At first, Aneira hadn’t been sure of what she was seeing in the dark, flickering on the edges of her vision. But as the horses drew closer, she blinked and the flickering resolved itself into a fire. She started to wonder if lightning had already begun to strike the land when she noticed a few shadows moving around the flames, figures gathered around them. She pulled up on the reins as soon as she realized this, her horse automatically beginning to slow. She heard Tannith give an impatient huff, but he too slowed his own mount.

One of the figures stood up, stepping forward slightly, silhouetted by the light of the fire. Guiding her mare to stop a few feet from the stranger, she had just opened her mouth to call out her own greeting when there came a crack of thunder and a brilliant flash of lightning and she found her voice trapped in her throat. For in that instant, she found herself looking not into the face of a man, but a beast. A dog with fur black as pitch with brilliant golden eyes. But then she saw the figure fold his arms across his chest and she blinked in further shock. Not a beast, not entirely. But some sort of man with the [I]head[/I] of a beast.

And then the man, if that was what he was, spoke. His words were accented oddly, though clearly spoken in common. He welcomed them to he and his companions camp and offered a place of rest for the night. Aneira felt a momentary shudder shiver through her body and she quickly shared a look with Tannith. She subtly nodded her head to him, signaling him to take the lead.

Lifting his voice, the soldier called back over the storm. “ we thank you for the welcome. And we would gladly except a place to stay for the night. I wouldn’t want to get caught out in this storm. Thank you.”