The Virens Forest has been on the lips of many people, as a place to be weary of. Unknown dangers lurk within the dark maze of towering trees. Shadows swallow up the gorgeous color the deeper one goes, or so the stories go. Intrigue had grown within one elf, and as much as her wife disliked the idea, Larka contradicted it with encouragement. There was no surprise as to why the Reaver was so reluctant.

What if Celeste got lost? Kidnapped? Honestly, the fears were endless, but Larka knew that Celeste needed to venture out as part of her healing process. They had been training more aggressively the more she was accustomed to the weight of her sword once more. Finally, Celeste felt confident enough to explore this new land on her own. Her wife insisted that if she goes, Celeste must take her journal and continue writing in it regularly.

~~

When Celeste finally made her way south to the Virens Forest, she was accompanied by a young tiger, not quite old enough to be out on her own. The white of her fur made Reika stand out against the lushious reds, deep browns and vibrant greens. With a daring smile, Celeste smiled at her feline. "If we hunt successfully, you'll get to eat tonight."

Reika cocked her head to the side as she regarded the elf. Usually Celeste always ensures that she ate daily, so she was trying to figure if the elf was being honest or merely using incentive. Celeste didn't wait to see if the tiger would follow. Instead, she took to the branches. Soon, they happened upon a small group of deer. Arrow cocked, bow drawn, Celeste took aim, holding the position as she began to steady her breathing. Below her, Reika was crouched low, inching forward as silently and slowly as possible.

Rhaenys' meeting with the strange elf had been, well… strange. She couldn't leave fast enough, it seemed. She didn't know if it was the elf, the supposed soldiers hiding in the blackness, or merely the forest itself. All Rhaenys knew was that she needed to be careful, here. As she stepped softly through the trees, scarcely making a sound, the shrill cry of a hawk met her ears. Visenya made her way through the trees, landing heavily on Rhaenys' shoulder. Talons squeezed through the fabric of her cloak in a reassuring manner. "You found something, did you?" the elf murmured, gently stroking the hawk's wing with a finger. The reply she got was a gentle nibble to her long, pointed ear. Chuckling softly, Rhaenys held her bow loosely at her side, not quite ready for an arrow yet. First, she needed to find some game.

"The Hunter within shall be my Guide," the elf whispered, her choice of words used when casting Hunter's Instinct. Swiftly, she felt her senses gaining strength. Where once before she could smell the earthy, almost damp scent of the forest floor, now she could smell animals. Her vision was enhanced as well, small movements that once might have gone unnoticed, now swiftly drew her gaze.

Somewhere nearby, the warm smell of grass, mixed with the musty scent of deer, drew Rhaenys' attention. She smiled slightly to herself, and then began to move carefully through the undergrowth. She kept a low profile, drawing an arrow and nocking it into her bow loosely. Step by step, she approached the deer, careful to stay downwind of them. One sound, one glance, one sniff of her, and they'd sound the alarm.

The doe lifted her head and glanced to her right, ears perked as they strained to listen. Did something crack a branch? Was that rustle of the grass a predator? Dismissing her suspicion, the doe continued her grazing with elegant grace befitting the elves that preyed upon her kind. Up in the trees, one elf breathed in, out, and back in. She held it, then loosed her arrow. It flew straight and true, however, the winning shot was not to be hers for Reika decided, at that moment, to start her charge, scattering the herd.

The arrow caught in the doe's rump, slowing her movement. Instantly, Celeste darted toward the clearing, jumped off her branch, caught and swung off another to land on a lower branch. Jumping off that branch, Celeste managed to land on the ground unscathed and start chasing the hunter and prey. Reika gave a might leap and wrapped her paws around the doe, her jaw clamping on the throat. With the momentum of the tiger being added upon the doe, she tripped and fell. As soon as Celeste caught up to them, her knife was drawn.

"Ma serannas sul mar ensnsal" Clean and efficiently, her knife slipped in, stilling the beast, stopping its heart. Yet, for some reason, Reika was standing with a paw on the kill, glaring off into the distance and growling. With a frown, Celeste stood and unsheathed an arrow, resting it on her bow. She was ready to aim, draw and release in a flash. "Who's there?" Reika turned her head and released a tiger roar, just beginning to develop the ferocity of adults. The elf turned in time to see a rock the size of a fist flying at her face with no time to react.

It had found its mark, Celeste sprawled on the ground, dazed and bleeding.

Everything had happened so fast that Rhaenys had scarcely a moment to analyze the situation and respond. First, the subtle audio cue of an arrow being fired, then the deer scattering. She hadn't realized she wasn't alone, and so, in a panic, Rhaenys dove sideways into the bushes, crouching, one hand out and fingers splayed against the ground to help her balance. Somewhere nearby, an animal bounded out from its cover and leapt onto a doe, swiftly bringing it down. It looked like a… tiger? A young one. Then, more noise, this time from above. Rhaenys looked up - someone was swinging down from the tree branches. Whoever she was, she was graceful - perhaps she'd come across another elf?

A knife was drawn and the doe quickly killed, and when the woman spoke, Rhaenys knew it was an elf. She was about to leave the bush and greet the elf, but the tiger was growling at something. It faced away from Rhaenys, looking into the trees opposite of her. The other elf had her bow drawn and ready, and she called out into the darkness. The tiger roared, spooking Visenya off into the woods, and a fairly large rock connected suddenly with the elven hunter. Rhaenys saw her go down, and the metallic scent of blood met her nose.

"Ah, fenedhis!" Rhaenys cursed, launching out of the bushes and moving to the side of the fallen elven woman. "Asha, ane nuem?" she asked hurriedly, giving the woman a quick once-over. There was still a threat nearby. "Who's there?!" Rhaenys shouted, standing up. She took up a combat stance, keeping light on her feet, hands held up in front of her and suddenly alight with flames. She didn't know who or what was out there, but she needed to give the other elf time to get back on her feet.

Regardless of any defense or agression the new elf provided, there was no renewed attack, no sound to answer the question. Not even a rustle of fallen leaves could be heard. Celeste moaned as she slowly pulled her hands beneath her, mentally pushing away the memories of pain and abuse that tried to drown her. A wave of nausea ceased all efforts to move.

Even with her head swimming, Celeste forced herself up eventually, muttering "Din ver na bellanaris" to whoever attacked her. Here she was, minding her own business as she hunted for a meal, and viciously attacked for no reason. As she slowly took in her surroundings, Celeste fought with one specific memory.

The drow lifted her by the scruff of her shirt and pushed her against the wall. He thought her complacent, drugged into submission. As he tried to push himself on her, wet kisses smearing the dirt on her face, Celeste roughly lifted a single knee. She was sent sprawling to the floor as he took a moment to recover. At this time, she knew it was futile to attempt to escape, but must draw a line to the abuse she endured. So she merely stayed on the ground, hoping to make herself small and forgotten. Yet, her hopes were dashed when he recovered, lifted her and began bashing her head against the wall until she passed out.

Celeste shook her head, which was a mistake as she almost fell over once more. Reika was still on edge, guarding her and the kill from something. She was searching, waiting for the renewed attack that was anticipated. Lifting a hand, and touching her head gingerly, Celeste's hand glowed slightly, the pain disappearing into memory. "I'll be fine, lethallin… As soon as the drow stops bashing my head." The statement came out as an angry growl, and she wasn't aware that the comment would confuse anyone outside of her experiences. She had spent so long with Larka, that she had nearly forgotten not everyone was on the same page as her wife.