Fire with Fire

[Lovely]

October 11, 2009

Reilly's village had been destroyed a few days before and the invading army that had swept it away as if it were nothing, had since moved on, a few of it's dark creatures or soldiers had stayed behind. There were few survivors as the army continued through the land, ravaging it in thier wake. Fires were set, buildings were smashed - some completely demolished, trees splintered, and smaller ones uprooted.. there was a path cut for miles in the army's wake before they simply marched on to whatever the next destination was. Reilly had watched from the cover of what forest remained, her heart breaking for all the senseless destruction and fearing discovery by the ones who stayed behind.

Today she perched in a tree, overlooking what was left of the village, her weapons close at hand though she made no move to seek anything in the rubble of her former home - not yet. She watched another and the ones who watched him, keeping silent and waiting for the right moment and clear shots to take down her enemy. It was a little cool and she was thankful for the fur that partially covered her in various ways from her leg wraps to the larger piece that was used like a cloak around her shoulders. The fur was adorned with bones in some places as were her weapons, per the customs of her people.

Crouched low and continually watching over his shoulder, he dug carefully around the fallen walls. It wasn't his choice to be out in the open but there was little shelter left above ground and he had too many left yet to find. He hoped that there were any at all left to find, but for now he was alone, climbing carefully over the debris and dodging loose stones and still-smoldering wood. For a brief moment, he appeared victorious over something discovered, but it was not a survivor he pulled free. Instead it was a small cask that had been protected from the fires by the surrounding stones and he raised it up, shaking it to ensure the contents were still liquid within. For the moment he sat and chipped at the top to pry away whatever would come loose or splinter apart so he could drink. His rag-tied finds of weaponry and clothing sagged into a heap beside him as he rested, still ever-watchful for the soldiers, seeming to almost lift his nose to the air as if his senses could rise above the sooty stench of the aftermath and smell their location. Victorious again, he'd cracked a hole in the top and lifted the cask for a sip, wiping his mouth with a muddy sleeve.

Reilly watched the man as he collected bits from the rubble, pieces that by all rights should be hers as a survivor of the village but with the others so close, she didn't dare show herself yet. Should he move close enough with them far enough away, she might risk challenging him for the items and might best him with the load he carried being a disadvantage in her eyes. She envied the drink he found and her tongue dabbed at her lips, her focus on him and distracted from watching the others, she lost track of where they were as they moved.

He wasn't sitting long and didn't dare drink his fill. He took a piece of cloth and wadded it into the crack he'd made to keep the liquid from spilling out. His head rose again and then he pulled himself from the ground, taking two implements from his bundle and setting the rest beneath a stone he used as a marker, keeping them hidden until he could come back for them. Taking one into each hand, it was clear they were blades, not of the best quality though their previous owners would scarcely care now. He seemed only to guard the small cask now and stood listening for the soldiers or possible survivors. He looked toward the tree, one of few left standing, marveling at it a moment before he appeared to nod a silent resolve to himself. The stones were not enough to keep him from view and the smoke and dusty shadows were moving less and settling.

She wondered if he was a mind reader as he hid the items away and took up his weapons instead, was it her he guarded against or was it the others moving in those dusty shadows? He looked toward the tree she perched in and Reilly was careful to hold herself as still as possible, watching him in return. Was he able to see her as she did him or was it merely coincidence that he looked her way? As he nodded his head, other movement caught her attention and she peered beyond him to see three dark creatures rising into the air as they leapt toward the scavenger. Three against one with more lurking to attack him, was not a fair fight. Rielly shifted her bow into her hand, she only had a handful of arrows and could not waste them but poised herself ready to fire if she got a clear shot.

[Lovely]

His head lowered and his shoulders squared, readying himself and listening as the creatures triangulated, intent on destroying him, or at the least torturing him if they were feeling playful. He had yet to see any in a playful mood, but he somehow hoped. A strange smile crossed his face and his tongue ran over his lips as he looked up at the first, striking toward it and to the side at the second as they attacked. The third had the benefit of his limited limbs and struck him in the right side as he thrust the blade forward. Its colleague on the left side was met with only a glancing blow as he was knocked to the ground. The leader that had come at him directly propelled away, back into the air for another strike unharmed. The three came at him as he tumbled away with the cut on his right shoulder, that blade wobbling as he lifted it again for another strike as he rolled to his feet. Four... he was sure he could smell another, but only three faced him. He did not dare turn his attention now to find the fourth. His only chance was to cut down at least one of these before him, first. He used the right blade as a shield and as ballast, swimming forward with the left blade, delivering more than a glancing strike this time as the creature moved forward. He'd struck hard enough to cut deeply into a vein but not behead the wretched beast, its dark life spilling and spraying the others. The sound of its pained cry was beyond the chill of deepest winter and made him turn his head to cover his ears as he tried to strike again at the other two.

Reilly was impressed at how the scavenger fought, three large dark beasts against one lone man and he faced them bravely. Her eyes followed the movement of the creatures as well as his and waited till there was a moment with him clear to fire, her arrow hit it's target and a second wail rose up to join the first. The creature was silenced by the next arrow which sank into into it's eye socket and came out the back of it's skull, ending it's miserable life. The fourth which the man had sensed rose up to make an attack from behind him, it's mouth opened to roar and Reilly let forth a third arrow which sank into the gaping maw and and left it gurgling as it staggered backward.

The piercing shot flew past him. Thankfully it appeared to be on his side of the fight. He struck again on the one he'd sent wailing, silencing it permanently like its friend as he staggered away from the path of the one left gurgling and flailing against the shaft lodged in its mouth behind him. He rolled and struck upward, ripping through its armor-like hide just above the thing's hip, slicing upward and leaving it to fall to the ground beside him. One remained mostly unharmed and angered and this one nearly dispatched. Where had the arrow come from? He rolled away from the one that fell and gathered his footing again to hold off the leader and strike again at this one to finish it off.

Reilly was going for strikes which would do the most damage rather than sending off rapid fire shots that would do minor damage, she didn't have the arrows to spare to use them to simply keep the creatures at bay. She waited for the leader to lift it's arm and she took her shot, sending the arrow into the softer skin of it's armpit. It was not a killing blow but would hinder it's attack on the man and if he got close enough he might be able to drive the arrow into the creatures heart. She had two arrows left and swung herself to another branch to give herself a clearer view of the fight as the three shifted and staggered.

