Closed Frost In The Air

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts Sharp canines snapping at empty air, Halona dove to the side as her meal fled the scene and its human blocked her path. The human's uncanny screech stunned her leaving her pawing at her ringing ears. An wild swing of the woman's knife contacted Halona's ear, nicking it. Whining in pain, Halona retreated a few paces standing just out of the knife's range and let out a low warning growl at her newest obstacle. "Move." She snarled, at the woman in canine. It did not matter that the woman couldn't understand her, Halona was hungry and the human was between her and her prey. Glancing around the human, the Kelvic whined in frustration as the horse thundered out of sight. I can still track it but I've lost the element of surprise and- Halona howled in pain as an arrow pierced her shoulder left shoulder. Spinning around she went on the defensive ears flattening to her head and canines drawing back. Glaring up at the tree that shot an earlier arrow Halona shifted from wolf to human. Moving her naked body into a crouching position she laid one hand on her freely bleeding shoulder with the arrow. Grimacing in pain she took a deep breath, grasped the arrow in her hand and yanked the arrow free. "Petching humans. That was my kill." She shouted furiously, at no one in particular.

[Rion Whitestone]

"No reason I can't get comfortable while I watch," Rion thought as sat on the other side of the tree. He would have climbed onto a branch where it was safer, but he had no skills whatsoever in scaling surfaces. Even if he managed to get up there, he'd be covered in scratches and maybe even bleeding when he was done. It wasn't worth going through all that for just comfort. Using the snow as a cushion, Rion snuggled against the tree and watched events unfold. It looked like the wolf was creeping up to some large four legged creature. Rion remembered seeing it as a child at one of Sylrias's stables. A...horse. Too bad it was the target of the smaller wolf's appetite. "But how is it going to take down that huge thing?" Rion wondered. Glancing on top of the horse, Rion also noticed somebody riding the animal. That was...unusual. He'd never heard of an animal carrying somebody before, and it peaked his interest. Too bad they'd soon have to face the wolf. However, the odds were in there favor. It was two giants vs. one tiny wolf. While Rion probably should have voted for the human and the horse to win, his money was still on the wolf. "You can never underestimate the under...dog," Rion thought. Pulling his backpack out from behind it, he decided to take out his bag of dried nuts. At the time, dinner and a show seemed like a good idea. Hearing the woman react with a frightened shriek- Rion had to cover one of his ears from the sound - he watched as the horse took off while the human decided to take its place. "Bye horse," Rion said with a wave. Turning his attention back to the now one on one fight between the wolf and human, Rion nodded his head approvingly at the bout. Now everything was fair and square...or at least it was until some kid decided to chuck an arrow into the wolf's shoulder. "Hey! No tag teams!" Rion complained as he threw down his nuts. "Where's the Syliran knights when you need them..." Picking up the remaining nuts, Rion stuffed them in his bag and looked back to see how things were unfolding. His eyes grew wide when he saw the wolf go through the transformation into a human. When it was over, he still stood there, blinking. It wasn't until she - the wolf had transformed into a female so Rion assumed it must have been just that - that he actually made a move. Throwing on his book bag he wasted no time in running over. He wouldn't let a chance for a confrontation like this to slip through his fingers. "Hey!" he called, just in case they hadn't heard his earlier shouts. It wasn't until he arrived that he realized he still had his hood on. He quickly pulled it off, revealing his messy blonde hair and natural blue eyes. Hopefully they'd trust the face he gave them - or more specifically, the wolf would trust it.

[Kizora DuLonite]

She whipped her head to the side, glancing at the boy, and then refocusing on the once wolf, now human girl. Kizora's face was flush, and a certain fear burned inside her. The small boy was fairly good with a bow, and his intentions were still somewhat unclear. He clearly didn't want her dead, but neither did her mother's abuser when he kept her as a pet. Caution was her best friend, especially with another Kelvic so close. And a wolf Kelvic at that. At least she assumed it was a fellow Kelvic. Not many others could shift into animals so easily, but that proved nothing. Kizora always tried her best to keep an open mind with people, but the wolf was a natural predator to a bird like her. A certain animalistic animosity snarled within her.

Blood seeped from the woman's wound as she curled into a tight ball. She ripped the arrow out of her shoulder, furiously shouting as she did.

