"Blood on the Wind" Explained: Fozz Speaks

Vida had begun to hear Fozz's calls within their territory once more; his voice had been recovered. Straight to the point, she ran off in search of Ásbjörn - and luckily, she thought to check the willow tree before she went any farther. "Old man..." She came toward him after murmuring the term of endearment she'd taken to using with him, leaning into him affectionately for just a quick moment if he'd allow it - while quietly hoping he wasn't in the middle of anything pressing. "I hear him... Are you ready to come up with me?" She tilted her head as she looked to him, even smiling hopefully up at him.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg had been quietly smoking his pipe at the water's edge, a past time he had come to do quiet frequently. When she approached he'd nod to her and give a slight cough before licking his lips. "Greetings..." His brows would raise at her words and he'd graciously accept the lean to him, his arm moving around her to pull their foreheads together in a somewhat animal like display of affection. "I'm glad you hear his voice.... if you think now is a good time....then let us depart..." He'd clear his throat then adjust his bracers before gesturing forward to her.

Vida accepted the touch of their foreheads, her eyes even closing for the time they were together. "I do..." With a hint of reluctance, she pulled from his hold only to move toward the only known path to the Rise, looking over her shoulder at him as she started to hop up. "I hope you're a good climber.." She spoke teasingly before hoisting herself up to the next landing. As used to the climb as her body was, it was relatively easy... but she would stop after each landing to check and see if he made it okay.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg followed her with nary a heavy breath. He'd occasionally grunt and pause to look out off the ascending pathway to look over the land below. At the halfway point he stopped to take a deep breath and stare out over the territory in silence... a reverence for it's majesty. When they neared the top, he would pull out his pipe and begin to pack it, then pull out a small knife and some flint to light it before conintuing on

Vida had stopped halfway up with him with a secretive smile... and she paused for a moment just in case he needed one. But after a little while, she continued on as she had to start with, pausing at each landing to look out and check on him - only offering a hand if he seemed to absolutely need it at some point. As he worked with his pipe once they reached the top, she looked downward to open a pouch at her waistline, murmuring to herself. "What was it we used last time..." She grumbled something to herself about grumpy elders - among other things - and looked up after a time, only to notice Fozz was... already there. "It seems... we won't have to call upon him. Good. But I might still need your help..." She passed Ásbjörn a sidelong glance before she took a knee, her brow furrowing. "So... Fozz... Can you talk to us today, friend? Can we help you?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would arrive, his pips lightly puffing his richly scented herbs. He'd give a slight grunt as he pulled himself up to the rise, the mountain of muscle under his skin tensing as he moved. Arriving he would look about him..and close his eyes. "This place...." He'd muter as he puffed on his pipe. "There is great....spiritual energy here...." He'd then open his eyes and look across the clearing..and see the spirit wolf. "Hmmm....this...is him...yes?" He'd remark, studying the area...soaking in the natural purity of the place.

Fozz's Spirit gave a soft whimper upon seeing Vida. his usual greeting though seemed sadder this time. He turned his ghostly eyes to look up on  Ásbjörn and lowered his ears slightly as he did not really know this being to speak freely in front of him. There was a moment of hesitation then he stops floating, landing silently upon the ground and moves closer to the fire attempting to whimper just a bit more towards Vida.

Vida looked toward Ásbjörn with an actual smile; her brows raised. "There is... It's why I stay up here when I attune myself to one of the wolves for an extended period. It's just... easier up here. But the cave below is home... and you're welcome here anytime you need or want to be here, especially given your respect for the spiritual..." She trailed off as she looked to Fozz. Her expression sobered and she frowned, inching closer to the center of the clearing. The direction of the spirit wolf's glance was not lost on her. "You can trust him - I would not have asked him here if I didn't have faith in him. I'd hoped he'd be able to help somehow if it was needed... but I need you to be able to explain what's been troubling you. Can you do that right now? Is there anything we can do to help you tell us?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would lower down to sit on the ground. He would keep his eyes upon the spirit wolf and make no threatening gestures or movements. "I will not press for advancement... if your spirit wishes it he will approach..." He looks to the wolf and speak. "Look into my spirit, friend....I hold no secrets from you..." Being a child of Gaia as he was, his soul would be laid bare to the spirit, concealing no portion of what he was or his intentions... a guardian and protector of nature to his very core.

