[The Everstone Forest] Hard Sunshine [Xnnn]

[Tarn]

The thought of having a cat companion was comforting for Tarn, who would be spending all this time alone in the wildlands - a place he was well aware of that he could get shredded to death by countless beasts. If he could befriend this cougar and somehow get it to like him and follow him to Sylrias, well, then it would be perfect. Tarn's mind went to the logistics of trying to get a wild animal into the city but knew that he would have to worry about actually befriending it first and getting it to be "tame" for him before he could worry about leashing and collaring a wild animal. Tarn sat himself beside the cat as the big beast got up to its feet and gave him a certain look. The way the cat started to approach him made him think that the cat was doing a really lazy job of reaching around to the back of his neck to snap it with his teeth, but that big and fuzzy paw against his arm made Tarn calmer, somewhat. It was like an interactive teddy bear, he just had to ignore the fact that there were very, very sharp claws hiding in that soft mitt that rested against his forearm. As he sat there, cautious and very still, the cat moved its head behind Tarn's back and sniffed against the wound on his shoulder. He could feel the small puffs of air that moved against the extremely sensitive flesh. Tarn turned his head to look at the cougar as its rough, wet, and hot tongue started to lick against the wound. Tarn's body tightened at the pain, the way the sandpaper-like tongue dug right into the wound and opened it up again. What Tarn didn't know was that the roughness of the tongue was actually helping clean the wound far better than he ever could rubbing his hands over it in the water. He let out a little grunt as the cougar got comfortable behind him and started to clean the wound as if Tarn was an adopted member of some Cougar-Kitty-Cat club. "You know, cat," Tarn said as he took in a sharp breath while squeezing his fist. "That's just a flesh wound. Why don't you get back over here and I'll, uh, clean your wound," That one last word came out a little higher pitched than normal, as the tongue started to dig into one of the deeper cuts along his shoulder. Between licks, Tarn managed to tug off his torn shirt and held it in his lap as he looked to the darkening fur of the cougar over his shoulder. "Well I, uh, appreciate the sentiment I don't think you'll be able to live off of the blood from my shoulder. Though I'm not about to lick your wounds back, I can at least try and stop them from bleeding." The cat behind him seemed to ignore the words that he was saying, and what else could Tarn have expected? An eloquent reply from an animal? He sighed as he slouched forward and let himself be cleaned by the cougar's tongue. Every pass of that rough tongue, somehow, made the wound feel better and the sting from that rough surface lessened as the cougar did its work. "Wonderful. Twenty two, and I'm already a crazy cat lady." He said with a shake of his head. "Except I guess I have a pretty badass cat. I don't know many cat ladies that have a cougar as a pet." The expected lick on his shoulder didn't come as Tarn had grown accustom to the rhythm the beast behind him got into. He heard a little slump or motion of movement from behind him and looked over his shoulder curiously, taking a moment's pause to stop tearing the shirt he hoped to apply to the cougar's wounds. "Weird cat?"

[Xnnn]

Cat like, Xnnn ignored the human's words and kept right on doing what he was doing. Internally it felt right. Though perhaps nurture was more the realm of the female, he had an innate impulse to care for a wounded companion – be it mate or sibling or cub. He felt Tarn wince at some of the strokes of his rough tongue, but he didn’t pause – animals were all about tough love. And like a cub, Tarn was expected to sit still and endure what Xnnn knew instinctively was best for him. Methodically, he covered every square inch of the deep scratches, and made sure they were free of debris. That was essential. Almost purring still while he worked, Xnnn barely registered the sudden feeling of light-headedness. Before he knew what was happening, his mind whirled with black spots going in and out, and he collapsed onto the ground. The shock of his wounds had finally caught up with his brain. Adrenalin completely spent, nature took over and tried to shut him down, for his own good. Stretched out on his side, Xnnn lay, barely conscious, his mind playing funny tricks on him. He sensed the man still beside him, though his eyes were closed, and his hearing seemed muffled as if cotton wool was shoved in his ears. His paws flexed unbidden, and he wondered at how long his toes had suddenly become, and how different the air felt on his fur. No – his skin. The smallest groan escaped his lips, which were no longer wrapped about sharp canines two inches long. In the stress of his shock, Xnnn had shifted. Beside Tarn now lay a naked, filthy, emaciated young man, quickly slipping into unconsciousness.

