"Should be.. I mean we've been here before and my memory isn't that damn fuzzy.." He frowned a little, though he did question it at times. "Maybe that run just through off your direction a little" He shrugged slightly before getting the horse to turn off of the path a little walking through the brush. "See look it's just over this way." He called over to Zosa before turning back around and walking to the other's side. "we should probably set up a camp for the night as well before it gets too dark, no point in pushing it on the first day.." Though he did know time was of the essence.

(this will be attept no. 3 at writing this, i keep closing this tab and not saving)

"maybe" he agreeed. do we set a fire or tent or are we sleeping light tonight?" he was thinking back to the elves from before. he lightly ghosted his hand over the bandage. "are there any dried provisions?" he asked hoping to keep the conversation from becoming dark. he turned his attention to the horses "because i feel starved"

"theres plenty of provisions at the least enough for a weeks worth of traveling, though i'd like to restock before then to be safe." He sighed a little, they certainly did make sure they were well off, to pay this back it would take some time.

He seemed tot hink about the sleeping arrangments for a moment before he started unpacking the horse to give it some rest for the night. "it's not that cold so we can either do light or a campe fire.. i'd say go without one but drows have a advantage in the dark." He frowned a bit thinking that they could be attacks again.

"i see, though i can't shoot so rabbits and deer are out though it is berrying season so we could do that. and i don't mind star-gazing tonight, it's a good night for it" he looked over at the horses "so who gets kindling duty and who gets cleaning duty? " he disgustedly though of cleaning the two sweaty mounts "actually can i volunteer for kindling?" he did not stop to wait however for an answer and dropping the reigns slid into the forest

"I can hunt if we need it you know, granted it's not as clean as when you do it.. it'll do well enough" he huffed a little. Though he did agree with tonight being a good night for sleeping light, less to pack up as well then. Before he could answer at who got what duty Zosa had already run off and he sighed a little going over to the horses and unpacking them so he could get to work. "I was going to say I could handle both.. oh well.." He laughed slightly before he started brushing down the slightly over worked steeds.

After a while and Zosa hadn't returned he frowned a little, maybe his arm was bothering him worse then he thought. Though he couldn't imagine what pain it shot though his body if he hit it on anything.

it was suprizingly slow going, he could no more put weight on it than pressure or it'd send pangs up his arm. he had to unwrap his straps and use them to tie the bundles together. dragging them around was a stupid idea so he had them on his back, it was uncomfortable having bits of tree digging into his back but he tried his best to ignore it. after he had gathered enough he turned back, by now the sun was getting close to setting so he tried to hurry.

Thalion had finished tending to the horses ling before Zosa managed to get back to where they were planning to set up for the night. He was about to go off looking for him when he frowned a bit seeing him walking back just now. "Did it really take that long?" Though this question earned him a little bit of a annoyed look from Zosa, not that he didn't deserve it for the question.

He knew why it took that long, this trip couldn't be over with any faster.. If he had a method of going on without rest he'd gladly do it but that wasn't possible.

he said nothing. there was no hidden barb in that comment, though he could not help but feel the sting of it anyway. he tossed the bundled wood where the fire-pit needed to be dug. he personally did not feel like doing it and he knew the other would prolly do it just for the convenience of the fire. he went over to the other and leaned against him, the natural habit of it was marred by his having to use the wrong arm to rest with. it was still a comfort though as it always was. he breathed in the soothing smell of earth and iron and the unique spice of the other though it too was marred, by horses though, not by any damage.

His ears dropped a little knowing there wasn't anything he could really do to help Zosa. He cursed his own abilities the only damn reason he had put up with the druid training this long was to help people. Now the very person he wanted to help the most was beyond his abilities. "hey.. go rest already, I'll take care of the rest." He shrugged a little, not like he couldn't do it easily enough, plus it was a excuse to keep Zosa from doing it. He didn't really want him going off to find wood but he had run off too quickly to object.

the other rolled his shoulders forward and he pushed off. sighing he went over to the horses and dug through the packs on the ground. he was hoping to find some bandages and the food

He went about whatever he needed to do to dig out the pit for the fire, though to be honest with himself he was past exhausted from everything that had happened. He never complained once or even remotely let it show. He couldn't afford to make Zosa worry he had enough going on without it.

Once he was finished and the fire was started he sighed a little before going to Zosa's side.By this time the other had found the wrapping sand whatever food he was looking for. he never said a word though as he sat leaning against one of the horses that was laying down.

the thought of leaning on the horse grossed him out a bit but he saw how tired the other was and wanted to offer what little support he could even if it was only physical. he scooted over to the other and leaned against the horse as well, he handed over most of the food though he was not sure the other would eat

He glared at him a little. "forcing yourself won't do any good you know that" Though he quickly changed his expression to a smirk. He knew all too well the normal actions of Zosa and animals were never his thing really, though to be fair they were just cleaned. Though the offer of food he shook his head at and spoke before Zosa could complain that he needed to eat. "I'll eat, but you need to keep your strength up, like hell im carrying you" He laughed slightly knowing it might come down to that, but he hoped not.

he made a face. "you look like you need to be carried already, no not berate me for something that has not happened and eat your....whatever this is" he help up one of the wrapped packages and squeezed it, he opened one already and all he could tell was it was brown, flat and smelled sweet. if it was fruit or meat he could not tell but it was heavily spiced all the same.

