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At the feeling of Coren's leaving the blanket, Aviere's first reaction was to crawl further into the blanket, in the warm spot that he had left for her. She snuggled herself in the blanket, hiding from the cold draft the rain brought.

It took her a moment in this befuddled state to actually realize Coren was gone. When the evidence finally culminated into a solid thought, she jolted awake. "Coren?" She mouthed to herself, though she already could tell he had left.

It only took one look outside for her to realize that the rain hadn't stopped. She let out a small whimper, and returned to the cozy, if empty space the human had left for her. She certainly wasn't going to go outside until the weather cleared up.

Coren wasn't gone long before he re-entered the tent wearing a slightly better set of clothes than he had on the night before. He glanced around for the fey before moving to put on the rest of his armor, humming a soft tune to himself.

His armor was an elaborate mix of blue and black died fabric and leather with silver plating. With the armor on, it was clear from the crest that he was one of the king's men from city in which they were traveling. However, he quickly gathered a ragged, black cloak and placed it over the armor, hiding his rank and loyalty from the outside world.

Upon putting the armor on and securing his weapons, he went back to search for the fey by carefully moving the blanket. He looked down at the sort of sleeping Aviere with amusement.

Aviere was, of course, awake when Coren returned to the tent. She only barely glanced up with her eyes, still curled up in on the warm center of the blanket. Though not versed in human ways and symbols, it was obvious by the gradiose and intricate plating on his armor that Coren was one of high stature. When he covered this with a cloak and came over to her, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to have been sleeping the entire time.

It was only when she felt him shift the blanket that she started to visibly stir. She turned over onto her back, stretching her arms and legs out, her wings twitching and shivering underneath her. After a yawn, she sat up, hunching over and crossing her legs.
"Good morning," she said groggily. She turned her head to look outside, sighing a bit that the weather still hadn't quite cleared. "Still raining then?" She asked rhetorically, then let out a sigh. "Are you one to travel in the rain?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled the affirmation of his travel plans. "Leaving as soon as I pack up the tent and make sure the horse has been properly tended to." He started to stuff his dirty clothes into one of the packs that sat in the far corner of the tent before fastening it and tossing it to the side--careful not to aim it Aviere's way.

He walked out of the tent, but continued to call conversational bits to the fey. "If all goes well, I should be able to reach the city by night fall." He shuffled about outside and soon the sound of a horse's hooves could be heard, as he feed the horse and lead it to the creek for a drink as he prepared the saddle. "Why spend another night in the wilderness because of a little rain?" For a few minutes after the question was posed, he mumbled inaudibly to Aviere to the stallion. "Got a nice-sized manor in the city that I already rarely use. Plus, I'd much rather have Torch here in a stable."

Aviere crossed her arms at his own rhetorical question, twisting her mouth in offense. "Why spend a night because of a little rain? Ever been hit by a gob of water half your size? All falling from the sky haphazardly at once? Ever tried to fly with wet wings, while some forest animal thinks you look like a tasty snack?" She huffed. The fey stood, brushing herself off. "Days like this are the bane of my existence, let me tell you. Time to hole up and wait for the rain to pass."

She followed Coren up to the edge of the tent, then stopped, holding on to the edge of the tent and peering outward, on the threshold between dry and wet. Her face turned to a pout, very much liking the sound of what Coren was describing. It would be nice to be in the city tonight. By her travel time, even if the weather was completely clear, it would still be another four days trekking alone.

"Well, that makes sense for you, but I can't say could speak to such an experience myself. I have, however, trekked through the snowy mountains of the north. Blizzards are much worse than a little bit of rain. With that in mind, I'm not going to let the weather slow me down."

He moved to grab the second pack and rummaged around in it, glancing back at Aviere. "So what do you do when it rains?" he pondered. "What would you have done last night if you hadn't stumbled upon my camp?"

She swayed back and forth, leaning into the fabric of the tent for balance. "Oh, you know..." she looked at the ground. "Just found a place to hide out for the night. Fey are quite skilled at living off the land. There are lots of oak trees around here, that have natural holes to hide out in, and big groupings of leaves to make a little hideaway under. It would be a waste of a day in travel time, sure, but that's what rain does." She explained. "Rain at night is especially troublesome, because nightfall is when a lot of predators come out... so you have to be really careful about not showing your wings, staying hidden, and constantly on alert. And its certainly harder to find hideaways in the dark, with rain falling down, and a chance of birds or snakes or bats hiding around every bush and tree... it's really quite frightening."

