Untilted as of Yet

Demitrius sat upon the mossy rock, looking out over a field of long but shallow grass watching it ripple like wind over water. As he nursed his recurve bow he raised a hand and traced the three parallel scars running diagonally down his brow flowing over his eye and across his nose. A sudden flicker of movement caught his eye, orange and black stalking through the grass. Demitrius stood drawing an arrow from his leather quiver and knocking it to his bow, the bow creaked as he drew the string back, he aimed into the grass following the steps of an elite hunter, string, shaft, tip, target. Green, orange, black, green, orange, black as the creature continued closer through the grass. Demitrius released perfectly, and the arrow was sent flying through the air, whistling a tune of death until it shot through the layers of leather armour and skin, muscle and bone, of a hunter trying to claim Balthazar as his second trophy. The shot was clean and quick, death was instant. Balthazar walked out of the grass, dragging the body of the dead panther with him. The sadness felt by Demitrius and Balthazar was equal, and it was increased as the three panther cubs, only old enough to have started walking, emerged from the rippling grass, crying for their mother. Demitrius sighed and scooped up the cubs, comforting them as Balthazar carried their dead mother into the forest to be returned to the earth.

Celia drifted slowly through the rain in the town of Kishak, keeping her walking staff outstretched to help her find her way around and through the mud, elevations, buildings and obstacles. She had long brownie-blond coloured hair, tanned skin of a far away territory and was stunning to the eye. She wore a brown hooded robe, with the hood let down on her back and the staff she carried was engraved with strange symbols that seemed to glow inwardly. She also wore a brown coloured rag wrapped around her head and over her eyes. As she continued on her way she let her hand drop to check the bag slung over her shoulder that nothing had fallen out. She felt what she was checking for and withdrew her hand from the bag, and as she did she tripped on a jutting rock and fell into something hard.
"OI, GET OUT OF MY WAY CRIPPLE!" yelled the obviously enraged man as he kicked Celia's staff away from her.
"Forgive me, it didn't know, I didn't....." she said quietly to the constant darkness of her world, as she crawled around on her knees patting the ground for her staff.
"BE SILENT, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT DIRT COMPARED TO ME!" the man bellowed kicking Celia in the ribs, "You looking for this" he said cruelly, picking up the staff and striking Celia across the face.
"Stop please." Celia cried blood running freely from her mouth. She whimpered in pain as she tried to move, some of her ribs were broken and jabbing at her from the inside.
"Tell me to stop, I'll teach you cripple!" the man said in a maddened rage as he took some steps back and took a running swing with the staff, smacking Celia across the stomach, causing her to scream and hunch over gasping for the breath that pained so much to take.
People had started to gather around the two, jeering Celia and cheering the angered noble.
"This will teach you cripple!"
"Hit her again!"
"Finish her off!"
The man kicked Celia across the face with a heavy mail boot, sending her sprawling in the mud.
"This will teach you to come into our town." he spat at her. He tossed the staff down by her body and continued on his way down the muddy street through the rain.
Celia lay sprawled in the mud, blood running from a deep gash on her brow and from her mouth. As the rain started to fall more heavily the crowd dispersed and ran for shelter. Celia tried to rise, but the pain from her broken ribs and the swelling headache caused her to just fall back in to the wet muddy mess. She was so cold.

Demitrius ran through the rain in the town of Kishak, he needed to perches some panther milk, a rare but very popular product, renowned for its healing properties and great taste, but also the reason for the panthers dwindling numbers. They are killed then milked, skinned and turned to leather whilst there claws and teeth are used to make jewellery and weapons. It was dangerous to allow Balthazar to follow him into the town itself but he needed to his sent and presence to keep the cubs which were contained in a large leather bag quiet and calm. Demitrius came to an alchemist and entered.
"I require four bottles of panther's milk, and three vials and teats." Demitrius demanded an elderly man.
