When Worlds Collide

[Syrinia]

Somehow managing to slip past a guard standing at one of the many gates leading into the magnificent island of Darleone, Syrinia remained hidden in the trees of an expansive forest, doing her best to keep herself concealed from anyone who might have crossed her path. She had just recently been attacked by a group of raiders who had taken all of her Bishani with them. It was not this loss that worried her; though, she was mostly concerned about the wound these thieves had placed on her side. While defending herself and attempting to take back the little Bishani she had, one of the raiders had managed to impale her with a spear right beneath her rib cage. Unable to fight anymore, Syrinia collapsed onto the hard ground where she played dead until the thieves finally decided to move on to their next target.

Now traveling without anything to heal her wound, the last thing Syrinia wanted was to stir up any more trouble for herself. She did not really like the idea of crossing Darleone Island as she knew the way elves felt about outsiders, but at this moment she was left without a choice.

Unable to take another step forward as a terrible shock of pain ran down her side and up her spine, Syrinia decided to climb up the nearest tree and take refuge for the night. She laid back against the tree, cringing at the random throbs of pain, and then she heard a familiar noise, one which had sounded several times since she had escaped the slaughter of her tribe and was forced to journey the land without many possessions or companions: her stomach was begging for food.

Ignoring the painful stings emitting from her side, Syrinia leaned forward a bit to snatch an apple from a nearby branch, leaning back instantly and releasing a sigh of relief as her body relaxed once more. She then proceeded to take a bite from the fruit resting in her hand, the delicious taste instantly distracting her from her injury as she was shocked by how perfect it tasted. Her taste buds had never experienced such a delightful apple before, and she was instantly taken away by what seemed to be something good finally emerging in her life which had been mostly filled with nothing but pain and misery.

Finishing off the magnificent fruit, Syrinia tossed the core aside, allowing it to drop to the soft grass below her. She then rested her head back against the trunk of the tree, wishing sleep would take her away from the immense pain at her side. It seemed she experienced situations like this almost every day, and she never expected this life style of hers to change, but such was the life of a refugee, and she could only wonder if it would have been better for her to have stayed and joined her sisters in death when the shifters had attacked her tribe many years in the past.

[Annel]

“By the Gods, a moment to myself…” Annel thought to herself as she slipped from the room of her last patient, soundlessly drawing the curtains. She tiptoed down the dimly lit corridor of the hospice feeling like she was floating on a ray of unexpected sunlight. “Time to myself…” She murmured softly as she reached for the lantern she kept hanging by the front entrance. Before leaving the hospice, she blew a loving kiss towards the rooms of her patients.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like her job; as a matter of fact, it was her passion. Healing the fallen was the force that had kept her alive, that gave her a purpose. But at the same time…she did require a wee bit ‘me time’. Annel smiled as she turned to push open the door and began to hum an elven song of celebration, the jovial tune adding a slight skip to her gait. She began to twirl slightly as she walked, becoming one with the flow of her melody. Her humming attracted the attention of a small rabbit, who decided to join her on the journey home. Annel was familiar with animals of the forest, knowing them all by name and scent.

Eventually, she found herself at the gates of her beloved garden. Annel took great pains to ensure her garden’s prosperity, but as of late she found herself without any choice but to neglect her prized garden until she had the time to spend nursing it. As she stopped to open the gate, her rabbit companion decided it was time to take his leave. Annel turned to bid him farewell, but not before handing him a large parsnip and stroking the silk of his fur. The silky feeling of his tawny coat reminded her of something, a something, a sensation she often longed for as a small child…

Annel decided to leave her trials and tribulations at the gate and stepped inside her magnificent garden, which by this time was laden with a beautiful assortment of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. As she stooped down to begin pulling weeds, she gazed up at her prized apple tree. She labored day and night to create the most perfect apple tree in all of Darleon Island…and succeeded. She turned her gaze back to her vegetables when suddenly an apple core fell beside her. She froze instantly, reaching foreword to snatch a rock, tossing it up at the tree.

