[Nen and Nyx] The Muse and the Wild Man....

Ari shrugs not sure how far she will go. But she did have an idea. Holding up an finger for him to wait she leaps up and goes off in the direction of the farmers. She just hoped they were a little more educated in the Common language then Andyr was. Hopping from stone to stone over the stream. Pushing through the brush and brambles she flails her arms to get the farmers attention. She inwardly cursed when a rather sharp stick smacked her in the face before she was totally through.

He waited, and it was difficult to do, for as soon as she left, he was struck with the compulsion to leave her. The farmers were there, surely they would take a girl like her from the wilderness and keep her safe. Of course, Andyr thought, they could be the sort of men he'd come upon often, the kind that would as soon as rape a pretty maid than help her. That set his heart to beating hard and he would hate himself forever if she was raped while he stood idly by, meek, waiting for her return. He was a jakthund no longer. He was a Man, and no woman ever told a man what to do. He struck out after her, at a light jog, a little anxious as to her condition. He espied her waving frantically and winced as she was smacked in the face with a stick, but he stood far off enough to watch her without being seen, but close enough to do something about men with ill intentions.

The farmers stopped their plowing when they spotted her, thinking her a crazy woman. She was dirty and the cut from the stick stung her cheek, but what she didn't see was the blood that seeped from it. Rubbing at her cheek she cursed at the pain as the blood smears on her cheek. The farmers take a step back not knowing what she would do. Taking in a few deep breaths Ari tries to regain what air she can. She slowly begins to sign but by their vacant expressions she knew she had already lost them. With a sigh she uses her finger and draws out what she needs to know. After a few moments of them looking at her, one of the farmers looks at the ground and nods.

"Oh yeh there is a bridge abouts that aways."

With a smile she thanks them and heads back towards the woods not realizing were Andyr was.

Andyr shadowed her back into the forest and reached out to grab her arm. "I am here" he said and tried not to smile at how startled she looked. He was a big man, but he knew how to be quiet as a shadow. His trial, his Frost, had forged him into the ultimate hunter. He was highly resistant to cold, could stay still for hours with vast patience, stalk silently, shimmy up trees (although he liked being on the ground better), make shelters, hunt animals, range among other things. The Frost in the Ice Plains lasted much longer than the lesser Frost in the Southlands. He'd been on his own in a killer environment at a crucial point in his life. It was true that his people were forged from snow and ice. "So. Where we go?" he askedher. He knew the farmers had told her the direction of the bridge. His concern was that she wished to tag along more, which he wasn't really fond of. Andyr did not relish babysitting whelps, nor females.

Ari put her hand over her heart from the fright he gave her. With a deep breath she looks around the camp then back at him. She mimes picking up things and putting them on as if she were getting ready to leave. Then makes a hand motion for him to hurry. She didn't want to tarry around here any longer she could almost sense his want to be away and from her. She would happily oblige him once she was were she wanted to be or at lest closer to it.

He struck camp fairly quickly, and while holding a skewer with roasted meat in his hand, set out in the direction the girl had been sent by those farmers. He decided not to question why farmers would be ranging so close to the forest and instead walked. While he stuffed his face, he kept his hand close to one of his two swords. He wasn't being outright rude, but Andyr just wasn't the kind to gather a following, especially of females and whelps. Back home, it was alright. Back home, followers meant a tribe. However, he learned early in the Southlands that tribes didn't happen, and if they did, they were seen as either bandits or savages. He did not want to propagate such an image.

Ari saw the hand on his sword and rolled her eyes at his need to either make himself feel better or to intimidate. Wrapping the coat around her she walks beside him. She began to notice as they walked that the sides of the road were cleared back a few feet. She wondered if that was to keep bandits or other unsavory people from trying to rob travelers. Felling no desire to let him know it was alright she let him walk any way he pleased. Board with the lack of any conversation, true she couldn't hold up her side it was still so boring.

