We welcome all to our first Story...be please aware that this story was written but two people. hope you all enjoy.

Chapter One

The chestnut haired man walked into the towns best pub. He sat down at the bar his hood hiding his slightly pointed ears and he placed a couple of coins down with his nicely taken care of nails. "A pint, please." He said and waited for the brew to be placed in front of him. His eyes darting around the room, cautiously looking for the men who where after him.

A few men entered the Inn and were being very loud. They sat at the bar and ordered a round. They were both dirty and ugly looking as if they had never had a bath in their lives. The were babbling about loosing men and both of them had claw marks that looked fresh and deep. "We're looking for a women called Lady Relena ." The tallest one said to the bar keep. "We have a delivery for her. Some thing rare and exotic! And we would love to get it out of our hands as soon as possible"

Noticing the claw marks, the elf, just a few seats down from them, stood and left the bar, only half way done with his drink too. Oh well, another time then.

It wasn't difficult to find the covered cage. The elf slipped under it and looked at the giant cat laying on the floor of the cage. People were closing their shops for the night and soon the elf was the only one left in the street.

"Come here." The elf said softly, putting his hand in the cage, and lowering his hood with the other, revealing his pointed ears and his violet eyes. He made sure to keep an ear out for the men after him and the ones that had caged this creature. He opened the cage's door and stepped back slightly.

The tiger jumped out of the cage but did not run. It stood there looking at the elf. The men came out of the Inn and yelled at what they saw. There tiger was getting away.

The elf turned at the men and then back to the tiger. He smacked the tigers hide quarters like he would a horse. "Run!" He yelled and turned back to the men with his bow drawn and an arrow cocked into place. He aimed it at the man's head. "Stay were you are, or I will kill you, filthy human." The elf said, giving time for the tiger to get as far away as possible.

The tiger took off running, it ran out of town and into the woods not knowing were to go, it curled up under a tree and fell asleep after all it had had it hard the last few days, his breathing was slightly heavy.

"That tiger is ours." The man said, then noticed the elves ears. "And you will be too." The man added. The elf rolled his eyes and his arrow slipped from his fingers, his eyes wide with surprise. The man was preoccupied with the arrow pinning him to the wall by this shirt that he didn't notice the elf take off after the tiger.

The tiger looked up and growled as the elf approached him. He did not trust humans and he did not trust this elf.

The elf smiled at him and knelt down a small distance away, he went threw his pack and pulled out some dried meat. "Here, I know it's not much, but it should help you out until you are able to catch something." He tossed it just under the tigers nose and stood, he pulled out a small dish that he carried in another pouch and poured some water in it and placed it down. "If you don't want to drink from this there's a river about a mile south.. I am sorry for what they did to you." The elf started walking away. Knowing that trust would need to be earned here.

The tiger growled again not wanting the elf out of his sight. He sniffed the meet and water, deciding it was safe, he ate the meet and lapped at the water.

The elf froze in his steps and turned to look at the tiger. "Well we can't stay here. So if you want to 'keep an eye' on me and get away from those men, then you had better come with me." He said and started walking away again, he tripped, but caught his balance before he fell, blushing slightly but ignoring it. Lifting his hood back over his ears and shading his eyes.

The tiger kicked the bowel just hard enough so that it came to rest a the elf's feet. He had no other places to go so he fallowed the elf cautiously.

The elf picked the bowl up and put it back into his pouch, leading the tiger to the north. Every few minutes he glanced down at the tiger with interested eyes. "So...where you from?" He asked, the silence was eating at him.

The tiger growled as if answering.

"Hmmm, well that would be very interesting if I could understand what you were saying." The elf said. He sighed and sat down in a clearing, it was getting late and they had walked for a good few hour, dawn would be approaching soon. The men wouldn't be after them tonight, not on the full moon. He pulled out some more meat, frowning when he noted that it was barely anything at all. He sighed and threw it towards the tiger. "Here you need it more then I do." He said.

The tiger ate half of the meet and stepped away from it to curl up in the root s of a tree, eyes still on the elf.

The elf grabbed the other half and put it in his mouth, savoring the taste and leaning back against the tree. "So what makes you so special, why did those men want you so badly that they would bring you to Lady Relena." The elf asked after another hour of silence. The elf shivered at the mention of the ladies name.

The tiger looked up the sun was coming up.. "See for yourself..." where the tiger had been was a boy that looked to be in his twenties. His hair was a very messy chocolate brown. His eyes were a deep cerialin blue that held the same wonder the tiger's had.

The elf jumped to his feet and backed up a few steps, tripping over a rack and landing on his butt. "Geez, you think you can warn someone before you do something like that." He fell all the way back, putting his hand on his forehead. "Damn changelings, always popping up when you least expect them." The elf was mumbling. He sat back up to look at the boy "So they knew about you then." The elf said, his hood falling back as he sat up.

"They caught me bathing." The boy look away from the elf, ashamed that he had only a small amount of cloth covering him.

