"So, where is this Ranger chick that everyone has been talking about?"
"I don't know, man. She keeps to herself unless she needs to speak with Master Sting or Rogue. I see her in the library a lot, but beyond that I've got no clue."
"It's rather curious that one of the Eranosians has survived, despite what history has thrown at her people."
"What do you know about them, Rufus?"
"If memory serves me well, as it always does, then the Eranosian people were an ancient race of elves said to be the children of the Forest God, Eranos. They thrived all over Fiore for thousands of years, but a few centuries ago they were wiped from existence. A dark guild culled their cities, stealing their magik and killing those who didn't possess magik themselves. Those they took hostage were turned into slaves. And now, they've all but faded into legend."
"Wait, is that her?"
Ayva walked through the guild hall, making her way to the entrance.
"Ayva, wait up!"
Ayva stopped and turned, seeing Rogue and Frosch approaching. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually, we were on our way into town and Sting mentioned that you were headed the same way."
"Rogue wanted to ask you to come with us!" Frosch said, smiling.
Ayva looked from the little exceed to his partner. "I can walk with you into town, however, I was actually going for a hunt."
"A hunt?"
"As much as I appreciate your hospitality, I prefer hunting for my meal."
"I see. Well, may we accompany you into town at the very least?"
Ayva nodded. "If you wish."
"Yay!"
Ayva managed a smile at Frosch's excitement.
As Ayva, Rogue, and Frosch left the guild hall, the members of Sabertooth returned to talking amongst themselves.
"Master, tell me: what do you know about Ayva Stryt? Are you sure that we can trust her?"
Sting looked at Minerva. "She's well loved by people all over Fiore, and she's well respected. She's given no reason for us not to trust her. Why, do you know something?"
"Only rumours."
"Wow, it's so pretty today!"
Rogue looked down at Frosch and smiled, his never ending supply of happiness always a warm welcome. He looked at Ayva, seeing that something was on her mind. "Ayva?"
Ayva looked at him. "What?"
"Forgive me if I pry, but it seems as though something is troubling you."
Ayva shook her head and looked back ahead of them. "Just thinking over the information we have on the Hellcry Devils."
"Any thoughts on how we should proceed?"
"We need to find out where exactly they are located, since it seems that they move around quite often before returning to a secretive base of operations. Once we find that, then we can proceed with plans to infiltrate and eliminate them, once and for all."
"I agree. They've been very troublesome lately."
"Not just lately. They've been a menace for centuries."
Rogue looked at her, sensing some deeper meaning. But as he made to ask her about it, she stopped and gestured towards a path out of town.
"This is where we part ways, for now."
"Aww, do you have to go?" Frosch asked. "Can't we come with you?"
Ayva looked down at him. "Hunting isn't much fun to watch and I'd hate to think what would happen if you got caught up in the middle of it."
"He'll be safe with me." Rogue said. "I'm actually rather curious myself."
Ayva shrugged. "Alright, come along if you want. But try to stay out of the way? Hodras are known for their stampedes."
Ayva led Rogue and Frosch through the forest on the edge of town, going deeper until she caught the scent of the local hodras herd.
"Alright, they're up ahead, so try to stay quiet."
Rogue and Frosch nodded, following close behind her as she crept forward and followed the scent to a clearing.
"There." Ayva stopped just inside of the tree line. "Stay here." She looked from Rogue to Frosch. "I need you to listen very carefully, OK?"
Forsch nodded.
"I don't want you to be scared, OK? Whatever you see, whatever happens, it's still me."
"OK."
Ayva looked back to Rogue. "Stay here where you'll be clear of the herd if they charge. I'm going to circle around."
"Understood."
Rogue and Frosch watched as Ayva made her way through the trees until she disappeared. They turned their attention to the clearing and the herd.
"Where is she, Rogue?"
"I'm not sure."
They scanned the tree line in the direction that Ayva had gone.
"There!"
Rogue looked to where Frosch pointed, seeing Ayva making her way from the tree line. He watched as she crept forward, waiting until she caught the wary attention of one of the hodras to transform. Rogue's eyes widened as she sprang forward, transforming into a large wolf with fur as navy blue as her hair.
"Wow, she turned into a doggy!"
Rogue watched as she expertly weaved through the frightened herd, separating the weaker hodras from the rest of the herd. 'She's amazing..!' He looked down at Frosch when Ayva lunged for the hodras' throat, seeing the fear in his companion's eyes as Ayva tore into her prey. "Frosch, it's alright."
Frosch turned away, closing its eyes as the tears slid down its furry cheeks.
Rogue looked back to the clearing, seeing that Ayva had disappeared- leaving behind the hodras carcass for the numerous predators that had been lurking across the clearing from them. 'Where'd she go?'
Ayva slid out of her clothes and into the river they had passed earlier. She dipped under the water, grateful that the river was fairly deep enough to swim in, and when she resurfaced she looked up at the sky.
'What am I doing? Nothing will ever change... so why does he make me feel different..? Why does it feel like I still have a soul when I'm with him..?'
"Ayva?"
Ayva looked over to see that Rogue and Frosch had found her, but she noticed the look on Frosch's face and she sighed. 'I shouldn't have let him come along...'
"Oh, there you are. You disappeared; we got worried." Rogue said, then noticed her clothes were sitting on the ground.
"Sorry, I just needed to clean off."
Rogue looked back to her as she swam back to the river bank, standing up in the shallows. His cheeks burned as she stepped out of the river in nothing but her underclothes. He turned away as she reached down and grabbed her clothes, taking them to the water to wash the blood away.
Ayva quickly cleaned away the blood from her clothes and turned to hang them over a branch to dry before sitting down. She looked at Frosch. "Frosch?"
Frosch looked at her from his hiding spot behind Rogue.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you come with me." Ayva sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry I scared you."
Frosch looked up at Rogue, then stepped out from behind him and cautiously made its way over to Ayva. "Frosch is sorry, too."
Ayva looked out over the river. "You don't need to apologize, little one." She glanced at Rogue. "Why don't you sit, Rogue?"
"O-OK."
Rogue sat next to Ayva, trying to hide his blushing cheeks. 'Why am I so flustered? It's not the first time I've seen a woman half naked, especially with our guild's pool.' He glanced over at her as she leaned back and looked at the sky. 'She is rather beautiful, but so is Yukino and milady.'
Ayva was a very lean and toned young woman, her tan skin bronzed in the sunlight. Her navy blue hair glistened in the sunlight, swaying around her as a breeze blew through the forest.
"So, um..." Rogue cleared his throat. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Ayva."
Ayva looked at him. "Go ahead."
"How'd you get that scar over your eye?"
"When I was little, my home was destroyed. We were attacked and I was the only one to escape. The men who attacked us, their leader gave me this scar." Ayva looked back at the sky. "If I hadn't found a healer as quickly as I had, I'd have lost my eye entirely."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
Ayva shrugged. "It's fine. It's just a scar." She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she remembered how exactly she got the scar. "Some wounds are harder to heal, though..."
Rogue looked at her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ayva. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine, really."
"Miss Ranger Lady?"
Ayva looked at Frosch. "What is it, little one?"
"Why are you so sad? Did something happen?"
Ayva smiled and reached up, patting its head. "Don't worry about me, Frosch. I'll be alright, just as I always have."
Rogue could still sense something deeper behind her words, but he didn't want to pry. 'Perhaps she'll tell us someday.'