You're mauling that body wrong.. (Aello)

[Nex Paciscor]

67th of Summer, 511 AV

He sat quietly a top the windswept rock, his golden eyes gazing across the forest floor placidly as he relaxed. It had only been a few chimes since he had left the camp that was his to sleep in and Aello's and Alenias's as well when they chose to be around. A cold shiver ran down his spine as a casual breeze swept through the wood. The surface of his naked back prickled up with goose bumps reflexively, and caused him to draw his arms around himself to maintain a fragile hold of the warmth fast leaving his body. With but a thought, where he sat naked a moment ago he now stood on all fours, his fine black fur covering his body and bringing him warmth.

Storing up tension in his legs he bounded forward into the greenery, his padded paws finding easy traction on the earthy surface of the forest floor. Leaves rushed by him, some still covered with the mornings dew, brushing off on his thick fur and leaving glimmering orbs of liquid clinging to the edges of his hair. There was always something exciting about prowling through the woods, scratching out marks on the side of the bigger trees, and simply enjoying the thrill of the hunt. Today there would be no blood spilt as his hunger had been sated momentarily by some of the dried goods he kept in his pack for when times where tough, and hunting got hard. Now was simply a time to be free, and enjoy the feel of the wind on his fur along with the lazy midday sun on his back.

After about a bell he could feel the boundless energy that had welled up inside of him begin to dwindle down to nothingness, slowing his constant running and leaping to more of a steady trot. He now moved in the direction of their camp, and within a few chimes he was there, having just enough energy to change into his human form and dress only to plop down on the grass beside his back. Stretching languidly across the grass, eyes closed to the sun he rested there a few moments, enjoying the warmth of the golden sun and a few thoughts of his friends he had come to know over the past two seasons.

[Aello]

Aello was nestled in-between several long stalks of slender green grass, surrounded by a wall of proud, green oak and maple trees. Her back, which bore only the weight of her clothes, was warmed by the golden trickles of sunlight which made its way down through the tops of the trees. She had tucked her bag under her chin, and had used it as a pillow for the night, as her body lay silently beside it. Her bow, and her quiver, lay nearby, waiting to be awakened to another day of hunting, among other things. As the girl slept, her body trembled from time to time, as illusory images flashed in her mind, dragging her deeper and deeper into an alternate reality, a world where dreams were all that one knew. Aello dreamt that she was alone in the forest, naked- not a shred of cloth to cover her quivering flesh, not the weight of her bag upon her back, and not a weapon on hand, not even the dagger, which was notorious in the sense that it never seemed to leave her side. She was stepping as silently as she could through the forest, since it was still relatively early in the morning, and she didn't want to wake any of the animals up. Especially when she was so exposed. As she walked, Aello wondered where her two companions had gone, and if they had taken all of her things, or were simply keeping them safe for her. She walked steadily, in silence, seemingly following the sun through the endless line of trees. It's so quiet today, she thought, as she kept on going. There were no birds chirping, trying to welcome the new day, and she hadn't seen a single animal scurrying about their business either. It's so very, out of place... she thought, as the smell of smoke reached her nostrils. The edges turning a bright red shade as they began to flare. "Smoke?" she whispered, "could someone be around after all?" Aello stopped dead in her tracks, and took a moment to sniff the air before she realized that the smoke was coming from some place to her left. Better go investigate, she thought, as she headed in that direction. Soon, a crackling sound reached her ears, and then the sound of tree branches falling down towards the earth. Leaves being engulfed in flame, "oh Dira, what happened here?" Aello whispered, as she stared up at a long spiral of smoke. "The forest is on fire," she went on, as she simply stared in silence a moment, as an eerie orange glow became more and more prominent. It cast her skin in a warm glow, making her seem just as out of place in the forest as the fire was, if not more so. "And it is coming this way." You should run, Aello's brain whispered, so you don't get burned. Aello took another moment to stare at the smoke as her heart skipped a beat, before turning abruptly on her heels and beginning to run. She could hear it drumming against her tiny rib cage as she forced herself to move. Running for what felt like hours, until each of her muscles ached, and sweat had appeared on her brow. Her skin seemed to glow, as she finally took a moment to rest. To breathe. Silently hoping that she had left the fire far behind her. But as she looked around, Aello realized that she was surrounded by a sea of orange, and blackened tree; ash. Everything seemed to tumble to the ground, as she simply stood in the center of it all, her eyes growing wide as the heat of the fire began to warm her back. "Alenias!" Aello tried to scream over the smoke, as she looked around frantically, trying find a way out. But there was an endless wall of fire; of thick black smoke, and ever so slowly, it was choking her. Aello began to cough, her lungs growing tight. There is no where to run. You cannot escape the inevitable... Startled, Aello's eyes shot open. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, as her heart pounded in her tiny rib cage. Several beads of sweat had appeared on her brow, and she felt rather hot. Her breath was loud, rushed, and her body felt so very heavy. Slowly, she raised her right hand, and wiped several beads of salty sweat off her forehead. It was just a bad dream, she told herself as she sat up so that she may look around at her surroundings. But nothing was out of the ordinary, no trees on fire, nothing on the camp seemed to have stirred- unless you counted Nex, who seemed to be sunning himself. Everything is quite alright, she told herself, as her heart began to calm down and she turned to Nex, smiling weakly as she did so. "Morning Nex," she called, "are you enjoying the sun?" she asked, as her chest's rising and falling began to return to normal. She hoped that he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable she was only moments before; she didn't want him to worry about her, after all. OOCIf this seems familiar, it's because the dream is based off one of my posts in Stormy Roads. I edited it slightly, in the hopes that this may become a recurring nightmare for Aello.

