"Come, Reil." Said Meilani as she rushed through the trees, dark hair streaming behind her. She was a tall and proud elven woman. Her attire consisted of dark leathers and cloth, providing flexibility as she moved soundlessly through the forest. Nary a whisper was made as Meilani and her companion; Reil"whyrrhaven swiftly cut a path between the surrounding woods. She slowed, a hand lifting to signal Reil to do the same. Almost immediately upon catching up with Meilani, Reil found himself being yanked to the side and behind a tree, with warm lips touching his. His eyes widened in alarm that quickly gave way to pleasant amusement. Meilani pulled back, grinning playfully at him.

"There are easier ways to catch a man, Meilani." He said, smiling at her.

"But those are less fun, dear Reil." She replied, laughing softly as Reil's eyes rolled.

"But less dangerous, too. We are close to Arganroth. Humans hunt in these woods."

"They will not find us." She assured him.

"I wish I had your confidence." Reil said, stepping out from behind the tree. "Come," he added, "we can make it to Ieil"norsath before nightfall if we continue from here."

She smirked at him, shaking her head while passing. "So serious all the time. The humans rarely hunt this deep into the wood; they stick closer to their borders, where it's safe and known. They are creatures of habit."

"As are we, Meilani. And they know that all too well." His hand touched her back, easing her forward as he started off across the clearing they had come to. "Let us not underestimate them. The humans of Arganroth are tricky ones."

Meilani (with much grumbling and reluctance) eventually conceded and followed after Reil as he stepped into the forest once more and headed to the north. Their trek was an easy one, for while the woods were thick and the road nonexistent, they had traveled this way several times in the past and it was as familiar as their own home and beds. It was midday when Meilani ducked to the side to crouch beside a stream. She dipped her hands into the cool, clear water and splashed her face with it. Reil stepped up beside her and bent down, taking the moment of reprieve to splash his face as well as fill their waterskins.

His shoulders rolled, lowering the pack he'd been carrying to the ground beside his feet. He dropped to his knees and stared at his reflection in the pool. Reil"whyrrhaven was a young elf (by his races standards), handsome as most of his kind was, with fair, angled features and a natural grace to movement that many humans mistook for magic at work. A hand sheathed in leather lifted to brush his silver hair out of the way, before he leaned back to look over at Meilani as she began laughing.

"What?" He asked while his brows creased together in confusion.

"Staring at yourself, Reil?" She replied teasingly. "When did you become so vain?"

He scoffed, waving his hand dismissively at her while standing. "I was checking to see how dirty I am. I cannot wait to be home and clean again, this journey has taken far longer than expected."

"It has," she agreed, "but it's also proven more fortuitous than expected, too."

"I suppose. But the Morwaiynwyn only adds more of a risk." Reil said, looking down at his pack.

"But with a promise of good fortunes if we succeed. And we are not far from home, with no opposition thus far. I think we've nothing to worry about." She replied cheerfully, standing as well.

"Let us hope so." Reil said with an unconvinced tone.

"Come then, if you are so worried, and let us be off." Meilani said laughingly, nudging his pack with her foot before starting off.

Grumbling, he scooped his pack back up and shouldered it, then turned to follow after her.

The sun began to set, golden rays shooting between the trees from time to time, occasionally catching the pair with blinding light. Soon though, it was blocked by the mountains and left them in the darkening woods, the moon following shortly to bathe the land in silver. It became clear to them after just another hour's worth of walking, that they wouldn't make it to their village before nightfall. Thus, Meilani led the unhappy Reil to a copse of trees, where the ground was flat and dry, and decided to set up a camp there.

"We'll leave first thing in the morning and make it home before midday, Reil." She assured him while lowering her pack to the ground.

"We can make it before sunrise if we keep going now." Reil"whyrrhaven countered bitterly.

"What has you so on edge, talam'sho hem?" Asked Meilani, spreading out her bedroll near the roots of a large oak.

"I feel we are being watched and followed," he explained, "and that resting would let our pursuers catch us off guard. It is unnerving. We should continue."

"What good will an exhausted elf do if the enemy shows up?" "A lot more good if they show up while I'm sleeping." He replied while reluctantly laying down onto his bedroll, his muscles weary from many days of walking and running.

"Rest, mein"ra o'shtar," Meilani bade him, "mo gra arrashta, mei"la."

Slowly, Reil?whyrrhaven relaxed and drifted off to a much-needed rest, one that was dreamless and peaceful.