Deryn listened intently to the words that Malkier spoke, and while under normal circumstances, she would have inquired more about some of the things that he said, she couldn't bring herself to do it now. Her face was unusually pale, and there was this odd lightheaded feeling that plagued her. With the soothing sound of his voice in her ears, Deryn couldn't help but wondered to herself if this was all just a dream. Perhaps she'd wake up in the morning and realize that yes, it had been, and what a silly dream it was. Her people - the people of Albion - were not tolerant of the filth that was vampires and the undead for the most part, and while Malkier had stated earlier that he was an umbral, that did not mean much to her. It had meant something to her companions, such as Bran, back at the shrine, but even they had been tolerant of the man for most of the evening. Had Bran known that Malkier was a vampire, that may have changed. As a matter of fact, Deryn knew it would.<br/><br/><b>"I see your points are valid and I thank you for providing me with answers to my inquiries."</b>She stated as he asked her what she thought he was - friend or foe. Honestly, Deryn couldn't validly answer that question because<i>she didn't know him</i>, but that was neither here nor there in the moment. She'd take time later to consider what her honest answer was, and instead of responding immediately, Deryn shrugged him off.<b>"It's been a long day."</b>She stated as her eyes drooped with weariness.<b>"I believe I should retire before I feel any worse than what I do. We can continue this conversation tomorrow."</b><i>If there was a tomorrow.</i><br/><br/>Deryn got to her feet and moved to the spot on the ground that she'd claimed as her own. Her bedroll was spread upon the flat earth, and with the quick removal of her boots, she slid into it with ease. Sleep caught her quickly, even though she still mistrusted the man that remained not too far away. Her dreams were filled with terrifying chases, fangs without a face, and an infection that engulfed her entire body. She awoke just after sunrise - the colors of the sky were full of reds and oranges as the day began. Immediately, she noticed a strong throb in her shoulder, and quickly, she lowered her tunic to observe the skin. It was a peachy color, perhaps slightly red, but nothing really looked out of the ordinary. Remembrance of her nightmares gave her a shiver, and ironically, she was more fearful of the disease that she'd been infected with by those beasts than she was of the man that traveled with her.<br/><br/>That didn't mean that she was entirely content with the things that Malkier said to her, nor was she certain she could openly disobey all the teachings she'd received in Albion. It had been her home. It had been her people. They'd taught her that not everyone could be trusted, and while generally quite trusting, Deryn realized that could possibly be her fault this time if she wasn't careful. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and noticed that she was alone, no Malkier to be seen in the general vicinity, and Deryn didn't test it. Last night had not been a dream, and Deryn did not want to risk her chance at saving others if he got too hungry and decided to feast upon her neck in the middle of the night, just as he'd feasted upon that poor man just hours ago.<br/><br/>With determination, she collected her things and dressed as quickly as possible. She would find this den of beastkin, this avatar, and do what she had to save them. Stubborn and hardheaded, she set her shoulders and began her journey into the forests. A Knight of Albion could handle many harrowing tasks - surely, Deryn thought, she could handle this one.<br/><br/>It was afternoon before she stumbled upon the cave. It was cool and inviting, a decent place to take an extended period of rest to recover. Her shoulder still ached and she was still more tired than she'd realized. Perhaps setting out upon this journey immediately had not been the best idea. Deryn would remember to take an extra day to allow her body to bounce back completely before ambushing some evil fiend. This would not be her last adventure, she knew, but it would be important to ensure she didn't allow her enemies any chance of permanently harming her.<br/><br/>She wasn't quiet as she entered the cave, fairly confident that nothing lurked inside of it. Had she been at her most recovered state, she probably would have picked up on the claw marks and the collection of animal hair scattered about the entrance, but Deryn was oblivious to it all, anxious to find the source of the running water she heard coming from inside. The beasts were not this close to the greenskin camp. She'd left Malkier when they'd still had more than a day's journey left. Deryn didn't realize that there were likely more packs of the rabid animal-men lurking about the forests. She should have thought through her actions a little more.<br/><br/>The cave was mostly dark, but there were patches of light that allowed her to navigate deeper with ease. She stumbled a few times and debated lighting a torch, but just as that thought passed through her mind, the cave opened up from the narrow passages into a wide cavern. Deryn stared in awe as sunlight trickled in from the high ceiling and a waterfall cascaded down the far side. Random patches of grass peeked through the stone here and there, and she could have swore there were frogs croaking in the background. A delighted laugh left her lips as she ran toward the water, anxious to take a drink of something so cold and refreshing. She bent to her knees, took a scoopful of the water to sip slowly, and then looked at her surroundings a little more closely.<br/><br/>It was then that she noticed the eyes. All of them. Staring at her intently. The shock of it ripped the yell straight from her chest. It echoed within the cave, followed by the sound of hungry, vicious growls.<br/><br/>Tag:<a class="username" data-user-id="92" data-username="@Malkier" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/92/">@Malkier</a>