There were few things that the elder halfling had actually regretted but as the wind ripped through her raven hair. "Sehr you need to go faster!" The ground was rattling with extreme anger. "We're going to get smashed if you don't go faster!" She screamed as she held the reigns in her hands. 

The trees were rattling more and the branches were coming down. She had no idea that the hag had such transformation abilities. Amber eyes looked behind the carriage as the ground seemed to settle for a moment. "Easy boy." She reached forward as he began to take a break. She pet his mane for a moment before standing up on the wagon's seat and peaking around. She breathed in the magical air and choked a bit. "For the moment it looks like she's tired. It might be the approaching morning." She looked up at the rising sun and collapsed onto the bench.

The horse was happy to be away from the hag and the wagon did not seem to mind its new owner. There was loss in Kalyani's heart and she had stolen the wagon to fill that loss. She could not stop until she found him. The Great Destroyer was missing. Sure her boyfriend was a homicidal maniac but he cared for Kalyani and would not hurt her. That was all the gypsy cared about. 

She hopped off the wagon's seat and took the reigns in front of Sehr and led him and the wagon to a supply to water. Her body was dressed in a black corset with a bellowing white shirt underneath off her shoulders. A long skirt was maroon and her sash had many beautiful silver coins on it. Her hips jingled as she walked and she held the draft horse's large mane so he didn't get it wet.

"You are such a beauty." She pet him as he would be her ally. "Sirian will love you."

Arlin leaned against the massive tree trunk, comfortably wrapped within his cloak.  His knees were pulled up close to his body for ease in rising quickly and his right hand was wrapped around the bastard sword leaning on his shoulder.  His mind drifted in that infinite sea between awake and dreaming where one is aware but still capable of steering their dreams.  Every few moments the trees around him would rattle and leaves would cascade down around him yet he barely moved.  Part of his waking mind was well aware that something hunted in the forest.  It was no concern of his.  Predators would always hunt.  He had no qualms about what, or who, it hunted and surely would not waste his energy getting in between a beast and its meal.  He pulled his cloak closer as his chin bobbed down to his chest causing a long dark red hair to fall over his face.

Lying against Arlin’s left side was a curled ball of fur.  The ball shifted at a sound only its ears heard and a canine head poked up from the ball.  Ears perked up for a moment before flattening and a low growl rumbled inside the creature.  Uncurling itself, the ball of fur became a full grown wolf as it stood up.  Dark black fur covered the majestic beast but its underside revealed lightened patches of fur.  The wolf’s ice blue eyes scanned the area around it as it cocked its head to listen.  Scenting the air, the growl deepened. 

The waterfall of red hair lifted itself up and Arlin’s left eye cracked open to reveal the same ice-blue coloring as the wolf.  “What is it, Morsilme?”  Morsilme turned its head to look eye to eye with its companion.  Arlin blinked slowly and sighed.  “Fine. Let’s check it out.  Should be almost dawn anyway.”  He stood gracefully and swung the cloak back over his lithe frame and belted on the sword.  As he stood, a ray of sunshine lit upon his face showing smooth, fine-boned features.  He quickly brushed his hair back over long, pointed ears with his slender hands.  Just then both the elf and the wolf heard jingling in the forest west of them.  A traveler near the water?

The wood elf moved silently towards the nearby fresh water, each step landing upon the balls of his feet.  Morsilme shot off into the underbrush to the right, disappearing without sound as well.  Arlin knew the wolf would be scouting around to see what had been causing the disturbance.  This left him the leisurely walk through the trees.  It did not take him long to reach his destination and find the woman petting the horse.  He leaned against the closest tree and watched for a moment, waiting to see if anything curious occurred.  Morsilme wouldn’t have bothered him for a random traveler. 

Without the ground rumbling the gypsy seemed more calm. A sigh left her lips as she tied up her skirts mid thigh and walked into the little creek. Her amber eyes met with Sehr as she took his reins gently. “She never showed you any love did she?” She pet him softly as he entered the creek with her. He leaned down and drank the water in.

The noises around her did not alarm her as she listened for the rumbling of the hag’s magic. Most likely it would not be until the next night that she pursued her once more. A hum left her lip softly as she braided Sehr’s long mane. “We will have to get you pretty belts and beads.” The horse seemed pleased with the woman’s love and care. “A brush so we can get the nasty knots out.” She used her fingers as a comb. 

There was movement and her elvish ears picked up on the noise. Her eyes slid as she slyly watched in the direction of the noise. She yelled something in her native Arriese before switching her language, “Come out now!” Her voice yelled as she listened for the hag. “If you wish to reclaim your wagon you are out of luck witch! You lose your magic during the day.” She didn’t know if it was the hag or not but she took the reins of the horse and pulled him out. “Come on Sehr.” This was making her nervous. Her eyes shot up to the trees as she hooked the beautiful large animal back to the colorful wagon.

“Or maybe it was my imagination,” she sighed a bit as she leaned her forehead against Sehr’s forehead. “She wouldn’t come after us now would she?” The horse appeared to give her attitude and while she couldn’t understand Sehr she knew attitude. “Oh I do not deserve being chased through the damn forest. She is the one who got all upset over a game of cards.”

A smirk stuck itself upon Arlin’s features as he listened to the woman chat with the horse.  People that chatted with animals tended to reveal tenderness within themselves, even if they outright hated humans. Sounds like a certain elf that talks to a wolf, hmm?  Tenderness is only for animals. Humanity is worthless. So does that mean I can kill her?  No. Now silence. The elf shrugged and kept his gaze on her until she began yelling into the trees.  His ice blue eyes caught sight of her ears and he realized how she’d noticed him. He was immediately tempted to make a game of seeing whether she would notice his presence if he actively tried to be stealthy.  The forests were his domain of choice afterall.  Play your way then I can play after?  No.  Brother, you’re really no fun sometimes.  

Arlin grimaced at having to deal with the voice’s chatter.  His “brother” rarely quit pestering him unless he was fulfilled in all the little sadistic ways that he liked to play.  Harming women was not Arlin’s preference however.  Besides that, Morsilme would not have been curious about someone Arlin and his darker half would just cut down immediately.  With a soft sigh, the redhead glanced around at the nearby trees and chose to come introduce himself in as stereotypical a manner as most outsiders would expect of his wood elven clan.  With absolute control and a silent show of physical prowess, the wood elf shot up the nearest tree.  In his own domain, his passing was nothing more than the displacement of air as he moved gracefully along the tree limbs.

His course brought up around in front of the woman and the wagon, placing him on the lowest hanging limb where he would be visible. His voice came out smooth and gentle, a strange contrast to his hidden nature. “Some would say that speaking to animals is a sign of insanity.” And you’re one to talk? “And a native speaker of Arriese so far south? This has been a morning of many peculiarities.”