Man Eaters Part 1(Flash Back)

[Kyra]

Timestamp: 12th of Summer 511 AV Where: The Wildlands Who: Alessa Night fell upon the Wildlands and bringing with it all the nocturnal creatures of the land. The moon mounted the sky and took it's place among the stars. The land was full of sounds from creatures of all sorts, every corner busting with life. The leopard kelvic, formally known as Alessa waited in the brush. Her sleek form laid still amongst the twigs and leaves under her feet, her golden eyes narrowed, frozen in place as they stared deep into the opening beyond. There on a dirt made path leading through the forest was an ox-drawn wagon carrying two passengers. The heavy steps of the ox had caught her attention and the animal's stench had already reached her before she found it's bulky mass slowly stumping through the man-made path. It had been a full season since the kelvic had been torn from her home in Ravok, and sold to a mercenary named Levuk. He wasted little time with his new slave and began training her at once to be a lethal killing machine. He never allowed her to change into human form, forcing her to stay as a leopard to remind her of what she really was. He worked quickly to remove all of her human-like feelings and habits, making her sleep in a cage and eat her meals off the ground. When he took her to the wildlands, she took easily to hunting, first small animals and then the larger ones. Levuk's plan had worked out so far, and now it was time to move into the next stage. He ordered his new slave to stay in the wildlands and attack any merchants or travelers that tried to journey through and drive them back to Sylira where he would be waiting to help them with their problem. Hidden in the bushes and keeping very still to hide herself, she could hear the passenger's talk and could almost make out what they were saying to each other. The new smells all came to her at once, the odor of the ox, along with the scent of the oils, leather and materials they carried, and the scent of what could be described as human lust. A closer view of the people as the wagon drew near, showed their openly friendly nature. They talked and laughed, even teasingly pawing each other, completely unaware of the danger they were in. The kelvic rose moving slowly at first and then faster, until she was racing towards them. She had to be quick if she wanted to catch them off guard and destroy any change they had of a strong defense. The ox became suddenly aware of her presences, but it was too late as she leaped into the air, the wind streaming through her fur as she landed on the back of the ox. Unintelligible sounds could be heard from the wagon as she dug her thick claws into the ox's back, hissing and growling she quickly bit into the thick, husky hide of the beast. The ox groaned loudly as it bucked and tried to throw the leopard off it's back. She continued to attack, the deep wounds on the animal's back were bleeding openly, a deep red stretched out and covered it's back along with her claws and teeth. A light whisper of metal caught her attention as something she would remember as a sword being drawn, causing her to turn her attention back to the frightened couple. A closer look, shown clear by the light of the lantern, at the man showed a balding head upon aging skin. His clothing was average, yet showed a bulky frame a bit larger than his limbs would suggest. He carried a sword at his hip and gauntlets across his wrist but he had no visible scars or marks from fighting which could mean that he wasn't a skilled fighter. He had only just drawn his sword with a shaky hand before the leopard had leaped off the back of the heavily wounded ox and pounced direction on him. Loud shrieks and screams surrounded the wagon as the woman watched helplessly as her companion was mauled right in front of her. The ox still moved about, bucking to try and free himself, suddenly turned sharply just before he gave out and collapsed on the ground turning the wagon over. As the wagon rocked violently as it turned over, the kelvic pushed her way pass the human's and into the cargo in the wagon to try to escape the failing wagon before she too was thrown off.

