Ah, nature's blessing.

It grew low, hidden in the shadows of a mighty pine, with purple tinged leaves and a bitter scent. It was a prized coagulant that fetched a pretty price with any healer or herbalist for one simple reason - It grew only in Endapano. And anyone but an elven ranger would have to be mad to try and harvest it under the watchful eyes of the city, or at least before the invasion came.

He dressed as ranger's are wont to do - hard wearing boots and trousers of brown leather, a green tunic held together mostly by leather straps carrying various bandoleers and pouches, once of which he'd nearly filled with the precious plant. The look was finished with a traditional green cloak, threadbare and cheap, the hood obscuring part of his face out of habit. What could be seen was cleanshaven with strong cheekbones, although whether he was ill or if it was a trick of the surrounding green foliage, his skin seemed to have a greenish cast. Moving to the next tree, he did so with the grace of a lifetime spent amongst the wilderness, his twinkling blue eye and his feral green sweeping side to side, hunting for danger. At a distance to the unobservant, he might pass for elven briefly. Ninety percent of residents would just be happy since he wasn't an insect however he'd heard of some elves living feral, attacking anyone not of 100% eleven blood. They'd probably notice his elven features, but they would be more likely to realise that eight foot tall was slightly above the average height.

His next stroke of luck arrived soon - harpy's feather, an excellent cure for fever in trained hands but poisonous in the wrong doses, growing by a small spring. He approached cautiously however for something making his neck itch, like he was being watched. He stayed hunched down, hoping to minimise his height, humming softly a few bars of an elven hymn he'd learnt from his mother. There was someone definitely in front of him, watching his movements, which was a convenient excuse for not spotting it earlier.

One of the insects plaguing the land burst from the foliage behind him, chittering death that could strike down even deities. Largos responded as any ranger would, whipping himself around, hood flying loose, rising to his full height with bow in hand and the other dragging an arrow from his quiver. The elves of this land might have gracefully draw their bow until it bless their cheek, fingers clasping enchanted wood laced with filigree of precious metals, loosing a sliver of wood tipped in mithril to pierce the creature's eye or some weak spot. Largos however placed onto the string a projectile that begun it's life as a halfling's spear, his hefty bow creaking in protest to the phenomenal draw weight that his knotted arms pulled back on, letting the cord strike beneath his cold, emerald eye then loosing it straight into central mass of the insect. The crack of impact echoed throughout the trees as it's chitin caved, the creature hurled backwards from where it had appeared.

As it's chitter fell silent, it was taken up by another, and another until the forest itself seemed to vibrate with it. It wasn't a lone creature like he hoped, it was a full pack. He looked up at the sky, gauging his location, before glaring into the underbrush where he could have sworn he was being watched from before.

"There's an outpost a mile east of here. We need to go, fast." he barked, hoping the imminent threat was enough for his unseen observer to ignore what they could now see without his hood raised - his ferocious green eye and the entire right side of his face, brutally twisting away from his elven features like scar tissue, gnarled into a semblance of his father's features, the ogre patriarch that blessed him with his prodigious constitution and his eternal position as an outsider.

Arayna felt the texture of the ground change beneath her as she focused on the spell. Opening her eye in surprise she found herself in a serene forest, brimming with varying forms of life. “It worked,” she said to no one in particular, looking at the scroll in hand. Upon hearing of the spell Arayna had been overcome with the desire to learn it. It had been a painstaking process. Having first needed to find the spell, transcribe it and then practicing in hopes of mastering the ability to travel over a great distance with magic. ‘With this, I will never be trapped in a jar again’ she thought happily. A tension she had not known she was carrying washing out of her. Leaving her feeling more relaxed that she could ever remember.

Overjoyed she fluttered upwards, trying to take in the sights she had once only dreamed about. The fairy stretched as she took in her surroundings, trying to work out the soreness from the strain of that long carried tension. The forest really did look like something from her dreams, nature allowed to grow as it pleased unaltered or untended by man or seemingly altered by magic. Movement caught her eyes as a hooded figure began entering the area where she was. Startled she darted down, grabbing her things and taking refuge in a nearby bush. Arayna watched from the bushes as the figure, seemingly that of a man, walked through the woods with a fluid grace Arayna had not known big people to be capable of. This grace, coupled with her being lost in her own thoughts, explained why she had not heard his approach.