Fozz's Spirit looked up to  Ásbjörn as Vida spoke, his ears perking slightly and tail wagging softly as if to greet him. When she asked him to speak he looked back to her and gave a soft whimper again before looking between the two of them. a soft swallow, as if he had a throat. "V...Vetis is ill." he spoke, his voice surprisingly young. He seemed to hunker down lower to the ground and look about him as if afraid he had spoken to loudly. "B..both he and Ludo were captured.." he hesitated a moment and looked to her in a pleading sort of way. "They do not want me to speak." he was attempting to talk as quietly as possible but his voice seemed to echo no matter how he spoke. It was not loud, but it was eerie to hear his own voice after he had stopped speaking. His tail tucked tight between his legs and his ears swiveled sharply around him as if to make sure nothing else was coming. "The Elder... is no longer here to protect.. It is dangerous for you here." He whimpered softly. "It is not safe for any of us." he looked around him again, perhaps paranoid.

Vida would have been entirely calm herself, were it not for the worry she felt about Fozz's behavior. She listened to Ásbjörn and passed him a look of gratitude... and a sigh of relief overtook her as she watched him a moment. But as Fozz spoke, she looked toward him in surprise. She'd been so used to the more primal language the wolves took that hearing entire sentences come from him caught her off guard. This time, -she- spoke in that language as it were, an animalistic, high-pitched whine in her throat. For a time, she said nothing... but was visibly hurt and frightened. When she could finally speak, her eyes had already watered. "If it is not safe for you here, I understand if you have to leave... but..." She swallowed the lump in her throat, raking a tense hand through her hair to move it out of her face. "... Can you tell us where they are, where to look for them? Is there enough time for that?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg held his pipe, watching the wolf with an almost calm like serenity. Lightly puffing his pipe he'd give a slight gruff grunt. "Hmmm... tell me friend... what sort of protection is it you need...? What plagues you in the spirit realm that you would need fear speaking openly even here upon this hallowed ground?"

Fozz's Spirit would crawl a step forward. "I can tell you all of it. I've seen it all.. and been unable to help my brothers. Captured by the blood clan.." behind Fozz would start to well up a darkness. At first it just seemed as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. "They've escaped and..." he paused his ears perked for a moment, his image visibly shaking some as he turned his head to look behind him. "they..." His ears pinned to his head as he looks into the darkness unsure of what it is. "They escaped and are heading home.. Vetis is very ill.. Ludo is with him."  he gulped slightly again and turned to look at them, assuming that the darkness behind him was nothing. He looks to  Ásbjörn and lowers his head. "Dark spirits plague the umbra. They are powerful, more so than Kurnin was." he shook his head slightly. "Most of the time they cannot harm us.. it is just when we are giving information we should not." He gave a soft movement of his chest as if he were attempting to sigh before looking back at Vida. "They do not want us to help that of the living. they like the suffering and death.. their army g.." A sudden clap of thunder sounded in the distance. Fozz stands up and looks around alert, stumbling over his own ghostly legs and looking back into the darkness.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would slowly lift his hand and close his eyes. His palm towards Fozz, he'd begin to mutter in the tongue of his people....a very rare occurrence as his kind was seldom seen. The air around them would grow warm...calming...comforting...like being in the comfort of one's home...safe....protected. "You've nothing to fear here...friend.." He'd remark, keeping his hand outstretched. "Gaia is strong here....strong with me... speak to me...show me...tell me where the umbra lays closest to the veil here...and I can help you...show me spirit..."

Vida tried to move protectively toward Fozz as he spoke, a low growl in her throat - likely trying to behave on instinct and place herself between Fozz and whatever darkness gathered, as if there was anything she could do about it as she was to begin with. "Home? The mountains?..." Mention of Kurnin caused her breath to catch in her throat - and for a brief moment she froze, tensed, and shrank back a small measure. A glance moved toward Ásbjörn, a deep frown forming; she'd explain the ordeal with Kurnin if she needed to. But... her expression changed as she both watched and listened to him. She stood down from trying to 'protect' Fozz, instead looking toward the spirit with concern. This time, she fell silent and instead listened to the two of them.

