Flashback Trial and Error

[Yoona]

The Wildlands, 22 Days Outside of Zeltiva

3rd Day of Winter, 513 AV

Travel during the Winter was rough on those who chose to undertake the challenge. This proved especially true for the individuals who ventured into the Wildlands, a stronghold exhibiting Nature's raw and unbridled power in the form of seemingly endless valleys, hills, and woodlands.

Richard Pryce was one of those individuals. But if it weren't for the rewards that surely awaited him, if it weren't for the satchel of Mizas that he was practically itching to feel plop into his hand, the man doubted that he'd be anywhere near this god-forsaken landscape. Richard was, after all, just a mere slaver looking for a quick payday, and when he'd been approached in Kenash with such an opportunity, it was hard to refuse it. Slavery was quite abundant in his home, though he'd never formally dealt in the business; he barely had enough money to support himself, let alone the life of a slave, so there was no point in buying one off of the many back-alley markets and public selling events. Yet, from the outside looking in, it seemed like a lucrative enough occupation.

And here he was, now, transporting his quarry along a faded dirt road in the middle of a spindly forest. The man was only familiar with the geography of the land from the few maps he'd seen, but so far that limited knowledge wasn't hindering his travels. All in all, Richard had a set goal with a set path in mind; he was heading towards the great Zastoska Mountains, where the Mirahil pass would lead him right into Zeltiva. Once there, he could rest a little and restock on whatever supplies he'd need to get them to Nyka. Ravok was to be the final destination, as well as a last resort if the trading didn't make any progress. The precious cargo in the back of his carriage had caused him too much grief and trouble, so much so that traveling beyond Ravok with it would prove to be impossible.

Currently, that cargo was plotting against him.

Yoona was in a state of great concentration. Relations between her and her overweight trader had "improved" some over the last few days, but only because she'd allowed it to be so. The Chaktawe woman had been gradually lulling the man into a false sense of security, slowly but surely instilling in him the conviction of having won over his troublesome quarry. As far as the man was concerned, Yoona's fevered escapes were over and done with. As far as the man was concerned, the sand-dwelling foreigner had finally learned that she was out of her element, that every force imaginable was acting against her.

As far as Yoona was concerned, he was an oblivious fool who was quick to claim a victory. Too quick. It was one of many of the fat man's faults, and the only one that she could exploit.

"I know that look," A voice commented, amplified clearly in her mind. "Unless you just thought of a joke and neglected to share it with me. And if that's the case, how could you?"

Yoona rolled her eyes a little, turning her attention to a corner of the carriage, where she could just make out the faint outline of a sitting creature. Blue fur, large ears, golden eyes.

'It's about time you showed up, Ruki. I was beginning to think that you'd found someone else to harass.'

"Awww. You're a great friend, too. Now tell me about this plan."

'What plan?'

"The one that's written all over your face."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

Yoona let out a noise similar to the sound of a deflating balloon, but looked upon the hyena with fondness and mischief in her eyes. He was nosy, yes, but he had every right to be, and she valued the help that he could offer, if any. Guardians were crafty beings full of surprises, and Ruki was no different.

Chimes passed. They discussed and plotted and exchanged ideas, speaking in hushed tones despite the speech being limited to transferred thoughts, phrases, and images. And when a concrete plan was made, Ruki vanished into his designated corner, leaving the Chaktawe woman to her own devices. Yoona watched him fade from her view, then shifted her black gaze down to her shackled wrists and ankles. They'd become merely another piece of her everyday life; the metal was aged and irritated her skin, and it was hard to scratch an itch when her arms were essentially one limb when bound, but, otherwise, she could tolerate them. And she would continue to tolerate them if this escape attempt was going to go as quickly and as smoothly as she wanted it to.

Slowly, Yoona got down onto her knees and shuffled towards the open end of the carriage, throwing a glance towards the front, where the shadowed shape of the fat man was visible behind a thin wall of wood and straw. He wasn't at all concerned with her. Perfect.

Swinging her legs around to hang off of the edge, the Chaktawe woman lowered herself onto her back and waited a moment before sliding downward, first letting her legs get dragged along the ground, then literally dropping herself out of the carriage. The thud that ensued was a dull one, but loud enough to catch the driver's attention. At the same moment, a little distance ahead of the carriage, rumbled another carriage that was filled to the brim with sacks of wheat. One of the sacks tumbled out of the pile and onto the ground, with Ruki peering from atop the others, a toothy grin on his face.

Yoona stayed still, keeping herself on the floor as she observed her driver's reaction. The carriage came to a stop, unsurprisingly, and she thought that she could just catch the annoyed grunt leave the fat man's throat as he stared at the dislodged wheat sack. The carriage ahead of him stopped, as well, its owner filing out to deal with his misplaced cargo. Thank goodness for it being there in the first place, offering the Chaktawe a way out.