[Syrinia]

Unable to cease the painful throbs at her side long enough for sleep to overcome her, Syrinia sighed as she allowed her heavy eyelids to fall, shielding her eyes from the light glow of the moon which now covered the entire forest. What was she going to do now? She had lost the little Bishani she possessed, and she highly doubted anyone would be kind enough to simply hand over healing supplies, especially in this part of the world where she was extremely unwelcomed.

All of a sudden, a small rock flew straight at Syrinia’s head; whoever had thrown this tiny stone certainly had very good aim, and it definitely hurt no matter the size. Realizing the instant stinging pain on the side of her head, Syrinia jumped, startled for a second before glancing down from the tree to spot a young woman staring right back up at her.

Magnificent, she thought, just what I was trying to avoid.

But a second glimpse allowed the now alarmed Syrinia to realize the elf standing beneath her had not spotted her just yet; she was actually staring right past her, attempting to figure out where exactly the apple’s core had fallen from.

With a silent sigh of relief, the young amazon quickly jumped off the tree’s branch, ignoring the immense pain which now radiated off her side as she dashed to the first hiding spot she could find: a nearby bush. Practically leaping behind it, she crouched down, once again disregarding her now infected wound as she watched the young elf from afar. That was definitely a close call; she could not afford to receive yet another injury right now, she had to stay as far away from trouble as possible for the time being.

Now at a safe distance from any kind of threat, Syrinia slowly began to notice the striking details of the female elf that stood not too far from her. When startled, Syrinia did not really take the time to realize just how stunning this elf really was, but now, now she could not help but stare at her flawless features and lovely posture. She was almost mesmerized by her beauty, and she could not understand what was happening to her. Yes, she had seen many attractive women in the past, and possessing the blood of her amazonian ancestors, Syrinia had always been attracted to women much more than men, but this… this she had never felt before. It was definitely a new experience, and she could not quite grasp exactly what it was she was feeling.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she decided to return to focusing on the task at hand: staying as far away from danger for as long as possible. She also had to find a way to heal her wound soon or else the infection might begin to spread which would later possibly cause major issues to her health. She sighed once more; so many issues and so little solutions…

[Annel]

After throwing the stone, Annel rose to her feet, but not before picking up another. She backed away from the tree and squinted up into the fruit-filled branches for a moment. She couldn’t see anything, but she definitely could sense a presence…a human presence. “Ohhh, I do so love humans!” She exclaimed merrily, dropping the stone and clapping her hands together as would a small child. “If I hit you, I apologize! Although I highly doubt that I did as I am a horrible shot…” She trailed off for a moment and began to chew nervously at her bottom lip. Had she struck the human? Was it hurt? Was it-

Her head was abruptly filled with images of…of fire? The flames rose like fingers towards the sky, the piercing screams of children filled her ears. She could hear the deafening battle cries of a woman... Annel covered her ears, trying to block out the terrible screams, her stomach coiled at the stench of burning flesh…enough! She forced her eyelids open and clasped her head, the pain radiating down into her brain, gripping it like a vice. She staggered backwards and fell over a vine, still clutching at her head.

A few moments passed and the pain began to ebb away slowly, her vision becoming clear again. The apple core caught her gaze. Hungry, hurt and...COLD. She sprang to her feet; she had a mission. “I’ll be back in a moment, my sweet human. Don’t worry. I won’t try to find you. But please…Stay near to my garden.”

