Polo and Alpha :D]] Highwayman

He smiled and gently unwrapped her hands and went off to the side and used his water abilities to clean the bandages of all the blood and puss. Then the air to sterilize it and dry them out. He went back over to her and smiled as he cleaned her wounds out more with some cool warm water and dried them out again. "What am i going to do with you?" He asked with a smile

((Internet has been down. :/ *Sigh* Sorry! I'm in IT now - hopefully my home Internet will be back up soon... D: ))

Sathina watched with mild interest and curious disgust as Gary tended her wounds. She'd have done it herself, but she was rather without hands, as it were. In response to her question, she smiled brightly and suggested, "Feed me? I'm famished." With a wolfish grin, she pulled away from him and trotted back out into the snow - lively and uncontrolled as ever.
She was a livewire, that was for sure.

He smiled and watched her leap back into the snow and shook his head. She really was a handful but he didnt care. He walked over to the saddle bag where the cooked meat was cold but still good. He started up a fire and warmed it up and called her back in as he sat around the flames with Alair standing at his side and Gary gave him the food he had bought for him back in town as he munched away on it.

((It is working... For now. O.o *Touches wood* ))

At Gary's call, Sathina dashed back into the cave, a bright grin in place on her face - perhaps too bright for one who had just lost three fingers, and most of the skin from her hands... But as it were, she felt she had gained more than she had lost. Gary knew her secret now, yet still he was willing to stand by her.
What sort of price was three fingers for a companion like him? Not much, that was for sure...
She dropped to her knees beside the fire, shivering slightly, and accepted the meat that Gary handed her. It was pleasantly warm, and she nibbled contentedly at it, seeming to calm down slightly now.

"So food can tame you?" He chuckled jokingly as he munched on his meat as well. It was silent for a while as they all had their mid morning breakfast. "Now tell me. Where do you want to go? North or west?" He asked her finally finishing up his meal and standing to stretch.

"Hey, I'm not a wild animal!" Sathina retorted, though there was a smirk on her face. "Let's head West." She decided, "Far, far west. I'd like to see the ocean... All that water..." She shuddered in pleasure at the thought, and smiled brightly, "Yes... I'd like that."

"West it is" He said with a smile and began tacking Alair up. He looked over at the horse and gave him a pat on his neck and he nickered softly. "Time to get goin before we get tracked down." He said and led him outisde next to a rock that She could stand on to get behind him in the saddle. He mounted up and made him stand next to the flat rock where she could get on with ease. "Come on you" He said with a smile

Sathina considered Alair a moment, then shook her head. "It's my turn to walk." She explained to Gary with a slight smile. "It's not fair to ask Alair to carry double, and I can't ride properly with my hands like this anyway. I'll get a horse for myself at the next town... Until then, I can keep up on foot - trust me." She flashed a bright grin, shouldered her pack, then set off at a brisk pace - a traveller's pace, that developed only from years upon years of walking great distances.

"suit yourself" He said and walked Alair next to her as they began to head west through the snow. "You're lucky to find a horse that you can ride with hands like that. I mean one you can really trust" He said and looked down at her. "I still feel like it was my fault that you lost your fingers." He said softly

"I'm assuming my hands will have healed enough to ride by the next town." Sathina pointed out firmly - clearly unwilling to accept any other possibilities, "Even if they haven't, I'll just find a horse that I can train to work my way." She smiled slightly, remembering Quicksilver - but when she thought of the mare's untimely end, her smile faded.
"I still feel like it was my fault that you lost your fingers." These words completely shocked Sathina out of her thoughts, and her head jerked around like a puppet on a string - silver-white eyes seizing Gary's fiercely. "You can't be serious!" She exclaimed incredulously, "Gary, I cut them off myself. It's sometimes difficult... When I'm in that state... To work out where each part of my body is. It's a strange sensation - to cease existing, if only for a moment..." She shuddered slightly, then raised her left hand to her face, and considered it with what might have been the first hint of sadness she had shown for her loss.
"Three fingers is a small price to pay." She pointed out, smiling sadly. "It could have been much worse. I'm alive, aren't I? And besides, I gained so much more than I lost..." She trailed off with these cryptic words - shrugging her shoulders and dropping her hand back to her side, then walking casually on with a smile on her face.