[Nex Paciscor]

A smile came to his lips as a familiar voice called out. Aello. He had spent practically two seasons with the woman by now, and he found himself desiring her company that often provided a soothing, calm blanket over his mind and a feeling of contentment. It had been a good few seasons for him, and he was thankful for his luck in finding such good friends. More importantly he felt a bit more secure with her around, her fighting prowess proved to him on their very first encounter, a good fight he wouldn't be soon to forget. Such fights to test, and improve his ability had been few and far between lately, leaving much to be desired in his drive to improve himself. After all, he needed to be able to protect Aello, and Alenias just as much as they were able to protect him.

" Great morning to you Aello, the sun feels quite well this day " he said as he stretched out, moving his arms far above his head before rolling onto his stomach to face Aello. With the smile still on his face, his golden eyes quickly looked Aello over, possibly to give insight to the goings on in her mind, or just to make sure she was ok. Unconsciously his hand scrabbled at the dirt now underneath it, slowly making gouge marks on the soil, and becoming more defined as he continued. " And you, how was your sleep? " he added, folding his arms before resting his chin upon them, his body still swaying with deep breaths as he fought to regain energy. A powerful growl rumbled in his belly, telling him he would need to eat soon if he was going to do anything else on this day.

With that prompting from his stomach, he pushed himself onto his knees before raising onto his feet and walking over to where his pack lay unattended, rummaging through the contents. After only a chime he found what he was looking for, a wrapped section of dried meet that had a origin he did not know, and he quickly tore through the paper to get at the chewy meat beneath. His teeth repeatedly sank into the jerky, tearing off mouthfuls of the meat at a time till there was nothing left but the remnants of salt staining his fingertips which he then started to individually clean with his tongue. Even with his hunger pains he had the presence of mind to shift his back slightly to block Aello being able to see him scarf down the small meal, a sight he suspected she wouldn't readily want to see.

After he was done with his impromptu meal, he rose again, this time turning to face Aello squarely, and raising a large hand to brush his hair back, walked the short distance to her. " Did your sleep take you well? " he asked, a small yawn escaping his lips the made him roll his shoulders in a effort to wake up his body further. Individually he stretched every muscle in his body, starting out with his arms, and ending with his legs, moving this way and that in awkward contortions until he felt his body was sufficiently awake, and his reflexes were ready for anything. It didn't hurt to be prepared out in the wild after all, even if one had such a formidable companion that Aello was.

