Thar Shaddin

Rhynaura sighed lightly as they made their way downstairs. Her pale eyes scanned the room as she padded to sit by Kaevad, purposely remaining slightly distant from him. The first sign of discomfort between two people. A few murmurs went back and forth between men at this, but they were somewhat smarter without ale and liquor in their systems.

The man that approached them, Rhyn ignored, even as she listened to the exchange. She wanted to be unapproachable, regardless of whether Kaevad was by her side or not. She ate silently, keeping her eyes to her plate, though her ears swiveled, obviously on guard.

"It is possible, and it is true. More interestingly enough is that they are less than a day's journey." Kaevad's voice was easy-going and amused, though he hadn't missed the looks. His eyes darkened at one particularly brazen individual. "My women and I will show you to them, once we have eaten. Go prepare those who wish to go and meet us at the town line. We will be there in roughly an hour's time." Then man nodded and left, shouting as he went. Others followed hastily - they had news to spread and barely enough time to do it.

"That will give us plenty of time to eat and get there." Kaevad rumbled patiently before looking back at the two. "You sure you're comfortable with this?"

“It’s better than constantly having to watch our backs for something that may or may not happen. I don’t trust these men, and I’d rather not trust them with both of you around, even if that means going back to bitch-land.” Shaking her head, Soneya added hastily: “Well that wasn’t fair. They weren’t all that bad. Some of them were actually really nice. There are just a handful of them who ruin it for everyone else.”

When they arrived at the townline, Soneya was surprised by the sheer number of men who were ready to accompany them to the other village. “Are they planning on migrating the whole village?” Soneya muttered under her breath so that nobody other than Rhyn and Kaevad could overhear it. It was an odd sight to say the least and it went to show how desperate these men really were. Eager didn’t cut it anymore. Sooner or later, Soneya really wanted to find out why there were only males in this place. It was just too odd. But now was not the time for such queries, it would certainly only ask for trouble.

She let Kaevad take the lead in talking to the men, not wanting to attract any more attention, not wanting to have them stare at her. The trip to the village took them quite a while but it still seemed shorter than Soneya remembered it to be, but maybe that was due to their little side-trip to the cave. This should definitely be an interesting encounter. All the while, the questions about the village never ceased and at some point, Soneya stopped paying attention the more the questions drifted off towards cruder topics. The closer they got to the village, the more the men were bristling with anticipation and suppressed need, it was horrible how intense the atmosphere became. The girl hoped it would all end well; otherwise they would create utter chaos with their action.

In her silent manner, Rhyn stayed close to Kaevad, but at the same time, stood a little farther from him than Soneya. She was separate. Because of this, the men tended to get a little closer to her, and despite her annoyance, she did not step closer. One of those that was younger got a little too close, brushing against her cloak as they walked, and was rewarded with a hiss, snarling canines in his sights and a swipe of her hand smacking him across the head. She kept her claws carefully sheathed for now.

Knowing that they were being led towards women seemed to calm the men some. They didn't force their company towards either of the two women they walked with. As they neared the village, Rhyn couldn't take the sheer numbers of people they were walking with anymore. She looked at Kaevad and Soneya. "I go ahead. Too many people here." Her fur was ruffled, and she started off at a lope before either of them could speak. Her ears were flat with displeasure. Why did you start traveling with them to begin with? Oh right, nothing better to do. Not like you have a dying man's request to finish. She growled as she slid to four legs and ran faster.

It didn't take her very long to reach the village they had been at so recently. The women gathered at her call. Her voice was hoarse as she warned them and informed them of the coming excess of men that they were bringing. It was swift, the reaction of joy and trepidation. They started preparing a party.

He watched her go, eyes distant. He could understand why she was upset but this... this hinted at something more akin to... impatience. Did she have something on her agenda? "We may be saying goodbye to Rhyn sooner than we anticipated." Kaevad murmured, more to himself than anyone else, though his words were sad. He cared for the mountain lion - she reminded him of his mother. Mother was a little warmer, though he suspected if his mother had been raised in the same manner, she would have been just as set in her ways.

The women, it seemed, were expecting them as they entered the village. Many of them that had been fawning over Keavad now melted into the crowd of men who eagerly chatted them up, many wide-eyed in awe and delight. Snagging Soneya he carefully dragged her out of the area, watching as they all wandered into town, his eyes twinkling. "I don't think we'll have any more issues with them, what do you think?"

