Ooc - this is reserved for Shade of Fear. Also, this will be a bit different from whay I had done in the past.

Ic -
It had been a very long time since Erais had set foot...anywhere really. After Erador had been brutally murdered, Erais had gone into seclusion. She left no traces, no hints that she was still alive. The soft, almost baby like, features were gone. She was sharp and full of only seriousness. All traces of laughter and any amount of joy were gone.

As she sat on the edge of one of the many cliffs that littered the Beor mountains, she was gazing into the sunset. She chuckled dryly. She had often looked upon a sunset symbolically. It felt like how her life was. With no Erador to keep her spirits up, what could she do?

The sun painted the sky so magestically that she was almost in awe. The beauty of it pained her. She would never be able to be in the skies again, free as a bird. Free from Galabatorix. Erais was grateful that she had been able to fine tune her skills to great heights all on her own.

She was definately taller than when she had last been seen. Her eyes were hallow and her strangely colored skin was almost faded. The life that was always about her was gone. Her stance as she sat, was one of a worn and beaten down warrior. The way she made her living was shameful, but no one was there to stop her.

Erais felt the light breeze move around her. It always felt good, it was almost like flying again. Up here in the mountains was where she loved it best. She would never dare travel to any cities unless they were small towns that wouldn't make a fuss about her presence.
She didn't like Du Weldenvarden because it felt stuffy and almost claustrophobic.
The islands were definately off limits, since she couldn't fly there and she wouldn't be able to smuggle herself onto a ship.
The desert was too open, too hot, and too dry. Sure it was void of life, and that was easy to live with, but it just wasn't home.

No, she belonged in the mountains. This was home. This was where it was perfect. She could use everything to her advantage. Living here had given her time to scale up and down cliff faces. Hide among the tall pines, and build traps that would keep her safe.

This was her home, and it would always be. Once Erador had remarked that to her that if Erais could, she probably would live in the sky if possible.

OOC- I'm going to use my new character.

IC- Raven limped on the mountain path, his right leg shredded and losing blood fast. He had been so careless, knowing that these stones were merely fragile strings that could topple at any given moment. As the stone had fallen, he tried to rise back to the top of the trail quickly, but his foot had gotten caught, and here was the result.

Finally, he couldnt take it anymore, and with a pityful sigh, he ploped down on the hard rock. He had been saving his energy for the malicious creature of the mountains, but it looked like some form of healing was required in order for his trek to continue. He took off his rugged and old glove, carefully placing it where the wind wouldn't blow it away. Now, he looked at the wound. The sharp rocks had cut him almost down to the bone, and had made a very large gap in his flesh. Careful not to look at the scars that covered it, he set his hand on his wound, wincing as it stung. Hethen mutter in the words of the Ancients, which he had learned long ago, Zakramen Ohelion. He felt his power slowly drain away as the powerful healing spell envelpoing his wound. The flesh melded together in a few second, as good as new, but infection could still have settled in. Raven wound have to wait and see.

Tired from his healing spell, Raven didn't even bother trying to get up. Whiping the blood from his hand on the ground, he casually put his glove back on and laid his head on the hard rock. He suddenlly sat up, blinking stupidly. He wasn't going to sleep on flat rock. Raven unclipped his cloak, and and rolled it into a bundle. he then put it under his head, and fell into a light sleep.

Ooc - Fine with me.

Ic -
Erais continued to watch the sun sink lower and lower on the horizon. The patterns in the sky fading slowly into twilight. The breeze picked up a little stronger and the night loomed nearer and nearer. It didn't bother her however, this was what made this home. The wildness of the mountains always attracted her, like the untameness of a dragon.

Finally deciding it would be better to go back to better shelter, she picked herself up. She pulled her hood up, as well as a strong piece of cloth to cover all but her eyes. This made her practically invisible at night.

Walking slowly away from the cliff edge, the wind whipping her cloak about her. She began to move on very unsteady rocks, but it didn't matter. The fact that she didn't care if she died in a rockslide made her much more daring.

As she moved about on the rocks, something in the air was unsteady...off. Letting her mind go empty and search around, she felt a noticable block. Her eyes shot open, piercing the dark she made her way quietly down to where she felt the presence had been.

Erais moved quickly, and quietly. Seeing a stranger asleep on the rocks she approached cautiously. This was the first living being she had seen in a long time. For her, Urgals didn't count as living things.

Moving closer, she noticed instantly that he had got a deep leg wound. From how it had healed so fast, he must have used magic. Also, since he was asleep, must mean it had drained a lot from him. From his clothes, he looked very travel worn.

Erais scowled, he looked like some sort of bloodthirsty person to her. Still with murder on her mind, she reached her gloved hand to her sword. Making sure only her eyes were the most visible part, she slowly pulled her sword out. Not realizing that he could be a highly trained assasin for all she knew, and the slightest sound my wake him instantly. Especially if it was the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

OOC: Not much to write here, since I'm asleep.

Raven was dreaming...

Dark shapes swirled around him, calling to him, begging him for help. Raven didn't know what to do. He couldn't speak, nor could he move. He just stood there and watched as the shapes began to take form, until he was surrounded by a pack of wolves. Suddenly, he was given the gift of movement, and he instinctivly reached for Bloodmoon, his gigantic crensent shaped sword, but it wasn't there.

The Wolves lunged at him, and when he hit one in the face, it disappeared as a fine black mist. Another bit him on an arm as the biggest of them pounced and pushed him into the ground. But it wasn't ground anymore. It was a plain of corpses, all beaten and bleeding, grasping at his clothes, pulling him in. He roared, "NO!" and woke up.