Overcome with curiosity she watched the figure move through the woods, trying to take in details of his being and actions. She noted that man seemed to favor natural hues and clothing, much like her own wardrobe. She had chosen hers based off of human trends she had witnessed, though felt strongly that the figure was not human, though unable figure out exactly why. “I wonder what those are and what they are used for’ she wondered as she saw the figure stop to collect different things and place them into a bag. The man seemed very familiar with walking in the woods and collecting its bounty. The man’s comfort and practiced movements relaxed the fairy to his presence. He seemed as if he belonged in the woods and with nature itself.

Only the fear of the man gathering things stopped Arayna from going out, she did not want to be collected. Earlier resolve of never being able to be trapped again faltering as she realized that though it was the forest like that of her dreams, she had no actual idea where she was and where what passed as ‘home” for her was. Her skin prickled drawling her from her thoughts, feeling almost as if something was watching her. The fairy gazed out the bush and to her surprise, the figure seemed to be peering at the bush, almost as if he knew the fey to be there. Unease sat with the fairy as she debated her next move, how weird would it be to go introduce herself… could she stay out of his grasp and be able to flee in case he did decide she should be collected.

A melody was caught by her pointed ear, and the fey again felt her curiosity peaked. The man was singing, the tenure of her voice confirming her suspicions the being was male. Deciding it would be worth the risk to speak to the strange being she steeled her nerves preparing herself to depart from her seemingly not so hidden hiding place. However, a bizarre chitter made the fairy freeze in place. Listening to the new noise she felt as if her heart stopped, something was wrong with the sound. It seemed to emanate from a being that for some reason was crazed, singularly focused on attacking and destroying things nearby. It was unlike any animal noise she had heard before, sending shutters down her spine and making her break out in a cold sweat.

The fairy gasped as a giant bug came from behind the figure, joining the hooded man and herself in the clearing. The bug was giant, and not in the normal ‘everything is giant when your 6” tall.’ The fairies mind raced, trying to figure out if there was something she could do to help the man. The insect seemed frenzied, and its focus was on the man. The fairy watched helplessly from the bush, as the bug advanced on the man. She watched the bugs advance in terror, soaking in the details as the man drew a bow that also seemed larger than normal and slew the bug. This too was done with a practiced grace, cementing the fairies idea that the man was a part of the forest.

After disposing of the bug there was a brief moment of silence, in which the fairy had to bite her tongue to keep from releasing a cheer. She drew blood as she bit her tongue to the point of pain when the silence was interrupted by a chorus of more crazed chittering. It was more of those things! The man had seemingly taken down one with ease, but how many were there and would he be able to face a swarm? Dread sunk through her as it dawned on her that she would have no way to deal with the creatures should they find her in the bush. Now finding herself worried about both her own and the figures safety she desperately wracked her brain trying to figure out what to do.

Almost as if answering her unspoken question she heard the figure speak offering the answer. Arayna was not sure what a watchpost was and blinking confusedly at the canopy above her what direction was east? Deciding that being bottled would be better than eaten, she fluttered from the bush approaching the figure with hands open and visible, her large green sleeves sliding down her arms revealing the cream undershirt. She stopped where she felt the man could easily see her, attempting to meet his mismatched eyes with her own blue ones. She tried to will that he understand she meant no harm and was quite sure would not be able to harm him even if she had wanted to.

She found herself unsure of what to say, she clearly would be better off with the man who knew of safety and was capable of slaying a bug. The stranger had been kind enough to tell her to leave despite her hiding from him, what motivated him to offer help? Had it just been a fair warning and he would flee leaving her on her own? “Ah hello…. Sorry about.. Spying,” she stated wincing upon realizing that is what she had been doing. “I… was curious… but scared,” she added trying to defend her actions, probably more for herself than the stranger.