[Aello]

Aello's smile widened, taking on a slightly mischievous edge. "It does, doesn't it?" she asked, as she glanced up at the sky, closing her eyes swiftly when the sun's rays hit them, causing them to sting a little. The back of her eyelids seemed to glow a golden yellow, and then a fiery orange. After a few moments, Aello lowered her head, opened her eyes, and stared at Nex. "You know quite well Nex, that those who wield magic never sleep well. Are always haunted by nightmares of things which they can only hope will never come to pass," Aello replied, her tone rather neutral as she ran another hand through her hair, allowing her fingers to drag slowly through the tangled strands, pulling several knots apart, as several more strands clung to her fingertips. When Aello pulled her hand away, she glanced down at it, slowly pulling the slender brown lockes that lingered there through her fingertips one by one, before dropping them gingerly onto the forest floor. "Suffice it to say that it was not at all restful Nex," Aello continued, when she had finished cleaning her hand off. She placed it on her knee, the palm facing down. "And although it was filled with nothing more than nightmares, the dream realm held on tightly. Never letting me wake up; never letting me tear away its web into wakefulness," the girl finished, her voice little more than a whisper as she shook her head lightly, desperately trying to get the remnants of her dream to go away; the memory. Or at the very least, the overwhelming desire to simply lay down her head once more, and attempt at a slightly more restful period. "But that's enough talk of dreams, isn't it?" the girl asked as she rose to her feet. She stood in silence for a moment, willing her aching muscles to wake up just a little, before she reached for her things, and put them in their rightful place. "When it's over now... no need to dwell," she added with a small smile. "What do you say we go out for a hunt or something? Get the muscles moving? The body to wake up?" Aello asked. "It's a nice day and all, wouldn't want to waste it. We could even have another practice fight if you'd like... Alenias likes to train sometimes, with me. Perhaps you would too. Although, maybe it's best if we both fought with our hands this time. Less dangerous, don't you think? Although, I'm not quite as talented with my hands." The girl glanced down at the ground before shrugging a little. "But no matter. Training is used to make you better at the things you suck at, isn't it?" OOCAlthough she is not posting, I figured Alenias would be snoozing somewhere. That or we just wouldn't want to mess up our precious camp, so we'd go somewhere else to do things before coming back. *shrugs* Feel free to lead, Aello will follow.

[Nex Paciscor]

His chest rose, and fell subtly, his attempts to control his breathing thus far working. Aello's words frightened him, but then again they weren't anything he hadn't heard already, and in a few of their talks it had be discussed. Magic was a dangerous thing, that much was inherently obvious as anyone with half a mind could understand. The world was practically busting at the seams with tales of mage's gone insane with magic, or otherwise disfiguring themselves. It didn't take a few words to remind him of that, but still the idea was there, the simple fact that not only could it affect him physically but it could tamper with his mind, and dreams as well. He hadn't received as much training as he wanted with flux as he needed, and so he didn't quite know the dangers of using it too much, or how it might affect his mind as it was. " Aye, the pleasures of magic, something most would be pleased to avoid " Nex said softly, the words leaving his lips almost mumbled.

It wasn't his to control, the ability to help Aello with her dark dreams, and though he aspired to obtain that ability, he had no idea where he would start. Perhaps it was a magic discipline, or a ancient remedy, or something of the like that he didn't quite understand, but the sudden thought sparked a mental note inside of himself to pay a visit to the cities library sometime soon. Whatever he could do to help the woman, he would learn no matter the time it would take or the cost it would bring. It was the least thing he could do for Aello, who had done much for him so far.

Another raspy sigh left him, as Nex looked to Aello at the completed recollection of her dream, and his eyes shifted a moment to stare at her nose. Even without the social code that ran through his blood, he would have done so anyways for he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes as ashamed as he was that he couldn't do more for her. It wasn't the first time he had failed someone and he was sure it wouldn't be the last, but it still stung al the same. Her continued words shook him out of his self made prison at last drawing his eyes back up to hers, and a slight grin to his lips, causing his cheek to dimple slightly. " I think a spar is in order and I know the perfect spot for one " Nex rumbled his golden eyes flashing in the creeping sunlight.

