[The Everstone Forest] Hard Sunshine [Xnnn]

[Tarn]

85 Summer, 511.

Being thrown off the back of a caravan is the sort of reality that a stowaway expects, but a reality that they hope never comes true. But in the case of Tarn and road burn that he had on his shoulder, the reality was a tingling burning sensation all along his shoulder and upper arm as he looked out to the road on either side of him as the caravan pulled away down the road. The merchant was armed (something that he overlooked when he hopped into the back) so trying to usurp his control would be deadly and not to mention the little fact of the Knights that may or may not occasionally patrol this well-travelled road and ask what was up. That very same threat was the reason why Tarn got up to his feet and off of the road; his clothes didn't exactly make Tarn look all that intimidating as he looked like someone that took pleasure rolling around in the dirt and grime of the streets. The Wildlands were a dangerous place to be alone, and a place where Tarn was sure he would meet his death. The little dagger at his side would do nothing more than to annoy a beast that wanted to snack on Tarn’s bones and his skill for surviving outside of an urban environment was next to nothing. There were no familiar landmarks; there were no streets or merchants or peasants – just trees, rocks, and some more trees. The wound on his shoulder had dirt and sand that had dug under the surface of his skin and made the injury burn even more along his flesh as he moved through the forest, not following a path or any sort of general direction; for all Tarn knew he could be travelling around in a damn circle and yet still be fascinated by the greenery of the trees around him. And the rocks. The damn rocks that stuck out from the ground as if someone had purposely placed them all in Tarn’s way just to annoy him. His vision caught site of a pond or lake in the middle of the little forest that he found himself in, a body of water that was unnaturally clean and clear and looked like it would be a good place to try and get cleaned up. Once he was at the edge of the water he stepped inside the cool water that lapped at his legs. He grinded his teeth as the coolness overwhelmed his body as he sunk down to his knees and brought a hand cautiously behind his back to the wound. It wouldn’t be so easy to simply brush off the sand that was embedded in the flesh as it worked itself into the soft, red tissue and it required more elbow grease to work those tiny, minuscule pebbles out of the flesh. The entire time Tarn stood there he grunted out like an animal with a thorn in its paw while scrubbing away at the bloody wound. Tarn’s motions stopped as he saw some small brush move in the distance, not by the wind but by some creature. He hoped that it was something harmless and cute, like a bunny, that he could try and catch and eat for food. As he thought about how he would go about doing that, he had no plan other than to simply run at it and hope he would be able to catch it and break its back. That’s how real hunters did it in the wild, right? As the creature walked casually out from the brush Tarn saw exactly what it was – a damn cat, and not a cuddly one either. From what little Tarn knew of wildlife he thought it was a cougar, and cougars weren’t something he remembered being all that friendly towards anyone. He narrowed his eyes as he got a closer to at the beast – was that blood on his muzzle? – and Tarn did not move a damn muscle as he squatted there in the water, with only the top of his shoulders and head poking out from the perfect stillness of the pond. The beast, of course, could plainly see that Tarn was in the water and it turned its head in his direction. Tarn had no idea what the beast was thinking and he hoped that the paranoid thoughts in his mind were right. Cats don’t like water, so why would this cougar risk going in the water to some grubby looking human? Then as he rubbed a finger over the wound on his back he knew exactly why the beast had come out of hiding and towards the water. The scent of blood would probably not only attract beasts that fed on meat, but also of the sea monster that lie dormant at the bottom of this pond. Because with Tarn’s luck, that magical beast was probably sniffing his butt under the water at that very moment.

