an unusual alliance.(( male, mature r. PsyGrimlock only))

Natalia sighed, slowly stretching sore and stiff muscles silently, she had been camped out in her hidden spot for hours, hardly moving until night fall, she had tracked the men who had captured a baby dragon all over this certain area and she had finally caught up to them. Now she watched them eat and drink themselves to a stupor. Twice she nearly risked exposing herself when her temper got the best of her when the men had started to torment the poor creature, the men have no clue how close they where to the end of their lives. She was fixing to change tactics when finally the last man standing finally dropped the bottle of alcohol and passed out. shaking her head she climbed down the tree, her boots silently crunching on the ground, she wasn't worried about the noise, the men where so far gone an earth quake couldn't have woken them.

She followed the squealing noise of the baby dragon , finding the creature tied down on the ground, several wounds had managed to be inflicted on the creature, her anger flared up again and she had to take a few minutes of taking deep breaths before slowly relaxing.. '' easy there baby.. i am not going to hurt you .. '' no doubt the creature was calling for its mother, she didn't know if the mother had been killed or not., hell if the thing had siblings or the Sire was looking for the baby , someone was surely going to be in big trouble.. Right now the dragon's best bet to live was with her.

Kneeling down slowly she reached out, careful not to make any sudden movements, even as an infant the baby had teeth.. '' shhh. i am your friend.. '' glancing around before turning to looking into the creatures frightened eyes she relaxed more, hoping it would pick up on her relaxed state and relax with her, laying a gentle hand on its back she felt it quiver , but glad it didn't pull away.He was as big as a large dog, , its black scales shun in the moonlight. reaching over she carefully removed the muzzle from its mouth, glad it didn't bite her. '' baby we need to get you back to your parents. they won't be happy that your gone. '' sliding a hand down his neck to assess his wounds as she cut the ropes binding his legs, the moment he was free the creature tried to get to its feet before giving a squeal of pain and laid back down.

Shaking her head she sighed'' going to have to carry you . '' she took a few precious minutes to allow him to calm down before she lifted him up , adjusting him a little so his front legs went around her throat and she pretty much carried him like a small child. she stopped at the horses, cutting the straps on the saddles to sabotage them when they tried to go after her before she quickly left with the dragon infant.

Natalia carried the beast for several grueling long hours to a cave she had camped in before laying him down,coaxed him to eat some raw deer meat before she tended and bandaged his wounds. she was going to have a long trip to the mountains where she was sure the baby's clan was living. '' there see, bet that feels better. '' while the creature rested she took an hour to hitch a wagon to her horse , bedded it down with hay before placed the dragon in it. her carriage had a covering over it so no people would be able to see the creature in it..Once she had everything packed and ready to go , the dragon infant settled int he hay and sleeping soundly . she climbed up on her horse and began the long journey to the dragon den. .. She couldn't wait to see them again since the clan, who used a telepathic method to speak with the elves, where in a truce with her people. the humans though,they had a right to not trust them.

