Chapter Five: The Tunnels

(STR check 17...wow, must have landed on someone to break the fall.  Going with that...)

Slowly rousing from concussion induced unconsciousness, Lo groans faintly. "What...what happened?" Hearing the shouts above, Lo starts getting up...or tries to, the ground underneath seems a little unstable...and squishy...oh dear.  "Omigosh I'm so sorry!  Here...let me up..."  

Carefully rolling off the person before slowly getting up, Lo feels around in the darkness to find herself surrounded by rubble and whoever she landed on...and a few other people from the sounds of breathing and faint groaning.  Carefully checking everyone she can touch for injuries that might need healing, Lo calls up to the shouting voices above.  "I'm fine, but I'm not the only one down here!  What happened?  Can anyone hear me?"  Voice echoing loudly off the sides of the walls, Lo flinches slightly.  Calling for help is one thing, damaging hearing in everyone trapped down here is another!

(Perception roll to check for injuries in self and others: 17+3 WIS mod =20! Woo!)

<STR: 5+3=8... it was probably me you landed on lol. Sigurd's ribs are broken.>

With a sharp gasp and a wince Sigurd regained consciousness. Moving slightly caused a tremendous amount of pain so he elected to lay still for the time being, his ribs were broken... it wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last. Trying to turn his head and look around in the darkness he spotted Lopiena moving around looking well so that was a relief. "Ash..." he choaked out "Please tell me you're alright..." Sigurd hissed at the pain he felt with every breath he took.

[Ashwyn STR check: 16]

As the group fell into the hole, Sigurd used his quick reflexes to grab hold of the two women next to him, Lopiena and Ashwyn, and roll with them as they fell to try and protect them from injury. His efforts were a success, but he was so focused on their safety that he neglected to shift into his hybrid form.

[Sigurd has broken ribs. His movement is halved until either 5 hours pass or he receives magical healing]

Ashwyn groaned from her place on the floor near Sigurd as consciousness came back to her. "I'm okay." She groaned, bringing a hand to her head. "Uhnn... you?" She asked as she carefully pushed herself up and over to Sig. Seeing him unmoving she frowned. She laid a hand on his chest. "Are you okay?" Do you need healed?" She asked, looking at him with concern.

---
[Cirro STR check: 3. Ouch.... this is gonna hurt....]

Cirro woke to a wetness on his face. He brought a hand up and when he pulled it away it was red. He had received a sizable gash across his face that began at the right top portion of his forehead and stretched diagonally across his face to the left ear lobe. His hand shook with the blood he'd already lost and he felt faint. He attempted to conjure his own magic to heal himself but he was too weak to make it function.

---
[Other Body STR roll: 15]

The other body in the cave shifted and groaned. "Uhn.... I really am getting too old for this...." he groaned in a familiar voice.

Sigurd would pick up the scent immediately and Ash and Lo would notice the voice as Zane sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.

Feeling around in the dark, Lo is close enough to everyone that she can check individual injuries...and what she's feeling isn't good.  Landing on Sigurd makes him the obvious first choice, and hearing him hiss in pain for the first time since she met him makes her worries double...but he doesn't like being healed, finds it insulting!  ...well sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness later.  Running her hands under his armor to realign the ribs (that's going to HURT sorry Sig!), Lo breathes out words of healing as if she was just muttering to herself.  "Heal."  

(Cure Wounds, rolled 6+4 spell mod= 10 healing.  Also, she's still wearing the ring that enhances Druidic healing...we've never quite established what that does...?)

Well that's something, at least.  Sigurd definitely needs more healing, but probably rude to not ask at this point.  "Sigurd?  Are you ok?  Let me know if there's anything you need...please?"  Sighing, Lo barely resists the urge to check the rest of him.  Soooo hard to ask permission first, especially when she can feel his pain through all the armor!  Still though, there's others in here.  