"tsk, I said I'm fine didn't i?" He shook his head a little. "I'm not saying it because of anything, you worry too much about others and damn it you need to start thinking of yourself for a change." He shrugged a little. "but what do i know eh?" Though he did look down a little thinking about it, he needed to hide his fatigue a bit better if it was starting to catch up to him, he didn't need Zosa worrying about that. He sort of glanced at what Zosa was talking about before laughing slightly. "you've had them before.. don't be a picky eater in the middle of no where, be thankful they thought to pack supplies.. besides if you find you don't like it we still have dried fruits and meat from before in our packs." It was a option at the least though he would have to track down game somewhere.. maybe the next town they passed by they could trade the meats off or rather whatever they didn't use for rations that could hold up during a trip.

he sighed. there was no winning, all of a sudden he lost both his meager appetite and his desire to re-wrap his bandages he just felt tired. he pulled away from the horse and leaned instead on one of the packs in an attempt at rest, it was hard and cold but it allowed him to not feel the deep breathing of a pack animal. he shivered lightly.

He sighed a little he needed to learn to just give in and make him happy he knew Zosa was easily affected by his mood. He did move after Zosa did and pulled a blanket that was packed before tossing it over him after seeing his shiver. "Look im sorry.. " he had more to say but didn't at the moment, he wasn't sure what to say in truth, he had a limited amount of time and he feared more then anything he was going to fail Zosa the one true time he needed him.

he tried to ignore the comment, to let it go. he greatly wanted to let the other wallow, he was hurt and felt like being petty but he knew the other would take it too much to heart as he always did. "don't say you're sorry if there is nothing to be sorry for...."

He sighed a little "there is things to be sorry for, I knew where you were I could have prevented all of this, or even with my short temper just now I could have kept my said thoughts to myself instead of putting more pressure on you. I think thats more then enough to be sorry for, and you damn well know i don't say sorry unless i have a reason to do so, even if you don't think it's a good reason." Once he was done he moved to sit back down again still leaning against the horse, the animals breathing helped calm him down, though it was a saddening calm as it reminded him of home, before these travels.

He wasn't even sure what way home was anymore, they had more or less been adopted into the village that they saved the children at.. but that wasn't where they had been born. Where they took the oath to one another.

he said nothing this time, all his talios' excuses were ridiculous. but he knew his words would do more harm than help so he stewed in his own angst while the other undoubtedly did the same

He finally gave up on speaking to Zosa, not that it ever did any good once he got into one of his moods. Instead he tried to focus on getting rest, it seemed the fact that he had even bothered to worry about the other had pissed him off in the long run, that was fine by him he could go without worrying. Zosa could pull his own weight if he wanted to, he didn't dare want to hear the other ask for help when the pain because unbearable though.

he fell asleep easily but it was not restful. he woke and fell back several times and could recall nothing of what he dreamed of. he repeated through the night and as the sun rose through the leaves he blearily stuck one hand to his face to clear the gunk his eyes seemed to be turning into. as he brushed he felt a pain down to his elbow. he looked for several minutes before he understood, the grew which had been hidden before by the gauze was now spreading beyond it in dark tendrils. he woke the the other and showed his arm. "it has gotten bigger!"

He groaned a little when Zosa suddenly nudged him to make him wake up. "wha..." he started to ask but stopped seeing what he was talking about. "... well fuck a lotta good that shit the other day did!" he growled a little before getting up and working on hitching the horses back up. It was easy enough to tell that he was a little annoyed, were they really that short on time? If it was going to spread that much then getting to the damn dragon city would be cutting it close.

he did not say anything else, his arm throbbed and the other was angry enough he could feel it radiating. he fixed gear the best he could and got on the horse. they spent the rest of the morning in silence

It wasn't that he was really mad at Zosa so to speak, but he wasn't a morning person, let alone to be woken up to news such as that. After a few hours when he finally managed to fully wake up he spoke again. "If it hurts too bad say something we can stop for a bit... ok?" He hated it when they didn't talk for extended periods of time.

"it's ok, really. it's not so bad i was just surprised is all" he flicked the reins a but to ride even with the other. "i am sorry i woke you up"

He glared at him a little "don't be sorry, it was time to get up anyway, I was just being lazy tis all." he shrugged it off a little knowing it was the truth. "I should learn to not be so cross when I get up..." he sighed a little "though that is easier said then done." He didn't voice his real concern, that this trip would be for nothing.. but he couldn't afford to think like that he had made his mind up already that Zos was going to pull through this and that was that.

they rode on farther before something occurred to zosa, "hey, thal, is it strange, i have not seen or heard anything since last night from our 'friends' " he looked around a bit "do you think they gave up already?"

