The Wind's Will

[Shura]

The captain let out a rough groggy chuckle at the sharp shooter warnings. "Ah... if we weren't wounded I wouldn't have minded extending this little scavenger hunt another day or so." She grinned a glint of mischief in her darkened eyes. She admired her lover in the dim morning lightly, lovely as ever but also lost in thoughts and worried. She supposed getting a move one would be best so thoughts would be directed on their destination rather than the past. "Of coarse." She muttered softly accepting the small jar back. She only used a small bit of the salve, carefully dabbing it around the wound making sure to cover what was needed with out irritating the wound. After a few seconds she pulled back. "There all done."

[Kharmin]

Morgause closed her emerald eyes as Cameron gently applied the salve to the scar on her cheek. The medicine was oily and it seemed that not much was needed for each application as it easily spread along her otherwise smooth skin. When Cameron finished and withdrew her hand, Morgause could feel a slight stinging or burning sensation along her scar.

"It stings a bit," Morgause said. "I guess that means its working."

The sharp-shooter sighed, stood and stretched. Morgause's muscles complained greatly at their accommodations; they much preferred her hammock on the ship or, even better, the captain's bed. Warm tingles flooded Morgause as she longed to be entwined about her lover in her bed, but she knew that they had a job to finish first.

"At least the rain stopped," Morgause commented although the sub-tropical humidity had already started its daily assault on them. "Shall we, then?"

Morgause exited the cave and looked over toward the river which continued its rain-ladened raging. Her brow furrowed as she was filled with concern for their small craft and their ability to safely navigate it across the torrent. After the cyclone, it would take days for the river to ease back to its normal channel which was precious time that they simply didn't have.

"I guess there's nothing for it, then," she said aloud to Cameron and the other sailors. "Pick your best spot on the other shore and let's get to it."

[Kharmin]

With nothing for it, Morgause directed the sailors to launch from the bank where the slope was the least and in moments, the four of them hurtled into the surging river. The initial impact of the current on their small boat threatened to toss the lot of them into the water, but their seasoned balance from years at sea quickly brought their small craft to balance.

The sailors struggled mightily at their oars, and for a while it seemed that the only progress they made was to fight the strength of current from shuttling them rapidly downstream. However, soon their efforts showed results as the boat found the deeper water away from the shore where the current was less turbulent.

Morgause allowed Cameron to direct her men while she, herself, kept her gaze scanning along the far shoreline. By doing so, they were able to keep their course fairly true and after an exhausting half-hour, they beached their craft and took a much deserved rest.

The place Morgause landed them was protected from the rest of the shore by a slight overhang. Morgause judged her wounds to be less burdensome than the captain's, so with a knowing glance and gentle grin, the sharpshooter scaled the two-story cliff and peered over its edge.

The runes on Morgause's forearm flared and glowed phosphorescent green as she called upon her far-sight talent. With a slow sweep of her head, she surveyed the terrain ahead of them and along both sides of their temporary sanctuary. Slow, rolling hills and various tufts of trees dotted the landscape ahead as it continued its gradient rise into the mountains beyond. Morgause also spied a steep but natural slope sixty yards to the left which would allow them to ascend from the bank of the river without having to scale the wall on which she currently hung.

Satisfied, Morgause eased herself back down to the shoreline. The effort winded her, but her green eyes showed no fatigue from the climb as she reported her findings to Cameron.

[Shura]

Cameron winced as they crossed the river her wound giving her more issues this day then the day before. Rest would definitely be need once they got back to the ship. She sighed heavily as she stood on the shore deciphering the map she had been given to make sure she was going the right way. She mentally cursed her self wondering if some drake skins was really worth all the trouble then looked over at Morgause and knew that it was. Cam frowned worriedly as the woman scaled the small cliff not liking the fact that she was pushing her self so much and being on a fairly dangerous situation. She had almost lost her to a sword, last thing she needed was to loose Morgause to gravity as well.

Cameron visibly relaxed once Morgause was safe on the ground and let out a sigh before listening to the report. "Aye... we should reach there with in a few hours then..." she muttered in thought looking at the boat. "Lets bring the raft with us, if nothing else it'll help with dragging back the corpses of the beasties." She muttered. The burlier men picked up the raft and the resumed their journey through the thick jungles to the base of the mountain.