Than had vowed to make these humans pay. It was from a doe of his clan that they dared to take the baby from. To steal from a clan of BLACK dragons was to invite death itself. Black dragons were not known for their forgiving nature. Neither was Than. He ruled over his clan... his coven. He was a proper Dairyu... a Dragon Lord.
As the grey of dawn loomed on the horizon, he strode through the camp of these human poachers. In his human form, he was 6'5 and wore menacing black plate armor with sharp bladed spikes at the joints. He needed no sword... he had power and strength. A black cape draped behind him. His eyes were a coal black with a lack of mercy for these humans.
The scent of dragon was all around this camp. The scent of the baby... and... something else? He dismissed it for now. He stood in the middle of the poacher's camp. "Vermin," he muttered to himself. He noticed waterskins nearby and smirked. He took a waterskin and squeezed it onto the sleeping poacher... in their faces... a simple spell made the water damn near freezing.
"What the? shit!" said one of the men, rolling to his feet in his stupor and looking at Than. "Who the hell are you?!" another demanded... all 4 were on their feet.
Than looked at them all... his eyes pitch black... there were no whites in his eyes right now. "You dared to steal a hatchling from the folds of my coven. For that, there is no forgiveness or mercy for you worthless worms," he said with a cold dark hiss.
One suddenly pulled a knife and rushed at Than from behind. The dairyu heard him and sidestepped him with ease... as the man passed, Than grabbed him and tossed him at two of his companions like he was a ragdoll. Another one drew his sword and came in with a lunge. Than turned and blocked the puny human blade with his draconic armor, shattering the sword like a toothpick. He stared into the man's eyes. "You cannot harm me, human!" he hissed, grabbing the man by the throat in the blink of an eye. "Your reflexes are far too slow. You will not bring down a Dragon Lord with such feeble attempts!" he said.
Than could smell the human piss in the man's trousers. He crinkled his nose and threw him into his companions. A nice little heap of human flesh. Than then threw his hands up and summoned his magic... a negative energy with blackish purple tint... crackling from his fingers now and thrown at the men.... licking through them... to pieces... the men scream in agony... every synapse and nerve is firing at once... pain in places they never knew they had... until their systems overload and the men suffer cardiac arrest. A foul smelling smoke billow up from their scorched flesh and clothes... their corpses barely recognizable as humans before they fall apart into a mound of ash for the winds to scatter.
Than smiled, but only slightly. He looked around the camp... the baby was not here but he could smell it. Someone else had taken the baby away. Now he trailed that someone else. This scent, though, had him mildly curious. In his mind he was debating on learning the truth before destroying whoever it was that had a hatchling of his coven.
He now shifted to the form a giant wolf... larger than a bear. He could rip a bear apart. He took off at a run to follow the scent.
What took a typical humanoid creature hours to travel, took him less than hour. He found the cave and had smelled the horse. His nose smelled... herbs? Medicinal herbs. Outside the cave he found the marks of wheels... wagon wheels. A wagon in the mountains would be slow and the wheel ruts were fresh. The scent of the hatchling was strong... and so was that other scent. The trail the wagon would have to take wound through this mountain forest. He ran swiftly on another course to get ahead of it.
Than now stood back in his human form around a bend, waiting for the wagon. He knew it would have to come this way. In spite of the bright sunrise, and the sunlight filtering through the trees, the forest was remarkably silent. The birds did not chirp. Not even a snake could be heard scuffling through the brush.

Natalia hummed slightly while every now and then looking behind her to lift the tarp up to look upon the young dragon, smiling slightly when the dragon would sometimes look up at her and chirp or give a hiss of delight when then rising sun put its rays on him to give him warmth.. '' see now, your feeling better already love.. '' she couldn't help but talk to him during the ride, oh she knew how smart dragon baby's could be, rescuing this one had revived memories of her own clan that she thought she had long forgotten. letting the flap fall back into place she scanned the surrounding area one more time, their travelings having to go slow because of the snow that covered the ground as well as the many years of season's wearing this path down to a dangerous area. it was nature, and she respected it fully. Never once making the mistake of misunderstanding it.

She stated to hum again , nearly laughing when she could hear a slight hum or chirping sound nearly matching her own music coming from the wagon.. '' singing already little one? ,, music to my ears. '' she jerked slightly when she felt a nip, looking down to see the dragon head poking out, her pouch in its mouth where she kept the bits of raw meat in there.. '' oh you little devil.. hungry huh? well alright then'' she gently pulled the pouch from his mouth, dumping the meat into her hand and let him slowly eat it out of her palm. surprised by how he wasn't just trying to take her hand off, then again, this little one might be old enough to sense what and who she was.

when he finished his meal he settled back down , this time his head rested on the seat next to her. allowing her to gentle pet him here and there, it was obvious he was getting comfort from her while she knew some of his wounds still hurt. his wing had been badly injured, and she tried her best to fix it so it would heal right, she just hoped she did enough to do so. '' wonder what i am going to call you .. '' frowned, looking ahead once more on the trail. sighing as she saw it grew even more narrow up ahead where the mountains showed a closed off path, her horse could go through but not the wagon. '' well , here is where it gets a little tricky . '' looking down at him she pulled the horse to a stop. climbing down even while she slowly reached out for his mind with hers. trying to get a feel of what he was thinking, nearly laughing when she got an image of himself trying to chase a deer.. '' oh yes, your definitely a bit young,.. haven't even learned how to speak yet.. '' shaking her head she unhitched her horse, before doing a make shift seat to the saddle to allow the dragon to sit atop the horse without falling, she was good at making such useful devices like that, even with the materials she barely had. It took her nearly ten minutes to get the dragon fledgling settled in and strapped down safely with a blanket over him. his head the only thing visible.

