Forest

"Oh thank you!" he nodded and took the food gratefully. He started eating it with his fingers and watched Laoshi munching on her rabbits. "She doesn't talk much but she says thanks" he chuckled. He watched the horse and young woman who seemed to be having a conversation, "Hey um..you hungry?" he offered to her and scooted over on the log to give her room. He motioned to it and waited.

She looked up and blushed "Uh....Oh, uh. I...Uh.....I'm not hungry." But she was still shocked about the whole incident but desided to take a seat next to him. She could barely speak around him, she didn't know how to describe it. She sat down next to him and stared at the fire blushing. She really didn't know what to say.

"ok" he shrugged but smiled when she came and sat down. He offered the plate for her to take a bite. "You sure? Sefiroso here is a good cook if I may say so" he nodded. He took a bite and glanced over at her and then back at Sefiroso. "So you two know each other?" he asked casually.

"Farther away then you lead me to believe, then." Ash'Neel commented to Arwan, after he told her all about how she missed out on the fun.
~Within shooting range, isn't that what you decided was arrival a week ago, durring the insodent with the guard and the bread.~
"That was hardly an insodent... more of a misunderstanding. Anyways, everything all squared away, then? No more bad guys?"
~None that you could get into trouble with anytime in the next five minutes, atleast.~
"Everyone safe, then?"
~There is some healing going on at an... abandoned outlaw camp.~
"Abondoned your way to say that a group wiped them out and commondeered their domain?"
... ~That's one way to put it.~
"Sure..." she stalked off towards the camp.
Arwwan practicaly squaked, ~And what would your intentions be?~
"I am going to go make some friends."
~Friends... I was unawair you were ably to make anything but enemies and dangerous acquaintances.~
"You call yourself dangerous?"
Arwan did not dignify that with a reply.
Ash'Neek silently and swiftly made pace to the camp, fingering her weapons because Arwan did have a point.
But she put on a happy face, set on being friendly, when her mind wandered back to the question she asked Arwan earlier, but he gave no answer to.
"Have any of you ever seen a giant squid?" she asked the group abruptly, hopping down into the camp from a high rock.
"Hi, by the way. I'm Ash'Neek." She smiled widly, and waited for their responce. She really did want to know if a squid could pet a cat.

Laohu jumped up and stared at her. What was it with all these women wearing weapons. It really did make him uneasy. "Um Laohu" he said cautiously "What's a giant squid?" he asked confused. Laoshi glanced up and noticed there did not seem to be danger so she went back to munching on her rabbits.

Sefiroso jumped up at the new voice "oh just a traveler it would seem... I am Sefiroso. would you by chance be hungry friend? i made more than enough food. oh and yes Laohu i have met Zirean before sort of got her out of a bind, but she is a tough fighter and took many bandits down without my help they just cheated useing a bit of poison" he said angrily remembering the guy that kicked Lux into a tree

"I see..that's the problem with bad guys..they never fight fair" he commented to Sefiroso "Did she now?" he asked surprised but then looked back at the newcomer watching cautiously

"I'm sure, I know Sefiroso we met a few days ago." She said as she looked at Laohu. Then a stranger came up with a golden eagle. She introduced and asked the wierdest question. "A giant squid??? Never even heard of it." She said looking at the girl.

As if to set a more friendlier mood Sefiroso tossed his bow arrows and swords off to the side andlaid back looking up at the sky smileing "it seems so much more peaceful up there..." he said mostly to himself as if in a daze

Ash'Neek smiled at the group.
"Pleased to meet you."
~You would have been more pleased if you had been able to fight those bandits on your own~ said Arwan, who was flying in wide circles above. He knew her too well.
"Shut up," she told the sky, which must have looked odd.
"Oh, and some food would be nice, thanks. A giant squid is a huge creature from the sea. It's said to eat ships. Anyways, where do you hale from?"

Sefiroso handed her a rabbit and some vegetables "i come from no where i am a traveler of sorts... would that eagle i saw earlier like some food? my guess is he is with you since you are the only person besides us i have seen not counting the dead bandits" he said with a half smile

She stared at him and said "You haven't been around.....We Rangers face danger nearly every day. Especially out here in the woods." She said to Sefiroso poking a stick into the fire. Mithous was over grazing, she'd taken the bridle off for now, but left the saddle on and loosened the girth so he could scrape at the melting snow.