“Thank you I would like to flee to this ‘watchtower,” she added. Taking a deep breath she steeling herself “Um. Could I.. uh… sit on you shoulder to get away?” She asked sheepishly, fighting a desire to crawl back into the bush and dig a hole for herself. “I… am not very good at flying and do not think I could outrun the bugs or keep up with your stride” she rushedly, confiding the reasons her request, feeling as if he at least deserved that. How rude she was, first spying on the man and now asking for a ride. Maybe she should worry more about learning social etiquette, instead of trying to learn new spells that dropped her into confusing and dangerous situations. She began to fidget with one of her blonde twin braids as she waited for an answer, her thoughts clouding. Assuming the worst was going to happen as the chittering grew closer.

His nerves were on edge, as he peered into the overgrowth trying to pick out where the lurker was, his fingers inching to wretch another arrow onto the string. Imminent death called in the distance but first he needed to find what waited ahead of him. His imagination ran rampant, that the shadows held an arrow aimed at his throat, that they were delaying and drawing a sword, and elven hunter, a city guard, a…

Six inch fairy.

Huh.

Was not expecting that.

He should have calmed, but instead his pulse skyrocketed. To be back in elven forests, danger behind him with a (much smaller) blonde brought up memories he'd rather have kept buried. He couldn't go through something like that again, he wouldn't. But now wasn't the time, he needed to get moving.  "Jump aboard little sister, we need to get moving, and I wouldn't like your chances against those things. I - ACHOOO! sorry, I'll get you to safet-ACHOO!"

Largos' eyes were watering slightly as he reaching into a pouch of mixed herbs he kept for such occasion, his malformed face distorting in a horrifying fashion as he fought against another sneeze. He crushed the herbs between his fingers, leaving them coated in a oil that smelt mostly of eucalyptus and menthol that he rubbed onto his nostrils, trusting it to block out anything else that might trigger more sneezing. " Or maybe you could, if your conjuration is as powerful as that teleportation spell. Don't worry about me and cast away little sister, this should stop my magic allergies for half an hour. Who taught you the craft?"

He'd stood around for too long. As soon as she settled, he started to amble, his long stride and powerful legs propelling him forward in a purposeful gait. Where before his movement might have held the cautious grace of a feline,  now it better mimicked a wolf, a trot that ate up the distance whilst conserving enough energy for the end of a hunt. Even though the shrill sounds of the insects were growing closer, he knew a flat out sprint would allow him to die tired. He knew his companion would be having fun though, for at fourteen, when he had been just under six foot, he'd been allowed to canter on a draft horse for an hour until the village elders heard and put a stop to it. it was one of the fondest memories he had growing up. he glanced to see the blonde braids bouncing on his shoulder.

He ran flat out, the world a blur, speeding towards the human building he'd heard rumours of. Every time his feet hammered the floor it sent a jolt of agony through him as the spear piercing his shoulder and the nine arrows quivered in his flesh like twisted knives. But he didn't dare stop for even a second to pull them out, for his left arm was curled around his true agony, and compared to that the arrows were inconsequential. There it was, the human building, with a red cross hanging from the side. He didn't have any time to spare, so he hurled himself forward, past the two guards, taking a sword cut with his right arm for his troubles, to a human male wearing all white by an empty bed. the doctor looked scared, confused, so Largos shifted his left arm to reveal the cause of the greatest pain he'd ever felt.
The girl. Cradled in his arm, a lone arrow piercing her chest. "Heal her!" he'd screamed, he'd sobbed, not understanding death had already come. He'd wept for hours, numb, begging for fate to re deal the hands that had been dealt. Eventually they'd given up trying to persuade him to leave her, and just removed the arrows and spear whilst he knelt by her bed, numb.

