The sun was a shallow pool of blood draining down between the mountain peaks, when Raven made his move and it had been an eternity of waiting for the cruel Elysian sun to set. Closing his eyes at the entry to the tent, he reached deep, deep down and gathered every scrap of mana he could scrape together. Like a dying flame given air/fuel it flared to life. Steping outside the tent, it was now or never. He slipped into 'Hide' and vanished from view as he crept like a cat to the edge of the inner compound. Silently he worked his way along the fencing until he reached the loose board he'd seen and slipped through leaving a false trail out to the edge of the rocks before going back inside with a bit of brush to sweep away the footprints he made on his way to the wooden hatch covering the ladder that led down to the sewer. The little metal pin performing admirably, Raven secured the padlock back in place from where he stood on the ladder inside the pipe with the dexterity required of those in his profession.
While Asmodians could see better in the dark than the Elyos, after he had only gone a few feet away from the ladder Raven found himself plunged into darkness as black as pitch in a place neither the pale light of any moon nor single ray of Sun had ever fallen, feeling his way along the pipe hoping he was heading in the right direction. After awhile, the pipe constricted forcing him down on his hands and knees in order to proceed. His eyes, being left with nothing else to do, decided to entertain themselves by playing tricks on him and Raven had to fight the overpowering urge to hastily go back the way he'd come each time the apparitions of the green eyed Elyos or Castor's dark haired guard Des, who delighted in making Raven bleed, would suddenly appeared in the tunnel ahead of him. Busy battling his demons, the escaping Asmodian didn't notice when the impenetrable darkness slowly began to give way. Before long, the moonlight flitering in from the end of the culvert and reflecting off the sluggish flow of filthy water he crawled thru illuminated the pipe well enough for him to see clearly.
The pin Shade had blessed him with again proved to be worth far more than it's weight in gold as the padlock securing the grate sprang open beneath it's insistent probing. Free at long last, he lowered himself down among the reeds. Shade had wasted no time collecting what she thought they might need. She arrived at the retaining pond not long after Raven had slipped out of the confines of his path to freedom. She had to stop him from drinking to greedily when handed one of the water pouches. The feverish glint in his golden eyes and the state of his wasted body had her equally concerned about the speed they'd be able to cover ground considering the distance they needed to travel. They were be pressed for time, but she unsure how hard she would be able to push him without having him completely collapse on her. Raven was as eager to get home as she was to get him there and he kept the pace she set with relative ease during the first leg of their journey.
Not wishing to be spotted from the air, Shade pitched the sand coloured tarp she had brought in the trough of two dunes the moment the horizon began to brighten. Together, they knocked down the sloping sides a bit so that the top of their shelter was fairly level with the newly filled in sand between the two swells. Crawling underneath their cover, Shade cleaned Raven's wounds as best as she could before wrapping him in the bandages she brought and slipped him into a skin hugging shirt to try and keep as much sand as possible out of them. Exhausted, the Asmodian could barely keep his eyes open as she tended to him and fell asleep the moment he laid down. There wasn't much reason to stand guard. They didn't have anywhere to run if discovered, so the Elyos laid down as well to rest through the heat of the day.
As the Golden Hour approached, Shade carefully laid a hand on Raven's shoulder whispering his name softly in the most reassuring voice she could. He woke with a start, eyes flaring crimson as he backed as far away from her as their shelter allowed him to.
"It's okay, Raven. It's me, Shade." She said trying to calm him, her hands held up before her showing him her empty palms.
"...Sh-Shade..." He stuttered, blinking at her with furrowed brows.
"Yes, Shade, Raven. Remember me? I gave you the pin from my hair ornament and I'm helping you get back home..." She elaborated hoping to jog his memory.
"...Shhade..." He repeated as the fiery glow in his eyes slowly dimmed. "...Yes, I remember now."
"It's almost dusk, The Golden Hour when it will be the most difficult for my people to spot us. You should have something to eat and a bit to drink. We still have a little time before it will be safe to take down our shelter and be on our way." She explained.
"...Hunger one feels not, Ma'am. This one would, however humbly beg the fair Lady's indulgence for what water our obedience has earned..." He said softly, his eyes pleading her to grant his humbly spoken request before he bowed his head with palms held turned upward in an act of suplication. While his captures never denied him water outright, they withheld it from him subjecting him to the humiliation of being forced to beg them for it. Thirst having proved a far more powerful motivator, Raven had quickly mastered the fine art of begging.
