Lyn jumped aside, dodging his tremendous swing. Though he was big, he was not slow, and turned his body immediately to slash at her. She blocked with the nearest blade of her scythe, the curved metal causing him to slide right off; it was designed for every convenience. Speed, strength, close combat, and contrary to what most would think, she had a wide range of attack beyond the circumference of her swing. He kept coming at her relentlessly, blow after blow, making her arms tremble each time they met.
She needed distance, to get him away from her so her arms could recover a little from the shock of impact. Without warning, she snapped the scythe in two. Those that had not seen this before would think she had broken her weapon, but this was not the case. A chain fell from inside the shaft of the scythe, spilling onto the ground. Holding onto one end, she used the other like a whip, throwing half of it at him.
Shark ducked, only to have her yank on the other half, causing it to whip back around and return to her hand like a boomerang. She grinned, holding each half like a sword, the crescent blades curving towards the ground, poised for combat.
He had worked with her for so long that she was the only student with which he could challenge completely. It became a real battle for her life. If she faltered, he would kill her. It was no game to either of them.
She took the offensive, lashing out at him, one of her blades swinging at his stomach. He jumped back, barely being missed; his shirt got sliced open. He smirked.
"Impressive, Lyn," he grinned.
The compliment did not penetrate her mind. Though Tryst had perked her up, whenever training begun, the anger towards her father resurfaced. It was particularly bad since she had come home. She assaulted him, swinging back and forth, her blades dangerously close; the chain clanked on the ground as she stalked towards him. She forced him back, giving him no opening whatsoever.
Her eyes stung, her vision blurred. Oryon fidgeted uncomfortably, getting the attention of Suzo and Andali, who stood on either side of him, watching the spar between Lyn and Shark. His bright, gold eyes followed her movements, not once losing track of her. His claws were digging into the wooden fence beneath him, making Suzo and Andali glance at one another.
Shark could see there was something wrong. She did not normally lose her calm, calculated control. He threw his axe to the side, smacking her next attack down, forcing the blade to stick into the ground. He threw himself forward, tackling her to the floor, and pinned her by the shoulders. Her weapon was left in the dirt.
"Lynaire! Lyn! Snap out of it!" He smacked her full across the cheek. She stilled beneath him. The older man frowned sadly, and climbed off her to sit on the ground beside her. Even Suzo and Andali were shocked. Their trainer had just struck the daughter of their leader. They could only imagine what the consequences would be once a bruise appeared on her face. Oryon growled, as loud as he could get, and flapped his wings in vain.
"What is wrong, Lynaire..?" She sat up slowly, touching her face. It had been a long time since she had been struck. She turned her head and looked at him. There were no tears to cry, anymore. Not when it came to this.
"Yuma."
That was all she said. With only that, she stood, and left the arena. Oryon flapped his wings unhappily. He was not strong enough to fly. Suzo grabbed him quickly and ran off before Andali or Shark could stop him, following her out of the room and down the stairs..
"Lynaire. . .! Lynaire!" She paused, allowing him to reach her. He halted beside her and sat Oryon softly on her shoulder. "You forgot… him," he did not think to breach what ailed her so, instead, he changed the topic.

Oryon gave his own version of an irritated huff, his nostrils flaring as settled on her shoulder. He coiled his tail around her collar, curling against the side of her face and neck. He had given up being mad at her quickly, knowing it was useless. Every time he got irritated with her, it faded in the blink of an eye. She just had a habit of doing stupid things, like leaving him, when she was upset; when he felt her sorrow, he forgave her, and waited until later to reprimand her for forgetting him.

"H. .How about I escort you to your room?" Suzo smiled kindly, putting a hand on the small of her back in a familiar way. If anyone saw, he would be scolded, but it did not matter. She responded with a quiet sigh, smiling in return. He could tell it was forced, but did not question her as they began to walk.
"What totem do you think you will receive? It is an honor to have made it through the trial." He watched her intently, his gaze only wavering when he saw the purple blotch already beginning to form on her face.

Suzo made her smile. He seemed to be the only one that really paid attention to her opinion.
"I am… unsure, really. Normally it is obvious what totem will be given, but even I am at a loss. I am not sure how I am similar any of the animals, honestly."

