Playing with Fire (Etrius)

[Tara]

Winter 25th, 511AV.
Nearest city: Syliras.

A tall tree stood in a forest of many other trees, standing out only because of the small camp nestled below it. The frosty tree glistened in the early morning sunlight and the sound of chirping birds filled the air. Tara woke up, blinking the sleep away groggily. She was curled up in the tree, a lot like a sleeping kitten. The peaceful, dreamlike expression she’d had from sleeping melted into the alert, piercing stare of a pale kelvic. Her black hair fell into her amber eyes, still tousled from a night of sleeping in the silver tree. She let out a yawn and stretched out her back. She looked down at the tent in which her travelling partner, Etrius, slept. Tara still refused to go in the tent with him, not fully trusting of him even though they’d been through a lot. She still had the imaginary scene of him slicing her throat with her own knife while she slept imprinted in her mind. She doubted it would happen, but better to be safe than well, dead. For that reason she kept her knife beside her while she slept, stuck into the branch beside her for easy access.

She tuned her senses in to the reality of the world they were in, drawing them out of the dreamless bliss she had been in moments ago. She heard Etrius in his tent, breathing. She was pretty sure he was still asleep. His horse, Iona, was grazing a little bit away, nibbling on the grass poking through the dead leaves which carpeted the forest floor. Tara still held a grudge against the horse who was the reason she was travelling with Etrius if you went into details about it. Despite the fact that no bad had come out of her travelling with the man (yet) Tara still did not like the inquisitive equine. Tara leaped down from her tree, grabbing her belongings as she went. Once on the ground she packed away her knife and took out her comb. She spent a good few chimes combing the knots out of her long hair before putting away her comb again. She wandered around for a couple more chimes, giving Etrius a chance to wake up on his own. Tara had noticed from her time with humans that they spent a ridiculous amount of their day sleeping. Tara usually slept roughly three chimes per day whereas Etrius could sleep for nearly six! However she tried to put it aside, but grew restless anyway.

Getting bored and frustrated Tara wandered over to where Iona stood. The horse shot Tara a glare. It seemed the feeling of resentment was mutual. The horse stomped it’s foot and walked a couple paces backwards. Tara grinned at the reaction and was about to entertain herself a bit when she remembered that Iona was Etrius’ only form of transport for all of the camp-type things. Irritated, Tara walked back over to the tent and sat down with her legs crossed, only to get back up with a huff. She completed a couple laps around the tent when she lost her patience and dragged her sharp nails along the side of the tent, not with enough force to rip through the waterproof material but enough to make an eerie, foreboding sound. To Tara’s delight Etrius awoke with a start. She almost pranced to the tent entrance and opened the flaps that covered the opening, flooding the enclosed space with light. She met Etrius’ groggy expression with a wide grin. ”Mornin’ sleeping beauty” she said, her tone slightly mocking.

[Etrius]

At the sound that forced it's way into Etrius' ears he woke and lashed out his arm at it in reflex, only to cut his cheek with the blade on his gauntlet. The sudden bright light and blast of cold air that hit Etrius next only worsened his sleepy mood. "Shyke, Tara!" he grumbled. Just because he was ready to wake up and fight at any moment didn't mean he enjoyed it. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wiped a drop of blood from his cheek. Putting his fists to the ground he forced himself up and looked outside. He met Tara's smile with a sleepy, sarcastic grin of his own. "Mornin' you crazy cat."

He crawled out of the tent and stood in the middle of the camp, letting the cold air wake him up. Breathing in the brisk winter air he felt it in his nose, his mouth, his eyes, and on his body. Funny, he could feel the cold everywhere except on the long scar on his bare chest. Then again, if he thought about it, it wasn't really that funny at all. Walking over to the large tree next to the tent, the tree where Tara had slept apparently, he grabbed the vest hanging on the frozen stump of a limb and put it on. He then shouldered the large scythe leaning against the trunk and wondered what would happen today. They would have to start moving eventually, of course, but he figured he might as well forget breakfast and get some practice in while he could. "And what's the little kitten going to do today, I wonder?" He said it to the forest more than he did Tara but he knew the kelvic would answer him. He also reckoned that Tara might not take too kindly to being called "kitten" and the thought of how she would react put an amused smirk on his face.

