The forest was vast and swallowed the sounds of the animals that dwelt within the embrace of the colossal canopy. Many had warned her of the dangers of delving too deep but dense forests had been her home more times than she could count; not to mention sometimes to find oneself you first had to become lost… 

Kythe had ventured deep into the maze of red oaks; she had no true destination in mind other than the one that her feet led her too. She was Fate's Daughter; she had long since learnt to trust her Father's judgement in such matters as this. The clearing she had finally come to stop within was not large but it was wide enough for her to swing her Bo staff at least. The woman had not brought much with her in terms of supplies; what she needed she would find in the forest if necessary - she had come to retrain herself and until she was confident that she could keep hold of her emotions and suppress the pain in her shoulder enough to cope with jarring movements she would not utilise the myriad of recruits that Kiba had under his care. She had promised her son that she would lend what help she could - she had taught him to fight and he was now Champion to Lokir; she could train the rest of his recruits and feel confident enough in her ability to say she was a decent Weaponsmaster at the very least (though this might have been somewhat of an understatement). 

Bo staff lying at her feet Kythe had closed her eyes; furled her wings against her back and slowed her breathing until her heart rate was so low that one might have believed she had died there in that state. Half a day she remained that way; stood still with her feet slightly apart, hands by her sides, seemingly oblivious to the world around her as the breeze that made its way through the forest played with the loose strands of her hair. As this gust suddenly picked up and knocked a leaf from one of the trees above her the woman moved - her movements swift and graceful as though released from a trap all at once. Emerald eyes were focussed and alert as she dropped to one knee and grasped the staff within her right hand - the impact of her knee to the ground sent a vibration through her body that became a shockwave of pain when it reached her right shoulder but she forced herself to grit her teeth and move through it, choosing to use her right arm to pick up the staff purposefully so that she had to work through the pain there despite every instinct begging her to release her grip on the weapon. 

Fingers tightened like a vice around the wooden staff and Kythe was on her feet in a heart beat, the weapon twirling between her left and right hand, shoulders swaying back and forth as she kept the momentum of the weapon even, concentrating on her breathing and her footwork as she constantly moved around in a circle as though watching multiple enemies that had surrounded her. If anyone had been there it would have been obvious how much pain she was in; her eyes were filled with the fire born of the pain emanating from the wound on her right shoulder - that festering memento from the Deity she had slain on her own world. The stink of it filled her nostrils with every controlled breath she took and the acrid taste of it stung her tongue with every exhalation… but she could not let it slow her down - she would be no one's burden and she had been invalid long enough in this world. Kythe was not known for sitting around and letting others take care of her; Kiba knew that all too well that his surrogate mother would not linger in bed for too long despite the wounds she had arrived to Revaliir with - Kythe was a warrior, born and bred and not even this God forsaken injury would stop her! 

Tears formed in the woman's eyes as she transferred the staff purely to her right hand; thrusting it forward and swinging it above her head before she returned to spinning it between her two hands. Her right arm was on fire from her shoulder to her finger tips; every movement was sheer and utter agony and her fingers threatened to either lock onto the staff permanently so that she could no longer transfer it from hand to hand or weaken so much so that they dropped it to the ground…. but Kythe was too stubborn to listen, she had to be, she had to work through it… her next stop was the House of Lady Angela but if the Goddess could do nothing for her then Kythe would be left with this pain for the rest of her days and she refused to have others protect her because of this. Not this time, she would never let Father win not so long as she drew breath!

A rawr of anger and determination left her throat as she closed her eyes, ignoring the tears that ran down her cheeks at the sheer effort of moving. The sound of her cry was lost to the forest and as it dissipated she finally relinquished, gasping as she collapsed to the forest floor. Her staff lay discarded as she bent over, clutching at her shoulder with her left hand as she panted heavily, sweat streaming down her entire body as the fire raged and made way to the cool ice of her muscles relaxing into the pain that now lay there. She had much work to do… 

Words always said that this place was a maze: one that would ensnare you for days until you died either of starvation or from the predators inside. Honestly, if predators could navigate the woodlands to hunt down travelers, then navigating should not be as hard as stated. If anything, it was pushing through the thickness of them that made it troublesome, but even then, the roads were traveled enough to help forge a "dedicated" road, right?

That was where Eden's path laid, bare feet crunching through the treaded soil with a thick, metal beam of a sword resting on her shoulder as she stepped through, tail hanging low as she pushed forward. There really was no goal for the woman except where to hunt for her next meal, whether t be from actual game or the disks that she could apparently trade for. Still, if she hunted her prey, she would need to find a way to "cook" it, as lately her body had not exactly liked going for raw meats as of late. Then again, when she did, it was her body begging for pretty much anything.

As she wandered down the road, however, her ears flicked towards an echo that came from deeper into the woodlands and away from the main trail. Screams lost from human ears, but picked up by her beastly variety. It was enough for the tiger-kin to turn her head towards it before letting curiosity take  over and take her away from the path and into the deeper thickness of the trees. The rougher terrain dug more into her feet as the smooth soil was quick to turn to dead foliage, sticks, and roots, but it did not stop her path forward until the screams died down. Was it, in fact, another getting hunted nearby for getting lost as the rumors stated? Should she hurry to make sure things were alright, or turn about to avoid the danger? … In the end, her pace never changed in neither speed or direction. If there was a threat, she could handle it.

