With Zoisite and Jadeite's answer, Endymion started to lose hope. Certainly there was another way - he could not just leave them to the mercy of hungry wolves after nightfall, tied to trees without means of defending themselves. That was not how justice was to be dealt - not in his Kingdom, not under his watch. But how, then? Perhaps taking all of their armaments and letting them wake at their leisure...? They could turn the weapons in to the sheriff when they turn in the leader; if there are wolves, the bandits should take respite in trees, right? It'd be easy pickings... but, then again, what if they didn't regain consciousness before nightfall? Or, even if they did, what if the sheriff deemed the forest too dangerous to travel through at night and decided to fetch them at first light? By the time he reached this position the bandits would be gone, and probably stealing weapons from the next passerby and the whole ordeal might as well not have happened.

Was it really that difficult a choice? To leave them to certain death, or in some form let them go despite their crime?

But then Nephrite spoke, his tone cocky as always, and laid out their predicament and a possible solution to their problem. Just take them along. And where, before, that seemed like a bad idea - they would slow them down, in the least - it now seemed better than either alternative.

It looked like he'd be losing that bet he made with Zoisite.

He nodded, locking eyes with the leader of their opponents, and said unto the others, "Zoisite, tie them up. Nephrite, Jadeite, get the tarps and carries from the saddlebags and see if you can rig together some sort of dragging apparatus. We're taking them with us." His eyes intent upon the thieflord, Endymion lowered his sword, transferred it to one hand, and put his other hand out in an accepting fashion, "Surrender your weapons. Have your men toss theirs aside and sit where they now stand. Do this, and you will continue to have my mercy."

The man shrugged, and his men did as Endymion instructed, tossing their weapons aside and sitting right where they were. With a second glance, both men grudgingly unsheathed hidden daggers and tossed them aside, too. Once they were apparently unarmed, the man stepped forward, unsheathed his sword, and offered it hilt-forward to Endymion, who took it carefully, his eyes still locked on the older man's. "You have done more than I could have hoped. I hereby fold to Prince Endymion of Earth and three of his Earthly Princes."

Spoiler:

Zoisite obey without question began tying up each of the bandits. He slightly grumbled to himself. Taking these men with them would slow them down. Why did their lives matter? Local authorities would probably just hang them for their crimes. When he finished typing up the last man, he looked at the prince and realize because of this situation he was going to lose the bet. He couldn't help, but smirk at Endymion.

He got up from the ground and brushed the dirt off his pants. Zoisite just walked past his prince still flaunting the smirk on his face. He walked over to one of the horses and stared at it realizing Endymion's plan and the smirk on his face faded away. He turned to look at his prince.

"So the horses will be transporting the bandits?" he asked his prince. He was hoping that he would able to take Nephrite's horse to spite him.


OOC:

Spoiler:

When Zoisite suddenly turned to him with a knowing look and a smirk, Endymion knew that their bet wouldn't be so easily forgotten. That, combined with the blonde's obvious distaste for the plan, which would be what set them over Endymion's there-by-nightfall assurance, would insure that the Prince was in for a night of veiled I-told-you-so's. He sighed internally but kept an outward front of calm for the bandits to see, and surveyed them with caution; Zoisite had done an excellent job tying the men up - they wouldn't break free so easily - but the Prince wondered how often captors had those thoughts and how often the highwaymen had gone free before.


As Zoisite asked his question, the smirk on his face having vanished, Endymion found his consolation prize: the look on his friend's face when it dawned on him that he still might not be riding to the town. He savored it for a moment, as though considering, and nodded. "We can put their leader on one and double up the other two on the second horse; that'll leave three to haul behind." He looked to Nephrite and Jadeite to see how the apparatus was coming along.

OOC:

After his prince made his decision, Nephrite nodded, and allowed himself a little grin that Endymion chose to utilize his idea and not anyone else's.

He waited until the bandits had been suitably disarmed and Endymion had finished speaking to the ruffians before Nephrite turned towards Jadeite and said, "Come on, let's see what we can rig up."

