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OOC: I, I LIIIVE!!! Two months? Wow...that's rude of me! :/

Farren sighed, seeing that arguing further would be counterproductive. "Fine," he finally conceded.

He then pivoted on his heel, boots scraping slightly against the dust, mud, and gravel as he groped in the relative dark for his pack and bow. Eventually he caught the lumpy shadow of his pack against a corner near the scattered remains of charred wood... and nearly tripped over his bow as he scuttled over to retrieve the pack. He grit his teeth to prevent a sharp pained hiss as he gingerly lifted and slung the fallen bow over one shoulder, aggravating his palms' burns slightly in the process, before sliding over to open the pack. An aggrieved sigh escaped him when he found the bottom of his sack soaked in a puddle and the inside contents at least partially damp. "Figures," he muttered darkly before moving his gear to a slightly more elevated portion of the floor.

_<^>_
Lyllii watched passively as the human hunted for his gear, eventually wrapping what looked like a large, rectangular bit of cloth around himself and slouched against a wall. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as a vaguely "ripe" smell wafted across the floor after he finally kicked off his soggy boots and socks...she never would understand why other humanoids needed so much stuff, or produced so many unpleasant odors.

Gradually she found herself easing to the ground, back pressed against a wall, knees tucked against her chest, gaze fixed toward the cave's mouth. Out of habit her hand hovered over the space beside her--yes, there was the staff within easy reach, with those barely-useful-and-rarely-worn boots lined up beside it. Nothing left to do but wait for sleep to claim her.

...Well, almost nothing. "Hey, Jason?" she called softly once she was sure she could hear the human lightly snoring. "Don't forget to wake one of us up when you need a break."

Kasha's nose twitched and her tail curled in automatic disgust once Farren had taken off his shoes. If she had to bet, the anthro would've guessed that his feet probably hadn't smelled too fresh to begin with, but the fact that the material was wet only made it worse. Inwardly groaning over her keener-than-average sense of smell, she distracted herself by scanning the wall.

Her amber eyes flitted over the nooks and crannies in the cave, gauging what the most comfortable spot would be. Soon realizing no spot was going to be quite what she was looking for, Kasha simply picked a place fairly close to the entrance; even though Jason was on watch, she wanted to be as ready as possible. It never hurt to be precautionary, especially with everything else that had just happened.

Exhaustion tugged at her mind and body, becoming more noticeable as soon as she had sat down. Leaning her staff carefully against the rocks next to her, Kasha shifted into a slightly more comfortable position and allowed herself to drift off into sleep.

~~~~

Maiya was not expecting an easy sleep. After all that had happened and all the secrets that had been revealed, she guessed she'd be awake for a good long while. If Jason hadn't already volunteered, the elf probably would've done it in his stead; her mind was buzzing, despite the exhaustion of her body.

Even with all the things she had said, Maiya was still coming to terms with the fact that, technically, she had just befriended a murderer. Of course, it wasn't all Lyllii's fault, and Lyllii did regret it, but still. It was a bit of a shock, not helped by the fact that they had nearly been killed only moments before.

Maiya let out a small sigh as she grabbed her small bag and used it as a pillow, curling up on the ground as comfortably as possible. The spot could be worse; at least she wasn't lying on wet ground. Her eyes drifted shut as she forced herself to relax; there was no point in worrying about senseless things now, and everything always looked brighter in the morning. It really wasn't very long until she was asleep, shadowy figures, flashing blades, and dancing flames haunting her dreams.

~~~~

Jason had already settled himself against the rocky wall near the cave entrance when Lyllii's quiet voice broke the nighttime silence.

"Hey, Jason? Don't forget to wake one of us up when you need a break."

Jason glanced over at the nymph, nodding before he turned his gaze back to the world outside their little shelter. Of course, he really had no intentions of waking anybody up. He didn't want to sleep and risk being haunted by memory-tainted dreams, and it would be slightly awkward either way to wake someone up simply because he was a little tired. But Lyllii didn't need to know that; he'd be fine. He'd gone without sleep for longer than this before.

Glad for a reprieve from the admittably hectic day, Jason allowed himself a moment to simply breathe. The cool night air was refreshing, carrying scents of life and earth and water. A slight breeze tugged gently at his hair, ruffling the strands. For a minute, under the soft light of the moon, he could almost forget he had any troubles.

