A Night Swim (Open)

[Ulric]

Ulric grunted, rubbed his thumb over a too-dry palm as he looked at her. Hardy trunks vaulted and kinked over them, the dusk abuzz with a chitter of crickets, the muffled scurry of rodents. There was more to it, though. That sweep of jade eyes captivated him. The feral flutter of his chest came faster, until he thought his senses dilated, feeling the proximity of every stir of twigs. There was a rich, fusty whiff of fungi dispersing in lopsided wisps and caps, nearly vanished mounds of buds and their gradual sway, heavy carpets of loam over which he stood, reduced for the duration of this interlude to a bag of skin, gristle, and bones. That was subjugation.

Inevitably, his sagacity dissolved before this spill of moments, dredged up and then deserted. Brushed under the carpet to moulder and grow derelict, as he shivered the rough lapping. Those ridges of teeth were near, and though he’d invited this, he was vaguely discomfited. The jawed vice might clamp down at any instant, crushing his hand’s maze of cartilage or leaving him bereft of a finger.

And he’d never been deft at appraisals, either.

However, the panther didn’t seem like she’d risk a nibble. Maybe it was the leaden, meaty gorge in her sated belly, or a quibble of doubt, but she just licked at him as if devouring his essence. It tickled. He didn’t feel as if she’d try to savage him. He was confused, pulled in many ways by the grinding of atypical torsion. His knees felt weaker, deluged grist strangling the zenithed tundra of his cognition.

Ulric frowned, his thoughts fuzzy. Inhaling her musk, he reached out with the other hand, stroking the furred sweep of her jaw, and then scratching behind an ear. That was brash, but it felt right, somehow. There wasn’t any palaver in this, discarded thoughts limning the jerky passage of time. There was only the chafing of her tongue, the well of her eyes, and bathed in their light, his world ended.

Mirei eventually broke away, shifting back to the human form that wasn’t inherently her. Ulric returned to his casing of scales, snatching up the rag and instantly disregarding its presence, letting it hang lankly between his knees. He’d been deeply confused by this. His gaze peeled over the braids of leaves, trying to pluck out the flap of silky bats as she dressed. Hardly accustomed to such instants, he felt a jostling discomfiture at what’d just occurred. “You’re not a monster,” he brushed at his scalp. “You merely do what you must, as do I.” That was partly a deceit, though the words sprang easily to his lips. The yoke of his duty had pilfered that from him.

Ulric felt a stirring in his chest, an overpowering tilt of solitude caged by the trunks “Mirei, would you bide in these knolls forever? The rocks are barren.” 

[Mirei]

“Yes.” An immediate answer as his question was given no thought. Why should it? To her, simple answers were reasoning enough. “I would live the rest of my life as a panther within the wilds and never set foot in society again. There is nothing keeping me from doing so.” The smile she gave him was forced and grim. Such a decision was a sense of resignation for her, to give up on whatever humanity she had left and live the rest of her life as a simple beast. Watching this man she could tell that he was just as unbalanced as she was. It seemed neither of them could figure the other one out or even determine why they were drawn to each other. As an animal she was able to sense a person’s emotions but only when they were being broadcasted strongly. So she listened to Ulric’s emotions mainly in an attempt to figure him out better. “Why do you ask?” What does he want? A strange sense of hope began flickering in her chest, her heart beating faster. Will I finally belong somewhere? Does my fate lie with this man? Can I even trust him? For too long she had been alone. Even for the first few days after the death of her family she felt completely alone. The loneliness wasn't as strong then but now it was like a constant shadow, hanging over her like a set of chains that she had no hopes of breaking. Yet Ulric's very presence had already started hammering away at them even if he was unaware of it.

[Ulric]

Ulric regarded her, silently gauging the potency of her rejoinder, and then inclined his head. His gaze lowered to the scaled metal, and he plucked at a rusty twist of wire, abrading the flecks with his rag. There’s a firmness in her jaw, he mustered a grunt, intent on the fading embers. That’s told me enough. The ruddy flush conjured up visions of worms, twisting around a basket of cinders. They skewed, and raked like molten gold, but inevitably they’d wither. The inky pits of his eyes lifted, partly cowled by their sockets. Their depths wouldn’t relent. Xhyvas, bide with me, he bit his lip, thinking of his nebulous, resurrected deity. If it’s not too much of a bother, lend me your guidance, or whatever the shyke you do, anyway.

