1x1 with ~naturesword~

[~Anubis~]

The sound of snow crunching was soon picked up by the pointed ears of Adeline and a surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins. Whatever it was didn’t sound human, there were far too many steps and the creatures sounded like they were walking on four legs. A soft whimper escaped from her lips as she struggled to keep quiet, her eyes wide and flittering as if she was searching for a place to hide. Alas there was none, the only place they could possibly get away from the beasts was the treetops and the elf couldn’t climb. She cursed her father for turning her suggestions of survival training down with disgust as it surely would come in handy at this very moment. Now as she stood before the wolves, their teeth gnashing in her face, there was nothing she could do except stand rigidly and pray. There were far too many of the white furred beasts for them to take on and on top of that they were all abnormally large. The female looked over at Alok once more, her eyes filled with terror right before claws sliced through her slender arm. At this the female fell to the ground, a scream sitting stuck within her vocal cords, and all she could do was slip into a ball of fear.


Romania’s eyes scanned the forest, his eyes narrowing in an effort to try to see shapes hidden within the snow. Whatever it was was hiding well, and that wouldn’t be good for any of them. The males hand twitched as it rested on his blade at every single sound of snow being crushed underneath a paw, where were those damned beasts? However he soon wished that he had never asked that question as out of no where the beasts pace quickened and soon he stood face to face with the large maw of a white wolf. The male pulled his dagger out as he stood in front of Kisa, willing to fight until the bitter end in order to save her. A guttural growl escaped from his lips as he dove the knife into the beast, he would do his best to protect the others, but soon he began to loose.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok kept his eyes peeled as he quickly looked this way and that, trying to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. But alas, there was too many a time that made it too confusing to do so. He unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him as he moved closer to the princess. The sound was almost deafening as they got closer before he suddenly turned around and blocked a snout full of teeth with his sword. However, he was slid back in the snow from the impact, away from his position next to the princess. With grunts and growls, he continued to block and attack the creature before him, but when his eyes met with Adeline's for a brief moment, everything seems to shatter. He watched from the corner of his eye as she fell to the ground,"Princess!" He screamed, slicing through the creature in front of him as he made a dash to the princess, only to get body-checked further away into a tree, his teeth clicking together on impact.

Kisa watched the wolves made themselves known as she turned around, standing with her back to the vampire as he faced off with one of the large creatures. She stood frozen in place with fear before everything suddenly seemed to have slowed down. A glass shattering scream sounded through the air, causing her blood to go cold. Her pupils shrunk as her head slowly dared to look away from the wolves and towards the source,"Adeline....." She whispered,"N-No... A-Adeline!" The kitsune broke into a run away from the knight and towards the princess. At this moment, nothing made sense to the her, and everything seemed to turn into a haze. Her tails grew a little longer as her hands and feet shifted to paws and claws. Fur grew everywhere on her body as her face shifted to that of a fox, snarling. It wasn't long till a white, three tailed fox stood overtop of Adeline, snapping and swapping at the wolves while taking the blunt of their attacks to protect her friend. Kisa had never once achieved her kitsune fox form until now, and nothing but the instincts of a wild creature seemed to be there at this moment.

[~Anubis~]

The world seemed to spin inside Adeline’s head as the white snow around her began to turn red. It wasn’t a lethal injury by no means but it was pain that the princess hadn’t ever felt before and she wasn’t used to feeling pain, not one bit. However warmth began to flood back into her body as the soft fur of the kitsune surrounded her, very well possibly keeping her from dying of hypothermia. However guilt sunk deeper into the soul of the elf, Kisa shouldn’t need to help her like this, a princess shouldn’t be this useless. However she wasn’t quite sure if she had some sort of powers or fighting training that it would be enough to fend off these beasts, in fact at the moment she wasn’t quite sure of anything at all, the blood loss made her feel very sluggish and confused. They needed help and they needed it quite fast.

