Valiel looked around. There was a trail that led deeper into the woods, away from the town. It was the only way she could see that would let them keep quiet. In the still night air, the flapping of wings would be too loud, and walking was easiest where the underbrush was cleared.
"There." She pointed. "Follow the path. I'll be right behind you." She shifted back to the panther form, long and lithe and agile. "Now go!"
The scouts were very close now, and she could feel her adrenaline spiking.
Phalakros looked around as well, then turned to where she was pointing, finally noticing the trail. He nodded, but froze the moment she morphed back into the panther. Once again, those shadows were taunting him, whispering threats that he would die if he turned his back to the panther.
“Y… you are one of th… them!”he squeaked.
He whimpered, scrambled to his feet, and took off running into the woods, forgetting about the trail in his panic.
"Dammit."
Valiel didn't have time to cover his rush; the scouts came through the trees, pinpointing their location from the sound of him running through the thick cover.
She pounced onto the lead man, clawing and biting and tearing as he stabbed at her with a short sword. He fell, and she shifted to a huge reddish furred bear, towering over the men. An arrow thwacked into her shoulder, and she roared in pain, swatting the man who had shot her and sending him flying like he was a halfling.
She flailed around her, knocking the scouts left and right like chaff in the wind, before shifting to a red-furred deer and taking off into the woods.
She could see the trail of the man, where the brush was broken and crushed, and she followed that, her hooves drumming, her shoulder burning.
Phalakros ran at full speed for a moment, maroon tears of panic streaming down his face. But, he slowed to a stop at the sound of fighting. He looked back, noticing black mist forming around his shoulders.
He gasped in horror, moving to hide behind a tree. The mist stayed, and this time, it was real. And, it was steadily growing and spreading around him.
Phalakros whimpered, sliding down the tree and curling up on the ground as the black mist continued to thicken. When the sounds of battle faded, the mist paused, as if disappointed. However, it quickly resumed growing, and prodded at Phalakros, mocking him. Phalakros closed his aching eyes, desperately trying to ignore the power within him seeking to escape.
Phalakros was unaware of the approaching deer. He was too focused on fighting the dark thing trying to break its way out of him. The mist was persistent though, poking at him without pause.
Valiel went till the trail of broken brush tapered off. The scouts were way behind, and she couldn't hear them at this point. She shifted from deer to wolf, slowing down, and whimpering as the blood from her shoulder worked into her reddish fur.
She sniffed the air, and caught a scent she didn't recognize. Must be him. She followed it until it lead her to the bottom of a tree, where the tall man was curled up. He was giving off some kind of mist, which she could barely see now that night had fallen fully. She shifted back to human, and flopped down next to him.
Valiel wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew dark magic when she saw it. And whatever darkness had ahold of this man, it was hurting him.
She focused for a moment, trying to block out her own pain, and pulled on the strand of light that always existed in her mind. It responded, becoming a tendril, and she nudged the tendril toward the man.
It was calming, soothing, a gentle magic that she had used to help others many times. She watched as it began to push at the black mist, a tendril of light in the darkness.
Phalakros was still unaware of the woman shapeshifter until the strand of light touched the mist. He screamed in pain, and teleported again, reappearing against a nearby tree.
He was sitting up, rocking back and forth, his claws black now. His left eye was also black, and instead of maroon blood for tears, it was grey ichor.
“Dare not touch it. Dare not touch me. Calm it down. Calm me down,”Phalakros said, repeating his words over and over, like a song. Through the thick black mist, a small, fresh burn could be seen on his hand.
Valiel focused harder, closing her eyes. The tendril faded, from light to an intangible calming force. It would only affect the emotions, and it was weaker than the usual white magic. She nudged it towards the man, this time passing right through the mist instead of touching anything.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Her voice was layered, like a soft choir of voices. It was soothing, lyrical, the harmonies speaking of gentleness and sweet light. "You're ok, you're safe, nothing will harm you."
Phalakros froze when the new magical force appeared. The mist immediately reacted, trying to surround the force and smother it. However, that only served to dissipate the mist as it entered calming aura.
Phalakros turned to look at the woman when she spoke. The black color faded from his eye and claws, and he watched her with a shy gaze. The rest of the mist faded, and Phalakros seemed to calm down considerably.