Fozz's Spirit could not feel the warmth but looked back over his shoulder at the two. "Do you hear that?" there was a distinct dark whispering that only those in form would actually hear. He listened to  the male speak, and though he wanted to relax, part of him could not. Then would come a dark chuckling as a portal seemed to open to the Umbra while Fozz was turned looking at them. A large shadow would start to spill through towering over the spirit wolf. Fozz's head would snap back to the darkness.. but rather than cower in fear,  the fur on his back would spike, his ears would pin down and his head would lower as he let out a growl.. and though he growled.. his words were clear as his voice was never limited to his mouth or throat. "They are being hunted Vida. Go and save my brothers!" He snarled at the darkness as a hand started to reach for him and he would lunge in an attempt to bite it. Only to have another hand fly out and snag him by the neck. A loud pained yelp would sound out as he was quickly dragged back into the umbra's portal and the fire would be snuffed out instantly as the portal closed.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would keep his eyes closed and continue to focus, his eyes opening at the feeling of another darker presence. He'd furrow his brow and watch as the spirit was pulled back into the Umbra. "Hmmm... the Pattern Breaker trespasses here..." He'd rumble before lowering his hand and rising up to his feet. "Hmph...." He'd grunt, walking to where Fozz had vanished moments ago, looking around himself as if inspecting the ground. "Hmmm... this is...unsettling..."

Vida felt her eyes flit wildly around the area as if seeking out what Fozz was referencing. Another shrill whimper formed in her throat. "Hunted..." She didn't like that. But... she didn't have much time to process it. Instead, she watched his spirit fighting with... something that startled her to see - what little she could make sense of, anyway. "No... nonononono...!" As she realized he was being pulled in, she lunged for the portal, only to find it closing after he'd been successfully taken in. With a low, primal growl in her throat, she began to act without thinking, her breathing frantic. She clenched her jaw as she heard him speak after Fozz had gone. "Trespassing... Yes... But not for long..." Was she thinking clearly? No - not at all. Even as she was hunched over on the ground, she grew taller; larger; hints of red, bristled fur forming along her skin... but there was something... off about it. There was the hint of an ethereal glow to her form; she was trying to prepare to follow Fozz into the Umbra, which... most likely wouldn't pan out very well for her if she wasn't stopped.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would turn and look at Vida, his eyes narrowing. With a few strides he'd walk over to her and grab her shoulder, then with his free hand, push his thumb to her forehead. "No.... stay..." He's speak in a calm yet commanding tone. His thumb would press firmly to her forehead and slowly rub up and down between her eyes while his eyes remained steadily upon her. Depending how resilient she was and her own disposition...she would feel a wamr..soothing presence... a calming that seemed to originate from where his thumb met her brow.

Vida found a sudden hold on her, her eyes having already grown rounder... more animalistic. She didn't pull away; didn't deflect his touch. Instead, she stared up toward him, wide-eyed. Sure enough, it worked... and more than likely, it did so with ease - at least enough to cause her to stop long enough to think about what she'd been trying to do... and realize she would have had no idea how to help once she'd gotten through if she had to begin with. She calmed, and the signs of change within her steadily slipped away again... but she stared at him more like a child who'd just been struck, rather than a grown woman - teary-eyed and contained, but still, in some way, panicked. "... I don't know what to do ..."

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would deeply inhale and let out a grumbling growl. "I know... calm your rage, Vida.... blindly tearing into the Umbra is never a good idea...nor safe... if what took Fozz is still there...what could it do to you? What if there were more? We will unravel this mystery...and I will try to save your spirit friends...and cleanse the Umbra here of the dark taint..." He'd look back where Fozz had vanished and growl...the first aggressive growl he'd given since his arrival...a deep, steady ursine sound that would make the earth under them seemingly shudder. "Come...we've work to do.."

Vida took in a deep breath to compose herself after another moment of looking up toward him. Her frown deepened and she used the back of one of her armbands to dry her eyes, leaving some of the paint on her face smudged. As he spoke, she unsteadily pushed herself back to her feet; waited for a pause in his words. When the opportunity presented itself, she turned toward the village and let out a sharp whistle. She approached Ásbjörn without a word; reached up and tried to guide his forehead back down to hers as he'd done before, murmuring a quiet "Thank you..." With that, she withdrew again if she could, sliding down toward the cave's entrance just long enough to grab a writing utensil and rugged parchment. She called out to him - her volume depending on how far away he was at that point. "And what work is this we'll be doing? I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would linger a moment longer, looking through the clearing as if searching...trying to sense something. "...This is not yet over... I know you can hear me spirits... be warned... the rage of a Gurahl is not to be tested...to harm the children of the Earth Mother... is to rouse my anger..." He'd then turn and follow her down the rise, dropping from ledge to ledge, much faster than he had ascended. "Yes... I will need to gather things form my den...and bring them here... the Umbra's veil is thin upon the rise..as we saw from the darkness that took your Fozz... it will be here I will commune with the spirits..."

