[Riverfall] Should Have Seen it in Her Eyes [Mao/Kavala]

[Vanator]

Timestamp: 18th Day of Summer, 510 AV Location: Knirin Gardens, Riverfall Status: Closed, tag Mao, Kavala The stunning scenery of Riverfall had provided some distraction from the dramatic events that had occurred since arriving. Vanator had marveled at the city built into the massive cliff wall around the falls, and the magnificent landscape itself, so different from the endless grasslands he traveled all his life. He had stolen away, finally reaching the Knirin Gardens perched halfway down the monolithic cliff wall. Vanator wandered around the small lake and into the gardens, the roar of the falls distant at some parts, roaring as he would near the crashing water. He was congenial but avoided the Akalaks, still somewhat unnerved by the large, stoic beings. There were others, mostly Konti and human women and children, largely boys with the telltale bluish skin. The Drykas treaded deeper into the garden, his sleeveless tunic and breeches damp from his venture near the falls, small glistening beads of moisture clinging to his dark blond mane. Drawing a deep lungful of the warm humid air, the horseman studied a stone bench, feeling the smooth surface with his hand before deciding to sit. Riverfall was Vanator's first visit to a permanent city. Walls, doors, streets, even stone bench's were unfamiliar to him. Taking into account all of these resided in a community of tall blue-skinned men perched in a high cliff wall amid a monumental waterfall, The Drykas found himself overwhelmed at times with it all. But he would someday lead his pavilion, and having some familiarity with the Akalak could only be an asset to him. So he roamed the city, trying to understand its layout and culture. The gardens, to his relief, were tranquil, beautiful, and where he had chosen to rest, quiet. Van would rather have mounted Backlash and raced across the grasslands around Riverfall, his typical therapy when he needed time and space, but it was not so easy when he found himself in the middle of the city. So, slipping the hand ax from his belt, and pulling a small whetstone from his pocket, the horse clansman leaned back on the bench against a tree and began drawing the sharpening stone along the weapon's head, letting his mind relax and focus on the menial motion.

[Mao]

She was feeling strange. Incredibly strange, in fact. Mao had been harboring a prickling sensation along her skin and in her mind, urging her to do certain things she had not done in the course of the time she’d been apart from Navis. But hell if she ever would do such a thing with Sorian, who was the one who held dominion over his body this day, and thus the kelvic girl found herself running errands for Kavala, unsure about the prospect of money and buying things in general, as the enclosed walls of Riverfall made her anxious to simply escape it’s confines. Fortunately, it seemed like the humans that inhabited the area were either unseen to her eyes or the scents of Akalaks simply muffled them. Mao could not hold up the charade of a dutiful pet any longer than was possible, and thus she found herself racing through the streets, towards the only spacious area devoid of buildings and structures: the Knirin Gardens. This was where she felt the touch of nature. Whether it was artificial or not, she did not know, but it didn’t particularly matter. A simple step on the grass revitalized her, made her feel as if she wasn’t in a “prison” and still retained some freedom, despite the collar that was wrapped tightly around her neck. But soon, a familiar scent reached her sharp nose, and she paused dead in her tracks, eyes wide. A human. Trembles shook Mao’s body as her fingers curled and she nearly willed herself to transform. Had she, however, would have resulted in a broken neck and ultimately a short demise, thus she stopped herself. She knew the consequences, but her hatred had been rekindled, and she thirsted for blood. With a wild look in her pale eyes, she began to run. Through the trees, the brushes and further into the heart of the garden where she had detected her prey. And indeed, there he was. She slowed to a steady walk, coming from behind Vanator, with a stare that implied murder. Her mind was stressed and desired to be in a jaguar body, but she had been restricted, enraging her even more. “A vile human, caught alone and unawares,” Mao had reverted to her completely bestial self, despite being caged in a human body. This was no friendly, innocent girl, she would kill for the thrill. “You will die, this day, you petch!” She shrieked, and at once, she had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him roughly to the ground, where she straddled him and wrapped her slender hands around his neck. There was no wasting time with small talk with this kelvic.

