Closed The Edge of Perception (Jeremy)

[Devi]

Spring 50, 515AV – Outskirts of the Bronze Woods Devi stopped again, eyeing her baggage with nothing short of loathing. She balanced the weight against her hip and used the opportunity to shake the stiffness out of her aching arms. It was a mild day, not quite achieving the heat that the summer season would bring but pleasant nonetheless. It was warm enough that her coat lay slung across the strap of her bow-case. The corset secured snugly around her waist warmed her abdomen uncomfortably but she knew it would be beneficial to her later. The young woman loved being outdoors after the enclosed spaces of the stronghold but hated loose clothing that flapped in the wind and chilled her skin in the process. She took a deep breath and lifted the weight leaning against her once more. It was an archery target and a sturdy wooden frame with which to hold it. After she had begun actually hitting her makeshift tree-target more often she realised that even the exposed softer bark of a tree was too hard a target to use. She had begun breaking some of the arrow shafts trying to loose them and had been damaging the tree to boot. So this morning she visited the Bazaar and had bought herself a proper archery target. The store owner had also sold her a length of canvas with which she might cover it when not using it, to protect it from the elements somewhat. Devi knew she wouldn’t be able to haul the thing out here every time she wanted to practice but the last time she had been out here she spotted just the place to keep it hidden. Devi struggled on, body protesting, and finally reached the grove she had taken to practice in. With a deep sigh of relief she finally set down the target and her bags and stretched her arms, rolling her abruptly weightless shoulders. She dug into her rucksack and pulled out the water skin she’d brought along. Thanking her earlier foresight she also pulled out the small packet of Tolm leaves. The infusion wouldn’t work as well on cold water but the herb would help ease the aches in her muscles regardless. She sprinkled a dose into her water and drunk some, resting a while before she began with her practice for the day. A familiar dusting of white flowers caught her eyes in the trees to the side of her target and she smiled. Setting down her waterskin she ambled over to them and knelt down. She picked through the flowers carefully, taking a small amount from each larger plant so as to ensure each would keep growing. If she was going to continue visiting then it would pay for her to look after the little patch of Vyfox. Devi made regular use of it in her day to day work so she would take any opportunity to bolster her supplies. That done, Devi turned her attention to the main reason for her visit. She fitted the light leather archery glove over her fingers and re-slung the strap of her quiver across her front. She gripped the wood and bone bow with her left hand and breathed deeply, spacing herself from the target and gauging the distance carefully. She pulled an arrow from the quiver and fitted it in place. Standing side-on from the target she pulled back the bowstring, feeling the relief of the Tolm-infused water she had drunk on her arm and back muscles. She breathed in as she drew, the intake of air lending strength to the motion. As she aimed she let a little of the air out, slowly and steadily, until the core of her abdomen felt strong and still. Then all at once her right fingers released the arrow and bowstring and the rest of the air in her lungs slipped out. When she eyed the arrow it lay stuck in one of the middle rings of the target, quivering slightly after the impact.

Receipt-18GM for archery target
-5SM for 5 square yards of canvas

[Jeremy Casing]

The Mithryn Outpost appeared completely different from above. It looked like a collection of toy buildings that belonged to a child who had strewn them across a green rug. It was all so innocent, quiet and inoffensive. The fields were flourishing, though, and this pleased the Kelvic as he glided above his farming community home. He could spot a spattering of dark figures: farmers and guards doing their daily jobs. If he hadn't been flying above them, Jeremy would no doubt be dealing with their queries and teases.

But thankfully, he had started the day in his feathered form. This allowed Jeremy not only to escape from the Mithryn, but to quite literally spread his wings and...

And fly away from it all.

It wasn't that he disliked living in the Mithryn. Quite the opposite; it was rural enough for Jeremy to feel comfortable, but urban enough to have all those commodities of comfort. The farming community was also cozily small, yet large enough that he could escape being known by everyone. That said, a Kelvic Phylonurist was not a common resident of the Mithryn, so his reputation was spreading like wildfire. The farmers - most, but of course not all - were brutish and harsh, questioning every piece of advice Jeremy offered. Their wives were even worse: they smothered him with their offerings of hot meals and cheek pinches.

Yes, it rather refreshing for Jeremy to escape from it all.

A blow of warm air caught in his wings, and Jeremy allowed it to wheel him eastwards. He now faced the Bronze woods, and it took little effort for the falcon to reach the edge line of the woodland. He would need to drop in height and slow down himself down to avoid knocking his wings on a tree branch; such an accident would almost cripple the Kelvic. But within reaching the first few feet within the woods, Jeremy found himself distracted. A dark-haired woman walked beneath him, amongst the trees and foliage. Before he realised, she had stopped and stooped down, investigating some plant with great interest. This simple action threw Jeremy back into his memories, when he had met another dark-haired woman in such a forest.