[Tarn]

When Tarn looked over his shoulder and expected to see the cat, well, he was pretty surprised when he saw the the skinny and wounded man that was curled up behind him like a cat. He shot up to his feet as he slowly realized just what happened; that it wasn't just a cougar that was being friendly with him, but a Kelvic. He hadn't interacted with many up to this point in his life, but only heard rumours about them and the bond that they develop with humans. If they were to be so attached and loyal to a human then why was this man/cat out here in the middle of nowhere with Tarn, licking his wounds like they were buddies? He looked at the man's odd tattoos and the wounds that shifted along with him, the blood splattered over his tanned and stretched flesh over bones and emaciated muscles. "Okay, so not a weird cat..." Part of Tarn wanted to just book it and leave the man here. He could barely care for himself out in the wilderness much less care of someone else that looked on the verge of death. His skill with trying to keep someone alive was at a bare minimum too, as Tarn had only the experience of wrapping his own wounds to keep himself from bleeding out to avoid a visit to a very expensive doctor. Tarn let out a sigh as he lowered himself beside the man/cat and frowned as he took one of the torn straps of cloth that was once his shirt and started to tie it around one of the bigger wounds on the man's body. He had nothing but the water a few feet away to clean the wound and he let out a grunt as he went to the water and soaked another piece of cloth in it and brought it over to the man/cat to clean out one of the dirty wounds. The man/cat looked weakly up to him and Tarn looked back at him with suspicion. There had been weirder traps set by even weirder men back in Sunberth and Tarn's mind was constantly on edge for any sign that this might just be some weird trick by the Kelvic. He knew they were simple, but maybe this one just had enough brains to try and trick poor Tarn into something. "Sorry buddy, but I don't have any water or food on me. We're pretty screwed." He said as he pulled the man's arm away that was trying to protect one of the wounds. The man/cat couldn't resist all that well so when Tarn pried the arm away and cleaned it with the wet cloth he smiled down to him to try and distract him from the pain. Tarn wanted to convey that he wasn't causing the discomfort, but trying to prevent further complications if the wound was left dirty. "Do you have a name? I don't think calling you weird cat really applies anymore." When the name didn't come, Tarn looked to the man's lips as they seemed rather parched. If the cat was so thirsty why didn't it take a drink from the gigantic pond while it was splashing around inside of it? He frowned as he reached for one of the last bandages and went to the water to soak it heavily in the water and brought it back, cupped in his hands. He held the cloth right up to the man/cat's mouth with an innocent shrug. "This sucks, as my shirt wasn't all that clean to begin with, but this is the only way you're going to get any water. Just try and get it from the cloth without eating the cloth, ya?"

[Xnnn]

The man above Xnnn swam in and out of focus, the words sounding through a loud buzzing in his ears. He felt the cloth scrubbing at his wounds, felt the stinging pain that brought, and he thought he should sit up, get to his feet, do – something. But as much as he tried to focus, to make his muscles move, they refused to cooperate. So for many minutes he lay stretched out on his side, as Tarn washed his torn flesh as best he could with the scanty rag. Xnnn’s eyes followed him as he went back and forth to the pool, and then he tasted the water soaked cloth in his mouth. He sucked, as bidden and felt the liquid sliding down his throat, his parched lips becoming moist again. Tarn withdrew the cloth and returned to the pool for more. Slowly, with shaking muscles and racked with pain, Xnnn used his arms to push himself up onto his hip. That was as far as he could get. His green-gold eyes watched Tarn return and the man slipped a helping arm under Xnnn’s to help him sit upright, his legs crossed in front of him, his hands to either side for balance and support. Xnnn was not even mindful of his state of undress, as for a Kelvic that was the most natural of states. Though he did feel the chill of the air on his bare skin as the fur was no longer there to block it out and keep him warm. With his eyes still on Tarn’s rugged but slightly drawn face, Xnnn pulled his lips back and through clenched teeth made an almost hissing sound – his name, though to one who did not speak Zith it would be unrecognizable as such. He repeated it, then said in halting common, “That is me – my name. Xnnn.” He paused, trying to gather the right words. “What do they say to you – to call you?”