He just nodded and sighed. He didnt really know what to say to all of that. If thats how she felt about it then thats how she felt about it. He still didnt like the fact that she was missing more than half her hand. Pushing the thought aside he took in a deep breath of ice cold air and as it rushed out steam appeared at his lips following the gust of hot air.

(( I'm typing this without using the last 3 fingers on my left hand out of respect for Sathina. XD Haha! ))

"Oi! Quit looking so glum!" Sathina scolded, grinning and jogging forward a few steps - bumping Gary's leg with her shoulder. She grinned up at him in a sprightly fashion, then glanced cheerfully around at her surroundings. "Okay, I'm bored." She concluded decidedly, "Gary, entertain me. What don't I know about you?"

He smiled and looked down at her and sighed. "I think i've covered everything" He said with a chuckle and as they walked under a tree Alair reached up and bit down on a small twig shaking the larger branch and the snow fell on all of us in a white out. "Little brother!" Gary laughed and nudged him with his foot in his side.

"Boring." Sathina teased, sticking out her tongue in a most un-ladylike fashion.
At that moment, Alair snatched a twig from an overhanging branch, and a clump of snow fell down on Sathina with a dull 'thud' - filling her mouth with icy whiteness. "Bleh!" She exclaimed, spitting it out, and laughing at the same time. "Thanks Alair, as if we needed to be any colder!" She joked, shaking her head and patting the horse affectionately on the shoulder.
"Come, let's get moving." She decided suddenly, flashing Gary a smile and settling into the ground-covering jog stride that she had developed especially for covering long distances at speed.

Gary laughed and saw her flashy smile and sighed as she began to jog. Clucking at Alair he brought him up to a brisk trot to keep up with the girl. Sitting neatly in the trot Alair cleared his nose out with a snort and shook his head as the steam got lost in the wind.

Sathina and Gary arrived at the next town not long later, and Sathina selected a horse for herself: A tall, jet-black mare named Poison Dart. The slender Thoroughbred was fast and spirited, but she had thick, tough legs and a wide chest for stamina. She was a dancy creature though - always raring to go - just like Sathina. The pair hit it off instantly, and though Sathina had some trouble controlling Dart without the use of her hands, the two had soon developed a deep bond. They travelled onwards beside Gary and Alair for some days, until finally the tang of salt could be smelled in the air.

"We must be getting close!" Sathina exclaimed excitedly to Gary, as an icy sea breeze swept her silver-white hair back from her face. She glanced up at the sky, and her excitement faded slightly at the sight of the moon rising high in the sky. "I guess we'd better call it a day. We can check out the beach tomorrow." She smiled cheerfully, then dismounted from Dart and began pitching the tent that she had bought in the previous town. Her hands were healing quickly, and she could do some of the more simple things. The rest she left to Gary.

"I say that is a good idea" He said and looked to the woods, "I'll go gather some wood for a fire" He said and finished tying Alair to the tree with a halter and lead rope that he had picked up. Taking the tack off and keeping it dry under a makeshift tent of evergreen branches, and another he made for himself before treading off to find some wood to bring back. After a while of searching and a bundle of sticks laid in his arms he found his way back and dug a pit where he could place the fire. He had a leather tie and fashioned up a bow, (like bow and arrow) twisting another dry stick in that string he had a stone in one hand so that when he sawed back and forth on the piece of wood with the kindling right beside it and soon with the friction getting hotter and hotter, smoke began to rise and he gently blew on the embers and a flame appeared and he fed it into the fire and with some care, the fire took.
He took a blanket from his saddle bag and laid it down in the lean to he had made for himself and laid it on the ground managing to grab some rocks too, by putting them near the fire they made great bed warmers for the night. He also got up and threw a blanket over Alair's back to keep the chilling snow off.