My sweet human, Annel repeated the words several more times as she dashed towards her home. Each time she had said the words, her heart gave a small flutter…

[Syrinia]

Trying her hardest to keep her focus on what was most important at the time being, Syrinia slowly found herself drifting back into the spellbinding grip this elf woman now held on her. She could not understand why she could cause this effect on someone as uncaring and cold-hearted as her. Ever since she had escaped her tribe’s horrifying slaughter many years in the past, Syrinia had forced herself to block off all emotions from her heart, acting only upon instinct as she fought for her own survival. This way of life, however, also angered her for it revealed the few hints of her dragon form that still remained in her being. Syrinia despised the beast that lay dormant inside her, and she had vowed to never bring it out for she did not want this… thing consuming her as she thought it did all other shifters. But try as she may to hide this creature, it was still a part of her just as she was a part of it.

Now, as she gazed at the copper-haired woman before her, she could not help but feel a longing to talk to her, maybe even a need. Giving in to the powerful emotions she was now feeling, Syrinia allowed her eyes to glide over the elf’s fair skin which shone so brightly under the moonlight. She was definitely hypnotized by her beauty, holding a great amount of fascination for this being.

Suddenly, she watched as the elfish woman fell to the ground, clutching her head firmly as if she was in an excessive amount of pain. What was going on? She continued to observe as the woman trembled on the grassy floor. She could have almost sworn she felt a slight bit of concern growing deep inside her, almost as if she wanted to run over to her and comfort the young woman.

No, do not be senseless, Syrinia! She shouted at herself.

Releasing a low growl, she quickly looked away, a profound irritation now growing in her chest as she noticed the beast-like sound she had just produced. She hated when those few, remaining features of her dragon form came out to play, and no matter how hard she tried she could never manage to keep them hidden for too long of a timespan.

The sound of a few leaves rustling beneath small feet then caught Syrinia’s attention, her ears twitching slightly as she redirected her gaze back onto the woman. She was standing now just as instantaneously as she had collapsed onto the ground earlier. This shocked Syrinia a bit, but she did not give it much more thought as the soft melody of the young woman’s voice reached her ears causing them to twitch once more, in delight this time. She noticed she was drifting back into that state of hypnosis she despised so greatly, but she decided not to fight it this time as she watched the woman cautiously, wondering what exactly she had planned.

[Thadvalddon]

Thadvalddon was old, even by elf standards. He had spent nearly two centuries bent over dusky old tomes that smelled of mold, mildew and decaying paper. He swore that he had spent enough time in the Great Library that he had learned all there was to know on any and every subject. It was true, he could be found on any given day pouring his heart in to a number of different books on a wide range of topics, but as far as adventuring out of the library and experiencing the wondrous land that Theogious had crafted with his own hands, Thadvalddon had little experience.

The old elf had spent the better part of his life maintaining records so that they could be passed down to further generations. Now that he was old and his body just could not hold up to the constant strain of sitting in one place for long hours, maintaining an erratic sleep schedule or reading for hours on end in what could only be described as less-than-adequate lighting; he had to give it all up and finally make the transition into retirement.

It was a hard change but it was strangely peaceful in a way.

For one thing, he found that spending time out of doors provided a feeling of lightness in his chest that he had not felt in years. His raking cough, though not gone by any means, had lessened to a degree. He slept better at nights and he woke each morning with a sense of adventure. Rather than having tasks and duties to preform, he was able to set his own day at his own time and do or not do whatever it was that he chose.

It was for this reason that Thadvalddon chose to leave the city behind and move out into the country. It was peaceful. It was quiet. He could step outside the little cobblestone cottage he had rented and enjoy the simple pleasure of watching the stars as he ran his crooked old fingers through what remained of his thin white hair.

He was too preoccupied trying to determine if the moon was in fact brighter this night than the night before to notice the sounds coming from his neighbor's house.

[Annel]

Annel’s cottage door always insisted on giving her the most trouble at the most inconvenient of times. She cursed hotly under her breath as she bore down on the heavy latch. Sighing heavily, she released the latch and delivered one swift kick to the heavy oak door, causing herself to fall to the ground yet again, dirtying her dress. She leapt up as soon as her bottom hit the dirt. She was determined to return to her human as quickly as she possibly could. “I’m coming, my sweet human, I promise I am!” She said within her mind, hoping somehow the human would hear her words. Again she bore down on the heavy brass latch, using every ounce of her slight frame. By some force greater than luck, the latch released and Annel fell face first into her small and softly lit cottage. She smiled ear to ear and scurried back towards her kitchen.

