Dreams

Xxxxx

Another Detour

Xxxxx

Wrapping his fur blanket tighter around his body, Tzurael turned his coal black eyes towards his brother, "Caeshe."

The Sylvari Thief turned his eyes away from the fire, his gaze upon his twin, "Yes, Brother?"

"I severely dislike the cold," Tzurael replied, earning a sheepish smile from Caeshe.

"Well, be happy that we found shelter from this storm," Nabiha entered their little hut, shaking off the snow from his fur coated armor before seating himself to an empty spot on Tzurael's left, "Otherwise we'll had to improvise."

The twins turned their eyes towards the Warrior.

"Improvise?" Tzurael repeated, "What does that mean?"

Nabiha gave the Night Blooms a smile, "It means that we have to dig a hole down in the snow and use a tarp to cover our heads as shelter." He stretched his arms above his head as he added, "So be happy we found this abandoned hut when we did, otherwise we're going to be colder than we already are."

"I found more firewood," Khayru announced as she entered, shaking the snow off of her shoulders as Illusion following behind her, mimicking the movements of his master. Settling the wood in a pile near the fire, the honey colored Dawn Bloom seated herself next to Nabiha, brushing her fingers through her Fern Hound's leaf like fur as he laid down, his snout in between his front legs.

The instant Illusion lied down, Marsh stood up from her seat next to her master before turning around and curled up behind Tzurael, causing the Sylvari Ranger to turn his back to lay his eyes upon the young Sylvan hound.

"Illusion is not going to harm you anymore, Marsh," Tzurael patted her head gently, earning several whines in response, "Do not worry, Khayru and I are here to ensure he does not cause any more trouble."

Hearing his name being mentioned, Illusion released a small 'huff', before closing his good eye, signaling that he is going to rest. Unable to contain herself, Khayru rolled her eyes at her Fern Hound before giving the twins a comforting smile, "Do not worry; though Illusion may seem cold, he is actually quite gentle when you get to know him."

"Most of the time," Nabiha smiled, earning a sheepish grin from the Dawn Bloom, "I remember that one time when he nearly pushed me off the edge of the Omphalos Chamber. Parroen had to jump in and haul him by the neck to ensure that I didn't fall."

"Well, gentle when I'm looking," Khayru patted the Sylvan hound upon the head whom shifted in response, "when I'm looking away is a completely different story."

"Thanks for the warning," Caeshe murmured as he eyed Illusion suspiciously, the Fern Hound calmly yawning in response.

His focus on the older Sylvan hound, a startled cry from his brother caused Caeshe to jump, causing the Sylvari Thief to snap his violet eyes towards his twin, only to see that he had somehow made is way to the very back of the hut.

"Brother?" Caeshe asked as he shifted his full attention towards his twin only to pause as his violet eyes traced towards the area where his brother's gaze, seeing a small black feathered form shaking snow from its body.

"Azura," Khayru exclaimed as she leaned forward, stretching out her hand so that the black form would leap onto her arm, "have a message for me?"

Earning a low 'caw' as a response, Azura bowed her head before raising one of her feet, revealing a small rolled up piece of paper strapped around her leg. Giving the pet several strokes on the head with one of her fingers, Khayru then undid the string and picked up the piece of paper. It was only when Azura flew back into the blizzard when she saw the wide eyed looks of the twins, "What?"

"What... What was that?" Tzurael asked, eyeing the entrance of their hut warily, almost expecting Azura to dive bomb her way back in, "actually, what is it?"

Khayru and Nabiha just laughed, causing the twins to shyly glance at the ground.

"Azura is my Raven, a bird" The Dawn Bloom finally responded through chuckles, "She is mainly used for sending and receiving messages, mainly because she is too small and frail to actually be used in a battle." Giving the twins another smile, Khayru unrolled the piece of paper and her eyes scanned over the writing. Almost immediately, a look of concern flashed over her features. Nabiha noticed this.

"What does it say?" he asked as the honey colored Sylvari glanced up at the Night Blooms, their eyes full of curiosity.

"I am sorry, saplings," Khayru said as she rolled up the small piece of paper and pocketed it into her coat, "I need to make a stop by Hoelbrak before I can bring you to Ascalon."

"Hoelbrak?" Caeshe repeated, earning a nod from the Dawn Bloom.