What rested before her, though, was another woman, fallen over to her knees and weapon resting on the ground. She could smell the sweat from where she stood as her eyes, gleaming in the darkness of the covering like a predator, watched her hold her shoulder as she fought off pain. Without much thought, the tiger-kin stepped forward, the twigs under her bare feet snapping as she stepped forward, spinning the metal support beam of a sword around and impacting the tip into the ground, leaving it to stand tall like a pillar as Eden stepped forward over her the other's side, looking over at the held side.

The tiger's scent caught her attention before anything else - it stood out in this place; it did not belong and despite the festering wound on her shoulder she could still smell the new variation on the air with every inhalation. Raising an eyebrow she turned her head slightly, sharp eyes peering into the gloom in the direction the scent was coming from, her mind already ticking over the many possibilities for how this encounter might play out.
Did someone think she was easy prey? Was that what this was? An ambush? She might have been suffering from her wound but Kythe was unlikely to go down without a fight and no matter how injured she was she was not going to make it easy on her stalker. She was not prey, Kythe had spent her life as the predator and no amount of pain was going to change that instinct now. 

Lip curling back to reveal her fangs the woman watched as a girl stepped forwards with a large sword. She stabbed the tip into the ground and Kythe relaxed; she had been a warrior long enough to understand a show of peace and friendship when it was offered and this was one of the oldest signs in the book. Sitting up slightly her emerald eyes followed the girl's path as she stepped closer to Kythe, eyes clearly searching for the source of her pain. Pulling her hand away Kythe took off the bandages that covered her shoulder (they needed replacing anyway) to reveal the rancid injury. "A gift from a God." She explained in a wry tone. "I'm unsure of the Gods here can help me with it, so I was trying to force myself to ignore the pain." She smiled. "I'm not doing so well at that last part."

Eden did not exactly care about who or what gave her the wound: it was clear that the pain was immense and stressing it out with weapon training did not help any of it. Her brain racked over what could be done. She was a warrior, not a medic. Still, it wasn't like she was alone on this. After all, there were so many creatures that have long lived them. Surely they would know of something, right?

Her fingers went for the latch that connected the shackle closed, where the crest of Adraejen rested as the mark of her freedom despite the slave collar, before pausing for a quick moment. No, despite the other opening up to Eden, the question of trust was still in the air. Probably be unwise to use her typical form of summoning… Maye something else… a different signal that would not be as intimidating…

Her mind flashed back to a signal: fingers taken into one's mouth before a high pitched cry was released. Her mind mulled over it before trying to do it herself, digging her fingers into her mouth as she recalled before "Pfffffffffffffffffffff," a most failed raspberry. A confused look came upon her face as she stared at her hand once more, trying time and time again until a minor tweet came from her lips. Her eyes lit up with excitement with this as she tried to recreate it once more until she got comfortable doing so. All that was left to do now was to release the shackle that hid the scars, prepared her hands, and…

"Twwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." The whistle echoed through the trees, the sound reverberating through the woods as if the sound alone was charmed before resting silent once more. However, amongst the trees, it seemed reality itself began to warp before a figure floated through: a dragon the size of a cat swam through the air with pixie wings keeping it afloat.

"Pain killer?" Eden asked the Fairy dragon, through her lips did not move an inch. In response, the newer entity floated down to take a look before darting off into the woodlands. It did not take long for it to return with a branch of leaves en tow.

"Have her chew on these," The other replied to Eden, "Though bitter, it will help dull the pain. A lake is nearby to get it washed as well. I shall ready an ointment to help rub on it after it has been washed to help." With a final nod, the fairy dragon flew off to the edge where it spotted the water, waiting for the pair. It was then Eden turned to the other and offered her the branch, though not without taking a leaf off of it and chomping at it in the air as if to tell her.

Kythe watched the girl curiously; it was not often that she found herself in the company of another who did not respond when spoken to. Raising an eyebrow she cocked her head at the young woman; her emerald eyes following the tiger’s every move - she did not yet know the girl nor her intentions, for all Kythe knew this was all meant to lead her into a false sense of security before the girl attacked her in her weakened state… sadly it was exactly what Kythe would have done in her younger years when she had not been as strong as was now.

The collar was unclasped and still the girl did not take her eyes away from Kythe, and vice versa. The Minadrian woman scowled as she watched the young woman place her fingers to her pursed lips before she blew a funny noise. A smile crossed the woman’s face as she realised that the youngster had attempted to whistle and failed her initial attempt. She continued this for a few moments; each attempt getting closer to what she was clearly trying to do until finally the shrill sound echoed across the forest.
Kythe had no idea what was going on but the child amused her greatly - she seemed unperturbed by Kythe’s presence and so far had largely ignored the woman to continue whatever it was she had in her head to do.