[Tara]

Tara glared at Etrius, obviously not sharing the amusement he was feeling. ”Kittens don’t murder humans while they sleep and kill the kelvics that are supposed to be guarding them!” she hissed in frustration. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was working, but working slowly. She stalked past Etrius and into the forest, her bow and arrows thrown messily over her shoulder. A good hunt was what she needed.

She crept into the forest, stepping lightly to avoid snapping a twig or rustling the leaves. She took the bow off her shoulder and held it in her hand, ready to aim it in a second if she noticed any animals in the forest. It was not long waiting before she saw a tawny deer walking through the forest, it’s tiny tail raised high in the air. Tara crept a little closer, stalking it like a cat. She drew an arrow an aim her bow at the deer’s heart. She pulled back the arrow and let it go, watching it sail through the air. The deer looked up at the sound but didn’t move fast enough. The arrow struck the deer in it’s shoulder and it tried to run but could not do much more than limp pathetically. Tara, irritated that the arrows missed it’s original target, ran towards the deer. The animal saw her and it’s eyes opened wide with fear. It started to frantically move faster but did not manage to get away fast enough. Tara was on top of it in a second and yanked it’s head back, messily breaking the spine. The creature fell to the ground bringing Tara with it. She got up and shook out her hands which were covered in deer blood from the messy break. She went and retrieved her arrow from the deer’s shoulder and stored it on her back where the rest were.


Tara turned round with a wide grin. ”I got something!” she yelled to Etrius. She picked up the deer’s legs and tried to pick it up and drag it towards the camp, but her strength was not nearly enough and she ended up dropping the legs and collapsing down, out of breath. She was pretty proud of herself though, usually she ended up shifting and catching a measly mouse or bird.

[Etrius]

Etrius had hit a dangerous chord with his remark. A chord that could get him hurt, it seemed. He watched her storm off into the forest with a smug grin on his face. Good, now I have some room to practice. He wielded the scythe in from of him with both hands and readied himself. He lifted the scythe above his head and brought it down in a downward strike. His swing was slow and awkward, and the blade, having not been positioned correctly, simply bounced off the ground. It was a terrible attack, but he knew he would get better with practice. He brought his weapon up again and swung it to the left in another wide, slow, and awkward stroke. The sheer weight of the scythe pulled him to the side and he had to let go and hold it with only his left hand to avoid getting knocked to the ground. He picked it up again and decided to try another downward strike. He got luckier this time, the blade sticking in the ground and gouging out a large piece of earth when he pulled it out. He sung it through the air for a few more minutes until Tara's excited yell broke his concentration.

Strapping the scythe to his back with a couple strips of leather, he began quickly making his way through the trees towards the direction of her voice. He arrived at the scene to find her sitting, out of breath, on the ground near a small deer. "The petch did you do to it?" The deer looked broken, as if some giant had bent the animal over its knee. He was impressed that the little kelvic could take an animal down like that. "Havin' a little trouble huh, princess?" he said, referring to how heavily she was breathing. The deer wasn't very big, so he figured he could probably carry it back to camp with some difficulty. He untied the leather strips and took the scythe from his back. He would need to take off the extra weight to make the job easier and less awkward to do. "Hold this." he said, handing the scythe to Tara. He grabbed the deer's front legs and positioned his neck near its body. Getting on one knee he picked the deer up on his shoulders. Tara helped him balance it before getting up. He felt the deer's warmth on the back of his neck and shoulders. It was heavier than he at first expected it to be, but he should be able to get it back to the camp before having to stop and rest. Gesturing at Tara, he began making his way back, walking next to her.


OOCSorry about the late and inconsistent posts. I'm having to work with some internet problems.

[Tara]

Tara glared at Etrius, not having forgiven him for the earlier comment. She did not take well to teasing comments, her nature being to have no weaknesses or at least seem that way. She shook it off, convincing herself not to pay mind to Etrius’ words. She stood up, not entirely recovered from her attempt at lifting the deer. Before she had a chance to steady herself a heavy scythe was thrust into her arms. She toppled to the side but steadied herself without too much effort. She made a short noise of discontent before taking a firm grasp on the handle. She dragged it along the ground, her light frame not tough enough to take the weight of the sharp blade.

