Roan was nervous.

The hairs on his neck stood erect and his eyes roamed the streets crowded scene, narrowing on every blonde headed woman only to realize it wasn’t Lavica. His teeth gritted in frustration, not anger, gnawing at him while he let out a slight snort to acknowledge it. Even more aware he was currently standing among a crowd with little clue where to head next. On top of that, he had lost Nizak which in his mind was just a sign of ill fated trouble to come.

He was growing more and more irritated after the crowd had parted, leaving him alone and absent of the blonde. Even now in his completely stopped position, more bodies, some who thickly stank with sweat, hay and shit, had moved into to fill the void her absence made and furthermore put him on edge. Reflexively his knuckles had tightened about his spear and eyes minded its direction, not wanted to impale anyone rude enough to get in its way during his navigation through this ‘sea’ made from people. His figure was very stiff while his mind was a frenzied unsettled mess, his head jerked about at any motion that caught his attention, his breathing slightly soft and quick to reflect his nerves. One reason was because he was in unfamiliar territory. The other was the need to find Lavica and very fast, not liking the notion he might discover her in a damp alley or worse, dead in a filthy ditch.

It would also make him less edgy, a fact he didn’t like this feeling a bit. Not when his Relic had stated to sense his emotional stress and now was burning like cold ice against his skin drawing slight concern as he breathed in order to force himself to settle down. He inhaled and exhaled twice until the feeling had edged away. Not gone but far less intense than before, a positive sign in Roan’s head. Around him, bodies still roamed about without consideration for personal space though he ignored it, still gritting his teeth through the experience.

For a moment, Roan found his nervous state…odd.

This wasn’t the first time he had been in a city as his mind drifted to his childhood, inwardly reflexed on source and seemingly to come up empty. Roan concluded he had been out in the wilderness for far too long, now needed time for him to get use to the city again. He felt a brief smile curl his outer mouth edge then fade. Inside he was pleased with the answer though his instinct had twitched that it wasn’t the reason. That it was far deeper.

Now wasn’t the time to get paranoid he chided himself. His blue eyes swept along the scene, trying to find clues to his current whereabouts or at least landmarks. From the number of lower class and a few less than savory characters, this wasn’t a place Roan wanted to be. 

It seemed his luck only spiraled farther when his eyes spotted two, no...five characters who had been staring in his direction for far too long. At first he had thought they were waiting patiently for a companion, bartering or seeking something else, but those thoughts shortly vanished when he moved. As if some invisible thread had been pulled they started to follow in his wake. His eyes narrowed yet his body gave little away, his feet still locked within their steady pace while he followed the wall closely. Something wasn’t right and he felt it deep within his pale skin, his teeth gritted in frustration at the misfortune, including feeling like a herded animal. Not a sensation he seemed to be able to tolerate. Personally, Roan wanted to avoid a fight and it wasn’t because he was afraid for his safety. Rather he didn't like the idea of what his inner wolf might do to the several thugs or worse that were following him. He just knew it wasn’t going to be pretty and escape was his best option, his eyes flickered for a way out while his hand slipped discreetly to get his knife. 

With a quick turn on his heel, his spear still in his grip, Roan moved. 

He spotted the five men close behind, eating the distance and hot on his heels. His attention centered on the men so heavily, he hadn’t seen Lavica or the man she had stumbled into, alongside his fellows near his location. He even barely avoided colliding with someone coming out of what might’ve been a clinic though his mind wasn’t sure. Roan grunted a quick apology without stopping his path. The whole time, looking nervous and unsettled until he entered the alley. 

A dead end. 

Roan cursed his stupidity, realizing in moments his stalkers were about to raze hell. Forcing him into a situation less wanted than before and even worse, he had given them the chance. His teeth reflexively bared in instinct while let out a slight, soft snarl. Already he spotted the shadows betraying the men’s approach. 

What did he do now...his mind paused and looked at his knife. He weighed the risk only to sudden flip his head about, hearing the uttered curse of a man followed by the snicker of his companions. Roan bitterly realized there wasn’t any time left. His hand clasped about his blade then ripped it across his palm. He hissed in pain. Then his eyes traveled to look at the blood pooling at his cut and start to glide down. Pain ripped across his flesh causing him to hunch down, his bones cracked, fur sprouted, and muscles flared into his wolfen form. It was much shorter than it had been the first time. He only hoped it was fast enough.