"The home of the Norn," Nabiha replied, causing Caeshe's and Tzurael's eyes to turn towards the Warrior, "Er, they are like humans expect more...big."

"Big?" The Sylvari Ranger repeated, earning a sheepish smile from the warrior.

"You'll know when we get there," Khayru started to pack her things, earning a look from the twins, "I apologize saplings, but I have to head towards Hoelbrak, a friend there is in need of my help."

"Is it Jyra?" The azure hair warrior asked in which the Dawn Bloom nodded, "is it the Icebrood again?"

"Icebrood?" Tzurael asked, glancing towards his twin with a puzzled look, only to see the same in Caeshe's violet eyes.

"No," Khayru replied, turning her teal eyes towards her lover, "it is the Sons of Svanir."

"What's the difference?" Nabiha asked as Khayru tied her pack shut, "do not some of them turn into Icebrood eventually?"

Once again, the Dawn Bloom shook her head, "Jyra says that it is something of huge importance, she could not even place it in her letter for fear that it might be intercepted."

"That bad- Whoa! Khayru, wait! It's still-" Nabiha heaved out a sigh when the fur coated Sylvari exited the hut, her fern hound following her into the blizzard, "she maybe old for a Sylvari, but she can still act so brash." He rubbed the back of his neck before turning his dark azure eyes towards the twins, "Pack up and let's go, we're not going to leave Khayru to travel to Hoelbrak by herself."

Tzurael's eyes went wide, "In a storm? We might as well freeze ourselves to death."

A strained smile flashed onto Nabiha's features, "Then we'll just have to run, come on, let's go before we lose Khayru."

Xxxxx

"We're almost there!" Nabiha roared as he used his arm to cover his eyes, glaring through the blizzard, "just a bit more!"

"I'm going to get you for this later, Nabiha" Caeshe pulled his hood tighter around his head, failing to notice the sheepish smile he gained as a response.

"A few hours in the cold won't kill anyone," the Warrior called out only to receive a glare from the Night Bloom.

"Just giving you a warning! Caeshe always keeps to his word!" Tzurael laughed as he pulled his cloak tighter around his body, his free hand placed on Marsh's head to keep track of her in the storm.

Responding with a laugh of his own, Nabiha continued to lead the way, close enough to the twins to ensure that they keep could track of him in the blizzard, "Well, then I'll to watch my back then."

"Easier said than done when it's a thief!"

The Sylvari Ranger and the Warrior laughed while as Caeshe just released a small smile.

"Hoelbrak shouldn't be any farther now," Nabiha chuckled, "it should be right over-" A sudden cry caused the twins to jump, seeing the familiar black and azure form suddenly disappear from their vision.

"Nabiha?" Tzurael asked as he walked over to where the warrior once was only for him to find himself treading air. Then with a cry of his own, he found himself tumbling forward, feeling his body roll down the snowy terrain. Seconds later, the Night Bloom heard his name being called only to recognize the cry of his brother, coming to a slow realization that Caeshe had fallen over the side of the hill as well.

After what felt like eternity, Tzurael finally found himself coming to a full stop on what seems to be the bottom, seeing the world spin in his vision.

"Tzurael? Is that you?"

Recognizing the voice of the azure hair human, the Sylvari Ranger forced himself into a sitting position, his black eyes barely recognizing the black and azure form of the human warrior. Instead of replying immediately, Tzurael waited until the world stopped spinning before he opened his mouth to reply.

The older Night Bloom was going to say that he was fine however, when Caeshe suddenly collided into the Sylvari Ranger, Tzurael changed his mind, replying with a groan, "No," as he and his brother lay in a pile of tangled limbs.

Hearing a short laugh from the human warrior, Tzurael heard the sound of crunching snow before he felt himself being slowly untangled from his brother and pulled onto his feet before hearing the same actions being performed on the younger Night Bloom.

"I have to be honest, that was quite funny," Nabiha laughed as he helped brush snow off of Caeshe's shoulders, "I have never seen two Sylvari collide into each other like that, especially when tumbling down the side of a hill."

"Well, I have to say this," The Sylvari Thief murmured as he brushed snow off of his leaves, "it hurt."

A hearty laughed caused the group of three to snap their heads, only for the dark azure hair human to smile at the approaching figure.