Elucidate me.

Not that he felt the presence, no jostling discord in the gray trunks. The bitter puddle eroded, leaving him as before. There wasn’t a way of knowing how the god’d respond, either. Probably smoke and mirrors, ashes and dust, he grunted, with a resentful shrug. That bleak turn of phrase just dissembled, reduced him to looking in jade eyes, and thinking of their potential.

Is this a fever dream?

Ulric pinched himself, forcing a wry grin. The skeptic wraith clove to him, left him to wonder. If this was the existence she’d chosen, could he speak otherwise? If he carried her in his wake, there was always the chance that she’d join the trundling, rattling wagon of souls, fettered to his vengeful lusts. If I drown the rivers in red, would she despair?

And yet, he’d risk it. 

“Mirei, you’ve a place at my fire,” he intoned, lazily brushing at the putrefying blanket of leaves. “I mean, If you’d like that. I can hardly speak of the hazards of that, of the gods that’d see me shackled for my brash intent, the suffocating zeal of my god. It’d mean peril, and the press of dirty, scheming lanes, but I don’t regret asking you for an instant.”

Harshly, he drummed his fingers over the folded metal. “There’s nothing finer than being feral, running when you want and doing not what’s expected of you, but what you want. The nights are long, though.”

Ulric fixed her with a stare, trying to fathom every shift of her shoulders, the posture of her knees. “Will you come with me?”  

[Mirei]

The forest went quiet around them. She assumed it was because dawn was fast approaching but some other part of her believed that the world was now hanging in this silence for their benefit. It was as if their meeting held some kind of importance that she couldn’t fathom. But did it really? Possibly, but she was one who believed in simple things. Gods, other deities, destinies, and miracles were all far from her thoughts and beliefs. Besides, it made life a lot simpler and easier. And look what happened when the gods had warred. The world is better off without them. Many would name her as a blasphemer for such things but she didn’t care. Let others think what they want. They held no sway over her even if they thought they did. She would kill a devote follower in his or her attempts to conform her just as easily as she would kill someone who threatened her life. And just like any other normal beast she would not feel any remorse about it. Was that why she was drawn to Ulric? She could tell that he had no intention of having her give herself up to whatever god or goddess he praised but he held no remorse for the things he’s done for that very same god. At the same time, the thought of going up against the many gods of this world held a strange sense of appeal for her. Not exactly fun but she would enjoy helping to cause them some amount of distress. Mirei stared right back at him, unblinking, standing straight with arms at her sides and head firmly held high. “Yes, I would very much like to join you.” A wry grin creased her lips and she went over to Ulric until she was standing right in front of him. With less than a foot of space between them she lifted both hands, one fisting as she rested it against her own chest over her heart while the other was settled with her palm flat against his chest over his heart. “Wherever you go I shall follow for I am now yours forever and always. And no matter what hazards await you, I shall always be at your side. But betray me and I will leave you helpless at the feet of your enemies.” Her words were indeed a promise, but they weren’t binding in any way. True they may be pointless since they held no magic or anything but it was her own way of showing that she was trusting him and would be with him for the rest of her life. After a few moments she lowered her hands and went back to the fire, which was now mostly a pile of ashes and blackened wood. She stomped on the pile a few times to make sure all the embers were out so that a second fire wouldn’t start and ravage the forest. Afterwards, she pulled on her cloak and hung her pack over her shoulder, holding the straps with one hand. “There is a cave near here where we can catch a few hours of sleep before setting out. Unless you wish to head out now?” she asked, head tilted to the side as she looked back at him.

[Ulric]

Ulric inclined his chin, absently plucking at the rag. He hadn’t guessed that she’d acquiesce with his entreaty. This left him slightly puzzled, though he tried to hide it from her regard. The shifting from flesh to brindled fur shrieked of something profoundly wrong, but he’d not judge her unduly. There was plenty of prejudice knit in his bones, but he’d skewed over sulfur, whiffed enough mysticism that her particular brand of idiosyncrasy was simpler to ingest. “That’s good, then,” he spoke bluntly, but she wasn’t finished. The gloom swelled as she crowded him, rippling from her pupils. Then she lifted a fist, making her pledge. There was feeling in it, but it also bounded hollowly. Ulric began to frown, but he turned it into a shrug. Though he rarely found himself subject to promises from another party, they didn’t hurt. Mirei was too feral, perhaps, to genuinely follow him, but she’d walk nearby, at least. That was as much as he’d ever ask.

