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The night was young, dark beasts prowling the lands. The
half-moon was shining, barely illuminating the darkened forest floor, where the
hunter stood. Those who thought that the forest was quiet at night had
obviously never been in one at night before, at least not to listen. True, it
had not the hustle, bustle, banging and clanging of the city, but if one paused
to listen, crickets, bats, night fowl, and the occasional wolf howl echoing
across the plains could be heard. Indeed, for the hunter, all this noise made
it hard to think. He was on his knees, in the middle of an ice-cold stream, his
hands dipped inside the water, chilling him to the very bone. But he had to
keep his edge. His prey was nigh at hand, and stillness, something in which he
specialized in, was vital. Even though his teeth felt like chattering, his
muscles felt like shuddering to apply some warmth to his body, he remained
perfectly, still, his eye on the prize that was not too far away. So he clamped
his jaw shut, and tightened his hold on the hard, lean muscles. Almost there...
His hand flashed, like a bolt of lightning underwater. His mind had no place in this game, only reflex, only long, hard years of learning to catch his own food were in play, as a fish touched his hand underneath the water. His fingers darted, hardly causing a ripple in the babbling brook as he caught the fish just below the fins, and tossing it over to the dry land, where the fish flopped around, trying to get back to the safety of the water. Calvin smiled to himself. It was more of a game than an actual need for food, even though he did, indeed, need some food. Games were always fun, and catching a fish with his bare hands was a testament to his speed, his skill, and his ease with the forest. Things that he never tired of proving.
A fire was started, and he cleaned his catch, his fingers still numb with the cold. The flames licked up into the air, the yellow light making his eyes seem brown. His wet clothes were drying in the cool, crisp, dry air, and the smell of the fish slowly roasting over the fire, with a few spices, and a broth of his own concoction. Soon it was ready, and using a platter, knife, and fork that he brought along in his travels, he made quick work of the fish, soon picking the small bones out of his teeth.
Now that the more pressing needs had been satisfied, as he now was drinking some water from the stream, he had business to attend to. A certain young elf-woman was in need of kidnapping, and he was the man for the job. He could see the lights of the city in which she lived. He couldn't see the villa in which she, her parents, and what was more likely than not, a small army of guards waiting to intercept the ambitious little man.
He had dealt with worse.
His stomach now settled, his canteen full, and his weapons on his body, he loped his way out of the woods, and into dreaded civilization. Elven civilization, no less. He would have to stick to the shadows, or stick out. Not much of an option for the human now embarking on what could arguably be called the toughest hunt in his life, so he stuck to the shadows, covering his face, and body from any potential on lookers, and finally, to his destination. Whether it was his final destination or not...
'Twas up to the gods to decide, the hunter thought with a small grin on his face. He quickly looked the place over, and made plans to invade it.
Dovah sat idle in the large room that the family would gather in after evening meal. She listened to her father discussing business with her two brothers, and her mother and sister conversing not far away over her sister’s impending wedding. Of the two conversations, the business interested her more. Unlike her sister, she took an active role in their family’s trade. She had neither desire to, nor inclination of, being married off.
“Dovah!”
She blinked and brought herself back to the conversation at hand as her mother called her name sharply. “Yes, Mother. I’m sorry what did you say?”
She mother gave an exasperated sigh and her sister glared at her. Dovah barely managed to suppress the need to roll her eyes. “I said, you will be helping to carry the train on your sister’s dress. After she walks up to the Priest, you will artfully arrange the train and then step to the left and move way to stand at the side with all the others.”
Dovah sighed and nodded. “Yes, Mother. We have gone over this before.”
Before her mother could say anything, her sister spoke up. “You will not ruin this for me. Just because you’re too stupid and cold to want to marry doesn’t mean I am.”
Dovah stood suddenly, her face cold. She heard the males’ conversation suddenly halt as she stood. “Do not worry, your Bitchness. You shall be married and if not it won’t be through any fault of mine.” With that she turned on her heel and stalked from the room in spite of the protests from her mother and father, and the chortles from her brothers. She refused to stop or return to listen to stupid wedding plans already hammered out weeks ago.
She stormed to her room and slammed the door behind her and locked it. She paced back and forth for several long minutes before she calmed down enough not to throw something. She sighed in sheer frustration. Once her sister was married off she hoped things would return to normal. She finally decides to try to sleep. Perhaps if she could get to sleep early, she could get up early enough to sneak out and go hawking…
Humming a soft tune to himself, the hunter quickly arranged the plan neatly in his mind. He made his way to the back, where two guards were guarding a back door, as well as watching, to make sure that no man, woman, or any other being tried to get over the wall. That would have to change. He knelt down, picking up a stone about the size of his fist, hefting it, and calculating about how far he could throw it without attracting attention to himself, pulled back, out of sight of the guards, and threw the rock. It smacked loudly, compared to the silence of the night, against a tree. Their attention was grabbed, and, as the hunter had hoped, one of them left to investigate. With feet as light as air, Calvin swept forward, his feet moving expertly over the ground, before sending him lightly into the air, to hammer, feet-first into the guard that had remained, and was, predictably, looking over to see if his comrade had found anything. The elf's head collided with the wall, and he feel unconscious, without much of a sound. He turned to the other guard, who was just still looking around the darkness. Calvin crept up behind him, and was about to snake his arms around his neck, to knock him out, when the elf turned, not quite understanding what he saw before him.
Calvin panicked momentarily, and threw an odd punch to the jaw. It landed, poorly, hurting the hunter's hand more than it hurt the guards jaw. It was responded in kind. Calvin was thundered back with a surprisingly strong blow, and the guard, now seeing the threat, drew his saber, and opened his mouth so call the alarm. He fell back, clutching his throat where Calvin's leg had lashed out. Calvin, never much of a man for swords, gripped the back of the elf's head with both hands, and brought it down to his waiting knee. A thud, and the guard fell back unconscious.
"Stay," Calvin growled, rubbing his sore hand, feeling a swelling where the guard's fist had met his face. Well, that was done now, and he easily vaulted the wall, and made his way, like a wraith, through the lavishly, expensively decorated house. He touched base everywhere. The man that had hired him had told him where the female elf's room was, but his memory was a bit foggy at the moment. It was always a flaw of his. He finally found the room that he was looking for, and, finding it locked, he worked the lock over, and softly opened the door.
A woman screaming just now would ruin his day severely, so he treaded softly, slowly making his way to the bed. He looked up to see a large hawk staring down on him, the powerful eyes seeming to gaze into his very soul. But he knew hawks. He walked over to the bird, and pulled out a stretch of dried rabbit meat. He knew that the moment he approached the bed, where he could now see someone was sleeping, the creature would squawk, and wake up the whole house. But once fed, it trusted the intruder, for the moment, and now he moved over to the bed, pulling out a long, razor-sharp skinning knife. He looked at his intended victim, smiling at how nice she looked as she slept. She looked peaceful. Certainly not the woman that his client had described. She was probably horrible by day.
He placed the blade gently on her neck, and placing a hand over her mouth quickly," Evening, ma'am," He said softly," Not a sound, or I slit your throat, understood?" He waited for her to nod," You are the right sister, right? The one that refuses to get married?"
Ready finally for bed, Dovah lies down and in a surprisingly short time is fast asleep. At first she thinks it’s a dream a cold metal tip against her throat and a warm hand across her mouth. Then she hears a weird accented voice, the accent that of a Human. She knows there are none in the house and she comes fully awake. She hears his words, but at first fear and panic makes her unable to think or respond. Dovah lays there immobile with tension waiting for him to kill her. Then her brain clicks back to working order and realizes he was waiting for an answer. What had he asked? She couldn’t remember. As her mind struggles to dredge up the memory, she realizes he is waiting for something. Then it hits her, what he asked. She nods her head carefully not wanting to accidently jab herself on whatever he held to her throat.
His next questions baffle her at first, then once they sink in, her eyes narrow to slits. Her fear evaporates and she suddenly reaches up and pushes the hand holding the object to her throat away. It barely moves, but it is enough for her to twist her head and frees herself from the hand over her mouth. “What does my lack of interest in marriage have to do with you suddenly being in my room accosting me?” She didn’t yell, she was too incensed at this man’s gall. She moved angrily to get out of the bed. She had every intention of showing this Human the quickest way out of her room, house, and life.
"Shhh," Said the hunter, gripping the elf by the neck, hard, and pressing her against the wall, knife still poking her neck, some blood being drawn as she jerk away, slicing. Nothing too deep, or serious, but enough, perhaps to let her know just how sharp the blade was. To be able to cut through animal fur, it had to be pretty damn sharp. He pressed her back to the wall, holding her firmly until she stopped resisting. He scowled, looking into her eyes, hoping that he didn't have to go through all the explaining before she finally got the point. He could just knock her out, but that was a last resort. He didn't like hitting females, of any race.
"I just needed to know that you were the one that disliked marriage, elf," Calvin said, his tone serious, and somehow coming off as comic at the same time. “And now, you will accompany me off the premises, over the hills, across the kingdom, into a thousand perils, and a thousand dangers, in order to get you to the Garsen estate, where I get paid a handsome fee for delivering you here, alive and unspoiled, to do as they command. Any questions?" He waited for half a second, not allowing her to get all indignant-like again. He had to make sure that she knew that he was in charge. She would have to obey him, or suffer.
He nudged her in the direction of the door, wrapping a powerful arm around her neck, and planting the tip of the dagger in her back. A gentle reminder that while he would be paid for delivering her alive, if she tried to get him caught, he would kill her without a thought, and be gone, before anyone, or in this case, anything, could realize that he had been here at all.
"What do I call you, anyway?" He whispered softly in her ear, guiding them back the way that he had come. "Calling you elf simply will not cut the berries for the amount of time that we are going to be together."
She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck painfully and pressed her to the wall. The small cut was no worse than if her hawk had nipped her, and she didn’t really register it. Too incensed for good judgment to be headed, she struggled at first, but only briefly once she realized she could not free herself. She finally stilled, breathing slightly heavy.
As he spoke once more, she again got indignant. By the time he got done, she was so pissed she was seeing red. “Like Hells I am. I will not marry some fop who is looking for a status symbol and leverage against my family.” Apparently though her words had no effect as he moved her with an arm effectively around her neck to keep her quiet or knock her unconscious if she gave him any more grief. It also allowed him to have the knife conveniently at her back for a quick thrust if the need arose.
She gave a soft whistle before he had her out the door. The hawk that he’d encountered earlier rustled her feathers briefly before taking flight and zooming out a hole high in her bedroom wall. After that she moved quietly with him not making a sound. Her mind raced to come up with ideas on escape as they followed a path only he knew. She’d be damned if she would allow him to hand her over to Ekrit Garsen like a Yule present.
Dovah briefly thought about her sister’s wedding and gave a soft snort as she remembered her words of earlier. This was a perfect example of not speaking in haste or anger, for those words had come back to bite her ass now. Her thoughts were broken by his question. She stiffened, but refused to answer.
"Who said anything about marrying him?" Calvin whispered," I don't know how you elves treat marriage... seven hells, I don't know how most people treat marriage, but the way that... what was his name? I don't remember. Well, his loss, I guess," He shook his head, slightly increasing their pace, his highly attuned senses alert for any sound of trouble," Anyway, he didn't seem like he wanted to marry you," They reached the garden, walking over the perfectly manicured lawn, passing by some scented flowers, closed for the day, and finally reaching the wall, where Calvin found the gate.
"Suit yourself," He grinned, enjoying playing against this female, who was proud, and unmoving despite the fact that her position did not leave much space for freedom. Calling her elf would have to do for now. He slowly released his hold on her, holding her wrist with a vice-like grip, and putting the knife away. Its purpose was now clear, if his use of it would have to be left to her imagination for now, and he opened the gate, and, keeping her close, immediately yanked her through.
Well, they were out. Now for the fun part.
He pulled her, hoping to be able to bash out her resistance tonight. If that didn't happen, thoughts of freedom would plague her every waking moment, and he would have a long time without sleep to make sure that he didn't lose her. He was confident that should she escape his immediate grasp, he would be able to find her, as savvy as he was with the forest, and since she had probably never been out in the wild before in her life. Of course, there was such a thing, that the hunter generally avoided, that was over-confidence.
This was all a moot point unless they managed to reach the wild. If he was caught, death, or imprisonment would be awaiting him. And Calvin hated closed spaces.
He knew the swiftest route to exit the city, the guards of which would be drunk, sleeping, or both. So with a firm grip on her wrist with one hand, and the other wrapped around her waist, just for security, they made their stealthy way to her enslavement.
“Ekrit Garsen.” She answered him absently while she mulled over his words as he hurried her along. Not marry her? Then why the bother of having her kidnapped and brought to him? None of it made sense. She never noticed when they reached the gate. His hold disappeared only to be replaced by an extremely painful hold on her delicate wrist. She hissed with pain as he yanked her through.
Dovah stumbled a time or two when he first yanked her along. After the second time she became pissed again and stopped suddenly, yanking on the arm he held. Though she hissed and grimaced in pain she still managed to give him what for with gritted teeth. “Enough! I have thus far gone along with you. You do not need to be a stupid ass, Human. Jerking me around like this will only bring attention to us.” She glared at him in total disgust. “But hey, if you want to get caught that’s fine by me, I’ll happily scream for you and make it easier on us both.”
Part of her couldn’t believe she’d just said that, but the rest of her was too pissed off at his vulgar and crass handling of her. Did she want to be kidnapped? Well, while the idea had some good reasons, her sister’s wedding for one, no she didn’t… really… maybe… Dovah had always had an adventurous spirit, and had yet to spook easily from any challenge. And that’s what she was seeing this as. A challenge.
"Ekrit Garsen," Calvin repeated, frowning deeply," Why you elves require such odd names is beyond me. And not my business. But still," He said, loosening his grip in her a little," You could go with stuff that is more pronounceable. Like Dak, Jane, Malvo, and Cer," He nodded," Much better. Yes... Elegant, and pronounceable," He tugged her into the shadows, wondering just what she was doing. Was she playing him? Calvin was an uncomplicated man, at best, who served no other but the highest bidder. It was his own personal code of ethics. He tried not to hurt anybody, he tried not to kill, but if people got in his way, there was no faster way through them then... well, through them. All that to say that, she would be wasting her time trying to outsmart him, cheat him, embarrass him, or anything of the sort. He was in a league of his own, in which no man was better, even if they tried. He worked in his own world, his own time, his own rules.
He shifted his weight over to cover his face as they made their way to the gate that would lead them out, finally, in Calvin's opinion, to the woods, where he could finally disappear. His way. He tugged her again, softer this time, taking her words into account. "My apologies, elf," He grinned back at her, a little manically," Just making sure that you don't run off... and well, screaming would certainly ruin my day," He loosened his grip, and tried not to yank her about too much," I do have to get you there in as pristine an order as possible."
He walked over to the guards of the gate, who seemed a bit less than alert, and didn't notice the cloaked man with a female in tow, and they were past, and moving over onto the road that led to where they were going. Breaking the trail now would only lead to attention, as would walking at night, and it wouldn't be long until her disappearance would be noticed, and men sent in search. He would lose them, but then again, she would always be a wild card in his view. She could ruin everything with a scream. As simple as that.
He found the horses that he had bought and stashed here previously, and helped her to mount one, quickly tying her wrists to the saddle before taking her reins, and mounting his own gelding," We have a long trip ahead of us," He said softly, and gently tapped the flanks of the mount, edging the both of them forward.
Dovah gave a very unElvin, unlady-like snort at his ‘Elegant’ in reference to Human names. She refrained from saying anything though as they approached the gate. A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as he tugged gentler on her arm and lightened his grip enough for it to no longer feel like he was trying to break and grind her wrist bones. The amusement vanished though with his next words and a scowl appeared to furrow her brow.
She wondered what Ekrit was up to. She couldn’t fathom what he hoped to accomplish with her abduction, if it wasn’t forcing her to marry him as this Human seemed to think. She moved along with him out of the gate, disgust at the lack of alertness in the guards. She would have to remember to say something about their derelict of duty whenever she returned. She wasn’t overly worried about her situation. She was not some soft city dweller as most thought her. A small smile touched her lips fleetingly as she heard the nearly silent beat of her Elvin Hawk’s wings circling high overhead.
She was surprised when he led her to horses. She readjusted her evaluation of the Human as he helped her mount up and tied her hands to the saddle. She gave a thoughtful nod to his words as she studied her bindings. She moved with ease with the horse as they set off, her body automatically adjusting to its rhythm. Finally, after having studied the ropes for a long time, she decides there really is no way she can loosen them… for now. She settles more comfortably into the horse’s gait and starts to drift off to sleep. She hadn’t been asleep long before he interrupted it, and she would need her strength and wits about her for the adventure ahead.
