Considering the occasional stop to battle the ever increasing hordes of darkspawn they were making very fast time. All talk was done along the road with the group unanimously agreeing to press forward until they needed to make camp and rest. This arrangement had been met with the most approval from Sten, Leliana had also remarked that the sooner they moved the sooner this would be done and back together again. Zevran however was the one who could see the best, so he took point when it became too late, Saeris along his side with her own gaze out but mostly using nose and ears to warn of coming danger.

At night they slept in the open without tents and only fire she conjured needing less fuel to keep it going after that point. It was a casual trick, a flick of Solas's wrist that had shown it to her. He'd called it Veil Fire when noticing her impressed attention in the Fade. Her elvhen mentor and friend took immense pleasure in sharing his knowledge and though he doubted it would be of any use to the hound he had still gone over the process in great detail, losing himself for a time in his excited ramblings. As it also took exceptionally little effort to light and then kept going for a long while without need for firewood until she was ready to sleep the others became accustomed to the greenish hue swiftly. Though they did learn, it could not be used to cook with or provide heat.

She slept so lightly, perhaps a touch too lightly as her senses were the first they'd need to warn them. With the size of their party they could afford to have two on watch, conversing softly or just keeping each other company. Again for his eyes Zevran took two half shifts, the first of the dawn and the first of the night. Saeris was awake for the first, and then stayed up until Leliana was done. The two would retire and Sten would take over. The only one Shale was willing to actually do the watch for at this point. It wasn't that she was cruel, she simply didn't care if the squishy mortals died.

Unfortunately it meant no time for lessons, to study the book left to her by Flemeth. Nor sleeping enough to truly explore the Fade. Instead she would slumber and meander in her form keeping her senses tight and her appearance and presence diminished to no more than that of any other common hound spirit in the Fade. It was as much rest as she could get but it made her magic chafe in frustration to be held back so from her nature.

None of them were sleeping deeply, not that they dared and excess talking was avoided when on watch to ensure nothing could sneak up on them. The proliferation of their enemies meant it was a valid concern and a few times there was nothing to do but gather their things and move on from a camp site reeking of carrion when they were done.

That however, increased vastly the amount of inane conversations when awake and walking. At least for two they often centered around the failings of humans, elves, and Saeris herself.

"It is a strange and slobbery beast." Especially Saeris.

A short snort of amusement was the response to Shale as the qunari kept his pace."Yes."

"It is even stranger when it is human. I didn't think humans could get stranger. Such flappy little things so easily breakable." One massive arm moved about, flickering her wrist and fingers as though picturing a shattering smaller form.

"Agreed."

"What use does it have? It carries a staff. Is it a mage? Ugh. I hate mages." And for some reason Shale always acted as though she did not know Saeris was a mage. As though attempting to rile her up.

A lingering pause before Sten nodded once, eyes never leaving the trail ahead as they began to finally see the mountain they'd be climbing meet the ground. Not far now. "It knows loyalty. Not tamed, but aware of it's place."

"..hmph. Maybe it'll at least chase the pigeons away."

"Perhaps."

From where Saeris was walking next to Leliana, Zevran trailing behind them to watch for any dangerous foes in that way, keeping the two range fighters in the middle safely with the lumbering chatty forms of the two warriors ahead, came muffled giggles.

"Oh by the maker." Leliana whispered, hand muffling her giggles as best as she could. "They're..Never have I heard Sten speak so often."

"You think they're flirting?" Saeris asked, rubbing at her nose lightly. Her markings covered eyes and cheeks and chin enough she did not wish to smudge them after all, and though she had this urge to rub her ears she still liked keeping her points hidden. Fortunately for all that Zevran had braided her hair he had only done the back part, Saeris preferred keeping it looser around her face and braided those herself so that even when twirling in battle her ears stayed tucked away. While she trusted, adored, her packmates she did not want that part revealed. Not now.

Grimacing, the rogue chantry sister wrinkled her nose at the very idea. "Blessed Andraste..I hope not. If talking about you is flirting.."

"Sten thinks of me as a dog and Shale thinks we're all pointless 'fleshies'." Saeris mumbled as she shrugged to Leliana. "Well they're talking. What else are they going to talk about? Shale's a golem."