[Xnnn]

Xnnn was hungry – so very, very hungry. The vole he had eaten a few hours earlier had been not even a mouthful, and since then, the pain in his belly had intensified to the point where he could barely concentrate on stalking anything. The land around him, called Everstone by humans but nameless to the cougar, was rife with game – but of the very tiny variety – tiny, and quick. The weird, alien looking stone upheavals were havens for all sorts of mice and lemmings and small marmots. But the scrubby grass and tough undergrowth littered between the monoliths, and the equally stunted looking trees scattered here and there, were too sparse and poor to attract deer. For many days now he had survived on an infrequent taste of rodent, and it had been far from enough to satisfy his hunger. Another cat might have been more successful, and even the small game here could have filled a belly every day. But Xnnn was not a good hunter. Having reached maturity without being allowed to shift, not ever once other than the very first time as a baby, he had never had to learn. Good, bad or otherwise, the Zith had been the indirect providers of all his meals. Freedom, he had found out, had its price. The months since his escape, months he had spent wandering throughout the southern part of Cyphrus, and then finally making his way north, had been tough. Very tough. On close inspection, one would have noted the roughness of his coat, the ribs that were visible under his tawny hide, the slightly sunken depressions over his golden-green eyes. If the Kelvic would have taken human form, he would have looked as equally malnourished, and he might have realized what the cougar did not. He was slowly starving to death. With no mother to teach him to hunt, he had not been able to catch up, and his situation was, more than he knew, getting pretty desperate. So, with the pangs in his stomach almost driving him to distraction, Xnnn leapt down from a rocky outcropping. Landing with a silent grace, his nostrils twitched. Blood. Faint enough, but there. An injured animal meant an easy kill – hopefully. Hopefully it was not dead yet – cougars did not eat carrion, except their own kills, if one was big enough to provide more than one meal. Sniffing the air, his cougar sense of smell much weaker in comparison to his excellent vision and acute sense of hearing, Xnnn struck out in the general direction of its source. As he drew closer, that sharp hearing picked up the unguarded and noisy sounds of his potential prey. By this time, too, the smell was much more distinct, and between the two senses, he knew. Without having to see, he knew. It was human blood. He was making a bee line towards an injured human. He paused, hesitating. Then he moved on, with renewed speed. Within a few more minutes, he paused again, but this time to slow his pace, dropping into a crouch. He knew where he was, which was a bit unusual for the novice wild animal. He had been frequently to the pool, to drink, and to occasionally try to catch a fish – with no success. His Kelvic big cat form was not as averse to jumping into the water as a real cougar might have been, and he could swim fairly well. So, water was no barrier to him. Silently and stealthily, Xnnn crept forward, pausing every few steps. The human was totally unaware, it seemed, for he splashed and blew and grunted as if he was in the safety of a guard tower. For a long moment, Xnnn froze in place, locating the human’s position on the far bank by sound. He considered circling around behind – a cougar’s most common kill coming from a vicious bite to the back of the neck, breaking the spine. He paused, over long it almost seemed. He thought about that – sinking his fangs into a man’s flesh, tasting his blood, ripping at his skin with his claws. And then . . . feasting on his meat. Even as a cougar, Xnnn felt a little queasy at the thought. Slowly, he came out of his crouch. He might have turned away, but . . . he was curious. And something, some Kelvic part of his soul, stirred at the thought of human presence. He was hungry – but for more than just food. He was lonely – and not for his own kind, not for other cats. The stamp of Marcus Kelvic was indelible, no matter how scared Xnnn was of . . . anyone. Everyone. Anyone who took a humanoid form anyway. Panting a bit, in nervousness, he stepped out of the undergrowth, no longer trying to maintain his stealth. His eyes locked immediately on the man in the water, his nose twitching still at the scent of the wound. Xnn was completely focused on the man, as the man seemed to be on him. Perhaps that is why he did not hear the movements off in the trees that might otherwise have alerted him to the presence of another, drawn by the smell of human blood.

[Tarn]

