Tour Guide {Garrit and Aeos}

[Gavin]

The mist was like a crawling mass of doubt. Every moment it created an atmosphere of confusing uncertainty. Any chance that one didn't know where they were would perpetuate further loss until spiraling into an absolute mess of isolation. He'd actually been present when others reacted in similar manners. As he slowly stepped through the forest, he would occasionally whistle in short high bursts; the screech of Astor serving to steer the direction he moved in. He paused, waiting for the other two to follow him as he spoke up, fingers still tracing the fine drawstring of his bow. "Mislead it. It tracks through scent, but it has to find you still. Obstacles like tree's can prove invaluable. Not to mention, you've not the need to kill an animal to fend it off. Simply prove you are more trouble than your worth. It would not be the first time I've resulted to such tactics. Had to, to be recognized by my family. "

Extending a hand, Gavin tugged at and extracted the arrow that he'd fired; which had eventually sunken into the tree he now stood by. He slowly knocked the same arrow onto his bow and knelt. He whistled quietly again, yet this time paid further attention to the direction of Astor's cry. He lined up the shot and fired an arrow. It sank into the center of a tree's trunk out of sight. Gavin began to walk in that direction, speaking up as he seemingly vanished in and out of cover. The boy's olive cloak and garb was blending in perfectly to the shrubs around them. "You two seem to know one another. Any story behind that, or just a series of random happenstance? "

[Aeos]

Aeos followed the young boy through the woods and fog. The young dragon had zoned out for a bit as he kept on hearing the noise of the forest. All of the noises were sort of new to him and the presence of the fog gave everything a bit of a mythical presence. He kept his ears trained on the presence of his companions as well. Silently fixating on their foot fall, the whole experience was a bit mesmerizing to him. This place is almost magical. It's so full of life. Part of him wanted to kick off his sandals and walk barefoot. Gavin had started talking about his tactics against animals. This effectively brought him back to reality.

"Oh? Hmm.. makes sense. I aft seen this behavior in the desert with lizards. A spiky one that protects tis soft underbelly by rolling into a ball oft tiny spines. The.. predator hast to expend energy to try and open it. The predator.. often a coyote.. or a fox.. must decide if the lizard be worth the energy loss." He kept walking and stopping as Gavin continued to guide them. He breathed in the air of the mist deeply. He liked the scent of the watery haze mixed with the natural greenery of the land. It was such a sharp contrast to that of Nabata or to that of Sacae yet uniquely it's own. The various landscapes of Elibe were beautiful.

"Hmm, as for how I hath met Garrit? It be.. hmm.. well to give the short hand oft it. We met briefly in Sacae in a bit oft a skirmish. Went our separate ways.. and now met here again." Aeos left out the details of running into the monster in black armor in Sacae. How he had lost the small squad of Sacaens who died trying to save them. He did not want to frighten this child with stories of such brutality.

[Garrit]

Garrit followed closely behind the dragon and the boy ranger. His scarf wrapped around his dao's blade, the former convict made a show that he was not interested in pursuing anything aggressive with either of the men. He could have killed the hunter while he was eating, and maybe the dragon at the same time if he had done it before the man could transform. Maybe he could not do either. Garrit's feet stopped for a moment, why was he thinking that? Neither of these men would think that of him. Neither of them would believe him capable of killing them in cold blood, so why was he assessing his ability to do so? Was this what it was? To be ripped apart by a demon? To be so afraid of your own mortality that you cannot share a meal with the living free of terror?

Garrit spoke up, "I know no predators that would abandon prey they could easily kill. The Isles were harsh." Then the boy was asking about Garrit and Aeos' relationship, and the dragon gave a half truth for an answer. To this, Garrit simply nodded, though neither of them could have possibly seen it. So, in order to create some sort of confirmation, Garrit said, "The skirmish we met in was certainly random happenstance." Skirmish was not the word that Garrit would have used for what had happened. In his opinion, it was nowhere close to a battle. Garrit had been a scared child, behavior suitable only for one half the age of this Gavin. The dragon had not even dared stand in front of the beast, which must stand for something.