Within moments, the minor delay had been dealt with, and both carriages continued on their way. Yoona bided her time, waiting until the distance between her and her trader was reasonable, at which point she wriggled her way to her feet and went briskly walking off into the forest, still careful about the noise that she made. Ruki fell into step beside her, his head lowered as he scanned their surroundings, the mass of striped fur sticking up along his neck swaying with every stride. "Alright. That takes care of part one. What's for part two?"

'Keep going.'

"And then...?"

This time, Yoona sent him an annoyed glare. 'And then I'll be free.'

"You're supply-less. You're bound. You don't know where you are and, frankly, neither do I."

'So what? Are you telling me that I've made a mistake? Should I just go crawling back to that pathetic filth and let myself get sold to some other pathetic filth?'

At this, Ruki was silent. The hyena didn't speak further on the subject, turning his golden gaze from her in favor of focusing ahead as they picked their way through the forest, the skinny trees and scraggly bushes beginning to even out and grow. Yoona was the one to break the semi-awkward silence a few chimes later. 'My people can go for days without water, have you forgotten? It isn't important to me.'

"What about food?"

'I'll find some. From what I understand, there are no cities or other settlements nearby. Animals should be plentiful.'

"Yes. All sorts of animals, but maybe not all kinds that you can eat. It could be dangerous, and...this isn't like game-chasing in Eyktol. There are no sand dunes...there are trees and bushes and streams and other places for creatures to hide in. You don't have the upper hand, here..."

The Chaktawe woman huffed, lifting her chin a little as she continued to walk. 'Be that as it may, it can't be that much more difficult. The land is different, but animals are animals. I can track them just as well in the dirt as I could in the sand.'

Ruki fell quiet, again, feeling as though any more subtle warnings on his part would only earn him a tongue-lashing. Yoona was a tough woman, but she was also reckless and full of pride. It was for these reasons that the guardian worried for her, and that worry was stronger now than it ever had been.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

Yoona was well aware of the hyena's worry, too, no matter how much he tried to downplay it and hide it from her. In all honesty, she couldn't understand why he bothered. She wasn't defenseless, and she was far from being a weakling; in Eyktol, the scorching deserts and rugged mountains acted as a sieve, separating the hardened souls from those who didn't have what it took to survive. Children of the desert wasteland grew up learning how to protect themselves from the merciless onslaught of the sun. They learned how precious water was, and how Makutsi looked out for them by blessing the many dried springs and oases that littered the land, allowing them to survive.

If she'd managed to survive there, managing on her own here couldn't possibly be as much of a challenge. And now that she had the opportunity to do so, she could go and prove it.

The Chaktawe woman again looked down at her shackles, lifting her bound wrists up to her face and turning them about so that she'd get a better look. When the fat man had latched them onto her limbs, she remembered with clarity the sound that had ensued; a small click. The devices locked in place, which surely meant that the locks could be un-locked, which, in turn, meant that there was a keyhole, somewhere. Yoona found it in no time, a small dark hole with a notch underneath, resting at the base of each cuff. She didn't need to check her ankles to know that they operated the same way.

Looking up from her wrists, Yoona did a quick survey of the area around them. They were far from any roads, now, off in the middle of the true wilderness where only the occasional wandering adventurer passed through. The trees were thicker, here, and stretched far into the air, their semi-naked branches reaching towards the greyness of the winter sky above, the forest floor below them covered in a plush layer of dead leaves and twigs. Yoona abruptly got onto her knees, digging through the undergrowth until her hands brushed across a stray branch. Sliding it between her legs, she strained to hold it upright and in place. Ruki chose to stand next to her as he looked on, his ears twitching a little, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Fashioning a lock-pick, huh? That's pretty smart."

'Yeah, well, hopefully it works. Otherwise I guess I'll just smash my wrists against some rocks until the cuffs pop off.' Yoona mused in response, her mouth twitching a little in the beginnings of a smirk, only to turn back into a frown as she dug the tip of the branch into one of the key holes and started to jolt it around. Truthfully, the woman had only ever successfully picked a lock twice before, removing restraints that ended up being promptly replaced afterward. She was confident, though, and intent on prying the things from her flesh. The hidden lock seemed to be creaking in protest, and after a while Yoona grew more violent in her attempts, wrenching the cuffs from side to side as her legs kept the branch steady.

Eventually there was a familiar click, and Yoona smiled at her success as the metal unlatched and slid off of her arm, moving right onto the next one. The second cuff took less time to undo, as did the pair around her ankles. Around six or seven chimes later, the freedom was returned to Yoona's limbs. She got up and stretched to celebrate, pulling her arms over her head and lifting each leg in turn. Ruki snickered, the high-pitched noise hovering around in Yoona's head.

"We should keep moving, don't you think?"

Yoona stretched some more, then nodded at him and withdrew the bone-hilted dagger from beneath her wrap. She always kept it there, strapped to her inner thigh with a strip of cloth for safe-keeping and semi-easy access. Luckily for her, the pigs she'd dealt with over the seasons had never thought to check beneath her clothes. For good reason, too, unless they'd wanted to lost their fingers.

