When there is nothing but darkness that surrounds you. Be the light that illuminates the path before you.
One glance at the guards, better said the unmoving pile of meat and bones flanking them, gazing in the distance.
" Be that as it may," Corvin took a deep breath in to gather his thoughts. His choice of words could be the deciding factor on how she will proceed further," The past cannot be changed. I have made my fair share of mistakes throughout the ages. An excellent teaching tool if you ask me. You have to forgive yourself. You were thrown into the deep end and managed to swim your way to safety. Not an easy task when you don't know how to swim. Rather than counting your losses, count your winnings. It would help put things into a different light," He wasn't exactly sure how that would come across, but the way he saw it due to her actions, Gaerwen stood once more, free of monsters. The long drawn-out battle for survival had ended. It could have been much worse.
A deep breath and a shaky sigh was her only response as she watched the people in the quadrant waddle about, still very much drunk from the night before.
" Not an easy task. It is far from over," She sighed," Difficult to do so when you are the sole culprit for your losses," A rather grim perspective, along with a matching expression.
" It took my people ten generations to be ready, to fight off the shikari. Ten generations of training, of knowledge, passed down. You had a few moons to prepare, and what you achieved under those circumstances," He took a deep breath," Is quite admirable," A scoff and a mocking smile thrown at him told him that it was time to stop sermoning her and move along to a topic less dreary.
" We have much to explore we should keep going," She suggested as she pushed herself up from the wall, and dusted off her robe.
Corvin trailed after her as they moved past more stands, clusters of people enjoying themselves. They stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd. Both were pale, taller, and heavier built in comparison to the Orians.
Only the warrior caste were trimmed, sculpted and on the heavier side.
A yaerdif crawled on a rock with its slimy skin glistening in the scorching sun of Oros. Just like the drossa, their whitish eyes, made his skin crawl. His eyes fell on the eight small legs attached to its body as they moved in a cadent rhythm on the rock. Round-headed, flattened mouth and the teeth that interlaced on the rim of its mouth would follow him in his dreams. He peeled his eyes off it, to look elsewhere, only to find something worse to look at, he sighed.
" Isn't that naedrin?" Iris spotted the creature, as he did. Soaking up the sun on a leaf, sat a brightly coloured and very poisonous naedrin. Covered in brightly coloured thorns, on its hind legs the naedrin surveyed its surroundings with a bated breath. It flapped its membranous wings and drooled on the leaf it was laying on. The leaf disintegrated and wilted just from one drop of its saliva.
With small steps, Iris approached to have a better look. The naedrin stilled but its dark red eyes followed Iris's every move. It could spit its poison to defend itself. If she knew the name, he was that she was already aware of what the critter was capable of. Mawling the prey, or predator and then when it was down, it, as small as it was, the naedrin would feast on its victim while still alive. Vicious, cantankerous creature. Everything on Oros made his skin crawl and fascinated Iris. She merely observed the creature, still and barely breathing, one move and she would be its next victim.
" My lady," T'ereni finally spoke, and his deep gravelly voice made Iris take a deep breath, and slowly take a step back.
" We do not admire naedrin. We fear it," He carried on speaking, in a manner where he showed a certain wariness. They shared the land that lived on with the creatures. If she wouldn't listen to him, perhaps T'ereni could bend her ear.
" What you see," He curtly bowed when Iris turned to look at him, " Is merely a youngling," He finished his thoughts, dismal.
" How big are they?" Iris asked as she glanced over her shoulder at naedrin who was now perched on a branch. Still watching them. T'ereni pondered for a few moments and looked around the quadrant.
" See that boulder over there," He pointed to a rock in the corner, roughly about the size of a small child curled up on himself.
Corvin grimaced, shuddering. Squeamish. Sometimes, men are nothing but children on the inside. Scared little children.
" Perhaps we should find something less menacing, and preferably something that doesn't make my skin crawl," Corvin's inability to push away whatever was bothering him was grating her nerves.
" Fine," Iris smirked, " We will find something more suitable for your sensitive nature, " Iris giggled, turning on her heels, moving through a little arch, and passing into the next quadrant of the city. Centred with a fountain, the quadrant was as beautiful as the one they'd just left behind. Colourful silks, draped over the stands, taefitte gems, necklaces, bracelets, and circlets, made of different ores, spread on the tables for all the eyes to see, and admire. Excellent craftsmanship, he thought as he held one of the diorite-encrusted circlets. Hand engraved with a leafy pattern and small flowers. Intricately beautiful. She was a queen with no crown. So, he would buy one. Not a crown in the full sense of the word, he couldn't afford a real one.
While he exchanged his coins for the circlet, Iris moved from stand to stand admiring the jewellery, and the fabrics. They had nothing else to do. While she did that, he kept an eye to see if any more creatures were crawling in their vicinity. His hair stood on end only at the thought. Walking into Oros was dangerous enough without the deadly beasts in it.