They didn't move too quickly. No, pushing the horses this early in the journey would not serve their purpose at all. Even though they would only be using the horses until sunrise, at which time they would sell them, or turn them loose to return to their masters, and they would cut across the wild lands to lose any possible pursuers. Well... he was sure that they would have pursuers, but the possibility of them being already on the hunter's trail by sunrise were less probable. But, of all the bad things that Calvin could be accused of, and they were not few, being careless was not among them. He would travel by roads that only he knew, until they reached the place which he was to deliver her. He looked over, and saw the elf was fast asleep on her saddle. That was better than having to endure her talking every waking moment, he guessed, but she looked oddly different when she slept, her eyes and mouth closed, an odd peacefulness in her features as she rested. Although, he knew, tension from her current position would not be forgotten in her dreams.
The horses moved on at a leisurely rate, the soft plodding of their hooves on the well maintained road was more than a little soothing. Days of travel on foot was fun, but it lacked the lazy quality of being able to sit back in the saddle, letting your body adjust by reflex to the soft rolling gait of the horse, and just let your mind wander. Calvin was known to have something of an imagination. People had said once that he should be a ballad master someday, and indeed he planned on it, when he could afford the steep price of a lute or flute.
He watched as the sky went from the deepest blue to pink, grey, and finally, as the sun tipped its head out from behind the horizon, an array of colors. He watched, half-asleep, as the birds began their morning song, and the sky made for a sight that any artist would die to capture. And, amazingly, it did this every day. He chuckled at the thought, and dismounted. He stretched his sore muscles out for a few seconds, and pulled a knife from his belt. He walked over to the elf, and slashed her bonds, gently helping her off the horse.
"There, there," He whispered as she woke up. He had long gotten used to how most people reacted to being awoken. They took a while to become fully alert. But people with... well, it had been explained to him a few years ago by a magicker of some talent," People that live like animals," Came the gruff, kindly voice to his head," And I don't mean live by doing terrible things. Animals are not evil. And when people live like them, awareness is mandatory for survival. Coming out of sleep takes a mere second, the slightest noise. For others," The old man had shrugged," Well, they find no need to be attentive to their surroundings, so their mind is pulled from the land of dreams slowly, delicately."
He lifted her up to her feet, grabbing his pack off of the horse, and, speaking to the both of them softly, tapped them on the rump. They turned, and went back the way that they had come. Watching them leave, Calvin pulled out a line from his pouch, and tied it around the elf's right hand. He had noticed before that she used it more, and he tied the rope to his own hand, his left.
"Now begins the hard part, princess," Calvin said, no trace of humor in his voice," We are going for a long, long walk," He handed her some dried meat, fruits, and a canteen of water," Breakfast," He said simply, and began walking.
Dovah slept on at the slow pace of the horse. Her body swayed with the movement, just enough instinctive tension apparent to keep her from falling off. She woke with a start as her sleeping mind felt herself being removed from the horse, thinking she was falling. His gentle ‘There, there’ soothed her and her head came to rest on his shoulder as her eyes started to drift closed once more. Dovah started to snuggle closer to her abductor until his unfamiliar scent finally registered in her brain. She jerked back and her eyes flew open to stare at him for several heartbeats.
Dovah watched him with the horses, musing at his kindness with them. Such a contrast with how he treated her. The thought of running didn’t even cross her mind, not until he tied a tether to her wrist and then his own. She arched a brow, but stayed silent, no words coming to her at the moment. He wasn’t going to make things easy, that was for sure. A delicate snort erupted from her at his comment. She took the offered meal automatically as they started to walk.
Dovah quietly ate as they walked. She kept an eye to the scenery, noting landmarks and such. A cool gentle breeze wafted by, and she shivered slightly. Looking side long at her captor, she spoke. “I don’t suppose you thought to bring me a change of clothes?” She looks down at the gauzy bed clothes she had on before continuing. “My night clothing isn’t exactly the best travel wear.” She let it go at that, for now.
Calvin smiled apologetically as they strode," Sorry, princess," He said," I didn't have the time to grab your hunting clothes, or your soft, doe-skin boots," He supposed that that was what rich people wore out doors. Doeskin was soft, and pleasant to walk in," But as you remember, we were in quite a hurry, and there was simply no time," He grinned from ear to ear in what he was sure would be a poor joke to her ears. It was funny to his though, and that was all he cared about. But he wasn't a cruel man, by any means," I have some extra clothing in my pack. You can use the boots, if you find the rest inappropriate, and it will do until we reach a couple of friends of mine that would be more than happy to sell you some clothes fitting a woman of your rank," Another grin, another poor joke, and silence descended on the pair walking through the forest.
He was carrying his bow, unstrung, on his back, with the bowstrings coiled up in an oiled leather pack. His knifes were always maintained sharp, and kept in sheaths of similar quality, and he had his own tools with which he made traps. A hatchet was on his back as well as they plodded along. They kept a surprisingly good pace, and he forced himself not to underestimate his prisoner. She was in shape, easily keeping up with him, and she didn't seem to be tired in the least. He would keep his eyes on her.
He didn't look up much, which meant that he didn't see the elf's hawk, circling overhead either.
After a few hours of walking, they came by a stream, flowing with icy water from the mountains, and he called a stop to their trek. He filled their canteens, and offered her a pack of clothing," Sorry, princess," He said, a little embarrassed," You will have to dress and undress with me around. I can't have you wandering this place all by your lonesome. If you want, I can turn around, but I will need some assurance that you won't go running off."
Dovah rolled her eyes at his smart assed comments. “I did not ask if you grabbed my clothes. Just if you had a change of more sturdier stuff.” She shrugged when he told her she could wear something of his, or buy something from his friends. “Well, unless you took the time to loot my room, you’re out on helping your friends make some coin as well.” She lapsed back into silence as they walked on.
Dovah moved surprisingly well in the forest. She would step lightly, testing each step before putting her full weight down. She moved with the silent grace of her kind. Had he not put a tether upon her, the Human would have been hard pressed to know she was there. Her eyes scanned everywhere, keeping a watch for danger, the man beside her not counting since he was an already known danger. Her head would tilt occasionally as she listened to some distant or faint sound. She was an Elf, and her people were far more at home in the forests and wilds than any city. Dovah, in particular, had always made sure she was as comfortable in the wilds as in her family’s merchant business.
When he called a halt to their trek, Dovah knelt beside him and drank straight from the stream. She leaned back up and flicked excess water off her hand back into the stream. Resting the arm on a bent knee she looked over at him and the clothes. She reached out and took the clothes from him without expression. Rising, she began to undress. In a rather short amount of time, she was clothed in the new attire.
She stomped around a bit in the shoes, getting them to fit a bit better. She frowned down at them and sighed. They were a bit too big, which was going to result in blisters if she didn’t do something about it. She looked to her night clothes and moved over to them. Picking up the shirt, she tears the bottom half of it off. Then she tore it into smaller pieces. Next she worked at stuffing them inside the shoes until she had them fit more properly. She then folded her clothes and handed them back to her kidnapper. “Here.”
Calvin had to restrain himself from grinning as she stripped down before him, with no thought of modesty, and put his clothes on. Out of protection for her, in his mind anyway, he tried to keep his eyes away. Not too terribly successfully, he would freely admit. She was... curvy. When she was finished, he looked at her with new eyes. Misjudgment was not something that he did regularly, but it was apparently the case now.
"Well," He said, not grinning, with some effort," That was insightful," He took her clothes, torn and useless now, and tossed them into the wind, that was now blowing to the southwest, to their left. The light garments flew lightly in the breeze. Well, if hunting dogs were sent after them that would put their heads in a roll. Hopefully.
"We will be getting some better shoes later, princess," He said, tugging her closer, and helping her hop over the creek. He knew she could by herself, as he now had a new-found respect for the elf, but she had to stay close, or else he would either end up tugged, and face-first into the water, or the same would happen to her. And he didn't have another set of clothes. He hopped over as well, and they resumed their hike.
Calvin checked the sky after a few hours, and the landmarks around him. And, as he suspected, there was a cabin just ahead," Ah," He said with a smile," Time to get you some new boots." He walked over to the cabin, and knocked gently on the door. With no response, he opened it, pulling the elf in as well," So... you never did answer me, princess," He opened a jar, and pulled out a couple apples, tossing one to her," Do you like being called princess, or are you going to tell me your name now?" He walked over to a nearby closet, and pulled a pair of smaller boot out, tossing them to her.
Dovah watched her clothes sail away on the wind. She gave a quiet sigh, but nothing more. He was actually smart, since it would throw off any pursuit when found. Her gaze drifted back to her abductor. She had watched him trying not to watch her while changing. And as he said, it was insightful.
She gave a shrug at the new shoes. Truth be told, she needed a whole new outfit, his clothes were a bit… big for her since he was a Human. She had a fleeting thought of wishing to have made a belt out of her now cast off clothing before he yanked her close and started them across the stream. She almost protested, but once they started across the creek, she thought better of it. It didn’t really matter anyway, he’d kidnapped her, and she may as well continue to play along.
As they came across a cabin, she spotted the hawk sitting on a branch. It wasn’t close to the cabin, if you walked in a circle from where they entered to the cabin, you would walk under it half way to the cabin. It had taken her a few passes as she looked around the clearing to spot the hawk. It sat so still and blended well with its surroundings.
She watched him knock then enter pulling her along. She looked around the cabin with interest as he opened something. When a small round object came flying her way, she side stepped and caught it. Examining it, she realized it was an apple. She took a small bite and was glad to find it was still good, and sweet. She nearly dropped it though when the boots came sailing through the air at her, and she did a bit of awkward juggling before she had all three items secure. She stared at him for several heartbeats, debating throwing one of the items at his head.
Calvin grinned ever so slightly at her struggle, and at the angry look that she had on her face for a few seconds when she looked his way. In his mind, this was just some fun. He had always enjoyed testing his reflexes, pushing himself to the bare limits of his skills, even if it meant failing quite a bit. And he imagined that everybody felt the same way. He stood, holding a set of clothes, chewing on his apple, and set them down on a rough, yet lovingly made wooden table. He had met the woman that inhabited this place before. Indeed, he had saved her from a group of Elven slavers that planned to take her, and she had said that, since she made more than she needed, that he was welcome to share her food, her home, and her clothes, he wasn't quite sure how that applied, with her. And he occasionally took her up on her offer.
"So," He said," What do you want me to call you, hmm?" He took another bite of the apple. He thought that there was little chance of her running off just now, so he reached out, slowly, as not to startle her, and pull the tether off of her arm. He immediately moved over to lock the door behind her, just in case," We will be spending the day here, and we move again at night. Less chance of being spotted that way," He nodded as if agreeing with himself, and walked over to the bed. On second thought..." You are welcome to the bed, if you wish," He said softly. There were no windows by the bed, and since he usually slept a bit too deeply when on one, he preferred to take up another place to sleep.
She nearly pelted him with a shoe when he reached over to untie her arm. Dovah raised a brow as she watched him lock the door after. She finally dropped the shoes where she stood and finished the apple. She mulled his words over in her head. Traveling at night was a smart move on his part. She had a feeling she was going to need more than her wits, and her hawk, about her with this one. Finally finished with the apple, she looks and eventually finds a place to dispose of the core.
She moves to the bed and looks it over. Her nose wrinkles slightly as she gets the whiff of the more astringent herb that kept bugs away. She kicked off the barrowed shoes and set them by the corner of the foot of the bed. Dovah then pushed the pants off and folded them neatly before placing them on top of the shoes. She finished by removing the shirt and folding it, placing it atop the pants.
Dovah sits on the edge of the bed and studies him briefly before settling herself in the bed, close to the wall it was near. She rolls to face the wall and her voice finally floats back to him. “Thank you for the use of the clothes.” She is quiet for many heartbeats before her sleepy voice could be heard again at a mumble. “Dovah.” Two heartbeats later her breathing changes to that of one in the Lands of Dreams.
He studied her as she undressed again, thinking about just how different elves were from humans. A human female in this one's position would be very modest, very careful lest he get the wrong kind of ideas. Rape was not uncommon after all, in his line of work. The truth remained that this woman's dignity would not be safer if she was in a nunnery. But still, ideas abounded. Females were hard to interpret, and harder still to predict. That point being proved at the moment. He shook his head, averted his eyes again, and waited for the creak of the bed's wood when she lay down, and covered herself again, to resume his watch. She was curled under the blanket, made of soft furs, her eyes shut, and the light from outside barely making it in from the wooden cover of the windows. Small cracks of light could be seen, filtering in, shafts of light catching small speck of dust, turning them into diamonds for the half second before they disappeared, only to be replaced by a hundred others.
It was a soothing sight.
"You are very welcome, my lady," He said softly. She whispered something else before falling asleep. Dovah. Was that her name? That or it was some odd word in her tongue. He would use it that night, and see which it was. He relaxed back into the chair that he was in," Calvin," He responded, knowing that she couldn't hear him. The chair was comfortable, covered with pillows made from bird-feathers, and soft furs. Mink, he decided, from the texture. He rolled his shoulders, and closed his eyes, descending into a light, yet restful, sleep, with no dreams.
Dovah yawned and stretched as she woke, only to freeze suddenly as strange and unfamiliar smells assaulted her nose. Her eyes flew open and darted around taking in the immediate area. As her mind caught up and reminded her of her situation, she relaxed finally, only to scramble out of the bed hastily as her bladder made itself uncomfortably known. After all, she’d been holding it for over a day now.
Once out of the bed, her eyes scanned the room frantically until they lighted upon what appeared to be a chamber pot. With urgent speed, she moved to it and flipped the top off. A split second glance was all she needed before she was settled over it and relieving herself. A sigh escaped her as she finished up and replaced the lid. She turned to see her abductor appearing to sleep in a chair. She stopped and studied him thoughtfully.
Calvin had never been a deep sleeper. As a child, he had suffered from insomnia, although nobody knew it, and he told no one. As he grew, the problem went away, but it left its mark behind. Any sound near him would send his heart beating, and his eyes would flutter open. At first, this was quite a pain in his life, since he slept outdoors many days. But he slowly grew to appreciate the blessing in disguise. He prided himself on having a very rapid response time, from the time that he woke, to the time that it took for him to be fully alert.
So when his Elven prisoner awoke, his eyes fluttered open as she let out a low yawn. He watched her stand and rush about, wondering what she was doing precisely. When he saw, he shut his eyes. Privacy, after all, was something that he held close to heart. When she was finished her business, and began walking around, he wondered what exactly she would do when she thought he wasn't looking. Confident that he would be able to hear her if she tried to escape, but not too confident, one of his eyes was open just enough so that he could observe her, not too closely, his vision limited to seeing her moving form, but, if she tried for any of the windows, or the door, he would be onto her like honey on warm bread.
But she didn't move much. Instead, she stayed in one place, seeming to be staring right at him. He resisted the urge to squirm under her gaze, as he was uncomfortable being looked at. She was obviously trying to gauge if he was really asleep, the same way that he was trying to gauge just how courageous this elven female was. If she tried to escape now, he would make sure that, when they were out in the open, he would not sleep a wink. If she didn't... well, he probably wouldn't sleep anyway, until he turned her over. He was one man, after all, and could stand a bit of sleep deprivation.
Dovah knew well and good that he was awake. He was like the Hunters of the Forest, always aware of their surroundings, even while sleeping. Her eyes glazed slightly as she remembered the times spent in the Forest since she was small. She remembered a time when she’d inadvertently hunted a Forest Cat that ended up hunting her. That had been… interesting. He reminded her much of that Cat. Unlike the rest of the Elvin Society Dovah lived among, she preferred the Forest over the city. And as soon as she had been big enough and old enough, she would spend much time there. Her family always joked she was a throwback to early Elves. She pretty much ignored them. Oh, she learned her family’s Trade well enough; after all, one needed skills to fall back on. Her eyes came into focus finally, and after another thoughtful stare at her abductor, she moved softly to look out a window.
Dovah’s arms were crossed behind her back as she stood there. One hand atop the opposite arm, as her other hand cupped its opposite. She watched the daylight give way to the night. Her thoughts wandering as she stood there watching the stars start to appear. She wasn’t so stupid as to make an escape attempt here. She wasn’t familiar with the mechanisms of the doors and windows locking. She knew in the time it would take her to figure them out, he’d be upon her.
