Three steps ahead

Sirius walked through the portal expecting potential danger. They could be in human controlled territory or worse demon controlled. This would mean that a fight was inevitable. However upon opening his eyes he was greeted by grasslands. Not a single soul in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing to force him into a compromising position.He turned to his companion who had just appeared from the portal.

"So, you wouldn't happen to know where we are would you?" Sirius asked airily. He knew the demons were slowly taking over the land but wasn't sure how far they had gotten. That was his job after all.

She kept her dress in place as the wind blew. She hadn't been here in a long time, but the surroundings hadn't aged much since she was Tsun's age. She walked past him, ignoring him briefly. "We are south of the mountains that run next to the temple..." She smiled, closing her eyes as memories came to her. "...now would you mind explaining yourself? You have nothing to fear from me."

Sirius frown allowing his displeasure to bleed through his demeanor. He was not here to make friends nor talk about his mission. If he need to go alone so be it. At most this woman was a help guide to when he needed to be. If she dug too deep he would not hesitate to abandon or eliminate her.

"Pardon my frankness, but humans have a well known saying. 'Curiosity killed the cat.' It means you shouldn't dig into things that aren't your business. Like I told you before, I am just a traveler. I suggest you leave it at that."

She chuckled. "Humans always did have such sayings." She turned to face him. "I am simply a mother and your common Angel. I have lived among Demons though, and know the air they have. My daughter, half demon herself, has a similar air that you do, so at least tell the truth about that. I will not pry into your journey, but I must at least know with whom I am travelling...a sheep or a wolf."

Sirius inwardly scowled. Of course his traveling companion just had to be able to sense demon energy. This was getting more annoying by the second. Still if her only concern was find out his alliance then there was no need to take drastic action. it was normal to want to know if you companion were friend or foe. She deserved that at least.

"You are correct, I am a human hybrid with a demon. That is why you feel the energy coming off of me. As for why I am here, I do not intent to harm you nor anyone else." She could believe him or not. The result hardly matter in the long run. "Now where should we head to? Standing here isn't the best strategy."

Tsunnau smiled. "Well, we need to find somewhere to stay, and there are a few villages nearby...so pick a direction and we will go that way." She honestly had no particular aim yet, and her village was in the snowy northern mountains, so she would escort him where he needed to go before making her way where she wanted.

From the report Sirius knew that the demons had already taken over a good portion of land. His mission required him to gather intelligence on the enemy forces. However another objective of his was to look at he droid forces that had apparently sent out against the senates command. He would count their numbers and weight their danger, and if possible... kill their leader.

"Let's head west for now, towards Mount Targon." Sirius replied easily. That should be enough time to survey any demon forces. He would stop by the Temple of Serenity if needed. "Where is your destination?" he asked trying to grasp how long he would have a companion. The long she stay the bigger a target though would be. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any demon patrols.

She pointed in the general direction of the north. "My home is in the northern region, but right now, I have no particular destination right now." She looked up at the sky. "I have not been here in over two hundred years, so there is likely not to be anyone who remembers me there. I am just here to see what I can do for my people."

"I see, then we will probably separate once we reach the mountain." Sirius announced. "I will continue going west to secure my way home, but seeing as you here to help your people then you wouldn't follow." He quickly took out a map and measure the distance. The mountain was quite far away. At least a day or two at normal speed. However they would need to move carefully to not attract any attention. Making the trip longer. Once his map was put away he began to move west without hesitation.

"I would suggest we avoid the Temple of Serenity for now. The demon's probably would have taken it over. Do you know a safe way to Mount Targon that is not major roads?"

"I do not know the exact situation here...but I think there might be some paths we could take..." She had never really come this far south, much less to the mountain he wanted to get to. "...would they follow the roads or rivers...?"

"More than likely the demon patrols will follow the roads." Sirius answered. When the demon's attacked the human world they had stuck to the main highways, using what was available to them to attack. They never seemed to care about the waterways or rivers. However they did have airships, and could spot most things from their position.

"I was hoping you knew about a forested area." Sirius continued "Something that would shield us from eyes above us and around us."

"Well...if it is forests you want...you are going to have to go near the Temple..." She looked to the northwest. "...the most trees are on the mountainside and the foothills."

Sirius sighed. Of course it would be near the temple. He could never get a lucky break. The location that would probably be most guarded was were they would get the best coverage from spying eyes. Sirius silently weighted the pros and cons. The con was that it was obviously going to be near a heavily guarded area increasing the chance that they would be caught. However the pros were that they would be in a forest area and Sirius could detail their forces. He would be saving a trip to the temple it that case.

