The Hunted

[Mizuki]

"Unfortunately, I don't control the wind." Blade responded grimly. "Doing the best I can with following the current and propelling it from up here." He glided through the air just above them, holding onto the silver cord connected to the boat. It seemed that the wind was against them, the way it pushed at his body as he propelled the boat on the river with his black wings. If they could feel the winds direction, then they already knew. If they didn't notice it, then he would not tell them that he is fighting its path.

[Mizuki]

**BUMP**

[Soran Nightblade]

Sid held on securely to Rai, holding the soaked girl in against his body for as much warmth as was possible under the circumstances. He periodically rubbed warmth into the child's shoulders through the wet leather of Rhen's coat. He went out of his way not to think too hard about where the man himself was at that moment. The former soldier kept looking behind them, watching the landscape closely for any sign that they were being followed. After they'd traveled for the better part of an hour, though, he was starting to feel more and more confident that they were in the clear from their enemies for the time being. He looked up at the angel towing them. He'd noticed that neither the wind nor the current of the river favored their passage, and for all Blade's uncomplaining forebearance, he was starting to wonder if he would be imperiling both of Rhen's children's health if they pushed any further this night.

"Blade? Why don't we take a break," he called up to the angel over the splashing water they were skidding over.

[Emora Deen]

Rai blinked her eyes open, she thought she might have fallen asleep. She was still cold, and wet, and a little miserable, but she kept it to herself. She sniffled, wiping her nose with her hand. “Is it safe to build a fire on shore?” she asked softly.

[Mizuki]

Blade thought about it. "Probably not. I'm sorry you're cold." He played with the idea though. They really needed to get themselves out of here as fast as possible. Stopping would lose them precious time. 'And gods know what happened to mom and Soran.' he thought miserably. He couldn't be everywhere at once, he told himself, they can survive on their own. They have done so for so long already. He knew they were safe, he would have just perfered to see it with his own eyes.

[Soran Nightblade]

Sid frowned. He knew that Blade spoke the truth; stopping was a risk. But he was worried about Rai's health and Blade's endurance. "Blade...as real as the danger is, we need to get Rai warm." He was careful not to say anything to suggest the proud angel might be tired."

[Mizuki]

Blade grimaced. Yes, she needed warmth. But damn, a fire? There had to be some other, non-discoverable way, to get her warm. He didn't know any magic spells for such a thing...

He was queit for a while, probably worrying the two below before he said quietly, "Let's stop and start a fire, I'll see what I can do to keep it from drawing too much attention to us." He slowed down and drifted towards the left shore side. He drifted down and brought in the silver rafts onto the shore with ease for them to get off.

[Emora Deen]

Rai moved to crawl off the boat, her foot slipping into the icy water, and she snatched it out. She still wasn’t sure about this body, and as she pushed herself up she held on to a tree for support. Her bright blue eyes flashed from Sid to Blade. “How will we start a fire?” she asked them shivering from the cold, her teeth chattering together.

[Soran Nightblade]

Sid reached out and set one foot on land, then pulled Rai up under her arms to join him. "There should be some dry timber in the woods. We'll gather it up, and if it tries not to light, we'll just kick its a-... its behind," he told her encouragingly.

[Emora Deen]

Rai laughed softly and smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist to hold her body to him as they walked. His body was warm, and she could feel it even through his wet clothing. She looked down at her feet, which were much bigger than the feet she had as a child, so she still couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t obey her. Maybe she was top heavy? Maybe it just needed time?

[Mizuki]

(Haha, top heavy...)

Blade nodded, setting down on the ground and retracting the silver raft into his bracelet. "I don't know any fire spells," he confessed. "I hope you know how to light a fire Sid." The hard tone in his voice that he usually had with Sid was gone. Replaced with trusting, because he had to. In all reality, this man was protecting his sister and getting them to saftey. Even if he hated the thought of this Arken solider being their compainion. He couldn't deny that Sid had all the right intentions. His wings bristled lightly before settling back into place. He kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings.

Gods forbid that they were ever found...

[Soran Nightblade]

Sid smirked slightly at Blade's comment. "Arken may have a lot of issues, but knowing how to run a boot camp isn't one of them. My survival training was....rigorous," he said, choosing his words. "harrowing" and "barbaric" were a few alternative descriptors he decided to keep to himself. "Dang moss snakes," he grumbled to himself incoherently as he led them to a sheltered clearing a short distance from the riverbank and gently released his support around Rai. "I'll get some wood," he told them.

[Emora Deen]

Rai dropped to her knees and then to her butt, drawing her legs up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and held them there as she rested her chin atop her knees. She thought about being warm and dry, and how nice it would be to be sitting in an inn or at home next to the fire. She was hungry too, but she didn’t want to complain, because right now nothing could be done about hunger, and so she’d wait until there was an opportune moment for food.

Rai looked to Blade. “Do you think mom and daddy are okay?” she asked him softly, her eyes blinking slowly with exhaustion.

[Soran Nightblade]

Sid decided to leave that difficult conversation to Blade and focus on something he actually knew how to handle - making the fire. He made his way off into the forest and began gathering dry wood that was up above the icy forest floor. In the back of his mind,though, Rai's question was one he shared. He thought about Rhen and wondered if that crazy bastard was okay. He didn't think it likely that the elf would get himself killed, but if something had happened to his girlfriend, the game could be quite different. He tried not to think about how Rhen might react if the tenuous bonds he'd finally managed to carve out for himself here were taken away.

That, in turn, brought his thoughts to Rai. He knew that, as far as Rhen had come from the way he'd been before, if anything happened to the girl, it would probably break him. There were only so many times one could go through that in a lifetime, and by his estimation, the rogue had neared his quota. He knew Rai would be safer on the other side of the Border. He also knew Blade could get her there faster if the two were on their own.

Sid didn't like the feeling that gave him. He wasn't really one for mushy crap, but he'd grown rather fond of the girl himself. He didn't want to choose between having her company and keeping her safe, but he knew that decision was coming soon.

[Mizuki]

Blade almost grimaced at the question. He wished the Fates would give him a vision. Something that at least would give him some kind of answer. Anything was better than nothing, right? His expression softened. If it was anyone else, they would have perished, but this was Mizuki and Soran. They HAD to be fine.

"I'm sure they are, Rai." he said sftly, with a determined idea of his own. "They're tough. They can do anything!" The childish statement almost sounded funny coming from his mouth. He looked older than he truely was.