Together, Ruki and Yoona continued through the forest, though both were now on high alert as they searched for potential prey. Yoona was putting her tracking skills to good use, paying close attention to the broken twigs and dents in the forest floor that she'd pass over. The good thing about searching for animal tracks in terrain like this was that they stuck around for a while; the desert winds were usually quick to hide any signs of a creature's travels, making tracking game a hassle. Here, Yoona eased herself into a state of pure awareness, conscious of every movement both seen and unseen that happened around her, her fingers acting as an extra set of eyes and ears. And for a good while, it seemed as though they'd wandered into a dead zone, devoid of all quadrupedal life.

Then something caught Yoona's eye that brought her to a stop. Walking over to a tree, she squinted at its trunk and noticed what looked like a tuft of brown fur stuck to a jutting piece of bark. Turning her head, she could see more of the things sticking to low-hanging branches, forming a sort of trail. For a fleeting moment, the Chaktawe woman swore that she could smell blood in the air, the faint-yet-unmistakable iron tinge pricking her tongue as she inhaled. It disappeared after a while, however, and she went on with her business, following the newly-discovered path with Ruki trailing closely behind her.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

The "trail" led to a small clearing, a respite from the seemingly endless stretch of trees that Yoona had made her way through. Here, the Chaktawe woman lowered herself to a crouch just behind one of the trees that fringed the edge of the clearing, the dagger gripped tightly in her hand. A few feet away from her stood a creature that reminded her of the bowbacked goats that she'd seen trotting through the Redstones, though the beast she was looking at had much longer, skinnier legs, and a less pudgier face. Quite the scrawny animal, really. But prey was prey, and Yoona, who was just starting to realize her own hunger, wouldn't be picky about food. She was lucky enough to be let alone for this long.

There was rustling, followed by the snapping of a twig or two, and the slim animal raised its head from where it'd been grazing contentedly on some grass, its beady black eyes looking her way. Yoona swore underneath her breath as she ducked further behind the tree, then turned her head to shoot Ruki a warning glare. The hyena was unseen to all but the woman, but that didn't mean that he couldn't interact with the physical world and the things within it, such as the forest's undergrowth. He left tracks where his paws tread, and twigs and leaves alike crunched underfoot as he moved, as audible to the fauna in the area as it was to the Chaktawe.

Ruki merely met her eyes and shrunk a little, his ears lowering back against his skull. "Sorry."

'I guess now is a better time than never to make a move,' Yoona replied, the thought tinged with a near-palpable annoyance as she sent it to the guardian. Acting on the unspoken signal, the hyena took a few steps back so that he'd be out of the way. Yoona switched her attention back to the long-legged, horned creature which had, thankfully, gone back to its meal, its interest in the minor disturbance lost. Still crouching, the Chaktawe woman could feel the muscles in her limbs start to tense up, her instincts preparing her body for the inevitable spring, her grip on the dagger continually strengthening and weakening as she held it out at her side.

She waited and watched. Waited and watched. Waited and watched and bid her breathing to calm down.

A chime went by. Yoona sprang from her hiding place, infusing her movements with deadly silence and speed. The horned creature noticed her a few ticks after she'd started to dash towards it, and Yoona could practically see the fight-or-flight response activate in its head as it stood upright and turned to her. Flight took over with ease, and the creature twisted its entire body around as it began its retreat, its hooves tearing at clumps of grass and dirt as they dug into the ground. Yoona only forced herself to move faster, the feathers around her neck flapping about in the wind as she streaked forward. And yet the animal was faster, and with every stride she took she could feel her frustration growing as the fleeing creature seemed to get further and further away.

'Dammit, I'm going to lose it...!'

The creature ran faster still, its intents now obvious; the desperate thing was heading for a line of trees directly ahead, where it'd vanish within moments if it could get through. That is, unless she did something to catch it, and fast. Ruki was out of the question, now, and she was on her own.

Her frustration and helplessness having reached its peak, Yoona pulled her arm back and launched the dagger at the creature with as much strength as she could muster. No sooner had the weapon left her hand was she sure that she was to fail, but she kept running as she watched the dagger sail through the air. At first, it seemed as though it'd fall short a few inches, but the dagger ended up hitting one of the creature's back legs, a long gash appearing in its wake. Yoona was baffled to see the creature then stumble, the new wound upsetting its balance, if only for a moment. But a moment was all that the woman needed.

It sprawled a little, its knees buckling, and Yoona dove for its back legs, grabbing at them as she hit the ground. The creature struggled and bucked with all of its might and, avoiding its blows as much as she could, Yoona crawled over to where the dagger had been abandoned and sacrificed one of her hands to go for it. And as the flailing creature took advantage of her vulnerability, kicking at her shoulders and neck as much as it could manage, Yoona placed all her weight on it and pulled herself up to its throat. The next few ticks were a wrestling match between predator and prey, desperate hunter and the even more desperate hunted.