He shook his head to clear away the memories. Wait, no he didn't. Everything was shaking, the leaves and branches rattling and shaking loose, a deep painful creak echoing from several trunks around them as the earthquake showed them their considerable mass was nothing compared to Mother Nature. He kept his footing somehow as the tremor passed and the shower of loose leaves cascaded around them. "That wasn't so bad-" he intoned as the second tremor struck, easily twice as strong as the previous, and he was hurled from his footing to slam into a tree. He could feel the vibrations in the roots of his teeth and deep within his bones, and he could do little but brace and hope for the best as several trees proved to have weaker roots than his teeth and were shaken loose, the previous creaks nothing compared to the crushing pressure wave the erupted as they crashed to the ground. As it once more subsided, he checked his shoulder, looking to make sure little sister had managed to hang on through it all and was ready to go now that the worst had passed-

The explosion illuminated the forest for a split second, followed by a wave of heat they could feel even at this distance. As the dust settled, Largos erupted with yet another mighty sneeze, and he rubbed his nose in worry. The tincture was still on his nose, which meant the explosion had so much magical power it had triggered his allergies at this distance through it, and it seemed to have originated from the Outpost. Largos held his breath, not daring to even think it was over, fearing fate would find a way to make the situation even worse. "We need to get to the outpost. Fast. Are you still okay little sister?" he muttered.

Arayna made her way towards the man, relieved he was agreeable to further aid her. She was however perplexed by the man, who seemed to be growing more enigmatic by the moment.
’Little sister? Arayna wondered as she approached the man’s shoulder. So a man goes into the forest to forage, as he often does, but this time a fairy sits in a bush spying on him as he gets attacked by a giant bug and then when the fairy presents themselves uses familial terms. It mystified the fairy. She wondered if it was just a form of address, not having the significant meaning she assigned it. Mentally she added learning basics of different cultures to her ever-growing list of thing to do, she might have to start writing this stuff down.

Arayan was just about to perch on his shoulder when the seized violently. Confused she backed up and to get a better look, almost getting blown away in the process as the man let out another sneeze. Watching with interest as the man drew out some herbs and applied a remedy to his nose, idly wondering if they were of the same variety she’d watched him collect before. Her thoughts picked up the pace at the man’s next statement. He was allergic to magic? How was that possible. Her confusion grew at the inquiry about her own knowledge of magic. Though she was just now in the process of learning to control her magic, it had always been there, seemingly a part of her very being. How could she answer the man’s question, she had both always had access to her craft but was yet to refine it.

She found herself having to focus on staying on his shoulder, unable to craft a reply. After adapting to the motion the ride was rather enjoyable, despite the circumstances. It was quite pleasant to move at a speed she was incapable of, especially in the opposite direction of the awful chittering. She could not keep herself from grinning as she enjoyed the ride, for some reason feeling certain they would get away. With this she allowed herself to sink back into her thoughts, trying to a find an answer to the previous question.

She had to ponder the man’s existence. In many ways, his existence seemed to antithesis to her own. He was larger than most big fold while she was small, their genders were different, he moved and acted with a purpose she could only envy and he was allergic to magic where she would easily believe she was born of it. So many differences yet he had greeted her as sister. The fairy contemplating trying to “cure” the magical allergies, but was unsure if that would reduce or exacerbate the condition. Due to the fact that him being able to run away from the chittering was what kept them both alive, she decided to add that too to the list of things to figure out at a later date.

The world began shaking, instinctually she launched herself away from the shaking terrain. She quickly fell back down onto it, disoriented and slightly nauseous, as the shaking seemed to continue even when in the air. For a second her heart thumped as her thoughts turned to memories of being stuck in a bottle in the hands of a child, or malicious adult, as they gleefully shook her prison to see her reaction. At least she was not alone, she buried her face in the fabric of the man's cloak, hoping to ride out the memories and whatever was happening. When it stopped she lifted her head from the fabric, glad the world had returned to how she knew it, trying to steady her nerves and shoo away the ghosts from her past

Briefly, the fairy contemplated the man’s mental state as he tried to announce it hadn’t been that bad, but he was not able to finish the statement when a new tremor began, proving his point. The fairy again buried herself in his cloak desperately clinging to it as the whole world shook. ‘It is ok, I am not alone and have something to hold onto this time’ she coxed the thought into her mind, trying to stay and deal with the problems of the present. Her grip proved useful as she found herself jerked forward, the man had lost his balance, not that Arayna could blame him. She had hardly felt ok laying down on his shoulder. She tried to climb back into her previous position, feeling she would be less likely to be crushed there, but soon gave hump and clang to the fabric.