At first, it was hard to see through the blizzard to see any details, however, when the form got closer, the twins' eyes grew wide as they realized on how just 'giant' the 'human' was, easily towering over Nabiha as the warrior spoke, "It has been a while, Harek."

The Norn laughed, his light brown strands barely peeking through his hood at this action before giving the warrior a hearty slap on the back, the force strong enough to cause the human to stumble.

"It is nice to see you again, Lunar Knight Nabiha," Harek smiled, his tan skin crinkling around his brown eyes to fit the expression, "though I did not to expect to meet again under these circumstances."

Nabiha just laughed in response, "Same here, Harek, however this was a last minute decision to come to Hoelbrak." He then paused, his eyes scanning before he added, "Which I can see we're quite not there yet."

"By bear's paw, Of course not," Harek guffawed, "you are just right outside of it." He released another hearty laugh, "just follow me, the entrance is not too far off from where we are." Turning his fur coat body so that his back was towards the group, the Norn headed back into the roaring blizzard, followed by Nabiha whom motioned for the twins to follow. Hesitant but wanting to quickly get out of the storm, the two Night Blooms followed the azure hair warrior, pulling their coats tighter around their body.

Listening to the warrior and Norn converse in front of him, Tzurael released a sigh as he let his arms fall to his side, only to feel something nuzzle into his palm. Jumping, the Sylvari Ranger peered down to his side only to release a small smile when he gazed into Marsh's intelligent eyes who 'huffed' before nuzzling her snout into her master's hand once more.

"I am alright, Marsh," Tzurael said as he held out his hand, letting the Fern Hound lick off the gathering flakes off of his gloved palm, "a couple of bruises here and there, but otherwise fine."

Giving her master a look of 'I'm still worried' look, Marsh pressed herself against Tzurael's legs, matching her pace with his to ensure that they do not tumble onto each other. Releasing a gentle laugh, Tzurael patted the Sylvan Hound's head before turning his eyes back towards the front of the group, his black eyes carefully tracing the forms in the blizzard to ensure he does not lose them.

Xxxxx

Caeshe watched as Nabiha argued furiously with Khayru (whom they had located easily the instant the group entered Hoelbrak) near the fireplace, either ignoring or missing the fact that the twins were seated right in front of them. They had found the Sylvari talking to a female Norn with light brown hair cascading down her back with braids patterned on the top of her head, keeping any stray strands from falling in front of her hazel eyes. After finding Khayru, the group had been led to Harek's homestead in which they discover that he and the female Norn, Jyra, were brother and sister. After the twins were given large fur coats and a warm mug of…something, that is when the arguing started.

Nabiha was the first to snap, "You could have been lost in that blizzard! You could have frozen to death!"

"I have traveled to Hoelbrak plenty of times, Nabiha! I can take care of myself!" Khayru retorted, her teal eyes narrowing in annoyance as Illusion sat next to her side.

"That does not mean that there is a chance that you would make a mistake and-"

"A mistake!? Do you not have faith in me!?"

"Of course I have faith in you! But you can't just expect to come here without fear of a mistake that could kill you!"

"Of course I can! Like I have said before! I have plenty of experience!"

As the human warrior and the Sylvari Ranger argued, Caeshe and Tzurael glanced towards each other before they shrugged and took a sip of their drink. Almost instantly, warmth spread through the twins' bodies, giving the needed warmth that they needed. Tipping the mug away from his mouth, Tzurael licked his lips before swirling the contents and peering inside, seeing his reflection against the light orange surface. Curious, he turned his eyes towards his twin, only to pause, "Caeshe?"

The Sylvari thief had apparently downed his drink, proof by the now empty mug in his hands. Now his twin was slouching forward, his elbow upon his knee while his forehead was placed in the palm of his free hand, swinging the empty mug in the other.

"Caeshe?" Tzurael called again and this time he got a response, his twin snapping upright before slowly turning his violet eyes towards Tzurael. Concerned, the Sylvari Ranger leaned in closer and after a closer inspection, Tzurael realized that Caeshe's face was a darker shade than usually and his eyes seem to be almost in a dream like trance, "Caeshe, are you alright?"

