Flashback That cat [Completed]

[Halona]

Halona 7th bell, 26th of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts The blonde wolf trotted quickly through the dense forest, relishing the feel of the cool earth beneath her paws and the soft rays of light the morning sun shone through the branches overhead. Like all creatures, Halona was in search of her breakfast. Nose to the wind in the attempt to pick up the scent of any possible prey nearby, instead her keen ears picked up the murmurer of a faint meow wafting from her left. It sounded insistent, desperate even, almost like a call for help. Curious, the Kelvic abandoned her search for food for the moment and followed the sound to its source. Happening upon a small black cat trapped in a cage, Halona was bewildered. I thought trapper's aimed to capture prey. Why was this cat trapped instead? What was the purpose? Hissing at Halona's arrival, the cat retreated to the back of its cage, back arched and fur fluffed. The sight caused the Kelvic wolf to smile. No doubt its wild. She thought, but what would have encouraged it to enter? Spying a small bowl in the corner of the cage, Halona's question was answered by the fresh scent of fish clinging to it. Someone lured it in on purpose... She growled softly, the trapping of the feline reminded Halona of her own captivity. Bitter memories of her life of being a neglected "pet" shortly followed filling her with barely suppressed rage. She wanted to kill whoever trapped this animal, she longed to rip them limb from limb and stuff their bloody remains in the cage as a sight for all to see. Shaking her head to clear such morbid thoughts, she resolved to at least free the cat from its prison. Shifting effortlessly into her human form, she shivered involuntarily as a chill crawled up her spine when a cold breeze caressed her naked body bringing forth a ripple of goosebumps to her skin. Sub-consciously rubbing her arms with her hands, she lifted the simple latch to the cage. It was all the prompting the black wildcat needed, it bolted from the cage, embracing it's freedom once more. Shifting back to a wolf, Halona silently watched the cat vanish amidst the greenery of the forest. Shortly after freeing the wayward kitty from its cell, Halona was tracking the fresh scent of rabbit. Aware of where she placed her paws, the Kelvic followed the scent to its source. A plump hare busily forged in a grassy clearing seemingly unaware to its impending danger. Settling into a low crouch, Halona began to creep up on her oblivious prey. Well hidden by the dense undergrowth, she paused her advance, amber eyes locked onto the rodent's movement as it began to near, nibbling at the abundant grasses at its disposal. Without warning, Halona launched herself at the hare in a pounce, squarely landing on its small frame and snapping its back. Congratulating herself on making such a clean kill, she picked it up and carried it off to the mossy base of a nearby tree to devour her meal.

[Halona]

