The demon stayed close to the ground. Tall grass hid most of her appearance as she crept slowly forwards. An oblivious boar stood out in the open, taking a nap. The boar’s tusks were shark and could cause great injuries if one wasn’t careful. Hunger overrode her fear of pain. Wind gently blew in the air towards Veda, making her scent become pushed in the opposite direction. Movement from the boar stopped the demon in her tracks. It merely shifted its head to a different position. She continued to sneak towards the animal. Perhaps she should have done this with a bow and arrow but she didn’t own one. Her mouth watered at the scent of potential food. Bursting out from the grass, the demon leaped at the boar.

The boar stood up, trying to hit her with its tusks. Veda was careful to avoid the tusks but would not free the creature. Once she dug her teeth into its neck, the hunt was over. Most would have been disturbed or unable to eat an animal raw but a demon’s stomach could handle raw foods better than a human could. Besides, food was food. Her golden eyes searched the fields for any sign of other people. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked to the sky. How long had it been since she left? A week? Two weeks? Veda lost count a while ago. Using her knife, she cut up the boar into pieces. Then she began to eat.

Once she was done, the demon stood up and cleaned off her face with her hands. It was still day. The sun lingered on in the sky as occasional puffy white clouds crossed in front. Curiosity bounced around Veda’s head. Where there others who lived here? How many? What did they do? How did they find their own food? These and a variety of other questions ran on and on through her head.

Suddenly, the scent of a stranger hit her like a brick. A wise person would have avoided the stranger at all costs. Veda was not wise. She followed the scent to see who it was. Curiosity burned in her eyes as she ran towards the person. The demon stopped before she approached the stranger and sunk closer to the ground. Her black hair might have stood out a bit in the golden and green field. However, her brown skin and clothes would fit right in. Would the stranger notice her?

The stranger would not notice her. She was far too preoccupied examining her map which she obtained while she was in the base camp near Ancense Ruins. Her eyes were glued on the aged scroll, only glancing up every once in a while to make sure she was going the right way. However, the poor teen wasn’t the best at reading a map; it was not one of the many things her parents had taught her.

She was searching for the nearest town, which looked to be one known as Mamlak. And from looking at the map it seemed Mamlak wasn’t too far from her current location. She glanced up, stopping in her tracks to gaze around for any clues as to whether she was going in the right direction or not. Then she heard a whine.

Spinning around, her eyes gleamed as they laid on a beautiful bay Brumby. In fact, there seemed to be a heard of them not too far off in the distance. The one closest was grazing nonchalantly on the lush grass of the plains, its tail lashing to one side then the other. Four white pasterns were almost completely covered by dirt, its mane and tail ratty and unkempt. Of course, Anne didn’t expect to see wild horses well groomed and clean. Doing her best to keep herself from squealing from excitement, -since childhood she’s always dreamed of horses, her favorite animal next to cats- she forced herself to look back at her map. Though she wanted to attempt petting one of the horses, she knew it wasn’t the best idea. They were wild, and most likely fearful of humans. She could easily get an injury if she came close to one.

Now, to find Mamlak…

There were thousands of options and ways to deal with the situation. In fact, the demon had a perfect opportunity to avoid the situation. Until her eyes came across that map. The stranger was walking around with a map and seemed to be trying to follow it. A map. Even Veda knew how important a map was to travel. She began to slowly move towards the girl, doing her best to stay out of sight. The sound of horses were in the distance and almost distracted her. Thoughts of using a horse to travel entered her mind. Horses could be eaten, but they didn't taste that good. Their meat was tough thanks to all the running around. Not to mention, horses were a pain to go after for dinner.

Veda decided not to bother with them. Her golden eyes were on the girl. Suddenly she stood up. Veda was clear to see now. Her black tangled hair went to her shoulders. She wore a tan shirt and brown paints. On her head there were two brown horns and she had a reptile-like tail. The most striking thing about her, was her golden eyes. Slowly, Veda began to walk towards the girl. The demon then stopped. She sniffed the air for scents of any angels or anything that could be extremely dangerous. As far as Veda could tell, the girl was normal. The demon held up her left hand and waved. 

"Hi." She said without a smile. 

The stranger's black hair seemed to shine in the sun and the demon stepped further towards her. Hopes of not scaring the girl off soared. After all, Veda got this far. Perhaps the girl would let the demon see her map. Or maybe the girl would run away like most. There was no way to really tell. 

This poor, lost, klutz of a girl was starting to get confused the more she examined the map. With a furrowed brow she sighed heavily, dropping her arms as if she was tired of holding them up. Her bluebell eyes gazed ahead, looking at nothing in particular as she thought to herself. Yet again she started to feel useless; how was she to ever make a place for herself in this new land if she couldn’t even read a map? Anne had wished that kind man at the camp had come with her as a guide, but she knew he had his own problems to worry about. She could have asked someone else, but learning how to read a map was something she figured she’d best do sooner than later. But that didn’t necessarily mean she should get lost trying. She could have at least asked someone to teach her quickly, or give her tips.

Luckily for her, she was no longer alone. Only now did she notice the stranger as she was approached. They offered a flat greeting, and Anne found herself tilting her head curiously. They weren’t human. What were they? Again she was reminded that she’s from a land made up mostly of humans and elves, and that Revaliir was far different. So many other creatures and races thrive here; she needed to get used to it quickly, otherwise she would be viewed as rude or something worse.

“Hello,” she said, smiling sweetly with a friendly wave. “May I help you?”