to catch his interest. Ken grimaced as she smacked her head on one of the branches he had used as a ladder. He'd hit enough branches while half-running, half-falling through trees to know how badly that could smart.

The mouse perched his mug safely in the crook of a nearby branch before craning his neck to get a better look at Darrow. He watched with avid curiosity as the she-wolf pulled out her scimitar and a whetstone, then set about tending to the near-perfect blade. After several minutes of this behavior Kenyon's curiosity got the better of him. He shifted in the tree so he was sitting in the branch directly above the ground, then called out to the canine.

"Ho there! That's a beauty of a blade you've got. Might I ask where you purchased it?"

[Darrow Lark]

Darrow gazed silently upon her sword, watching as the whetstone honed the edge and gave it a nice shimmer. Her good eye blinked as she stared at her reflection in the keen metal. Sometimes, she barely recognized herself. She remembered when her face was blemished with bruises and not scars. Her eye had not been milky, and she had still had more skin on her bone. Now, she was more of a wasted away she-wolf than the stubborn fighter she had once been. Oh yes, she was recovering, but it was slow going. Her eye would never heal, and it was certainly taking a lot of time to adjust to having only one functional orb.

Darrow glanced away from the weapon for a moment and sighed under her breath. She could probably count on one paw how many years of her life had actually been joyful. Obviously the time with her mother had been rather wretched, especially with the closet incident. Darrow shuddered at the thought and pushed it aside. And then of course there was the selling as a servant and as a slave. One year with her mentor? Yes, maybe that was the year of happiness. Sure, she remembered brief snippets of her life with her siblings, but they were gone now. Bowen was most likely dead and her twin...

Darrow sighed and tightened her paw a bit. Bowen was lucky in her opinion. At least for him losing a sibling only meant mental pain. He didn't have to deal with the connections twins shared.

Bowen....

Darrow growled at the name and began roughly sharpening her sword. Most would have expected her to be thrilled if she discovered her brother was alive, but Darrow just knew that she would be far from happy. In a lot of cases, she resented her older brother, hated that he had never been there to help her when their mother was such a witch. No, he would hide away while Darrow would fight. She wasn't a coward!

"Ho there! That's a beauty of a blade you've got. Might I ask where you purchased it?"

With a start, Darrow whipped around and climbed to her footpaws. Her blade swung out defensively, but that was where her swordsmanship ended. Instead of hitting thin air, the blade ended up biting into the tree she had been leaning against, sending a terrible tingle up her arm. Darrow grimaced in pain and tried to jerk the weapon out of the bark, but as she did so, she jerked forward too far and smashed her head, once again, on a low hanging branch. Blood blossomed around her nose and she pressed the back of her paw against it, uttering curses that would have made a sailor blush.

Curse the blind eye! Several years ago it would have been easy to jump to her paws to face her opponent. Now, she just did not have any depth perception, and her body reacted before her mind could. Fates! She did more damage to herself than her opponent!

Still growling, Darrow wiggled the sword and pulled it from the tree. None-too-gently, she shoved it into the scabbard and glared up at the tree where she had heard a voice. "Wot's et tae yuh?" she snarled, all semblance of a good mood (if she had been in a good mood to begin with) gone. "Should nae be sneakin' up on beasts. Wot dae yuh want?"

Kenyon was lucky. Normally Darrow would have given a more severe tongue lashing, but at the moment she was too busy trying to staunch the blood steadily trickling down her snout.

[Keleanth Windspiral]

Kenyon's large ears twitched as he listened to the whetstone run over the honed edge of Darrow's sword. While the mouse didn't carry any weapons, he could appreciate them. After all, he'd been on the business end of various forms of weaponry a few times in his life. It was enough to let him know he never wanted to be in that position again. He'd worked hard to perfect his acts since his last encounter with law enforcement, and while he might not yet be considered a master of his art, he was one of the better thieves around.

His pink tail wrapped around the branch he was sitting on to help him balance as he continued to watch the she-wolf below. He wanted to get closer, but something warned him it would be best to stay well out of reach of the canine until she got over her initial surprise. It was a good thing the mouse had listened to his instincts, because his words prompted a whirlwind of activity from the beast below.

