Hideout

[Gia Rilan]

Gia let out a soft growl as she watched the moonlight strengthen as the night progressed. She had her wolf side under control, and could keep it so, but was getting a little bad tempered in the process. Gia tapped her fingers irratabily against the stock of her bow, waiting for the morning light when she could calm down.

Slowly, slowly, the moonlight faded and waned, retreating from the door opening. Gia finally moved, rolling her shoulders and blinking to return her gaze to normal. She snarled quietly out the door at the sinking moon, its power almost all gone from her. She stood and stretched, looking over at Mavarion.

"Mavarion?" She asked, not too sure how to try and wake him up. Gia reached down into her pack and pulled out a piece of dried meat. She frowned slightly. Her store ws running out. Well, it'll give me an excuse to hunt down something when we head out to wherever we go. This thought mde her happy and she smiled a little.

[Mavarion]

Mavarion lay staring at the stone ceiling. He had been awake for several minutes, ever since the final barrier in the room below the crypt had fallen. The demon had been correct, it seemed.

Now the decision lay in whether to go to his new-found progeny, or to continue with his current search, to be sure his goddess would remain alive. It wasn't much of a decision.

Since she had come to him the last time, he could feel a connection to her, more than anything he had ever felt before. He knew her strength was waning, and he knew he needed to bolster that strength before it was all gone. His successor could wait. Mavarion had been waiting many years to find the man, but a few more days would make little difference.

"Mavarion?"

He blinked out of his reverie, lifting his head slightly to look over his body towards the girl. He smiled slightly to let her know he was awake and not upset that she had 'woken' him, then let his head settle back down. He continued to lie there for a few more moments, sorting his plans for the day and listening to Gia's slight rustling of movement. After those moments, he sat up and reached into the small pack he kept with him and pulled out a small lump of cheese and a heel of bread.

"Good morning, Gia. The evening was uneventful, I take it?"

As he spoke, he offered her some of the bread and cheese with a smile.

"If you'd like to take a short nap to rest up, feel free. I'll keep an eye on things for you. Then we should be going."

[Gia Rilan]

"No, we can go ahead and head out. I'm still fine from my nap earlier." Gia declined his bread and cheese with a slight shake of her head. "I had some dried meat earlier, too. I'm fine, ready to leave whenever you are."

Gia stood, stretching slightly, loosening her tight muscles. She leaned down and slipped on her pack and picked up her bow, slinging her quiver over her other shoulder.

She froze as she felt the wolf stir. Gia could sometimes 'hear' what the wolf was thinking. And this was one of those times. You're going on a trip. The wolf 'said' to her. Gia shook her head a little, trying to not let Mavarion see.

I know you are, human-sister. And you need me. Let me come--I won't bite. Gia could hear the wolf snarling slightly in her version of laughter. Much.

"Get out of it," Gia muttered to the wolf. Thinking her response didn't work; the wolf just ignored her.

But you need me. A journey calls for a canine companion, and I am that for you. Gia growled softly. "If I need a canine companion, I'll get a dog." That was an insult to the wolf and the lupine creature backed away, though she was still ready to come to Gia at a moments call. "Shall we head out, Mav?"

[Mavarion]

Mavarion shrugged as she refused the bread and cheese, although he had thought she might. He began eating, watching his new companion, and the unconscious form of the other.

He continued to eat until he realized that Gia was standing stiff in the corner, murmuring quietly to herself. He continued to eat, until she turned to him and suggested they go.

He nodded, finishing off the last bit of cheese and bread and standing. He stretched himself for a few moments, working sore old bones and joints, as well as stiff muscles. He usually did exercises to keep himself in shape, but this morning there could be no more delays.

Mavarion turned towards the unconscious fellow on the ground, then looked at Gia.

"He'll have to remain here, for the time being. It's unfortunate, but I cannot delay much longer. Let's go."

He turned and strode out of the building without even looking for a nod of agreement. He felt it might be time to test a little, see how much she would take. He headed, straight as an arrow, towards the ruins of the temple that could be seen in the distance. The walk would take an hour, and he hoped his companion wouldn't talk to much.

