the death of one...

[Arwen]

"My dubbing is Dima Yvis," he muttered in response. "Silas... Taure, being his Elvish naming, dashed the rock at me just as I stepped out to stop him killing himself."

And he seemed to no longer bother with the pain, only lay, staring into the trees before sitting up again and gazing at the burial mound, ignoring the pain.

"Elvish tradition? Or did you simply dig a hole and throw dirt over them?" he asked suspiciously, managing to glance over at her a moment before turning once more to the present home of the two bodies.

[Tiire]

"Im not sure what you mean by tradition, but I gave them an honaray burial. There was no time to cremate them, and I could not possibly have made the proper fire myself, much less a pyre upon which to set them.

On normal occasions I would have seen that my commander... my friend... was cremated, but all I could do was send them ohn with my blessings. I buried them, but lined the bottem sides, and top with pure white stones. It did not take me too long to find them..."

She looked at the make-shift, small underground tombe, only big enough to hold the two. She sighed and shook her head,

"I wished that their was a better way, but under the cercumstances, no. I am truley sorry if it offended you, Dima. There was nothing else I could do."

[Arwen]

"Taken them to the citadel perhaps. I would have been fine," he spat irately, turning away once more.

But as soon as he'd said this, he caught himself. Ahh... And what's happening to you, Dima?

Of course. His friend had just put himself to death! And another dear friend, not so close, but still a friend, had died at another's blade.

Regardless, he was in no position to be rude.

"I'm sorry," he managed, turning to face Sheig once more and giving the slightest of hints of a smile. "I'm in no place to be so rude to any, especially yourself. Thank you for your care. I appreciate it, really."

[Tiire]

"I have done only the decent thing. I could not have possibly let you lay back there to die... Citadel you say? unfortunatly for me I have lost my map... if I had known, though, I might not have been able to do anything. You where the living one, remember? and trust me, you needed my immeadiate attentions more than they did...."

She sighed, tossed a small log onto the warm fire. a breeze skuttled its way through the dark night, making the chimes in her hair once more tinkle in song.

It also directed the firelight in their direction, so for the first tiem Dima could properly see the exotic woman in the light.

All elves where known for having infro-vision, the ability to see heat waves in the dark. But that does not necessarily let them see proper detail.

She sat, the paws that she normally had on her arms where set to the side, but her feet where still faceted in the ones that where attacked to her legs. Eyes of liquid gold watched him intently as hair the colour of murcury glistened with its chimes and beads in the light.

A breathtaking sight, but not one that opened itself freely. Tiire had had many lovers in her life, and had showed herself off almost unconciously, Sheig, however, did not show herself off in any way. She was just another being in the world, not a catch to be oggled at.

" How do you feel? any dizziness?"

[Arwen]

He simply sat through her lecturing in silence before laying back. Thus he gazed up at the stars, vision slightly polluted by the smoke and light from the fire. The gentle reminder of times in his early childhood, laying in the clearing outside his mother Seremidal's house and gazing up at these stars with her calmed him slightly. How he missed those times... Which was why, every now and then, he left the citadel and went forth into the forest, lay down in a clearing much like this, and watched them as they slowly made their way across the night sky.

But not now. Now was not a time in which he could watch these same stars in peace. Now he was in the presense of another... And a cursed annoying light. If only he had his cloak-- then he would lay there without the fire. He'd put it out, or annnoy her until she did.

But he was also in the presense of an unrelenting sadness. One that could not be helped, but still a severe pain-- an ache worse than that which came from the knot on his head from the stone his friend had thrown. Indeed, he'd nearly forgotten about the bruise on his head. Now that he did, it didn't really hurt any more. Not covered by the emotional pain, somehow blended with the peace of the memories from his childhood...

"I'm fine," he whispered distantly, finding that comforting memory in the stars.

[Tiire]

Sheig nodded, and all of a sudden felt the exaustion that the evening had brought her. So much death! and she had had to oversee it all. Sheig stared at the sky and, noticing the light obscured her vision of her favorite thing, she grabbed the bucket of water she had been using to clean Dima's wound and put it out.

"I never did like fire, I only used it to keep your bones from freezing up."

She lay back on the grass beside him, about five feet away, actually. She needed her space to greive, and the last thing one would catch this woman doing would be snuggling up to a man she had never met before.

She loved the stars, it was obvious to see. The way she stared up at them with such wonder and admaration. Tears sprang unheeded to her eyes, trailed down her face and into her hair.

