Merrill looked at the strange being that Callie had summoned.  He watched it as it headed back in the direction of the winged demon. 

[b]”Your magic is powerful, but uncontrolled.  It is like a wild tempest.  We need to find....”[/b]

The smoke thickened and Merrill coughed, unable to finish the sentence.  Taking his own shirt, he nodded as he held it to his nose and mouth, blocking out the thick smoke.  Staying low, he went down the dirt path, staying close behind Callie.  On either side of the thick brush, the shadows danced, weaving in and out, illuminated by the flickering, burning inferno that raged not far away.

[b]”I don’t like this,”[/b] Merrill whispered, taking the cloth away from his mouth for a second.

[b]”There’s something else here.....something I can’t quite put my finger on.  Something is wrong.”[/b]

For however many hours they travelled, Merrill lost count.  Yet as they did traverse the winding trail in the forest, travelling deeper into its depths, the smoke lessened, as did the raging fire that burned through the undergrowth.  Eventually, as the rain began to fall, the sensation of smoke lessened altogether, becoming nothing more than a slight annoyance.

Nor did the flying demon make another appearance.  Perhaps whatever it was that Callie had sent at it had delayed it enough for them to make a getaway.  More hours passed before Merrill finally stopped, lowering the cloth from his nose and mouth.

[b]”I think we’ve gone far enough now.”[/b]

In front of them, the forest trail continued onwards, the muddy path disappearing into the shadows ahead.

[b]”Perhaps we have come far enough.....to rest now,”[/b] he nodded, exhausted.

Looking to Callie, his dark eyes gleamed.

[b]”I don’t know what to do about your form.  Maybe another surge like before will restore you?”[/b]

He sat on the floor, crossing his legs as he continued to watch her curiously.

[b]”I will watch over you while you sleep,”[/b] he said, wincing slightly at the sudden pain from the gouges on the back of his leg.

What he didn’t say though was that still, at the back of his mind, there was the strange feeling that something was wrong.  There was something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, something out of place around them.....

[@Guardian Angel Haruki]