[i]BEFORE FINDING THE HAVEN:[/i]

Aerilyn was sitting under what may have once been considered a hangar for an airplane, but there was hardly any of it left standing. [i]At least I can hide in here until those giant-ass bird things go away...[/i] She thought to herself when she saw several dark figures in the sky, circling like ancient "vultures" may have done. [i]I don't want to wait here for long, though... I'm running out of water and I still can't help but feel like I've got some ways to go.[/i] She didn't know what the tugging feeling in her soul was, but it was enough to give her a headache. She took a bottle of painkiller from her backpack and swallowed the pills dry... only to gag and nearly cough them back out again. [i]I wish I'd been able to sneak one of those water filter things that purifies some of this junk into somewhat consumable junk.[/i] After she had regained her bearings, she slowly stood up and slunk from the hangar, doing her best to keep a low profile as she made her way in the direction that she felt was right.

Just as soon as she had felt like she had made progress, the bird things in the sky, black as ebony and seemed to be made of fear and pain themselves, swooped down in an attempt to grab her. She gasped and tucked and rolled, making her way through the forest of junk and dirt. [i]Why now? Why me?[/i] She thought with a groan as she started running for her miserable life. [i]This had so better be worth coming out here...[/i] And just as a set of talons were nearly upon her, the ground beneath her vanished and she fell into darkness.

When she'd woken up, she thought that she was dead. There was a small pool of the cleanest water she had ever seen, and there was something strange beneath her: green and 'leafy'. [i]Grass?[/i] She asked as she sat up. That's when she came nearly face-to-face with an older man. She tumbled backwards, ready to strike, but then he had offered her shelter, welcomed her, even. He'd even called her "Elemental".

---

[i]PRESENT[/i]

Aerilyn glared at Shida as he suggested that they let the world simply die and they live here in peace. [b]"As appealing an idea that may sound,"[/b] the young woman said as she brushed some of her short auburn hair, [b]"I can't say that I'd want to spend the rest of my days pent up with you or any of you."[/b] Normally she wasn't the first to put in her opinion, but this time she felt like she had to say something. It had been the first thing she'd said in the past few weeks, so her voice was hardly audible. She stood up and pointed a finger down at Shida, [b]"And if I have to work with someone like him, then count me out. I'll push him into the Void myself."[/b]