He felt himself flinch a little as the creature moved to strike him but was halted in mid swing by another arrow. This time he glanced toward the source, but saw no one. The tree? Someone was there. It was the only place sheltered enough unless it was a mage in some hiding cloak, though most with such power had been turned to the dark army or killed. His attention was diverted only that brief moment as he turned the one blade from the now-dead creature on the ground and brought both up toward the one that had tried to strike him. The first blade blocked the arm that swept at him, past him to try and pull the shaft free from its chest. The second blade caught the grasping hand, removing it before it had grappled the arrow to free it. Again the dark ooze sprayed and he covered his face momentarily, again feeling the piercing screech penetrating his sensitive ears.

Reilly was farther away and her ears were not sensitive as the man's were, so the screech while piercing didn't bother her to the extent it did him. She used the moment when the man covered his face and the other creature flailed in pain to send one last arrow into it's screaming mouth, having seen the man in battle she was sure he'd be able to finish the thing off without too much trouble. The question she did wonder about was whether her assistance would be repaid with a fight against the scavanger? She stayed in the cover of the tree for now, sure he must have some idea of where she was but not sure if he'd seen her or would try to find her.

He heard another shaft whip through the air. The attacker fell with its companions, flailing with the stubbed arm to try and push the wood out of its jaws while the other arm bent and twisted around the arrow buried beneath it. The man wasted little time rising to his feet to assist the creature with its misery, first kicking hard against the shaft under its arm, burrowing it deeper, then using it to leverage the arm down for the instant it took to slice downward, piercing the creature into silence. The stubbed arm convulsed and waved as the life flowed from it owner. He pulled the blade free and thrust again, pinning the arm to ground. He remained standing, unmoving for that moment, waiting for another arrow that might seek him next.

She would not waste her precious arrows on the scavenger, unless he left her no choice but to fire upon him as well. She'd helped him dispatch the creatures because eliminating them also helped her, she would no longer need to worry about them finding or attacking her. She watched the man as he stood still and wondered what it was that kept him like that for that moment, her gaze stayed on him and she shifted herself down to another branch in the tree. The weather was turning cooler when the village was attacked but Rielly wore only modest coverings and the fur wrap around her shoulders. Her legs and torso were mostly bare and bore a few gouges from the fight that would scar her otherwise flawless skin. She winced once or twice but got herself into a better position to see the man if he decided to approach her hiding place.

[Lovely]

No other arrows flew and the creatures remained still though it would not surprise him if by some magical curse they rose to fight more. He finally took a deep breath and loosened his stance, wiping his face against his arm. He winced, feeling the sting of the deep cut on his shoulder as he moved. It would need tending, but not here out in the open. He tossed the blade out of his left hand toward his pile of belongings where they were hidden beneath the slag of what remained of the first creature that fell. He rolled the body aside with his foot, pushing himself awkwardly off balance as it was apparent now how fatigued he was already and affected by the pain. He sank down to sit again beside his cask and pulled the make-shift cork free. It was sopped with the liquid and he frowned. A moment later he took a drink from the cask, poured a little more on the cloth and began swabbing his sore shoulder with it. The rag was discarded after a moment and he stretched, taking another sip from the cask before standing again and setting it aside. His implements were ignored except the blade he kept in his right hand at the ready, drawing a thin line in the dirt and debris with it as he staggered toward the tree, his head raising again in seeming defiance. In truth, his nose lifted to the air, seeking the scent of the unseen archer, trying to discern what sort of creature might be behind the assistance he received. His head then cocked with a strange expression, his tongue whetting his lips again. What sort of trickery was it to make him think a wolf might be hiding in the branches? He stopped and gestured, his chest prone for any remaining arrows if the archer meant to shoot him. "My disadvantage," he offered, seeming to goad or challenge the archer for the shot. "Or my thanks, whichever you'd rather have."

From her vantage, she was able to admire the man more as he sat to drink and cleanse his wounds and even as he walked toward the tree where she perched. The closer he got the better view she got of his features and she realized he was attractive, though a bit older than she was. She could almost laugh at herself for noticing such a thing, he was a fellow survivor not a potential suitor. He was a proud, strong man, that much was obvious in the way he held himself and walked and then the near challenge. Reilly secured the bow over her shoulder and carefully but gracefully lowered herself, then dropped from the branches of the tree. She was shadowed by it's height but easily viewed from where the man stood. "Will you give me reason to need use your disadvantage?"

"Not really," he smiled, lowering his hands. He frowned a moment later. She wore skins that explained why he thought there might be a wolf nearby. He then nodded. "At least I know I'm not entirely crazy," he admitted to himself though loud enough to hear. He look at her again, one eye squinted as if the sun shone brightly in his face, though it didn't. Then scents were confusing his thoughts. "I'd rather stay on your good side. You're a good shot."

Her eye brow arched at his comment about knowing he wasn't entirely crazy, she wasn't sure what he meant by it but figured it had to do with the arrows seeming to fly out of nowhere to help bring the creatures down. Reilly pulled herself up more straight, her chin tilted ever so slightly with a bit of her own pride as he looked at her again. She had not been the best warrior or hunter of her people but she'd been one of the higher ranking ones and her skill with her bow had been shown to this man. "Thank you." Her eyes ran over him and she licked at her lips. "You're welcome for the help with those nasty things."

"I meant thank you for not shooting -me-," he clarified, rolling his shoulder a little against the pain and stiffness that was beginning to settle in. "But thank you for that, too. I could have managed... I think. Probably would have lost my hide in the process. Glad I didn't." He looked around again for others but saw nothing but the ragged remains of the village. "Did you live here... before... when there was a 'here'?"

"Oh. Well.. you're welcome for the not shooting you too." She gave a faint smile that hinted at the sweet and teasing nature which she'd been known for in the village he now asked about. The pain was still fresh enough to shine in her eyes as she nodded to his questions. "Yes, that was my home.. when there was a here." It seemed for a moment she wanted to say more but whatever it was never made it past her lips to be voiced.