"Of course you can have some water." She replied, motioning toward the waterskin she had set on the sand between them. The plaintive quality his voice held and the look in his eyes tugging at her heart. Compassion hardening around the edges as the waterskin remained untouched. "You're hungry as well, your body's been forced to ignore that need for so long it's forgotten to tell you that you should eat something. We'll just help it out a bit by putting some food in your stomach. Trust me, you're hungry. Very, very hungry I'd say from the look of you" She said breaking a small boule of thick crusted bread in half, offering it to him along with a hunk of cheese. Moisture brimming in her eyes as he flinched away from her hand, his arm reflexively raised palm out in front of his face as he ducked his head. "It's okay, Raven... It's okay. This is for you. Take it."
A tentative hand took what she gave him, the specter of fear still ghosting his golden eyes. Raven ate what he could though he found himself feeling full before managing to finish the small amount of food she had handed him. The cheese was delicious and he wrapped what was left of it in the remains of his bread, squirreling it away for safekeeping to eat later. Deciding that this was an excellent idea, Shade broke another loaf into quarters, tucking some cheese into each. Fishing some items from her cube, a swift needle turned a scrap of cloth into a handy little pouch complete with a leather drawstring. She was a tailor by trade after all.
"Easy enough! Now, you can nibble on one of those whenever you'd like while we're traveling." She chimed brightly as she popped the morsels inside and held the small bag out to him.
The Sun set the dunes afire, the sand twinkling with crimson and amber embers as they broke camp and headed out into the gloaming. Without the benifit of the adrenaline that had been coursing thru his viens the previous night, it wasn't long before Raven started to fall behind. Shade did her best to offer gentle encouragements not wanting to slow their pace so soon, but not wishing to push him to hard either. The struggling male never speaking a word of complaint nor voicing his discomfort soldiered on, a look of grim determination lining his gaunt face. When he discarded not only the coat he had earlier been huddling in, but his shirt as well, she cautiously reached out to lightly touch her hand to his brow. It was not his flinching away from her fingers that coloured her eyes with concern, but the intensity of the heat she felt beneath them.
"...I know you don't feel well, but we have to keep moving, Raven." She apologized when it looked as though he might sit down. He nodded to her somewhat absently drawing his claws thru his sweat soaked hair. She was tempted to stop and let him take a short break, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to get him back on his feet again if she did. So it was with a heavy heart that she continued them on their forced march across the shifting sands.
Halfway thru the night, she had to tether the two of them together with a length of rope after the Asmodian had wandered off course, aimlessly walking out across the sand away from her. Holding onto the line tied loosely around his waist that gently tugged at his hand every so often, he focused on this silent encouragement to keep putting one foot in front of the other. They finally halted their trek when the dark edge of the horizon took on a lighter hue. Shade leading them to a cleft between two sandstone boulders. Raven sank to his knees the moment she brought them to a stop, swaying slightly before falling face first into the sand utterly spent.
"Raven!" She exclaimed as he suddenly collapsed. She rolled him onto his side, brushing away the sand that stuck to his face with her sleeve. "Oh, you poor thing. I know this was hard on you today. You're doing such a good job. I'm sorry that I have to keep pushing you the way I have. We've been making great time, really great, better than I had expected and I have little doubt we've covered far more distance than they imagine you capable of in your condition. One more day, if you can just keep this up for one more day. Tomorrow, we'll reach the rift that will take you home." She told him softly, hoping the things she said were true.
She hung the tarp between the large blocks of sandstone that jutted up out of the ground, shoveling sand and a loose collection of rocks in front of the opening to hide them from view. When Raven had cried out in his sleep, she cradled his head on her lap murmuring softly as she pet his long black hair, a damp cloth resting on his forehead in the hopes it might bring his fever down a bit.
Shade roused him when the setting sun burned fat and red, low in the sky. Raven burned as well. His glazed eyes glittering with confusion and fear. A claw splintering as he gouged the soft stone in his attempts to escape the narrow cleft he found himself cornered in until she slowly backed away repeating his name in a soft voice.