Halona 10th bell, 26th of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts The meager meal of hare behind her, Halona was once again on the move this time in search for larger prey. With the sun higher in the sky the day had grown warmer in comparison to the chilly morning. The Kelvic had assumed her human form this time and was fully clothed with bow in hand and a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back. So focused in searching for signs of a passing animal on eye level, that on her next step her boot sunk into something soft, and squishy. Glancing down, amber eyes widening in surprise and nose wrinkling as the smell of deer dung hit it. "Ugh...Vagik." She moaned as she pulled her boot free, shaking her leg a couple of times to get as much as the dung off as she could. Refraining to wash it later, Halona carefully stepped over the dung and scanned the underbrush ahead looking for trampled grass... Knelling she touched a slight hoofed shaped depression in the earth. Tracks. Picking up a little of the dirt she smelled it, her sharp Kelvic nose identifying it as deer and fresh. Spying a tree ahead with a tuft of fur clinging to its bark, she assumed it was most likely brushed by the deer as it passed. Readying herself for the hunt, she scooped up a handful of dirt and administered it to her fair skin to better camouflage herself. Arms, face and neck dirtied, she was ready to pursue. Closely following the tracks and other signs of disturbance in the forest vegetation the deer left behind, Halona followed the trail as quietly as she could manage, watching where she placed her feet this time. A rustle ahead caused her to freeze. Sending a hand back to retrieve a arrow from her quiver, she knocked it on her bow and pulled the string back, ready to let it fly. A black wildcat emerged from the bushes not two feet in front of her. "Petch," She cursed, ignoring it as she walked past, she resumed her hunt. Little did she know, the cat trailed her, following close behind like a shadow. When the tracks ended she relied on her wits. Her nose though sharp, was not nearly as strong when she was in her wolf form. In the end she decided not to shift, wanting to try out her bow in a hunt. The faint sound of trickling water caused her to smile. Perhaps the deer was at a stream for a drink? Crouching, Halona crept through the forest underbrush as silently as she could, avoiding twigs and attempting not to rustle the any of the vegetation she passed. Letting her ears lead her, she happened upon a young doe drinking from a pool. The girl readied her already loaded bow and pulled back the string, aiming for the deer's chest, she let the arrow fly. The arrow embedded itself into the doe's left hindquarter instead. Startled by the sudden jolt of pain, it bolted, giving Halona no time to load another arrow. Stepping out from her cover, the Kelvic set on following the trail of blood her prey left behind. A faint meow wafted up from the bushes behind her, and the girl jumped. Now glaring at the small black outline in the underbrush, she let out a short growl in warning. "Go away." She told it, then turning around, she set off after her quarry once more. A bell or two later, the exhausted Kelvic continued to push through the forest, still on the the trail of the bleeding doe. She found it collapsed in a clearing, apparently just as tired. At Halona's approach it rose and made to flee but the girl simply raised her bow and shot it in the side. It fell to the ground once more, lying in a heap on the side without an arrow. Its chest heaved painfully as it gasped for air, figuring she had puntured a lung, Halona neared the suffering animal. Lifting its head, she swiftly slit its throat. Blood spewed from its jugular and the doe's body jerked in agony for a few seconds before its eyes glazed over and its muscles relaxed as the doe ascended into death. "Meow..." Halona turned her head lazily towards the noise. A small black cat stood at the edge of the clearing, it was no doubt the same one she had freed early that morning. "What do you want cat?" She asked, not in the mood for its games. "Meow," It replied, then probably assuming that it was allowed to near as the Kelvic hadn't growled at it yet, it did so. It stopped its little furry butt at the foot of the deer carcass and pawed at it. "Meow?" "Oh no you don't, you little stinker. I worked hard for this kill, there's no way, I'm letting you have a piece of it." She promptly recovered her bloody arrows and knocked one, pulled it back and let it fly. It hit the ground next to the cat with a thud. The cat hissed and scurried up a nearby tree, watching her intently from it with its copper colored eyes. "At least it can take a hint." She said, chuckling. Luckily for Halona she had taken down the deer not far from her den. Whistling for Zorro, her black mixed breed horse, she managed to secure the deer on his strong back. Taking his reigns, she preceded to lead him in the direction of the city.

[Halona]

Halona 14th bell, 26th of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts Halona eyed the practice dummy stationed before the large oak tree, bow drawn. "This time, this time for sure..." She mumbled, then let her arrow fly. It embedded itself an inch above the dummy sinking into the oak's bark. "Petch." There were various other arrows scattered about her makeshift training area outside her den. She was down to five arrows in her quiver out of the previous ten. Standing about six feet from the dummy, Halona knocked another arrow in her composite long bow and drew it back. "Firm hold...check, string to ear, check." She muttered. Further administering corrections to her stance, she shifted her feet and straightened her back, lining up her body to her target. Taking a deep breath she let it out on the word, "release." Relaxing the fingers holding the arrow in place, she let it fly. The arrow skimmed the side of the tree, leaving a mark before disappearing into the forest beyond. "Oh come on!" She exclaimed, dropping her hand with the bow to her side she sighed. "Practice makes perfect, next time for sure." Her seventh try missed by a long shot, as did the next and the one after that. Down to her last arrow, Halona gritted her teeth determined to kill the lucky dummy once and for all. Lining up her stance, she drew her bow, straightened her back and drew in a breath. "Meow." A soft voice encouraged from behind. She let it out and released her arrow. It hit the dummy right in its chest. "Finally!" She exclaimed. Remembering the meow, she turned and glanced down not surprised to spy the little black feline looking back up at her with its copper colored eyes. The girl swore she saw the cat smile. "Thank you...I think." She told it, reaching down a hand to pet it. It backed up hissing, lashing out a paw at her hand before turning tail and bolting out of sight. "Well that'll be the last time I'll thank the likes of you." Halona sneered, annoyed at being spurred by a mere kitty. Setting about retrieving her arrows, the mysterious cat remained the only thing on her mind. Having retrieved all her arrows but the one that skimmed the tree, Halona continued her archery practice. Focusing more on the target and less on her stance and technique, she hit the dummy more often than not and mentally applauded herself on her progress. Wrapping up practice after another bell, she headed back to her den, dummy and bow in hand. Looking back, she swore she saw a small black figure shadowing her.

