Strangers Like Me (Sama'el and Co.)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

In the uncertain terrain, Sama'el could not be as quick as the nimble leader, but he would not leave Bigarren behind. The Strider was not bonded to him as Dohaina was, but he was well-trained and used to Sama'el as his rider. They were partners in this circuit that had led them into this crater with a wild man and his falcon. But when they stopped, he saw the feral man waver, and sign to the falcon. Were those grassland signs? He perked up immediately. Not trying to interrupt whatever interaction they were having, he spoke in his native Pavi, but was sure to utilize the gestural language that went along with it. "Do you understand this?" he asked, signing the words as well. He was quite adept at it; living with a deaf man in his pavilion, he got a lot of practice. "Do you know more signs?" This could be the key to communicating!

[Khida]

The man stopped below her perch, dancing with anxiety clear even to her. The falcon tipped her head and peered down at him, glancing briefly away as the stranger came up behind him and stopped. He kept a short distance back, rather than crowding the man with himself and his horse, which she approved of -- inasmuch as she approved of anything to do with him at all. The man gestured at her, twice, the sign he made when she was angry and he backed down. Sometimes he made it at other times, too, when she was less clear on the significance behind it; this was one of the latter. It had something to do with the stranger, that was no hard leap to make -- but what eluded her. He made another sign, as if he wanted to approach a kill she hadn't made with him, or to rest beneath her preferred tree, but that sign too was taken out of the context she knew. What did it mean here? The falcon fidgeted on her perch, mirroring his unease, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Then the stranger spoke up, his voice sounding oddly eager -- though if she had understood what he said, it might have struck her as less odd. Khida turned her head to stare at him, fluffing her feathers in frustrated annoyance. She grumbled her irritation at both incomprehensible people, then took off again, flying over the crater wall, past the horse who waited within, finally landing in the tree which was her accustomed roost in good weather. There, Khida shook herself and settled in to preen her feathers. The activity was soothing busywork, something she decided she needed very much right now. And from her tree, she would have plenty of warning if the stranger approached -- and time to warn him off. She didn't intend to share her space with him. The man could do whatever he wanted with the rest of the crater.

[Colt]

The Sama’el spoke again, loudly, and the hunter shied a few steps. The Sama’el spoke fast and excitedly, waving his hands around. Each sign he made caused another bolt of understanding, and the hunter watched him with rapt and undivided attention. His face was again blank as he processed everything he had seen and heard, eyes glued to the Sama’el in a focused stare. His gaze returned to the she-falcon when she fluffed her feathers irritably. She didn’t seem to be enjoying the deliberation, and fell into the air to soar into the crater. That must mean that she was more or less accepting of the possibility of a stranger in their home. The hunter turned back to the Sama’el and the Bigarren. A bare horse might fit through the crack, but would one that had such tack and equipment on it? He tilted his head at the Sama’el, then turned and dashed into the fissure. Akaidras pranced away from the other side as his rider emerged. The horse could be a problem, as he could smell the other stallion and wasn’t yet sure what to make of it. The hunter circled his strider and gently placed a hand on his neck. It was not a particularly strong motion, as the horse could easily move away from it, but the small gesture was little more than a reminder of the hunter’s presence. Akaidras would restrain himself while the hunter was there.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Curiouser and curiouser, Sama'el thought, and sighed. It seemed as though the feral man had begun to understand him; at least, there were flashes of comprehension, or so he thought, upon the man's face. This was not a sound tactical decision, coming into the man's territory, but Sama'el had a job to do and he was going to do it come hell or high water. A Drykas horse was lightly saddled with an yvas, which wasn't even a true saddle if one asked a horseman worth his salt. But he slipped it off, yvas bags and all, and slung that over his own shoulders. Hodei, wanting to be aloft again, took to the air, her speed tugging at their connection via the Web. He made a noise to the stallion that was rather close to a horse's nicker, and Bigarren followed him obediently. Surefooted as a mountain goat, the stallion followed Sama'el into the fissure with minimal urging and encouragement. The first thing he established with a horse was trust, and they had been working together for a good deal of time now. Perhaps that was a testament to Sama'el's skill or just a natural charisma with horses, which was a gift, but no great credit to him. On the other side was more strange terrain, but familiar sights too. The falcon was preening in a nearby tree, Hodei circling above but making no threatening gestures. The little kestrel had a mean streak a mile wide like any of her breed, but she wasn't stupid and she was used to her hunting grounds changing as the Drykas Run took its course, or they traveled without. And the man himself was embracing a stallion. The black bay was most definitely a Strider, which clinched the man's identity as Drykas in no uncertain terms insofar as Sama'el was concerned. A man bonded to a Strider could recognize that bond in another pair. He smiled and wished he had brought Dohaina rather than leave her in Endrykas with her foals, if only to make this moment the easier. Bigarren was a Strider, but there was no bond beyond that of horse and trainer; friends, but not soul-mates. Bigarren seemed interested, wondering if this stallion was to be a rival of some sort. None of the usual scents of Endrykas were here save man and horse. New situation still threw him. When the feral man finally turned to acknowledge him, he spoke again, more quietly and calmly, but exercising the utmost of grassland sign with his words. "Bigarren, Strider." Then he pointed to the black bay stallion. "Strider." Bigarren was a name, Strider a wider signification. "Sama'el, Drykas." Then he pointed to the man himself. "Drykas." He nodded. They were, he implied, the same.

