Closed Frost In The Air

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts Trembling, she was trembling. No doubt because of the previous confrontation with that boy, whoever he was. Her adrenaline was pumping, she wanted to fight, she wanted to run. And she would have if it wasn't for Rion walking beside her. She didn't want him to think that she was running off with his cloak, so she set off at a brisk walk instead smiling in spite of herself. "I got the last word." She mumbled to herself, triumphant. "Argued against that human and won. Gave him what for didn't I?" So used to wandering the woods alone she completely forgotten about Rion's presence. Blushing fiercely she gave him a suspicious sideways glance, muttering. "You didn't hear anything." There goes my hostile act. She thought scowling, no longer will these humans be weary. She was still counted Kizora as human as that was what she appeared to be no matter what she claimed to be. I swear acting a kid... and in front of these strangers. And I'm leading them to my home? I guess I'll just have to hope they forget the way later.

[Rion Whitestone]

"Gilding?" Rion repeated in his head. Automatically he assumed she meant gliding because the only gilding he knew was in crafted items. So, as he pictured the horse as a gliding breed, he actually assumed it had wings hidden somewhere that it could use to fly. Now that would be something to see. As they continued ahead, Rion noticed that the kid was following them after all, though he seemed to keep his distance from Halona. Or maybe it was the other way around. Rion couldn't help but notice that the she-wolf was speeding up a bit. However, that could have been for some other reasons. "Maybe she just wants to get there as fast as possible," he thought. "She is still naked under there." Thought quickly brought up some embarrasement so Rion threw it out of his head. Just as he did Halona started talking about getting the last word. She must have thought he wouldn't hear because she quickly told him to forget what he heard a moment later. "Don't worry," he said with light pat on her shoulder. "Your secrets safe with me." Glancing behind, he didn't think the others heard the comment either. "If it makes you any feel better," he said, bringing his voice down to a whisper, "I think you probably would have won that earlier fight if the kid hadn't shown up." "Then again," he said aloud, "if you had, we wouldn't be talking like this. I'd probably be running away from here or something. And you would have never have met your fellow Kelvic over there. Speaking of which..." Turning around, he started walking backwards again as he called to Kizora. "Hey Kizora, can you show us what animal you turn into when we get to the cave?"

[Kizora DuLonite]

She couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. There was something about him that just seemed...sad.

"Well, it's up to you. Mind telling me your name at least? I don't think you ever introduced yourself."

A hiccup of annoyance and anger, then understanding rooted itself in her when Rion asked to see her form.

What does he think I am, a circus performer that just puts herself out to entertain? People like him were...

Relax...she forced herself to relax. He was just curious, just wanted to know. A lot of people were like that about new things. She needed to keep her head.

"Uhhh...as long as Halona has a separate room I can...change myself in. If you really want to know, I'm a Raven."

She noticed her pride that echoed in her voice as she spoke of her other form. Hopefully it wouldn't provoke the predator in Halona.

[Telrin]

“I’m Telrin,” the boy said. He turned as the man asked to see whatever it was Kizora was, and the supposed Kelvic bristled for a moment. Telrin couldn’t blame her; it seemed a bit of a rude thing to ask. But Kizora controlled whatever irritation had raised her hackles, and after a breath she responded a bit hesitantly. A raven? That was certainly interesting. Telrin felt curiosity bubble up inside him. Would she change? Really? He couldn’t help but feel a bit reluctant to leave until he found out. As he continued walking alongside her, Telrin felt the need to justify his continued presence. “I, erm, don’t have to get to my father now. I can help you find your horse, if you like. What were you doing so far from the road, anyway?”

