CHAPTER 3

TRAVELLING

Olose paused as he watched Arcadia slide down the bank. She stumbled a little and let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Flat ground." She observed. "At last. And no more trees."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you leave the woods." Olose observed with a sigh.

"So is it much further?" Arcadia asked, trying to keep her voice even and well paced, but Olose could here an underlying tone of her whining.

"I'm not entirely sure." Olose admitted with a shrug. "I know my way around those woods, but the rest of the world? Kinda lost there." Arcadia straightened out her dress.

"You do not know?" She asked, sounding slightly frightened and slightly nervous.

"I have a fair idea." Olose told her. "It's that way." He pointed. "I think." Arcadia sighed with frustration. "Look. The elvaans are all over the place, showing their might as it were, we'll run into them."

"Do they enter the woods often?" Arcadia inquired curiously.
"Yeah, but they rarely leave." Olose said painfully. Arcadia rose an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"They hunt. Send squads during the full moon. There's a legend about these woods." Olose told her, and she straightened up. "They say there's a monster in it. One that prowls upon the nights of the full moon. The elvaans never liked the idea of there being something that they couldn't kill, so they kept sending squads to get rid of it. They don't always survive." Arcadia gulped, looking over her shoulder back at the woods.
"Is there a monster?" Arcadia asked nervously.

"Not exactly a monster." Olose answered with a shrug.

"You have seen it?" Arcadia questioned.

"Not quite." Olose explained. "C'mon, let's get moving." He began to walk and Arcadia followed behind.

"Is that why it's called Lycan Woods?" Arcadia asked. Olose froze. "It is Lycan Woods, isn't it? I am not more lost than I thought, am I?"

"No, it is." Olose confirmed.

"So Lycan, as in lycanthrope." She said blankly. "A werewolf." She added to confirm what she meant for Olose's sake. Olose smirked at this.

"Maybe." He answered. "I don't really know." The two paused. "What does it matter?" He finally said. "We're leaving the woods behind."

"I guess you are right." Arcadia answered. Her seeming inability to contract any word was beginning to get on Olose's nerves.

The two walked across the field leaving the woods behind. They soon found a path, one that was muddy and churned from the storm, but a path that led in a firm direction. The two began to slosh through it, Arcadia struggling behind Olose.

"This has to lead to somewhere." Olose observed.

"I was under that impression when I followed the path into the woods." Arcadia pointed out. "I appeared to be wrong."

"It did lead somewhere, you just never made it." Olose laughed slightly. Arcadia folded her arms, frustrated but utterly without the ability to say anything in return. Olose chuckled to himself.

"You are awfully light hearted for somebody who lives alone in the woods." She observed.

"Being moody never helped anybody." Olose answered. "Besides, I think four years of isolation might of made me go crazy."

"You appear to be sane." Arcadia pointed out. Olose smiled.

"I had a pet tree." Olose told her. "I was going to have a pet goblin, but it kept stabbing me." Arcadia cringed and Olose laughed. "Relax, I'm joking."

"I am unsure of how they will react to you in town." Arcadia said to Olose, sounding slightly concerned. "You are not going to improve the elvaan's opinion of humes." Olose turned to look at her. His long beard blew in the slight wind, and his roughly made and extremely dirty animal skin fluttered as if to emphasise itself. "Relax. I am joking." She added with a smirk. Olose laughed. "But you may need to find some real clothes."

"Clothes aren't exactly easily available in the wilderness." Olose pointed out.

"We may have found someone." Arcadia interrupted Olose just before he could speak again, and pointed ahead at three approaching figures. All three were humes, and all three were dressed in rough clothes, well worn shirts and ripped trousers. The leader of the three had a battered brown jacket hanging from around him.

"This could be trouble." Olose warned.

"It is possible they are just travellers." Arcadia stated. Olose tried to get an idea of them from their scent, but was overwhelmed by Arcadia's own, finding his thoughts full of images of her, and he struggled to shake off such thoughts and come back to his senses. He was more than slightly worried about the pounding attraction he felt for her. The three stopped in front of the two.

"Well, well, well." Laughed the leader. "Now this is something that looks out of place."

"Where would they possibly look in place?" A second asked. The leader laughed.

"Preciously."

"Hello." Olose waved with a smile.

"Money. Now." The leader stated, drawing a knife. The other two drew knives also. Arcadia tensed up, but Olose laughed.

"No. Now go away." He said casually.

"Money. Now." Repeated the leader with a growl, becoming much more serious.

"Do I look like I have money?" Olose laughed with a shrug.

"She does." The second said, gesturing to Arcadia.