He doubted that hope would come to pass.

[Gia Rilan]

Gia nodded as he talked of leaving the other man. They couldn't wait forever (wherever they were headed) to leave, and Mavarion was already walking out of the dilapidated building with a purpose to his stride. She trotted to catch up after him, beating her wolf into total submission as they emerged into the post-dawn light.

She followed Mavarion at his heel as he walked, scanning the ground ahead of her for a sign of where they were going, and found little except for some unidentifiable buildings. She wasn't the best at naming places by their looks, and she was biting back the obvious 'where are we going?' question. She hated asking that, but she also hated not knowing.

The young werewolf walked easily beside Mavarion despite the brisk pace. She wondered if he was testing her, and felt that it was important that she passed this test, if indeed it was one. She wondered if she should be wary of danger and started scenting quietly, hoping that he wouldn't hear her. She didn't smell anything off, and relaxed a little.

'I cannot delay much longer...' What did Mav mean by that? Gia could sense that he meant something was pressing with time, but she had no idea as to what it was. If it was something to do with a power, she could relate. She could fell the wolf, even as supressed as she was, looking at her with slightly accusatory eyes. She couldn't wait much longer either. Gia sighed softly.

Gia looked over at Mavarion. He looked... purposeful, to say the least. Determined? Anxious? She couldn't tell the exact expression. She turned her gaze back to the way they were walking. It felt like they were on a hunt, a hunt for something lost and gone but not quite, quiet but not silent. Like a deer. Only, Gia knew that they weren't on the hunt for something so simple.

She finally couldn't stand it anymore, and asked the hated question. "Mavarion?" Gia asked, projecting her voice so he could hear her. "Mav, where are we going?" She gritted her teeth. She hated asking that. But, Gia thought, it was a nessecary question.

[Mavarion]

They walked for a few minutes in silence. Mavarion continued with his long strides, moving as quickly as his aging body could without causing undo pain and agony. It was still a fairly quick pace, for one of his stature.

After the minutes passed, the expected question came from the girl.

"Mav, where are we going?"

Mav pointed towards the larger ruins of the temple ahead of them. "I'm going there, Gia. There is something I must do within."

His pace slowed a moment as he turned to consider her.

"I'm sure that as young as you are, you should be able to meet me there after taking a slight detour. Why don't you go hunt something?"

Mavarion smirked inwardly at the loaded question, though nothing showed on his face. He wanted to see how she handled this.

[Gia Rilan]

He knows he knows he knows he knows he knows... Gia nodded slightly. She tried to keep the panic from her face. "I'll just take my bow and shoot something." A slight emphasis on the words 'bow' and 'shoot', and she turned and walked swiftly away. She broke into a loping run after she turned a corner, and carried on until she reached the outskirts of the city. It would be a longer trip for a human, but Gia was not.

She slowed to a walk and hid in the shadow of a crumbling building, slipping her pack off and leaving her bow beside it. It was in the shadows, and she didn't think that anyone would steal it. Ths place didn't smell the least bit like humans.

Gia went ahead and shifted into her wolf form gracefully. It had been painful in the first few years of her lycan existance, but not it just felt natural, like slipping into a cool stream on a hot day. Her clothes just melded to her body, disappearing. Her vision shifted slightly, and she became even more aware of the surroundings through hearing and scent.

She walked slowly from the shadows as a russet-brown wolf, larger than a normal wolf, and with a keeness in her eyes not like a regular wolf. She could not smell any humans, and lept into a joyful run, feeling the grass beneath her paws and hearing the river to her left.

She ran for a while, just for the pleasure of it, then slowed and started to scent for prey. A rabbit caught her attention, but she bypassed it for something larger, something more satisfying. A deer... hmm, that had potential. Heavy to drag back to where she had left her things, and annoying to deal with when preparing the meat for travel, but... satisfying. And suddenly, a whiff of tantalizing deer-musk blew directly into her nose.

Gia snarled slightly, and set out with her ground eating loping run towards the deer. There was a small group of them, and Gia snuck close silently. She would drive them towards the river. They wouldn't be stupid enough to dive into it; the river was wild and raging. Ga knew how to navigate rivers in the lupine body, but the deer wouldn't. She would eat well.

