Beware the Puma (Open)

[Renalee]

When Rothyr asked about what her prey had been Ren grinned. Now this was something she could understand, unlike the awkward handshake which she hurriedly broke. “It was a boar. Young one. Couldn’t have seen more than two Seasons. Her tongue darted to wet her lips. ”Tender meat and brittle bones. Was a good runner, though.”

When the man spoke about his clan it was easy to see that something was weighing him down. His voice grew quieter but graver and his expressions darkened - shadows of memories crossing his eyes. As he made to explain with a few chosen words, the reason for the change in his demeanor became apparent. While she had been to young to really understand the death of her mother of feel its full effect Ren had witnessed what it had cost her father and the way he had seemed to age faster than even the Kelvic as the Seasons wore on and he was forced to continue living without his loved one. Loss could cripple the man with more finality than any weapon forged by humans.

Thus when Rothyr made to change the topic the girl allowed the shift gracefully and without commenting on it. “I have yet to see any knights out here. I would imagine them staying mostly around Syliras. This is where I’m headed actually. I’ve always wanted to see the city. I set out from Ravok at the end of Spring.” Her hands moved behind her back, the wrist on one held in the other and she swayed slowly back and forth on the spot, considering her next words. “If you’re headed back to Syliras we could perhaps partner up and travel together. There’s more game to be caught by two hunters.”

[Rothyr Windbourne]

"Interesting, from the tracks I read it seemed bigger. I suppose it was a simple mistake. Fine kill, Kelvic, at any rate." He said, commending the puma for her skill and her kill. He could not be upset about it. Good targets were becoming more and more scarce, he had not noticed he had near reached Ravok until Renalee said something about it. This was not good, the food he ate and the little coin he occasionally made he got from hunting in the wilds. Unless he took the Kelvic in that would be the first good money he'd made in a day or two, but he felt that would be in bad taste. Besides, she seemed kind of nice when she wanted to be, if not brash the rest of the time. He could use more friends anyhow. What could it hurt?

"Aye, that sounds fine, I welcome the company. Maybe with luck we'll find something out here. Game is growing scarce it seems, lately. Although, do try and leave the hide intact, if it's not too much trouble," he said, "I do have to try and earn some kind of keep."

[Renalee]

Ren grinned when the Drykas complimented her on the kill of the boar. Those words only had value when given from one hunter to another thus the Kelvic could really appreciate them. “Thanks,” she declared brightly, tongue wetting her lips as if she could still taste her prey.

The girl was glad when Rothyr accepted her offer to travel together. It wasn’t that she was doing badly on her own, not moving quickly enough or not having enough game to hunt. Far from it. However, it had been a while since she had travelled with somebody and she thought she could appreciate the human’s company. He seemed like a decent enough fellow, when he wasn’t waving that axe of his about.

“Do you usually travel through the wilderness or do you stick to the roads?” Ren herself avoided the latter, having learnt the lesson about slavers caravans the hard way. But she thought that if she stuck with the man and avoided shifting unless they were hunting she should be fine. They were nearing Syliras in any case, and wasn’t the city supposed to be one of the safest places in the region?

“As for the pelt - don’t worry. I can make a clean kill if I have to. Just don’t ask me to skin anything, because that will ruin your chances to sell it for sure.”

[Rothyr Windbourne]

"I will take the roads a mile or so out of town, and then take to the deer trails off the main road to find prey that way. It's easier for Windlass to navigate through that way," He said, patting the horses neck and leaping nimbly back into the saddle, "Very well, I can skin a kill well enough, it's no trouble."

He readjusted in the saddle a bit, and loosened his bow in its holster on the saddle. If he was lucky, he'd get a chance to use it later to make a kill, and bring something home. Unlucky, they'd find nothing, or worse, find something more deadly than they. He was confident in their abilities, though. After all, what could be more dangerous than a puma Kelvic and a Drykas hunter?

"I have an idea, miss Renalee," he said, removing his tunic, and drawing his knife. A good kill is worth only what you make of it, and hadn't his axe been fashioned of a deadly beast's beak? While some people will pay much for a deer hide, or some meat, some will also pay for trinkets, claws, bones, and other things that can be made into tools or weapons, so he came up with a daring, if not foolish, plan, "What predators are local, that you know of? Ones that might come running at the smell of blood?"

[Renalee]

“Windlass.” The name rolled off Ren’s tongue, sounding a little strange at first. “You Drykas value your horses. You treat them as part of your family,” she said in a low voice, a thoughtful expression on her face. “That is good. It’s right.” Her eyes rested on the animal and she wondered, not for the first time, how much her desire to bond was a trait of her own race and how much it was the honest wish of the animal she was. She was quick abandon this train of thought however, finding she had a hard time following it.

The Kelvic observed as Rothyr climbed in his saddle again and went to retrieve her belongings. It seemed like it would be time to start hunting again soon. She returned in a matter of ticks, straps of her backpack held in her hand. “There’s plenty of beasts that would be drawn to the scent. I know there are others like me around - other mountain lions. I’ve caught the smell of bears I’ve listened to wolves howl at night. And I’ve heard of others - monsters.” If she wasn’t mistaken this human didn’t exactly want to hunt deer and boars. He had something else in mind.