Of course, that wasn't true. It was impossible not to have problems, especially considering the fact that Jason had been raised and nearly murdered by his abusive father and the whole group had just experienced a possibly near-death experience not too long ago. Lyllii's revelation and his own big mouth certainly didn't help things either.

Honestly, Jason really should just stay quiet most of the time. It seemed like that would solve a lot of problems right then and there. He didn't need to share his backstory with anyone; what was the point? They might feel a little pity, and they might treat him a bit differently, but it wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, it didn't really bother him anymore. Really.

Absently, his fingers trailed along the faded scar that ran from his eyebrow nearly all the way to his jaw. That was a lingering reminder of his father; unfortunately, this one would never go away. But who went through life and didn't come out looking a little scarred? Jason was fine, or he would be; he always was.

He had convinced himself of this and was still lost in thought by the time that streaks of pink lit up the horizon. Jason blinked in surprise; he hadn't been aware of the time passing. It seemed morning had crept up on him without much of a warning. The were-creature stood and stretched, relishing the feeling of using his muscles after a night of leaning against stone. A bird chirped outside and he absently wondered when the others would be getting up; it was a brand new day after all, complete with brand new adventures.

OOC: I'm back...and live. Exams, essays, and the flu are terrible things that shouldn't be allowed to exist!

Hammer pound. Cracking whip. Grinding gears. Glinting metal. Roaring flames. Jeering faces, faces, faces leering, leering, leering!
'Forseleb!'
Crack.
'Puny king.'
Smack.
Glinting metal. Glinting, glinting, glinting!
'Lyllii.'
'Those who live by the blade die by it!'
Roaring flames. Roaring, smoldering, licking, burning!
'Lyllii!'

_<^>_
Watery light of morning lapped into the cave as dawn's rosy hues marked the sun's rising. Gradually the light strengthened, sending tendril beams of warm golden light into the cave's twilight depths. Farren stirred as the light tickled his cheek and skimmed over his face to his eyelids. He rubbed at his eyes stiffly when he sleepily discovered his lashes to be cemented shut with a mix of grit, salt, and soot from the day before.

For a few minutes he did nothing, simply staring blankly towards the world outside the cave. Finally he eased himself to sit up the rest of the way, stretched, and gently rotated his neck until it produced a series of satisfying pops and cracks. From his seated position he reached for his now-dry socks and boots...only to inhale sharply when the motion aggravated the no doubt colorful bruises pattering his chest. Right, he had forgotten about that. His palms and knuckles were still slightly blistered looking, though not as red as he remembered...so not too bad, right? He blew out an impatient sigh from his nostrils; until his hands healed, he couldn't hunt or do other things easily...and he needed to hunt. He was hungry! His stomach grumbled to punctuate the point.

"Mornin' Jason," he yawned, carefully stepping barefoot over the scattered limbs and gear belonging to the other three as he joined the other boy. "Seriously? All night? I can understand wanting to avoid the sandman, but--"

Twitching in his peripheral distracted him from his light teasing. He slowly blinked several times, sleepy brain trying to register if "twitching equal bad" and what it had been doing moments earlier. Eventually suspicious instinct won over teasing as he cautiously crept back across the cave. He inwardly groaned once he realized the twitching to be the nymph, and said twitching increased to thrashing as she subconsciously attempted to shake herself awake.

"Uh...Milly? Lilly? Ah, Lyllii!" he hissed awkwardly, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder. Her form reacted by violently flinching away. "C'mon, Lyllii! It's just a nightmare! Wake up, Lyllii! Lyllii? Lyllii!"

Farren shot a frantic look to Jason, hands worrying through his thick copper locks by habit, only to hiss in pain as he aggravated his burns again.

Jason's brown eyes flicked over to Farren, silently acknowledging his comment with a nod and shrug. He was suddenly aware of how dry his mouth was and how much his muscles ached; he supposed they must have locked up during the night, because now he was as stiff as an old man. It had been a while since he had been in a proper fight; he was out of practice, something he swore to never be again.