Gia had snuck close enough to the deer by this time, and launched herself like an arrow from a bow at the unsuspecting creatures. Well, I did tell Mav that I would be shooting for food. I just didn't mention the type of shooting. Even if I did say something about a bow. The startled deer bolted, straight at the river, and Gia pounded after them, feeling adreneline flood her veins.

The deer bounded down a steep slope, and, instead of trying to check her pace, Gia just slid down the hill. If she had been more in control, she might have noticed that the hill was muddy. If she ahd been more in control, she might have paused to wonder why this was so. As it was...

The bank had collapsed. Gia skidded, trying to stop, turn, anything to get away from the river. Yes, she could navigate rivers as a wolf, but she didn't enjoy getting soaked to the bone, and also hadn't fully realized how strong the river actually was. Just as she was managing to stop, the flit of a white tail caught her eye and, without thinking, she bolted after the deer along the crumbling riverbank.

The deer slipped and fell into the water, while the rest leaped up the muddy slope. Gia snarled at their backs. She knew that she wouldn't catch them. her eyes turned on the frenzied animal in the water, which was getting tugged along by the current. She was about to cut her losses and head back, maybe snapping up a rabbit on the way to her things, when the bank fell beneath her as well.

She splashed into the water, bobbing to the surface in a torrent of bubbles, gasping for air. Gia looked frantically around as the current dragged her away from the tratorius bank. She spotted a protruding tree limb right before it hit her over the head, and, trusting herself and her power, launched herself out of the water by kicking off a handy rock. Her teeth snapped onto the tree limb, and held fast. She hooked her front paws up and over the limbe, which wasn't too wet, and shifted into her human body, holding tightly with her hands onto the limb, her feet getting splashed by the water.

She edged along until she could feel firm ground beneath her, and then dropped down, panting heavily. She had some rather deep cuts on her forearms from being banged into rocks, and around her lower back as well. Also, there were a few bruises that would hurt before they healed.

Gia sighed, and shifted back into her wolf form, shaking gingerly to dry off. She hadn't been dragged too far by the river, and would still have to climb up the embankment. She set to it, albiet wearily. A sudden dunking has that effect on a person, even a werewolf.

She did manage to snap up a rabbit on the way back, carrying it in her jawa while she made her way to the shadow behind the building. When she reached her bow and pack she went human again, picking up her things, which, mercifully, hadn't been stolen. She winced as she set off to the temple, walking slowly. Her wounds would heal, but they would take a few hours.

She reached the temple a little while later. The building with the shadow hadn't been too far away from it. Gia was carrying the rabbit by the ears, and she sat down near enough to the temple that she could see the door, but not directly on the temple grounds proper. With the rabbit, she merely set it down. She'd find Mavarion before she did anything with it.

[Mavarion]

Mavarion watched her as she went, a small smirk on his face. He wasn't quite sure what he'd be able to use her for, but she seemed to unthinkingly follow many of the things he said. He continued to walk as he thought about the young werewolf, plans formulated and discarded in his head. After a time, he settled on one with a satisfied nod.

It took Mavarion the better part of an hour to reach the temple, and when he arrived, there was no sign yet of Gia. It didn't bother or surprise him much, since taking a side trip to hunt would likely take her at least a little longer. Part of his plan to send her for food was so that he could begin to prepare things.

Mavarion stood staring at the large structure in front of him. Still mostly intact, and seemingly quite sturdy, the building was nearly three stories high, two hundred feet wide, and nearly four times that in length. The entrance consisted of stairs leading up to the pillar floor, which had two massive pillars along each side to hold the roof up. The entrance was ten feet in height and six feet wide, leading into a blackness uninterrupted by any light except for that which fell through the doorway.

Pausing at the doorway long enough to create the ball of light floating above his shoulder, Mavarion stepped within the confines of the temple. Dust and bits of debris reigned in the area he could see, covering the floor and the rows of benches revealed by the light. The small footprints of animals tracked through the dust, but there was no sign of humans.