The stillness of the cougar had Tarn confused; wasn't it supposed to attack when it saw something or someone that it wanted to eat? Now that it was out of its hiding spot it was a little easier to see the beast and the less-than-healthy appearance of its ribs pushing against the fur. Despite the fact that it looked a little starved and rough, it was still a wild animal that could tear Tarn's face off with just a swipe of its paw. He was no match for a wild animal, one that looked particularly hungry and desperate at that. How would he go about defending himself from a natural born predator, anyway? Splash water at it and hope that it would get confused, or wet, and just run away with its tail between its legs? That one cougar wasn't the only problem as the sound of another cougar coming out from the brush went ignored by Tarn until it was just at the water's edge as the other one. Though this second cougar looked a little healthier than the first one that Tarn saw and now he was one hundred percent sure that these two cats were going to tear him limb from limb. Who knew that cats were pack animals, anyways? From what little Tarn knew of the beasts that existed outside of the world of Sunberth these two cats could just be just buddies going for a swim and wondering why a silly human was in their pool. Or they could be talking to each other in their cat language and trying to plot a way to pin down the silly looking human in the water. As if it would help at all, Tarn started to waddle deeper into the water with the hope that the cougars couldn't swim. But the new cougar that appeared out of the brush looked a little more threatening than the skinny one he first saw, and Tarn looked to him instead as the cougar placed one of its paws in the water as if it was nothing at all. The beast's eyes were locked with Tarn's as it started to run at him. The depth of the water wasn't all that deep as Tarn exploded up to his full height and started to run for the darker parts of the pond. Sure it could run and all when there was maybe a foot of water, but what if he went underwater? Knowing his luck the damn cougar would have gills and chase him all the way down to the bottom of the pond.

[Xnnn]

The sudden appearance of a rival took Xnnn completely off guard. Some great wild predator he was! But it was more than obvious that the second cougar was intent upon the human in the pool, and it basically ignored Xnnn – as much as to say if you ain’t gonna eat him, buddy, I sure will. When it made it’s move, Xnnn was still trying to figure out what was going to happen next. The human, though, was apparently more than motivated to get his ass in gear, and made like mad for the deeper part of the pool. That was enough for the Kelvic. That pull, that unidentifiable whatever that had called to him, knowing a human was near, impelled him to gather his legs under him and leap. The old wound to his hind leg was still a bit bothersome, but he felt nothing from that quarter as he soared through the air, hitting the water with an incredible splash. The other cougar, more typically not a huge fan of water, hesitated in mid-stride at the commotion, and the next moment, Xnnn was on top of it. It was a female, he had already ascertained by scent, but that didn’t mean she was a pushover – not by a long shot. She was definitely a bit smaller than the Kelvic, but she was wild animal through and through, born and bred to be a hunter, and a fighter. And she had no intention of surrendering her prey to this freakish interloper. Twisting about, as Xnnn’s weight bowled her over into the water, she managed to get her back paws against his belly. The thrust that might have eviscerated him was impeded by the momentum that carried them both down, water filling their faces. Xnnn, trying to get a grip on her throat, pinned her shoulder with one front paw, as the female’s canines sank into the side of his neck. Jerking back before her teeth tore his throat out, Xnnn gave her the space she needed to find her feet. Now completely distracted from chasing after her prey, the cougar squatted and batted with her paw, raking it across Xnnn’s face. The two were yowling and screaming as only big cats can when engaged in what looked to be mortal combat. Xnnn cringed down and then tried once more, this time driving in with all his might and burying his teeth in her flank. With an angry yowl, the female sank her teeth in his head, almost ripping his ear off. Blood began to flow in his eyes and Xnnn loosed his grip on her skin and she did the same, as the two separated for a moment. They stared at each other, panting and growling softly, almost as if they were communicating in their animal way. Then suddenly, the female turned on her tail, leapt out of the water, and ran off into the brush. In her wake was left a blessed silence. Xnnn watched her disappear, standing chest deep in the water. His head and neck were stained crimson from the blood that was flowing rather freely from his wounds. Slowly, he turned his head to see if the human was still around.

[Tarn]

