Animation Source Forums

Exist in a Balance,
Fire and Water do.
For one brings warmth,
The other relief.

Upset this Balance,
And Destruction awaits.
Fire devours and burns,
And Water chills and drowns.

Great power may be won,
By him who can Tame both.
But is the Price,
Worth the risk to take?

Plot and Setting:
In Kyathro [Kee-ah-throh], a vast land that includes several different climates and cultures, conflict has arisen. Long being known as a land that has seen numerous bloody wars throughout its history, war once again has been awakened from ancient feuds and demolished the shaky age of peace. Several leagues away from the heart of the conflict, the old Emperor and conqueror of the land relies on the strength of his armies and the numerous corrupt nobilities that have sworn allegiance to him to squelch these new rebellions. What he doesn't realize is that an old foe is manipulating these groups and plans to seize his empire piece by piece.

However, the main focus of our story is not the political upheaval of the empire, but how a group of seemingly neutral outcasts band together for survival and form friendships along the way.

Then fate's dice roll a new game. Shortly after these outcasts are thrown together, the attention of the perpetrator's accomplice fixates on one certain individual of this group -a wood nymph girl of seemingly no consequence. What secret is she hiding? And more importantly, will this group last the trials to come long enough to put a permanent stop to the Dark Crusader's madness?

Band Members
-Lyllii (Anaquine)
-Kasha (Windancer)
-Farren (Anaquine)
-Jason (Windancer)
-Maiya (Windancer)
-Sespyn (Anaquine)


Main Antagonists

-The "Dark Crusader": Once an elvish king, he became dissatisfied when the Emperor united the land and reduced him to merely a governor of his once kingdom. In retaliation, he began plotting against his king to not only reclaim his crown, but the entire empire as well by manipulating long suppressed feuds, particularly the ones between those with Fire or Water magic.

-The "Mask": Little is known about the Mask. Wherever he goes, he leaves destruction in his wake. There is a tale that he was once human, but traded his humanity in exchange for immortality and power. Since then he has been a slave to his master's bidding, reaping the rewards of his folly.

Other Forces

-Confederacy of Fire: Also commonly refered to as "Fires", this group is one of two self-proclaimed revolutionary parties. As the name of this group suggests, the persons rely almost entirely on fire-based magic. Any race (except water dwellers) can be found in this group. That said, this group generally acts with highly aggressive and spontaneous attacks with seemingly no strategic insight.

-Republic of Water: Also commonly refered to as "Waters", this group is one of two self-proclaimed revolutionary parties. Waters are usually identified by heavy use of water-based magic. Any race (except fire-based races) can be found in this group. However, they are usually harder to identify than Fires due to their preference to more subtle strategies.

My Characters

Name: Lyllii [pronounced "Lehl-lee"]
Gender: Female
Race: Wood Nymph
Age: 18-19
Appearance: Lyllii has long brunette hair that falls to her waist; large, expressive dark brown eyes; angular facial features; and an olive complexion. Her build is long and slender with wiry muscles, making her almost as tall as most men. She normally wears a loose, sleeveless forest green tunic over a pair of beige knee-length trousers. She normally walks on bare feet, but she does own a pair of boots for when shoes are required. Mottled scars cover the undersides of Lyllii's arms, thighs, calves, and neck from severe burns, but most of these have faded to a tan slightly darker than the rest of her skin or are covered from view.
Personal History: Lyllii owes her existence to a tree that lost a limb to a gale. She grew up in a secluded forest, raised by no one, and never met another humanoid until she developed into a teenager. Unfortunately, the man she met wanted to take advantage of her, resulting in Lyllii accidently killing him in self defense. When his village discovered his body, they immediately began a hunt for his killer until they found a frightened Lyllii. Lyllii, not yet knowing a spoken language, was unable to defend herself from their accusations The man's village found her guilty in a mock trial and sentenced her to burn. When they returned for her remains -only to discover she was miraculously alive- the villagers forced her into public service in shackles. She was eventually able to escape her slavery in the chaos caused when a band of bandits sacked the village and took several of the members hostage. Since then, she has had many different encounters with people -both good and bad- and although she has healed for the most part, deep mental, emotional, and physical scars remain that are generally hidden from view.
Personality: Lyllii generally has a somewhat childish personality with an almost overwhelming hyperactive and inquisitive nature -this has caused others to label her as impulsive and a bit flighty. When things don't go "right", she becomes frustrated easily, occasionally displaying a fiery temper. However, she rarely finds herself holding a grudge or downright hating someone, much to her annoyance at times, but this doesn't necessarily mean that she readily forgives easily either. However, she does have her moments when she demonstrates maturity and self restraint. Due to her experiences, she tends to be incredibly suspicious of other people, but also empathetic of other people's short comings when she finally decides to extend her trust and friendship, making her a fiercely loyal friend to have.
Weakness(es): Lyllii's physiology makes her vulnerable to fire, as well as having a lower resistance to consumed toxins -including those found in meat. She is also still occasionally plagued by nightmares and flash backs from her past.
Weapon/Magic: Lyllii primarily uses an enchanted staff she can change the shape of at will. She can use plant-based magic, but it requires significant amounts of energy to wield.
Extras: Lyllii absorbs most of her "food" from sunlight.

