And here she is, and though she is still moving with elegance, it is a little more obvious that it is harder to travere the terrain here in six inch heels. Venus had been here a good few times before, having found this valuable forest a short while after being banished from Avalon and making her way to San Francisco. It provided her with many important igredients that she didn't rely on some of the hidden magic shops for.

Making her way through the trees, the dappled golden light strike her, throwing a glow on her whitened skin. She feels no warmth for the place, no sense of wonder at the astonishing beauty. It's use is purely functional in her eyes. The same goes for most things, in fact. Today, she was to collect a small sample of wood, from a specific tree that she'd know when she found it. It had to be one that felt right for the occasion. Hey, maybe she'd collect the heart of a small woodland creature while she's out there. Oh, that would be fun indeed!

Clark moves slowly through the brush. The woman's stilettos had left a clear path which had been easy for Clakr to follow thus far. Fianlly he sees her, she is still walking. She looks horrificly out of place, almost to a point of humor. Clark stops at the sight of her, he'll wait until she goes farther ahead and then will he continue his tracking. (PLease dom't turn out boring. Please!)

Oh, poor, stupid Clark. Like she hadn't noticed the same vehicle following her from her parking place at the beach. At first, she hadn't noticed, being that there were many cars coming onto the highway, and someone following her from the beach to the highway wasn't too unusual, but then to see the car turn off with her, and stop at the secluded car park near the woods. It was just a little stupid to assume she hadn't noticed something, and now, as she's walking through the woods, she's keeping her sharp hearing peeled and can hear the falls of footsteps not too far behind. It was preposterous. Why was this stranger following her? It's not like he had a reason, and the last time she had checked, it wasn't common for people to follow other people, especially when they were as rude as she was. It wasn't some dodgy film noir.

The whole reason she had walked away from him is because she had dulled of his mumbled talkings. She wanted to be alone, and he really wasn't doing anything to help. Still, Venus doesn't let on that she knows he's there, instead plotting a path through the giant trees. She was heading deeper into the forest. The dappled light gets dimmer, and the sounds get quieter, making the snap of twigs underfoot behind her all the more obvious.

What Clark doesn't realise, however, is how it's getting far more secluded as they walk into the woods, and that Venus oh so wanted to lash out at the annoying drone at the beach... but now that they were alone in the woods, there isn't really anything to stop her. It's not like people will see...

After Venus puts a good distance between Clark and herslelf Clark begins to move forward again. (OK so if she does turn out to be evil what am i going to do?) Clark begins to run thrlugh game plans in his head, including a lie to tell if Vneus did turn out to be nothing but a boring mortal. He has a spell ready if need be. (Lets hope it doesn't get that instense.) Unfourtunatly he has neglected to bring an athame along. But he isn't to concerned. After all he doesn't have thing to prove venus is magical nor that she is truly evil.

Venus opts for more ignoring of the stupid stranger following her. Perhaps he would bore of her and leave. She moves through more shrubbery, gently making her way through the folliage of the forest. She could carry on and just collect her wood, or she could collect something much worse. If only for the shock factor that Clark would get by watching her skin a deer alive. (Hmm...)

As Venus moves, she heads toward a thicket of dense foliage. Making as if to walk through it, simply trying to get through and continue on her path... she just vanishes from sight. Using the plant life as a shield, she ducks under and moves elegantly to position herself behind a tree trunk. There would have been no way she would have been seen from Clark's position. Her manicured nails dig into the bark of the tree as she presses herself against it, her breathing almost silent. She seems ready for a fight.

Clark stops dead as Venus vanishes, (Oh shit very bad sign.) Clark moves to his left but is still unable to see the woman. The woman vanish means either one of two things. She has simply been to quick for Clark and snuck away, or she is hiding waiting for an attack.Clark silently moves to the other side of the path, towards a tree not feet ahead.


This tree has perfect view of the place Venus vanished just moments ago. It was times like these Clark's power came in Handy. Clark places his hand on the tree and focuses. In moments his power of Psychometry sends a vision into his minds eye.

Clark looks forard to the other tree 4 yards ahead, Venus was behind there and Clark doubted she was there with good inention. Clark imagines briefly the pride Venus must feel in thinking she is to clever for Clark, unaware she has been caught. Clark smiles to his inner humour. Clark looks into the bark of the tree, talking as if he can see Venus through it. "Now I seriously doubt crouching behind a tree could ever be more comfortable than sitting on a near vacant beach."

When the voice rings out behind her, Venus' skin momentarily goosepimples. She hadn't expected that. It is only a split second, however, and soon she has her dignified composure back. An elegant smile crosses her crimson lips. "I suppose you find yourself clever, following a lonely woman out into a secluded forest." Standing to her full height, Venus steps out from behind the tree. "I must warn you, however. I will not take to you forcing yourself upon me."