"Fine, fine, but you had better have the money for it, it's expensive, even for a single bottle not to mention four. Fifty silver each for the milk, just in too, and 30 bronze for the three vials, and 3 bronze for the teats." the elderly man told Demitrius as he stroked his gray beard. "That's two gold and thirty three bronze for the lot."
"Here, goodbye." replied Demitrius as he handed over the coins.
Demitrius then placed all the products into his backpack and left. When he got outside Balthazar was gone but his trail was easy to track. He had just started to track his pet when he heard Balthazar yowl, the yowl he executes when he finds something of importance or interest, and he was nearby just down the next alleyway to the left of Demitrius. Demitrius ran towards the sound of Balthazar and found him around the corner nudging a body in the middle of the street with his nose, there was lots of blood and a staff with splatters of blood upon the end. As Demitrius got closer he could make out the features of a woman, long brownie-blond coloured hair matted with mud and blood and tanned skin colour. Demitrius ran over and carefully rolled her onto her back, checked her pulse and wounds. Two of her ribs were broken, there was a gash on her brow and she was unconscious.
"Who would do this?" he questioned Balthazar as he swept over her with his eyes, this time he noticed something he didn't before, "Balthazar, she's blind!" Demitrius scooped up her body and started running back to his campsite just outside Kishak. "We need to help her heal."

Celia awoke in a small circular tent, her ribs felt like a dull pain compared to how they were last time she could remember, her head was bandaged from what she could feel but it still throbbed painfully. She reached around and patted the ground around her, bedding, grass, tree root and her staff. She was about to pick up her staff the help her to get up when something small and furry pounced on her hand and started to bite and scratch playfully. Celia screamed felt her surroundings until she had felt her way against the wall of the tent. When she did whatever was touching her hissed and went tearing out of the tent.
"What happened" questioned a deep voice
"Who are you, were am I, what was touching me?!" Celia asked is a small frightened voice, "Please hand me my staff"
"It's ok, my name is Demitrius you are at my campsite, Balthazar found you lying in the middle of the street. You were beaten very badly, two of your ribs are broken and you had server head injuries as well as a massive bruise across your stomach. I brought you here and tended your wounds, at first I didn't think you were going to pull through but you're a fighter. But I think that blow to the head must have caused more damage to your eyes because when I removed the material covering your eyes you started to become restless and would weep and moan about a pain in your eyes, so in the end I quickly bathed the wound on your head and put your eye mask back on. That seemed to fix the problem, also the creature touching you was a panther cub." Demitrius responded and answered Celia, slowly handing her the staff and helping her to her feet.
"Oh ..... thank you, who is Balthazar, and why have you got a panther cub?" Celia asked with a spark of curiosity. She took Demitrius hand cautiously and let him walk her to a seat by the fire.
"Well, Balthazar is my companion, he is a Forest Stalker Tiger from the southern kingdoms, we have been travelling together since I was a child, which would be about twenty years now. He is my best and dearest friend and the only family I have really ever had. And as for the panther cubs, I found them after their mother was killed by a poacher planning on selling her milk."
"Cubs?" There is more than one?"
"Yes, there are three, I have been feeding them panther milk from the alchemist in Kishak. I'm planning on raising them until they can hunt for themselves."
"But will they know how to hunt, or how to survive in the wild on their own?" as Celia asked this something cold and wet touched her figures, she quickly pulled her hand away but remembered the cubs, but as she began to move her hand further she realised that it was Balthazar, he was huge from what she felt of his head. Balthazar moved forwards welcoming the attention, as she slid her and slowly over his shoulders and down his back she realised how big he really was. In width, from shoulder to shoulder he was at least as thick as two-and-a-half hand widths, she could only guess how long he was from head to tail. She slowly moved her hand back up to his head and scratched him behind the ears as Demitrius and herself continued to converse.
"Balthazar is helping them as a big brother would, he is advancing slowly, starting with just playing then moving on roaring and hunting. By the time it's time for them to leave and continue on their own they will be ready." Demitrius explained as he used the vial and teat to feed one of the hungry panther cubs. Demitrius and Celia continued in conversation long into the night until Celia left to retire for the night. She left Demitrius sitting there watching Balthazar play with the cubs, using his tail like a long snake, flicking it every time they pounced or bit it.