[Halona]

Halona 16th bell, 26th of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts Halona sat on the cool floor of her den in a stretch. Legs out, bare feet together, and toes pointed. Reaching forward she attempted to touch her toes, failing to even get half way, she strained forward with her inflexible body, wincing as her tendons kicked up the pain level. Barely holding the stretch for five more seconds, Halona sat back and relaxed. She had been attempting to stretch ever since she got the dummy down the tunnel not thirty chimes ago. Opening her legs in a straddle, she leaned forward reaching with arms out stretched and willed her body to stop its protesting. She was working her thigh and calf muscles in the straddle stretch. Turning her upper body to the right, she reached for her right toes, holding the stretch as long as she could before doing the same to her left toes. She went back to the pike to straddle stretch for a couple more chimes loosing up her legs before moving on to a lunge. One knee on the ground behind and one bent up in front, she pushed her hip muscles forward, switching legs she repeated the stretch. Straightening her current front leg, she reached for her toes stretching her back knee tendons. Doing the same with the other leg, she held it for some time before transitioning to the best split she could manage. Painfully switching legs she stretched her legs some more before falling out of the stretch in a heap. Lying there curled up on her side grimacing, until a cool wet nose poked her in the cheek. Turning her head, she gave the small black cat a withering look as it encouraged her with a questioning, "meow." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you, I'll hop back to it." The girl said sitting back up. Halona went through a series of arm stretches she made up as she went, groaning as her body went through the motions. In the end she did feel better, her muscles feeling looser and more responsive. The cat was always there lying or sitting it did not matter, for it was always watching. Approaching the dummy she had put back earlier, Halona moved into what she perceived as a human fighting position. Arms up, fists balled in front of her face, the area she least wanted to be hit in. Positioning her feet in a sturdy lunge, she thrust a fist forward with all her might hitting the dummy square in the face. Recoiling her arm she glanced down at her beat red knuckles and groaned, shaking them out. She set her jaw and sent a flurry of punches the dummy's way, making them as quick as she could. Punch, recoil, punch and recoil. Looking at her pair of bright red knuckles in turn she came up with an idea. What if she was to attack the dummy with her palms? Resolving to try it out she struck the dummy's nose with all her might, the dummy as always tilted back from the blow before returning to its original position. Attacking that way hurts less. She reflected and began to hit the dummy with another round of the blows. Next she began to kick the dummy. Tentatively at first with a feeble effort at a front kick, then with a kick so wild it knocked her on the floor. Standing once more, she eyed the dummy and struck out with a front kick with just enough force behind it that it would knock the wind of the dummy without knocking her off balance. She fell anyway and continued to fall every now and them but eventually got the hang of it with both legs as she alternated between kicks. Deciding that was enough unarmed combat for the day, she glanced back at the entrance to her home. It was time to run.

[Halona]

