Closed [Flashback] The Cold has Come

[Crypt]

The quiet strength in her voice is evident. Crypt is pleasantly surprised that such a small being could still display strength. “Why so? What have you done, or what has your colony done that you have to leave it?” Crypt questioned of her. “How are you going to prove that you are an adult? Is age not enough? Must you show that you are strong, you are not weak to them?” Memories of his childhood drift back into his mind, bringing a tear to his eye, which he wiped away with his left hand. He then was carefree. Even without Maras, life was a joy. His father was there, his mother was there, even his friends were there. And now they were either far away or... long gone. He shuddered for a moment, watching the female - Xiani - sit on the cold forest floor. “No trickster, but the Sea of Grass. My father... died when I was but a youngling of sixteen. I was distraught beyond measure, realizing that I would never see him again. I too was stricken with immense guilt, for if I had been there with him when the glassbeaks attacked...” Crypt paused for a while, overwhelmed by emotion. “He would have a chance to be alive today.” Crypt whispered. “I fell into a downwards spiral. I wallowed in the depths of my sorrow. At times I stood still for entire days, just staring at the Sea of Grass outside my pavilion. In an attempt to distract me, to bring me back, my uncle and mother taught me much. But still a part of me was gone, never to return.” Crypt shifted his back slightly on the tree he was leaning on, drawing his fur jacket closer to him. The night was becoming colder and the fire was dwindling. He picked up some wood and placed them in. “On my seventeenth birthday, I fled deep into the Sea of Grass, alone without anyone, even without Maras. For weeks I survived as if I was an animal. I drank deep from the streams, I hunted many with my own hands and teeth; I ate those through which Djed from the Valterrian flowed through. I delighted in the blood that flowed from their throats, their sumptuous flesh warm in my belly. I have drank more blood than you ever have, I have torn apart more flesh than you have. The men of the Diamond Clan still speak of a creature with black eyes with unrivaled savagery and speed beyond that of a normal man.” “I returned to my pavilion with this malady. I sought healers from the Opal clan when I first noticed it, but they could only do a little. They theorized that it was because my Djed, my identity, merged on some level with the ambient Djed and the Djed of the beasts I consumed, and it changed me continuously, even now.” “And so I left, with my mother's blessing. I have travelled around this world for about 4 years now, and have not found a complete cure. Even now, when I engage in battle, the instincts and savage strength I gained in my sojourn through the Sea of Grass come back sometimes. I then become a berserker.” Crypt smiled for a moment, the light of madness dancing in his pitch-black eyes.

[Xiani]

"In my colony, strength is valued above numbers. Why have many fighters, many of whom bring your colony down and weaken you, when you can have a small number of great warriors. Each flier has a job in the colony. If you cannot... contribute... you are not worthy..." Her head tilts in confusion, noticing the drop of wetness in his eyes. She had only ever seen similar upon the death of a dark-flier, by his many mates and younglings. Realizing that he feels at fault for the death of his father, Xiani's mouth purses, unsure of how to handle such an emotion. "You cannot change the path of fate," she says quietly, looking into the fire. His talk of consuming the flesh of the living startles her, having never known of a human to behave with such ferocity, as an animal. Hearing of his further strengths, she is almost admires it, wondering if he found a cure, would his strength continue? Or would he return to more natural abilities? " Why would you give up such strength and prowess?" Watching the man and his beast carefully, she shifts into a more comfortable position, prepared for further and lengthier conversation if it comes.

[Crypt]

“I see...” Crypt mused. “So you are trying to become stronger, to be a better fighter in order to be accepted back into your colony? Not a goal to be sneered at, but there are other ways to be useful to your colony. Pure battle does not a colony make.” Crypt reflected on Xiani's words for a few seconds, pondering her questions. He threw another piece of firewood onto the fire. “Aye. A pity, that is.” Crypt looked up at the night sky, partially obscured by the overhanging branches of the trees, watching the Moon slowly rise. “Strength and prowess? True, true... I feel unstoppable at times when I become that Beast. Yet I could not endure in such a state among men or women. Eventually warriors would hunt me down. I cannot bear to be always a beast. I abhor it. Even if I enjoyed it, this malady would be a serious handicap to when I am of clear mind. If I cannot find a cure, if I lose control, I do not know what I shall do. Will I become foolish? Will I become suicidal? I know not.” “The Moon rises; see you the beauteous light? It would be time for me to rest now, if I was still in Cyphrus. There is still many a mile to Avanthal. Do you travel by night or by day?”

[Xiani]

Xiani tries to understand a society in which being the strongest and most ferocious is frowned upon. Are they so caught up in their minds, that they do not appreciate their bodies? She sighs and looks around, admiring the stillness of the forest. Never can she remain so still and so quite for so long. Perhaps that is why his illness is like a curse; and what he means by another form of strength. Perhaps Xiani doesn't not have to defeat a great creature to be accepted. Perhaps... perhaps there is more that she can do to be a useful member of her colony. Standing and brushing off her fur, she smiles slightly. "I travel at night, and I am also traveling to the city of shifting eyes." She angles herself in the flickering firelight light to show that her eyes are more suited for seeing at night. "I have enjoyed our speaking, but I must be on my way. There is still much darkness for me to use." She shudders slightly and rubs her stomach, fending off the growl that was sure to come. Her eyes avert back to the North, wondering what wonders lie ahead, and how she will overcome them. Perhaps, strength and ferocity are not the only things that one needs to survive...

