A Whole New World

Kassina woke shortly after dawn the next day. She couldn't believe how well she had slept in this strange place. Being so exhausted probably helped. Being curled up next to Dartmoor by the fire hadn't hurt either.
Today was the first day of her new life. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed in one day.
As comfortable as she was she had to get up. She was hungry and thirsty. She slowly got up so as not to wake Dartmoor and stretched letting out a big wolf yawn. She hadn't slept in elf form since she was 6 and she wasn't about to start now.
She thought about heading for the forest to speak with the pack alphas, but decided she should get more information before she trusted her wolf pack to this warden pack.

She felt safest in wolf form, but wasn't sure wandering around here in that form would be a good idea. She needed to learn to be a mabari so she could fit in. Maybe the tattooed elf would let her spend some time with Fenrir later. The small alpha also seemed to have a mabari, maybe she could find him.

Reluctantly she shifted to elf form and headed out the door to explore. She was bound to find somewhere to get food and water eventually. Slowly she began wandering down the hall, moving cautiously, using her ears and nose more than her eyes. While she may have the curiosity of a new pup, she also had the wisdom that had allowed her to survive this long in the forest.

What kind of fun? "Well ... I'm not sure really." He said as he led her out of the room and into the hallway, "Maybe just ... wait ... I know!"

Maghai gave her a hug then tapped her hand and started running, "You're it! Catch me if you can!" He yelled as he zipped off and away from the girl. This was going to be fun. He hadn't had someone to play chase in a long while. The last time he had played tag was well before his and Jezarine's clan had died.

He laughed as he ran but then another elf came around the corner and he had a difficult time just moving around her, not wanting Cestrah to bang into this new person so he tried to move this girl out of the way but tripped, "Oh no!!!! Sorry sorry sorry!" He yelped as he fell towards her.

((moved from here: http://dragonageafter.forumsmotions.com/t214p120-thief-antics#3707 ))

Kassina had been wandering the halls for a few minutes and hadn't seen anyone about. Maybe they were all sleeping? She was just about to get bored and turn back when she heard feet coming thundering down the hall. Suddenly a pale elf came flying around the corner and almost collided with her. She could smell a human coming behind him.
She didn't think, just reacted on instinct. She dodged out of his way, spinning and grabbing her daggers as she went. She took up a defensive crouch growling and snarling at the threat. She barely managed to keep herself from stabbing the elf where he stood.

Cestrah was taken off guard by Maghai's hug, but it was over before she could even realize what had happened. He tapped the girl's hand and said she was it. Tag? She had never played before but she'd seen other young children playing it. All she had to do was run and catch him right? She stood dumbly for a moment, but then smiled softly and started chasing after the elf. As the two neared a corner, he almost crashed into another girl, bit she spun out of the way, drawing daggers.

"Maghai!" She called out, then stepped between Maghai and the girl. She spoke cautiously because of the weapon but also apologetically. "I-I'm really sorry, miss... I guess maybe we shouldn't have been running around the halls... B-but please... Put your weapons away."

in truth, Cestrah was terrified. An armed person was no more than two meters away. She just hoped that the girl wasn't good at reading people well, because Cestrah was trying to keep her calm, but her fear kept getting the best of her.

Maghai rolled and came up in a crouch, turned towards Kassina. His eyes were wide when he noticed the weapons but she didn't look like she was the type of person to just attack someone for a harmless mistake. Was she? That would be bad especially with Cestrah getting between them. She'd already been hurt and he didn't want her hurt any more than she was. He didn't want her hurt in the first place let alone now.

"OH no oh no! Please, I'm sorry. We were just playing tag and I didn't notice you. Really! I'm ... I'm Maghai and this is my friend Cestrah. We are with the wardens." His blue eyes were big like a pleading puppy's and his lower lip quivered. He was not as cute as his sister when he did things like that but he did seem like a sad little pup. He put his hands on Cestrah's shoulders to slowly move her backwards, just in case. She wasn't a big fighter but he could be if he had to.

The two people infront of her both smelled of fear. The female looked not much more than a pup. The pale elf said they had been playing. Were they playing some sort of chase game?
She realized she was probably overreacting, but it was instinct. Slowly she put her daggers away and rose from her crouch.

"Kassina sorry. Not mean scare. But elf and girl pup scare Kassina. Not use to people place."

She stopped and thought for a minute. Maybe they would know where to get food and water if they were with the wardens. And this male elf smelled slightly like the garden elf girl she'd met yesterday.

"You help Kassina? Kassina hungry and thirsty. New here. Not know places." With that she ran out of words and just looked at the two of them.