He shifted the blade in his hand, turning the point in the dirt by his worn out boot. "That was unfair. I'm sorry. Whether it was this village or the last one I passed, it was an expected answer... that wherever it was, it was and isn't anymore. I had hoped maybe there were more survivors here. There might still be, but if your family...," he paused, looking off toward the smoking ruins. Any cries would have been answered by the soldiers already. He shook his head. Any other survivors were laying silently for more time to pass but the soldiers would still be waiting. "How many arrows do you have?"

Reilly shook her head, her gaze on the ruins of the village as a tear slid down her cheek. "There aren't.. I've been watching for days.. since the army moved on.. you're the first thing that has moved or made a sound that wasn't one of those things." She shook her head again and let out a long soft sigh as she focused on the question about her arrows. "Not many.. not enough. I should probably retrieve the ones I just used. I've been waiting for an opprotunity to go back to look for anything still usable.. The cold will come quickly and most of what we'd gathered and prepared for the winter is lost." She motioned briefly to the attire she wore under the fur wrap that was draped over her shoulders, it would not keep the cold from her. Her legs and torso were mostly bare, the attack had come at night and she'd been sleeping when the noise woke her.

"Then we better get what we can and keep moving before more of those things come and you're out of arrows," he suggested as he rubbed at his shoulder a little. The cut was caked and drying, but still damp and quite sore. "Or I run out of arms. I'm not that good with the left, but necessity has been a good trainer."

Her mouth opened as he told her what they needed to do and her head tilted slightly to the side as her eyes washed over him again. "You intend to join me? We will need to find or build shelter for the coming winter and will need to try to gather as much as we can to get us through."

"Looks like I already have," he pointed out. "Two mouths may be harder than one, but two fighting together... it works out. Shelter is good, but begging for trouble. Anything the nasties see they destroy, but a hole in the ground... that's just a hole. Dig it right and the snow stays out - and so do the nasties. Got a shovel?"

[Lovely]

"Two might make the winter months more tolerable and less dreary." The thought of facing the cold and snow alone was much less appealing than the thought of spending it with this stranger. "What about a cave? We wouldn't have to dig it.. there are some a few miles from here." She pointed back toward what was once the forest and beyond it a small ridge that rose up which was still decorated with a small cover of trees though not nearly half as many as there once was. "I'm Reilly.. we should know each other since you've joined me."

"Less dreary is a good enough reason for me," he nodded, thinking about the cave she suggested. "A few miles there is only a few miles back to acquire more from the ruins here. Saves time digging, too. Call me Mitch if you want to keep me friendly."

"Saves your back from digging as well." She smiled again, this time it was a little brighter but her eyes still held the sorrow for what had been lost and the ones she'd cared for who had been taken. "Shall we fetch my arrows and the items you've already pilfered, then I'll show you where the caves are and... we can see from there what needs to be done?"

"They're not all pilfered," he defended though his tone was more playful than cross. He pulled the sword up in his hand and looked at the streaks of gore that dulled its gleam. "This one came with me. The rest.. friends' along the way, mostly. They couldn't fight any longer, or simply didn't want to, so... left them in good hands." He smiled a bit with the soft edge of his pride shining through again and gestured with the blade for her to get what she needed. "May be more arrow left, or we may have to teach you to use more than just your bow."

"I... I didn't mean to imply they were all pilfered.. just that I'd been watching you move and begin to pick through the ruins before you were attacked.. that you started to find things of use already." He was her elder, though she wasn't sure by how much, and she knew better then to speak disrespectfully to them. Reilly felt out of sorts in a way as she'd never felt anything more than a mild attraction to any man, including the one she'd been betrothed to and her gaze kept going to Mitch. She chose to try to ignore it and nodded gently to his suggestion. "There may be more arrows but I think it would still be wise for me to learn other things.. if you're willing to teach me?"

"Willing to teach those willing to learn," he agreed with a sigh that said he'd tried before on others not quite so willing. He grinned again and moved closer to her, taking a deep breath as if he was going to say something much more than he did. "Get your arrows and we'll see what else you know as we search."

She nodded once more and watched him for a moment longer before she started moving back toward the village and the fallen creatures to pull her arrows from them so they could be used again. She did her best to wipe the gore from the arrows before pulling a lace from her own coverings to tie them together to carry. She didn't say much as her mind was working over what he could have meant by his last comment and trying not to think of what they would likely discover within the rubble as they searched for more useful items.

He followed closely as she gathered her weaponry. He piled up his implements in their cloth wrapping, keeping the sword ready, then looked at the cask and the items he had, clearly pouting. "Shame to waste it," he muttered. "We should have ourselves a little drink first. May not get another for a while."

"It won't last until we get to the caves? I welcome such an indulgence but think it more wise to wait until we have reached our shelter for tonight. If it won't keep then by all means, let us have a taste of it now and not waste it." She turned to him with a brighter smile, her eyes going over the cask first and then up his arm to his face. "How long have you been travelling?"

"It will last, but not enough hands to carry it and whatever we find of use. Build ourselves a cart of some kind, or find one in there, we may be in luck to have ourselves a little festivity when we find those caves, barring finding more nasties between now and then, too," he explained, setting down the sword to pick up the container that was too large to tie into his satchel of things, but small enough to find a way to bring with them. He held it up for her to take a sip. "We can come back for it and we may find more in there. Been traveling a couple months, I'd say, and this is the first I've found of anything I remember."

"A couple of months.." She echoed softly and fell silent a moment, wondering and guessing at what had happened to his home that made him leave it and how long he'd been alone on this journey. "The village here was whole only a few days ago, no one else has come but much was destroyed as the army swept through.. it was like they just stomped over it like stepping on dry branches you don't feel like going around. Since there are no others and it has not been long, luck might be with us to find more of use. There were some fires but we had a bit of rain. Most of this was them tearing and knocking it down." She moved as she spoke, lifting pieces to pick through and heading toward another fallen structure. "Here, this might work. The one side is crushed but the rest looks alright.. I'm not sure we can move this piece of wall that's fallen over it." She pointed out what was left of one of the few carts that had been there before, since the village was small there wasn't need of many.

