Head swimming through a sea of muck Ava found her thoughts slow in response. Between her downhill tumble and sleep deprivation the only thing keeping her conscious was will power alone. With bouts of pain fluttering throughout her worn and battered body, Ava allowed herself to give into the exhaustion that had been building up over the days. Having slipped into a deep sleep only a few hours every night, her body was nearly at its breaking point; the fall had been the final straw on her hump. Strength drained from her very core the idea of trying to get up let alone move wasn't something she could will her body to do at the moment.

As these thoughts gathered in her mind Ava became aware of a approaching presence from her side. Finding another reserve of power Ava craned her head to stare at the towering figure. From her prone stance in the dirt, the man was a towering form; thick, muscular and massive in every sense of the word. Even at the angle which he stood it was evident that this man would rise far greater than Ava's own petite form; though even for her species she was on the shorter side. From first glance it appeared that the man was what they called a human; a race not so dissimilar to her own. They were an odd race. Usually brash, loud, always on the go and with strange often unbalanced temperaments. Of course, most of what she knew about them was just hearsay. So far Ava's interactions with these Humans was rather limited.

Hovering over her still form the man's shadow enveloped Ava's body blocking the suns wraith from painting her face in its glow; a small relief compared to everything that had happened so far. Without the direct blaze of sun filling her vision Ava was able to get a better look into the man's features; or perhaps she should say boy? From the fresh, tight, clear composition of the youth it was difficult to guess at the youths age. Then again, she knew so little about human for all she knew this boy was hundreds if not thousands of years old. Though she decided that that was unlikely from such a rapidly paced race. It also didn't help in her assessment that the he tied his hair back in a ponytail making him appear all the more youthful.

"Rough? No. I really enjoy falling down hills. You should try it sometime."Ava thought with venom at the man's assessment of her situation. Stating obvious things just to have something to say was idiotic and pointless in Ava's eyes. What was next? Talking about the mild weather they were having? Resisting the urge to roll her eyes in disbelief Ava simply grunted towards the man’s question; there wasn't much to be said about the incident.

Extending his arm out towards Ava she stared at the gesture for a few moments in consideration. While she wasn't opposed to the idea of getting herself of the ground, she wasn't quite sure if she could amass the energy to do so. Already it had taken a considerable amount to merely turn her head. Luckily for Ava her mechanical parts didn't pool the same fatigue as the rest of her body though that wasn't to say it wasn't going to be difficult to simply lift her arm. Another grunt followed the first as Ava concentrated on lifting her arm into the embrace of the mans.

Taking a hold of the man's hand, she would begin the slow and tiring process of hefting herself from the ground. New waves of pain flared throughout her chest as she struggled to get herself back on her feet more than once she found herself slipping from the man’s grip. Getting as far as sitting up Ava released her hand from the man's as it flopped uselessly onto the ground with a metallic clink. Huffing deeply with double vision Ava's head swum in and out of focus.

"T-th...anks...." Her words came out in between brief gasps of air.

Closing her eyes to keep the nausea at bay Ava did her best to keep her thoughts on what she'd set out on.

"H-have... you s-seen a... rather... large f-fellow? P-pot belly... son of... b-bitch. Smug f-face... proba-bly came ridding... in on a h-horse?" She questioned the strange while trying to keep herself upright.

"I n-need... to... to f-find him... need... to know... f-father...." Head dangling forward Ava's chin slumped into her chest as the world around her blurred at the edges of her vision. Even at the brink of passing out Ava couldn't give up. She had come so far. If the man slipped through grasp again because she needed a nap then she might never find him again.

Caught in the realm between the void and reality Ava nearly didn't make out the man's response to her query. Lagging for a few moments her sluggish brain slowly soaked in what he said.

"D-damn...." Ava muttered through glitched teeth. It had been unlikely that this stranger would have seen her prey but after all she'd gone through, she expected a break by now. So far it had been one up hill battle after the last... except that down hill one which put her on her ass.

"No. I'm fine." The words tried to break from Ava's lips but found that they came out in a jumble sounding little more than an animistic grunt. Try as she might Ava couldn't muster the strength to so much as speak let alone resist the man's powerful grip. Hostel over his shoulder like a mere child Ava found herself helpless in her current state.

Limply Ava hung over the stranger’s shoulder, her tail swinging back and forth with the man's pace as he strolled through the town. Head bobbing with each stride small moans could be made from Ava as she strained against the fatigue which racked her little frame. Normally Ava wouldn't allow herself to be carried in such a manner let alone be touched by a stranger. Before his hand would have even clasped upon her flesh, she would have cut the limb in two with her sabers. Now however there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Thankfully it seemed that this stranger’s motive were pure at least as far as she could tell. Anyone could have come along and done gods know what to her while she was incapacitated. Rather this individual seemed the caring sort; perhaps her luck had changed.

Somewhere during their little trip Ava's mind fully slipped into the void as an uncomfortable sleep enveloped her thoughts. As often was the case terrible images plagued her dreams leaving her to mutter soft nothings as she was carried by the muscular youth. Visions of a haunting past, faces of those she senselessly slaughtered and those which had hurt her so gravely. Dreams like these were so common she come to expect them whenever she closed her eyes. It was only when the plush comfort of soft bedding was felt that Ava woken from her brief slumber.

