Sleepless Night

-Skeldergate Forest, along the mutual border. Early A.M., 3 DSTR-

Getting to sleep had been quite easy for Ceriden, the task requiring that he only let go of his self control and allow the exhaustion of all of his spellwork to carry him off into greener pastures. He dreamt of his childhood home, sitting within the library with his tutor as he studied ancient philosophies. The arts never truly came easy to him, but he quite enjoyed viewing them as well as reading the words of the men and women who created them. However, every other class seemed to be a placeholder when it came time to learn magic. His eagerness did not go unnoticed by his tutor or his parents, but they sought to nurture and guide his magical growth rather than letting it go unchecked and chaotic.

He dreamt of his first successful attempt at pyromancy, setting fire to a bundle of aticks as his family sat in the woods on a trip into nature. While there, breathing in the smoke of the fire and the herbs his mother put atop them, he and his family grew closer and closer to their natural magic. The ability to cast came easier to him as he became one with nature. He was able to practice difficult spells his tutor had taught him, fueling his reserves with the life force of the creatures around him, as if they were lending him their strength to do the spells.

His dreams darkened when they shifted to his mother's death and his father's decline. His father fell away from the family, following a mad path to find the ailment that took his wife. It was a path of pain and hardship for the entire family, one that led to his father falling headfirst into the bottle and the weight of adulthood coming down on young Ceriden's back. He never complained though, keeping a straight back and supporting his family until all of his siblings were in a position to support themselves. He had offered his father one last chance at redemption, but when the old man clung still to his crutch of alcoholism, Ceriden dropped the weight of his duties and sought out a life of his own.

His sleep became restless soon after the memories of his family faded. It was as if something was trying to keep him asleep while also trying to rouse him. He could hear a voice that held a tone of warning. Reaching out for the voice, he could nearly take hold of it when something grabbed him and shook him violently. Snapping his eyes open and looking around with blurred vision, he heard Gareth's words before the vampire-ghoul sprinted from the tent. Sitting up slowly as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, a loud voice echoed through his head, "Boss, wake up you fool!! The bears are nearly here!!"

Looking around for the voice, he recognized it as belonging to Erik. Reaching out, he had an eerie sense of familiarity with his dream. Finding Erik's essence trail, he called out telepathically, "Speak clearly. What is happening?"

As if he was able to see it directly in front of him, he could sense Erik shaking his head before speaking in a lowered voice, "It's too late. The bears are upon you." As Erik finished, a large shadow loomed over Ceriden's tent, which sat on the eastern side of the camp. The shadow was much larger than a man and clearly beastly, but it had aspects that were distinctly humanoid. Lying still, Ceriden hoped to go unnoticed until he realized that the creature was sniffing rapidly. Easing himself towards the front of the tent, he sped through it to greet the other two when a large paw swept through the tough canvas as if it were nothing but air.

--A few minutes before Ceriden left his tent--

Having heard the affirmative from the other team, Dietrich and three of his men shifted into there bear forms. One of his men stood nearly a foot taller than him, but the other two were his size or slightly smaller when shifted. Looking between the three as they packed their belongings into their packs and lengthened the straps, he helped them to slide them onto their transformed backs so they could have their materials. Receiving help from two of his men to do the same, he fastened a final strap across his chest that would keep the pack better in place.

Looking over his team, he spoke in a rough and gravelly voice, "Remember, we are trying to fet Intel, not kill them. Let's go." With his team at his heels, Doetrich moved fluidly and silently through the woods towards the camo. The only thing that could give away their presence would be a detect life spell or their scent, but by the time alarm was raised, it would have been too late. Nearing within ten yards of the camp, he crouched down behind a large fallen trunk and watched the area. Two men were up and moving about, one with black hair and one with green. Feom this distance, the vampire could not be identified, but that was no real concern to Dietrich. He had killed many vampires in his years of service, so combat would not be a worry.

Looking around for the third man, he saw slight movement against the wall of the bivouac closest to them. Smirking, he motioned one of his men towards the tent. Watching the bear close in on it, he nearly missed sight of the black-haired man moving quickly into the tent, Dietrich could only guess he meant to rouse the other party member, but he had singled himself out in the process. The identity of the vampire was no longer in question. Letting out a long, low pitch whistle, Dietrich surged forward from behind the trunk, his teeth bared and his eyes alert for any attack. He could see his man, Ordo, ripping into the tent and flushing out the final man as he came past him.

Ooc - I hope this made sense...

Tag Ponce and Gareth