He stretched, relishing the feeling as his spine re-aligned, popping quietly. Jason rotated his shoulders to work out at least a little bit of the stiffness in his muscles, wincing when it aggravated the wound there; it did help some though, but he was certain he'd be sore for at least a day or two. That was something that could easily be ignored; it wasn't half as bad as injuries he had dealt with in the past.

He was content to simply sit there for a moment or two, putting his thoughts in order and bracing himself for the day (because after the whirlwind that was yesterday, who knew what the future could bring - Jason just hoped that every day wouldn't be like that; he needed a rest once in a while).

That was interrupted Farren's hesitated, slightly frantic voice quietly calling out Lyllii's name.

He was up and at the nymph's side almost immediately. He had originally put down the soft rustling her twitches and flinches created to Farren moving around, but that clearly wasn't the case. Jason was fairly familiar with nightmares, though it had been a while since he had had one this bad. Normally they would just make him feel a bit uneasy in the morning; this panicked frenzy from within the depths of sleep was on a different level entirely.

Honestly, Jason wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to have to shake her to get her to wake up; judging by Lylli's thrashing, it would probably just make whatever night terror she was experiencing worse. However, calling her name clearly wasn't working very well. "Lyllii?" he attempted anyway, raising his voice as much as he could without shouting. He absently bit the inside of his cheek as he tapped anxious fingers against his knee; how on earth was he supposed to get a traumatized, apparently guilt-ridden nypmh lost within the throes of a terrible nightmare awake? That wasn't a situation a person normally ran across, even if that person was Jason, who wasn't exactly normal to begin with.

~~~~

Kasha's ear twitched, the sounds of the real world penetrating the fog of sleep that enveloped her. She let out an irritated growl in the back of her throat, tempted to just fall back asleep. Her leg was throbbing, pulsing with a burning pain from where the flesh had been scorched. It was better than it had been last night, but only slightly, and the anthro really didn't care to deal with a burn; those were always the most annoying wounds.

But then the actual words registered in her consciousness and she jolted into alertness, hands grasping at her steady wooden staff instinctively. Kasha's amber eyes flew briefly around the cave before alighting upon Lyllii, who was obviously experiencing some sort of nightmare. Kasha had never been one to have many dreams herself, but it wasn't hard to recognize the signs.

She padded over to Farren, Jason, and Lyllii, trying to ignore the urge to limp - stupid burn. Kneeling next to Farren, she glanced at the nymph. She was tempted to just shake her awake, but Kasha had caught a glimpse of Lyllii flinching away from Farren; she doubted her touch would be anymore welcome. "We could always attempt to splash water on her," she suggested. Suretly that would wake Lyllii up.

~~~~

Maiya stirred slowly and groggily. She had not slept well last night, her experiences and the uncomfortable rock surface combining to produce a terrible attempt at rest and recuperation.

"...a nightmare.Wake up, Lyllii! Lyllii? Lyllii!"

"Lyllii?"

"We could always attempt to splash water on her..."

The words filtered slowly through her head, floating in her thoughts without meaning at first. It was so hard to wake up; Maiya honestly didn't want to have to do it. But finally she comprehended the fact that something was apparently wrong and she forced her bleary blue eyes open. Rubbing the sleep from them, she glanced over to where apparently everyone was clustered around Lyllii but her.

Suddenly determined to remedy that, she slid over, glad that she was only a few feet away form the nymph to begin with (how she hadn't been woken up before, Maiya wasn't sure). "I could help," she offered, water droplets coalescing around her extended fingertips. If a splash was what Kasha thought would work, a splash was what she would try.

Maiya focused on the tiny invisible droplets of water in the air, forming them into a thin stream that she sprayed across Lyllii's panicked face, hoping that that would do the trick.

The nymph jerked awake, upright and sputtering, with her staff reflexively grasped in one hand. Her eyelids blinked rapidly as sunlight caused her dilated pupils to constrict painfully. Her grip on the staff tightened when her vision cleared enough to decipher a lumpy crowd of faces, only for the panic to morph into confusion, then recognition. Her olive skin flushed deep pink from ear tips to neckline as she lost her rigid posture, and instead concaved into herself with hunched shoulders.

"You okay?" Farren asked awkwardly. He crouched to one knee and habitually offered a hand.