Tears blurred his vision, and weariness still pulled at him. He brushed his hand on his eyes and finally saw that he had been found.

Erais had brought her sword up enough to lay an expert execution move. She was about to swing it down, when he screamed "NO!". She was so startled that she stumbled backwards.

He looked very different than when he had been sleeping. He hadn't looked exactly peaceful when he had been asleep, but compared to this conscious self, it was definately peaceful. Now he seemed alert and hidden behind her well composed facade, she was frightened.

Since he woke up so suddenly, Erais quickly retreated back a few feet. Bringing herself onto a danergous part, in an easy spot for falling rocks. Her eyes were alert as she tried to quickly assess the situation.

Shifting the sword in her hand, she unconsciously tucked the almost like mask tighter around her face. Just because she had been caught off guard, didn't mean she would let him pass.

"What makes you think you are safe here?" She hissed at him threateningly. Her own voice surprised her. It hadn't been used in so long, that it was raspy and sounded nothing like her. It sounded ghostly, like some lost memory.

Raven could barely make out the words spoken to him. He felt as if his bones were made out of lead, his blood a burning poison. He opened his mouth, but not sound came out. He tried to reach for his magic in order to cast a shield, but to no avail. The Dark Spirit within him had been pushed away, and could not give him any power. All he could do was lay there and look onto the stranger before him with glazed eyes. His head was throbbing, threatening to burst. He was defenseless.

The pain that seared through his body conquered all other thoughts, and he finally managed to utter a cry of agony. The sound echoed around the walls of the mountain, louder and louder.

A crack resounded above his head. He managed to look up, and by natural reflex, tried to move, but his body wouldnt obey as a two ton boulder fell from high above him.

Erais' voice was husky and dry with disuse. The silence had become her safe haven, though now as this stranger had forced her to break it, she already loathed him to the extreme. "I doubt you are safe here, you should not have come..." Her icy words were broken off by the sound of something breaking somewhere above them.

His scream of pain barely registered in her mind before the rock had cracked and began to tumble towards them. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, but not fear. She'd rather just stay there and let it crush her, but deep down in her, part of her old compassionate self wouldn't let her let the stranger die.

With a huff of discomfort she lifted him by his shoulders and quickly jumped out of the way, making sure that he didn't fall. Finding a stable surface so that they wouldn't rock, also a spot that was clear of falling rocks, he was once again in danger, but from a totally different kind. "You better find someway to convince me that you're someone worthy of living soon, or kiss your mortal life good-bye." Her voice was low and very threatened.

OOC: Sorry! My internet/moden almost literaly blew up and ive been getting on for a minute. It back up now.

IC:Raven gave a raspy cough at the stranger's question, spilling blood down his front. He wasn't sure (His eyes were so blurry), but he though he was looking a a female. He opened his mouth, but once again, nothing came out. Then, gathering all his strength, he somehow found his voice.

"Looking..for a...crystal...deep inside..." he gave another bloody cough and continued. "an...abandonded...dwarven mine..." He knew that he didn't want to say what he was here for, but at the moment, he had no choice. The stranger would be able to end his life instantly if it...SHE...wanted to.

"The crystal...contains a...soul from a...nature spirit...killed by the...dwarven diggings..." He began to speak more clearly, for he had begunto feel his strength coming back. He braced himself on his staff as he tired to rise, but fell back down and continued. "It was from a...plant that carried...an anti-venom for a toxic...that I have managed to injest." He pulled back his torn and ragged sleeve to reveal two exteremly swollen veins. "It poisoned the blood, and is burning away at my heart..."

"The toxin is what is...making me so weak. If I do not get it soon...I will die... It is a selfish risk...but one that I am willing...to take." He looked back up at the stranger. He had given away a lot of information. Now that she knew what was going on, she could also blackmail him. Yet, he sat there and awaited her answer, reluctant to give away more information. Luckily, the powerful shadow spirit within his was shielding his mind, even though he was very weak. He gave one more bloody cough, and sat up.

Erais listened to the stranger with narrowed eyes. He was coughing up blood, but she didn't really care. All she wanted to know was why he was here, in her home. It took a while for him to say what he wanted to say, it was a startling fact, and it puzzled her. Though she kept from showing any emotion, even though her eyes were the only visible part other than black clothing. Eyes could easily give away any emotion. All hers head was a hard shell of cold and almost hatred.

"Dwarven cave you say?" She asked in a raspy tone. Erais wasn't sure if she could trust what he was saying, but by the looks of his injury, and the blood he was coughing up. It was pretty safe to believe that he wasn't lying to her. Finally he finished, coughing up more blood and sitting up. She frowned slightly at the blood he was coughing up, it wasn't her favorite thing to see.

Erais thought for a few minutes of just ending his life, it might spare him some pain. Quickly thinking over the pro's and con's of doing it, she realized that she was turning just as cold hearted as a Shade would be. With a slight huff she analyzed him for a moment. He really did look like he was dying, and she could always kill him off later if she had chosen to help the wrong person.

"There are plenty of abandoned caves around here. I've seen enough to know where to go. I'll help you, but don't expect much." Her tone was harsh as she glared down at him. Erais had seen many crystals, and crystal like things in her explorations. She knew of a few caves that might be the one he was looking for. She decided not to expect anything back from him, but if he ended up dying, she knew it would be a horrible way to die.