It wasn't until she was able to hold it down firmly enough that she slit its throat. With that done, the creature gave its last few, involuntary bucks before its limbs went still, the lifeblood freely flowing from its gaping neck.

Yoona, breathing hard, stared down at it as she eased herself up to her knees. "You sure have caused me an awful lot of trouble," She muttered aloud, still staring at it as she lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder where a large bruise now undoubtedly resided. Her neck ached a little, too; the prey hadn't gone out without a fight. "But it's all over, now. So...let's get you someplace safe, and start working on a fire..."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

It was then that Yoona got to her feet, the pain from her battered neck and shoulder starting to grow as the adrenaline that had been acting as her main fuel ebbed from her limbs. She looked down at the dead creature, wrinkling her nose a bit at the pool of blood that had gathered around its throat, the red liquid already seeping into the dirt. Then she bent down, grabbed it by the horns, and hauled it up until she could lug it on her back. The thing was heavier than she'd thought, but not heavy enough to be a problem.

Ruki came up beside her just as she started to walk towards the line of trees. "How come you're moving it? It's fairly quiet and secluded, here...you could set up a fire in the clearing and eat."

'I want to head as far east as I can,' Yoona replied, stepping over a fallen branch. She doubted that the fat man was following her—he probably hadn't even realized that she was missing, yet—but the Chaktawe woman wanted to be cautious. With her prey resting on her back, its head and neck drooping over one of her shoulders, Yoona continued through the forest, her eyes darting from one space to the next as she kept herself on the lookout for danger. Ruki was alert, as well, but after a moment of traveling in silence, the hyena raised his head a little, his large ears twitching in thought.

"Idea. I'll go ahead and scout the area out, to see if I can find someplace for us to settle."

'How far?' Yoona began to ask, but Ruki had already sped ahead of her, his tail swishing lazily back and forth as his outline faded behind some trees. The Chaktawe woman huffed but continued on.

Chimes later, just as the dead creature had begun to feel heavier and heavier upon her back, the sheer weight of its neck pressing down on her shoulder, there was a sudden rustling nearby. Yoona froze, the hairs along the back of her neck rising as her fingers dared to twitch, sensing the miniscule movements as they passed through the air. It turned out to be Ruki, returning from his pseudo-scouting mission with his head held high. He stopped a few feet away from her. "Over here! I found a cave!"

'A cave...?'

"A great big one, too. This way!" The hyena didn't even wait for her, turning back around to slip his body through the trees and bushes. Not wanting to lose sight of him, Yoona quickened her pace a little and followed, picking her way through the broken branches, leaves, and rocks littering the forest floor as she went. They soon came across a small river, an skinny, winding path of water that Ruki seemed to be following, now, staying to one side while Yoona kept close to the other.

After a while, the river, and the land with it, seemed to end at a cliff-like drop, leaving a canyon in the space directly ahead. On the far, far side of the gap, Yoona could see another stretch of land continuing on from that point. Standing near the river's end was Ruki, his head lowered as he stared down into the canyon. Scowling, Yoona trudged over to him, pausing for a moment the heave her prey back up into a position that wasn't killing her back. 'Good job, Ruki. You've led me to a dead end. What am I supposed to do, now? Leap across and hope that I make it?'

Instead of responding to her thoughts, the hyena gestured towards the canyon with his head, beckoning the woman to come forward. She titled her head at him, confused, but soon relented and made her way over to him, a bit more careful with her footing. Once she had come close enough to the edge she peered over it, and discovered that it wasn't, in fact, a canyon at all. In reality, they were standing on some rocky outcrop that fringed the edge of a shallow, roofless cave. The skinny river bent into a skinny waterfall, the water emptying down into what looked like a pond that pooled around a small hill of dirt, grass, and leaves.

Yoona stared down into the cave, her eyes widened in awe. A few ticks later she turned to Ruki, eyes still widened as she mused 'Let's find a way down.'

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

Together, Yoona and Ruki made their way around the edges of the great cave, with the hyena in the lead to find the safest, steadiest footholds while the Chaktawe carefully followed his pawsteps. Around the sides of the rocky overhang, the land sloped towards a mound of earth that sat in the center of the cave, a mass of grass, vines, roots, and a few tiny saplings. She had taken to dragging her prey along with her, now, her shoulder having taken as much weight as it could.

Once they'd reached the cave floor, Yoona released her quarry and let out a relieved sigh, rolling her shoulders a bit. Though the soles of her feet were padded and leathery, the Chaktawe could feel the some coolness of the stone seeping into her skin. The smooth flooring was a welcome change from the branches and dead leaves she'd been trekking through for the last twenty or so chimes.

