[werebeargoddess]

It was another day or two before Kieshe and Tyrell came across the elf. They had been keeping close to the main road, enjoying the scenery. Kieshe was walking alongside the horse again; it was another beautiful day, and she didn’t feel like riding. Tyrell was staying in the saddle; he had gotten splinters in his feet from playing in the underbrush without his shoes, and his feet were sore after Kieshe had gotten them out. Neither had heard anything; she was just there, sitting in the middle of the road.

Kieshe stopped, looking down at the elf. Tyrell caught her attention, and she walked over to where he was.

“Kieshe, who is that woman? And why is she standing in the middle of the road? Is she hurt?” he asked, his voice soft.

“I’m not really sure. I’m going to go find out. Stay here on Starshine, alright? If you need something, just yell.”

The boy nodded. Kieshe told Starshine to stay where he was, and walked over to where the elf was sitting. Several things became obvious to Kieshe as she approached the elf. First off, was that the elf was female, and a number of years older than Kieshe was. From what Kieshe could tell, she wasn’t suffering from any injuries or sickness. But there was something rather curious; from the looks of it, the elven woman had what looked to Kieshe to be humps. Kieshe bent down next to her, placing her hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“Excuse me, but are you all right? Do you need help?”

The woman looked up at her. From the looks of it, she had been crying.

“Wh-who are you? Why haven’t you killed me yet?”

Kieshe laughed out loud, startling her.

“My name is Kieshe D’lente, my friend. Come now, be easy. What makes you think that I would want to kill you? Do I seriously look like I am a cold-blooded killer?”

The woman relaxed somewhat. Now that Kieshe could see her face, she could see that the woman had several scars.

“I-I suppose you are alright. I suppose that since you told me your name, I will have to tell you mine. I am called Aerie.” She stood up. Height wise, she was a little smaller than Kieshe was. Kieshe nodded to herself. Aerie was not strong physically, but from what Kieshe could pick up with her senses, Aerie would have little trouble defending herself in a fight. But Aerie had the look of a maiden, and there would be plenty of men who would be delighted to get their hands on her. And with all of the rumors of orcs going around… Then Kieshe got an idea.

“Aerie, how would you like to travel with me for as while? Tyrell and I were heading towards Windhaven, but we could go a little out of our way to escort you if you needed to get somewhere. How about it?”

Aerie brightened up a little. “You are serious? I can come with you? It has been quite some time since I have had company, and this wilderness can get dreadful lonesome.”

Then she blushed. “Excuse me. I should not be so brash. I would be happy to travel with you. Just wait a few moments, and I will go find my horse.”

Kieshe chuckled a little as she watched Aerie go, but she was a little puzzled. Go find her horse? What did Aerie mean by that? She mulled over it as she helped Tyrell down from the Starshine, and fished a little food out from the saddlebags for him to eat. Then she played tag with him for a while as she waited for Aerie to return. When Aerie finally did return, slightly sweaty, leading a restless horse, Kieshe left Tyrell playing with a stick to go help Aerie. She took the horse’s reins from Aerie, then started to calm the horse. Even thought Kieshe was no ranger, she found that she had a fair hand with animals. She then got a light towel from her saddle bags, handing it to Aerie so she could dry off. When Aerie was done, she returned the towel to Kieshe, then nodded at Tyrell.

“Kieshe, he’s adorable. Is he yours? How old is he?”

Kieshe shook her head slightly, grinning. “No, he’s not mine. I think he’s about five.”

Aerie sighed. “Oh. But can we rest soon? I’m rather tired.”

Kieshe looked up at the sky, then back at Aerie. How could Aerie be tired, when all she had done was get her horse? Unless she was frailer than she let on or looked, or her horse had put up more of a fight than Kieshe had thought….

“Aerie, the sun is just past its high point. I think we should go on for several more marks before we make camp for the night.”

Aerie sighed again, but with Kieshe’s help, climbed back into the saddle. Kieshe helped Tyrell into Starshine’s saddle, then climbed up into the saddle behind him. They set off a walk, then went into a canter, slowing down whenever Aerie lagged behind or complained. She was obviously not an experienced rider. Kieshe was surprised to find herself irked at Aerie’s attitude. She sighed inwardly. She would just have to put up with it. Keeping their horses close together, they rode onward.