Silence. It was all you could hear in the forest that night. Even the wind stopped blowing.The darkness was absolute, making the atmosphere even more spooky. It seemed like all living beings hid somewhere. Yes, it seemed. Because one dark, tall shadow was still walking throughout the woods. All alone.

Evelyn observed the area around her. Her steps were completely silent, her figure almost unoticable. She came to this place all the way down from Lómëdor, where she fed herself with human blood, as usual. So, Evelyn was not hungry now. She was just strolling around the place, being bored.

After awhile she decided to sit down under a nearby tree. She wore a long, black coat and black boots, so her clothing was making a some kind of contrast with her red, cold eyes. Evelyn was always caring her dagger with her, but she`d usually hide it under the cloak. She sighed and rested against the tree, humming something to herself.

~From the shadows~ "A dragon and a Vampire, what a perfect couple" growled Jeb as he moved closer to Evelyn. there were few things that he was scared of, but Vampires were one of them. He never understood how they would let the meat from the body stay there and rot. Lately, He had decided to forget his fears, and learn more about the rest of the shadows. "Call me Jeb." he said, extending a claw to the Vampire. Out of all the Vampires that he had met, she was by far the most Beautiful. He hoped that she might help him overcome his fears, and he would be able to actually stand Vampires.

Evelyn frowned slightly as she heard some noise. It was pretty obvious someone else was there as well. She stood up carefully, her eyes glancing all over the forest. The girl raised her eyebrows slightly as she suddendly spotted a dragon.

She nodded to him coldly, extending her hand back to him. "Evelyn." it was all she said. She hadn`t met a lot of dragons so far, so she didn`t know what they were like. Evelyn wasn`t really used to getting along with others quickly, it`d usually take some time before she`d start to trust someone.

"So who`s side are you on? Evelyn asked in a slightly bored tone. Even if Jeb was on the opposite side, she definately didn`t plan on attacking or whatnot. Not tonight. She wasn`t in the mood.

"depends what side you're on", Jeb said, shaking her hand. "This forest is perfect for my tastes", he said as he looked around, scoping the Area. He had decided that this place would make a perfect home for him one day, though he has never decided to actually settle down. Approaching 17, he had started looking for a wife, hoping that he could find someone who loved Evil and Chaos as much as he did. Even now, talking to Evelyn, he felt some feeling that he had never felt before. Was it Love? Fear? Anger? Or was it just his imagination. He shrugged it of, and continued talking to the Vampire.

The forest was silent as Rye walked through the Swamp of Shadows. The tall trees cast shadows that looked like giant ogres prowling through the bog. The smell of mud and mist floated through the air and hundreds of mosquitoes flew around, biting unsuspecting travellers. The old man tried to cover his wrinkled skin with his thick cloak so the insects wouldn't get him but they still managed to find a way underneath the material.

Why did I have to come to this wretched place! There is nothing here except a bog and a few trees. Maybe I'll find some of those Entish creatures. I've only seen a few; they are very good at hiding.

A full moon hung in the sky and hundreds of stars sparkled. The old half elf walked for a while, wanting to get out of the swamp before he set up camp. He heard many tales of adventurers disappearing while they slept in the mysterious swamp. The only sound came from the poisonous toads and the chirping crickets. An hour or so later, Rye was covered with mosquito bites. It was getting close to midnight and he was still in the swamp.

The old man needed to rest. He stopped near a rock and sat down on the rough stone. The shadows were still jumping about, dancing, and laughing.

I must ignore them. It's a simple illusion conjured by the mind of an old man.

Rye observed his surroundings. He was sitting on a flat rock, its smooth surface making it more comfortable than the other surrounding rocks. He was sitting in a small clearing. Many tall trees surrounded the old man, making him feel small and worthless. Rye moved away from the swamp in an attempt to get rid of the mosquitoes, but it didn't work as well as he had hoped. A mix of mud and dead leaves made up the ground and Other than that, a few nocturnal animals were out, looking for food. There was a figure leaning on a tree and a large shadow dragon...

Rye couldn't believe he missed them! In the darkness stood a figure with red eyes and large fangs and a shadow dragon. They were quite difficult to see in the darkness but they were still visible.