[Colt]

The hunter shuffled deeper into his Strider’s shoulder as they waited for the foreigner to make his way into the crater. He couldn’t deny that the entire situation was making him nervous, and the presence of the horse was comforting.

The little kestrel streaked above, announcing her companions.

The stranger and his own horse emerged, horse tackless. Akaidras snorted and eyed the newcomer cautiously, but managed to behave himself and made no move to threaten.

The man kept his voice softer than before, and each sign he made was clear and concise. The feral man’s attention was quickly claimed.

Strider. The word invoked images of horses and people, riding together as they had done for generations. But it also conjured another word: bond. That word was much harder to nail down, but was accompanied by a strange feeling of warmth, of security and of comfort.

Drykas. That word seared his mind like a branding iron, flooding him with feeling and sounds and visions of tents and people and shouting. There were dogs and horses and a green flag waving in the air. A faint memory of a matching sash around his waist, of a race that had once been his.

Yes, he was a Drykas. That much he was absolutely sure of.

And this man was a Drykas, too. Unbidden, a purr erupted from the hunter’s throat, and he made no attempt to stifle it. He leaned close to Akaidras and tapped gently on his shoulder, bidding him deeper into the crater. The black bay snorted in irritation, but nevertheless slid into a canter. Within moments he was lost in the green fronds of the undergrowth.

The man turned back to the Sama’el and tilted his head, continuing to purr. The bond of blood connected them, forgotten for so long but brought to the surface. Though they may have been different, they were also the same. Any ill will was vanishing.

His purr halted when he let loose a chirp, accompanied by a strange mutation of the sign for come. There was no reason to keep them standing there, and so he chirped once more and took to a trail that led away, towards the center of the crater.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Possible scenarios to explain this man rose unbidden in Sama'el's mind, but they all seemed to depend on this man being a Drykas. Whatever the cause of his lack of human language, he had clearly learned to speak like a bird to the falcon, and had a Drykas affinity for horses. At the feral man's beckoning, which was recognizable as grassland sign, Sama'el smiled. "Follow," he murmured to Bigarren, who tossed his mane and bent down to crop at the grass for a moment while Sama'el was still there, but as soon as the lithe Watchman began to follow his guide, the Strider began to follow him rather than running ahead with the other horse. Sama'el, for his part, tried to stay as close to his guide as he thought he could without risking setting off whatever instincts for self-preservation he had that might not yet count the Watchman as safe. But he had no intention of harming the man, but rather establishing as great a rapport as possible. If the man did not want to rejoin the horseclans, well, he would know that they would help him if he needed it.

[Limey]

Khasr Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Tracking 2 The Mind Of The Apex Predator Observation 5 The Better Part Of Valor (Especially When Unarmed) Hunting 1 A Duty To Defend Tactics 1 Sam'ael: A Stranger, But A Respectful One Diplomacy 2 The Flash Of Realization... And Remembering Khida Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Observation 5 Soaring For The Sake Of Soaring Flying 4 Dive! Dive! Dive! Great Balls Of Fire Keeping Distance And Keeping Watch Additional Notes : Give me a PM if you ever come back, Sammy, and I'll give you a grade for this! First of all, Khasr, you kicked this off with an AWESOME narrative. The fact you never once mentioned Khasr's name and just left it... not anonymous, but almost with him as an extension of his environment, that was a masterstroke. A true "wild man". Khida, your work was good as always, you certainly do have the peregrine mindset down, and I especially liked the territorial mindset and the strange but strong bond between her and Khasr. All in all, this could have been a great thread, and it was, but of course it needed more and just never got it. Such a shame when that happens. Still, as requested, you've got your grading, so that's one more loose end tied up. Any questions or queries, please PM me.