She tore through her cabinets, tossing things into the air and making a great deal of racket. She had to find that stupid basket! Suddenly, she felt a nudge. She froze for a moment, turning to see her grandmother, Astra, holding the large basket, a bemused smile painted across her tiny mouth. Annel emitted a squeal of delight and snatched the basket from her grandmother. “Ohhh, Grandmother dear, you are a life saver, really you are!” Astra chuckled and eyed Annel with curiosity. “If you’re looking for the Tamanu Oil, it’s in the lavatory.” Annel stopped again and scowled playfully at the grandmother. As she raced down the tight corridor, a startling realization came over her: She felt alive. She was alive. Her blood was pumping, her heart was singing…

She shook her head gently and gathered the small vile of oil, stuffing it into her pocket. When she came back into the kitchen, she saw Astra placing a jar of honey into the basket along with a small bowl of sliced apples. “I think your new friend has a fancy for apples, no?” Annel wrinkled her nose. “Is there anything you don’t know, Grandmother dear?” Astra snorted and shuffled over to the other set of cabinets to retrieve a second bowl. “I’m going to send your friend the rest of the soup you made.” Annel nodded. She felt a small twinge of anxiety in her breast as she watched her grandmother’s slow movement. “Grandmother, I have to hurry. My human isn’t well.” She called to Astra as she snatched her beloved quilt from her bed, folding the beautiful piece of snuggly artwork neatly and placing it atop the basket. She tucked the basket under her arm and dashed towards the cottage entrance, calling out a hurried goodbye to Astra as she ran towards her garden.

Annel reached her garden in record time. She panted breathlessly and set the basket down in the center of the gated plot of land. “My sweet human, I came back, just as I said I would. I’m leaving this basket here for you. I hope you find its contents to your liking. I’m going to turn away, now.” She turned away and looked up at the stars, feeling as though she were holding them all in the palms of her hands. “Oh!” She remembered suddenly of the oil. “I have this here for you as well. I haven’t an idea what ails you, but this may help.” Annel shut her eyes as she turned to place the small vile of oil near the basket. “Okay, now. Come and see if you like any of this.”

[Syrinia]

Watching as the young, elven woman scurried into what appeared to be her house but not before struggling with the door for a few minutes, Syrinia raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly the fascinating being had in mind. She wanted to get closer and maybe peek into the cottage through one of the many windows, but she was too fearful of the danger she could possibly get herself into. Raised in an amazon tribe, Syrinia was not one to usually frighten easily, but with such a severe injury to her side – not to mention it was now infected – she simply did not want to risk it.

Without warning, the young woman darted out of the small cottage just a few minutes after she had entered, leaving Syrinia puzzled. She instantly caught sight of a basket under the elf’s arm, and she watched cautiously as she placed it down on the grass-covered ground, its contents hidden under a beautiful quilt. She then continued to observe as the woman placed a small vile of oil beside the basket, listening to her soothing voice once more. She could sense innocence and an earnest desire to help in her very motions, but she was still unsure if it would be a good idea to approach her knowing the way elves felt about outsiders entering their land.

Nonetheless, she decided to give it a shot, besides, what more was there for her to lose? Yes, it could be a trap and she could end up dead, but would she not even if she decided to avoid the only being that actually seemed to want to help her? At least she stood a larger chance of surviving if she ate something.

Cautiously creeping up towards the cottage, Syrinia made sure to stay hidden in the shadows provided by the many trees of the forest. She thanked the gods it was night as this would assist her in concealing herself if this was indeed a trap. The young woman did not seem to want to bring her any harm, though, as she remained standing a few feet away from the basket, never turning around even though Syrinia was almost certain the elf could sense her slowly approaching.