Name: Sespyn [pronounced as "Seh-spih-n"]
Gender: Male
Race: Water Nymph
Age: 19-20
Appearance: Sespyn has long dark hair that falls well below his shoulders, grey blue-green eyes, alabaster complexion, and a square jaw. He is of average height, lean, well muscled, and broad shouldered. He normally wears a slate blue tunic, charcoal grey pants, and seal skin boots.
Personal History: Sespyn was "born" of sea spray near a small human fishing village. A compassionate fisherman took Sespyn in, mistaking him for a young orphan. However, the young boy's identity as a non-human was soon discovered, and the fisherman's wife compelled the man to abandon the child. After that, Sespyn spent the greater part of his childhood wandering along the banks of rivers or the shores of lakes or seas, never lingering in one place for very long. Most of the friendships he made were cut short due to the general prejudice and superstitions held by humans against those who aren't human. At some point, he and Lyllii traveled together with a group of other outcasts, but parted ways after that adventure ended.
Personality: Sespyn generally has a serious and introverted personality, and can be downright cynical and pessimistic. He won't trust what appears on the surface, preferring to watch and wait for further evidence before making a decision -trusting solid logic over intuition. These tendencies often cause him to hold people at arm's length and act defensively, usually resulting in either losing potential allies or making a first impression as a bit of a jerk. However, he is more sensitive than he would ever willingly admit and often over analyzes other people's actions while trying to find justification for his own. He does eventually relax slightly once he makes friends, but it often takes a while.
Weakness(es): Sespyn's physiology makes him vulnerable to extreme heat, cold, and dryness.
Weapon/Magic: Sespyn mostly fights using water magic, though he also carries a longsword.
Extras: Sespyn can breath both air and water.

Name: Farren
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 21
Appearance: Farren hair is a dark copper color, fairly thick, and cropped unevenly just below the nape of the neck as if self done. He is roughly 6'4" tall with a broad and well muscled physique, weather tanned skin, and strong facial features, giving him a rather intimidating appearance. Farren's deeply set pale grey eyes often have a distant sheen to them. His normal attire consists of a leather jerkin worn over a dingy linen shirt, trousers, and sturdy leather boots.
Personal History: Farren's father was a soldier, often away fighting either a governor's or the emperor's battles, depending on what city the father and son lived in or how many men were drafted. When he was about thirteen, his father left on another assignment but never returned; it was later reported that his father's company went MIA during a skirmish with a group of Waters. Enraged, the boy immediately tried to enlist in the nearest governor's army as an archer but was denied. Later, he accidently stumbled across a Fire militia and was given the opportunity to join; he accepted. While a part of the Fire militia, he learned and developed his fire magic, quickly finding himself enthralled by the easy power it provided. Years past with him fighting loyally without a qualm until one day he was ordered to set fire to a small farm suspected of supplying the Waters and he obeyed. Unfortunately, the farm belonged to a small peasant family who had nothing to do with the Waters. By the time Farren realized his mistake, it was too late; the family were trapped inside and the flames were too hot for anyone to draw near. Later, when the fire had died down enough to be approached, he disobeyed his captain's orders in an attempt to search for survivors, only to find none. After being punished for his insubordinate behavior and not finding the typical "collateral damage" explanation good enough, Farren ran away in the middle of the night, pausing just long enough to give the family some sort of burial and tear a length of cloth from the mother's shawl to wear as a bandanna and constant reminder of the results of following orders blindly.
Personality: Farren has a rather withdrawn and serious personality, often coming across as sullen. Though he's made a habit of acting friendly and joking around in effort to make others feel more at ease around him, he still can't shake the guilt he feels for his past crimes and mistakes. Ever since his time with the Fires, he tends to act rebelliously to rules and regulations unless someone gives him a reason as to why he should follow them -then he may, but rarely otherwise. Farren is not angered easily, but he can hold a grudge almost indignantly and is slow to forgive, especially himself.
Weakness(es): Farren's unwillingness to listen to council often lands himself in situations that could have been avoided.
Weapon/Magic: Farren can use fire magic, though he is also skilled with the longbow. He also keeps a dirk hidden in his right boot in reserve.
Extras: Farren wears a navy blue strip of cloth as a bandanna as a memento of the consequences of following blindly.

