[ORP]Marco's Campsite

[Marco]

Marco quietly dropped the logs into the fire, as the chill of winter blew over the camp. It wasn't his first choice living in the forest, but he was more comfortable here than any city. His spot was quiet, and the best part was there were no humans around.

Ever since that day, Marco was looking for answers on the attack. He would storm into city halls asking several questions, but always came out empty. Observing humans in cities just enraged him even more; where their prominent traits of greed and independence showed the most. Even their history has been tainted by these traits; it was disgusting.

As the campfire crackled on the starlit night, Marco poked the fire. Perhaps he would find the answers and even some of his missing tribe, but the lizardman continued to live in pain. With an axe, shield, and a tent over his head, he will find the answers and bring those men to their graves.

[Genova]

Genova was bored and left the house. She inhaled the crisp morning air and pulled her cloak closer to her body. The wind blew on her face, but that did not stop her. She walked aimlessly, the cold air did not deter her at all. She kept on walking as if her legs wanted her to be as far away from home as possible.

She wandered far off for hours until she finally felt tired. She found herself in the forest and was suddenly worried. She knew she can find her way home, but her legs felt like rock that she had to spend the evening there to rest.

Then she saw a campsite. To ask if she can stay in the same tent in the campsite is just too forward. But to sleep out in the cold is suicide. As she contemplated, the evening chill bit through her exposed face. She had no choice.

She walked to the tent. "Anybody there?" she asked.

[Marco]

As Marco brought the axe down on the piece of wood, he heard a noise from his campsite. With a raised axe, he slowly approached his campsite from cover. This way the intruder would not see him approach, unless the intruder was a much better hunter. As he approached the clearing; careful not to step on any loose twigs, his gaze focused on the woman looking at his tent.

However, the woman looked concerned rather than angry. She didn't dress as a hunter, and she seemed lost rather than looking for the lizardman. Marco came out of the foliage in view of the woman with his axe raised. His guard was slightly lowered, but he wasn't going to take the chance. With a slight growl, he spoke to the woman.

"What are you doing here?"

[Genova]

Genova heard a sound and turned to face the person who spoke. When she looked she saw strange green creature with his axe above and ready to strike her. She screamed in terror. "Don't kill me please??? I...I'm lost and can't get back home now. I was wondering if you have an extra tent or any temporary shelter in this cold winter night." she said, her eyes on the axe.

[Marco]

Marco continued to approach the woman with a tense defensive stance. She was much smaller than a human, but still looked like them. Every fiber in his body just wanted the woman to leave, but a memory stopped him.

A small group of settlers approached the lizardman tribe near sunset. It was summer and that night a storm was rolling in. Some of the hunters didn't want them in the camp, but the shaman gladly let them stayed. They didn't have many supplies on them and couldn't make it back into town that day.

As the night rolled on, the massive storm gave rolling thunder and heavy downpours. Some of the lighting strikes came close to the camp, but they were lucky. As morning gave way to sunshine, the forest around them were slightly damaged. The settlers wouldn't have survived the night.

Marco's low growl stopped and gave way to a sigh. As he placed the axe on his belt, his defensive stance gave way to an open hand to help the woman up.

"Hmph...come on...I have an extra tent somewhere..."

[Genova]

Genova heard the lizardman sigh. She figured that anyone who sighs is not in an attack mode. His open hand was a friendly invitation and she tentatively reached out to his hand so that he can help her out. "I'm only here for the night. I walked too far out. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I'm Genova, by the way," she told him.

[Marco]

As soon as the woman was on his feet. He quietly went over to his tent and started rummaging through his items. He usually kept an extra tent in emergencies or for this reason. He quietly pulled out the rolled-up tent and began to set it up close to the fire.

"Marco....so what are you doing out here? You don't seem like a hunter..," he quietly said.

[Genova]

The lizardman seemed to move quickly and before Genova knew it, the tent was already in place. "Please to meet you, Marco," she said. "I am not a hunter. I was out for a walk and got lost in the woods," she said and bowed her head.

[Marco]

As he placed the finishing touches on the tent, he couldn't help but think it odd for a woman to wander in the woods in the winter. Perhaps she had her reasons, but he had to remain cautious. He heard stories about innocent women that would cut men's throats at night.

As he took a seat by his tent, he quietly threw another log into the fire. It had been awhile since he had company at a campsite, but it was mostly business as usual.

"Hmph...was there a reason you wandered out of town? It's....warmer...in town."

[Genova]

Genova took a seat by her tent and pulled her cloak closer to her. She was thankful for the shelter and the warm fire before her. For a lizardman, Marco seems to be talkative. However, she thought that he has the right to be curious as she was, in a way, invading his privacy.

She stared at the fire for some time before replying to his question. "A lot of things happened lately; things that I did not want to do but I had no control of. Thus, I took a walk while trying to clear my mind and I found myself here," she explained. She did not give too much details to this stranger before her.

She looked at him and asked, "How about you? Why live here in the woods, if you don't mind me asking?"