Alexas made her way through the swamp, trying not to breathe in too deaply. The air was thick and smelled weird... certainly not clean at all. Making her way deeper in, Alexas was horrified to find that her feet began to stick in the thick gunge of mud on the floor, and the deeper in she went, the further her feet got stuck in. She inhald sharply as a tree branch got stuck in her hair, and probally mushed it up beond repair.

But she soon would not be taking anymore steps. Suddenly, she could no longer move. She knew she could not scream, the air is too thick, the trees too close together. Even her breath was muffled. No-one lived in this area that could help her, eat her perhaps, but not help her.

Struggling, she atempted to pull her feet out. No luck. Evaluateing the demage on her feet, Alexas gasped. She was know knee deep in, and the sand was getting higher. She no longer could feel her toes, somthing which was rather uncomfortable. She decided screaming was her only option, and she did so, louder then she had ever before. The sound was not as loud as she hoped, and also sounded too calm for her liking. Trying again, she tried to make the sound rather frantic... No use.

Sighing, and getting ready to die, Alexas said a finel prayer to her people, and how much she was dissapointing them. Threre was no hope for her, and if she was goig to die, she also wanted to look preseantable to meet her makers. Waist height. Letting her silver teas escape her eyes, she let out one finel scream.

"HELP ME!!"

“TOYAH!!!!!”

Sliding through the trees a figure appeared flying through the air, swinging on a vine with his hand extended and his voice ringing through the swamp. A sword strapped to his back and his cape flowing in the wind heroically.

~Hours ago~

He had lost the group of hunters chasing him a day ago, and was free for now, but unfortunately he found himself in an unwelcoming place. But this path he was on now meant that it would be much hard to following since he…was having trouble moving. For a long time he kept using trees to pull himself out of the swamp and continue walking on top until he began to sink again and had to pull himself out.

~Minutes ago~

Gurr found himself jumping from tree to tree, using vines to attach himself to other trees and use the vine to pull him across the swamp. This was a lot easier than just walking across it and a lot safer. He figured that he was making time now on his pursuers, but when ever he lost one group, another group appeared to continue hunting him. Then out of no where as he had just landed on a branch he heard a scream, and nearly lost his balance, nearly falling off and into the swamp. The scream came from one in danger…and no matter what his predicament, he could not let tat scream go unheard.

~Present time~

Gurr continued swinging down towards the girl he was attempting to save.

Ainking deeper, Alexas listened as her scream echoed from the trees, no longer muffled. Sruggleing violently, all she managed to accomplish was to sink a few feet deeper. Now she was chest hight in, and getting deeper by the second. Finely, she gave up. Why struggle? She was getitng no where fast.

Above her hung a vine, just a few feet from her head. If only she could release her hand... Stuggling once again, she moved her hand around, but got nowhere. Her hand could not budge further then a few milimetres from the spot it was in now. She sighed, and a single tear escaped her eye.

Alexas looked up suprised. A man was swinging towards her, and Alexas felt her heard thump into her chest. Was he going to ATTACK her?? Inhaleing sharply, Alexas braced herself, waiting for the impact of his attack.

As he closed in to the girl he was rushing toward he realized that he was going to have to slide down the vine a bit further to pull this off, meaning that he was going to risk himself to save this girl. Keep them safe, and keep yourself safe; this ran through his mind, it was what he was taught, but the way he was taught, the latter was himself, so in his mind now he knew that he had to save her before he could save himself.

Once he was close to the apex of his swing his feet touched the swamp and he started running over it while holding onto the vine, only to get to her, successfully swinging to her and standing only for a moment above her. Gurr then grabbed her free hand with his and pulled, pulling her up, but pushing himself down into the swamp as well. He struggled to hold onto the vine as he kept pulling, lifting her hand just above his shoulders so her head was at his stomach, and then pulling further so that he head was chest below his chin and he could wrap her arm around his neck by moving his hand over his head.

“Hold on with all your might!”

Alexas held on as tight as she could, clinging herself close to him, afraid. What in case they fell? Then they would BOTH be stuck in the mud!? Uttering a silent prayer, Alexas preyed for them BOTH to be safe, and if anything, for him to be safe. She could never forgive herself if he got hurt because of her. She felt she needed to know his name, but knew , swinging through the air, that this was not the right time for that. Looking up at her rescuer, Alexas tried to think of a way that afterwoods, she could thank him.

Looking down at the swamp under her, she gasped. He was so close to touching the bottom!! Closeing her eyes and pressing deeper against the man, Alexas began to prey over and over.