Soneya heard Kaevad’s words and her thoughts had been following a similar train but she didn’t comment. She wasn’t sure she had been meant to hear them so she preferred to keep silent. But sooner rather than later, they really would have to talk to Rhyn about this, she seemed more and more unhappy. And now that she thought about it, hadn’t the snowleopard mentioned that she had something to do? Though she had never replied to the question as to what that was or why she was hanging out with her and Kaevad rather than be on her quest. Maybe Soneya should repeat that question when the moment was right, and offer help. She didn’t want to just send Rhyn off on her own, even if that may be what the cat wanted, but at least she wouldn’t do it without asking.

The welcoming party was an odd one but it somehow filled Soneya with relief. None of the girls would bug them anymore by being love-sick over Kaevad. Even the long-haired one, the illusionist was happily talking to a guy from the male-populated village. It seems like things were going well and she was glad when Kaevad swooped her away from the general hassle. As good as it was to see them all happily chatting away and generally seeming quite pleased, she felt very out of place.

“No, I think we’re all set now, or rather, they are.” Observing the happenings for a while longer, Soneya felt a shiver ran down her spine before turning to Kaevad. “Think we could leave soon? I’m not really up for watching them canoodle the rest of the day. Though... where are we going from here? Back to the village for the night? Or are we moving on straight away?”

Rhyn avoided the crowd for the most part, skirting the edges as the women greeted the coming men, and sliding into shadow until she was by Soneya, away from the majority of the people. Her nose picked up the smell of meat roasting over a large fire, and calls for music were beginning. There would be a definite party going on, probably all night. And who knows how many babies nine months from now. She sighed. Well, good deed done.

Her ears cocked towards Kaevad as she came up. Balance was restored between these two places. It was interesting. She would not usually have interfered, but with the other two around, she found herself doing many things she wouldn't do.

He heard Rhyn approach and turned his head slightly. "That, I believe, shall be up to Rhyn." He turned fully to her. "I suspect you have something on your mind, lass. If you have something that needs to be done, say so. We'll help if you need us." He said it simply, knowing Soneya would agree. It was time to stop diddling around, especially if a friend had a goal in mind. It wasn't fair to traipese around the country side and expect the other not to fufill what they wanted to do.

Soneya felt a bit queasy when Kaevad suddenly addressed Rhyn. She knew it needed to be said and she agreed full-heartedly but she had wanted to bring it up differently. It was done now, and she couldn’t do anything but go along with it. It would be too rash a decision now, she was sure, but she hoped Rhyn didn’t think they were trying to get rid of her, which really wasn’t the case. And to make sure the snowleopard believed that, Soneya gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve told you once before that we would help you on your quest if you want to share it with us. It would definitely be a better use of our time instead of just running around in the woods because I need to learn a few things about the way of the world. Will you accept our help, should you decide to do your thing?” Realising that maybe a goodbye was in order, Soneya suddenly felt her eyes sting but fiercely held back the tears that were threatening to spill over. She was not going to cry! And she really didn’t want Rhyn to leave, even though of course she understood the need for personal space and personal errands where one might not want third parties around to witness it all.

Rhyn's ears flattened out sideways as Kaevad addressed her. Soneya's agreement came swiftly behind his words, and she blinked, golden eyes flashing between the two friends. They spoke to her as though she was the leader in this decision. Since they were referencing her quest, she supposed she was. But fierce, mountain bred pride raised it's head.

Tail swaying back and forth, she shook her head. "My quest is mine, and mine alone. I am not used to so many people, and it has made me rude. I apologize. I have been alone too long, and last week is... difficult for me. Thank you for your offer, but I could not involve you in my father's request of me." She was slightly stiff, her stubbornness showing. The spotted feline raised an eye ridge at Soneya, stepping slightly closer. "Come now, youngling. I'll have no nonsense coming from you." Her sharp gaze had caught sight of tears that were threatening to spill.

