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PORT CITY OF XALISCO, ORELA - DOCKS - MORNING
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Gareth leans against the railing lining the dock near the merchant ship he and his group will be taking to Aephix from Orela a day or two from now. He watches the dockworkers loading up goods, and mostly just eying the boat's conditions for the hell of it. Not bad, but likely going to be needing some touching up sooner or later. The captain of the vessel certainly puts in effort to make the boat look presentable, at least.
Aelia steps very cautiously along the dock, hooves clicking quietly amid the noisy dock workers and sounds of the Orelan port. The young female deer moves with surprising grace, though her expression seems to be caught somewhere between confused and terrified of everything going on around her. She's dressed in what appears to be a fine pink silk dress, but one which has seen better days, and is clutching a note in her hands very close to the chest. She finally spots Gareth, coming up besides him cautiously, "Oh! Oh... p-pirate wolf. That's you right? I mean there's probably plenty of pirate wolves... n-not that all wolves are pirates! I just... I mean... oh golly. You um... you ARE Gareth right?"
Gareth hums curiously, turning to look at the person addressing him. His eyes flick over Aelia's appearance for a moment, noticing the note she's clutching in her hands, then he nods. "Aye, Gareth Gwynn, at yer service, ma'am. Ye need me fer somethin'?"
Aelia glances around at some of the other dock workers, very obviously out of place and feeling it. She holds up the note cautiously, "I... th-the note said to find you. You or... 'Piper'? S-said to trust you." The note itself reads simply enough, a quickly penned message signed by Phoebe, stating if Aelia is reading it, then she's already on the next boat, with detailed instructions to find the merchant ship, with a description of Gareth and Piper, and oddly enough, a short apology at the end, asking Aelia to 'stay brave'.
Gareth curiously looks at the note, reading through it quickly enough. "Huh... interestin'... Aye, I'm Gareth, and Piper's one o' the folks travelin' with us. If ye see a giant crocodile on the ship while we're sailin', that's her. She usually sticks to the upper deck, towards the back. Nice enough, but intimidatin' to look at." He glances between the note and Aelia, "So I'm guessin' Phoebe had to leave Orela a bit earlier than expected? Well, don't ye worry, lass, we'll get ye to yer destination."
Aelia looks down at the wooden dock, meekly nodding her head, "G-guess she had to... y-yeah." She fidgets in place for a moment, then speaks back up once again, "Can I ask... wh-where are we?"
Gareth flashes a bit of a smile, though he does his best to not show his teeth since the poor girl seems quite skittish as it is. "Sure. We're in Orela, right now, in one o' the Snake port cities. We'll be here fer another day or so before that ship over there weighs anchor and we set sail fer Aephix."
Aelia frowns. "Orela... Aephix? I... I'm not even sure where those are..." She puts a hand to her chest as she starts to inhale very quickly, "OhmygoshitsalljustsofarfromhomewhatamIevengoingtodo?!" She squeaks all of this out in one breath.
Gareth blinks at the sudden rush of words from Aelia, but he reaches a hand forward and gently rests it on her shoulder. "Deep breaths, miss. Phoebe told me the two of ye were travelin' together, but... uh... yer not like... bein' kidnapped or anythin', right?"
Aelia takes a few deep breathes trying to calm down. It's uncertain how much the predator's hand is helping or hurting his effort, as she pulls her own hands back against her chest and just shakes a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not worth kidnapping. Phoebe... Phoebe says we're going somewhere safe? B-but I don't even know what that means anymore. I just... I wish she could tell me about any of this and not just write me notes!" She shouts a bit, scowling at the note in her hand before she seems to remember where she and who she's yelling at and shrinks back down. "S-sorry..."
Gareth nods as he removes his hand, once she's calmed down a little. "Aye, we're headin' to Aephix, and more specifically Respite Falls. It's somethin' o' a frontier town. Pretty friendly folk, all over there, too. I still don't know why ye and Phoebe left Sarn, but that's none o' me business. Ye can rest assured that Phoebe's on the money fer Respite bein' peaceful, though."
Aelia frowns, turning the note around to reread it once again. "It... it says I can trust you. B-but can I even trust Phoebe? Gosh this is all so so so much. I don't even know why we're leaving Sarn either except..." She gives out a pitiful little squeak of air as sighs, "Except that I'm just not wanted anymore. Friendly folk?"
Gareth shrugs a bit. "Wish I could say if she's trustworthy or not, but ye know her more than I do. I'm just bein' paid as an escort fer the both of ye, at the moment." He nods at Aelia's question, though, "Aye, Respite Falls, everyone there looks out fer one another, since the town's still growin'. Nice enough place, if a bit warm compared to Vamas and Sarn."