Her love of the Forest was the main reason she saw no point in marrying. Too many thought that she would tame and settle with a good, strong husband to put her in her place, her parents included. She had no use being an accessory for, or subservient to another. Was it too much to ask for someone who shared her interests and love of the Forest? She gave a soft discouraged sigh. Apparently, since now she was being taken to a rejected suitor against her will. Dovah gave another long sigh before she spoke, still looking up at the stars. “So… Are we going to set out now? Or shall we wait for the half-moon to rise to give you some light to see by, Human?” She gave a small shiver as a draft came through the window and caressed her naked flesh.
Sleep dropped off of him like a well-used blanket. He opened his eyes, a deep breath of the stale air inside the cabin filling his lungs. He needed to taste fresh air again, a craving almost, but he needed to make sure that his prisoner was fit to travel again," I don't need the moon to travel, elf," He said softly, and a bit proudly," However, since the purpose of our trip is to have you disappear without a trace, I need the moon to see if I have left any tracks behind. And for that, I need some light to guide me by," He stood, and took a bit more food out of a nearby cupboard, not wanting to, or needing to light any lights, or fires for cooking.
"We move in a few hours," He realized that she had mentioned something before they had fallen asleep," Your name is Dovah, right?" He waited for her response," You said it earlier, but I wasn't sure what you meant by it," He chewed on another apple, letting the acid sweetness wake him up a bit more, before handing her some smoked meat, some fruit, and a cup full of clean, fresh water.
"We will be moving as soon as you have finished eating," He said softly, filling his bags with some other items, as well as their canteens from the water pump," I hope to make it to an alcove about ten miles to the southeast. We rest there during the day, and I left some supplies there to restock on my way here. We can only hope to reach there. I can, alone," He shook his head, the unasked question ringing in her ears: Would she slow him down? She would, if she wanted to be free again.
Dovah didn’t move for a long time as he moved about the room. She digested his words and filed them away. He was going to be hard to get away from by his words. She gave a soft sigh. She continued looking out the window as he moved about behind her. Finally she turned around as he asked about her name. She studied him for a few heartbeats before nodding. “Yes.” She took the food he handed her and started eating.
Ten miles southeast. She mentally reviewed the Forest. Unfortunately, that was beyond where she normally roamed. She was already out of her territory as it was. She debated as she ate breakfast. To slow him down in unfamiliar terrain might not be wise for most, but she had the Elvin Hawk to help her out once she was free of him. What she needed was the proper and most unexpected opportunity to be free of him. She would have to keep her senses open for such. She finished her meal and moved to dress when she finished. She finally turned to him and quirked a brow at him.
Calvin watched her eat, eying her oddly. Not the first time, and definitely not the last time he would wish that he could see into people's heads, and read their thoughts. She had a pensive face on, and perhaps she was just trying to get him paranoid. It was a good way to make your captor occupied, chasing shadows and what-not, and would allow her time to escape. And, oddly enough, it was a ploy that men were helpless against, especially in such situations as this. The long trip would fray his nerves, and now, with her pensive look, perhaps plotting an escape, he would be more so. He shook his head. If it was going to be that bad, it wouldn't do to be worrying about it now.
He finished his meal quickly, never much of a man to prolong such times of the day, and he leaned back, sipping some water from the well. He studied her, wondering again whether she would be capable of escape. He decided never to underestimate her, and he would never be surprised with what she could do. It seemed like a reasonable plan. He stood, picking up his pack, and turning to her," Coming, Dovah?"
Dovah was a bit surprised that they were leaving out like they were. He made no effort to tie her back up. That was a plus. She trotted after him to catch up, and then fell into an easy step matching his. She watched their surroundings as they moved deeper into unknown territory. The Forest was beautiful, and even more so here, practically untouched by the more “civilized” races. She gave a quiet sigh as they walked, a soft smile on her face. Despite being kidnapped and traveling with her unknown abductor, she was actually enjoying the journey. But then she always had been more comfortable in these types of surroundings.
After a bit, she actually started humming, unaware that she was. The quiet sound blended well with the Forest noises. The harmony was uncanny. Her steps were light and easy, and if one didn’t know better, they’d think she was out on a stroll. Dovah looked over at the Human at one point, a wide smile on her face as they traveled along. She turned away to watch something else that caught her attention.
Calvin kept a good pace to their walk. He had decided not to tether her because, well, it would be counterproductive. He was sure that she wouldn't be familiar with this place, whereas he knew it better than anyone. Almost anyone, anyway. She would be lost in a minute, and he would be able to find her, not easily, but he would. He had to give her some sense of freedom, something to lose should she misbehave. He looked around, getting his bearings, and started out again, looking up at the stars for a moment to find the points of a compass, and began walking in the path that he had laid out in his mind. It wasn't marked anywhere, and it didn't have the characteristics of a regular path. But he had it memorized like the back of his hand.
He caught her glance at him with a smile on her lips, and he scowled back, that old captor's fear plaguing him again. What did she have to smile about, anyway? She was a captive, kidnapped, and being taken somewhere, with her fate uncertain, her life hanging by a thread. It would be an exhilarating place for him to be, but for her, who had had her life handed to her on a silver platter for her entire life, it had to be full of terror. Which baffled him further.
"Why are you smiling?" He asked, social graces being something that he never quite got a grasp of.
The humming suddenly stopped and Dovah turned with a jerk to look at him, a startled look on her face. “What?” She came to a stop with his question. Frowning at him, she had a perplexed look on her face for a moment. It disappeared after a couple of heartbeats and she just shrugged at him. She started moving again in the direction he seemed to be heading. An air of sadness seemed to surround her now, and there was no longer a bounce to her step. A dispirited sigh came from her after they walked for a while. Her eyes still scanned her surroundings, but now she no longer enjoyed the beauty around her. This was the first time she’d ever been in the wilds and not enjoyed it. Apparently even this Human, who also was so comfortable in the Forest, didn’t think much of her love and joy of the Forest. Before, they had made good time, now she moved as if something inside her had died.
Finally she gave another shrug. “Why do you care? Obviously money is more important to you than your obvious ability to live in the Forest and let it provide what you need. You’re no better than anyone else who pretends to be civilized.” Suddenly she stopped again, her eyes on a plant within easy touching distance. Her eyes were dull as she stared at it. One touch and she could end everything. The Elvin Hawk could survive on its own. It was a wild creature after all that had chosen to live with her recently. He would lose whatever deal he had going. And she wouldn’t have to be bothered with the disapproving looks of her family, or the constant attacks for marriage. Abruptly she started walking again, her arms wrapped around herself. Now that she knew the plant grew in this part of the Forest, it was an option, should she need.
Calvin smiled. Irritation showed hidden fear, he knew, and the fact that she was trying to cut to his professional sense of pride meant that, whatever she had planned - If she had anything planned - It wasn't something that she put a terribly large amount of faith in," Money means less to someone that was born with it," The hunter said calmly," I was born to a family that only saw coins when they were passed around by those that thought they were better than us," He said with a small chuckle," But I learned. I grew, and I changed, despite my hindrances. And now, they need me, and I don't need them. Helplessness does not suit your kind," He said, turning to her," But you are not helpless out here. I have seen how you walk, how to look, pretending to see less than you do. I would be willing to bet that you know the way back to the cabin, and from there, to the road. The way that I brought you, anyway."
And with that he turned back to walk," Like I said, your kind don't like being helpless. Rich elves are the same as rich humans," He chuckled again, this time with genuine humor," Both don't know just what they have, until it gets taken away from them. And," He tapped his head," In here, I have the knowledge, and the ability to show you just how vulnerable you really are. And, because of me, you now know what it feels like to be a prisoner, to have nothing except what your better gives you," He turned back to her dramatically," and make no mistake: Out here, in this wild, I am your better."
Dovah shrugged at his words when he finally wound down from his boasting. “Keep telling yourself that Human, if it helps you feel better about yourself. Yes, I can escape you. In more ways than the one way you think.” She shrugged again. “It matters not though does it.” She kept moving as she spoke, though she still didn’t move as she had before, when she was actually enjoying being out in the wilds. She was seeing more and more of the Oktowla plant. She was a bit surprised at its abundance. Apparently in the wilds it was more prolific.
As they walked further, her head tilted slightly. Very distantly she could hear running water. It was almost so faint as to make her doubt her senses at first. But as they continued on, she could hear it get slightly stronger. Problem was, she didn’t know this part of the Forest. For all she knew it was a small rill not all that far away, or it could be a raging torrent of a river still very distant. She gave a quiet sigh but kept moving. She had options; it was just a matter of determining the best option to take.
He tilted his head, a smile on his face. He was feeling more comfortable now. Arrogance was cute, and useful for her to keep her spirits up. He remembered some cases that his victim had given up all hope, and he had had to carry the man all the way to the drop off point. "I am not the one that needs to feel better, elf," He said softly, keeping his voice down, taking her hand with enough strength as to avoid her wriggling out of his hands, while at the same time managing not to crush it. He pulled her, and quickened her pace, letting her go again. He hoped that he had made his point clear. If she didn't keep up the pace, the tether was going back into use. "You would be able to escape, but not remain so.” He realized that that made little sense," I know this land. You don't. While you have a surprisingly vast knowledge of the forest, you would get lost if you didn't follow the path that I brought you," He liked talking. He was a vain man, he knew, and his skills were what he was proud of. And, like all vain men with something to be proud of, he liked talking about it. He avoided helping her in any way, however.
He could hear a stream nearby, the bubbling of the water telling him that not a lot of ice had melted today, making for cool water, but not too much of it. It was time to ruin their tracks and scent for anybody that would happen to be pursuing them. It seemed like a sound plan. He twisted their walk in the direction of the water, and they were soon beside it. He knelt down, filling his canteen, and indicating for her to do the same. He chewed on a bit of meat, enjoying the salty taste, as he looked around for any trace that they were being followed.
Satisfied that they were not, but ever wary, he handed her the other end of the tether," Put it on," He said simply, and, once she had done so, he held her forearm, and pulled her into the icy water. It stuck him like a slap in the face, and all traces of sleep, or the need of it, immediately vanished. He blinked, and began to work their way upstream.
Dovah allowed herself to be tugged along by him, but as soon as he let go, her pace slowed slightly again. She gave another shrug at his words. “Yes, I’d be lost, but as you have figured, I am no stranger to the Wilds either, nor afraid of them, familiar or not. Do I need your path to find my way back? Not really. Mayhap I would be just as happy to disappear into the deep as to live in the city? Perhaps, perhaps not, but that is something I’ll leave you to wonder about.”
She noted as he changed direction towards the running water. She moved along, not really caring. By now she knew it wouldn’t suit her purposes anyway by the tone of it. She topped off the canteen she’d barely touched at this point. She knew how to conserve in case of the need to go for long periods without. Besides the small pebble she’d managed to get, stored under her tongue, kept her making moisture anyway. She asked for no food, not really hungry anyway, as he ate himself.
She watched him looking for pursuit. Unfortunately, none would actually miss her until nightfall. And they’d never think she was in the Forest, never mind they knew she was often out and about Hawking and whatnot. Sometimes she really wondered if she hadn’t been adopted, or worse.
She arched a brow as he handed her the tether once more. She didn’t argue or even speak as she tied it back on and handed him the other end. No sound came from her as he drug them into the cold water. She moved along easily once more, the cold not making much of an impact on her. She knew her feet would be numb shortly, and she’d be lucky not to break her neck with a wrongly placed step due to lack of feeling, but truthfully, she really didn’t care. Her options were quickly narrowing to one that, while distasteful, would be far more preferable to whatever Ekrit Garsen had planned for her.
Calvin grinned, enjoying the banter between the two. It allowed him to understand her better. She wasn't arrogant, like most elves when it came to dealing with humans, but she wasn't very humble or modest either. He decided that he liked her, then and there. He didn't trust her at all, and actually would be disappointed in her if she didn't try to run or kill him, or probably both, in the near future. He would enjoy thwarting her, or even dying would be acceptable. He was truly a wild creature, he realized. There was no dishonor to die by the hand of a predator. Dying was to be avoided, of course, but if someone was to have his blood on their hands, he would like it if it were her. He watched her enter the water," Well, you wouldn't need the path to find your way back, but you would very easily wander into the hunting grounds of a mountain lion, or mayhap a bear, or even get lost. I know this land better than you do, and would be able to find you, no matter," He was confident. But having to hunt her would only mean a loss of time.
"Want me to carry you, princess?" He asked, a hint of mockery in his tone, but it was a genuine offer. He couldn't have her slipping, falling, and hitting her head on a rock, after all. He trusted himself to be surefooted, and, as much as he admired her, both for her spirit, and for the odd camaraderie that he felt between them, even though he was sure that she didn't feel the same way, he nudged her forward, not moving himself, wanting to be behind her should she fall. Took a scoop of water, waiting for her to pass in front of him, his eyes never leaving her. She was tenacious. She should have been born human, so that she would be a creature of the forest, like he was.
He shook his head at the thought, straightening himself, following her upstream, his eye out for any sign that bears fished in the area.
Dovah gave a snort at the Human’s words, all of them. “And here I was respecting your knowledge of the wilds, Human. Mountain Lion, Dragon, Roc, Wolves, Orcs, Humans…. We are always in some creature’s hunting grounds. Even now.” She just shook her head slightly at his offer to carry her. If she was going to fall, she’d rather it be under her own abilities to catch herself than trust him to not break both their necks.
She continued on upstream, her feet chilling with every other step. After a hundred yards, she slowed considerably as she no longer felt her feet and was concentrating more on watching how she placed her feet. As she took each step, she never fully put her weight down until she was fairly certain nothing would roll under them. Her focus narrowed down to the crystal clear water and her feet. Another 30 yards though, she missed the Shetarth blending in with the rocks. She gave a small yelp as she stepped on one of its spiny barbs and it imbedded into her foot.
Down she went, arms flailing. She did manage to catch the tether between her and her captor just as her head went under. With a yank she pulled herself back to the surface quickly. Coughing and sputtering, cursing fluently in several different languages, she hopped about a bit. A death grip on the tether with one hand, she tried to get a hold of the fish with the other to pull it off her foot. And the whole time she never let up on the language. Despairing of the creature’s origins, birth, parents, and any other general or precise thing she could come up with. Her mixing of the languages made it a bit difficult to follow, but it was all rather comical to watch really.
"Respect?" Calvin said with mock surprise, "For a human? I thought that was beyond all elves," He laughed out loud. What she said was so obvious... every predator knew that he was in another hunter's territory. One just had to be aware of which kind would actively defend its hunting grounds, as loins and bears would do. Dragons were smarter. Unless they were hungry, they wouldn't leave their caves. Rocs were much the same, unless they had young to feed, and Orcs... well, orc didn't like Humans around anyway. They killed them no matter.
He wasn't surprised when she turned down his offer to carry her. She seemed to be a proud woman, and was growing predictable. He hated things when they grew predictable. She was trying to undermine him at every possible chance, sensing his discomfort, and trying to prey on it. Of course, if she wanted to try that with an innate predator, she would have to try harder than pulling at straws and small flaws in his speech. Much, much harder.
He nearly tackled her when she yelped and went under, tugging at him. He tugged right back, pulling her back up, and she proceeded to hop around, cussing, using language that was very befitting of a high-born lady. He wondered how she learned it. Then she lapsed into a mixture of languages, and it was all that Calvin could handle to not break out laughing right there. He resisted it for as long as he could, before laughing out loud, and walking over to grab her hand, and guide her to shore, where she could sit. He was still laughing, Enough covering our tracks for now, I guess," He grinned," Want me to give it a look?" He offered. They were near where he planned on spending the night. Just as well, since he could see that the moon had already set, and the sun would take its place soon.
Dovah still cursed some as the Human lead her, hopping still, to sit on the bank. She sat heavily to the ground and immediately grabbed the flopping fish from the belly to hold it still, a wince and small growl coming from her as the barb dug around a bit in her foot. She gave a disgusted sigh as she studied her foot and the fish. “You will need to cut it out.” It wasn’t all that deep in fortunately. She hadn’t put her full weight down. But the barb kept it from coming out easily.
“Luckily, my blood is running sluggishly from the cold right now. But soon the poison will move into warmer areas.” She looked around the immediate area, but didn’t see the plant she was needing. “Do you know Tefla?” She shook her head. “I can’t think what Humans call it. Tis a ferny type plant, deep green, orange flowers. It’ll help counteract the poison of the Shetarth. Otherwise I’m going to become very sick for a few days…” She trailed off as the fish gave a last violent jerk before finally suffocating. “Well, at least we have a start to evening meal. You catch the next one though.”