How much did this whelp know of traveling? That she would travel with no weapon, female as she is, and no male to protect her. She was just lucky Andyr had come upon her and not some lusty, brutish bandits. She'd have been raped and/or dead by now, or mothering some bandit whelps of her own. No, Andyr would not walk easily on unknown roads. He would be wary, even if it seemed unnecessary, for the bandit was never a solitary creature. Bandits came in packs. He finished the skewer and tossed it into the woods, the rested his other hand on the other hilt of his sword.

Ari pauses in the road as she hears something. Looking around her eyebrows coming together as she looks. Behind them a large black bear ambles out of the forest. Ari gives a soft smile at the creature that regards the two of them. It's eyes lingering on Ari more then Andyr. She looks over her shoulder to see what Andyr made of the sight of such a large and possibly dangerous creature. She takes a few steps towards the creature if anything to toy with Andyr.

Andyr watched the bear impassively. He'd been a man of the wild for a long time and he would not panic at the sight of a black bear like some unblooded lordling of the Southland realm. He gauged the beast to just be curious, possibly by the smell of food in his pack. However, he was quite sure a bit of noise and posturing would scare the thing off, and if not, Andyr would slay it like he slew any other beast. Bears were beasts and Andyr had the right amount of respect for them, but little fear. He watched the girl make a step toward the bear and knew her game. He turned and walked away from her and the bear, heading in the direction they'd been walking in so far. If the bear decided he wanted her as a morsel, then she'd be lost. If they ended up being fast friends, she'd be fine. If she decided to give up her game and start following him, she'd be fantastic.

With a sigh she walks up to the bear and scratches it behind the ear. With a huffing sound of graditude the bear amble off after she scratch. With a soundless sigh she walks after Andyr. She had come to the conclusion then that was was a stick ing hte mud and would never be a fun travelling partner. The sooner she got to a city the better. If only she had her voice then maybe she could talk to him. Well maybe. With anouther sigh she sticks her hands in her coat pockets and walks beside him.

He smiled to himself as she trudged beside him. It was all fun and games to play pranks, but not whilst on the road. The road was ever uncertain, and he would not be taken unawares because the whelp had no sense to keep walking. Fun was to be had when one was reasonably sure safety was secured. Ah, but he'd been living in the Frost, and threats were much more threatening up there, whilst down here, the Southerners were soft, not even the threat of bandits would be a threat to Andyr. They just lacked.... fire.

Ari just walked in silence, sulking form her many failed attempts to get a rise out of Andyr. Feeling around in the deep pockets her fingers brush up against something. Pulling it out she finds a pan flute, she looks up at Andyr with an questioning look. Not to ask him if it was his but it would be alright to play it. She didn't know if he would be annoyed by it or not. But at lest it would break up some of the boring silence. She runs her fingers over the polished wood. She couldn't remember having it with her when she was cast out of her home.

He looked at her, trying to gauge her question. It didn't take long. Andyr was not one for playing instruments. His hands were made for rougher work and his breath was put to better use elsewhere. However, that didn't mean he disdained music. Still, only a fool played music whilst they traveled. "It would not be wise" he told her. If she chose to play, he'd just increase the length of his stride, which he'd lessened so she could keep up, not that she'd noticed. No one ever noticed the small things.

She nods and puts it back into her coat pocket. She didn't notice as they walked. But she did notice one thing, off to their right there were shadows flanking them. She ticked them off with her fingers in her pockets. ...seven...eight....nine....ten She gives Andyr a side ward glance to see if he may have noticed. Ari figured he would since he seemed more alert of these kind of things then her. [i]Would he be able to fight off all of them?[i/] Pulling out her paper and coal she draws a picture of the road, two figures to represent them and then the dots to their right to represent the shadows. Tapping his arm with hers in a way she hoped would not alert those who were following them. She nods down towards the picture to get him to look at it as she holds it close enough to herself but far enough away so he can see.