Vida listened to him and looked in his direction with a hint of admiration in a welled stare. This was too much... and she likely would have lost hold of herself entirely had he not been there. As soon as she realized he was going back down, she followed along after him, one arm extended as the raven she'd called for landed upon it, her eyes narrowing as he took hold of her enough to remain steady on her arm and climb up to her shoulder. As soon as she'd reached the ground below them to follow after them, she wrote frantically on the paper she'd grabbed and rolled it up. Whispering to the raven, she gave it a small trinket worn around her neck, along with the note it took hold of, quickly flying off as she followed along after him. "There's far too much... I don't know where to start - Fozz or those that still live..."

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would wait for her to catch up to him. He had dropped off the edge of the rise more or less, landing with a loud thud upon the earth. "Hmmm... indeed..." For once his brow was knitted, serious and wearing a look of concern. "The fiends of the umbra should not be able to come so easily into our world... or in holy places..." He'd turn to her and grunt. "To the den..." He'd then turn from her and in a display not thinkable of one his size...he'd take off at a dead sprint, much faster than one his size would be thought to be able to move.

Vida normally had no trouble keeping up with anyone - especially for short distances - but she found herself so startled by his sudden burst of speed that she practically tripped over herself to keep pace. She came in several paces behind him with a deep breath once she caught up, staring toward him in surprise. "I can't let them die... especially now. We can't... lose any of them..." Her tone was breathless as she looked around his cave as if she knew what he might have been looking for... but she ended up pacing restlessly instead, raking her fingers through her hair and growling.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would puff furiously on his pipe, the smoke billowing out of his mouth and the bowl as he was gathering various items. A mortar and petile, some herbs, bones, and a few small carved wooden figurines. "They are already dead...they're spirits..." He'd murmur as he was concentrating. "I cannot promise I can save them... I do not promise things I am uncertain I can deliver...I can..however promise I will do what I can to make sure no more fiends of the Umbra come through... and do more damage than they already seem to have begun to."

Vida quickly shook her head as she stared toward him, growing frantic once more. "No, Ásbjörn. Vetis.. Ludo... they're still alive. They're being hunted... and I can't... I can't let them die, especially with something so menacing on the other side. If Fozz, who's traversed the spiritual realm for nearly 20 years, can be pulled in so easily... I don't want to think of what could happen to someone who's recently passed..." She trailed off and frowned, taking a few steps toward him. "Is there any way for me to help you with... whatever you're doing or planning on doing?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would grumble and then pull his pipe from his mouth and hand it to her. "Take this... over by my bed furs...there is a small deer skin pouch with more herbs in it...hold onto those..take the burner here..." He'd pause, handing her an incense dish. "You keep these... later on..when I tell you to... you will fill the dish, light it...and leave it at the opening of my den...then you.." He'd look to her, pausing his preparation to look at her sternly with his good eye. "...Stay away from the den... no matter what you hear...what you smell... no matter what...do NOT..." He'd emphasize "not" with a sterner tone. "Come...to this den...when the incense has burned out and you can no longer smell it...then return...but not before...understand?"

Vida uneasily took the items offered to her. Her brow furrowed in particular at his pipe. Odd... she'd never seen him without it in hand, at least... but she held onto it. Stepping toward his furs, she retrieved both the herbs and the incense dish - quickly returning to him to do so. But she paused at the commanding tone of his voice. She frowned and nodded, but she couldn't help but ask... "... What's going to happen? Is something going to happen to you?"

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would stop and place his hands on the table and deeply inhale, hold the breath then exhale with a sigh. "I'm going...to go into the Umbra...and see for myself what it is we are against... I'm going to commune in a way that... is dangerous to not only myself but any around me... the less who are around me when I do..the safer they shall be.. you are..at one with your rage, Vida... mine... not so much... my beast is singular in purpose and mind...we have an..understanding at present...it is fierce enough to enter the umbra and come back without scathing.. so... I'm releasing it so that I may enter the umbra and see through unfiltered eyes... that incense will keep me in this den and not let me leave...eventually it will make me unconscious and I will return to as you see me now... a rather uncomfortable headache..but intact."

