<font color='#00FF00'><justify><span style=letter-spacing:1px><font face=tahoma color=sienna><font color=peru>Character:</font> Pathos <font color=peru>Mood:</font> Frightened <font color=peru>Day:</font> 17th <font color=peru>Month:</font> Tria <font color=peru>Year:</font> 81376 Padded paws beat steadily against the ground, accompanied by the ragged breathing of a young pendragon. Inversely toned eyes glanced about in fear, widened so that the abysses of opposite hues glared wildly about. Air was rapidly sucked in, then spat out again, churning paws relentlessly carrying him across the treacherous landscape. The rich forest he had begun in had given away to this swampland, though he wasn't sure what had passed between the two. Cold sweat covered his entire body, and it was clear that the young 'dragon had been running for quite sometime. Pathos was beginning to wear down. His multi-hued pelt stood out, wildly contrasting with the surrounding tones. Slime and muck had inevitably managed to coat it, yet too much was still uncovered for him to be completely merged with the softly toned ground surrounding him. Though he had, thus far, managed to keep his balance, the youngster's luck was about to change. A slimier patch of mud came into view, just as the frantic Path turned his head to search for one of his pursuers. Unfortunatly, that meant he wasn't prepared for the deceptive surface, and immedietly went sprawling as forepaws skidded on the slick mud. Falling onto his stomach, the male was splattered in the wet muck, drenched to the bone in the cold wetness of the mud. Lying flat, hind and fore legs extended uncomfortably, the male panted, wearily resting his head on the ground. Closing his eyes in resigned defeat, the male barely managed to tuck his legs up close to his stomach, curled in a ball, before vanishing into momentarily unconsciousness. The lack of prescense lasted a second, before eyes snapped open, seeking the hunters within the depths of darkness, shadows cast on the cool night. Whispers of danger reached his ears, but the male wasn't capable of standing and facing his enemies, or of running, either. Fear surrounded him, holding his neck in a firm choke hold. Whether or not he would escape them even for a night wasn't sure. They were professionals, after all. Or, at the very least, smart Journeymen. The Graders paid for nothing less, or so his parents had often told him. Thinking of his mother and father caused a faint whimper to escape the male, before his skittish attention returned to looking for the unseen hunters.</span></font></font>
<font color='#FFFFFF'>OOC - Both Zamfir and Karryasa are in this post together.. just because. IC - The tripled moons lay hidden underneath the thick clouds, making the sky seem dark and foreboding. Already it had been raining and the air was thick with moisture... as it usually always was in the swamplands. The far off sound of thunder was threatening to break the temporary peace by encouraging the clouds to release their contents. The smell of wet fur was floating in the air, mingling with faint traces of blood from old wounds. { Are you all right? } Zamfir privately telepathed to his mate. He had noticed the scent of blood in the air. Instead of trudging through the mud, Karryasa had been using her magic to teleport herself along several feet at a time in a sort of zig-zag fashion amongst the trees. Zamfir's tail flame was low, only a mere glow emitted from it - barely enough to even cast a shadow. { Keep your mind focused and your senses sharp. Save your thoughts for the task at hand. } Karryasa replied. To this Zamfir smirked and retorted, { Perhaps you should practice what you preach. } It had been Karryasa not to long ago who had mistakenly ran headlong into a small sapling while she had been teleporting herself. Ripping open a wound on her eye as she did so. So she was hardly in the position to tell Zamfir what to do. { Sounds like he's come to a stop anyway. I can't hear his progress through this muck anymore. } Zamfir partially murmured to Karryasa while glancing down at his own muddied legs. Yet his words came too late, Karryasa was already beside the fallen pup an annoyed expression on her face. "You and your lack of details. You never told me that it was just a child we were after." She said outloud to Zamfirs arriving form. "Funny, I thought you would have already known." Zamfir replied as the wind began to pick up - jangling Karryasas necklace.</font>
<font color='#00FF00'><justify><span style=letter-spacing:1px><font face=tahoma color=sienna><font color=peru># in character Pathos's paws dug into the ground as ears slammed back against his head. He began to back up, quickly, as the Arch Magosi gazed down at him. Fur prickled and bristled instinctively, low murmer of a growl escaping. Then his training snapped in, and he slowed his breathing, began to calm. Despite her words, Pathos wasn't about to trust that his age was going to hold back the hunter. Whether she was a Grader herself, or merely a cronie, didn't matter. Not as far as Pathos was concerned. The voices of his parents' lessons of what to do in the situation broke through his thoughts, and he instantly began to take in the appearance of the other 'dragon. Eyes widened slightly, and another skittish step was taken backwards as he realized this was, indeed, a Grader. The highest of their heritage, actually, beside her mate. Of course, just as he thought that, Zamfir himself appeared on the scene. Enraptured in watching Karryassa, Pathos certainly hadn't expected the other of the Grader leaders to approach as well. Gaze instantly swung to the other adult pendragon, then back to the female. Hackles were still raised, though ears were forward and attentive. Bright, intelligent eyes watched the pair, wary and prepared for whatever was coming. Surely the leaders of Ramath Lehi hadn't come all the way here to merely give up on him. What they had planned, Pathos wasn't sure. His parents were always cryptic about what the Graders wanted with a whelp such as himself. Perhaps there was a reason. Mayhaps fate had decisions about where he was to go? For a second, he felt as if he were in two worlds, looking in on his life, but the moment passed. It was one of "those moments" as his mother had said, prophesizing that it foretold his future as a great leader and priest-seer to his people. The muddied pup stared bravely at the pair, head held high, fathomless bi-toned eyes watching them. Emotionless, as always. With the direct and untainted color that flooded both, inverse to the other, there was no way for his ideas to be expressed. A truly good trait to have, for sure. Without any training, he held back emotion from the faintest signs of his eyes. Yet his body wasn't as controlled yet, despite the fact that he had been taught by his parents, vigorously, how to defend and protect himself. He knew that, with the Graders, none of it would work. Tongue slid between his jaws to sidle along the sides of his suddenly parched lips, silently watching the leaders. Awaiting their verdict, some sort of response to finding him. Surely they weren't just going to stare? There was a purpose to their being here. He just had to wait, and see what he had to make of it. If the gods and goddesses demanded this, so be it.</span></font></font>