He was already silent but it had crossed his mind quite a few times that drows would never be so easy as to give up after one mere defeat.. no they normally planned out the next strike and it would probably be with a larger force or with more skilled assassins.. both were not good odds for the duo to get out of. "I noticed... I was trying to not think about it. Heh thanks.." he laughed weakly knowing he couldn't get it off his mind, it had caused him to be a little edgy last night during his sleep as he woke up a few times when he heard movement. Though as far as he knew none of it bothered Zosa during last night's rest.

"We'll just have to keep our guard up... arrows is what I'm worried about mostly or poison tipped daggers." he shrugged a little, then again the arrows were probably poison dipped as well. Probably speaking about them had doomed their luck to another encounter, this trip was hardly going to get any easier. The more groups they managed to defeat the harder they'd try to kill the two of them, that and Zosa would get worse then the condition he was in now. Sure for the moment he could still fight a little but he couldn't really use his main weapon and that was a huge disadvantage in any battle.

he nodded. there was a fair chance they would find themselves imitating porcupines if they were not wary of their surroundings. he cast his eyes around once. "i know with you around we will manage"

He looked towards Zosa with a questioning expression before he bothered to speak. "I.. don't think my skills alone will get us out of it if we find ourselves faced with a army of drow.. heh... Not saying i'd go down without a fight but facts are facts." He sighed a little "they train in finishing blows.. our people hardly train in weaponry at all.. let alone killing." Really they were more magic based.. or rather suppose to be. Though Thalion had a limited use of his abilities and that was even after training day and night for years most of their kind would have been a sage by this point from how much they had gone through over the years.

"New topic, so I don't start flinching at every leaf that moves in the wind." He smiled weakly at Zosa,he wasn't really that flinchy but when dealing with drows you could never be too careful. Heck for all they knew whoever had sent the drows after them might have another surprise in store for them yet.

he did not mind the change of topic, they had never agreed on maters of cultural propriety, while he was polite the other was rude, whereas he was willing to go beyond what was deemed normal or appropriate for his race the other remained stuck deep in the muddy mire of it. he spoke levelly "i still think you should give it a try" he was of course referring to the poleaxe, he wondered if the other remembered it.

His ears went back a little hearing Zosa bring back up the weapon, he had hardly forgotten it."the day my current weapon breaks is the day I even touch it..." he hissed a little still keeping his ears back. "why dose it matter? It's there if we need it and my current weapon works fine." Ok sure it was a little worse for wear and only so much of it could be repaired.. but he wasn't ready to give in to using a weapon that had strange markings and his name on it. Though he noticed the look Zosa gave him for his quick remark as he sighed a little. "I'll use it eventually... I just don't trust it yet." It was a bit of a odd thing to say that one did not trust a weapon but that's how he thought. It was normal for him to spend a few days if not weeks testing a weapons weight and balance before he decides if it's a good enough weapon or not. Zosa normally said this was a waste of time, but on the same note Thalion thought target practice with arrows.

he was not phased by the other's attitude though if he had given it a try he'd know there was no faults to be found in it. he huffed aloud knowing the other would take it as a sign of acceptance though he felt bad for playing up on it. pulling it free from the rest of the gear he gave the weapon a test-roll over the wrist with his good arm, it sat strange like clothing that was in his size but nothing like what he wore. he figured his other arm would be right but that was a poor idea given it's condition, the pole-arm would be just as useless as the bow. he laid it across his lap and patted his horse. they continued on quietly after that

A few hours went by with no conversation though the path seemed to narrow as they walked on, this worried Thalion. A perfect spot for a ambush if he ever saw one. He seemed to pull the horses reins back forcing the creature to stop as it pawed at the ground. "You know don't you..." he spoke softly moving a hand to the horses neck to calm it. He looked towards Zosa seeing if he knew as well, it seemed he took the hint by this odd sudden actions. "we need to move.. this isn't a good spot to be caught in."

he nodded, even he could tell the horse was spooked, he took up his reigns and the weapon and positioned himself for a quick get-away

His ears went back hearing the sound of a bow being cocked and drawn, he knew very well it was Zosa. He waited though it needed to be timed. He waited making the horses walk forward a few steps before he heard the arrow release from it's master's hand. In the same instance he moved dismounting quickly from the horse and pulling Zosa from his. Though he got a protest from the other, there wasn't a easier way to avoid the arrow.

"tsk company.. apparently we spoke too soon in them giving up the chase." He grinned a little already having his weapon drawn and his stance corrected before helping Zosa back to his feet. Though the group they were faced with this time seemed to vastly out number the one from before.