Nephrite turned and walked towards the items that Endymion had pointed out, without waiting to see if Jadeite actually followed or not.

Getting the tarps attached to the horses would be a simple enough task, it seemed. As he began to work, Nephrite overheard the conversation that Zoisite and Endymion were having together. It seemed that Zoisite was asking about the status of the horses and their future riders. As Endymion answered, Nephrite's grin grew. The idea of Zoisite having to walk through the terrain whilst there were horses nearby was a very amusing thing.

"Aw, don't worry so much Zoisite," Nephrite added, amusement in his voice. "I could always carry you if you'd like." He laughed at the image of Zoisite being carried like some invalid. It would never happen, of course. Zoisite was far too proud and stubborn. But nevertheless, Nephrite continued to chuckle at his own little joke as he finished up his task of tying the tarps to the horses.

OOC:

Jadeite rolled his eyes at Nephrite's grin When Endymion made his decision. Something told the blond that they were going to hear the end of it later on. Luckily for Jadeite he knew how to ignore the brunette when he got to be to annoying.

He nodded when Nephrite had said something about seeing what they could rig up. He turned to fallow but not before he saw Zoicite's smirk at Endymion. He shook his head not completely sure he wanted to know what was going on there. The blond fallowed Nephrite’s example and started working on what they had been sent too work on. Jadeite watched everything else happening from the corner of his eye while he worked.

He knew Zoicite's inquiry as to the horses was going to give Nephrite a bit of enjoyment which worked for him just fine. When the brunette spoke again Jadeite snorted trying to keep from out right laughing. He had a feeling that was going to start up some kind of argument but he just shrugged wasn't like they hadn't heard those two go at it before. When Jadeite was finished with what he was doing of the contraption that he and Nephrite were working on he took a step back to make sure he didn't need to do anything else.

Endymion smiled at Nephrite's jest as he moved to take the first bandit within reach under the arms; the fellow didn't smell too bad, considering. As he drug the tied and unconscious body over to the pull that his friends had rigged, he wondered whether Zoisite would snap at Nephrite or give him the cold shoulder; he'd seen either used effectively. Depositing his load on the leather tarp, he turned back to grab another, glancing up to consider the time of day. If they could move at a quick and stead pace, they might still reach the inn before nightfall...

Spoiler:

Zoisite ignored Nephrite's teasing. He wasn't in the mood to argue with him. He just wanted to move forward so could continued on their quest. He saw the prince placing the unconscious bandits in that contraption. Zoisite decided to help so they get moving. He grabbed one of the unconscious bandits by grabbing a hold of his arms. Unfortunately for him this bandit smelled like rotten eggs. Zoisite closed his mouth and stopped breathing through his nose as he grabbed the bandit. He was trying not throw up in his mouth. He got to Endymion and dropped the bandit next to him.

"You get him tie up and the other unconscious ones," he told the prince. "I will take care of the conscious ones. Oh, so you don't have to work alone Nephrite would probably be happy to help you." He then walked away and turned his face toward Nephrite giving him a smirk. A little pay back.

Zoisite wanted to deal with the conscious bandits because he wouldn't have to touch them. He walked over to the conscious bandits and order them to get up on the horses. They obeyed and went over to horses and climbed on top of them.

 Jadeite Was a bit surprised when Zoisite didn't reply back to Nephrite's jest. He Shook his head when he and Nephrite finished and went over to start helping Endymion move the bandits to the thing they had made. Unlike Zoisite Jadeite just ignored the smell coming from the bandit and started dragging him over to the tarp and dropped him. The guy would probably have a massive headache when he woke up but really it wasn't Jadeite's problem. He laughed when Zoisite offered Nephrite’s help for this he should have known the other blond would do it. "Well Nephrite how about getting over here and helping us so we can get moving!" he called over. He really wanted to get moving before anything else could happen.

It was a little disappointing that Zoisite never replied to the teasing. Nephrite frowned but he did not allow himself to be too bothered by it. Zoisite was always doing strange and unexpected things. And it only meant that Nephrite had all the more reason to try again later.