Curious, now, Yoona decided to explore her new-found resting place. There was a good chance that she wasn't alone, here; the cave was an interesting find, but a stray traveler didn't need to search too hard to find it in the first place. Man and beast alike undoubtedly came across this place on a regular basis, some passing right through while others chose to set up camp or rest for a while. The Chaktawe woman walked along the cave's perimeter, trailing a hand across the aged stone walls and the moss that crept into every crevice and gap. Tiny waterfalls cascaded down from random spots along the overhang, the largest of which helped to form the small pond that sat in the center of the cave, right near the mound of earth. Yoona got down onto her knees and cupped some water into her hands, resisting every urge to yank them away from the pond's edge. Gods, the water was freezing! How could it be so cold when the weather itself was decent?

She drank it, anyway, thirsty despite having had a drink four days ago. Then she got back to her feet and went back over to her prey, narrowing her eyes at it. The creature was no longer bleeding, but there was no telling the amount of hungry predators that she'd bring in if she didn't deal with it, soon. Yoona figured that she'd left a pretty strong scent-trail on her way to the cave.

"It's a swell place," Ruki commented as he came up beside her, his large ears twitching. "And it's well-hidden."

'That it is. ...Hmm. Watch the food for me. I'm going to find some wood for a fire.'

"There's wood everywhere. I don't think you need to go off searching for any."

Yoona was already climbing up the mound of earth, picking through the twigs and spindly saplings. 'It needs to be good wood.'

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

A short while later, Yoona returned with a load of broken branches, twigs, dead leaves, leafy forest greens, and just about anything else that had looked flammable to her, all piled into her arms. She'd made it her goal to take more than she thought she'd use; whatever the situation, it was always better to be over-prepared than it was to be under-prepared. Since the basis of survival was having just enough to survive, having more than enough could only help her.

She decided to make her fire near the back of the cave, finding the driest spot that she could before setting her collection of kindling and tinder down. Then she went over to her prey, grabbed it by the horns, and dragged it to the back of one of the cave's recesses to set beside her findings. The fire would come first.

Sitting beside a pile of mostly dead wood, Yoona frowned and thought hard. It'd been a good while since she'd ever created a fire from scratch. Years, really. A ready supply of flint had always made such tasks easier to accomplish, but with the only supplies available sitting in the fat man's knapsack, the Chaktawe woman was to rely on her own abilities. Still racking her brains for answers, she dug through the pile until she'd grabbed a handful of dead leaves and some smaller, dryer strips of wood. Yoona fashioned them into a tiny nest, then took a long stick from the pile and, taking out her dagger, sharpened the end a little bit. With another flat piece of wood being slid underneath the nest, Yoona placed the stick down in the center and spun it back and forth as fast as she could, her hands just barely sliding against each other. It took multiple tries and some blunders, but after a few arduous chimes the wood finally seemed to be catching, a tiny wisp of smoke floating up from where the stick had been drilling down into the leaves and wood.

Yoona spun it a few more times, all the while blowing at the spot, and before she knew it a small flame had come up. The Chaktawe woman didn't waste a tick of time, feeding the infant flame with leaves and wood shavings from her pile, poking at it with the stick when she needed to, and then feeding it some more. Before long, the flame had grown into a hearty fire, housed in a teepee of sticks and leaves that was at least three times its own, gradually increasing size. Feeling triumphant, Yoona smiled at her work.

Ruki was sitting on the side opposite to hers, staring down at the flames. Within the bronze orbs of his eyes the fire's light flickered, setting them ablaze with an almost other-worldly glow. "Congrats. And it only took three days," He commented, teasing her.

Yoona rolled her eyes at him. 'Ha ha, how funny. It's not as easy as it might look, you know.'

"Oh, it doesn't look easy at all. I just didn't think that you'd take that long."

Ignoring him, now, the Chaktawe woman moved around the fire to go sit beside her kill. Pulling her dagger out from under her leg wrap, she tapped the blade on her fingers. Some whetstone would do wonders at sharpening it, but...for now, it was sharp enough to use. She got to work skinning and cutting the creature into manageable pieces, setting aside the meat once she was done so that she could prepare a handful for herself.

Later on, Yoona sat cross-legged in front of the fire, holding a piece of meat that she'd speared with a stick over the flames. The creature was quite skinny, and didn't have a whole lot of fat on its bones, but she was in no mood to be picky. The petching thing had been enough of a challenge to bring down.

As she waited, Ruki padded up beside her before laying down. "It sure smells good," The hyena commented, lifting his nose a little towards the fire. "Tell me how it tastes, when you get the chance. You're lucky that I don't need to eat or anything."

Turning the meat over a few times, Yoona smiled. 'I should be grateful, then. I can only imagine how much your kind eats.'

"...Yoona. You don't have a plan, do you?"

'Plan?' Raising an eyebrow, the Chaktawe woman turned her head to look over at the guardian, who returned the look with a near-accusatory one, a single ear twitching.

"Tell me. What're you gonna do when you're done eating?"

'Rest for a while. It's safe here.'

"And then?"

