Nostalgic Relaxation

[baha]

Elliot looked surprised, "Really! Wow... But I don't swim much anyway, we never had any real need to. The few people who could just became the fishermen of my village, but the rest of us just had cattle and sheep, domestic animals like that. I prefer running, but I guess all wolves do." He had ran a lot back at his two homes. It was good training and an exhilarating feeling.

[J-Bear!]

She smiled at him. "Yeah, even in the ponds, it was deep enough for swimming. I'm surprised my mother allowed me to swim, even though I haven't since my father left. We didn't really have fishermen or farmers, mostly entertainers and things like that. But I do like running, and I'm pretty good at it, with me being an elf and all," she said, thinking they had a lot in common.

[baha]

"Entertainers?" Elliot said, "We never had those. I've heard of them in other lands, but in my town everyone worked for the benifit of Syndance. Before I became a werewolf, my life was already decided by my parents; I was going to be a warrior until I was part of the Elite Guard of the town. Pretty much fancy talk to protectors. They made sure our town never got invaded, stuff like that. It was a tough job though, so not many people are able to do it."

[J-Bear!]

"Yeah," Jatza said, surprised. "Pretty much all elves are entertainers. That's impressive, how you'll be part of the Elite Guard!!! But what happened after you became a werewolf? Are you still going to be part of the Elite Guard?" She asked, sounding a little concerned.

[baha]

Elliot shrugged, "Well, the fact that I'm a werewolf might make some of them nervous, even though most of them have known me from childhood. It's like a flock of sheep getting lead by a wolf, you know? But that's why I came here; to train my werewolf abilities better, because what if the town was attacked during a full moon and I couldn't help them?" He shook his head.

[J-Bear!]

Jatza felt the familiar passion for werewolves rising inside of her, but she suppressed it. "They have no right to!!! Werewolves are completely harmless if they can control their abilities. But you're right about your town. It's good that you care so much about it," Jatza said, trying to calm herself.

[baha]

The boy smiled at Jatza, watching her with a calm, steady gaze, "It's hard not to. The people who lived there were very kind to me." He looked up through the trees, watching the hazy image of the sun overhead, "I didn't mind living with Lykaios either. That forest was gorgeous. There wasn't a single tree that wasn't covered in a thick covering of rich, green leaves. The earth smelled always sweet to me, and the water crystaline. To me, a place like that was more than a paradise." A loving serenity settled in his eyes.

[J-Bear!]

Jatza calmed herself. "Good. Just because you're a werewolf doesn't mean you're a monster. I mean, look at me. I'm talking to you. And you haven't attacked me. Yet," Jatza said, chortling. "Wow, it sounds amazing. I wish Zepryth was that beautiful," she said with longing in her eyes.

[baha]

A smile played on Elliot's face, "Maybe one day you can come see it. It is a nice place..." He fully smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna attack you now or anytime. Take this however you want, but I do not harm women. It's not because they're weak, but it's just a strong habit from my village. Women reigned above men, and to harm one was a crime greater than almost all others." He shrugged, his fluffy tail knocking off several leaves of a nearby branch.

[J-Bear!]

The light in Jatza's eyes danced playfully. "That would be nice. And I know, I was just kidding," she said, knowing he knew. "That's a rather interesting custom. In my forest, men normally reign above women, unless the women are royalty." She was startled when his tail knocked leaves off of the branch; she forgot he was a werewolf.

[baha]

"Scared you?" he laughed joyfully, "I'm sorry, this should be better." He shifted into his human form, leaning back against the trunk of the tree, his feet indian-style on the branch. He brushed away a few leaves to see Jatza properly, then spoke again, "Well, our entire town was weird. We all worshipped a female god, which is mainly where the woman above men ranking came from. I don't remember much about it though, I stopped thinking about my village while I was working with Lykaios."

[J-Bear!]

She chuckled. "No, you didn't scare me, I just forgot I was talking to you in your wolf form. You see, I have about four Zeprythian wolves at home, and I talk to them so much I forget they're wolves. They're the only friends my mother won't behead," Jatza said, sighing sadly at the memory of her peasant friend. "Hmmmm . . . Most of our forest is Christian, although we do have choice," she said, thinking about how little of a choice she had. "So, you came here after you worked with Lykaios? I came here after my punishment was over," Jatza said, not mentioning what the punishment was for or what type it was. She didn't want to bother anyone with the gruesome details of what her mother made her do. It was like the Holocaust with Jatza's mom representing Hitler and Jatza herself representing everyone in the camps all at once without dying.

[baha]

Elliot hooked his legs to the branch, then swung down to face Jatza. Upside down, his hair stood on end, giving him the impression of having anime-style gravity-defying hair. His eyes were filled with concern, as he spoke, "Punishment? How could anyone punish someone as nice as you? Speak!" Rather than using a forceful tone for the last word, he spoke in a caring way, like a brother asking a younger sibling how she fell.

[J-Bear!]

Her eyes widened a little when he swung down; she didn't want him to fall, but she supposed he had more balance than most. She averted her eyes from him, smiling softly but sadly. "Thanks, but yes. My mother punished me for trying to make another human friend, and as punishment, I worked as a slave for her. In spite of me being her daughter and only heir, or perhaps because of it, she was indifferently brutal towards me. She had plenty of other slaves, but she treated them well, as far as slaves go," Jatza said, trying to spare some of the details, but telling him enough hopefully.

[baha]

Elliot gave her a comforting smile, "Seems to me like you're a modern day Cinderella, huh? Don't worry, princess, if something like that ever happens to you again, I'll help you, even if I'm far away." He smiled, with a laugh, then spoke again, "So what's your favorite type of cheese?"