Though this human female was not the Goddess Caiyha, she nevertheless captivated Jeremy's interest immediately. For reasons unbeknown to him, he was fascinated and unable to look away. He fluttered down onto a branch, scattering a few sparrow birds away so he could keep a close track on this mystery woman.

[Devi]

Devi’s head twitched as a flock of small birds scattered nearby. She watched them fly away intently before peering at her surroundings, a little knot of anxiety forming in her gut. The forest was quiet but for the whisper of a light breeze whistling through the branches. It actually made a nice change for her. The city was so loud everywhere, all of the time. Sylirans were packed in so close together one could scarcely complete any day-to-day task without bumping into half the population on the way. Shoulders made tense by the sudden noise eased slightly and her head raised a little to look up at the sky. It was a pale blue, interrupted only by brief smatterings of cloud. Devi found herself smiling at it. It was the kind of sky that promised her Summer was coming. The warm season was her absolute favourite and she had vowed to herself that this year she would spend as much of it as possible outside. She wanted to feel the warmth on her skin, wanted to see everything alive with bright colour. That and it was when most herbs were in full flower. It could be dangerous for one woman alone in the forest even in full daylight but she was doing something about that. Her eyes dropped to the bow still held in her hands. The relaxation that the sunshine had eased her into faded from her mind and her features one by one. It was replaced by a hardened determination, the same she had relied on when overcoming any other obstacle along her journey. She had seen death and prejudice aplenty. She had attacked each new skill and challenge with a fervour that meant the sacrifice of a lot that was normal in other people’s lives. Learning archery was only the first part of her plan but it was perhaps the most important. Thus far she was finding her natural discipline a boon to the learning process. She shook herself a little, physically as well as mentally as though to emphasise the action. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, focusing once more on her target. She eyed the small red circle in the middle of the target as she breathed, willing herself to meet it. She nocked an arrow and then abruptly she breathed in, drawing back the bowstring as she did so. A slow exhale, the hardening of her abdominal muscles at the mid-point of that breath. Then, in a moment, the release. Her second arrow whistled through the air to hit the target, a little closer to the middle than the first had been. One corner of her lips quirked up and slowly she drew another arrow from her quiver.

[Jeremy Casing]

She seemed nervous, and if Jeremy had been standing on two legs, he would have winced and cowered behind a tree for fear of giving the woman the wrong impression. But, given that he appeared as nothing more than a falcon in a tree, he merely ruffled his feathers and began preening himself. Jeremy was neat as a human and always ensured that his appearance looked clean, so the habit simply transferred to his avian form.

But one golden eye remained on the woman below. He watched her facial expression change from wariness to something else. Confidence? Anger? No- neither of those quite fit. The bow in her hand seemed to catch the woman's attention for a chime. Jeremy found himself simply staring, waiting for her to reveal her own thoughts and feelings to him.

And then he saw her move, as if waking herself from a particularly catching daydream. The bird hopped further down on his tree branch, peering below with keen golden eyes. The woman shot an arrow at her target again, and Jeremy twisted his feathered head to follow this second arrow as it shuddered into the circular target. She was simply a woman practicing her bowing skill - so why was he so transfixed? No doubt after she had practiced enough, this mystery woman's target would change from a bull’s-eye to a rabbit or deer. Jeremy only hoped that she would not be a greedy hunter, like so many humans were.

He had always admired the skill of an archer. The right shot could instantly kill an animal, gifting it with a humane death. Not that Jeremy had any skill in such a weapon, or any particular interest to learn. His talons and the speed at which he could drop on an unsuspecting rabbit was enough for Jeremy to catch the food he needed.

The falcon fluttered from one branch to another, positioning himself halfway between the woman and her bulls-eye. If he was going to watch her, he may as well have a good view.