After hearing Zoisite offer him up to help Jadeite, Nephrite was slow to go to the younger man's aid. He was not particularly keen on doing what Zoisite told him to do. That would almost be blasphemy. And he knew that it was because Zoisite was too clean and proper to want to deal with touching anything as "horrifying" as the unconscious bandits. Knowing Zoisite, this was probably meant to be something aking to payback for the teasing.

The smirk that Zoisite sent his way only solidified that thought.

But Zoisite had made an error in his planning, seeing as Nephrite had no qualms about touching the unconscious bandits.

"Well Nephrite, how about getting over here and helping us so we can get moving!" Well, Jadeite certainly sounded impatient. Nephrite made his way over and assisted Jadeite in moving the bandits before the younger man decided to get angry.

He kept an eye on Zoisite the whole time, making sure that the other man saw that his payback had not gone quite to plan. Moving the bandits was heavy work, but it was almost fun in a way. The men flopped over like sacks of heavy grain, and Nephrite amused himself with this thought as he and Jadeite worked together to move the last few bandits into place.

Once all of the unconscious bandits were moved to the tarp, Nephrite raised his arms above his head and stretched. "Now what? Is that the last of it?"

Despite filling a lot of his time with teasing Zoisite and trying to get out of doing the needed work, Nephrite was as eager to move on as everyone else.

Zoisite glanced at the bandits and saw that they were all ready to go. "Yes that's the last of it," he replied to Nephrite. "Let's head out before it's get too dark." He then grabbed one of the horses reins and pulled on it. The horse began to walk and the other princes follow right behind him.

They walked deeper into the forest along a narrow path. Zoisite looked up at the sky and noticed the sky was a bright peachy color. This indicated that the sun was setting which meant that the wolves would be coming out soon. As they kept walking the bright peachy color was starting to fade. Zoisite pulled on the horse's reigns harder to get it to move faster. He didn't want to deal with wolves with all these people.Unfortunately a snake was crossing the road and spook the horse Zoisite was in charge of.  It jumped up causing the bandits to fall and accidentally knocking Endymion to the ground. The prince hit his head on the rock was knocked out. Zositie ran over to him.

"Endymion!" he shouted the prince's name and try to wake him. He then looked back at his comrades. "He's out. We need to hurry to the inn before the wolves spot us."

Jadeite grabbed the reigns of the other horse as Zoicite started walking and fallowed him. He was a bit releaved to know they were moving on before anything else could happen. "Well at least nothing ba...." his sentence was interrupted by the horse Zoicite was leading getting spooked. Which in turn also spooked the one he was leading. He jumped back to avoid from being trampled by said horse the bandits on it were dumped off. He was going to go after the horses when he heard Zoicite's voice in moments he turned quickly and ran over to where Zoicite was standing. He looked off after the horses for a second. "We need to hurry to the next town." he said looking over at zoicite. As much as he hated to leave the bandits loose to stop someone else going through the woods Endymion needed to be their first priority and staying in the woods any longer with an unconscious Endymion was not a good idea.

As the two bandits were rudely dropped to the ground, they each let out their own cries of pain - they might've landed on their butts, but it still hurt! As one reached back and elbowed the other, both fell silent; the Princes were otherwise engaged. They could make their escape. They pushed their back against each other and stood, moving fluidly, as though this had happened many times before. Once upon their feet, they looked to their captain, who was still astride his horse. With a nod from him, the two quietly slipped away while the Princes were otherwise occupied. They'd find a way to free themselves, then come back for their captain before the Princes could reach any city. If they were lucky, they'd free their comrades, too.

Nephrite glared at Zoisite, unsure as to what one should even say in a situation like this. Kneeling down next to Endymion, the prince was unable to wake up no matter how hard they tried to rouse him.

As easy as it would have been to put all of the blame on Zoisite, there just wasn't time to invest in a good goading. Best to save that for later.

"Dammit, Zoisite," Nephrite grumbled. He stood up and tried to come up with a plan. "We will have to strap him in somewhere safe."