“Th… thank you,”he said quietly, looking down at his hands bashfully. He gingerly rubbed the burn on his hand, barely remembering how it had gotten there.
Valiel relaxed, the tendril dissipating, but the effects remained. She slumped where she was sitting, her shoulder bleeding, and looked up at him.
"You're welcome." She tried to pull on the strand of light in her mind, to guide it to her shoulder, to heal it, but it wouldn't move now. So she sighed and reached into the small pouch on her belt.
"What's your name and what was all that?" She asked gently, trying not to let her throbbing wound make her sound mad. She pulled bandages out of the pouch and began trying to bandage the wound with one hand. It wasn't going well.
Phalakros looked up at her words, noticing her wound. He then hesitated at her question.
“I am Phalakros. And… I… I would p… prefer not s… speaking… of it,”he replied, tensing up slightly. His thick gutteral accent was more noticeable now than before.
His eyes hurt and his fingers throbbed, but the dark thing was gone. A moment passed, and Phalakros remembered to wipe his face. He stared at the grey ichor warily, then wiped off his hand.
“What of you? What is your name?”
He then noticed how much trouble she was having with the bandage and he cautiously moved over to her. Crouching down next to her, he silently offered to help.
She nodded awkwardly, her head tilted off to one side as she worked. "Phalakros. Got it. And that's fine." She smiled briefly, a twinge of pain causing the smile to disappear immediately.
"My name is Valiel." She grunted at him as her shoulder twinged again. "And I'm sorry I didn't warn you about the scouts sooner, but I didn't see you."
When he moved closer, she glanced up, before holding out the bandages. "Would you mind?"
Phalakros watched her for a moment, then nodded when she said her name. He then straightened a bit.
“You… were truly warning me?”he asked, practically blurting it out. He immediately looked away, not sure how she would react to his strange and blunt question.
Phalakros shyly nodded, taking the bandages. He wasn’t very familiar with them, but he’d seen a few humans use them before. So, going from memory and by the appearance of the bandage itself, he gently applied it. It was a bit haphazard, but not too bad for his first try.
She nodded at him, her eyes soft. He was clearly not used to kindness from people, and that made her heart hurt for him. "I was trying to. I travel a lot and this town is like a lot of small towns I pass by- they hate outsiders and are willing to kill." She frowned as she described it. "They killed a merchant 2 days ago because they said his prices were too high. So I've been hunting in the forest around them and warning folks away."
She smiled at the sloppy bandaging, not bothering to tidy it up because it got the job done. "Thank you." She tucked the bandage roll back into her pouch. "Where you headed, Phalakros?"
Phalakros relaxed when she nodded, then listened closely to her words. How did he end up on such a hostile world? Or was he simply in a hostile region? He wasn’t sure.
“You are welcome,”he replied, a small smile appearing breifly on his face. He paused a moment, trying to figure out an answer.
“I… know not, truthfully,”he said with a sigh.
Valiel smiled at him. "Well, that makes two of us." She stood, stretching carefully to get some mobility back despite the pain. "I'm a wanderer, from the Northern Hinterlands. The cold, snowy mountains used to be my home before I decided all that fighting for territory wasn't for me." She glanced at him. "Decided to come south where it was warmer and gentler. Those townfolk are mean but they aren't really a huge threat. Not compared to the Hinterlands." She said the last bit softly, as if remembering something she'd rather not remember.
"In any case, I'm a traveller, a wanderer. Want a companion on your journey?"
Phalakros chuckled shyly at her words, watching her. He then listened to her tale, a bit saddened by how harsh the Hinterlands seemed. He then paused, a bit startled by her offer.
“I… I see no reason why not. I have become a wanderer as well in recent years, and it… does get lonely,”he said timidly.
She smiled. "Well, friends are the best fix for loneliness." She looked up at the stars, tracing the way back to the town. "We probably ought to head southeast, away from them." She looked back at him. "But it's your call. Also, are you hungry?"
He gave another breif, shy smile at Valiel’s words. He didn’t want to admit how few friends he’s had in his life. Most of his friends were more like family to him, and he’d left them to explore. He didn’t know many other people, excluding those he met while helping Lucitius.