"You know..those muscles you have..." Came from ahead and a strange gravel laugh.

Leliana and Saeris made eye contact, both wide and mouths agape.

"Oh my." Leliana choked out as she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

From even further back, Zevran's chortling could be over heard. It was a very peculiar trip to Haven indeed. Who knew Golem's could appreciate the aesthetics of a qunari?

Only an hour later they finally began to start up the path that would lead them towards Haven. "It would be best if Zevran and I went first, we are the least..worrying. Perhaps, Saeris, you could shift though? I've yet to meet a Fereldan that was not eased to see a dog. If we stay ten minutes apart it should not overwhelm those who live here." Leliana suggested. A grumbling Shale moved towards the back but no other arguments were made.

Once they were ascending however, Sten stopped halfway, growling, frustrated, his hand grasping and releasing the handle of his great sword much the way that Zevran would twirl a knife before deciding if he would let it fly. Saeris had gone behind with the large man in her Twiceblooded guise, letting Leliana speak softly and Zevran work on his charm at the village before the stranger party members arrived. Hopefully her furred presence would temper the outright mistrust most had for his immense frame and demeanor. Shale would be coming up even further behind, but right now Sten had a look of annoyance amongst his features. Whining once did not get the qunari's attentions leaving her little choice but to shift.

"Sten?"

A growl was her answer before he turned, lips baring teeth in a snarl that was as feral as her own could be. "..Why are we here. What is the point?"

Saeris paused, lips pursed. She knew Sten fairly well by now. At least as much as he was likely to let any know him that also carried magic in their nature. They had continued at times the sort of strange standing and twisting movements to help balance her thoughts that he had first taught her and whilst she still fell over more often than not it had been after wards he would sometimes speak at her. Not to her, knowing she would not talk on matters she did not know of.

That he was voicing this was different. He was clearly angry. If Surana and Alistair had been here, perhaps even enough he would have attacked.

"What would you prefer as our choice of action?" She asked instead. Sten had dropped enough hints, he had been The Sten, it was assuredly not his real name but his title. Such as hers was Twiceblooded, something that when she explained to him had been then aside from 'dog' all he would refer to her as. It was not a lack of friendly interaction either in doing so, Saeris felt more as if it was a constant reaffirmation of what she was. Perhaps it was part of that Qun he quoted to her at times. Being ones title to the point you forsook other names was more an honor than anything to him. But The Sten was a warriors title, though he had not gone into it any further with her. So he before all of this, doubtless had the most experience in battle.

A sharp glare over at her, tracing her features slowly but the qunari finally grunted seeing that the dog in witch's form was being serious.

"How does this help against the Arch demon? We are delaying confronting it. We should seek it out and end it before it grows stronger. You do not give your enemy time to gather their forces."

"True." And it was, honestly it was better advice than many would give. Similar to Morrigan's rumbling at the campfire that if they had taken her advice back when this mess started and the lot had been in Lothering long before Saeris had joined them...well killing Loghain may not have helped but it would have removed a troubling obstacle that seemed bent on complicating matters.

"You agree?" Sten asked and the furrow to his brow oddly reminded Saeris of Solas, the weight to his gaze then as if a single wrong word would cast aside any positive thoughts gained of her to this point. Never to be redeemed. Implacable. The sort of ally that was either going to destroy the world hunting you down and breaking you apart if you betrayed them, or destroy it further to keep you safe from any who thought to harm you. No wonder her instincts made her still her tongue around the qunari, this was an elder packmate who was safe. The most dangerous of all the others, perhaps. Saeris did not think that Sten ever had shown them a fraction of his true capability. Likely as outsiders, never would.

But that level of lethality was not unfamiliar to her in Sten, Solas, Flemeth..well so had been Valor in his way, far less so had been Ser Gregoire and all the templars. Saeris liked to think she knew a few things about exceptionally stubborn and difficult people. Of them all only Valor did she not huff at the idea, he was the embodiment of his virtue after all, it could be only expected of the spirit. Though that the spirit she thought rather as a father figure told her if not for the Circle mages needing him to counter the barbaric harrowing he would have been following her to keep watch of his student and further her training. Stars knew with all they had encountered she could have used it, but then would not have had the time to meet with Solas.