[Vanator]

The last thing Vanator had expected in the tranquil setting of the garden was an attack from behind. He heard the shriek of a woman, a madwoman, only a moment before two small but strong hands seized his shoulders and spun him to the ground. The hand ax and whetstone whirled from his hands, and by the time he could gather himself, he was on his back, gasping for a breath and staring up at a seething beast of a girl. Gripping the woman's wrists, Vanator tried to pull her hands from around his neck, but could not get her slim fingers to release, surprised at the strength she exerted against him. As they struggled, the Drykas gave his assailant only a cursory glance, trying to gauge his opponent. She was young, lithe and enraged. Her eyes were not human, but slitted, like the clan's hunting cats. A demon? Pygmy suddenly sprung to mind, and her goat eyes. Kelvic? If this maniac was Kelvic, the elongated canine teeth she bared did not bode well for him. Only briefly noting the strange collar, Van started to curse the girl as he felt panic rising up, frantic to get out from under her before she could shift into whatever predator she was. But his blustering only sputtered out as choking gurgles. Unable to reach a weapon, Vanator thrust the heel of his palm into her chest with a sharp blow, jabbed his other forearm against the inside of one of her elbows and shoved his hips to one side, attempting to unseat Mao and break the iron grip she had on his throat.

[Mao]

Kill him kill him kill him! These were the simple, raging thoughts that pounded in her head. The shadow that was once held back by Kavala’s soothing words and calming aura simply sprung forth at the sight of Vanator. The animal within cared not if her shouts and growls reached the ears of others in the vicinity, she needed to kill him, now. To see his blood coating the grass, her skin and hair and to relish in his demise. Her fingers tightened around his neck, eager to choke him to death, but her mind had been so caught up in the flashing images of devouring him that she had not noticed his sudden hand moving. The blow that struck her chest made her gasp aloud, and her grip slackened, not only that he had forced her to nearly collapse onto him after making her arm buckle beneath her. She hissed at the throbbing pain in her chest, but when he knocked her off, she reached out with sharp nails and tore at his shoulder, deep jagged wounds, almost akin to the claws of her jaguar form. The blood filled her nose, even as she lay with her hands positioned directly on the ground. It tugged at her, urging her onwards, fueled her. Mao pushed herself off the ground, seemingly not giving Vanator enough time to get his wits together. She lashed out with her hand once more, catching his chin to meet her gaze as she hissed, “You’ll be my breakfast today, human.” She flashed a fanged grin, a wild, damaged look in her eyes, even as she bent her head down to sink her canines into the flesh of his neck. It didn’t take long to rip the skin apart, but if Vanator didn’t act quickly, she would go for the jugular.

[Vanator]

Vanator gasped and coughed as he finally broke Mao's choke hold. He did not have time to recover, his sputtering cutting to a loud grunt as the Kelvic dug into his shoulder, leaving gashes that began to bead up with drops of blood. As the raging girl reared up and seized his jaw in a vice-like grip, Vanator set his eyes on the seething feline pupils glaring at him, then down at the inhuman elongated canines that she bared in a feral grin. The woman was mad, rabid or possessed. Even Zith were not as wildy ravenous as this creature. Breakfast? The realization that Mao wanted to truly devour him spiked his panic and churned his gut in repulsion. The Drykas had no time to question why he was defending himself from being eaten in the middle of a serene public garden. Mao had lunged down and sunk her fangs into his neck, forcing a half-cry, half- growl from Vanator. He grabbed a fistful of her mussed mane and yanked back, tearing her teeth from his neck and causing a sharp, searing pain and releasing a flow of dark blood. Instinct and anger drove Vanator's body, shoving Mao to the ground and rolling over to straddle her. The horseman had no time to reach for his ax, instead gripping the kelvic's flailing wrists and pinning them to the ground next to her head, leaning forward to use his weight to restrain her. Drops of his own blood dripped from his shoulder and ran down his neck to spatter on Mao's torso and neck as her stared down at the psychotic girl. His voice raised in anger, a desperate roar. "What the petch are you, what is wrong with you?" He demanded. She was obviously bent on killing him, though he had no idea why she chose him. He did not want to kill her, not knowing who or what she was. His breathes came in pants as he hovered over her, hoping to hear some semblance of reason come from his attacker.

