Open Caught Between The Earth And Sky

[Colt]

Namal’s disappointment was evident at the smaller helping he was given, but he didn’t protest. He ate at a much slower pace this time, face a mask of something bordering ecstasy as he picked out each lump of meat and vegetables. Each bite seemed like a wonder, and Shahar simply watched in vague bemusement at the boy’s meal. How long had he been without proper food, that a simple stew was like food of the divine themselves? Once again he found himself worrying about wherever it was that the boy had come from; surely not slavers, this far from the Kabrin road, but who else? Travelers? Even if he was a slave, as the brand on his chest would indicate, who would treat their slave with such barbarism? And why?

These questions were put on hold, however, when Namal decided that he wished to sleep and that where he was seated was a perfectly good spot to do it in. He pitched sideways and stretched onto the ground, so like little Kabek when he awoke from his afternoon nap. Shahar almost reached out to the boy out of habit to scratch the crown of his head, but quelled it quickly when he remember that Namal was not a cub. Still, it was difficult to keep the desire quelled as he continued to observe the child; he sprawled like a cat, like Kabek or Tuka or Banti, or even like Shahar when Shahar felt like it. He could read the postures, better than he could read Pavi or grassland sign. They were the simple, logical postures of an animal, who has no need for language or gestures to convey what it needs or wants. And now, it seemed, Namal both wanted and needed to sleep. Which brought Shahar to another puzzle.

As Namal continued to loll about, Shahar turned to look at the three tents that made his camp. Isalie was still blank of expression, and the hunter didn’t want to risk pushing her further into herself by making her sleep alongside a stranger. Slither’s tent wasn’t even an option, as the Dhani took up the space of two men with his masses of coils and happened to sleep in a two person tent. He supposed that meant that Namal would have to spend the night in the tent he shared with Khida, and explaining that to her was something Shahar couldn’t deny being leery of. They had only just moved into a tent that gave them both breathing room, and the addition of a new body was sure to fill some of that coveted room. There was nothing for it, though; Namal had to sleep somewhere, and the thought of leaving him outside didn’t even occur to Shahar.

Decision made, the hunter slid smoothly to a crouch and slunk over to the prone Namal. Like he did with Tuka, Shahar gently took Namal’s ground-side hand and coaxed it over, until the boy was on his back, and, if this proved successful, he would slide his arms underneath the small frame and hoist him back into his arms.

[Kemlo]

Animal was not aware of the misunderstanding his gesture of lying down caused. He wanted to rest his body and weak limbs but his mind was wide awake at this moment.
He really hoped to be petted but like before it never happened. At least not in the way he wanted it. Again there was the inner fight between his human conscious side and his animal instincts side that rang with each other about the best action. His instincts longed so much for close contact that it nearly hurt but his conscious mind still wanted to hide his Kelvic side because of the dangers this might call upon the boy. In other situation he could have fled or fought but at the moment he was much too helpless for his mind and instincts.

At the moment the boy's consciousness was clearly loosing ground against the hunter. The man took him to his camp, he fed him, twice and despite their problems to understand each other the hunter had been calm and friendly all the time. Animal became aware that he began to trust this hunter and to like him more and more. Never since he was caught and whisked away from his parents the boy felt safer around somebody else.
There was this warmth rising inside him as he thought about Shahar but at the moment his experiences with humans or more exactly other sentient beings kept him wary. Until now everybody he met despite his parents tried to use or abuse him somehow. Only Shahar treated him like his parents would have done in his memories. But he only knew him for a very short time.

Animal saw Shahar looking around to the other tents. There had been some strange smells the boy caught and some he didn't even know. He sensed that the hunter was thinking about something but he had no idea what was going through his head. 'He should be stroking me instead.' shot through the boy's head but quickly he pushed the thought away. He longed for that but he couldn't force this, could he?