She was not embarrased of it, and had all rights not to be. She had just lost her dearest friend... somthing that she and Dima now had in common.

[Arwen]

"Thank you," he whispered again for no apparent reason. But it was for the putting out of the fire. And almost immediately, his vision cleared.

He glanced over at her momentarily and noticed the tears flowing over her face. But personally, he didn't care.

His gaze turned back to the skies. How he would have loved to join her in tears... But he was too numb for it. It was hard accepting that himself, but his emotions had run so high, so fast, that he was now perfectly numb to the pain--physical and mental.

But in a way... it still hurt.

[Tiire]

Slowly her tears subsided, and she gently wiped them away. The night was old and waning, but dawn had not yet touched upon them. And so she sang a song her mother used to sing when she was naught but a babe. It was... appropriate, it seemed, to sing such emotion.

"Hush now, my baby, be still love dont cry,
sleep as your rocked by the stream...
sleep and remember, my last lullaby,
and I will be with you when you dream...

Drift on a river, that flows through my arms,
drift as I sing to you, my darling,
I see you smile, and it lessens the pain,
so that I am smiling too..."

her words where barley spoken, and where almost a hum, but to elvish ears they would have sounded distinct. She got up then, strapped on the claws and fit her fingers in the finger-slots.

Sheig sat down once she was done cleaning the camp. She sighed, a little distraught as to what to do next. She had come to visit Tiire, but that was obviously out of the question now...

[Arwen]

He simply lay in silence as she sang, and then as she cleaned up the small campsite she'd made. But as she seemed rather lost as to what to do next, he sat up again, and stood rather slowly.

Stepping up behind her, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come back to the citadel with me, Sheig. I'm certain the Elves there will be more than happy to give you room and board... I-- realize that there's really nothing for you here now that Tiire's gone, but--"

He removed his hand from her shoulder and massaged his face, then placed his first finger against the wound on his head before allowing his hand to hang limp at his side. "You may stay as long as you wish... Even only a day or two if it suits you better..."

[Tiire]

Sheig stood up when he put his hand on her shoulder, but turned to him with an amazed look on her face when he offered to let her stay at the citidel.

She could not remember such kindness from any man she had ever met! exept her father, that is. Sheig smiled, a hard thing to do after burying her best friend.

"Thank-you. From the ottem of my heart, thank-you Dima. I dont know what I would have done..."

She blinked, noticing his hand had trailed to his head, and frowning concernedly.

[Arwen]

"It's nothing, really... Not compared to what you've done," he answered with the slightest of smiles tracing along his own handsom features, creating quite a charming look, though he certainly did not try for it-- especially in this situation.

"And don't worry about the head-- just testing. It's really not that bad... At least compared to what's going on now. Besides, it'll certainly get proper attention with the healers back inside Avalbane's border, I assure you. I'm fine. Really, you'd not believe the injuries I sustained as a child, training as a guard of the citadel..."

He paused a moment, took a step towards the burial mound, then shook his head and started off slightly north. "Shall we go now? We can arrive before the sun rises if we start now. Otherwise... Well, if you wanted a moment or two with... Tiire."

[Tiire]

Sheig walked over to the burial mound and gently ran her fingers along the top soil for a moment.

"No... I have said my good-byes."

She said softly, getting up from her squat and turning to follow Dima. He truley was somthing else.

"... have you?"

she asked suddenly, quietly, telling him with a single look that she did not wish him pain, but he needed to let go now if he had not yet.

Already she thought of this man as a friend. They held somthign in common, the loss of a friendship so great...

Sheig glanced at the make-shift tomb sullenly. This was the end.

good-bye, again, my friend...

[Arwen]

"In my dreams, I have bid them farewell... But in the waking world, nay. But at the moment, I do not feel comfortable doing so. When the head is better... When I'm feeling better about this, I will. I feel that, although I feel fine, I may not be just that."

He shook his head slightly, then stepped off slowly northward and back towards the citadel. "Follow. It's really not long from here... less than half an hour on horseback, so about--"

He paused and turned slightly east. "My mother has horses. We can borrow one or two of hers and ride back. It's not far from here..."

[Tiire]

Sheig nodded, she understood. The braided beauty walked away from the gravesite, and up to stand near -but not close- to Dima. She listened to his offer and nodded. So he had family? that was nice to hear. Family was such a gift.

