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Kaille approached his rescuer from behind, bum leg slowing him down slightly as he reached out to touch the shoulder of the quiet Pharos, his back turned and still, resembling a statue that stood silently vigilant against the noisy background. Upon placing a paw on Pharos' shoulder, however, Kaille was swiftly sent flying back with a sound "thud" to his chest, the left leg of his rescuer raised and out stretched facing Kaille's direction. Pharos stood there for a moment, looking at his poor victim, now face first into the moss and dirt covered earth, and immediately widened his eyes. Rushing over, he helped Kaille up and brushed him off, ears drooping sadly as he apologized up and down to the poor Sen.

"Re' Va Ko' Ne, I am so sorry, friend! You took me by surprise, oh Ancestors how could I be so foolish? Please, forgive me for attacking you, I didn't mean to, I swear it!" As Kaille watched the apologizing man in front of him, he got a decent look at him. A broad shouldered, well toned Qes with a rare fur pigment of solid white except for a black patch that was centered on the bridge of his muzzle. He wore an equally unusual robe, deep blue with white decorative trim along the shoulders and hood, a mark that Kaiile didn't recognize emblazoned upon the left arm; Two Praeta skulls facing outward on either side of a Tsovik's skull, the Kashirn symbol centered above. Shaking off the kick and laughing a little, Kaille nodded to Pharos and reached his hand out, offering it to the startled Qes. With a friendly smile, Pharos grabbed Kaille's wrist firmly, upon which a flash of imagery shot through Kaille's mind like lightning. A banner, sconces in the dark, blurred figures and a sensation of death with a faint scent of blood. What was this, Kaille thought to himself. As he concluded the thought, the images stopped, and only the briefest instant had passed, Pharos still looking at him, though suddenly with a concerned look.

"Are you all right, friend? Suddenly you seem troubled, like you've seen a Daemon or something."

"No... no I'm alright. Still a bit sore is all. Good kick, by the way."

"Oh, uhh, thank you. Learned how to do that a while back, but anyway... What can I do for you?"

"Well, I had come to offer my thanks for rescuing me and tending to my wounds. Geirran said they were pretty bad."

"No two ways about that, Ahser. Had we not found you when we did, that Praeta would've finished the job. Vicious creatures, Ancestors know."

"What happened to that thing, anyhow? I think I blacked out before I saw you save me."

"Oh, me and a few others just put a few arrows in it. No big deal."

"No big deal", is that how Pharos saw it as? Only one of the two apex predator species across the continent, and he drops the thing and saves Kaille's life like it was nothing? Just who was this man? Kaille bowed his head in thanks and looked out into the forest behind his rescuer, wondering what he was staring at so intensely so as to be taken by surprise by him.

"So, what's out there that had you so fixated, Tahnis?"

"Oh. Nothing. Just didn't hear you coming. My job is to watch out for predators or other dangers to the group."

"Ahh, sorry. I didn't mean to take you by surprise like I did. Guess I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize that I might startle you by coming up unannounced."

"No, really, it's fine, my friend. Again, I'm sorry for kicking you like I did. Now then, I suppose you'll want to be heading back to wherever it is you're going once you're properly healed, yes?"

"Not sure I can anymore. Not that I even care to at this point."

"Why's that, if I might ask?"

"My mother was just killed. I intend to find out who was responsible and track them down."

"You seem very upfront about it, Kaille."

"It's just that simple. I'm going to find them and make them pay for what they did. All those innocent people, the sailors, the passengers, my mother... all of them. They deserve to be avenged, and I will see it happen."

"Wait, you think you're the only one who survived?"

"Am I not? I didn't see any sign of survivors or any one having washed ashore when I woke up on that beach."

"We found a woman several miles away from you that same day. She said she was the first mate on one of the ships, though she insisted she be allowed to leave as soon as she could walk. We insisted she stay until she was properly healed."

"Insisted? You mean you knocked her back out again and dragged her into the bed to rest."

"Hehe, she'll thank us later. She should be healed by the time we're ready to move out. There's rumblings going around about some sort of trouble up north a ways. We're heading south and then east, towards a town called "Kolyat's Stand". Should take a couple weeks, I assume."

"Weeks? Why that long? A courier can run that far in a few days."

"Yes, but we're not alone and were not couriers. Those messengers go through training to run far for long periods, that's how they get from one point to the other so quickly. We're moving a whole camp, if you didn't notice, Revvan. It takes time to go that far with so many."

"I guess I see your point, Retsiik, but what's this about trouble up north?"

"Oh... nothing you need to worry about. Likely some petty squabble because one marshal's pup trenched the ground with another's, or some such nonsense. Now then, I believe you were looking for something to do with yourself in the meantime, yes? Where were you hoping to go before you were waylaid, so?"

"The plan was to set up shop out on the coast, in the Island Marshal's territory. But I do owe you for saving my life, so..."

"Say nothing more, Pup. You're welcome to travel with us until we get where we're going. Just pull your weight and help out, and maybe I'll even teach you a few moves to keep you out of trouble." Pharos smiled widely and patted Kaille on the back roughly, an enthusiastic laugh following as he walked with his new friend into the camp, quickly eyeing the former first mate as she returned to the camp, still limping a little, herself. The next several days for Kaille were spent as much trying to make himself useful as trying to ward off Vaera who hounded him persistently, much to the amusement of Geirran, Pharos, and the others, as well as to Kaille's personal annoyance. Move crate "A" to spot "B", load that rack onto this wagon, find new hiding spot from Vaera, get trounced by Pharos and repeat. This was the cycle for the marooned Sen, attempting to not be a burden on the couple dozen people who made up the Company caravan. Roughly a week in, the former first mate of Kaille's ship was seen less and less around the others. Initially, Kaille assumed she was out scouting or hunting with the others, trying not to be a burden herself. This changed however, when Pharos started to show a personal interest in her. One night, sitting amidst the campfire and softly singing bards, Kaille called Pharos over to him, with a mind to look into the female sailor.