Aelia tries to think on all of this information, but is still looking very distraught. At last she sighs. "Not like I have much choice, but at least it sounds nice. Worst that can happen is you'll sell me to your pirate friends and honestly I don't know if that's better or worse than the way things have been going!" She blinks once again, "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so cross at you, I'm just... I'm very frustrated, and I'm sorry. I've never even left Policaster and all of the sudden I'm in Orela? And who knows, next time I wake up I'll be in Respite, or just... who knows where..."
Gareth lets out a laugh and shakes his head. "Nah, no offense taken, lass. I might dress the part, but I've not been a pirate in profession fer... at least a few years, now." He pauses, a wry smirk on his face, "Besides, I'm not dumb enough to cross Phoebe by doin' somethin' like that."
Aelia blinks in surprise at that last statement, slowly loosening her grip on the letter before she starts to try and smooth it out, as if the crumples in the paper are offensive. "Oh um, of course. So you're... not a pirate? Just a bodyguard then?"
Gareth gives a half shrug. "Eh... bounty hunter by profession, now, but I'll take odd jobs if folks offer, and it's not out o' me way to do so. Phoebe said ye two were headin' away from Sarn, no preference fer where, and jumped on the opportunity when I said we were headin' to Aephix."
Aelia looks over the boat that will be taking her to her new home and murmurs to herself. "'To Aephix'.... I just... I hope I can... do something there. Why did life have to get so complicated?"
Gareth shrugs again. "Wish I could say, lass. Sometimes, we just have to deal with whatever life gives us, ye know? As fer doin' somethin'... what did ye do back in Sarn?"
Aelia blinks at Gareth for a moment as if his question is completely foreign to her, until at last she lowers her head to look away from the wolf and mutter out, "I... w-was a dancer..."
Gareth tilts his head curiously, his voice genuinely curious. "A dancer? Like, what, a performer? Or are we talkin' more, uh... o' the exotic sort?"
Aelia 's eyes go wide, a blush burning across her cheeks, "T-That would have been Scandalous! N-no! Of course not! I-I-I w-was a professional!" She quickly deflates, "I was going to be a star someday... Oh gosh..."
Gareth raises a hand, palm out. "Hey, just askin' out o' curiosity, lass. Didn't mean to imply anythin' about ye." He chuckles after a moment, "Mostly wonderin', because I'd mentioned to someone else that Respite's been lackin' in professional performers. There's a mongoose that does jugglin' almost daily in the marketplace there, but nothin' completely professional otherwise. Maybe an opportunity, aye?"
Aelia almost seems to recoil at the idea of 'street performance' in a 'marketplace', but quickly swallows whatever pride she has and nods, "M-maybe..."
Gareth smiles gently. "Just a thought, after all. Plenty o' opportunities fer employment at Respite, else ye could always try to go travelin' after ye settle in."
Aelia: "Just being able to s-say I'm settled in anywhere would be a blessing after all of this..." She sighs, but manages a somewhat timid smile to Gareth. "I hope Respite delivers the promise of its name. I just... I want to be able to close my eyes at night and wake up looking at the same roof over my head. I'm not meant for this kind of travel."
Gareth nods, noting Aelia's dress again. "Aye, clothin' like that, I can see yer more fit fer stayin' in one spot fer a while, or at least callin' just one place home. I've a feelin' ye'll find Respite to be a good place."
Aelia blushes again as Gareth calls attention to her dress, and is about to respond when her stomach makes a rather loud growl, only furthering her embarrassment. She covers her mouth and glances at Gareth, "D-do you know where... wh-where they've got food? I don't have much for gold or... I don't even know what kind of money they want here in Orela?"
Gareth nods with another smile. "O' course, lass. Plenty o' places near here that serve some good food. Port cities like this one just use the same coin as up in Sarn, but don't worry, if ye're low on gold, I'll cover fer ye." He points a thumb over his shoulder down one of the main lanes leading away from the docks, "Got a nice inn over here that the rest o' the group's been stayin' at. Ye might get to meet Piper and Sammi both if they're not out explorin' the town."
Aelia smiles nervously, "Oh-um, okay... Sounds... nice? Then um... just anyplace I can get a salad, I suppose? I um, I won't be picky, I promise."
Gareth nods down the lane as he steps away from the railing. "A salad? Easy enough, lass. Come on, I'll show ye the place."
Aelia follows after Gareth, still rather subdued, cautious in step and voice, but at the very least managing to open up slightly and actually take in the sights of Xalisco while she's there.