Mavarion nodded to himself, satisfied, then looked up into the darkness. The light at his shoulder just revealed what would have been a balcony ringing the entire main floor, which would allow any who wished to see whatever congregations were held here. When he looked to either side, he could make out entrances in the wall that contained stairs leading up to the balcony.

Once he had gained a preliminary understanding of the layout of the temple, he began walking up one of the three rows left empty for people to make their way to the front of the temple. On each side of these walkways were row upon row of benches, from one wall to the other, with another walkway nearest the wall. The light revealed five rows of benches before the walls could be seen, more a dim shape than anything else in the weak light.

Mavarion strode confidently up the middle walkway. He had no idea what this temple had been used for before he had arrived, but he knew his own intentions in its use. When he reached the back of the temple, he saw much of what he had expected to. A large pulpit and several statues, glinting with bits of what might have been gold gilding, sat on a three foot high raised dais. The dais took up the entire back wall of the temple, two hundred feet wide and fifty feet long. A piece of rectangular stone about seven feet in length, four feet wide and three feet tall was centered on a small indentation in the back wall. The indentation was two feet deep and ten feet wide, with five feet of space between the back of the indentation and the rectangular stone. A severely damaged candelabra was the only thing on the stone, and likely this was where incense and candles were burned, and minor sacrifices were made.

Mavarion smirked as he thought of the purpose for which he would used this place. It was nearly perfect, as if he had designed it himself. This would suit his purposes very well. His deep throated chuckle echoed in the darkness.

Very well indeed. It was time to go check on his companion, and he began making his way back outside. When he arrived outside, she was seated on the ground a short distance away, a rabbit in her hand.

He approached her, certain she would notice him before he needed to say anything. Mavarion made his face into the most pleasant expression he could, something very close to being genuinely pleased. No sense scaring the poor girl away before he needed her.

[Gia Rilan]

Gia was in a bad mood. She was cold because her hair was wet, she hadn't caught her deer, and had gotten an unexpected dunking in a raging river. She knew that she hadn't fallen into the one of the most dangerous points in the river, but it had been enough to drain her of strength. She was also annoyed because she had gotten cut up a little and bruised, and all she had managed to catch was a measly rabbit.

She pulled out a small bit of dirty fabric from her pack and scowled at it. Of course she would have run out of any and all clean fabric except for a changes of clothes, which, she figured she might as well change into soon. A light breeze was taking the warmth from her body through her wet clothing. She turned her attention back to the fabric in her hand and began to dab at the cuts on her arm.

"Stupid deer, stupid wolf--yes you, bitch--making me fall into that damned river..." Gia muttered as she attened to her cuts. They were already healing somewhat, but clearing the blood was always a good thing to do as well. "I shouldn't have gone in the first place, but I needed to clear my head. Mav knows, he know, of course he does, you idiot," she said, addressing the wolf. "How can he not? It's really quite ovious when you look for it, wouldn't you think? Damn it, why did I have to chase that stupid deer..."

She was in the process of wringing out her brown hair (or trying to; the thick hair held onto water well) when she spotted Mavarion. Actually, she scented him before she saw him, and flicked her head up, stilling her muttered curses. She stood gingerly, but she wasn't stiff from her abraisions. She nodded to Mav and walked a few paces to meet him. "Hello, Mav. I only managed to catch a rabbit. I would have caught a deer, but the pathetic creature went straight into the river." And so did I. But she didn't say that. He'd probably guess anyway, from Gia's wet hair and damp clothing.

And annoyed demeanor. She knew better than to stand on a crumbling edge of a fast river. She knew better, and yet she had done so anyway. Stupid, stupid stupid... Gia grumbled to herself.

[Mavarion]

Mavarion was thoroughly enjoying the little game he was playing with Gia. He listened as she told her story, commiserating when it seemed she needed it, giving just a touch of sympathy. It looked odd on him, but he hadn't yet completely forgotten human emotion and need. Even in a werewolf. And especially when it suited his own needs.