Tara let out a breathless, mocking chuckle as she went to help Etrius steady the deer. ”Not as easy as it looks.” she muttered. She dragged the scythe along the ground as they started heading back towards the camp, struggling a little but trying her best not to show it. Once they reached the camp Tara carelessly dropped the scythe to the ground and pulled the deer off Etrius’ shoulder by it’s hind leg. She got a sharp knife out of her bag which was slung over her shoulder. She cut into the deer, severing a large chunk of bloody meat. She was about to offer it over to Etrius when she remembered humans couldn’t digest raw meat. She shrugged to herself and tossed the meat over to him. If he wanted it cooked he could do it himself. She tore out another chunk and began to eat, blood staining her mouth making her look rather feral.

Tara let out a long yawn. She had not slept much that night, having spent most of the time that Etrius spent sleeping tormenting his horse or wandering the forest. She had only slept maybe a bell or two. Tara curled up where she was, the bloody knife still in her hand. She twisted it a little, letting it glint in the early morning sunlight. A warning to the man sitting across from her.

…

Tara awoke half a bell later and she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She winced in pain and looked down at her hand. She had obviously lost her grip on the knife while she slept and the blade had slipped into her palm. When she had woken her fist had clenched, leaving a large wound. She let out a hiss and shook her hand out, splattering blood over the brown floor. Without taking much notice of Etrius she walked a little out in the forest and shifted. Her paw stung a little but she ignored it. She was not hungry but she was bored. She stalked through the forest just around the camp when she heard a familiar rustling sound. Her ears twisted back, locating the sound. It was coming from inside the tent. Tara stalked up to the tent and crept inside, spotting a rusty coloured mouse scampering around inside. She pounced and as soon as Tara had the mouse in her grip she sifted back into her human skin. She held the mouse tight in her hand and walked back out. She returned to where she shifted first and put her dress back on. Her sandals were still at the bottom of the tree; she had not bothered with them that morning.

Tara returned to the camp and sat down, letting the terrified mouse dangle by the tail. She let it scamper just out of her grasp before catching it again. She threw it in the air and caught it, and let it run over her arms in an attempt to escape. She watched the tiny creature struggle with a sadistic smile.

[Etrius]

Etrius caught the slab of meat that flew through the air at him. Forcing a ball of res to appear in his hand he ignited it and tossed it into the small pile of sticks in the middle of the campsite. He ripped a bit of meat off the slab and held it over the fire with his gauntleted hand to avoid burning himself. After a few minutes, he deemed the meat safe to eat and tore off a chunk with his teeth, chewed, and swallowed. A small glint in the corner of his eye alerted him and he turned toward Tara who was curled up, asleep, in a bloody mess. Despite how savage she looked Etrius couldn't help but crack a small smile. He busied himself by cleaning the dirt off of the scythe's blade. They would have to begin packing and leave soon, but that could wait until his companion had finished her nap.

He spent several more minutes cleaning the blade before looking back at Tara, only to find that she had disappeared. Walking over to the site where she had been sleeping he noticed a trail of blood leading to the forest. He picked up her knife and examined it. She had cut herself. Her blood has mixed with the deer's on the blade. The metallic smell filled the air and a haze dropped over Etrius' eyes. He held the knife close to his face and stuck out his tongue, about to lick the blood from the blade. No! He slammed the knife into the ground, resisting the urge for blood. He shook his head and the haze lifted just in time. Tara walked out of the woods with a small object in her hands. Sitting down at the spot where Etrius had stabbed the knife into the ground she began playing with a small mouse, the evil smile on her face putting Etrius on edge. "We should get moving." he told her. It would be best to leave before some other predator smelled the blood and came to try and find an easy meal.

[Tara]

Tara shot Etrius a glare but took note of his words. She flung the mouse off to the side. It landed with a thud but managed to get up, a little dazed. It shoot it’s head and scampered away into the forest. She watched the forest sway in the early breeze for a couple moments before getting up. She picked up her knife and was about to pick it up when she caught Etrius’ scent on it. She gave him a curious gaze before wiping the knife on the ground, getting rid of most of the blood. She packed the blade away and grabbed her bow and arrows.

She walked over to Iona and tied her bow and arrows onto her with a few small bits of rope Tara had picked up in the forest the other day. The horse shifted uncomfortably and shot Etrius a desperate look. She obviously did not approve of Tara travelling with them, not that Tara cared much what the horse thought. She barely took any notice of the creature’s discomfort. She then walked back to the tree she had slept in the night before and leaned against it. Etrius had plenty more things to pack up than Tara did and she did not give him any pity or help.