[Kyra]

The kelvic's body bounced as it hit the ground with a hard thump, and rolled into the high grass that covered the open field. Rolling onto her stomach, the kelvic shook off the faint dizziness from the fall. She coiled her body, ready to strike out again as she peered through the thick, blades of grass in front of her. The ox was down and no longer moving, with the cart turned over only a few feet behind it. The lantern that had been used to light their way through the night had fallen under the cart, the glass lid shattered as did the oils causing a fire to ignite. The flames burned brightly, violent heat waves soared as it quickly devoured the wagon. Luckily the man had be thrown clear from the wreck, and was unharmed. He scrambled to his knees, his hands slapping at the ground as he frantically searched for his sword. Blood trickled down his neck and left arm from the leopard's attack, the thickness of the armor he wore under his clothing had saved him from being fatally injured. Wounded, but still very alive, he pushed himself up from the ground. The muscles in his shoulder twitched from the pain, causing him to keep his arm close to his body, while he held the other arm out that whiled his sword. His beady eyes darted about, as he searched for his companion, and the leopard that had attacked them. His eyes widen and his mouth fell open when he finally noticed the burning cart and his companion lying motionless beside it. He could feel his heart pounding in pace with the throbbing headache he was experiencing, as he moved forward. His companion laid only a foot or two away from the flaming wagon, and just as he moved to rescue her, he noticed a rustling in the grass and the leopard's form coming into view. The kelvic moved slowly, her head down and her back slightly raised, as she stalked him. The fire from the burning wagon flickered in her golden eyes, bared fangs were exposed with the blood from the ox still fresh on them. Her claws were extended, digging into the ground, muscles tighten in her back and legs, as she readied herself for a few lengthy strides to close the distance between them. The man breathed deeply and took a few slow steps backwards. His hand shook nervously, a clinking sound from the sword, though barely a whisper upon humans, rang in the kelvic's ears and irritated them. The man was horrified and rethinking the rescue that he was about to attempt. The woman wasn't his wife, but a skilled business associate. He had met her only a year ago in the city and decided to take her on as his partner. The relationship had grown to a close friendship and even more over the year. However, she was not his wife and he wouldn't risk his life to save hers. She knew the danger of going into the wild just as he did, and no one could blame him for not sticking around to help her. Even if he wanted too, there was little he could do against a fearsome leopard. A deep growl from the kelvic forced him from his inner thoughts, and sent him racing back up the path from which he came. The leopard stepped out of the tall grass and onto the path, she looked down at the woman who still laid motionless at her feet. Her chest rose slowly as she took in the thin, dry air caused by the fire. Her heartbeat thumbed lightly, proving that the woman was still alive and only unconscious. This time Levuk's plan hadn't gone so well and she wasn't sure of what to do. The human had ran off and left his companion to die. However, she wasn't dead yet but it may have been better for her if she was. Luckily the kelvic had never killed a human before, and Levuk had only instructed that she scare them away from the forest. The leopard lifted her head and looked back to the trail. The other human was long gone now and she was left with a choice to make. She could save the woman, or she could simply leave her and let the flames or the forest claim her. The kelvic snarled loudly and spat in frustration, there wasn't much time to think and she had to act quickly. Reaching down, she lightly clamped her mouth around the woman's leather boot and began to pull her away from the burning wagon. A soft groan rumbled in her throat as she pulled harder, the woman's leg held firmly between her jaws, while the leopard continued dragging her back into the forest. Several bells later, and just as the sun began to rise, the woman awoke surrounded by bushes and a tall tree at her back. She blinked and moved her hands over her face as she tried to recall her last moments. She suddenly remembered it all as her memory returned in a quick flash, and realizing that she was still in the forest, the woman quickly sat up. She gasped and jumped a bit, when she noticed that she wasn't alone. Her brown eyes widen, starting curiously at the figure that rested beside her. Blondish, sliver hair fell upon milky white skin. Fierce eyes of gold peered out from beneath white silk, supply flesh upon limbs hugged and wrapped around a slender form. The woman was at a lost for words and found herself staring at the girl with her mouth open. Not only was she surprised to see a young girl in the forest, but she was completely naked as well. She could tell that there was something different about this girl, the animalistic look in her eyes made her seem almost feral if not intimidating. "W-Who are you? How did I get here?" After she had rescued the unconscious woman from the fire, the kelvic pulled her into the forest and hid her amongst thick bushes so that predators wouldn't easily find her. She then transformed back into her human form, so that the woman wouldn't be frighten when she finally awoke. She wanted the woman to return to the city as the rest had done, but she didn't see the need to scare her anymore than she already was. She didn't move from where she sat, or even bother to lift her head as she spoke, her lips hidden, eyes staring out over bent knees. "You should leave here, go back to your city....You are not safe here." The woman was appalled, and unsure of how to react. The girl's words were so cold and even a bit threatening. "It's not safe for either of us out here, we need to go and now!" The woman spoke in an authoritative voice as she reached for the young girl. Seeing the woman coming closer and reaching for her, the kelvic hissed, her body tensed up and suddenly, she leaped forward pouncing on the woman and pinning her shoulders to the ground. The woman hit the ground hard, barely having enough time to scream before the kelvic had pinned her down. The girl's eyes were wild, and the woman could now clearly see the amber gold that stared down at her, and the dark red stains upon full, violet lips. "A Kelvic.." Her voice was shaky, almost a whisper, and with this new realization brought a new fear of death "Are you mad woman? Do you wish to die!" The kelvic hissed, her hands tightening around the woman's shoulders, nails digging into the thin fabric and piercing flesh. A whisper upon the wind, steel tip impaling into wood, soared through the air just above the kelvic's head. She quickly pushed herself off the woman and back into the brush, her small body still low, knees bent and arms extended. She glared out into the opening, and to the left of where the woman still laid completely stumped by it all. A tall figure stood beyond the bushes, iron plates upon leather armor. He held a short bow tightly in his grip, and was quickly loading another arrow. "Not another step man eater. You move and I'll slay you where you sit."

