Found at Last

The rain never ceases. It falls, and falls, and falls.

There's a cold wind to contend with also, one that brewed up the moment they left the city itself and followed them all the way to where Dolan had been forced to leave his allies behind. The small group consisting of Andelena, Auranar, and Dolan all paused briefly at the point where everyone was supposed to meet up. Just in case Halani or Verna had made their way back here but not further. But without evidence of either woman the group moved on. Heading slowly and stealthily as they might toward where the encampment had been.

The stealth bit was easier said than done for Auranar. She picked her way carefully through the mud but her boots aren't really made for roughing it in the wilderness. At least she's wearing pants today rather than a dress. If she had been, she'd have been freezing on top of everything else. The elvish woman keeps her dark eyes strained through the darkness trying to find some sign of Verna - or Halani. Yet tracking is not her strong point either. In truth from the moment that they set out from Alexandria she'd begun to feel a bit useless.

Somewhere early on in this trip, Dolan had conjured a light that now clings, golden like a candle despite the rain, to the pommel of the sword on his back. His steps are sure, for he is the one who knows where he's going, and with Andelena's help, he is no longer limping. He slows, though, as the night wears on, and becomes quieter, his jokes less frequent, eyes scanning the road that glints wetly by the light he'd called. He has to refresh it a couple of times, but is quick to do so.

When they approach the meet point, he holds up a hand, pulling it from under his cloak for the only time that was not to conjure the light, and pauses to search the area.

Andelena's wary as she walks with Dolan and Auranar, keeping quiet so as to not startle Auranar--in fact, she divides her attention pretty frequently between the wild elf and the search. But eventually, she looks over at Dolan and her mouth becomes a thinner line, lips pressed against each other in thought.

"I don't like this," she murmurs finally. "Don't like this one damn bit."

As the group approaches, a curious scent becomes noticeable. Sweet, with a hint of bite. Is that... pipe smoke? Why yes. Yes it is. And as they come into the clearing where the encampment once stood, the source becomes noticeable. A burly figure leaned up against one of the trees, blending in to the shadowy surroundings at first. "Well. I was startin' tae think ye weren't comin'." Dirk pushes off from the tree, reaching up to take the pipe from his mouth. He steps out from the shelter of his tree, upending his pipe to knock the ashes from it--there's no way it'll stay alight in this rain. "I've had nae luck trackin' 'em yet," he says. "But Gilead willin', that'll change."

Auranar hesitates as Dolan slows down, and downright startles at Dirk's appearance. Her hands fly up, ready to draw an arcane sigal in the air... but there's no need. It's a dwarf who seems to know Dolan and she remembers one from Dolan's story earlier. Thus she presumes this to be the one. She lowers her hands carefully and looks around. "No one else has returned?" Her voice is muted so that it doesn't carry very far. At least she's learned a few things about woodscraft.

As if on cue, Dolan shakes his head at Auranar when she raises a hand. "That's Dirk," he identifies the dwarf to her quietly. "Sorry we're late, had to get the leg seen to," he greets, but falls silent to listen. "Been back to the camp yet?" he asks quietly. "This is Auranar, Verna's lady," he nods to the dark-haired one, "and this is Andie, my lady." A nod to the tall redhead next to him.

"Nice to meet you, Dirk," Andelena replies with a little smirk. "I'm Dolan's backup and partner. But, we've got bigger fish to fry than yammering off names."

She folds her arms across the steel of her armor. "Have you found any trace of them yet while you were waiting on us? Or decided to let us figure it out?"

Andelena puts a reassuring hand on Dolan's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Not time to hit the hay yet. Keep going.

Dirk tucks his pipe into his hipsatchel, offering Auranar and Andalena a tip of his tricorne. "Great tae meet ye," he says. "An' no, I've not found any traces of 'em. I was waitin' fer you lot tae show up." He nods towards the woods. "I'm nae about tae try an' take those furry bastards on by meself. I'm a fool, nae an idiot."

"May as well check out this campsite before we start walking through the wilderness." Offers Auranar a bit irritably. It's the worry. She clasps her hands together and looks at the two men a bit expectantly. Well. It's not like _she_ knows the way.

Dolan looks over and a little bit up at Andelena at the squeeze on his shoulder, the corner of his lips quirking halfway, but he appears to accept the gesture, instead turning back towards the others, and the road ahead. "The werewolves may still be awake," he warns. "Hopefully they're asleep, but we'd better find out. It's this way." He nods to the road ahead, but appears content to let Dirk lead.

Andelena nods to Dolan's words, letting her hand fall from his shoulder. "Let's get a move on, then. You a tracker, Dirk?" she asks, already walking in the direction that Dolan indicated, although she's walking at a steady pace enough for Dirk to take the lead of the pack. "If you are, stick up front and I'll be right behind you."

