Misunderstood Destinies

Layla nodded and walked over to them.

"This, my Elder is the one I am indebted too. This elf has saved my life twice. I ask that you protect her should I fail"

"Granted" The Beast looked at Layla and nodded. A small fang rune appeared in the air before her "If thou wishes our protection, a rune must be worn on thine hand. Is this acceptable?"

"If this is what Jargos wants to do, then I trust in him and willingly accept."

Jargos and the Beast nodded at the same time and the rune floated to her hand, and after a momentary sting, the black fang shaped rune was upon her right hand. Jargos looked back to the Beast

"I have one more matter that concerns me, Great one"

"Oh? And what is it, our child?"

"My inner self seems to want freedom, but I know not if I have the power to control myself. Can thou see into my soul and tell me if I am ready?"

As the two spoke, she glanced at the marking on top of her hand. She was interested by it.

The marking was identical to the ones on Jargos' cheek, with the point of the fang facing her wrist


"Nay, our child, that must be for you to decide"


Jargos sighed, but nodded "I understand. I thank thee"


"And we thank thee." The beast faded into Jargos' runes, which then stopped glowing as he fell back onto his butt, his breathing heavy, this time revealing how much work that was

Layla extended a hand out to him. "Need a hand?" She smiled.

"Nay, I need . . . rest" Jargos fell over to his side and fell asleep almost instantly

Layla smiled gently. She walked over to the window and sat on the windowsill. Layla observed the mark on her hand.

Jargos dreamt of comforts he could never have, and this made him sad

"Protection?" she wondered. She didn't know Jargos' ancestors, and thus wasn't sure of how it would happen. She only had to believe in Jargos' decision and beliefs. If he truly wanted to keep to his word from before, she would let him.

Jargos slept soundly, but his dreams pained him so

As the fire began to go out, Layla decided to head out and grab a few logs. One of the woodcutters would surely have some. Leaving a note about her absence, she went out into the breezy air.

Jargos slept still, his body resting well. His runes began to glow a soft green

As Layla walked out into the open, torches began to light up the walkways. Elder Ramona stepped out of her cabin and glanced at Layla. She stared at her a moment, as if sensing a disturbance. She then turned away. Layla was growing suspicious.

Jargos stopped dreaming, but he remained asleep.




Meanwhile, in Darkwoods . . .
In the absence of Jargos, Rieun was in charge, but he was no match for the dark mages and he knew it. He could feel the fear of all of Darkwoods pressing down on him. Dark mages were just outside of sight, working in the shadows. Soon, they had made it, The Bone-Beast. It was a monstrous creature, standing over seven feet tall. It had four clawed arms and two legs. It had three skulls, all covered in fangs. It was sent to the mountain, and it would make it in only a few hours

Layla picked up the wood from the nearby woodcutter. She happened to pass by Airen's home on the way back. Glancing inside, she wiped away a bit of frost on the window to look in. He was playing with his younger brother. She looked down at her necklace and sighed, wishing he had the time to see her in person. Putting the thought to the back of her mind, she returned home.

Jargos slept, and the Bone-Beast made great time. It would be at the base of the mountain before dawn

Layla made it home within a few minutes. Placing the logs in the fire, she lit a flame to her finger. Fire spread to the wood and the room was quickly warmed up by the flames.

It became clear to Layla that Jargos had a bit of a snore. He breathed heavily, calling upon the wisdom and protection of his ancestors took a lot out of him

Layla giggled a bit, then sat down and picked up a book she had been reading prior to leaving Zeiza.

Jargos slept through the night, and as day began to break, he stirred to life. His bones, joints, and muscles made their usual sounds, but this time his stomach was the loudest of all. He did a feline stretch then yawned. His runes were still glowing a soft green, but soon faded

"Morning," Layla said. She had been up all night due to her afternoon napping the previous day.

"I bid thee good morning, Layla. Thou did not sleep, am I correct?" He asked as he finished stretching and stood up

"Correct, though of choice. My rest the previous day left me up the entire evening. I do not mind. I'm used to things like this."