An explosion of light and heat rolled through the forest in a grand display. The first explosion was followed by a second, as the man again sneezed. She again was mystified as he inquired about her well being, why was he so willing to help her? “I am ok… uh.. big brother? she stated as she regained her perch on his shoulder, the question obvious in her voice when saying the title. “That was something. Was that last sneeze from the explosion or have the herbs worn off?” she asked trying to gain clues in what they could expect and how much time may have passed. From her newly regained perch, she took in their surroundings, finding her vision blurry from the flash of light. Blinking she rubbed her eyes swearing she saw spots of light from above the trees. Dismayed, she realized that it was no trick of vision; she could actually make out a massive floating tree, and more worrisome parts of the sky seemed to be coming down to join them.

Your right we need to move, now” she yelled out of shock “The sky is falling!?” Briefly she wondered if she could travel back, away from all this madness but felt instant regret for even having the thought. She somehow knew she would not be able to take the man with her. ‘We are in this together’ she resolved. “Ah sorry if this makes your allergies worse” she stated as she began to try to release her magic through him, hoping to allow him to have greater agility, allowing him to rush towards the stronghold, and hopefully keep balance and be able to stay afoot when the ground shook or dodge the falling of the sky, and whatever else was thrown at them next. Finishing the attempt at the spell, Arayna held tight and braced herself with what was to come. ‘Hope it worked, and if not at least I am not alone,’ again the phrase echoed in her head. It amazed her just how much that meant.

Looking down, he quickly realised she was having a worst time of it than him, especially at her size. "From the explosion, I could taste that magic, never mind smell it. That was some serious power. And careful referring to other outsiders as family member's, someone might mistake you for a half ogre." He flashed a quick cheeky wink at her, hoping to keep her spirits up as much as his flagged in this predicament.

We need to move? Clearly she didn't understand,  even after that tremor the trees were large and stubborn, there would be some destined to fall that were barely holding themselves back. Even just a minute would allow them to come down and then they could safely go over them and not under them. He wanted to get to the outpost quick, but he also wanted to get there alive.

The sky is falling? Largos was pretty quick witted by half ogre standards but that one took a few seconds to sink in, only to be followed by a confused stare into the sky, and the shimmering lights that were growing bigger by the sec-OH FUUUUU…

Today was not his day. He surged to his feet into a rapid pace, hurling himself forward and to the right as the first starshard screaming into the canopy. It impacted off to his left but it had fallen at an angle, and he was pelted with leaves and branches snapped free in it's wake. Suddenly, he felt a soft caress of magic touch him, riding his elven blood like a boat, sped by it and pushed to do more and go further than intended. Once it reached his ogre bones and flesh however that boat struck mire and bog, his body rejecting and resisting it's unnatural effects. Unfortunately, his innate resistance to magic did not distinguish what sought to aid and what sort to harm, but little sister's magic was strong, and it did enough.

It was some sort of enhancement spell. They always smelt and tasted like coconut.

The next starshard smashed into the canopy, and this time the branch it sheared off was about the size of a palm tree hurling down at them, but it barely seemed challenging for him to run directly below it, and gracefully bound clear at the last moment before impact. He saw another tree teetering and he used his speed and bulk to leap into the air and kick off against it,  causing it to slowly creak and lean in the opposite direction. The plummeting stars came down but he could easily hear and avoid them and any other debris they brought down and he tore through the forest towards their goal.

A few minutes later the forest began to clear, and he slowed down as he could make out the outpost. He wrinkled his nose not because of magic but the general scent of burning that was accompanied by the screams and cries of the residents. The earthquake and starshards undoubtedly had taken a toll on the insects but he doubted they were more than fifteen minutes away. He pulled up his hood, tugging it with self-conscious practice to cover and conceal the majority of his disfigurement. The thought of heading into those buildings made his heart race in a way fleeing through the forest never could, but they couldn't face the swarm alone.
"Little sister, I think we might need your bravery again. I want to backtrack and check how far behind us the insects are, how do you feel about going to the outpost and checking on it? See if the garrison is ready to defend, what damage has been done by the explosion. Maybe take a look at anyone in charge - tell them about the swarm if you feel it's safe, but follow your instincts - regular folk can act strangely to outsiders like us. If you don't feel safe, just observe unnoticed and meet me back here in five minutes. if you're not back in five, I'll tear that outpost apart to free you, I swear. Do you think you can do that?"

