Cat followed along after the group, Merrill and Fenris sticking to her like glue. She understood of course, but it still made her feel as though she were the weak link somehow. I'm a fighter, I can handle myself, she would think, but then tell herself to get over it. They were just trying to protect a friend, and she would be the same if this were happening to someone else.

It wasn't very exciting at first. Hawke spoke with a hunter, who was looking for his missing dogs. Anders found the ingredients he needed to make the antidote for the wyvern poison, and Aveline found a half naked man wandering around claiming to be a scholar. Hawke spoke with him for a bit, before the man ran off, all excited about something.

Around another ridge, they were attacked by a pair of dragons and a few dragonlings. Nothing too big, but mature dragons nonetheless. After they fell, Hawke began questioning why they had been told that dragons didn't live on this mountain, and Tallis explained that wyverns and dragons didn't exactly get along, so they most likely were trying to find territory, not living there.

Hawke had them grab a few pieces and blood from the dragons to add to their wyvern lure, and the group set out once again. As they walked, they avoided the other hunters that they came across, but when they heard screaming, Hawke went charging over.

Since Cat was in the middle, she didn't see much at first, and the fight they had was pretty quick. She looked around, trying to understand what had happened.

"Ghasts," Tallis said, as she searched the body in front of her. "Cave dwellers, and they can get pretty nasty."

"So we see," Isabela replied. "Almost as bad as darkspawn, surrounding you before you even know what happened."

"You… have experience with darkspawn?" Tallis asked, surprised.

Isabela merely smiled, giving her a secretive look.

"Well, shall we keep going?" Aveline hastily asked Hawke.

"Nothing we can do for them now, poor bastards," Hawke replied, and he turned around and started walking back the way they came in.

Around another bend, they stopped- listening to the sounds that were coming from the forest. "Is that wyverns mating?" Tallis asked, though no one knew the answer.

"Could we mimic that?" Anders asked.

"No," Tallis replied quickly.

"I meant the sound," Anders said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Good idea," Tallis responded, looking embarrassed.

Cat broke the tension by trying to mimic the call, which came out like a strangled roar. "Sorry Kitty, it'll have to be someone else," Isabela said as the others laughed. "Reminds me a little of your bird call."

Eventually they came to a fork in the path, and Hawke looked around. "Anyone have a preference?" he asked. "East or West?"

"East," Cat muttered to herself. Merrill and Fenris both heard her, and repeated it loudly.

"East it is," Hawke said, happy that Fenris and Merrill agreed on something, and he led the group onward. Before long, they came to a small pond, and he stopped. "Pretty country up here," he commented.

"The Monfort family inherited this mountain from some Nevarran dragon hunters," Tallis replied. "Though that may be the wrong word. What's the word for killing people so you can take all their stuff?"

"Fun," Isabela replied, pretending not to notice as the others glanced at her warily. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

"It sounds like barking," Anders replied, moving towards the sound. "This way."

They followed after him, eventually finding a dog, who then led them to another that was lying on the ground and whimpering. After a quick look, Tallis declared it wyvern poison, and Anders gave the dog some of his newly made antidote.

Hawke, wanting to continue on, and wanting to get the dog back to its owner, looked uncertain. Anders was quick to see through it, and volunteered to take the dogs back. Cat offered to go as well, but Hawke shut that down quickly, asking Isabela, Aveline and Sebastian to accompany him instead.

"It's not like I would have been in danger," Cat muttered, as Isabela came to her.

"Now Kitty," Isabela said quietly, her smirk ever present. "You know Hawke will worry horribly if he can't see you."

"Oh really," Cat replied dryly. "Tallis will be more than happy to keep him occupied."

"You know he's just playing the game," Isabela said more seriously. "And he's grumpy because he has to keep up this act." Cat rolled her eyes, but Isabela continued, in a louder voice. "Just make the trail, Kitty," she said. "We want to be able to find you again."

"No problem," Cat replied. "Though you should hurry so you don't miss the action."

Isabela nodded, and with a wink, the smaller group broke off, taking the hounds with them.

"All right, let's keep moving," Hawke said, gesturing to the others and leading the way.

Hearing a roar, they paused, looking around. "Well, looks like we came the right way," Hawke said quietly. "Do you think we have enough to lure one out?" he asked Tallis.

She thought for a moment. "I'm sure we do. In the right spot, certainly."

"A little one or big one though?" Varric asked. "I thought we were going for a big one." He turned to give Cat a wink.