“You seem confident in your abilities. Do you think you can take down a monster?” Ren was sizing him up, as if she was calculating his skills and comparing them to those of a mysterious creature. “I will help you hunt something that you can sell, even if that is not usually my way. But I won’t fight or harm another wild cat. You’ll have to set your sights on something else.”

[Rothyr Windbourne]

“Aye, that's her name. We've been together for awhile now, since the beginning of Spring,” Rothyr said, patting the mare on the neck, “I suppose we do, well, it comes natural really. We couldn't live without our horses. I know I couldn't, especially not without Windlass. She's all I've got, really. We look out for each other.” He put his fingers through her mane, and she shook her head with a snort and a whinny, adding her own piece to the conversation. He didn't know if the man he had killed that rode her was chosen by her, and she wasn't Sungold, the strider that chose him that he could get his windmarks, but they adapted and worked well together. Circumstance makes teams of us all. Rothyr hoped what he had in mind would work in their favor, and he and the puma might make a decent hunting party.

“Think you can hold your own against a bear?” He laughed, and started drawing the blade across his chest to bring blood, on the parts that weren't windmarked. He didn't cut so deep as to wound himself, but bring a few nice trails of blood. “Here's my idea, I'll see if I can't bring in some kind of beasty with my blood. I'll lay on the ground and pretend to be wounded, and if things get hairy I hope Windlass will drag me out,” He sheathes his knife back on his belt in the small of his back, “Then, we could team up on whatever shows up. I've plenty of arrows. You're quick, so we should have little trouble.”

“That is, if you're up for it,” he grinned, issuing the challenge to the wild cat, “The meat I'll leave for you, I've got plenty to eat. And I won't take any wild cats, for your sake.”

“In regards to monsters, I don't know if I could take one myself, even with Windlass, but I figure together we might be able to pull a bounty,” he said, stretching his arms to get them limber, “So, shall we begin?”

[Renalee]

As she observed the interaction between horse and rider a certain sense of happiness settled over Ren. Ok, perhaps there was a little bit of jealousy too. She hoped that one day she would be able to share a bond that was just as special as the one the Drykas seemed to have with his mount. She wonder how the connection between them felt, and if it was anything similar to the bonds Kelvics made. It was probably a little different.

“A bear?” If Renalee was surprised she didn’t show it. She had been right about the hunter’s intentions after all. “If you put that axe of yours to good use I’m sure we will manage. It looks rather sharp.” A she was eyeing the formidable blade the movement of the man’s knife in her peripheral vision drew her attention. The girl jumped when she saw it being drawn across the Drykas chest, bringing blood to the surface of the now cut skin. She hadn’t really expected him to go to quite such lengths. Then again he had asked about the effect of the smell of blood. And Ren certainly wasn’t volunteering some of her own.

“A lot of things could go wrong with your plan,” she said thoughtfully. “And it all depends on what we draw out. But as long as we have each other’s backs I don’t see why we shouldn’t manage it. Unless it’s a monster of course.” Ren looked rather skeptical at those words and lifted her shoulders briefly in an uncaring shrug. The chances of it being a monster were, if not nonexistent, slim at best.

“When I shift I won’t be able to communicate with you with anything else other than gestures.” Humans were rather inconvenient in that regard, but the feline ‘language’ was a graceful, beautiful and complicated thing - it certainly wasn’t for everyone. “I will still be able to understand what you say, however. So if you need help just scream.” The girl grinned at that, something decidedly catlike in her expression.

With those basic instructions out of the way Ren hurried to take off her tunic and return it in her bag. Not a tick later the mountain lion stood at the spot where the girl had been, looking up at Rothyr to see how he wanted to proceed. She kept a careful eye on Windlass too, in case the horse had been spooked by her sudden transformation and was about to deliver a heavy hoof to the cat’s head.

[Rothyr Windbourne]

“Now don't tell me a fearsome predator like you will jump at the sight of blood,” He laughed, seeing Renalee jump, “I'll use the ax best I can. She's a fine weapon, and should have no trouble biting a bear, or whatever else may come our way.” The ax was made of the bone and beak of the Glassbeaks, the most feared predator of Cyphrus, and this weapon in particular was made of one Rothyr himself had killed. He won't brag about it, it was most definitely luck after all, but he was still proud of the kill. His father crafted the weapon for him.

“Of course things could go wrong with the plan,” he said, “That's all plans, particularly this one, that involves dangerous creatures that haunt the minds and sleep of people who should know better, such as us,” he laughed, “The only reason I brought it up is because I'd pray you had my back,” he laughed again, “And we should be able to manage it ourselves, because the only other alternative is death.”

“I understand. If Windlass doesn't come to drag me away, simply aim to kill the creature, don't risk saving myself and going hungry. I won't ask that of you,” he said, growing serious, “I should have no problem keeping myself from death, but nothing is certain these days. However, if you find yourself in trouble, I'll do what I can to pull you out. Deal?”

He waited until she returned to nod at her, and rode off for the thicket. He chose the area with the most underbrush, thinking it ought provide Renalee with the most cover, before he acted as best he could to seem like he bumped his head and fell from the saddle. He rolled on the ground after his horse, smearing his blood as much he could as little flowed, and lay there face down with an eye open, groaning quietly looking for any predators. He lay face down, though, so he would not be able to see as much as Renalee...