[Mao]

Mao was enjoying the taste of his blood. Oh how she missed the texture of human flesh. Vanator was hearty, muscular, and even if she had decided to truly devour him she wouldn’t be able to finish either way. She’s not much of a conserver. But it’s not like she cared about letting his corpse rot in the sun for all to see. On the contrary, it would amuse her greatly. But this man was being far more feistier and difficult than any human she’d ever come across. Perhaps it was because she was locked into this human form, and she was far weaker than that of her bestial form. The thought made her angrier, clenching her teeth around Vanator’s neck in rage. Then Vanator did the most audacious of things. Grasped her hair and tugged her back, forcing her fangs to rip further down his neck and clavicle. She fell to the ground, on her back, only to have the Drykas man pin her down in one swift movement, far faster than she’d anticipated. She hissed and growled, her fury nearly shaking her to the core. She attempted to wriggle her wrist away from Vanator’s slick hand, working on it even as the man spoke. Of course, his shout forced her eyes to meet his gaze, where she gave him an icy cold glare. “What am I?” Mao hissed, nearly laughing, struggling more even as she spoke. “I am the creature that will end you. You and all your vile human kind.” Her words were laced with venom, but it didn’t take long for Mao to completely wriggle her hand free from his grasp, where she immediately slapped him so hard, it left streaks of red on his cheek where her sharp nails had caught. “Get OFF me you petch!” She shrieked, then, eyeing the bite mark she’d inflicted on him just moments before, she sunk her fingers into the open wound, forcefully.

[Kavala]

The Konti rode as fast as Wind's hooves could carry her. No one on the road was safe, not passerby's, not traders, not heavily burdened wagons. She jumped Wind over a small parked cart, clattered through the city gates, and down a street that was perched on the very edge of the cliff. Kavala knew the streets fairly well, twisting and turning looking for the gardens that the runner had said one of Kavala's charges was attacking a strange human male in. Kavala had told the messenger that Mao was pregnant, moody, and not to hurt her because she most likely carried an Akalak child, in which case the runner had turned and sprinted back towards town.

Kavala had been afraid of just this very incident. Mao was unpredictable but her collar should have kept her from attacking anyone, let alone trying to kill a stranger. The runner had said it was a human male, so there was a very low likelyhood that any of the Akalak would step in or Mao would get in trouble. But it was still a reputation Kavala wanted Mao to forgo. Man killer. Kavala was going to have a long talk with Sorian and Navis when he got back about being more watchful of Mao and protecting her like she deserved to be protected. Navis probably wouldn't care. But Sorian would, even though he didn't like to admit it. Mao was carrying his child, even if he wasn't the one that put his son there.

Kavala cut down more streets, hoping the runner was wrong and that Mao wasn't actually going to attack the man. Threaten or intimidate, sure, but actually attack? Kavala wasn't sure. She was also not sure if she could handle Mao in a full fledged rage. She'd grabbed her blowgun and darts and enough wildfall to bring down an elephant, but she wasn't sure it would hurt the baby or not so she wasn't prepaired to use it immediately.

Two more turns, a leap across two hedges, and they were in the garden among the trees. Winds hooves clattered on the cobbled pathway as Kavala frantically sought the two combatants.

She was late.

The Konti could tell immediately. The man was covered in blood and Mao was chewing on his neck. In human form, collared, and .... Kavala pulled Windsong up in shock, jaw dropping. Even as she watched, the man grabbed Mao's hair, yanked her off him, and rolled to pin her beneath him. It was her brother Vanator! Kavala rode Wind right up to the fight, nudging the little stallion forward until he could dump her virtually on top of the struggling pair. It was then and only then she slid to the ground, pulled a dart out of her small side pouch and got it ready in her hand. Without being blown through a blow gun, the darts made excellent hand weapons to stab into an opponent in close confines and even under hand to hand combat.

