Dazed.

[Izla Zuki]

Izla could feel squelchy, wet ground beneath her feet. She took another blind step, her arms were out straight, feeling for any obstacles before her. She wimpered at the unforgiving darkness as she hopelessly searched for safety.

Since that bright light she hadn't regained her sight. At a guess, She'd been like this for more than a day, but she had no real way of knowing.

It was infact mid morning on an overcast, slightly windy day and she had been in this state since 7pm the previous evening. She had only managed to travel 200 metres in that time. Most of her efforts had taken her around over the same ground. All she wished for was a tree, or a rock on firm ground, so that she could take a much needed rest. Instead she was heading towards the marshes and all kinds of danger.

[Frost]

Frost bumped into a woman without really knowing it. Being the tall dark one, his orange eyes looked down on the woman, his head slowly cocking to the side. He wondered if she had seen him or not, he pulled his hand out from under his black cloak, putting it on the woman's shoulder.

He mumbled a few words, but what could be understood from it was : "Are you okay ?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

Farther away, a man crouched near the bank of the marsh. He watched the murky water with keen eyes, holding a thin fishing spear steady with an atlatl. However, his eyes soon diverted from his fishing...as he noted the arrival of two visitors. Though he could not see them, he could certainly know of them. A young woman, and a slightly older man. The woman seemed to be in distress of some kind...

"Hmph.."

Diego clenched his jaw, returning his attention to the water. A flash of silver against the murky ripples, and he sprung to life, thrusting his spear through the water. When he pulled it back, there was no fish. He was too distracted to focus. Securing his spear, he once again looked into the mist.

[Izla Zuki]

Izla could definately feel a presence around her and this made her even more nerverse. They clashed, Stumbling back she somehow managed to keep her feet and turn in what she thought was his direction. She remained silent

Then he spoke.

Izla took a deep breathe and swallowed her shivers. "I can't see."

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego made quick time across the marsh bank...slippery though it was. He was sure of foot, and comfortable in this environment. He pressed his way through a mangrove thicket, stepping through a tangle of twisted roots. There, several meters away, two silhouettes could be seen through the morning mist. Diego's eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared somewhat.

"Who's there?"

[Izla Zuki]

Izla turned sharpely in the direction of the other voice. "Who's that!?!." She shrieked as she burst out in tears. Whoever it was, they seemed to have her surrounded.

She covered her eyes with her hands and crumbled into ball in the sludgey wet grass, crying. "I can't see."

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego drew a bead on her crying...approaching the pair. The misty shroud drew back, and he saw the tall man clad in black, and the pale girl, collapsed into the mucky estuary growth. For a moment, he said nothing, simply staring at both of them with a hard stare.

"This is no place for a blind girl to run about. There are predators in those thickets, you know."

Diego stared at the other one.

"And what of you?"

[Izla Zuki]

On hearing the second man speak, Izla glared up at him. Whether by luck or something else, her wide black eyes bored straight into his.

"I'm not blind.....I I just lost mi sight...thats all..It'll come back....when I can rest....I need to rest." she pleaded, pretty much willing the stranger to confirm rest would bring her sight back. tears rolled down her face, beads of hair were stuck to her pale cheeks.

"I need to rest...."

[Diego Van Derveld]

"You'll have to find rest elsewhere"

Diego crossed his thick arms.

"Both of you."

[Izla Zuki]

Izla recoiled herself into a ball and wept.

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Stop crying. You'll only attract trouble to you."

Diego turned his back on them.

[Izla Zuki]

She fell silent, just the odd sniffle came out as she crouched down in the swamp. Her cloathes began to soak up the damp as her legs grew tireder.

Eventually she collapsed onto her bum. the wet was hardly noticable anymore. She had to rest.

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Take your time, both of you....but leave this place soon."

He walked away slowly, his feet squishing in the waterlogged vegetation.

[Frost]

Frost remained silent the whole time. There were times where it was important to talk and others, where he didn't feel obligated to, and this was one time he refused to talk. Soon, the man left. He looked down at the girl and sighed. He offered his pale hand, for her to stand back up. Though she couldn't see, he knew she felt it somehow.

"..."

[Izla Zuki]

A moment passed by, Then Izla moved her hands away from her eyes. She was still blind but she could feel someone behind her. She'd almost forgotten about the first person she bumped into.

She sweeped her arm back and into his leg, She jumped slightly at the contact and as her hand moved away it was caught by his. She showed little restraint as the man pulled her to her feet.

She remained silent as the stranger started guiding her away from the boggy ground. She was Dazed and Confused. She had no energy to object his guidance.

[Frost]

"...." Frost didn't have the habit to help people like this, but the woman seemed helpless.

He slowly slip his hand out of hers, then put her hand on under his arm, gently putting it on his bicep. He opened his mouth to say something, but restrained himself. What was there to say ? He looked at her with his orange eyes for a long moment before starting to walk forward.

