Throughout the forest, there was absolute silence. It was night and there was no sound of any animals, as if they were petrified by something. It was a rather misty night, filled with so much that it was impossible to see through by the human eye. In the distance a man walked up to the entrance to the forest, but something was not right. He did not walk per-say, more like floated. And he was no man, although his cloak was covering any identifiers that could clue in on his racial heritage. He was but a shadow of a man he once was, a lich, and Shady was... used to be his name. Shady looked into the fog with amusement. 'So this is Taurai Woods, it is... bigger then I expected' the lich thought with mild amusement. He then returned to making his way into the forest. After an hour of floating through the woods, Shady found himself resting beside an old maple tree. Sure he didn't need the rest but he enjoyed the quiet. 'This place is very peaceful, I wish I could stay here forever, though it is a bit to quiet' Shady pondered to himself. The lich then began to relax, though was prepared for a battle at a moments notice.

Ugh...

Everything spun in front of her like some drunken world, her eyes unable to focus on one thing. Was she drunk? No. Very light-headed and dizzy, though. Her pale brown eyes were half-lidded by her dark-complexed eyelids, but like you could see that beneath the shadow that covered her already dark face. She wore a worn-out, raggedy brown cloak that had stains, rips, and tears here and there, but she still wore it. Why? Well, she was injured. And bleeding. Badly.

Wincing, Airyanya shot a hand to her side, doing her best to hold back a grunt of pain as her eyes closed and her knees wobbled slightly as she leaned against a nearby tree. She could feel the crimson liquid stain her hand from the large wound on her side, but she wasn't about to let it defeat her. No way was she going to give in.

When the pain subsided a little and she was able to reopen her eyes and stand up straight again, she did so, and continued on. However, it wasn't even a couple more steps that the pain completely engulfed her body. She was caught off-guard and wasn't able to bite back the shout before she fell forward onto her knees, clutching her side as she hung her head, strands of white hair becoming visible from beneath the cloak. Next second, her whole body relaxed as she fell forward, her face and chest kissing the ground rather harshly. She didn't move afterward as she ceased to breathe, the blood still seeping from her side wound.

She had gotten the wound from one of her own very kin, of her own very House. Her elder brother dealt the attack, anger flashing in his dark eyes as he banished her from the dark world beneath this surface land; of her own home. Why he had done so, Airyanya had no clue, but the wound only got worse as she tried to hide it and continue on.

Shady had laid there for an hour pondering his existence. He truly had nowhere to go. 'I have no friends, all of my family is either died or dyeing, and I never had a girlfriend, let alone a wife', the lich thought in dismay. Suddenly a piercing scream shattered the once quiet woods. 'What was that? It sounded like a woman. I got to get there in time! But why do I care? I don't know her. Whatever, saving first, bickering with self later'. Shady then made his way in the direction of the scream.

He soon found himself in part of the woods that casts great shadows around the area, making it dark as night. He then saw the dark silhouette of a woman, along with a large puddle of blood around her. Shady then noticed that she was of the drow. He was shocked (about the blood) but quickly collected himself before ripping off a piece of his extremely long cloak, stripped off her shirt, and wrapped it around her side and chest.

Shady had long since lost feelings such as arousal and lust so he was not effected by what he just did. He then began to set up camp for the night. 'She has to be in a safe, clean place in order to heal properly. If only I could do something more for her, she must have been threw a lot', the lich thought before deciding To pitch a tent up and letting her sleep. 'She needs rest, though she's unconscious so she has no choice'. He then began to watch her as she slept.

'She is so beautiful, like a rare black rose. Adored by few and hated by most'.(I know its corny but I can't think of anything better) The girl then began to whimper in her sleep. ' A nightmare? That is no good! She will be at peace if I can help it!', He thought before "speaking "to her for the first time.
"Hush nin, Dos ph' sreen'aur nin. no-one orn jivviim dos 'zil verve 'zil tlun wun existence",
"Hush now, You are safe now. no-one will hurt you as long as am in existence,"
Shady said in drowish(did I say it right?) in the most comforting fashion.