"That's right," she replied. "We don't want to settle."

"Well, the object is to finish the hunt and get into the keep," Tallis said. "And that means a wyvern, no matter the size. Any wyvern will do."

Cat noted that her words weren't really matching her tone, and she had to wonder if Tallis wanted to get a big wyvern too. Varric must have felt the same way because he questioned her.

"Come on Shivs, you can't tell me that you'd be perfectly happy settling for less than the best."

"Shivs?" Tallis asked.

"Yeah, Shivs," Varric answered.

"Well…" Tallis replied, looking around, and then she smiled. "You've got me there. Bringing back a big one would be the icing on the cake."

"I knew it!" Varric crowed. "Well then, lets find some more bait, huh?"

She smiled at him again, and turned to follow Hawke. Cat followed suit, happy that Varric was knocking a few of those walls down. Hawke could use the help to get her trust.

After walking around the large pond, Cat marking a trail as they went, they came across a huge pile of steaming waste.

"Shi-"

"Yes, we know Varric," Cat interrupted him. "We can all see, and smell it."

"We should probably look in it for clues," Hawke said, and everyone else took a couple steps back. He looked up with a roll of his eyes. "Nice, very nice." He reached for the pile, when Cat stopped him.

"Hawke? Maybe push up your sleeves? You can wash in the pond there after, but it'll be hard to get it off your armor."

"Good idea," he said with a smile, and took off his arm guards, handing them to her, and pushing the sleeves of his tunic up his arms. "All right, looking for clues." He didn't hesitate and pushed his hands in up to his elbows.

"Ugh," Cat said as she stepped back. The five of them stepped back even more as Hawke pushed some of the dung over to spread it out.

Tallis was the first to step closer, looking at the pieces that were being spread out. "Are those… nug bones?" she asked. "Do wyverns eat nugs?" She looked around at the others' shrugs. "I wonder if a nug call would help lure one out."

Hawke, satisfied that there was nothing left to find, stood up. "You know a nug call?" he asked skeptically.

"You went elbow deep in wyvern dung, and I'm the weird one?" she replied. They smiled at each other, and Hawke moved to the water to wash off. Once finished he pulled down his sleeves and went back to Cat for his guards.

"All right then, let's keep going," he said, leading the way up the mountain.

Cat continued to mark the trail, as they moved up the hill. They came across several more piles of muck, as well as skeletons and half eaten remains.

"Some of those, look human," Varric said as they passed what looked like a regurgitated pile of bones, flesh and clothing.

"Probably are," Tallis replied. "Wvyerns aren't exactly picky, from what I've seen."

"Couldn't we just bait one by shouting then?" Cat asked.

Tallis looked back, trying to determine if she was being serious or making fun. She opted from her expression, it was the former. "Maybe, but not guaranteed. Humans hunt them after all, and the wyvern wouldn't be certain of victory like they could with an animal."

Cat nodded, "Makes sense," she replied. Tallis looked a moment more, still unsure of her, but eventually turned back.

"Do you hear that?" Hawke asked, and the group stopped to listen.

"I don't hear anything," Merrill stated.

"That's the problem," Tallis replied, more quietly. "No birds, no nothing. And the trail suggests wyverns just love this place to bits."

"Let's find a good spot to lure one out then," Hawke said, his voice also quiet. "Come on."

The group moved on again, Cat every so often marking the way for the others as they slowly moved ahead. After several twists and turns on the path, they came into a large clearing, and both Hawke and Tallis stopped.

"This will work nicely," Tallis said. "We can lure one out, and have enough room to kill it without getting sat on. They're not stupid though, we'll need really good bait."

"Let's see what we've got," Hawke said, and the others began pulling things out of their bags.

"Dragon hide, and blood," Fenris said, as he laid them down.

"Wyvern blood," Varric added a flask to the pile.

"And the nug call…" Tallis thought aloud. "More than enough. We may end up with a bigger wyvern than we can handle."

"Don't forget the mating call we heard earlier," Cat said with a smirk, ignoring her last remark. "Though if I heard and smelled all this together, I'd think a wvyern was calling for a mate after a fight with a dragon while chasing a nug."

"That would be a sight, wouldn't it," Varric said with a laugh.

"Well…" Tallis thought. "We could do it in stages I suppose."

"What do you mean?" Hawke asked.