A Fairy Dragon appeared and Kythe’s interest piqued - the little creature reminded her of her own companion Alura and it warmed her heart to see the little thing. Remaining silent she continued to watch the silent exchange between the pair and something began to dawn upon her - what if the girl could not speak? It was then that Kythe began to wonder whether or not she used telepathy as a method to converse; if so Kythe could easily communicate with her but she had no intention of forcing her mind into the girl’s in order to find out.

Standing up Kythe gathered her things and slung them onto her good shoulder, nodding to the child and taking the offered branch, pulling off several of the leaves and popping them into her mouth to chew. They were bitter but she knew why she had been offered them and she nodded to the girl in thanks, she appreciated the help from the stranger - it was something she had not expected to say the least.

A smile came across Eden's face when she accepted the branch and did what she told. It would probably take a bit for it to actually kick in, but it seemed the other was able to power through the actual bitterness to try and get to it. Still, the fairy dragon waited on the pair, which it seemed the other was able to translate, so as she got ready, Eden did the same, though for her, all it really meant was clasping the shackle closed, getting up, pulling her sword from the earth, and resting it on her shoulder. Once the two were with the summoned beast, it began to fly forward more, leading the pair on.

Though the woodlands were thick, they were still not much to the tigerkin, though it was probably because of her bloodline and awakened powers more than anything. Still, as long as their pair stuck close and kept on track with the flying entity, the maze of trees would be no issue before finding themselves near a stream. NOt exactly large enough for an actual bath, but at the very least it was drinking water and wash.

With the pair now at the stream, the fairy dragon once again vanished into the woodlands to do more gathering as Eden rested her weapon down and guided the other to the waters. With the pair rested down, Eden got down to running the water over the exposed wound, trying to, at the very least, wash away any caked on blood or dirt. As she did, the fae returned with more herbs and a smooth stone before getting to grinding them up. "I will need a flame to let the mixture blend together." the fae stated as she worked.

"I can easily handle that," echoed in Eden's ears before the air distorted once again. However, what stepped through was certainly much larger than the fairy dragon. It was a large, spectral paw that stepped out before a mane followed suit, decorated with a massive maw, daunting horns, and wings that rested on top of a lion. Though it stood less than a foot above a human's height, the air around it seemed dominating and assertive. And yet, despite the noble stance of the beast, the first thing he did was to reach up a tall tree, break off the branches with his jaw, before finally placing them into a pile. All that remained was a spit of flame from the spectral entity to set it ablaze. "Does that work?" it asked before settling down next to them, simply watching as the fairy dragon nodded, though immediately looking about. After all, it needed something to put the contents into…

Swallowing the leaves Kythe managed to fight back the shiver that threatened to run down her spine at the taste of the bloody things; why medicine had to taste so revolting she never knew but it seemed that most medicinal plants, herbs and concoctions left a bitter taste in the mouth regardless of what they were for or what they had in them. She vaguely remembered her mother making a comment or other about it being that way because it was good for you though Kythe had never really understood what she meant by that - could nice tasting things not be good for you as well? Was there a rule against medicine being nice to take?

Kythe remained unfazed by the maze of trees; she had spent a great many years in forests such as this and quite enjoyed being lost amongst the trees; it gave her a chance to collect her thoughts after all. Following after the young Tigress Kythe settled beside the stream, allowing the young woman to wash her wound. It was touching that this complete stranger was so attentive of her wounds given they had literally only just met. As the air shifted and a Manticore stepped through Kythe sat back slightly, one eyebrow raising in surprise at the sight of the creature - the last time such a beast had stood before her she had been fighting it off but since the girl was not worried about it's presence neither was Kythe. 

Together the small band had started a fire and gathered herbs together but it seemed they had reached a problem. Watching them for a moment Kythe's eyes took in everything and she smiled softly, holding up a hand to show she had an idea before reaching inside her pack and producing a small bowl. "Would this do?" She asked them all. 

The fairy dragon perked her head up as the bowl was offered, fluttering over quickly to take hold of the bowl and looking it over before what could have been a happy glance covered her face. With the vessel in hand, she scooped some water into it before resting it within the flames before returning back to the grinding of ingredients. The manticore stepped away, vanishing before their eyes, as he felt like he was no longer needed and would rather do anything else than to watch water boil. Once it was, the flying entity was quick to take her contents and add them to the water, flinching as the smell filled her nose before quickly returning back and giving it a stir.

Sure, the cleaning did nothing to actually aid with the mending of the wound (if fact, it only made it more apparent how bad it really was), it was clean enough to actually see what happened and how the fairy dragon would mend to it, who returned back to them with bowl in hand with what could only be described as a bubbling green bowl of goop. "Once it has cooled, spread this over the wound. It will help further take care of the pain and protect it from outside forces." Wait, this goop was armor?! … Certainly not enough to cover an entire body with, that was for sure. Probably not the best to try and ask any further then…

After giving it a moment to cool (which also let the other's shoulder air-dry), the content became more paste-like when Eden pushed her fingers into the contents. Still, it did not stop her from pulling some out and rubbing it upon the wound itself. Still, it felt strange between her fingers, as if it was making it harder to move her fingers about. Hopefully it would not be so rough to remove…