PM to join So Far From Home

[Ildiko]

S O _ F A R _ F R O M _ H O M E Winter. 3. 513. // Kabrin Road, Syliran Wilderness // Every beat of wings she heard above her made her long for home. When the morning finally broke overhead, dawn's light an invasive and cruel beam to her eyes, she lifted her chin to the sun and hissed. She wished that Leth's domain had greeted her when she'd awoken, instead. It'd only been a day since she'd left her people, but her first winter was harsher than she'd ever expected. Though she had been personally trained by some of the finest Zith her colony had to offer, she felt no match for this unpredictable landscape. -------- earlier -------- They had promised to drop her off a half-day's journey from Syrilas, two young male Zith and their curious female companion. They'd been the only ones foolish and willing to leave Ildiko so close to the humans, and perhaps it was because of personal attachment: two owed her a favor, and the other had been her lover for a night. They traveled by flight, Ildiko nestled against the chest of the largest Zith, leaving at sunset and landing at a shaded spot a half-day's flight from the borders of Syrilas well into the night. Upon arrival, they were all lost...completely. They were southern Ziths at best, cave dwellers; they could hunt in any land, and any climate, but preferred flatlands and warmth, as the variation made it difficult. Here, in the north, the land was dusted in a fine white, something cold to the touch and definitely not pleasant to roll around in. 'Is it edible?' Ildiko wondered silently as she shivered against her worn cloak. She envied the soft, downy hair of her kin, and mentally cursed the powers that created her. They seemed mostly unaffected by the cold, but every breeze cut through Ildiko's clothing straight to her skin. She watched as a curious male, the youngest of the troupe, lifted a clawed hand full of the cold, powdery stuff to his mouth. Though it was dark, Ildiko could see that the snow in his hand wasn't the same color as the snow around them. "Hey!" she snapped, harshly enough to startle him into dropping it. He glared at her, though the female Zith laughed heartily. "Do not eat tinted stuff, Clever. Not the yellow kind. Bad feeling about this." "Who died and made you leader?" He seemed to take personal offense from being corrected, his chest puffing out with pride. There was a challenge in his eyes as he approached her, trying to intimidate her into submission with his larger size. Ildiko stood her ground, staring him down with an unbroken gaze. A full foot taller than her, he could easily beat her into apologizing. She wasn't afraid. But the Zith female quickly stepped in-between them, and touched his arm tenderly. It pacified him, and the tension visibly left his body. "Halfling's right," she cooed, in Common. "That smelled like animal." "I know. I was tracking." "You were tasting," the female accused, though her words clearly had a more soothing effect on him. "Consider the white stuff a non-edible, for now. We'll ask the leaders about it when we get back." "Let's just hurry and get rid of this wingless one. I don't like it here." Two quickly vanished, off to hunt. She watched them until her eyes couldn't see their dark forms anymore. They came back two hours later, one hovering above the ground with an armload of things, and another riding a horse loaded with travelling bags. "Where get this?" Ildiko clicked. "There were humans," one responded, pointing to the west. "In the wilderness." She didn't want any further explanation, but she wasn't going to reject their gifts. Survival of the fittest, they had instilled in her from an early age. The weak should grow stronger. She felt neither remorse nor guilt from what they had done, though it was obvious that the horse's owner was no longer alive. She didn't feel pity, but an increased resolve to grow stronger. "Why do this?" she said, silent after a thoughtful pause. "To take care of you. We take care of our own." "I appreciate," she said simply. She pulled a worn blanket from one of the saddlebags and unrolled it. She sighed with pleasure as it quickly warmed her. "Make a camp," they ordered. "Show me that you know how to survive on your own." She took a quick inventory of everything in the bags before starting, and what she found made her feel like a wealthy person. Everything, except the bag of metal circles, felt necessary. She gripped the bag and dropped it to the ground, searching for food. "Don't get rid of that! You'll need that if you're going to interact with humans." "Why not barter?" "Humans are...greedy," the older male started, struggling to explain himself in a pitch low enough for her to hear, his Common hesitant. "They like the shiny." "Then I'll keep the shiny." The female nodded in approval. She picked a spot under a tree, next to a few bushes. The Zith lead the horse to the tree, tying it up and camouflaging it with sticks and twigs as Ildiko set up her tent. She tried propping up the tarp with sticks, but it wouldn't stay. Frustrated, she set the large tarp on the ground, placing the bedroll on top of it. She then lay on her back, wrapping her blanket and cloak around herself. A Zith folded the rest of the tarp back over her, making sure that she had space to breathe. The end result looked like she was in a waterproof sleeping bag, or a cocoon. One joked. "You look like wrapped food. If I find you, I eat you." "I feel warm," she laughed. They piled snow and leaves on top and around the tarp, to hide her from prying eyes. "Unsafe leaving you here," the female sighed. "Will be fine." "One human is a slave, but many humans is a danger. Be careful." A low voice added to her comment. "Be safe. You're always welcome home." Ildiko nodded slowly, grateful for their compassion. The warmth of the makeshift shelter was making her sleepy. She drifted off to sleep so quickly that she didn't hear them leave. When she awoke, they were gone. -------- now -------- She woke up with the sun in her eyes. Holding back a screech, she sat up and unraveled herself from her sleeping arrangements. She shook the snow off and folded the tarp and everything she had used back into the horse's pack, leaving no trace that she had even been there. Her stomach grumbled. The Zith had spent so much time making sure that she was settled, that they forgot to bring her food. She was sure that they'd hunted on their way home. But she was hungry, and had a taste for fresh meat. Maybe they had overlooked her accidentally. Or maybe not. When she heard the rustling of a small creature in the bushes, she thought she'd gotten lucky. She searched in the pack for a dagger, moving slowly like a hunter. She kept her footsteps silent. She didn't want to frighten it away. Just before she reached it, she heard the snapping of a twig. The animal ran away, aware of her presence. She looked down. It hadn't been from her feet. Hurriedly, she dove into the bushes, waiting out the noise. Was it prey, or predator? She felt naked without the support of her pack. *everything noted & acquired in post is starting package. ** first post, message me if it needs to be moved