[Tarn]

The name sounded something like a snake regurgitating or having a bad day instead of a name. But the repetition of the name helped Tarn formulate in his mind how to say the name himself. Zinnn? It sounded weird, even as Tarn said it in his mind. "Xnnn? Uh, must be a Kelvic thing or something right? Just naming yourself after weird noises you hear in the wild? I think if I had to be named by something in the wild it would be like, Crunch or Thud. I'm about as agile out here as you are a deep water swimmer." After he helped Xnnn up into a sitting position, at least, he looked over the man over and was about to offer him one of the rags of his shirt to cover himself with but would the Kelvic even understand nudity? Would be interesting for this changing shape person to shift in a city and just walk around like normal, completely nude, like nothing was wrong in the world. He chuckled to himself for a moment as he gave a little shrug to his own inner thought and looked back over to the wounded man. "Tarn. That's it. Something natural, I guess - something to do with a lake and mountains - but that's it. Kind of like your name, just not as cool sounding." Tarn went to get the cloth wet again as he had wished he had something more on him than just the clothes on his back. With the soaking rag of his shirt cupped in his hands, he brought it back over to the Kelvic with a grin and held it out for him to take of his own accord. "What are you doing out here, anyways? And I guess I should probably thank you for discouraging that other cougar from tearing my face off. I can honestly say I've never had someone attack a cougar to save my life, before."

[Xnnn]

Xnnn tried his best to follow Tarn’s words, through the slight fog of pain and the denser mist of ignorance. Even two weeks spent in Elymas’ company had not been enough to make a lasting impact on his grasp of common. And the months in the wild since then, all spent in cougar form, alone, had practically erased what little progress he had made. So he looked at Tarn’s lips move, and his facial expression, and even tried to smell the overall meaning of what he was saying. Most of it escaped him, including the word that symbolized the man’s name. But he did understand some small bit of that explanation. “Lake and mountains.” He repeated carefully, nodding. He pointed at Tarn. “Lake and mountains.” Then he pointed at himself. “Xnnn – it is . . . “ He struggled to find the word. It was difficult because there wasn’t one that fit exactly. Like Lake and mountains, which covered two topics, his name could mean different things. “It is . . . you.” Xnnn pulled Tarn’s hands over to his face and began lapping at the strip of soaked cloth with his tongue.

[Tarn]

Tarn wasn't sure what to think about the Kelvic's simplicity; was it merely racial that this man-cat didn't have any sort of cognitive ability that extended past simple phrases? Or perhaps the loss of blood made his head foggy and he was really a genius? If had to guess the language that the cougar translated for him, it would have be what he heard about Zith, but Tarn had never really heard any word from that language spoken before. "You, huh?" He grinned as he watched Xnnn lap at the water held tightly between his fingers. Xnnn seemed appreciative of what was being done for him, and Tarn wished he could somehow do more for him than just patch the wounds on his body and feed him water. The bandages that he applied to the bigger wounds were darkening with the blood that seemed to refuse to clot properly. "I think we need to think about moving somewhere safer. Somewhere ... not here. You're in no fighting form, and I have nothing on me to kill anything other than a devilish grin and a handsome mug. Did you see any settlements or anything around here we could go to? Unless you have some camp hiding somewhere," Tarn's eyes narrowed playfully down to Xnnn. "Though I have my doubts as to whether people like you set up camps with tents, fires and little pots to warm up stew in. Right?" The water between his fingers was either lapped up by Xnnn or had leaked between his fingers by the time he was done and Tarn tossed the bandage down on a rock beside Xnnn and gave a little sigh as he sat beside him. With a devilish grin he moved his hand over to Xnnn's cheek and pulled away a couple strands of grass that stuck to the rough stubble of his face.

[Xnnn]

Xnnn shook his head matter-of-factly. “No. Humans do not live out here. Only animals.” He let Tarn remove the grass from where his whiskers had been, thinking that the touch of another being – a soft touch as opposed to the raking teeth and claws of the other cougar, or a Zith – felt very nice. He stared at Tarn for a long moment - as a cat might in that unnerving way they have – and then his gaze went out to the scrubby trees and rocky outgrowths around them. Again, he shook his head. “No. No camp. Only a little cave, in the rocks, over there.” He pointed in the exact direction in which his temporary den lay. It was no more than a shelf of rock that stuck out over the ledge beneath it, only big enough for the cougar, only enough to keep the rain off his head. He tried to think, to recall human food. What could Tarn eat, besides game, which he had no means to procure? If Xnnn could shift, he could still hunt. Despite his wounds, he could do that – he would have to do that. He felt very weak, and it would be harder to shift back, but really there was no other option. Something kept pinging in the back of his brain. Some memory – from his mother – about these lands to the north of the great sea of grass. Some treat she had enjoyed as a girl – that she had told her son about at night, as they lay together, trying to block out the night sounds of a Zith colony. Something he had seen recently, without realizing what he was looking at. Something . . . “Ap . . . “ He began, using part of the Pavi word. “Ap . . . Ap . . .” Frowning deeply, he looked intently at Tarn. “There is food, I think. For humans. In the trees. A few trees. Red and green and yellow.” He curved his hands into a ball, as if he was holding something round. “Ap . . . Apple!” It hadn’t occurred to him the Pavi word might not make any sense to a man who might not speak Pavi. Xnnn pointed, to the north west. “Apple. There are a few trees. There.” He clutched Tarn’s forearm. “For you. It is not far. We need water too.” He looked at the pool. Clearly, if they were to travel, they would need a source of water. Or some way to carry it. “And I must go as myself. I won’t make it otherwise. And I will hunt, for us.” Hurriedly, as if half expecting Tarn to slap a strap on him somewhere and prevent him from shifting, Xnnn pulled back from the man and within a twinkling there sat a cougar, panting slightly with the rising temperature of his body. Looking at Tarn, Xnnn began to walk away, in the direction that he had pointed to a moment before.