“Unexpected vows preceding expected threats,” he snorted with genuine mirth, returning her grin. “Mirei, you just might be one of the few - and let me emphasize few - females I get along with. If you’d walk with me, then I’ll do the same for you. I’ll keep my kind at bay, and flay any intending you harm. I won’t sell you out, and in return, I trust that you’ll stay by my side.”

Though rarely affected by theater, he jerked the bearded axe from its moorings, laying his lips over its cold sweep of metal. “I swear by my faith in Xhyvas.” Then it was done. Though strangers yet, they’d struck a bargain.

May it only persist, Ulric pondered, realizing there were many who’d label him a breaker of oaths. That was their problem, though. He’d found the vehemence of accusations was always dulled by superfluity. Mirei had plenty of reasons to distrust him, but she wasn’t stupid, nor juvenile. This was her choice. While she scuffed the embers, then busied herself assembling her things, he draped the coat of scales over his chest, fussing with straps and clasps.

“I rarely sleep,” he replied. “In any event, I’ve got to return for the rest of my armor, my provisions. I’d like to see that cave, though. I’ve always thought them best delved by dusk.” Licking chapped lips, he waited to see if she’d guide him to its rocky confines. 

[Mirei]

OOCSorry for late posting. Got busy over the last week and couldn't get the time to hop on here but I'm good to post regularly now.

“Very well, then. Follow me.” Mirei turned and headed off along the river side, following the same direction the water flowed. They had to follow it for about a mile before heading into the forest and she kept a steady pace along the way, but not once did she look back to see if Ulric was still following or keeping up. In truth, she had the sense that he’d be able to keep up even with his limping gait so she pushed on but never shifting the pace slower or faster since there was no need to. It didn’t take long to cover the one mile of following the river and from there she led him into the forest. With the trees and shrubbery so dense and foliage covering every inch of the forest floor it was obvious there was no path to follow, or if there was one only Mirei knew where it was and could manage to follow it. Their trek led them deeper and deeper into the forest where the canopy started to thicken and darkness consumed any existing light around them. There was still enough for her to see though but she stuck closer to Ulric so he could see her since he couldn’t see in the dark like she could. It wouldn’t be good if they got separated and lost so soon after striking up their partnership. “Not much farther,” she said after another two and a half miles of walking. And soon enough they were at the entrance of a cave after a short trek down a steep incline. The entrance was partially covered by vines and bushes but easily passable without much trouble. Mirei pulled the vines aside and let Ulric precede her into the cave, which had a shallow incline and then leveled out. Though upon first entering the cave started as a twenty-foot tunnel and then opened up into a fairly wide cavern with a few stalactites and stalagmites here and there. Patches of moss grew on the hard ground along the walls and several ledges lined them as well. “Watch your step, there’re a few lip cracks in the ground and loose rocks. But this is the place. It’s nothing special but it’s certainly desirable as a den.” She spoke from experience and animal instinct having scouted hundreds of caves in the past for the possibility of taking one up as a permanent den herself.

[Ulric]

OOCNo problem!
Ulric fell in behind Mirei, faintly jangling his scuffed heels passed over the undulating knolls. There wasn’t much to look at, really. The lifting of her spine was his only distraction. That’s right, he grunted irreverently, partly fixated on the rhythmic spill of her cloak, the way it shifted. That’s right, fall in a trance, why don’t you? The instant passed.

Taking irregular, jouncing strides, he forced his way to her shoulder, remaining slightly behind as he’d have to depend on her for any further guidance. This didn’t seem like a time for his jibes, so he just clamped his pair of chapped lips. Rushing water nearly immersed the fitful chittering of rodents, tricking an unvarying din into his head. Swells glowed jade, ruptured by black, jagged slivers.

Upset by a jumble of boughs, needles, and thick sap, the crows dispersed, seeking raggedy diversion.