[Devi]

She drew her bow again, feeling the power of it pulling against her. She slowly let out some of the air in her chest, satisfied with the routine of breathing she had established. The intake of breath when she drew helped her build strength, aided the motion in her arms of drawing back the string. Letting air out of her lungs once she began to aim helped steady her whole body. She continued breathing out slowly until she felt her core muscles tighten just enough to still her. She loosed another arrow, hitting somewhere near the second. Devi sighed. She was a perfectionist at heart. Though she knew she would master the skill eventually, knew she had the capacity to, the long process of reaching that point was also arduous. She wandered forward and collected the three arrows stuck in the target. Pulling them out was easier than it had been when she used the tree. It made her thankful for her purchase – not only would she preserve more arrows this way but it would also be a lot easier to judge how accurate her aim was getting and where she needed to adjust. Another flutter reached her ears, different than the last time. Her ears followed the sound and her eyes scanned the treeline to the side of her little grove. On a high branch, almost obscured by branches covered in tiny green leaves and abundant black berries, a pair of sharp golden eyes were regarding her intently. Devi replaced the arrows in her quiver slowly, eyeing the creature with fascination. She moved a little, back towards where she had been shooting from, and could see it much more clearly. It was a magnificent bird the colour of pale cream, feathers dappled here and there with dark brown. Devi had never seen its like up close before. It was clearly predatory, from the sharp beak on its face and the wicked claws curved around its perch. It was also clearly not afraid of her. She tilted her head slightly in consideration, speaking softly to herself as she thought about that. “Then again, I suppose I wouldn’t be either if I had claws like that.” She should be afraid. Devi understood that. She was alone in the middle of the woods with just a bow to protect her. A bow which she was still an utter novice at using, no matter that she did consistently hit the target now. Even she understood that hitting a stationary target and hitting a moving creature, particularly one whose livelihood depended on evading such efforts, were two completely different things. Still, she did not feel the curl of fear seeping into her stomach. “Now why is that I wonder...” She put her bow down carefully beside her pack and moved a little closer to the tree, trying not to move too quickly lest she startle the creature into leaving. Her gut told her this wasn’t likely but even so, she didn’t want to take any chances. She watched it for a chime, taking in the details of its shape and features, wondering all the while if it would hold still long enough to let her draw it in her journal. Her eyes flicked to the side for a moment, settling on the dark berries that surrounded the bird and something clicked abruptly into place. Devi let out a startled Oh! before turning and skipping lightly back towards her bag, all previous efforts to move cautiously disregarded. She dug around for the spare little packets she brought with her for just such a discovery and made her way just as quickly back to the tree. Devi was underneath it before she remembered that a large and potentially dangerous bird was still perched above her. She raised green eyes to meet gold and considered them again, waiting for the fear that should have been natural to finally consume her. It didn’t though and with that thought foremost in her mind she reached up, straining from her short height to reach the lower branches. She hooked a thumb through the small bag she had brought with her and loosed a few of the berries with her fingers, dropping them into the bag as she did so. “I bet you don’t even know what kind of tree you landed on, do you?” Even on tip-toes she had trouble reaching but a few more came loose to her efforts as she spoke. “These are Jile berries. Very cleansing, for wounds and poison alike. Useful in my line of work... That is, assuming no one catches me talking to a bird and calls me crazy for it. That would reignite old gossip that I am well rid of...”

[Jeremy Casing]

She seemed momentarily frustrated. Jeremy wanted to reassure her, to let this redhead know that her archery skill was admirable, and far better than anything the Kelvic could achieve himself. But why was he so concerned? It wasn't that Jeremy was completely apathetic to his fellow man and woman; he just preferred the company of animals and plants. But something was different in this instance. Instead of shying away, he wanted to reach out.

But then she turned around and peered in his direction. The falcon's wings quivered nervously and his eyes blinked. So much for avian stealth.

He remained still, staring back at the woman as she stared back at him. The tree he was in was too enclosed for the large bird to spread his wings in order to fly away. He would either have to drop to a lower branch and flutter off, or remain stationary. Jeremy chose the latter.

The falcon tilted his head as he inspected the woman more carefully. If it were ever to be evident that Jeremy was not a normal bird, it would be now. Any other wild bird would have fled. Indeed, all of the trees in the immediate area were now vacant. That thrung of an arrow flying and thudding into the target was like an alarm bell to natural animals. They knew how arrows could bite and kill. So did Jeremy, but his humanity altered his perception. He saw a friend below him now, not a killer.

Something distracted the woman, and she moved away from Jeremy's tree quickly. He was disheartened, and the falcon let out a miffed little sigh. But thankfully, she returned, armed now with little baggies. How intriguing! Jeremy dropped to a lower branch, craning his neck forward to drink in the details of her hair, her face.

What she did next puzzled Jeremy even more. After shaking the branches below him - a rather unpleasant bouncing took over his winged form and Jeremy huffed to keep his balance - the woman collected up the dark berries that had fallen down before addressing the bird. Jile Berries. Had he been a human, Jeremy would have frowned. As it was, he simply listened. The berries had medicinal properties, he gathered, and this certainly picqued his interest.