The girl must be a vampire. I am guessing that the dragon is hers for chaotic beasts normally kill before they say hello. I don't know if I could beat them in a confrontation and if they spot me I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

With that in mind, Rye slowly stood up and walked towards a nearby tree. He was too far away to hear what they were saying but he could see the vampires’ lips moving as she faced the dragon. He hid behind the tree hoping the evil beings would leave without spotting him. Looking back to the rock, he noticed that his possessions were still sitting in clear view. His bag filled with travelling supplies and a wooden staff. If they saw it they would both take his things and leave him in the middle of nowhere without food, water and many other things crucial to his survival or they'd come looking for whoever owned the items.

The vampire might be hungry. I've already lost enough blood from those damned insects so I don't think it's safe to lose any more.

Rye closed his eyes and waited. He had been in many situations worse than this one and he wasn't defenceless. He had killed many dragons and vampires in his lifetime, but he had never done it at the same time.

(OOC:wow.. um, yeah... >_> Mine isn't near that good... well, ok... it's not bad, just shorter then your's... i think...)

Jeb stared into the darkness. He had felt as if something was watching them for a while, though he could not quite place what it was. He had good eyes, though he still couldn't tell. He shrugged it off, and continued talking to the Vampire, when he suddenly heard the faintest sound. At first, he though that he was hearing things, but he soon noticed a figure lurking around them. He stared blankly around them, looking to see where the figure moved to. He seemed to be moving rather quickly. As Jeb stared at Evelyn, and then the figure, he decided that the troublesome figure ould have to go. He did not like uninvited company, especially when he was already wary of the Vampire. The last thing he needed was another strange figure, in this, the Forest of fog. With vision already being clouded, Jeb decided not to move closer to the figure. As Jeb suddenly roared, it seemed to either scare or upset the Vampire. Jeb took no chances. He moved closer to the figure, first creeping closer, then running, and eventually flying at full force. He was not in the mood to fight, but he was ready should the need arise. As he approached the figure, he landed, and noticed that it was but a simple Half-Elven. "Who are you? That which interrupts my meeting. I Do not take kindly to interruptions." Jeb roared his words, sounding a lot meaner then he had intended to be. He noticed that the cloaked Half elven shivered, and finally decided that he could cause no real harm to either of them.

Jeb moved closer to the half elven, eventually moving close enough to smell his fear. It had been a while since his last meal, Jeb Decided, though a meal was far from what this would be to him. More like a morsel, a snack. Yes, that was more like it, Jeb mused, imagining a tasty Morsel such as that. He did so love Elves, even though they provided him no real sustenance. Jeb finally decided to see what Evelyn would do, since there would be enough food left, considering that Vampires don't eat the Carcass of their prey. Jeb had learned a lot about customs in his years, as low as they may be. He had traveled many parts of the world. Throughout his travels, he had noticed that Women were highly regarded in many other cultures. Even though he was a Shadow Dragon, he decided that he should let Evelyn go first, since she was a Woman, even though she was a Vampire. After all, should the Vampire become hungry later, he did not wish to be her next Meal. with his powerful heart, she would surely be fed for a while, and he did not wish to stress that point, nor force her to it.

Evelyn smirked slightly at Jeb`s response. "Nice one. For me, Raku`s the greatest of all." she spoke with a kinda evil look in her eyes. Suddendly, she sensed they were not alone. The girl frowned again and suddendly stood up, listening to every sound. As she heard some noise, Evelyn raised her eyebrow. "Seems like we`ve got company." she said coldly.

She glanced at the trees ready to defend herself if the unknown guest`d attempt to attack. When Jeb started roaring she raised her eyebrows slightly, but her face still remained expresionless. A nasty grin appeared up on her face when Evelyn spotted an old Half-Elven.

"Well, well, well... What a pleasent surprise." she said evily, observing Rye. Putting one dark curl behind her ear, she smirked. "What is Half-Elven doing in this forest at night? I personally find it quite odd..."

The Shadow dragon approached! Rye had been spotted and there was no use in running away. He would either have to fight with magic for he left his staff sitting on the rock ten metres away or try to negotiate. He thought he would have to fight for dragons rarely talked let alone negotiate with elves but when it spoke in Adunaic Rye almost had a heart attack.

"Who are you? That which interrupts my meeting. I do not take kindly to interruptions."

The Shadow dragon was standing behind the old man. He could feel the cold breath on the back of his neck and a dark aura cloud over his head. Fear dominated Rye, but after a few seconds it disappeared. He had beaten many powerful foes before and he was capable of doing it again. Before he could answer the Dragon, the Vampire came into view. She seemed quite pleased but also very interested in the old man. Her eyes were blood red and her midnight black hair looked invisible in the darkness.