A small smile suddenly twitched her lips and a slight chuckle escaped her as she suddenly got a image of what she had probably looked like out in the water. She recalled him laughing, and thought it was far worse than she was picturing. Another image came and she laughed in earnest, only to yelp again as she’d let go of the fish and its dead weight suddenly dragged on her foot. She glared at the fish as she grabbed it. “Oh, and you may want to hurry. I don’t know how much farther you plan to go, but you’ll probably get that chance to carry me before we get there.”
Calvin studied her, watching the fish flop around. He probably would have missed it. He had to admit that he got a little carried away. He didn't usually come up this far where the spikefishes tended to live, but he was being extra careful. And, of course, she ended up paying for that with a spike in her foot. He scowled at himself. There was always a balance, he reminded himself. He knew that these waters were dangerous to walk in the dark, for reasons now apparent, and he had pushed too far, almost trying to make a point to the elven female. It had ended rather poorly for her. He pulled a skinning knife out of his pack, and wondered how he would do this kind of operation in the dark of night. It wasn't that complex, he knew, but if he cut too deep, he might just have to carry her around until he could find some place to get some stitches in place.
He knelt down beside her, and nearly jumped back up when she laughed. He looked at her oddly, wondering what she was laughing at, and, seeing that she let go of the fish, winced as the barb poked into her again. He scowled, looked at her. Elves had such odd names for Nature. Human names were much more useful, describing the creature. Perhaps the elven names did the same, for all the good that it did him.
But he knew the plant that she was describing," I know of it," He said," There is a patch not far from here," He pointed in the direction that he thought it was, and got to work, pressing the knife to the cut where the barb was, drawing a bit of blood, bit, not much. He expertly removed the barb from her foot, avoiding poking himself, while she was distracted. She was right, however, and it would be a good start for a meal. He looked around, pulling a bit of cloth from his pocket, and pressing it the wound," Keep it there. I will be back in a bit," He said," Oh, and don't bother running. In your state, I will be able to catch you quite easily," He undid the tether from her hand, and was off in search of... what had she called it again?
Dovah was relieved to know he knew of the plant she described, and better yet, knew where to find some close. She watched him as he removed the fish from her foot. She bit her lower lip to keep from yelping again. He was good though and it didn’t hurt overly much more than when the critter had flopped around dying. When he’d finished, her lips twitched again at the memory of his odd looks to her laughing. Almost, she explained, but he squashed the moment by speaking first.
She gave a snort at his parting words, and her voice floated to him, a bit slurred already from the fish poison. “A pebble could catch me in my current state before I could take three steps.” She gave a quiet sigh and contemplated sticking her foot back in the water to slow the effects of the venom down. Eyeing the distance between her and the water, she gave it up as a bad idea. She’d probably fall face first into the creek and drown. Besides, she was starting to feel the poison causing her to be ill.
It was manageable for the first several heartbeats with the help of her slowing her breathing and staying calm. But before much longer she felt her stomach start to churn and roil. Looked like the fish would be just enough for dinner… for him at any rate. She wasn’t going to be eating tonight. By the time he returned, a film of sweat glazed her skin and she was starting to shake slightly.
Calvin moved away from her, his eyes scanning the dark undergrowth, looking for the plant in question the name precisely evaded his memory just now, but that wasn't important. She wouldn't recognize the human adaptation anyway. He forced his eyes to see better, wincing slightly at the thought that dawn was less than an hour away. It would take more than that to get to where he had planned for them to spend the day. Of course, lighting a fire out in the open, during the day, was a beacon loud and clear to anyone that could look above the tree line, which wouldn't be a problem in his cave. The mountain was riddled with holes, like a hive, and the smoke would be blown out from the rock, into the mountain and on to any one of the openings up near the top.
No matter.
He reached a patch that he had marked on an earlier journey, and was relieved to find one of the plants that he needed. He plucked several of them out of the ground, carefully, and, with less care and more speed, he made his way back to the river, and followed it until he reached the spot where he had left her. He found her there, feverish, with a light sheen of sickly sweat covering her body. He scowled. There wasn't time to light a fire here. He pulled a cup from his pack, filled it with the icy water from the river, and, plucking three leaves, crushed them in the water. He waited a few seconds, grinding the leaves until a bitter-sweet smell filled the air. He then moved over to her side, seeing that her hands were shaking, he decided to help her drink it himself.
He placed a hand underneath her chin, opening her mouth a bit, and nudging the cup close to it, tilting it until some of the liquid flowed into her mouth," Don't choke," He admonished.
At first Dovah didn’t notice his return, not until he grabbed her chin and placed the cup to her lips. Briefly she started to struggle, her mind thinking he was the reason for her current state. That he was trying to poison her further. But when the bitter flavor of the Tefla hit her tongue she stopped, recognizing it. Unfortunately, his tilting her head back caused her hard fought equilibrium to be lost. Her hands came flailing up to grab his torso to stabilize herself and keep her from falling over, probably backwards. And yet she still managed to swallow most of the liquid.
When he took the cup away, she still didn’t let go of him. “T-thank you. It should help. Hope you… grabbed more than… a couple… of leaves though.” She bowed her head and still holding onto him rather tightly, took a few deep breaths. “We… We had better… hurry. Even with the help of the Tefla… I haven’t much time.” She made an attempt to rise, only to fall over. She still didn’t let go. In fact, it seemed her hold got even tighter.
He was a bit surprised that she would grip him, hands gripping at his shoulders to keep from falling over. He hadn't thought that the poison would work that fast, but, then again, he had been gone longer than anticipated, and well, he had never actually been poisoned by a spikefish either. So he was reacting merely on what he had seen happen to others. He was far from being an expert, after all, and he tended to know things from experience. Things like that, while interesting, he tended to avoid.
His hands still occupied, he couldn't help her back up, so he didn't object to her arms around him, or her fingers digging into his muscles, almost painfully. He made no facial recognition of it, however, and helped her sip some more of the tisane. When it was down to the dregs, he hoped that it had already begun to take effect. He heard that the poison caused nausea, and he didn't want to have her puke over him. He shook the thought away.
The sun will be rising soon," He said, helping her stand," And there is still a ways to walk. Do you need me to carry you?"
As he helped her stand upright, her head swam a bit, and she clung to him unsteadily. She started to shake her head in reply to his question, but that made matters worse. With a groan she buried her face into his shoulder and took several deep breaths. The clean woodsy smell about him strangely helped clear her head and settle her stomach back to a more quiet chaos. A muffled, “No.” came from her.
Finally she lifted her head, and carefully stepped away from him. Moving in the direction he wanted, she slowly placed one foot in front of the other. The look on her face fierce with concentration. The glaze of sweat became thicker, and the shaking that had virtually stopped, came back stronger. But a look at her face showed she was determined to go as far as she could under her own power.
Just as the sky tinted with the new morn, Dovah finally stumbled into a tree and leaned heavily against it. She looked horrible. Her eyes were unfocused, the sweat seemed to pour off her, and she was shaking badly now. “I can’t…” Suddenly her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.
He held her in place on his shoulder for a bit, oddly enjoying the feel of her proximity. He shook his head, relieving himself of that thought. If he began thinking of her in that way, he was a dead man for sure. Because she wouldn't be thinking like that, and would, without pause, kill him the first chance she got. She pushed herself away, indicating that she didn't want to be carried. He liked it that way better anyway, so he followed her, watching her unsteady progress, and knowing that, from the looks of her, she was going to drop any minute now.
But once again, she surprised him. She managed to walk three miles, through rough terrain, and finally, as the sun turned the dark sky a lighter grey, she fell. He shook his head. She shouldn’t have walked, and he knew that he should have pointed this out to her. But he hadn't and he cursed himself a little for it. He picked her up, making sure that she hadn't sustained any injuries before cradling her in his powerful arms like a baby, and began walking.
Despite her will-powered walk, she had cost him a lot of time. She had moved slowly, and not at the pace that he was moving at now. He cursed himself for laziness once more, and hiked his way to his cave, "Arrogant woman," He scowled, and saw the hole in the rock face about half a mile distant. The sun had fully exposed itself to the horizon now.
Deep in her unconscious state being carried and at a faster pace than she had moved under her own power started to make her nauseous. She gave a loud groan and flung her arm around his neck and buried her face there too. His scent hit her nose once more and again strangely settled her. A slight whimper came from her before she settled to quietness once more.
Her body was very hot to the touch as a fever ran through her. Sweat still poured off her as well, making her damp. It also made her start to shiver as if cold. As he finally approached the entrance of the cave he wanted, delirium set in. “I will not marry. You’d have better luck with Desha.” She quieted briefly as if listening to someone, before her head shook violently. “NO! I am not marrying him. Just marry Desha off and be happy at least one of your damned daughters wants to be bothered with such a farce.” Suddenly her hand came up making a cutting motion, nearly hitting him and spilling her out of his arms. “You wouldn’t understand, city bound and forgotten as you have. As all Elves seem to have...” She settled back once more, muttering incoherently.
It was more than apparent that the poison had finally hit her, and hit her hard. Unless she was kept stationary and fed more of the Tefla, she would be down for several days, depending on her metabolism. Getting the fever broke sooner rather than later would also help speed her recovery.
She seemingly had settled in his arms, nudging her face into his chest as he walked. She had seemed disturbed earlier, but being close to him made her feel better, apparently. Probably since the movements were less the closer she got to the center of his body. She did have a serious case of nausea, he recalled, and tried to move more smoothly. She began to talk in her fever induced sleep, in the Elven tongue, no less, and he began to wonder what she was saying. While mildly adept at it, she was speaking quickly, her voice slurring quite a bit. He laid her down once he got to the cave, and immediately covered her with a blanket, to help the fever to burn off the sickness.
He moved over once he thought she was comfortable, his fingers moving expertly along his flint and piece of iron, the sparks catching on the kindling that he always laid out before leaving this place. He wasn't the only one to use it, after all, and it was good manners to leave it nice and spruced up for the next visitor. For all he knew, someone else had laid this out for him, No matter, as the fire caught, and he pulled a well-used but clean pot out, filling it with water from a stream that flowed from inside the mountain, and, adding the Tefla leaves to it, and some of the roots, he set it over the fire, to boil.
He crushed some more leaves, placing them in the cup that he had used before, and placed it under her nose, hoping to have her wake up. She didn't, moaning some more elven out, and he scowled. He tilted her head back, and, plugging her nose as well as opening her mouth, he poured a few drops inside. She swallowed automatically, gagging a bit, and he did it a bit more, until he thought was enough. He pulled out the Tefla tea, and poured the milky white, thin liquid into one of his canteens. She would need it, after all.
He immediately set out to make himself something to eat, starting with peeling the barbs from the fish that Dovah unfortunately had caught, and gutted it, skinned it, and prepared it for the fire. He filled the pot with water again, and, adding some roots, spices, vegetables, and other oddities that he carried the room soon filled with the smell of stew.
Dovah settled quietly once he placed her on the ground and got more Tefla down her. She still occasionally muttered and called out. No being the most common word easiest understood. Much of her words were punctuated with growls and snorts of disgust as well. But it was the smell of the stew he cooked that finally roused her, unlike the Tefla he had placed under her nose earlier.
Suddenly she was up and bouncing off the walls of the cave, trying to find a way out. Stumbling finally to the cave entrance she went left and stopped. Bending over she heaved out her empty stomach. When she finished, she staggered back inside the cave. The smell hits her again, and she whirled back out and heaved some more. Finished once more, she just collapsed against the rock and gulped in fresh air with a groan. She still sweated, and looked pale and miserable. Her eyes closed as she started to pass back out.
He looked up, suddenly alarmed that she had woken up so suddenly. There were rumors, after all, of demons possessing the people that lay asleep from unnatural, or in this case, very natural causes. He had naturally disbelieved such things as myth and old wife's tales. However, once a seed of a myth had been planted, he knew, it would never leave. He cursed himself when she began to heave. Of course, her stomach was violently reacting to the poison, thus making the smell of food to be unbearable for her. He growled, sheathing the knife that he had drawn, his face growing slightly worried as she dashed out. He took a quick look to the fire before he moved outside, waiting for her stomach to expel nothing before he moved close. Her fever was beginning to spike.
"Stay awake," He said, pulling out the flask with the tea, hoping that she would stay conscious until she had had enough. Her eyes were dipping as he turned her over again, and he nudged her ribs, trying to keep her awake for long enough. He opened her mouth, tilting her head up and, sitting down, leaning it on his lap. He began to pour the tea in, drop by drop, coaxing her to drink the healing liquid. It seemed that his delivery was going to be a little late, but it was better than not having one at all. He needed to find a way to get a message to his employer. He couldn't leave her alone, not when she was like this.
"Stay alive," He whispered.
A grunt was about all he got in response at first to his demand that she stay awake. He got a pitiful growl when he nudged her ribs. But was rewarded with her swallowing under her own power, and managing not to drown while in a prone position. She gave a soft sigh of relief when he finally pulled the healing liquid away. Her stomach was already settling back down into a whispered turmoil instead of the monster eruption from earlier.
Her keen elven hearing caught his whisper, and her eyes opened to look into his own. A faint smile touched her lips and even her eyes. Had she felt more herself, she would have given him a quip to make him raise his brows, as it was she could barely manage a whispered response. “I’m… not going… to die…” Her eyes drifted closed. “Just… be sick… for a…” She didn’t finish as she slipped back into unconsciousness once more and started shivering violently.
Calvin nodded as she passed out again. It wouldn't be a good idea to heat up food for her now, but she needed to eat. She needed sustenance, and, more importantly, to stay awake for long enough to be able to eat. He scowled at nothing in particular. His employer wouldn't appreciate being delivered a half-dead corpse, after all. He shook himself, and felt Dovah's forehead. The fever had gone down a touch, but not a lot, so he quickly went back into the cave and brought her back a blanket, and laid it over her, nudging her into a shady spot. Something resembling a pillow was placed beneath her head, and he went back inside, and ate his food, knowing that soon, the scent of the nutritious soup would be gone, and he would bring her back into the place, out of the elements. For now, if he did that, she would just get sick again.
He chowed down the food in a hungry fashion, adding some bits of biscuits to the mix, making the liquid starchier. He felt some strength returning to his aching muscles. While he had the stamina of a young horse, he was used to carrying his own weight, and when it was added to even her slight frame, for a long period of time, he found himself unprepared. He scowled at it, and ate his food in a foul mood.
Dovah’s fevered mind ran rampant causing her to toss and turn. She traveled back to life at home, times within the Forest, travel trips for her family’s business. Each time, her mind touched on certain events, that at the time she’d taken as funny for the most part, though a lesson, and turned them far worse than had actually happened. Eventually her tossing about caused her to become badly entangled within the blanket that he had thrown over her. Her mind twisted and all she knew was that she was imprisoned somehow.
Dovah fought the demons that her fevered mind produced as the cause of her suddenly bound state. This made the situation worse, and she started to whimper at first as she had less and less movement available to her. In a short time she couldn’t move at all anymore, this set her off in a panic and she started screaming suddenly as if the Nine Hells had opened up and released all the inhabitants at her.
Calvin eyed the woman as she tossed and turned sporadically, his food gone, and the smell getting pushed away by the gentle breeze. The fire was starting to lower, and, as they didn't need it much, he let it. Fires were always dangerous when one was being hunted, not matter the precautions taken. He would have to get some water to douse it before it began to smoke, and use the hot coals in another fire. No, he shook his head that was a bad idea unless he had a clay jar. He wondered why he had even considered it. He scowled. He was getting too tired. He shook his head, and realizing that he had given her his only blanket. He scowled, realizing that he was an idiot once more. They weren't going anywhere. His employer wouldn't like the delay, but that was entirely his problem.
He sat down, not really needing a blanket, and leaning his back on the stone wall of the cool cave, closing his eyes, and hoping to catch some sleep.
It felt like he had only slept for a minute before he was awoken by a small cry. He shot into action, his skinning knife in his hands, ready to deal lethal damage. But no threat presented itself. He swallowed the dryness out of his throat, and looked around for the origin of the cries. He looked over to his captive elf, and saw that she was tangled in his blanket. He scowled, and moved over to her. He untangled the blanket, worried that her skin, while hot as a coal, was just as dry. He took a cloth, and a bucket over to the stream, pulling some water, and gently began dabbing her forehead with the damp cloth.
