#unsettled-shadow

((Apologies for the lateness of these...but as promised, here they are.))

Top row: The Lost Wanderer, McFawny, Erebos

Bottom row: Eska, Kileca, Dae

Right to left: Scarfy, Vertid, Ka'aki

Top Row: Sakato, Lilith, Finmor

☳ ) Who goes there?

Evren felt herself grow cold at the guttural hum echoing between the ruins. As night fell, she had felt the need to remind Akos of the dangers that skulk through the sands and shadows. They would need to retreat to any of the available shelters soon, lest something undesirable find them first. It seemed to be a tad late for that. Evren stood motionless, quieting her breaths to lessen the hissing it cause behind her mask. Something is here, with her, in the gloomy labyrinth of abandoned dwellings. A hand reaching for her weapons, her dark ears shifted nervously. She couldn't pinpoint it, but it is there. A looming presence, flickering just out of sight, as if in the corner of her eye. It's there, but what is it?

Seconds passed in silence. Evren tensed, aggravation mounting as she removed her mask; perhaps whoever it was could have been intimidated by her? A couple stray dolphins race by overhead, their chirping panicked. She watched them halfheartedly, realizing that whoever was following her must have startled the creatures. With a sigh, she called out again.

He has lived for a long time and he has walked the path too many times to count. But he was never satisfied. It was never enough. He could never find all that he wanted. The travelers sustained him tolerably, but they only left him hungry for more.

So he waited. He knew she would leave the mountains eventually. He knew that her curiosity would get the best of her. It was only a matter of time.

::What is fear?::

::A sensation that makes you recoil, a feeling of deep and painful uncertainty that drives you into hiding.::

::There are those who would tell you that fear does not exist.::

::An invention of the mind devised to keep you from harm, a clear set of boundaries that, if adhered to, will keep you alive and safe.::

::But there are also those who would defy such boundaries. Those who would tell you that fear is merely trying to keep you from seeing all that there is to see, hiding the truths of the world that some force unjustly decided you weren't meant to see.::

::Let me tell you, traveler, though there is much that is still unknown to me, I have seen many things in my day.::

::And I can tell you with the utmost certainty that not only does fear exist...::