Venus doesn't advance further, instead staying rooted to this spot, her hand gently resting on the dark bark of the tree beside her. Her previous hiding space. (How did he know of my location?) Her eyes look over Clark for but a moment. He must be magical, there was no doubt in her mind that she was competent enough to hide completely. "Why have you followed me? It is not habit to have a man follow me from the beach for no reason. Perhaps you saw me as a candidate for attack? For rape?"

Clark smiles; he had thwarted the arrogant woman. As she accuses him of being a rapist his stomach drops slightly. He thinks over his response carefully, decided returning her accusation with the same suave was the best route. “Curiosity actually. It isn’t a common occurrence for a woman in designer clothing to travel all the way to the beach just to collect a vial of water. Now tell me, please, did you come to the forest for another material? Or to find a place to work in secret?”

"It has nothing to do with you what-so-ever." This statement is coupled with an adamant stare. She's right of course. "And curiosity is no reason to stalk a woman out into the woods, especially when you know nothing about me. Please leave before I call the police. I fear for my own safety." She doesn't, of course, and nor does she carry a cell phone. She just wants to be left alone! (I cannot believe the audacity of this pathetic male.)

"I thank you for appreciating my beautiful garments, but my business is my own." A hand trevels lightly down her smooth figure, along the forced curve from her corset, and comes to rest down at her side. Venus is adamant that she is giving this stranger nothing, and it puzzles her how his only reason for following her is 'curiosity'. Pathetic.

Clark thinks over his options. If Venus was truly a creature of darkness Clark could rather not let her slip away; however if she truly was a mortal than Clark could end up in the clink. ( Decisions decisions!) Knowing rapidity is of the utmost importance at this point Clark quickly thinks of a way to solve this problem. As he thinks he speaks to Venus. “I promise you have no reason to feel endangered.” As soon as he is finished speaking he begins to mutter a spell to reveal if Venus is magical or not.

“May magic flow now from my mind,
Hidden magic I must find,
May it be scales or maybe fin,
Show me the magic hidden within.”

(Or else I'm seriously going to look like a freak.)

{1}

(Oh shit.)

Those are the words that pass through Clark's head as he watches the blue aura leave his body and fly to the cave. He is screwed; if Venus is evil then she had just been provided proof that Clark was magical. If she is mortal she still had been provded with proof that Clark was magical. However this initial panic is quickly pushed aside by the confusion brought on by the spell. It had worked, which was a surprise onto itself, but not how intended. He has no idea what that blue light was nor does he know why it has gone to the cave.

(However I think it may be wise to find out.)

His eyes quickly return to Venus as he once again become reminded of her presence. Luckily she had been not been provided with his name nor with any of his personal information. Therefore Clark decides running is in his best interest. He rapidly blurts out a few words before taking off. "Sorry, gotta go bye!" He moves to the right and then quickly darts past Venus to the Dark Cave.

{3}

Clark dashes through the woods towards his car as fast as he can. The forest had not treated him well so far. It had only presented him with a pissy woman and pack of demons some how linked to his own awry-gone spell. His breathing becomes stranied as the sprinting continues, he slows to a jog as the pavement coems into sight. Finally he comes out into the parking lot.

Magical, eh?) An interesting development, but she really doesn't care enough to attempt to follow. In truth, Clark was a bore, and having him gone was a relief to Venus. Shaking her head slightly, Venus now turns and continues on her way into the forest. Her walking doesn't take her too far, however, when she stops at the base of a tree. "You'll do nicely." Indeed, it was an impressive species, and so she felt this was the one to take a sample from.

It doesn't take long for the elegant sorceress to discover a suitable twig on the ground beneath the tree. She was taught by her grandmother to never take anything from a tree without it's concent if she wanted to use it in a magical act, as it wouldn't yield it's power. Instead it was appropriate to look to the base of the tree for gifts which had been left. Venus also collects a sample of the fertile soil at it's roots beneath the leaf litter.

Not wasting more time here than she needs to, Venus turns on her heels and begins to make her way through the forest back in the direction she came, toward the parking lot.

{13}

Clark steps in to the woods and continues to walk forward. He continues to push forward. He can hear Venus's footsteps a few feet back. As he walks he think over possibilities in his head. (What could those Demons be doing there? Probably protecting something. But what? I would have to be important. Upper level demons don't just lay out minions randomly. But what could my spell have done. Depowered them? Not likely. Maybe it just guided me to them at thats it? Whatever. THey'll be dead soon. Hopefully.)

Soon in the distance the cave comes into few. He crouches down quietly. He sides steps and the turns back. Quietly he qhispers to Venus. "There's the cave. We should go around and come in from the sides. That way they can't see us coming." (And lets hope they can't sense us.)