Gurr lifted both him and her up with just his right arm, his muscles tightening and his teeth clenching as he pulled with all his might to get higher on the vine, his left arm wrapped tightly around the girl’s back, his hand tightly gripping her hip to make she that he did not lose her.

Once he was able to pull his head above his hand he opened his mouth and bit into the vine, which might seem boorish at the time but right now he was thinking more on the safety of this girl. He held onto the vine with his teeth as he quickly removed his right hand to shoot it upwards to a higher spot in the vine, and once gripped tightly he removed his teeth from the vine and turned his head as to let his tongue stick out, since the vine did not taste like anything he’d want to taste again. Slowly, he continued to pull in this manner, silent in the climax of his rescue, until after one last pull, they were a foot above the muck, and now free to move…beyond the muck still stuck to their legs sticking each limb to others.

Finally he was ready to get them to safety, moving his stuck legs from one side, and then to the other, and repeating this to gain momentum in a swing. He was aiming for the branch he had swing from, or at least the tree from which it was attached, but he had wished that there was a more solid form of ground nearby, but his luck was not as giving as it was for others. After a while of swinging back and forth he was getting them closer and closer to the tree he had swung from but his only problem was that he would not dare let go of this girl for fear she might let go of him the second they were falling for the branch he was going to jump from the vine to, and the fact that his other arm was starting to grow weaker. He only had one chance at this he figured, knowing the that force of their drop would put them back in a worse position in the swamp below, possibly forcing them under, but he was willing to chance that with his courage.

One swing, they were above the branch he had jumped from, then swinging back, past where they were stuck and up into the air.

“Hold on, and hope that I have some strength left in my arm.”

At the top of their swing he let his legs swing back and then kicked hard in the air, force the two holding on to the vine to speed much faster in swing towards their destination, but also causing his hand to slip downwards on the vine. Gurr was quick to move his left hand from her hip, behind to reach the back of her knees and push then lift them up in his arm as he brought his knees up as far as he could, narrowly dodging the muck below as they swung past it and he let go.

There was a moment in the air, that he felt so alive, and so sure that he could do this, almost as if he could fly, the adrenaline rushing through his brain no doubt, as his arm reached out.

“ARG!”

A large snap was heard during his voiced expression of pain, but it was not the tree limb cracking, the tree limb that Gurr was holding onto, and through the pain pulling him and the girl up onto. It was his right shoulder, dislocating itself, from all the pressure he had put on it and the force of the drop, but it didn’t matter now, he was smiling, having saved the girl.

“Are…you alright?”

she did not no how, but suddenly they where no longer flying through the air... they where safe. Her rescuer, however, had been hurt saveing her. Rushing to him, Alexas smiled up at him.

"Thank you so much!" She gushed, then she noticed him shoulder. "Please, let me help you with that!" Tearing her dress, Alexas managed to create a sling for the man. It was the least she could do. After removeing his shirt, and attaching the sling, Alexas stood, face to face with her rescuer.

"Please, let me escort you to a hospital...?" She asked, worried for the mans health. She wanted to do somthing, ANYTHING for him. It was her fault he was hurt, and he needed aid. Smileing encourageing at him, she waited to see how her offer would be takon.

He may be mad at me... She thought worridly. But even so, i dont care. I wont leave him untill i know for a fact that arm of his is better.

Gurr did not fight any of her movements to help him, just letting her do what she felt she had to, creating a make-shift sling for his arm. He forgot what it felt to have someone be nice to him for a change, forgot how good it makes you feel. He almost wished he had used his left arm to grab onto the tree, since now if something attacked them he would be at a disadvantage using his left arm to fight, but if he had used his left arm to grab onto the tree they would have fallen for sure.

When she offered to take him to a hospital his first expression was stern, knowing he could not go to such a place being who he was, but then another thought crossed his mind and a smile nearly broke through his lips but he fought it off. A few more seconds past and with a few movements of his lips and clenching his teeth, it was apparent that he was trying to hold in his laugher.

“It will be a little hard to get to a hospital from where we are, I am not sure which way is the closest town. I am afraid I am stuck like this until I can find someone to break my arm into place again. I’ve seen mighty warriors do it, but I am no mighty warrior, and I only made it worse pulling us up here, but the reason I do not seem all that distressed about the pain right now is because I am just relieved that you are safe.”

