Sighing grumpily, Ãsta woke up from her sitting position in the tree she had spent the night in. What in the world was going on down there? She switched to a crouch, resting her elbows on her knees. The quiet grove she had found last night had turned into a virtual battlefield. She watched in puzzlement as a masked man shot and killed a guard in a botched attempt on another man's life. The scout smiled and shook her head.<span style="font-style: italic">Always try to kill them from behind. That head-on approach never works.</span>She wondered briefly what business he could have with the men. He had fled without another glance at the corpse, so not in it for the loot. An assassin, maybe? She turned back to the scene that played out below her, her eyes widening when she saw the young woman. Red hair was far from common. Ãsta watched her yank out the knife and promptly flee as if demons were on her tail.<span style="font-style: italic">Vibrant red hair, fleeing an empty scene for no apparent reason... Aye, definitely worth investigating.</span><br/><br/>Letting herself drop from branch to branch, she landed surely on her feet, looking in the direction the girl had fled. "Help me out, Ragnar?" she mumbled. She had barely finished her sentence before her chest started to glow bright golden, the slender shape of a peregrine falcon emerging a few moments later and landing on her extended arm. If birds could smile, he would have been.<span style="color: #4000FF"><span style="font-family: English;">"I saw her. She was pretty, don't you think?"</span></span>Ãsta smiled at her demon. Although she had never entirely understood the concept, she was glad they existed. It was like talking to yourself, but without the risk of getting locked up for being insane. "However pretty she was, we need to find out whether she is indeed a Dragon-born or not. Think you can scout ahead? I'll be right behind you, I promise." The falcon rolled his eyes at her. With a shriek, he took flight, soaring away in the direction the red-haired girl had gone. Ãsta followed a little way behind him on foot, sure she would catch up to their target soon.