"H'm?" Caeshe seemed to snap back from a daydream, "Oh, yeah, yes." He then turned his violet eyes towards Jyra before he held up his empty mug, "Could I have another?"

Jyra just smiles before taking the mug from the Night Bloom and headed towards the area which consisted nothing but of large barrels on stands. Seeing this, Tzurael focused his attention back onto his twin, "Caeshe, what is wrong with you?"

"H'mmm," A dream like smile faded onto the younger Night Bloom's features, catching his older twin off guard, "I just feel really…well, that is all."

Tzurael gave him a doubtful look, "You sure you are not ill? You seem…out of it."

Giving his brother a nod, Caeshe's attention was turned back to Jyra who had held out a full mug in front of the Night Bloom. Giving the female Norn a smile of gratitude, Caeshe took the drink and to his brother's surprise, downed the contents almost instantly, placing the empty mug onto his lap.

"Do not drink it so quickly like that," Tzurael warned as he snatched the empty mug from his brother's grasp, "we don't even know what this is." He then paused before he turned his black eyes towards Jyra, "Was is it?"

"Ale," Herak boomed as he entered the room, a huge grin upon his tan features, "and one of the strongest we have."

"S-Strongest?" Tzurael stuttered before staring at his mug, wide eyed, before quickly placing it upon the floor and the empty one on the floor, "I think we had enough."

"But you didn't even finish your first one," Herak rubbed the back of his neck, "but I can't force you to-"

"I'll take it!" Caeshe exclaimed, earning a look of bewilderment from his twin.

"Caeshe! What is the matter with you?" Tzurael hissed as Jyra bent down and handed the Sylvari Thief his brother's unfinished mug.

Instead of responding, Caeshe just gave his brother a dream like smile before downing the ale, causing his brother to turn exasperated.

"How strong is this stuff?" He asked as Caeshe calmly dropped the mug to the ground, uncaring when it hit the floor boards with a loud "thunk".

"Not strong, if you have the tolerance for it," Herak laughed, "which I can tell that your brother is lacking."

Staring puzzled at the words of the male Norn, Tzurael turned his eyes towards his twin only to pause when he saw Caeshe's face in his hands, elbows on his knees, "Caeshe?"

"Ugh, I'm fine, brother, I'm fine," His voice muffled by his hands, Caeshe calmly removed his palms from his face and proceeded to pull the hide coat over his head, completely hiding himself from view, "just let me stay unseen and I'll…just…"

A cry escaped from Tzurael's throat as Caeshe suddenly fell off his chair and onto the wooden floor, the loud 'THUNK' loud enough to disrupt Nabiha and Khayru from their argument.

"Had a bit too much to drink," Herak laughed as he helped the Sylvari Thief into a seated position, who then proceeded to placed his head back into his hands, "going to suffer a great deal of headaches after he sleeps this off."

Before the Norn could help the Night Bloom onto his feet, Jyra walked up and gazed into her brother's brown eyes, "I'll take care of him."

Responding with a nod, Herak released his grip from the Sylvari Thief before Jyra helped him onto his feet and started to lead him towards one of the rooms.

"Do not worry, Jyra is experienced with handling situations like this," Herak said before Tzurael could slip out of his seat, "so just sit back and relax, your brother will be fine when morning comes."

Hesitation clear in his eyes, Tzurael slowly nodded before climbing back into his seat, his black eyes glued back onto Nabiha and Khayru, both of whom, had gazed towards the room where Caeshe was being led to, concern clear in their eyes.

Seeing this, male Norn attempted to break the tension.

"In all my years, I have never seen a Sylvari down ale like that," Herak laughed as he turned his eyes towards Nabiha, Khayru, and Tzurael, "not ever since you first came here, Tempest Khayru."

Almost immediately, Khayru's face turned a dark shade of red, "Please, do not bring that up again, Herak. It is an event that I hope to forget."

"What? What happened?" His curiosity peaked; Tzurael turned his black eyes towards Khayru whom shyly brushed some of her petal behind her right ear, her face turning a darker shade of red.

Seeing this, Nabiha laughed, "I remember! That time when you drank 10 mugs of ale and ran around yelling that the Norns were Dolyacks trying to run over you?"

"Nabiha, please," Khayru hushed though Herak guffawed.

"She would scream at the sight of any Norn," He chuckled, "Lunar Knight had to eventually lead her back to her room."