With that he walking off, his eyes gazing elsewhere to a invisible location far off in the deep woods. The late summer air still hanging heavily among the trees storing heat beneath the assorted green leaves, and bringing the space alive with insects and other life. It close to shores of the lake where outposts lay sprinkled almost randomly about, but it was yet not safe because of that, and still as dangerous here as it was in the deep wild. Distance was there ally, that Nex knew from the growls and other buzzing noises he could here only softly, fractured noises from far away that were garbled. Others sounds echoed closer to where they traveled but that was mostly just harmless noises like the clatter of skittish deer running away, or the short rustle of leaves as a hare sprinted by. It was satisfying to have such relief walking in the forest, the natural order of things all sliding into place in such a way that it was music to his ears.

Pushing through the last wall of thorn choked brush and coming out no worse for ware, Nex smiled as he looked around the place he had chosen for their spar. It happened to be almost a even circle of brush all around save for a few notches of shrub near the opposite end. In the space of the center was nothing but a patch of fresh green grass, sun falling from up above to alight it so it looked rich and vivid. It had been a favorite spot of his of late to rest in the sun after a satisfying hunt, or practice so it was only fitting to bring Aello here to spar. Besides the fact that it was quite the sight for him, it was good for limited protection as most of the shrubs and bushes in the area possessed nice barbs, and tended to ward away all but the most determined predator. He couldn't get to the spot without riddling his arms with tiny cuts most of the time, but in his eyes the place was worth the relaxation. The path he had taken proved to be less thick with the thorns but it didn't change much the amount of cuts on his arm, mostly because while navigating through them, he tried to block them with his body to keep them from Aello. Later he would need to wash them with water to make sure infection didn't set in for then he couldn't improve for Aello and would be no good.

Nex smiled, and moved to the center of the glade, before turning around to face Aello. " How does this place suit your taste? "

[Aello]

Aello followed Nex in silence, trusting that he knew where he was going, and would not take any paths that would lead them astray. The light that shone through the trees tickled Aello's skin as she sniffed the warm air that hung around her; it smelled of pine. The scent worked at calming the girl's nerves as her boots flattened the ground beneath her step, propelling her forward, towards her destination. She walked for what felt like a long time, although she didn't mind the wait, finding that the walk seemed to put her in a meditative state, which pushed the memory of her nightmare out of the forefront of her mind. When the pair reached the edge of the clearing, and Nex began to plough through the shrubbery, she couldn't help but laugh as how he tried to hold the thorns back. Is he trying to spare a woman a simple flesh wound? the girl wondered as she crept forward, wincing a little each time Nex moved so far ahead of her, that the portion of the shrub he was holding swung back angrily at her, forcing its thorns into her flesh. Prickling her skin and causing small drops of blood to form wherever it had stung her. When Aello had finally made it through the line of shrubberies, she glanced around the clearing, taking everything in. "This place is quite lovely Nex," she whispered. "It's the perfect, peaceful, place to practice. Although... I can't say the way in through those thorn bushes was quite so nice," she added with a small chuckle. "No matter, we can always clear a small path through them later." The young spiritist took a few steps deeper, into the clearing, before she placed her father's old bow down on the ground. Next to it, she dropped her quiver full of arrows, and her bag. After having shed some extra weight, the girl stretched out her muscles by reaching for the sky, before bending over and running her hands through the grass. She would hold each position for ten seconds before switching, repeating the process several times over before she stopped to face Nex. She stared at him a moment, considering his size- how he towered over her, weighed more, and appeared far more muscular than she. She wondered how long she could go on defeating him in a knife fight, once he had the proper training. She wondered how long it would take him to catch up to her. Literally, considering how her slight build kept her slightly more agile. "Whenever you are ready Nex, we can have a fight of the fists," Aello called as she stepped away from her things and took up a basic fighting stance. Her left foot was about a foot in front of the right. It was pointed ahead of her, the right on the other hand, was pointed to the right side of her body, so that together, her feet formed a ninety degree angle. Her body was twisted towards the right, from the waist up, and her hands were balled into fists. Her arms were bent at the elbow, and she held them a few inches before her, the left just ahead of the right; so that together, they blocked her body. Time to put everything you learned in the Silver Silver to the test, Aello thought, as she waited for Nex to prepare himself. "Unless, of course, you're beating me too badly, at which point I may just have to finish you off with the dagger," Aello added with a small smile. OOCYes, I am going for brawling exp as opposed to unarmed. Please don't hurt me?