Lyllii gingerly batted the back of his hand aside before rising. Her face felt wet. Frowning slightly in puzzlement she bent over to use the hem of her tunic to dry it...only to succeed in smearing it blackish brown with soot and dirt.

Farren opened his mouth to warn her, then decided against it. They were all filthy. "So...anyone have ideas for breakfast?"

"I could always go out and hunt," Kasha suggested. Honestly, it might be a bit of relief. Despite the fact that these people were all excellent warriors (and the closest the anthro had come to having friends thus far), she still wasn't one for groups, especially not after so long spent alone. A chance to break away from them all for a moment would be welcome.

"I could come with you," Jason offered quietly, the barest hint of hesitation edging those five words. He figured he might as well offer, even though he half-expected Kasha to refuse. She didn't seem like a people type, but then again, neither was he and he didn't find himself minding this group too much.

Kasha paused, struggling to figure out a way to word it in a way that was polite. Deciding to give up on that apparently pointless venture (because diplomacy was never her strong point), she went for the blunt approach that often suited her. "I don't mean any offense, but I prefer to hunt alone," she stated simply.

~~~~

Maiya watched the two anxiously for a moment, but neither seemed to be offended, so she relaxed quickly. "I could go find some fruit or nuts or something," she chipped in. While she wasn't completely against having a bite of meat if there was nothing else, she didn't prefer it as her main food source; probably a result of her wood nymph adoptive parents, who viewed all life as sacred (and thus never ate any animals).

Noting the sooty smear on Lyllii's face, Maiya was quickly reminded of the faint musk of sweat and grime that probably clung to all of their skins. Her nose crinkled slightly; she liked things to be neat, and while she wasn't exactly meticulous, she could actually feel some of the dirt and dust on her skin. "Though I don't think a bath would be a bad idea before we actually eat," she added.

"Well, in that some of us might as well hunt for some dry wood so we can cook the thing," Farren shrugged. He moved over to outside the cave's mouth, then turned to face the group inside expectantly. His fingers twitched self-consciously, longing for the familiar feel of curved wood. Then suddenly, his fingers straightened as his jaw set and gaze moved to a rock just to the left of the mouth.

_<^>_
A wry grin tweaked the corners of Lyllii's lips, slightly bemused at the human's antics. Perhaps this is what people considered "boyish" or "endearing behavior". Still...

"I'll go with Maiya," Lyllii interjected. "...that is, if she doesn't mind."

OOC: Ugh...sorry about the late and short post. Hopefully this will still help move it forward. Can't wait we get to the town melee/Sespyn's entrance. *evil grin*

A smile tugged at Maiya's lips as she stared at the nymph. "I don't mind at all," she assured quickly, grin widening. Actually, she would really enjoy that. Despite her dark past and the bumps in the road earlier, the elf really enjoyed Lyllii's company. This could actually be fun; Lyllii was sure to know how to find food amid the forest undergrowth better than Maiya ever could too.