[Kyra]

The kelvic hissed and scurried back further into the grass, anything to get away from the aim of the bow. Moving back again, her body bumping against a tree, feeling the cool bark rubbing upon her bare skin she quickly slipped behind the tree to shield herself. The armor-clad man moved closer, putting his back to the woman while keeping his eyes on the nude girl hiding behind the tree. "We've been looking all over for you. You're a sneaky one but you're not too smart are you?" A cocky smirk grew across his face as he slowly moved around, trying to get a better aim on the kelvic. She hissed again, moving around the tree to keep herself free of his aim. "Can you walk?" He asked the woman without looking back at her. Instead he continued to watch the kelvic, his fingers still holding the arrow tightly against the near string in case she tried to run or attack. "If you can, then you should get out of here and head back to the city." Suddenly the man froze, his mouth hung open as he coughed, blood dripping from his lips. His eyes seem to wonder off, he lowered his bow as he stumbled back, shock caused by the arrow that had been fired and driven deep into his neck. The kelvic's eyes widen, he was injured and with his attention thrown, she struck out from behind the tree and raced towards him. Closing in on him, she leaped onto him, almost climbing her way up his tall frame, as she drove him to the ground. She reached for the dagger at his hip and ripped it from the sheath, a growl like cry exploded from her lips as she drove the dagger into the side of his head. A loud scream drew her attention to the woman who was just now getting back to her feet. A look of horror stretched across the woman's features as she looked between the kelvic and the mysterious shooter of the arrow that took down the man in armor. The kelvic looked in the direction of the woman's horrified gaze and saw yet another archer. Her eyes focused in, the appearance familiar and something more seemed to draw her in. Long, flowing blonde hair, intense golden eyes, a fitting white gown hanging daintily upon a slender, feminine frame. It was almost a mirror image, not identical, but close enough for a stranger to confuse the two. This must have been the man eater that the armor-clad man had spoke of. The mysterious archer moved quickly, and keeled down beside the fall man. "Take what you can carry, and be quick about it." She said without looking at the nude girl as she started to loot the corpse. The young kelvic watched curiously, unsure of how to react or if she should simply hide. The archer continued without her, taking the man's coin pouch before removing his armor and tossing it aside. He was a tall man, wide shoulder with armor to fit such a frame. It was far too big for either of them to wear and so she tossed it aside and removed his shirt and dropped it at the girl's feet. "Here, put this on, you're drawing too much attention." The kelvic took the shirt and quickly pulled it over her head, the burgundy color seemed a nice contrast to her blondish silver hair and hung loosely on her tiny frame almost like a gown. The archer continued to check for more small items to take before she finally removed his quiver and took up his bow. "I hope you can use this." She said pushing the quiver and bow into the girls arms and started to full her away. "We must leave here, now!" The kelvic hissed in defiance as she tried to pull away. The archer had possibly saved her life, but she knew nothing of this person and didn't trust her. "Why do you fight me? There are more of them, if they find you they will kill you!" Her words rang in the kelvics ears, she had been ill prepared to face the man and more of the same could prove fatal. She was confused and didn't know what to do, Levuk had ordered her to stay in the same area. However in the currant situation doing so might result in her death or something worse. "Let's go!" The archer yelled, still pulling on the girl's arms. There wasn't time to think and she didn't want to die, so she decided to trust the archer. Taking a final glance at the woman who was now hiding behind the tree closest to her, the kelvic followed the archer away and deeper into the forest. There were no words spoken as they ran away, going deeper into the forest, much more so than the young kelvic had ever been. They continued on, running, slipping between trees and jumping over dead branches on the forest floor. She wasn't used to running for such a length and was quickly giving out of breath, and her legs and feet were already sore. Finally, she stopped and leaned against the nearest tree. Her hair, frizzled from the heat and damp clung to her body. Her skin was moist from sweat and dirt covered the bottom of her bare feet and settled between her toes. She breath deeply, her golden eyes narrowed, as she stared at the woman in front of her. "You look just like me...Why is that, and why was that man trying to kill me?"

