Moonpriestess30: It's been far too long since I did anything. This year has been quite a rollercoaster. Hope you and the the little ones are well!

Judy: You popped up out of nowhere! Welcome back!

Chapter two

The walk back to the encampment took a little longer than Garrett would have liked. She wasn't causing trouble but she became more and more reluctant to get close to the noise and lights, shaking her head and trying to pull Merrill back. He was impressed though, Merrill spoke to her in a calm, gentle voice the entire time and reassured her that everything was going to be okay. They stopped on the outskirts of the tents and fires, not able to get her any closer than that. Merrill smiles at her, 'hamin, hamin,' she repeated, telling her to relax.

She stands, her weight on her more dominant foot as if ready to run at any moment. Chattering her teeth sounding like a deepstalker, she looked around at the men that were working between the tents. Varric looked at Fenris and shared a quiet word before disappearing to find his brother. 'Look, Merrill just stay here while I go and get some things okay?' Garrett said looking at her. 'I'll get this all sorted, you just... keep her calm.'

Merrill nods and smiles at the woman, patting her hand that is almost always on her arm. Garrett turns around as he hears his Mabari loping over to him. A smile appears on his face as he sees his faithful companion; only to be shoved to the side as the woman runs past him. With a powerful blow of her heel, she sends Hawke's Mabari skidding to the side as she growls at it, her knife in her hand. Garrett shouts at her in horror and Fenris grabs her arms, pulling them behind her back as he very literally lifts her out the way. He ignores her screaming and hissing at him as he does so, Merrill desperately trying to get her to calm down. 'Enough,' Fenris grunted as he attempts to restrain her, the thinness of her limbs holding deceptive strength as she thrashes.

'What the fuck did she do that for?' Garrett snapped as he ran over to his hound who was whimpering as she got to her feet, a little wobbly. 'You're okay, girl, you're fine,' he said as he checked her over.

'Abelas!' Merrill said trying to get Fenris to put the hissing woman down. 'She probably never seen a Mabari before! She dinnae know that she means nae harm,' Merrill pointed out. 'Fenris, please, put her down.'

Fenris sighs and lets her go, moving a couple steps back as she swung around to face him, fury on her face. There was a stream of hissing and clicking as she waves her blade around, threatening him. He held up his hands in surrender, meaning her no harm and her lips that were curled up began to calm. 'This woman is feral,' Fenris stated looking at Hawke who was rubbing his eyes in frustration.

'She jus' dinnae ken what she were, ya gotta understand this be new to her!' Merrill said holding her arm, 'we jus' gotta be patient is all.'

'Merrill-' Hawke began but she shook her head.

'Nae! I nae be hearin' it! It were nae her fault she be trapped down 'ere. I am gonna help her get home. Where she should be,' Merrill said firmly.

'Fuck my life, alright. Alright, fine. But we need some fucking ground rules. First, she needs a name. Secondly, she needs to know the word, 'no,' if one of us says it, she stops what she's doing. And thirdly, she touches my Mabari again and I'll break her fucking fingers,' he said bluntly. He gets up and walks over to her and she pulls Merrill to her side protectively, holding up her weapon as he gets closer. 'Right, listen here,' he said ignoring her dagger and hissing. 'Me, Hawke,' he said pointing to his chest. 'Hawke,' he said firmly.

She lowers the blade a little as Merrill pats her arm, her hissing stops and Merrill nods. Not really understanding what's going on. Her eyes dart over to Fenris who had his arms crossed and was patiently waiting. 'Me?' She repeated, in a lower pitch making Merrill smile. She was clearly trying to copy his voice.

'Nae, Hawke,' Merrill smiled more touching Hawke's chest.

'Haw...ke?' She asked as she looks between Garrett and Merrill.

'Aye, Hawke, mala falon,' Merrill nods. 'Falon,' she said slowly.

'Hawke... mala falon,' she repeated.

Garrett raises a brow and looks at the Dalish elf who was giddy beside him. 'What did you just tell her?' He whispered. The woman grinned in response to Merrill's praise and making a happy squeak, bouncing a little.