Feeling around, finding Ashwyn...she seems ok, miraculously enough...until she finds Cirro.  He's REALLY bad!  Reaching up to his face and gently repositioning his skin, Lo focuses on healing him.  He's lost a lot of blood, going to need a little extra boost...

(upcasting...something I completely forgot was an option when healing Zane last time!!  So Cure Wounds roll D8x2= 6+6+4 spell mod=16! Plus whatever the green stone ring does.)

Hands sticky with Cirro's blood, Lo carefully starts checking the rest of him when she hears another voice...vaguely familiar, and very reminiscent of healing people in a rocky underground cavern after a cave-in...Nah, can't be!  Wait, there had been light last time they'd fallen into a cave.  Just now remembering that she has the capability to do that now, Lo reaches into the air as if plucking a flower.  "Fire."  Opening her hand to reveal a small tongue of flame, Lo carefully shields the light with her hand as to not blind everyone...but what she sees is astonishing!  "ZANE!!!!!  How...where...But..."  Forgetting almost everything else, Lo rushes up and gives the Gnome a huge hug with the hand that's not aflame (must keep the flame away from his beard!!).  "It's so good to see you again!  How did you get here???"

While no major injury had afflicted Lopina thanks to Sigurd's intervention, the fall coupled with hitting her head on various objects on the way down caused her to hallucinate slightly. The healing spells she thought she was casting were not actually effective and instead it was more like she was just wandering around and groping her partners.

Her fire spell did ignite, lightly because of her familiarity with fire magic, but the fire caused the blood on her hands to heat up, burn her hand, and the fire went out.

[Sorry, lol. Had to have some GM intervention here. 3 spells cast in rapid succession, PLUS she's holding together wounds that she can't see. That's a bit much ]

Zane gasped as Lopiena stumbled into him and barely managed to catch her. "Oh, well, same to you dear." He smiled a bit worriedly at her. "Perhaps... you should sit down for a moment." He said, encouraging her to sit.

Ashwyn moved away from Sigurd for the moment. He was talking and though he was obviously in pain, he wasn't the immediate concern. Cirro was still bleeding freely and though Lo had tried to help it had been too much too fast. She moved to his side and took his hands away from his face. "Shhh." she said softly. "Lay still." She said softly. She used her fingers to push the torn flesh together one small peice at a time. Meanwhile she let her own healing magic flow through her fingers and stitch together the skin.

[Ashwyn casts Cure Wounds: 2pts of healing]

The magic was able to knit together the flesh and stop the bleeding, but Cirro would likly have a permanent scar from how deep the wound had been.  "Just rest for a moment." She said to him and he just nodded, still feeling faint.

She turned her head to Zane and smiled. "It really is good to see you. How did you make it here?"

Zane smiled back at her. "It's wonderful to see you all. Though I had hoped our reunion would have been a little less eventful." He shrugged. "Here, allow me to help." He reached over for his fallen staff and tapped the end of it. It lit up with a bright glow which filled the tunnel with whiteish -yellow light.

[Zane cast Light on his staff]

"There. Much better." He nodded. "Well... my return is really quite a long story...It was a day or two after you  all left the village. I had been reading everything I could get my hands on abotu Kakerot and the village when greenery began to sprout around the town. Well, it took a bit of research, but we determined that Kakerot was the main reason why it was so difficult to grow things back there. With him out of the village things began to take root. And wouldn't you know it... the first thing to bloom were some rather potent healing herbs. They encouraged my healing quite nicely. Also in my reading I'd deduced that Kakerot had come into possession of a rather nasty magic orb which had increased his magic ability by a large amount. The moment I could walk I followed you out here. I'm sorry I wasn't able to arrive sooner."

Brynoff's voice could be heard through the rubble again. "Listen carefully! There's another sandstorm on the way and we won't be able to keep moving rubble for a while! Leif said it's going to be a long one. I know you probably don't have much supplies down there, but don't worry! The tunnels you've fallen into have several exits along them. You're best bet is going to be follow the tunnel system until you come to an exit. We'll get back to work on our end as soon as we can! "

Sigurd winced when Lopiena's hands rolled over his body, he appreciated the effort but clearly she was still dizzy from the fall. Hearing Zane's voice, he groaned "insult to injury... It's bad enough my body hurts... But now my ears?..." He joked, coughing and wincing.