[Nex Paciscor]

Nex sniffed the air expectantly, and could smell his own blood that stained the air around him. Cuts and scrapes adorned Aello's arms as well, but he decided it would best to not show alarm since fawning over someone was not how he went about things. He worked instead on doing the same as the woman, letting her words continue to hang in the air as he mulled over them, and what they foretold. His arm stretched far to the side, straightening as far as it could to its length, before he did the same with his left, moving to make sure his muscles where loose and flexible for the fight ahead. Cramping up in a spar was no good, and likely end with a short loss on his part, forcing him back into the shame and despair he longed to forget.

He had to win this time, had to prove himself worthy of Aello's presence, and a fitting addition to the little group he had the luck to stumble upon, or rather be stumbled upon by. Flexing his shoulders he twisted to the side, exposing his ribs faintly on his right side before moving to the other side moving to try and touch the rich, green grass. When his muscles where loosened enough, he stood at the ready, his feet evenly spread apart, and his shoulders held straight.

As she came before him, he smiled, lowering his head slightly, and holding his hands loosely before him, his broad forearms positioned like a large shield. He wasn't sure how exactly to approach her with her just offering fists, as to play himself out too soon could just as well doom him to lose this spar like the last one. Better to play it safe. Nex stepped towards her slowly, his fists bared openly before him as he mimicked the movements of his trainer those long years ago. His eyes flickered from between the twin fleshy pillars that were his arms, and offered a slight smile upon looking at Aello battle ready before him. I hadn't known she was good with her fists.

Just a few paces from her, he rushed forward, launching his right fist forward in a straightforward strike while keeping his left hand cradled against his side, ready to block any counterstrike coming from Aello. The attack had hardly any strength in it, and indeed he didn't much even take the time to even aim or position it properly, but it would serve a different purpose and allow him to get a bit of a feel for her skill with those fists of hers. Forthcoming a strike from Aello, his left arm would dart up and slash across before him, hopefully defeating the strike in time before it gained any real weight, and struck at his vulnerable face or chest.

[Aello]

Aello didn't have to wait long however, for soon enough, Nex was lunging at her. As she stared at his right fist, she watched as his muscles seemed to tighten, his knuckles cracking each time they pulsed, as his fingers continued to curl into his palm. He seemed to be reinforcing the position he held his hand in as Aello braced herself, her muscles rippling beneath her flesh as she let those in her legs tense. As he inched closer, Aello allowed her fingers to unfurl. She straightened them out, and then held them together, her palm flat as she raised her left hand to catch Nex's fist. When it made impact, she heard a soft crack as her fingers curled inwards, absorbing the attack. "Surely you can do better than that Nex," Aello taunted, hoping to get a rise out of him as her magic came into play. His aura was the same as she had always seen it, a deep red that swirled madly around his form. Her pupils dilated as she watched the edges of the mist dance, for but a moment, before she began raise her right leg. She had it bent at the knee long before she had lifted it a few inches off the ground, and rapidly thrust it forward, towards the Kelvic's chest, hoping to wind him. To teach him a lesson, never go easy on your opponent. Never let your guard down. Aello could hear wolves howling off in the distance, calling angrily to each other for her to be brought down, as the scent of pine overwhelmed her nostrils, causing them to flare angrily as she waited to make impact with the Kelvic's flesh. Waited to see him curl into her knee as she brought her leg back down to earth; waited to hear him gasp for air as she winded him. "Unless you want to break another few bones during the course of this spar," Aello continued taunting, her eyes flashing playfully. "And be forced to admit defeat." OOCThe wolves howling and scent of pine are aspects of Nex's aura. Also, Nex, you said he'd counter an attack if Aello tried to hit your pc, but since she tried kicking, I figured he may try something else. If you still want to try hitting her while she is trying to knee you, just tell me and I can edit the post. Thanks.