Yoona fell silent. After a few ticks she looked away from him, choosing instead to focus on the flickering flames and her gradually-roasting meat, though the smile on her face had faded.

"You don't even have an idea, do you? ...Do you realize how often this happens? You'll get yourself out of trouble, only to get yourself into more trouble because you don't know what to do, next," Ruki said, staring at her. "You never think these things through."

'I thought enough to get myself out of that carriage, didn't I?'

It was a weak attempt at defending herself, and she knew it. The hyena went on uninterrupted. "You can't stay here forever, you know. Neither of us knows where we are, or where the nearest city is, or if there are even any people nearby."

'What are you saying, then? Should I regret my decision to escape? Are you saying that I've made a mistake by getting myself away from that fat sack of filth...!?'

"No. I'm not. I just wish you'd...think about these things more. Survival and all..."

Pulling the meat back from the fire, Yoona tested it with her tongue a bit before tearing a chunk out of it with her teeth. 'I can take care of myself just fine,' She mentally grumbled.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

Ruki seemed to sigh through his nose at her words, lowering his head to rest it on his paws. "We're in a strange land. I don't doubt your skills, and I don't doubt your motives, but you're at a horrible disadvantage."

'Alright, then. Since you feel so strongly about this; what do you suggest that I do?'

It was a serious question, despite how annoyed Yoona was. In her innermost thoughts she was agreeing with him, seeing the folly in her own lack of preparation for a continued existence outside of the realm of slavery. The hyena was right. She had no idea where she was, what the land was like, or where any nearby cities were. If she recalled correctly, the fat man had mentioned something about them heading towards Zeltiva...but Yoona didn't have the faintest idea of how to reach there from here. For all she knew, the city was an entire season away.

"We look for a place filled with people. You'll be even safer amongst others, and harder to find should the fat man come looking for you."

Yoona doubted the sorry sack of a man had noticed that she was gone, yet. The chances of him finding her in the wilderness were, therefore, slim, if not entirely nonexistent. 'Then what?'

"Then you do whatever you want, I guess. Make a living. Settle down, start a family..."

The glare that ensued made Ruki's ears twitch; the Chaktawe woman was staring straight at him, her void-like eyes practically searing into his fur. His lips curled over his jaws in the beginnings of a sneer, but it was quick to fade, and his eyes darted away from hers. "Right. Forget that I said that. Anyway, the point is still the same. You...we...need to get moving, soon."

Yoona didn't reply, taking another huge bite out of the meat. A quiet grew between the two, then, with the woman focusing on her food while the hyena let himself get lost in the crackling flames. A few chimes later, the Chaktawe woman laid down on her side, curling up near the smallish fire and resting her head on her arm. '...Let's give it a bell or two,' Yoona said, dangling the speared meat chunk over the flames. 'Just enough time for a nap before we move out.'

Ruki titled his head at her, but she raised an eyebrow at him. 'It's hard sleeping in that rickety old pile of wood on wheels, alright? If I don't get some sleep in now, I never will, and I have a feeling that I'll be on foot for a while.'

"I guess I'll be the one watching out for trouble, then," Ruki replied, sighing a little as he nestled one of his legs underneath his belly.

Trouble. Ha. They were in the middle of the woodlands, in a cave that was set deep into the ground, one side entirely obscured by miniature rivers and the earth, itself. The only "trouble" that Yoona could foresee was the arrival of a predator. Even then, Ruki only needed to call and she'd be up on her toes, ready to defend herself.

Feeling a calm that she hadn't known for seasons, Yoona further nestled her head into the crook of her arm, finished off the last of her food, and let herself drift off to sleep.

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Yoona]

- - - - - - - -

"Yoona! Yoona, wake up!!"

The Chaktawe woman cringed at the urgent voice assaulting her brain, curling in on herself a little more. It didn't let up, however, continuously hissing her name until she was forced to open her eyes. Squinting despite the lack of light, Yoona blinked the sleepiness out her eyes before her vision cleared. Ruki was standing in front of her, his head lowered, bronze eyes staring at her as his ears went pivoting about. Everything about his stance told her that he was alarmed, for some reason.

Starting to sit up, Yoona focused a steadying gaze on him. 'What is it?'

"I think something's coming. I heard odd noises coming from the trees, and there's this scent in the air..."

Yoona could feel her muscles tensing at the hyena's worried thoughts. Moving slowly, now, she got onto her hands and knees, straining her ears to hear any suspicious sounds or rustlings coming from the woodlands beyond. The fire had long since gone out, a pile of rubble and dried cinders left in its place. 'Dammit. How long was I asleep?'

"A bell, maybe? I...I don't...I'm not sure," Ruki admitted to her, his large ears lying back against his skull. "I kinda...fell asleep, too. The noises ended up waking me up."

'What?!'