Name: Kasha
Gender: Female
Age: Around 17 or 18, though no one is exactly sure.
Species: Anthro (Panther)
Personality: She seems cold and untrusting upon first glance, and for the most part, that's true. However, once her trust is gained, she becomes a loyal and protective friend who is a surprisingly good listener. She is tough and stubborn, oftentimes hiding any pain she might feel, even if that could lead to serious complications. She is usually impulsive and head-strong, but does have a brain to back up her considerable skill in fighting.
History: Her father was a merchant who sold a mass of things though the blackmarket. He was a known criminal, and was eventually killed for his crimes. Kasha became a fugitive, exiled as a precaution. She has no memory of whether she was Fire or Water, and keeps an open mind, remaining neutral.
Weapon of Choice: She wears a length of vine coiled near her waist, that could be used as a whip or in an emergency. Her main weapon, however, is a sturdy staff, one of the only things she has of her father that wasn't confiscated for being illegally gained. She has a small dagger in a hidden sheath in case of an emergency. In otehr words, she is well prepared.
Weakness: Overwhelming numbers. Whips and a staff can't overcome the sheer force of a large army, as they are mainly to be used from a distance. Another is traps, and well thought out plans, due to her impulsive personality.
Appearance: She has sleek black fur, that is somehow kept well groomed, though it does have the stray leaf or twig in it occasionally. Her amber eyes go surprisingly well with her dark green tunic and brown leggings. She wears a leather band around her right bicep, and lacks a pair of shoes, due to the pads on the bottom of her paws. She often uses a mixture of plants to paint certain markings on her face, which is a white circle on her forehead, surrounded by an off-white semi-circle on the bottom. She stands at around 5"7, and has a slim, lithe build. It's overlayed by the graceful way she walks, and the muscles and strength that somehow shows up in her body, though not prominently.


Name: Maiya
Gender: Female
Age: 16-17
Species: Elf
Personality: Maiya is trusting and friendly, which is her big fault. While she doesn't have any qualms about injuring enemies, she can't kill them, and hates to see her friends in pain. She uses her water for a type of healing, though that takes alot more energy than normal water. She doesn't think of herself as brave, but she is loyal, and will stand by her friends no matter what. She would willingly sacrifice herself for others, and is willing to "go-with-the-flow"...most of the time. She can be stubborn sometimes, but only when she believes in what she says. She isn't afraid to speak her mind, and prefers to find the bright side of things, though she can get a bit emotional at times, as well as impatient.
History: Maiya was born in a small village on the coast. She grew up surrounded by water....until fire rained upon the land. Both of her parents were killed, and she was left to fend for herself, barely 6 years old. Needless to say, she didn't manage long, and stumbled upon a family of wood nymphs. They cared for her until she eventually left, longing for adventure. She travels often, moving from place to place. She was in the village that Kasha, Lylli, and the rest are in at the moment, and runs across them there.
Description: The elf has a regal look, and has light blue eyes. She has dark hair that flows just past her shoulders, the gentle wave it contains accenting the sharper features of her face nicely. She stands around 5"4, small and slender. She wears a light green tunic and darker pants, with boots that go nearly to her knee. Her quiver and bow are strung across her back, and a dagger is belted around her waist.
Weakness: Any close range attacks. She prefers to go on the defense.
Weapons/Skills: She mainly uses a recurve bow and arrows, along with her main weapon; water magic. She does have a small dagger for close range combat, but rarely uses them.