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TARBIN'S HUT - MORNING
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Tarbin wakes with a start. He's been sleeping rather poorly the last few days, an unease growing in the pit of his stomach after the caravan was attacked, as the 'two' live outside the safety of the walls, and indeed outside even the scattered homes along caravan roads and farmlands. He sighs after a moment, rolling his legs off the leafy bed, rubbing his eyes for a moment before pushing up and stepping just out of the door, leaning against the side of the hut and subconsciously scanning the woods around them.
Melia has not sleeping that much better, and jolts at Tarbin waking up. [Gwah! What the heck was that?] The elemental spirit is restless as well, the Flow around and within her having felt... odd, corrupted, somehow. [Okay, okay. Just another dream. Good. We're just... with this. Still. This is not good, Tarbin.]
Tarbin shakes his head a bit in agreement, looking at the Flow around them. He closes his eyes to remove the world around them, leaving only the magic. The lines seem thin, moving with less energy, though he's been wary of exploring much. "Not at all. We should find the cause of this sooner than later... The plants are going to start suffering." He opens his eyes, glancing toward the sunrise. "And good morning, Melia."
Melia warmths around Tarbin's chest for a brief bit: [Good morning. Sorry. This is just making me agitated, I don't like it at all. If plants go, am I next? What even is causing this? We need to find out.] She swirls around his neck, coloring few of his scales lavender once more: [Who could tell us, or do we need to delve in this ourselves?]
Tarbin chuckles at the tickling-warming sensation from Melia's shifting around, though he lets out a disappointed grunt. "I would hope not... If you start feeling too weak, we will leave." He pushes off the side of the hut, starting toward the town wall, though angling to walk along the outside of it toward the North rather than entering town. "No sense in waiting around. The weaker lines seem to be flowing from the North."
Melia hums in agreement. [They do. Something... or someone, is messing with the Flow. I can feel it.] She pauses, going 'quieter' as she talk-thinks: [...thank you for doing all this for me. You don't have to, you know.]
Tarbin smiles, waving to the guard walking along the wall as they two almost fall in step, heading in the same direction. Thankfully Tarbin is low enough that his murmurs can barely be heard when talking to Melia. "I do. You are Nature, it's my purpose to help you. And I caused this anyhow." He shrugs, "Beside all that, you need to be free, you can do so much more for the Flow than I."
Melia swirls about Tarbin's arms, clearly happy about his words: [I like that. I mean, I'm just me, summoned for who knows what reason, only existing because of... I don't even know, and you're putting your life on the line for me.]
Tarbin chuckles quietly. "Possibly." Tarbin remains just far enough from the wall that he stays within sight of any guards, just in case something comes from the woods beyond the cut area. "Once we have you in your own body, we can look more into who brought you to life. If you want to."
Melia hums, creating a bit of warmth around Tarbin's chest again: [How do you figure we actually... do that? Get me my body, I mean.]
Tarbin puts his palm on his chest, coaxing a little of Nature's power toward Melia in response. "I... Don't know, honestly. I think we would have to give you an anchor, like the tree was... But that might mean you're stuck in one area again and I wouldn't want to do that to you."
Melia gives a bit of a sigh: [Yeah... that would not really be any better. Being with you... I don't think I want to be that alone again. I mean, never alone in Nature, but communicating is somewhat one-sided. Even if I've only been mostly an observer as you go around Respite, I'd miss that.]
Tarbin smiles warmly, tilting his head a little as he watches the patch of woods they've homed in fall away to a tendril of scrubby field, farmland spreading out beyond that. "I would miss it as well... Though I don't mean to offend you when I say I do miss being alone sometimes."
Melia is quiet for a second. After a moment she talks again: [...I talk too much, don't I? Erika's memories have her being told that, maybe I share that...]
Tarbin shakes his head a little. "No, I like when you talk. I just... Ah... That doesn't look right." Tarbin slows his walk as they come alongside a field of wilting wheat, dry stalks dropping their unhealthy grains at a light touch. He glances about at the magic flowing under the soil, even the 'color' of the lines seeming pale to go with the odd behaviour.
Melia winces quietly as she sees and feels the wheat and it's (lack of) Flow: [...not good. Not good at all. Something is... hurting them. Poisoning them...] She quiets down, withdrawing slightly at seeing all this hurt.
Tarbin narrows his eyes, laying his tail next to the wheat and prodding at the magic there. It responds to him, though he stops after a moment as the lines strain, only breathing the slightest bit of color into a few stalks of wheat. "Suffocating and poisoned... Why?"
Melia feels about the magic, reaching out from Tarbin's hands for a moment before swirling back towards him: [I don't know. They're... hurting bad. Real bad.]
Tarbin shakes his head, looking out over the field, turning toward the wall again. "Someone must know... We should speak to some folks in town. Maybe Doctor Plume knows something? If people have eaten any of this tainted food, they'll have been sick for sure."
