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Main Thread; The story goes here.
Topic Started: Jun 24 2017, 12:30 PM (1,434 Views)
Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen smiled as she took his hand and led her down the path to the valley below. The verdant fields stretched out for quite a ways when one stood upon them at ground level, and herbivores grazed happily and peacefully near the river. He paused when they reached the crest of a small hill about halfway to the forest's edge, looking over at her with a small smile.

"This is where you and I part ways," he said. "I'm going to be in the woods until after dark, but I'll be back in time to make dinner. If we're lucky I'll find a deer or kelbi."
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Jordan
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[ *  *  * ]
Cassandra frowned up at him, hating that she couldn't go into the woods with him, but understood he was merely thinking of her safety. "Fine, I will be up at our camp before dark, I don't know what might happen along after the sun sets, and I really want to find out on my own. Likely I'll fire first and ask questions never." She smirked up at him, then wrapped her arm around his neck to pull him against her so she could lean up and kiss him. "Be careful," she whispered against his lips.
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Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen returned her kiss, smiling against her lips as she whispered for him to be safe. He pulled back, keeping hold of her hands until their arms couldn't stretch any further before letting go. "I will be."

The evening's patrol was uneventful, and Owen returned having only managing to hunt a pair of small birds. It would be filling, but not the feast he'd hoped for. With Cassandra's help the next day, he knew he would be more successful. He'd plucked the fowl before suspending it from a staff and carrying it back to camp. He arrived just as the stars began to shine their brightest, and was pleased to find the fire already roaring.

He saw the brunette waiting for him and couldn't help the grin that spread over his countenance. She looked so beautiful standing in the glow of the fire beneath the starlight, and he set down his kill before moving to embrace her. Owen luxuriated in the feeling of her small form pressed against him, and took in a deep breath of her scent.

"I hope you weren't too bored."
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Jordan
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[ *  *  * ]
Cassandra had wandered the fields until dusk, then trekked back up to the campsite, stoking the fire back to life. The sound of nature filled the cavern and Cassandra drank it in. As a witch, she revered nature but was happy to enjoy it within the confines of her small town. She hadn't ever really gone camping as a child or a teenager, having heard of the strange creatures that inhabited the forests surrounding Duskmarsh. Those stories kept her out of the crush of nature until that moment in her life. And still, she wouldn't be taking Melinda camping anytime soon.

Once stoking the fire back to a warm blaze, she sat near the fire, pulling her book out and read it until she heard Owen's footsteps approaching. She put the book away then and stood to add another log to the fire, enjoying the sizzle/pop of the flames licking up the fuel. That's where she was when he entered the campsite, and she smiled, gladly accepting his body against hers, holding him tightly and shook her head.

"I kept myself busy. Firelight is interesting to read by. Can't say as if I've done that before."
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Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen stroked his lover's hair, the corners of his mouth turning upward into a smile the longer she spoke. He pulled back a little and presented the evening's main course with a smirk. "Glad you're enjoying the trip so far," he said. "I brought dinner. It's not deer, but there's enough for both of us."

He set the meat on the spit over the fire, taking a seat at the end and slowly rotating the spit with the handle. He patted the bench next to him, encouraging Cass to take a seat beside him and prepared to accept her against him if she did. He took in the distant sounds of nature from the valley below, and could hear the heavy footfalls of the Boulrumduros stomping around somewhere below as it grazed. It was something he really hoped he didn't have to drive back into the verge, due to it's mountainous size and thick, rock-like armor. He had heard cautionary tales from the other hunters about angering them, but if it wandered too far from the borders of the Sunset Woods he would have no choice but to engage it.
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Jordan
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[ *  *  * ]
Cassandra smiled and leaned into his touch, and her smile grew as he presented their dinner. "It may not be, but at least we can eat. I did being a couple of protein bars just in case though," she said softly, almost sheepishly admitting to him. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in his ability to catch anything for their dinner. Quite the opposite, but she knew her metabolism and how quickly she could get hungry and already figured that sometime during the night she'd wind up scarfing down one of the bars