Her horse oddly enough didn't mind the dragon on him.. attaching her other bags she sighed as she glanced at the young creature once more.. '' hmm i sure hope your clan will accept you back... would be a shame if they don't.. '' she knew how some dragons where.. most would not like their younglings be touched by humans, other wise they considered them tainted. but that was way back when she had been born, she knew dragon tradition's usually changed for either the better or worse. by the color of this hatchling she knew he was from the black dragon clan. which is where she was headed. a risky thing but if she brought the hatchling back maybe they would give her no trouble..

Taking the reigns of her horse again she carefully directed him on his footing. '' you know i sure hope your momma is not a mean one. but i doubt it.. that protective instinct runs in us all.. '' a small s mile spread on her lips as the dragon gave a few more chips, almost as if he was talking to her. to her it sounded like baby babbles. '' soon you might be with your other brothers and sisters.. hopefully. '' she stopped just halfway down the slope of the trail. her senses flared, goosebumps raising on her skin as she got the feeling she was being watched.. and judging by the power she was sensing , this one might be lord of the clan or just barely under that.. '' we have company .. '' going to stand next to the dragon now she gently laid her hand on his neck in a gentle pet. '' why don't you call out your little friend to join us huh?"

the dragons eyes looked at her for a moment, definitely showing a bit of intelligence right before he began to call out in that young chirping sound. all the while she scanned the area to see who would emerge. The dragon went silent after a few minutes, glancing around, before laying his head down. Natalia frowned, glanced around again, then sighed, she must be on edge or something, either that or instincts or failing her now. '' great.. .. now i feel old. '' grumbled, taking up the reigns again before marching on ahead.. '' listen up little cub.. you see anything you chirp.. '' she laughed at the little harumph sound the dragon gave her, almost as if he was a bit miffed as she was.. '' i hear ya .. '' shaking her head she sighed, slowly rounding the next bend in the trail before stopping instantly as she spotted the man farther up the trail. , squinting slightly against the sun light she took a moment to assess the man and what he was wearing, oh he definitely gave off the air of a lord, and from what she could tell he was definitely not human nor elf. she sensed another dragon. which told her right off the bat she should tread lightly if she wanted to get out without a fight.. .. '' this is interesting.. '' she mumbled, blinking when the horse jerked on the reigns. bringing her out of her thoughts.. '' alright alright.. '' slowly moving forward she kept her gaze trained on the man. not daring to take her eyes off him.

Than waited. His eyes now fell upon a female form leading a rather nervous horse carrying the baby. Even from where he was, his keen eyes noted the baby's injuries... and that they were tended. Sensible, he thought.
He said nothing as the female approached him slowly. Her caution was wise. He took in her scent now that she was so close. He smelled a doe... and his curiosity was stirring again.
He waited until she was close enough that he didn't have to shout before he spoke.
"Stop there, female. Where are you going with that hatchling?" he demanded.

she only came as close as she dared before her horse began to jerk its head again, ears going back and eyes going wide , side stepping constantly before she tugged firmly on the reigns, reaching up to run her palm over his soft muzzle to get him to slowly relax, well. as relaxed as a highly nervous horse could get when around a powerful creature. she managed to get him to settle down just enough so he wouldn't throw the hatchling off him and hurt him more.

Hearing his demanding ton, that and the fact he had the balls to call her female, rude yes, but she would let it slide. having to resist rolling her eyes when he asked where she was taking the dragon.. '' should be a bit obvious if you have a brain.. this is the way to the black territory.. '' she didn't move when she heard the hatchling shifting a little. giving another soft chirp before his muzzle bumped her back. Raising a single brow at the man she shifted from foot to foot.. ''taking him home , he cannot survive out here on his and even i am smart enough to know i can't give a baby dragon the full attention it needs.. that and my horse would be in danger of being ..... dragon kibble. ''

"Hold your tongue, doe! Your horse has more sense than you do to be afraid of me!" Than all but roared. "You address the Lord of the clan that hatchling was taken from!"
He caught the hatchling's movement and chirp. He could tell that the baby was warning the female. Hehe... even the baby's smart.
When her tone was a bit better, he eased.. slightly. "That's better, doe. Though, it isn't only your horse in danger of being 'dragon kibble'. Still... why didn't you fly the baby back to our clan? It's more dignified than making the baby ride a horse." he said.

she didn't take being yelled at lightly but had enough sense to not snap at the arrogant bastard.. glancing at the hatchling she gave a slight sigh ,reaching over to rub his cheek '' sorry love, '' mumbled, shifting a little as she looked to the lord of the clan again, looking highly surprised by his next few bits of words..currently because she had no idea why he was calling her a doe.. fly? boy does this one have a few marbles lose... elves can't fly.. Shifting a little she was trying her best to pick her words wisely.