Dovah’s eyes flew open when he first started to untangle her. They were glazed and unfocused, with panic and fear riding high. As she became free she lashed out, still seeing the demons in her dreams. Her hits were weak and ineffective though, more like when a newborn wildly swings and manages to connect. Her mind produced an image of Ekrit Garsen among the demons, grinning evilly. Unable to take any more, she fled further into her mind, seeking darkness and relief.
She didn’t even twitch as he bathed her forehead with coolness. In fact, she didn’t move, at all. She didn’t even appear to breath anymore. She was so still and limp
His hand flashed, like a bolt of lightning underwater. His mind had no place in this game, only reflex, only long, hard years of learning to catch his own food were in play, as a fish touched his hand underneath the water. His fingers darted, hardly causing a ripple in the babbling brook as he caught the fish just below the fins, and tossing it over to the dry land, where the fish flopped around, trying to get back to the safety of the water. Calvin smiled to himself. It was more of a game than an actual need for food, even though he did, indeed, need some food. Games were always fun, and catching a fish with his bare hands was a testament to his speed, his skill, and his ease with the forest. Things that he never tired of proving.
A fire was started, and he cleaned his catch, his fingers still numb with the cold. The flames licked up into the air, the yellow light making his eyes seem brown. His wet clothes were drying in the cool, crisp, dry air, and the smell of the fish slowly roasting over the fire, with a few spices, and a broth of his own concoction. Soon it was ready, and using a platter, knife, and fork that he brought along in his travels, he made quick work of the fish, soon picking the small bones out of his teeth.
Now that the more pressing needs had been satisfied, as he now was drinking some water from the stream, he had business to attend to. A certain young elf-woman was in need of kidnapping, and he was the man for the job. He could see the lights of the city in which she lived. He couldn't see the villa in which she, her parents, and what was more likely than not, a small army of guards waiting to intercept the ambitious little man.
He had dealt with worse.
His stomach now settled, his canteen full, and his weapons on his body, he loped his way out of the woods, and into dreaded civilization. Elven civilization, no less. He would have to stick to the shadows, or stick out. Not much of an option for the human now embarking on what could arguably be called the toughest hunt in his life, so he stuck to the shadows, covering his face, and body from any potential on lookers, and finally, to his destination. Whether it was his final destination or not...
'Twas up to the gods to decide, the hunter thought with a small grin on his face. He quickly looked the place over, and made plans to invade it.
Dovah sat idle in the large room that the family would gather in after evening meal. She listened to her father discussing business with her two brothers, and her mother and sister conversing not far away over her sister’s impending wedding. Of the two conversations, the business interested her more. Unlike her sister, she took an active role in their family’s trade. She had neither desire to, nor inclination of, being married off.
“Dovah!”
She blinked and brought herself back to the conversation at hand as her mother called her name sharply. “Yes, Mother. I’m sorry what did you say?”
She mother gave an exasperated sigh and her sister glared at her. Dovah barely managed to suppress the need to roll her eyes. “I said, you will be helping to carry the train on your sister’s dress. After she walks up to the Priest, you will artfully arrange the train and then step to the left and move way to stand at the side with all the others.”
Dovah sighed and nodded. “Yes, Mother. We have gone over this before.”
Before her mother could say anything, her sister spoke up. “You will not ruin this for me. Just because you’re too stupid and cold to want to marry doesn’t mean I am.”
Dovah stood suddenly, her face cold. She heard the males’ conversation suddenly halt as she stood. “Do not worry, your Bitchness. You shall be married and if not it won’t be through any fault of mine.” With that she turned on her heel and stalked from the room in spite of the protests from her mother and father, and the chortles from her brothers. She refused to stop or return to listen to stupid wedding plans already hammered out weeks ago.
She stormed to her room and slammed the door behind her and locked it. She paced back and forth for several long minutes before she calmed down enough not to throw something. She sighed in sheer frustration. Once her sister was married off she hoped things would return to normal. She finally decides to try to sleep. Perhaps if she could get to sleep early, she could get up early enough to sneak out and go hawking…
Humming a soft tune to himself, the hunter quickly arranged the plan neatly in his mind. He made his way to the back, where two guards were guarding a back door, as well as watching, to make sure that no man, woman, or any other being tried to get over the wall. That would have to change. He knelt down, picking up a stone about the size of his fist, hefting it, and calculating about how far he could throw it without attracting attention to himself, pulled back, out of sight of the guards, and threw the rock. It smacked loudly, compared to the silence of the night, against a tree. Their attention was grabbed, and, as the hunter had hoped, one of them left to investigate. With feet as light as air, Calvin swept forward, his feet moving expertly over the ground, before sending him lightly into the air, to hammer, feet-first into the guard that had remained, and was, predictably, looking over to see if his comrade had found anything. The elf's head collided with the wall, and he feel unconscious, without much of a sound. He turned to the other guard, who was just still looking around the darkness. Calvin crept up behind him, and was about to snake his arms around his neck, to knock him out, when the elf turned, not quite understanding what he saw before him.
Calvin panicked momentarily, and threw an odd punch to the jaw. It landed, poorly, hurting the hunter's hand more than it hurt the guards jaw. It was responded in kind. Calvin was thundered back with a surprisingly strong blow, and the guard, now seeing the threat, drew his saber, and opened his mouth so call the alarm. He fell back, clutching his throat where Calvin's leg had lashed out. Calvin, never much of a man for swords, gripped the back of the elf's head with both hands, and brought it down to his waiting knee. A thud, and the guard fell back unconscious.
"Stay," Calvin growled, rubbing his sore hand, feeling a swelling where the guard's fist had met his face. Well, that was done now, and he easily vaulted the wall, and made his way, like a wraith, through the lavishly, expensively decorated house. He touched base everywhere. The man that had hired him had told him where the female elf's room was, but his memory was a bit foggy at the moment. It was always a flaw of his. He finally found the room that he was looking for, and, finding it locked, he worked the lock over, and softly opened the door.
A woman screaming just now would ruin his day severely, so he treaded softly, slowly making his way to the bed. He looked up to see a large hawk staring down on him, the powerful eyes seeming to gaze into his very soul. But he knew hawks. He walked over to the bird, and pulled out a stretch of dried rabbit meat. He knew that the moment he approached the bed, where he could now see someone was sleeping, the creature would squawk, and wake up the whole house. But once fed, it trusted the intruder, for the moment, and now he moved over to the bed, pulling out a long, razor-sharp skinning knife. He looked at his intended victim, smiling at how nice she looked as she slept. She looked peaceful. Certainly not the woman that his client had described. She was probably horrible by day.
He placed the blade gently on her neck, and placing a hand over her mouth quickly," Evening, ma'am," He said softly," Not a sound, or I slit your throat, understood?" He waited for her to nod," You are the right sister, right? The one that refuses to get married?"
Ready finally for bed, Dovah lies down and in a surprisingly short time is fast asleep. At first she thinks it’s a dream a cold metal tip against her throat and a warm hand across her mouth. Then she hears a weird accented voice, the accent that of a Human. She knows there are none in the house and she comes fully awake. She hears his words, but at first fear and panic makes her unable to think or respond. Dovah lays there immobile with tension waiting for him to kill her. Then her brain clicks back to working order and realizes he was waiting for an answer. What had he asked? She couldn’t remember. As her mind struggles to dredge up the memory, she realizes he is waiting for something. Then it hits her, what he asked. She nods her head carefully not wanting to accidently jab herself on whatever he held to her throat.
His next questions baffle her at first, then once they sink in, her eyes narrow to slits. Her fear evaporates and she suddenly reaches up and pushes the hand holding the object to her throat away. It barely moves, but it is enough for her to twist her head and frees herself from the hand over her mouth. “What does my lack of interest in marriage have to do with you suddenly being in my room accosting me?” She didn’t yell, she was too incensed at this man’s gall. She moved angrily to get out of the bed. She had every intention of showing this Human the quickest way out of her room, house, and life.
"Shhh," Said the hunter, gripping the elf by the neck, hard, and pressing her against the wall, knife still poking her neck, some blood being drawn as she jerk away, slicing. Nothing too deep, or serious, but enough, perhaps to let her know just how sharp the blade was. To be able to cut through animal fur, it had to be pretty damn sharp. He pressed her back to the wall, holding her firmly until she stopped resisting. He scowled, looking into her eyes, hoping that he didn't have to go through all the explaining before she finally got the point. He could just knock her out, but that was a last resort. He didn't like hitting females, of any race.
"I just needed to know that you were the one that disliked marriage, elf," Calvin said, his tone serious, and somehow coming off as comic at the same time. “And now, you will accompany me off the premises, over the hills, across the kingdom, into a thousand perils, and a thousand dangers, in order to get you to the Garsen estate, where I get paid a handsome fee for delivering you here, alive and unspoiled, to do as they command. Any questions?" He waited for half a second, not allowing her to get all indignant-like again. He had to make sure that she knew that he was in charge. She would have to obey him, or suffer.
He nudged her in the direction of the door, wrapping a powerful arm around her neck, and planting the tip of the dagger in her back. A gentle reminder that while he would be paid for delivering her alive, if she tried to get him caught, he would kill her without a thought, and be gone, before anyone, or in this case, anything, could realize that he had been here at all.
"What do I call you, anyway?" He whispered softly in her ear, guiding them back the way that he had come. "Calling you elf simply will not cut the berries for the amount of time that we are going to be together."
She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck painfully and pressed her to the wall. The small cut was no worse than if her hawk had nipped her, and she didn’t really register it. Too incensed for good judgment to be headed, she struggled at first, but only briefly once she realized she could not free herself. She finally stilled, breathing slightly heavy.
As he spoke once more, she again got indignant. By the time he got done, she was so pissed she was seeing red. “Like Hells I am. I will not marry some fop who is looking for a status symbol and leverage against my family.” Apparently though her words had no effect as he moved her with an arm effectively around her neck to keep her quiet or knock her unconscious if she gave him any more grief. It also allowed him to have the knife conveniently at her back for a quick thrust if the need arose.
She gave a soft whistle before he had her out the door. The hawk that he’d encountered earlier rustled her feathers briefly before taking flight and zooming out a hole high in her bedroom wall. After that she moved quietly with him not making a sound. Her mind raced to come up with ideas on escape as they followed a path only he knew. She’d be damned if she would allow him to hand her over to Ekrit Garsen like a Yule present.
Dovah briefly thought about her sister’s wedding and gave a soft snort as she remembered her words of earlier. This was a perfect example of not speaking in haste or anger, for those words had come back to bite her ass now. Her thoughts were broken by his question. She stiffened, but refused to answer.
"Who said anything about marrying him?" Calvin whispered," I don't know how you elves treat marriage... seven hells, I don't know how most people treat marriage, but the way that... what was his name? I don't remember. Well, his loss, I guess," He shook his head, slightly increasing their pace, his highly attuned senses alert for any sound of trouble," Anyway, he didn't seem like he wanted to marry you," They reached the garden, walking over the perfectly manicured lawn, passing by some scented flowers, closed for the day, and finally reaching the wall, where Calvin found the gate.
"Suit yourself," He grinned, enjoying playing against this female, who was proud, and unmoving despite the fact that her position did not leave much space for freedom. Calling her elf would have to do for now. He slowly released his hold on her, holding her wrist with a vice-like grip, and putting the knife away. Its purpose was now clear, if his use of it would have to be left to her imagination for now, and he opened the gate, and, keeping her close, immediately yanked her through.
Well, they were out. Now for the fun part.
He pulled her, hoping to be able to bash out her resistance tonight. If that didn't happen, thoughts of freedom would plague her every waking moment, and he would have a long time without sleep to make sure that he didn't lose her. He was confident that should she escape his immediate grasp, he would be able to find her, as savvy as he was with the forest, and since she had probably never been out in the wild before in her life. Of course, there was such a thing, that the hunter generally avoided, that was over-confidence.
This was all a moot point unless they managed to reach the wild. If he was caught, death, or imprisonment would be awaiting him. And Calvin hated closed spaces.
He knew the swiftest route to exit the city, the guards of which would be drunk, sleeping, or both. So with a firm grip on her wrist with one hand, and the other wrapped around her waist, just for security, they made their stealthy way to her enslavement.
“Ekrit Garsen.” She answered him absently while she mulled over his words as he hurried her along. Not marry her? Then why the bother of having her kidnapped and brought to him? None of it made sense. She never noticed when they reached the gate. His hold disappeared only to be replaced by an extremely painful hold on her delicate wrist. She hissed with pain as he yanked her through.
Dovah stumbled a time or two when he first yanked her along. After the second time she became pissed again and stopped suddenly, yanking on the arm he held. Though she hissed and grimaced in pain she still managed to give him what for with gritted teeth. “Enough! I have thus far gone along with you. You do not need to be a stupid ass, Human. Jerking me around like this will only bring attention to us.” She glared at him in total disgust. “But hey, if you want to get caught that’s fine by me, I’ll happily scream for you and make it easier on us both.”
Part of her couldn’t believe she’d just said that, but the rest of her was too pissed off at his vulgar and crass handling of her. Did she want to be kidnapped? Well, while the idea had some good reasons, her sister’s wedding for one, no she didn’t… really… maybe… Dovah had always had an adventurous spirit, and had yet to spook easily from any challenge. And that’s what she was seeing this as. A challenge.
"Ekrit Garsen," Calvin repeated, frowning deeply," Why you elves require such odd names is beyond me. And not my business. But still," He said, loosening his grip in her a little," You could go with stuff that is more pronounceable. Like Dak, Jane, Malvo, and Cer," He nodded," Much better. Yes... Elegant, and pronounceable," He tugged her into the shadows, wondering just what she was doing. Was she playing him? Calvin was an uncomplicated man, at best, who served no other but the highest bidder. It was his own personal code of ethics. He tried not to hurt anybody, he tried not to kill, but if people got in his way, there was no faster way through them then... well, through them. All that to say that, she would be wasting her time trying to outsmart him, cheat him, embarrass him, or anything of the sort. He was in a league of his own, in which no man was better, even if they tried. He worked in his own world, his own time, his own rules.
He shifted his weight over to cover his face as they made their way to the gate that would lead them out, finally, in Calvin's opinion, to the woods, where he could finally disappear. His way. He tugged her again, softer this time, taking her words into account. "My apologies, elf," He grinned back at her, a little manically," Just making sure that you don't run off... and well, screaming would certainly ruin my day," He loosened his grip, and tried not to yank her about too much," I do have to get you there in as pristine an order as possible."
He walked over to the guards of the gate, who seemed a bit less than alert, and didn't notice the cloaked man with a female in tow, and they were past, and moving over onto the road that led to where they were going. Breaking the trail now would only lead to attention, as would walking at night, and it wouldn't be long until her disappearance would be noticed, and men sent in search. He would lose them, but then again, she would always be a wild card in his view. She could ruin everything with a scream. As simple as that.
He found the horses that he had bought and stashed here previously, and helped her to mount one, quickly tying her wrists to the saddle before taking her reins, and mounting his own gelding," We have a long trip ahead of us," He said softly, and gently tapped the flanks of the mount, edging the both of them forward.
Dovah gave a very unElvin, unlady-like snort at his ‘Elegant’ in reference to Human names. She refrained from saying anything though as they approached the gate. A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as he tugged gentler on her arm and lightened his grip enough for it to no longer feel like he was trying to break and grind her wrist bones. The amusement vanished though with his next words and a scowl appeared to furrow her brow.
She wondered what Ekrit was up to. She couldn’t fathom what he hoped to accomplish with her abduction, if it wasn’t forcing her to marry him as this Human seemed to think. She moved along with him out of the gate, disgust at the lack of alertness in the guards. She would have to remember to say something about their derelict of duty whenever she returned. She wasn’t overly worried about her situation. She was not some soft city dweller as most thought her. A small smile touched her lips fleetingly as she heard the nearly silent beat of her Elvin Hawk’s wings circling high overhead.
She was surprised when he led her to horses. She readjusted her evaluation of the Human as he helped her mount up and tied her hands to the saddle. She gave a thoughtful nod to his words as she studied her bindings. She moved with ease with the horse as they set off, her body automatically adjusting to its rhythm. Finally, after having studied the ropes for a long time, she decides there really is no way she can loosen them… for now. She settles more comfortably into the horse’s gait and starts to drift off to sleep. She hadn’t been asleep long before he interrupted it, and she would need her strength and wits about her for the adventure ahead.