Tarn wasn't exactly sure what to think as he saw the two cougars going at it. Maybe the cougars didn't want to share that the meat that was on his bones, so they were going to take each other out first and then the victor would tear him apart. If Tarn had his wits about him, he would have used that distraction and that cat on cat fight to run for his life, but he was enthralled by what he saw. Maybe the other cougar that he first saw was trying to defend him - maybe it had some human owner before and it had some sympathy for him? Something like a dog mentality or something? Tarn had never owned a dog so he wasn't sure if that's something a dog would do, but he just assumed that a loyal companion would help save his buddy. When the fight was over and the bigger caught called it a draw, Tarn stood up to his full height in the water as he looked over to the cougar. Was this it? Was this when he would get mauled by the stronger, faster yet sicklier looking cougar? He gulped nervously as he looked to the red stains in the water that spilled from the cougar's open wounds and he frowned at the blood. That was blood that had been spilled on his behalf, because that other damn cougar was about to tear him apart. He just hoped that this cougar wasn't going to try and finish the job. He brought a wet hand up to his face and wiped it clean as he smiled over to the cat with a little chuckle. There was nothing in his wet pockets that he could offer the cat as a treat or a way of saying thank you. Tarn was also well aware of the wound on his shoulder that was still fresh and probably smelled amazing to the cougar that kept on staring back to him. "Good kitty..." Tarn said with a smile as he started to back slowly away back to the shoreline. If he had to run for it, he'd have a better chance if he was on solid ground. And he'd hope that the cougar wouldn't have the energy to go after him. "Good kitty. Just stay there, and let ol' Tarn just walk on by..."

[Xnnn]

Xnnn watched the man carefully, feeling the burning pain in his head and neck but managing to ignore it for the moment. The urge to protect the human had seemingly come out of nowhere. But now the desire to remain in company with him was so compelling that Xnnn began to move in concert with his movements as he backed out of the pool. The cougar did not lunge forward. But step by step he followed, his cat eyes fixed on the human. He had heard the man’s words. But he had no intention of letting the guy escape. Deep, deep within, was an impulse that would not be denied. More like a friendly pup than a huge, vicious predator, he tagged along, pausing when the man paused – ostensibly puzzled by the cougar’s behavior and wondering what its intent would be. Xnnn did not consider, in his Kelvic brain, that the man might be a danger to him – that the fact that a big cougar was apparently stalking him might make him a bit . . . jumpy. And of course, there was no way for the cat to know what, if any, weapons, Tarn carried. His life experience to date should have made him more cautious. His Kelvic nature overcame his animal impulse to run away – fast. For better or for worse, when the man moved again, Xnnn did so as well, always keeping the exact same distance between them, but determined not to let Tarn out of his sight.

[Tarn]

Tarn knew once he saw the cat moving in rhythm with his own movements something was up. This cat was messing with him. If he was going to dunk his head underwater, would the cat also mimic the same gesture and poke its red muzzle under the surface to see just what the human was doing? That cougar was acting too casual towards him, but the behaviour was nothing like a wild animal should react, especially one that looked like it was on the verge of dying from starvation. Maybe it was the blood loss that made this cougar act a little strange, as the water around its paws was still deep with red. "Yer a funny little kitty, aren't you?" He said while he stopped as he got the shore of the pond and looked over to the cat that was still on his heels but not quite attacking. Once he got to some dry land he plopped his bum on the ground and kicked off the simple leather boots on his feet and tossed them to the side. Any sort of walking in those would be uncomfortable, and Tarn hoped that he would be able to dry them off before this cougar got its wits back. "You going to come and relax over here, too? Maybe dry your paws off and lounge with me in the sun?" Tarn rolled his one shoulder back but stopped short doing the same with the other, as the wound was just starting to dry now that it was free of the dirt in the flesh. He made a scowl-like face as he looked over to the cougar and brought his hand around to his shoulder, even though touching the bloody area would be even more painful than leaving it alone.

[Xnnn]

Almost as if it understood, the cougar approached the man. It had paused a moment when he had sat down on the shore of the pool, but now it came straight at him, not at a run, not charging, but slowly, though steadily. It was almost as if the cat was testing the man, to see if he would flee. Step by step he came closer, watching as the man moved, noting the flinch and smelling the still wet blood on the man’s shoulder. His own, which ran down his leg to spatter in the dirt, went ignored for the moment. When he was about four meters away, Xnnn finally stopped. He suddenly dropped to the ground, laying down on his belly and chest, cognizant of his own wounds, his mouth opening as he panted a little. Still watching the man, he opened his mouth a bit wider, drawing his lips back from his teeth, and emitted a low rumbling sound. OOC : hit the number 6 track "puma" Not quite a purr, still, it was not a growl or a scream either. Xnnn looked at Tarn, as if he wondered – yeah, I’m about in the same boat as you are buddy – what the hell are we doing out here anyway?