[Kharmin]

The sweltering jungle heat assaulted the group for the remainder of the day as they hacked their way through the heavy growth. Morgause could see the toll their trek was taking on Cameron, but realized that the captain bore it without complaint. Even when Morgause called for a rest, Cameron seemed reluctant to do so with an eagerness to continue on and finish the job, despite the pain and exhaustion.

The storm had set them far back on their schedule – the two day journey to score the drake scales and return to town now was doubled at the least barring any further hazards. For her part, Morgause wasn't overly concerned as being in a remote location significantly decreased the odds of her pursuers finding her. Deep in her mind, though, the red-haired sharpshooter knew that the time wasted in the jungle was only time gained for those who somehow knew how to track her down. She was certain that they would have to fight their way out of port, but didn't want to unnecessarily burden Cameron with her concerns.

As the late afternoon slid toward evening, the temperature in the jungle radically changed. The oppressive heat and humidity earlier in the day was quickly replaced with falling temperatures. Knowing that they would risk further injury stumbling about in the darkness, Morgause suggested that they stop and put together whatever kind of make-shift camp that they could. Situated at the base of the mountain, the volcanic crags loomed ominously above them and hinted at even more trials to be had in the morning.

"The drakes, if they exist at all, will be there tomorrow," Morgause said as she looked upon the mountain and strived to suppress any reservations Cameron might have to their stopping for the night. "Besides, I could use the rest."

Morgause was tired from the travel, but her concern was more for the captain's health. For the hundredth time, she silently wished that Cameron had allowed her to travel on her own so that the captain could have gotten more rest and allowed her wound to heal.

They separated what meager rations that they had, having packed only enough for the two-day jaunt. The portioned meal didn't do much to appease Morgause's hunger; however, the thought of finishing their quest and having a new longbow in her hand easily gave her the resolve needed to accept their current fate.

She nestled close to Cameron and laid her head on the woman's shoulder as she watched sparks sputter and gently carry upwards from the fire until their small, glowing ember died out in the cooler air above. Like fireflies, the image danced before Morgause's green eyes and she sighed at the comfort of being so close to the woman she truly loved more than life.

[Shura]

By the time the group had stopped for the day Cameron really couldn't argue Morgause call to rest. The moon while full did not provide enough light to traverse the rest of the jungle and up the crag. Even if it had her body was in no shape to make such a trek with out rest first.The wound along her abdomen ached and burned slightly from all of the traveling and stress she was putting her body though. The energy spent trying to heal the wound also sapped her slowly of the strength to keep moving forward.

After a meager meal they settled down for the night. Cameron indulged in a bit of mead brought with them on the trip if only to dull the pain a fair bit. She sighed softly resting her head against Morgause enjoying the bit of numbness that overcame her sense as she was able to relax. her arm rested along the other womans slender shoulders, her fingers absentmindedly trailing along her arms as she watched the embers start to die. In the back of her mind she knew it would probably be smarter to ad another log but didn't have the energy to move so settled for the warmth of her love by her side.

Sleep was easy to find once a comfortable position was found. Even with the hard ground not providing much in terms of comfort she managed to slip into a deep sleep.

[Kharmin]

Morning broke too early for Morgause's tastes. The same, sultry heat that had been oppressing them since the storm, advertised its return as the hint of dawn's light reflected off of the dew-covered leaves that surrounded their small troupe.

During the night, she and Cameron had slid down from their seated position and ended up lying next to each other. Morgause smiled as she watched her lover slumber in the softening light that precursored the sun's arrival. The stress of the trip and the pain that the captain had thus far endured on their journey no longer played across her strained expressions as in sleep, Cameron rested. Morgause sincerely hoped that they would soon complete their quest and then have an easier time returning to town.

Catlike, Morgause eased away from Cameron so as to allow the captain a few more moments of restful, healing sleep. The red-haired woman stoked the remnants of their campfire and uncovered several embers ripe for re-lighting their fire. She gently placed some wood across them, crouched closer and blew across the coals, encouraging them to life. After a moment, the wood above ignited and began to burn.

When Morgause was satisfied that the fire would continue on its own accord, she rummaged through their remaining rations. A scowl crossed her features and puckered the scar on her face as she realized just what little food they had. She silently cursed their misfortune. Had she her bow, it would be easy to score some game in the surrounding jungle and they could eat like royalty. Of course, the whole reason they were in this particular predicament was because she didn't have a bow.