Hearing Tzurael release a light laugh, Khayru folded her arms in front of her chest before placed a hand onto her face and sighed, "And ever since then, the Norn tried to get me to drink more ale than I need to."

"Just be glad that you now have a strong tolerance to ale now, Tempest Khayru," Herak laughed as he gave Khayru a punch to the shoulder, causing the Dawn Bloom to stumble and rub her arm in response, "otherwise, you would have repeated that incident several times already."

Giving the Norn a sheepish smile, Khayru then turned her teal eyes towards Tzurael, "Sapling, could you perhaps turn in early for the night?"

The Night Bloom gave the Dawn Bloom a puzzled look, "Why? Am I not allowed to stay awake longer? My cycle is coming soon and I prefer to stay awake when it happens."

"Tzurael," Khayru's eyes turn serious, "please, Jyra, Herak, Nabiha, and I have something important to discuss. So please, turn in early."

Giving the Dawn Bloom a frown, Tzurael reluctantly slid out of his seat and headed towards the room where he saw Jyra and Caeshe enter, pulling his fur coat around his shoulders as he gently pushed the door open, hearing the 'click clack' of Marsh's paws hitting the floor boards as he did so.

Hearing the familiar creak of the wooden door, Jyra straighten herself out only for her to smile when he saw the Night Bloom, "Ready to turn in for the night as well?"

Instead of immediately replying, Tzurael turned his eyes towards the bed next to Jyra, recognizing the sleeping form of his twin instantly. He then responded, "Yes."

Another gentle smiling fading onto her tattooed features, Jyra motioned with her head to follow before she entered into another room, causing the Night Bloom to pause and hesitate.

The female Norn noticed this, "Is something the matter?"

Shifting shyly for several seconds, Tzurael murmured, "Do you mind if I sleep in here? With my brother? I prefer if he is within my sight, especially when he sleeps."

"Worried, I take it?" Jyra guessed in which the Sylvari Ranger nodded. The light hair Norn laughed in response, "Alright, if you do not mind the floor, I can bring in bundle of fur blankets to help keep you warm. Is that alright with you?" When she earned a nod as a response, Jyra quickly left the room, leaving Tzurael and Caeshe alone.

Standing in the middle of the room for several seconds, Tzurael quickly approached his brother's bed and knelt down, "Caeshe?"

When he only received his brother's gentle breathing as a response, Tzurael just sighed before laying his head onto the bed, hearing Marsh place her front paws and head on the bed in response.

"I am worried, Marsh," Tzurael whispered, hearing the Sylvan Hound shift her head towards him, "My brother may put up a brave face but I know that he is still having those nightmares." He then sighed, "and he is trying everything he can to block them out of his mind." Hearing Marsh whine, Tzurael turned his head towards the Fern Hound before he nervously smiled and patted her head, "Caeshe is strong though, he will overcome this obstacle, I know it." He hesitated, "Hopefully soon."

Hearing the loud footsteps of Jyra nearing the room, Tzurael quickly stood up, hearing Marsh shift away from the bed as well.

"Here are the blankets," Jyra said as she entered the room, her arms piled with fur blankets, before she dumped them literately on top of the Sylvari Ranger, "do you need anything else?"

Digging himself out of the pile, Tzurael managed to reply, "I am fine, thank you."

Giving the Sylvari another gentle smile, Jyra left the room, leaving Tzurael half buried within the fur blankets.

Watching the doorway for several seconds, Tzurael turned his gaze towards Marsh, "Marsh?"

The Fern Hound turned her intelligent black eyes towards her master, releasing a small whine before she twirled and pawed at the pile of fur blankets. The Sylvari Ranger smiled sheepishly in response, "Could you help me? I think I'm stuck."

Responding with a single loud bark, Marsha one of the fur blankets with her jaws and started pulling, her throat releasing a low growl at the exertion.

Xxxxx

Tzurael's eyes snapped open, his black eyes gazing scanning his surroundings as he breathed heavily. Once again, he had been ripped away from dreaming in his mother's bough by his brother's emotions however, this one was of great sorrow.