"That dress doesn't look like it has any pockets." Olose pointed out. "You hiding money anywhere, Arcadia?" He asked casually. Arcadia shook her head stiffly, in too much fear to point out that Olose should address her as 'Lady Arcadia'.

"We'll just take the jewels then." The second spoke up, marching forwards. Olose threw a punch as he passed, smashing into his skull. The bandit reeled to the ground, slamming against the floor. He didn't get up. The other two looked at Olose, shocked.

"Oh, you did not just do that." Warned the first.

"Do what? Killed him?" Olose laughed.

"You hit him once. He ain't dead." The third sneered nervously. Olose smiled.

"No. Broke his jaw though." Olose told the other bandits. Arcadia looked shocked.

"You don't scare me." The first laughed. "Kill him." The third bandit ran at Olose with his knife. Olose growled, lunging forwards on all fours and pouncing like an animal. He took down the bandit and slammed his hand down in a bottom fist onto his opponent's nose, shattering it. Olose sprang back up, snarling. His hands were out like claws, and his body was hunched, ready to pounce. The lead bandit laughed, reaching behind his back and drawing a sword.

"Let's see how you handle this." He taunted.

"Fantastic." Smiled Olose.

The bandit ran in, swinging the sword across. Olose dropped to the floor and allowed it to sail over his head. He sprang back to his feet and kicked outwards, hitting the bandit in the chest. The bandit flew across the path and crashed down, skiing across the path. Olose ran at him, but before he could attack, the bandit sprang upwards, stabbing Olose in the chest. Arcadia screamed as Olose jolted back. The bandit laughed.

"Shame you made it end in murder." He observed. Olose paused, watching blood trickle from his chest.

"Don't be so quick to judge." Olose casually warned, pulling the sword out and slicing downwards with it, cutting the bandit's leg badly and causing him to crash to the floor, screaming. Olose spun the blade around and attacked with the hilt, bashing the bandit and knocking him unconscious. Olose turned with a smile to Arcadia. "Well, that's dealt with." He said, brushing his hands off.

Arcadia stared at Olose for a moment, her already pale skin becoming noticeably paler. She trembled slightly.

"What?" He asked with a shrug. "None of them are dead." He paused. "You're not squeamish are you?" She nodded. Olose smirked slightly, looking at the huge amount of blood that had flooded out of his now healed wound. He rolled over the bandit he had just defeated, slipped off the jacket he was wearing and put it on, doing it up to cover the blood. "Better?" She shook her head. "Now what?" He sighed.

"Why are you not dead?" She asked. "Y-Y-You're the werewolf, aren't you?" She said, backing away in terror.

"Relax." Olose said quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You killed all those patrols." She mumbled in shock.

"I didn't mean to!" Olose snapped. "I have no control! Not on a full moon!" His eyes began to fill with tears. He remembered Talia. What he had done to her. Arcadia suddenly felt incredibly sorry for him. "I never meant to harm anyone." He sobbed. "That's why I've been hiding. That's why I've hidden in those woods." Arcadia took a few steps towards him, and wrapped her arms around him for comfort. He was taller than she was, and it was only now that she noticed just how muscular he was. She assumed it was a side-effect of the curse, his muscles almost appearing as if they were going to burst out from under his skin.

Olose was caught off guard by this. She was hugging him, trying to comfort him. Her fragrance drifted up his nose, and he found himself totally preoccupied with thoughts of her, overpowered by her scent.

"How did it happen?" She asked in a much softer voice. Olose broke away, just so that he was able to think clearly.

"I was-" Olose paused. The memories flooded back to him. He couldn't retell that story. He simply couldn't. It was something he had to keep hidden. He didn't know how she'd react if he told her anyway, so decided to keep it simple. "I was bitten by a werewolf." Olose finally lied. "A few years ago." He paused. "I can't go near civilisation anymore. At least, not during a cycle of the moon." Arcadia took a step closer, and held him once again. She was smaller in stature than Olose, and so struggled to provide much comfort.

"It is alright." She said gently. "I understand."

"I can't go to San d'Oria with you." Olose told her, breaking out of her arms and striding away.

"Why not?" She called after him. He turned around.
"What?" He snapped.

"Why not?" She asked again. "It is safe, at least until the full moon." Olose paused.

"I don't want to risk it." Olose sighed. "A single mistake and I could kill everybody." He looked into her eyes. "I could kill you." Arcadia took a few steps away.

"You have been helping me a lot." She pointed out. "I'm willing to take that risk."

"Well I'm not!" Olose snapped.