Melia manifests for a brief second, kneeling down to touch the wheat with her 'real' hand. She focuses on it, willing it to grow and heal. It's not much, but she needs to do something, anything to help. What she does not realize is that her manifested, see-through green glowy form... does not look like an okapi at all anymore. As tall, but otherwise she looks more like a thin, frilled lizard. She vanishes as Tarbin steps away, forced back into him.
Tarbin feels a strange pull as Melia is drawn back to him, glancing over his shoulder and only catching the briefest glimpse of her fading form. He hesitates, shaking his head after a second, sure he'd seen wrong in that half-second. He continues towards the wall, heading for the North gate. "You're getting stronger, hm? Sorry to tug you back like that, I didn't mean to."
Melia is stunned for a second before replying: [It's... whoo, fine. Fine. Just surprised me, is all.] She hums softly, swirling around Tarbin's neck once more: [I needed to heal at least a small bunch. Had to.]
Tarbin nods, looking down and speaking quietly. "I know, Melia. It's... I can't stand turning away, either, but this is beyond my ability, I think. And possibly too much for you as we are now. Curing a branch is not enough when the root is rotten, and we're nowhere near the root right now." He looks to the guard at the gate with a smile and nod.
Melia sighs: [I know. Let's hope we can find answers, find whoever is responsible and then... well, then something, because we can't let this be.]
Tarbin nods, looking about at the folks walking the street. There is an oppressive air about, with people talking in hushed tones and looking worried, a chill running up Tarbin's spine as he turns down the street toward the clinic. "We won't, I promise."
Melia observes as Tarbin does: [...something's up here in town too. What is going on?]
Tarbin puts his eyes on the clinic sign, not wanting to keep staring at the already unnerved citizens. "Worried over the crops... Or more? The Doctor would know, either way."
Melia: [I hope so. All this worries me a lot, Tarbin.]
Tarbin puts a hand to his chest, his tails shifting color as they drag on the ground and pull at a little magic, though the result isn't as strong as usual. The contact is broken as he steps up onto Plume's porch, knocking gently at the door. "Me too, Melia."
Doc Plume is just wiping down the examination table after the last visit when the knock comes. They turn and call out. "Come in please. I'll be with you in a moment!" They then go back to their task, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks at the moment.
Melia swirls about Tarbin, grateful for the extra flow.
Tarbin steps into the clinic, quietly closing the door behind him before turning to bow slightly to Plume. "Good morning, doctor. I hope I'm not interrupting."
Doc Plume finishes cleaning off the leather-covered table and moves to the sink along the back wall to wash their hands. "Not at all, Tarbin. It's nice to see a friendly face in the middle of all this madness right now." They turn to face the lizard. "Would you like some tea?"
Melia: [I like tea.] She pauses. [Sorry, you knew that already.]
Tarbin smiles, nodding as he steps away from the door to take a seat. "I would, thank you. What has been happening? I've only heard a few rumors."
Doc Plume fills up the kettle and sets it to boiling over a low flame before moving to their desk and taking a seat. "A lot... a caravan was attacked a day out of town. Half the folks on it were killed, the other half captured. Captain Louma was captured on her way back from the investigation. Add that to the illnesses on the outlying farms from the past few months and it's got the whole town spooked pretty bad..."
Melia: [...oh wow. That is pretty bad. Like way worse than pretty or bad. Incredibad, even. What can we do?]
Tarbin loses his smile, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "How... How many? What... Can I help? Can we do anything?"
Doc Plume gestures with their beak toward the ward, where the gauzy curtain only half hides the piled up coffins of various sizes. "About twenty from the attack. No one died from the farm illnesses, though, but a couple of folks won't ever be the same." They give a frustrated little chuff and look to Tarbin. "Probably? I mean, folks from the outlying areas are coming into town and so things will get more hectic soon."
Melia stops in her swirling about Tarbin, her resolve building. She manifests to the side, hands crossed across her chest, steep frown on her unmistakably lizard-like face framed with frills: [We need to do something, Tarbin. Find the reason for the illnesses. We've taken from the Flow, now the Flow needs us.] Her new appearance nonwithstanding, this is likely the most serious Tarbin has ever seen the elemental within.
Tarbin looks toward the coffins, grimacing and lowering his gaze. "Such a waste..." He looks toward Melia, pausing as he realizes her form has changed, the look on his face showing his surprise for a moment before he nods at her resolve. "You're right, we do." He turns to Plume after a few more moments of taking in Melia's new appearance. "We just walked through the farmlands on the way here. The Flow is hurting, and the plants are hurting in turn."