Draconic eyes watched as he saw the old Rhyn return. There was the stubborn pride he was missing, not this grumpy old grandmother that had been present. He smiled at her, a small, easy grin before he heard her words. Looking down at Soneya he frowned as he noticed the tears. "Looks like our little human has gotten attached to us shape shifters." His tone was soft and teasing before he reached over to pull her close, rubbing her arm soothingly, tucking her head under his chin. He winked at Rhyn.

"And to think, about a week ago she asked us not to kill her and demanded to know what we're going to do to her." He chuckled before offering an arm to Rhyn. "Care to join in or need a little more personal time?" His voice was warm and understanding, but he wouldn't exclude her either.

“Oh, shut up,” Soneya grumbled but smiled nonetheless as she tried to discreetly wipe at her eyes. It was rather convenient that Kaevad pulled her close, that way she could hide her face better, because the tears were flowing a little more freely now than she would have liked, but there was nothing she could do about it. Apparently she was quite a bit more emotional around them as she had ever been in Marn. Maybe it was a sign that she was finally starting to really live and be herself.

Straightening herself a little and clearing her throat from the knot that had formed in it, she blinked away the remainder of the tears. “Let’s just get out of here, I don’t care where to.” There was no arguing about the fact that Rhyn was going to do her quest on her own, at least that was what it looked like for now, though the woman wasn’t inclined on leaving them yet either, but at least she was slowly finding her way back to herself again. Soneya hadn’t quite realised what had been missing from Rhyn until she had spoken up just now and showed her teeth, so to speak, but in the likeable manner she had.

"Huah, huah." The gentle chuff of snow leopard laughter hung in the air. it had only been a week. It seemed like so much longer. So much had happened, and they had run into so many people. It was quite overwhelming to Rhyn's senses. With her nose already thick with the many scents of the lowlands, and her ears clogged with the small sounds, she found herself desperately wishing for the quiet of the snow and rock of the mountains. But she could not leave until she found Bradley's son, and she found herself disinclined to leave the two companions she had found. Even if one was a clueless puradyn, and the other was a dragon who was far to protective.

Tail flicking back and forth she smiled, and followed the other two on their way, leaving the villagers behind.

"Let's just wander then, see where the winds take us." He murmured before leading them away, his back to the wind.

It took them a couple hours but they reached a lovely cave, large and deep, right by a small creek. "Think this'll last us a time. We'll stay here for a bit, give Rhyn some 'no crazy villagers' time." Kaevad rumbled, amused, leading his two lovely ladies into the cave. He sat the bags down before looking to Rhyn. "If you'd like, you can gather wood or hunt, I'll be doing what you don't. Soneya, if you like, can set up camp. Just get the firepit set and the furs laid out so we can sleep later." He smiled at her easily before looking to Rhyn for her answer so he'd know what he was doing.

Glad to be up and away from the village, Soneya cared little about where they were going. They had all their things with them anyway because leaving them at the village would have been a stupid idea. Even the mere thought of the men who had remained behind touching her things had sent shudders running down her spine.

The cave was a lovely little hide-out and just the thing they needed. Away from civilisation, on their own for a bit, peaceful and roomy enough to give each other space if needed. “Alright, you go ahead and do your things, I’ll try to make this place look a little cosy,” Soneya smiled as she ushered both of the others out of the cave. In all honesty, she enjoyed a moment of utter solitude as well but not the kind she had been seeking not too long ago when she had ventured off into the evening on her own, but the kind where she was busy doing something, didn’t mind to just have a moment to herself because she could, not because she wanted to, and making herself useful for a change.

The fireplace was set-up fairly quickly, smacked up in the middle of the cave so that they could easily spread around it while sleeping, though for the actual lighting bit she would have to wait for Kaevad’s return with his handy fire skill because she had no clue how to light it herself. There was enough space for each to have their own corner with hopefully heat everywhere. After all, the cave was big enough for such a set-up. It made her wonder what kind of creature had lived in the place before, or whether it might still be occupied just currently empty. Though when she followed that train of thought it would mean that whatever owned this cave might be back at any time and judging by the size of the cave, the animal would be enormous, and she definitely did not want to bump into it. She did her best however to make the cave look homely and comfortable, clearing it a little of the worst of the dirt -which was a tad difficult considering a lack of tools-and arranged the furs all around. Dragging one of the extra furs out to the entrance of the cave, she stretched out on it to enjoy the sun a bit while it was still there, while she waited for the others to return.