Happy knowing that Ashwyn was safe Sigurd tried to steady his breathing. He could feel his muscles pulling his bones back together, it would be a few hours until he was completely healed again, but by the sounds of it they weren't in any hurry to go anywhere.

Jumping back with a yelp when her flame ignites her hand, Lo stumbles dizzily into Zane and almost knocked him over. Holding her pounding head, Lo nods at him dumbly when he suggests she sit and plops down heavily. "Perhaps...you're right...ugh..."

Listening silently to the rustle of Ashwyn healing Cirro, Lo is rather impressed that her friend can do that; she hadn't seen it happen earlier. When Zane lights his staff and she can finally look around properly though...everyone looks much worse for wear, and Lo winces internally at how bad Cirro looks. Will have to try healing again...but later, right now she's not sure even standing is a good idea.

Listening to Zane explain his sudden appearance is fascinating, especially the part about greenery sprouting, including valuable healing herbs! Wow! Lo nearly interrupts his story to ask about that when Brynoff explains about the sandstorm. Just stay here....follow the tunnels...sure, but supplies? "Uhhhh...my pack is still in Jacquelyn's cart, I have nothing but my staff. ..how long is a long time?" Remembering Cirro has a method to create food and water, Lo glances in his direction but he's clearly in no shape for spell casting any time soon. Slowly starting to stand, Lo tries to calm her throbbing head. If she can heal him, there's a better chance they'll all survive...but they're fine right now, best to just rest for a moment.

Zane shot a glare over to Sigurd while Ashwyn bit her lip to keep from chuckling outloud at the way he teased their old companion. The gnome rolled his eyes and turned back to Lo as she stood. "Slowly there. No need to rush."

When she asked about the length of time, Zane frowned. "Well, from what I discovered in Wombourne, sandstorms can, at times, last several days. Weeks even."

Ashwyn sighed. "Well.... then Brynoff is probably right. No since in sitting around here. Not for that long."

Cirro nodded. "Didn't Brynoff say something earlier about tunnels leading to Azarrhat Peak? These tunnels should be the ones that lead straight to where we're heading anyway."

Zane nodded. "Yes... that's true." He stood and held his staff against the carved walls, inspecting them carefully. "Yes this arcetecture is quite old. And the markings match what I've seen in books that I found in Wombourne. I believe...." he ran his fingers across the markings. "Yes, I believe I can lead us to our destination this way." He turned to the others, particularly Lo. "I'm sorry that I don't have your supplies. But I do still have the bag of holding we found back in the forest. It's still full of quite a few supplies. And I believe everyone has their weapons still."

Cirro finally sat up slowly, though he still looked pale. "I can handle food and water for us... well... not now... but later."

Ashwyn frowned in thought. "So.... you're suggesting we just.... continue on our mission? "

Zane shrugged. "Well... we can do that ... or wait here for them to dig us out. Or try to find some other way out and then backtrack. But.... we have dallied on our mission quite a bit lately. Perhaps we should allow our friends to do their part while we do ours."

"As much as it pains me to say it.. the gnome is right" Sigurd said, pulling himself up on his feet. Standing was a fun challenge for him, pulling his sword from his back, he stuck it in the ground and used it as a crude walking stick. "We're way behind where I thought we'd be at by now... We've gotten some information for what we were sent to collect but we have more to get...." Not waiting for a discussion, He started down the path Zane had indicated.

Grinning halfheartedly at the bantering, Lo finally gets herself upright and checks herself for additional damage.  Not too bad off other than the throbbing head, and even that's slowly diminishing.  Listening to the discussion about continuing onward, Lo nods slowly.  "I agree...no sense hanging around here, no point of backtracking...and Zane, if you're sure this leads to where we're going I'm all for that."  Gazing down the darn hallway, Lo smiles.  No idea what's ahead, but moving forward is always the best option.

