For what was by no means the first, and would certainly not be the last time in his life, Kyne found himself bent low astride Tabron, racing through the forests of Westwood. The events at the manor had been... unsettling to say the least, and thoughts of what he had seen only hours ago raced through the ranger's mind faster than he could process them. How could she be alive, and fighting him at that? He'd seen her die. He'd seen Jared's blade tear her in half. He'd held her body in his arms as her life slipped through his fingers, felt her final breath brush against his cheek. It had taken ten men to prize his hands from her still form and drag him kicking and screaming from that battlefield, how then was he supposed to just accept what he had seen so clearly illuminated in the fiery torchlight of those catacombs?

He had loved her. He still loved her. Even now, seventy-two years later, it was impossible to let go. 'Love conquers all' went the saying, but if that was the case then Kyne's love would have conquered even death itself. He would have given anything in the world to have her returned to him, indeed the lengths he knew he would be prepared to go to chilled him to his very soul. Instead he was left in torment, forever longing for a love that could never again be, and now, when at last it seemed that the impossible had somehow been brought into being, he was left with this. Her snarling face, as she tried to purge him from this world, as she tried to sear the flesh from his bones. She had always been stronger than him, and he had only just escaped the inferno she had attempted to engulf him, but how was he supposed to deal with his information?

How? What? Where? When? Who? Kyne's mind was filled with questions. Jared must have had a part in this, that he knew, but there was more to it than that, something deeper he had seen inside the depths of her eyes. He needed answers, and so he had left that god-forsaken place and ridden hard and long for Elentenil, the treetop home of the Emerald Sentinels. Hopefully somewhere in the ancient libraries of the guardian tree he would find a clue to the only lead he had so far, a fragmented chunk of Jared's new and powerful armour, cut from the man’s body by his own hand. The wisdom the Fae and the Elves of old ran deep, perhaps there he would find the information he sought.

So it came to pass that as Kyne flew along the tracks and paths of Westwood, chasing the storm that raged inside his head in true keeping with his namesake, he came across an unlikely group gathered in the center of a crossroads. Slowing to a walk to avoid running the gathering down, the ranger peered ahead at the eclectic selection of Elentári's populace. There were two particularly odd looking individuals, a short cloaked man who appeared almost grey from head to toe, and a slightly taller, thought still diminutive, masked woman dressed in blue robes. With them sat a well armed couple, clearly protective of each other, however, the person the Wood Elf was most interested to see was the Drow that stood at the head of the motley crew.

"Elhadron!" Kyne cried as he drew closer, dismounting and looping Tabron's reins around a nearby tree as he strode towards the Dark Elf with a broad smile. "I havn't seen you since you left us at the Council of the Crown! I assume you heard the outcome, how are you?" As the ranger reached his old comrade he grabbed Elhadron by the shoulders, pulling him into an embrace before standing back once again, the infectious grin not leaving his face. Under the surface a veritable cookpot of emotions still broiled inside the Wood Elf's skull, but his outer appearance never flickered for a moment.

"Kyne!" Elhadron laughed as he accepted a hug from his friend. "I must admit I've been paying little attention to politics these days. The outcome will probably make little difference to me," he added good-naturedly. In truth, it was only in the most extreme of cases that Elhadron even took an interest in the politics of Elentari. Despite being a citizen, it was more than clear that he wasn't intended to take part of the activities of his nation. However individual elves felt about him--and from time to time they could be very kind--as a nation Elentari could not afford to accept drow. Not if they wanted to look out for the rest of their people.

"But," he continued, nodding to Saro. "Unfortunately this isn't merely a social gathering. As Saro reminds me, we might need to be heading about our business tonight. Are you here by chance, or did you see my little note through Ignes Libertatis?"

   As Kyne reached his hand out, a small bolt of fear and anxiousness shot through Saro. He looked at the hand in silence for a moment, not sure of what to do. He should have known that something like this might happen. He’d seen others do it in the time he’d been walking.

   Finally, realizing that he had to do something, he coughed. “I am sorry, but I would rather not shake your hand.” While some people may have come up with an excuse, he simply didn’t know that he should have. “You are not holding me up. I would just like to get started as soon as possible.”

   Saro shifted uneasily, sure he had just done something incorrectly during that greeting. He thought to himself, “At least he didn’t try to hug me…”, not realizing that such things were reserved for long time friends and family.

   Attempting to get away from the source of the uneasiness, Saro walked over to stand a few feet away from Thomas and Ivana. He pulled the cloak further forward, completely blocking any view of his body from the outside. He would wait quietly here for things to continue.

Saro's reaction was odd to say the least, but Kyne brushed it off with a bemused look and a cheerful shake of his head before turning to listen to what Elhadron had to say. His friend's words however quickly caused the smile to fade from the ranger's face, a concerned frown slipping in to take its place. "That is disturbing news," the ranger agreed solemnly, "Dark Elves kidnapping lycans can't possibly be a good thing - no offence intended. It's good I was passing through, with this kind of problem you could probably use a hand." The Elf knew that Elhadron understood how the rest of the world thought of his kind, and accepted it was with good reason. Nevertheless, he never stopped being careful of the subject, you just never knew with these things.

"Which way are we headed then?" Kyne asked almost hungrily as the Drow came to a close, clapping an arm around Elhadron's shoulders, a fresh grin touching his features as though he sensed the promise of adventure. "It would seem I am fated to join your little reconnaissance party after all!"