"That sounds good... thank-you once more Dima.In advance For the room in the citadel, and the horses, and now for your company and kindness."

She gave him the smallest of hugs, just a short, kind gesture before paking a step back and gesturing for them to go.

"Im sure your not the only one who knew Silas, Im sure others would need to be informed."

[Arwen]

"Of course," he said softly in reply before trotting back into the shadows of the trees, having not responded at all to the hug, in a detatched sort of way. "But informing those of the citadel can wait until morning, at the sunrise meal."

His feet made no sound on the forest floor as he continued to trot through in the direction that he knew his mother's home to be in. He listened to all the sounds around them with his keen Elven ears--especially those of the Lark, singing its morning song, despite that the sun had yet to rise.

[Tiire]

Sheig followed at a constant and silent gait, amazing due to the chimes and beads in her hair. But the exootic woman was a master in the arts of stealth, in the army, due to having thousands of people in it meaning thousands of names to know, they had all just called her Night Cat.

Her million-braid hair wavered in teh breeze her movments created, and she listened with a numb heart to the morning birds song.

[Arwen]

When they finally reached another clearing, it became obvious that there sat a stone house in the center. To the side was a post where a white mare was tied.

"Wait here," he whispered before entering the clearing, leaving the safety of the shadows.

Dima approached the mare, pulled the rope out of its loose knot, and began to lead the horse away from the post.

But a hand twisted him around.
"Just what do you think you're doing with my horse?"

Out of reflex, he violently grabbed her wrist, but as soon as he came to his senses not a second later, let go. Both in pain, Dima in the head from the violent turn and Seremidal where his nails had cut into her wrist, gazed at eachother a moment before Seremidal smiled.

"Well?"

"Just... riding back to the citadel, mother. Where's the bay?"

"I could ask you the same question," she replied in a caustic fashion.

He massaged his face again with his hand. "I rode her out here in the first place, didn't I..."

"Yes you did. She's behind the house, Dima. Go fetch her."

As Dima turned to the back of the white stone building, Seremidal turned to Sheig. "Come out, girl. I may not be able to see you, but I can feel you. What's your name and how did you come across my son this early in the morning?"

[Tiire]

Sheig smiled kindly at the woman as she walked out of the shadows, completely unperterbed. She bowed her braided chamed and beaded head to the woman.

"My name is shayneliyah Cutspur, known to many as Sheig. I fear it is not my place to tell you the whole story as of yet, and my apologies thus, as it is not just my story to tell... but..

I met your son last evening, he had an almost fatal blow to the head and was unconcious."

She lifted her murcury-haired head to look at Seremidel with liquid gold eyes. It was obvious that this beauty of forgein lands haad been greiving,

"I stemmed his fever and he says he is alright..."

She glanced in the direction Dima had gone,

"His friend... Silas... had thrown the rock."

[Arwen]

"Well, Sheig... Thankyou for your services..."

What had Dima gone and done? True, Silas was prone to spurts of violence, but what had caused it, if this was the case? Was it her son? Nay, he had tried to stop it. That was it...

"She speaks the truth, Mother," was Dima's voice as he came around the corner again, leading the bay mare that was only slightly larger than the white. "Silas threw the stone that knocked me unconcious... But I'm fine now. I just need to--"

But Seremidal was already at him, running her hands along either side of his head, then turning him when she found the wound, to examine it. "Oh, come love, that needs proper atten--"

"Mother! I'm fine! I'll get it taken care of back in the citadel, from the healers there."

"And I am no proper healer? Go, then, Dima. Take the horses. Have it taken care of back at the citadel. The-"

"Seremidal! Honestly, mother, I meant nothing against your abilities."

"I know Dima. They have the herbs needed at the citadel anyway. Go-- You two need rest. Dima, you get attention there. I'll contact someone and make sure both of you have breakfast waiting in your rooms come morning, alright?"

The young man sighed, then nodded. "Fine. Thank you... I'll have the horses graze when we arrive back inside the citadel's walls, then send them back to you. And... you'll be informed of everything that happened."

[Tiire]

Sheig nodded curtly to Seremidel, and smiled slightly when Dima came back into view. She was a little bit apprehensive about the horses though, and voiced her confusion quietly,

"What is that leather stuff on the horses?"

she asked, blushing softly, her pawed hands folded infront of her as she looked curiosly but confusedly at the animals.

"Your... going to take it off so we can ride right?"