"Where are you heading ?" He asked, almost discreetly, in a low monotone voice.

[Diego Van Derveld]

From another point in the depthless dark of the estuary thicket, another set of eyes watched the pair.

[Heero Luna]

Heero rose from his slumber, Someone was near by.

[Izla Zuki]

"I have no clue." She said in a bewildered way, as if he'd pulled her from a trance. The pace he set was easy for her to follow, he didn't seem in much of a rush. "I would like it if you decided," she added.

By now Izla was fit to drop. She'd been on the move for nearly 17 hours with no food or drink and the sun had started to shine on the back of her neck adding to her discomfort. "I need to rest sir....."

[Heero Luna]

Quickly gathering his belongings, Heero moved out. He moved towards the sound of footsteps untill he found the passing couple. They didn't seem to notice him, he was well hidden between to dryed out Sage bushes, so he decided to observe for a short time.

He took time to open his mind to the force. Through it he found three souls, not two. This made him suspicious.

[Frost]

Frost's eyes drifted to the side, feeling a presence. But he tried not to get on his guards, since he didn't want the girl to panic. He looked down on her, and saw a little empty house nearby. He speeped up a bit, but not to a point where the fatigued girl couldn't follow.

"There's an empty house up there ... And don't call me Sir. My name's Frost." He muttered.

[Izla Zuki]

The minute Izla was guided through the door of the house the familiar smell hit her. There was no question in her mind that this was the house she'd stopped in the previous day when she was with her father and his friend. They'd been made welcome by the owner, who was a very memorable, jolly chubby man with a beard. But where was he now?

She let go of Frost and through memory she felt her way to the table in the centre of the room. She ran her hand over its surface, soon to find a tumbler that was located there the other day. To her relief it was quite full, so after checking its contents by smell she took a long drink, only stopping to locate one of the two seats that were placed on either side of the table.

Once seated, Izla attempted to face her saviour. "Frost?" She held out the drink, "Take some...Its good. And there should be some food in the cupboard under the sink. We stayed here on our way through, the owner was very accomodating, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

[Diego Van Derveld]

"The owner is dead."

Diego's voice could be heard from the doorway.

[Izla Zuki]

Izla turned towards the door, Frost hadn't done much talking during their trip, so she wasn't really familiar with his voice, therefore she at first thought Diego's words came from him. Then a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She could hear him breathing, something that had become quite familiar, It was defiantly Frost and he stood behind her.

She squinted her eyes, trying to get something out of them, It was no good. "Who's there?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

"The new owner of the house."

[Izla Zuki]

She hoped Frost would say something soon, But she didn't hold her breath, He was defiantly a quiet sort. So she spoke. "What happened to him....I mean how did he die?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Wolf mauled him, I think. They're a lot of them around these parts."

[Izla Zuki]

Izla hung her head and closed her eyes, “I’m sorry, he was a kind man.” She looked up again, her eyes blackened by her fully dilated pupils. She once again made perfect eye contact with Diego. “He must have been your friend, or family. We apollogise for trespassing on your property. If you wish us to leave?”

[Frost]

"..." Frost remained silent once again, studying the man with his orange eyes.

Then he broke his silence. "The lady is right. If you wish, we will leave and bother you no further."

[Diego Van Derveld]

"You can stay the evening. That is fine. This is an unforgiving place. I don't mind keeping you for a short while."

[Izla Zuki]

She tapped Frosts hand, which remained on her shoulder. The showing of relief was hard to cover up, "Thankyou so much sir....you really don't know how much this means."

[Diego Van Derveld]

He nodded slightly.

"There's not much in the pantry at the moment, I'm afraid. I might be able to scrounge something."

[Frost]

"Thank you." He muttered

Frost let go of the woman's shoulder, then slipped towards the drink she had did for him. He sat down at the wooden table, and took a slight sip, his orange eyes then fixing the color of the drink silently.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Nodding to the man, Diego slipped out of the doorway, walking out, and back toward the marshes.

[Izla Zuki]

Izla once again inwardly cursed her inability to see. She looked towards Frost. "I was wondering if you could help me to one of the armchairs, I seem to remember there being about three over there.... I think," she pointed to the sitting area.

She looked tired and ill, her eyes seemed to be dieing right before him. What she'd been through was enough to throw the strongest of minds. She was more than likely still in deep shock from her tragic experience.

[Frost]

Frost stood up, and put his hand under her right elbow gently, standing behind her. He motioned her to walk forward towards the armchairs where she pointed, then helped her.

"What happened to you ?" He mumbled the question.

[Izla Zuki]

As she sat down he asked the question. It was met with a deadly silence, one that seemed to last for 2 weeks (sorry) She then answered, unconvincingly. "I have no memory."

She then lay back in the armchair and within minutes had fallen asleep, A slumber that would last untill the next morning.