Looking around camp, something seemed a little strange. As if he was not seeing everything he should be, but Nephrite shrugged that feeling away. He had bigger things to worry about. Like keeping Zoisite away from horses, and dealing with the fact that Endymion was now unconscious.

"Is there room on one of the tarps we rigged up for him?" However that didn't seem like a safe thing to do, just in case one of the unconscious bandits woke up during their travels. "Perhaps there will be room for him to sit in front someone in the saddle."

ooc:

Zoisite ignored Nephrite's glare. It wasn't his fault that his horse got spooked so easily. He turned to look at the bandits to see what they could do with the prince. He immediately noticed that two of the bandits were missing! He quickly shoved it off seeing how getting the prince to the inn was their top priority. 

"Well, it looks like it won't be a problem," he spoke to the others. "Two of the bandits ran off. We can just place Endy on the free horse and one of us can hold to him while the other leads the horse. That should work right?"

Although Sir Perfect had not directly participated in the brief battle against the bandits, his presence should be noted within the area. Responsibilities in his lands had prevented him from joining the group directly at an earlier date, but he had decreased their time apart through the use of a swift horse upon his dismissal from his duties. Word of mouth had alerted him to the presence of bandits in the area, but a sound and alert mind, not too mention the sword at his waist, would prevent the worst of troubles.
 
Kunzite noted the color of the sky and the position of the sun. Nightfall would soon approach, but he had enough time to arrive at the next town and seek shelter. Certainly he would arrive before the next role-play post.

OOC:

Soon they were moving again - glancing up to the sky each of the Princes knew that it would be dark before they got to the town. With two of the bandits at large, possibly free to act, they were watchful of their surroundings, of the Bandit Leader, of Endymion (whom they prayed didn't have a concussion), and of the bandits who were starting to stir behind them.

As night fell their trepidation grew, for when dusk was behind them, the wolves started to call...

OOC:

Nephrite was beginning to get a headache. He grumbled to himself, but he never stopped looking around intently at anything and everything that moved. With all of these things going wrong around them, it wouldn't do to be caught up in another problem. They certainly didn't need any more trouble right now.

If only the stars had warned him that things would end up like this. Maybe he could have prevented some of these things in some way. At the very least, he could have stopped Endymion from being knocked out.

At the thought of his prince, Nephrite glanced back towards the horse that the prince was currently and unceremoniously sitting on in a very slumped manner. Endymion was going to have one hell of a neck ache from the looks of it.

Zoisite's idea of placing Endymion on the newly free horse had been a good one, though Nephrite didn't see why that meant that Zoisite got to be the one on the horse while Nephrite guided the animal through the darkening forest?

Nephrite twisted his face into a dramatic frown, before turning back to look in front of him.

The first howl of a wolf caught him off guard. Was it really that late already? He had been so busy complaining in his own thoughts that Nephrite hadn't realized just how dark it had become.

Another howl answered the first. Damn, they were supposed to have been at the town by now.

Nephrite unsheathed his sword, his other hand still clutching the lead for the horse. Those calls were getting closer, he was certain of it.

"Zoisite," Nephrite began, his voice serious as his eyes never stopped searching in the bushes for any sign of movement, "if things get bad, take this horse and get the prince to the town as fast as possible and leave Jadeite and I to take care of this. You should be able to make it there, we can't be that far away, and Endymion's safety comes first."

OOC:

Jadeite had been watching as carefully as Nephrite had been. in hind sight it was probably best to have Zoisite on the horse with Endymion rather than him or Nephrite no matter how much Nephrite disliked it. It was pretty easy to figure out that Jadeite and Nephrite worked better if a fight were to come their way than he and zoisite would or Nephrite and zoisite would. and yet he and zoisite would work better together than Zoisite and Nephrite would. OK his head was starting to hurt he was cutting that line of thought off right than and there. 

his hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist not wanting to take any chances when he noticed it was starting to get dark. He really was getting a bit uneasy at the moment they were all stronger as a full team though they all had their strengths. 

