| The gentle breeze rocked the branch slowly, as a mother would rock her babe to sleep, the added weight of the full grown man doing little to dissuede the subtle movement. Around him, leaves rustled softly, accompanied by the calm chirping of song birds. His form sprawled across the length of the branch, one leg hanging over the edge, dangling just above the ground, the other bent at the knee. He had leaned back against the thick trunk before dozing off to the serene call of nature, his arms folded behind his head as though they were his pillow. In his mind, they were just that. In fact, in his mind, he was not even in the wilderness, rather he dreamt of a soft bed, with a plush down covering, with matching pillows. In his dream, he was in bliss. Tucked between his legs, propped up along his body, and shoulder, a long polearm rested, the instrument measured his body, and then some, with a large, flattened blade sidling up against the trunk, balancing itself, almost precociously.
The woman looked at the man sleep, his hands resting firmly on her hips, a common stance when she was forced to deal with her travelling companion. She gave a quite hmph, and stamped her foot against the ground, kicking up bits of dust, and sending a lock of her thick, curly black her across jade green eyes. After a moment, one of her olive coloured hands brushed the thick lock out of her sight, and she stepped closer to the sleeping man, a malicious, if playful, grin crawling across his lips. She may have been his travelling companion, but nothing in that title required her to be gentle towards him. In fact, she often saught after excuses to test the limits of his patience. This would be one such instance.
She playfully ran one of her hands along the man's calf, then thigh. She watched a small, satisfied smile begin to form on the sleeping man's lips. She was obviously getting the reaction she desired, as her own smile seemed to widen. As she encroached upon his waist, she gently lifted her hand, so that only her finger tip brushed along his body. She watched as his leg gave a gentle twitch. Now was the time, she thought to herself. With a single catlike movement, her small hand shot towards his belt, and gave it a violent tug. The man's eyes flew open as he came crashing towards, thankfully, nearby ground. The woman took a step back, making sure he didn't land on her feet in the process, and a satisfied look crossing her exotic lips, and her arms folding neatly across her chest.
The man lay on the ground a moment, looking towards the canopy of trees over head, wondering what had just happened. After coming to the conclusion that the tree must've suddenly become sentient, and displeased with his choice location to nap, he sat up, idly rubbing the small of his back before running a gloved hand through his shoulder length brown hair.
"'Bout damn time you woke up." the woman said, a slight snap her tone.
The voice garnered his attention, and he glanced behind him, where the woman now stood. So much for the tree conclusion, he thought to himself. He pushed himself from the ground, dusting his clothing off in the process, and looked towards the woman, the corner of his lip twisted up in a happy little grin. "And as always, it's always a pleasure to wake up to your cheery disposition." He gave a mock bow to the woman.
This was a game played constantly between the two, a game she refused to lose, and one he was more than willing to concede.
She c0cked her head slightly in response, her arms unfolding, and returning to their place on her hips. She took a step towards the man, who was now standing at his full height, more than half a foot taller than her, yet not nearly as intimidating as she could be if she so chose.
"Don't forget what we're doing out her, Aegis." she gave him a gentle nudge on the wrymling-skull paldroon he wore on his left shoulder. "Indulging in nature aside, we're supposed to see what all this talk of Orcs is about."
Aegis nodded, and bent over to retrieve the glaive that fell to the ground next to him. Giving it a quick examination, and being satisfied with the results, he lifted across his shoulders, his arms streched out, and hanging over the polearm at the elbows. "You really do take things a bit seriously, Gypsy." He flashed a small smile her way, before adding "and to think, I thought that letting you tag along with me would finally get you to relax."
The next thing Aegis knew, Gyspy had stomped forcefully down on his foot, causing the larger man to shuffle slightly onto his other foot, and lose balance, only to be caught by the smaller woman, who drew him into a friendly hug.
"It had hun, it really has." She turned towards the path she had come from. "If it hadn't, you would've hit the ground already."
Aegis rose an eyebrow at the statement. "So, that wasn't dirt I was just lying in?" Playing along with her somewhat brash, and impulsive behaviour was his subtle way of handing her a victory in their on-going game. he didn't mind, as it was a game he never really tired off. Returning the butt of his glaive to the ground, he went to stand next to Gypsy. "So, what did you find?"
"Well, from what I could gather, a large Orc force is active in the Tethyr region. Though, I've never seen these kind's before."
"And which kind would that be?" Aegis glanced towards Gypsy.
"Black one's." the response was sombre.
"Well, black, green, purple or pink, I don't think they should be too much trouble to us." Aegis looked back towards the forest ceiling. "Providing we don't walk into their encampment by accident."
"You suggesting we do a bit of sport hunting there, babe?" Gypsy flashed a playful smile towards Aegis, who returned it with a wink and a nod. "Thought you'd never suggest it." In a flash of light, Gyspy was holding a small dagger in each hand, the blade angled along her forearms. "First one to five, loser treats the other?"
Aegis grinned. "I'd have it no other way."
With that, the two companions shot into the thick of the woods, heading towards the middle of the forest, towards where the rumours of the throng of orcs were.  |