They didn't move too quickly. No, pushing the horses this early in the journey would not serve their purpose at all. Even though they would only be using the horses until sunrise, at which time they would sell them, or turn them loose to return to their masters, and they would cut across the wild lands to lose any possible pursuers. Well... he was sure that they would have pursuers, but the possibility of them being already on the hunter's trail by sunrise were less probable. But, of all the bad things that Calvin could be accused of, and they were not few, being careless was not among them. He would travel by roads that only he knew, until they reached the place which he was to deliver her. He looked over, and saw the elf was fast asleep on her saddle. That was better than having to endure her talking every waking moment, he guessed, but she looked oddly different when she slept, her eyes and mouth closed, an odd peacefulness in her features as she rested. Although, he knew, tension from her current position would not be forgotten in her dreams.
The horses moved on at a leisurely rate, the soft plodding of their hooves on the well maintained road was more than a little soothing. Days of travel on foot was fun, but it lacked the lazy quality of being able to sit back in the saddle, letting your body adjust by reflex to the soft rolling gait of the horse, and just let your mind wander. Calvin was known to have something of an imagination. People had said once that he should be a ballad master someday, and indeed he planned on it, when he could afford the steep price of a lute or flute.
He watched as the sky went from the deepest blue to pink, grey, and finally, as the sun tipped its head out from behind the horizon, an array of colors. He watched, half-asleep, as the birds began their morning song, and the sky made for a sight that any artist would die to capture. And, amazingly, it did this every day. He chuckled at the thought, and dismounted. He stretched his sore muscles out for a few seconds, and pulled a knife from his belt. He walked over to the elf, and slashed her bonds, gently helping her off the horse.
"There, there," He whispered as she woke up. He had long gotten used to how most people reacted to being awoken. They took a while to become fully alert. But people with... well, it had been explained to him a few years ago by a magicker of some talent," People that live like animals," Came the gruff, kindly voice to his head," And I don't mean live by doing terrible things. Animals are not evil. And when people live like them, awareness is mandatory for survival. Coming out of sleep takes a mere second, the slightest noise. For others," The old man had shrugged," Well, they find no need to be attentive to their surroundings, so their mind is pulled from the land of dreams slowly, delicately."
He lifted her up to her feet, grabbing his pack off of the horse, and, speaking to the both of them softly, tapped them on the rump. They turned, and went back the way that they had come. Watching them leave, Calvin pulled out a line from his pouch, and tied it around the elf's right hand. He had noticed before that she used it more, and he tied the rope to his own hand, his left.
"Now begins the hard part, princess," Calvin said, no trace of humor in his voice," We are going for a long, long walk," He handed her some dried meat, fruits, and a canteen of water," Breakfast," He said simply, and began walking.
Dovah slept on at the slow pace of the horse. Her body swayed with the movement, just enough instinctive tension apparent to keep her from falling off. She woke with a start as her sleeping mind felt herself being removed from the horse, thinking she was falling. His gentle ‘There, there’ soothed her and her head came to rest on his shoulder as her eyes started to drift closed once more. Dovah started to snuggle closer to her abductor until his unfamiliar scent finally registered in her brain. She jerked back and her eyes flew open to stare at him for several heartbeats.
Dovah watched him with the horses, musing at his kindness with them. Such a contrast with how he treated her. The thought of running didn’t even cross her mind, not until he tied a tether to her wrist and then his own. She arched a brow, but stayed silent, no words coming to her at the moment. He wasn’t going to make things easy, that was for sure. A delicate snort erupted from her at his comment. She took the offered meal automatically as they started to walk.
Dovah quietly ate as they walked. She kept an eye to the scenery, noting landmarks and such. A cool gentle breeze wafted by, and she shivered slightly. Looking side long at her captor, she spoke. “I don’t suppose you thought to bring me a change of clothes?” She looks down at the gauzy bed clothes she had on before continuing. “My night clothing isn’t exactly the best travel wear.” She let it go at that, for now.
Calvin smiled apologetically as they strode," Sorry, princess," He said," I didn't have the time to grab your hunting clothes, or your soft, doe-skin boots," He supposed that that was what rich people wore out doors. Doeskin was soft, and pleasant to walk in," But as you remember, we were in quite a hurry, and there was simply no time," He grinned from ear to ear in what he was sure would be a poor joke to her ears. It was funny to his though, and that was all he cared about. But he wasn't a cruel man, by any means," I have some extra clothing in my pack. You can use the boots, if you find the rest inappropriate, and it will do until we reach a couple of friends of mine that would be more than happy to sell you some clothes fitting a woman of your rank," Another grin, another poor joke, and silence descended on the pair walking through the forest.
He was carrying his bow, unstrung, on his back, with the bowstrings coiled up in an oiled leather pack. His knifes were always maintained sharp, and kept in sheaths of similar quality, and he had his own tools with which he made traps. A hatchet was on his back as well as they plodded along. They kept a surprisingly good pace, and he forced himself not to underestimate his prisoner. She was in shape, easily keeping up with him, and she didn't seem to be tired in the least. He would keep his eyes on her.
He didn't look up much, which meant that he didn't see the elf's hawk, circling overhead either.
After a few hours of walking, they came by a stream, flowing with icy water from the mountains, and he called a stop to their trek. He filled their canteens, and offered her a pack of clothing," Sorry, princess," He said, a little embarrassed," You will have to dress and undress with me around. I can't have you wandering this place all by your lonesome. If you want, I can turn around, but I will need some assurance that you won't go running off."
Dovah rolled her eyes at his smart assed comments. “I did not ask if you grabbed my clothes. Just if you had a change of more sturdier stuff.” She shrugged when he told her she could wear something of his, or buy something from his friends. “Well, unless you took the time to loot my room, you’re out on helping your friends make some coin as well.” She lapsed back into silence as they walked on.
Dovah moved surprisingly well in the forest. She would step lightly, testing each step before putting her full weight down. She moved with the silent grace of her kind. Had he not put a tether upon her, the Human would have been hard pressed to know she was there. Her eyes scanned everywhere, keeping a watch for danger, the man beside her not counting since he was an already known danger. Her head would tilt occasionally as she listened to some distant or faint sound. She was an Elf, and her people were far more at home in the forests and wilds than any city. Dovah, in particular, had always made sure she was as comfortable in the wilds as in her family’s merchant business.
When he called a halt to their trek, Dovah knelt beside him and drank straight from the stream. She leaned back up and flicked excess water off her hand back into the stream. Resting the arm on a bent knee she looked over at him and the clothes. She reached out and took the clothes from him without expression. Rising, she began to undress. In a rather short amount of time, she was clothed in the new attire.
She stomped around a bit in the shoes, getting them to fit a bit better. She frowned down at them and sighed. They were a bit too big, which was going to result in blisters if she didn’t do something about it. She looked to her night clothes and moved over to them. Picking up the shirt, she tears the bottom half of it off. Then she tore it into smaller pieces. Next she worked at stuffing them inside the shoes until she had them fit more properly. She then folded her clothes and handed them back to her kidnapper. “Here.”
Calvin had to restrain himself from grinning as she stripped down before him, with no thought of modesty, and put his clothes on. Out of protection for her, in his mind anyway, he tried to keep his eyes away. Not too terribly successfully, he would freely admit. She was... curvy. When she was finished, he looked at her with new eyes. Misjudgment was not something that he did regularly, but it was apparently the case now.
"Well," He said, not grinning, with some effort," That was insightful," He took her clothes, torn and useless now, and tossed them into the wind, that was now blowing to the southwest, to their left. The light garments flew lightly in the breeze. Well, if hunting dogs were sent after them that would put their heads in a roll. Hopefully.
"We will be getting some better shoes later, princess," He said, tugging her closer, and helping her hop over the creek. He knew she could by herself, as he now had a new-found respect for the elf, but she had to stay close, or else he would either end up tugged, and face-first into the water, or the same would happen to her. And he didn't have another set of clothes. He hopped over as well, and they resumed their hike.
Calvin checked the sky after a few hours, and the landmarks around him. And, as he suspected, there was a cabin just ahead," Ah," He said with a smile," Time to get you some new boots." He walked over to the cabin, and knocked gently on the door. With no response, he opened it, pulling the elf in as well," So... you never did answer me, princess," He opened a jar, and pulled out a couple apples, tossing one to her," Do you like being called princess, or are you going to tell me your name now?" He walked over to a nearby closet, and pulled a pair of smaller boot out, tossing them to her.
Dovah watched her clothes sail away on the wind. She gave a quiet sigh, but nothing more. He was actually smart, since it would throw off any pursuit when found. Her gaze drifted back to her abductor. She had watched him trying not to watch her while changing. And as he said, it was insightful.
She gave a shrug at the new shoes. Truth be told, she needed a whole new outfit, his clothes were a bit… big for her since he was a Human. She had a fleeting thought of wishing to have made a belt out of her now cast off clothing before he yanked her close and started them across the stream. She almost protested, but once they started across the creek, she thought better of it. It didn’t really matter anyway, he’d kidnapped her, and she may as well continue to play along.
As they came across a cabin, she spotted the hawk sitting on a branch. It wasn’t close to the cabin, if you walked in a circle from where they entered to the cabin, you would walk under it half way to the cabin. It had taken her a few passes as she looked around the clearing to spot the hawk. It sat so still and blended well with its surroundings.
She watched him knock then enter pulling her along. She looked around the cabin with interest as he opened something. When a small round object came flying her way, she side stepped and caught it. Examining it, she realized it was an apple. She took a small bite and was glad to find it was still good, and sweet. She nearly dropped it though when the boots came sailing through the air at her, and she did a bit of awkward juggling before she had all three items secure. She stared at him for several heartbeats, debating throwing one of the items at his head.
Calvin grinned ever so slightly at her struggle, and at the angry look that she had on her face for a few seconds when she looked his way. In his mind, this was just some fun. He had always enjoyed testing his reflexes, pushing himself to the bare limits of his skills, even if it meant failing quite a bit. And he imagined that everybody felt the same way. He stood, holding a set of clothes, chewing on his apple, and set them down on a rough, yet lovingly made wooden table. He had met the woman that inhabited this place before. Indeed, he had saved her from a group of Elven slavers that planned to take her, and she had said that, since she made more than she needed, that he was welcome to share her food, her home, and her clothes, he wasn't quite sure how that applied, with her. And he occasionally took her up on her offer.
"So," He said," What do you want me to call you, hmm?" He took another bite of the apple. He thought that there was little chance of her running off just now, so he reached out, slowly, as not to startle her, and pull the tether off of her arm. He immediately moved over to lock the door behind her, just in case," We will be spending the day here, and we move again at night. Less chance of being spotted that way," He nodded as if agreeing with himself, and walked over to the bed. On second thought..." You are welcome to the bed, if you wish," He said softly. There were no windows by the bed, and since he usually slept a bit too deeply when on one, he preferred to take up another place to sleep.
She nearly pelted him with a shoe when he reached over to untie her arm. Dovah raised a brow as she watched him lock the door after. She finally dropped the shoes where she stood and finished the apple. She mulled his words over in her head. Traveling at night was a smart move on his part. She had a feeling she was going to need more than her wits, and her hawk, about her with this one. Finally finished with the apple, she looks and eventually finds a place to dispose of the core.
She moves to the bed and looks it over. Her nose wrinkles slightly as she gets the whiff of the more astringent herb that kept bugs away. She kicked off the barrowed shoes and set them by the corner of the foot of the bed. Dovah then pushed the pants off and folded them neatly before placing them on top of the shoes. She finished by removing the shirt and folding it, placing it atop the pants.
Dovah sits on the edge of the bed and studies him briefly before settling herself in the bed, close to the wall it was near. She rolls to face the wall and her voice finally floats back to him. “Thank you for the use of the clothes.” She is quiet for many heartbeats before her sleepy voice could be heard again at a mumble. “Dovah.” Two heartbeats later her breathing changes to that of one in the Lands of Dreams.
He studied her as she undressed again, thinking about just how different elves were from humans. A human female in this one's position would be very modest, very careful lest he get the wrong kind of ideas. Rape was not uncommon after all, in his line of work. The truth remained that this woman's dignity would not be safer if she was in a nunnery. But still, ideas abounded. Females were hard to interpret, and harder still to predict. That point being proved at the moment. He shook his head, averted his eyes again, and waited for the creak of the bed's wood when she lay down, and covered herself again, to resume his watch. She was curled under the blanket, made of soft furs, her eyes shut, and the light from outside barely making it in from the wooden cover of the windows. Small cracks of light could be seen, filtering in, shafts of light catching small speck of dust, turning them into diamonds for the half second before they disappeared, only to be replaced by a hundred others.
It was a soothing sight.
"You are very welcome, my lady," He said softly. She whispered something else before falling asleep. Dovah. Was that her name? That or it was some odd word in her tongue. He would use it that night, and see which it was. He relaxed back into the chair that he was in," Calvin," He responded, knowing that she couldn't hear him. The chair was comfortable, covered with pillows made from bird-feathers, and soft furs. Mink, he decided, from the texture. He rolled his shoulders, and closed his eyes, descending into a light, yet restful, sleep, with no dreams.
Dovah yawned and stretched as she woke, only to freeze suddenly as strange and unfamiliar smells assaulted her nose. Her eyes flew open and darted around taking in the immediate area. As her mind caught up and reminded her of her situation, she relaxed finally, only to scramble out of the bed hastily as her bladder made itself uncomfortably known. After all, she’d been holding it for over a day now.
Once out of the bed, her eyes scanned the room frantically until they lighted upon what appeared to be a chamber pot. With urgent speed, she moved to it and flipped the top off. A split second glance was all she needed before she was settled over it and relieving herself. A sigh escaped her as she finished up and replaced the lid. She turned to see her abductor appearing to sleep in a chair. She stopped and studied him thoughtfully.
Calvin had never been a deep sleeper. As a child, he had suffered from insomnia, although nobody knew it, and he told no one. As he grew, the problem went away, but it left its mark behind. Any sound near him would send his heart beating, and his eyes would flutter open. At first, this was quite a pain in his life, since he slept outdoors many days. But he slowly grew to appreciate the blessing in disguise. He prided himself on having a very rapid response time, from the time that he woke, to the time that it took for him to be fully alert.
So when his Elven prisoner awoke, his eyes fluttered open as she let out a low yawn. He watched her stand and rush about, wondering what she was doing precisely. When he saw, he shut his eyes. Privacy, after all, was something that he held close to heart. When she was finished her business, and began walking around, he wondered what exactly she would do when she thought he wasn't looking. Confident that he would be able to hear her if she tried to escape, but not too confident, one of his eyes was open just enough so that he could observe her, not too closely, his vision limited to seeing her moving form, but, if she tried for any of the windows, or the door, he would be onto her like honey on warm bread.
But she didn't move much. Instead, she stayed in one place, seeming to be staring right at him. He resisted the urge to squirm under her gaze, as he was uncomfortable being looked at. She was obviously trying to gauge if he was really asleep, the same way that he was trying to gauge just how courageous this elven female was. If she tried to escape now, he would make sure that, when they were out in the open, he would not sleep a wink. If she didn't... well, he probably wouldn't sleep anyway, until he turned her over. He was one man, after all, and could stand a bit of sleep deprivation.
Dovah knew well and good that he was awake. He was like the Hunters of the Forest, always aware of their surroundings, even while sleeping. Her eyes glazed slightly as she remembered the times spent in the Forest since she was small. She remembered a time when she’d inadvertently hunted a Forest Cat that ended up hunting her. That had been… interesting. He reminded her much of that Cat. Unlike the rest of the Elvin Society Dovah lived among, she preferred the Forest over the city. And as soon as she had been big enough and old enough, she would spend much time there. Her family always joked she was a throwback to early Elves. She pretty much ignored them. Oh, she learned her family’s Trade well enough; after all, one needed skills to fall back on. Her eyes came into focus finally, and after another thoughtful stare at her abductor, she moved softly to look out a window.
Dovah’s arms were crossed behind her back as she stood there. One hand atop the opposite arm, as her other hand cupped its opposite. She watched the daylight give way to the night. Her thoughts wandering as she stood there watching the stars start to appear. She wasn’t so stupid as to make an escape attempt here. She wasn’t familiar with the mechanisms of the doors and windows locking. She knew in the time it would take her to figure them out, he’d be upon her.
Her love of the Forest was the main reason she saw no point in marrying. Too many thought that she would tame and settle with a good, strong husband to put her in her place, her parents included. She had no use being an accessory for, or subservient to another. Was it too much to ask for someone who shared her interests and love of the Forest? She gave a soft discouraged sigh. Apparently, since now she was being taken to a rejected suitor against her will. Dovah gave another long sigh before she spoke, still looking up at the stars. “So… Are we going to set out now? Or shall we wait for the half-moon to rise to give you some light to see by, Human?” She gave a small shiver as a draft came through the window and caressed her naked flesh.