He had his sword out in hand the second he had heard the first wolf howl. His eyes scanned the bushes and the trail up ahead. He nodded in agreement at Nephrite's words. "although if you find Kunzite out there some where do feel free to send him our way because as Much as Nephrite and I can work pretty well together I really don't want it to be two of us against I don't know how many what ever we could be face." he said it wasn't meant to be funny he was still trying to figure out how their fearless leader hadn't managed to catch up with them quit yet.

So, maybe he had misjudged the distance between him and the next settlement, because Kunzite still hadn't reached it by the next role-playing post. Instead, the light continued to dim and his travels seemed to take longer than necessary. The call of a wolf caused his horse to lift her head quickly and perk her ears in anxious interest. With a soft voice and a steady hand, Kunzite quickly calmed her anxiety while urging her forward. Although, at this point, he needed to make a quick decision between finding suitable shelter before nightfall or quickening his pace to reach the next settlement shortly after nightfall. If the wolves already seemed eager to make their presence known...

Kunzite's eyes narrowed as he scanned the tree line behind him. Figures could be seen in the near distance, which could place him in a variety of unpredictable situations.

Spoiler:

A few options presented themselves to Kunzite. At this distance and at this time of day, he would be unable to determine who was at the treeline based upon appearance. Without this knowledge, he was left with two options. 1) He could take a calculated risk and approach the figures. This would give him greater control of the situation, but also such a move could place him in a precarious position. 2) He could not approach the figures and continue on his way. This would allow the figures the opportunity to either leave or approach.

Either option would also affect his ability to make it to the next town shortly after nightfall.

Nephrite was thankful that Jadeite agreed to the plan. They didn't have time to argue about who did what. They needed to get Endymion to somewhere safe before the danger came at them in full force.

For once, Zoisite didn't seem to be bringing up an argument, and deciding that meant that Zoisite agreed with the plan, Nephrite turned his back on both the blonde and the prince, trusting Zoisite to keep Endymion safe.

Instead, he turned his attention onto the bandits who were struggling in their bonds now. "Settle down!" Nephrite yelled at them, though it did not seem to help the situation any.

He took a step forward, intending to take the matter into his own hands and make the bandits behave, but a rustling in the bushes behind the bandits made Nephrite stop in his tracks and tighten his grip on his sword.

The bandits heard the rustling as well, and one of them turned towards the two generals. "Give us a sword!" he cried out, his voice almost panicked. His eyes kept going from the bushes and back to Nephrite and Jadeite, then back again.

Nephrite almost felt bad for the bandits, but he had to watch out for himself and Jadeite as well. And it wasn't as if these bandits could be trusted in a fight. If they were given weapons once again, they would only make for more enemies that he and Jadeite needed to deal with.

Nephrite moved closer to them, though he kept his grip tight upon his sword. Another rustle.

"Hurry and untie us! The wolves are getting closer!"

It was then that Nephrite realized that he hadn't heard any more howls since the last one a few minutes ago. Were the wolves truly coming closer?

Nephrite took another step closer. Before he could realize what was happening, the bandit closest to him jumped to his feet and pushed Nephrite backwards, knocking him back. Nephrite stumbled and lost his guard, but he did not lose his footing, and was able to keep his sword.

The bandits' hands were free, and they grinned at one another as they showed off their newly freed status. The two that had escaped earlier stood up from the bushes, their grins directed completely at the two remaining generals.

Nephrite cursed. The two escapees must have been tailing the group as they moved through the forest and took this chance to untie their comrades. The howls of the wolves had distracted everyone to give the bandits enough time to act.

His anger was beginning to build. Nephrite hated looking like a fool.

"Looks like its up to you and I to take care of this mess, eh?" Nephrite put on a smile as he spoke to Jadeite, though he ignored the flutter of nervousness in his chest. The threat of bandits and the potential attack from the wolves left him feeling more than a little outnumbered, but he and Jadeite made an excellent team. "Let's show them never to mess with us again!"

And with that, Nephrite approached the first bandit that was closest to him. He wouldn't go for the kill, but he wouldn't hold himself back if it needed to be done.

It would be good to never see another bandit again after this.

