(while I haven't written fresh corpse in too long, I think I'll keep posting it)

High up in one of the stalagmites, almost hidden in the branches, Tyrrae could see a young man holding a bow and arrow like one of the Queen's Tower sentries.
It was naturally pointed at her. Unlike home, she did not arrogantly ignore this threat.
She stopped and stared at him without moving her hands until he moved the arrow aside.
He made a few sounds that were vaguely like the winged animals. She assumed it was a signal for his friends. She nodded at him then, and continued walking after the young women.

She recalled advice her father gave her, perhaps the only time he did not mention fungus during their conversation. "Never run from an immortal, child. It only attracts their attention." She wasn't quite sure how it applied here, she just instinctively knew that running would have caused the sentries to should first and ask questions later. She repeated her stand off with two more sentries, but the next one put her in a quandary. "Acknowledge all of the sentries," the woman had said. Yet this young man was clearly asleep. He was comfortably tucked up in the nub of a stalagmite that cradled him and yet kept him pointed out so all he had to do was aim and shoot... But he had carelessly dropped his bow, and the quiver had spilled his arrows in a cascade down the main part of the stalagmite.

Tyrrae cleared her throat to make a noise. Not for a moment did she assume he was now unarmed. While the queen would have had him flogged or worse for his laziness, her guards had extensive training in hand to hand combat, and were known to carry a poisoned dagger or three. She could be killed without the Kiss before she sneezed. To assume this sentry useless even in sleep would be the height of stupidity. Tyrrae tried calling out to him, "Hello up there! You seem to be asleep, sir! You should be more careful. Hello?" Every call she made grew in volume, but the sentry did not move.
If she could not see the gentle rise and fall of his chest, she would have feared he was past the Kiss. She noisily picked up the fallen bow. Perhaps she could reach to poke him with it? Aye, that she could. She gently poked his foot. She hoped he would not stab himself with an arrow as he woke.

He jerked his foot out of the way and muttered.

She stretched and jabbed him in the side.

He swatted at it.

"Hello?" she said and poked him again.

He finally opened his eyes.

"I think this is yours," she said, holding the bow up.

He took it, grasping instinctively, while looking at her face in horror. He shrank away from her, causing arrows to slide down the trunk. "But.. but.. but you're a Dark one!" he stammered. He realized what he was holding and dropped more arrows trying to pick up just one.

“Perhaps you are the Hated One, as my mother warned me against," Tyrrae replied calmly, moving back to avoid being hit by the falling arrows. She was trying very hard not to laugh.

He managed to nock an arrow, and she kindly pushed it away from her.

"If I had meant to kill you, you would not have woken up to find me handing you your weapon. Remember that." She turned, with her hands open and obvious, and walked on up the path away from him.

The sentry scrambled to his feet, knocking the quiver to the ground. He saw the wolf trot by, following Tyrrae. He was holding the orc axe in his mouth. The wolf ignored the sentry completely. The sentry gave up, dropped his bow, and ran to town after them.  ¶ 7:38 PM