He listened to her directions, shrugging.
“I do not mind where we go. I… truthfully, do not know this realm. And… I suppose. Though, after… recent events… I am uncertain if mine appetite will last. The… shadows… like to linger,”he said vaguely, not looking at Valiel when he mentioned the ‘shadows’, those taunting little serpents that followed him everywhere.
She shrugged. "Hey, I don't know my way around either. I just wander and avoid trouble. And I'm hungry as well. Do you usually hunt, or what?" Looking at his form, she couldn't be sure what he ate. "I can hunt for both of us if you're not up for it. Just need to know what you eat." She noticed his reticence about the 'shadows', and wanted to make sure he felt no pressure.
Phalakros chuckled shyly again.
“I hunt. Though, I am usually better at catching small creatures. And… I can only eat meat,”he mentioned.
He showed his teeth for a moment to clarify his words. His mouth was full of pointed teeth, and he had three pairs of fangs on his upper jaw. A pale brown forked tongue also appeared. Afterward, he curled against the tree behind him, watching Valiel nervously.
“C… can you stay a bit longer, before you hunt?”he asked shyly.
He sensed those serpents returning again. They crept through the shadows at the edge of his vision, slowly coming closer, their minds set on hurting him. He had escaped their master, and they wouldn’t tolerate that.
She smiled. "I kinda figured, looking as fierce as you do, but you never know." She admired the teeth up close, thinking she was kinda glad he was timid. He's so much bigger than me, and could definitely do some damage…
She nodded and sat down cross-legged next to him. He seemed worried.
"I'm not going anywhere. When I hunt, you can come with, as long as you're quiet." She sensed his nerves, even here, and pushed a little calming through her next words. "Tell me about you. Lemme get to know you, Phalakros." She made eye contact, not intense, just reassuring. "Or, we can ask questions back and forth, and get to know each other." she offered.
“F… Fierce? Am I? I am not even a full blood,”he blurted. He turned away, seeming a bit embarrassed by his outburst.
He wasn’t sure how to feel about Valiel admiring his teeth, but he didn’t mention it. He relaxed a bit when she sat down next to him, glad that she was willing to stay. He nodded at her words. He could be quiet when he needed to be, as long as he didn’t get spooked, which, unfortunately, was very easy.
The serpents hissed in the distance, angry at Valiel for some reason. They then disappeared into the woods, whispering promises that they’d return. Phalakros watched the trees a moment, wary, but he was relieved that they had left, though he didn’t know why. What was with Valiel that made them run off?
Her words surprised him, but not necessarily in a bad way. He wasn’t used to someone asking about him, and it almost flattered him that she wanted to know him.
“I… What do you wish to know?”he asked, a soft smile appearing for a moment.
"You look fierce to me." She said, shifting to look like a smaller version of him, sitting next to him. "This feels like a lot of power." She opened her mouth, feeling around her teeth to see if she got them right by comparison to his.
She could tell when he relaxed a little, and shifted back to human before she freaked him out.
He had the sweetest smile, when it showed. "Well, where do you come from? How old are you? What do you mean by full-blood?" She asked gently. "And please, ask me the same questions, if you like."
Phalakros blinked, unsure how to reply. Though, he froze when she morphed, astonished by her abilities. He didn’t know what to think now. It was difficult to push aside his paranoia, but he managed to do so for the moment, just so he could focus on the conversation.
“I… well… I am from another realm, another world. And, I have lived for a long, long while. Many lifetimes among mine race, the Ahkrethians. Millennia upon millennia among humans. I… am not a true Ahkrethian though. I am only half, a Strangeling,”he answered.
He turned away as he considered what to ask Valiel.
“H… how old are you? And, how are you able to morph into such a variety of things?”
It was the only two questions he could think of at the moment.
Valiel's eyebrows shot up. She realized just how out of her depth she was, dealing with an immensely old and probably immensely powerful creature like this. "…..Good to know." She said carefully.
"I am 147 years old, which is young for my people. And Skin-changers can all shift like this." She smiled gently. "You should see us when we're children and can't control it, we shift into crazy things and can barely hold one form for longer than a minute or two." She thought for a second. "What else can you shift into, other than the bird I saw?"
