It took surprisingly little effort to vault over the garden wall, but he couldn't be bothered with the potential security risk right now. He was home. He had to see her. The parlor doors would likely be open, but the glimmer of light behind the curtains of a particular room caught his attention. He shot directly for the vine-covered ladder next to the balcony. He could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she corrected him, telling him the true name of the decorative structure he was intent on degrading. He'd chuckle as he told her it didn't matter to him what the inanimate object wanted to be called.

Her voice…he needed to hear it.

It was simple enough to hobble over the balcony railing. He was surprised to see that the doors were wide open. The deep red curtains blew carelessly in the wind, obstructing his view into the room. He could reprimand her for how careless that was later. It just didn't matter now.

This was it…so close…

Before he could take a step into the room, things suddenly became blurry. Not with his vision…but with his mind? It was hard to understand and harder still to describe. He couldn't bring himself to move. It was the absolute most dreadful feeling of doom he'd ever experienced before. That realization alone was enough to send a chill through his weary bones.

A scream? What? Who?

The confusion was jarring enough, but that sudden, startling noise nearly made him jump out of his own skin. He whipped his head around, trying to find the source. His eyes landed on a young elven girl, she couldn't have been more than 10. She was standing in the middle of the garden below? But how did she get there? Why was she there?

Her disheveled appearance was nearly as bad as his own. She'd clearly been through an ordeal, to say the least. Her face suddenly contorted in fear as she locked eyes with him. Her small, pale arms reached for him helplessly. "MA HALANI!"

Consciousness came flooding back to Fenris all too quickly. It might have made him nauseated if he weren't so used to this by now. The initial restriction in his movement only further prevented him from calming himself, until he realized it was only the shoddy strap of cloth he had used to secure himself to the tree he was resting upon.

He let out a deep sigh as quietly as he could manage. He was right where he thought he was, which was both comforting and uncomfortable at the same time. His body was stiff from the rigid position he had to keep while he rested in the thick branches of a tall oak tree. It wasn't the most luxurious way to do it, but he'd learned it was usually much safer than sleeping on the ground. Darkspawn weren't the only dangers in the dark Ferelden forests, especially at this time of night. He couldn't help but long for the large, comfy bed that awaited him near that cozy fireplace at the end of his journey.

Intrusively demeaning thoughts flooded into this mind the moment he seemed to still himself. He was stupid for stopping to rest, he thought. He had to be getting close to the northern Ferelden border by now. The coast had a port town he knew only vaguely of. But it was his only option. He would still have to worry about things like getting aboard a ship when he got there…if he got there.

Pushing those thoughts aside was becoming an increasingly difficult task lately, and the recent influx of nightmares only made it worse most nights. But tonight, he had a morbid bit of assistance. The forest grew quiet in a startlingly quick moment.

No insects. No birds. No ambiance. Just Silence.

He unbound himself from the tree as quietly and quickly as he could manage. At least you have a weapon this time, he mused gravely.

Rhythmic sounds seemed to replace the silence just as quickly. Close enough to cause concern, but far enough that he wasn't expecting to see anything just yet. Something big was coming, that much was assured. But there was something else…some kind of song…? Whatever that big something was, it seemed to be humming some eerie tune. It echoed ominously, which only served to put Fenris further on edge.

The forest floor was slowly covered with an eerie mist, making the task of discerning shapes in the darkness that much more troublesome. Soon enough he spotted the first figure. It was a woman…or used to be, at least. Underneath all that pale, pocked and corrupted skin, he guessed she must have been a Chasind woman, once. Her ragged clothing certainly didn't suggest she was a city-dweller. There wasn't a single thing about her appearance that didn't seem horribly unnatural to him. She floated like an emissary, her long black hair seemed more like thick tentacles while her arms were limply held outstretched from her body. The tune she hummed was utterly unnerving, it made his hair stand on end and his blood turn cold.

Her movements could only be described as a lazy, yet choreographed dance. She fluttered around beneath the trees for a moment before making some sort of gesture to something behind her. The rhythmic stomps suddenly got much louder. The trees began to shake as the forest floor vibrated with the movements.

Fenris nearly let out a curse as he scrambled to keep ahold of his precarious position. Perhaps it was a good thing to have separated after all, he thought. He couldn't picture Dorian keeping his balance in this position. Just wait until he hears about this nightmare.