[Lovely]

He looked at the debris she poked around and the piece of wall that had fallen onto the cart. If they could get to it and found the wheels in working order, they could carry out quite a bit more than he'd hoped. "Doesn't look too bad," he said, testing his strength on the stone pieces, moving the smaller ones easily as he climbed around them. "These big ones are going to need a little help. In my bundle there, there's a broken broadsword. Nothing more than a prybar, now," he suggested, finding a spot he could get some leverage against the bigger stone.

Reilly watched him move pieces that even the strongest man in the village probably wouldn't have been able to. Her tongue ran over her lips as she realized Mitch was quite strong and the attraction she felt for him increased. She blushed and turned in a hurry to go get the broken sword he asked for, hoping that by the time he returned she'd come to her senses and stop ogling the man before he realized she was and took off running - thinking she was some crazy child! It wasn't Mitch's fault her wedding day was missed or that she'd never found her betrothed very interesting or attractive. She came back to where Mitch perched to get to the rocks moved. "What can I do to help?" She didn't want to try to help him and end up in his way.

"Stand clear and don't let these land on you? Check the wheels when they're clear enough to see. It's held up the stones this well, we may be in luck. Other than that - start looking for food that's not going to last until we come back."

Her chuckle was soft and it lit her eyes for a few seconds, long enough for him to see the sparkle if he was looking. "I'll try very hard not to let any fall on me." She held out the sword for him to take and then moved herself out of the way, staying close enough to shift back to check the wheels once he got them clear. She did as he asked and started searching for food, pulling out other items that were still in good condition as she dug around.

Mitch took the blade with a nod, careful not to pull hard while she still held on. Once she was back enough, he set the blade into the only space he could find any sort of leverage and pushed, feeling the metal strain against the weight of the rock. He turned it and tried again, gaining enough of a hole to drive the blade further underneath. He laughed at the luck of it so far and pressed again, dislodging the heavy stone and sending it crashing over the others, knicking corners of them into powdery clouds as it fell against them and came to rest a few feet away. The blade was warped now, but still useful to clear away some of the smaller ones he couldn't move by hand. His hand was shaking by the time he was done clearing most of them away to get the cart clear. The trick now was knowing if it would move at all or if the wheels had been broken completely. "Think we got ourselves a cart," he said, rubbing his forehead with his arm and watching her collect what she could. He wasn't very optimistic about food being found, but they'd been lucky so far.

Reilly came back, checking the wheels carefully and looking over to him with a slightly tearful smile. "The wheels look good." It was only a cart but with so much destroyed and so much sadness since the attack, this one small thing was not so small. It was a turn of luck for the better, making her more hopeful for the future. Mitch's arrival had started this and she was grateful he'd chosen the path which brought him here when she needed him. She'd been questioning why she'd survived and no others from her village, what was so special about her? Perhaps Mitch was the answer to that, and she was meant to help another. "I found a few bowls, a cup, a knife, .. and a sack of potatoes. A bag that was on top of it was charred but other than the edges, this one appears good."

"Charred potatoes can't be all bad and the bag that's mostly good, is mostly useful for patches and slings. It'll still hold something until then, right? Bowls, good, and the rest, really good," he said, climbing down the stone trail beside the cart. "Let's pull this out and see how heavy we can load it before we can't move it at all."

Now that the cart wasn't pinned by the debris, it moved easily into an open patch of ground. They would have to load some things on it before being able to test the weight against what they could pull. Reilly wasn't afriad of a little hard work, she was used to it, having grown up doing all sorts of unlady like tasks. She placed the few items she'd found into the cart and went back to digging to see what else could be easily found. She put the charred bag of potatoes into the cart along with the one that had been in better condition and now she pulled a few empty sacks out of the debris, figuring by what Mitch had said about the other that they could be put to some use. She had found what was left of someone's kitchen and was quickly pulling out some pots and large utensils they could use for cooking, they'd need to wipe away some dirt and soot but otherwise they were good. She found some that were bent or dented and set them in another pile, not sure if Mitch would want to bring them. At this point she figured many things could find uses, even if bent or broken, like the sword Mitch had used a a pry bar.

[Lovely]

"Ever make armor?" He asked, looking at a dented pot that wouldn't sit evenly over a fire any longer, but could still be used as shielding, or could be set into the ground a little to still hold plain water which was soon becoming scarce. "Load it up. What won't cook anymore can hold other things."

"No, have you?" She replied in regard to his question about armor and she glanced up to him with a small shrug. "I can make clothes from furs and skins and any material we can find, even vines if we're short on laces." She offered and let him know that she did have some skills even if they weren't the specific ones he was wondering about.

"Some. Necessity... again," he said, putting the pot in the pile with the rest on the cart. "A rock for a hammer and a bone for a shovel, but only when I really have to go that extreme. Find something and make it work or find something and find a use for it. Pot? Helmet. Broken pot? Find a way to tie them down to cover your shoulders, or knees. Furs are good to pad them.. .and make them look nice, too," he mentioned, giving her a nod of approval as well, for her knowledge and her ability to wear the results quite nicely. As a man, he was not immune to the fact that she was completely female and of an age and shape that would distract him to no end. He couldn't afford to be distracted yet and had tried not to notice. Rather than hide it, he let it shine through a crooked smile that he'd certainly noticed, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

The way he looked at her now made her feel warm and she knew her cheeks were pink with a soft blush to match the shy but accepting smile she gave him. Unless she was imagining it because of wishful thinking, Mitch found her attractive and it thrilled her but she only allowed herself a moment to drink it in before she got back to work. "The winter here can be quite cold, we'll need to find some way to keep warm. There is not alot of time to gather wood and in the caves, we may not want to keep a fire going all the time. Anything we can find in here to use as covering will help." She put the pots into the cart along with a couple hooks that had been dislodged from the collapsed wall.

"Takes a lot for me to get cold. I don't mind it much," he said as she turned to look further through the debris. The items she found were it decent condition as if the armies had simply pummeled down the walls and only burned some, enough to drive out the villagers and destroy their hope. "Wish it made more sense," he muttered, looking at one of the hooks and putting it back on the pile, too. He began digging through items himself, finding quite a bit that was just cascaded into piles and strewn more than disintegrated and he began to wonder more about the army that had come through here. Maybe not all of their troops were the same. He hadn't seen these screechers before. Maybe their battalion didn't work the same way. The rubble had every appearance of the aftermath of an earthquake. While several fires still smoldered, there was quite a bit here left that could ignite. "Not at all like the last one."