Name: Jason
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Species: Were-animal
Animal: Dingo
Personality: He is rather closed in and quiet, seemingly shy and timid. He has a rather mysterious air about him, promoted further by his tendency to talk only when necessary. It takes quite a bit to get him to open up, and he still tends to be rather quiet when you do. Due to his past, he still retains the habit of flinching away when someone moves suddenly towards him, but only when taken by surprise, as he's gotten over it for the most part. He is curious, but this is tempered by the fact that he always thinks things through before acting.
History: His father was an alcoholic, and whenever he got drunk, he would beat and burn him. His mother did nothing to help, too afraid that she would make things worse somehow, choosing to ignore it instead. When she died, Jason finally ran away. He lived on the streets for years until he stumbled into his father again, who basically wanted to ensure that no word would get out of what he had done to his son. Jason was forced to flee again, and ended up living mainly in the forest and the occasional small town, moving farther and farther away from his father.
Description: He has sandy hair that is scruffy and often hangs in front of his eyes. His face can easily turn hard as rock, but is usually softer and has a look to it that just makes him look trusting. His eyes are dark and mysterious, seeming to contain many secrets. He stands around 5"9, tall and fit. He wears a loose brown tunic held on by a belt, and darker pants and boots. A sword is strapped across his back. Scars line his arms, covered by his long sleeves, and one scar stretches from his temple to close to his chin.
Weakness: Believe it or not, fire. Despite the fact that he can control it, he's afraid of any fire that he isn't in control of.
Weapons/Skills: He is skilled in using a sword, fighting with that and fire. He uses strong, brief attacks that usually just emphasize the blows of his sword, preferring not to rely on his fire too heavily.

OOC: Alrighty! Guess I'll go ahead and start it.

Bic:
Mist rose slowly from the dew soaked ground towards the heavens as the first grey beams of dawn peaked through the leafy canopy of summer. Faint rustlings in the underbrush could be heard by the trained ear as small nocturnal animals scurried back to their dens and burrows to roost the coming daylight's hours away, and for a brief moment, the entire forest was silent. Slumped against the trunk on a particularly thick branch far above the understory dozed the form of a young woman perhaps in her late teens. Her left foot began to twitch, as if she were an animal dreaming of pursuit or evasion. A cold sweat began to form on the girl's body, causing her to shiver slightly in her sleep and curl slightly into a ball and clutch herself with her arms.

"Nnnnn...nono...fire...stay awa-"

The girl flinched as if branded in the side with a poker, eyes fluttering rapidly underneath closed lids. Her limbs began to thrash as she again rolled to her other side, narrowly avoiding falling from her perch before she flipped again.

"No, no. Stay away!"

The girl awoke with a violent gasp, clutching a long, wooden staff in one hand. Her heart hammered inside her chest and her skin felt clammy. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the faint light, blinking in confusion as her previous nightmare retreated once again to the darker corners of her mind. A dream -that's all it had been. She glanced down at her other hand before unclenching it, frowning at the nail impressions against her palm before flexing life back into her fingers. She then proceeded to do the same to arms, then her legs, but the sudden movement caused her to lose her balance on the dew soaked branch; she managed to catch herself with long honed reflexes on the branch, but she dropped the staff in the process. Down it plunged before clattering sharply against a rock, cutting the crisp morning air with its crack; the girl winced at the sound before swinging to a lower branch and dropping to the ground with a soft thump to retrieve it.

Kasha jerked awake, glancing around with narrowed amber eyes as she searched for whatever had awoken her. A sudden feeling of paranoia crawled over her, sending shivers down her spine. She whipped her staff out, the carved wood fitting neatly into her hands as she held it in a ready position. Her ears pricked and nostrils flared, she eyed the undergrowth around her warily as her thoughts raced. The adrenaline rushing through her wasn't helped by her dream; she wasn't quite sure what it had been about at first, but it had ended with that same haunting scene - the bloodied tip of a dagger emerging from her father's chest.

