Aleris

Lieron had employed his super human strength many times while helping Grand Cities people clean up the mess the dark army left behind. However, he never could take the humans' stone houses for very long. Not to mention he ached to see Taria's face once more. The shifter was positive all the dead had been claimed and given proper last rites. Their bodies were burned but, many new gravestones were placed in Soul's Ferry cemetery. Some humans, directed their anger towards the lycanthropes, to him since the creatures weren't around to blame. He supposed he understood their viewpoint since to them he was also a monster. He once judged humans in the same way before he met Taria. If he remained much longer some foolish person would try to harm him.

Lieron took wing in the early morning two days after the defeat of the dark queen. He loved the rush of the wind as he glided away. The frequent rain gave him some trouble but, he had been flying since he was ten. The family of hawks that took him in were his first caretakers after his mother bear. He wasn't sure of why but, he learned early that while he held a form he understood that creatures language innately. Unfortunately, he only understood the human language in all forms. Animals didn't think the same way as him, he guessed.

Suddenly, several miles off the eastern shore of Eiler he hit a very rough storm that made flight nearly impossible. He decided to be cautious and went into a dive towards the sea. Dull red feathers became light gray skin a second before impact. He entered the violent sea smoothly and continued on his path.

A great white shark attempted to swallow the shifter several hours later by coming from below. Lieron was the least experienced with this shape so the predator nearly broke his tail fin with its' charge. The fish learned why dolphins killed sharks. When the damaged carnivore tried to flee Lieron let it go since it was only following natural law. However, swimming wasn't going to get him anywhere until his left leg was mended. A massive hawk appeared from the sea like a phoenix from the ashes as the sun rose. He was a few miles off the west coast of Elved, much to the shock of an older fisherman. The human would have quite the tale to tell over a pint.

Lieron reached Vandual in a couple hours landing on the wooden roof of his small home. He entered thru the second floor window. Taria always opened it up in the morning to let the cool breeze circulate. He often came in this way when he returned from a journey. She was use to it by now so Lieron called below. "Love I'm home, could you check my leg it may be fractured, if not broken."

The shifter felt a cold chill when he heard no response for several minutes. He headed down stairs silently as he could manage which wasn't at all frankly. He merely kept his heavy steps from shaking the small house. A deep growl hummed in his throat, as he took in the destroyed furniture and scattered herbs that Taria meticulously collected daily. The signs of struggle were as recent as three days ago. Their house was on the outskirts of town closer to the unmodified trees surrounding Vandual. The door was oddly undamaged and locked. They must have used the window on the second floor, the one she always left opened for him. A loud bears' roar echoed thru the town, those that heard it somehow knew that deep sadness was the cause.

The intruders scents weren't human or anything else he could place at the moment. However, he would follow Taria's smell, to the ends of Aleris or any of the realms beyond. Whoever dared to harm the other half of his heart, will lose their life in the most painful way possible. Lieron needed to bind his leg and apply the proper poultice. He had learned the healing basics well, under her patient tutelage. He knew how to help Taria collect the beneficial herbs as well.

Lieron locked the second story window and left by the front door. He had no idea how long it would take to find his wife but, he needed to start somewhere. A great ape leaped away from Vandual following a trail south so degraded that if his beloved hadn't been there, he would have lost it. Whoever had taken her was very skilled at disguising their trail. The kidnappers used the trees for several miles then reached the ground several hours later on their journey.

He landed as a rust colored wolf and noticed strange markings. They looked like the tracks of some kind of lizard that moved on two legs. Lieron could not recall a biped reptile the size of a man from his experience. However, it tickled the back of his mind as if he knew this creature. Little else was gleaned from the scents but, his hackles were up. The lay lines were disturbed in the area causing premature death to several gold wood trees. Something had taken too much energy from it, like some kind of energy devourer. Taria tapped into the forces of the earth when she performed her magic. He was worried she may be nothing more than a meal for what took her.

What in Aleris could do such a despicable thing to the land? He would find out by the spirits. The lizard footprints he counted told him of twelve known assailants. Lieron raced thru the trees going full tilt on all fours. The kidnappers took a confusing path but he refused to give up no matter how the trail split. Unfortunately, exhaustion was creeping up on him at an increased rate. If he didn't eat soon he would collapse before finding his enemy.

Lucked smiled on him as he scented a wild boar heading towards him. The pig was approaching a watering hole just a few yards ahead. The sun was long gone as Lieron had traveled the entire day at a crazed pace fueled by adrenaline. He leaped into a nearby tree that was only a foot from the water's edge. A black panther waited for its' hostile prey. The boar had no chance spear him on its' sharp tusk. Lieron's sudden weight offset the creatures balance as he tore open the throat of his meal. The shifter had his fill and cleaned off the gore as a man using the nearby water. He continued south and found a small cave that once held the lone boar that he fed on, to rest hoping Taria was alright autumn could be quite cold.

Zaur had spent three years in exile in the shadow marshes after waking in this unknown land. The marsh was a wonderful training ground to advance his skills. He had been depressed, because he failed his people in The City of the Magi. How much time had passed? He often wondered since his home was destroyed. Isolation had been his constant companion. However, he craved companionship like many mortal creatures. His race was long lived but, he was just a hatchling fresh out of the guardian academy of his homeland. Time was needed to understand himself fully. He felt the larger realm was where he needed to be now.

This mentality was what inspired Zaur to follow Erronei Pass to Elved. The golden leaved trees were a stirring sight. The biggest surprise was running into a group of raptors. He thought the pack of hunting predators was some of his own people at first. However, he only saw three of them conversing in a clearing with a series of hisses and growls. His people spoke a more civilized language even when in their altered states. "You lot where is the rest of you." The creatures turned to face him. The mage warrior could swear they all wore a grin displaying their razor sharp teeth. Zaur knew how they operated since his people fought their kind often. However, he chose to play dumb since their hidden companions had already noticed him. He was sure it was too late to surprise them, so he wanted his other opponents to show themselves.

He heard two approaching from both his flanks so he shifted into his war form. Wearing armor was practically pointless for him since his altered form had skin equivalent to wearing scale mail all over. A simple spell bound his clothes and hand axes to him. The weapons grew when he changed to fit his larger form. Also, the clothes the shifter wore became part of him, so that they remained intact when he reverted back. The ambushers were their own undoing. He raised his weapons using the pair of foes momentum as they pounced to gut them from jaw to legs. The three enemies that played decoy charged forward as the quick kill was lost to them.

The first two got a bone shattering tail whip that caused fragments to penetrate their hearts and lungs. The last was the largest of the group. The creature used the first enemies as a shield and sunk his teeth into Zaur's left arm. Its' head exploded as a lightning bolt directed thru his injured arm released inside the raptor's throat. Suddenly, eight more dropped from the trees immobilizing the therianthrope instantly. Four more approached him. One of them was twice the size of the creature he just killed. It shifted into a human male and then licked his injured arm smiling with pleasure. "Your essence will give us much sustenance lizard." The large man grabbed Zaur's muzzle and changed into a giant reptile. While in the monsters arms he felt his strength ebbing away. Unable to maintain his shape Zaur reverted to a human, and then darkness embraced him.