She looked around, eyeing the tapestries adorning the walls of the settlement. On each floor, even the training level, there were stories depicted on cloth woven by the many women of the natives, some of legends, others of customs, some even of the heroes from their history. Because the building was a giant dome, this allowed for much wall space with which the desert and its people could be honored. It crossed her mind that her grandfather was in some of the pictures. She shook her head, returning to the conversation at hand, his last statement nagged at her tongue and encouraged her to speak her mind further.

"And no, Suzo. I do not think it is an honor at all. Though I respect all animals, especially those of the totems, I earned my right to know. I am not being honored, it is no special treatment. I risked my life." She paused again, turning her head to look at him. "I deserve it."

His cheeks flushed lightly, he jerked his head to the side and avoided meeting her gaze. She blinked curiously. Oryon growled. They had both been doing that since they returned home. Suzo would blush, Oryon would growl. It was most odd. Though she had asked Suzo about it after the first few times, he would reply that she was only imagining things.

Lyn frowned and ignored it again, but was still unhappy at not knowing. She let him be. As they continued walking towards her quarters, her mind wandered as they took the next flight of stairs down. Her family's rooms were on the lowest level that resided beneath the sands which supported her home.

The totems were an ancient custom, that few rarely had the opportunity to attempt. However, it is not just for royalty; she had been happy to be treated like a normal person and receive the same requirements.

When a child would reach a certain age, usually around fifteen summers, such as herself, they would be able to choose whether or not to question their totem. Each totem is a different desert animal with different traits. Over time, the desert people had learned that the animals would not harm people of their totems, and they realized that the person, and the animal, shared characteristics. Her ancestors turned it into a rite of passage for those brave enough to ask to receive their personal totem. People do not know their totems from birth, they rarely come in contact with some of the totem's animals unless they are asking to risk getting ripped to pieces.

So when they are old enough, if they choose to seek their totem, they are sent south to a mountain pass that leads to the sea. A caravan accompanies them to the pass, and they have a single night, starting at the moons' crossing, and the next day, ending as the moons cross paths again, to reach the ocean shore and return with something to prove they made it the whole way through. Most people bring back jars of sand or ocean water, she, however, happened to bring back a dragon egg.

The point was, she wanted to know her totem, and had made the journey. But now that he had asked her, she had no idea what she hoped for.

She knew it was not the Qens, for they would indeed harm her, as she learned on the first night of her trial. She was around Flickers often when riding to visit nomad tribes, but the large birds in no way liked her. In all honesty, the more Lyn thought about it, the less she cared. She had done it more to impress her father than to discover her totem. As long as it was anything besides those dreadful desert spiders.

She shuddered at the thought of them, making Oryon puff out his chest. A wave of strength wrapped around her mentality, making her turn her head and smile. Lyn had not fully elaborated to him why she disliked the spiders so much, though she had been briefly introducing him to her culture when she had time. Her feelings towards them were more of hate instead of disgust, like most of the desert women.

Suzo was drifting off about as much as she was, staring in front of him in silence when she glanced at him.

Lyn grabbed his wrist, having to pull him around the corner and lead him down the stairs. He was so out of it that when they reached the stairs down to the first floor, he had kept on walking down the corridor. The contact made him jerk back into the moment. He stammered and pulled out of her hold. "O-oh! Forgive me, please. I was simply…er...um...."

She rolled her eyes, "Thinking? Whatever it was, just be a little bit less oblivious, Suzo. Have you not been trained to be aware of your surroundings at all times?" Oryon sat smug on her shoulder, watching him. She raised an eyebrow at him as he flushed in embarrassment. He nodded quickly and hurried down the stairs.

"We may run into your parents on the first floor; they have been going back and forth between rooms all day speaking to some nobles. But I believe they are occupied. Once you left for training, the two of them went to speak to someone about their son and have not returned since." Suzo stopped at the bottom stairs, having reached the landing below them a few steps ahead of her. He turned, offering her a hand to assue that she did not fall.