"Lucky you.. I still need better coverings.." She smiled at him though and held up a few mismatched pieces that she could modify to fit her, it looked like the bedroom had ended up in the kitchen and it was all mixed together in this pile. She tossed the clothing onto the cart and started shifting rocks and boards more quickly as she spotted what she thought might be bedding. Even stained there might be a good amount of padding and fabric to be put to use and it was light so it wouldn't weigh down the cart. "What's not like the last one?" She asked as she looked up to him, finding another wrap similar to the one she wore but larger as it was made from bear and likely belonged to a man. "Just in case." She rolled her eyes over Mitch, sure it would fit him if he decided he needed it.

"Not like the last village, or the one before it," he said, glancing at the large fur she held up. He chuckled and shook his head. He wasn't going to need it, but the padding wouldn't hurt to have. "Sure, just in case. Put it with the rest. The destruction is different, like the army is just a different army altogether, but still bent on destroying everything in its path. One big force at work is all it is, but who is the master general, and the bigger question... why? Like I said, it just doesn't make sense."

She put the fur into the cart and sighed heavily, her head shook a little with the thoughts about all the destruction that had been happening in thier world. The news got to her village more slowly than some places as they were small and tucked away, not seeing too many travellers or traders. "Perhaps we were not big enough or important enough to spend the effort to wreck the same havoc here as other places. Maybe we were just here on thier way to somewhere else?"

"They're running out of someplace else from what I've seen," he said, brushing off a case and inspecting it a little more closely. The strap that held it closed no longer had a latch, but the rest was intact. He opened it to find a few thin pouches. He sniffed at it and wrinkled his nose. "Medicinal or someone enjoys odd flavors in their food. Could be useful if its not spoiled," he said, handing her the case to look through and help him decide. Perhaps she knew some of their treatments.

Her breath caught as she looked to the case that was handed to her, her fingers gripped it tightly and she clutched it to her chest. Her eyes closed and she nodded to him. "It's medicinal." She whispered, nearly curling around the box as she brought it to the cart but for a moment she couldn't let go of it to set it down with the other items. A few renegade tears slipped down her cheek and she did her best to blink the rest away.

[Lovely]

The reaction was a little unexpected and he watched her carefully. "You... know a little about medicine? Or did you know the one who carried that?" It was a dangerous question, but to him it was necessary to know and try to determine how in depth her own knowledge might be.

"Both.. only I know alot about medicine. This case was my grandfather's.. he was the healer of our village for many, many years. He raised me.. taught me, so I could take his place someday.. it wasn't supposed to be this soon." Her fingers ran over the carvings she knew were on the outside of the box though they were faded from many years of wear.

"I'm sorry," Mitch said, feeling her emotions hit him as hard as if one of the large stones had tumbled onto him. He stood and stepped away from her and the cart a moment to gather a clear breath as he dusted himself off a little. He looked at his satchel of meager belongings he'd described as belonging to others he'd known, but none held the value of the box in her hands. He picked through the pile and re-tied the cloth around the bundle to toss onto the cart, though he stood there a long moment.

For a few moments she couldn't reply or find words to try to express what she was feeling. Mitch stepped away and she assumed he must think she was childish for the display of emotion though he'd expressed his regret for her loss. Finally she nodded and gingerly put the box onto the cart, her fingers wiped at her cheek. "Thank you. I'm sorry for..." She wasn't sorry for feeling the way she did but was sorry that it had bothered him. "The box will be a blessing should either of us become ill or be injured... which we both have been recently." She realized, his wounds were fresh but hers only a few days old were still angry on her skin and had pulled open a few times in the past couple days. "I'll have a look at your shoulder once we've reached the caves. If it survived, there is a larger box. It's about three times the size and where he kept his stock, this was the box he used for house calls and if he went on trips."

"Then he was a good man and you have no reason to apologize," Mitch said, turning to look at her again. His expression was lined deeper though he tried to smile for her. "It'll be fine... the shoulder. It's really okay. He knicked it good, but really... it'll be okay, though I won't argue if you insist," he clarified. He had much to say about where he'd been and what he'd seen before arriving here and he hoped their shared knowledge would help them hold onto a shred or two of hope.

"Then don't argue because I insist." She returned his smile and reached her hand up to brush his cheek ever so lightly. "I am blessed that you found your way here, Mitch."

"Blessed?" He chuckled and took her hand from his cheek. "Don't speak too soon. We haven't gotten to the caves yet and there's a lot to find here yet. Lucky, sure, but I'm not sure about being anyone's blessing. Thank you, though," he said gently, letting his hand warm hers briefly.

Reilly pouted softly and nodded but said nothing as he refused her sentiment, he was a blessing to her even if he didn't wish to be. "I won't bring it up again. I'm sorry." He didn't know her people or beliefs any more than she knew his and she gave his hand a very light squeeze before turning away. "I'll keep digging.. you're right, there is much yet to find." She gave him a slight smile and crouched down to continue moving rubble aside.

He reached after her. "I wasn't trying to offend you. There's just more that we need to learn about each other if we're sticking together as a team. If anything - well, if anyone is a blessing here, it's you. Months without a living soul or one that stayed living, I'm thankful to have someone to talk to other my own crazy self. Howling out and no one howls back can make a man a little nuts about things after a while."

She stopped and turned, her smile soft as she gently shook her head. "You didn't offend me.. and I didn't mean to imply that we didn't still have much to learn about or from one another but for me that is why I feel you are a blessing. You are strong, wise, experienced, and knowledgable in ways I am not. You show signs of having humor despite overwhelming circumstances.. for days I have wondered why I survived when no one else did.. why me? Why not my grandfather or the family who lived in this house? Aren't they more valuable.. more useful than I am? I can only imagine from the last few days what months of being alone would be like. ...and then you showed up. You are here and I am not alone. That is a blessing."