[Kyra]

The young kelvic must have looked more than a tad disheveled in her condition, while the archer seemed unaffected by the world around her. She turned around as the young girl stopped, almost irritated that she couldn't keep pace. The woman turned her bow over her shoulder to make it easier to carry and stared back at the girl, giving her a look over. "I've been around a few years longer than you little cub, so it would be you who looks like me." The kelvic turned up her nose at the sly comment and the fact that the woman chose to taunt her instead of answering her question. She was hiding something, that much was clear, and the man she killed was obviously looking for this mysterious woman and had mistaken her because of the similarities. "You mock me? I fear for my life and you stand there mocking me?" The archer tilted her head, giving the girl a sympathetic smile as she walked closer to her. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She smiled gently, moving uncomfortably close to the flustered kelvic; who, if not for the tree behind her; would have quickly moved away. "You and I are alike, more than you realize." Her voice was calm, and gentle, completely different from the tone she had only moments ago. She reached up, allowing her fingers to comb through the girl's hair in order to get a better look at her eyes, or perhaps allow the girl to better see her own. "Our appearances are similar, but there is something more...Something deeper. Can you see it?" She moved her hands to cup the girl's cheeks as she brought her face closer and peered into her eyes. "Even our eyes are the same....Do you know what that means?" The young kelvic's eyes widen as the realization set in, and she pushed the woman's hands away from her face and slipped off the tree she had leaned against. "You're a kelvic.." Her voice was barely over a whisper and the emotion behind her words spelled out her frustration. The mysterious archer was a kelvic like herself, and one of the few she'd come into contact with. There was still a mystery surrounding this woman and why she was running from humans. Levuk had explained to her that kelvics were created merely to serve humans, if that was true then where was this woman's master? "Why do you pull away from me? I'm not going to harm you little cub, I saved you didn't I?" As time went on, the sun moved higher into the sky and shined even brighter. It's warming rays slipped through the trees and engulfed the archer into a silver crimson of glowing light. "You didn't answer my question..Why are there people chasing you?" The young kelvic was growing more irritated by the moment and her words came out almost as a growl. Still the woman remained calm and slowed her pursuit of the young girl, if only to keep her from running away. "We shouldn't fight each other, I am not your enemy." Her face seemed to turn sour, as she wrapped her arms around her chest, her eyes looking about and back to the girl standing several paces back. " I'll tell you what happened, and maybe then you'll see why you must help me." The girl narrowed her eyes toward the woman, waiting to hear what she had to say. "I'll listen...."