Sleep dropped off of him like a well-used blanket. He opened his eyes, a deep breath of the stale air inside the cabin filling his lungs. He needed to taste fresh air again, a craving almost, but he needed to make sure that his prisoner was fit to travel again," I don't need the moon to travel, elf," He said softly, and a bit proudly," However, since the purpose of our trip is to have you disappear without a trace, I need the moon to see if I have left any tracks behind. And for that, I need some light to guide me by," He stood, and took a bit more food out of a nearby cupboard, not wanting to, or needing to light any lights, or fires for cooking.
"We move in a few hours," He realized that she had mentioned something before they had fallen asleep," Your name is Dovah, right?" He waited for her response," You said it earlier, but I wasn't sure what you meant by it," He chewed on another apple, letting the acid sweetness wake him up a bit more, before handing her some smoked meat, some fruit, and a cup full of clean, fresh water.
"We will be moving as soon as you have finished eating," He said softly, filling his bags with some other items, as well as their canteens from the water pump," I hope to make it to an alcove about ten miles to the southeast. We rest there during the day, and I left some supplies there to restock on my way here. We can only hope to reach there. I can, alone," He shook his head, the unasked question ringing in her ears: Would she slow him down? She would, if she wanted to be free again.
Dovah didn’t move for a long time as he moved about the room. She digested his words and filed them away. He was going to be hard to get away from by his words. She gave a soft sigh. She continued looking out the window as he moved about behind her. Finally she turned around as he asked about her name. She studied him for a few heartbeats before nodding. “Yes.” She took the food he handed her and started eating.
Ten miles southeast. She mentally reviewed the Forest. Unfortunately, that was beyond where she normally roamed. She was already out of her territory as it was. She debated as she ate breakfast. To slow him down in unfamiliar terrain might not be wise for most, but she had the Elvin Hawk to help her out once she was free of him. What she needed was the proper and most unexpected opportunity to be free of him. She would have to keep her senses open for such. She finished her meal and moved to dress when she finished. She finally turned to him and quirked a brow at him.
Calvin watched her eat, eying her oddly. Not the first time, and definitely not the last time he would wish that he could see into people's heads, and read their thoughts. She had a pensive face on, and perhaps she was just trying to get him paranoid. It was a good way to make your captor occupied, chasing shadows and what-not, and would allow her time to escape. And, oddly enough, it was a ploy that men were helpless against, especially in such situations as this. The long trip would fray his nerves, and now, with her pensive look, perhaps plotting an escape, he would be more so. He shook his head. If it was going to be that bad, it wouldn't do to be worrying about it now.
He finished his meal quickly, never much of a man to prolong such times of the day, and he leaned back, sipping some water from the well. He studied her, wondering again whether she would be capable of escape. He decided never to underestimate her, and he would never be surprised with what she could do. It seemed like a reasonable plan. He stood, picking up his pack, and turning to her," Coming, Dovah?"
Dovah was a bit surprised that they were leaving out like they were. He made no effort to tie her back up. That was a plus. She trotted after him to catch up, and then fell into an easy step matching his. She watched their surroundings as they moved deeper into unknown territory. The Forest was beautiful, and even more so here, practically untouched by the more “civilized” races. She gave a quiet sigh as they walked, a soft smile on her face. Despite being kidnapped and traveling with her unknown abductor, she was actually enjoying the journey. But then she always had been more comfortable in these types of surroundings.
After a bit, she actually started humming, unaware that she was. The quiet sound blended well with the Forest noises. The harmony was uncanny. Her steps were light and easy, and if one didn’t know better, they’d think she was out on a stroll. Dovah looked over at the Human at one point, a wide smile on her face as they traveled along. She turned away to watch something else that caught her attention.
Calvin kept a good pace to their walk. He had decided not to tether her because, well, it would be counterproductive. He was sure that she wouldn't be familiar with this place, whereas he knew it better than anyone. Almost anyone, anyway. She would be lost in a minute, and he would be able to find her, not easily, but he would. He had to give her some sense of freedom, something to lose should she misbehave. He looked around, getting his bearings, and started out again, looking up at the stars for a moment to find the points of a compass, and began walking in the path that he had laid out in his mind. It wasn't marked anywhere, and it didn't have the characteristics of a regular path. But he had it memorized like the back of his hand.
He caught her glance at him with a smile on her lips, and he scowled back, that old captor's fear plaguing him again. What did she have to smile about, anyway? She was a captive, kidnapped, and being taken somewhere, with her fate uncertain, her life hanging by a thread. It would be an exhilarating place for him to be, but for her, who had had her life handed to her on a silver platter for her entire life, it had to be full of terror. Which baffled him further.
"Why are you smiling?" He asked, social graces being something that he never quite got a grasp of.
The humming suddenly stopped and Dovah turned with a jerk to look at him, a startled look on her face. “What?” She came to a stop with his question. Frowning at him, she had a perplexed look on her face for a moment. It disappeared after a couple of heartbeats and she just shrugged at him. She started moving again in the direction he seemed to be heading. An air of sadness seemed to surround her now, and there was no longer a bounce to her step. A dispirited sigh came from her after they walked for a while. Her eyes still scanned her surroundings, but now she no longer enjoyed the beauty around her. This was the first time she’d ever been in the wilds and not enjoyed it. Apparently even this Human, who also was so comfortable in the Forest, didn’t think much of her love and joy of the Forest. Before, they had made good time, now she moved as if something inside her had died.
Finally she gave another shrug. “Why do you care? Obviously money is more important to you than your obvious ability to live in the Forest and let it provide what you need. You’re no better than anyone else who pretends to be civilized.” Suddenly she stopped again, her eyes on a plant within easy touching distance. Her eyes were dull as she stared at it. One touch and she could end everything. The Elvin Hawk could survive on its own. It was a wild creature after all that had chosen to live with her recently. He would lose whatever deal he had going. And she wouldn’t have to be bothered with the disapproving looks of her family, or the constant attacks for marriage. Abruptly she started walking again, her arms wrapped around herself. Now that she knew the plant grew in this part of the Forest, it was an option, should she need.
Calvin smiled. Irritation showed hidden fear, he knew, and the fact that she was trying to cut to his professional sense of pride meant that, whatever she had planned - If she had anything planned - It wasn't something that she put a terribly large amount of faith in," Money means less to someone that was born with it," The hunter said calmly," I was born to a family that only saw coins when they were passed around by those that thought they were better than us," He said with a small chuckle," But I learned. I grew, and I changed, despite my hindrances. And now, they need me, and I don't need them. Helplessness does not suit your kind," He said, turning to her," But you are not helpless out here. I have seen how you walk, how to look, pretending to see less than you do. I would be willing to bet that you know the way back to the cabin, and from there, to the road. The way that I brought you, anyway."
And with that he turned back to walk," Like I said, your kind don't like being helpless. Rich elves are the same as rich humans," He chuckled again, this time with genuine humor," Both don't know just what they have, until it gets taken away from them. And," He tapped his head," In here, I have the knowledge, and the ability to show you just how vulnerable you really are. And, because of me, you now know what it feels like to be a prisoner, to have nothing except what your better gives you," He turned back to her dramatically," and make no mistake: Out here, in this wild, I am your better."
Dovah shrugged at his words when he finally wound down from his boasting. “Keep telling yourself that Human, if it helps you feel better about yourself. Yes, I can escape you. In more ways than the one way you think.” She shrugged again. “It matters not though does it.” She kept moving as she spoke, though she still didn’t move as she had before, when she was actually enjoying being out in the wilds. She was seeing more and more of the Oktowla plant. She was a bit surprised at its abundance. Apparently in the wilds it was more prolific.
As they walked further, her head tilted slightly. Very distantly she could hear running water. It was almost so faint as to make her doubt her senses at first. But as they continued on, she could hear it get slightly stronger. Problem was, she didn’t know this part of the Forest. For all she knew it was a small rill not all that far away, or it could be a raging torrent of a river still very distant. She gave a quiet sigh but kept moving. She had options; it was just a matter of determining the best option to take.
He tilted his head, a smile on his face. He was feeling more comfortable now. Arrogance was cute, and useful for her to keep her spirits up. He remembered some cases that his victim had given up all hope, and he had had to carry the man all the way to the drop off point. "I am not the one that needs to feel better, elf," He said softly, keeping his voice down, taking her hand with enough strength as to avoid her wriggling out of his hands, while at the same time managing not to crush it. He pulled her, and quickened her pace, letting her go again. He hoped that he had made his point clear. If she didn't keep up the pace, the tether was going back into use. "You would be able to escape, but not remain so.” He realized that that made little sense," I know this land. You don't. While you have a surprisingly vast knowledge of the forest, you would get lost if you didn't follow the path that I brought you," He liked talking. He was a vain man, he knew, and his skills were what he was proud of. And, like all vain men with something to be proud of, he liked talking about it. He avoided helping her in any way, however.
He could hear a stream nearby, the bubbling of the water telling him that not a lot of ice had melted today, making for cool water, but not too much of it. It was time to ruin their tracks and scent for anybody that would happen to be pursuing them. It seemed like a sound plan. He twisted their walk in the direction of the water, and they were soon beside it. He knelt down, filling his canteen, and indicating for her to do the same. He chewed on a bit of meat, enjoying the salty taste, as he looked around for any trace that they were being followed.
Satisfied that they were not, but ever wary, he handed her the other end of the tether," Put it on," He said simply, and, once she had done so, he held her forearm, and pulled her into the icy water. It stuck him like a slap in the face, and all traces of sleep, or the need of it, immediately vanished. He blinked, and began to work their way upstream.
Dovah allowed herself to be tugged along by him, but as soon as he let go, her pace slowed slightly again. She gave another shrug at his words. “Yes, I’d be lost, but as you have figured, I am no stranger to the Wilds either, nor afraid of them, familiar or not. Do I need your path to find my way back? Not really. Mayhap I would be just as happy to disappear into the deep as to live in the city? Perhaps, perhaps not, but that is something I’ll leave you to wonder about.”
She noted as he changed direction towards the running water. She moved along, not really caring. By now she knew it wouldn’t suit her purposes anyway by the tone of it. She topped off the canteen she’d barely touched at this point. She knew how to conserve in case of the need to go for long periods without. Besides the small pebble she’d managed to get, stored under her tongue, kept her making moisture anyway. She asked for no food, not really hungry anyway, as he ate himself.
She watched him looking for pursuit. Unfortunately, none would actually miss her until nightfall. And they’d never think she was in the Forest, never mind they knew she was often out and about Hawking and whatnot. Sometimes she really wondered if she hadn’t been adopted, or worse.
She arched a brow as he handed her the tether once more. She didn’t argue or even speak as she tied it back on and handed him the other end. No sound came from her as he drug them into the cold water. She moved along easily once more, the cold not making much of an impact on her. She knew her feet would be numb shortly, and she’d be lucky not to break her neck with a wrongly placed step due to lack of feeling, but truthfully, she really didn’t care. Her options were quickly narrowing to one that, while distasteful, would be far more preferable to whatever Ekrit Garsen had planned for her.
Calvin grinned, enjoying the banter between the two. It allowed him to understand her better. She wasn't arrogant, like most elves when it came to dealing with humans, but she wasn't very humble or modest either. He decided that he liked her, then and there. He didn't trust her at all, and actually would be disappointed in her if she didn't try to run or kill him, or probably both, in the near future. He would enjoy thwarting her, or even dying would be acceptable. He was truly a wild creature, he realized. There was no dishonor to die by the hand of a predator. Dying was to be avoided, of course, but if someone was to have his blood on their hands, he would like it if it were her. He watched her enter the water," Well, you wouldn't need the path to find your way back, but you would very easily wander into the hunting grounds of a mountain lion, or mayhap a bear, or even get lost. I know this land better than you do, and would be able to find you, no matter," He was confident. But having to hunt her would only mean a loss of time.
"Want me to carry you, princess?" He asked, a hint of mockery in his tone, but it was a genuine offer. He couldn't have her slipping, falling, and hitting her head on a rock, after all. He trusted himself to be surefooted, and, as much as he admired her, both for her spirit, and for the odd camaraderie that he felt between them, even though he was sure that she didn't feel the same way, he nudged her forward, not moving himself, wanting to be behind her should she fall. Took a scoop of water, waiting for her to pass in front of him, his eyes never leaving her. She was tenacious. She should have been born human, so that she would be a creature of the forest, like he was.
He shook his head at the thought, straightening himself, following her upstream, his eye out for any sign that bears fished in the area.
Dovah gave a snort at the Human’s words, all of them. “And here I was respecting your knowledge of the wilds, Human. Mountain Lion, Dragon, Roc, Wolves, Orcs, Humans…. We are always in some creature’s hunting grounds. Even now.” She just shook her head slightly at his offer to carry her. If she was going to fall, she’d rather it be under her own abilities to catch herself than trust him to not break both their necks.
She continued on upstream, her feet chilling with every other step. After a hundred yards, she slowed considerably as she no longer felt her feet and was concentrating more on watching how she placed her feet. As she took each step, she never fully put her weight down until she was fairly certain nothing would roll under them. Her focus narrowed down to the crystal clear water and her feet. Another 30 yards though, she missed the Shetarth blending in with the rocks. She gave a small yelp as she stepped on one of its spiny barbs and it imbedded into her foot.
Down she went, arms flailing. She did manage to catch the tether between her and her captor just as her head went under. With a yank she pulled herself back to the surface quickly. Coughing and sputtering, cursing fluently in several different languages, she hopped about a bit. A death grip on the tether with one hand, she tried to get a hold of the fish with the other to pull it off her foot. And the whole time she never let up on the language. Despairing of the creature’s origins, birth, parents, and any other general or precise thing she could come up with. Her mixing of the languages made it a bit difficult to follow, but it was all rather comical to watch really.
"Respect?" Calvin said with mock surprise, "For a human? I thought that was beyond all elves," He laughed out loud. What she said was so obvious... every predator knew that he was in another hunter's territory. One just had to be aware of which kind would actively defend its hunting grounds, as loins and bears would do. Dragons were smarter. Unless they were hungry, they wouldn't leave their caves. Rocs were much the same, unless they had young to feed, and Orcs... well, orc didn't like Humans around anyway. They killed them no matter.
He wasn't surprised when she turned down his offer to carry her. She seemed to be a proud woman, and was growing predictable. He hated things when they grew predictable. She was trying to undermine him at every possible chance, sensing his discomfort, and trying to prey on it. Of course, if she wanted to try that with an innate predator, she would have to try harder than pulling at straws and small flaws in his speech. Much, much harder.
He nearly tackled her when she yelped and went under, tugging at him. He tugged right back, pulling her back up, and she proceeded to hop around, cussing, using language that was very befitting of a high-born lady. He wondered how she learned it. Then she lapsed into a mixture of languages, and it was all that Calvin could handle to not break out laughing right there. He resisted it for as long as he could, before laughing out loud, and walking over to grab her hand, and guide her to shore, where she could sit. He was still laughing, Enough covering our tracks for now, I guess," He grinned," Want me to give it a look?" He offered. They were near where he planned on spending the night. Just as well, since he could see that the moon had already set, and the sun would take its place soon.
Dovah still cursed some as the Human lead her, hopping still, to sit on the bank. She sat heavily to the ground and immediately grabbed the flopping fish from the belly to hold it still, a wince and small growl coming from her as the barb dug around a bit in her foot. She gave a disgusted sigh as she studied her foot and the fish. “You will need to cut it out.” It wasn’t all that deep in fortunately. She hadn’t put her full weight down. But the barb kept it from coming out easily.
“Luckily, my blood is running sluggishly from the cold right now. But soon the poison will move into warmer areas.” She looked around the immediate area, but didn’t see the plant she was needing. “Do you know Tefla?” She shook her head. “I can’t think what Humans call it. Tis a ferny type plant, deep green, orange flowers. It’ll help counteract the poison of the Shetarth. Otherwise I’m going to become very sick for a few days…” She trailed off as the fish gave a last violent jerk before finally suffocating. “Well, at least we have a start to evening meal. You catch the next one though.”
A small smile suddenly twitched her lips and a slight chuckle escaped her as she suddenly got a image of what she had probably looked like out in the water. She recalled him laughing, and thought it was far worse than she was picturing. Another image came and she laughed in earnest, only to yelp again as she’d let go of the fish and its dead weight suddenly dragged on her foot. She glared at the fish as she grabbed it. “Oh, and you may want to hurry. I don’t know how much farther you plan to go, but you’ll probably get that chance to carry me before we get there.”
