By this time, the sun had fallen just below the horizon, making it rather dark in the clearing and the sky was now a dark shade of purple. The first stars were just starting to poke through.<br/><br/>Skippy heard a loud rumble and was afraid that a big cat Anithrope was attacking him. He quickly dropped to the ground and curled up into a defensive ball. His instinct was to cover his head, but his furry arms were a little too short, so he did so with his fluffy tail instead.<br/><br/>After a few moments, it seemed nothing happened. The squirrel Anithrope looked toward the sound and saw the dragon. He realized it must have been her stomach that had made the sound. The thought scared Skippy, as the dragon must be hungry, but it made him remember that he had skipped lunch due to the entire chase through the woods, making him realize now just how hungry he was.<br/><br/>"Well, I'm going to go forage for some food. I'm a vegetarian of course, so stew isn't really the food for me." The Anithrope turned toward the Elves, as he knew a bit about their customs since their races were allied. He opened his mouth to ask them to join him in his hunt for food, but instead heard the male Elf ask the other to join him some where private to talk. With a twitch of his tail and a slight incline of his head (the Anithrope version of a shrug), he set off towards the outskirts of the clearing and the forest.<br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Umm, okay. Would you mind going to the forest to talk? Might as well get some food for the night as well," Lysonna suggested. "I suspect we'll be leaving in the morning to get to Almeria, so we'll need to eat and sleep well." As she spoke, she lead the way outside of the clearing to an area that she hoped would be well out of earshot. Lysonna wasn't sure how keen the dragon's hearing was.</span><br/><br/>"That's the thing. I want you to come with me when I see the Elder. The leader of my order is there, and I want you to stay with me. Do not go with anyone else, just me, understand?" Nymeri explained.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna blinked as she looked at him. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. It's bad enough that I have to go back to Almeria. I know it was my idea, but I'm hoping that we can get the Minister to help us. Let's face it, our little group won't be much of a match against an army of demons. And..." The Elf maiden paused, not sure how to continue. "Well, let's just say I wasn't exactly supposed to leave home."</span><br/><br/>"How so? Can you enlighten me?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna sighed and chewed her bottom lip. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. "I... I suppose it's childish, what I've done. I'm not a thief, a murderer, or even a minor criminal. I'm a... runaway, and my social standing wouldn't allow my disappearance to go unnoticed, unfortunately. I expect my parents are looking for me. That's why I'm nervous. I don't wish for you to think bad of me, but the situation was not one I favored, and so I could not stay."</span><br/><br/>Nymeri was astounded, he has never come across an elvish runaway. Thoughts were racing as he heard the words of Lysonna, but there was one thing he had to hear, "What is your last name, and where are you truly from?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"My last name?" She closed her eyes tightly, that was the last thing she wanted to be asked. Still, she wasn't about to lie. "I'm from Keymoust, as I have told you before. My last name is Dyminesk..."</span><br/><br/>"Dyminesk? As in the daughter of Lord Dyminesk?" Nymeri asked in shock. His order was sent to protect this royal family, and yet he was sent to find the missing daughter. "This is weird. I am the one to find you and return you to your dad. Why have you left your home?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna opened her eyes as he spoke. She just knew that would be his reaction, or at least about the first part of it. "Please don't. You might think it's childish, but... A woman of my standing has not say in anything. My father picked a suitor for me, but I don't love him... So I left. I want the freedom to choose who I spend the rest of my life with. You can understand that right?"</span><br/><br/>"I see...well, I guess this means that you are gonna resist on having me take you home?" he asked.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Maybe you can just ignore this? Besides, there are more pressing matters at hand here. I wanna help in any way I can against these demons. Wouldn't you agree that... Well, we don't even know what we're protecting, but... I'm sure it's important to something evil since the demons are desperate to have it."</span><br/><br/>"I do not know. I am tasked with protecting you until we get to the capital, then you book passage back to Keymoust. But, I don't know, I have never disobeyed an order from my masters, nor one from the one I follow. This is all too much, but I listen to all of the royal family, so, i will follow your commands, milady," he responded.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna sighed. "I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, that's why I was so hesitant with telling you my last name. I figured the less you knew, the better. I didn't realize that you were the paladin sent to take me home though." She nervously chewed her lower lip, trying to decide what to do. "I don't want you to be punished because of me though."</span><br/><br/>"Stop chewing your lip, you are not in trouble," Nymeri said. He paced around a little, coming to a decision on what he wants to do. "You know, I have protected your family for 60 years, and I am not going to stop. You are the only choice maker here, I'm the arm and shield. I will follow you until you are safely home." He smiled at her, hoping she would agree with what he said.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Sixty years?" Lysonna repeated. "Since I was 15... How old are you? As for the decision. Hmm, I suppose the best thing to do is to go to Almeria and see what happens. I should at least let them know that I'm alright. They would never approve my intentions though."</span><br/><br/>"I am 90 years old, and I bet my sword that they would agree with me. If you have business with helping the innocent like me, then they cannot deny your decision. I can count on that," Nymeri said.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Perhaps you are right," she agreed. "They want to protect me, but obviously they trust you to do that alone, so it might work. Thank you."<br/><br/>Lysonna turned to look toward their surroundings. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."</span><br/><br/>"Let us return to the camp...together. Who knows, maybe I can spot some mushrooms or good plants for me to cook along the way so we can have a good feast," Nymeri responded.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Lysonna nodded her agreement, and smiled slightly. "Very well, lead the way."</span><br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">It seemed the old innkeeper had been struck dumb at the sight of the dragon. It took him many minutes to recover any sense of a calm demeanor. So the Elf had asked the dragon to come with? This was not likely to end well.<br/><br/>Despite the group having saved him, the innkeeper still felt out of place. It seemed that the rest of them would have something to contribute, some kind of battle tactic to help them protect each other. Himself, however, could only cook. As he headed back the cottage, he wondered what the next day would bring, almost certain that it wouldn't be without danger.</span><br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/>The next morning, Skippy awoke in one of the bed rooms. He sat up in bed, put on his leather vest, knives still in placed, checked the pocket with the odd spherical item, and sheathed his two long daggers in the back of his vest. That done, he headed down stairs to join the others, but not before noting that the sun was just above the eastern horizon.<br/><br/>The squirrel Anithrope found the innkeeper asleep on the sitting room's couch. He was snoring loudly. The Anithrope quietly walked around him, allowing the old man to continue in his slumber.<br/><br/>Skippy walked into the kitchen and found the place he had stored some acorns from last night. He munched on them as he waited for the others to join him.<br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">A few hours after sunrise, Lysonna stirred. It took her a moment to remember where she was and the events that occurred the previous day. She opened her eyes to see the forest behind her, the red sky above, and cool grass beneath her. The fire pit held nothing but charred sticks and ash now, having put itself out some time in the night.<br/><br/>The Elf maiden sat up, careful to make as little noise as possible. She gabbed her bow and quiver of arrows from their place at her side and glanced at Nymeri to see whether or not he was awake.<br/><br/>Today would be the day that they would continue their journey in the hopes that the Almerkian's Minister would be willing to help them against the demons. She wasn't sure how much she would be able to convince him, since she wasn't even sure what it was the demon's were after.</span>