"We could put the wyvern blood on the perimeter, and give the mating call a couple of times. Then I'll use the dragon's blood and the nug call and move around on this side."

"So it seems like live bait, not just blood laying there," Cat supplied as she understood.

"Exactly."

"Let's do it," Hawke said with a grin. "We'll get the biggest, ugliest brute we can." He directed everyone to positions, and then asked, "Wait, who's doing the mating call?"

"Uh, I can do that," Merrill said sheepishly. "But I may not get it exactly…"

"Just do your best Merrill," Hawke replied with a grin. "And you'd better come stand over here."

"Okay," she said, moving from Cat's side. "Fenris, keep Cat safe," she said as she moved.

"I can keep myself safe, Merrill," Cat said sternly.

"Of course you can," she replied without looking back, and Cat grunted.

"We know you can," Fenris said quietly. "We just want to help. Don't pout," he ordered, and she glared at him, hastily removing her frown from her face.

"I'm not pouting."

"Mm-hmm," he agreed skeptically. "Think this will work?" he asked.

"Most definitely," she replied. "Watch out for its poison, it'll spit it at us."

They stopped talking after that, watching the clearing as Merrill made her calls, moving from one side to the other before taking her place behind cover. Then Tallis moved into the center of the clearing, her face and arms covered in the blood.

She began jumping all around and making the most ungodly cacophony that Cat had ever heard, and she wondered if nugs actually sounded like that.

They all heard the cracking of tree branches, and stiffened, even as Tallis came to a stop, looking up. She moved just as the huge wyvern jumped from the tree line into the clearing, and threw up its head and roared at them.

"Attack!" Hawke called as he threw a spell at it. Fenris moved out, streaking forward in a blurred line to slash at the beast. He didn't stay still, constantly moving as he slashed again and again.

Cat moved to a higher rock taking her time to make her bolts count. Tallis moved in and out, rolling in to slash at its legs, and rolling away before it could stomp on her. And Merrill concentrated on using her nature spells, trying to keep the wyvern from being able to move.

The wyvern's hide was tough, and several of Cat's bolts were knocked away. She heard Varric yell out about getting at its underbelly, and she replied in agreement. It was rough shooting, as she would aim for the inside of its legs, and then have to hold back when Fenris or Tallis would appear.

The wyvern itself didn't stay put, it moved after Hawke and Merrill, finding the spells the most annoying. It even moved for Varric and Cat a couple of times, and he would perform one of his acrobatic flips to move out of the way, while she merely rolled away.

Cat was surprised at how easy it was to evade the wyvern, like she somehow was much faster than the beast. It wasn't until she moved again, that she saw her amulet glowing slightly and she realized she was being given help.

Smiling, she made it her job to bait the wyvern, dodging when it would target her, but giving the others a chance to strike it while it focused on her. She would move to the other side of the clearing before calling out to the wyvern again, aiming for its face with her bolts.

She could hear Hawke yelling at her, but since he was just telling her to stop, she ignored him. She dodged the wyvern again, and made a break for the other side of the clearing.

Hawke grabbed her as she moved past him, and he practically growled in her face. "What do you think you are doing?!" he shouted. "Get up high, and stay out of its way!"

"I'm can handle it!" she yelled back, pulling herself free from his hold. "Don't-" she stopped as she saw the wyvern notice them. "Move!" she pushed him away, backing up. "Hey ugly! Over here!" she called, moving quickly away from Hawke.

The wyvern looked at her, but then focused back on Hawke. Her crossbow wasn't loaded, and she didn't have time to think, she just moved. She ran for the beast, and pulling out a dagger, she slammed it into its foreleg. "Move Hawke!" she shouted, as she moved, the creature roared in pain and anger.

The wyvern whipped around, smacking Cat with its head, and throwing her across the ground. She shook her head, trying to stand, hearing the wyvern preparing to spit at her. Something crossed her vision, pulling her back down, as she heard the yelling, and she struggled to focus.

"Aveline?" she asked, surprised, as she finally realized who was blocking her.

"Stay still, it may still target us," the redhead answered, holding her shield out in protection of both of them, as she crouched in front of Cat.

"Good timing," Cat said with a grin and a chuckle.

"We hurried," Aveline replied. "We didn't want to miss anything." She looked around her shield, noting the wyvern was being kept busy by Tallis and Isabela moving around it. "Let's go," she said, helping Cat to her feet.

"I'm good," Cat said. "Let's finish this thing."

