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"Ah... maybe we should let Amuary sleep before we head out. Who knows how far a town is..." Iskra picked up a chunk of bloodied fabric and wrinkled her nose; it had been an expensive cloak too, hard to steal. What a shame.

She draped the fabric over her arm and started to pick up the scraps of leather from her armor. Now quite quiet for how she had been, Iskra had relaxed around Amaury and Maren significantly from when they had first met. At least she wasn't whipping out her knife anymore.

Maren nodded her head at Iskra’s idea, “If he wants to, that would be fine. I don’t believe he got any sleep after last night…” She trotted away to tell the tired mason of the idea.

Once she got to him she saw that he had already packed the tent away and was busy tidying, “Would you want to rest before we leave? I can do the rest of the cleanup.” She straightened as best a creature like her could; holding her head up and looking capable; surely cleaning would be an easy task for her, she thought.

Amaury glanced up at Marenithiel when she arrived and suggested he sleep. He smirked but shook his head, "I love sleep, don't get me wrong... but I think its more important to get out of this place before sun down. That is, since you guys seem up to it." The mason tilted his head at the unicorn's posture, both charmed and amused by it. "Unless you don't think that the monsters in the dark would be a problem..? I do, either way."

Iskra didnt pay much attention to their conversation, not feeling the need to. She just continued cleaning up what was left of her armor.

She didn't know what to think of her current travel partners. They wouldn't be able to stay long around her; Amaury wasn't well suited to a combative lifestyle in her eyes, and Maren wouldn't fare well in the mountains against other hunters. She wondered shortly if it were possible to have...accquaintences over far distances, but dismissed the idea again. She was a bandit, being close to people wasn't allowed or safe in her field.

“Ah…yes…” Her ears drooped at the thought of having to encounter another terror of the night.
“It would be best to find the road before another night beast finds us. But we have a fair amount of time yet! Would a nap help you?”

Maren fidgeted despite her words; feeling that the sooner they got to the road the safer her and her companions would be. She nudged at his backpack absently, wishing to depart with them. She saw Iskra in the distance as she cleaned, and the unicorn looked back to Amaury as she remembered their conversation at the pond; blurting out, “Oh yes! Once we get to a town we can find a gift for Iskra!”

"I could nap." Amaury walked out of the hut and peered toward the sky. It seemed as if it were still noon to him, meaning he had some time if he chose to take one. When Maren mentioned getting Iskra a gift he looked back at her and nodded. "That's true! To be honest, I expect to spend a lot of my savings once we get there. Food, supplies, repairs... I know I have enough to trade for it. I'd have to do it alone, though, depending on what kind of town we run into. Not sure it's safe for you to walk in like that."

The mason walked back inside to snatch his hat from the floor, replacing it on his head and adjusting it.

Iskra had just ended up dumping what was left of her armor and cloak into the shed in a pile, looking at the gaping hole in the wall while she did. There was no way she would be staying there another night, just to be attacked by more of those beasts.

Or something worse.

She shuddered a bit at the thought, and walked up to Maren and Amaury to get away from the dark edge of the forest, "Well is he going to sleep?" She glanced to Maren, hardly acknowledging Amaury with her question. She seemed to mean no malice through it though.

“Alone? I could come with and help.” Maren replied cheerily, “-And don’t worry about me, I have my ways for blending in” Her golden eyes had mischievous glint to them. She had a secret she had yet to share, and hoped to show it to them soon.

Maren turned to address Iskra now, “He might take a nap, but I am ready whenever you two are.” She looked about, since their temporary camp was now clean and ready to be left. Her tail swished, the unicorn looked eager for them to be on their way.

She looked back to the mason for a moment and asked, “Hmm, perhaps the nap could wait until we find an inn?”

Amaury's expression lit up when the unicorn mentioned her methods for blending in. He was somewhere between curious, amused and pleased. "You're making me awful jealous I wasn't born a unicorn, you know that?" He set himself to packing away the preserved meat safely in his pack as she turned to talk to the bandit king.

"I think we're better off trying. Even if we don't find a town by the time night falls, we may be out of that thing's hunting range. That's all I'm hoping for, really."