[Gavin]

The quiet within the mist could often be unsettling. It was an absolute befuddlement of the senses. That one could have sight cut off, in a place with little sounds; entirely while functioning off back up senses like scent and touch which were the least reliable for discerning directions. Thus the method he used with Astor. Slowly, as time went on they would make it through just fine. However, he was quick to respond after hearing the phrase from the blonde haired soldier.


I know no predators that would abandon prey they could easily kill. The Isles were harsh

Gavin did not turn his gaze, but merely kept an arrow knocked upon his bow and slowly made his way through the sea of trees that were so heavily laden with mist. "I presume you mean the Western Isles? No matter, simply do not employ my suggestion there then. Here however, nature is at its purest. Why waste hours to get a single prey when you could find far easier ones? Nature is seldom to waste things, creatures towards their own efforts and energy are no exception from this. Animals do not find personal investment or grudges as easily as we humans do. Their lives are far busier working to survive the wilds. Especially if they have young to provide for, they can seldom afford to waste time."

There was a pause, before Gavin listed his arm to signal for the others to wait. There was a large old tree towering far higher and above than the others around the forest wood. Gavin walked up to it, slowly running his fingers along the rough bark surface. He distinctly noticed the gash like marks along the center. He recognized these markings. Funny enough that they had been talking about bears. Slowly Gavin lifted his arm out and whistled. A piercing cry of the goshawk guide Astor echoed briefly before the bird came into sight. Large wings buffeted before the bird clutched upon the protected left arm of the young bowman, before the bird adjusted itself before hopping onto the single shoulder pauldron Gavin wore solely to offer as a roost for his companion. Gavin spoke up as he quietly resumed walking forwards. "Speaking of bears...be careful. I know where we are, and won't need Astor to navigate from here...but be alert. The bears in Bern are large, and have tough hides. Most normal weapons won't hurt them much, and your as likely to get it stuck in the skin or on a bone then you are to free it. "

He turned his head to Astor, while soft whistles left the boy's pursed lips. Whistling didn't mean much to people beyond sounds. However his grandfather had helped him train the hawk in rudimentary signals and gestures. The avian titled it's head with the large beaked visage pointing to the left before adjusting quickly to the center. A stalwart guardian holding Vigil as he lead them through the forest.

[Aeos]

"Wow. I hath read that the isles were harsh for humans. But harsher even for thy animals? Thou makes Nabata sound like a paradise."

As they continued on the path through the wilderness. Gavin was being a great guide. There was a scent in the air that caught his attention. It was ironic since young Gavin had just made a comment about bears. Aeos did not know what a bear smelled like, but given Gavin's description of one, if he had to guess, a bear smelled like fur and hide. We'd totally punch a bear. The voice of his stone spoke in his head. It's monotone voice made an effort to sound excited, at the prospect of punching a bear.

The young dragon eyes peered at the nearby trees and claw marks. He knew a little bit about bears from books. Bears were omnivores. He knew bears liked to mark their territory with claw marks, sometimes their fur would get caught on the bark. Aeos continued to quietly follow their guide. He made sure to turn on his senses even further. Aeos pulled his hood up to mask the small speckled scales that stared to coat his ears and the back of his. neck. Granted in order to even notice it one has to be very close to his face. But it was better to be safe then sorry. His tongue grazed over his now more pointy teeth. He decided to stop speaking on order to avoid sounding odd which would give away his appearance. In the far distance he heard something that disturbed him. The sounds of something large and lumbering. The air was too thick with mist for him to make out the scent. But it was very clear to him that something was nearby.

Aeos placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder then lifted his other hand to signal Garrit to stop.

"S-S-S" He stopped to clear his throat. The toned back a bit on his dragon stone to he could speak properly.

"Something large is nearby."

Ooc- it could be a bear, wyvern, monster, or nothing. Yay!