Another wince crossed the thief's face as he watched the female launch herself to her feet and drive the edge of her sword into the tree. That was followed by her muzzle meeting yet another branch of the apple tree, which caused a fountain of blood to appear.

Oops.

So much for a pleasant introduction. Kenyon doubted that this she-wolf was going to be happy to speak with him after humiliating herself in such a fashion. Pain would probably also play a factor in her mood change. The mouse twitched his whiskers, then scooted back a bit on the branch, just to be sure he was well out of the reach of the carnivore below him.

"Wot's et tae yuh? Should nae be sneakin' up on beasts. Wot dae yuh want?"

Yep, no trace of a good mood here. One paw reached up to snatch the cap off of his head as Kenyon nodded to the wolf still standing below him.

"I'm terribly sorry. I did not mean to startle you so. I simply wished a moment of conversation."

How easy it was to slip into the role of one of his characters. The mouse was a natural-born performer, and the entire world was his stage. In fact, he was more comfortable as one of his aliases than he was being himself. Ken ran a paw through his dyed headfur, then smiled down at Darrow in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"My name is Aeric. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry about your nose..."

[Darrow Lark]

Well this was just turning out to be a wonderful day! Darrow rubbed her tender nose gently and scowled when she saw just how much blood was leaking down her muzzle. She had really whacked it this time, and she didn't have any extra cloth to staunch the flow. Growling under her breath, she tore off a piece of her tunic, leaving some of her midriff exposed, before pressing the cloth against her muzzle. In retrospect, she probably could have just lifted the hem of her tunic instead of tearing the fabric, but Darrow was too frustrated to think logically at the moment. Her nose bled through the cloth within moments, but she could feel that it was starting to slow. At least that was something.

The wolf sighed and leaned against the tree. Her sword was put back in her sheath once she realized that this mouse probably wasn't a threat to her. He actually just seemed interested in her and nothing more. Well, Darrow could handle that, though all she really wanted to do was punch something then go back to the barracks to fix up her face. Yeah...like there bae much tae fix up, she thought scornfully. Her cheeks and brow were scarred, one eye was blind, and now her nose was bloody. She'd probably send the dibbuns running for their lives if they saw her ugly maw.

"I'm terribly sorry. I did not mean to startle you so. I simply wished a moment of conversation. My name is Aeric. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am sorry about your nose..."

"A moment o' conversation," Darrow snorted then grimaced, realizing that wasn't such a good idea. Who did this mouse think he was anyway, talking to her like this? Okay, so maybe she was being a bit ridiculous but Darrow was angry. Nothing seemed to be going right at the fort for her. It made her wonder why she had even come in the first place.

Sighing, Darrow pulled the cloth back again and was relieved to see that the wound was starting to close up a bit. Her upper lip felt a bit numb and was most likely swollen. Wonderful. "Don' know why yer even botherin' ta talk ta me," Darrow said bitterly after a few moments. She gently scratched her muzzle and stared at the mouse with her good eye. "Most beasties bae afraid o' me. Wot makes ya different, asides from the fact that yuh bae hidin' in a tree?"

Pleasant as always. Darrow didn't even bother giving her name yet. She had no idea who this mouse was, even if he had supplied her with his name. He was a little thing, but he could still do some damage if he was armed. Darrow wasn't going to take the chance. Best to just figure out what he wanted then leave him to his own business so she could get back to hers.

[Keleanth Windspiral]

Ken reached up to pull his cap off of his head as he continued to watch the wolf that stood below him. Her expression left nothing to the imagination. She was angry...or at the very least, irritated. The mouse really hadn't intended for her to get hurt. Startled, perhaps, but not hurt. He enjoyed a joke as much as the next beast, but there wasn't a malicious bone in his body, despite the hardships he'd seen in his short life.