"Stop it you two. Stop it! Mao, that's my brother. Do not kill him. Do you hear me? Don't kill him... he's family!" She said frantically in common with her pavi laced accent. Then quickly she switched to pavi for Vanator's ears only. <"She's a kelvic panther. Just coming out of heat and pregnant, Van. If you hurt her the city will put you to death. She's carrying an Akalak child. That makes her virtually untouchable! Let her go. Gods... what in the world happened here?"> Kavala said, taking the two single strides to join the fight, glad her brother had Mao pinned but knowing there were already watchers or else she wouldn't have been summoned.

It was strange, Kavala thought in an instant, that the gardens were so devoid of life or action while the two fought. Akalaks' should be swarming all over the grounds by now. Then it hit her. It was a test, Kavala knew, to determine if she could handle the Kelvics she was slowly working into a breeding program. Vanator was expendable being human and male. No one cared if Mao killed him. But they would care if Kavala couldn't control kelvics that were her responsibility.

"Mao.. take a deep breath. Think! If you hurt him, think about it... you are my responsibility. If you hurt him, I'll end up taking the fall for it. They know your pregnant. They know about the heat and Navis has been making no bones about what hes been doing about it. They'll decide your unsafe, Mao, and lock you up in a tiny cage for the next few seasons of your life while you grow that baby for them and never let you out. Its no life, Mao. A cage would kill you. Stop fighting him Mao and let me look at both of you. Vanator is not food. He is NOT food. He is my brother." Kavala said, more firmly, dominance rising in her voice as she prayed it would be enough to get Mao to go limp under Vanator.

[Vanator]

she was mad, insane, possessed. Vanator could see the blood lust in Mao's eyes, hear the rabid hatred in her voice. But he had restrained himself from using full force on her. The Drykas had enough presence of mind to know something was not right, preventing him from pummeling the feral Kelvic at first. But the vicious bite that ripped open his neck had made him think twice and he began to loose his belief that he could escape without damaging her enough to incapacitate her. The attack was almost surreal, there in the middle of Riverfall, amid all these Akalak, who seemed in no hurry to assist him, he noted. Vanator realized his assailant was determined to kill him, only increasing in her wrath as she writhed beneath him, desperate to rend at him. Mao finally freed her wrist from his blood-slick hands to strike his face. When the Kelvic dug her fingers into his open wound, Vanator cried out, his vision faltering at the excruciating pain. The grasslander instinctively reached up to grip Mao's wrist again, loosing his hold on her other wrist. The human raised his hand and balled it into a fist, ready to slam it into the murderous girl's head, his restraint foregone. Then he heard a woman's voice behind him, not recognizing Kavala speaking in Common. He did not turn to look as she pleaded for them to stop, but his fist froze, stilled poised to strike. Only when his sister addressed him in their native tongue did the brother recognize that it was Kav. Still focusing his attention on Mao, Van replied to the Konti, his voice gruff and frustrated. <"She's crazy, she wants to eat me! I don't want to hurt her Kav, but she won't stop!">. He blurted back in Pavi. He had lowered his fist, trying again to pin the kelvic's wrists to the ground and sat more firmly on her hips to keep her still. Managing to trap Mao again against the ground, Vanator did not bother to question Kavala as to how or why she was there, gleening that she knew the woman flailing beneath him, heeding the dire warning she gave him. The man turned long enough to see his sister, crouching nearby, a small knife or dart clenched in her fist. Behind her, the familiar form of Windsong shifted impatiently. He listened as Kavala tried to plea with the girl she called Mao, his grip on the kelvic tight and unforgiving, his blood still raining down leaving widening crimson stains on the Kelvic's top.