Suddenly the boy's senses made him aware of Shahar's movement. The man slunk over to him, grabbed his hand and turned him onto his back. The moment he felt Shahar's touch he felt even closer to him and wanted more than small connection between them.
Before Animal had a chance to react his wish was already fulfilling itself. Shahar pushed his arms under the boy and took him up. The warm feelings inside the boy intensified immediately as his instincts and need of closeness pushed his conscious thoughts into the back. The boys unusually muscular body tried to melt into Shahar's arms and chest as it was held. In an subconscious effort to get the petting he longed for so much his torso writhed lightly around to rub lightly against Shahar's skin.
At the same time Animal began to purr like he did from the spectators who wanted to see the feral boy in his cage as he was with the gypsies. It was definitely not the purring of a little kitten because it was very deep and rumbling but at the same time not very loud and expressing how good he was feeling at the moment. It had not been intentional as it began but now the boy kept it up.

[Colt]

The boy did not resist—indeed, once he sensed Shahar’s touch he immediately moulded to it. When the hunter picked him up, the boy relaxed into his arms, even chancing a slight snuggle.

And then began purring.

Shahar looked down at the boy, blinking in surprise. He was purring. For a moment Shahar just stood there, looking at the boy in bemusement, before a small voice in the back of his head reminded him of why exactly he had picked him up in the first place. Shaking himself of his questions, the Drykas made his way towards his tent; the strange noises and mannerisms of the boychild did not matter right now, and would not matter until he was safe.

The tent was not a tall one, but neither was it short, causing Shahar to bend without truly ducking to enter. It was dark inside, the fading sunset of the outside muted by the canvas walls until the interior was bathed in little more than a dim red glow. He didn’t need light, though; habit had always seen him putting his bedroll in the same place, and it was towards that bedroll that he moved.

Without sufficient room to stand, Shahar maneuvered onto one knee and placed the boy onto the sleeping pad as gently as he was able. With that done, the hunter then took a seat by what would tonight be the boy’s sleeping place and simply watched him, face drawn in contemplation.

Never before had he met someone with such a distinct feeling of non-humanity. The way the boy moved, looked at the things around him, even the way he talked all suggested something else, something different, and for the life of him the hunter could not place his finger on what it was. He couldn’t deny curiosity, but the curiosity was vague and unfocused; Shahar’s knowledge of the different people that walked Mizahar was extremely limited in scope. He had simple never encountered a person like this boy before.

Shahar looked to the tent. Khida would be returning soon; it was a knowledge that did not come of things seen or heard, it was a knowledge that simply was. Khida would return soon, and he knew that because Khida would return soon and that was that.

After a few moments, Shahar looked back to the boy.

“Sleep,” he said in Common. His next words were in Pavi, and though he doubted the boy would understand them he said them anyway. “You are safe now.”

[Kemlo]

Animal purred the whole way to the tent even after it didn't have the effect he hoped for. Only close to it this went down as the boy's curiosity got stronger. He looked around the tent as good as possible. His heightened senses caught more than a human from the inside of the tent.
The boy wanted to look around but he needed to be careful not to hurt Shahar with the long spikes on his collar. He tried to rely on his other senses and the first he caught was the strong smell of Shahar but there was the smell of another person too.

He didn't resist as Shahar placed him on the sleeping pad. His senses told the boy this was Shahar's sleeping place. It didn't seem right to take that away from his even if he offered it freely. Somehow the pad felt strange to the boy who was used to sleeping on the bare ground anyway. It was somehow too soft and Animal feared to damage it with his collar too.
Unsure what was expected of him the boy looked around the tent again to take as much in as his senses revealed to him. For a moment Shahar seemed absent and the boy used this to take as much in as he could.