"Forgiveness is hard, but it's good to learn."

He very nearly cried out in fear when that familiar spirit appeared before him once again. The damnable thing didn't seem to have an issue keeping its balance though, much to Fenris's annoyance. He glared daggers into the spirit, not daring to actually verbally assault it.

"That's probably wise. She'd hear you. You wouldn't last long. It's better if I do the talking, you're the only one who can do the hearing right now."

Fenris couldn't have been more uninterested in the spirit's babbling at the moment. He could have been enthusiastically regaling him on the nuanced species of birds in existence for all the good it did him. Nothing that spirit had to say was going to get him out of this mess, he was going to have to figure that out on his own.

"It won't be much longer. I brought help. He's very loud."

His brows furrowed as he gestured questioningly to the spirit.

"He'll help, that's all that matters right now. Once he's here, it's our turn."

Fenris wanted to indirectly question the spirit's nonsense further, but the other figures stepping into view demanded his full attention. A group of genlocks lumbered into the small clearing below. The two at the back dragged a small cage behind them, leaving harsh impression in the forest floor as they went. The cage was barely big enough to hold it's prisoner: a young elven girl. A jolt went through his body when he realized it was the same girl from his nightmare.

How is that even possible?!

She seemed to be resigned to her fate, just utterly defeated. Her eyes wearily drifted over her surroundings when the cage came to a stop.

"You need to take her with you."

Both Fenris and the girl snapped their heads towards the spirit. Fenris didn't have the capacity to question how the girl could have known he was there, there was just too much happening at once. The girl's expression began to lighten when she saw him. He was her hope for salvation. He understood then. The spirit aggravated him, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't be able to walk away from this situation now. No matter what happened, he had to save the child.

"Be ready. He's coming."

The spirit disappeared without warning. Fenris shot a look to the girl, he held his hand out towards her, hoping she'd remain calm. She seemed to understand the wordless gesture, thankfully. She readjusted her cramped position in the cage, but stayed silent otherwise.

The unnatural woman was singing softly to the genlocks, who seemed utterly enraptured with her. The further the genlocks got from the cage, the more anxious Fenris grew. He knew he'd have to be ready to leap into action at any moment. The girl was keenly aware of the growing distance her captors were making. When she was certain the genlocks were thoroughly distracted, she wrapped her small hands around the lock mechanism. Fenris was too far to hear or see properly what she did, but he guessed she unlocked the cage with a spell. She looked around nervously before settling back into her usual position.

The spirit appeared before her in a fleeting instant, before disappearing again just as quickly. Whatever it said to the girl clearly reassured her. Fenris shot her his own attempt at a reassuring smile before turning his attention back to the darkspawn.

That song was growing increasingly grating upon his nerves. The creepiness of it was quickly becoming dwarfed by his irritation at the situation. He decided if he had to wait much longer, he'd simply just try to make a run for it. Hopefully the girl could move as quickly as he could, perhaps he'd have to carry her…

A loud, bellowing war cry erupted suddenly from somewhere nearby. Much to Fenris's surprise, a dwarven warrior charged directly up to a genlock. The dwarf's battleaxe cleaved an arm clean off in a single swing. His battered armor clinked loudly as he moved, slashing wildly at the tainted creatures.

The unnatural woman turned slowly towards the dwarf, a bemused grin forming across her features. Her speaking voice was easily worse than her singing, as far as Fenris was concerned. The sound made him sick with rage, he wanted nothing more than to rip her head from her body.

"Well, well, what have we here?" She lazily gestured to the genlocks. "Bring me his head."

The dwarf only offered another war cry in response. "Pardon me while I do my happy dance!"

Fenris startled once again as the spirit's voice spoke harshly in his ear. "Go, now!"

The spirit appeared directly in front of the unnatural woman. She seemed stunned at the sight of him, a heated exchange between the two quickly turned her attention completely away from her prisoner.

Fenris sprang from the tree just as the girl began to climb from her cage. Neither said a word as they sprinted away together. The girl's bare feet were slowing her down considerably. She didn't protest when Fenris prompted her to climb onto his back. He continued on again, moving as fast as he could possibly manage.

The sounds of battle were getting more and more distant, but he knew better than to allow that to be a comfort. It was never wise to trust in perceived safety in a forest like this. He wasn't sure how long he'd have to run for now, but he knew they wouldn't be stopping for anything until they reached that port town.