Sitting up from amongst the floor as he pushed the fur blankets off of him, Tzurael brushed his fingers through his black fern like hair, the tips glowed a cyan color before he paused. The sound of sobbing can clearly be heard. Looking around several times, Tzurael's black eyes stopped onto the sleeping form of his brother, hearing Caeshe sob amongst his covers.

"Caeshe?" He whispered as he crawled towards his brother's bed, his black eyes gazing upon the Night Bloom with a look of concern.

When he did not earn a response, Tzurael hesitated before he leaned over and shook his brother's shoulder, "Caeshe?"

Almost instantly, a roar rang throughout the room, causing Tzurael to release a cry of surprise before he felt himself being shoved away, his shoulder hitting the wooden floor with a loud "Thunk!" Soon after, Marsh's barking could be heard, apparently having awakened around the same time as Tzurael only to witness her Master being shoved.

"Marsh," Tzurael warned as he sat up, rubbing his sore shoulder while the Fern Hound growled, her teeth bared at the bed.

Turning his black eyes towards the bed, the Sylvari Ranger paused when he saw Caeshe sitting upright, his violet eyes wide and his mouth slightly ajar, a sign of clear shock.

"B-Brother?" Caeshe shook his head before using the back of his hand to wipe away the tears on the side of his face, "Did…Did I hurt you?"

"N-No," Tzurael replied, pushing himself onto his feet before brushing himself off, signaling to Marsh to calm down who complied, "A-Are you alright? You were crying in your sleep."

Caeshe covered his face with one of his hands in response, "I…I don't know." Dropping his hand back into his lap, he turned his glowing violet eyes towards his brother, "My dream was nothing but of darkness but the…the grief. The sorrow. The sorrow of someone I have never met. However, it was so heavy, I felt it overwhelm me and the next thing I knew…" His sentence fading, Caeshe shook his head, "Then I felt someone grab my shoulder and it…surprised me." He hesitated, "You sure I did you no harm, brother?"

"I assure you, you did no harm to me," Tzurael released a sheepish smile, "though you did scare Marsh and I."

Caeshe released a small nervous laugh, "I guess."

"What's going on here?"

The sudden illumination of the room caused the twins to blink several times, their eyes slowly adjusting to the introduction of light as Khayru entered the room.

"Nabiha and I heard screaming," The Dawn Bloom paused just in front of the twins, her teal eyes full of concern, "What happened?"

Glancing towards each other, Caeshe and Tzurael then turned their eyes back towards Khayru, giving the birch skin Sylvari a sheepish smile.

"Just…Just a…bad…dream?" Tzurael replied in which, he received a doubtful look as a response.

Staring at the twins, Khayru just sighed before she said, "Alright, I'll believe you once this time however," Her expression turned serious, "If this occurs again, I won't let you two off so easily." She then nodded her head towards the twins, "Until then, sleep well and Dream of being in Mother's embrace." Soon after, the Dawn Bloom left the room, blowing out the lantern that she had lit earlier, drifting the room into darkness once more.

"I don't think I can sleep again," Caeshe said a moment later, turning his glowing violet eyes towards his brother, "not after that dream."

Tzurael turned his black eyes towards his brother, his form only visible thanks to the cyan glow around his facial features and hair, "From what I can tell, you're not just hearing voices now in your dream but emotions as well." He paused, contemplating, "Do you think we should talk to Malomedies again when we return to the Grove?"

Caeshe hugged his legs, placing his chin on top of his knees as he pondered, "Maybe, if my dreams get worse. I need to think about it." He then sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Though this headache isn't helping with my 'thinking'."

Tzurael laughed, "You have no one else but yourself to blame, you drank too much ale."

Caeshe looked up at his brother, "Ale?"

"What you were drinking earlier," The Sylvari Ranger smiled, "Herak said it was pretty strong and you pretty much downed three of those mugs."

"It should be called a barrel, not a mug," Caeshe muttered as he rubbed his temples, "remind me next time not to drink anything that any Norn hands me."

Tzurael blinked in surprise, "Why is that?"

"Before she handed us the mugs, Jyra told me that the Norn love to drink, especially with guests," Caeshe muttered, "they'll offer them anything to make them feel welcome."

Staring at his twin, Tzurael laughed, earning a blank look from his twin, "If you were in my position right now, I bet you wouldn't be laughing."

"I know how you feel," The Sylvari Ranger chuckled, "back when we first tried liquor. That's why I'm laughing."

