KJ: Lost in the Woods

She looked up at her mother with a wide smile.

"Just like that, right, Mother?"

"You're still swinging too hard from the arm, Kallian. You need to be quick with your strike. Come at me again, remember your wrist."

Kallian frowned, then took a deep breath. She let it out slowly to clear her mind, and she lept at her mother, taking a quick stab to her mother's torso with the stick in her hand. Her mother blocked it.

"Yes! Like that! Again!"

Kallian's attacks continued, and the elf concentrated on not becoming too wild with her swings. She side-stepped a bow and brought the hilt of her wooden dagger on Soris' hand. Her cousin dropped his own wooden weapon and let out a grunt of pain.

"Cousin, do you really have to hit it that hard?"

"If you don't know what kinda pain you give people, there's no sense in trying to fight 'em!" Kallian laughed. She tucked her wooden daggers into her belt and kicked up Soris' sword with her toe. After grabbing it, she offered it back to him.

"Kal, I think you have an unfair advantage."

The young woman grinned, "Only for as long as you take to learn." She turned on her heels and stopped. An elf leaned against a wall not too far away, his dark red hair pulled back into a tail over his neck. He offered her a warm smile.

"Hey, Kal. It's been a while."

"Fyr...? You—Sh--I--" Kallian felt her face go red.

The other elf lifted himself off of the wall and walked over to her. He kissed her lightly on the forhead, "I can't stay long, love."

"You said you wouldn't come back at all once that night was over. It was too dangerous for you in the Alienage!" she growled.

Fyr looked a little taken-back, and his ears turned red, "Well. I suppose I did say that..."

"Why are you here?" She demanded, stepping back out of his reach, "What favor could you possible want, what can I possibly give you that you didn't already take?"

"Kal, I--"

Everything froze. Kallian stood rigid as the scene around her melted away, and she felt herself floating in a vast green mist. A large, horrible looking dragon swooped down onto a tower and roared at her...

And Kallian Tabris woke up in cold sweat. She panted and stared at the treetops for a moment, then sat up and held the base of her palms against her eyes.

"You too, tonight?" came Alistair's quiet voice nearby. Kallian simply nodded.

"It's hard to think about facing this Blight when plagued by that."

She rubbed her face, and then sighed. The elf looked around the campsite. Everyone else was still asleep.

"And I'm hungry," she muttered. "Do you think there are any berry bushes nearby?"

Alistair stretched and yawned, "I was thinking about sleeping more, actually, but there might be."

Kallian shook her head, "Move faster by myself anyway. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Right, then... night..." Alistair mumbled just before passing out again. Kallian looked out into the woods and shivered.

"It's been three years, Fyr... I wonder where you actually are."