"

Petching humans. That was my kill

In all senses of the phrase, Kizora didn't know what to say. While she hadn't intended for the woman to get hurt, it had been her horse after all. There was a certain amount of sympathy, though, as Kizora could remember the ignorance of humans plaguing her when she took on her other form.

"Thank you. We need to help h..."

Its all she can manage, as another quick motion catches her attention. A hooded man was dashing from the forest, towards the wounded wolf Kelvic that lie before them. A million emergencies pulled at her thoughts, screaming for solutions and resolutions. A bleeding woman, most likely an enemy, a new threat as well as a possibility of an old one. That, and a missing horse, of course. Despite her better judgment, she turned to the small boy again.

"Do you know anything about medicine? If so, can you help her? I think she somewhat human, and she obviously needs help. Careful."

It felt disgusting asking for help, especially after already owing him, but she rationalized it away. She wasn't the wounded one being treated, after all. Already processing the irony of a raven defending a wolf, she slipped in front of the wounded woman, knife pointed at the oncoming man's direction. She really needed to stop putting herself in harms way.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

[Telrin]

The arrow sank into the wolf’s shoulder, drawing out a pained howl. Breaths coming quick and shallow, Telrin drew another arrow and fitted it to the bow. Hey, no tag teams! Telrin pivoted on his heel and drew the string to his cheek in preparation to fire, but now the arrowhead was aiming at the cloaked man who seemed to have materialized from the shadows and was watching the scene as if it was a play. Then a flash appeared out of the corner of his eye, and it was back again to the wolf––woman? With an arrow––his arrow––lodged in her shoulder? Telrin blinked, and realization overtook him. Kelvic. She was a kelvic. And naked. The young hunter couldn’t help the embarrassed blush that crept into his face as he tried to figure out how to keep an eye on her without actually looking at her. She ripped the arrow from her shoulder and snarled at them. Her kill? Telrin almost scoffed; it was someone else’s horse––what gave her the right to call it hers? Do you know about medicine? Telrin turned towards the woman who he assumed owned the horse in question and he blinked at her. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “But there are places in the city.” Then there was rustling and movement and a shouted “Hey!” and it was back to pointing his arrow at the hooded man. This man was in the process of running towards them, and out of instinct Telrin stepped back, away from the scene far enough the he could aim the arrow at any one of the three. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, not at all, and he didn’t like that he seemed to be suddenly caught in the middle of it. All he wanted was his stupid porcupine.

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts The crunch of snow ahead alerted Halona to another's approach, and from its scent, it too was human. A voice called out from the woods that Halona soon matched to a hooded figure. When the human threw back his hood however, the Kelvic had barely got a glimpse of him before the black haired woman whose horse Halona had intended on eating, stepped in front of her as if to protect her from the new stranger. "Why?" Halona murmured, so quietly her voice barely carried in the breeze. 'Why would you stick your neck out for me, when I just tried to eat your horse?' Halona wanted to say. Humans...she could never quite understand them, some were cruel, others kind and few honest. I'm just reading it wrong, the woman just doesn't want the stranger to interfere. Halona thought before silently listening to the woman's inquiry of medicine. Being the only one hurt, Halona felt a mixture of embarrassment and suspicion. "Why are you trying to help? I just tried to eat your horse." Halona grumbled, peering up at the lady, then more suspiciously adding. "What's in it for you?" Whatever the woman's reason, Halona decided to advocate for herself as she always had. First she needed clothes, as she was freezing in the snow. She could shift back to a wolf but there was no guarantee whoever shot her wouldn't do so again while she was in that form, she also couldn't communicate to the simple minded humans as a wolf. And figuring humans found it harder to shoot those who looked like their own kind, she decided to stay put. Her wound still throbbed, but the initial agony of the arrow piercing her flesh had passed, with the arrow out of her skin and still in her hand, the blood ran freely down her back like a river, dying the snow behind her a vibrant red. The loss of blood wasn't at the point were she was feeling dizzy or fatigued...yet. "Clothes? I-I need clothes. I would shift but..." She glanced at the trees, "D-don't k-know if whoever they are will shoot m-me again." She managed to say teeth chattering. Peering around the woman in front of her, she asked the previously hooded blonde boy, "Hey, y-you think you can s-spare you cloak? Might get it b-bloody but, its sort of f-freezing you know?" It was utterly humiliating to be asking for help. Halona never asked for help and doing so terrified her. To ask was to trust the other person even if it was the slightest bit. And to do so was weakness in her book. It was letting someone know her needs and trusting them to fulfill them, asking made her feel helpless even if she didn't show it. If she knew anything about anything, it was that humans were predators and like all predators, they preyed upon the weak. It was a lesson she learned from the forest for it was merciless.