[Tarn]

The fact that humans didn't live was a bit of a blow for Tarn, as if no humans lived near here then there would be a very good reason for that. Other than the obvious fact that the world was turned upside down, and everyone seemed to gather at already established cities and towns. But without any other human contact around him or the ability to survive out in the wild properly, Tarn was starting to doubt his ability to properly survive the night, much less any more time out in the open. Though the cougar might prove useful in that regard. As Xnnn tried to form the word, Tarn was about to finish it off when the Kelvic managed to finish the thought on his own. He smiled and got up to his feet, looking over in the direction of where the suspended food might be and Tarn missed those few seconds that it took for the Kelvic to shift from one form to the other. His reaction time was a little delayed, but once it hit him that a cougar was staring back at him, Tarn's feet tangled each other and he skidded back into the water, posterior first. With a humiliating splash that the cougar ignored, Tarn got back up to his feet and shook his head as he caught back up with Xnnn. "Let's pretend that didn't happen, now shall we?" He said with a grunt as he followed Xnnn down an un-trotted path that lead to certain trees with perfectly shaped red apples hanging from them. Tarn reached out and plucked one from the tree and examined it closely, wondering if it would be safe to eat. As Xnnn turned around to see what the human was doing, he held it down at the cougar's level. "Can you sniff this and tell me if it's a real apple or some trick apple that'll make me throw a third leg out of my back?"

[Xnnn]

The reason for Tarn falling ass backwards into the pool was beyond Xnnn’s comprehension. So he merely turned and began to walk in the direction of the small grove of trees that he had recalled being about a kilometer away. If for some reason the man had not followed him, he would have stopped. But as it was, soon enough Tarn was walking behind him, and Xnnn led onwards, finally coming to the first of the apple trees. Patiently, Xnnn watched Tarn pluck one of the fruit. But when Tarn placed it in front of the cougar’s face, Xnnn looked at him in that inscrutable cat way, turned on his heels, and bounded off into the brush. The pain from the wounds was intense – but his hunger was every bit as bad. Forcing himself to ignore the sense of malaise the loss of blood was engendering within him, Xnnn loped down a barely visible game trail – made primarily by rabbits. It was coming on to evening, and he knew of a place where he had had some success lying in wait for those rodent types that were most active in the half-light hours of dawn and dusk. Exhausted by the time he reached the slightly more open plateau, covered with tough, thick grass, he threw himself down and rested, hoping Tan would stay put. If the man moved on, though, it would not be difficult to follow his trail. Xnnn would find him, one way or another. It was a good hour before the first of the marmots poked its blunt nose out of the sheltering rocks around and crept warily onto the grass, to begin its dinner. Downwind, Xnnn watched, salivating, allowing the animal to draw closer. He wasn’t very good at this, but he must be, this time. There were two bellies to fill now. Patiently he made himself as still as the rocks around them, the marmot moving closer . . . closer . . . closer. The cougar sprang, and tore at the turf, trying to get a good purchase, bounding onto the spot where the marmot had been. Already, the animal was scurrying away, desperately trying to reach its den. One more bound, and Xnnn landed right on top of it, breaking its neck with one crunch of his strong jaws. The taste of blood was enough to make him delirious with his hunger, but, resisting the urge to devour the small thing, he carried it carefully to where he had been resting. Deposting it on the ground, he took up his camouflaged position once again. Twenty minutes later saw him repeating the same tactic, and again he met with success. Fortune was smiling on him, for once. This marmot, though, he gobbled down, licking the blood from his long whiskers, his stomach eagerly receiving the bounty of his efforts. When he had eaten it, fur and all, he plucked the first one up carefully in his jaws, and began to retrace his route back to Tarn.