Curiosity killed the....

[Xhel]

Xhel treaded along an old, ruined path, which happened to be in a wasteland. The path itself was extremely rocky, and each of those rocks seemed to have been split in halves multiply times. It was safe to assume it was a path in which Mordor's armies once took pounding the earth beneath them into nothingness. The elf carried what appeared to be two Jiang swords. Other than his natural attire, he wore a white cloak which despite the environment happen to be as clean as ever. Right by his side there was a black wolf named Sasha. Occasionally he would scratch her head and lick his fingers. Damn it Elf, what in your right mind gave you the idea to come here. Out of every hell whole, you had to chose Mordor. "Nurn." He corrected the voice. But why! "Mostly curiosity. When was the last time I've been here and-"Curiosity killed the cat. The voice cut off Xhel from speaking. "Yes but I am not a cat." He responded with wit. "And as I was saying, think about the treasures. Who knows what the Nazgul and Sauron's forces left behind. That alone is a reason to come here."

There was a long moment of silence as the elf continued along the path. Xhel broke the silence. "Besides, I wish to test my skills. Rumor has it, that the men of Nurn now occupy Minas Morgul. If anything, the Nazgul would of abandon their treasures there." The voice didn't respond, he simply kept to himself. In time, the Elf approached Minas Morgul. His keen elven eyes had spotted it and the two guards long ago. Xhel had decided it was wise, to travel among the rocks. Giving him and his wolf whom struggled to keep along much needed cover. The elf now within thirty feet of the entrance hid behind a boulder sized rock. Every now and then his head would take a quick peek, contemplating as he came up with a plan.

[Ravyn]

It had been a relatively uneventful day. The rocks were rocky, the sky was bleak, and the wind whistled in a lonely manner through the mountains. Ravyn sighed as she passed by a window. Life in this stone castle could be boring. Canos was somewhere around, probably plotting for his rule of evil. She passed a few guards, ignoring them, and kept up her brisk pace through the stone halls. At her side stalked Sharan, his black coat lustrous and thick in the midday gloom. He was silent, as was Ravyn. As she passed by a window facing outwards, something gave her reason to pause. Her eyes were as keen as an eagle's, and she could swear she saw a flash of white on the other side of the bridge. Interested, she crossed her arms on the windowsill and watched intently. Sharan stopped beside her, leaning against her legs. He couldn't see above the stone without putting his paws up on it, so he decided he would take a catnap while his master was otherwise occupied.

Ravyn watched, barely blinking. If someone was trying to sneak in, they would be hard pressed to get across the fifty foot bridge over the gorge without being seen. It was one of the great things about Minas Morgul. Since the castle was embedded in the rock cliff and surrounded by sheer cliff walls on the back and sides, the only way left to get in was through the front. That was only reachable by the arching stone bridge that connected the land and the castle. The deep gorge under the bridge wasn't really even an option. It was a hefty drop, nearly bottomless to the naked eye, and the faces of the gorge were straight down. Anyone trying to sneak up on Minas Morgul would fail indeed. So Ravyn watched, waiting for the stranger to show themselves.

[Xhel]

( :/ I miss my old post XD)

Xhel continued to hide behind the boulder, every now and then peeking over. Contemplating, eventually something would pop up in his head. So whats the plan? "Well.... There a couple of options. The first would be to use a grappling hook. But, it would be difficult to make that throw." Xhel said, studying the castle. He stopped, locating a window, suddenly he smirked spotting the prying eyes he was previously unaware of. "Besides, we're being watched." Do you just drop the plan? It spoke, already knowing the answer .The thief let out a small chuckle. " I can... Pose as an Elven Ambassador of minor importance, And Sasha here can be a gift." As he spoke, he scratched the wolf behind her ear. "Or..." You can let yourself be captured, and then break out. The voice spoke with a hint of laughter. Reminding the two of a previous memory. Xhel smiled, rarely did he smile, excluding his mischievous smiles. It was even more rare for the voice to be the reason behind his quick moment of happiness. "That didn't work out too well... last time. Well I can..." Xhel stopped peaking over the boulder and turned around to rest his back against the rock.