Finally reaching the basket which had been neatly prepared just for her, Syrinia swiftly snatched it, racing back into a nearby shrub that was slightly closer to the cottage than the previous bush she had masked herself in and crouched down behind it, her heart racing and her wound throbbing painfully. She winced at the endless stings emanating from her side, praying to the gods that her agony would end soon.

In a frenzy to cease her constant aching, Syrinia grasped the small vile of oil and hastily gulped it down, not even taking the time to sniff it and attempt to decipher its ingredients. She only wanted the pain to stop, she could not take it any longer and she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily as she waited and hoped the oil would take effect soon.

[Annel]

Annel kept her promise of not turning around, although curiosity was sure to kill her. She couldn’t hear her human approaching, but she could sense a presence, and a very strong one at that. She wasn’t sure if her human was a male or female…the energy she felt was of neither gender specifically. Though she couldn’t decipher the gender of her human, the connection she was feeling with the creature was positively magnetic; anything else mattered not to her. The sound of a hand closing around the wicker handle of the basket broke her romantic musing.

She realized all of a sudden that not once had she heard a single foot step. Her human had obviously mastered the art of sneaking and she found this rather fetching…although she couldn’t understand why. She was genuinely impressed and dared herself to comment upon it. “Well, aren’t you a sneaky thing?” She covered her mouth with a hand and snickered nervously. She could feel an uncontrollable blush creeping onto her cheeks, and much to her disdain…she could also feel a pair of eyes on her.

“If you don’t mind...I’d like to sit with you for awhile. For whatever reason, I find myself wanting to stay here…with you. I’m hoping I’m not disturbing you in anyway, seeing as though I’ve only known you for little over an hour’s time.” She shifted awkwardly from foot to foot for a moment before continuing. “I haven’t experienced a thing such as this and I must admit I’m not finding it unpleasant. I hope to the Gods that I haven’t sent you running off into the night, thinking I’m a madwoman…” Annel sighed and nudged the stone she had previously thought of throwing.

Annel had never experienced such an overwhelming need to be near another. The sensation was foreign, yet not unwelcome. She longed to gaze at the beautiful creature that was arousing such an array of feeling within her. She could only imagine how lovely her human was…She sighed once more before she decided she could wait no more.

“Human, dear…I’m going to turn around now. And I would like to see you…if that is okay.”

[Syrinia]

Her eyes tightly shut; Syrinia listened intently to the elfish woman’s entrancing voice, this sweet melody the only thing keeping her tied to this world now. She could feel her last bit of strength slowly draining as her life began to slip away, Syrinia holding onto the only thing she knew could keep her alive now. She did not know this woman, but the soothing tone of her voice gripped onto her securely, dulling the pain a tad bit.

Suddenly, Syrinia’s sensitive ears took note of the woman’s next words: she was going to turn around. No! She couldn’t! Not the way Syrinia was now; she would be completely defenseless if the elf managed to spot her amongst the many leaves and twigs belonging to the large bush she now rested behind. Of course, she highly doubted the young woman would ever manage to find her amid so much foliage, but anxiety still overtook her as she placed her hands carefully beneath herself and slowly pushed herself up, a jolt of pain instantly running throughout her entire body and causing her to gasp loudly, collapsing to the ground once more.

Come on, Syrinia, you must fight! She thought to herself. This is neither the time nor the place to show any form of weakness.

Struggling to push herself up once again, she ignored the sudden blows of pain that came randomly. She had to get away as fast as possible just in case the woman actually decided to come searching for her. She could not risk it, even though she knew deep down inside herself that she would not be able to make it very far in this condition, and the oil would probably not take effect until a few hours later which still left her vulnerable at the moment.

Had she been in a better health condition, Syrinia may have taken the time to notice this young woman posed no real threat, but in such agonizing pain the amazon was unable to distinguish friend from foe as easily as she normally could. In a way, she was a threat to herself.