Mug forgotten, he eased himself a bit further out on the branch when Darrow didn't seem inclined to try to climb up the tree and grab him. She'd really given herself a good whack, because her muzzle hadn't stopped bleeding yet. Ken winced when he realized her upper lip was beginning to swell, then shook his head. No wonder she was acting so surly. With his cap clutched tightly in one paw he balanced himself on the branch and used his free paw to dig in his pocket. Within moments he came up with a handkerchief. That item was given a moment of scrutiny to ensure its cleanliness, then he peered back down at the she-wolf.

"Don' know why yer even botherin' ta talk ta me. Most beasties bae afraid o' me. Wot makes ya different, asides from the fact that yuh bae hidin' in a tree?"

"What? Oh!" The little mouse grinned, then shoved handkerchief and cap into his pocket before lowering himself down to the ground. He didn't think Darrow was likely to attack him, and even if she did...well, it seemed he'd easily be able to outrun her, given her current condition. The cap was quickly pulled out of his pocket again as he gave a courtly bow. With that done Kenyon pulled the handkerchief out and offered it to the grumbling canine.

"I don't know, really. I'm sorry about the tree. It's just more interesting to watch everyone from up there. Quiet too. Here...this may help your muzzle."

The mouse waited a moment to allow Darrow to accept the proffered item, then took a short step back so he was out of reach again. His cap was placed back on his head in its original jaunty position, and his pink tail wound itself neatly around his legs. All in all he looked completely harmless. Fortunately for the she-wolf, that was also true. He didn't like to use weapons, he despised fighting, and he'd already taken more than enough this morning to last him for a few days, so he didn't need to pick her pockets. He was just looking for simple companionship with someone who wouldn't try to seek out his alias at a later date.

"You just seemed to be an interesting sort of creature. That is a nice blade you're carrying, and it seems you know how to use it. You're much better than I am, that much I can tell." He offered her another smile, then tilted his head slightly. "Would you like to go get cleaned up? I can help you to the infirmary if you'd like."

[Darrow Lark]

"What? Oh!"

Darrow squinted through her good eye, watching as "Aeric" quickly descended from the tree. He was as good as any squirrel in her opinion, which made Darrow nervous. He could easily sneak up on her in a wooded area if she wasn't careful. She hated squirrels and treeclimbers for that reason. Wolves just didn't have the ability to climb into those wide branches. It made her sometimes wish she was a gray fox. At least that species was able to follow squirrels should their pouches or belts be snatched.

The she-wolf backed up a step once Aeric landed. She sniffed, only to grimace as pain raced through her nose. Fates, Ah gave meself a good whack, she thought to herself bitterly. How many more things was she going to run into?! The gatekeeper was still probably laughing her tail feathers off, and while Aeric seemed nice enough, Darrow wouldn’t be surprised if he fell over snickering once they parted ways. She hated beasts who made fun of her. Darrow had a thick hide, but she still had feelings.

"I don't know, really. I'm sorry about the tree. It's just more interesting to watch everyone from up there. Quiet too. Here...this may help your muzzle."

Darrow stared at the kerchief for a moment then slowly took it. She took a very tentative sniff as if expecting some substance to be on it that would knock her unconscious. She knew of liquids or powders that could render a beast helpless. They'd been used on her before....

Finding that the cloth was clean, she pressed it against her muzzle, wincing. Blood dripped onto her tunic, drawing another groan from Darrow. Another thing to clean...couldn't she just have one good day at the fort? Gods, she'd been afraid that she'd get in a fight with a pickpocket or something worse, but now she was beating herself up more than any other beast! It was ridiculous!

"You just seemed to be an interesting sort of creature. That is a nice blade you're carrying, and it seems you know how to use it. You're much better than I am, that much I can tell."

Darrow chuckled dryly under her breath. "Yeah, Ah be skilled so that Ah took out a tree. Bow ta me mastery," she rolled her eyes and squeezed the kerchief. She hadn't meant to say that out loud...the mouse probably thought she was a loon now. Well fine, beasts knew not to mess with loons. There was no telling what crazy thing they might do next...like run into a tree.

"Would you like to go get cleaned up? I can help you to the infirmary if you'd like."