Romanos was thrown off guard by both Alok getting thrown back and the kitsune sprinting away from him. In that split second of inattention the male felt teeth against his armor and soon the male found himself in the jaws of a wolf. Thankfully his amour was strong enough that its teeth barely pierced his sides, yet that wouldn’t help much when the male was shaken around and thrown into the ground once more. A groan escaped from his lips as he felt the wind that was once within his lungs sucked out of him. They had lost, they were going to get eaten by the hungry wolves! Yet there was a glint of hope in the distance as the male saw a group of large burly hunters in the distance. Before the world around him faded to black the male yelled “help us!” at the top of his lungs as a last ditch effort for salvation.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok had blacked out, mostly from his collision with the tree, but also along with some wolves tossing him around.
Kisa, snarling and snapping as a full formed fox, had no sense of what was happening. Her mind was blank and empty, like that of a wild creature. She stood in front of Adeline, trying to fend off some of the wolves that liked the look of an easy and tasty snack of the princess, but it was becoming a losing battle quickly. With any and every chance that the wolves had, they snapped their jaws and swept their claws at the fox, overtaking it to the ground as Kisa yelped, whined, and howled in pain. This was it. This was the end. At least, that's what she would have thought. The sound of someone yelling for help before it seemed like it got louder. Louder as more voices had added to the mix of snarls and yells. Arrows were whizzing through the air and landing with strong thuds in the ground and wolves. Even the sound of clashing swords and pistols were heard as well, followed by someone giving commands to the others. The kitsune growled quietly at the hunters as she swayed on her paws, blood staining her white fur. As Kisa tried to back up closer to Adeline, she suddenly collapsed over and passed out, her body shifting back to her human form, covered with bites and scratches.

-12 hour-ish timeskip-

Turns out, those hunters belong to the very same village that the knights, princess, and handmaiden were headed for. They were out hunting for caribou when they heard the commotion of the attack and then the plea for help. The group of hunters acted quickly, fighting the wolves back and even killing a couple. By that time, all four of the companions were knocked out. The hunters decided to take them back to the village and get them looked after.
Alok had woken not long ago. He had discovered that all his armor and torn clothes had been removed, and he was wearing a simple clean tunic and pants, as well as any injuries that he had acquired were bandaged. He felt well enough to get up out of his bed and leave the room he was in, which happened to be a guest room in a visitors building. Making his way downstairs, he saw an eating area that even had a bar. A young man was serving there. Alok sat down at the bar, chatting to the man to see if he could understand where he was and where his friends were at. As the young man gave him a glass of water, he explained to him that the four of them were brought here and their wounds were treated by their village doctor, and each one of them was given their room to stay in. They don't get a whole lot of visitors, so it wasn't much trouble for them. Alok nodded a little as he listened, glad to at least know that his friends were somewhere upstairs in a room resting, but no idea of their condition. The elf went quiet as he fell into thought as he sipped on his glass of water.

[~Anubis~]

Adeline woke up a little bit after Alok, her arm still screaming in pain yet seemingly quite better than before. Her mind was still a bit foggy as she had no memory of anything other than Kisa protecting her and the bitterly cold snow. Soon the world around her refocused and she could sense that she was now safe. She lay in a soft bed with her wounds bandaged, her clothes changed into a dry and simple dress which was quite welcoming. It was nice to get out of the ripped, stained, and wet dress that she had been making her journey in and into something that was clean and warm. Yet she still felt a sense of unease but due to the brain fog she couldn't quite place her finger on it quite yet but something was missing. After a moment of pondering she remembered, where was everything else? Kisa? Alok? Romanos? The female jolted up in her bed, her eyes reflecting her panicked state, yet she was quickly calmed by the maiden who sat by her side who was waiting for her to wake up. "They're safe," the stranger told her as if she could sense why the princess was upset. "They are in their own rooms, you are more than welcome to head down to the bar and get some food while we wait for the others to finish resting." She added after a moment, before carefully helping Adeline up. The princess nodded eagerly as she was anxious to see her companions but was also quite starving, since the ball none of them were able to get a full meal in.

Adeline stepped out of her room and her pace quickened as she neared the stairs as she heard the soft murmur of Alok's voice. 'Thank the heavens he's okay,' the female thought to herself as she began her descent down the stairs. As much as she wanted to seek out Kisa, she knew the other would need the rest and comfort of her own room and she would have to thank her later. "Alok!" The female cooed as she neared the other elf, her arms outstretched as she went to pull the male close to her body. "I was so scared." She hummed as she gently set her face in the crook of his neck, not wanting to ever let go of the other again.


Romanos awoke abruptly and sat up straight in his bed, ready to fight again if need be. However upon observation of the room that he was in the male quickly realized that he was successful in hailing the hunters for help. With a sigh of relief the male sunk back into the warm comfort of the bed as his head still pounded in pain from being thrown against the rock. However soon the pain in his head and joints began to lessen and the male began to relax more and more as he adjusted to his new surroundings. Alas he knew he couldn't stay in bed forever as the suspense of the conditions of the others was practically killing him, he especially had to know if Kisa was alright as the last thing he remembered was seeing her in her full Kitsune form. At a different time he would have liked to admire her and observe her in that form as he wasn't quite familiar with kitsunes and found them rather beautiful and intriguing.