Gingerly stepping over rubble and other debris, Lo kneels next to Cirro and checks him again now that there's a little more light.  He's really pale, and shaking from the loss of blood...hmm.  Gently placing her hands on his face, Lo focuses inward to calm herself before breathing out the words of healing.  "Heal."

(Rolled 16+3 WIS mod=19; d8 roll of 7, +2 with the ring = 9 healing.  Let me know if I did it right this time! thanks )

Still kneeling, Lo puts her shoulder under Cirro's arm to help him up.  Once he's more or less upright, she hands him her staff to help with walking...it's not much, but it will have to have to be enough under the circumstances.  Watching Sigurd using his sword as a crutch, though...he's clearly in a lot of pain, and normally he heals himself pretty quickly...

"Uhhh Sigurd?  Are you ok?  I think I can heal you a little..." probably.  Though she won't be good for much else if anything comes up...

Cirro smiled at Lo. "Thank you. I... I think I'm okay to walk now."

[Mini post response from Sigurd]

Sigurd didn't stop walking forward through the tunnels. He simply waved his hand back at Lo, indicating that he didn't want or need any healing.

[End Sigurd post]

Ashwyn rolled her eyes at him and turned to Lo. "He'll be fine. He'd let us know if he wasn't." She assured her.

And so the group, reunied and complete once more, began walking down the dark passegeway.

The tunnel walls were made of cleanly carved sandstone. Hard to the touch but with various ancient words carved into them and intricate designs. Every few meters an old torch hung on the wall. It was clear there was a time when these tunnels were used regularly, but that time has long since passed.

The floor of the tunnel was coated in a thin layer of sand but was clearly a sandstone base like the walls. And the ceiling was made of larger solid peices of the same stone. The tunnels were quite tall, standing 12 feet tall, dipping down to around 10 feet occasionally. Though it wasn't perceptible to the average adventurer, Sigurd and Ashwyn, whose steps were carefully chosen, would notice that the passage was ever so slightly heading them deeper. The decline was so slight that it was easy to miss, but it was there. It also seemed that they were walking in a straight line, but the tunnels were actually curving this way and that, something that was also very difficult to discern without windows or points of reference.

Zane's lighted staff was the only light in the cavern, though Sigurd and Ashwyn walked ahead of the light so as not to diminish their low light vision. Cirro, Lo and Zane walked closer to the glow of the staff. They would stop occasionally for rest and food. The tunnels were cool, unlight the heat of the surface, and as they dipped lower the chill increased. The air in the tunnels was stale and dusty. No being had walked these passageways in quite some time.

Minutes became hours. Hours became days. And still the passage way looked the same. Zane would occasionally stop and translate the ancient writing but the words never revealed anything about the direction they were heading. It only cited ancient rulers or city names. The walls were sadly missing a helpful "You Are Here" sign with helpful directions telling them where to go. And so they continued forward. It was the only direction they could go after all.

Before long, a fortnight had passed and they had seen nothing but the same dark tunnels. It was difficult to tell day from night down there. They only stopped when they grew tired and began walking again when they woke. That is, until something gave them a clue to the passage of time.

On the surface, the moon had grown full. The moment it crested the horizon, Sigurd would feel the change come over him, forcing him into his hybrid form. The group had paused in their walking for a meal of dried meat and water when it happened.

Ashwyn looked up at the familiar sound of Sigurd's armor shifting to accommodate his new size. "Hmm... must be the full moon." She looked up at the ceiling, imaging the moon above them. "Have we really been in here that long?"

Days... Days in the dark, in a long seemingly never ending passage. Sigurd found an odd rhythm with his companions footfalls and it kept him sane as he's put songs from home to the beat when it fit. It was hard to keep amused on the long walk. There wasn't much privacy, breaks had to be taken by falling back in the tunnel from the others, they slept basically in a pile and it wasn't really the right setting for any intamacy with Ashwyn... It was a terrible journey.