The elf pulled off his cloak at the sight of the boys blush and tossed his at him. It revealed his outfit, a black tight fitting shirt that only reached his midriff, and tight black pants with knee high brown leather boots. He reached threw his pacts and pulled out his spare cloak, covering his skinny body back up in the loose fabrics. The chains around his wrist clinging as he did so. "That ones already warm." He got back to his feet and pulled out his bow again. "I'm going to go catch us some food. I'm freaking starving."

"Heero..." the boy said after pulling on the cloak. Sarah Putman: ()

"That's a good name...just call me Duo." The elf said and walked away from the boy. A few hours later Duo was sitting of the ground huffing hard for breath. Four times and each time he had missed. He was going to starve if he couldn't catch anything. He heard a bird above him and pulled back his bow, only to lower it when he found that it was only a small sparrow, hardly worth the try or the waist of an arrow.

"Here" Heero said handing Duo two plump rabbits and started to build a fire, he had come from the woods a small distance from where Duo was sitting.

Duo blushed brightly. "I've never hunted before just a few days ago." Duo said, trying to explain himself. He pulled out a knife and started skinning the rabbits, at least he was good at that.

"Hn." Heero said as a flam sparked up.

Duo worked quickly at skinning them, he cut the meat of the bones, still a little embarrassed that he hadn't been able to catch anything. He could pretend to be good with a bow and an arrow, but the truth of it was that he sucked, plan and simple.

"Where did you escape from?" Heero asked trying to get Duo's mind off what he could not do.

Duo laughed nervously. "I didn't escape from anywhere, what gave you that idea?" He said, looked down and focused on the rabbit, cutting the meat away from the bones.

"The chains." Heero was mixing some herbs he had found in the woods into some boiling water.

Duo rubbed his wrists and laughed slightly. "Oh...um...well it's a long story...lets just say you were about to have the same fate." Duo said, handing him the plate of meat.

"Thanks for the rescue." He said and started to cook the meat with the herbs into a little stew.

"So where are you from?" Duo asked. Last time Heero had growled at him, maybe this time he could understand him.

"Hn" Heero said stirring the stew.

"Is that a town or a city?" Duo asked jokingly, smiling up at Heero.

"Ashes." Heero did not look at the elf.

"Oh...you too huh, you're home was destroyed?" Duo said a little embarrassed that he had made a joke about it.

"I don't remember its name..." Heero dished up some stew and handed a mug to Duo.

"Oh." Duo said, he didn't say anymore and he just started gulping down the food and an insane rate. He hadn't eaten a lot in quiet a while. "Mmmmm, this is really good, Heero. What herb was that?" Duo asked.

"Pepper root (1) and parsley mostly." He sipped his stew.

"Hmmm, well it's really good..." Duo stopped talked and listened around them. He could hear foot steps. "People are coming." He said.

Out of habit Heero hid in the trees, jumping up from his place near the fire and into the trees with little effort.

Duo looked around for him and sighed. He put his hood over his head and hid the extra cup, sitting by the fire, he hunched his back over and changed his voice. The men walked into the camp and looked around it.

"You there!" The man yelled.

"Stop yelling sonny I can hear you fine." Duo said, his voice sounding old and warn.

"Have you seen an elf and a tiger pass threw here?" The man asked.

"No I can't say that I have." Duo said, lifting his head to reveal an old face and white eyes.

"I'm sorry old man." The man said and waved his men away. Duo watched the men heading back into the forest, though he also noticed they were sticking close by.

"What was that all about?" Heero asked hiding in the tree above Duo, perched like a cat.

"There looking for us." Duo said quietly. "We should leave."

"Hn" Heero jumped down and put out the fire and helped Duo put things away. He did not know why but he trusted Duo.

Without a word Duo started heading north. Keeping his ears open for the men. Suddenly Duo slammed into Heero and pushed him out of the way as an arrow shot passed the two of them, as they fell onto the ground.

"We need to move faster." Heero said and changed in to a tiger waiting for Duo to climb on his back.

Duo pushed Heero and pulled out his bow again. "Just go, keep heading north I'll catch up." Duo said, he let his arrow fly and was happy to see that he could at least still hit a human. The human flew back as the arrow embedded in his head. Reaching back Duo realized that that had been his last arrow and cursed.

Heero did not run north, he had charged at the men making their horses nervous, causing the horses to buck some of their riders off there backs. Some of them finding his claws or his jaws.

Duo pulled out his sword and charged at the other men, slicing them down and then turned barely blocking one guy, he kicked him and made to stabbed at him. The guy jabbed forward with his dagger but Duo kicked it away and sliced threw the mans gut. He turned to find Heero.

The tiger known as Heero was walking up to him blood soaked into his fur. He nudged Duo and wanted him to climb onto his back. Duo ran his hands around Heero's fur, finding no wounds. "Are you sure?" Duo asked. Heero seemed to nod nudging the elf again. Duo climbed onto Heero's back, a little nervous about riding a tiger. Heero waited till he was settled the took off running north.

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End Chapter One...review please.

(1) A spice that was made up by Toola…