Gurr couldn’t remember the last time he had been able to talk to some one without trying to get them to stop hunting him, it was a very nice change, but he knew that sooner or later it would turn drastically, and she would find out who everyone thought he was, including him for now.

Alexas was horified.

"re...breake...your arm..." She murmered. Then glanceing at his face, her will crumbled. "If thats what you wish..." was all she said on that matter.. Standing up, Alexas smiled kindly down at him.

"Well, untill then, im staying with you!" She cried determingly. He wouldn't be able to budge her now. Waiting for his quick denial, Alexas looked around. The place was a death trap!

A sound cought her attension. Glanceing up, she noticed a pure white dove perched abuve her. Alexas gasped, and rose her arms in delight. The dove flew down and landed on her shoulder, and nuzzles her finger loveingly.

"Azulu! Your back! Ive missed you!" Turning to the man, Alexas smiled coyly.
"This is my familier, Azulu. Azulu, this is..." Alexas halted.

"Thats right, i never got your name!" She turned to the man. "My name is Alexas, whats yours?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the reaction he had got from his comment on how to fix his arm and he thought up something quickly to dampen the blow, though it wasn’t entirely true.

“Well I don’t think it is broken, maybe it is just sore from over use, and as long as I don’t make things worse it will heal in no time I am sure of it.”

His eyes opened wide for a moment in shock when she said she would stay with him, but he quickly corrected his facial expression into a slightly happy yet submissive expression. No one in a long time had wanted to stay close to him because of his past, and he felt it would be nice to have some one around to talk to instead of talking to himself in his head. Though he knew it was only a matter of time before she found out about who he was, if there were wanted posters in any close by towns. He felt he needed the presence of another person though, so he was willing to risk it for now, just as long as he didn’t have to say his name.

“It should be all better by tomorrow if we can find some place to rest.”

When Gurr looked up, he saw that he had just said that to himself as this woman had turned her attention to a magnificent dove that had arrived. Gurr was shocked at this, not having seen such an animal in this type of surrounding before, though this was his first trip through the swamp, he had been to other, less dangerous swamps. It wasn’t until the woman introduced the bird as her familiar that his puzzled expression had left him, but as soon as she had said her name, he knew he was doomed.

“My name? My name is… Gala, I know it isn’t much of a name but it is what I was given.”

He couldn’t say his real name, afraid to lose this new companion over something so little as a name, but a name with a past.

“It is indeed a pleasure to meet you Ms. Alexis, and a privilege to be introduced to such a fine familiar. I extend my greeting to you as well Azulu.”

He was no stranger to familiar, having seen many wizards and other casters with such pets, though none were quite as impressive looking as the dove.

“I am a traveling knight, in search of those that need protection, though as you can see by my arm, I am still quite green in the rescue department, but then again you are safe.”

He was happy with his half truth, he almost believing it himself, and he knew that actions spoke far louder than words.

Alexas smiled. "Hello Gala. A knight?! WOW! Ive never met one of those before..." She woundered if she should tell him what she was. Usually people treated her differnt, But Lyla trusted this man fully.

"I am an Air Elemental... Not a very good one mind! I've been sent my Lord Thingal to learn more about Air spells, otherwise i cant return home..." Trailing off because she had began to feel sad, she perked herself up again.

"But enought about that, lets set up camp." Glanceing at the tree above her Alexas smiled.

"Up there is PERFECT." Rabbing hold of the tree, Alexas was about to climb when she realised somthing..

"Thats right! Your arm! Here, let Azulu help you." As soon as she had uttered that, Azulu flew towards Gala, and usuing her incredible super strength, she lifted Gala to the tallest, thickest tree branch. Alexas waited, and then Azulu came down and brought her up.

"Oooh! You can see the whole swamp from up here! Urg, its quite horrid." She giggled softly then yawned. The sun was beginng to set, and her eyes where getting heavier. Closeing her eyes, Alexas mumbled softly...

"Mmm its still nice..." and with that she fell asleep next to Gala.

“Well you have met one now, though I wish under…”

He groaned as he tried to lift his right arm, wondering now if he could snap his arm back into place himself, but dreading the thought, but for some reason when he looked at her, it didn’t hurt as much.

“…under better circumstances.”

Gurr was surprised when she told him that she was an air elemental, which he had never met before, so they both had something in common, meeting something they had never before. He wondered if he should tell her the truth but that part of him that begged for safety told him not to, not yet at least.

He looked up at the branch above and then to the dove as it flew over to him, lifting him off the ground and up to the larger branch and the placing him down on it before returning below to collect it’s master.