~~~~

"I'll help with the firewood," Jason interjected. Since Kasha was covering the hunting, this way he'd at least be able to do something to help out and carry his own weight. He glanced at Farren, raising an eyebrow slightly as if to say well, are we going to go now? He was ready to properly start the day, despite the exhausting hours just yesterday. The were-creature wasn't one to sit back and take a break.

~~~~

Kasha glanced over the group before nodding to herself; everyone had a job to do, apparently, and she was free to hunt by herself. She left without a word, sturdy staff swinging familiarly from her hand. She stilled it as she crept further into the forest, embraced by emerald leafed trees and the still, quiet peace they always brought.

She kept all senses on high alert as she searched for whatever creature would meet the fate of becoming their breakfast. It was a rabbit she found first, the tan animal blissfully foraging beneath a bush. The anthro silently removed the sling she kept around her waist, loading it with a smooth stone. The leather made a soft sound as it whipped through the air and the rabbit's ears twitched, but by then it was too late. The stone made contact with a sharp thud and it's life ended.

Kasha picked it up, momentarily wondering why it had been so easy to find prey. Normally, a hunt would take much longer than the ten or so minutes it had this time. Then she remembered the fire. A forest fire tended to wipe out everything, sending the surviving animals searching for new shelter and food. This rabbit was probably a refugee of those flames; this section of the forest was most likely teeming with animals right now.

Shrugging off the train of thought, Kasha replaced her sling in its place around her waist before heading back to the cave where they were currently sheltering.

Farren shrugged once he realized that he was no longer waiting on company, but that Jason was waiting on him. He quickly broke into a brisk pace back into the charred remains of the forest. Who knew? Perhaps even with the heavy downpour last evening, there might be enough heat to dry out any branches knocked loose by the storm. He soon spied a large sized branch with several of its limbs and twigs intact, though the base of it looked as though it had been twisted and ripped off by a strong gust of wind, and what remaining leaves it had left were a shriveled and overcooked brownish green color.

The human gingerly felt the bark, then turned towards his companion. "Well, it seems dry enough, though it might be still too green."

_<^>_
Impulsively Lyllii loosely grabbed Maiya's wrist, allowing an impish lopsided grin replace her tense hesitancy as she did so. She broke into a slow run, practically dragging the elf in tow, as she made a beeline back to the riverbank. Gradually she felt the morning's and previous day's tension and ill-ease loosen and melt away, like a branch dumping its load of snow and springing with running sap during snowmelt as she ran. This felt natural, this rush of giddiness and her running.

Her playful expression faltered as she increased in speed. Inwardly she hoped Maiya didn't mind the sudden change and being tugged as the newly bared trees and charred underbrush blurred slightly, but somehow Lyllii didn't think she would. The nymph didn't want to linger among the debris any longer than necessary. How the layers and drifts of white ash muffled their footfalls, the lack of bird calls and woodland animals scurrying in the undergrowth, and the general lack of sound building to a lingering dead silence broken only by the occasional crackle of embers and waves of heat rising from the ground and distorting the air spooked the nymph. Besides, anything they might have foraged normally would either be burned away or eaten, and whatever might be left needed to be left alone, on this Lyllii felt strongly. And, if nothing else, the nymph thought she remembered seeing cattails and watercress growing at and around the banks.

The dazzling sight of streaming mid morning light glinting off the river shallows instantly brightened Lyllii's mood again. To her relief, her eyes quickly spotted the cattails' characteristically fuzzy brown tubular flowers growing among the reeds and rushes. She kept her gaze fixed on the gurgling wavelets, but her eyes quickly regained a wicked glint, and her lips threatened to quirk into a Cheshire grin. Abruptly the nymph came to a jolting halt inches from the gravely water's edge, digging her heels into the soft earth and throwing both arms forward for balance before releasing her grip on the elf.

"There's a way we can tell," Jason replied, reaching back for the sword sheathed securely across his back. It slid out of the tough leather cover with a slight, familiar hiss that reflexively sharpened the were-creature's senses. The smell of smoke was still strong in the air, blurred by rain and wind, but still distinct and thick. The dry leaves rustled, sad little whispers that spoke of a time when all was once green and vibrant, full of the buzzing energy of life. Looking closely, small harlequin buds poked out of the charred earth and wood, promising leafy canopies and thick shrubbery in the future.

Jason dismissed this as soon as his keen senses had registered it. He focused only on the steady weight of the hilt in his hand, the leather grip familiar in his calloused hands. Technically, this wasn't entirely necessary; if the wood was green, the worst that would happen would be smoke. Granted, it would be annoying, but manageable. It would still make a fire, at least with the ability to control flames taken into consideration. No, Jason wanted this simply because his nerves were still slightly on edge from the conflict last night. It always took him a bit to wind down internally, though it was concealed by a carefully crafted mask on the outside. The singing hum of a blade slicing through air and wood would help, a fierce warrior's song, a discordant melody of metal and battles.

The were-creature twirled the blade with an easy flourish borne from years of practice before swinging it down, the sharpened blade hacking through the wood with relative ease. He sheathed it again as soon as the action was complete, a single fluid motion that resonated with hidden grace. Feeling slightly more comfortable now, Jason picked up the small chunk of wood he had cut from the branch and allowed his hand to produce flickering, dancing flames.

They greedily reached out and consumed the wood, devouring the bark first until reaching the very core. Without a care they continued until it was nothing but a handful of soot and white ash in Jason's hand. He let it drop, carefully smelling the aroma of sharp smoke that had accompanied the controlled burning. It was there, but the fire shouldn't be too terrible in terms of smoke from what he could tell.

"I think it'll be fine," Jason replied, dipping his head in accompaniment to to the concise words.