Calvin studied her, watching the fish flop around. He probably would have missed it. He had to admit that he got a little carried away. He didn't usually come up this far where the spikefishes tended to live, but he was being extra careful. And, of course, she ended up paying for that with a spike in her foot. He scowled at himself. There was always a balance, he reminded himself. He knew that these waters were dangerous to walk in the dark, for reasons now apparent, and he had pushed too far, almost trying to make a point to the elven female. It had ended rather poorly for her. He pulled a skinning knife out of his pack, and wondered how he would do this kind of operation in the dark of night. It wasn't that complex, he knew, but if he cut too deep, he might just have to carry her around until he could find some place to get some stitches in place.
He knelt down beside her, and nearly jumped back up when she laughed. He looked at her oddly, wondering what she was laughing at, and, seeing that she let go of the fish, winced as the barb poked into her again. He scowled, looked at her. Elves had such odd names for Nature. Human names were much more useful, describing the creature. Perhaps the elven names did the same, for all the good that it did him.
But he knew the plant that she was describing," I know of it," He said," There is a patch not far from here," He pointed in the direction that he thought it was, and got to work, pressing the knife to the cut where the barb was, drawing a bit of blood, bit, not much. He expertly removed the barb from her foot, avoiding poking himself, while she was distracted. She was right, however, and it would be a good start for a meal. He looked around, pulling a bit of cloth from his pocket, and pressing it the wound," Keep it there. I will be back in a bit," He said," Oh, and don't bother running. In your state, I will be able to catch you quite easily," He undid the tether from her hand, and was off in search of... what had she called it again?
Dovah was relieved to know he knew of the plant she described, and better yet, knew where to find some close. She watched him as he removed the fish from her foot. She bit her lower lip to keep from yelping again. He was good though and it didn’t hurt overly much more than when the critter had flopped around dying. When he’d finished, her lips twitched again at the memory of his odd looks to her laughing. Almost, she explained, but he squashed the moment by speaking first.
She gave a snort at his parting words, and her voice floated to him, a bit slurred already from the fish poison. “A pebble could catch me in my current state before I could take three steps.” She gave a quiet sigh and contemplated sticking her foot back in the water to slow the effects of the venom down. Eyeing the distance between her and the water, she gave it up as a bad idea. She’d probably fall face first into the creek and drown. Besides, she was starting to feel the poison causing her to be ill.
It was manageable for the first several heartbeats with the help of her slowing her breathing and staying calm. But before much longer she felt her stomach start to churn and roil. Looked like the fish would be just enough for dinner… for him at any rate. She wasn’t going to be eating tonight. By the time he returned, a film of sweat glazed her skin and she was starting to shake slightly.
Calvin moved away from her, his eyes scanning the dark undergrowth, looking for the plant in question the name precisely evaded his memory just now, but that wasn't important. She wouldn't recognize the human adaptation anyway. He forced his eyes to see better, wincing slightly at the thought that dawn was less than an hour away. It would take more than that to get to where he had planned for them to spend the day. Of course, lighting a fire out in the open, during the day, was a beacon loud and clear to anyone that could look above the tree line, which wouldn't be a problem in his cave. The mountain was riddled with holes, like a hive, and the smoke would be blown out from the rock, into the mountain and on to any one of the openings up near the top.
No matter.
He reached a patch that he had marked on an earlier journey, and was relieved to find one of the plants that he needed. He plucked several of them out of the ground, carefully, and, with less care and more speed, he made his way back to the river, and followed it until he reached the spot where he had left her. He found her there, feverish, with a light sheen of sickly sweat covering her body. He scowled. There wasn't time to light a fire here. He pulled a cup from his pack, filled it with the icy water from the river, and, plucking three leaves, crushed them in the water. He waited a few seconds, grinding the leaves until a bitter-sweet smell filled the air. He then moved over to her side, seeing that her hands were shaking, he decided to help her drink it himself.
He placed a hand underneath her chin, opening her mouth a bit, and nudging the cup close to it, tilting it until some of the liquid flowed into her mouth," Don't choke," He admonished.
At first Dovah didn’t notice his return, not until he grabbed her chin and placed the cup to her lips. Briefly she started to struggle, her mind thinking he was the reason for her current state. That he was trying to poison her further. But when the bitter flavor of the Tefla hit her tongue she stopped, recognizing it. Unfortunately, his tilting her head back caused her hard fought equilibrium to be lost. Her hands came flailing up to grab his torso to stabilize herself and keep her from falling over, probably backwards. And yet she still managed to swallow most of the liquid.
When he took the cup away, she still didn’t let go of him. “T-thank you. It should help. Hope you… grabbed more than… a couple… of leaves though.” She bowed her head and still holding onto him rather tightly, took a few deep breaths. “We… We had better… hurry. Even with the help of the Tefla… I haven’t much time.” She made an attempt to rise, only to fall over. She still didn’t let go. In fact, it seemed her hold got even tighter.
He was a bit surprised that she would grip him, hands gripping at his shoulders to keep from falling over. He hadn't thought that the poison would work that fast, but, then again, he had been gone longer than anticipated, and well, he had never actually been poisoned by a spikefish either. So he was reacting merely on what he had seen happen to others. He was far from being an expert, after all, and he tended to know things from experience. Things like that, while interesting, he tended to avoid.
His hands still occupied, he couldn't help her back up, so he didn't object to her arms around him, or her fingers digging into his muscles, almost painfully. He made no facial recognition of it, however, and helped her sip some more of the tisane. When it was down to the dregs, he hoped that it had already begun to take effect. He heard that the poison caused nausea, and he didn't want to have her puke over him. He shook the thought away.
The sun will be rising soon," He said, helping her stand," And there is still a ways to walk. Do you need me to carry you?"
As he helped her stand upright, her head swam a bit, and she clung to him unsteadily. She started to shake her head in reply to his question, but that made matters worse. With a groan she buried her face into his shoulder and took several deep breaths. The clean woodsy smell about him strangely helped clear her head and settle her stomach back to a more quiet chaos. A muffled, “No.” came from her.
Finally she lifted her head, and carefully stepped away from him. Moving in the direction he wanted, she slowly placed one foot in front of the other. The look on her face fierce with concentration. The glaze of sweat became thicker, and the shaking that had virtually stopped, came back stronger. But a look at her face showed she was determined to go as far as she could under her own power.
Just as the sky tinted with the new morn, Dovah finally stumbled into a tree and leaned heavily against it. She looked horrible. Her eyes were unfocused, the sweat seemed to pour off her, and she was shaking badly now. “I can’t…” Suddenly her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.
He held her in place on his shoulder for a bit, oddly enjoying the feel of her proximity. He shook his head, relieving himself of that thought. If he began thinking of her in that way, he was a dead man for sure. Because she wouldn't be thinking like that, and would, without pause, kill him the first chance she got. She pushed herself away, indicating that she didn't want to be carried. He liked it that way better anyway, so he followed her, watching her unsteady progress, and knowing that, from the looks of her, she was going to drop any minute now.
But once again, she surprised him. She managed to walk three miles, through rough terrain, and finally, as the sun turned the dark sky a lighter grey, she fell. He shook his head. She shouldn’t have walked, and he knew that he should have pointed this out to her. But he hadn't and he cursed himself a little for it. He picked her up, making sure that she hadn't sustained any injuries before cradling her in his powerful arms like a baby, and began walking.
Despite her will-powered walk, she had cost him a lot of time. She had moved slowly, and not at the pace that he was moving at now. He cursed himself for laziness once more, and hiked his way to his cave, "Arrogant woman," He scowled, and saw the hole in the rock face about half a mile distant. The sun had fully exposed itself to the horizon now.
Deep in her unconscious state being carried and at a faster pace than she had moved under her own power started to make her nauseous. She gave a loud groan and flung her arm around his neck and buried her face there too. His scent hit her nose once more and again strangely settled her. A slight whimper came from her before she settled to quietness once more.
Her body was very hot to the touch as a fever ran through her. Sweat still poured off her as well, making her damp. It also made her start to shiver as if cold. As he finally approached the entrance of the cave he wanted, delirium set in. “I will not marry. You’d have better luck with Desha.” She quieted briefly as if listening to someone, before her head shook violently. “NO! I am not marrying him. Just marry Desha off and be happy at least one of your damned daughters wants to be bothered with such a farce.” Suddenly her hand came up making a cutting motion, nearly hitting him and spilling her out of his arms. “You wouldn’t understand, city bound and forgotten as you have. As all Elves seem to have...” She settled back once more, muttering incoherently.
It was more than apparent that the poison had finally hit her, and hit her hard. Unless she was kept stationary and fed more of the Tefla, she would be down for several days, depending on her metabolism. Getting the fever broke sooner rather than later would also help speed her recovery.
She seemingly had settled in his arms, nudging her face into his chest as he walked. She had seemed disturbed earlier, but being close to him made her feel better, apparently. Probably since the movements were less the closer she got to the center of his body. She did have a serious case of nausea, he recalled, and tried to move more smoothly. She began to talk in her fever induced sleep, in the Elven tongue, no less, and he began to wonder what she was saying. While mildly adept at it, she was speaking quickly, her voice slurring quite a bit. He laid her down once he got to the cave, and immediately covered her with a blanket, to help the fever to burn off the sickness.
He moved over once he thought she was comfortable, his fingers moving expertly along his flint and piece of iron, the sparks catching on the kindling that he always laid out before leaving this place. He wasn't the only one to use it, after all, and it was good manners to leave it nice and spruced up for the next visitor. For all he knew, someone else had laid this out for him, No matter, as the fire caught, and he pulled a well-used but clean pot out, filling it with water from a stream that flowed from inside the mountain, and, adding the Tefla leaves to it, and some of the roots, he set it over the fire, to boil.
He crushed some more leaves, placing them in the cup that he had used before, and placed it under her nose, hoping to have her wake up. She didn't, moaning some more elven out, and he scowled. He tilted her head back, and, plugging her nose as well as opening her mouth, he poured a few drops inside. She swallowed automatically, gagging a bit, and he did it a bit more, until he thought was enough. He pulled out the Tefla tea, and poured the milky white, thin liquid into one of his canteens. She would need it, after all.
He immediately set out to make himself something to eat, starting with peeling the barbs from the fish that Dovah unfortunately had caught, and gutted it, skinned it, and prepared it for the fire. He filled the pot with water again, and, adding some roots, spices, vegetables, and other oddities that he carried the room soon filled with the smell of stew.
Dovah settled quietly once he placed her on the ground and got more Tefla down her. She still occasionally muttered and called out. No being the most common word easiest understood. Much of her words were punctuated with growls and snorts of disgust as well. But it was the smell of the stew he cooked that finally roused her, unlike the Tefla he had placed under her nose earlier.
Suddenly she was up and bouncing off the walls of the cave, trying to find a way out. Stumbling finally to the cave entrance she went left and stopped. Bending over she heaved out her empty stomach. When she finished, she staggered back inside the cave. The smell hits her again, and she whirled back out and heaved some more. Finished once more, she just collapsed against the rock and gulped in fresh air with a groan. She still sweated, and looked pale and miserable. Her eyes closed as she started to pass back out.
He looked up, suddenly alarmed that she had woken up so suddenly. There were rumors, after all, of demons possessing the people that lay asleep from unnatural, or in this case, very natural causes. He had naturally disbelieved such things as myth and old wife's tales. However, once a seed of a myth had been planted, he knew, it would never leave. He cursed himself when she began to heave. Of course, her stomach was violently reacting to the poison, thus making the smell of food to be unbearable for her. He growled, sheathing the knife that he had drawn, his face growing slightly worried as she dashed out. He took a quick look to the fire before he moved outside, waiting for her stomach to expel nothing before he moved close. Her fever was beginning to spike.
"Stay awake," He said, pulling out the flask with the tea, hoping that she would stay conscious until she had had enough. Her eyes were dipping as he turned her over again, and he nudged her ribs, trying to keep her awake for long enough. He opened her mouth, tilting her head up and, sitting down, leaning it on his lap. He began to pour the tea in, drop by drop, coaxing her to drink the healing liquid. It seemed that his delivery was going to be a little late, but it was better than not having one at all. He needed to find a way to get a message to his employer. He couldn't leave her alone, not when she was like this.
"Stay alive," He whispered.
A grunt was about all he got in response at first to his demand that she stay awake. He got a pitiful growl when he nudged her ribs. But was rewarded with her swallowing under her own power, and managing not to drown while in a prone position. She gave a soft sigh of relief when he finally pulled the healing liquid away. Her stomach was already settling back down into a whispered turmoil instead of the monster eruption from earlier.
Her keen elven hearing caught his whisper, and her eyes opened to look into his own. A faint smile touched her lips and even her eyes. Had she felt more herself, she would have given him a quip to make him raise his brows, as it was she could barely manage a whispered response. “I’m… not going… to die…” Her eyes drifted closed. “Just… be sick… for a…” She didn’t finish as she slipped back into unconsciousness once more and started shivering violently.
Calvin nodded as she passed out again. It wouldn't be a good idea to heat up food for her now, but she needed to eat. She needed sustenance, and, more importantly, to stay awake for long enough to be able to eat. He scowled at nothing in particular. His employer wouldn't appreciate being delivered a half-dead corpse, after all. He shook himself, and felt Dovah's forehead. The fever had gone down a touch, but not a lot, so he quickly went back into the cave and brought her back a blanket, and laid it over her, nudging her into a shady spot. Something resembling a pillow was placed beneath her head, and he went back inside, and ate his food, knowing that soon, the scent of the nutritious soup would be gone, and he would bring her back into the place, out of the elements. For now, if he did that, she would just get sick again.
He chowed down the food in a hungry fashion, adding some bits of biscuits to the mix, making the liquid starchier. He felt some strength returning to his aching muscles. While he had the stamina of a young horse, he was used to carrying his own weight, and when it was added to even her slight frame, for a long period of time, he found himself unprepared. He scowled at it, and ate his food in a foul mood.
Dovah’s fevered mind ran rampant causing her to toss and turn. She traveled back to life at home, times within the Forest, travel trips for her family’s business. Each time, her mind touched on certain events, that at the time she’d taken as funny for the most part, though a lesson, and turned them far worse than had actually happened. Eventually her tossing about caused her to become badly entangled within the blanket that he had thrown over her. Her mind twisted and all she knew was that she was imprisoned somehow.
Dovah fought the demons that her fevered mind produced as the cause of her suddenly bound state. This made the situation worse, and she started to whimper at first as she had less and less movement available to her. In a short time she couldn’t move at all anymore, this set her off in a panic and she started screaming suddenly as if the Nine Hells had opened up and released all the inhabitants at her.
Calvin eyed the woman as she tossed and turned sporadically, his food gone, and the smell getting pushed away by the gentle breeze. The fire was starting to lower, and, as they didn't need it much, he let it. Fires were always dangerous when one was being hunted, not matter the precautions taken. He would have to get some water to douse it before it began to smoke, and use the hot coals in another fire. No, he shook his head that was a bad idea unless he had a clay jar. He wondered why he had even considered it. He scowled. He was getting too tired. He shook his head, and realizing that he had given her his only blanket. He scowled, realizing that he was an idiot once more. They weren't going anywhere. His employer wouldn't like the delay, but that was entirely his problem.
He sat down, not really needing a blanket, and leaning his back on the stone wall of the cool cave, closing his eyes, and hoping to catch some sleep.
It felt like he had only slept for a minute before he was awoken by a small cry. He shot into action, his skinning knife in his hands, ready to deal lethal damage. But no threat presented itself. He swallowed the dryness out of his throat, and looked around for the origin of the cries. He looked over to his captive elf, and saw that she was tangled in his blanket. He scowled, and moved over to her. He untangled the blanket, worried that her skin, while hot as a coal, was just as dry. He took a cloth, and a bucket over to the stream, pulling some water, and gently began dabbing her forehead with the damp cloth.
Dovah’s eyes flew open when he first started to untangle her. They were glazed and unfocused, with panic and fear riding high. As she became free she lashed out, still seeing the demons in her dreams. Her hits were weak and ineffective though, more like when a newborn wildly swings and manages to connect. Her mind produced an image of Ekrit Garsen among the demons, grinning evilly. Unable to take any more, she fled further into her mind, seeking darkness and relief.
She didn’t even twitch as he bathed her forehead with coolness. In fact, she didn’t move, at all. She didn’t even appear to breath anymore. She was so still and limp