[Kyra]

The woman moved forward again and rested against the tree that she almost had the girl pinned against. Her eyes wondered up toward the clouds, the expression on her face was of pain and sorrow. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and the words to explain it all. Finally she looked back to the girl and spoke. "My name is Kiara. I lived with my master, she is a hunter and taught me everything I know. She had a husband, a merchant and a good cook from Syliras. They were kind to me, and they loved each other very much. We were happy. " The young kelvic listened to her story, still waiting for her to say something that would explain what just happened and who was chasing them."One day he went out to gather indigence and I went along to protect him. I had only left him for a moment, as I went to hunt for the meat that would go into the stew that he wanted to prepare. Only.." Her words trails off and she hugged her shoulders, looking down at her boots before attempting to finish the story. "When I came back, I found him lying on the ground...His throat had been ripped out by something...He was dead." The young girl's eyes widen as she listened. The woman's story reminded her of the night she awoke to find her mother and butler dead. The woman looked away, and brought her hand to her face to possibly wipe away tears. "I tried to help him, but I couldn't, and then...someone saw us. They thought that I had attacked him! So I ran, I had to get away. But I couldn't stay here forever, I needed to get back to the city and find my master and tell her the truth. That's when those men came, now they're hunting me." It was a moving story, and one the young girl had not expected. It seemed as if they really were just alike, two kelvics unfortunately cursed and torn from their lives. The woman breathed in, trying to calm herself before she spoke another word."Listen, I saved you and now I'm asking you to do the same for me. I just need to get back to the city, back to my master and she will know what to do." The woman moved forward again, hoping to gain sympathy from the girl. "Will you help me?" She felt bad for the woman, and could easily understand what she was going through. Even so, what she was asking could possibly be more than the girl could handle. It sounded dangerous and if there were more men like the one before, she could be sure that it was life threatening. Still the woman did save her life, and she had already followed her deep into the forest. Having come so far, it was pointless to look back any longer. "I'll help you, what do you need me to do?" The woman smiled, relief in her eyes and she would have reached out and hugged the girl, had she been close enough to do so. "I had a family once.." The girl suddenly spoke up. "My mother..and someone else that I cared about. But they were taken away from me, and now I'm alone." She was too ashamed to tell her the rest of what happened. How she was sold as a slave and was now the property of a vile and treacherous human named Levuk. She hated him, with all of her being she loathed him. Often she had thought about escaping, but didn't know where she would go, or if he would try to find her. "Do you see it now, we are so much alike, even more than I realized." The woman took a few more confident steps toward the girl and reached out, gently taking her hand. "I will repay you for this, I promise...What is your name?" The young kelvic smiled at her, unsure of what else to do in the situation. In truth she was glad to help, she would never wish what happened to her onto anyone else, and if she could help this woman, then maybe she could find the courage to help herself. "Alessa, I'll help you get back home, at least one of us should be happy." The woman's smile suddenly faded, as she looked curiously at the girl, and wondered what she meant. But before she had the chance to ask, she heard a noise, the sound of boots upon broken twigs and a new scent wisp into her nose. They were no longer alone.