Laohu watched the young woman with careful eyes. "I see" he said quietly "Um all over..mostly the far east" he nodded "you?" He looked over at the almost hostile girl. 'what is wrong with her?' he thought but didn't say anything.

"Oh, he'll eat if he's hungry. Arwan prefers his meat live, you know... golden eagles," she glanced to the sky as if in asperation.
"I'm from Cahoon, origanly, but I've traveled to many lands the past few years. I'm heading home soon, though. Time for a break, traveling to places in harsh situations keeps me on my toes. But I'm looking for a little peace here, now... Doesn't look like I'll have much luck finding it, though." She sat down and smirked fondly.
"So, you're a ranger?" Ash'Neek asked the girl, while bitting into some bread, "How'd you become one?"

Zirean sat there quietly ~Hostile?~ Mithous snorted to her.
~Don't know....~ She really didn't, though it was in her nature to not trust men right away. She wasn't very good with groups of people, or being inside too long. She stared into the fire, remaining quiet.

Sefiroso stood up and yawned ~Lux could you bring my horse from the stables? i didnt get to put him in a stall and i'd like for it to warm up to me~
~yeah sure. i'll be back in a minute then~ she rplied as she ran off "well i don't know bout the rest of you but i think i'll set up camp here tonight... it has a good view of the sky" he said sort of in a daze as he looked up at the sky again

The girl asked how she'd become a Ranger "Well....I travel mostly, finding the swordsmasters, and trainers around. Usually they only take boys, but some of them have a good heart. Especially since with no family, or companions, except Mithous here. One has to make a living. So I usually track down bandits, and kill them. But recently they've been getting the better of me." She said to the girl Ash.

Ash'Neek nodded at the girl's reply, "What you need is a good battle strategy," she thought for a moment, "What weapons do you use?"
"Have you ever been to the Isle of Ki?" Ash'Neek asked the group. "They make the finest ships. Survivors from an attack are who I heard the squid story from."

Sefiroso looked over at Ash "isle of Ki? never heard of the place...then again i don't know the name to half the places i have been as a mercenary i just go where and when im needed" he said with a smirk which he changed quickly into a grin "but now my mercenary life is over and i am gonna settle down in a new place."

She said "I usually use my bow and arrows. Though when I'm on the ground, I use my swords or daggers." The girl asked a question and she shook her head but said "One of my training masters mentioned it once."

Laohu listened quietly and went and sat down next to his snow leopard ~Wow three people all in one day~ She nodded and kept munching ~You saying I am disturbing you?~ he chuckled ~I've trained you well~ she smirked and turned back to her rabbit. He smiled and looked over at the two women again. Zirean seemed to be calmer around another girl. He shrugged and looked over at Sefiroso, "I think I'm gonna head into this town you were talking about. They all in Cahoon or Vandecar?" He asked curiously. He looked up when she mentioned she was from Cahoon. "Then you can show us around lassie" he grinned "Isle of Ki? hmm that sound familiar" he said thinking

Sefiroso looked over to Laohu "Yeah Zirean resides in Cahoon but i request that you do not disturb the people in Town Hall there was a babe recently born and i am not sure if he is sleeping so if you do go there be quiet please" he said as he turned back to the sky

Zirean listened as Laohu talked. She wasn't one for showing someone around especially since she didn't know the place very well. She relaxed alittle when he asked the other girl to guide him around. She was just getting used to the idea of trusting men.

Laohu smiled "A new babe? Well send my congratulations" he nodded "Don't worry I'll be quiet as a mouse."

Sefiroso grinned "Good ah heres my horse now. I don't feel like walkingback to town early in the morning" he said laughing as he watched Lux pouncing through the trees trying to pull a horse with her "now that is a funny site. i don't know why she didnt just ask the horse to come with her." he said laughing again
~you try asking someone as stubborn as a horse to follow you...it is not easy!~ snapped Lux
~yeah... guess i should have done that myself... sorry old friend i did not think the horse would be that big of a pain~ he said frowning a little