"Well then," she sighed, "I suppose we should get going. The faster we escape these woods, the better." Iskra had no intentions to stay longer amongst the demons that lurked in the night.However capable and strong the bandit King was, it certainly was not as strong as these inhuman creatures.

She made certain her knives were secured on her belt, "Shall we start?"

If a Unicorn could blush, Maren would probably be doing so after Amaury’s comment. She tucked her head against her neck and pawed at the ground, pleased.

Se looked back up to Iskra and replied, “Yes, lets!” and practically pranced away. Maren calmed quickly after getting to the end of the clearing and paused to let the two catch up, and gazed into the forest ahead. She took a deep breath through her nose; clearing her mind. There were many paths unseen through these woods… they almost felt like living things, perhaps like the vines of a plant; clinging and twisting. She could feel their gentle tugging in one direction then another. If an unaware being became tangled within these paths, finding a way out would be a struggle indeed.

Once her companions were closer she began the trek, and after a few minutes her horn’s core began to throb gently within, heating at the base where it met her skull. In her mind’s eye, she pictured the road they would find. The unicorn didn’t seem to follow any path, seen or unseen, instead she carved her own through the forest. At times, she would pause briefly and sniff the air and the forest floor and enjoy the dappled light through the tree’s canopies.

After about an hour of traveling, Marenithiel glanced behind to look at the two, her horn shimmering as she moved. She had begun to silently weave magic around herself and could feel the air fizzle above her fur. She looked forward once more and passed under a particularly sunny spot between the trees. If Iskra and Amaury had been watching her they might have found that once she entered the light, a human female blinked into the place where the unicorn should have been. The young lady wore a blue laced overdress and a cream chemise. She pushed her light brown hair out of her face, though it was rather short it had a habit of curling slightly every which way and tickling her face.

“Hmm, we’re almost there I think.” Her voice sounded the same; soft with a cheerful lilt. She glanced behind again, her golden brown eyes shining with a familiar mischievousness. She held her hands behind her back, enjoying the feeling of having her fingers interlace.

With Marenithiel happily trotting away the mason glanced at Iskra before quickly jogging to keep up with her. The excitement the unicorn had rubbed off on him somewhat, helping to wake him for the moment and help him keep up. Being a man who's work was usually urban, Amaury sometimes struggled to wind through the path that she'd chosen for them, but whether by perseverance or the help of Iskra or Maren he'd get through eventually. He kept an eye, wondering just what the world must appear like to a being who was doing their best to pierce the illusory magic of the wood, since he could only see more thickets and forest ahead.

Then they came to the opening between the trees and he saw the transformation; shameless as he was, the mason found her new form easy to ogle. He tilted his hat back to do more of just that before averting his gaze when she glanced back; even if she looked human, it was a bit weird to stare. "Is this how you'll enter town?" He asked.

Iskra was in awe; she really was going to have to try hard to get the unicorns in the mountains to trust her, they would be powerful allies in times of need, certainly. With such navigation skills, it would be easier to leave the woods bordering the mountains. It was going to take a lot of work to gain their trust again, she would have to start with riding her hideout of the unicorn horns she had collected.

Her face was flushed with shame once again at the thought, but when Marenithiel had transformed and Amaury was staring she elbowed him rather harshly in the side, and offered a slightly tense and awkward smile to Maren; being around such a powerful creature was certainly humbling for the bandit King, "Thats an amazing skill you have..."

“Naturally” She replied, looking a little smug at her companion’s reactions. She ignored the throbbing ache where her horn would have been; the pain would fade eventually as it usually did whenever she transformed. Maren continued walking, albeit more carefully now that she was on two legs. She answered Iskra now, “Yes, it’s certainly useful at times. It was quite difficult to achieve at first...” She smiled back at her before looking forward once more.

The young lady carefully traced the circular mark on her forehead with the tips of her fingers before pulling her hand away. The unicorns that she knew were more purists than she... and made their opinions quite clear on the matter of Maren’s willingness to live among humans and aide them. They would probably avoid her entirely if they found out she befriended the Bandit King...Befriended? Maren wondered, and hoped she was right. Iskra seemed to have a darkness about her, but from what time that was spent with the bandit it was apparent that there was good in her.