It was a dark night and Cecelia was tired. She was lost, hurt, and heart broken. She wondered about into Misty Shadows. She stumbled over some logs, rocks, and large branches that had laid scrambled on the forest floor. She couldn't help her self, not this time. She couldn't get the trauma out of her head. Biting her lower lip she held back her tears. She Shuffled her feet and rubbed her left arm. She stopped and looked up and noticed a flickering flame. She walked towards it and saw a girl lying in her own blood and a boy sitting near her.

When she had fallen, the hood of her cloak had fallen back, exposing her dark complexed face as it lay against the ground below her, strands of her white mane falling into her blank face despite its bound at the back of her head. Her eyes remained closed and her chest and sides barely moved with the rhythm of her shallow breathing that proved that she was still alive. Her hand was ironically still pressed against her side, blood staining its palm and fingers, let alone the ground and clothing it seeped onto.

When the lich had found her, she had been rolled over somehow, now laying on her back with her bloodied hand to the side, her head tilted with her lips slightly parted. Again, her chest barely heaved breath, but it was there. She was still living. Just unconscious from blood loss and pain. She remained that way even as the creature stripped her off her top and concealed her newly exposed chest and sides shortly afterward with a ripped-off piece of his long cloak.

As the lich began setting up a camp and starting a fire for the night, Airyanya stayed motionless, her mind going back to relive a memory that had just recently happened. The fued between her and her family. The one that ended up with her brother wounding her to the point of where she was now, in reality. She never noticed that she had begun to whimper softly as she dreamed in her unconscious state, but words reached her ears softly and rung in their keen insides as she listened to them.

Her eyes fluttered open as the words finished processing in her mind, and at first she saw nothing. Her pale brown eyes took a moment to focus, but when they did, they landed on the lich that sat beside her. Her eyes narrowed him silently, but then she went still, apparently listening.

"Someone else is near," she said in her soft, low voice, speaking her own native language right back at him. Her eyes never left the other creature's form as she watched him intently, waiting to see what he would do.

('Hope you dont mind another. >.>)

An owl hooted over head, and leaped off its overhead vantage point, sliding through the air and dive-bombing to the ground to catch a mouse, all under the whisper of a cool night's breeze. A figure walked through the dark Taurai Woods, disturbing little more than the wisps of wind that curled around his form and caught his cape, lifting it and flaring its form behind him. He was as silent as the owl, and just as at home in the night's ambiance; the majority of his clothing held a sable hue, a wide-brimmed hat low on his head and crimson scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, and mouth, obscuring his face. In the dark, if positioned in front of him, one might be able to make out his eyes, that seemed to glow faintly in the twilight, multicolored and bright. The figure stopped as he came upon the outskirts of a threshold between campfire light and darkness. He was still many meters from the camp, but he could make out the beings around it with his keen vision.

A robed creature, undead it seems. A spark of light flashed through his eyes. ..Not evil. And there's a dark elf woman prone by the campfire- she's injured. She is not of malevolent character either. Hmph, what a strange couple. The girl may need help. He didn't move from where he was. Instead, he whispered something under his breathe and brought his gloved hands together, making seven intricate hand signals. Immediately, his left hand began to pulse with magical energy. He pulled it under his black cape as it flashed white, and fell dormant, though the magic was still contained in it. This was his back-up, to end the situation quickly if the robed creature were to attack. If it was indeed undead, Sartana would have little trouble dealing with it. Of course, it wasn't evil, so this was just a precaution.

Something caught his ear, and his eyes slowly moved to the edge of the forest. There was someone coming. He decided to approach the campfire before the being showed itself. Bandits were not unheard of around these parts, and monsters were free-range and not terrible uncommon. He'd protect these two strangers if he must.

Slowly, hands in plain view at his sides, he approached the fire. Soon, he was standing at the edge of the clearing, form lit-up by the flickering flame-light. He could not help but look up at the exposed sky overhead, dusted with stars. It was mesmerizing. He turned his attention to the undead creature, eyeing him, but talking to both of the strangers.