"I do. If.." Saeris held up her hand and continued, not looking away from Sten's once more furious gaze. He was lethal, deadly, but she remembered the feel of werewolf bones giving way to her jaws and the sense of the storm she'd shattered her staff with. She had been and done things in the slumbering world that would ever be beyond a mortal's comprehension. Jaw tilting up and teeth faintly showing her own eyes sparked with a light of power she did not draw on consciously. Despite the slight show of magic in that, it did not alarm Sten. Not when everything else about the dog in witch form was clearly broadcasting as if she was still fur clad, tail up and hackles raised in warning. She did not attack but nor would she back down. So he waited, listened as she had done to him.

"Our Warden's are but puppies. They were not prepared to lead, they are learning, and if they need armies to fight what the Arch demon already has so that our battle with it is not to be interfered with, is that now a fools plan?"

Sten let go of his sword as his face fell once more into his perpetual scowl instead of the furious one. Put that way, he did not mind the fact they were gathering lesser warriors. "Hm. Pathetic ones not worthy of bearing arms to handle the mindless masses of darkspawn."

Saeris relaxed, seeing he understood her point. "So that we may focus on the true threat."

"It is still inefficiently handled." Sten conceded. "This gathering would have taken but the time to send word if the qunari were so affected. The Arishok would have thousands of those loyal marching and worth hundreds of humans each."

"Then when some day there is another Blight no doubt the qunari will showcase just that and all the previous groups can lament their ineffectiveness." Saeris shrugged. It would not matter to focus on the future, but if it made Sten's shoulder's ease and he snorted, she was willing to go with it. Besides if not for all this foolish fighting and betrayal starting at Ostagar who knew, perhaps all this would be over by now. Perhaps even Surana and Alistair would have perished. This was why she did not fuss over the what if's.

"Good dog." And once more Sten was ruffling her hair as Shale clopped over.

"It is petting the hairy one. Why?"

"The dog learns well."

"Well it's nice to know that at least one mage can be controlled. It's still squishy."

"Where Sten comes from all the mages are controlled." Saeris offered and the pressure on her skull increased, ironically the grunt that went with it showed he was pleased. Why did she have such strange packmates?

"This does not bother it? Hm."

Sten let go of her as they turned away. "The dog is not leashed, but it knows loyalty and it's place. Perhaps if more Saarebas were taken to having such a form they would not need the same strict supervision."

"How can you be certain?" Shale queried as they continued upwards, Saeris had shifted once more into her canine form to keep up with their longer strides. Honestly they would talk about her no matter what. She did loathe what Sten had said they did to mages in his homeland but she couldn't even improve the situation of those in the circle now. It made her jaw itch with the urge to bite something. Someday though. When this Blight was done with, if they made it out Okay, maybe Surana and Alistair could do something about it. At least remove the fear those in the circle felt. Let them travel, breathe freely. The idea of being caged once more was not one her heart could take.

"Because it is a dog."

"Dog's pissed on me when I was stuck, almost as bad as pigeons."

"All things piss."

"I don't. Thankfully."

Really. The two had the weirdest conversations.

()()()()()()()

"How is it that we barely set foot in the place and we are already having them try to kick us out?" Leliana sighed and trailed her fingers along Saeris' fur. She was one of the only ones that would be able to do so and not be bitten for the effort. Saeris still did not enjoy it, but it helped with the whole seeming less of a threat here to the already unkind villagers. Her nose though, it was painfully swimming. A soft whine, and then she turned and licked at Zevran's fingers. It took them a moment, her pack siblings, but she saw the moment Zevran understood. He'd made so many jokes about the blood on his hands must offend her nose, even if he had washed them, after all.

"Where?"

"What is it..?" Leliana started to query but Zevran did not answer. His eyes sharp and watched as Saeris turned in place slowly. "I do not understand."