[Tarn]

Tarn wasn't sure what to think about the beast that was acting more like a giant kitty cat than a wild animal that could kill him. When he heard the beast purr - or at least what a giant cat could try and make like a purr sound - it confused Tarn's little mind even more. Why wasn't the beast trying to kill him or even worried about the blood that was colouring its fur? "You do know that you're still bleeding, right, you weird cat?" Tarn said as he pushed himself up to his knees as he hunched over and looked over to the cat. The way it sat there, its tail tossing back and forth behind it casually (did that mean it's friendly, Tarn thought), it seemed almost inviting to go over there and pet it. Maybe that was part of the plan? Tarn tried to shake away the paranoid thoughts of of self preservation in his mind as he slowly and cautiously walked over to the cougar with one of his hands held out, palm upwards. From his little experience with some street dogs in Sunberth this was one of the easier ways to try and approach them. If it was acting like a dog, this might be the best way to approach it, Tarn thought. Very cautiously and slowly, Tarn moved his hand to the front of the cougar's muzzle, under the panting jaw that housed those yellowed and sharp teeth to the soft fur of his chin. Surprisingly the beast didn't do anything outlandish or even try to snap at his fingers, but merely continued to do its impersonation of a purr. He kept his eyes locked with the beast, but those eyes soon closed at the attention and Tarn couldn't help but smirk as the big cat's head started to move down to his hand, almost asking for more of the physical affection against his head. "You're one very weird cat, you know that?" At this proximity to the beast, Tarn was able to view the wounds on the cougar's body with a frown. If he squinted hard enough, Tarn thought that he could see the insides of the beast through the bite marks and the blood that was still trickling from those wounds. "I dunno what you cats can do about that stuff," Tarn said as he continued to scratch under the big cat's head. "But I don't think putting any sort of bandage on that would work with your fur. If you had a human arm to bandage, I could make something out with my shirt but... Well." He looked down to the cat as its eyes opened for just a split second before closing again. "Yeah. Just a big, weird cat."

[Xnnn]

Xnnn listened, and considered. The man was right – blood still dripped from the wounds and he could feel the searing sting more and more with each passing moment. The adrenalin of the fight, and his subsequent fixation on Tarn, were abating, and his skin twitched, his instincts telling him this was not a good thing – these wounds were going to make it that much harder to hunt. But his attention was diverted, when Tarn arose, and began his own wary approach to the big cat. Xnnn watched him carefully – ready to spring away if a concealed weapon or rock was to suddenly appear. Though he was himself drawn to this human, he had no idea how the man felt about him. But, quite wonderfully - from Xnnn’s point of view - the outstretched hand, that he could easily have taken off at the wrist, though it would not have now occurred to him to try, reached for his chin. At that touch, when Tarn began to rub gently, Xnnn reflexively stretched his head out a bit, to better feel the fingers scratching his fur and skin so tenderly. Without even realizing that he did so, Xnnn closed his eyes with the novelty of such a blissful sensation. His chest rumbled even louder, his head dropping, pushing against that hand. Xnnn felt as is he would have allowed that hand to keep caressing his chin forever, but the man’s words brought his eyes open again. Yes, there was a wound to attend to, his cat brain told him. He rose, feeling the pain in his own head and neck making the torn muscles throb, and walked two steps to stand before and slightly beside Tarn, on that side where the flesh over his shoulder and back was raked with deep scratches. His tongue flicked out and gave one preliminary pass over the wounds. Tarn, who had immediately ceased the chin rub when Xnnn stood, from necessity and also from a healthy wariness of what the cougar was up to, flinched and twisted his injured shoulder away from the seemingly lunatic cat’s mouth. Xnnn turned his head and fixed the human with a level, but intense look from those green-gold eyes. One giant paw lifted to rest, claws still sheathed, on Tarn’s forearm. For a long moment their eyes remained locked. Then the cougar dropped his paw, sat, and turned back to the job he had set himself, beginning once more to lick Tarn’s wounds clean.