"Nae, nae infirmary," Darrow said sharply. She didn't like healers one bit. They liked to drug beasts, and poke and prod them in places they didn't want to be poked and prodded. Darrow probably disliked them about as much as vermin.

She pulled the cloth away and eyed the blood. Her nose and lip were starting to close up a bit, but it was going to take some time. What she really wanted was to get some of the blood off of her face before someone thought she had gotten herself into a tavern fight. "Nae infirmary, but...be there some water 'round here so I kin wash up?" She glanced around, being careful about turning her head too much. With her kind of luck, she'd get a dizzy spell and end up on her tail.

[Keleanth Windspiral]

"Nae, nae infirmary."

Ken's ears stood up as he heard this proclamation from his companion. Apparently she loved venturing to the infirmary about as much as he did. His tail unwound itself from around his legs and he took a short step back.

"Nae infirmary, but...be there some water 'round here so I kin wash up?"

Now he smiled, and he gave a short nod that almost made his cap fall off of his head before pointing.

"Yes, yes. This way!" The mouse gestured for Darrow to follow him before blinking. "Oh...wait a moment..." He scaled the apple tree he'd been using as his perch. Within moments he was on the ground again, his forgotten mug in his paw. Ken sent the she-wolf a friendly smile, then started off again, only looking back to be sure she was following.

Moving easily through the orchard was obviously something that didn't bother the mouse thief. Fortunately for Darrow their destination wasn't too far away. Ken led the way farther into the orchard, where it was quieter and others were less likely to run into them. A small pump rested between two pear trees, and a bucket sat beside it. He stopped beside them and smiled up at Darrow again.

"Here we are. The orchard keepers have this here in case of a dry spell. Makes it easier to water the trees and any plants nearby. It's also convenient in the event of an injury, like yours."

His tail flicked once, then he stepped back, giving the she-wolf some room. He didn't want to get too close to her, even though she hadn't really offered to hurt him yet. While Kenyon seemed to be the trusting sort he'd had too many close calls in the past to ever completely let his guard down.

[Darrow Lark]

"Yes, yes. This way!"

Darrow flinched at the mouse's rather exuberant reply, his loud voice grating at her headache. The smack to the nose had not only put her in a foul mood and left her with a bleeding snout, it had awoken a monster of a migraine, and she wasn't certain what hurt more; her mouth or her skull. The wolf grumbled and glared through her one good eye as Aeric raced up the tree to collect his mug. What an odd little creature. He certainly didn't seem like he wanted to cause her any trouble, and yet Darrow was wary. She really didn't want to have her throat slit because she wasn't paying close enough attention to him....not that he could reach her throat. Little runt would need a stepstool.

Darrow watched with a mixture of amusement and loathing as the mouse easily walked through the trees. The wolf followed him at a slow pace, making sure she didn't bump into another trunk or give herself a black eye to go along with her bruised and bloody snout. Any beasts who looked in her direction were given a heated glare that could have caused them to burst into flames. She growled once, but that turned into a whimper as the vibrations caused her nose to hurt even worse. Gods be damned...what if she'd broken the stupid thing?

"Here we are. The orchard keepers have this here in case of a dry spell. Makes it easier to water the trees and any plants nearby. It's also convenient in the event of an injury, like yours."

Darrow squinted at the well and brushed past the mouse to get to a bucket that had already been pulled up with clean water. She eyed it for a moment then, realizing he couldn't have possibly done anything to it, Darrow dunked her muzzle in the merciful liquid. The icy water cooled the burning sensation almost immediately. She worked carefully, rubbing the blood from her nose and mouth. She hadn't realized she'd cut her upper lip as well.

It took several minutes before Darrow felt like she'd cleaned the majority of the blood off. She tilted her head back and used her sleeve to carefully dry her nose. "Why bae yuh interested in helpin' mae, eh? Ain't yuh gonna run away because I bae a wolf?"

Darrow shot him a dark glare through her one eye and snorted, but that just caused more blood to shoot out of her nose. The wolf growled to herself and returned to cleaning her muzzle until the bleeding had stopped again. Right...no snorting for a while. Once she'd dried her nose again, she dumped the water on the ground so no one would try to drink it.