~~~~

Maiya stumbled the first few steps, taken slightly by surprise, but allowed a grin to spread across her face as she recovered. She kept up easily as Lyllii increased the pace, her nimble feet skipping across ashy ground. The elf tried not to let her surroundings bring her mood down any. The pale, ghostly ash blanketed the forest floor, looking almost like a thin coat of powdery snow. It all seemed empty, dead, and she had to remind herself that the forest would indeed recover and become a thriving ecosystem again, teeming with life.

Maiya was almost relieved when she spotted warm sunlight glinting off of babbling water. A few stubborn plants clung to the bank, a welcome sign of life in this otherwise desolate wasteland. She wasn't paying attention and decided to blame this for the events that shortly followed.

Lyllii, with her hand still grasping Maiya's wrist, ran straight to the river. The elf didn't mind; she loved the water. What she did mind was Lyllii skidding to a halt just inches away from the water lapping curiously at the shore, relinquishing her grip at just the right moment to ensure Maiya's momentum and forward progression would go unhindered.

Maiya, before she could even think to blink, found herself flung face-first into the river. She sputtered in surprise, flailing around in the water until she had managed to right herself. Her eyes narrowed playfully as a mischievous flint appeared within their cerulean depths. "So you think that's funny, do you?" she asked rhetorically, a grin twisting the corners of her mouth upwards. "I'm sure you'll find this hilarious then!"

And with that, Maiya stretched out her hands, a huge orb of ellipsing water rising up out of the river and over Lyllii's head. The elf let go of her control, allowing it to splash downwards, hopefully right on top of the elf's head.

Farren watched Jason's own inspection with mild fascination, then gave a satisfied nod. "It'll add extra flavor to whatever Kasha brings in," he agreed.

With that, the human grabbed one end of the branch, balancing his end mostly on his shoulder so as not to not aggravate his burned hands more than necessary. It wasn't all that heavy, despite its length, mostly cumbersome and unwieldy due to its size.

_<^>_
Lyllii burst out into peals of laughter. That worked out much better than she had hoped! Moments later a large, wobbly orb of water decended onto her head with a wet slap as the thin membrane made contact with something solid. Lyllii found herself instantly soaked down to her boots, clothes sodden and dragging at the hems, and thick mane of humidity-induced bristly hair pressed into a sopping curtain on her face and down her back. The nymph's laughter paused momentarily as she spat out a full mouthful of the sediment-rich liquid before continuing again as chortling coughs and snorts, wings of water sprouting at her side as she continuously shook the excess from her arms, rivulets clearing tracks on her soot-smeared skin.

'Oh, so she's going to use magic, is she?'

Lyllii reached for the silent, mentally glowing steady thrum that pulsed through roots to branches, pressing ever-so-slightly... The nymph flicked her wrist. At the same moment, an overhanging branch far above dipped and sprang, sending a cascade of dew and rain water as it dumped its load and knocked into its fellows.

"Haha! Melee!!!" Lyllii cried gleefully.

Jason barely heard Farren's words, absorbed in his own thoughts. He had just used fire. For no reason other than really just showing off. He hadn't done that since...well, he hadn't ever done that before. To him, the flickering flames never seemed to dance. They reached out with stinging, greedy fingers, hungrily seeking to burn and devour whatever they touched. Oh, he would use his 'gift' when he had to, but that didn't mean he really enjoyed it.

What had changed? Jason was a pretty introspective person; he generally understood his own feelings, He didn't always like to acknowledge them, but that was something entirely different. He couldn't quite seem to identify the feeling in his chest though, curled up comfortably in his heart, resting contentedly.