[Mao]

Mao was on the verge of shifting, even despite the collar. Her desire to rend him to pieces was that strong. The restraint he put her under only made it worse. She felt confined, vulnerable, caged, even without the bars or the metal. Vanator had her beneath him, and the collar that was wrapped around her neck seemed to throb and tighten with each passing moment. Mao figured she would go insane! Even more so than she already was. His cries pleased her, as well as his expression when she’d dug her nails into his open wound. But she could sense a fury almost as grand as her own. Pinned again! And then her eyes widened when the Drykas raised his fist as if to strike her! He wouldn’t dare, she had hissed in her mind, but she expected the pain, she expected him to pommel her, even while she flailed and writhed and kicked at his back with her knees and scratched and clawed at the arm that held her other wrist down. Then a voice broke into her senses, her enraged and nearly insatiable thirst for this man’s blood seemed to falter for just a flicker of a moment. Kavala! She was here, so unexpectedly. And her words were frantic, she could sense the Fear in her, even as she pleaded and begged for Mao not to kill him, as if she was in any position to! Still, her presence calmed the kelvic if only enough that she stopped clawing at Vanator’s arms, but her eyes were still wild, locked onto Vanator. She was torn now, with what the Konti wanted her to do and what her heart told of her. Mao had promised Kavala that she would protect her. She was the mother that the kelvic had lost, would she risk her safety because of her burning desire to devour this human? Kavala’s brother. No he’s a human! A human! He doesn’t deserve to live! The battle was raging in her head, but Kavala’s words were sincere. She cared about her well-being as much as Mao wanted to protect her. But the rage was too much, the frenzy was at its peak with Vanator’s threat to strike her, she wanted to hurt him! “They have to die, they have to die!” Mao spat into Van’s face, hissing through her fangs, “Kavala why do you care about this human? You are Konti, he is not! How can you be siblings? Let me kill him!”

[Kavala]

Kavala advanced, putting herself in a very dangerous situation. Mao could seriously hurt her, and Kavala knew it. But her brother's blood was pooling beneath him even as he pinned the kelvic down. Vanator could have killed Mao already, but she knew he was holding back perhaps because she was a woman but also perhaps because there was something not quite right about Mao for sure. Vanator wasn't quite the type that killed first and asked questions later. It was obvious to even the unschooled about Kelvics, that something wasn't right about Mao's humanity.

Kavala wasn't sure anything was right about her Kelvicness either.

"No, Mao. They all don't have to die. Just the bad ones. Just the criminals. Just the ones wrong in the head that hurt others for no reason. You know that, Mao. Deep inside, you understand. Vanator is a good man. He has responsibilities and people that count on him. He risks his life often for them. He doesn't deserve to be taken out. He's never hurt anyone that wasn't someone who needed being taken down. I swear to you Mao." Kavala said softly, coming closer and carefully pulling the blowgun from her bag and starting to assemble it. She fitted the loaded dart into the end and waited.

"He's my brother because there are no male Konti. Our Konti mothers have male partners from other races. Vanator's father was my mother's husband and thus my father as well. Among the Drykas, a man can have more than one wife, especially if he can afford them. I've known this man all my life and hes protected me growing up. He's my teacher and friend and confident. He's never said a bad word about anyone, and hes righted a lot of wrongs in his day." Kavala said softly, never taking her eyes off the kelvic. She wanted Mao to understand that she coudln't just attack anyone because of their race and sex. She herself didn't particularly care for human males much anymore, but that didn't mean that they all needed to die. If Mao couldn't understand that, then there was something definitely wrong with her.

"Not everyone is bad Mao. You cant just hunt someone for their race and sex. You need to get to know them first and make a more concerted effort to try and do the right thing. If they are evil, then by all means kill them. But if you kill good people, it makes you no better than they are." Kavala said softly, firmly, meaning what she said.

Kavala knew there was a time let Mao prove herself trustworthy and a time to act. If Kavala couldn't control the feral kelvic and keep her from tearing apart innocent people like Vanator, then it was definitely time for her to be locked up. But she waited, giving Mao one last chance to do the right thing and peel off her attack. If she wouldn't, Kavala would consider that the last straw and take actions into her own hands and do the right thing.