"Well, well, well... What a pleasant surprise. What is Half-Elven doing in this forest at night? I personally find it quite odd..."

He was surrounded, the Shadow dragon behind him and the Vampire in front. He hadn't gained enough courage to turn around but he would probably faint and the Vampire would feed. He did however gain enough courage to answer there questions, making his voice as noble and brave as he possibly could.

"My name is Nofurye Mando and I am an old travelling scholar. I am one of the Keepers of the sacred dead, a secretive but noble guild situated in the Erod Annon Mountains. I saw this forest from Keepers peak and decided to explore."

Rye looked at the Vampire infront of him, her hungry eyes and menacing teeth making him angry and annoyed.

"Evil and good is a very complicated subject. Evil wants power and good wants to give power. Killing one person will not give you power, but rather it will put you at risk of injury or even worse, death. If you're smart, you will think about what I said and put duty over luxury."

At this point Rye had turned around and saw the dragon. His fear had disappeared and instead a feeling of wisdom entered. If these minions of Raku attacked, the trees would help his cause. He smiled as the ent opened its eyes. He had visited the ents of Ea once before and knew how to speak there strange language. If his foes decided to attack, he would try to gain a powerful ally.

Jeb snarled at the half elven's reply. A scholar! of all the things that one could be, a scholar was always the lowest to Jeb. He could never understand why one would become a Scholar, and give up all that he knew to teach others. Jeb refused to let this Half Elven leave the forest. Having his meeting interrupted had annoyed Jeb. Just as he was with a Beautiful Vampire, this... thing had snuck up on them. Jeb hated having people sneak up on him, much less Elve's and and half elve's. Jeb wanted to kill the Half Elven for the trouble he had caused him, but something about this Half Elven was somehow familiar.

Jeb leaned over and sniffed Rye, getting the scent throughout his nose, and saving the smell for later. He wondered why this was so familiar, as if he had met him before. Maybe they had met when he was younger? After all, the Half Elven must have been to many places, being a Scholar was no easy task, having to move from one place to another.

Jeb just couldn't place it. He remembered the Half Elven's scent, but he did not know from where it was from. He wished he could remember, cycling through the people that he has met before. But no!, he couldn't place it. Finally, Anxiety overcame him, and he asked a simple question, "Have we met Before?" The Half Elven seemed startled by Jeb being so close, so Jeb moved backwards some more, so that Rye would feel more comfortable.

Jeb stared at Evelyn, wondering what she would do. He expected her to go after the Half Elven, since she seemed to be hungry. Jeb wished that she wouldn't though, since he needed answers.

"My name is Nofurye Mando and I am an old travelling scholar."

Evelyn raised her eyebrow slightly. "A scholar, you say?" she spoke, moving closer to Rye. "Ahh...Exploring. Smart move, I`ve got to admit. Exploring these areas all alone, at night. Really a thing to expect from a scholar." she said sarcastically, with an evil grin upon her face. She could have easily killed this man with only one bite, but decided not to do so. Besides, Evelyn wasn`t sure what Jeb was about to do with him. For now, she concluded it`d be the best to just watch what will happen next. And eventually have a bit of fun...

The girl glanced at the dragon as he asked have they met before. A thing Evelyn was completely sure of was that she didn`t see this man so far, and that Rye did absolutely nothing to her. But, those facts were never important to her anyways. The girl didn`t like being interrupted by anybody as well, and it was no big deal to kill a certain person in cold blood. But, as Evely decided before, she was about to do no moves. For now.

The Vampire seemed to pay no attention to Ryes voice. She wanted his blood and she was intent on getting it.

"A scholar, you say? Ahh...Exploring. Smart move, I`ve got to admit. Exploring these areas all alone, at night. Really a thing to expect from a scholar."

She moved closer as she licked her lips and smiled. It was obvious that she wanted to feed for she liked a treat every now and then but she controlled herself as the Shadow dragon spoke.

"Have we met before?"

Rye jumped as the dragon spoke. He had forgotten the massive creature as it stood behind him. It looked quite anxious as it spoke, as though there was something on his mind. The old half elf sensed kindness and compassion in the beast, even if it was the slightest bit.

A Shadow Dragon who can talk Adunaic and has feelings. This dragon is not normal. In fact, I feel as though I know him as well.