[Lovely]

"You told me not to argue," he teased, giving her a wink with the humor she'd pointed out. He shrugged a little. The cart was getting full quickly but seemed to have many things they could use. He frowned a little as he looked at it more closely. If her grandfather's items were here and this was his place, or a place he'd been visiting, he wondered what use the cart may have once served, if it had been used to pull away the injured or worse. He felt a shiver at that thought and tried to focus on less drastic ideas. It was their blessing more than he was. "There has to be more than one cask of ale in this village. I think we need to look for one or two more."

"You learn quickly." She flashed him a small but bright smile after he winked at her, he was easy for her to like which was another blessing in her mind. How miserable would it be for her to have to be cooped up with someone she didn't get along with for the entire winter? She didn't want to think about that, she wanted to help him find ale, ale was a very good idea. "I'm sure there is plenty.. they were stocking up for the wedding. It was a fine excuse for everyone to get very drunk. probably over here if there are any undamaged." She led him toward another pile of rubble where the brewer's house had been.

The wedding...? She didn't say 'a' but a specific wedding and it made him wonder about some of the things she'd said. "I'm guessing the wedding didn't happen then? Hard to have one with no guests... no one to deliver a ceremony... missing the marriage couple...," he said, following her to the pile by another broken wall. The village was small and closely built, so he assumed everyone here was very close. He was almost overjoyed to see the rims of a few more casks and a few full sized barrels, or at the least the tops of them peeking out from the debris. "Getting very, very drunk in their honor seems the thing to do."

"No, the wedding was supposed to be today." She sighed softly and pushed some broken boards aside. "See.. stockpile!" She almost laughed but it didn't quite come out and she ended up sighing again. "I think getting very, very drunk is a very very good idea." She pulled one of the casks free as she couldn't lift the barrells out yet and held it up in silent toast though she didn't open it to drink from it yet. "The groom was the finest hunter in the village."

"Now that honor belongs to you," he pointed out, trying to find something good to say. Her laugh had fallen flat and his grin narrowed with concern. He helped her with the cask and motioned to the larger barrels that would take the two of them to lift up to the cart. "How far did you say the caves were from here and can we reach them before dark?" He was considering staying here although there was the risk of another patrol of screeching creatures coming by at any time.

Mitch took the cask from her and she let him, for a moment she was just angry. His comment wasn't taken as a good one and Reilly simply frowned as she tried to somehow see it in any positive manner but couldn't. "Such title does not and will never belong to me. He earned that honor and it would be disrespectful for me to take it simply because I am the only one left. I don't deserve it." She moved to grasp one side of the barrell, if he wanted to take the other to lift it into the cart. "The caves are just a few miles, we should reach them before dark."

"How about you don't argue with me, either? You deserve it. One set of hands took down three of those things, nearly four, and you didn't blink. If I were giving the honor, you earned it." He stepped aside to untie his bundle again and get something to open the cask more carefully with this time, turning the small blade to shave out an opening that could more easily be sealed. He suspected sealing it again wasn't going to be necessary, though. "I'll drink to his honor and yours. If I didn't know better, smells like you were the intended bride."

Her mouth opened to immediately argue with Mitch when he told her not to and that she deserved the title. She closed her mouth and turned away, fighting a tide of regret and anger that was directed at herself. He hit it almost directly on the mark with his last comment though she wasn't sure what he meant by saying she smelled like the intended bride. "Don't you dare drink to me.." She almost growled the words out at him, shaking her head as she leaned over a barrel, her hands clenched into fists. "I'm just a selfish and ungrateful girl who didn't want to marry him.. and now he's dead and I'm not getting married and I'm angry at that too."

[Lovely]

He stood back to give her some room a moment as she fought with her emotions - something he was going to have to learn how to gauge more carefully and deal with himself. She'd see the now-opened cask handed to her at her shoulder, full of enough drink for far more than the two of them and they each had their own. "This one's yours. I'll drink with you if not to you, then. An ungrateful girl would have shot me as easily as the other intruders. I am a thief, afterall," he reminded her, teasing slightly, but trying to explain. He set it down for her to gather when she was ready for it and picked up his own off the cart. "If you didn't want to marry him, perhaps... there's more in that to drink to, too. You escaped with your pride intact.. among other things," he muttered, taking a drink.

"Not if she was also selfish and keeping you alive meant she wasn't alone.." She sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "You were alone, you're attractive.. I was alone.. saving you wasn't entirely selfless on my part." She blushed only a little as she turned her gaze to look at her own fingers. "I didn't want to marry him but I didn't wish him dead.. He was a perfectly good man and I didn't want him.. I wanted something else.. something more. Every girl in the village was jealous of me and I would have rather cast him aside for a bumbling fool, if that fool would listen and care when I spoke.. or if I felt an attraction to him.."

Mitch took note of how she'd tried to hide what she said. He took another sip and came back to the barrels and seated himself against the one she'd leaned on. "It's helped you to move on, Reilly. If he'd been everything you'd wanted, you'd be devastated and past the will to continue doing what you're doing. Can't say it's for the best, but I can say it would have been a lot worse if you'd actually liked him. Funny, isn't it? The best hunter in the village, the best doctor... doesn't matter who you are, I guess. It just comes down to luck," he snorted, shaking his head at the irony and burying the grin in another sip.

"I feel a little guilty that it isn't alot worse.. " She admitted with another sigh, he'd moved closer - alot closer - and she felt that attraction she'd spoken of wanting. Reilly shifted herself to perch on a barrel so that she was facing him, her knee resting beside his leg. "You don't think I'm an awful person for not wanting to marry him?" She was pretty certain of the answer to that from what he'd said so far. She picked up the cask he'd opened for her and took in a soft breath. "To things not being worse..." She almost added 'and for those still intact' but decided she couldn't say it without blushing and thinking of things other than her pride.

He chuckled again. "Didn't know him to think poorly of him, but from what I know of you so far, no, I don't think you're awful for not wanting what you don't want. Me? I don't like carrots. It doesn't change my character any to know I prefer a fresh rabbit over the carrots its after, does it? You can't help what you like or what you want." He picked up his drink again and stared at the dark, ragged opening. "Can only hope it wants you in return."

She nodded to his words, she'd been right in her first impressions of him - he was a wise man. She liked him a little more for not thinking she was awful, for putting up with her fussing, and for offering sensible words in exchange. "You can hope..." She echoed softly, wondering if he could want her.. and hoping he might. She was young and still had much to learn and hoped that he had the patience to forgive her youth.