'' i actually think he likes the horse ride.. he was singing earlier.. '' boy it was so damn hard to bite the snarky comments back. she really didn't want to become dragon kibble either.. just her luck that fate would want her as dragon poop. '' and please stop calling me female things.. i do have a name if you want it. ''

"Singing?" he asked. He then made a half chuckle. Well the hatchling was still young. It won't be too long before he's eating horses rather than riding them.
He shook his head. She should be flying... but perhaps this was her way of not wanting to be eaten by black dragons since their kind often fed on other dragons. So be it, though. "Well, doe, at the rate you and your horse are going, I'll have dulled scales before you get the hatchling home," he said tauntingly. He raised his arms and enveloped them except the horse in a black smoke... but there was no smell to it. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared away and revealed they were in the mountain valley of Than's clan. Inside a massive crater, it was riddle with the maws of dragon weyrs. Housing those he ruled. Than himself inabited the largest of them on the north side of the crater... sealed with great stone doors which now slowly opened for their master. Inside was like a palace. Smooth and crafted... though large enough for Than in his true form. It was riddled with passages and chambers. The fore chamber was like a throne room... even a raised dias and throne on a far wall for when he entertained smaller guests.
"Well, you are a female, you know," he quipped. This one had spirit. He kind of liked that. He felt a measure of gratitude towards her for returning the hatchling. So he decided that, for now, he'd let her live.
"So what, pray tell, is your name?" he then asked.

She couldn't help the squeak of surprise as he suddenly engulfed them, not sure exactly what was happening but all she knew was that her stomach suddenly lurched, all she knew was that one moment he was telling her his scales would have dulled and the next they where being transported. within seconds, atleast it felt like seconds, she was somewhere else, stumbling away from him and holding her head, confused as hell, her stomach lurching again and she barely managed to get away from him before getting sick, she was not used to that method of travel, though for some reason it felt... familiar .

She had to take a few minutes to regain her ground, no longer feeling dizzy, as well as waiting for her stomach to settle again before she felt something bump her leg, blinking she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth before looking down at the hatchling, arching a brow slightly before giving a small smile.. '' worried about little ol me now are ya? '' reaching down she gave him a pat before taking the time to truly look around. first noticing her horse was no longer there, next , the fact she could sense and see many dragons.. taking a deep breath to calm down she glanced at one of the stone doors that slowly slid open. Keeping herself calm she slowly turned towards Than again. rolling her eyes this time at his comment that she was female.. '' well of course.. either that or am a very pretty male.. '' shrugged before resisting the urge to pat herself down and say some smart ass remark like.. yea she don't have male bits.. .. instead she rubbed her thigh. '' its Natalia.. mind warning me next time you do that? would hate to throw up on you next time.. by accident of course. ''

He wanted to laugh at this doe for being so weak. A simple place shift made her barf? What the hell? He probably could find starfish with more stable stomachs.
As she was regaining hold of herself, he watched the baby. Curious about it's behavior towards her. Young and soft.
He ignored her snide comments this time.
"You have my gratitude for aiding the hatchling. The clan will nurse his injuries now," he said to her.
With that, a gargoyle swooped down and landed beside Than. It was Hektor, Than's servant. Than said to him,"see to it the hatchling is cared for and properly fed."
"Yes, my master," said the gargoyle. With a fleeting look at Natalia, the gargoyle ushered the baby to get the care it needed.
Than returned his attention to the doe.
"Natalia," he said quietly. "You are welcome as my guest to rest as you need. You probably should rest until your proper color returns. You will not be harmed here."