Dirk takes ahold of his thunderbelcher and lumbers out in front of the tallfolk. His gaze drops to the ground, scanning hither and yon as he looks for signs of their quarry.

The camp... is gone. Not traceless. Signs of the previous night's occupancy remain. Trampled ground. The remains of the fire.

Signs of battle.

What does remain is Halani, laying motionless on the muddy ground, unsheltered from the rain. From a distance she looks unharmed, though it's hard to tell if she's even breathing laying prone as she is. Her head is turned at least.. either by fortune, or because someone didn't want her drowning in the muck.

Initially spotting Halani, all Auranar sees is someone lying in the mud. Without thinking she rushes in. It's only belatedly that she realizes what a terrible idea this is since she doesn't actually recognize the person that she's rushing toward. She slows and approaches the rest of the way more cautiously, looking the woman over for obvious injuries and for signs that she's alive.

GAME: Auranar rolls heal: (10)+6: 16
GAME: Dolan rolls heal: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Andelena rolls Heal: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

"Auranar, wait!" Dolan speeds up, taking off at a run after her and ending up dropping to a knee in the muck next to Halani, examining her closely. "Not even hurt. Hey. You okay?" He reaches out and gives Halani's shoulder a good shake.

"Shit," Andelena murmurs as Dolan takes off. The Sunguard never skips leg day, but she wasn't quite expecting for it to come in the form of slogging through the rain and mud after her partner. She catches her breath once she's at Dolan's side, momentarily too distracted to provide much of an assessment of Halani's condition.

"Unconscious?" she asks, although it almost comes out like a statement as Andelena gathers her breathing.

Dirk trundles forward, boots squelching and schlorping noisily in the mud. When he spies Halani, however, his eyes get wide. And they get wider still when Auranar goes running past him. "Gah! -Wait-!" he cries. He trundles forward as fast as his stumpy legs can carry him. But not to render aid--he has his rifle up to his shoulder, trained on Halani's head. "Dinnae -touch- 'er! She might've been bit!" he growls.

Halani groans after another shake.. snorts.. then coughs, spitting mud out of her mouth as she tries first to push herself up, then to just roll. Even up close, she still looks uninjured though her robes do show some signs of the savage fight. Anywhere the cloth is slashed, however, there's no obvious sign of wounds.

"Oyaa..." she groans again, after another cough. "My head." Her hands reaches up to claw some of the mud off of her face, away from her eyes, and she opens them up, trying to focus. "You catch the colour of the horse that run over me?" she asks, then sighs, giving up on sitting up for now. "Oh.. heya, Dolan. Dirk. Good morning to you too, yeah? S'at you, mourner?" Her brow furrows at Auranar.. then creases even deeper when she sees Andelena. "That sir prissy pants' girlfriend?"

Admittedly, Auranar looks a bit guilty for running ahead, but she can't let the feeling last. This woman isn't Verna which means that Verna... is still out there. She looks out across the space, feeling a sick feeling in her stomach even as Dirk trundles up to them. He draws a weapon and she quickly shoves her way between Halani and the man, her brow practically vibrating with fury. "She can be cured! We're not here to kill Halani and Verna." She says the unfamiliar name a bit haltingly, but she manages. She doesn't add a threat to that, but there's one in her dark eyes promising retribution for any harm done.

"You don't look like that's a horse that ran over you," Dolan stares at her carefully, ignoring the byplay going on above his head. "The girl's safe, we got her. You remember what happened to you?" He reaches out to support Halani, get her to sit up, ignoring the increasing cake of mud on his own arms and legs. At the rate it's raining, it'll wash off quickly enough.

"Sir Prissy Pants?" Andelena can't help but /grin/ at that, looking over at Dolan for a moment before she looks back at Halani. This, at least, has made the tall redhead's night. "If that's what you call him, sure. I'm Sir Prissy Pants' girlfriend, the future Lady Prissy Pants--aahhh, I'm just fuckin' with you. Name's Andelena, and yeah, I'm Dolan's lady. I'm a Sunguard, and I'm here to make sure you and Aura's lady get back home safe and sound."

She looks at Dirk with a look of concern as Auranar's got her weapon drawn. At least Dolan's helping her up. "Okay, well... Let's ask the lady. Nobody's killing anyone.--Hey, Halani. Did a big hairy fucker take a bite out of you?"

From the more dense trees and undergrowth beyond the remains of the encampment, a branch snaps, shortly followed by another, both loud even against the din of the rain. A moment passes and something scrapes upon a stone, sounding nearer the clearing that once held the camp. After a further beat or two comes a brief, low rumbling that could be a growl.