[Rion Whitestone]

Before Rion could venture to begin a conversation, the woman, who'd previously fallen off her horse, had thrust an eating knife at him. It was the same weapon she used on the wolf. He hadn't really noticed it before because he was so busy rooting for the wolf. "And she thought she could beat him- I mean...her with that tiny thing," Rion thought. Shaking his head disapprovingly, he then remembered the woman's questions and was about to answer when the wolf woman started talking. It wasn't until then that he realized the obvious. "Hey," he began, "why are you naked?" As he asked this he only occasionally glanced at the wolf, but didn't really look straight at her. Finding out that she was naked was making him a bit apprehensive. This apprehension only grew when the wolf asked for his cloak as cover. "Oh! Sure thing." Pulling off the large accessory, Rion revealed his broadsword hanging from his side. It was his only protection from the wilderness...besides the eating knife he also had. As he was giving the cloak to her, Rion noticed the freezing over arrow wound. "You might want to cover that up with something before you it gets...worse. Hold on a sec." After saying this, Rion was about to cut off a piece of the bottom of the cloak to use as a bandage, as he often did. However, he quickly thought against the accidental peep show. "Never mind," he said in embarrassment. "Ugh...do any of you guys have something to use as a bandage?" As he looked around for the answer, he again remembered the horse rider's question. "Oh yeah!" he shouted abruptly. "You wanted an introduction didn't you. I'm Rion Whitestone...and this here is my sword, Aldreda. I actually came here to meet her." As he said this, he gestured to the wounded wolf woman. "I've never seen - or met - a wolf that could talk like us before," Rion explained. "Much less one that could transform into a human. What's your name anyway naked wolf girl?"

[Kizora DuLonite]

Kizora ground her teeth. Another weapon had been thrown into the mix. She did her best to keep an eye on the small boy and the new man, Rion. The wolf woman was still dangerous, but not nearly as much.

Calm. She needed to remain calm. This is why she left to travel on her own, so she could learn to handle these situations. First things fist, why did this happen? A sudden attack due to a misunderstanding. There was no one at fault, after all. Confusion caused conflict, and knowledge birthed understanding. It would be best to bring light to all parties in the encounter. She cut a long length from her own cloak, as it felt somewhat responsible for the woman's wound.

"Take this. She needs it more than I do."

She pulled a few dried pieces of meat from her rations. She had so little, but a peace offering may clear the air, and potentially save her life. Sliding the pocket knife into its sheathe on her hip, she outstretched her hand in the parties general direction. While she wanted all of them to feel comfortable taking a piece, she specifically spoke to the wolf-woman.

"I'm sorry for wounding you. I didn't realize you were like me. If you were hungry, you could have just asked."

The words did taste a little bitter in her mouth, but it was a necessity. Allies were more useful than enemies, and her bleeding heart over- won her gene deep anger towards the predator. They had more in common than they did different.

She turned towards the small boy, chuckling a bit in her head as she noticed his blushing cheeks. He may be skilled, but he was still young.

"Again, thanks. If anything, I owe you this."

Next was the newcomer.

"If you only wish to converse, then let it be so. I will not harm you, lest I have to. I don't believe anyone else will either, though I cannot speak definitely. Take what you'd like, and I will start a fire, so we may all converse without this wretched cold."

[Telrin]

The wolf kelvic spoke again, words broken by chattering. No wonder; she was naked in winter. But what struck Telrin as the strangest of all was the woman apologizing to the kelvic for wounding her as if she had been to one to shoot the arrow. The strange man began to converse, and so Telrin took the opportunity to discreetly sidle behind the unhorsed woman in search of what he had been looking for in the first place. If he had been sitting in that tree over there, and aiming over here, then the arrow should have landed… Yes! There it was! The porcupine lay still, speared to the earth by his arrow and quite dead. This was something to celebrate, at least. The boy bent over and pulled his arrow out of the creature, taking care not to spear himself on any of the spines when the woman spoke to him again. Telrin turned and nodded, but didn’t give much in the way of words. But the suggestion of a fire… Telrin blinked, first at the woman, then at where her horse had run off. Strange woman. Strange people, all three of them. And he had work to do; he couldn’t waste any more time if he was to take down enough for the day’s coin. After another look at the trio of strangers, Telrin gave another subtle nod and turned to leave without so much as a “By your leave.”