Cestrah let out a sigh of relief as the other elf put her knives away. It was a relief that it hadn't ended in a fight or anything, so that was a positive. Underneath her, Cestrah could feel her knees buckling under her, so she gently rested her body against Maghai while listening to the girl who'd introduced herself as Kassina. She talked very spaced out and blocky way, but it wasn't hard to understand. She must have been thirsty and hungery, needing someone to show her where it was. In fact, Cestrah was starting to feel the same way, but also didn't know where to find any food. She spoke in a clear voice, a little bit slowly so Kassina could understand perfectly. "I-I'm... Not quite sure where the food is either, but I'm hungery as well. I think Maghai can help you there." she looked at Maghai with a small smile."Would you be able to help the both of us?"

Maghai's face became a blank slate as if he'd gone off into a trance withn his mind. He did not answer when Kassina spoke, or as Cestrah did as he was trying to recount information from his past to see what correlated with this speaking pattern. It was strange to him but not so strange and that was the funny part of it. Yet, the strange Dalish thought that there must have been something similar.

"Not Ludo." He said aloud while contemplating the information within his drug muddled mind, "Oh. You never lived in a clan have you? You talk like animals do." A cheery smile came upon his face as he caught on then the mention of food made him excited, "Oh yes! I'm hungry too. What about you, Cestrah? Aren't you hungry? Oh you should be hungry you never eat very much because you can not get very much but I know where the kitchens are and they have lots of food that they prepare and the king said that I am welcome in there any time I want. I just have to behave and say please. You two know how to do that, right? I got in trouble for not doing so a while back but it's alright now. The cooks put up with me now as long as I'm fairly quiet, don't get away and say please."

With a nod he ended his ramble on that subject and waited for a response from the women while he grinned stupidly.

Kassina realized she had really scared the girl pup and felt bad about it. The girl pup was like her, cautious and in unfamiliar territory. She didn't seem comfortable around people either, except the pale elf behind her. At least the girl spoke slowly so Kassina could understand. The pale elf on the other hand... She didn't even understand half of what he said. She did catch words about food though and him knowing where to go. And he knew she was like the animals. Not only did he smell vaugly like the garden elf, he talked like her too.

"Clan die when Kassina pup. Kassina wolf now. Mag... Mag?" She tried but names just weren't easy for her to remember, so she just pointed at him. "Smell, talk like dark garden elf. Dark garden elf litter mate?" She wasn't totally sure she would understand his answer, but she felt she should ask. The garden elf had been nice to her.

"Kit... kitchen? That where food? Tattooed elf say... cook? Cook want burn meat. Kassina no like burn." She shook her head and growled slightly to show her disssaproval.

Slowly she pointed to Cestrah and then looked at Maghai, "Pup need food. Pale elf lead way food."

Cestrah looked at Kassina curiously. She seemed to be very primal, almost straight animalistic. She'd said she was a wolf now, which confused Cestrah. What did that mean? She seemed to be a normal elf, but because Cestrah had lived such a life without being exposed to very much, she didn't know a lot of stuff, so she decided not to look like a fool

She then looked at Maghai with a coy smile. "I could really go for a real meal... I think it'll be my first good meal in my life..."

"You can call me Mag if you like, Kassina. It's kind of cute y'know." His smile became huge.

New friends were always fun to have even if they didn't usually last very long. He couldn't figure out why they all wanted to get away from him, like Rakot. He was a nice person and tried to help others so why would they leave? A slight shrug indicated his confusion but not at what as he turned, motioned to the two to follow and started off, "You will have many more good meals with us, Cestrah! And you will get healthy. Jez says that it is good to have good food before eating treats but you haven't even gotten treats. Unless you stole them and I wouldn't blame you for that. I do that too."

All of a sudden Kassina's words caught his attention, just before getting to the kitchens. He turned at the door and looked at her, "You saw Jezzie? Night Herb is what the clan called her at times. Our clan gave secondary names to everyone, somewhat like nicknames but according to our personalities. We're twins." He put his hands on his hips and lifted his chin proudly. His sister always made him feel proud whether it be her directly or just someone mentioning her name, "We're twins. Well, not identical but we are!"

His attention suddenly waned as he smelled food and he opened the door and walked in, waving at the cooks, "Hi! Can we get some food? Breakfast please and some raw meat. I know but we need raw meat for ... a mabari. Yes, Jezzie is looking after a mabari! Isn't that sweet of her to watch Torture?"