She didn't jump this time when the gargoyle swooped down suddenly , she was curious about the creature though, but the moment it started to usher the dragon away she started to give it a dark look, a sudden protective urge tried to take over before she forced herself to stay put, look away from the gargoyle so it would take care of the hatchling with out any problem. '' interesting little helper you got there.. ''

oh she got the feeling he was secretly laughing at her for getting sick, normally she was smack the person who did it, but since this one already threatened to eat her once she wasn't going to push her luck that much. '' wouldn't have lost my color if you..... err.. never mind.. '' mumbled, bitting her tongue this time before glancing at the door that had opened again'' alright... '' she was going to take his word on her not being harmed, he was the lord after all. moving forward, glad her legs where not shaky at all, infact she walked normally , firmly really as she headed into his den.. '' you have quite a home here. ''

"The gargoyles have their uses. Hektor's clan are our allies and serve as sentries, among other things. Don't worry about the hatchling. He is safe now."
Really, he'd done her a favor by bringing her directly here. She could be a little more grateful.
He led her into his palacial home. "Thank you, my dear," he said. He watched her from the corner of his eye. At least her stride was better. Her legs weren't jello.
He led her through a corridor to a smaller chamber though it could still house a dragon. "Rest for now, Natalia. We shall talk later," he said.

She followed him to the chamber, taking a quick glance around before looking over at him, '' alright, can't wait for that chat '' watching him leave she relaxed, reaching up to rub the back of her head , she had a killer headache, wondering what brought it on but just shook her head as she moved around, getting herself to relax more before sitting down on the bedding meant for dragons, though she didn't mind, it was comfortable to her, not one that really needed fancy bedding. pulling the pins from her hair she allowed the golden strands to fall out back into place, before pulling off her shoes , setting them neatly aside.

Once that was done she layed back, one arm behind her head as she slowly relaxed.. her mind going back to the little dragon who she secretly named Baby.. she had groan attached him and wondered how he was doing, even though she was assured the hatching was in good care now. she got a feeling the dragon had imprinted on her. sighing she shook her head before closing her eyes, relaxing even more. it didn't take long for her to fall into a deep sleep where once again that same dream she always had over and over again appeared. One of many green dragons and a certain large female one always stuck in her head. she was going to dream until Than comes to wake her up.

Than left her then to attend to other matters. Though, the scent of a fresh young doe in his halls filled his nose. He pondered the look she'd given him before when he asked her why she hadn't flown the baby in.
He cocked his head.... was it possible she did not know?
He let her rest for the day and assigned a servant to see that she was seen to. By mid afternoon, the servant comes to convey the Lord's invitation for her to join him for dinner.

Natalia was of course already awake by mid afternoon. she had just got down stretching and yawning when the servant had come in and informed her that she was invited to join the lord for dinner.. Not sure what to think of that and what the lord was planning,but decided not to be rude and sent the servant back to Than to let him know she would join him.

Shaking her head slightly as she yanked her shoes back on , that nap sure did do her good, she felt better then ever. But it wasn't long before her thoughts went to the baby dragon, she wondered if he was doing better. Getting up she got her boots to shift a little to feel a little better before she made her way out of the room, not wanting to make Than wait too long. she wouldn't want him to get more grumpy then he was already.

Taking her time to navigate the tunnels as well as following her nose before finding where Than was at.. she had a slight after thought of how she could smell him out but just put it aside to one of her own unique gifts. his back was to her, which was fine with her, gave her time to study him, look him over without being interrupted.. crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the cool stone doorway, she took her time to peruse him over. taking a few minutes before speaking she gave a slight grin'' i take it you don't get many visitors much because of your certain..... hmmmm unique personality. '' oh she was not insulting him in the least.. she actually kinda liked his bossy your the peasant personality, even for a dragon it was interesting. '' any chance i can see that baby again? or is that against some dragon law?"

Than had spend some of the afternoon pondering this dinner. Two dragons would simply hunt. They didn't need to cook.
He wanted to know more about this doe. He waited for her in a small chamber... a table with simple sliced fruits, cheeses, breads and such were against the wall. Something to munch on before the main course.
He heard her footfalls as she came in the room... he turned, smiling cordially.
"My visitors are usually of a different calibur, my dear," he said. He gestured to the the table and the platter of foods. "Come... enjoy what you wish. Dinner itself is not quite ready yet," he added. "If you wish to see young Larth, I suppose that could be arranged."