The anthro shook of the lingering feeling of dread and loss, allowing herself to relax slightly. She stiffened once again when a sharp crack cut through the cool morning air. Kasha didn't waste any time before moving towards the sound, the dew cool against the pads of her feet as she walked quickly and softly through the forest. It took only a few moments before she spotted the form of a woman, her outline clear against the thin layer of leaves between them.

Acting on impulse, as she often did, Kasha slipped out of her cover, eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at the nymph. At least, she looked like a nymph; she had the same angular features, and wide expressive eyes. "Who are you?" she demanded, the metal-tipped end of her staff aimed carefully at the stranger. It wasn't in a lethal position yet, as whoever this was didn't appear hostile, but Kasha had learned through hard experience it was best not to let one's guard down.

~~~

Jason was an early riser. He always had been; no matter how exhausted he was, he found his day went better if he rose with the sun. It was an odd quirk of his, but he didn't mind it. His ears perked inquisitively as he heard what sounded like panicked murmurs, followed shortly after by a loud crack and a softer thump. Conflicted by a mixture of curiosity and wariness, the wereanimal simply decided to go and check it out. In his dingo form, he was much harder to spot, and was faster than most humans were running on two legs.

He padded through the undergrowth, barely stirring the leaves as he brushed past them. His brown eyes quickly spotted a female, looking to be in her late teens. Jason stuck to the shadowy bushes, eyeing her carefully; who was she, and why had she been making so much noise? Those questions were wiped out of his mind as another figure burst in. This one was also female, though quite a bit less humanoid. She was an anthro; a panther, by the looks of it, and held a staff in a fighting position.

Jason quickly withdrew, deciding it might be best if he came in human form after all. That way, at least, he could carry his sword. He made his way to the hollow tree he had hidden them in, morphing back into a human. He tugged his sleeves down firmly, hiding the scars that lined his arms. He pulled out the sword, pulling the scabbard onto his back, and slipping his bag over it. The hilt was easily accessible this way, and everything was much easier to carry.

He pulled away from the hiding spot, making his way back to where the two women were. He didn't draw his sword, though his hand did creep towards it instinctually. He hid himself among the bushes that surrounded the trees, observing the scene silently as he waited to see how it would play out.

The nymph bent down to retrieve her weapon, keeping one ear facing above and glancing up every so often as she groped through the long grass near the rock. Finally, her sensitive fingers brushed lightly against her staff's worn wood as she adjusted the shape of her hand to get a proper grip.

A feeling of being watched caused the nymph to slowly look up once again; sure enough, there stood an anthro gripping a staff somewhat shorter than the one she just lost...the nymph dared a glance down to see that in the moment of her hesitation, she had once again dropped the staff and it had nestled deeper in between the long narrow leaves.

"Who are you?" demanded the anthro.

"I could ask you the same thing!" retorted the nymph as she straightened, already angry with herself for not only dropping her staff twice, but attracting the attention of another being. Her foot brushed against something long, smooth, and wooden -hopefully her staff!- but she didn't dare split her attention. The nymph's brown eyes narrowed momentarily as she scrutinized the anthro in front of her: a black panther, female, fairly tall but not quite as tall as herself, and well muscled -probably from similar scenarios. All in all, the nymph didn't like her odds as she quickly wracked her brain for an easy solution. Finding none, she quickly forced the grass to lay aside and flipped the object into the air in front of her with her toes and snagged it midair with her right hand.

"Tell you what; I'll give you a name if you promise not to attack until after you've returned the favor," she replied.

<^>

Farren rolled onto his side, shifting on the inn's thin mattress as he tried to find to find a slightly more comfortable position on the too-small bed before giving up the effort and rising to his waist; it was morning. With a sigh he swung his long legs over the side of the wooden frame and rubbed his face with both hands as if doing so would work the weariness and tension out of his muscles. He knew otherwise. With a grunted sigh he quickly shrugged on his usual attire, laced his boots, strapped his quiver to his back, and tied that blue strip of cloth back into its usual place on his forehead before exiting the small room. Farren paused briefly downstairs to drop the last of his copper coins into the outstretched hand of the hostess before finally stepping out onto the mostly vacant street, taking a left, then a right, before finally walking past the wooden gates, hopefully leaving that town behind him.

On the horizon, he spotted a large expanse of tree outlined black against the slowly rising sun. Well, it seemed as good a place as any to catch a meal, and he was running low on jerky anyways. With this reasoning, Farren shrugged and began his hike up the inclining ridge. Far to his left, he could make out the long, silvery-gold outline of a river as it's surface reflected the sun's rays; he made a mental note to check it out later after his stomach growled, reminding him as to why he was heading towards the forest in the first place.

A few minutes later he found himself walking underneath the forest's canopy. He quickly reached for his bow and strung it before knocking an arrow in preparation, slowly shifting his weight as he moved forward to minimize the disturbance his large size would create. A movement caught his eye; he quickly drew the string back, but hesitated to set free his arrow as the creature's tail disappeared from view. 'Was that a...dog?' Suddenly interested, Farren allowed the tension on his bowstring to relax before pursuing. The low hiss of arguing voices soon met his ears; one distinctly female with a light lilt to her accent, the other gruffer and almost animalistic. He spotted his "dog" again, but it soon disappeared from sight before reappearing near a dead tree, apparently not noticing him yet. Moments later, a boy only a few years younger than himself stood where the "dog" had once been, retrieved something from inside the tree, and crept back to where the voices had been the strongest.

Slowly Farren crept forward, deciding to observe from a low hanging branch several feet from where the boy was hiding. From here, he had a slightly aerial view of not only the boy, but the two voices. Sure enough, there was a humanoid woman there, though he could tell from her height and build that she was definitely not human...perhaps an elf, or -more unlikely- a nymph? The other, an anthro -a dark colored feline judging by the ears and tail and probably also female by the anthro's build. The anthro held a staff, and by the looks of it, ready to strike. Suddenly the grass near the humanoid flattened as if by a random gust of wind, revealing a staff she must have dropped, judging by the familiar way she caught it.

"Tell you what; I'll give you a name if you promise not to attack until after you've returned the favor," the girl said to the anthro with a slightly wary note.

Kasha paused, then allowed her staff to drop. Though she still gripped in tightly, it was no longer held in a threatening position, instead resting upon the ground. "Alright," she agreed, dipping her head in consent. Then she stiffed, nostrils flaring slightly as the breeze drifted her way. "We have company," she announced, turning towards a tight cluster of trees.