Aveline nodded, and moved forward towards the beast. Cat pulled out two more daggers, and headed around to Aveline's right. Soon enough, the beast was surrounded, with spells and arrows coming from between the warriors and rouges that were attacking it head on.

The wyvern fought desperately, giving a large roar, and Aveline thrust her sword upward, cutting up through its jaw and into its brain. She was barely able to pull her sword free and move as the wyvern collapsed, practically on top of her.

Not long after, so did the fighters.

"Well," Hawke said, looking over to Aveline. "Glad you all could make it."

"You know if you had just waited a couple of minutes, we would have been here for the whole thing," Anders said. "Any of you reckless people need healing?" he asked loudly.

He moved over to Tallis and Isabela, who were sporting a few burns from the poison, and helped tend them.

Hawke stood, and moved over to Cat, glaring down at her. "I think you and I need to have a talk about being reckless," he said stonily.

"I wasn't being reckless," Cat replied, pulling her amulet up so he could see it clearly. "I had help."

"Regardless," Hawke said dismissively. "You had no right to put yourself in danger like that."

"Whoa," Cat said, holding out a hand. "If anyone has the right to put me in danger, it's myself. I'm a big girl, and I can make my own decisions."

"Obviously not, since all the ones you've been making are horrible," he shot back, and she stood up, her voice frozen with her anger.

"You don't have a say in my decisions," she replied.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Ferelden turnip!" a voice boomed from across the clearing. The group turned, seeing an armored Orlesian, followed by several soldiers marching towards them.

Hawke turned, facing the man, and stepping forward to block Cat as the man continued. "They say you are the Champion of some backwater city in the East. Quite the achievement, I'm sure." Hawke muddled through what he was saying, his accent so thick the words didn't sound like they should have.

The others kept their movement slow, but Cat could tell they were all on alert as they moved to stand behind Hawke, keeping distance and zeroing in on the armored soldiers, watching for an attack.

"I suggest you run along with your servants while you have the chance," Hawke thought the accent also made it hard to take the man's threat seriously, especially when he started throwing a tantrum. "This wyvern was mine to kill, not yours! Mine, mine, mine!"

He could hear Cat snicker behind him, but he simply watched the man with disinterest.

"I paid good coin to be the one to win this contest! It was my turn!"

Hawke could be reasonable. He could even be kind, and in most circumstances he preferred to be. But he was ready to throttle Cat for putting herself in danger, he was constantly on edge and frustrated from playing this idiotic game with Tallis, and the man barged in and called him a turnip. He wasn't even going to try to play nice anymore.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hawke replied, his voice dripping sarcasm. "I didn't realize the duke offered charity to his more useless guests. My mistake."

The man became even more affronted. "I will not accept such talk from a backwater mongrel!"

Tallis stepped forward, "You do realize Hawke could beat you like a rented mule with both hands tied behind his back?" she asked, certain her help wouldn't be taken, but she thought she should at least try to warn him away.

"A rented mule would smell better," Hawke added.

"More insolence! From a knife-ear this time!" He didn't notice through his rant that Hawke's group had shifted into fighting stance. No one would let him go now. "I can't take any more of this. Kill them all! We can say the wyvern was too much for them."

Cat threw a dagger, aiming for the Orlesian, but one of his soldiers threw himself in front of it, and fell down at his master's feet. He turned to her in shock.

"If the wyvern couldn't kill us, you certainly don't stand a chance!" Cat yelled.

"Kill them!" the baron ordered again, and the soldiers moved to attack.

Anders was quicker, performing a cone of cold and capturing them in it. Isabela, Tallis, Fenris and Aveline all moved forward quickly, around the icy wall of men to attack. Cat tried to move as well, but Hawke held her back with a snarl.

"Not this time Cat, let them handle it."

"You may not like it, Hawke, but I'm a member of your crew, which means I fight when they do," she said testily, trying to get around him. He turned, gripping her shoulders.

"Yes, you're a member of my crew, which means you follow my orders!" he shot back.

"Oh?" she answered, as the fight continued around them. "And are you treating your crew fairly, Hawke? I don't see you trying to keep Merrill or Isabela or Tallis out of the fight."

He would have wanted to shiver at her icy tone, but his own frustration was burning too brightly. "Of course I don't treat you the same as them!" he growled at her. "You know what you mean to me! How could I possibly treat them the same?!"