A number of minutes passed. "I can wait..." Excuse me? That isn't much like you. "No its not, but it will be a change. I don't like the idea. But if another option doesn't come... I'll pull out the grapple. The woman shouldn't be much of a problem. I can dispose of her...." A while passed, Sasha the whole time was uneasy. Moving about, and whelping quietly. It was then that Xhel took a big whiff of the air. "Thats odd.." He spoke to himself. What is it? "Nothing... Just the air, Something isn't right."

[Ravyn]

Yes, there was definitely a person there. White hair, peeking out every so often. Strange mannerism, really. A good way to get your head shot off with an arrow. With one hand below the windowsill, she motioned for a guard that stood nearby. Once he was close, she murmured, "Stop." Obediently - disobedient guards didn't last very long here - he stopped. With her lips barely moving, eyes on the elf, she whispered, "There is an elf out there. I mean to catch him for questioning and maybe for Canos to play with. Go, summon all the guards that are not otherwise occupied. Have them hide beneath the windowsills and wait at the sides of the door for my call. Once everyone is assembled, open the gates just enough for a person to slip in." He nodded and left. To anyone looking from across the bridge, none of this had happened. Ravyn was far enough away that the slight movement of her lips could not be seen and her whisper would not carry over stone.

Beside her, Sharan stiffened. His ears flicked backwards and he let out a low growl. Ravyn knew his senses were keener than hers; something was amiss out there. The fur on his back raised, his teeth baring. With a few easy gallops, he had run to the next window. Sticking his head out, paws on the windowsill, Sharan roared his challenge to the dog he smelled. It rang out, high and angry, making the guards wonder what was going on. Ravyn kept her position, listening to the rumbling aftershock of Sharan's anger. Something was out there, and her black jaguar did not like it at all. Had the elf brought more than himself? Then another rumble shook the stone castle. The gates creaked open, albeit hardly at all, then stopped. Ravyn smirked. Yes, it was unlikely that anyone would fall for so obvious a trap. But then again, she wouldn't have expected that anyone would come to Minas Morgul just to look. If the man out there wanted something, he would come. Curiosity would draw him to her like a moth to flame. And, like a moth, his encounter would be fatal.

[Xhel]

Sasha continued to be uneasy. Something was bothering her, and it appeared as if that something was about to make her twitch. It was then the wolf leaped out from behind the rock and began to snarl. Xhel continued to stay mostly hidden behind the boulder. "Sasha." He whispered, trying to get her attention. It was then that he heard a roar, Which Sasha countered with an rather impressive bark. "Sasha!" He said more loudly as the gate opened. Immediately the elf peeked his head over the rock. "How convenient." The thief spoke to himself, ready to break into a dash. You are not this stupid elf! Its obviously a trap. You can't go in there! He smirked. "Oh of course I won't." There was a hint of sarcasm. Sasha continued her intermittent barking and snarling. It was then he broke into a sprint, only to come to a sudden halt almost literally freezing in place. "Whats happening." My God elf, Your are stupider than I had previously thought. I'm not letting you throw away your life. "I have nothing to lose. Weigh that against the treasures within there. The treasures I can have! The treasures we can have!" Xhel began his debate. "Besides, its not like me to just give up." I only have a limited control over you. You'll regret it. Its too perfect, nobody's coming out. You aren't this arrogant, and the dog! You've made promises you can't break them. Against his own will Xhel's body turned around fighting an unseen force.

The elf felt a burden being removed from his body, allowing him to move freely. To his regret, the voice was right. It was too perfect, and too obvious of a trap. They both knew that Minas Morgul was populated. His usually smirk, disappeared turning into a straight. He dashed away from the Castle, stopping to only to look back at his dog. "Sasha AY!" He shouted. The wolf understood, she swiftly turned around to face her master. Galloping away, from the castle along side Xhel, she paused to look back. If a canine could glare, this one did. The two ran off into the distance, at a steady pace. Every now and then the elf would turn back, in case of pursuit. In a matter of time, he would be in Ithelien.