Useful in my line of work.

She was a doctor, or a fellow animal healer! This sent Jeremy's heart leaping with excitement. If it weren't for the whole naked-upon-transforming malarkey, he would have taken his two-legged form immediately. But instead, the bird fluttered up to a higher branch before positioning himself almost directly above the woman. After twisting his head to check and double-check his position, the bird dropped down. He landed with as much force as a falcon could, throwing his body weight onto the lower branches and sending a storm of Jile berries raining down upon his companion.

[Devi]

Devi chuckled a little as her avian friend shuffled to the side, feathers ruffling as she unseated him with her efforts. A few more of the berries loosed in her fingers and she collected them quickly into the packet she had secured around her thumb. She continued to chatter away as she reached, actually feeling the benefits of the stretch in her back and arm muscles as she did so, tired as they were. “You can, ahhh, boil them. The essence comes out in a thick juice. Then you mix it into a salve, with other herbs if they’re complimentary.” She sighed and let her arms drop. Devi examined the measly few berries she’d actually managed to gather and looked up at the tree again, wondering if she would have to climb it to get more. As she did so her eyes caught on the movement of the bird and she paused to watch it. He fluttered up to a higher branch using a powerful gust from his wings and then settled again. He looked around at his positioning and then looked down. Devi had no other warning before he dropped and landed heavily on the branch she had been reaching for, showering her with berries. A fountain of laughter loosed from her throat as she shielded her eyes with her hands, shaking her head to rid her long hair of the small fruits. “Well I suppose that’s one way...” She bent down to gather up the fallen berries and secured them in the bag she held. Before long she had enough to make several doses of salve. She wandered back to her pack and stowed the berries inside, sensing golden eyes following her avidly as she did so. Her fingers twitched for her bow once more, audience or no. Devi had come out here to practice and from the look of the afternoon light, it was likely to start getting dull soon. She eyed the bird again as she gathered up her bow and nocked an arrow in place. Curiosity bubbled as she wondered if the action would frighten him. She had a sudden notion that she didn’t even know if it was a ‘him’. She traced her sight across those now familiar eyes, brows arched into a constantly stern expression, trailing all the way down to the wickedly sharp beak. She decided to assume he was male. Given his unusual attention to her, she was certain he would find a way of letting her know if that wasn’t the case. Devi turned back to her target and on sudden impulse, quickly drew, aimed and released the arrow. It hit the target, though not in the middle. Still, she felt a quickening in her pulse. She hadn’t tried firing quickly before. It was a different sort of challenge with less time to think. The corner of her lips quirked upwards and she drew another arrow. This time she remembered to breathe in deeply whilst drawing, though just as quickly she let out a small amount of the air she held, aimed and fired again. The smile on her face extended a little as she watched her mark hit closer to the centre. This had turned out to be an unusually enjoyable day – she would be sad to see it end. She practiced some more but, feeling the heat seep out of the day and more clouds form overhead, knew she had best stop and get back to the city. She began packing up her things, retrieving her arrows and replacing them in her quiver. As she shook out the length of canvas she had brought along to cover the archery target she wondered just where her companion had hidden himself. She was oddly sad to think that he might have left whilst she wasn’t watching. Devi felt her brows arch into a frown. That feeling didn’t make any sense. Even more unsettling was that try as she might to reason through it, logic did nothing to dampen that feeling.

[Jeremy Casing]

The falcon tilted his head left and right as he listened to the woman below him chatter away. What she was saying was incredibly informative, and Jeremy wished he could ask more questions: what can Jile berries be used for? What herbs can they be mixed with? But alas, now the Kelvic felt it would be deceptive of him should he make it known he was not a natural falcon. Not many people would appreciate the fact that the bird observing them possessed the mind of a fellow human. So he remained on the tree branch, peering down upon the redhead and wanting nothing more than to reach out and touch her, to be touched.

She shot another arrow, with impressive speed and growing capability. Her movements were purposeful and sharp, making Jeremy think of how he carried his own two-legged form. Her archery was improving, her smile extending. A pretty smile, Jeremy thought without truly realising it. Though it was women he was attracted to, romance and desire were fairly foreign concepts to him. He was too awkward, too direct. Few women found him attractive and those that did were driven away by his pointed manner. In turn, he rarely took a moment to appreciate beautiful women. Such things were generally far, far, in the back of his mind.

But this woman's smile did catch his attention. When it became faint, Jeremy found himself feeling greyer. He'd do anything to see that smile again, just to know that she was happy and felt no shadow of sadness of angst. Desperately, he plopped down to the lower branches, coming almost eye-level with the woman and craning his neck forwards to inspect her face more closely.