His ears heard the unintentional words she used, but he didn't even bat an eyelid. Catch a rabbit ... caught a deer ... Most hunters would have used the word shoot or shot to describe those actions. Mavarion reached out to pat Gia's shoulder, then thought better of it and turned it into a point into the sky.

"It's getting to be near enough to noon for us to light a fire and cook that thing," he said, indicating the rabbit. "It'll help you get dry too. Did you follow the deer into the river, or get caught in a sudden downpour?" He glanced up at the sky suspiciously, noting the few clouds. "You should get out of those clothes too. Well, come on. Let's get you in out of the wind and into a more comfortable spot."

Without waiting for a reply, Mavarion turned on his heel and marched back towards the temple. He didn't want her inside quite yet, so he pointed to a spot to the left of the entrance, where an alcove in the wall was. It looked like a good place to get out of the wind, as well as keep a nice fire going.

"I'll be inside, cleaning the place up a bit. Let me know when the food is ready, and I'll come join you for a small bite. Then we have quite a bit of work to do."

Mavarion smiled slightly, then turned and began headed back towards the temple entrance.

[Gia Rilan]

Gia growled again, even more peeved at herself. She walked back the little ways to the alcove in the wall and began to build a fire. She spitted the rabbit with a little too much force and growled again, not really caring if Mavarion noticed or not. He probably did, and she figured that he'd know eventually anyway. She just wouldn't go out of her way to hide her... affliction.

Gia lit the fire with a spark from two stones banged together. Not the most effective way to start a fire, but surprisingly enough, it worked. She looked on in surprise as her small fire caught, crackling merrily as she fed it more wood. At least I can do something right... She thought with a scowl.

She skinned the rabbit as the fire strengthened. She sighed with regret that she didn't have time enough to tan the hide--Gia hated waste. She also didn't have enough time to dry some of the meat, though she doubted that there would be any left after she was done with the small animal.

She stuck the rabbit over the fire, temper easing slightly as she smelled the cooking meat. Actually, if Mavarion hadn't suggested it, she would have just eaten the thing raw, but cooking it was nice too. As the rabbit was heating over the fire, she stood and sniffed around for something to put on it. A whiff of bay caught her sensitive nose and she gladly headed in that direction. She took the rabbit off of the fire and let it rest against the wall she had been leaning against.

Her path took her in the way of the temple, but she refrained her curiosity from looking inside as she sniffed out another small furry creature. Another rabbit. She could use one, and instantly fell into the crouched pose of the stalking hunter. Mavarion was put out of her mind as she followed the tantalizing scent. Gia was hungry, and one rabbit could not sate it all. And anyway, so what if he saw her? Humans could sneak up on small creatures for food, even if they didn't usually with a lupine snarl on their face, and a glint of feral light in their eyes as they did so.

The scent led her to a large rock, fully in sight of the temple entrance but Gia wasn't concerned with that. She almost hit the rock, but stopped just in time as her gaze was drawn to a rabbit-sized tunnel entrance in the dirt at the base of the rock.

Well, there wasn't any help for it then. She'd just have to take on one of the smaller forms of the wolf, slender and strong and dig for the rabbits. Anyone watching would have just seen her morph smoothly into a smallish russet-brown wolf, but again, Gia didn't care if anyone saw. This form wasn't the largest of most fearsome she could get--it was just what she though of for digging up some tasty rabbit. She was hungry, and she eagerly started digging at the base of the rock.

[Mavarion]

Mavarion didn't notice anything. By the time Gia began digging at the rock, he was back inside. It was just after noon, and he still had several hours to prepare. He could take his time, and be sure that everything was just so.

He began by quickly dusting and sweeping the immediate areas of use: the dais. Using a large branch that still had some of its needles on it, he cleared the area of dirt and debris as best he good. The work invigorated him, though his muscles and joints hurt from not being used to the labor. With that out of the way, he began arranging specific pieces. The pulpit, a four foot tall piece of stone with a flat top and the interior hollowed out into three shelves, needed to be moved towards what he was already thinking of as his altar. After a few nearly useless attempts at pushing the piece himself, he gave it up and decided he would get Gia to help him, when there was nearly nothing else to do.

