Take Me Down (Closed)

[Aello]

Fall 3, 512 AV Muddied irises sailed over gently sloped lobes. Leaves rustling in autumnal breeze. Their crenulated edges tearing at her skin as though they were sharpened teeth, mirroring the thorns upon whose serpentine vine they crawled. Reaching for her legs alongside the gnarled roots which bound the hardwoods to uneven forest floor. Parched soil glowing ominously in the light of moon's silken silhouette. The soft sparkle cast by silver stars as baby's blanket gave way for navy blue. Blistered soles slipped into the soil, leaving hazed indentations in their wake. Partial prints that offered dwindling connection between the huntress, and that she had left behind. Several slumbering bodies, huddled closely together to ward away as much of the cold. But even so, the sensation mustered, and settled into their travel weary bones. Aello had no mind for such matters, however, as she crept through the forest. Weaving her way in and out of the line of trees, in search of food. Her fist tightening around the grip of her father's old bow as she kept her breathing even, and continued along. Easing her form over a rise in the terrain, before it dipped back down into lulling valley. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," the huntress mouthed as she kept her eyes peeled, hoping it wasn't long before she spotted something, no matter how small. OOCThe people she left behind are the assassins she has with her on quest. We shall not be using them in this thread. But... they're there.

[Piraen Saneka]

Pain. As a kelvic, one would think Piraen was used to such a sensation. Surely, being from a race known for its servitude and slavery, hardiness was ground into his blood. He should be strong, taking pain in stride--or, in his specific case--glide. Yet, the bird found himself wincing every time he moved, still agitated from his last run-in with hunters. Granted, the shooting pain had diminished since he had gained the wounds along his wings. Still so, even preening was a task the Kite wished to avoid. Pi sat on a branch about a fourth of the way up a tree. His jet-black eyes examined his right wing, taking notes on the condition of the four gashes along both sides. Gingerly, he slid a misshapen feather out from near one wound on the inside of his apendage. Stop it, He commanded his body, attempting to pull a "mind over matter" trick on his nociceptors. It really doesn't hurt. OOC : So sorry this reply took this long; I sort of lost my mind a bit the other day. Won't happen again, pinky-promise! EDIT: Also sorry for the short, content-lacking post. I couldn't really think of much to say.

[Aello]

The huntress' feet glided over fallen debris. Twigs whose misshapen bodies curled, like gnarled finger beckoning her closer. Their wizened brown edges curdling against the remnants of sun's heat. Leaves, whose edges had torn away from central stalk. Brown crisplings, which crawled over the forest floor, crunching whenever one of the smaller entities dared to brush. Her breath held against her chest, trapped within the confines of her lungs. It was as though she rationed it, releasing only half of her hold before sucking a fresh batch in, so as to limit the rise and fall of her belly, and the sound she produced as she tread through the darkened forest. Her eyes kept peeled for any sign of animal tracks, although, as with many chimes before, the moonlight seemed to excavate none. Sighing, Aello resorted to her auristics, having given into human weakness; inability to live her pitiful life when there was little to no instant gratification. Vaporous tendrils of various shades seemed to sprout from the world's core. Illuminating that which until only moments before, had been cast in shadow. The colors allowed the girl to sense many things, but even so, the only life in the forest seemed to be that found in its foliage. An endless wave of trees. Dismayed, the girl forced her magic to jump. Auras leaping from one area to the next, scouting farther and farther out ahead, until they settled. Happening upon a bird perched upon a far off limb. Outstretched through cooling air, as though reaching for something long lost. The colors shimmered ominously, marking three slender lines along an unfurled wing. One which Piraen was preening. It seemed to the girl he was doing more harm than good, but who was she to say for certain, being so far away and not of their kin? Nonetheless, it was the first sign of animal life the girl had seen for quite some time, and it was enough to propel her onward, towards him. Within a few chimes, the aurist had closed the distance that had once rested between them, so that she now stood a few paces away from where Piraen had chosen to groom. Her muddied irises rose from a bed of earth, to feathers blackened by night's blanket. "Hello," Aello whispered into the night air, before pausing a moment. "Creature of injured wing." She fell silent a moment as she tilted her head to the side, allowing her long, chestnut colored hair to cascade down the length of her shoulders. "Arrows, wasn't it? Of the hunting variety. Cheap make," she thought, as she listened to their whistling through the air. Took note of the obsidian colored points which were nestled in the corner of his aura, as though they were still shooting, or perhaps, had already fallen and met their mark. "Lucky shot, more or less..." For a time, she fell silent as the wind tousled her hair, and rustled his feathers. Forcing them to puff a little, as though he were trying to bulk up and impress. But who, when there was no one left to truly see? "Picking at it isn't going to help," Aello whispered. "At least sense would say it's likely to lend more of a bleed." OOCIt's quite alright. Also, I'm not sure if Aello has ever seen one of Piraen's kind before, hence the term "creature."