She doesn't know the word but interprets it as something along the lines of 'what'. "Like...guide, ranger, knower of the land. It's the Northern tongue of my homeland."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James nodded, a look of recognition passing over his face as she mentioned her mother tongue. "Well, it's in this direction." He pointed again, "South-east. Can't tell you the exact amount of miles it'll be, but I'd say it's roughly a four day journey, if we hurry."
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James stared for a moment as he worked to understand what she meant. There was no visible a-ha moment, but he drew the connections in his head. She was a werewolf... or, something like it. By shift, she meant take her wolf form, which he had witnessed earlier in their fight with the grangor.
"S'long as that's alright with you, then sure." He agreed, walking up beside Nightmare and giving her a pat on the neck. "I'll lead the way."
She nods and her eyes darken as her form changes from woman to beast, a saddleback German Shepherd the size of her horse.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James hopped atop Nightmare the same time Tasha shifted and he just about fell off the horse. But he managed to regain his balance and his composure pretty quickly. "Ok. Well, let's get moving then." He lead Nightmare forward and they began their trek through the glowing forest at a brisk pace.
James took note of the sun's place in the sky and how far he wanted to get before its setting. He then looked over to Tasha, whose head was just about eye level with his, even from where he was sitting. He wondered how her bandages would hold up because of the shift.
She follows him, occasionally sniffing the air. Her ears are constantly moving as she scans for any sign of danger.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James watched Tasha curiously for a moment before turning his head back in front of him, leading the way. He didn't know how fast a pace she would be able to keep up with her injuries, even in her current form, so he maintained a steady pace, only pushing it just a little. He hoped she'd speak up if she needed to slow down or stop or something.
She trots next to him, occasionally wincing a bit but keeping a steady pace without complaint as they travel.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
James's eyes continued to flicker over to her, trying to read her face. In an effort to make it easier on her he slowly had Nightmare slow down over a few minutes, so that it wouldn't be so noticeable - he hoped to not injure her pride.
If she notices, she makes no sign of it. Her breathing eases a bit before she pushes herself back into a slow lope.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
After a considerable amount of time, James stopped by a fallen tree. "We should take a small break. Eat. Get something in our stomachs." He explained as he hopped down from Nightmare. He reached into his bag. "I bet you can guess what I have on me," he continued, aware of his limited food supply being mostly comprised of roots and random plants he found edible. "So if you have food on you that you prefer, have at it."
She shifts and gets some jerky from the saddlebags without a word, handing some to him. A bit of blood stains her shirt - the bandages must have bled through. Tasha grabs some out of the bag and sits down, looking at her wounds with a frown.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
"Yeah, it's probably best." She sighs and begins changing them.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."