Demitrius awoke at sunrise the next morning to find Balthazar snuggled next to Celia who was sleeping peacefully in the tent. He sighed contently to himself as he prepared the panther cubs for their morning milk, who fooled around with the vials as they suckled from the teats. He laughed as he changed in to his everyday wear, leather cuirass, leggings, braces, gauntlets and boots. He took hold of his majestic recurve bow and began to construct it; its long, slender, black limbs got fastened to the blackened target riser. Next he positioned the complete bow between his legs and bent it so he could apply the drawstring, and finally grabbed his quiver, checked his arrows for splits and blunt or broken tips. Finally he was ready for the hunt, he left the camp and entered the nearby woods of Dunrush. It was lush with vegetation and animals of all kinds, he would only take what was required from nature nothing more, killing for sport or money is what he was trying to stop, that is why he hunted the hunters. The sound of dried leaves crunching under pressure caught Demitrius's attention, he turned to his left as flicker of movement caught his eye, a stag marching magnificently through the trees towards his position. Demitrius carefully stepped around the tree he was standing by as to not scare the stag away, he unhooked the bow from his back and drew an arrow from his quiver, placing it upon the rest. He slowly raised his bow keeping his eye on the target and drew the drawstring back so his hand was resting on his cheek, his anchoring point, so the nock of the arrow was positioned just under his eye. Again he followed his steps, drawstring, shaft, tip, target and finally release, the arrow sliced through the air until it embedded its self into the heart of its target. The stag continued to approach slowly, but eventually after another step it fell to its knees and lay down, and finally as its heart beat for the last time it exhaled its final breath and shut its eyes. Demitrius walked over to the body of the deceased stag, muttered a small prayer to return its spirit to the earth and slung it over his shoulder and returned to camp.

Celia awoke alone, but to the smell of cooking venison. She reached out for her staff only to be harassed by a playful panther cub, she responded by teasing it with her hand, laughing as she did. Soon the cub lost interest and ran from the tent to tackle one of its brothers and Celia found her staff and felt her way out of the tent.
"Good morning Celia." greeted a content Demitrius, "How are you fairing?"
"Good morning, what is that wonderful smell?" enquired Celia, finding her way to a stump by the fire and taking a seat due to the briskness of the early morning.
"It's Venison." Demitrius responded as he continued to gut the stag.
"Really, did you purchase it in town?" asked Celia slightly confused.
"No, I prepared it myself." Demitrius answered as he gave the intestines and other insides to Balthazar and began to skin the deer.
"What do you mean" Celia asked, slightly concerned.
"I went for a hunt before you awoke" Demitrius explained, remembering that she couldn't have seen his attire to make the assumption that he was a hunter. "We needed provisions as well as meat for Balthazar. I can also use the pelt to craft some leather items."
"Oh, ok. I remember you telling me something about that last night." Celia sat in silence for a short time as they waited for the venison to cook. "How long until my wounds heal?"
Demitrius thought about the answer "Well, it won't be for a while, it's your ribs mainly they could take up to six months to heal properly. And the split on your brow will heal soon, but it will leave a scar, I'm sorry."
"That's ok, I can't see it anyway but please tell me will it be bad?"
"No not really" replied Demitrius "May I ask, how did you lose you sight, and why does the light pain you so, and what is wrong with your eyes?" Demitrius asked curiously.
"Well, I don't really like talking about it, it's the reason of my solitude but I feel I can trust you." Celia told Demitrius, who nodded to himself. "When I was a child I had an accident, I was born with, powers, and this attracted all kinds of ghastly attention to me. I was shunned, called a witch, even my parents disowned me this led to my endless wandering to find a home. I was about six when an elderly man took me, he explained to me about the magic inside of me, and how that it is what grants life and bestows death. He told me how it was strong in me and that I could use it to aid myself and others. One night I woke up and he was chanting, moving his hands through the air drawing different symbols. Suddenly it felt like my soul was being wrenched from my body. Like he was draining my life from me."