[Annel]

Annel’s senses suddenly became sharper than ever, her ears perking up at the sounds she was hearing behind her. “Oh, I’m sorry, my sweet human, please don’t run. My intention was not to frighten you, don’t worry…I won’t turn around. I know you’re not well.” She sighed once more, cursing herself for the stupidity of her actions. She was beginning to feel strong waves of pain, of agony…of impending death. Was her human…dying? She fidgeted anxiously, unsure of what to do or say next. “Maybe I should…” Annel paused mid-sentence and looked down at the ground. She was not going to let death take her human. “No, I cannot bear it…forgive me, my human; hate me forever if you will.”

Without a second thought, Annel turned and dashed into the dense forestry bordering her garden, closing her eyes and letting her senses guide her through the vast labyrinth of trees. She wove in and out of them, her own agility surprising her. She could feel the pounding of her heart against her chest. It felt as if it was going to burst forth from her rib cage, but she did not care. She was determined to save this creature. Tree branches were snagging her dress and she could feel blood dripping down the side of her cheek as she ran. She did not want to give her human any time; a second was all it would take for the creature to vanish, despite the vulnerable state to which it was reduced. Such a powerful creature you, sweet human, please do not run, and please do not give in to the pain...Please fight! Annel spoke fiercely to the human, hoping desperately that her words were being heard within the creature’s mind.

Annel stopped so suddenly that it frightened even her. There. My human is here. She crept towards a dense patch of shrubbery. She could feel herself being pulled towards a smaller bush with a magnetism she never knew could exist. She felt something deep within her heart and mind that she could never explain, never in her life had she felt such passion, such a drive, such an urge to fight for what she believed she should be doing. She slowly inched closer and closer to the smaller bush, her heart continuing to crash against her diaphragm. Before she could hesitate…she walked foreword and gazed upon her human.

[Thadvalddon]

With the exception of a chill to the nightly breeze, it was rather pleasant outside. Thadvalddon could stand there for hours just taking it all in, that is until his knees started to ache from standing still too long and the chill finally seeped into his fingers making it hard for him to form a fist.

The problem with age was that he could never fully escape the joint pain caused by years of neglect. The best he could do now was to treat the symptoms as them came. He had taken to relying fairly heavily on salves and ointments just to get through the day.

That reminded him, he was low on his supply. He would have to visit the kind young woman who lived between him and the forest-line beyond.

Noramlly he would have waited until morning, he wasn't one to go and interrupt a neighbor in the middle of the night. However, the noise coming from her yard had only seemed to increase in volume which made him think that she was perhaps seeing company at the time.

"I'll only be a moment", he thought. "I wouldn't want to bother he if she has company over."

As he made his way past the rickety old fence that did little in terms of keeping anything, especially rabbits, out of his yard, he looked up to see the young girl dart into the trees. Well he didn't so much see her as he happened to catch a glimpse of fabric illuminated by the moon as it disappeared into the trees.

"It seems like an odd time to go wondering off into the woods."

He had every intention of simply going over to the girl's house and leaving a note on her door, rather than follow her into the woods, that was until he swore that he heard somebody say the word 'human.'

[Syrinia]

The sound of leaves crackling and bushes rustling in the distance instantly alerted the young amazon as she quickly turned her head in the direction from which they originated. She knew exactly who was causing all the commotion, but she had no clue how she would ever be able to escape her. The young elf was now approaching at an alarming speed, obviously familiar with every inch of the forest as she dashed effortlessly through the many trees and shrubs it was composed of. Had it been any other day Syrinia would have easily escaped her grasp by simply disappearing into a nearby tree, but she definitely could not do this now, not with such a severe injury to her side making it almost impossible for her to even lift herself up a tiny bit.