The hyena flinched at the frustrated mental yell, a small whine escaping through his nose. The Chaktawe woman was furious, now, and wanted nothing more than to reprimand the careless guardian for his slip-up, but she forced herself to calm down. Now wasn't the time to get all worked up over a mistake. It was possible that they were no longer alone, and she needed to be on high alert. 'Go and scout the area out for me. See if you can find it before it finds us.'

Standing upright, Ruki gave her a nod before turning around and clambering his way up the great mound of earth that sat in the cave's center. From there he made his way up the sloping tree line, his striped blue mane of fur bobbing back and forth as he moved. A moment later, the faintly-translucent hyena vanished amidst the undergrowth and bushes. No sooner had he left did Yoona get to her feet and reclaim her dagger from the ground, her fingers coiling determinedly around it. She was prepared to fight if she needed to, whatever the threat.

A mere chime passed by the time that Ruki returned. Yoona had kept herself tense and still in the meantime, but loosened up the slightest bit when her celestial blue guardian returned. She took a step towards him, curious about his findings, if there were any. 'Man or beast?' That Chaktawe woman asked, but her question seemed to fly right past the hyena's head.

As a matter of fact, he'd come back through the line of trees running, his stumpy tail streaming behind him and his paws tearing at the ground.

"RUN!"

Run? Flee seemed to be the more accurate warning, from the way that he was moving. Either way, Ruki's yell startled Yoona into action. As he went charging up the sloping side of the cave, the Chaktawe woman tightened the grip on her dagger and went sprinting after him, clawing her way up a nearby rock face to get to the more stable forested floor. The hyena then crossed over the overhang and went streaking along the narrow river. Yoona, still on the alert while keeping herself close behind him, attempted to get some answers out of him as they ran.

'What was it, what did you see?! Was it a herd of vicious animals...? An army of savages? Flesh-eaters?!'

"It's him! He found you!"

'Who—'

Yoona let out a cry as something suddenly snagged her legs. In her wild panic she thought that it was some sort of serpent, wrapping itself around her ankles in a random assault. Her limbs stilled, the Chaktawe woman went tumbling to the ground face-first, her stomach taking the initial brunt of the fall. Ruki halted, whirling around and looking at her. "Yoona!"

She didn't respond, her face contorted in breathlessness and pain. It took a few ticks for the Chaktawe to regain her composure, but when she did she could hear the distant, stamping of feet on dirt. It wasn't just the fat man who'd found her. There seemed to be an entire horde of men headed this way, and by the sounds, it wouldn't take long for them to get here. Yoona furled a little and brought her knees up to her chest so that she could stare down at her ankles. A mass of rope was coiled around them, with two spherical things that she assumed to be rocks attached to each end. Some sort of snare, it seemed, but nothing she'd ever seen before. Scowling, Yoona wrenched her head from side to side, eyes searching for the dagger that had gone flying from her hand when she fell. 'I should have tied it back around my thigh.'

There! It was a few feet from her, resting atop some dead leaves. Yoona went wriggling towards it, dragging herself forward with her hands before Ruki made his way over and kicked it to her. Then the hyena seemed to tense up, his hackles raising and the fur along his back bristling, lips curving back to reveal glistening jaws and pink gums as he summoned a growl from his throat. The guardian's eyes were focused on something behind her.

In her desperate rush, Yoona hadn't realized how close the footsteps had gotten, nor had she noticed the sudden shadows that joined her own along the forest floor. The Chaktawe woman grabbed the dagger's hilt, and out of nowhere a foot came flying down, shoving her fingers and the weapon into the dirt. Yoona yowled in pain and tried to yank her hand back, only to have the foot press down more.

"Gods, you're a troublesome one. Just love to piss me off, don't you?"

That voice... Lifting her head as much as she could from the floor, Yoona glanced up at the fat man, who was standing about a foot away from her face. The man stepping on her hand was a stranger, along with five other strangers who'd gathered around. They were gruff-looking, but not very threatening; the Chaktawe woman had expected soldiers, but she was looking at what she assumed to be a handful of merchants and shop-owners.

"Yeah, I'll admit, you had me going for a few bells with that shit you pulled by the carriage," The fat man continued, sounding as though he were gloating. "But I caught on real quick. I even convinced these nice gentlemen here to help me track you down. Now, if you play nice, we can get back on the road with no problem. Hey, maybe I'll even buy you some clothes or...or something when we get to Zeltiva. Sounds great, don't it?"

It didn't, and Yoona knew that the wretch was simply lying to get her to give herself up. Her eyes flicked over to Ruki, who was looking back and forth between her and the group of strange men, his threatening snarl still plastered on his face for none but Yoona to see. She then turned back to the fat man, narrowing her pupil-less eyes at him. Then she lashed out with her free hand, grabbing at the leg of the man in front of her who had his foot planted on her knife-hand and yanking it forward. Letting out a surprised yell he stumbled back and fell, landing hard on his rump. Both arms now free, Yoona immediately went to work sawing away at the rope. She'd gotten a good way through when a man grabbed her from behind, looping his arms under hers as he roughly yanked her off of the ground. Another man came around to her right side and grabbed her knife-wielding-hand, trying to tear the weapon away from her. The Chaktawe woman yelled in frustration as she fought against them, refusing to relinquish her grip on the knife while her tied legs thrashed about.