"Then let's go to the temple. If it provides the best cover then it is the better tactical choice. Not for the first time Sirius wished he had a vehicle. perhaps he wouldn't feel so exhausted if they had issue him a standard jeep.

Tsunnau nodded. "Let us go then." She started for the nearest treeline, as he requested, guiding him as best she could.

They wander the treeline for a while as quietly as they could. There was no guards at least as far as Sirius could tell. However he stayed alert of his surroundings. Still the woman beside him was still a mystery to him. Thus he decide to break the relative silence.

"Why did you decide to come back to the angle world?" He asked keeping careful watch. "To help in the war?"

She didn't look back at the man as she pressed forward. He was being awfully inquisitive for someone who didn't want to give out any personal details. She thought about ignoring him, but that wouldn't exactly look good for an Angel. "I have my reasons for being here, just as you do. You chose not to provide information, so you will get none from me in turn." She hoped she wasn't being too harsh on the man, but she did speak the truth.

Sirius rolled his eyes. The irony was not lost to him. She had been pushy and demanding towards him and his goals here. Yet when he asks a question, she shuts up like a clam. Looks like angels weren't as different from humans after all. They were too nosy for their own good and were faulted all over. Perhaps this demon army still had openings. Regardless of his internal thoughts he decided to keep his mouth shut. Silence was better and if his traveling companion wasn't going to speak then he would reciprocate the feeling.

Tsunnau sighed. The silence that followed told her that she was too harsh on him. "I...came here to help my people where I can...although I am not entirely sure what I can do." She looked back towards him. "So you could consider my goals fairly aimless, and I will likely be in one place fairly often while I search for a way to help."

So what he had assumed was correct, if she wasn't lying. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her stabbing him in the back. With that relaxing thought in mind he continued forward. The trees became thicker as they traveled and due to this effect the temperature grew colder. Compounded with the fact the day was ending and air cooled even faster. Finally it became so dark that progressing would be more detrimental than helpful. He called for a stop as, they came to a forested clearing.

"Do you have a sense on how far the temple is away from here?" Sirius asked. "If we are far enough away we can build a fire."

She looked up at what few stars were visible through the trees. "Given we hiked for an entire day...we may have a few more days travel to the Temple...if I had wings, I could simply fly above the trees to gauge our position..." She sighed, sitting on a fallen tree. "...I wish I could be of more help...but I have honestly never been this far south..."

Sirius sighed but nodded. He was dealing with a civilian, he couldn't expect pinpoint coordinates nor skills at perfection. Still he hoped that she knew basic survival. Without another word he slipped the backpack to the ground and opened it. He began rummaging through it searching for the required item.

"Can you start a fire?" Sirius asked withdrawing flint and steel from pack. "I will got get us something to eat. Unless you want army rations." More popularly known as dead army rations because the taste was so bad. Many said they would rather die that eat it. They provided the nutrition needed but at the cost of an enjoyable meal.

She nodded. "I can. I would have to find kindling first though..." She got up, looking around in the dim light for some tinder to start a fire with. She was used to creature comforts of the castle or their small home in the human world. She hadn't had to survive on her own like this since she left home in her younger days.

Sirius tossed her the flint and steel before venturing out into the forest. Once her was an adequate distance away, he stopped and gathered his focus. His eyes turned blood red and his hair changed to stark white. His sense expanded many times over and he used them to scan the forest. Three large animals caught his attention.

Two deer and a bear. Sirius contemplated taking out the bear but it was quite far away and no threat to them. Plus bear meat was disgusting. One of the two deer then. One was accompanied by smaller sources probably a doe with fawns. That left the last deer as his target. With that he released his form and drew his blade. This shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.

She scrapped together loose leaves and twigs, forming them into a neat pile with some of the larger sticks on top. She struck the fire, letting it burn a little before adding a piece of the large tree she had been sitting on for more fuel. "Forgive us, forest spirits..." She chuckled after she spoke, remembering the stuff she'd been taught growing up. Everything held a spirit of some kind. Nature was there for everyone and everything, and needed to be respected. "...it has been over two centuries...but I am finally home again."

Hunting down the deer was not the easiest, but was complete without any worries. Sirius gutted the deer and carved from it the necessary meat. He ponder for a bit whether or not to take the pelt as well but finally decided against it. They would be on the move and there would be no time to tend to the deer hide. Satisfied that the remaining deer was far enough away from camp that it would not attract attention, Sirius returned with the food.

As he entered the camp again he saw the glow of the fire before him. Without a word he took from the backpack, a small grill to stand above the fire. Once that was complete he sliced off several strips of meat and laid them on the grill. They hissed and popped and juices poured from within.

"Do you want to take first watch or second?" he asked as he turned the meat.