"Might as well have a seat a few minutes," he suggested, looking up where she leaned beside him. "There's a lot of toasting to be done for this place. Come down here... come on," he said, patting the ground at her feet. "No reason you can't still celebrate the wedding in some fashion."

"If I sit, you might have a time trying to get me back up anytime soon." She warned with a slightly teasing smile and then slowly lowered herself down to sit with him. She took a sip from the cask and brought her gaze to Mitch, slowly letting it move over him. "What part of the wedding do you think I should celebrate? I'm not sure you can celebrate something that wont ever be."

"Family, togetherness... happy times shared with the people closest to you?" He snorted a little. "Maybe it's not all that important, but it's something that's going to be missed. Maybe we don't need a reason at all to celebrate except for four big, dead bugs that aren't screaming and giving me a headache anymore?"

She took another sip and smiled softly as she began to speak. "That's not the wedding though.. that was afternoons with my grandfather when he would tell me the most fantastic stories about the things he'd seen in his travels. The wedding was the end of that.." She chewed at her lower lip and lightly shook her head. "I think the dead bugs are a much better thing to celebrate.. or us finding each other.. maybe.. if you don't think it's too soon for me to say that's a good thing.."

"No time like now... It's a good thing," he reassured her. Had he meant her harm, he'd have already acted on it. He turned a little to see her grab her lip and let go. He made her nervous or confused, it seemed. "So, your grandfather seems to have been more important in your life than anyone else. What about your parents? The rest of your family, hm?"

[Lovely]

Her attraction to Mitch and wondering if he could feel the same toward her is what had her confused and nervous, along with everything that had happened in the past few days. Was it too soon for her to even consider being attracted to someone? Was she awful for feeling anything besides misery at this moment? Her eyes lifted to Mitch's and she smiled. "He was the most important person. He raised me after my parents were killed. My father was a hunter.. at the time he was the best hunter in the village. He came home from a hunt with his kill, a large wolf.. grandfather says it wasn't like other wolves we've hunted..." She paused and her shoulder shrugged a little. "Another wolf came.. it's said he was the mate of the one my father killed and he hunted my father.. killed him and my mother."

"Not like other wolves? Sounds like an interesting story," he said with a strange smile, taking the ale to his lips again. He was taking small sips at a time to keep his senses only briefly numbed. "Then he made a coat of him? Or... well, a few patches at least," he said, gesturing to the small bits that had been put together into her outfit.

"My father intended to use every bit that could be used of the wolf he killed. It's the way of our people, even the hunters. What we can't put to use, we give back to the earth and keep the cycle of life going." She explained that the kill had not been for a trophy or simply a pretty fur. "He didn't have the chance to finish before the other wolf came.. that wolf killed him and my mother, ripped them to pieces."

"What if you found that the wolves were the same way? Every wolf I know takes only what he can eat, or use to keep warm, and leaves the rest... to the rest, really. What he can't carry or drag away is left behind. They don't kill just to be a menace," he said, defending the creatures which she might find strange. "I'm sorry about your family." He was sorry about the wolf's, too.

"What if I told you I know that and I don't think wolves are a menace? They are hunters as we sometimes are. It was unusual for one to track my father back to the village and to his home and do what it did, but I don't hate the species for what one did.. My father killed it's mate.. it was protecting and seeking vengence as any of us might if a loved one was killed." She took another small sip from her cask and gave Mitch a small smile. "I'm sorry about my family too.. but I barely remember them or the pain of losing them. It's not like the ache I feel now."

"For losing the grandfather... I understand," he nodded. He then sighed heavily. What should he tell her about himself that wouldn't offend her or hurt her? "Vengeance is an interesting idea, justifying wrong and harm done to others with more of the same... like the armies we fight and run from that did all this. Back to drinking to the dead bugs?"

"I didn't say I liked it or agreed with it.. or that it was right.. only that I understand it and don't hold it against wolves in general. These armies are not seeking vengence or killing for food. What they are doing is exterminating.. everything. So yes, I drink to the dead bugs.. it means there are a few less of them to help kill many more people." She let her head rest back a moment and slowly shook her head as she gazed at the sky. "We could drink to a clear sky.. to the few trees that are left.. to the hope for a mild winter."

"To a clear sky, dead bugs, a mild winter... and gentle company," Mitch said, raising his drink that was becoming lighter more quickly than he'd realized. He took his sip and rested his head back to look up to the sky that was nearly free of the smoke, and clear of the clouds that had brought the rains recently. "Good traveling weather. We'll be in the open, but the path should be dry."

"Gentle company?" She laughed softly and a blush heated her cheeks, the thoughts she had in regard to him were not exactly gentle. She was a little surprised but excited by the path her thoughts ran down for that moment. Her sigh was sweetly laced with desire as was her scent and she shifted to take another sip of wine to calm herself. "Traveling weather? You mean the short trip to the caves?"

[Lovely]

"Among other things, yes. Not sure I'm ready to go just yet, though at the same time, I don't think we should stay here much longer. Bugs in numbers after all of this... doesn't set well with me. Ahhh, a short trip -is- shorter once you've already started it, though, so... shall we?" He went back and forth over the idea of leaving but seemed in no hurry to rise up and start out the door. Instead he pulled his arm around her shoulder.

This close and holding her in his arm, there would be no mistaking her attraction to him, as clear in her scent as it was in her eyes which she brought to meet his. The gesture of the embrace was comforting and inviting, Reilly shifted closer to him and deeper withing the curl of his arm. "I think we should.." She almost whispered the words, searching his eyes, wondering if it was possible that he felt some attraction toward her or whether he was simply being kind. Her hand gently gripped his thigh as she shifted and she left it there, testing whether hed welcome any such attention from her. Would he think her too young or too innocent?

He didn't move her hand and hugged her a little more snugly. He discretely took in her scent as she snuggled closer, close enough that she might notice the strangeness of his gaze even more and that it wasn't the usual sparkle and flare caused by the ale. "We should," he nodded, whispering now. "We will be safer in the caves and we should have all night to rest," he suggested.