The boy's eyes opened in surprise as the man used the Common word 'sleep' to tell him that he should sleep here. Being still very excited about the situation the boy was not really tired but his body told him that some rest after the food wouldn't be a bad idea.
There was only the problem with the place left. The idea of sleeping in the tent alone was strange to Animal after all the time he spent in his cage or outside in the See of Grass. On the other side sleeping beside this man gave him an assurance of safety he missed for a long time. But where would Shahar sleep if not at his own place?
To Animal the solution of this was quite easy. Careful he rolled to the side until he lay on the bare ground beside the sleeping pad. Looking up with a cheeky grin he pointed at himself and patted the ground he lay on. "Animal, sleep, good." he said in common. The he pointed at Shahar and patted the sleeping pad. "Shahar, sleep." he told the hunter. After it the boy pushed his neck against the ground and wiggled around until the spikes of his collar pressed into the ground. Now the boy visibly relaxed as if he was going to sleep. Most of it was show but somehow he saw little reason not to rest there. It seemed even better to curling up in front of the tent which would have been his other option.

[Colt]

The boy glanced up a him, looking somewhat surprised at the Common that had come from Shahar’s mouth. For a moment, Namal seemed to consider the word as if it were a puzzle, though the Drykas had no idea why. Then, very carefully, the boy rolled off of the bedroll altogether and onto the ground beside it. Shahar blinked and stared, but before he could open his mouth to ask exactly why Namal had done such a thing the boy in question was looking up and smiling.

He said his name, then sleep and what Shahar understood as good. He then pointed to the bedroll and said for Shahar to sleep, which confused the hunter even farther.

No, said his hands in Pavi. Unneccessary, give freely, no need.

But then Namal was wriggling into the ground, determined in his decision. Shahar watched him for a few more moments, at a loss of what to do; Namal had stilled and was relaxing, as if sleeping on the ground was far more comfortable than a sleeping pad. Who knew? Perhaps it was, to him, and if he wanted to sleep on the ground, how in the world was Shahar to convince him otherwise?

He said nothing, though confusion was heavy on his features. Finally, unable to think of anything else, Shahar leaned into another part of the tent and took hold of the blanket he usually reserved for winter. He unfolded it, awkwardly tried to settle it around Namal’s shoulders and then did it best to tuck it underneath him in the hope that it might soften the earth’s hardness.

[Kemlo]

Animal had no way to understand Shahar's hand signs but he already expected the hunter wouldn't like that he rolled onto the ground. That much was obvious but didn't explain the real meaning of the man's signs. Shahar knew at least one word of Common but his other tries of talking with the man failed miserably. Playing the sleeping boy seemed to work though.

With his eyes closed Animal could not see Shahar but his other senses concentrated on the man. This told the boy the man still stood there and watched him for a while. Then Shahar began to move around and Animal wasn't sure what he was doing. The boy's senses told him where he want and that he picked something up but not exactly what that was. He resisted the urge to open his eyes even as Shahar stepped again close to him.

The touch of the warm blanket still came as a surprise to the boy whi had absolutely no experience with such things. He saw that and had a light version in his hands at his home but he never used one as long as he could remember.
"Noooo...." Animal's eyes flew open and he sat up with a startled roar blonging more to a feral beast than a human. At the last moment he was able to throw himself to the side to avoid a collision with Shahar as the man tried to bend over him to tug the blanket under the boy. Hitting Shahar with the spikes from his collar could have hurt the man but avoiding this caused a painful scratch from one spike across his left upper arm.
Despite the painful lightly bleeding wound Animal pushed the blanket away from his body first. Only then he bagan to lick his wound like some animal would do and with his collar being in the way this resulted in some uncomfortable looking contortions.

[Translucent]

Congratulations On Your Hard Work!

Shahar Dawnwhisper:
XP: +1 tracking, +2 observation, +2 leadership, +1 socialization
Lores: Namal: Lost boy in the sea of grasses

Kemlo:
Grade withheld until intervention on CS is removedb]


[b]Notes: I never saw, but why was this boy lost in the sea of grass without the watch being alerted via the webbing? Plus the purring, in human form humans can not purr. Even if they are cat in kelvic. Purring comes from a special fold in the cats throat that humans don’t have. There was some real problems with Animal/Kemlo’s CS and his portrayal of his character. I am not sure that he will be able to get anything from this thread. As always Shahar your writing was very nice thanks for letting me read.

As always PM me if you have issues.