~~~

Jason cursed as the anthro turned towards him. He figured now was a good of a time as any to reveal himself, and he stood, form suddenly becoming visible among the thick undergrowth he had hid himself in. He stepped out of the bushes, hands held loosely at his sides in a clear gesture of peace. "I'm Jason," he introduced slowly, voice soft and low.

The anthro considered him for a moment. Her amber gaze fell upon the sword strapped to his back, but she didn't comment. "...Kasha," she replied reluctantly. She turned to face - was that a nymph? - the other female. "Which means it's your turn for introductions," she continued.

The nymph allowed herself a small grin as she lowered her weapon as well, but stiffened again once the anthro informed her that they weren't alone. The undergrowth directly behind her rustled slightly; she whirled around in time to see a blonde boy rise slowly to his feet, hands held loosely at his sides in a nonthreatening gesture, but she couldn't help but noticed the weapon strapped to his back, and involuntarily her hand tightened around her own in its resting position.

"I'm Jason," he introduced slowly, voice soft and low.

"...Kasha," the anthro replied reluctantly before turning to face the nymph. "Which menas it's your turn for introductions," she continued.

"I don't have a name," the nymph replied warily, eyes still fixed on Jason even though it was Kasha who addressed her. "But I call myself Lyllii. And before you ask, no I'm not human, or elf. I am nymph."

<^>

Farren watched the exchange, wondering how long it would last, when he felt the humanoid woman's eyes dart in his direction and fixate on his location. Her face hardened and quickly underwent a transformation from wariness to absolute terror; his eyes barely had time to register that her hand had moved as if she had thrown something until he felt a fist sized rock strike his chest and knock him from his perch. He fell moments later on the ground on his back, the wind knocked out of him, and narrowly rolled in time to avoid her staff; it came down seconds later to where his head used to be.

Just as suddenly as her attacks came, they suddenly stopped as realization and a different look of horror shone in her dilated eyes; her shaking hands dropped the staff in the dirt as she began to retreat backwards and backed into a nearby trunk. "Nnnno, no! Fire! No no no! Stay away!"