Ulric trudged over slimy, leafy blankets, leaving a trail of cracked twigs snap. Idly flanked a juniper, his palm stripping a string of berries that he let fall over bundled boulders. This wasn’t a terrible trail, though you couldn’t get quite near the current. Trunks jostled, knotting their tubers over the sheer, muddy lip like so many ropes. They pressed thickly, festooned by brambles. 

Eventually, Mirei guided him down the river’s pearly deluge, stalwartly venturing into denser thickets. Ulric figured it wouldn’t matter, but when it grew dimmer, he found himself nearer to her. Infrequently he followed the hushed, tiny noises more than his dwindling vision, reaching for her elbow once, then retracing his grasp. Already, a kernel of reliance was forming. The thought made him scowl. Though he’d cuffed his way through the trunks shortly before this, her effortlessness left him stewing in thinly bubbling inadequacy. He’d always liked being on his turf, and now he wasn’t. 

But jealousy was fickle.

And it departed.

Ulric stooped, and twisted around the hanging boughs, wanly grimacing at the jab of horrid needles. The cedars would always droop at his face, forcing him to slap them before they scraped over the ridge of his jaw. They irritated him more than singers, he decided. Then they halted at a gaping maw, though he didn’t see it rightly. There wasn’t much for him to make out, just writhing shadows, ringed by a gloomy disorder of shapes, fissures, and imagined bombshells. Mirei practically had to propel him through the rocky pillars, all garbled by vines, her prudent counsel garnering a self-effacing snort. “Empty prayers are probably more use than my eyes,” he grumbled lightly, slightly stumbling as he clumsily, gingerly felt around the cavern. The walls were dry, though bearded in pieces by moss. There was a crackle of leaves.

Abruptly, there was a smack of metal, a shower of sparks. Flinty, these rocks, he grunted, lowering his axe to puff on the barked fibers in his palm. They took a bit to ignite, and he hacked when the first laces of smoke plunged up his nasal passages, tossing the tiny flame on a clump of leaves. The glow was weak, but it sufficed. “It’s not such a bad cave,” he judged. “I’ve lived in one before, and it was smaller, colder, and far wetter. That was partly because it rained every petching day, which was why we’d crawled there in the first place. There was also the skeleton of a bear, if you can believe it.”

Ulric glanced at Mirei, or rather the blur she’d become, cuffing the smoke from under bleary lids. “You’ve stayed in dens before, haven’t you?” This was part query, part speculation. Then he gave a shrug. “I’ve got nothing against caves, but I’d imagine it’s difficult to finagle a bit of wine. Or rather, a lot of wine,” he grinned teasingly. “Y’know, the mongers of unsavory hearsay, rumor, and insinuation say skin changers can’t hold their liquor.” 

[Mirei]

The dim firelight dispelled some of the shadows of the cave, allowing both of them to see the confines and details better. She was already on the far side of the cavern, facing away from him as she got a better look at the cave walls and ledges. Some of them looked too small and others seemed risky to even put weight on, but the rest looked like they would support her just fine in either form and even be good as hiding or lookout spots. “I have no reason doubt you.” She turned and looked back at him. “I’ve come across my fair share of skeletons. It’s not strange to find such things in a cave.” Looking back at the ledges, she studied them a bit more before finally turning away and returning to Ulric. Eyes blinked a few times as they adjusted from darkness to light, pupil’s dilating like a cat’s would. Mirei’s head then cocked to the side at Ulric’s question. “Yes, when need be. Or if I can’t find a den, then I’ll take to the trees where I can and sleep there.” She spoke so simply but only because she lived out in the wilds with such regularity that it was normal for her to seek shelter in trees and caves. Eyebrows drew down then as he got on to mentioning wine and the rumors that Kelvics can’t hold their liquor. In the end she just shrugged. “It might be true for the majority of us, but I’ve met a bear who could certainly hold it, a lot of it. Since I never drink it, I can’t. Besides, I don’t really care for anything except water. I prefer to keep my instincts unhindered because someone like me never knows what kind of trouble they’ll run into or when.”

[Ulric]

Ulric listened, nudging twigs toward the untidy bundle of leaves with the toe of his right boot, noticing in spite of the haze that there were tiny slivers of bone among them. These he couldn’t distinguish, but he expected they were from rodents, or even birds in a pinch. Though distracted, and still partly blinded, he figured her rejoinder was a knee-jerk. That need for explanation was quite endearing, he felt. The majority of his departed comrades would’ve japed, slugged him in the jaw, or merely snarled for him to petch off. That being considered, any frankness only left him distrustful.