"Ruff!" Torture barked from behind the elf making him jump onto the top of a table, startled that the dog had been there. Torture grinned, amused that he had been able to sneak up on the three. He had followed the three all the way here but kept back where no one could smell him too well and in the shadows. This was too good to be true so Torture decided that he had to learn more from that elf his person thought of as a mate.

"OH!" He tried to come up with something new to cover his lie, "I guess ... Jez must have sent him after us to make sure we got enough. We need to take the food with us. Lots of meat please! Oh ... this tray with the sides would be good."

"Lad you are such a silly thing!" One of the cooks laughed at him then shooed him off the table, "You three sit and I will get food and drink." She muddled about getting hot buns, butter, honey, raw meat in a small pail, vegetables, fruits and scrambled eggs, "Now shoo. Go play in the sun. It's too nice outside for you all to be inside. The commander of the grey would want you all to have fun before you leave."

Kassina was glad the pale elf wasn't upset when she couldn't get his name right. He seemed really nice, but there was something slightly off about him. Although he had the body of an adult, he acted much like a pup. But then again most people found her strange too, so who was she to judge?
The girl pup with him was a mystery to her as well. She smelled of hurt and fear and anguish, but also of hope. She acted like some of the dogs she'd met in the forest that has escaped harsh and abusive masters. Had the pale elf rescued her from her master? She hoped the pup would be alright.

She nodded when he mentioned Jezzie, yes, her name had been Jez... something. Twins? That must be the human name for litter mates. She filed that information away for later. Night Herb was a much more fitting name she thought. Why couldn't everyone have names that made sense like that?

Kassina stood at the kitchen door, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds. She had never seen anything like it. All this food and all these people all in one place. It all seemed like a lot just for some food. She couldn't wait to get back outside the city and hunt her own dinner.
She was so absorbed by the strangeness of the kitchens that she barely noted the approach of the mabari until he barked and the pale elf jumped onto the table. She started a bit herself, but then found herself giggling at Mag's reaction.

As Mag dealt with the cooks Kassina turned her attention to Torture. She really wanted to learn the mabari form so she could fit in around here better, especially if it meant easier access to non-burnt food. Slowly she approached the mabari, stopping an arm's length away and crouched down infront of him. She really wanted to shift to wolf right now and give him a good sniff but knew better than to do so infront of a whole room of strangers. She settled for communicating with him as best she could while in elf form, letting him know she wasn't a threat and that she wanted to learn from him.

Cestrah jumped in fright when Torture barked at them, horrified by the surprise of the mabari. Upon being scared, she immediately clutched Maghai's arm and held it tightly. Upon realizing it was Torture, she released Maghai's arm and blushed profusely, having embarrased herself. Now with the great food in front of her, Cestrah smiled as she sat down to eat. "Th-thank you..." she then began eating ravenously, showing obvious behaviour of starvation. 

(OOC: I'm sorry that this took so long and is so short. I've had a lot of stuff happening lately...)

"Oh no no!" Maghai took the food from Cestrah and looked into her face, close to her checking her out, "We go eat outside. You don't eat that fast it can hurt you! I don't want Jez to have to fix your gut. If you eat too fast when not eaten for a long while it can make insides twist and hurt or kill you. I don't want that."

He took her hand and looked up at Kassina, "We will find a nice spot for us all out of the sun and away from bugs. Yup away from bugs. Then we will eat but slowly. Ok?"

Torture cocked his head and barked making Maghai smile, "See see? The dumb dog agrees with me." The "dumb dog" then growled at him and he put up his hands, backing up a bit, "No I didn't mean stupid ... I meant ... dumner. Yes. That's a very bright breed of dog really it is!" He tossed Torture some meat, "Ok let's go now."

He grabbed the tray with one hand and Cestrah's in another then rushed off towards the outdoors, Torture following in a bewildered state as he had no clue what the crazy elf meant but he had food so good enough.

Kassina watched the activities in the kitchen in a state of bewilderment. There was so much going on around her, it was almost completely overwhelming.

"Mag no like bugs?" Kassina asked when he mentioned finding somewhere to eat with no bugs. "Kassina eat bugs for Mag. Bugs taste good!"
When Mag called Torture dumb Kassina gave him a slight growl and a dirty look.

Kassina followed behind Mag and the girl pup as they headed outside. Once they were out in the sunlight Kassina took a look around to make sure there was no one else around and then shifted into her wolf form. She began sniffing the ground looking for any bugs that might upset Mag. Her sniffing disturbed a small bug and she quickly grabbed it out of the air and swallowed it. She happily ran a few cirlces around the others while waiting for Mag to put the food where she could reach it.