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts At Rion's touch, Halona stiffened and let out a low growl on instinct turning on him. "Don't touch me!" Standing there awkwardly for a moment cheeks burning, she realized, the pat was meant to comfort her. "Erm..sorry..." She mumbled, embarrassed, avoiding his gaze. "Thanks, it does." She offered in light of his next words to which she figured was a compliment. Looking back up, a hint of curiosity surfaced in her usually distant amber eyes. "Why would you have ran?" Surprise raised her eyebrows when she spotted the boy tagging along. "So he's coming after all." She muttered, sighing. The boy as much as she disliked him for letting his arrow fly into her shoulder, intrigued her. So young for a human yet older than her by years. Halona's shot a hard look at Rion when he asked Kizora to shift in such a rude way. "What are we Kelvic's to you? Entertainment?" She snapped, enraged. The mental wall of Halona's Rion had unknowingly steadily been tearing down, returned in full force. "Humans, I swear." She continued, rolling her eyes. However much she pretended, Halona listened closely to the animal Kizora stated she was. "A raven..." She mused, "a petty scavenger." The girl smiled, pleased and secretly hoping that Kizora was telling the truth, she had never met another of her kind and had always wondered what they were like. In response to Kizora's inquiry about a separate chamber, the girl thought about it. At the back of the cave there was a wall that curved in just enough that it made a space where the average person could move comfortably enough without being seen by practically any angle. "You don't have to shift if you don't want to but yeah, there is sort of a makeshift chamber you could change privately enough." She told the woman. Modesty not being in her vocabulary, Halona was puzzled, why not change in plain sight? Then shaking her head, muttering, "City Kelvic's I swear..." At the boy's introduction, Halona nodded to him in acknowledgement. Rolling her eyes at Terlin's voicing his change of mind, she flatly said, "great now that we know each other and finally made up our minds of where we're going, can we all get a move on?"

[Rion Whitestone]

Unfortunately, Rion's casual attitude didn't seem to work well against the Kelvic race. When he gave Halona a friendly pat on the back, she acted like she'd practically bite his head off. And when he wanted to know what animal Kizora was, both Kelvics acted like he thought they were some kind of sideshow attraction. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to be offensive. Like I said, I've never met Kelvics before so I'm not really sure what sets you guys off." Considering how Halona shifted without a second thought, Rion had assumed other Kelvics would be as nonchalant about it. In fact, he assumed they would have been proud of their other form. And as Kizora said she was a raven, she did indeed seem proud. So maybe it was just the way he asked it that irritated them. "Really, you don't have to change," Rion said, echoing Halona's words. "We can just throw away the whole idea now anyway." Turning back around, Rion fell back into his forward walk. Rather than go on about Kizora being a raven, Rion decided to change the subject. Before he angered her, Halona had asked why he'd wanted to run from her. That was probably worth something. "So Halona," he began, "have you ever...err..." Rion tried to find the right words without bringing on more hostilities. "Have you ever...had to...fight...a human?" Rather than leaving it at that, he quickly explained himself. "You asked before why I would have ran from you. You have seen what those sharp teeth of yours could do to human flesh, right? Though I've luckily never been bitten by a wolf, if its worse than a coyote bite, I'm not to eager to find out." Then again, Rion wouldn't have had a problem with taking on a wolf knowing the danger. He needed a few battle scars as proof of his victories. So far, all the damage he'd received had healed.

[Kizora DuLonite]

"No, I don't mind. I like to change, and I haven't done it in a while. And I'd like to show how much more than a petty scavenger I am."

She did her best to calm herself again. A petty scavenger? At least she wasn't stuck like the landlocked beast. The sky was her limit, unlike her. The raven was strong, an embodiment of growth through pain. Not a scavenger, not a petty scavenger... At least she recognized the discomfort a naked woman could bring to those around her. There was a younger one in their company after all.

Her smile was a bit forced when she turned to the small boy.

"Your names Telrin? That's a pretty cool name. I was hoping to get to Sylira. The map I got from some nomads was trash, so I've been kinda figuring it out myself."

[Telrin]

Telrin frowned at Halona’s back. Why did she think she deserved other people being nice to her if she was so mean to other people? She said one thing and did another, as if her rules applied to everyone but herself. Telrin didn’t like it. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t like it. He understood Kizora’s annoyance, and what had been an insult turned to a challenge. It seemed she would change to prove them wrong. Telrin looked at the ground; the raven kelvic’s situation was too similar to his own to stomach properly, so he chose to disregard it for now. Telrin looked up when the woman who was also a raven turned to talk to him again. “I can show you to Syliras,” he said, brightening. “There’s a pathway that’s not far. It’s small but it’ll take you there.”