Venus saunters into view behind Clark, and she eyes the entrance to the cave wearily. Perhaps this really is just a lure to get her somewhere secluded enough to vanquish her? Well, the woods are quiet enough, so he could have already made his move. No, maybe there was something worth seeing in there after all... "Come in from the sides? From what I can see, my dear, there is only one entrance and it is coming straight from the front..." She knows, of course, that he means to stick to the cave walls and slowly creep in, but where's the fun in just agreeing?

"I believe a gentleman should always go first, and what with your amazing power to see into the past, you should know exacly what's going on in there..." Oh, mocking. It drips from her voice with the viscous sweetness of honey. She surveys the scene, analysing everything possible so that she's prepared, but there isn't all that much to assess. The entrance was as plain and uninteresting as any cavern, and also as uninviting. "What creature is it exactly that is in there?"

{14}

Clark moves forward. He inches closer yet to the cave side. "I'm not quite sure, they were certainly demons. They looked reptilian." Clark steps forward, careful not to step on twigs or bark. He slides past a pair of trees and looks back to Venus. "Let's go" Clark moves forward and then goes to the cave side.

(Oh yes, dear master, I am here to do only as you insist.) She once again glares at Clark's back as he moves away from her. He had this annoying habbit of believing he was in charge, which was not the case when Venus was involved. With a roll of her eyes, she begins her movements once more and approaches the entrance where she saw Clark slide in out of sight. Hopefully, this would provide fruitful, as opposed to being one of the more stupid things Venus had done. It was that oh so human emotion of curiosity that planted herself at this spot, and it was curiosity that was also known to be deadly. Silently, she too slips into the cave behind Clark.

Clark ran for soemtime through the thick vegetation, not knowing whether or not the demons from the cave had decided to give chase. Once he felt safe he slowed to a stop. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Finally once he felt ready he jogged until he reached the parking lot.

Moira walks slowly through the woods, pausing from time to time to lay her hands against the trees. She liked the feeling of natural things against her hands. This forest reminded her of home, which she missed.

Softly she begins to sing, the song is a lullaby song to her by her mother. I wish that I was home. I miss my family. As she walked, she found herself thinking of her new friends too. She wondered what they were doing at that moment. She just had to get in touch with Daria to talk and just hang out.

Moira shakes her head and resumed her singing and walking.

Dream Plane

---

Dmitri walks through the woods decked out in full lederhosen complete with knee high socks and braces. He looks over at his ‘brother’ for a second before continuing his path through the forest. Dmitri supposes that he should probably find a way out of the forest, rather than just wondering around hoping to find the way out. The Russian witch casts his eyes skyward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the moon to provide some sort of decent light in the forest. He can’t keep his attention away from the ground for too long as he stumbles over the root of a tree. He mutters a few Russian expletives as he rights himself, thankfully he didn’t fall face first into the ground. So once again, his attention returns to the ground directly in front of him, trying to ensure that he doesn’t fall over any more roots and such.

[Dream Plane]

Embra stands still as she takes in her surroundings. As her hands gently tug her hood down to her shoulders, the girl becomes more and more aware of an unsettled feeling churning in her stomach. Something about this whole scenario seemed off...it was almost, (Frightening.) The brunette shaman isn't sure of her current location. She begins to cautiously wander through the large trees. The farther she goes, the more confused Embra becomes.

(But where are the rest of the students? What's going on?)

A chill runs down her spine. Wherever she is, Embra knows one thing; she does not like it.

[Dream Plane]

London Adler's body moves gracefully through the woods as she follows behind a young student. Orin said that they were all to be killed, and that it was going to be her job to do so. Her dark hair lies gently about her shoulders as the dark eyes seem to blend in with the trees. The woman before her doesn't seem like she's going to present much of a challenge to be killed. The red cloak around her body makes it obvious as to which story that Orin has placed her in. Only, this time there will be no woodsman to save her.

The fair skinned demon's eyes run over the area near the two as she starts to ponder the best way to kill Embra. Of course a wolf should be involved; it's only canon. What else could the demon do to make the death of this young girl a for sure? Her face lights up with sick delight as an idea pops into her mind. Why not play the role of granny? London focuses on changing her appearance to that of an old woman.

(This is going to be fun...very fun...)

[Dream Plane]

The demon sighs slightly to herself as she sees that her body hasn't changed. Her abilities haven't moved far enough along, which she more than likely knew. Instead, she decides to just watch the story play out. In the original Little Red Ridding Hood, the girl only lived because of a Woodsman. Well, London doesn't want to be uncreative, so her plan for the young woman changes.

Her mind begins to form a wolf and a woodsman. Both will be driven to kill the woman, however the woodsman and the beast will be competeting. They both want to kill her, and they both want to do it before the other. She attempts to form them on either side of the young girl trapped within her nightmare. Hopefully her plan works out. The demon closes her eyes and attempts to finisht he man with an axe and a wolf, both bent on killing the girl in the Red Hood.