Dirk turns his narrowed eyes on Auranar. "Get out o' the way! Are ye -daft-?!" he growls. "This thunderbelcher's -loaded-!" His grip tightens on the rifle, flicking his gaze between Auranar and Halani. "I've nae want tae be killin' -anyone-, but if she -has- been bit then she's a danger tae all of us! Now -get back-, lassie!"

"Whoah, whoah.. hold it.." Too much, it seems, for Halani just now. Even as she's helped sitting by Dolan she starts rubbing at her head... then, once her back is straight she closes her eyes and exhales. It only takes a moment before she starts prodding herself in various places.. then, ultimately shakes her head. "Not bit," she says confidently. When she opens her eyes, they don't look bleary anymore, though she still looks like she's struggling to place what she's been told so far into a context that fits in her head. Then her eyes widen when she sees Dirk's gun trained on her. Her eyes cross a little bit as she stares at the barrel.

GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (3)+9: 12
GAME: Auranar rolls perception: (11)+5: 16
GAME: Andelena rolls Perception: (9)+7: 16

Auranar hears the sound in the woods - barely - over the sound of Dirk yelling. "I'm not! I'm not moving until you put that weapon down." Her eyes flicker toward the woods and she slides slightly that way. Just in case. But she stays mostly between Dirk and Halani. "She says she wasn't bit. So. Put. It. Down." She puts her hands up for good measure. She's not armed, but her hands are dangerous weapons when she puts her mind to it. He doesn't need to know that.

"Whatever, Dirk. I'm taking her back to Eluna's temple no matter what, because her clothes say she got beat to shit, but there's no sign of it." Dolan gets to his feet with an effort, seemingly unaware of the presence at the side of the clearing, and starts to dig in his pack. "We need to go find Verna."

Andelena goes from her usual warm bravado to deadly serious almost instantly, her steel-grey gaze narrowing as she looks in the direction of the sound from the woods. "Dirk, there's /something/ out in the woods, and I suggest you point that boomstick of yours probably out in that direction if it wants to kill us /and/ it's not Aura's girl," the Sunguard says. She's not terribly diplomatic but she does state the facts. "Halani says she didn't get bit, and I'm pretty damn sure you'd remember getting bit by a hairy sonuvabitch."

Dirk can only stare at the tallfolk all turning against him. "Beards o' me sweet tapdancin' -fathers-, are -all- you tallfolk completely crackers?!" he finally explodes. He takes a wary step back, lowering his rifle. "I'm thinkin' she barely even remembers her own bloody -name- right now." He turns his gaze out towards the gloom of the woods, letting his eyes adjust into darkvision as he scans around for the source of that growling. The growling that -isn't- coming from him, because the burly old dwarf's temper is on a hair trigger right about now.

Halani sags substantially as Dirk lowers his rifle, then scrambles to her feet as well. She doesn't make any sudden moves towards the dwarf as she does so, instead trying to claw some of the mud from her legs. Trying not to think to much about bullets and foreheads, she glances at Dolan. "So... that's not the girlfriend, but she's your girlfriend? And she calls you Sir Prissy Pants." A pause, then in a whisper she adds, "Awkward." Finally, she gets to trying to see what the others are looking for. "So.. anyone feel like tellin me why they left me sleeping in the rain to go off and do the rescue without me? And.. somehow.. lose the mourner?"

Crack. Growl. Scrape. Drag. Whatever moves is either large or not especially inconspicuous, nor does it move especially quickly. Dirk and Auranar are able to discern a moving shape in the growth, as well as a splash of white upon gray and black. It is the contrast that makes the motion more apparent.

Auranar narrows her eyes at Dirk, but his insults mean nothing now that his weapon is thankfully lowered. For the moment. She suspects it'll pick right back up if something even sneezes at the man. She glances at Halani, but the woman's questions are more for the others than they are for her. Anything she might say would only serve to antagonize in any case. She spies something moving in the woods that she's been eyeing and moves again between it and Dirk. This time putting her back to the dwarf. Trusting him not to shoot her from behind. "Verna?"

"You called me that," Dolan points out, grinning at Halani as she teases him too. "She's just roughing me up, because she can." No, the girl and the noble are safe, and he paid us. I've got your share waiting at the Guild." Abruptly, his gaze snaps over to the movement in the brush. "Uh-oh," he mutters.

Dirk harrumphs, muttering angrily under his breath. Here he is trying to -help- everyone, and they're bound and determined to throw themselves into the fangs of danger! Is it any wonder he lives alone out in the woods? But then, there's that cracking and growling. He squints into the gloom, catching sight of that shape moving in the shadows. Up comes his rifle, trained and ready to fire. "Verna? That you, lassie?" he growls, his thumb hovering over the hammer.

"Yeah, I give him a lot of shit," Andelena says, rather offhandedly, but her eyes are on the prize as she catches the movement. She doesn't join in the bellowing for Verna but keeps alert, hand going to the hilt of the longsword strapped to her back--but not pulling it off. Not yet.