Vida had no available hands to touch him with as she listened. Instead, she turned to her side and leaned into him affectionately if she could do so without disturbing his work. She frowned. "Be careful..." She'd never had concerns about the Umbra before... but his tone and the subtle changes in his demeanor leading up to that moment, as well as what she herself had seen... had put her on edge. "...And come back to me safely..."

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would put down everything in his hands and suddenly turn to her. He'd grab her by the back of her hair and pull her mouth to his, growling as he shoved his tongue into her mouth, kissing her with a heated, primal passion. After a long time, he'd pull his mouth from hers and growl. "I plan on it...." He'd look at her once more with a warm yet heavy smile. "Go...light the incense... and be clear of this den..." He'd then reluctantly let her go...and begin to undress himself in preparation.

Vida instinctively closed her eyes as he pulled her in. Something in his kiss caused him to whimper momentarily against his lips, but she mirrored his passion almost nervously before he pulled away. Having to blink her eyes clear, she looked up at him for another moment and tried her hardest to resist the urge to frown. For a moment, she opened her mouth to say something, but instead... she fell silent and filled the dish as he'd asked. As soon as she lit what was within, she carefully set it down at the entrance to his den, passed one more look his way... and slipped away, only going far -enough...- but never too far, her ears and nose trained worriedly on the area around his home... and what lie within.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg atched as she left, a smile upon his wizened. "Earth Mother protect you Vida...." He'd softly speak, watching till he lost sight of her. Closing his eyes he'd heavily sigh then roll his shoulders back, swinging his arms back and forth across his chest as he paced. "Come on... I know you've been wanting out.... I need you now Great Bear Spirit... I need you to go into the Umbra....to discover what is becoming of our spirit brothers and sisters..." He'd cease pacing and square his stance, looking down at his feet before closing his eyes and falling utterly silent..

Vida looked anxiously toward the entrance to his cave, and for the time being, she resisted the urge to check on him easily enough... her nose to the air and her ear trained on the den.

An unnerving silence came over the den, even the air seemed to fall silent...then he'd let out a loud roar of pain as he was hurled to the ground by unseen forces. He'd curl up, gritting his teeth and panting...sweat breaking out over his body as he struggled to push himself up onto all fours. "Come....on... I...need you...the land...needs you....Gaia.....ne-...needs....you-u-aaaaaRRGHHHHHHH!!!" He'd suddenly jerk back onto his knees, his screams becoming loud..bellowing roars..much louder than anything the land has heard. His bellowing roar flooded from the cave and washed over the earth, sending birds into flight in fear as the change began to take hold...

Vida felt her eyes widen as soon as the noise reached her ears. Even she cowered, shrinking close to the ground and ducking behind one of the nearby trees as if she feared being spotted. Not even Thies had chilled her with his roars... not like this. Not to her core.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg held himself up on his hands and knees on his earthen floor... panting slow and deep as his bones slowly began to swell..breaking themselves only to mend and harden..thickening as his figure began to swell. His panting breaths would become deeper...less human...becoming gruff and heavy before he'd punch the ground, lashing at it with his fingers, kicking up a cloud of earthen dust. He'd open his mouth to scream again, but instead of the pained cries of a man, the loud savage roaring of a ursine echoed in the cave. His mouth continued opening, distorting as the muzzle of a bear began to grow from inside it..pushing his jaw open, breaking it loose from his skull before it'd fall to the ground, along with strips of skin that began to peel back and burst while thick, brown hair took it's place.

Vida remained tense, her gaze locked on his den - even amidst the deafening roars that came from within. Her eyes twitched into a squint and her sharpened fingernails dug into the earth below her as if to keep her in place. She could still smell the incense... she could still hear him... she couldn't go back to him yet...

