"Let's keep our clothes on until we reach the forest at least.  And noted.  No shifting."  Vara agreed with a nod.  She waited for him to finish gathering what he needed and then from there was not much else to discuss.  They had a few hours yet before the sun rose, and Vara figured it was best to move sooner rather than later.  She led him through the ruins that laid between the two factions that hated each other so strongly.  It was a no man's land, mostly because few dared to dwell in a place where vampires and witches regularly fought.  Eventually, they could see her "home" in the distance.  The walls had been built after the Old World died, so they did not have the easy, clean construction of buildings made in the time before.  Still, they stood strong around the veritable village that surrounded the castle that Blackvayne held.  It looked almost peaceful at this distance, and during the day it often was.  Humans and werewolves mulling about, living their lives.<br/><br/>The forest next to it looked decidedly less normal.  The trees grew with wood so dark, it nearly appeared black even in daylight.  Most had green leaves, but some had more interesting colors, shimmering blues and deep purples.  Vara led him into the forest without hesitation, until they found a small cave she would hide in as a child.  There had been some sort of shifting of the land, years ago, but the roots still held firm and created the cave.  It was tiny enough that they could leave their clothes there and no one would notice.  Vara began to remove what she wore then, still surprised how she had ended up here.<br/><br/>"Just stay quiet if we run into someone, leave the talking to me.  If they're human, they won't notice the change in scent...If they're not...We just try our best to make it through and move on."  He probably already knew all of that, but she was worried.  Something tugged at her, something urgent that made her want to get back to her parents as soon as possible.  That kind of foreboding feeling wasn't uncommon for her.  Vara was actually surprised she did not feel something like that when she went after Yvaine.  It was another odd incident to add to the list.  "Do I just rub that stuff on, or?"