Mavarion used a damp cloth to clean the top of the altar, and moved the candelabra onto a shelf on the wall so that when the time came, he wouldn't need to use his magical light. He glanced around for something else to use for light, and discovered two torches down the left hand wall. He quickly went and grabbed them, bringing them back and settling them into the torch brackets he found on the side walls of the little alcove.

A smirk played across his face as he wondered why anyone would need so much light in this little alcove. Perhaps the temple had been used for similar deeds as what he intended for it.

With that done, Mavarion's stomach rumbled, and he decided it was time for a rest and a little food, if Gia would share some of the rabbit with him. He still had some cheese and bread, but the rabbit would help keep his strength up.

Mavarion made his way outside, stopping just outside the doorway.

[Gia Rilan]

Gia had finally caught her rabbit, three in fact, and was by that point back beside her fire, happily roasting the small skinned creatures over the fire. In hindsight, with her hunger sated by the first rabbit and one of the others (which she'd eaten raw), she knew that what she had done was a very bad idea. So again, Gia was rather angry at herself. She pushed that to the side as she watched the sun start to fall.

It would be twilight soon. The wolf had abated along with Gia's hunger, and she knew that she'd be able to hold the beast in check tonight. She wondered when Mav was going to come back around, and also how much rabbit she should save for him. She felt a little guilty about eating the first one, becuase the wolf thought that pack mates must be fed first, but she shoved thtat to the back of her mind as she watched the doorway of the temple.

She grimaced as she saw the large mound of dirt in plain sight of the temple doorway, when it clearly hadn't been there before. She wasn't really worried about retribution from whatever god or goddess this temple was dedicated to, but the large pile of dirt was rather unsightly. She decided against shoving it back down, and turned her attention away from it.

The shadows crept across the ground as she waited. The other two rabbits were now just keeping warm beside the fire pit, and Gia was debating about what to do with the pelts. If she had more time she would tan them for hides that she could later make into an artical of clothing or something, like the collar of a coat. She could do with a new coat. Or gloves. Gia sighed. She could do anything with them until she knew that they'd be staying somewhere for a little while, and she didn't know that yet.

When Mavarion came back, she'd ask. Gia sighed again. Again with the annoying questions...

[Mavarion]

Mavarion paused outside the doorway, mostly because of the new mound of freshly dug dirt by a rather large rock not too far from the entrance. With a slight shrug, he turned and headed towards the smell of rabbit and the young werewolf woman.

Letting himself down slowly, he sat cross-legged across the fire from Gia. He noticed the extra rabbit on a spit, before his black, pupil-less eyes fixed on the four pelts. With nothing more than a nod and a raised eyebrow, Mavarion looked to Gia.

"Do you mind if I have one of those? It'll go well with a little bread and cheese."

He reached into his volumnous robes and brought forth another small bit of bread and a little cheese. He set it on a cloth that he pulled from another pocket, then placed the canteen of water he pulled from yet a third pocket next to the laid out cloth.

He smiled up at Gia, waiting for an answer.

[Gia Rilan]

"Please, go right ahead." Gia still felt a little bad about eating the first two rabbits, but she still wanted that deer. Not tonight... sadly. Gia beat back her thoughts of a chase and returned to the present. She took one of the still warm from the fire rabbits and offered it to Mav.

She was quiet for a few minutes, then dug out her spare bowstring and began to rub a lump of beeswax along it, if only for something to do. Gia had a question, but she knew that it was another one of those annoying questions and she didn't want to ask. She eventually did anyway, because she was just curious that way.

"Mav?" She asked. "How long are we staying here?" If it was to be a longer period of time, she could see if she could catch one of those deer... get a decent fill of meat rather than just scrawny rabbits.

She didn't realize (as she usually did), when the wolf was present in her mind. Gia's eyes were glazing over and adopting the type of glinting reflection of light that an animals' did. She was consumed with the thoughts of finally chasing down that deer... or something larger? No, she hadn't seen traces of any other large animals on her run across the plains south of the city.

Still, though... Gia hauled her racing thoughts again back to the present. And she had thought that the wolf had been sated. Her eyes were still glinting that eerie, luminous glow, though.