Tarì sat on a large boulder next to the lake just looking at her reflextion. The blue hune on her cheeks were brighter than usual and her hair had a shimmering glow to it.
She dipped her feet into the water, relishing in the coolness it posessed. she leaned back on the rock and watched the clouds go by. Slowly she began to drift to sleep...
A fire rained threw a village. The houses were burning and everywhere people were screaming. She was standing in the middle of it all watching in absolute horror. she had had this dream before and it was a waking reality for her. She saw her mother running towards her yelling at her to run away and to get out of the woods. Suddenly a tree branch fell from above. It seemed to move in slow motion as a smaller Tarì screamed at her mother, " Mommy look out!!" The tree branch fell apone her mother and the fire consumed her.
Tarì woke to the sound of her mothers cries in a cold sweat. She had had that dream for a long time now and it effected her the same way everytime. She had been only a girl when she witnessed the horrible death of her mother and a dozen other village people burned alive by the sudden blaze that struck her village.
She looked around a bit groggy not really knowing where she was.

The steady plod of Themis' hooves echoed within the immense forest. The rhythmic thumping seemed almost like a lullaby to Jarika by now. The worn out troop had been travelling for what seemed like a lifetime. By troop, it contained Jarika herself, Themis, Maja, and Daedalus. The humid air hung thick enough and it only worsened the mood of the travellers. All of their heads hung low, almost down to the ground with the stiffness hovering over them. It felt almost thick enough to be cut by a knife. The only figure that sat at least semi-straight was Jarika. Her instincts told her that she needed to be vigilant and watchful. That same instinct told her that other things lurked in this area that she had never seen let alone heard of. That sense couldn't tell her wether they would be peaceful or want her off of their homeland. She assumed the worst, better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. Pretty soon, the many trees thinned out to just a few very large trees here and there. The air here seemed very different. It wasn't as humid, it seemed more clear and easily moveable. Jarika was not the only one to notice this change. Daedalus' wings started to flap more frequently and everyone's head raised up more.

As they traveled on, Jarika spotted a shining light upon one of the trees. Her first thought was of that of a faerie, but then she spotted it on many other trees nearby. Upon closer inspection, she figured out the source........a reflection off of water! Jarika sighed in relief. She had no doubt that all of her companions were thirsty. They could use a drink. As she turned her head away from the light, she found the immense spanse of water. It was a large lake with deep clear waters. To help Themis out, she jumped off and walked alongside him instead. Themis, feeling the weight lifted off of him, trotted eagerly towards the water. When he got within reach of the water, his neck arched down immedietly and he took a nice long drink. Maja had already loped ahead of the ground and was still drinking greedily. Unlike Maja, Daedalus had sat beside the lake and lapped at the water gently. Jarika continued to take her time and walked down to the water. She bent down and cupped her hands in it. She slurped the water until she felt that her thirst was satisfied. For a while, she sat on the bank just reflecting on how far they had traveled.

Just then, something caught her eye. While she sharpened her gaze to identify the figure, she realized that it was another person not too far down the lake from her. She immedietly reached for the hilt of her dagger. She didn't know wether this woman was dangerous or not but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She stood up and walked a little closer. She called out "You there, by the lake, are you a friend or foe?" and there she stood with one hand on the hilt of her dagger and the other hanging limply by her side. Her companions still slurped eagerly, not caring about what Jarika was doing currently. Even though they appeared to be occupied with drinking, all three were keeping a watchful eye on the girl and Jarika...........just in case.

Tarì spun around in confusion at the voice that called out to her. Still groggy from the life like drean that she had had, she didnt see the group right off. When her eyes adjusted to the light again she saw that they wernt far off. She was scared. Never had she seen a woman with animals like that. Who ever this was she must have been a very powerful person. Hello there. I do not know who you would consider a foe but i assure you i mean you no harm. Tarì got up and slowly walked toward the group hand held infront of her to show she ment no harm. Its a lovly day isnt it? My name is Tarì Nólatàri. Whats yours and my i inquire about the names of your companions?

Jarika's eyes narrowed at the woman. She respected the fact that the woman admitted not meaning any harm. Her gaurd was not going to be up at its highest now. The way she was brought up though would not allow her to let her guard down all the way. It would take a great while for her to completely trust this girl and there may not be that much time. Her hand fell from the hilt of the dagger and lay by her side, but it was ready to quickly reach for the dagger and strike at any time. Jarika slowly turned away and said "If you do not mind, I should just like to refresh myself and my companions then we should be on our way." Her arm swayed at her side and it appeared that she had looked away from the woman, but she still had a cautious eyes looking out of the corner. When she came upon Themis, she took out a brush and proceeded to comb out the clumps of dirt that had gotten stuck in his hair along the way. She would have left the woman at that, but then the woman spoke again. Jarika sighed and figured that if she wanted to get this woman satisfied, she might as well answer her question. It would also allow for more rest. She put one hand on her hip and turned to the woman. She guestured towards Themis and said "This is my steed Themis, he is an ethereal unicorn." she didn't bother to explain what the ethereal part meant about him because it would probably make things work smoother.

She next guestured to Maja, who had finished drinking and proceeded to clean her paws. Jarika said "This is Maja, my jaguar." As Maja heard her name, she let out a low growl and walked towards Jarika. She lovingly rubbed her head on her knee then dropped onto her haunches in a sitting position at Jarika's feet. Jarika couldn't help but smile as she reached a hand down to stroke Maja's feline head. After she finnished that and she had sucessfully produced a purr from Maja, she moved to her last companion. She directed towards Daedalus, who sat precariously on one limb of a tree nearby. He had his wings neatly folded beside him and his jade eyes were following each and every movement that was made in the area. Jarika said "this is Daedalus, my Psuedragon. I have to say that he is an interesting character so watch out." At that point, the smile was gone from her face as she turned back around, picking up the brush again to brush Themis. She started on his rump, since that was the area that she was closest to. This time though, she turned fully around to Themis because she didn't need to keep an eye on the girl. Now that Maja was done, she sat vigilantly with her gaze on the woman. It was intense and not breaking, only when she blinked.

Tarì sensed that the woman did not wish to be bothered. Well it was very nice to meet all of you. I hope we may have a better converstion in the near future. Perhaps one with a less hostile accord. I wish you all a good day and best fortune to you on your journey. May the weather be kind and the sun always on your back.With that Tarì turned and headed back to the rock that she had sat on in the sun. Looking down on the four companions she saw that most if not all were watching her steadly. She watched Jarika combing Themis. While all three animals watched her. Sighing she layed down and watched the clouds drift slowly by.