“You wouldn’t last long amongst the drow,” Myst jeered with a bitter edge in her voice. “I’ll take that as a complement,” Mykal retorted with a roguish grin; allowing his eyes to roam down her lithesome form, drinking in the patches of bared skin visible through the tatters of her tunic, and the shapely legs that extended from beneath its hem. Then he reluctantly tore his attention away and to the pouch at his side, fishing out a cloth wrapped bundle and a skin. “Just water and trail rations I’m afraid,” he informed her with almost sincere humility as he handed them to her, “but it’ll have to do until we reach Tangle Trees.” Her stomached growled with anticipation as she gratefully unwrapped the cloth bundle finding a small loaf of fine grain bread spiraled with nuts and dried fruit inside, hungrily tearing off a piece and devouring it. Having survived her whole life on scraps of mushrooms and gruel, what he called trail rations seemed more like a banquet. Moaning and rolling her eyes in delight, she feasted on her first real meal since escaping from Maerimydra. “What is this?” she asked between bites as she all but inhaled the loaf. She had noticed his eyes roaming over her figure; being all too familiar with such interest from males, and how to use it against them. “Elven bread,” Mykal replied with clear amusement as he watch her consume it, quite literally, like a starving man, then observed with more than a touch of humor; “One slice is usually enough for a meal.” Myst only paused for a moment, eyeing him with mock embarrassment and a coy smile, before continuing to wolf down the remainder of the loaf. The morning mist had yielded to a light drizzle, chilling her to the bone as she watched him bend to seize the tent at the foot of the door, then he quickly rose, sharply snapping the material from the ground, and suddenly stood holding a hooded cloak of supple leather. Turning to her, clearly amused by her bewildered look, he draped the garment over her slender shoulders and it settled comfortably around them as if tailored to her. Mykal made no attempt to explain as he hefted his bow and started off through the woods, leaving her to rush to catch up, while marveling at how well the clearly magical garment dispelled the winter chill. He felt Nys empathic purr, assuring him that she approved of his aid to the wayward half-drow. Sentient magical items are rare, their powerful enchantments actually giving them their-own intelligence and personality, as well as abilities not common to other items of their kind. Mykal knew that Nys had a sense for the motives and intentions of those around her, and he had learned to trust her judgement, sometimes even over his own. As he lead Myst along barely disternable trails, Mykal couldn’t help but admire her natural grace and beauty, internally grateful that the cloak concealled her alluring figure from neck to ankle, helping to limit his distraction. Even with his intimate knowledge of the forest’s hidden ways, he knew they wouldn’t reach Tangle Trees until after sundown; the constent drizzle and chilling temperatures making for a less than pleasant day for traveling. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Additional Credits: * Michael 4 by DAZ3D * Dragonworld: Wildenlander by DAZ3D and Luthbel * Glynn Hair by AprilYSH * Mystic Hollow by LaurieS * Fantasy Ranger for M4 by Xurge3D * Fantasy Ranger for V4 by Xurge3D * Weapons and Harness for Fantasy Ranger for M4 by Xurge3D