Doc Plume stands up as the kettle begins to boil, their movements anticipating the action more than reacting to it. They prepare a pot of tea methodically as they speak. "I suppose Melia will share your tea, yes? And apologies for ignoring you until now, Melia. I do know you're there..." They bring the teapot and two empty cups to the desk and sit again. "There is actually something you could maybe do, if you have the power to do so. There are a couple of the bodies that are burnt beyond identification. I don't know if your restorative magics could maybe help determine age or exact species or the like?"
Melia nods at Plume, then realizes they won't see it. She frowns for a second, then closes her eyes in the focus. Her voice sounds distorted and she isn't visible, but for the first time she's audible to non-magical beings - Plume, in this case. "T-thank y--you. W-w-we will he-elp." Her magical form winces with tension at the effort - clearly this took a lot of ouf her. She smiles at Tarbin regardless.
Tarbin watches Plume, his eyes drawn back to the coffins when they talk about their bodies. He automatically touches Melia's form with his tail as she loses energy, linking her to the weakened Flow as best he can. "I... Can try, though I don't really get a sense of any of that when touching a patient. I could try to restore their body, though. Breathing life back into them is... Not..." He fades off, his expression suggesting he may have tried such in the past, though not giving away the result so much.
Doc Plume pours the tea then looks up at Tarbin. "Ah... if you can't, then don't worry about it. Hopefully they can be identified once the rest of the caravanners are rescued." They frown more. "Best to save your energies to help the living."
Melia sighs with a nod, gives the coffins a helpless look, then relinquishes her manifest form for the moment and slips her magic back into Tarbin. [P-perhaps for the best... I hate this, Tarbin. We need to help.]
Tarbin nods, relief washing over him. His time with the dead has never been of much use, and he's glad Plume seems to see that. "Right, I would be glad to help in any way I can. The illness among the farmlands, for example... What have you found? Is it curable with treatment?"
Doc Plume leans down and takes a thick folder out of one of the bottom drawers of their desk. "All of this, but much of it inconclusive. Just that the crops and water out there are tainted somehow. All sorts of symptoms and manifestations from fur and scale loss to weight loss, vomiting, rashes, catatonia..." They shake their head. "It's no one specific illness, but more of a general ill miasma... though I hate to use that word as non-magical miasma has been mostly disproven with research in the past 20 years..."
Melia harrumphs quietly as she takes the information in along with Tarbin: [It's foul. This... this can not be by chance. This is not how Flow works even when it causes harm to beings...]
Tarbin sighs, standing up and walking over, though anything written in the files would be useless for Tarbin since he's not learned to read Common yet. "Melia is concerned, the Flow is hurting out among the fields, and it's weaker hen before near my hut... And here in town. Whatever is causing the sickness might be doing it through Nature's own reach."
Doc Plume nods some as they flip through the pages, which are mostly various patient reports as well as some dried examples of failed crops and diseased leaves. "Could you and Melia do periodic checks on the town water supply, then? Maybe purge it of any ill magic? Is there flow in water? It flows, but is that the same thing?"
Melia frowns at the sight of the diseased plantlife. [It's not quite the same, but... the water supply might provide clues. To get to the bottom of this.]
Tarbin can't help but chuckle at the comparison. He nods, though. "Absolutely, yes. Magic moves as freely in soil as it does in water. Nature rescued me at sea, if you recall." His brief smile fades, though as he considers it. "The cause... You may have a point. Whoever is doing this could be spoiling water underground. Even in a desert, there is water below."
Doc Plume sips their tea and smiles a bit. "I'm worried because you said the plants around your hut are starting to be affected. If it gets into the main town aquifer, then it could leave Respite defenseless..."
Melia: [At the very least, we can... try and heal whatever damage we come across.]
Tarbin nods to both. "Right." He lifts his tea, sipping at it as he thinks. "I... Would not want to go too far alone, though. Not if folks are being kidnapped. I don't know if you've noticed, my abilities for using magic are not suited for defending myself or others. And I'm... well... weak."
Melia: [Not as weak as you think, Tarbin. And I will be with you.]
Doc Plume nods. "Of course not... the main well is in town, though. And I'm sure we can get you some protection from the guards..." They look at Tarbin curiously. "If you had to guess, what do you think is happening?"
Tarbin sighs, sipping his tea again. "The Flow doesn't weaken on its own, something has to be affecting it... And until we find what that is, we can't just heal it near town and be done with it." He hesitates. "Well, I can't heal the lines either way, but Melia can."
Melia: [I will do my best. And not just because I'm not sure I can survive myself if this keeps up. Respite needs us, Flow needs us.]
Doc Plume cocks their head curiously. "So it's likely a weakening and not an addition of malicious magic then?"
Tarbin hums. "I can't say, we haven't gone looking. Could be either, could be someone corrupting it, which in turn is making the outer reaches weak."