Ásbjörn Ahlberg crawled along the ground, his body halfway shifted as he instinctively sought to leave the cave for fresh air. Then it hit him...the incense. It repelled him and kept him in place, barring his exit from the den....which only made the bear even more angry. He'd reer back, roaring loudly in frustration as he tore at his chest, ripping off chunks of muscle, peeling it away like skin from a fruit as he continued to grow, back forming a massive hump, skeleton contorting into horrific angles and size. He'd strike the wall again in rage, his fingers breaking off and massive dagger long claws replacing them to score the stone itself. He'd then begin hurling himself against the walls of ancient wood, causing the ancient tree to violently shudder...and in turn the earth itself form it's deeply holding roots. Again...and again...he'd thrash the walls of his wooden home..making the ground shake in small earthquakes, each strike and ramming of his body against it peeling off more and more skin..till finally the bear was fully emerged...shaking it's hulking frame to discard the last bits of gore and meat from it's body.

Vida blinked; her heart pounded. The disturbance within the cave caused her to shrink back farther away and closer to the ground, practically lying prone as she watched, smelled, and listened with bated breath...

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would rise up on it's hind legs, it's head brushing the ceiling....before it'd let out a monstrous..deafening ursine roar the would shake the foundations of his den and carry across the territory like a blast from the hunting trumpet of the Gods themselves. He dropped to all fours and began to pace in his den, huffing...snarling and swiping his massive paw at the ground in anger as the beast was in full control. It would not of looked it from any possible onlookers...but inside the mind of this titan... it searched...and pulled at the veil of the umbra with it's gargantuan strength..seeking to enter it.

Vida could not look inward to see what he was doing - too nervous to really creep up to get a better look... but she listened for any signs, good or bad, coming from where he was.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg paced back and forth, occasionally letting out a bellowing huff of frustration. Like in his human form, the bear had only one good eye...and it burned like the sun..while the blinded eye shone like the pale moonlight. A rather beautiful dichotomy of features. Slowly the bear would begin to calm..slowing it's pacing before it'd turn to the mouth of the cave...and lower down oto the ground..giving a loud cry of defeat...it knew it could not leave...and resigned to do as it was asked. Curling up, the bear would loudly sniff...and begin to grow drowsy...it's eyes slowly closing at it drifted into a seemingly deep slumber.

Vida did not come -too- close to the den... but as the sound began to die down, she proceeded to crawl on her belly just close enough to try and glance inside... while keeping a safe distance. So long as she still smelled the incense burning, she did as he commanded and dared not come too close. As long as there were signs of life - movement of -some- kind - she did not panic.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg's massive titanic frame would slowly rise and fall as he breathed...seemingly asleep. The air in the den would grow heavy... rich with the scent of earth and vegetation. He'd let out a throaty huffing and a twitch of his ears while the air around him became dark...unnaturally so. He had pierced the umbra...and his hulking figure was beginning to fade...become translucent like a light morning fog.

Vida only vaguely recognized the signs of entrance into the Umbra. Once it sank in, she calmed again and sank back away from possible direct sight of the cave, instead settling off to the side and remaining attentive.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg's form remained unmoving...almost intangible for some time. The shadowy wisps of it moving as if trying to dissipate, but held together by some unseen force. The torches in his den died down to almost a smolder, with only blue flame to show it was still lit. After what would seem like hours...the torches would begin to steadily grow brighter and brighter till they once more burned yellow...yet the shadowy outline of the great bear...remained wispy...and phantasmal.

Vida remained waiting patiently by the den the entire time, despite the growing urge to go back to him. Sure enough, it felt like it was taking forever... which had apparently become nerve-wracking. She occasionally sniffed the air for signs of the burning contents of the incense bowl... but otherwise was unmoving.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg remained silent for some time...the incense dying down...the scent lingering for a time till all traces of it were gone...the den was silent as death...the only sounds the faint crackling of the fire pit within...all else silent...still...

Vida grew increasingly nervous... but as she no longer caught wind of the incense, she waited just a little while longer before she started to creep uneasily toward the entrance of his den. With the pads of her feet braced on the ground, she remained poised to run if she needed to... but she continued to crawl toward the entrance; looked in to see if she could catch sight of him... and check on him.

Ásbjörn Ahlberg would be laying on his side in his furs... sleeping deeply, completely unconscious to the world around him. He looked exhausted...tired...and his limbs twitched as if from over use.

Vida watched him from a distance for a time. Once she was sure it was safe, she rose to a stand and crept in without a sound. She set his pipe on a pillow within easy reach of him, then laid down the dish and skin filled with herbs nearby before settling down beside him. And unless she absolutely had to leave him, there she would remain to watch over him, using gentle hands to try and occasionally (gingerly) rub along his muscles anytime the opportunity may have presented itself.