With a slight groan the male managed to pull himself out of bed and out into the hall where he looked around for where the others might be. Thankfully a maiden came out of a different room at the right moment and pointed him down the stairs where the others were gathering for the time being. With a slight smile on his face the male began to head down the stairs, knowing that everyone else must be alright given the fact that the maiden seemed to be in good spirits as well. The male took a seat at the bar next to Alok and Adeline, greeting them happily as he truly was thrilled that the four of them had all made it out alive. Certainly before they started their journey home once more they would have to recuperate and figure out a plan how to better protect themselves in the future.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok was pulled from his thoughts to hear the familiar sound of the princess, causing him to turn his head before smiling as he then turned the rest of his body to face her,"Pri - Adeline!" Right. He needed to remember that he can't just blatantly call her princess in an unknown area. What if there were people who wanted to hurt or kidnap a princess? No, he had to drop the title and call her by her name, for her safety. As the princess wrapped her arms around him, Alok kept himself from wincing and bit his lip to keep from making a sound at the squeeze to his tender back and bruised ribs. Instead, he wrapped his own arm around her and held her close until he got use to the uncomfortable pressure,"Shhh, I know. Everything is okay now." He comforted her.
He frowned a little as he glanced down at her own bandages, remembering the terror on her face when she got injured,"I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you better..." He whispered to her. He was a high ranking knight in her kingdom, and he could barely do anything against the wolves to keep her from harm. He felt responsible for her pain, and unfortunately, he also felt weak. There was a brief silence before he gave a smile as the vampire entered the room, bringing back some of the cheerful atmosphere,"Romanos, it's good to see you." He said happily, watching as his fellow knights joined them at the counter bar, the server giving each of the a glass of water.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the living quarters, one of the maidens went to see how Kisa was doing and if she had woken up yet. But when she entered the room and made her way over to bed, she frowned. Kisa was whimpering quietly in her sleep, and had broken into a cold sweat, her breathing short and shallow. The maiden gently rested her hand on the kitsune's bandaged forward,"She's burning up...." She said quietly to herself. She quickly turned on her heels and left the room, moving downstairs and into the kitchen. It took her a minute of searching before she finally found a water basin and got a clean facecloth from the linin closet. After she filled the basin with cold water, she exit the kitchen and made her way for the stairs, asking the young bar server to bring up a glass of water to the kitsune's room when he had a chance.
Kisa tossed and turned her head as she whined, her hands gripping the bedsheet tightly, her hands shaking. The clean dress that she had on was already soaking up her sweat. Her ears twitched to some sound of someone coming and going from the room, only to have returned not too long later. The next thing she knew, she felt a cold, wet cloth being dapped on her face, causing her to jump a little before her eyes barely opened into slits.

[~Anubis~]

Adeline sensed the rigidity from Alok and winced, of course he was hurt too and she hadn’t even thought about it in her moment of excitement. That was one of the princesses faults and she knew it, the female eased her grip on the male significantly yet still held on for a moment longer. She stood back a bit as he apologized to her so that she could meet his gaze before she spoke. “There wasn’t anything you could do Alok, those were beasts too many and too large. All that matters is that we are here now, safe. You are used to having other men be around you to help, you were without proper resources. This was not your fault.” The females facial expression reflected both her concern for the others mental wellbeing and the sincerity of her words. Truly she blamed no one other than herself, he shouldn’t have to carry the burden of being her protector as that was unfair. As Alok and Romanos began to converse the female took a seat quietly besides the knight, pondering the condition of her beloved friend as she took small sips of the water that was graciously sat before her.


“Alok it is great to see you as well,” Romanos replied back, a smile on his face as he looked at his companion. The male continued to make small talk with the elf for a moment as he drank the glass of water, even requiring another one as he was quite thirsty. Yet he had a burning urge inside of them to plan their next steps as he was one to look ahead during times like these. Yet he knew it would be good for the four of them to simply relax for the time being and enjoy the warmth and comfort of the tavern. “I’m slightly worried that we haven’t seen Kisa yet, does anyone remember what happened to her?” The male questioned, anxiously fumbling with his fingers as he asked.