Listening to his older brother laugh, Caeshe just groaned before falling back onto the bed, pulling the covers over his head, "Your laughing is hurting my head."

Xxxxx

Tzurael was the first to awaken the next morning, having finally fallen asleep the night before after watching his twin fall into a deep slumber. Though having slept peacefully through the rest of the night, proof by the dream of resting under the sun back in the Grove, Tzurael still felt exhausted as he pushed himself into a sitting position, turning his tired black eyes towards his brother's sleeping form, "Caeshe?"

Hearing deep breathing as a response, Tzurael pushed himself onto his feet, stumbling a bit as the grogginess took over his senses.

"Marsh?" He murmured as he brushed his fingers through his fern like hair, hearing his pet clamber back onto her feet, "did I wake you?"

Hearing a small 'huff', a as a response, Tzurael patted the Fern Hound's head apologetically before looking around, slowly realizing that he still wore his winter clothing from the night before.

"Must have been tired," He muttered as he yawned and climbed out of the fur blankets, heading towards the large door of the room before pushing it open.

Rubbing his eyes, Tzurael looked up towards the fireplace, expecting to see the two Priory members and the Norn awake and talking of their plans. However, as the fogginess cleared from his mind, Tzurael blinked several times. The fireplace as alive and roaring, a sign that someone had lit it back to life however, no other sign of life could be seen around the homestead.

"Khayru? Nabiha? Jyra? Herak?" he called as his eyes scanned the room, looking for any sign of the group, "anyone here?" That's when his eyes spotted a parchment placed on one of the chairs. Staring at it curiously, Tzurael slowly walked up and picked up the parchment, his black eyes tracing over the letters:

Saplings,

I did not want the two of you involved however; I was overruled by Nabiha and the others to ask you for aid. This favor can be refused and it is up to the two of you if you want to help us.

The Sons of Svanir are believers of the Ice Dragon, Jormag, and there has been news that they have been causing more trouble lately. We do not know what yet however we do know that we need as much help that we could get our hands on.

Just a reminder, the two of you may refuse this favor and I will understand if you do not wish to help.

If you agree to help, the four of us to the Great Lodge which is located in the middle of Hoelbrak. We went there to assess the problem further. If you are still unable to find us, talk to one of the Shamans in the other lodges. They shall have the information you need.

Signed,

Khayru of the Cycle of Dawn

Rereading the parchment in his hands, Tzurael heaved out a sigh before heading back to his room, hearing Marsh following his footsteps, "Caeshe!"

Hearing his brother groan and shift in the bed, Tzurael entered the room, "Caeshe, wake up. We have to find the others."

"The headache isn't gone yet," Caeshe muttered however, forced himself to sit up, brushing his fingers through his midnight color leaves, "what's going on?"

"Read this," Tzurael shoved the letter into his brother's hands whom seem to recoil at the sudden action however, his eyes scanned over the parchment.

"Sounds like they might need our help," Caeshe said moments later, placing the parchment onto his lap before turning his violet eyes towards his twin, "Do you want to aid them?"

Tzurael hesitated, "To be honest, I am not sure." He heaved out a sigh as he sat down on the side of the bed, "We left the Grove for the sole purpose of looking for my dream and then suddenly…" His voiced faded, his black eyes showing uncertainty, "I just want to go back home."

Blinking once, Caeshe turned his violet eyes towards his brother, "I am thinking the same, Brother, however," He stretched as he added, "If I were to refuse and something happens to the four of them, I will never be able to forgive myself."

The fern hair Sylvari turned his black eyes at Caeshe, "So you want to help?"

Caeshe released a strained smile, "I want to help."

Caeshe cannot hold his drink. Ever.

Anyways, it's been a bit since I've updated this but I am finally getting out of my writer's block :D
So expect more updates :3

Anyways, Jyra is my Norn and...her ign is Jora but I didn't realize that it was already the name of the "Jora" from the previous gw until I went in game and found her statue =-=. So until I get a name change, her name is gonna stay Jora instead of Jyra but it's gonna be Jyra in here :p

Herak I haven't made yet but I am planning to make both genders in all the races (only was able to accomplish that with the Sylvari lol) so you'll see some of them appear in here soon C:

enjoy :D

~123arcalas