"How did you escape?" asked and enthralled Demitrius.
"That I don't really understand, I started screaming, but not out of pain and fear, it was out of anger, a rage that I could not control. Whatever he seemed to be doing, whatever it was it backfired upon him, and upon the area surrounding the area. From what I understand, and have learnt, I somehow reversed his spell with such power that I absorbed all of the magic, all of his life from him, and all living things around me. The next thing I remember was awaking to find that my vision had changed."
"Changed? I thought you were blind."
"Well, I have never perceived the world the same since, I see through magic, I see the life, the energy inside every living thing. It's like seeing a shape, for example you, but instead of you being filled with the colours of this world, you are filled with the colours of life itself, a glow in which the colour and brightness varies with the power of that source. A dying man would glow faintly with the colour he was born with, unique to him, and his light would grow ever fainter as the life slowly passed from him."
"But why do you wear the eye brace if you can see?"
"Because the sun is the brightest life source of all, if I do not have the eye brace on the power and brightness of this magical essence burns my eyes, causing pain I cannot describe. I find the easiest way to block out the power of the sun is to cover my eyes with something, like my brace. And this also helps hide the fact that, as you have no doubt noticed, my eyes glow green."
"Yes, that was a shock at first, the whole tent was illuminated by your strange inner glow." Demitrius said slowly, to try and not embarrass her.
Demitrius and Celia sat in silenced for a long time, the silenced was broken by the occasional bird call or cub growl. Even Balthazar seemed to have understood the atmosphere and remained seated by Demitrius, his eyes on Celia. Celia was the next one to speak.
"Why was it you never asked me of my attacker?"
Demitrius seemed to be considering something, but his line of thought seemed to have been broken. "Hu, oh sorry. I didn't ask because I wasn't sure if you were prepared to talk about it."
"Oh ok, thank you for considering how I felt about the situation."
"No problem, do you feel up to talking about it at the moment?"
"No, I don't think I am ready yet." Celia whispered in a quiet voice
The wind stirred up a small whirly-whirly in the middle of the camp, causing the fallen leaves the twirl about in the air like acrobats. The wind also blew the flap off the top of Celia's small bag that she carried around with her and Demitrius noticed a strange book inside.
"Celia, do you mind if I have look at that book?" Demitrius requested of Celia
"No, its fine, you can try to read it but I doubt you'll be able to." Celia answered with a laugh as she pattered around her feet till she found the book and handed it to Demitrius.
Demitrius took it from her and opened it to find nothing but hundreds of little metallic bumps per page. "What is this?" he asked looking dumbfounded.
"It's called Brail, it allows me to read with my fingers because I can't use my eyes unless its written in blood or sap of a still living animal or tree. It used by noble's who are blind mostly." Celia said with pride.
"Oh" Demitrius said slowly as he handed Celia the book. They sat in silence while they ate the tender venison while Demitrius watched Balthazar playing with the cubs. After they finished Demitrius started to pack up the campsite, dismantling down the tent and packing it away in his large backpack.
"Are we going somewhere?" Celia asked Demitrius as he continued to cram objects into the brown leather backpack.
"Yes we are going to move further into the forest and then eventually out into the land of Yelindor, but we need to leave soon so that we can take advantage of the sunlight. Oh, and Balthazar will be helping you along, I have a leash from when he was younger and liked to wander off." Demitrius said with a smile in Balthazar's direction, who just growled sarcastically and pushed a cheeky cub over with his massive paw.
By the time they were packed and ready the sun was directly above. The wind whipped harshly at them and the environment causing clouds of dust the rise to the air. Demitrius looked into the scanned the horizon behind them and noticed the storm clouds gathering, like a great grey, black wall.