He tuned back into the real world to see Farren hoisting the bulky branch over his shoulder with burned hands. Why would he do that? "I can carry it back," Jason offered. "I don't mind." Sure, his left shoulder had been nicked by the Mask's blade, but it wasn't too terrible and he'd be carrying it on his right shoulder anyway. Besides, his hands were perfectly fine.

~~~~

Maiya squeaked in surprise at the unexpected shower of water that suddenly poured down on to her. Hair sticking to her head in wet black strands, she reached up to brush some of it behind her ear. Her eyes narrowed in playful preparation for battle. "Oh, so it's a melee now, is it?" she challenged, crouching into a ready stance.

She spun, hands flying out and summoning water around her in a tight cocoon. A huge wave hugged her body, just barely avoiding touching her skin. She felt the bubbling tension in its depths, letting it build before thrusting her arms outward and directing the current directly at Lyllii.

Farren stared blankly at Jason in disbelief. Finally, he shrugged, letting the branch fall slightly until it leaned balanced upright against his shoulder. "Fine," he conceded with a sharp look. "But you're getting some R&R while the meat cooks, even if it means I have to knock you out myself."

_<^>_
Lyllii yelped as Maiya's mini-tsunami struck her squarely on her chest, knocking her off balance and sending her crashing backwards and flattening a clump of reeds. A brown cattail blossom quivered and weakly waved in mock-surrender, despite Lyllii's hands currently clasped dramatically over her belly in "death".

Moments later the nymph energetically flipped to her feet, bunted her fallen staff into the air, and caught it smartly with exaggerated finesse. The effect was utterly ruined when she stumbled over an underwater root. "That was fun," she said with an exited grin. "Though, we should probably dig some of those up and head back." The nymph nodded towards the cattails she squashed before stooping into the water and carefully tugging at the stems' base of one plant.

"It's been awhile since I've had cattail tubers," she confessed. "Normally I can get all the energy I need from sunlight, so long as I don't over do it, you know?"

Moments later she succeeded in uprooting her first tuber, and splashed it underwater rapidly a few times to rinse off most of the dirt and mud. "How many do you think we'll need?" she asked, moving to place the entire plant on a drier patch of bank before working on her second.

Jason's mouth quirked upward into a small smile. "You won't have to knock me out," he assured with a quiet chuckle. He hadn't laughed in a while, and it felt nice to. Brushing that aside (because that really was enough introspection for one day), the were-creature took the branch and hoisted it on to his right shoulder. He started the trek back to the cave, sparing a quick glance behind him to make sure Farren was following.

~~~~

Maiya nodded, kneeling next to Lyllii and digging her fingers into the wet earth. "That's how it was with my family too - well, my second family. I think they ate most of the time just so I wouldn't feel left out," she finished with an affectionate smile.

She shrugged in response to Lyllii's second question. "I'm not sure. I guess if Kasha's catching something, most everyone will want some meat, so we don't need to bring back a big pile," she answered slowly, thinking it through. She absently pulled the cattail out of the ground and brushed off the clinging soil into the river.

~~~~

Kasha made it back to the cave, a bit surprised that she had returned before anyone else. Rather than waiting for them, she decided to prepare the rabbit to be cooked. It wasn't the most pleasant job, but Kasha had gained a fair amount of skill at it through a lot of practice.

The anthro went to work cleaning the rabbit, burying the viscera far enough away from the camp and deep enough as to not attract other predators in the area. She removed the unnecessary (for eating, anyway) pelt and laid the meat on a nearby rock. Kasha then removed the top layer of soil from the ground and started gathering rocks to put around the edges to form a fire pit.

OOC: Going to fast-forward things a bit, if that's alright.

"You're probably right," Lyllii agreed as she added two more to their growing pile. "Still, not like we know what it's going to be like later. Even if it's just us eating them, can't hurt to travel with extras. Ooh, what's the phrase they use...'don't tempt fate'?"

The nymph paused, arching her back against the cramps caused by bending and squatting, before rising to her feet and collecting her staff and half the pile of rushes. "Might as well just leave 'em attached to their stems for now. Ready to head back?"

_<^>_
The two girls arrived back outside the cave to see a fire already started (with the remainders of a large branch lying nearby) and a medium-sized animal skewered on a spit that looked suspiciously like what used to be a rabbit. Judging by how Farren stood hovering, Lyllii guessed Kasha and Jason must have done most of the setup, despite the mildly putout look on the human's face.

Lyllii immediately plopped her pile of rushes to the side opposite the branch and began stripping the cattail roots of their stems, flowers, and leaves. She then used the discarded leaves to wrap the roots, then shoved and poked them into the fire to broil with the butt end of her staff.

"I've put in my share. Anyone else want any?"