[Crypt]

He watched her face shift slightly, observing how it seemed to change ever so subtly in tune with her thoughts. It appeared that she was seriously contemplating. She turned to him, and he was immediately captivated by her dark eyes, by the flame-light flickering in the mirrors of her soul. He remained silent for but a moment, for she soon turned her face away. Crypt looked pensive for a moment before speaking to Xiani in a voice laced with a subtle, persuasive tone. “May I join you in your journey to Avanthal, if that is where you seek to go? I myself now sleep in the day; regrettable, for I usually sleep in the night, but... circumstances have forced me into this.” He patted Maras' head. The Strider of Cyphrus was already standing on his four legs, seemingly vibrating in his fixed position as his deep eyes, bright and alert, stared at Xiani. “The forest grows thick and tall, reaching into the very clouds it seems. It would not do to fly for long distances; you are young, and the flight would tire you out. Not to mention the extreme cold as you approach Morwen's domain. I will be walking there for most of the journey. So, will you join me?”

[Xiani]

Xiani considers the thought for a short while, resting a finger tip on her lower lip. She looks between the man and beast, deciding that they will not slow her down, and that their traveling together may give her the chance to learn something else from this stranger. She smiles and stands, offering a hand to the man as she had seen the slaves do when making a deal. "A good plan, to me. Company will be enjoyed." She shudders, realizing that she had not put enough thought into the sentence and hopes that it had gone across well. "I can?" She asks, holding a palm out to the beast and intoning its master with her curious embers. Her fleeting attention span had caught on to the appearance of the beast and she had come to wonder of the texture. It truly was quite marvelous to the wingless, able to take them great distances at great speeds and carry large weight. But, was there intelligence behind those deep eyes or is this beast just like any other prey?

[Crypt]

Crypt fought back a smirk as he watched her place a finger on her lip. It was a gesture he was accustomed to seeing on Drykas children, particularly the girls, when they attempted to convince an adult of something. On her though... The gesture was disconcerting. He grasped and shook her outstretched hand, signifying that the agreement was sealed. He gave her a smile. Crypt observed her withdrawing her hand, before stretching the appendage towards Maras, posing a query to Crypt. Analysing her speech pattern, Crypt determined that there was no inherent hostility; he nodded his head in assent. “You may, but it is Maras' choice alone.” The Strider cautiously approached her hand, sniffing the air between the two. He snorted once, and then began to lick her hand, nosing into her palm, his cold, moist nose causing a tickling sensation.

[Xiani]

Xiani was caught off guard by the creature tasting her, and withdrew her hand sharply, causing it to raise its head so that he further towers over her, as if he was also surprised. Tentatively, Xiani stretches out her hand once more. When the beast presses its nose into her palm, Xiani is suddenly filled with visions of speed and power, of running across flat, grassed land as breakneck speeds. Looking into its dark eyes, Xiani suddenly feels an unusual respect for the creature, its strength, its speed and... its intelligence. Yes, the longer she and Maras share eye contact, the more she is sure that he is more intelligent than anything she has hunted before save humans. Smiling slightly, she raises her other hand and runs it along his cheek, ebony fusing with ebony as she marvels at the texture, finally reaching her arm up to rub behind his ear, then back down, lowering both of her arms. How... strange... She admits to herself, stepping back to bring Crypt back into view as well, seeing now how the two fit together as any wingmates would.

[Crypt]

She's really like a little girl... Though I suppose discovering something new makes us all like children. Crypt watched as Maras continued to sniff Xiani all over, nosing at her wings. After some time, he whistled once. The piercing sound reached Maras' ears, and the noble steed trotted back to Crypt's side. He absent-mindedly patted Maras on his flank as he spoke. “The night is young, Xiani. Shall we walk?” He gestured to the northwest with his left hand.

[Xiani]

Xiani cannot help but smile as Maras noses her all over, tickling the less furred parts of her body with his stiff muzzle-whiskers. She opens her wing just slightly when he goes to sniff that, surprising him a little perhaps, as if he thought them to be clothing, as many do. The sound of Crypt's whistle is even more harsh on her sensitive ears, causing her to shake her head instinctively, then shudder in annoyance. She wonders how Maras, with his considerably keen hearing, stands having such a shrill noise used to call him forth. But, the sight of Maras leaning into Crypt's hand reminds her of the closeness of the two, and how each surely gives concessions to the behaviors of the others. When he motions for them to walk in a particular direction, it seems a bit more direct than lazily riding from air current to air current, sometimes adjusting if you get too far off course. Looking up at the stars to gauge time, mentally tries to calculate the distance that they can cover on foot before dawn, but grows weary, having not spent enough time walking on her own to guess the distance she could cover. Finally, she sighs and nods, beginning in the direction indicated. She stops at the edge of the fire's light, waiting for the man to hush his blaze, and picks up a long stick. Fleeting in interest as any Zith is, she is drawn to the length of wood and begins absentmindedly carving patterns into it with her sharp thumb talon. Walking alone will not satisfy a Zith's mind, so she has found something to pass the time.