Querulously, he regarded Mirei, separating the flesh of her neck and faces from a fringe of shirt. The pledges they’d made were ingenuous only in their provision of vengeance for betrayal. That was simple enough, but being guided here by a kelvic wasn’t entirely settling. “Troubles, troubles,” Ulric repeated, half-sneezing from the damply smoldering leaves. They were irritating him now, so he glared at their glow and sidled further into the cavern, tracing his palm over a ledge.

“They’ve found you before, like any of us,” he grated. “There’s a tale behind your scars, I’d wager.” Though he couldn’t glimpse them in these stony bowels infested by stalagmites and the drip-drip of chalky limestone, he’d a recollection of jagged lines sketching her skin.

Ulric disliked any kind of discretion, so even if he’d realized she didn’t care to speak of them, he didn’t cringe from venturing the query. There mightn’t be a cheeky retort if he’d figured her right, but even if she brushed him off, he’d have shucked another kernel of understanding. “The wilds may be what you like, but you learned this tongue from us. There has to have been a time when you weren’t bedding down in caves, or rambling through the forests for your quarry. There is half of you that isn’t animal, half of you that won’t ever belong. There’s a reason you’re out here, and that’s likely because one, or many of us did something to you, something you can’t ever forget.” Emphatically, he jabbed a finger at her.

Then he sighed, deflating any fervor that’d infused his voice like an accusation. “That’s how it usually goes,” he admitted, unsure if she’d share anything with him, or push him away.

Vaguely, he’d the sense they were playing a game.

[Mirei]

OOCSorry for really late reply. Had a lot of stuff come up and got really busy. I still am for the most part but I'll respond whenever I can.

By they way, I'm really enjoying where this is going. I can't wait to further the story.

Head tilted to the side as she pondered his comment about troubles, wondering what he meant by it. She didn’t ask though, instead just shrugging it off and deeming it too much effort to try and figure that out. Admittedly, there were some things that Mirei had no desire to put much mental effort into. She knew what she knew and could generally figure out things that pertained to her life, and that was enough for her. Silently she watched him move further into the cavern, studying any mannerisms he might have and the tension of his body. She could tell that he wasn’t entirely relaxed with her around but that was the same for her with him. They may have just made a pact but she was still a little wary of him, unsure of his sincerity. Still she saw potential for their partnership and was rather interested to see where it would take them. She was about to ask if he wanted to get going now when he spoke up again, this time touching on a very sore subject. Immediately she froze, her whole body tensing up. Images rose up from the darkest pits of her memory as he went on with his reasoning about what she knew and could do. Soon a deep rumbling started up and it wasn’t hard to figure that the sound was coming from Mirei, that she was growling. It was obvious that she had no desire to talk about the scars on her arm, about how she got them. She knew he would ask about them sooner or later, but she hadn’t expected him to ask so soon. “A man murdered my parents and sister by setting our home on fire while we were sleeping.” Her voice was strained with tension and every syllable accented by her growling. She told him a half-truth, preferring to keep the whole truth a secret for now. Mirei didn’t trust him enough for that yet, but one day she would tell him, if they were still together. Her hands had been curled up so tightly over the short amount of time that they were bone white by now. It took her a few minutes to relax enough to uncurl her hands and work feeling back into them; or, at least, the right one. There was a resigned look on her face when she looked at her hands and saw thin rivulets of blood trailing from four small punctures in both palms. The left was actually worse than the right since she had no feeling in it whatsoever, so she had no way of knowing how badly she was injuring herself. With a sigh she licked at both palms to clean away the blood and stem the bleeding. When she was done, she looked at Ulric again and nodded in the direction of the cave’s mouth. “We should probably get moving. It will be dusk soon.” Her voice was quiet now, deflated like his, but a little raw from the growling. She said nothing more as she waited for him to come closer before putting out the fire and dispersing the timber, lessening the chance of another fire starting up. Then, she turned and started off, slowly heading on her way out of the cave and back into forest but not at all checking to see if Ulric was following her.