Once Sathina had Dart tied and the fire was started, she walked over to Gary, and sat down beside him, staring into the flickering flames. “Hey, Gary…” She murmured after a long while, still not looking at him. “I-“ She struggled slightly with her stubborn pride, “I just wanted to say thanks… For accepting me despite-“ A moment’s pause, “Everything.”
She sighed, and her tongue flicked over her dry lips – silver eyes burning gold in the light of the flames. “And thanks for persisting. I’m… Glad, that I let you into my life.”
He finally glanced toward him, and flashed a small smile – though the expression in her eyes was hard. She refused to let herself be soft and vulnerable. This was not one of ‘those’ moments – she was thanking him, because she felt inclined to do so. That was it.

He smiled and knew she wasnt trying to be a softie. "You are very welcome," He said with a smile. Putting one arm over her shoulder and giving her a hug then letting her go. He turned around and got something from his bag. A bag of smoked beef jerky. Taking a strip he offered some her way.

[sorry haha we're leaving to go out to dinner ]

Sathina accepted Gary's hug with an irritable huff - though she actually was not as annoyed as she'd have liked to appear. Though she'd never admit it, she wasn't as much the tough, closed-off pistol of a girl she'd been before. She was willing to share her burden, if just a little, with the guy at her side. She trusted Gary - much as it pained her to admit it.
"Have you ever seen the sea?" She asked randomly, glancing toward him curiouly. "I've always wanted to, but I've not had the chance, until now."

"I've seen almost every sea you could think of. Alair and I have traveled around the world racing and.." he stopped getting ahead of himself not realizing his reputation. "running" he finally said quietly fading his voice out like they werent just talking about it. "But I havent been to this one yet, so we'll see how it is" He said with a softer smile now. "It makes you think I will say that."

Sathina nodded mutely, and stared into the flickering flames for a long while. Then she sighed, and said softly, "Well, I'm looking forward to it. A new start, a new life..." She chuckled softly, "It could be good."
Suddenly, it was uncertain as to what 'it' referred to. Certainly, her words seemed to refer to something deeper than sea and sand.
"Well," she sighed, standing and dusting herself off, "If we don't get some sleep, we'll never wake up in the morning. 'Night, Gary."
She offered a subtle smile, then turned away from him and walked back to the scruffy beige canvas tent - letting herself inside.

"Good night Sathina" He said with a soft smile turning to make sure she was in before turning in himself. Though leaving the fire to smolder, he took the hot stones back over to his bed leaving a couple for her if she wanted them for the night. Using the saddle pad as a pillow he slowly drifted off to sleep curled up under his blanket.

The next morning he was up and awake, more snow had fallen that night, he could tell because Alair was still asleep with a sheet of snow on his back over the blanket he had on. He let out a light whistle through his teeth and he jerked awake and shook the snow off with a grunt and a shiver. He stood up from under his shelter and walked over to his horse and patted his warm neck. "Morning bud" He said with a smile

When Sathina woke, she was cold - though not as cold as she probably should have been. Her very blood was hot from the spirit within her, and it kept her constantly warm - almost feverish at times.
She yawned widely, and staggered out of the tent, tending immediately to Dart. The sensitive mare had handled the night well, Sathina was pleased to see. She had been worried about the Thoroughbred in this cold weather, but Dart had more than lived up to her expectations.

She ignored Gary at first - setting to work packing and tacking up Dart.
Finally, when she guessed he must have been becoming annoyed by her aloof attitude, she snuck up behind him.
"Good morning, Mister Torres." She purred softly into his ear, lips quirking a smirk as they hovered mere inches from his face - teasing and tempting.
"I trust you slept well?"

"Sathina you know how i get" He said, though not turning around but his voice hinted a big smile as he swung the saddle back up onto his horse's back and he turned his head around to him giving him a stare through narrow eyes, "You stop, stinker" He said and ruffled his forelock and he turned around shaking his hair out. He turned around and saw how close she really was and he smiled at her.