"Raaawwr!" Yelled Keo as she jumped forward, hands slashing like claws at her siblings face. Kai smiled and shook her head while continuing on route. She didn't fear anything would attack them due to the previous blight. For some reason animals steered clear of this area, perhaps the ground was still tainted or the smell was still too strong for them but it was eerily silent in the wilds, so she welcomed her friends antics.

 

"Why are you so fascinated by dragons anyway?" She questioned, dark brown eyes narrowing at Keo suspiciously.

 

This question excited Keo as instead of pretending to fly around and roar at things, she pounced on Kai and koala'd onto her back, grinning widely. "Why aren't you? They're beautiful! Don't get me wrong I know they're incredibly dangerous but wouldn't it be amazing if one day we could be friends with them!? Think of the possibilities, Kai!"

 

By now Kai was use to certain things the mage did, this was one of them, so she gave her a piggy back and listened. She was use to Keo coming out with odd sounding things, this was the mage who had brought home a baby wolf pup after all. Talk of dragons was unsurprising but once the mage began speaking of how she wished she had a dragon or could be one she drew the line. "Sometimes I can't explain your mind, y'know that? For one a dragon would never be our friend, we'd only ever be their lunch. Not even that..Snacks. This is why you want to go to Asha'bellanar's hut, isn't it? You heard the legend of how she turned into a dragon in front of the Hero of Ferelden and figured you could do it too. Well you can't. I heard she isn't human any more. No one knows what she is and that form proved how dangerous she could get."

 

Keo seemed to deflate, she knew fine well her idea was unrealistic but she couldn't help hope for the day where dragons were their allies instead of foes. "Yet you keep taking us towards the hut." Was all Keo muttered. This caught Kai off guard, it was true that she hadn't turned around and dragged her sibling back. For all her talk the hut had still caught her interest and that was the one place the Keeper's of the clans had forbidden everyone to wander. So naturally it was where they headed.

 

Shaking her head Kai flashed Keo a smile, "Shut up." The two rounded the bend which lead to the hut when the foulest stench attacked their senses. Keo recoiled and used one sleeve to cover her nose, the other placed over Kai's nose. "Ugh! What the hell is that?" Kai asked with the sound of unease in her tone. Nothing was supposed to be at this hut especially what the odour belonged to, Keo was about to tell Kai it was a better idea to leave when an ear-piercing shriek surrounded them and she was thrown off her back. Pain shot through her shoulder as she tried to get up from the dirt, she clutched at it and clenched her jaw as she tried to reach for her staff in a panic, vision blurring. The pain from her shoulder and impact from the ground should have kept her out cold for at least five minutes but this scent sent fear racing through the small elf, it was the exact scent that still lingered at Ostagar. 

 

Kai lay a few meters away, the force had thrown her against a tree. She lay still for a few minutes before the reality of the situation snapped her eyes open, lifting her hand to her head she cringed and shakenly pushed herself to sit up. Her head was pounding which made it difficult to focus on anything else. Now wasn't the time to be dazed, pushing back every thought that was overwhelming her Kai used the tree to stand though she wished she had remained unconscious. Monsters festered where they once stood, Kai was lucky enough to be thrown into an area well hidden with brush. All around the hut were the monsters from the stories Merrill had told her as a child. "Darkspawn..." Kai mouthed, terrified. This was the first time something from the woods made her tremble, all she could do was watch as fear had rooted her to the spot. A warm liquid trickled down the side of her face when a sense of dizziness took over, removing her hand from her head she stared down at the blood which now stained her skin as she held onto the tree for balance. Whatever had knocked them back had unnerving strength. Keo! Kai's eyes widened as all fear of the darkspawn dissolved only to be replaced by something much worse; dread. Where had Keo gone. She gave the area a once over only to find no trace of the mage. "Keo!" Kai yelled as she made a dash towards the place she saw her last, striking down everything in her way the best she could.