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts Upon hearing the once hooded guy ask about her lack of clothes, Halona snorted. Just how dense was he? Who had not heard of Kelvics? "Did you live such a sheltered life that you are unable to recognize a Kelvic when you see one?" She mused, voice icy. "I wore no clothes as a wolf, thus I wear none now." She eyed him curiously as he pulled off his cloak and handed it out to her. Were all humans so uncomfortable when they came across another who was unclothed? She wondered, a small smile gracing her lips. Perhaps it was just the guys? She rose to her feet, stepping forward to take the cloak. She paused as the man fretted over whether or not to tear some clothe from the cloak for a bandage. When he decided against it, she took the cloak, pulling it on. Breathing easier now that the cloak circulated her body heat, viewing the now cloak-less man she wondered if it was right to ask him to give up his only protection to the cold. She nodded to him in thanks, mulling over his name. Eyebrows furrowing and eyes narrowing skeptically at the mention of the purpose of his approach, her question for why Rion did so, was answered without her speaking a word. Her eye twitched upon the words "naked wolf girl." It was a new one and annoying. "Halona." She said, introducing herself with an edge to her voice. He was still a human no matter how kind he appeared to be, and humans were not to be trusted. The woman who still stood a little in front of Halona turned to her and apologized, handing Halona a bit of dried meat. The puzzled Kelvic was about to toss the food aside with a "I don't take charity" but the woman's words "I didn't realize you were like me" made Halona think twice. "Like me? What do you mean?" She asked the woman,"You are human, are you not?" Like me? Halona wondered taking a small bite out of the meat, could it be the woman was a Kelvic? At the mention of a fire, Halona nodded in agreement, the cloak was warm but it could not fully keep out the cold, especially since there was nothing but her bare skin underneath it. My clothes are not far I could retrieve them. She reminded herself. Breathing in the frosty air another thought surfaced, "Perhaps we could take shelter in my den? Tis not far." She blushed, mentally smacked herself for thinking aloud. Humans? And in my den of all places? What am I thinking? Even as she thought it, she knew it was the least she could do. After all she did caused this. "We could search for your horse along the way as it ran in the direction of my home..." She offered softly to the woman. The quiet crunch of snow from behind made Halona turn her head. A young boy stood there, before quietly heading in the direction of a small animal carcass. It was a porcupine with an arrow in it. Putting two and two together, she figured this was the scrawny bastard who had shot her. "Hey you." She sneered at his retreating back, "leaving so soon?"

[Rion Whitestone]

"Kel-vic?" Rion repeated in confusion. Its what the wolf girl called herself. Strange name to call an animal. Then again, he did have a sword he called Aldreda. "Actually," he continued, "I have heard a few stories of shape- I mean...Kelvics. And yes, I did live a comfortable life actually. I was a farmer so...not the most eventful life." Shrugging casually, he took note of the wolf woman's name - Halona - as the horse rider started offering food. He couldn't help smirking a bit when she apologized for hurting Halona. "She wishes she could hurt a wolf," he thought with a glance at her eating knife. Out loud, though, he'd only reject the meat. "Thanks but I'm not really that into meat. Unless its fish." Of course, Rion only said that because he'd never had quality meat. The only meat he ever had was fowl that had been poorly prepared. That was years ago. Glancing around, Rion noticed the boy with the arrows trying to run away from everybody. He hadn't really said anything to him the whole time so he decided to call him back. It would be worth meeting another hunter and maybe gaining a bit of incite into the world. However, Halona took the lead and shouted for him. Mostly likely she was still angry over her most recent wound. "Hey come back," he also called. "What's the rush? We just met? "Like Halona and- what's your name again...Like they said, let's settle down in a nice cozy place. We could all have lunch together or something. I mean it's not everyday all us hunters gather in one place like this. Well, hunters and horse rider. Let's just saver the moment."