Ruki was standing a good distance away from all the commotion, his ears lowered as he shifted about anxiously in his spot. The young guardian was torn, feeling as though he was obligated to help the woman while knowing that his options were limited. There wasn't much that he could do...interacting with the physical realm only went so far, and it wasn't really in a guardian's nature, or power, to fight.

But...maybe he didn't need to fight to help.

Yoona finally managed to free her legs, the ferocity and persistence in her thrashes finally snapping the half-severed rope. She snapped one of her legs back and hooked it around the man's own, allowing herself to get thrown to the ground in the process of sending him down, too. Another man was already headed towards her.

"Left! On your left!"

The Chaktawe woman looked to her left and, just as the man bent a little to grab her, punched her would-be assailant square in the jaw. He went sprawling backwards. The one on the ground grabbed her by the arms as soon as she turned, however, and delivered a strong kick to her stomach that sent her rolling.

"Get the dagger!"

Yoona was ahead of the guardian, this time, wheezing as she made another grab for the dagger. The man who'd kicked her did the same, though, and soon the two were fighting over it, instigating a tug-of-war as the fat man ranted and raved off in his corner. Beyond frustrated, Yoona dipped forward and bit down hard on the man's exposed fingers. Crying out, he dropped the knife, and no sooner had it hit the ground had she gotten a hold of it. It wasn't long before each member of the rag-tag ruffian group had their own, personal scar, courtesy of a seething Chaktawe.

Eventually, though, as with all of her short-lived triumphs, Luck and Success were no longer in her favor. The men, bruised, battered, and cut as they were, managed to overpower her some time later, holding her down as they tied her hands behind her back with the excess rope. Two men held her steady, while the other three stood around and started ruefully at her, one clutching a hand over a blossoming spot of red on his upper arm.

"That's a feisty one you've got on your hands, Pryce," One of the men remarked, sounding as though his throat was bruised.

"Yeah, feisty," Another one grunted. "Right...where the hell did she get a dagger from?"

"I'll be damned if I knew. Just hand it over," The fat man replied, holding his hand out as one of them tossed him the weapon. He caught it, turning it over a little and visibly grimacing at the fresh streaks of blood that painted the metal before he started to walk. "Welp, I appreciate the help, gents. We'll be on our way to Zeltiva, now."

"Great. We can talk about reimbursement on the way."

"Reimb—what?"

"Your bitch-slave cut my face! What am I supposed to tell my wife?"

"Yeah, Pryce. We said we'd help you, but you didn't warn us about any of this happening. You owe us."

The fat man turned away from them as he continued to walk, starting to mutter under his breath. Yoona was in no position to feel triumphant, at the moment, but she did allow herself at the fat whelp's frustration. The two men who had her by the arms led her along, being none-too-gentle with their grips. They knew better, now. Which meant that the Chaktawe had lost her advantage, her chance.

As hard as it was to admit, even to herself in her own mind, she had failed. ...Again. She'd been able to taste true freedom for once, at least. Next time—and there would most certainly be a next time—she'd just have to make sure that she planned better for the aftermath.

Ruki was trotting alongside her as she was marched through the trees and shrubbery, silent. When he finally spoke, it was in a tone that held the slightest bit of humor.

"I'll start taking more naps during the day. Midday naps will be a thing of the past. That oughta be a start...right?"

Yoona slowly turned her head to look at him.

'...You know what? Shutup.'

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Nemesis]

Yoona

Knowledge :

Skills

Skill	XP
Body Building	+1
Brawling	+1
Deduction	+1
Escape Artist	+2
Larceny	+1
Observation	+4
Running	+1
Tracking	+1
Weapon: Dagger	+1
Wilderness Survival	+1

Lores

*Wilderness Survival: Cooking Meat
*Wilderness Survival: How to Make a Fire

Micellaneous :

Injuries

*Bruised Ribs, healed within ten days
*Broken Hand, healed within a season

Loot/Expenses

*-1 dagger from recapture

____________________________________________

Notes

*The writing in this thread is really good, Yoona, but there's one slightly big issue with this thread. Nigh on everything seems to go right for Yoona: with no Escape Artist skill, she walks away without any detection, with no Larceny she manages to lock-pick shackles with a twig, with no Hunting, Weapon or Stealth skills, she takes down her prey in her first attempt, and with experience in a Forest environment, or a Lore in fires, she manages to light one with relative speed?
*The lock-picking one is the most unrealistic part, I think, but I strongly advise that you do not play above your skill set. Things go wrong from time to time, I hope you show that in the future.
*It also seems like you've lost your heirloom?

Feel free to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns, if you have any.
Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.
Thank ye!