He caught a glimpse of the swamp from this height before Alexis and the bird arrived at the top, it was not a sight he enjoyed looking at, but then his eyes met with something that made him smile, as Alexis touched down on the branch and moved towards him.

When she fell asleep beside him he moved his left arm slowly to his cape and covered her with it, smiling down at her before he stopped, noticing that his cheeks were getting warm, meaning that he was blushing. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand as he slowly shifted to lay down beside her to get what rest he could, though without knowing it, he could not help but smile as he slept.

His smile did not stay long as his nightmares came to visit him as they did quite often, causing him to toss in his sleep, and grunting lightly as he grit his teeth, trying to solve the problem in his mind, but he could not.

The air was arm as it toched Alexas's Fact. She was glideing towards her home town, a place she had been banished from, at least unill she learnt lots of Air bending. But she knew she wouldn't be welcolmed back with open arms. The wood was thick, flowers blooming from the mossy ground in speckles of pink, blue, red and ornage. The sky was a emerald blue, the cloads spotless. It was a beautifull day. Reaching the gates, Alexas landed on the squashy moss. Alexas found the gates closed. How could this be? Banging on them, Alexas waited... Then slowly they opened. Lord thingol stepped out. His arour was white and spotless, his golden hair blowing in the loght wind. He looked down at her critically, discustidly, his blue eyes peirceing.

"You are no Air bender. You are NOTHING !" He screamed, slapping her once, sending her flying acrros the ground. Alexas lay'd cowering on the mossy floow of the forest, shivering from fear. A shadow hung over her as Azulu flew over head.... and landed on Lord Thingols Shoulder.

"She will not be with you any more. You are condemed to be alone... FOREVER!"

Alexas woke with a start. A dream? Alexas looked down at the cloak covering her, then to the side at Gala. He seemed to be having a bad dream. Alexas stroked his face soothingly. Azulu landed on her shoulder, and Alexas found herself smileing. She was no longer alone. She had Azulu, one of her oldest friends, and now Gala, some one she could see being one of her best friends. Yawining, Alexas gazed up at the stars. The good thing about the swamp was the sky.

No lights... at night there was nothing but darkness, bringing the stars out bright. Alexas turned her head to Gala.

"Dont leave me..." She mumbled, once again falling to sleep.

~“Traitor! How could you let this happen, after all you’ve done, you let this happen!”

Those words stung Gurr’s very soul, cutting though him as though he were made of water, his flesh not being as strong as usual, but nothing could stop this attack it seemed.

“Fiend! You murdered us all with your lack of sense, why did you follow them.”

Another slash at his chest sent crimson onto the scene, trying to grab at the wound with his hand to close it up, he could not move. This could be the end for him, but was he not usually resilient, did he not have the strength to go on?

“Murderer! You still hold it as though it were some prize, when it was the tool of our destruction, how could you! Murderer!”

The blade dug deep into his chest, bursting out his back, cutting straight through his spine, then disappearing, leaving an large open wound to spill it’s contents. The pain was unbearable, surging through his body, but then light shone through and hit his eyes.

A warm sensation came over his face, and when he looked down his wounds were healing, and the pain was fading from his body, the gentle touch of someone being the only thought running through his mind. Then there was nothing, his mind was clear and he was free of his nightmares for the time being, they not returning before he woke up.~

Gurr let his eyes open slowly, remembering where he was almost instantly and making sure not to move too much, shifting slowly up so he was sitting up. He looked at Alexis sleeping beside him and smiled, then he looked over the edge of the canopy of the swamp as the sun began rising from the horizon. His arm didn’t hurt as much any more, having healed quite nicely during the night, even though he suspected that he tossed and turned for most of it.

After his morning meditation he sat beside Alexis, waiting for her to get her rest before they started on their journey to the closest town. Where they would either stay together, or if Gurr’s fortune was bad, they would be forced to part.

"Alexas, you no you cant live here until you become a great and powerful Air Elemental." Alexas shivered and fell to her knees. "I no Lord Thingol! But ive been trying and learning for 5 years now! I miss my home.. my family and friends..." "SILENCE!!!" Lord Thingol's word echoed off the trees and Alexas's arms collapsed and she fell face first on the forest floor. "You will not enter until then." Where his cruel words, and the gates closed on Alexas, who now sat sobbing. "Please..." She murmured, her voice being carried away by the wind.