As they sat down for their meal, Sigurd didn't know if it was breakfast or dinner but his answer came to him in the subtle shift from flesh to fur. He looked to Ashwyn and nodded, "seems so..." Was all he managed to say before tearing off a bit of meat.

At first worried about the people on the surface...how they're faring, how long the sandstorm was going to last, whether Arvan and those bug people she hadn't really gotten to know stayed or went home...after the first few days none of that mattered any more.  After recovering from their injuries and exhaustion the first couple of days, a new pattern seemed to emerge.  Though the pattern didn't seem to contain anything other than walking with occasional pauses for eating and sleeping, Lo took the opportunity to try and get to know her companions a little better.  Talking in the endless hallways was generally muted; she felt like she was disturbing an ancient spirit whenever making too much noise...but at least a few quiet conversations could be had.  After days of mostly keeping to herself, she finally worked up the courage to ask Cirro if she could call him Bee ("you said it's something your friends call you, and I...don't know if I qualify, but I hope I do...").  Occasionally she'd reach out to hold his hand, but nothing more than that.

Sleeping in a pile was nice; without her blanket or cloak Lo needed the extra body heat to sleep, and  she somehow felt comforted just being close to her companions.  As days dragged into weeks, she needed that comfort more and more.  Not seeing the sun or feeling the wind on her face was starting to get to her; occasionally she'd run her hands on the sandstone to touch the earth and imagine herself as a burrowing creature (sometimes shifting into one with her Wild Shape "just to practice") in an attempt to stay sane.  Sigurd shifting in the middle of a meal, proving that the full moon was above...invisible, out of reach...Lo expected to laugh, or cry, or something but there was nothing there.  Just another day in the dark, walking...waiting for something to happen.  Glancing from him to Ashwyn, Lo shrugged and leaned back against the sandstone wall, trying to figure out why nothing seemed to matter any more.

Ashwyn sighed, feeling the stress of not being outside. She'd never been indoor this long in her life and she was craving the wind and the sun. She'd even tolerate the heat at this point. She pushed herself to her feet. "I can't sit here. I'm going to scout ahead a bit." She said. Without waiting for an answer she began walking.

Zane frowned after her and sighed. "At least walking is doing something." He shrugged, hobbling himself to his feet to intent on following after her.

Cirro, who had shifted back into his fairy form just for a change of scenery, flew into the air and landed on Lo's shoulder. "How are you holding up? All this rock and darkness is.... unsettling to me." He said, his whole small body shuttering.

Watching Ashwyn walk off and Zane stand to follow, Lo sighs and starts to get up as well. At Cirro's question, she attempts to smile but the attempt falls apart and she just shakes her head. "Not...well. I mean, it's still part of the earth and there are creatures that live in places like this, never see the sun...blind lizards, pallid fish...but I am not one of those creatures. I'm trying, though." Attempting to smile again, Lo barely suppresses a shudder. It's fine...everything is fine...but it feels like her spirit is crawling into a hole to match the physical circumstances.

Following after Ashwyn and Zane, Lo keeps a respectable distance. Ashwyn probably wants her space...hell, Lo needs space, and air, and sun, and...Don't think about the walls closing in. You're fine. Everything is fine...

Sigurd's ears folded back as everyone stood and continued on. He had JUST sat down... Standing, he let the stick of dried meat hang in the corner of his mouth as he made no serious effort to catch up. The others were out of his range of sight but two weeks without bathing especially after a battle, everyone's scent was strong enough to follow. Allowing himself the comfort, Sigurd shifted into his Dire Wolf form, if only to disperse his weight across four legs instead of two. He sighed loudly and continued. The echoes of his claws clicking against the sandstone floor filled the air around him.

As Ashwyn walked she willed herself to not be frustrated. It wasn't her companions fault they were trapped in the dark so there was no reason to take it out on them. The darkness didn't actually bother her in general, but this darkness was far different than the darkness of the forest. There were no sounds of wildlife nearby. No cool breeze. This air was stale and still and...... wet?