[Alasdair]

He had set out long before daybreak, following the road that led into and out of Syliras for several miles before veering into the untamed woods. By the time Alasdair began his hunt, the sun had risen enough to light the wintry landscape under the canopy of the thick, ancient trees. A few years had passed since his last visit to this area - a favorite of his mother's. It was plentiful of small game. The Syliran picked his way through the seemingly senseless snarl of forest, heading for higher ground. Morning was well under way by the time he stopped at a broad stream. The water ran rapidly downhill, gurgling loudly and spilling across tumbles of stone and debris as it forged its way downhill.

He stopped momentarily to examine his surroundings, both below and above. Already throughout the hike he had counted almost two dozen squirrel nests, and this was without any serious scrutinisation - merely passing cursory inspection of the branches overhead. He had started a trio of deer about half a bell prior, but decided not to give chase. Alasdair didn't want to haul a deer - even a lighter, field dressed carcass - all the way back to the city. He set off once more, now following the flowing track of water upstream. It always made him more comfortable to be following something continuous and consistent like a stream.

Another bell later, two squirrels and a rabbit hung lifeless from his belt, downed by the broadheads packed into the quiver strapped to his back. He carried his bow ready in his hand - not willing to risk being momentarily unprepared. A distant howl had made him consider turning back, but it sounded too far to be a bother. A few times a snapping branch or whisper of leaves moving along the ground made him still and wait, but there was nothing. The balcani - his greatest fear when out in the wilds - would sleeping for the day. Few and far between were the days when he would venture out at night. Early morning yes, but the dead of night - almost never. During the day he was more worried about running into another human or two-legged creature.

For the fourth time in a bell, he heard a rustling in the brush. It was yards ahead of him, but stopped and watched. A flash of a little white tail and gray-brown body made him stalk forward. Another rabbit, carefully moving along on the hunt for roughage. Alasdair moved closer to the water's edge where there was less debris to step on. What there was was wet and sodden, helping to mask the sound of his big boots crunching along. The little mammal stopped suddenly, and he mimicked. It sat up on its long back feet, raising a little pink nose to the air and sniffing curiously, then turning its head and looking right at him. You little shyke. Right before it dashed away into the underbrush, Alasdair pulled an arrow from his full quiver, nocked it, and pulled the bow string back to his lips.

The hare fled as his fingers released the tight sinew. Even if it hadn't, his arrow still buried itself too far to the left, missing the now empty spot completely. The fletched end of the arrow stuck up out the ground, and he jogged forward to retrieve it. He was sure the little creature was long gone, but just in case he shoved through the foliage it had escaped into. On the other side it got clearer, and he crunched along examining the ground for any furrows in the ground left by frantic claws. There were some, but he couldn't hope to track it. Alasdair slipped his arrow back into the quiver with the rest, stopping to consider his next move.

He already had a few plump catches hanging by their necks on some thin leather strings tied to his belt. One of the squirrels was a little bony, but he could live with that. When he turned to go back to the stream, his belt crushed a thick stick, which snapped loudly. The muffled rustling that came after made him pause and turn his head. It was in the direction the rabbit had come. Was it hiding? Alasdair stood for a moment after the noise stopped, then turned back and crept in the direction it had come. He came into a small area where the ground seemed to have been disturbed at some point, but that was no clue at all. It could have been deer, fox, or any number of animal to turn up the thin layer of snow. There were no other indications to anything that might give him an idea of direction.

Again, Alasdair made to turn and leave. He would have gone without another glance, if Ildiko's newly acquired horse didn't choose that time to nicker quietly at him. It smelled human, and after the unease of being around Zith, it called out once it recognized a more familiar odor. He smelled of man and Syliras, not like a predator or beast. The Syliran whipped around and peered into the tall bushes obscuring the animal. If he looked close, he could see it through the snarl of growth tied to a tree on the other side. His eyebrows drew down and together into a deep fork, accentuating his severe appearance. A white cloud of breath fogged the air and he slung his bow over one shoulder, allowing one hand free as he slipped the hand axe out of its loop on his belt. "Hello?" Another glance around made him frown.

Someone had either left their horse or were very nearby. Alasdair flexes his fingers on the leather wrapped hilt on his sharp axe. "If someone's there I'll give you a moment, but come out here. I don't play hiding games. If you're no threat to me, I'm no threat to you. And if you don't come out, I'll be taking this horse." His deep voice was reasonable but full of warning. He wasn't even going to take the horse, but they didn't need to know that. It wouldn't hurt to give a good reason to comply.

OOCVery long day of work then English finals. Mediocre post... Don't even want to check for grammar/spelling errors! Naptime.