'I said, Hawke, your friend,' Merrill translated. With a little more repetition, they manage to teach her Merrill's name and Fenris'... to an extent. She couldn't really grasp the pronunciation of his name though it wasn't particularly difficult. She called him, ''Fennis,'' the harsh 'r,' in his name was proving tricky for her. 'Aw, it be sweet, Fennis,' Merrill teased.

Fenris glowers at her, 'do not. She... has an …reason. It is tolerable for the moment,' he muttered rubbing his eyes as he sees Garrett grinning at him. He clears his throat and rolls his eyes as he shifts his weight to his other foot.

Merrill took it in her stride and next came the woman's name and they were getting nowhere. 'Me!' She kept saying making Garrett pull out his hair. 'Me na,' was pretty much all she could string together. Merrill informed everyone that she was saying, ''me is,'' in Dalish. In the end Garrett had enough.

'Fuck it! Her name is Mena, that'll do. Hawke, Merrill, Fenris and Mena,' he said pointing to each of them. 'Understand?' He asked as he gives her a look to which Mena glares at him clicking her tongue several times as he got too close.

'Aye, I'll make sure she gets it,' Merrill assured as she gives Garrett a friendly push away.

Garrett leaves Merrill to her babysitting duty while he motioned for Fenris to follow him. His Mabari sticks to his heels and occasionally looks back at Mena with her ears back. 'Fenris, I'm gonna have a little fire and bed made up here for Merrill, would you mind keeping watch on her for a few hours?' He asked as he crosses his arms and presses a thumb to his lips.

The Tevinter elf looks at his friend, 'you wish for me to keep an eye on the women?' He asked wondering which one he was talking about. Garrett nods and Fenris begrudgingly agrees, it made sense. Mena was definitely less defensive around him but still wary. With a sigh Fenris makes his peace with the fact that he was going to be a glorified baby sitter for the time being. Varric had managed to keep his brother in line with the promise that Mena would help them through the Deep Roads after the expedition got some rest. Garrett indeed had a small camp made up for Merrill and Fenris, his Marbari, Peaches, had decided to stay near Merrill for protection.

Mena had disappeared up the side of the cavern and Fenris could see her lying on a ledge where she was clearly going to spend the ''night''. Merrill dropped off within about half an hour, one of those people who could naturally fall asleep in an instant. Something that Fenris was privately jealous of. Rest didn't come easily to him; it had gotten better in the last year so, most of the time it was exhaustion that caused deep sleep. Movement caught his eye and he saw Mena climbing across the wall towards a crevice that she slipped through. 'That is that then,' he said to himself. Fenris couldn't blame her for leaving, it must be incredibly disorientating and overwhelming. Easier to leave. He wouldn't follow her, if she wanted to go then that was her choice.

While he was sharpening his blade, he heard her land on the ground, she had a small nug in her mouth. It was already dead going by the limpness and the blood that had dried around its mouth. Mena was crouched from where she landed and gingerly while she looked at Fenris she stepped forward towards the fire. He didn't move and kept eye contact; he was surprised that she had returned. Confident that Fenris wasn't going to try to interfere with what she was doing, Mena took the nug out her mouth and opened its belly with her knife. She looked at Peaches and after she pried out the innards, she speared them on the point of the blade and held it towards the beast. Peaches gave it a sniff and she flicked them onto the ground, a peace offering of sorts. Glancing over at Fenris she drops the nug into the fire waiting for it to cook.

He exhaled a little heavily making her flinch but an almost comfortable silence of sorts falls between them. Curiously he watches her through the fringe of his hair that fell over his eyes as he worked some oil into the grip of his sword to keep it from cracking. Once the skin starts to brown, she uses her knife to pull it out the fire. Mena looks over at Merrill who was still sleeping, carefully Mena pries what Fenris would consider to be the better pieces of meat off the bones and places them on the metal plate that Merrill had been eating off of earlier. He raises a brow; it was almost like she was trying to make sure that she was fed. With a shrug of his shoulder, he continues to maintain his blade. A sharp crack makes him look up; Mena had snapped the nug in two, ignoring the heat of the flesh as she was used to it. A delicate hand stretched out towards him holding half of the nug. Fenris looks at her, she was... offering him food?

'Ah, no, thank you,' he said shaking his head.