Watching Etrius pack gave Tara a little time to think about earlier. Why had he been at her knife? Was he planning on killing her or something? Scenes began to manifest in her imagination of a cold blooded, murderous Etrius but they did not seem real. She couldn’t imagine him murdering someone in cold blood the same way she could imagine most people, it didn’t fit his nature some how. In the end she just asked him. ”There a reason you were at my knife earlier?” she question bluntly.

[Etrius]

Etrius was rolling up the tent, having packed most of his smaller possessions in his bag, when he heard Tara speak. Her question hit him like a punch to the face. He froze, unable to move or speak from shock. How did she know he had held her knife? Did she see him or could kelvics just sense these kind of things. He gulped and turned to face her, trying his best to mask his nervousness. "Hmm? Oh I saw all the fresh blood and though you might have cut yourself. I went over and picked it up to check it out." He was telling the truth, or most of it anyway. He didn't like to think of how she might react if she found out about Him. But he was almost certain that she would not act favorably. "Speakin' a which." he said in an attempt to change the subject. "You might want to wrap this around your cut." He reached into his bag and grabbed a piece of cloth and tossed it to her. It was no bandage, but it would do.

She was still looking at him strangely and he feared she might pursue the subject. He turned and tied his tent into a tight roll and tied it to Iona. Grabbing the extra meat from the deer, he placed it in his pack and tied the scythe to his back. "We should get out of here." No good. His voice was still shaky. Shyke.

[Tara]

Tara narrowed her eyes at Etrius. She wasn’t sure he was telling her the truth, but she didn’t go into the topic any further. The answer would come out in time. Once Tara wanted to know something she found it out, always going to great lengths to find out what she wanted to. She caught the piece of cloth and wrapped it around her injured hand, not taking her eyes off the tall man. He was acting extremely nervous still. Jeez, if I was planning on doing someone in I’d hide it better than that she thought to herself, eyeing him.

She looked at him darkly as he continued to pack up, but figured she’d let it go for now. She shook her head and walked over to Iona. She crept up silently and dug her nails into the horse’s rump lightly, but enough for her to buck. Tara laughed as she dodged the horse’s hooves. She knew damn well that a kick in head meant certain death for her, but insisted on pestering the poor animal anyway. You’d expect a kelvic to be a bit more courteous towards other animals but Tara was all for equality. She treated animals she didn’t get along with the exact same as she treated humans she didn’t get along with.

Tara ambled over to the side of the horse and sat daintily on its back, her legs out to one side. Tara was not a lazy kelvic but when there was a ride she took it. Etrius would be fine walking.

[Etrius]

Etrius heaved a small sigh of relief. His secret was safe for now, but he could tell that she would want to know. She knew he was hiding something. He finished packing and turned in time to see Iona buck at Tara and hear her laugh. "Oi! You could at least be nice to our method of movement." As he strapped the last of his equipment onto Iona, Tara hopped onto the horse's back. The horse looked at Etrius pleadingly. You gotta put up with her, girl. Sorry. He stroked the horse face for a bit before untying her from the tree and pulling her along. He weaved through the trees, the horse following behind him with the girl on its back.

Where were they going again? Etrius couldn't remember. In fact, he didn't even think that they had even set a destination to begin with. He and his companion had sort of followed each other. Wherever they ended up, he was sure he would have to get her out of trouble again. It wouldn't be in vain, however; because he might be able to get a job or two. He sighed again. It had been ages since he had been in a real fight and his technique had probably gotten a bit sloppy. Then again, he never really had a technique to begin with. He just did what his instincts told him to do. He just fought. The duo continued their travels. He brushed his hand against the trees and shrubs that they passed, sometimes taking off leaves and twigs and dropping them, only to repeat the process once again.

Breaking off a particularly large twig he spun it around in his hand and flipped it between his fingers. It was weighty for a twig and still covered in the morning frost, although it was nearly noon. Feeling the balance of weight with his fingers he threw the twig at a tree in front of him. It fell short and far to the right, giving the impression that he had never even aimed at the tree. He slowed his pace, letting Iona pass him, and looked at Tara from the corner of his eye. She was sitting on the horse looking out into the distance. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. He knew that if she wanted to kill him and take his things she would have done so by now, but he also knew that she didn't trust him not to kill her yet either. Frankly, he didn't exactly trust himself not to kill her either, with the way He had been acting recently. Who knew, maybe she was only keeping him alive for protection and all this could change when they got to the next city. Only time could provide the answer to that.