Her gaze didn't falter but grew more curious as she noticed the difference in his eyes, he was from a different place and she knew enough of travellers who passed through the village that not everyone in the world was the same. She smiled softly, glad that he hadn't pushed her hand away and instead brought her closer to him. She agreed with a small nod that they would be safer in the caves and have the night to rest but was inching toward his mouth, whispering as she brushed his lips with hers. "We should get started.."

The kiss was accepted with a soft grin. He quipped back, "You already have. That's why we should travel quickly and make time to rest." He offered a small brush in return and let go of her shoulder. Surely they would need to leave before he became more distracted by her and her scent.

She moved back slowly, still watching his eyes as she licked her lips a little, the small brushes made her want more. It would have to wait and she was disappointed but understood they needed to get to the caves and out of the open. "Do we have everything you want to take on this trip?" They had gotten a little distracted by finding the ale and though she was eager to get to a safer place so they could contiue being distracted, she wanted to be sure they had a good and useful load.

He shook his head a little to clear some of the fog. Did they have everything? "I'd stopped looking. We should check for any more tools, candles, lamps and fuel, anything else there might be of immediate use that we find on our way out. Frankly, if we don't have it between the two of us and our collected wits, we probably won't need it."

"By the looks of things, there will be plenty to find and come back for.. well plenty for two.. of course we have to pull the cart to the caves.." She seemed a little more determined now and less sad as she pulled herself to her feet to get back to work. At least now she knew and wasn't left wondering if she was being a silly girl.. it was a shared attraction.

He watched her stand up and followed a little more slowly behind her, getting to his feet to inspect what they had on the cart already. There was certainly enough ale and she had collected her grandfathers medicines. Other than heat and more food, they would have enough now for several nights to stay safely within the caves. He gathered his own tools and loaded them back on the cart. "Blankets for you. Cave floors aren't exactly soft. Other than that, we're ready."

She looked over her shoulder at him with a slight smile and an arched eyebrow. "Blankets for both of us.. if you won't take your own, I'll make you share mine." She warned him and at the same time refused to selfishly take them all for herself, Reilly turned to dig deeper in hopes of finding the remnants of some halfway decent bedding. She decided already she would come back to sort through more, it seemed that things had been more knocked down than completely destroyed which was a silver lining in this. She laughed quietly to herself as she uncovered a sack with carrots, a hammer, and a piece of padding from a bed. The way things had been plowed through and over, the rooms had been tossed into each other and everything was mixed.

[Lovely]

He came up behind her as she unearthed the items and grimaced. "Carrots...? Give me anything you want, but those are all yours. Blankets we'll talk about when we get there," he said, delivering a kiss to her cheek before reaching to help her with the bag.

"Fussy!" She teased him with a smile and tried to catch his cheek for a light kiss in return, enjoying the sweet attention. She let him take the items she'd found so far and kept digging, where there was padding there should also be blankets. She wasn't far off, finding some furs and blankets as she shifted more stones out of the way. She also found a broken saw, which they might be able to fix.

He chuckled and slipped away to the cart with her scent on his cheek again. "What else did you get?" He was being fussy with the food items. Although he didn't like the carrots, he would manage and tried to put them in a safe place along with the bedding in case they encountered a storm on the way. He tucked and shifted the items to keep them from rocking off the cart completely.

"A saw.. the handle is snapped but the blade is still good, it can be fixed. I think the more we dig the more we'll find. Some things can't be repaired like the broken dishes but we should definitely make the effort to come back and sort through, even if just to find more tools and weapons." She brought an arm load of items to the cart, a spear with a broken shaft, some more arrows, a net, some twine, a sharpening stone, another knife, a few items of clothing, and a handful of nails she'd salvaged from a broken pot that had scattered most into the rubble. "It's a good start.." She nodded to the cart. "Much more than I had expected there to be."

"Quite a bit. Then us and we're on the way. Too much more and we won't be able to pull it," he said, though he probably still could without trying too hard. He rather wanted to save his energy for setting up their camp and enjoying that instead. "The spear is workable," he noted, inspecting it for easy repair. "I'll hold onto this if you don't mind... and the knife. The rest we'll put back in the cart and.. find our cave for the night."

"At least it's not a large cart that would already be heavy without anything on it." She pointed out what she saw as an upside, they might not be able to load it with as much as a large cart but they also wouldn't have to pull the heavier weight. She set the items into the cart after handing him the two he'd asked for, she rolled her shoulders some and slipped the fur from around them, worried that it would hinder her while they moved the cart. Her wounds were now apparent, the gouges, bruises, scratches and even one that looked more like a bite on her thigh. Removing the makeshift cloak also revealed how little her coverings actually covered and how well kept her form was besides the recent injuries, some which would likely leave her with permanent scars. "I'm ready when you are." She told him softly as she tucked the fur around some of the loose items to keep them from rolling off the cart.

He'd smelled the faint blood from the wounds, but upon seeing them now, his expression darkened with anger again. He looked to the ground, trying not to sound angered toward her. "You're badly hurt.. worse than I knew," he said quietly. "I... can tend them when we get to the cave if you'll allow me. My family has a certain way...," he offered, trying not to look at the wounds that made him ache or take in too much of the scent of her blood.

She looked to him as he spoke, he sounded a bit angry and she was uncertain as it didn't seem directed toward her but she couldn't help but feel it was somehow her fault. "I'm sorry.. I didn't want to complain.. I'm alive and far more fortunate than the others were." She turned her gaze to the distance and then to the fur she'd taken off, wondering if she should cover up again. "If it bothers you, I can cover up again.." She made the offer and gave him a gentle smile. "It's kind of you to offer to tend me.. and I will allow you to.. but will you let me do the same?" She glanced to his shoulder where the creature had gotten him earlier.

"If it needs it I won't argue, though I'm sure yours are worse," he agreed. His own marks were diminishing already with the rest over the past several minutes, however, and were becoming less intrusive. "You don't have to cover them. Don't hide them. The sun and air will help them as long as they're clean. If you hurt too much, though, ride on the cart. I think I'll be able to manage part of the way if you need to rest."

"If I need to, I'll let you." She countered with a bit of a challenge in her smile, though it was mostly teasing as she turned his words back on him somewhat. "I can help, if it hurts too much, I'll rest." She replied more seriously and moved toward the front of the cart to get ready to help haul the load to the caves.