[Halona]

Halona Common | Canine | Thoughts Surprise lit in Halona's eyes as Rion took back his words. She had never heard a human apologize before much less explain why. It made her wonder if most humans where as bad as she'd thought. Perhaps Rion was the exception? Or was she in the wrong? Either way she simply couldn't deny the fact that the blonde human intrigued her. It was an odd feeling to be so at ease and talk so freely around anyone, especially a human. Pondering Rion's next words on running away, she answered, "Humans your so frail, if it wasn't for your weapon's you'd be as helpless as..." She paused realizing all forest animals had some type of defense against their predators. Rabbits were fast, and deer were alert. Humans were clumsy, loud and slow to boot. Sometimes she found it hard to believe they were even predators much less active hunters. Then thinking back on Terlin's expertise with the bow reminded her just how deadly they could be, with the right tools of course. "Er...anyway, yeah, I've fought humans before. They were easy prey." It was a lie, she'd always avoided the few humans in the woods out of fear, terrified they would capture and enslave her once more. Having no reason to tell the truth and being a little afraid to do so just in case her human companions suddenly found capturing a Kelivc a tempting idea, she kept the details it to herself. Kizora was the exception as she was traveling with a horse, domesticated prey and appeared rather lost and out of place among the trees. "Any wolf's bite would be more powerful than a coyote's, they're larger and stronger, if a wolf latches on there's a good chance it would crush your bones." She said matter of factly, breathing easier now she had made it past her previous lie. This new piece of information however was the truth, in her wolf form she'd crushed any number of prey's bone's twist her jaws. It had occurred to her to ask why Rion had been attacked by coyotes in the first place but she instead continued her previous pace, fell silent and allowed her mind to wander. Her thought process settling on the other two; Kizora, who was she really?To meet another Kelvic period, was a privilege in itself, but being the highly suspicious person that she was, Halona kept her rising anticipation and bubbly excitement to herself. Then there was Terlin...what to make of the boy? A future killer to be sure, be the victims human or animal. The boy would probably be more use to as an ally then foe but to reach such a mutual relationship would require the Kelvic to swallow her pride. Something she would not do, not to mention she'd promised him an early death. She couldn't go back on her words...could she? Turning onto a trail well hidden by a dense thicket, Halona maneuvered her way through the foliage onto a familiar path. Leaving the snowy forest behind, she stepped into a clearing revealing the snow covered boulders guarding a small cave-like opening, just wide enough for the average person. "Well, we're here." She announced, "told you it wasn't far." Remembering Kizora's horse, Halona turned to face the other Kelvic, "Do you mind if I change before we search for your horse? My stuff is right inside." Then to the group as a whole, "Wait out here or get out of the cold is up to you."

[Rion Whitestone]

"Petty scavenger?' Rion repeated in his head. He hadn't heard that being mumbled under Halona's breath so he was confused as to where the term came from. But he didn't let it bother him too much. Kizora had agreed to transform after all and Rion was still eager to see. Turning to Halona, Rion felt the need to say something when she said humans were weak without weapons. Technically speaking, all creatures were weak without weapons. The swords and clubs of humans were the same as the teeth and claws of animals. "I'd like to see how far you get without your flashy canines," he thought briefly. But he didn't really say anything on the matter as Halona went on to say the humans she fought were easy prey. Maybe the only problem was that she'd never fought an actually strong human before. "In that case, she should probably meet one of the Syliran Knights." Smirking at the thought, Rion began to shiver when Halona talked of the strength of wolf bites. "My point exactly," he said. "I for one would like to have all my bones to be in their proper places." And after this was said, a brief period of silence ensued. Rion used this time to speak to the two walking behind. While they'd been walking, Rion had overheard a few of the things Telrin - that's what the boy called himself - and Kizora had been saying. Mainly, he heard the part about going to Syliras. "Kizora," he called out as he walked backwards. "If you're going to Syliras, I suggest you keep your head down and act natural. Those knights can be really rough with strangers sometimes..." Rion wanted to add that those strangers were unusual to look at, but he thought Kizora might take it the wrong way. "And try not to get trampled by the crowd." Rion still remembered the first time he almost got swept up in the crowd. But that was another story. Turning back around, Rion saw that they'd arrived at Halona's den. By that point, Rion was in a hurry to get out of the cold, and he would have gladly ran inside if not for Halona's next few words. "Ch-change?" he thought, forgetting that she was still naked under the cloak. That stopped him in his tracks. "I think I'll just...wait here until you're done," Rion admitted. Looking to the others, he assumed they'd do the same - or at least Telrin would do the same. Kizora was a girl and a fellow Kelvic so there was nothing really strange about the two of them being in one room like...that. Rion tried to hide his embarrassment at the thought.