Arayna held on as tight as she could, willing herself to merge with the fabric of the cloak. Risking a glance here and there she gathered enough to decide that the spell had worked as the man ran. Seemingly easily dodging the debris from the land shaking and even the falling sky itself. It really was amazing; her existence would have ended had the man left her in the clearing.

‘I could have killed him’

This thought crashed into her mind, spawned by the realization about her own likely death. What would have happened if her spell had made his allergy worse, had she not earlier resolved that trying magic on him would be a bad idea. This realization dawned another; her reckless use of magic was what caused her to be a part of this madness to begin with. More upset that she could have killed the man, the fairy resolved to be more careful in the future. Just because it seemed to be part of her very being and seemed to come easily for her, obviously did not mean she was ready to use it. Find a magic teacher or tome was now added to the list, she had to train her instincts and gain a better understanding of just what she was doing. She really would have to write these down.

'What now’ she thought annoyed, she tightened her already white-knuckle grip as she felt as if she was moving upwards. Irritatedly she looked around for the new source of doom only to realize it was just the man pulling up his hood. The fairy’s blue eyes became intense as she studied the movement, it seemed as practiced as his earlier movements through the woods. ‘So we are not in a place of many of his kind,’ she decided, stomach sinking as she theorized on what the custom of familial greetings could mean for him and other half ogres.

She knew the intensity of her features had not left when the man addressed her. She listened intently to his request, hoping he would attribute her mood to the intensity of the situation and not her pondering the possible lonely nature of his and his kind’s existence. His concern for her safety finally softened her features, it did not matter if loneliness was normal for him. Whatever had been before was less in her control than that of the fairy’s own life to this moment, and she had been lonely too. Clearly, he did not mind company, he had been nothing but kind to her and she really believed he would tear down the fort looking for her.

Worried about failing her friend’s request, as she was still not sure what an ‘outpost’ was she turned her attention to the scene at hand. With this focused attention the fairy could make out the screams. “Layout, damages, preparation, attitude, warn… and help if able” she repeated back adding in the last part. Burns were a painful and emergent injury if the text she had skimmed where correct. “and be back in five minutes so you don’t have to go through the trouble of tearing down the fort only to find me stuck in a branch,” she added trying to inject a little levity to cope.

She found herself unconsciously trying to course more magic through him, trying to ensure her spell would not wear off until they met again. Reminding herself of her epiphany, focused on gathering her power to her core. Feeling how much she used and knowing the night was farm from over she pulled at the flask in her belt. Bringing it too her lips she took a drink, thankful that she had enough foresight to bring the potion, before returning it to her belt. 'Mana is a resource and I need to keep better control' she reminded herself. With a cleansing breath the fairy took to the air, thankful that it was not some how shaking. Pausing briefly, she turned to the man realizing that repeating the task did not indicate her acceptance of it.

“A small task in return for one’s life and an even smaller one for a friend,” she stated with a confidence in her voice that surprised her. Resolved coursed through her, she had a task and she would complete it. She darted off wanting to make the most of her five minutes, uncertain of what to expect but willing to meet the unknown. She did not know if she should or could address him as big brother anymore, his jest of her possibly getting confused might make such an endearment a lie, she was not orc kin, but in her mind, friend seemed better anyway. You got to choose friends.

Doubt assailed Largos for a moment - was this cowardice? His heart always quailed at the thought of compact streets and limiting roofs, and the stares at his towering height. He couldn't keep his face hidden completely from sight and then the screams would begin. Yet with the looming threat of the insects, surely they would be more accepting of him and he could accompany the fey into the outpost and help them? Was he just hiding from the folk who had once cast him out?

No, he decided definitively. He would attract attention, whereas a six inch flyer could easily go unnoticed. Better to survey a situation before walking in and if they were hostile, most likely they would put that aside when the real threat was at the walls.

"Friends indeed. Fly safe little sister, and be careful around those branches." he murmured, before heading away and blending into the welcoming forest.

