Closed Clearing the Mist

[Sigfrid]

65th of Summer, 513 AV Unwittingly, she bared her fangs, brows furrowed in concentration as she continued in pursuit. Hunger propelled her wings, fuelling the growing adrenaline as the air whistled past her ears. Fortune smiled upon the Zith, for the grove was drowned in shade, easing sight into keen eyes. Even without clear vision, Nala could practically taste the meat, if the heavy footfalls weren't enough of an indicator. In fact, she was at an advantage, for one of the creature's hind legs seem to stutter under pressure, denoting injury. The elk was alone, isolated by the Zith from a small herd, and now ran downhill of the peak from which it was found. Following suit, she dove, tucking limb and wing just as the birds she observed had done. It was exhilarating, the rush of the hunt, though the Nala would be hard pressed to admit this aloud. The Ethaefal were elegant, surreal creatures, not base hunters like these night stalkers who lacked intelligence and ingenuity. Having never met another of her mortal seeming, she was naturally influenced by the fears and distrust of the Zith, having heard one too many versions of truth to bother distinguishing between them. But of course, she was not the lovely Sigfrid now, and a certain amount of leeway was given, however small. Rebelliously, she took some enjoyment from the chase, thankful that He was not present to witness such debauchery. Though it hardly pleased her to have his lover present, shining with an unattainable radiance. Momentarily brushing off the jealousy, she refocused her attention to the sprinting elk which now hid in her shadow. Now that she was within reach, Nala found herself at a loss for how to stop her prey. In Cyphrus, she was much too afraid to hunt large game, forever wary of the nomadic men that ruled the region. She preferred rabbits and other similarly sized animals, but she could hardly pick up the elk as she did with them. Well, actually, she might be able to. After all, it was never attempted, but now was not the time to try it for the persistent ache in her stomach demanded a surefire solution. Fretting, red eyes darted forward to see the grove's exit nearing, which did little for the Zith's growing anxiety. At most ten ticks left before reentering Syna's light and still no sign of an idea. The desire to eat, still very much present, seemed to be less of a priority as time went on. Her gaze wandered briefly, catching the sight of a falling leaf being carried off by the wind. A grin tugged at her lips, looking more mischievous than malevolent as a thought came to her. Reaching low, she struck at the left side of the elk, digging claw into flesh. The creature made a sound of protest, instinctively shrinking away from the source of its pain as it veered to the right. She continued tormenting the elk with quick swipes, shepherding it to the edge. Then, when it would move no more, Nala flew adjacent to the creature and, steeling herself, jabbed the right shoulder into its side. Admirably the elk resisted, but no matter how much it fought, it could not grow wings. With a slight skid of its hooves, the animal fell down the side of the peak, fading into the mist below. Stupidly, she hovered for a moment, revelling in the success of her plan before realizing that she still needed to retrieve the thing. With a graceful arch of her body, the Zith dove once more.

[Gawain]

Gawain cursed as he tripped over another tree root, sending him careening into the damp ground for the third time in as many hours. Briefly, he wondered why he'd ever taken on the contract to hunt down the thief who'd run off into the mountains. He didn't particularly need the money, and the thief hadn't done anything morally reprehensible. Just another hungry young man who needed food. At least if Gawain caught him, he'd be fed fairly well in Lhavit's gaol.

If Gawain caught him. The man was slippery, for sure. He'd managed to evade Gawain for the better part of two days, and Gawain was getting ready to call it quits and declare the thief uncatchable. Then, if he got lucky, Gawain would nab the blighter when he tried to sneak back into town, and collect on the contract after all. And if he didn't, there was no use crying over spilt milk.

Drawing his cloak tighter, in an effort to try and keep the wet and cool mountain air away from his skin, Gawain peered around the clearing he'd stopped in, by a cliff face, alert for any hint of movement in the brush around him. If he wasn't mistaken, he'd heard some scraping just a few moments earlier- And Gawain's sword was drawn, leading him in his spin to where he'd heard an impact. An elk. Looked like it was dead.

Looking up into the mist, Gawain squinted, attempting to spy the cause of the elk's death. And if his ears weren't deceiving him, the elk's murderer was whistling. And falling. Rather quickly.

A blasted Zith.

Throwing off his cloak, and quickly unbuckling his shield, Gawain assumed a aggressive posture, raising his shield to just below his eyes and balancing sword atop it. If this creature wanted to take him and that elk for a meal, it'd have to fight for it.

[Sigfrid]

No longer shielded from the light, she squinted to form thin, crimson slivers that resembled fresh cuts where eyes should be. It seemed an extra burden to have such sensitive vision only usable in the dark, though she supposed the visual impairment aided in enhancing her other senses. Particularly, the already keen hearing of the Zith seemed amplified, allowing Nala to catch the faint scrapping of metal in the distance. Driven first by instinct then thought, she attempted to reverse direction, slowing her approach with frantic pumps. Despite her best efforts, the momentum was winning against her strength, easing the Zith from a cover of mist with a sweeping glide. In passing, all she could make out was a man standing armed and at the ready, the sight alone striking fear into her heart. Overwhelmed with anxiety, Nala was momentarily unaware of any strikes against her, though at the height, a swords tip could easily reach her. Her prey forgotten, the Zith drew up from her descent to hover just out of reach, wings spread in attempt to create an imposing image. Being so short, it was not the most impressive display, though the subsequent growl did help. "Stay back." She warned, her Common thick with Zithanese influence as inhuman rumbling tinged her words. Nala was not a great fighter, nor did she want to engage in one with someone who seemed experienced in battle. Her travels were possible through stealth and cautiousness, not by conquering confrontations. More than anything, she feared, though she knew better to allow it to be shown. "The kill is mine. Leave." She snapped, anger seeping through thin, crimson eyes that failed to catch the details of the other's face. Irritation was at a high, what with being active in her mortal seeming and succumbing to its annoying needs. Her stomach roared with impatience, though the sound was nearly lost amidst the thick tension of the atmosphere. Any other time, it would have been comedic, but now, it seemed only foreboding. Any sane human would run the other way from an angry, starving Zith.

[Neologism]

Sigfrid
Skills:

Hunting +1
Observation +1
Intimidation +1

Lores:

Noticing injury in prey
Avoiding confrontation

Notes: Don't forget to edit your post in the request thread as 'Graded'.

Gawain
Notes: Please pay your seasonal expenses for Summer of 513AV, PM once you've done this to receive your grades.