"Blood. She smells blood. Everywhere." Heedless of his bared legs Zevran then dropped, to be at eye level with the large hound, to one knee. "Saeris? I want you to focus. There is a way fresh blood smells that is different from the old. Can you tell them apart?" Inwardly he made the note to actually train her as they would the cadaver and hunting hounds back in Antiva. Maybe it hadn't been Zevran's area, but it didn't mean he couldn't figure out the basics. After all she wasn't a real dog but knowing how to pin point scents could save all their lives. Until now it had not really made sense to him that though she was in canine form her mind was entirely human. Of course she would know the scent of those kills they made recently and the old battles they came across but there were so many ways bodies could decompose and smell and poisons..

Twiceblooded flicked her ears back and sniffed softly before hesitantly moving towards a bit of earth at the house not so far from the entrance. There was a single chicken roaming around, and a few books tossed haphazardly near the door frame. Dignity set aside Saeris dropped her muzzle to the earth and sneezed before trying to repeat the process. Fortunately, neither of the mountainous warriors following decided to comment and Leliana was frowning as she pieced together an idea of what was happening.

Finally, Saeris could not help it, there was a scent like the rotting and congealed forms that had taken over her fellows, back in the nightmare of the Tower. Tail out in determination she began to dig. The earth was soft, too soft to be anything other than what she suspected by now.

When her paw suddenly hit something soft and putrid, a wave of hideous odor emerged and Twiceblooded let out a yelp as she leapt back, only to find Sten scooping her up as if she was a tiny pup instead of a massive hound.

The group stayed quiet at what was revealed to be most clearly a leg already blackening and oozing.

"I think we had best go see about that store." Zevran spoke up softly, eyes narrowed. "Perhaps, encourage, a little more talk, yes?"

Saeris twisted her form to leap only to realize Sten had clamped his other hand down and was indeed, carrying her.

Leliana smothered a laugh at the sight of the immense qunari carrying her transformed heart sister like an overfluffed kitten and even Zevran let out a slight chuckle.

"Well, that's one way to look less threatening. Perhaps I should pick up the painted elf." Shale remarked and Zevran rapidly took point.

"I think he is scared of you." Leliana remarked to Shale, entertained immensely and grateful for the distraction as her nerves were certainly not at ease from this newest discovery.

"It's the best way to move the babbling little thing on." Shale agreed before flicking her hand. The two got along just fine as Leliana had a love of beautiful things and had taken to finding 'pretty stones' that Shale could wedge into her crevices. No one had seen that bonding aspect coming.

()()()()()()

"You've spent how long just..just.." Saeris groaned as she looked at the bashful Surana. "Please tell me why you're in a tavern here drinking and not getting anywhere?"

"At least we left word at the gate to let you in. Wasn't easy mind, they didn't even want to let us in but they were willing to honor the treaties enough to let us help with the craziness down here. Dwarven politics take forever. We are still trying to figure this out. Ventured into the deep roads briefly to find a few people and ..well..can I just say I am not looking forward to that? At all?" Alistair piped up and then sighed. "Bloody nightmare. There's something about it that just sends my pulse racing like there's a darkspawn breathing down my neck."

"We killed a dragon. You've gotten drunk." Sten remarked idly and it set Leliana and Zevran off, Saeris just grimaced but nodded.

"Move over. You're buying all of us a round."

"But..the ashes.." Alistair sounded hesitant. "You..you did get them, right?"

"They are in my care." came the assurance of Leliana, her hands smoothing over where she kept them hidden. "What powers they may or may not have, it is a ..truly wondrous fact to have beheld the place meant to keep Andraste."

"Are there at least beds anywhere?" Saeris asked as she yawned. The lack of sleep had been devastating to her and she was feeling..off. Very off. As if the tests hadn't all but destroyed her to begin with. Fighting off the villagers in Haven had not been so different, if peculiar. Battling through peculiar traps and mazes in the surprisingly huge labryinth meant to lead pilgrams to the Ashes had been an experience with Leliana constantly remarking on what was added later and what could have been original to the location.

Saeris still was baffled that someone thought such..trickery..was a method of locks and guarding. Though the exceptionally ancient human who had looked into them and asked things she did not wish examined...

The only small blessing was when they spoke later it seemed no one heard the actual questions posed to the others. Only the answers.

"Tell me, Saeris once Lavellan, now Twiceblooded. Do you regret abandoning your heritage and hiding part of your nature?"