[Garrit]

Garrit's spine stiffened. He did not care for the boy's tone. "You assume we are not the easiest prey. The problem was, the boy's assumption was correct. The assumption was only known to be correct by Aeos and Garrit however. The islander knew not if a bear or another predator was capable of telling the difference between a human and a dragon in mortal form. Garrit's nose was not as perceptive as a beast of the forest, but he could not make out any traces of fire or brimstone when the drake moved or spoke, and highly doubted an animal could pick up a scent that differentiated Gavin and the blonde from the dragon. If that was true, a bear could certainly attack them, and Garrit would certainly survive. He walked behind a beast who tore open the sky. No bear would be the end to him.

While Garrit considered the possibility of an unwelcome visitor from the animal kingdom, Aeos lifted a hand, to signal Garrit to stop. The lancer complied. Gazing around the surrounding woods, Garrit realized too late that there were signs of some sort of predator. He had no chance at hanging a guess as to what type, he had little forest experience under his belt. Instead, Garrit unwrapped the scarf that clung around the blade of his dao. Moving slowly to avoid making any unwanted noise, Garrit waited. The boy knew the forest, and Aeos was a dragon. In this situation, he believed it would be best to defer to the others.

[Gavin]

The boy would have retorted to the "easiest prey" comment..but the black haired man suddenly chimed in. Though Gavin reflexively stiffened as the man's hand touched his shoulder. The boy, frozen in place, could have easily been mistaken for pausing to take in their surroundings. In reality, it was the physical contact. Luckily, subjectively speaking, the sudden crashing sound of heavy footfalls dragged their attention away; at-least it should have done so. His eyes narrowed, and Gavin tried to gauge it. It would be an ironic streak of which they ran into a bear...wouldn't it? It was heavy enough to sound like it...until Gavin picked it up. It was faint, but he knew the smell well. Metallic. Blood. He closed his eyes, knowing they wouldn't do him any good in the mist. He tried to fixate on the sounds better. Crashing..then a faint dragging sound. Then crashing..and dragging again. Something with a tail? He didn't know of anything native to the forests that had such a heavy, or long, tail.

Gavin slowly began to draw the butt of the arrow further back, crouching his knees as he waited. He opened his eyes, until the towering silhouette began to make itself known through the thick fog. Twigs and even small logs seemed to groan and sanp under the weight of this monstrosity. Before the trio, a colossal wyvern began to come into view. It had scales that rather effectively matched the deadened brown leaves, though a tad closer to copper in hue maybe. Though as the creature walked, it had a limp in its step, and one wing actually dragging along the ground at its side where the other was retracted naturally. The lengthy wing joint had thick stains of blood running along it, and there were long gashed wounds running along its leg as if the meat had been carved away at points. The large beasts off-step limp continued to supply the out of time dragging and crunching noises as it slowly approached the three. The creature gazed at them through half open murky eyes.

Gavin had only ever encountered wyverns a handful of times in his life. Never had he seen one wounded before. Nor would he have imagined meeting one so wounded as this one. The wyvern growled at them..but less in a hostile aggression and simply that of a confused, hurt animal. Gavin's fingers did not relent from the arrow knocked onto his bow; instead slowly creeping backwards to show no definitive aggression and hopefully calm the wounded creature. Gavin spoke up quietly as he crept backwards. "Its hurt but...I don't think it means to hunt us...give it space.."

[Aeos]

From the misty woods a large creature emerged. A battered copper hued wyvern emerged into their view. Aeos could smell blood coming off of the creature and faint traces of metal. The poor creature had been in a particularly gruesome battle and barely managed to squirm away from it with it's life. Aeos couldn't stop staring. His eyes fixated on it's wing. The broken and bleeding wing. The object that now crippled the wyvern to a life on the ground provided if it survived. He wasn't quite sure why but he felt hot. He felt his hand form into fists. Part of him wished to end the creature's pain, another part of him wished to challenge it, the other tried to force himself to back away. While the wyvern growled at them Aeos simply stood there. The inner voice of his stone spoke in his mind. Lets.. go. Lets get him! Let's END HIM!

Aeos felt a pain in his head. He could feel it, the dragon side of him trying to emerge. He focused his will power into channeling it back. He felt himself taking a few steps back. Following Gavin's orders. Give it space... Give it space.. give me space..He felt his hands shaking. He kept walking back until he hit a tree behind him. The pain in his head started to intensify. But he could keep himself contained provided the wounded wyvern didn't do anything hostile. He put his hand onto the tree in order to keep himself balanced.