OOC:

Kunzite took the matters into his own hands and selected option one. He urged his horse forward and approached the figures in the tree line. As he neared, the figures grew in number and the sounds of a looming battle reached his ears. Cursing his luck, Kunzite knew his heart directed him to take part in the battle and prevent the worst of the bloodshed. Leaving his horse away from the scene, Kunzite approached with his weapons bared and his senses alert.

His first instinct was to observe the battle from afar, but that notion quickly changed when he saw Nephrite and Jadeite. Although the element of surprise would be beneficial, the darkness would partially obscure his identity to his kinsmen. Calling Nephrite's and Jadeite's names, Kunzite said boldly, "Let me even the odds."

While his brothers-in-arms each handled a portion of the bandit rabble, Kunzite swiftly approached the nearest bandit. Attempting to eliminate the bandit's opportunity to react, the general attacked quickly with his sword. The darkness had hopefully aided in the surprise of his arrival and would help him to take the bandit off-guard. Kunzite, thankfully, had fought and trained in a multitude of scenarios. He could move effectively in the dim light of the stars and moon. He knew quite well the training his brothers-in-arms had undergone and he knew they could confidently fight, too.

For his prince, he would fight! Speaking of which... where was his prince? Quick glances during the battle proved fruitless in revealing the presence of Prince Endymion. His absence caused Kunzite to worry, but he couldn't allow his emotions to detract from the fight at hand. When the next opportunity arose, he would ask one of the others if all members of their party were accounted for.

The fight was not going as well as Nephrite had hoped. Outwardly, he appeared confident and calm, faithful of his and Jadeite's abilities to fight off their overwhelming number of enemies. But secretly, he was a little hesitant about it all. He knew that both he and Jadeite were both skilled but they were not the most experienced. Training sessions were much different than the real thing.

Parrying an incoming blow, Nephrite ducked away to try and get his bearings. His opponent was strong, perhaps even stronger than Nephrite himself, if that was possible, but the bandit's footwork was sloppy, and it gave Nephrite a needed advantage.

But before he could take the advantage, another bandit came at him from his side, grazing against Nephrite's sword arm. The wound wasn't deep, his clothing had taken most of the damage but the newly cut skin burned and stung. Cursing, Nephrite was forced to turn his attention onto his new attacker, giving up the advantage that he had once had. At least for now.

A new voice cut through the sounds of clashing swords, one that sounded all too familiar. "Let me even the odds," it said with a sense of confidence that was easy to identify.

And for once, Nephrite was relieved to have the help of Kunzite, though Nephrite would never dare say it out loud. Kunzite already had a far too large ego as it was.

Feeling newly invigorated with his own returning confidence, Nephrite lunged at his opponents. They would win this, there was no doubt. They might still be outnumbered, but he and his brothers were strong together.

When Zoisite saw that the bandits were at large again, he hit the horse hard on the side telling it to make a run for it. He held on to the prince tightly so he wouldn't fall off which made it difficult to steer the horse. Zoisite's heart was bumping fast and he felt a big knot in the stomach. He hope that they were near the village. He wasn't sure if he could protect the prince by himself from wolves or other bandits. Up a head he could see small amounts of smoke hovering in the air..

'That must be from the village,' he thought to himself. Unfortunately the smoke distracted him and the horse came to a huge halt which caused Zoistie and the prince to fall off the horse. The two man landed on top each other. Zoisite sat up and saw that were huge a river with rushing water.

"Damn it!" He whisper to himself in anger. He then looked down at the prince and made sure he was still breathing. He let out a sigh on relief when he felt air coming out of his nose. He stood up and dragged the prince and lean him against a tree. He then turned his attention to the river. How on earth were they going to get past this river? The water was flowing too fast for the hose to cross it.

Zoisite glanced around to see if there was a bridge, but it was too dark to make anything out. He let out a sigh and sat next to the prince. He would just have to wait for the others to catch up and cross the river at dawn. He then got his sword and tightly held. He would have to stay up all night to guard the prince.