It had wounded her deeply. Did she? Did she regret no longer being able to call herself Dalish? No longer Lavellan and forever denied the blood writing upon her skin?

"No. I still honor my heritage. It is more than marks upon flesh and a name. My heritage is in my memories, my actions, to look ahead as much as behind. My life however is the now and the moment." She had answered and it had been the truth. She was still an elfblooded human. She was Chasind. She was a mage, a shape shifter, spirit trained and a survivor. None of that did she feel upset over. So what if she couldn't claim a clan that hadn't even wanted her? Her mother had left and not looked back. Taught her to look ahead just as often. "If you wish to speak of regrets Ancient one.." Saeris had snapped instead and spread out her arms visually taunting that he missed the mark.

"Very well."

She'd waited for the explosion from the others that had never come. Never would. Because they had only heard her answer and likely thought she meant her Chasind heritage. It was fine, enough. The real regrets she had were many enough but it was not over such a small thing. She'd cast off that person happily to save herself from the Templars, now that her phylactery was gone she felt no urge to undo that action. Not when the names that defined her now were her own titles. Even if just Sten's mocking 'Dog' in regards to her.

"You all right there dear?" Wynne fussed over her and Saeris looked up with a smile.

"It was a trial. Literally. Looked inside us and tested our mental, emotional, and physical limits. That's not counting the usual monsters and crazies that seemed to set up in the area."

"It does seem to draw them." Alistair agreed and it was highly telling that the two of them who so rarely interacted were finding any sort of a common ground.

"Fill us in?" Leliana entreated and over large pitchers of ale and strange fungus and mushroom apetizers with something called 'nug cheese' that no one touched; the various tasks that spawned nigh endlessly from the dwarves came free. The battle to choose an old and seemingly kinder but unchanging king or a ruthless young one who wished to force a more equal system on others. In the end Surana had insisted upon the young prince, explaining that it was like the Mages in the Tower, if something hadn't changed, if someone hadn't forced a situation as horrid as what had happened was, perhaps there never would have been this chance for them to travel. Perhaps Wynne would still be there only loaned out for a few occasions like a trained beast. Saeris would unlikely have ever been permitted to leave.

In that light, no one felt like arguing.

"He really is a jerk though." Surana sighed. "Honestly I think he'd kill anyone who argued with him so even though he has good ideas and plans, how he wants to go about it troubles me."

"Rather it is that he is efficient." Morrigan interrupted and smirked over at Saeris. "One doesn't leave a threat at ones back, after all."

Saeris barely managed a wan smile, unable to think of whether she agreed or not. "Beds?"

"That tired?" Wynne's hand was on her brow then, testing her young apprentice's temperature. "You feeling all right?"

"I didn't get a proper nights sleep." She sighed. "Canine senses and all..I just.."

"I'll show you where it is." Morrigan offered and Saeris scrambled after in a completely ungraceful way. The raven haired Witch of the Wilds led her to the inn down a few path ways, entirely hidden if you had no inkling of it's presence. "Fortunately for us the presence of human Wardens was not entirely unknown, same with a few rare traders so this location had proper sized beds. I did make certain you and Wynne would share a room with Leliana when you arrived."

"You and Surana?"

"Naturally." Morrigan sniffed, almost managing to hide her slight shifting of shyness even as she ducked under the lower doorway. "Alistair will be sharing with Zevran and Sten. It should prove most amusing for us to see what foolishness comes of that."

"So what did you wish to warn me of?" Saeris said after a chuckle, and Morrigan turned, glancing over her shoulder with a sigh.

"We are not so deep under the earth, and yet we are. Your dreams will be muted here. It is as though the Fade is much out of our reach..perhaps the real reasons dwarves do not dream is they cannot reach the Fade, even if they were capable."

The news did not comfort Saeris in the slightest though she said nothing on the topic. What a cruel irony, finally being somewhere she could let her guard down only to hear that her desired location may be barred or distant for her. The deep roads would only be worse, no doubt. Sighing, the canine shifter nodded in thanks for the warning. Well, perhaps she could still maneuver properly. Saeris did have an advantage over Morrigan when it came to traversing the Fade after all.