"So, Pharos, what's the story between you and first mate whats-her-name?" Pharos cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head, looking confused as to Kaille's question.

"Sorry? I don't know what you mean, Kaille."

"Oh don't give me that, Tahnis. I may not be my mother, but even I can tell when there's something up." Kaille retorted, his eyes sharpening and focusing on Pharos' own in a manner that could only be described as interrogative.

"Admit it, you've got a thing for her." Pharos reeled back at the accusation, his furry cheeks turning deep red as he stared at the victoriously smiling Kaille, aghast that the Sen would come up with such a thing as that.

"So, what's her name, then? I take it you know that much about her after chasing her tail this long."

"Is that so, Kaille? I figured you'd know since you were on the same ship as her, after all."

"All I did was get something for her once. Never asked her name, and she never gave it. So you tell me, tough guy."

"Name's Cassendriana Lehrettius. As it suggests, she's for the western archipelago, if the look of her didn't make it clear enough."

"Been eyeing her up, then, Pharos? Here I thought that Vaera was gonna start chasing after you, herself."

"I've got better things to think about than women, pup. So do you, if I need to remind you." The two engaged in a stare-down, neither moving as they held their bottles of drink in their paws, unmoving. Even as Vaera came over to where they sat to tease Kaille by leaning over and trying to blow into his ear, Kaille just sat there like a great statue. After having taken note of her total failure, she stormed off to her tent in frustration, for the eighth or so time in the last week. Once out of her sight, the two men smirked and cracked up laughing, Pharos rolling off of his seat and onto the soft ground behind him, not caring that his drink was spilt as he and his younger friend hysterically laughed at the young woman's blatant and comedic attempts at wooing Kaille. Settling down after several minutes, the two went back to their drinks and gazed contently at the fire that roared in front of them, eventually retiring to their own tents for the night.

Nights in the forests are warmer than out on the plains. Louder too, as insects and various creatures of all shape and size stirred and came alive in the darkened wood. Even though it was merely a tent keeping the outside from joining him, Kaille's mind was at peace with his current surroundings as he lay his head on the soft pillow. shutting his eyes with a tired sigh before drifting off into sleep. It was his dreams, however, that haunted him. He could smell the salty sea air, hear the creaking of the wooden deck and waves crashing against the hull. He looked over and saw his mother's face, smiling. Then, intense heat, he could hear her screaming to him, calling out as he was plunged underwater and saw the ship turn to ashes, Marscella's cries of pain and terror ringing louder in his ears. His heart raced, he reached out to grasp the ashes but was pulled further under, darkness clouding everything as he fought to reach the surface, the last sight of his mother being flashed before his eyes- Kaille shot up, sweating cold and his heart racing. Geirran, Vaera, and Pharos stood beside him in the dim light of a lantern, concerned looks across their faces.

"You alright, Pup? You were screaming like murder for a bit, thrashing around pretty badly too." Geirran said, placing a paw on Kaille's shoulder.

"No, no I am not alright! What am I doing here?" Kaille shouted, burying his face into his hands, sweat still beading down through his fur.

"You're recovering from your ordeal among friends, Kaille." Vaera replied, a soft, warm smile beaming at the Sen.

"I'm wasting time, is what I'm doing. I should be out there, hunting down the ones who took Marscella from me. I should be out there making them pay for what they did."

"Pup, you'd be alone and have only just recovered from your injuries. Don't go talking about doing something so reckless." Geirran said, trying to ease the obviously troubled young man.

"I don't care! I know they're out there somewhere. Someone has to know something. I'll do whatever it takes, find whoever I need to, in order to find and KILL the ones who murdered those people. My mother..."

"We all weep for your Ma, Pup, but if you go out and try to bring these people down yourself, you'll wind up dead and have accomplished nothing."

"He's right, Kaille. Think this through. You're no good to anyone dead, least of all her."

"Shut it, Pharos. You may have saved me, but I'm still going. I won't rest until I see the ones responsible dead at my feet!" Vaera's eyes grew wide and concerned, her heart shuddering as she looked at Kaille, who seemed so gentle until now. She looked to Geirran pleadingly, quietly begging him to stop Kaille from doing something. But Geirran just looked to her, and then to Pharos who shook his head and sighed.

"Fine then, Kaille. You want to leave so badly, I guess I won't stop you. Cassendriana said she'd be leaving tomorrow morning. You can leave with her. We'll give you enough food and water to make it to the nearest town, along with a map to get you there. You're on your own after that." Geirran stood up and walked out without saying another word, Pharos following close behind as he gently guided the teary eyed Vaera from the tent. Before he left, Pharos looked back and gave a sternly disapproving gaze to Kaille, who rebuffed it with a cold gaze of his own.

"You know, Vaera was the most worried about you when we brought you here. She's always had a big heart, and while still young, knows a good person when she sees one. She only wanted to try to see you happy, kid, and you just threw it all back in her face. I hope you find some mercy, because the ones who killed Marscella won't show you any. And neither will I if I see you again after tomorrow." Kaille was left to his own brooding, a darkness hanging over his eyes in the dying candlelight, Vaerra's sobbing muffled as she cried into Pharos' chest, with Kaille not even flinching a muscle in response.