[Nex Paciscor]

There was the expectant slap of flesh on flesh as his fist met her palm fully, and a wry grin formed on his face. At least she knew enough on how to block properly, but the move told him little else about just how good she was with those weapons of flesh she possessed. His eyes narrowed kept to hers at the jab, the exposing of that which was obvious astounded him but he decided to let it slide, his mind more focused on other important things than keep up with the trivialities of the natural order's etiquette. More importantly his mind's eye was focused on the boney knee cap soaring forward to strike at his sternum, and his left hand that he kept close to his side jerked forward to intercept the blow.

He winced as the expectant strike nicked him on the rib still with his move to block, and pulling away from her hand, spun to the right to put some distance between himself but trying to keep her in front of him while he did. Reflexively he hunched over slightly and let out a ragged exhale, pretending to be hurt was a game he knew all to well. He allowed another gasp to stray from his lips as his golden eyes flickered up to hers, and a determined smoothed out a curve on his mouth.

"No games, I can respect that" Nex said calmly, his voice like steel.

In a instant he rushed her again, his bare feet clearing ground not as fast as he would like, and just two feet away from her, he came in with his left leg curling upwards as he kicked forwards, aiming it a bit short to perhaps draw her in closer to get in a shot at her. If he couldn't draw her in he would move to rush her, coming in with his right fist before going with a shot of his knee in rapid succession. If she came for him or even caught his leg, he would jerk his leg back as fast as he could before slamming his cupped hands down on whatever section of flesh he could find of hers to hit.

oocIf you need me to change anything just shoot me a pm. Sorry it took me so long to respond <3

[Aello]

Aello could see the Kelvic's muscles tensing around his knees, bunching towards the bone before he lunged at her. She took a step back, and another small one to the right as Nex lifted his leg so that he may kick her. The young spiritist could feel a rush of air glide across her chest, ruffling the fabric of her dress as a playful grin flashed across her lips. "You missed? How could you miss?" she questioned him playfully, "you're not even three feet away from me!" A small giggle spilled out from between her pale lips. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she kept her hands balled into fists, and her weight on her toes. She was bouncing on them lightly as she waited for Nex to try again. She was hoping now, with all of her playful taunts, that his blood would begin to boil, at least, a little bit. She hoped it was enough to bring out his aggression. She did after all, enjoy a rather rough fight, even if it were only for training purposes. As soon as his leg had been planted firmly back on the ground, Nex lunged forward once more. Aello took a few unsteady steps back, buying herself only a few more seconds of time before Nex was upon her. His aura, she noticed seemed to be billowing, as though it were on fire, which she was certain, meant that she had been at least partially successful in her endeavor. It also meant that she had less time to think before her body had to respond to his actions, or risk acquiring an injury. Thus, when Nex struck at her with his right arm, she only had enough time to bring her arms forward, so that her fists brushed up against each other, before pushing them apart rapidly. Each of her arms drew out to her sides, tightening the muscles within them as she arched her back and pushed her stomach out slightly with the motion. In doing so, she slapped her arm against Nex's knocking it uselessly to the side, while exposing the entirety of her chest. Aello's right foot still led, and while she was trying to draw her arms back to protect her center, Nex's knee came up and struck her. The girl, losing her balance on impact, rocked back onto the flats of her feet as her arms rushed inward. Her stomach curled, absorbing the brunt of the attack as sharp shooting pains shot across its expanse. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes grew wide. Petch you need to practice fighting more often, her mind growled as she took a few steps back to recover. She was just regaining her breath when she managed to resume a basic fighting stance. She swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in her throat as her heart began to pick up the pace. She was pissed now. How dare he use her own attack against her? "No game indeed," Aello replied as she pushed up against the ground, lunging for him. As she moved, her right arm came around to her side, before she pushed it back in, in a wide arc. She was hoping to smash her fist into Nex's left cheek, or at the very least, his neck if her reach proved too little, or if his height in comparison to hers kept her from achieving a clear attack. OOCI wants my dagger... I sort of not really know what I am doing with that... and erm... I hope I understood that post right. PM if you have questions or um anything like that.