Cass jumped as she heard the heavy footsteps outside the cave and looked to Owen, with wide eyes before hurrying to tuck herself against his side. "What... is that?" she asked hesitantly, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer. She knew all sorts of creatures roamed the forests, knew he had to deal with some large, ferocious being, and she really hoped that whatever was outside was not one of the ones he'd have to tangle with while they were out there.
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Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen held his beloved a little closer as she jumped from the distant rumble, rubbing her upper arm with his hand soothingly. He continued to turn the spit without any sign that he was affected or concerned by the sound, but it was clear she was. He looked over at her when she spoke, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Boulrumduros," he replied simply. "Saw him nosing around the verge on my evening patrol. Usually they're not out this late, but he could be looking for a mate. If he's not gone by the morning after next, I'll have to drive him back across. Hopefully that's not what goes down. They're huge beasts that look like walking mountains covered in rock and earth, and a tail spiked with a boulder the size of an SUV. If you look close though, you'll see they have heads and horns almost like African Buffalo... just if they were the size of a small mountain. We're not going anywhere near that thing tomorrow. At least not close enough for it to notice us."
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Jordan
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[ *  *  * ]
Cassandra nodded and took in a deep breath to calm herself. "So non-carnivorous then?" she said with a raised eyebrow and a soft smirk. She wouldn't lie she was definitely curious about the creature, especially with the way that Owen described it. Seeing a creature as large as a small mountain was, in that moment, something she definitely wanted to see. She relaxed against him, and set her focus to the fire that crackled and popped under their meal for the night. "I kinda want to see it..."
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Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen chuckled softly. "Yes, herbivores. They're surprisingly well-camouflaged for something that big. You're going to have a tough time seeing it from here even on a clear day with binoculars. They are incredibly territorial though, and it's best not to get close. Odds are we'll have a chance to take a closer look in the morning."

He absorbed the warmth of her closeness, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Definitely an Earth element-based creature, so I don't know how effective your electricity powers will be against that."
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Jordan
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[ *  *  * ]
Cassandra leaned into his touch, humming softly as he kissed her cheek. She listened to his explanation and gave a light shrug. "It'll be grounded, literally. But it would still feel a sting, it is animal after all and needs water of some sort to move and function. So anatomically speaking, it'll still feel something, but its abilities would help to armor it some."
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Daniel
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[ *  *  * ]
Owen smirked and nodded. "You're right of course. Hopefully we don't need to even bother with it though. He's not who I'm really worried about running into out there. He at least doesn't have talons or poison."

Once their dinner was cooked, Owen carved it up and they ate in the comfort of the campfire. He offered Cass an apologetic smile after clearing their dishes and took a seat on the bed. "My legs are sore. Are you feeling any better?"
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Jordan
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Cass didn't even want to truly know what lurked out there that had talons or poison. She just hoped they didn't come into contact with anything like that while they were out there. So she didn't ask, rather she sat beside him, tucked under his arm, breathing him in and enjoying his silent company while the dinner he'd caught cooked and then finished. His presence was one that she couldn't ignore, even without her abilities. There were noticeable differences from the quarterback she knew in high school to the reluctant Alpha male in the camp with her that hunted nasty things at the Border Marches.

Cassandra smirked up at him as he spoke again and nodded. "Except for the way you left me hanging there..."
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Daniel
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Owen chuckled softly. "I know, I'm a terrible guy. Just wanted to make you feel better and wound up blue balling you instead."

He patted the mattress beside him, stifling a yawn with his other hand. "If I promise it'll be worth the wait, would you believe me?" Owen asked.
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Jordan
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Cassandra laughed at that and shook her head. "You can't blue ball a female, despite what they might say. We just get left hanging..." She grinned down at him and crawled up to lie down beside him. "Of course I'd believe you. When have you given me a reason not to?"
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Daniel
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As Cass moved to lie down beside him, Owen did the same and wrapped his arms around her to bring her head to rest against his chest. He took a deep breath, feeling a spike of anxiety at her question. The truth was he'd left her hanging for ten years, yet here she was lying against him. She'd taught their daughter to love and admire him, though he wasn't completely sure how healthy that really was. If he hadn't come back... if he never escaped Sadrith Mora... If Melinda ever saw through him to what he really was...

Owen remained silent, praying she would simply accept his lack of answer as an assumption of her inquiry being merely rhetorical. He didn't figure she wanted to hear the truth as he saw it, regardless. Outwardly he remained composed and calm, though he couldn't help the spike in his heartrate that occurred as he slammed shut the mental walls keeping everyone besides him out. No, he wouldn't answer that unless pressed. He would be content to simply lie there, stroking his beloved's hair, and trying his best not to let the swirling maelstrom of his thoughts send him into a panic attack.
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