"Please. Olose." Arcadia stepped forwards gently, placing a thin hand on his shoulder. "I need you. You have saved me. Without you I would still be back in the woods. I would never have found my way." Olose sighed.

"I'll show you to San." He decided. "But I can't stay long."

"I understand." She told him. "Although I do hope you will change your mind."

"It isn't a case of me changing my mind." Olose explained. "It's a case of me becoming a murderous unstoppable monster."

"Unstoppable?" She asked.

"Unless the local guards stock silver." He shrugged. "Burns like hell."

"Somebody used silver weapons on you before?" She asked, stroking his shoulder with concern before pulling her hand back awkwardly.

"Once." Olose told her. "I never saw it coming. It hurt more than I could imagine." Arcadia shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"It hurt you?" She asked, clearly very concerned.

"Burnt like a fire." Olose said with his eyes shut at the memory. "Seems no curse is complete without a weakness." The two paused awkwardly. Arcadia took a few steps away and straightened herself.

"We should be moving on." She said, becoming her usual formal self once more.

"Aw, and for a moment there I thought you'd snapped out of that posh act." Olose laughed.

"Posh act?" She repeated curiously.

"Hell, thought you might even end up contracting your words." He joked.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked. Olose laughed.

"Nothing." He said quickly. "C'mon." Olose had discovered that ending anything serious on a joke was an easy way to repress the feelings it brought about long ago, and so always tried to end any conversation he could with a sense of humour.

The two walked on for quite some time before they heard footsteps approaching them from behind.

"I don't even think I want to guess what's going on here." Came a deep voice. Olose looked to see a group of six elvaans, headed by a man in the standard red and gold San d'Orian military uniform. He had short brown hair, dark blue eyes and long pointed ears. He looked curiously over Olose and Arcadia. Arcadia was a little caught off guard by the elvaans coming up behind them, but Olose was in total shock. He was used to being able to sense when anybody was approaching long before they did, but found that his senses were totally overwhelmed by Arcadia's presence. He couldn't concentrate on anything but her. He shook his head furiously, desperately trying to focus.

It wasn't just that she was there. He wasn't just preoccupied with her. It was that scent. The smell of her that hung in the air and that he couldn't shake. It made sure his thoughts composed solely of her. It was easy to ignore a presence, or concentrate on something else when you were listening, or seeing, but the smell he couldn't shake. It was in the air he breathed, and his super sensitive senses picked it up without fail. And it made sure that all he could think of was her. It frustrated him a great deal, but he kept it hidden. After all, it wasn't her fault that his senses were as highly tuned as they were.

"I am Lady Arcadia De Lily." Arcadia said with a formal curtsey, and Olose managed to snap back to reality as he heard her voice. "I am attempting to reach San d'Oria, only I am not certain of the way."

"Hi, I'm Olose." Olose waved after he noticed the elvaan was scowling at him.

"You two are certainly an odd pair." The leader observed. "How do I know you aren't spies sent from Windurst?"
"I'm guessing the fact we aren't tarutarus has something to do with that." Olose pointed out. "That, and if we were spies, I think we'd be dressed differently."

"Just who are you two, exactly, anyway?" The leader asked.

"I'm a bit of an exile." Olose decided to give in explanation. "Ran into Arcadia here and decided to give her a helping hand."

"That's Lady Arcadia." Arcadia pointed out, hearing her name without the title being completely foreign to her.

"My name is Lieutenant Norg." The elvaan said with a bow, taking Arcadia's hand and kissing it gently. "Pleased to meet you my lady. You look as if you've been through some trouble."
"The storm made the terrain difficult to traverse." Arcadia gave in explanation for her muddy and worn appearance.
"Luckily I was around to help." Olose interjected, feeling a little uneasy about the armed guards who didn't seem to appreciate his presence anywhere near as much as they appreciated Arcadia's.

"I can show you to San d'Oria, my lady." Norg volunteered. Arcadia curtseyed again.

"I am most appreciative." She said in response.
"Yeah, thanks." Olose put in.

"Are you coming also?" She asked Olose. Olose smiled.

"Of course." He said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable of leaving Arcadia with the guards. It was almost as if it was jealousy. Arcadia smiled.
"I am glad of that." She said softly.

"I'll show these two back." Norg said to his guards. "You continue the patrol. I'm sure our superior will understand that I had to come to the assistance of this fair lady." Arcadia blushed again, and once again nobody could tell.

"Yessir!" Snapped the elvaan patrol.

"Now, follow me." Norg told Arcadia and Olose. "You'll be within San d'Orian walls by nightfall." Arcadia and Norg walked ahead, and Olose watched, losing himself in Arcadia's presence once more.