She stopped, frozen in place as a new sensation came to her. It was water. She could feel the dampness. She was far enough ahead that the footsteps of her companions could still be ignored so she focused on the sounds around her. She could hear.... trickling? It was faint but it was there. She began walking faster. Anything for a slight change of pace. As she traveled she could smell wet rocks and she began to run. She knew the others, especially Sigurd, would be able to hear her increased pace but she didn't speak yet.

As she ran the darkness became less black and more grey. The tunnel, that had been irritatingly straight, suddenly took a sharp turn. Around the corner the tunnel opened up into some kind of natural cave formation. The sandstone walls had been broken away and the natural rock around them was a darker grey and smooth. Water trickled through the rocks from an unseen spring and the air felt a bit fresher in here. The most notable aspect of this cave though, was the ceiling. It looked as though a cave in had happened at some point in the distant past as the ceiling was a series of broken rocks and cracks. From between the cracks the moonlight shone through.

Ashwyn stood in awe at the sight. She took a couple steps backwards and then turned back down the tunnel. "Guys! Hurry up! You have to see this!" She shouted into the tunnels.

walking slowly behind Ashwyn and Zane, Lo is too focused inward to really notice much of anything. The echoing tunnel halls make Ashwyn's footfalls echo, and when Ashwyn starts picking up her pace Lopina can only assume Ashwyn REALLY wants some privacy and following after her wasn't the best choice. Slowing down to a near stop, Lo leans against the walls to let Sigurd pass by...maybe some privacy is what they all need, anyway.

When Ashwyn calls out down the hallway, the echoing hallway fuddles the sound enough that her words are too indistinct to understand...but the raised voice and excited tones reignite whatever part of her that's been slowly stagnating into oblivion. Heartbeat racing for the first time in weeks, Lo rushes down the hallway. Maybe Ashwyn is being attacked, or maybe...

Stumbling down the sandstone hallway, nearly crashing into the banked wall when there's a sudden unexpected turn (plus Zane has the light), Lo freezes in her tracks at the scent of water, the sight of moonlight, fresh air, a breeze...everything that had been dying inside springs back to life in a sudden rush. Sinking to her knees, placing her hands in the cool flowing water, Lo starts laughing and crying at the same time. "Water...oh...oh gods, there's water..." Leaning against the cool cave walls, Lo closes her eyes and lets the moonlight wash over her. "I...think I've gone insane..."

Sigurd's ears perked up when Ashwyn picked up the pace, that was an odd thing to do... she must be going crazy down here... But then it hit him, the dampness a crisp whiff of ozone. Unconsciously his body had started to canter towards the scent. When she called out to everyone he cut into a full out sprint, his large paws now thudding against stone. Seeing Zane hobbling behind with his tiny legs, Sigurd rolled his eyes and scooped the gnome up in his jaws by his pack.

Coming to the turn, He slid sideways and leapt from floor, to wall, and back to the floor again barely losing his momentum until sliding to a stop inside the cave. Setting the gnome down on the ground, he shifted back to his hybrid form and stood there, mouth agape as he took in the spectacle before him.

When he was grabbed by a giant dire wolf, Zane let out a surprized squeal and couldn't do much more but hold on as he bounced along with Sigurd.

Cirro had been sitting on Lo's shoulder talking when she started running and he had to hold on to her hair to keep from flying off.

Coming into the clearing, Zane fell into a puddle and sputtered a bit. For a moment he opened his mouth to complain, but then he froze. "Wait.... water?" He asked concused, looking down at the wetness on his robes. "Oh my... I'm... I'm freezing... but I don't care.:" He laughed , sounding slightly insane for a moment. "Hmm.... Perhaps Lopiena's maddess is spreading." He shook his head.

"We must have climbed closer to the surface." Cirro commented. He flew up to the cracks and breathed in the air deeply. The cracks were barely large enough for the light to shine through so he couldn't really see much, but it was refreshing to feel the breeze.