She stretched out her arms again, trying to push the sleep from her bones. Truly, though, having such a large tent over her head right now, blocking out the pitter pattering rain, just... felt good, felt secure. A feeling she hadn't had... in a long while. "So... running into you was truly a blessing. All of those worries?" She waved her hand up and down, as if gesturing good-bye. "Gone. Don't have to even think about them in a tent like this. Truly. A blessing. So... thank you."

"Where you trying to find shelter when the bird came after you?" he wondered after listening to her spiel about finding shelter from the rain. As he talked with Aviere, he looked at the tent, wondering what to do with it. He wanted to pack up the tent, but from what Aviere just said this was her only protection from the rain currently. The idea of taking the tent and leaving Aviere to find shelter in the rain didn't bode well with him, especially after listening to her account of what a rain storm was like.

"It really was no problem letting you stay in the tent." He shrugged off her gratitude with a slight blush, which he tried to hide using the cloak. "It was the right thing to do." He stalled by packing up the bedding he'd used and securing the first few packs to the horse.

When all that was left was the tent and Aviere, he turned to look at her with a sigh. "You said you were heading to the city as well?" He asked rhetorically crossing his arm and tapping his foot in thought. "Do you have an aversion to traveling with Torch and me?" He gestured to a beautiful, dappled-gray stallion with a black mane and tail.

She nodded quietly to Coren's first question. Her run ins with birds were few and far between... she much preferred to not have to defend herself at all.

Her face absolutely lit with joy at the offer to become traveling companions. "Yes, I'm headed there as well... and it would be wonderful to not have to travel alone. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She exclaimed. Aviere's wings fluttered behind her, soaring up several feet to the peak of he tent. She held her arms out, as if offering herself to be held. The thunder in the distance heralded the news that the rain would not stop any time soon.

After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously reached out his hand for her after stepping closer to the tent. "I just need to pack up the tent, then we can be on our way." He looked around. "Is there a place I can put you until I'm done with that?" He asked sheepishly, looking towards his horse.

Aviere landed in his hand gracefully, the smallest bit of weight pressing into his palm. She walked down his wrist enough to pull at his cloak, covering herself with it as if it were a shawl, hiding her head underneath. "I just need something to cover myself," she said with an adorable smile. "And then I can wait with Torch." She wiggled her way against his wrist, getting her entire self underneath the edge of his cloak like a blanket.

Coren carefully pulled his arm closer to his body and headed over to Torch. He used his free hand to rummage through one of the packs he'd just secured before pulling at a piece of fabric. Pausing for a moment, he looked from the fabric to Aviere. He moved his arm slowly up to the hood of his cloak. "Can you sit under my hood for a moment? I need both of my arms."

He looked back at the blanket he'd pulled from the bag. "I'm going to tear off a piece of this blanket, so that you can use it for protection from the rain while I deal with the tent," he explained. The blanket had been rugged to begin with and it became clear that he'd torn pieces from it before when the situation called for it.

"Or," Aviere was happy to dart from his arm, up his cloak, barely using her wings, just using her strength to reach the collar of the cloth. After a bit of scurrying, she found her way to his shoulder, finding a comfortable spot on his pauldron where she could hold tight, even if he moved around. "Or I could sit here while you put the tent away," She said, a bit of teasing in her voice. She certainly seemed like she'd done this before.

He glances at the fey on his shoulder not speaking for a moment. He finally gestures with a curt nod, "That would work, as well." He stuffed the blanket back into the pack and moved over to the tent before glancing at Aviere once again. "Are you going to be okay there? I'm not exactly used to someone being on my shoulder while I work?" He sounded genuinely concerned, but didn't seem to mind having her there.

With each of his movements, his nod, his arms moving about, his walking, Aviere got a taste for how Coren carried himself. Graceful, but firm in his actions. The purposefulness in his movements made it easy to keep herself steady, even upon metal. She let steadied one leg underneath herself, let the other hang over Coren's shoulder, put one hand on a groove in the pauldron, and set another on the flesh of his neck. As awkward as it may have seemed for Coren, this came naturally to Aviere... all she had to do was hold fast, and if he leaned a bit too far forward, she instinctively pushed herself against his neck. Indeed, even after a few simple movements getting things together, Aviere had already proven she knew what she was doing.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she assured. With Coren holding still, Aviere scuttled across the back of his neck, bringing herself to his other shoulder. She plopped herself down on this shoulder, stomach down, kicking her legs girlishly behind her, all while balancing herself with just a single hand tucked under a groove for balance. "The armor makes it a little slick... I've found clothes are a bit easier to hold to... but... I can manage." She giggled.