<font color='#FFFFFF'>Zamfir's eyes wavered on the small form of Pathos for a moment. He had allowed his tail flame to glow brightly once again - no need to mask any kind of approach now. The fire light flickered, casting shadows and making them dance in an unnatural aqua glow. Zamfirs own magic seemed to manisfest itself with this colour. Almost always whenever he cast even the smallest of spells, the subject tended to have a faint aqua afterglow - even if it only lasted for a second or so. On his more menacing days, Zamfirs entire form seemed to radiate this aqua glow from deep within. Not only that but sometimes his own pawprints glowed faintly with his magic 'residue'. So strong were his ties with his own magic that they often sought to leak out from him through visual means. The darkness was seeping. Crawling into the mud of the swamplands and rolling around with it. The murk stretched for what seemed to be endlessly, torn up only by the rigid trees that remained snared within its hooded grasp.That same snare had caught the three of them as well. Threatening to smother them in its own darkness and drag them, drowing, into its own dark and lonely abyss. Zamfir could feel the cold and wet tug on his own form, the wetness seeping into his bones. Zamfir licked his fangs then placed one paw forward. From this paw and through unspoken words, a warming charm crawled forth. It twisted into the air as a thin aqua mist before enveloping Zamfir himself, Karryasa, and the seemingly bold form of Pathos. With this done the cold was lifted from each of them and the strong saddening grip of the swamplands was lifted momentarily. "Pathos, I presume?" Zamfir queried the young nioti, letting his own assumption hang in the air just like the murk had done so expertly before.</font>
<font color='#00FF00'><justify><span style=letter-spacing:1px><font face=tahoma color=sienna>The swamp was trying to choke him, forcing murky air towards his nostrils, trying to get him to breathe in the tainted air. Pathos refused to allow himself to fall for such a natural trick, one that could result in inhaling too much, and becoming lightheaded. That was not the type of situation he wanted to be in, especially seeing as he was currently facing the Arch Magos and Magosi, and was on the wrong side of loyalties. Although Path wasn't entirely sure that he was loyal to anyone at the moment. His parents had betrayed him, in a manner, coddled him and tried to form him to be the creature that they wanted, a savior for them all. But who was to say if the Graders were as bad as pendragons made them out to be? Sure, they had probably had 'dragons killed, but his parents had expected him to kill, as well. Most prominent was the training of what to do in a situation such as this. When the foggy murk kept visuals from being the best possible, and leaping at one or the other might result in something. But the power that he could feel, on a spiritual level, made Pathos hesitant to try and be a hero at the moment. Especially when there were two of them, strong in many ways, and only one of him, a nioti with no way out. Subject to the will of the Graders, his life in their paws... or that was the probable result of it all. Pathos felt his pelt shift silently, knowing that signified its changing colors. Ears snapped back, brushing against his head. The last thing he needed was for the leaders of Ramath Lehi to see that. Perhaps they hadn't heard, and it was better to keep as much secret as he possibly could. Especially seeing as it was painfully evident they had been hunting him, and weren't prepared to allow their trapped prey to escape. As if emphasising his thoughts, a vague movement caught the male's attention, though it was hard to pick up what, exactly, it had been, through the swampland's murk. Hackles bristled as he considered that it might be an attack, but, if they had wanted him dead just yet, the Arch Mage and Magosi had better ways of finishing the small nioti off then confronting him, and then making an attack. It became clear what Zamfir had done as the murk that choked them all pulled away, and a bit of warmth seeped into the unwelcome gathering. Narrowed eyes watched the pair, waiting for that inevitable question... ah, there it was. Zamfir spoke, presuming his name. A thin, mirthless smile, flickered across his muzzle. Why bother to ask, wasn't it clear? Or were they hunting other niotis on cold nights such as this? <font color=white>"Fhus fyolp huggam ev iyo faja fjymd?"</font> It was more a phisophical question then anything, seeing as there was no answer. Realizing he had spoken in Ramathian, the nioti changed to English, realizing he had given away more information. If, that was, they hadn't already known. <font color=white>"What would happen if you were wrong? Of course, we need not find out, seeing as I am he. As we seem to be making improper introductions today, may I, also, presume that you are the Arch Magos, Zamfir Grader? And that this would be your mate, the Arch Magosi, Karryasa? An honor, I'm sure. Forgive me if I don't show due respect, but I doubt this is the time or place for such."</font> His gaze flickered to Karryasa herself as he presumed of her name and status, ears swaying back a bit, head dipping very slightly, in a quiet respect. A barely noticable gesture, but he didn't really care, at the moment, if the Arch Magosi saw. After all, this wasn't a time for plesantries.</font>
<font color='#00FF00'><justify><span style=letter-spacing:1px><font face=tahoma color=sienna><font color=white># out of character</font> I knew I should've noted this, since things changed. This is private for the Graders. oo;</span></font></font>