Farren shot the girl a look of complete irritated bafflement before slowly rising again to his feet. "What was that for, and how'd you know I can wield fire?" he growled.

"Stay-stay away! Lyllii hurt no one," the girl -apparently Lyllii- stammered hysterically between breaths.

"Alright, alright. I'll stay over here, but would you calm down? My name's Farren, and I won't hurt you," the man sighed in exasperation.

"Farren," Lyllii mumbled, calming slightly. Her eyes darted to his ears, taking in their roundness, before narrowing again. "Human. Stay away from me," she hissed through clenched teeth. She then turned, picked up her staff, and went to stand a few feet behind Kasha and Jason, though her eyes darted to both men in turn.

Farren sighed before moving to join the others. "Not sure what I did to upset her, but let's start over. My name's Farren."

Seeing the obvious panic on Lyllii's face, Kasha's eyes narrowed, her staff moving back into a ready position. A low growl formed in her throat, claws unconsicously slipping out as she glared furiously at Farren. She relaxed fractionally as he moved away, and she found herself moving to stand by Lyllii, an unusual protective instinct forming within her. Normally, she tried to stay far away from others, but after seeing the sheer panic in the nymph's wide expressive eyes, Kasha couldn't help but feel like she needed to protect her, at least a little bit.

It was an odd feeling, but she didn't try to argue with it, instead giving in. She glared at Jason, as if he was going to set Lyllii off next.

~~~

Jason raised his hands, taking a step back under the force of Kasha's glare. "I'm a wereanimal. I'm not human," he responded, glancing at Lyllii after he finished speaking. What exactly had happened to make her react that way to humans? Obviously, something bad, otherwise her reaction wouldn't be that severe. But...it almost reminded Jason of how he would react to his dad sometimes when he was little and the man was drunk.

At last, Lyllii's breathing slowed to a normal rate, and she immediately felt her cheeks flush bright red from both exertion and embarrassment. "I, er, sorry. I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to attack you, sorry. I'm sorry," the nymph mumbled apologetically, shame clearly written across her face. "I had a nightmare; that's why I dropped my staff. And, I guess I wasn't fully awake yet," she offered. It was far from the full truth, but they didn't need to know that yet, if ever. Still, she felt she owed them some sort of explanation, and with how reluctant they all felt about even giving just their names, hoped they'ed accept the one she gave and move on.

"I'm not normally like that," she mumbled numbly.

"Well good!" put in Farren, suddenly almost overly cheerful. "If you just mistook me for a giant, well...that's understandable," he chuckled in attempt to lighten the mood.

Well, it was clear that these people weren't hostile. Kasha reluctantly sheathed her staff, though she still found herself having to consciously make the effort to keep her claws sheathed. "It's alright," she muttered in response, amber eyes studying her curiously. Why had Lyllii been having a nightmare about humans? The anthro shook off the questionl if the nymph didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to press it. Kasha had enough secrets of her own.

~~~~

Jason shook off the unwelcome memories that had surfaced upon Lyllii's reaction, accepting her excuse and apology. "It's alright. I understand," he commented, then froze. Where had that come from? Why had he allowed that comment to slip out? He quickly relaxed, hoping his reaction hadn't been too noticable and that they wouldn't question him. Internally, he let out a heavy sigh; this was why he stayed away from people, and why he was so quiet.

Lyllii smiled weakly at Farren's attempt at humor, but it was mostly strained and bared teeth, and Farren was still human. She dipped her head in acknowledgement, not quite certain how to meet their eyes in her humiliation. "Thanks, Kasha, Jason," she murmured, finally daring to glance up, but didn't bother brushing her long hair from her face; she felt like indulging in the security such a "veil" would offer at the moment. She dared another glance at Jason when she caught what might be some sort of significant insight, but his expression was the same as before; perhaps she imagined him alluding to some past experience, but regardless, she found herself viewing him in a slightly different light, prejudice aside.

"Well, it's been nice, but I originally came here to hunt. Seeing on how things went, think I'll try my luck at fishing instead or coming back later," Farren said dismissively, raising a hand in farewell. He walked forward a few steps back the way he originally came before abruptly stopping in his tracks; something was off. Sure, there just was a rather large disturbance, but shouldn't some of the wildlife be making some sort of noise by now? Instinctively, he grabbed an arrow between two fingers from his quiver and notched it, suddenly on the alert. A change of wind through the still air brought a thin wave of heat, and with it, the smell of smoke. A fire, but where, and how large? Mulling over these thoughts, he cautiously crept forward a few more meters. His eyes widened.