Doc Plume pulls over a notepad and starts jotting down a few notes. "All right. How about I read off the notes from the cases and you see if that gives you any better idea?" After a nod from Tarbin, they begin to do so, spending a long while going over the cases of farm sickness one by one until Plume's next appointment arrives.
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SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE RESPITE - MID-AFTERNOON
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Annika was taking a short break from the hunting expedition, to get a drink of water, and make sure that her bow was properly strung, fiddling with it gently. She was dressed in her 'hunting leathers', which, to their credit, did an acceptable job of blending into the sometimes rather dusty terrain. "You're the expert Victoria. Where might we find something this time of day?" She checks her arrows as well. She's only got a simple shortbow, with some basic hunting arrows, but she's capable of putting those arrows roughly where she wants them to be. Hopefully that would be enough.
Victoria stands next to Annika, shifting her gaze from the fox to their surroundings: "Well, we did miss the best chance of the morning birds, but there's still a chance." She muses for a second, looking at a particular thick copse of trees some distance away: "Might find something unaware there, the big predator birds never seem to think of a bigger predator coming." She gives a sharp-fanged smirk, nodding her head towards said set of trees: "When something big and winged tries for the sky, have at it."
Annika gives a little thumbs up "Will do" She stands up, keeping the bow in one hand "So, I'll hang back, and you flush something out? If I get a clean shot at it. I..think I'll be able to take it out?" She doesn't seem fully confident "No..No..I will" She nods, psyching herself up. "I'd offer to go in..but..I don't think I'm as spooky as you."
Annika: "Oh! Spooky in..um..a nice way!" She adds hastily
Victoria gives a fanged grin before turning away: "You're more of like a backup plan." She hefts one of her knives in her fingers for a brief moment, then starts stalking low towards the copse of trees with predatory intent.
Annika chuckles, a little surprised as the huge 'predator energy', and also at her own lack of fear at such a thing. She..knew that she used to be scared of stuff like that..but now, she ponders that, rubbing the gem in her hand "Still me" She murmers to herself, before taking up her bow, putting up an arrow, and half drawing the bow, ready to fire if the need arises.
Narrator: After a moment or three in quiet, a hellish scream of a not-small bird arises from the trees. The canopy shakes for a moment, then a bird nearly as big as Victoria herself flies with difficulty up from the tree... with Victoria still attached to the bird's legs with a knife. Victoria glances at Annika, then lets out a yelp as the bird attempts to dislodge the extra passenger. It succeeds, but not without Victoria taking a sizable slice at it as she lets go.]
Victoria calls to Annika: "Now!" She herself falls back into the canopy, out of sight but presumably able to land as this is hardly her first time tussling with huge-ass birds.
Annika was quick on the draw, and fires a shot, the first one going wide, just a bit to the left. Annika almost swears, but catches herself, and quickly draws another arrow, while the bird tries to get away "Come on...hit it" She hisses, Victoria can see it's too low, but then ..by fluke surely, the bird dips lower down, right into the arrow's path. Annika didn't notice that change in flight plan, she was focused on coming forward to secure the kill. The arrow had struck the bird in the right wing, and lodged there, sending it spiralling down. "Hey! I got it!" But..no..the more Victoria would think about, the more it was clear that well..that bird had dove down, to catch that arrow. It had only moved that way for just the smallest moment, but..enough of a moment to make a difference.
Victoria is unfortunately slightly too busy trying to not die falling down a tree's height, which she manages but does not see so much as just hear Annika's shout. As she untangles herself from one of the lower branches, she shouts back: "Great! Go make sure it doesn't get any further ideas! Right with you!" She is so not used to hunting with anyone else, but at least it maybe changes what would have been a lost catch into a possible one...
Annika comes in, and just out of the range of it's thrashing limbs, draws the bow again, takes caaareful aim, and fires the bow into it's throat. It thrashes about for another couple of moments, before going limp. Annika then, ever the one to make sure something is dead, takes out her own hunting knife, and cuts the creature's throat. "That was a pretty good catch! Good thing you'd slowed it down, I barely managed to hit it as it was" She slowly pulls the arrows out, and cleans them on the beast's sides, before putting them back in her quiver "A good hunt, I think~" She gives Victoria her own best feral grin (It's not very feral, her features are way too soft for it)
Victoria scrambles from the underbrush, giving Annika a grin in mirror. "Not bad at all." She looks at the bird and smiles: "Poor thing thought I was just going for its' eggs." She looks about, making sure no other predators are about as these kills have a tendency to attract unwanted attention. Sensing nothing, she kneels down next to the bird and picks up her knife again.