Morgause stood and quietly snuck away from the camp to perform her morning ablutions. When she returned, the sun had just peeked across the horizon and through the dense trees nearby. She crossed their camp, knelt down and gingerly, lovingly kissed her captain.

"Good morning, love," she whispered. "Time to rise."

[Shura]

SLleep was a wonderful reprieve from the pain and stress the toils of a normal day brought. Trekking through the forest was not an easy thing even more difficult with an injury. Waking up was not something she was in favor of doing however the sweet peace of sleep couldn't really compare to the warm pull of a kiss from a siren. A small groaned escaped the captain as her eyes slowly opened and blinked into focus. It took a moment before she was able to see clearly. A small smile crossed her face as she was met with the sight of a lovely redhead. "Aye... a good morning indeed." She chuckled softly before pushing herself to sit up with her arms. Keeping as little stress on her body as possible. "How did you sleep?" He asked voice groggy as she slowly woke up more and more. She cast her gaze to the deck hands she had brought with her seeing them just starting to rise as well.

[Kharmin]

"Restlessly," Morgause replied. Her green eyes were filled with anticipation and conviction. "We're so close now that it was hard to keep from just moving on." She sighed with a hint of exasperation. Their small quest had turned out to be much more effort than Morgause had imagined and now that they were near their goal she was becoming more antsy. She barely remained still enough for Cameron to apply the cream to the scar on her cheek.

Finally, they broke camp and continued their approach to the vine and plant covered cliffs ahead which loomed large through the canopy of tropical trees. The wildlife had begun to stir with the calling of birds to the morning sun and the occasional wrestling in the underbrush of some small animal in search for their breakfast.

The foursome arrived at the base of the cliff from which spilled a long, thin waterfall into a modest pool that lazily ambled its way to the south through the crisscross of weeds and ground covering vines. Morgause passed a brief, knowing look to Cameron as she recalled the last lagoon that they had discovered together, the red-head's seductive smirk quickly passing with a wink of her eye above the wicked, puckered scar on her left cheek.

Suddenly, a cry from above. They froze in place, looked up and spied a serpentine-like head, crested with some manner of spiked mane. Large teeth were clearly visible as the creature opened its mouth wide as it stretched its neck out from the ledge that sat a few hundred feet above them. The creature edged forward and sat up on its haunches with thick, taloned feet resting on the lip of the overhang. Dark, leathery wings unfurled from the drake's back as it stood to its full height. Sunlight danced and shined off of its dark-brown scales as the creature stretched to absorb the heat. Then, without further ado, it leapt from its perch, caught the morning air as it swooped down and with heavy beating of its wings the drake lifted from its graceful plunge and easily rose to soar over the tops of the trees and was gone.

Morgause was the first to snap out of the mesmerizing scene. "Now's our chance," she said as the excitement of the moment fueled her resolve. "Captain, you and the men keep it busy while I scale this and retrieve the scales that we need from its nest."

[Kharmin]

Without hesitation, the red-headed siren grabbed onto the vines that clung precariously to the cliff and started her ascent. Much like the rigging on a ship, the vegetation sprawled up the rock face in a panoply of leaves and branches that offered purchase for the stout-hearted ... or the foolish.

Morgause grunted against the pain in her side, but with her goal so close now, she was determined to achieve it. Quickly, at first as the covering of vines gave her plenty of opportunity for a rapid climb, she easily covered the first score of feet but when she arrived at the thirty foot mark, the vines had virtually stopped and Morgause was forced to work only with the rock of the cliff.

Her climb significantly slowed as a result of her inexperience at free-climbing, but she pressed ever upward. Morgause didn't spare time for sight-seeing or looking down – not that she was afraid of heights. She had been perched upon much higher pinnacles of buildings before when plying her archer's craft.

On and on Morgause continued as she interspersed some of the foulest curse words among her infrequent losses of grip. Debris and small bits of rock rained down upon the canopy of leaves beneath and each time, Morgause imagined the drake's return to find her scaling to the nest. At long last, and nearly out of breath from the exertion and her concentration, Morgause peered over the edge and into the cave wherein the scales were to be found.

To her dismay, the cave was large and deep and no scales were within easy reach. She took a moment to scan the skies around from her lofty position, but no flying drake was seen. Morgause turned back to the cave and called upon her talent of sight. Phosphorous green runes on her hand flared as her vision adjusted to the darkness within the cave.