Mena frowns and waggles her hand a little as she bares her teeth. 'Fennis,' she said but he mistook it for a hiss.

'I am sufficient, ah...' he tried to think of the few Dalish words he knows, 'ah, … banal?' He said, pretty sure that meant no. 'Abelas... banal,' he repeats, making a furrow appear between her brows.

'Fennis. Nuvenin!' Mena said almost shoving it into his hands, causing him to just drop his sword or risk her cutting her palm. He didn't know what she said other than his name but he didn't want to scare her by raising his voice or making a sharp movement. Satisfied that he was at least holding it Mena began to eat her own half of the nug. She stripped it down to the bones, flicking them into the fire once she was done. Mena looks over at Fenris who had taken a... polite bite of the nug. It wasn't as bad as he was expecting but it wasn't like he really wanted to eat it. When he saw a chance, he threw the rest to Peaches who happily snapped it out the air and began to gnaw on it. Mena licked her fingers before wiping them on her top, looking at Fenris with a tilted head.

He was cautious as she moved a little closer. 'Mena?' He said hoping that she understood her name, he really didn't want to have to hurt her. Pausing she reaches out a hand and touches his arm making him still. Her fingernails begin to trace the tattoos that were visible on his bicep, on instinct he grabbed her hand and his breathing quickened. Mena froze and Fenris could hear the scared chittering she was making. Slowly he loosened his grip, he could understand her curiosity towards his markings and so he mentally forced himself to be calm. If she panicked it was more than likely that she would try to hurt him and that was the last thing he needed. Mena moved just a little bit closer as she lifted his arm looking over his tattoos.

'Elgara,' she whispered as she rubbed his skin, seeing if the markings would disappear.

'Elgara?' Fenris repeated wondering what she meant.

Mena grinned and makes what he would consider to be a happy noise. Pointing at the fire she motions a circle in the ceiling. 'Elgara! Fennis Elgara!' Mena bounced on her feet as she crouches next to him. 'Elgara, ow,' she covered her eyes and hides her face.

'Ah, the sun,' he figured out. 'Yes, the sun hurts your eyes, I am not the sun,' Fenris said a little amused. 'Do you mean the light? Ah, when my markings were glowing?' He said as he allows his brands to light up making her jump. He can't help but chuckle a little as she rubs his arm, furiously trying to figure out how he's doing it. Taking the moment to ask a question he motioned to her face, the painted eyes and patches of ochre. She grinned and nods, grabbing a piece of charcoal out the fire she showed him how she crushed the charred wood and then spat on the dust. Rubbing it on her fingers she draws the eye on the back of her hand, refreshing the sigil. 'That protects you from the spiders?' Fenris asked as he holds up to his hands to either side of his head, mimicking what she did earlier that day.

Mena nodded and mirrors him. She began to hiss and click as she swayed her head, Fenris could see how it could create a trance, the eyes on her skin displaying quite a pattern. 'Fennis?' She dipped her fingers back into the charcoal paste and holds up her hand to his face.

'Ah...' he leans back. 'Banal, banal,' he said. The idea of the paste on his skin made a very uncomfortable skitter run through him. She shrugged a shoulder and continued to refresh the paint on her other hand, making sure that they're clear and bright. Once she had repainted her markings Mena wiped her hands on her leggings before standing. Looking around she seems to be listening for something, seemingly satisfied she climbs the wall once more up to the ledge she had previously settled on and lies down.

About twenty minutes pass and Fenris finished the maintenance on his sword, placing it in its sheath before lying down himself and resting his head on his arm as he stared at the ceiling. Merrill's voice came out of nowhere, 'that was sweet of ya,' she said quietly making him scowl.

'I do not know what you mean,' he stated bluntly. 'It was just stilted information.'

She giggled making him roll his eyes, 'I think she be startin' to like ya,' Merrill said conversationally.

'Enough. She is a confused, scared woman. That is all,' he snapped looking over at her.

'Ma dirth alas,' the Dalish elf replied with a smirk as she closes her eyes once more. Fenris narrowed his eyes, he was pretty sure that she just told him that he's speaking crap but he wasn't fluent enough to accuse her of it. With a click of his jaw, he turned over, showing her his back as he tries to get some sleep.