"Vampire, you must promise not to attack. This Shadow dragon and I need to talk. It's very important that you do not interrupt or even better, just leave us."

Nofurye felt as though the Vampire wouldn't follow Ryes orders. She might except if she heard it from the Shadow dragon. Of course, the ent was standing quietly, listening in. One false move and this could get violent so Rye had to choose his words very carefully. It was cold and dark and Rye didn't like combat in these conditions. He had some business with the Shadow dragon and he wanted to get to that before the Vampire decided to attack, which of course would eventually happen for predators didn't leave there prey alive.

"Vampire, you must promise not to attack. This Shadow dragon and I need to talk. It's very important that you do not interrupt or even better, just leave us."

Evelyn smiled evily. "You old fool, if I wanted to attack I would have done it ages ago. she said. As Rye finished his sentence her face expression didn`t change one bit; it was still a sarcastic one. "You really think I`m about to follow your orders?" she laughed. "Well, I have news for you. I`m following nobody`s orders. Except certain person`s ones. Too bad you`re not that person...

Evelyn leaned against the tree again, not taking the smile off her face. She wanted to hear what were they going to talk about, and there was no way either Rye or Jeb will drive her off. "Feel free to talk about whatever you want. I might join the conversation as well in case I find it interesting..." she smirked.

"Evelyn, let us talk alone. Please leave us for a moment. we have, ah, important matters to discuss." Jeb spoke as if he was in a trance, Fixated on the Half Elven. "You may have him later, should his answers prove false." Jeb had decided to kill the Half Elven anyway if he were lying. But that is not something Jeb was looking forward to doing. As much as he loved the Swamp where they were at, he hated fighting in it, as enemies could be hiding everywhere. and Him!, Being a scholar must have more knowledge then he has let on. Someone who has dedicated their live to studying must have some hidden talents.

The vampire moved away, still staring at the Scholar with her beautilful Blood red Eyes, transfixed on the Half Elven. even as she moved away, Jeb thought she might attack. She did look hungry, even to Jeb, who had decided he did not want an enemy such as her. Waking up in the middle of the night with a Vampire attached to your neck isn't something Jeb was looking forward to, so he decided to tread cautiously.

When Evelyn was out of ear shot, or so Jeb had thought, he continued his conversation with the Half Elven, hoping that he could provide some answers to Jeb's Past. Answers he had longed for. Answers that he could never quite find, no matter how hard he looked for them. He knew that there was something special about the Half Elven. Jeb continued thinking, as Evelyn continued watching. He did not know whether or not she could hear them, though she must be able to, as Vampires have acute senses.

"So, Have we met before, Half Elven?" Jeb spoke as if he was angered, though he was just curious. A half Elven, alone on a cold, damp night was very peculiar, no matter the reason.

Jeb wanted answers, and he was getting Impatient.

"You old fool, if I wanted to attack I would have done it ages ago. You really think I`m about to follow your orders?"

Rye expected a defiant response. It was very common among the evil beings of Arda to disagree with everything old scholars say.

"Well, I have news for you. I`m following nobody’s orders. Except certain person`s ones. Too bad you`re not that person...

"Evelyn, let us talk alone. Please leave us for a moment. We have, ah, important matters to discuss. You may have him later, should his answers prove false."

The vampire seemed frustrated but curious. She wanted to know what was going on and the only way she could do that was to let them talk. She still looked very hungry, as though Rye was a five-foot piece of meat. Although she was an evil creature who killed innocent civilians for food, her attractive figure did not go un-noticed. She leaned against the tree, waiting for the conversation that was about to take place.

"So, Have we met before, Half Elven?"

Rye looked at the dragon. He studied its dark eyes and black scales. That did not help him as he continued to search his memories. He searched and searched, looking through hundreds of years until he saw his childhood. He was playing with his mother, her beautiful blonde hair swaying in the soft breeze. It was spring and the small paddock outside there small cottage was filled with flowers of all kinds. His father was watching them, smiling as he thanked the gods for his family. Then suddenly, it went black. The shadows took over, clouding his memory.

"Yes we have. I have known you since the day I was born, even before I was born, you were there. Clouding my mind with your shadows and taking away everything good and just. The shadows have been here since the beginning of time, when Lothlomendiel made light and Raku made the darkness."

Rye was distressed and confused. The veil of darkness was lifting as he put everything in its place. The shadow dragon was destroying the shadows lurking in the old mans mind. Feelings of every kind made him cry, laugh, and scream. He was free.