[Garrit]

Garrit stood at attention as a great scaled beast lurched into view. It looked wounded. Garrit's response to seeing a wounded animal was to kill it. The beast was either in pain so deep that it would die, and it was cruel to leave it to suffer. Or, the beast would be more aggressive than it had been when healthy, deciding to kill any threats as quickly as possible to avoid further injury. The wyvern looked like its issue was the former, but it could easily believe it should attack the three. Garrit had a destiny with the dark armored demon, he could not be killed by some winged snake in the forest of Bern.

The other two both seemed to want to give no reaction, and Garrit would follow. He did not doubt that if the beast attacked, it would go for the young archer. He was the easiest prey. The islander did not move to attack the beast, but he also didn't remain in a casual pose. Garrit was not willing to die for two strangers who didn't know how to treat a wounded animal. The islander positioned his scarf just below the base of his dao's blade. Let the wyvern come if it wanted, Garrit could not guess at its intentions truthfully. That was something best left up to the young man of the forest. Instead, he would simply stand and wait, resolute in the path of this foul lizard. Moving his hands to better position, he was more resolved.

[Gavin]

Gavin intended to bypass the wounded wyvern entirely. Though the creature had stopped to eye them up, the slow tilt of his head as it watched them before it tried to slowly drag itself to the side tugged at Gavin in a way he seldom felt. The creature's wing was simply..gone. The broken slant to it, and the profuse bleeding that it suffered. It was no different from a bird that had a broken wing. Gavin realized that the creature had to have been tired, because it kept drawing attention to them with its gaze as if trying to assess if they would be a threat enough to effect it should it lay down. That, and it didn't try to contentiously move past them. Simply moved a bit, stopped, and then gazed at them some more.

Was it the pathetic nature of the beast? The knowledge that this was a creature that symbolized Bern. A creature that represented the vary nation they stood within, proud and dangerous, broken and helpless before them? It pulled at his heart in a way seldom seen. He'd killed countless game within the woods sure. This though. It just felt...different. Rare. He wasn't sure that he could keep guiding these others, knowing that this thing was out here in pain, and bleeding out. What could he say? He wasn't made of stone. Few people were. Especially at his age. Gavin outstretched his hand, indicating for them to halt. The boy sighed, and lifted his outstretched arm. Whistling in a slightly distinct tone, Gavin called for Astor. The hawk flew down to them before landing on Gavin's arm like a perch. He then shuffled with his wings fluttering before adjusting onto Gavin's shoulder pauldron. The hawks talons could firmly grip into the leather armor without causing much damage. As the boy turned his gaze to the wyvern, he took slow steps towards it quietly. What he did was dangerous...if he did not do it properly that was. It was a misconception to assume all injured animals were dangerous. Some were too tired. If you didn't present yourself as an immediate threat they simply couldn't muster the energy to fight you.

Gavin saw the wyvern hesitate. The boy outstretched his palms slowly. Not close enough that he could be struck at, but to show that he harbored no ill will. The soft gust of air that he felt as the wyvern snorted and rolled over gave him confirmation at-least that it understood that. It was here that Gavin saw the depths of this creatures wounds. A broken object lingered in it's underbelly. A spear of some sort. Crimson along its entire length. He could guess about..half a foot at best was left.

Gavin shook his head as he felt empathy well up. He lifted his hand and pressed it to the scaled hide of the beast. The creatures breathing was labored, and it sharply shifted its head to gaze at him in the brief moment he touched it. The boy froze, but lightly ran his fingers along its plated body. The wyvern let its head flop down as if it was trying to rest. Gavin spoke quietly while he shook his head again. "No...I suppose I wouldn't rest well with this type of wound either.." He walked around behind the creature. Leaves crunched quietly under each step while he made his way to the neck. Fingers stroked at it quietly. At this point the wyvern was too far mixed into the lull of lingering sleep and pain from its wounds to actually notice him, he suspected. Fingers pressed into the skin gently, feeling patches where the scales were softer and the body not as sturdy. Until he found it. Near the base of the neck on the back. This was something his grandfather had taught him early on. Sure..Gavin wasn't the best at killing moving creatures that could endanger him- atleast in a single strike. A weakened wyvern...that gave him the perfect shot to put it to rest? That he could do.