“Greetings.” he said, tipping the edge of his wide-brimmed hat. “I was walking by when I noticed your companion is injured.” He said, talking to the shade, and turning to the woman at the end of his sentence. “I can heal her, if she needs it.” He finished, sounding friendly despite his dark, rough voice.

( sorry i didn't post, got kicked off computer, gonna be again after this post -_-. Also no more people, I don't like crowds )

Shady listened to what she said. "Well we can't have you harmed, now can we?", could be heard inside her head. The lich then got up, put his hands on the ground, muttered something, and pulled out a shadow with spikes all across its body. A summon it seemed. "After the presence my minion", he willed before the shadow ran in the direction of the creature, or person.

Shady then directed his attention to the stranger in front of him. "Yes, will you help her? She lost a lot of blood. That is... if she wishes it", Shady said solemnly. "But if you harm one hair on her, you will wish that I had killed you here and there".


--------------
Key:

White= common

Red= Drow

Cecelia walked into the camp grounds and noticed a man kneeling next to a woman about the heal her. She looked over to the other man who was threatening him.

"Hello?" Cecelia said unsure on what to think. "I'm sort of lost." She added. "Do any of you think you could help me?" She walked over hesitantly and placed her hand on a limb of a tree and sat herself down hoping she wouldn't be yelled at.

Shady noticed the girl entering the campsite. He then saw his shadow appear behind her. "Stop minion! She is no threat!", he said before the shadow disappeared threw the ground in a puff of smoke, just as it appeared. The lich then floated over to the newcomer. "Yes you may my dear, but where were you intending on going?", he asked, warmheartedly.

Yes you may my dear, but where were you intending on going?" The man said warmheartedly.

"Well, I don't really know. If you could tell me where I am, I might be able to tell you where I'm going." She said rubbing her arm. "My Name is Cecelia." She said beginning to spell out her name in the dirt. She looked back up at the man and began to have visions of her past, things she longed to forget, things she has nightmares about. She was taken back beneath the water. Air escaping from her lungs, reaching her hand out for anyone, anything, but nothing to grab. Cecelia then shook her head and snapped out of the vision.

Shady listened to the girl. "Well Cecelia, we are now in the southwestern part of Taurai Woods. But you may stay here as long as you want, we have plenty of food", he said, pointing to a cloth sack. "I have a large assortment of food just for the few occasions that I have company, I don't eat so help yourself!", the lich said happily.

Shady looked over to Cecelia, who seemed to be remembering a memory. She then began to shake, as if having a nightmare. "Cecelia... are you okay?", he said, shaking her from what she was thinking about. Shady then noticed that his hands, which were mere bones, was in contact of Cecelia's upper arms (don't know what its called :grr: ). He quickly retracted his hand away from the girl. "I'm sorry!", the lich said, embarrassed.


---------------------------
Key, cont.:

black= Black Speech
will be writing it in english because there is no way to properly write black speech, so pretend he's talking in the language k?

"Cecelia... are you okay?" The Lich asked. Cecelia finally had came to her senses and noticed his hands were bones and tey were touching her upper arm. "I'm sorry." Said he, removing his white hands embarrased.

"Oh, no, It's alright I should be apologizing! I just had a little rough time lately. I can't focus right anymore." Cecelia said. "So we're in the Southwestern parts of the Taurai Woods?" She began to shake her head. "Taurai Woods? Located in Arda? I really am to far away from home!" She said putting her head in her hands.

Shady was confused. "Where are you from, if not Arda? Anyways like I said earlier, you may stay with me until you find what your looking for. Or you can leave, though I would give you directions", the lich said before noticing what Cecelia was doing. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?", Shady asked attentively.

"Where are you from, if not Arda? Anyways like I said earlier, you may stay with me until you find what your looking for. Or you can leave, though I would give you directions"

"I'm not sure if anybody can help me. I was kidnapped and somehow ended up here!" She said throwing her hands up gently. Do you know where the portals of this world and Asteria combine?" She asked.