Below, in a ravine he passed not so long ago, a fire was raging, hungrily gorging itself into an inferno as the wind accelerated its progress and drove its flames towards him. Quickly, he slipped the arrow back into his quiver and broke into a dead run, hand gripped firmly around his bow. Farren quickly bounded through the underbrush, no longer caring what disturbance his large size made; what was the point when the entire place was about to burn anyways? Soon, he was forced to stop momentarily and gulp mouthfuls of air -once he recovered slightly, he decided now was as good a time as ever to put his bow away. With practiced ease made somewhat clumsy by his haste, he unstrung the bow, wrapping the string around the weapon before sliding it into its tube and resuming his sprint. Within minutes, he spotted the other three.

"Hurry! The river! GO!!!" he commanded urgently between pants. "Forest's on fire."

Kasha immediately stiffened, ears flattening against her skull as she warily sniffed the air. A small hiss slid out between gritted teeth as the unmistakable scent of smoke filtered through her nostrils. Her tail curled nervously, and she sheathed her staff; it was easier to run without it in her hand. She grabbed Lyllii's hand without even thinking, pulling the nymph along to get her started.

The staff bumped against her back with every step she took, but Kasha ignored the familiar weight. She let go of Lyllii's hand, only now fully realizing her actions.

~~~~

Jason's brown eyes widened slightly. Without thinking, he morphed into his dingo form. Although he couldn't carry it in his hands any longer, he picked up the sword in his mouth. His teeth dug into the leather scabbard, gripping it securely as he bounded through the forest, racing after the others. He soon passed them, four legs working quite a bit more efficiently than just two.

Keen senses on high alert, Jason was able to guide them, to an extent. He was at least able to turn away from where the forest was burning badly. The smell of smoke was beginning to grow thick in the air, and while it wasn't yet uncomfortable to breath, it soon would be if they got any closer.

Lyllii yelped in surprise and mild indignation as she felt Kasha grab her hand and drag her forward, her arm feeling wrenched from its socket uncomfortably. But when the smell of smoke became stronger, she clutched it tightly in return. Then suddenly, Kasha released her before momentarily outpacing the nymph. Lyllii quickly willed her staff to wrap around her forearm and become a weird coiled bangle -less chance of dropping it this way- before tucking her chin against her chest and sprinting after the anthro, running almost entirely on adrenaline. No, she would not -could not afford!- to let her fear fuel her. She knew well enough that if she gave in to it now, not only could she end up hurting herself, but others as well; Farren was a reminder of that.

<^>

Farren watched the anthro drag the nymph behind her and the boy morph back into his dingo form before darting to the front. "Yeah, don't mind me; I'll catch up," he grumbled to himself before running after them. The nymph's lithe form and the anthro's animalistic anatomy may grant them speed, but Farren's long legs more than compensated for his general lack of speed, with him being human, and soon he was immediately behind the two females, prefering to guard the back while the were-animal took the lead and did his best to guide the small group to safety.

The smoke began to grow stronger, forcing Farren to untie his blue bandana from around his forehead and retie it securely just over his nose and mouth. Soon the flames grew wild enough that they seemed to flank from every side, and he found himself casting a glance at Lyllii; her face had paled to an ashen color, but to his relief, her features were set in an expression of grim determination.

OOC: I referred to Jason and Kasha the way I did so far for Farren's point of view because he was just out of earshot to hear their introductions, and of course Lyllii kind of "introduced" herself.

Kasha was coughing lightly now, each breath bringing more smoke into her lungs. She pressed a hand over her nose in an attempt to filter out some of the deadly smog, but it didn't really help beyond blocking out some of the scent. She continued to cough, rasping for breath as she ran. Where is that river?! she asked, a bit of frustration edging her thoughts.

~~~~

Jason wished he could cover his own nose; unfortunately, that was hard to do when he was running on four paws. Ears pricked and senses on high alert, he was rewarded to hear the familiar bubbling of the river in the distanct. Cursing his lack of communication, he merely increased the pace slightly, hoping they would deduce why themselves.