Heirot

Laya nodded, looking back out the window again, missing what was happening since her eyes were on the people surounded Kratos and the others.

"Have you ever had a man... try and...?" She faded off biting her lip.

Adanis shifted uncomfortably in his chair and tried to ignore the conversation going on at the other side of the room.

Outside, things had calmed down somewhat and the group of hunters were eating their steaks gratefully. A young shouting voice drew their attention suddenly to the edge of the village where Fandir's fields and barn were. Thomas was running frantically toward them, apparently very shaken. As soon as he was close enough to understand, he screamed again "Help! It's there!"

"What's there, son?" Fandir demanded worriedly as his son crashed into him and grabbed onto his leg.

"The unicorn! It appeared and tried to touch me, and when I ran it chased after! It's eyes were glowing red!"

"Which way did you see it go, son?" Fandir said calmingly, clutching the boy's shoulders protectively.

"Back toward momma's field," the boy sobbed, sinking to his knees from exertion.

"You stay right here. We'll take care of it," Fandir assured as the other men had already begun to throw down their lunches and grab their weapons.

"You heard him! Let's go!" shouted Fandir, and nearly everyone who had been outside ran after him as they rushed down into the fields.

"Hmmm?.. uh..noo.'' Neko quirked a brow at Laya not exactly understanding her. "Why do you ask?"

Kratos watched the events outside with a worried look and some confusion. 'How?' he thought. Telanis is right here with THEM!

Laya looked at her and shrugs. "I was just wondering..." she said, trying to think of a good answer. "Just encase we got in that situation... Wondering if you knew how we could get out...."

Tetsumaru jerked awake as the commotion started. Taking a while to regain his focus, he noted that Kratos and Telanis were tied up. Vaguely remembering that they were his guests, he decided that he should help them out, after all, everyone else was too distracted with something to help them. Scratching his head, he walked over to them and cut them free with his katana. "Why aru you tsu tiedo upu again?" he asked, having forgotten most of what happened before he fell asleep.

Telanis looked up at Tetsumaru gratefully as the ropes slid off his wrists and he could move again. "Thank you," he told him, climbing to his feet. "There's little time to explain, but I promise we'll clarify everything after we get out of the village safely."

The hunters were still off in the fields, not noticing that their captives had been freed. He looked over suddenly as he remembered what Thomas had just done. The boy was on his knees with his palms on the ground, staring at Telanis in awe and a little fear. He stood up shakily and ran toward the unicorn, coming to a stop in front of he and Kratos and staring at him tearfully.

"I remember you," he said softly, his fists clenched nervously at his sides. "No matter what you look like, I'll never forget."

Telanis knelt before the child and carefully brushed a tear away from his eye. "That was a very brave thing you did. Thank you," he said with gentle confidence.

"Silly, you can't thank me. I'm alive thanks to you," Thomas protested, the unicorn's calming voice making him cry harder.

Telanis smiled slightly and embraced the child, one hand resting lightly on the back of his neck. He bowed his head and touched his forehead gently to Thomas's. A warm light surrounded the boy in the unicorn's embrace, and he fell into a peaceful sleep against Telanis, his body healed of its disease.

Telanis picked the boy up gently and carried him to one of the rather frightened village women who remained in the square. She clutched the child quickly to her bosom and glared at Telanis protectively, not sure what to make the of the freed prisoner or the strange light she had just seen. The unicorn gave up the idea of befriending the villagers and turned to Kratos. "We need to find the girls," he said urgently, his brother's image coming back to his mind.

Kratos blinked confused at Thomas and Telanis. He shook his head, and thought better of asking. 'It'd probably get me nowhere anyway.' he thought.

"We need to find the girls," Telanis said. Kratos nerves shot up again as he remembered his sister in the house with that man.

"Neko!" he cried out and started sprinting towards the house they were in.

"Oh, ok. That's kind of weird but ok." Neko commented on the conversation she and Laya had. "The way to get away from a man is to hit them between the legs. Gotta do it hard and fast though 'cause they anticipate it a lot." Neko smiled friendily at Laya then glanced at the man's way. She silently wondered about him.

Adonis raised his head and looked out the window quietly, watching as the prisoners outside were set free. Telanis was looking toward the house sternly, and the protective expression on his face raised a numb pang of sorrow in the black-haired man. Those brown eyes were protecting not him, but the two women behind him.

He looked back at Laya and Neko, struggling to maintain his calm, friendly expression as he told them, "It looks like your friends have found a way to escape."

Laya stood up and ran past Adanis to the window. They were indeed free and they were looking towards the house. "Neko come on..." She said, walking towards the door to open it up. She was surprised that Adanis seemed to be so calm about this all. It made her look back at him with narrowed gray eyes.

"If your friends are free, I won't keep you here," Adonis said. "The unicorn is a threat to us, but it's painful to be separated, too. So just go." Adonis looked unhappily away from the doorway, wishing they'd leave. He would have to think of a better way to change his brother's mind, but for now, he hoped they would go so he wouldn't have to hide the sting of his brother's betrayal from his expression anymore.

Laya nodded and opened the door, running out and towards the three men. She slowed to a stop, looking behind her to make sure Neko was coming and that she wasn't staying. She was sure she would come though, because her brother was out there.

"Are you all okay?" she asked them softly.

Neko came out at full speed towards her brother. When they met they collided into each other, Kratos holding his sister like a lost lover.

"You ok? Did he touch you?" Kratos asked, failing at masking the edge in his voice. Neko shook her head confidently and Kratos heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

Tetsumaru just stood around looking confused. In his short nap he had forgotten exactly what had happened. The only thing that he remembered was that he was taking care of the people in front of him in his house. Anything else drew a blank in his mind.

OOC: I post because I'm bored.

IC: Laya's feet were bare and rocks made it a bit uncomfortable, but her feet weren't as tender as they used to be when she was younger.

"He didn't touch us," she told Kratos. "He seemed one of the saner people out of the bunch..."

Kratos nodded, releived and regretfully let go of his sister, who came out dazed from his embrace.

"Good to hear." he said quickly.