Cat turned, seeing the fighting was almost over, as the crew circled the outraged baron. "No, I don't know," Cat said quietly. "You'd better step in, unless you want them to kill him," she said, pulling away from his grip and walking over to collect her dagger from a body.

"I don't give a rat's ass what they do to him," Hawke muttered, even as he moved to pull back his crew.

They all stepped back, and sheathed their weapons. The baron stood shakily, looking around at his wounded and dead men.

The group was quiet, as they could hear the marching of footsteps, and within another minute, Duke Prosper and his men came into the clearing.

"Oho!" the duke said with a smile. "I knew I heard the sounds of a wyvern fight," he said, seeing the carcass of the beast. He looked around, seeing the two groups of people, and the quiet among them. "What has happened here?" he asked.

"Prosper," the baron began. "This bloody bastard tried to steal my rightful kill!"

The duke, knowing the baron well, looked skeptical. "Now, is that any way to speak of the Champion of Kirkwall, Baron?" he asked. Hawke gave the baron a cheeky little smile.

"This is your fault!" the baron said to the duke. "For inviting a stinking turnip in the first place! Your mother would be ashamed!"

The duke looked at him curiously, as a human might look at an insect, and he laughed humorlessly. "Says the man whose mother has slept with half of Val Chevin." He turned to Hawke. "My apologies. Baron Arlange has always been a cheat. What would you have done with him?"

"You're not suggesting…" Tallis said, taken aback.

"Why not?" the duke asked. "You think Arlange would have stopped short of murder given the chance?"

"Something on your mind?" Hawke asked Tallis.

"Just let him go. He's not worth your time, Hawke," she replied.

The duke laughed, though amused this time. "My word! Such mercy!"

Cat looked at him in a new light. She had known the duke was Orlesian, and thus had to be a player of the game, but he had been so kind to her, and it was enlightening to see just where Cyril had gotten his attitude.

"He can't be more than he is," Tallis said, as if quoting something. "You've bested him."

Hawke nodded, and turned to the duke. "It's your home, and your game. I only came to hunt wyvern, not men. Do what you want."

The duke was even more amused at that, and turned to the baron. "You hear that Arlange? It behooves you to leave while you still can."

"I…" he started, then gazed around again. "Fine! I will go." He stormed off, kicking one of his wounded men on the way.

"What a piece of work," Cat heard Anders say.

"Congratulations on finding the wyvern!" the duke said, approaching Hawke. He glanced over to the beast. "It looks like quite the specimen! I will have my men haul it back to the chateau for you."

"Thank you, your grace," Hawke replied.

"I am merely giving you a reprieve," the duke said with a twinkle in his eye. "For now we must get ready to celebrate! And you will come to regret your kill once you have been asked the story so many times, I am certain." He laughed at Hawke's expression, and clapped him on the back.

"Come! Let me escort you back!" the duke moved forward, signaling his men to take care of the slain wyvern. He found his way to Cat, and remarking on her armor, and the state of it from the small splashes of poison, he offered his arm, and she took it.

Hawke watched them leave, giving a nod of the others to go, and he took up the rear, trying to let go of his frustration and hurt. He rubbed his hand over his chest, wondering how long he could continue this- it was as if he was cutting himself to pieces.

Cat didn't speak as the ladies got dressed for the celebration. It was more of a lunchtime party, so she was glad she didn't have to deck herself out, but unfortunately she still had to wear a dress.

As they each left her for the main room, Cat sat on the bed, deep in thought. She knew that she was making things more difficult for Hawke, and she had told herself not to, but she couldn't seem to NOT fight with him whenever he started on her.

She knew he cared, yes. He wanted her safe and protected, and yes, she knew he simply wanted her, though he hadn't been acting like it. Having Tallis in the mix had to be frustrating for him as well. But, just because he's having a hard time, doesn't make my own any less difficult… she thought.

Looking around the room, she sighed. She turned thirty today, if her calculations were correct. She had been in Thedas for five years… and accepted long ago that this was now her home- her new reality. There were still times however, that thoughts of home and family would swamp her.

She tried not to dwell on it, especially because of how frightening it could be. Like when she would try to remember faces- of her nieces and nephews or friends- and couldn't. Or missing the feeling of a hot shower, or silly things like ice cream or music.

Snap out of it, she told herself. Moving over to the table, she put her hands in the bowl of water and washed her face quickly. We've got things to do, and no time to spend moping in here.

Determined, Cat dried off her face and moved to the door to join her crew.