Eye glazed and unfocused she lay there for a few moments taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Wooden timbers which supported a deeply colored oak ceiling lay above her head in the small dimly lit room she now found herself in. Aside from the obvious bedding she rested upon from the state of the room she took a shot in the dark and assumed she was in an inn of sorts; possibly a hotel but that didn't seem likely given the size and state of the little village.

Taking in the slightest movements from across the room Ava's eyes shifted to take in the appearance of the male who brought her here. Stripping the various garments that clung to his form and laying then across the room allowed Ava to get a better look at his appearance. While she still thought him as being rather young it was apparent from the scars and tattoo that he was older than she first thought. Averting her gaze Ava sighed softly before closing her eyes. While she was rather curious as to who this person was the short time she'd spent sleeping wasn't anywhere close enough to replenish her energy stores.

Before the man could even speak to her Ava's mind was gone once more finding herself sleeping like the dead. Having an actual bed for the first time in a week Ava slept without stirring, even her dreams often so frightful were silent if only for a few hours as her body regained it diminished strength. Still, all good things must come to an end. A few hours would pass in a blissful sleep before her conscious state began to eat away at her peaceful rest.

Eyes fluttering open in the brightly lit room Ava pushed herself up on one arm as she glanced around. For a few moments her mind struggled to recall the events which led her here. In a trickle the memories flowed back into her mind. Tumbling down the hill, being carried about like a doll and being placed here. A flare of anger flushed to life on her cheeks at the thought; anger towards the stranger but mostly towards herself. She should have never put herself in that position in the first place. It was only with sheer luck that someone like Navor hadn't found her and gutted her like a pig.

Her anger coming to a shimmer Ava swung her legs over the beds edge before sitting in silence for a few moments. Though she had rested her head still swam with fatigue most likely due her gnawing gut. The sleep had been a lovely one, but her body still lacked the proper nutrients to function properly.

"No. I've wasted enough time." Ava shook her head trying to dispel her growling stomach.

Half tripping, half walking Ava slipped through the door frame before practically running into the stranger who had taken her here. Only at the last second did she fling herself to one side to avoid the crash. Arms flailing in the air around her she managed to find purchase on a thick railing which ran the length of the second-floor balcony. Creaking under the sudden weight the wood held against the force which was now being applied to it. Grunting in surprise at the man's sudden emergence anger flickered into Ava's eyes. While it would have been easy enough to simply blame the man, she couldn't fault him for merely standing there; it was his room after all. Calming herself down Ava regained her footing using the banister for leverage against her still weakened form.

"No. I have to-" Whatever it was that Ava had to do never came. With the wafting aurora that came from the little woven basket her mouth began to thickly fill with saliva.

"That's none of your-" Again as the words came out the trailed away as tried to respond to the man’s gesture. Though her mind was willing to set out once again Ava's body was in protest. Having run on so little in days prior it was time for her to relax and eat even if by force. Gifted with great stores of will power it had taken every ounce of it to get Ava to this point but even she couldn't continue like this forever.

Head dropping in defeat Ava gave into her body's natural instincts and logic was soon to follow. It wasn't as though she was in any state to track down Navor let alone take him out once and for all; hell, her body wasn't even listening to her commands. If she was going to have any chance in the slightest then she would have to regain her strength.

"Just a quick bite." Ava reassured herself silently.

"Then I'll gut that pig." Nodding to herself Ava slowly approached the room that she'd just exited.

Passing through the frame once again found herself back in the little room. Already seated at the table the stranger gave her a friendly glance as he pulled back the cloth which had been hiding what her stomach craved. If the smell alone hadn't done the trick the steaming site of fresh baked breads, spiced meats and some items she couldn't identify certainly did. Where once her mouth had merely dripped saliva a small trickle of the gooey stuff could now be seen trailing from her mouth. Whipping the back of her hand over her lips Ava slowly approached the table before taking a seat of her own.

Without needing further invitation Ava tore into the basket shoving into her mouth whatever her hand landed upon first. A blissful mixture of salty sweetness enveloped her mouth as the soft textured bread was rapidly torn apart by her teeth. Uncharacteristically for Ava, if the stranger was listening closely he might have made out the slightest purr coaxed from her throat. So caught up in the moment of having an actual meal Ava made no course to correct the action as she sank her teeth into a strip of marinated beef. Again, the gentle ring of a purr echoed from Ava who was closing her eyes in bliss.

"Nearly forgot what real food tasted like." She thought regrettably at the so-called meals she’d eaten in the forest.

For some time she ate without so much as muttering a word; her full focus being set at the task at hand. Even half-starved as she was Ava didn't over eat; it never proved well to consume until a person was bloated and felt sick. After finishing off another sweet roll Ava brushed a few crumbs from her face with the cloth that had been draped over the basket.

"Well...." Ava gave a cursory glance at the figure who sat next to her.

"I must be going." Abruptly Ava rose from the table sending the chair skidding back a few inches on the hard wood floor. Now that her hunger was no longer swaying her thoughts, she had broken the shackles which bound her freedom. Feeling refreshed and her stamina somewhat restored she was now ready to hunt her prey once again; good thing too. So much time had already been wasted on herself Navor could be miles away by now.

Glancing down at the basket once more Ava paused before snatching another loaf of bread. Not knowing where her travels might take her the single loaf could mean the different between death and mere starvation.

"I'll owe you one." Ava called back as she rapidly approached the door. Though she doubted she might ever see the figure again she owed him a debt, one that she would always repay.