Annika: "So, is this the bit where we do all the messy gutting and stuff to prepare it for bringing back?" She knows that's how it's meant to be done, but..well.privately, Annika wouldn't be surprised if cooking was 'optional' for the cat "Good thing I'm not squimish...though..are the eggs any good?"
Victoria shakes her head as she starts methodically removing the guts, having incidentally already started the process while the bird was still flying. "Nah, Highland Gronkers' eggs are bitter as fuck. Not worth trying to get down from there in one piece. But yeah, we gotta carve this thing up, no way I can haul all this back without lightening the load." She pauses, musing: "Honestly, we could share a roast leg between us before we head back. Ever had one?"
Annika: "Well, certainly never one as fresh as this!" She helps out, mostly by getting all the nasty bits out of the way once Victoria pulls them out. "Just salted meats, and stuff like that. Fresh meat is expensive, and something like a leg?" She considers that a moment "No..not so much..though, even at that, plenty to take home. Olly would love something fresh"
Victoria nods at the bird as she continues carving the edible pieces from the inedible ones: "Fresh is best." She gives one of her paws a lick as she does: "Also expensive cause it's work to get these guys back." She grunts as she separates a particularly stubborn bone: "Mmgh. Case in point."
Annika: "Oh, let me help with that" Her own knife is small, but kept very sharp, and she goes in, to carve out the muscles holding the bones together, while Victoria keeps it hopefully steady "So, is being elbow deep in a dead body your idea of a fun day out with someone?" She teases
Victoria chuckles and gives Annika a wink: "I don't know, is it yours? I see nothing wrong with working to get your food in good company."
Annika: "Well, I made you put yourself into something you thought was awful and red. I can't complain now!" She giggles "Ah-! Got it" She pulls the bone out "The joints are always the weakest point..aand" She strains..and snaps the bone in two, the splinters holding it together, before she tosses it aside "One thing I remember, if you break the bones, you make it easier for the little scavengers to get the marrow inside.." She ponders "..If this thing even had marrow. It is some sort of..bird..thingy."
Victoria looks at Annika in slight surprise as she works the meat from the bones: "You've done this before." She's definitely somewhat impressed, having expected someone with almost no clue. She quickly shakes her head: "Anyway, yeah, bird bones are tough but light usually."
Annika shrugs "Girl's gotta eat, and I had two mouths to feed. I'd.." She sighs "I'd lost my job in the big house, and well..." The classic pause of someone deciding what to not say "I wasn't really able to go home for a bit. I wasn't really top of the food chain, so you have to nice to nature. If there's lots of little predators around, it makes it harder for the bigger ones to stick around"
Victoria chuckles as she finishes separating the bird from its' guts, severing one of the legs for them to eat later: "Makes sense. I wouldn't go tussle with some of the bigger beasts out there." She recalls a time or seven she literally wrestled with a particular bear: "...most of the time."
Annika gives her a little nudge, before carefully taking a piece of bird off Victoria's nose "Well. I'm sure there's lots of bigger beasties you'd like to take on, isn't there?"
Victoria blinks, then laughs: "Maybe. Wouldn't be here if I didn't know how to pick my fights." She pauses to rip a wingbone off its' socket: "Or was lucky. You decide."
Annika: "Well, I'm up for something like this again. It was fun!" She dewings the other wing, abet much more daintily, slicing it up rather that just tearing "And, if I have to decide..bit of both?"
Victoria raises an eyebrow at Annika: "Bit of both? What do you mean?" She turns enough to start digging a bit of a hole for the inedible remains, so as to be able to put some time between themselves and any scavengers once they're done.
Annika: "Bit of skill, bit of luck!" She takes out a bottle of water, and a small bag of sand, to clean her hands, offering the same deal to Victoria "Though...that gets me thinking, a bit more hunting..and a bit more fashion?"
Victoria takes the bag and water, setting them aside until she's done with digging down the remains. "Well, you do make a convincing argument. Let's pick up our haul and make some distance between here and where we can." She cleans up her hands best she can, only licking some of the blood before she does. "You do make for good company too." She starts bagging their pieces of meat onto a bag, grinning at the idea of eating some later.
Annika: "You're pretty good company yourself!" She helps out with the meat, though she also makes the point of gathering up all the feathers, and packing those away "You're letting me do something I'd never get to do on my own, and that's pretty cool" She nods "But yeah, lets get going. I don't really want to tangle with something even hungrier than us"
Victoria chuckles as she hefts the bag of meat onto her shoulder: "Yeah. While they usually stay away from hunters making noise, I don't really feel like taking that risk." She points towards some cliffs away from the semi-forest they're in: "It's a bit of a long walk to Respite, let's make camp there and travel when we're full of energy."