Alexas was sick of dreaming about Lord Thingol. She hated the way she was scared of what he thought, and how he thought of her. Slowly she came out of her dream and woke up, his words still echoing. The air was still quite cold, but at least it was light now.

Sitting up she turned her head, expecting Gala to have left, then blushed when she found him still there, watching her. Stretching, she looked around. "Is today the day we make our way to the nearest town?" She asked, still slightly embarrassed. Azulu flew down and nibbled her dress affectionately, causing Alexas to laugh.

"Sleep well Azulu?" She murmured, stroking her head lovingly.

Gurr sat there looking at her as she awoke, wondering if he should have left while she was asleep, but he couldn’t leave her stuck in this swamp alone. There were far more dangerous things than the swamp it self that could bring harm to her. He was determined to see her to safety at the risk of his own safety, but he was taught to put the safety of others before his own.

When she spoke all he did was nod, hoping that they would be able to reach a town from there current position in the swamp, even though he himself did not know the way. He had been wandering for so long now that he didn’t know where any town was, having usually avoided them on his travels.

The other problems was that there was no easy way to cross the swamp, since vines weren’t always present in the direction you wanted to go, and the swamp would only drag them to the bottom again. If they could only find some solid ground ahead or had some means of travel that both could use. Azulu could carry one of them from tree to tree, but Gurr didn’t know how much of a stress that would be for the dove, and how often it could do so. It was indeed strong to have lifted the two up onto the higher branches, but that was a shorter distance than from tree to tree or even the closest town.

“So, how do you propose we go about getting across the swamp? Perhaps if we had a small boat it would make things easier until we get to more solid ground. I mean when I first entered the swamp it was solid and the deeper I walked into it the more the ground began to pull me under.”

He looked over his shoulder, at the tree, looking carefully at the bark, then slowly standing up and turning towards the tree.

“This probably won’t work, but it’s an idea…”

He drew his sword with his left hand and carefully slashed at the tree, cutting a large oddly shaped rectangle into the tree. Then after sheathing his sword slowly, he moved to the tree and pulled down from the top where he had cut into the tree, slowly ripping off a large piece of the tree bark, curved slightly because of the shape of the tree.

“Well…if we could find a way to cover the two ends of this it could be a make shift boat for one of us. Actually, you are that one, I’ll walk across the swamp until I get too deep and then we’ll find a tree for me to use to pull myself out. I am light on my feet so I won’t sink too fast…”

Or at least he hoped that was so.

Stella shook her head. She would not allow him, injured as he was, to ride in this mucky swamp. Who KNEW what could happen? It was her fault he was like this an she was determined not to put him through more harm.

"You can take Azulu if you like, and fly. In your condition you are better left in the air where its safe." She eyed the bark carefully... something to tie it with... Peering around she considered this greatly.

Then an idea came to her. "REEDS!" She almost yelled, then ran over to a near swamp pool, and began to pull out the weeds. She presented them to Gala in all their splendour.

"I know there not perfect but..." She trailed off then blushed. It was a stupid idea. Sighing she considered what over options there where. She eyed her dress critically.

"I guess we could rip some up?" She looked carefully and calculated it. Here dress would be like an oversize t-shirt. But sacrifices must be made, and she was willing to part with it.

When Alexis offered to have her familiar fly him where they were going he shook his head in disagreement, not wanting to burden the dove, but that did give him an idea. Since it was her familiar, she should be the one to be carried by it, but so far she seemed more concerned about Abenforthe's wellbeing, so he had to find a way for her to accept her own offer.

“I would feel safer walking in my condition, not that I would worry being in the safe hands of Azulu, I just do not want to risk you safety should she have to swoop down and save you. I think it best that now that she has found you that she take you to safety.”

There was something going on in his mind that he knew was going to become apparent soon enough if he wasn’t careful. He had to pretend that he was alright now, even though his arm was going to hate him for it.

“I can make on my own now, that sleep really helped my arm, and I think I was just being paranoid when I said it was broken, it must have just been a sprain.”

He slowly slid his hurt arm out of the sling made for him by Alexis and then moved it upwards, and then around in circles, all the time grinding his teeth down with his mouth closed, and then taking in a breath to open his mouth and speak without letting the pain be evident.

“See, it is fine now, nothing to worry about.”

The actor was trying to hold back the pain that was shooting down his spine from his shoulder, and was doing an adequate job of pretending that it was just sprained, but he wasn’t sure if she was going to buy this act of his.

“I will stick to the trees and stay close behind you while you take to the air. If I need help I will call you down.”