"...Shhade...?" He ventured after regaining his composure. "...Forgive me, your eyes looked...but they are blue. Your eyes are blue..." He continued, the haunted look he woken with remaining.
"...Yes, they're blue..." She assured him, as she gently brushed his long bangs out of his eyes. "...Come have something to eat, something to drink. I'd like to change your bandages before we set out."
Raven managed to eat the entire portion she gave him. "My compliments to the chef. A finer meal one has never been offered. Nor had any been treated with more care. You are a woman of many talents,my Lady..." He flattered her shamelessly. Rolling her eyes, as she took down the tarp they continued their trek, Slowly, the desert gave way to rockier ground dotted sparely with gnarled thorny shrubs and tufts of wiry grass. Even in the cool night air, sweat soon soaked the gauze wrapped around his torso and arms. The salty sting in his wounds keeping him focused. It was a pain he could happily endure, as every moment, every step took him closer, closer to something he had forgotten, but knew in his heart was important. He kept on mile after mile placing foot after foot in the prints she left behind. One hand wrapped around the rope that tethered them together. The world around him blurred in and out, but never once did she.
Shade pulled a couple of long fur coats from her pack. Raven, dripping with sweat and feeling uncomfortably hot as it was dared not refuse, letting her help him into the sleeves after the pain that lanced across his back sent him to his knees when he had attempted to don the coat on his own.
She held out her palm. Raven stood blinking at it a moment before wrapping his long slender fingers around her tiny hand. Suddenly the air was brisk. The dry parched yellows and dusty browns he had grown so used to seeing replaced by glittering white and dark rich greens. Stumbling along after her, he stared at the world she lead him through in wide-eyed amazement. There was something vaguely familiar about the landscape, but his thoughts melted one into another like the soft cool flakes that fell upon his cheeks only to run down them like tears. The roar of rushing water drew his gaze to a waterfall and in a moment of lucidity knew exactly where he was. He saw a man at a campfire further up the bank, stooped over a cauldren, stirring. It was a sight that had welcomed him countless times before. Home, he was home. "Fayvr!" Raven sang out, giddy in his excitement. A stiff breeze blew over the new fallen snow, kicking up a shimmering spindrift. He watched the flakes float gracefully thru the space between him and the supply depot. As the breeze abated and the airborne snow fell softly to the ground so did Raven.
A familar voice called his name. Turning, Fayvr saw Raven in a long fur coat stumbling toward him followed by an Elyos. Taking into account the way the White Wing ran to the young Assassin when he collasped, Fayvr decided not to kill her right away at least. The lad's face was red as a hot coal and gave off just as much heat. Hoisting the boy from the snow, Fayver was shocked at how light a load the young Deava was. He carried Raven into his tent, laying him down with care and nodded to the Elyos motioning for her enter. Fayvrs' daggers were ready enough should his initial assessment prove false. With her help, he eased the night maned Scout out of the bulky fur coat. His eyes falling upon the stained bandages wrapped around both hands that continued up past his wrists.
"Ima go fetch some clean gauze and see if I got something to bring that temperature of his down a bit, Miss." The gruff old Assassin told her in her native tongue as he rose to step outside.
Shade knelt beside Raven as he lay wracked with fever. Carefully she removed the shirt she had given him without any issue, but as she started to clean his weeping wounds, he cried out. His hand suddendly around her neck, glazed eyes smoldering crimson as his claws tightened around her throat. The pain flared and she felt faint. Doing the only thing she could think of, she slammed her forearm against his wounded back tearing a scream from his throat, but also loosing his grip.
Fayvr whipped open the tent flap to see the Elyos girl crumple. She had been loosed tethered to the lad when his eyes first fell on the pair, so he caught her in his arms. Laying her down gently, he cleaned the small cuts on the side of her neck he was sure Raven had inflicted, before seeing to the boy. Inhaling an angry hiss through his teeth at the condition in which he found the young Assassin. The reason the other had not paid him a visit in so long plain to see. The damp brow beneath Fayvr's fingers radiated heat like a forge and he gently raised the semi-conscious male to help him get down the sips of antipyretic tonic he slowly portioned past Raven's cracked lips When he had finished what the lass had started, he went outside to keep watch over the ungainly pair.