The moon fey's slender un-hurt hand slid into Trix's as she stood up from the bench. Did didn't need the help, truly, but accepting the gesture was nice. They moved out into the sunshine and Rilana's long white hair verily glimmered with a faint pearlesence, and her eyes seemed to spark with light and shadow to give an impression of unfathomable depths, like the sea, or like blue ice.

'Lana flexed her stitched hand experimentally, testing the limits of the fresh sutures, her eyes following the white raven. The silver-tinged corvid had discovered the food stall and was pecking around for scraps on the ground. Rilana supposed that discarded bits of gristle wouldn't be missed by the few shoppers around.

Unlike Trix, the druid's thoughts were bent on home, the ache to once again see familier ice-bound mountains on the horizon a genuine discomfort in her chest. It was so strong that the lingering burn of the bites on her shoulder faded to the background. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, the hundreds of miles of travel seeming even more daunting and tedious than when she had first set out.

Luckily for her, Trix had a knack for distracting her from her troubles. [color=00aeef]"Giving them very clear expectations and consistency in your commands is key."[/color] It struck her as odd that she was delivering the knowledge of dog training to a second person in less than a week. [color=00aeef]"Most dogs are suspicious of strangers and will instinctively growl and put themselves in front of you. Most people train that out of their dogs, but you will need to enforce it. You just have to train them to back down when you say so."[/color] She elaborated more as they walked, describing certain techniques for training the dogs to guard Trix's property, a person or area she designated, or herself.

After over long, she found herself looking into a pen of shaggy, rust-red bears, and remembered Echo. [color=00aeef]"Their colour is similar to a direwolf I met on my way to the tournament."[/color] They looked lazy and placid, not at all like the temperamental wandering hulks she had come across in her wanderings.

With her plate of food in-hand, she ate swiftly. A hot meal was a lovely thing after a month of trail rations, and she tried to ignore how...familiar she was with the smell of cooked bear. Sitting almost daintily on one of the benches, she heaved a sigh.

[color=00aeef]"I was hired by a...I guess you would call her a Princess, though her position is mostly ceremonial. I train Fjord-horses for many different purposes. One of your Lord Knight's wanted one for a war-mount so I came down to Ebonfort to deliver him. I miss him dearly, it's difficult to not get attached sometimes. I also train dogs, mostly for hunting or sledding, and falcons. Sometimes other animals. But I also spend a lot of time just...wandering. My mother called it the druid's curse."[/color] Her laugh was musical but short-lived as she glanced at Trix sidelong. [color=00aeef]"I'm sorry, it seems that a talent for magic is not welcome here. In Frigmount, most magic is celebrated."[/color]

When Trix mentioned someone special, Rilana shrugged her slender shoulders.[color=00aeef] "Only Khona, my...friend. He's a gryphon and mostly comes and goes as he pleases."[/color]

In her mind, the cat-bird huffed. [i][color=fff200]Staying in the city is so [b]boring[/b]. Of course I fly out whenever I can.[/color][/i]

[color=00aeef]"But other than him, no one special."[/color] And there wouldn't be. Rilana was pretty, even by moon fey standards, but she had let herself become scarred and didn't make time for anyone who might be interested.

[color=fff200][i]You liked the one with the lion eyes.[/i][/color]

[color=00aeef][i]All the more reason to get home as quickly as possible.[/i][/color]