He jogged carefully, stepping delicately around roots torn loose by the earthquake with a cautious eye on the weakened trees, around starshards hissing in the dirt at an atmosphere too cool for their liking. His senses relaxed and at home, he could easily pick up on things another might miss, marks in the dirt, branches broken in ways only moving creatures could explain, until he came across a carcass impaled upon a branch of a fallen tree. The creature was similar to the one he had shot earlier, and now he had the time to inspect the dead bug he felt a certain affinity for it. It's chitin was a pastel shade, blending into the foliage, it's eyes focused to take in all that lay before it, it's four back legs dipped in mud, not splashed by a frantic pace but instead by slow deliberate movements.

A scout, and from the signs on the forest floor this was not the only one.

 Moving on, he found a solid, well placed tree that suited his needs and with excellent lines of sight thanks to the fallen trees. His height made leaping and grabbing a solid branch easy, and he pulled himself higher and higher up the tree with relative ease. Around thirty feet from the forest floor, he could start to see serious movement out in the east of the outpost. Clearly, the scouts had reported back and someone had found it favourable. Watching for a second more, he tried to judge the speed, it seemed like a marching pace for now that would reach the outpost in the next ten minutes, but most likely they would pick up the pace as they neared.

Dropping back down, he made his way back to where he had left little sister, his mind playing through a multitude of scenarios. Would it be better to leave the outpost to fight the bugs and the two of them flee to safety? Could he live with leaving them to their fate? If it were just soldiers in a heavily fortified location, maybe, but he doubted they would travel alone, surely their would be civilian family with them. And with that explosion, would they be securely entrenched still? And more importantly, how was he meant to measure five minutes without a watch? Surely she should have been back by now.

He fingering his bow nervously, peering intently, and through his mind he started to imagine what mishaps could have occurred in the outpost, praying that little sister would be fine.

Well, that is going to be a problem with the chaos in the sky there was no real way to tell time. Deciding she should just proceed as quickly as possible the fairy flitted about trying to figure out the layout. Quickly she flew around peering into the buildings to determine what they were. Finding one that looked like a currently unoccupied storeroom, she flitted in.

Admiring the treasure trove, reminding herself she was on a time limit and forced herself to continue her quest. She had made a deal after all and she had to live up to it. The fairy continued her mission, finding it amazing how the elves had hidden the outpost in the trees. Arayna was pretty sure an outpost was just a village where there was a station of guards. There seemed to be many elves of both the soldier and civilian variety, she even though she had spotted a few small ones. Civilian and soldier alike they seemed focused on containing the fire.

Maybe the bugs have not gotten here yet. She had not seen any on her patrol of the area. She continued searching the buildings trying to make a mental map. Coming to the next window she went to peer inside only to be suddenly overcome with a soul-crushing weariness.
'What, I did not do anything, ' she thought as her body and eyelids felt overcome by a great weight. She felt herself falling and desperately tried to flap her wings. Memories came back of the only other time she had felt a sensation like this, when she had over taxed her magical ability during her escape. Dazed she forcefully landed on something, feeling disoriented and ill.

Why did her clothing feel so tight! The pressure around her waist was almost becoming unbearable, clumsily she gripped her belt. Loosening the leather cord and letting it unfurl and drop from her waste. Had she unconsciously cast a spell and used too much magic again? That did not sound right, was it from before. But if that was the case why had it waiting so long to hit her, and she had even drunk the potion. Had she gotten the wrong one? No, she had felt better after drinking it. Maybe if she drank some more, she could even drink the stronger one she had tucked away for an emergency. Awkwardly she fiddled with her now free belt. Deciding to open the bag was beyond her at this point, she focused on uncorking her flask.