With the last amount of strength left in her body, Syrinia forced herself up onto her hands and knees and began to crawl to safety as fast as she could. She knew she stood a very slim chance of escaping the young woman, but she had to at least try; it was not like an amazon to ever surrender, not even when only a few seconds from death.

Unfortunately, she was not fast enough, and she soon found herself face to face with the young elf she so feared. With nothing more at her disposal, she immediately curled her lips, revealing her teeth which slowly grew into razor-sharp fangs. She knew she would never be able to defend herself in this condition, but at least she could try the next best thing: intimidation.

She released a deep growl followed by a fierce snarl, one of her pupils shrinking while the other remained unchanged as she attempted to scare this being off. She despised having to use her dragon form, but now was a critical moment where it might have been the only way to stay alive.

[Annel]

"My word…" Was all Annel could manage to say. What she was seeing completely stunned her to the point of…laughter. The more she stared at what appeared to be…well…she wasn’t entirely sure what she was staring at…the harder it was to stifle the laughter that was threatening to erupt from her throat. Annel’s hands flew to her mouth, trying desperately to suppress her giggling. Her laughter seemed to provoke the creature more, which inevitably brought more laughter from Annel, who was by this time, rolling around on the forest floor clutching at her mouth. She found the creature’s snarling and hissing so very endearing in their hilarity. "Please…please…forgive me, my sweet human, I didn’t…I didn’t intend on having laughter be my first reaction upon seeing you, but by the Gods…" Annel gasped as she tried to regain her composure.

She pushed herself up on her elbows and gazed at her human, taking in the sheer beauty of her. Despite the way she was presenting herself at this moment, Annel could see that her human possessed a beauty unique to only the women of an Amazonian tribe which had been slaughtered by a group of shifters many years ago. Annel had only heard whispers of it from the elders. The woman had the most striking tribal markings she had ever seen, the crimson patterns so intricately painted upon her lovely golden skin that Annel released a small sigh, amazed to the point of hypnosis.

Annel felt an overpowering urge to caress the skin of the Amazon, to look into her eyes and to…that wound. By the Gods, it was oozing fluid, it was infected! Reality set in for Annel, who was nearly panicking in fear for the life of her human. She sat up on her knees and leaned forward to try and assess the wound without getting too close to the frightened Amazon. "I know you’re afraid, I know you’re just trying to defend yourself, but please know that I mean you no harm, love. I wouldn’t hurt you or any other creature for all the world, although you especially." She crawled over to the woman and extended her hand, offering the creature her palm to sniff.

And after a few moments…Annel could feel she was being watched.

[Syrinia]

Over the years Syrinia had experienced several different reactions from many different beings when she displayed aspects of her dragon form, but never in her life had she witnessed something like what currently stood before her; the elven woman was actually… laughing? How dare she! She obviously had no way to defend herself, and here she was, with an amazon who also happened to be a shifter, and she was laughing?

Syrinia’s growl loudened; she was beginning to get irritated by the woman’s ignorance. Nonetheless, she backed down a bit when the elf leaned towards her slightly, still refusing to put up a fight as she knew it would be better to flee at a moment like this. Still, she was mesmerized by the young elf’s beauty, unable to look away from her eyes as she continued to approach ever so slowly. She had never seen a creature so captivating such as the woman that was now only a few feet away from her, and she instantly felt a strong urge to crawl towards her when she reached out her hand.

Before she could get too close, though, the thoughts dissipated from her mind as she regained a defensive pose, growling and snarling once more while lowering her head a slight bit. She knew the elven woman would not turn away from her even if she did attempt to strike, but she had to at least try. After a while, though, she began to settle down a bit, her growls slightly more spread out as she allowed the young woman to inch towards her further.

Just as she was about to permit the woman’s hand to rest upon her head, however, her ears twitched as she heard an unfamiliar sound in the distance. It resembled the young elf’s feet as she scurried through the dense forest, but it was slightly different; heavier. The sound belonged to a male, she could tell, but why he was headed in their direction, she had no idea.