"Hmm, this storm was not in my calculations." Demitrius said more to himself than to Celia "We must hurry to make as much ground as possible before the rain hits us."
Celia tucked the flap of the brown leather pouch the panther cubs were contained in deeper inside the bag. "Will they be alright, they are rather restless and jumpy" Celia asked Demitrius gripping the leash holding Balthazar harder.
Demitrius was watching the trees, some of the younger ones gave into the wind and bent like rubber, bending on breaking point it appeared. "They should be fine, but we really must move out now" he replied walking in between the shorter more protected trees of the outer forest. "Come Balthazar." Balthazar responded with a light step forward to let Celia know that he was about to move. Slowly but confidently Celia began to take her first blind steps behind Balthazar who walked at a slow pace to allow her to get used to the uneven ground. With her staff she padded the ground and air around her to make sure she wasn't going to collide with anything.

The cavern stood out from the forest like a jet stone in a white marble statue. It was huge, boulders the size of houses lined the opening like towering walls. Trees and shrubs grew out of the gaps and crevices in the rock. It was angled on a slight slope so that if you didn't look at the right angle it just appeared to be part of the cliff face. Lynx was a beautiful woman, long black hair with blood red tips, it curled at the ends to shape around her face bringing out the beauty in her features. Her smooth skin, light olive in colour as well as perfect and unblemished. Her eyes, so cold, they appeared as dark blue ice and always seemed to be wet, like one about to cry. But this was a misleading appearance. She wore black plate armour, trimmed with a deep red, and strange golden patterns embedded within the deep red. Her breastplate was of special design; she needed more room for her bust because it was unusual for a woman to wear plate armour due to the weight of it. It was duel layered for extra protection and hardened with black diamond dust. It was the same with her legplates, duel layered and hardened with black diamond dust. Her pauldrons, again hardened with black diamond dust, but they were triple layered and in the shaped design of a lynx head, its mouth opened wide in a roar. Her gauntlets, greaves and boots all of the same design and make of the rest of her armour. She didn't wear a helm, but instead either wore nothing or a black bandanna under her eyes and around her mouth. She was a beautiful but daunting sight that inspired fear into the hearts of all living things. She stood atop the hill and stared down at the cavern.
"My, my lady" stuttered a fear filled acolyte, "We must make our way into the cavern before sun down."
"Must we?" Lynx asked with a sarcastic angered tone with emphasis on the word 'we'. She fingered the hilt of her large great sword, its blade at least as long as two arm lengths. It was fashioned in a unique cast that was later destroyed. This sword was one of kind, its blades edge sharp and strong enough to cleave through the thickest armour and its colour tinted black with the deepest red trimmed edges. She had it unsheathed and point down in on the rock she was upon.
"Y-yes. We m-must." Stammered the acolyte, fear filled eyes in her massive blade.
"Hmm, no, there is no we." Responded Lynx and without a blink or second thought she hefted her blade through the air and cleaved into the Acolyte's ribs, breaking through bone, slicing through flesh. His blood spilled out of the gaping wound in waves, staining the earth beneath him red. The sword had cleaved through at least half of his torso, and was wedged in his ribs. Lynx lifted a armoured boot and pushed on his chest as she pulled the sword from his wide eyed corpse with a sickening sound. His body fell to the ground in the pool of his blood. Lynx bent down and wiped the blood off her blade on his already blood-soaked robes, then sheathed her sword on her back and stepped over his corpse without a second glance. He was a fool to order her around.
Lynx walked slowly through the dark forest surrounding the cavern. Its tall trees shadowed the ground, giving the surrounding area a dark appearance. She liked the texture of the air, it was cool with a slight suggestion on moisture. It was refreshing. As she approached the cavern the trees began to thin out all the way to the carved stone staircase leading to the mouth of the cavern. She began to climb the long staircase, her armour clinking against the cold rock.
"Ah, sister you finally arrive." Greeted Ryo with a sarcastic tone. "Where is your guide? You killed him didn't you. No matter I needed a corpse to animate anyway."