Almost fifty feet in, a large nest of detritus, tree limbs and branches and other assorted unidentified material constructed a tall nest; however, it wasn't the height of the nest that alarmed her. It was the three young drakes that slumbered within that cause Morgause to pause.

She hadn't considered that the nest might be occupied by something other than the adult drake. Then, she thought, if there were young that meant the elder drake had a mate. Somewhere.

Morgause scanned the cave again, but found nothing else that what she had thus far discovered. No time like the present, she mused as she quietly, stealthily hauled her lithe form over the lip and onto the flat surface of the cave's entrance. She glanced across the sky again, but only the high, white tropical clouds that remained after the previous storm spread across her view.

Slowly, she crept along the edge of the cave mouth as she entered the darkness, her enhanced vision continuing to show the details of the cave. Soon, she was enveloped in complete darkness.

@shura, Shura,

[Shura]

Cameron was taken aback by the appearance of the drake, much larger and longer than she had ever first anticipated. Very intimidating to say the least as it flew off. She took in a deep breath as she glanced up watching Morgause as she climbed hoping she would far well on her own. Part of her was tempted to follow and ensure she was safe, or at the very least send someone with her. However with such a large target to distract she would need all the assistance she could get. "Alright men. If you can kill it great, but don't risk your life for it." She instructed narrowing her jade green eyes to try and follow the beast as it flew off through the trees possibly hunting for a meal. "Scatter and stay on the move." She commanded as she pulled on of the pistols from the belt across her chest. She only had eight shots and had to make them count. It was a gamble, at best, if her sword would be able to pierce the thick scales of the beast.

"Captain do you want us to set up explosives?" One of the men spoke up, he almost looked eager. Like a child on christmas. He specialized in explosives however out on the see never got much of a chance to use them thus had to settle for cannon fire instead.

"Aye, far off to ensure our friend has something to go after while we escape." With a nod one of into the brush of the thick humid jungles. She knew that if nothing else there would be a lot of distractions to hopefully give them a chance to flee when the time arrived. Unable to help but worry Cameron glanced to the cliff the devious nymph had climbed up to. There was no sight or sound of distress which was comforting to an extent. She had to fight the urge not to scramble her way up the cliff as well and instead forced her attention back to the jungles listening intently for the sound of the sound of a returning drake.

[Kharmin]

With her back along the wall, Morgause crept into the cave. Her enhanced vision only helped to a small degree – shapes, sizes and whatnot were mostly visible – but she had long since learned to trust what she saw with or without her talent.

The stench was almost unbearable. Hot, humid air clung heavily within the cave as no breeze wafted through to alleviate the smell. Morgause had to split her concentration between being stealthy and trying not to retch. She resisted the urge to draw her sword. In this very uncomfortable environment she knew that her pitiful excuse for skill at swordplay wouldn't make any difference.

Morgause cast a quick glance behind and through the lit opening of the cave found no immediate pursuit by the drake that had recently departed. With renewed purpose, she continued along the wall until she came within several feet of the nest.

She stood on her toes and traced one hand along the wall for balance. As expected, the nest was occupied. From this awkward vantage point, since the lip of the nest was about shoulder-height, Morgause could count two ... drake-lings? ... and maybe even a third. They hadn't moved on her approach and she wagered that they were sleeping fitfully which might have accounted for their mother being comfortable enough to leave them for a spell.

Slowly, quietly, Morgause let out a breath that she hadn't recalled holding. C'mon, girl, she chided. She had snuck into and out of many places before. This one shouldn't be any different, even if it had flying lizards that would be more than happy to eat her. Morgause steeled her resolve and crept to the edge of the nest.

The nest was mostly fashioned from the surrounding vegetation below: tree limbs, sticks, branches, a few rocks and a lot of dried leaves. Morgause didn't spy any scales lying around and surmised that they might be at the bottom of the nest. She took her time and gently, ever so gently, eased her torso up to the edge of the nest.

There! Discarded scaled lined the bottom of the nest, upon which the sleeping babes laid. Morgause would have to climb into the nest and ease a few from beneath some rather large clawed feet without disturbing them.

She lightly swung a leg over the edge of the nest but the entwined branches beneath her betrayed her. With a snap! and crack! and a ruffling of dried leaves, Morgause slipped and tumbled into the nest where she came eye to eye with a waking drake-ling!