She'd packed up her things now, but her imminent departure was not concerning him. Her face was etched into Jeremy's memory, and if he wanted to find her again - which of course he did, there was no question about that - he should be able to do so without much trouble. There was no doubting the fact that he'd be able to identify her face out of a crowd of a hundred strangers.

But the question why he was so entranced by this woman continued to circle in the Kelvic's mind. It wasn't so much an attraction as it was an unknown force driving him towards her. Undeniable, indescribable, it overwhelmed him.

[Devi]

Devi turned and felt her body tremble suddenly in surprise. The falcon was back, almost at eye level and much closer than he had been before. His eyes were pinned on her, chips of dark gold amidst a swathe of smooth, pale feathers. She found herself moving a little closer, slowly so as not to startle her avian companion. He was bigger than she had thought now she was up close, wings trailing behind him as he craned towards her. She could feel her heart in her chest, beating strong as though she’d been running all the way from the city. The young woman raised her hand almost without realising and reached towards him, sunlight dappling the skin on her fingers as it filtered through the branches above. She stopped abruptly, before her hands made contact, some deep-seated instinct stopping her at the last moment. Instead she traced the line of his form in the air and then stepped back again, air rushing back into her lungs. A smile touched her face once more, this one bittersweet, but then she turned and collected her things. She spared a glance around her little grove to make sure everything was as it should be, checking that her archery target was as obscured by the local greenery as she could make it, before turning away and walking back towards the city. The closer she got to the imposing stone walls the more the memory of the bird faded from her mind, replaced by routine and responsibility. She thought about all the patients she needed to stop in and see, the supplies she needed to replace. As she passed through the gates she left the comfort of the open skies and the sunshine on her skin. It was replaced with the decidedly less pleasant atmosphere of the city and its abundance of people far too close to her for comfort. Still, even as memories of the unusual bird were overwhelmed by the torrent of busy thoughts that frequented her mind each day, something lingered. Something drew her back to the trees and the sunshine. Something that left her longing without even understanding why. It wasn’t until she reached her apartment that she realised she was short a single arrow. She frowned but let the thought pass as easily as it had come upon her.

[Jeremy Casing]

Her skin was almost like porcelain: so fine and so smooth, the bird Jeremy was reminded of his own milky complexion. The falcon had stopped breathing at this point, and was instead transfixed on the woman's gaze. Green eyes bore into gold eyes. Their moment extended for a long time, and to Jeremy the world beyond his female companion simply ceased to exist.

And then her hand extended outwards. Jeremy did not move. He simply waited, anticipating the softness of her touch upon his feathers. Though he hadn't truly appreciated it until now, the Kelvic had been longing for her touch all day, all lifetime. Hope and happiness swelled within him. The moment of that precious touch came closer, closer... Jeremy inhaled sharply, feathers fluffed and plumped to be extra welcoming, extra downy to the touch. He even closed his eyes, to fully appreciate the physical contact.

And then he waited.

And waited.

Eventually, Jeremy opened his eyes. The sight before him was heart breaking. She was no longer facing him, but now stood stooped to the side, packing away her things. A sad, minute little squeak erupted from the bird, but there was no reply. The woman - his wonderful, red-headed woman - was disappearing into the woodland. Slowly, the forest devoured her.

Jeremy stared into the direction she had gone, hoping beyond hope that she would return to him. But she didn't. And the subsequent grief racketeered around Jeremy like something he'd never felt before. Before he realised what he was doing, the falcon had plopped down from tree branch to ground, and had in fact changed into a two-legged pasty-looking male. Jeremy stood aghast in the woodland, utterly naked and utterly bereaved. He gripped the tree beside him for support, gasping deeply and trying to stay steady. Beyond the sudden grief, there was an intense sense of confusion.

Why had the woman's disappearance hit him like an arrow to the heart?

Arrow.

Upon thinking of the word, Jeremy noticed something implanted into a tree across the wooded clearing. He stumbled towards it and came to a sharp halt once he realised what the object was.

One of her arrows.

He plucked it from the tree with great care, inspecting the arrow sheath studiously as if it would reveal to him the location of its owner. The arrow itself was suddenly of great import to Jeremy, and the idea of leaving it implanted on the tree bark was completely out of the question. To do that would be practically blasphemous.

The day ended with Jeremy carrying his new prized possession home, in his falcon form, before standing once again upon two legs and placing it carefully upon his kitchen table. There, the arrow took pride of place in his home, though it could shine no light to the wondrous woman he'd met that day.