The gesture was kind, but she rolled her eyes as she took his hand. "I am not a little girl anymore, Suzo. And whether we see my parents or not...well, I do not care. I am going to my room, and that is that." Her hand slipped out of his; she kept walking.

He blushed, pausing where he was, and stared at his hand for a moment. Before she could notice that he was not following her, he jogged to catch up to her, returning to her side.

"If you say so, My Lady. However… they will not be happy that you have left the training grounds." She just sent him a look, silencing him immediately.

Though she and her father were so different, she had to admit that in many ways, they were the same. They both could command with only so much as a glance. The thought made her sigh. A few attendees walked by, of course greeting her as they passed. The majority bowed their heads, a few smiled.

She smiled and bowed her head in return, always responding as an equal. Her father and mother would never even spare them a glance, usually, but it was good to know that in some way, she was very different. Even her brother had been raised to never acknowledge them as equals, no matter how many times she tried to convince him otherwise.

They had already reached the opposite stairs, having walked in silence. The first floor was the only level, besides the one beneath it that had more than two staircases. There were four, dividing the section beneath it into four sections. One for each of the royal family. Before her sister had passed, the two of them had shared.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted. A familiar hand maiden ran up to them panting, bowing her head quickly. "M...M-my Lady! The King and Queen require your presence in the Scroll room!" She was doubled over; her name was Mirian. She was the only woman Lyn ever got to spend any time with. The woman who picked out her clothes, made most of them in fact; they spent most of their days together up until Lyn's return home.

Lyn frowned. She had been looking forward immensely to just relaxing in her room. "May I ask why? I have done the duties they asked of me for the day, as far as they know, I am training."

Mirian rolled her eyes, breathing deeply. "Yes. Which is part of the reason I have been looking all over this building trying to find you, because you were -not- training. The point is: I do not know why they what you, only that they demand it. It is of utmost importance and a once in a lifetime opportunity, they said."

She could feel the hint of doubt leaking from Oryon, making her brow furrow worriedly. She glanced as Suzo for confirmation, only to get a shrug. He was as unsure as she. It was rare she was called to the Scroll room for anything other than studies, and that was never done by her parents, for they were rarely there themselves. With a heavy sigh, she looked at Suzo apologetically and accompanied Mirian as she escorted her down the hall. The main rooms, such as the Scroll room, were on the first floor. That along with the meeting room from earlier, and various other places that people besides her family visited daily.

Her and Mirian walked in silence. They were only a short walk away. As they reached the door into the Scroll room, Mirian bowed, and politely left her without a word. Lyn almost wish she had stayed. There could be nothing good awaiting her.

She did not hesitate, knowing that the inevitable could only be delayed so long anyway. Lyn pushed opened the door, her chin tilted up to display a strong visage. But as soon as she saw what awaited her, her jaw droppe, and her eyes went wide. Looking at her were the familiar eyes of her father and mother, seated comfortable in the chairs adorning the Scroll room. There were the normal shelves, covered in the dusty parchment from which she learned. Tables, candles lit to give them light. Blank walls. But as normal as all of this was, only one thing stood out.

A man.

Aside from her parents, there was a tall, dashingly handsome man staring blatantly at her. His face was blank, and he reeked of a haughty arrogance. He was at least a few heads taller than her, maybe even Andali, with shining eyes of emerald. He stood shirtless, his arms crossed across a broad, tanned chest that was only marred by the identical claw marks that came down from each shoulder. He wore only baggy pants, held up by a skin belt, but his outfit was completed by the pelt hanging on his shoulders.. The animal had not just been skinned for decoration, but instead looked soft and worn as if it never left his shoulders. Large, deadly and lifeless claws hung over his shoulders and down in front of his chest, while teeth rested on his forehead and devilish black eyes stared blankly into the distance from atop his head. He wore the hide of a deadly Sand Shark..

She stood there, her visage gone, Oryon clenching and unclenching his talons into her shoulder. He growled into her ear, making her frown. Lyn liked the strange man no more than he did.

The man looked down his nose at her, strands of black hair falling across his eyes that were no longer tucked under the head of the Shark. Her mother interrupted their silent stare-down and went straight to the point, "Lynaire, this is your future partner. His name is Unanadi Xanadir."