Annika nods "Right. Sounds like a plan..Ooh!" She grins a little "I can practice something I've been trying to get right for a while, it's pretty cool" She snaps her fingers, and Victoria can see just a little spark of fire leap up, for a moment. It's..really not much, but Annika seems proud of it!
Victoria blinks in surprise for the second time in short time: "You... you have magic? Well, that is useful." She's definitely looking at the fox in a different light than she had been not that long ago.
Annika: "Uh..it's been coming through for a while now. Something to do with this weird gem in my hand.." She heads towards their campfire, as she recounts the story of how she got the rock in her hand..
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A CAVE IN THE FORESTS NORTH-EAST OF RESPITE - LATE EVENING
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Usid sits at a campfire, his helmet removed for the time being as he works to mend the armor that had been cracked in his fight with Lianne. A hock of meat roasts nearby, and the raptor pauses from time to time to eat the freshly hunted game. His soldiers mill about the encampment, freshly divested of their prisoners and supplies, and as eager as Usid is to be back on the hunt.
Narrator: Travelling low to the ground and canopy, Nyzai and her squad of Pterosaurs dip in below the foliage to land at the entrance to dimly glowing cave. There, Nyzai and her two most trusted enter with her, leaving the rest outside for now. She walks through the cave with self-importance in her posture, taking great pride in her stride, simultaneously looking down upon Usid's 'lesser' forces. "Usid. Nyzai brings news from Glorious One, Yzzayt. He is most pleased with our performances."
Usid lifts his head up with a growl as he hears the approach, but his expression shifts from caution to... disdain, as Nyzai approaches, but his tone is appropriately reverential. "We serve at Yzzayt's pleasure, of course."
Nyzai: "Glory to Yzzayt!" Nyzai calls out. "Dyrvisse thanks you. Find much pleasure in Ignorant Ones, they do." Nyzai pauses. "New say-sos from Yzzayt. Zayzzes has weakened outside town lands. Yzzayt says that now is time to strike at Ignorant Ones that not saved by walls."
Usid perks up at this news. Several of Usid's troops call out in response to Nyzai's cry, and Usid is quite inclined to join them, "Glory to Yzzayt! It is time, hmm? We'll see that Dyrvisse has many much more Ignorant Ones, yes? I can't wait to see their pitiful little wall explode around them. Ha. I only hope some of them will provide me sport."
Nyzai's troops also join in, even outside the cave. Stealthy! "Usid hungry. More hunger than size." Nyzai veils an insult. "Nyzai told to support Usid. Nyzai not understand why, but Nyzai do so. Will handle air threats. If no air threats, then stragglers that Usid not catch."
Usid snarls, "I am no hatchling, gorging upon a barren bone." He narrows his eyes, though as Nyzai likely perceives, he has tunnel vision upon seeking a worthy prey. "We move swiftly, our senses our keen, and our fighters superior. The only ones who escape my grasp are the cowards who flee at the sight of us. You may have your pick of them."
Nyzai's self-important smile fades some, glaring at Usid now. "Usid strong, but stupid. Cowards will tell guards of us, guards get told, guards attack, Usid less time, Usid less prisoners." Nyzai reasons. "Nyzai stop Ignorant Cowards, Usid more time. Usid see only fight, not war. Nyzai's forces most perceptive, smartest of Yzzayt's. That why Yzzayt trust Nyzai to watch over Usid's bunny-eaters."
Usid stands up at the insult, letting the armor he'd been polishing fall aside as he pulls his knife out in a frighteningly quick motion. The claws on his feet click against the cave floor before he begins to laugh. "Nyzai's flyers have keen eyes and fast jaws, but no teeth. We will see. After all, Yzzayt trusts me to lead this assault. And I will not fail Yzzayt."
Narrator: Expecting the hostilities between Usid and Nyzai, Nyzai's company raise their bows at Usid, which very quickly ripples down the camp to have the two forces pointing weapons at one another, with Nyzai's forces being vastly outnumbered. Nyzai herself, however, doesn't react. "Yzzayt will see. Nyzai already see." Nyzai turns to her company and the camp at large. "Stand down, fools!" She calls out, beginning to leave the cave.
Usid snorts, but glances at his own forces and snarls, "Heh. No spilling the blood of Yzzayt's chosen. Only blood spilling shall be of the Ignorant ones. On this even Nyzai will agree." He sheathes his knife again, calling out to his rival. "Good hunting, winged ones."
Nyzai indeed agrees. The pleasant enough farewell is enough to prompt Nyzai to turn to Usid one last time. "Good hunting, fierce ones." With that, she and her two friends leave the cave, then the entire squad, Nyzai included, takes flight.
Usid watches Nyzai go, nodding in approval as he picks up the roasting meat. Taking a deep bite, he roars out, getting the camps attention and starting to mobilize them.