Before she could take a drink, the feeling started to subside, confusing the fairy further. Had she been noticed by the elves and been on the receiving end of a spell? If so what kind of spell was that, that seemed to almost rob her of her magic, which was so essential to her being. Shuddering the fairy tried to survey herself to determine if there was any physical harm. "Huh" escaped her lips as things just seemed to get stranger. Why had her clothes shrunk? Why would anyone ever have a spell that on use disoriented the user and made their clothing shrink, nausea overtook the fairy as a possible explanation flitted through her mind. "Disgusting, but that does not fit" she stated shaking her head to clear away the thought.
Remembering the time limit, and still gaining nothing from the sky, she realized debating what happened would not help. Re-corking her flask and grabbing her now too little belt she stood and tried to survey her surroundings. Seeing a figure at her feet she turned to it, only to see herself or rather her reflection. ‘Good thing I suck a sewing and made the dress too big’ she thought sticking her tongue out as she admired her obviously ruined under tunic but intact shapeless dress. 'Did I land on a mirror?' she asked herself trying to keep herself on task, it was way too easy to get lost in thoughts.

Dread filled the fairy as she realized it was armour she was standing on. The occupant appeared to be staring right at her. However, it was with eyes that no longer saw anything. A quick look around the room showed that this was an area the elves had brought the fallen to rest until their burial. Did you drag your dead from the field during the war, Arayna wondered shocked, that did not seem like something you would be able to do. Feeling as if the last few moments had just been a bad memory of the day of her escape, she took back to the air, seeing that the area she had landed in had been sectioned off and on the other side appeared to be a clinic set up. So, these where the soldiers who would not recover.

What had happened. There appeared to be many healers at work in the clinic and she had been into the storeroom, there had been plenty of supplies. A chill ran through the fairy as she saw what she recognized as a stinger, that meant the bugs where here. But she had thoroughly searched the side she came from… did that mean…

The fairy shot off, saying a silent apology to the corpse for landing on him. She felt clumsy, like she was not used to her limbs. Fighting the feeling she willed herself on, heading further west through the circles. She halted having found what she was looking for, though feared to find. The front line was on the west side of the outpost. The line seemed to be well organized and stocked, but the concentration was understandably on the bugs to the west bent on changing that. They had run west from the bug, this meant the bugs they had faced where east and behind this line. She had surveyed the west side, it had some soldiers but not what she saw here and many of the civilians were out trying to fight fires/tend to the fort.

“Oh no, no, NO," she exclaimed flying back, she had to find someone and warn them. She was afraid of distracting the soldiers so engaged in a fight, besides she was likely very much over her five minutes. Rocketing back, she saw an opportunity approached a soldier fighting the fire. "Hey, hey" she yelled, wanting to hit him as she was unconsciously shoed away. Flying into the elf’s, face she finally got his attention. In the back of her mind she pondered vaguely why the head seemed smaller than normal. 'Oh, I grew!' she realized, shocked. "Do you not see the fire, I have no time for you fairy," the soldier yelled drawing the fairy from her thoughts. Shaking her head, she decided to worry about her size issues later. "My friend and I, we ran here away from the bugs in the woods east of here. There coming this way!" she explained voice rushed and scared. The elf did not seem convinced, much to the fairy’s annoyance. “Fairy this is no time for pranks!” the elf yelled agitated. The fairy desperately racked her brain for something she could do to prove it, the little ones needed to be made safe.

'If your so focused on the fire' she thought as she willed a wall of earth to form a little ahead of the base of the fire. The fairy was startled when the wall materialized much grander than she had anticipated and seemingly shifted towards the fire. rolling over it, extinguishing some of the flames, bushing them back away from the outpost. All she had planned was a small mound of dirt to make a small fire break, but she would not turn down this luck.
Realizing her surprise was probably evident, Arayna tried to change to an expression of confidence. As if she had meant for all that to happen. "Not a prank, a warning. Please warn them! I am not lying, I cannot, you can squish me if I'm wrong," she yelled hearing the desperation in her voice. "I have to find my friend, please warn them" she ended gesturing vaguely to the direction of outpost.
She rushed back to the place she had parted with her friend, thinking she saw a figure in the distance. Riding her momentum, she headed for the figure. When she felt she was near enough began yelling;
"The bugs, they are trying to attack from opposite sides, the front line is on the west. Tried to warn them, they thought I was lying, I told him he could squish me if I was!" emphasis on last line from anger and disbelief. "What do we do, this is like a fortified village, there are a lot of civilians, I think I saw kids. The bugs are coming.” She made a beeline to her companions’ shoulder, wanting to be ready for whatever was to happen next.