Kunzite and Nephrite shared brief eye-contact and acknowledged the other's position in the battle. They would fight together as a team, as always. Zoisite acted quickly and escorted the unconscious prince away from the battle field as his other comrades dealt with the renegade bandits.

With the prince protected and removed from danger, none of the brothers-at-arms would have to worry about Endymion's welfare. This allowed for the freedom of mind required for a battle, although Kunzite doubted a battle with bandits would last long. He knew not of their capabilities, but similar experiences gave him some expectations. And, if anything, he knew exactly what he and his brothers were capable of.

The struggle between Nephrite and the bandit in front of him seemed to be at a stalemate. They were evenly matched and neither of them wanted to let down their guard in order to go on the offensive. Instead, Nephrite would lunge forward only to be blocked, and just as he had his footing secured and stable, the bandit moved forward to retaliate.

Back and forth, back and forth. Nephrite was getting tired of this kind of fight. He had grand plans of finishing off a handful of bandits before neither Jadeite nor Kunzite had been able to deal with one. But this was not going as well as he had imagined in his mind.

Gritting his teeth in concentration, Nephrite decided to change his tactics suddenly. His trick maneuver to the right caught the bandit off guard, and Nephrite was able to get a good solid strike on his arm before the bandit was able to get out of range.

Nephrite grinned at his own cleverness. He couldn't help but to glance to where Kunzite was engaged in his own battle, hoping that perhaps Kunzite had seen that great display of swordsmanship, but it seemed he was too busy.

What a pity.

From the corner of his eye he saw movement. Bracing himself, Nephrite took a step back to dodge the incoming attack. Too slow, the sword cut into his hand that held his blade. Hissing in pain, Nephrite dropped the sword, but he didn't allow himself to lose his cool. He was too trained for that. Instead, he continued his dodge, before going into a tumble roll, kicking out his foot to trip the bandit.

The bandit fell to the ground, his sword falling a few paces further. Nephrite grabbed it before the bandit could regain his bearings, and Nephrite held the point leveled at the bandit's throat.

"Retreat!"

The call for retreat came as a bit of a surprise, but it was not his own opponent that called for it. It must have been one of Kunzite's or Jadeite's opponents that had decided that enough was enough. The bandit Nephrite had been facing scrambled to his feet and ran to flee with the rest of the bandits.

Nephrite frowned as he watched the defeated bandits disappear into the now darkened forest. It felt somewhat anti-climactic to have them simply run away like that. But then, they were bandits, and one could not expect any kind of honor when dealing with such ruffians.

Nephrite wanted to say something about their half-victory, but instead his attention was drawn to his wounded hand. It was deep and pulsed with pain. That was bothersome.

Looking to both Kunzite and Jadeite, Nephrite grinned. "Good to see you, Kunzite. I was beginning to think you decided to leave us, and I would have had to take your place." Nephrite paused from his goading, distracted by his hand again. He looked around for something to use to stop the bleeding of his wound as he said, "Let's meet up with Zoisite and Endymion soon. I am tired of this place and would love a nice hot meal."

Zoisite was still sitting next to the prince trying to stay alert. He had to fight from eyes shutting and dozing off. Today took a lot out him. He just hope the others would appear soon so they get to the Inn and have a nice long rest. He gazed up at the moon and stared at its beauty. It was shinning brightly down on them. He then wondered what life was like on the moon. All he knew that it was rule by a beautiful queen and that she had a daughter. 

Suddenly Zoisite heard some rustling in some bushes. He jumped to his feet and pulled out his sword. He got into a fighting stance and felt his heart pounding. He hoped it was an animal because there was no way he could fight off any bandits by himself. To his luck it was the others! He felt relief and put away his sword. He then noticed Kunzite has finally arrived. 

"It's good to see you, Kunzite," He spoke he then change the topic quickly. "So I'm guessing you guys were able to fight off the bandits? We need to get to village quickly." He turned and pointed to the sky. "I see smoke that is close by. That has to be the village. The only problem there is a rushing river blocking to the other side." He turned to face them. "Any ideas how to get across? I don't see a bridge that is nearby."