She looks over at Dolan and nods, a silent signal: /get ready./

Halani grimaces, lifting a hand to rub her head again, vigorously massaging her temple with two fingers. Something's just... not connecting. But she has to abandon figuring it out, for now. She definitely heard it /that/ time, and the sound is all too familiar. Her eyes snap wide as the nightmare returns to her, and she shakes her head roughly. "That's the mourner?" Her fingers curl into fists, and she takes a few steps forward, trying to pierce the shadows of the forest growth with her only human eyes. "I think it's a wolf."

A moment later the approaching thing emerges, revealing itself to be...

Too short to be a trooper in the storm, much less a slavering beast. Verna's hood is doffed; her short, snowy hair spiked from the wet rather than flattened. The circlet oft upon her brow is absent, currently sitting in the cup of her hood. Her cloak and robes are muddied, scattered with vegetative detritus, and thoroughly sodden. Their normal volume is now collapsed and dragging, granting her the semblance of a doused dog.

There is another growl, though it does not emit from her lips. Instead, a few feet lower. Someone may have become rather spoiled by culinary delights as of late, of which she has not partaken for well over a day. Her lips are moving, however, as she mutters to herself.

"...east... yes ... east..." If such is her planned course, she may be unaware that she is facing north. She makes several slow, sodden steps before seeming to notice the others. Her head turns and she blinks twice, slowly; lashes batting away rain as eyes and/or mind attempt to focus.

"VERNA!" The cry of worry and joy is Auranar. She springs from her place in front of Dirk and rushes forward. Any shot he might have had is ruined by her sprinting forward until she remembers again the warnings. Her eyes roam the other woman for some sign of injury, but aside from her sodden, downtrodden state... She slides to a stop only five feet away from Verna, her eyes brimming with joyous tears. "Oh Eluna, I was so worried about you!"

GAME: Verna rolls will+2: (12)+24+2: 38

Dolan casts a quick flash of a grin at Andelena, but it vanishes again almost instantly, and he, too, reaches towards the lit pommel of the giant blade on his back, only to let go again. "Shit. Is she okay?"

GAME: Andelena rolls Heal: (5)+7: 12

There's a moment of relief on Andelena's face, too, as Auranar identifies Verna. "Let me go forward to assess her, medically speaking," she says, walking ahead--although certainly not ahead of Auranar. She can't assess Verna's condition accurately from her distance, however. Sentimentality for a reunion occasionally overrides the Sunguard's protocols--let it never be said that Andelena is bereft of a sappy bone in her body.

Dirk keeps his rifle at the ready, his knuckles white around the stock and the slide. His whiskers quivering as his face turns beet red. "A plague o' bloody -werewolves- roamin' 'round the countryside, but noooo, let's go greet our friends who've been in the thick of 'em wi' open sodding arms!" he mutters. It's clear the old snowbeard is -deathly- afraid, and the anger is a mask to hide the terror sending him into a fight-or-flight response. "Dana's -teats- lass, be -careful-!" he calls to Andelena in a strangled tone.

Halani's sudden tenseness flees as the identity of the figure is revealed to be none other than the mourner. It's almost enough to forget the gun that had been pointed at her. And maybe now she can get some answers! After watching Auranar take off with Andelena following, though... those answers might have to come later. "Heyhey, Dirk... it's okay, yeah? Look! The mourner's alright. Just.. tired. And hungry. Looks a bit confused. Wet. Probably sore."

Verna blinks again and refocuses on the now much nearer woman. "Aura? Is that you?" She appears somewhat incredulous, though the fact that she also appears exhausted in addition to soaked and presumably cold may be to blame. Her stomach offers a loud gurgle of assent. Make that two. In its defense, it does most thoroughly associate Auranar with the most wondrous food. She takes a step or two towards Auranar, then pauses. "Are you real? Is this a dream?"

Auranar, deeming it safe allows her concern to overcome everything so that she can take Verna's hands in hers. "I'm here. I'm here. You're okay and we're here to take you home." She can hardly believe that Verna is still standing, that she's _okay_. "Come on. You'll want to get out of those cold, wet clothes." She tugs Verna in the direction of home, offering herself as a means to continue forward.

"Andelena! Can you give me a hand with her? She seems disoriented." Auranar nods her head toward Verna, helpfully trying to help her stay upright so that the other woman can aid her in helping Verna out of here.

Andelena nods, rushing forward. The taller and strong woman is more than happy to help, clearly more than used to carrying helping those who are in conditions similar to Verna's. "Alright, let's go--let's get you all patched up and back home," Andelena says, smiling with this development. Sometimes, you do get a win. Sometimes, you do find the lost and they're fine--well, will be fine.

-End