" larth? huh think i like baby better..'' blinked, going a little red as she caught herself verbally speaking her thoughts,shrugging she eyed the food curiously before going over to get what she wanted, '' hmm and what would dinner be if i can ask?" personally she stuck the fruits and cheese. keeping a healthy diet was her way of not getting fat in her line of work.

Wondering what he had in mind she studied him again before giving a slight grin'' well . i figured you had other elves visit you. . i mean after all some of the dragon clans do have an alliance.. unsteady ones.. but ones none the less with certain race's.. ''

Than really didn't care what she wanted to call the hatchling. It wasn't even up to him. The mother had named him. He didn't care.
He wouldn't answer her question about dinner.
"Other elves? You consider yourself an elf? Natalia, tell me about your past," he said. He turned then to look at her more directly. Her scent was so alluring to him.

Natalie couldn't help the slight frown now as she polished off the last bite of fruit she had been eating.. wondering why a dragon lord would even want to know about her past.. Her frown deepened a little as she remembered as much as she could. '' hmmm what else would i be? i definitely don't have shifting abilities. though i admit i am real good at seeing in the dark.. unusual for elves.. but hey . i figured it was just a perk.. '' thinking a moment, not really looking at him as her fingers lightly tapped her chin in thought.

'' my past... is very complicated i guess you could say.. some things i remember.. others.. are a bit hazy. i have been in countless wars.. several which i should have died in and yet lived.. .'' her head was beginning to hurt as she tried to pull up more memories. '' oddly enough i don't remember anything from my child hood. who would though? .. my past is not as simple as others.. i don't remember my parents . hell i don't even remember if they are alive or not. ''

So... she didn't know.
"No... you can't smell it in you, can you? You don't know what you truly are," he said and strode closer to her slowly... looking down at her.
"Those wars you mentioned. You had more strength than others? Your instincts were sharp? When wounded, you healed rapidly."

she tensed immediately when he strode towards her, her gaze going wary and on alert, only because she had no idea what he was going to do.'' smell what?" she had to admit her sense of smell was good, but he was definitely confusing her. ' what do you mean by who i truly am? .. ''

on his next questions of her abilities in the war she narrowed her eyes at him slightly .. ''more strength.. i think so... my instincts sharp. of course. .. and yes i did heal rapidly .. whats that got to do with anything?"

Than studied her. Hearing her answers. She was confused. She had no idea what she truly was.
"Natalia, I owe you a reward for aiding young Larth and bringing him home. So, in return... I will unlock the secrets that are hidden from you. I can sense it now. There is a hold on you. Something... almost like a chain. It keeps you from knowing yourself.
"Do you want to know the truth, Natalia? I can break that chain with my power. It may not be pleasant at first as my magic shatters another's... but it will free you. You will know your true self. You are NOT an elf!"

For a minute there Natalia almost believed what he was saying, but she was still highly skeptical. who wouldn't? she has only known her life as an elf. nothing more. other then strange dreams.. those dreams are most likely the thing that made her lean towards letting him have a try at whatever he says is chaining her.

the unpleasant part she really didn't mind. she has been through pain before. and can definitely handle a little unpleasantness. she kept silent for a few more minutes before slowly shrugging.. '' you can give it a try if you like.. but if nothing happens be prepared for me to tell you i told you so.''she glanced around slightly before looking back at him.. '' erm... don't think it would be safe to do anything in here.. considering you got plenty of things to break and if your .. powers back fire or something id on't want this room to get ... . well.. blasted. ''

Than watched her debate. His words must seem crazy to her. But he knew he was right. He chuckled about her concern for things that break in this room. He took her hand gently and lead her from the room. "The true concern is what will happen when your chains are shattered. Your true self will be begging to be unleashed and your true form will emerge. You will need the room... not I," he said.
He led her from his citadel to a large ledge overlooking the valley of his coven.... his clan.
He then turned to her. "There is plenty of room here. Prepare yourself, Natalia."

a little shocked that he took her hand and let her out but Natalia didn't mind, she was now getting more curious then anything.. though still looking at him as if he was nuts. she was skeptical about the whole thing but atleast she was going on with it. some little part of her was just telling her to listen, taking a deep breath she slowly released it. '' alright. if you say so.'' she made herself relax the moment they stepped out into the open. the cool air helped calm her completely before she turned to him. '' well think i am as prepared as i am going to ever be.''