[~NatureSword~]

Alok looked into her beautiful eyes as Adeline spoke to him. He knew what she said was true, but it still wounded the knight’s pride. Despite that, it lite a new fire inside him. A fire of determination to get stronger, so that he would be able to fight with little to no help. Not only that, but it also reminded him of his earlier thoughts. He would teach the princess the basics of her magic, and decided that it would be helpful to teach her how to use a weapon as well. Magic was great, but it does use up the user’s energy.
He smiled at Romanos and was kind of glad for the simple small talk. He was sure that he knew what his comrade was thinking, and Alok couldn’t blame him. He eventually wanted to make a plan as well to figure out their next steps. When Romanos asked about the handmaiden, Alok tilted his head, a little confused on the question,”Happened? What do you mean happened? You know that we were all attacked. She probably still hasn’t woken up yet.” He said.

Stuart, the young man serving the bar, excused himself for a moment and headed upstairs, bringing the glass of water that his coworker requested. He was only in the kitsune’s room for a moment, but it made sense to him now as to why the water was needed.
He left the room and as he returned to the bar, he overheard the vampire ask the elves about the girl,”Excuse me? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be eavesdropping. You’re talking about the other girl in your party, right?” He asked them,”I’m sorry, I don’t think she’ll be joining you tonight. She’s in bed with a terrible fever. Poor gal looks worse for wear.” He informed them.

[~Anubis~]

Adeline kept to herself, quietly listening to the two knights talk amongst themselves as she stared out the window to her right. The place seemed friendly enough, but a part of her was still distrusting after all that they had just been through together. However she was pulled out of her deep thoughts as she overheard the other two talk about Kisa. Her attention snapped towards the younger male tending the bar, listening for an update on her friend with a worried expression on her face. "Excuse me," the female mumbled after he finished speaking, her heart rate beginning to pick up as she thought of the fact of her dear friend being ill. The female pushed the stool out from the bar and rather quickly made her way up to where Kisa's room was, biting her lip nervously as she did so. The female took a seat next to her handmaidens head and gently took the cool cloth from the maiden who was still holding it against her forehead. "I can hold this on her, could you please get another cool one for her neck?" The princess questioned as she gently held the cool towel against Kisa's hot forehead. Once the maiden left the room the princess spoke in a hushed tone "I'm so very sorry this happened to you my dear, thank you for everything. You don't deserve this."

"Well I know we were attacked Alok, I was simply wondering if you saw how bad she was hurt." Romanos huffed, a frown tugging at his lips as he stared into the glass before him. Upon the sound of Stuart's voice the male looked up at the bartend, listening intently to his words. "Thank you." He murmured, not quite happy at the fact that she was running a temperature especially after being out in the cold for so long. The vampire watched as the princesses exited, surely to go check on her friend, he would make his way up after a few moments as he knew that Adeline would want at least a few minutes alone with Kisa. For now all the male could do was hope that her illness would resolve itself quickly as he felt quite ashamed for letting something bad happen to her.

[~NatureSword~]

The maiden had just rewetted the cloth and held it to the kitsune's forehead and looked up when Adeline entered the room before she allowed her to take her place next to the bed. She listened to her request before she nodded,"Of course. Excuse me." She said with a little bow before she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Kisa laid there quietly, her breathing seeming to have gotten better, but was still a little shallow. Her ear twitched and flickered a little as a familiar voice entered the room before it moved to a quieter tone just moments later. A voice that carried notes of sadness,"M-My lady...." She whispered as she partially opened her eyes and shifted her gaze to look at Adeline,"D-Don't apologize..... N-Not your fault....." The kitsune managed to breath out before coughing a bit,"W-Water...."

"The last that I remembered seeing her was when she was with you." Alok said as he shook his head before sighing,"I didn't mean it that way. I simply just felt that maybe I missed something through all the commotion." He admitted to his comrade. When the barkeep spoke and informed them of their friend, he gave a nod of thanks before watching as the princess left in a hurry. He couldn't blame her for leaving quickly. He knew how fond she was of the handmaiden.
The elf finished the water in his glass before he set it down on the counter as he closed his eyes in thought,"Well, I guess we'll be staying here for a few days at least while she recovers. Might as well see what we can do about gathering some provisions, weapons, and other stuff in the meantime." He said. Alok wasn't trying to play off her illness so casually. It sucked that Kisa had fallen ill, and he'd admit that he was sadden by it. At the same time, he had to think logically on how to spend that time so that they were prepared by the time they would leave the village.