She followed along her own path for a while more before finding a small human-made trail, and after a few minutes more halted once the main road came into sight, wishing to walk side by side with them now that her job of leading was done. Maren looked back to them, looking nervous but hopeful. “Here we are.”

(Sorry for the long posts!)

Amaury received the jab to his side without resistance, letting a small grunt in response but covering it with laughter and scratching the back of his head. He stayed quiet on the matter, as he figured such a gesture was inevitable once he was caught staring. As they followed the unseen path for a while the mason occasionally stretched and yawned, once again pulling his hat from his head and carrying it in his hand to let the sunlight reach him.

Then they were on the road; to him it was an abrupt discovery, and one he grew immediately excited to behold. He lifted his arms up and stepped on the mossy cobblestone road, hopping in place and spinning to face the other two and bearing a wide grin. "Look, look, look! It worked! You're amazing! I could kiss you both!" Despite the offer he didn't move to do so, as it might result in another jab.

(I love long posts. I'm just a bit embarrassed I can't match them.)

(ur good long posts are awesome)

Iskra smiled at the cobblestone, but rather than admiring the pathway, she looked up, scanning over the trees; in the distance, mountains, her mountains. Home. Her eyes seemed to widen at the sight, her lips cracking into a big smile but her excitement remaining contained. Home.

She let out a little laugh, "We survived..." Iskra tapped the main road with her heel, as if checking if it were real. While her joy wasn't as outright as Amaury's, the woman was certainly happy. That is, until Amaury made his kiss comment. The bandit king flushed red and her eyebrow twitched, "I'll pass on that offer. I'd rather not get sick."

Marenithiel beamed back a smile at Amaury and Iskra, any nervousness she had was quickly dashed away by their happy expressions. At the offer of a kiss the unicorn girl did truly blush now, her cheeks reddening. Iskra’s prompt response caused Maren laugh out loud breathily; it felt good to naturally respond as a human might, they were so very expressive after all. “I’m glad we made good time getting here, I’m sure we’ll find a village in no time now.”

She tilted her head back to see where the sun was, shielding her eyes with a hand, when suddenly the world tilted around her. She quickly looked back down as vertigo overcame her. It had been a while since she last took a human form… but she planned to keep it for the rest of the time she had with the two...especially now that they were on human-ruled land. Marenithiel took in a calming breath and looked back up when the feeling passed, and tried to put on another smile; hoping neither of them noticed her momentary unsteadiness. “Which way shall we go now, friends?”

"Yeah!" Amaury said, turning away. "...Wow. Its weird how some stuff doesn't really hit you until you're out of it. Could've been stuck there for... Well, nevermind that." He scanned the road; for as long as he could see it only seemed to go in two directions, though the terrain was uneven enough that they may simply not see branches in the path yet. He never thought that something so simple could seem so beautiful.

The tired mason had just been turning from surveying the space they occupied, catching Maren's waver in the corner of his eye, just barely. "Uh... I'll get my map. You alright there?" While searching he made sure to glance up at her, to ensure there were no unpleasant surprises as a side effect of her change.

"We," Iskra said, sounding much more confident than she had before, "will head that way, towards the mountains." She pointed out, but at the same time stuck her other arm out to her side, towards Maren. Like how a man would escort his partner when walking, offering support. She didn't mention it either, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. It was only an offer, if Maren didn't reach for her arm then she wouldn't pressure her into taking it.

However, she realized that maybe...demanding to head right to where her home was seemed suspicious. She began to stutter out an explanation, "T-There's a village at the base of the mountains...a small trading village, plenty of merchants selling supplies. I'm sure at this season....there's plenty of fruit around." Rubbing her neck, the bandit king gave off a sheepish smile, "I...obviously know the area well."

Maren saw Iskra’s arm and understood it to be some sort of gesture of kindness, though she wasn’t quite sure what to do. So instead merely smiled in thanks to the other woman. She then replied to Amaury, “I’m alright…perhaps that encounter with the Aufhocker took more out of me than I thought.”

Maren turned to face in the direction Iskra pointed to and carefully looked up to gaze at the mountain’s jagged forms in the distance. She brightened at the mention of fruits and looked eager to continue on their way. “That sounds wonderful, do you know if we will make it there before dark?”