[Dream Plane}

The brunette shaman watches with horror as she first spots the wolf, and stumbles in the opposite direction, only to find a towering woodsman with glinting blade in hand. (What's going on!) The sickening feeling of fear curdles in her stomach. Her cloak twirls as the girl spins on her heels and searches for some sort of escape. She knows she only has one choice. To run. And so, that's exactly what she does. The young girl flees forward, and then attempts to weave a zig zag path through the trees in hopes of losing both the wolf and the man.

[Dream Plane]

The demons smiles as she watches the young woman run into the woods. Her mind playfully imagines what kind of pain will engulf the young woman in the horrid nightmare she exists within. Though London would rather watch the going ons of this little nightmare, she has other things to do; other people to play with. Her body vanishes, shimmering to another nightmare..

The voice of Aella t'Avriny, Wisdom of the elfin village of Tian, enters the mind Moira. Her voice rings out so loudly that Moira may believe that the voice is coming from everywhere for all to hear and not just in her mind, though it holds no harshness.

(Moiraine, we must speak. There is an imminent danger to our people that you must tend to. Light the ritual fire.)

[Dream Plane]

Jacob trudges along beside Dmitri, not even really paying attention where they are going. He keeps his eyes down, pointed to the ground at his feet. Much easier to see the things waiting to trip him up that way.

"We've been walking for hours." The young gypsy comes to a stop, looking up at the boy playing the part of his brother. His voice is whiny and childish. A perfect match for his small size and current demeanor. "Can't we stop?"

Moira stops in her tacks, dark hair flying around as she searches for the source of the voice. It sounds very familliar to her, but she has been in the human world for so long that she has nearly forgotton the sound of many of her kind, including that of her parents.

The elfin girl looks around her frantically searching for a way to speak back to the sender of the message.

Not seeing anyone around she asks, "How do I get back? I don't remember." Panic tinges her tone of voice. "Gods, guide me home and quickly."

[Dream Plane]

The young female demon appears in a shimmer of air. Her body again forms in a forest setting, however this one is different than the first she had visited. This one would have a lovely little story that struck to the heart of London. The boys were wrapped in lederhosen, and that alone brought up pictures of the delicious story in which a witch tried to eat two young demon children. Oh how that disgusting witch was punished when the children killed her with their bare hands. Though these two weren't demons, and chances were they couldn't hold up against a demon who wasn't out to eat them.

Her mind begins to race as she creates a house made out of common wood, a witch (what the boys would consider to be an evil one) and a sweet little dog to lead them to the house. The witch would want nothing but to kill them, and she would have super strength and other physical enhancements to overpower them.

[Dream Plane]

Trees fly past her as Embra tears her way through the woods, praying to find some place to hide. She can hear them both pursuing her, and truth be told she fears the wolf most. A man can be fooled easily. But a beast, a beast is driven upon primal instinct and has strength that terrifies her.

(Oh Goddess, if you can hear me, please, save me!)

The shaman gasps as she stumbles upon a root, losing some of her momentum. With a sharp look backwards she continues on, praying for a savior.

Moria ran through the forest as fast as she could go, looking for a seculuded and safe spot. After a few moments of thought, the young elf finally understood the message. She needed to do the ritual and soon.

First she needed some wood so she set out to gather a small pile, which she placed in the center of the spot that she found. She took out one branch and traced a circle on the ground. Were she on Avalon she would not have to do this, and in truth she did not really need to hid here, but there was no telling what words would be exchanged.

She had never thought that her home or people would be in danger. Once the circle was drawn she laid down the peice of wood and began to chant in her native tounge.

"Elements all, I call you here. Bond together to protect me while I am here. Light of fire I call thee forth, light the flames seen by elfin eyes and open the door for the one that summoned me to speak to me."

Moria dropped to her knees, her hands resting lightly on the ground on either side of her, her eyes closed.

Dream Plane

---

“We’ve been walking for hours. Can’t we stop?”

Dmitri stops and looks across at Jacob and puts an arm around his ‘brother’s’ shoulders as he begins looking around for a place where they can sit down for a few minutes to rest. He quickly finds a large tree that they can sit down at the foot of. He lifts his arm and points towards the tree before looking at his brother and offering a reassuring smile. To be honest, Dmitri wanted to rest too – and he had wanted to for a while, but he wanted to get out of the forest and to keep his brother safe more than that.

“We’ll just walk to that tree right there and we’ll sit down for a little while, okay?”

Dmitri begins to walk over to the tree that he pointed out, constantly looking back at Jacob to make sure that he was following. When he gets to the tree, he stops and waits for Jacob to sit down before sitting himself down too.