His fingers grazed the the top of the wyverns head one last time however. Brushing it gently before he lifted his hand to retract an arrow from the quiver. The well maintained arrowhead rested with the tip mere inches from the wyverns neck, under the skull where the scales were lacking and simply a soft leathery hide lingered. The boy drew the arrow quietly. His gaze did not flinch, and did not waver. Astor still sat upon his left shoulder, even as he drew the bow to the farthest that he could; wrist tense and fingers white from the pressure while he inhaled quietly. He muttered a single soft phrase before hand..

"Rest now. Find peace."

His fingers slipped off the string, and there was a quiet thunk as the arrow sank up to the feathers into the beasts head, killing it instantly. The wings and body spasmed partially, once, before going slack entirely. Gavin placed his hand on the creatures side while trying to suppress the swirling tide of nausea and unease behind the deed. He hid it well enough; but no matter how much he told himself this sort of deed was the humane path..it still didn't feel that way. He'd gotten used to it with small animals like rabbits and birds and foxes; but something so large and full of life like a wyvern? It just..felt off. Despite this, he tried to shake it from his thoughts. He still had a duo to escort. Quietly he stepped away and spoke as he walked away, quietly stroking Astor's head in a subconscious attempt to comfort himself. "Let's go. I at-least know where I am going from here..so we are close. "

[Aeos]

Aeos watched as Gavin drew his bow and put an end to the wyvern. It's for the best. The young dragon thought to himself as he still tried to get a handle over his emotions. He closed his eyes and continued to rest by the tree. He had to remind himself that the immediate danger had passed. He did not have a need to tap into the rest of his dragon stone's powers. But the urge to shift into his dragon side was clawing away in the back of his mind. Something about the wyven.. and it's state.. did not sit well with him.

He was used to seeing the corpses of dead animals. It was pretty common in Nabata. Animals died.. they got eaten by other animals.. and eventually returned to the earth. That was the cycle of things. Even when the family needed to sacrifice a farm animal for the cook pot, he was there to help aid in the butchering. Although both his parents would offer prayers to the heavens for the departed animal. But still it was something had he had grown used to seeing. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Wyverns are dragon like. Perhaps even related to dragons.. in the same manner that lizards were related to snakes.

"I commend thee for putting an end to the creature's suffering." He spoke softly. His gaze was focused onto the floor. It's corpse will feed the forest for months.

Or perhaps it was the fact that a creature like the wyvern had been injured to the point where death was mercy. Injured by human hands... at least he assumed it was by humans. The scars and battle wounds on the wyvern told him as much. He shook his head again. Snap out of it.. These thoughts would have to wait till later. They needed to continue.

"Just a bit further right?" He regained some of his composure and pulled himself away from the tree.

[Garrit]

The boy handled the situation with a shocking ease, and a shocking calm. Garrit felt goose pimples cover his arms and his legs as the boy walked within the striking range of the wyvern's jaws. The Islander watched in awe as he soothed the animal, as he calmed the beast to the point that he could touch it. It was odd to say the least, seeing a proud animal of the sky, grounded by its wounds, allowing itself to be handled by such a small thing. Garrit averted his eyes at the last second before the arrow flew. He heard the wyvern's body rustle the leaves with its last movement, then shifted his gaze back to the dead animal. A mercy to put it down like that.

The boy led on, telling them that now he knew the way, and now it would not be long. The blonde was happy to hear that, he had little interest in remaining in this forest any longer. There was a grand duty, waiting for him in Lycia if any story was to be believed, and he needed to put this forest behind him. He wondered at the thought that maybe, just maybe, he could convince the dragon to come along with him. The demon had shamed them both, and with this black haired creature, Garrit would stand a far greater chance trying to bring it down. He perked his head up, "Aye, I would also like to know. How far is it now young hunter?"