[Kyra]

A lone mercenary slowly crept through the forest in search of the man eater. He had not yet spotted the kelvics, but they heard him coming, even smelled his scent before they noticed his figure in the bushes a dozen or so paces off. Following the archer's orders, the young kelvic moved and hid herself in the bushes opposite the woman, as they prepared to ambush the human. He continued on, completely unaware that he was being hunted. His shield was held close to his chest and the sword in his other hand had been drawn just in case. He looked around, hearing nothing beyond the sounds one would come to find common in the forest, and made as little noise as possible while he searched. The girl peered from behind the tree as the man drew closer, it was as good of a shot as she would get and she had only learned to use the bow some time ago and wasn't a strong shooter. Taking a deep breath, she removed an arrow from the quiver loosely hanging from her shoulder and placed it against her bow as she raised it in the direction of the man combing the trees in front of her. She focused her sight on the arrowhead and the target she wanted to hit, tightening the muscles in her arm as she fired. The arrow bolted from the bow, whipping through the air easily and slammed with a light thud into the tree right in front of the man. She missed, and the man quickly realized where the shot came from and found the girl standing close to the tree she had recently hid behind. Her eyes widen as they met with his, and she quickly reached for another arrow. The mercenary saw this and quickly rushed her, closing the distance between them. The girl started to panic, her fingers fumbling with the arrow and bow as she tried to ready it. She was too slow and the mercenary dashed forward, slamming into her hard and knocking her onto her back, the bow and arrow she held tumbled free and back into the bushes behind her. The girl hit the ground hard and was dazed for a moment. As she looked up, she saw the man moving in on her and turned her body and kicked at him as hard as she could. The man held his shield closer to block the kicks and found himself surprised at the girl's strength. Another hard kick slammed into his shield and sent him back a bit. Capturing the kelvic was going to be harder than he imagined, and just as he moved forward again, an arrow soared through the air and pierced his arm. A deep groan rose from inside him, as he spun around and reached for his injured arm. His eyes widen as he quickly searched the area looking for the shooter. He moved his head, eyes darting back and forward around the forest in front of him. Finally he saw her, a slender figure peeking out from behind a tree several paces away. Her long blondish hair flowed loosely upon her shoulder and back. Golden eyes narrowed, almost glowing, a flicker of light turning the embers into fire. "This is impossible..." His words were cut short as another arrow sprung forth and sunk into his abdomen. The archer lowered her bow and slowly stepped out, confident that the second shot would end him. "There are..two of them.." Shock stretched across his features as he dropped to his knees, settling into a lump on the ground. His fingers uncurled and released his sword and shield, his vision slowly became blurred as his body started to fail. The young kelvic pushed herself up as fast as she could and rushed him, bring her leg up and kicking him in the side of his head as hard as she could. The man wobbled a bit, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell over. The girl hissed, a low growl rumbled in her throat as he kicked him again and again. She was angry, hateful even and found herself completely disgusted with the human race. It was all gone now, her mother's gentle kiss, Jacques playful nature, everything was taken away and turned into nothing. Tears flowed from her eyes and stained her cheeks as she continued to violently kick him over and over. The archer raced over to her and pulled her away. She checked to make sure the girl was unharmed and pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly. " It's okay, it's okay...stop." She smiled, a concerned look in her eyes as she wiped away the girl's tears. "What did they do to you?" She leaned forward and gently kissed the girl's head. "That is why you must help me. These are bad people, and they will never leave either of us alone." The girl dried her tears, and calmed herself before she looked up with a newly determined fire in her eyes. "I'll help you, whatever I have to do." The archer smiled and hugged her again. "We'll help each other....whatever it takes." She turned her head and stared into the forest far beyond the trees and bushes that were in front of her and into the openly far in the distance. "There's more of them camped out by those huge stones. We'll take them by night."

[Verilian]

Kyra +2 Unarmed Combat +1 Dagger +2 Stealth +1 Intimidation +1 Running +1 Weapon (Shortbow) You Question My Logic? : If you have any questions as to the results of your grade, feel free to PM me. Lores: Ambush Tactic, Meeting a fellow Kelvic Notes: I am a fan of your writing style. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and I hope to see more. Good job, and keep writing! Notice As per the request of the Founders, threads cannot be graded unless your CS is up to date. This means you need to add threads to your thread list when you make new threads, keep your skills up to date, ledger, living expenses, ect. If you aren't up to date, you'll get a PM from me before i grade your thread. If you are up to date, disregard this notice.