After being assured that Aviere wouldn't been harmed by his movements, he started to breakdown the makeshift tent that was formed from branches from the woods and a thick leather canvas that was about as worn and dilapidated as his cloak and the blanket. He carefully laid the pile of wood to the side for however stumbled upon the area next and started to roll the tent.

Making quick work of the tent, Coren walked back to Torch and secured the canvas with the rest of his meager belongings--it would seem the flashiest thing about him was his armor, but by the way Coren carried himself and went about packing up, it would seem he took great care of what little he had despite their ragged state.

He easily swung onto Torch and started off at an easy pace through the trees before making it to the trail through the woods. Upon reaching the path he started to pick up the pace, but kept glancing down at Aviere to assure himself that she was fine.

At least while Coren was working, Aviere kept herself steady, trying her best to not get in his way. A simple enough task, and while he worked, Aviere tucked her head in against his neck. It was only when Coren was securely saddled on Torch that she felt safe to move about again.

She scurried down away from his shoulder, sitting in his lap, safe enough from the rain by Coren's hood hanging overhead. She sat forward, turning her head up towards Coren. "So, you never seen a fey before? You've been to the city before. What's it like? I've never been. What do you want to do when we get there?" Aviere was so excited to be on the road again... and not alone. "Do you think Torch likes me?" She tilted her head toward's the horse's head. "Do you think he's even noticed me?"

Looking down at Aviere, he offered her another of his easy smiles. "Torch notices everything. He's a war horse." He spoke affectionately about the animal. "That said, I'm sure he's noticed you."

"As for me, I can't say I've ever noticed a fey, but then I haven't been many places or been in any position to notice any. I've, of course, heard of the fey." He continued to answer her questions, pausing a moment to think of what he thought of the city.

"Well, I think my most memorable moment about the city was my first time there. I've been to capitals of a few other kingdoms, but it had been a very long time since I'd seen one of this caliber. The buildings are enough to make anyone feel small. Some buildings carved out of marble. Towers of quarried stone. Grand houses made of wood and stone from faraway lands." He rambled a bit, as he thought about it. "It wasn't even that long ago. I'd traveled there from a small town on the Eastern border, and I felt so lost in the bustle of citizens going about trading. People travel from all over to do business there. I felt so insignificant in the scheme of things. It as perfect." He chuckled softly. "I traded the last of my possessions for a room for a few nights at one of the inns. Started working as a sellsword."

He looked at Aviere. "You'll have to experience the city for yourself to understand the grandeur."

Aviere sat and listened, absolutely marveling at what a magnificent city it must be. She knew it'd be by far the largest town she'd ever visited. It only heightened her anticipation. "Wow... I can't wait to see what it's like..." She muttered to herself.

As she thought, Aviere decided to be a little more adventurous in her meandering. She crawled forward along the saddle despite the rain, bringing herself up to Torch's mane, which she happily pet for a moment.

However, she only had to be out from under her shield a mere trice before the rain found her. After but a droplet, she was soaking wet. She quickly became so slippery she'd been unable to stay perched on the horn of the saddle. She slid back down to the seat, tried to wipe the water from her eyes... But each time she managed to regain her sight, another rain drop soaked her through yet again.

She blindly scurried back towards the warm comfort of Coren's cloak. If anything, it was easy to dry off. She wiped her face, and wrapped herself up in as much of his cloak that she could easily snuggle into.

"The clouds are starting to lighten up," she mentioned, poking her head out and looking up. "Couldn't possibly rain more than a few more hours, do you think?" Despite her observation, she knew that wasn't always the best guess. It was enough to make her let off a soft grumble. Weather in the Forest was rather unpredictable. Still, one could hope, right?

Coren glanced down at Aviere, going between watching the path in front of them and watching what she was doing. "It is an experience. It is a bit different in war time--not as many travelers, but there are still so many people. A lot of the kingdom's nobles live there, but I've always found the workers to be the most interesting. Watching a blacksmith forge a sword. A baker cook a pie." He went on, as Aviere went about petting Torch.

Seeing the rain hit her and her stumble back to the cover of his cloak, he began to understand some of the struggles she'd mentioned this morning. It put things into perspective. But, then, he'd never been one to understand orders or lectures. He did much better experience things for himself. Coren had found there was no way to quite understand something until you were thrown into it. "Are you alright?" he asked, as she wrapped herself in his cloak.