He'd known there was someone following them, but he hadn't known how many. As he took a sidelong glance at her picture and shrugged her off brusquely so as to stave off suspicion, he began to psyche himself up for battle. He could very well take out nine targets, so long as he struck some sort of fear into them first. If they all rushed him, they could hurt him, but chances were they'd all die in the process. Still, it wouldn't leave him unscathed. He wanted to be able to walk to the next town. He wanted to make it to the army with which he'd battle for glory. "Lag behind me a bit" he murmured to her as he slid his hands from the pommels of his swords to the grips.

Ari gives him an slight nod as she droops her shoulders some to fake being tired and slowly begin to fall a few steps behind him. She cold hear them faintly the soft falls of booted feet now that she strained her ears to listen.

Just before the road bent to the right they attacked. Jumping out of the tress and brush ten rouges with greedy eyes and dirty appearances circle them. Two carried battle axes while the others carried swords. Though they were circles a part of Ari kept nudging at her to scan the trees that there may be more hiding in wait.
"So North man going to protect this little whelp? Why don't you give her to us and all the gold you carry and you can be on your way?"
They continued to circle them like a pack of wolves just waiting for the right moment. Ari keeps looking while making sure she didn't get in reach of the rouges or get close to Andyr so he may be able to fight.

Andyr grinned fiercely.

"Come and die".

Because he didn't believe he could lose. He didn't believe that these men had it in them to best him. He had no fear of them, and drew his twin swords. He roared at them, and with the way he looked, he might as well have earned the name, Lion.

"Come and DIE".

They came at him them Ari let out a yelp as she jumped away from a flying sword. Thankfully she was light on her feet to keep her from getting hit. At let that was what she thought until she felt a sting from a blade on her cheek. She looked at the rouge that had cut her.

The other nine going after Andyr, they knew better to go one on one against him so they attacked in numbers. Each swinging their sword or weapon at him. Hoping to give him no room but at the same time not hit each other.

Ari backed towards the woods hoping to find some weapon to use. Before she could get to the woods an arrow was sticking in the ground by her foot.

Andyr was faster than they anticipated, and hellish strong. He'd cleaved one man from neck to navel and disemboweled another before the nine realized they'd just become seven. Warier, the rogues circled him, trying to find an opening, They rushed him simultaneously and he he rid them of two more mates. He did not come out unscathed, but the wounds he received were shallow and superficial. He seemed damned confident of winning and didn't seem to feel the bite of their blades. The five left standing were no longer confident in their numbers. Andyr rushed them and they broke, each man fighting for himself, which made it easier for Andyr to slay them.

The archer decided to cut his losses, and the lone man after the whelp seemed to think living was better than dying. Bleeding from a dozen shallow cuts and panting, he turned to survey his surroundings, and to look for the girl. "They fled" he said. "You are okay?".

Ari nods as she looks around. Sighing she grabs the shaft of the arrow and pulls it out of the ground. She looks at the feathers to see if she could identify it. Though there was no possible way since she had only just been kicked out of her home. But she just wanted to feel like she could do something, and not feel like such a burden. Looking at him she points to his wounds and gives the universal sign for "ok" with a questioning look. They didn't look to deep to her but she didn't want him to bleed to much.

He looked down at himself and then at her and shrugged his shoulders. None of them were deep, but he'd have to clean them at least. "Go to the river. I need to wash" he told her even as he strode off the path and into the forest. It was at the river that he stripped down and waded into the water, allowing the current to do all the work, washing the blood from his chest and cleaning his cuts. It felt good, and he vaguely wondered if he had bandages enough to bind his chest at least until the wounds scabbed over.

Ari sat under a tree with some strips of bark. She began braiding and weaving it together. She hoped that if she had enough cloth she could use the braided bark to compress on the cloth and work like a bandage. That is if Andyr wanted to use them if not she would find a different use for them. With a soundless sigh she sat there waiting for him to clean up, since she wouldn't go down by the river he was. She had a feeling she would not be well received if she showed up. Ari came to the conclusion that she should soon leave him and let him continue.