"I can't beleve this is here." Ashwyn said in awe, just staring at the beauty. Okay, so it was just a regular cave. She'd seen dozens of them. But after the nothingness they'd been staring at for so long this was like Eden. She was almost afraid to go in, as if entering would prove it was fake. She knelt down and touched a wet rock and then brought her fingers to her nose to smell the water. "It's really here." She said, almost to herself. She looked over to Sigurd and smiled at him. "Maybe... we should stay the night here." She suggested.

Grinning up from her place by the water, Lo laughs at Zane's sputtering but doesn't comment...her entire focus is on this miraculous water. Playing with the water as it drips from her hand, tasting the minerals dissolved in it...it's fascinating just seeing free flowing water for the first time in a month. She does finally come to her senses when Zane mentions the cold, though. "If there was something to burn, we could build a fire....but..." Taking a deep breath, breathing in the moisture, Lo closes her eyes again with a real smile. "I don't want to ruin the magic of the moonlight. I like the idea of staying here for the night, though."

Opening her eyes again with a sudden idea, Lo grins. "I bet I could do than rain spell if anyone wanted a shower..."

Sigurd was already casting off his armor and clothing as he thudded over to one of the moss covered walls. He sniffed it carefully as to make sure it wasn't toxic. Once satisfied he started rubbing his body against it, gods it felt good for him to feel some sort of plant against his fur. The moisture was wicking into his undercoat and soothing his aching muscles.

His tail was wagging as he rolled around in the caves foliage. He could feel the sand and grit and just a months worth of grim being cleansed from his fur.

Ashwyn laughed outloud at Sigurd's actions. She couldn't blame him of course. They'd been dry and dirty for quite some time. Even though there wasn't water to submerge in, any water against their bodies would feel wonderful.

Zane sneered slightly at Sigurd's actions, but it quickly dissolved. "Normally I would abhor your actions... But... Given the circumstances.... I can't say as I blame you." he nodded, before tipping small handfuls of the water all pver his face.

Cirro stood against the cave wall in the trickle, which to him was much more like a shower in his small form. "ahh, this feels lovely." he cooed happily.

Ashwyn reached down and unstrapped her weapons and pack, setting them on the dry sandstone. Then she reached up and began loosening her armor as she followed Sigurd into the cave.

The moonlight reflected off of her skin and she suddenly stopped. A strange feeling had come over her. It began in her stomach. Like a strange rumble, but unlike anything she'd experienced before. It spread to her chest, then out to her extremedies. Then came the pain. It felt like her nerves were on fire all at once. She was too shocked to even scream as her body felt like it had caught fire.

She began to grow taller and more broad. And thick auburn fur erupted from her pores. She felt her armor and clothing pulling tightly against her and heard the tell tale pop of seems breaking apart. All of this took place over the span of a minute or so, but to Ashwyn it seemed like much longer.

When it was all over, she found herself on her knees, panting from the exertion and staring down at the cave floor. She took a few moments to catch her breath before looking down at her hands. They were larger and covered in auburn fur and she had large claws.

Ashwyn had transformed into a SpellWolf.

Sigurd was happily laying on his back in a puddle when a familiar scent hit him harder than the refreshing scent of water and moss. He sat up quickly and his eyes were fixed on Ashwyn. He had seen this kind of event play out several times in his life but he could never get over how painful it looked. Having been born a werewolf naturally, his first shift was a distant unrecoverable memory. Wanting to help guide her through her transformation but knowing fully well she had to come through it on her own, He sat and waited.

It wasn't long before his beautiful half-elvan mate was now a beautiful, auburn furred hybrid formed SpellWolf. Sigurd made his way to her side and helped remove her armor that was hanging off of her and ran a claw through the remaining seems of her clothing to allow her body room to breath. Rubbing his face against hers he smiled and pressed into her "happy first moon, love...normally there's a big celebration but under the circumstances.." he laughed softly to himself.