Halona 18th bell, 26th of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts Ducking out of her den, Halona took a chime to admire the wilderness around her. "This is home, the place I belong." She said smiling. Breathing in the fresh aroma of pine needles, she set off on a familiar hunting trail at a slow jog. Bare feet dug into damp earth as she moved, calves brushing the undergrowth of ferns, arms bent pumping away at her sides and her head maneuvering around and under low branches. Bright leaves twirled in the air as they rained down, caused by flighty songbirds in the trees above. Though the sun shone further down in the darkening sky, the forest was alive as ever. While birds chattered overhead, and nearby critters scurried away underfoot, the Kelvic kept up her slow pace, putting one foot down after the other, stride after stride. A small black creature trailed behind in the densest parts of the undergrowth keeping out of the girl's sight. It had barely been ten chimes before her breath came faster as her lungs sending its demands for more air, more oxygen, more, more, more. Her chest was heaving, lungs burning but strangely enough her legs felt no pain. It was as if they could carry her farther, miles out into the distance. So she kept at it, refusing to slow down despite her dry mouth, cracking lips and burning throat. Only when the path rose to a steep incline did she stop. Gasping she bent over, resting her hands upon her knees. After catching her breath, she looked about. She realized she had ran pretty far into her territory and was about a mile from home. "Ah, its just like me to forget my water skin." She muttered, remembering her decision to leave the pack behind. "Meow." A voice said, its owner appearing out of a thicket. The same black cat that had been making appearances all day, came forth and promptly rubbed itself around Halona's legs purring loudly. Peering down at the little cat, she murmured, "what do you want now? Why are you always following me? Like a shadow I swear." "Meow." It replied un-entwining itself from her legs and starting up the hill. It paused a little ways up and looked back at her expectantly as if to say, "come on". "I'm coming, I'm coming geez, no rush." She mumbled, following at a walk. By the time Kelvic and feline scaled the hill, Halona realized the woods were getting darker and the sun setting. "So I'll have to wander back in the dark then?" She groaned, glancing back down the lengthy decline. Focusing her attention back ahead, she realized she was falling behind as the cat was already a way's up the path. Jogging to catch up, Halona began to hear what the cat had picked up a while ago, the faint gurgle of water. Now caught up with the cat, she let it lead her to a clear shallow stream. Knelling before the waters, she scooped up the precious liquid and quenched her thirst. Whipping the excess water off her chin, she pointed a finger at the black cat busily licking its paws. "You knew I was thirsty." She told it with a grin, then accused, "you stalker. Bet your some lovesick Kelvic following me a around. Well let's have it then. Shift you." The dark feline blinked at her in confusion, and stared at her like she was some sort of weirdo before turning its back on her. "Playing dumb...clever tactic." She finished, turning her own back on the animal with a 'humpf'. Standing up she glanced back the way she came and cringed. "Ugh, why's it have to be so far?" She whined.

[Halona]

Halona 20th bell of Summer 513 Common | Canine | Thoughts Crawling her way down the narrow tunnel, Halona stood up in her den. Her home. "Such a long walk..." She grumbled, rolling her shoulders and extending her arms to her sides in a stretch. Sighing, she stripped before crossed the room to her pack at the foot of her bed and scooping it up before flopping her happy self down upon the furs. Rummaging one hand through the pack on her belly, she pulled out the beef jerky she had stocked up on after selling the deer she had killed earlier to the butcher. Stuffing a few pieces of the dried meat in her mouth, she stared blankly up at the smooth stone ceiling. "Meow?" Asked the black cat sitting elegantly at the foot of the bed. "No." Halona replied, "you stay down there you-" The cat jumped on the bed mid-sentence. "Eh whatever..." She finished, handing the cat its own piece of jerky. They munched upon the meat in silence, eating their fill. Eye lips drooping, Halona yawned petting the cat curled up beside her absently. "You know what cat? I think I-I'll call you...Shadow." She mumbled before falling into the welcoming arms of blessed sleep.

[Orion Michaels]

Halona +1 Stealth +2 Observation +1 Hunting +1 Tracking +1 Weapon: Longbow +1 Acrobatics +1 Unarmed Combat +1 Running lore : Using Underbrush for Concealment The Scent of Rabbit The Scent of Deer Unarmed Combat: Jab Unarmed Combat: Palm Strike Unarmed Combat: Front Kick A Little Companion: Shadow the Cat Notes A few things, Halona. When describing actions, it's better if you show the readers what they are doing, rather than tell us. What I mean is, rather than saying you tracked something, describe in detail the actions taken. In the first post, for instance, there were only a couple sentences between finding the scent and the kill. Expound on what happened and it'll net you more lore and XP. Also, with 1 XP in your longbow, you need to struggle a lot more than you showed in this thread. Pretty big overplaying of Halona's skill level as far as hunting the deer. Try and pay attention to your PCs skill in future threads. Thanks for the thread, and PM me with questions. Don't forget to edit the request queue to reflect this grade.