Open Mischief in the Fields

[Solugh]

Solugh stared at the bread and cheese in front of his whiskered face with shock and a sudden pang in his stomach. Through all the excitement he had not realized how hungry he had become again. His tongue darted in and out as his eyes grew to saucers. The smell of cheese, just starting to sweat from the heat of the day, wafted to his nose. He almost didn't notice the strange look she was giving him. But he did. Strange definitely seemed to fit her to a T. Many arms, many daggers, and sharp changes in personality.

"But only if you're willing to talk to me."

The many armed woman looked at him expectantly. Does she know? I guess he hadn't exactly been acting as to blend in. But how else would he know if she was the one. Which she was not, he thought. A small burst of breeze made the smell of cheese enter his nose again. But maybe... cheese... He was only slightly taken aback by the bird dropping behind the woman. It landed in the tall grass and temporally disappeared. The noise startled she-of-the-six-arms and she spun with a certain grace, seemingly ready to attack. This woman seemed ready to fight before anything else.

"Why are you so quick to your pretty knife?"

Solugh now stood behind her, unashamed in his nudity. At five foot five, he wasn't an unattractive man, albeit short. His skin was pale with beads of water clinging to the hair that seemed to spring up anywhere that it could. Course chest hair claimed his torso, overgrowing the sleek swimmer's build that lay underneath. A beard similar to the coat he wore as an otter grew diligently, but seemed neatly trimmed. The same mischievous eyes gleamed in the noonday light. His hair, still wet, lay about his face. He took a moment to smooth it back and shake off a little of the residual water.

With a sudden shock of remembrance, Solugh leaned forward and lightly plucked the cheese and cracker from the woman's hand. Before she could recant the offer of food, he shoved the whole thing into his mouth, chewing a little loudly and with visible joy.

"Phrankz!" He managed through the mouthful. He was not without his manners.

OOCI am assuming Noah is up, then Sayana, for continued fluidity.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah’s landing had proven to be more of a hassle than originally intended. The tall grass had tangled in his large talons and caused him to fall forward with a thud. He knew for sure that the grass had betrayed his position and when he had recovered from his fall, finally standing upright again, his sight had been blurred by the disorientation.

He turned around and around trying to navigate his way out of the grass to no avail. He listened for the sound of the nearby river and felt a slight comfort when he heard the voice of who he assumed to be the six-armed woman. He waddled towards her voice but felt a sinking in his gut when the voice had stopped. He came to where the grass was shorter and watched with piercing eyes as one of the woman’s hands drifted towards her dagger decorated belt.

Behind the woman was a naked man – surprising yet confusing to Noah. Where’d he come from? he wondered. The man appeared to be undisturbed by his nudeness and seemingly snatched something from one of the woman’s unoccupied hands. To be truthful, keeping track of so many arms was making Noah nauseous. He strained his neck to see where the log-like-creature had gone and grew frustrated when he could no longer find it. With little effort and a small huff Noah beat his wings and rose into the air swiftly. He thought up an apology for the man and woman as he was sure that his beating had threw various pebbles and dirt in their direction.

As he rose, he looked past the naked man and dark skinned woman towards the river in search of the creature and still found nothing. Disappointment and confusion filled the Kelvic’s mind. Quickly he repositioned himself to the rock on the shore, the one the woman once sat at, and faced the river. He leaned forward, looked down the river to where it flowed from the Wood and down to where it flowed towards the sea. The creature was still nowhere to be seen much to his disappointment. The avian turned to face the humans, cooed in greeting, and darted his bright eyes between the two. Noah was unsure how they would react and kept his wits about him. Besides, the woman had a brief history of harming animals, as Noah had seen.

[Sayana]

In the short time that Sayana had her back to the river creature, he had managed to shift. At the sound of his voice she turned back quickly and a grin spread over her face. He looked rather handsome, albeit hairy, and his figure stood out nicely in the sunlight, nude and still a bit wet.

“I like my pretty knife because it keeps me safe,” she replied with a pat to the hilt. “There are plenty of unpleasant things in the woods and fields that are tough to outrun.” The next tick, the man had quickly grabbed her offered bit of lunch and gobbled it down as quick as he was able. Sayana couldn’t help but chuckle and then broke off another bit of bread and cheese for herself.

“So, you are that river thing?” She asked rather inelegantly as she gestured to the nearby shore in which it had clambered up. “I like the way you look now,” she added cheekily. “Though I didn’t mean to punch you into the water like that. You really did startle me.”

There was some flapping of wings behind her and for a moment her mind went to the possibility of a zith but as bits of dirt and pebbles were flung up, she turned and it was clear it was an eagle or hawk of sorts. Sayana watched curiously as it flew higher and higher but eventually came back down to perch on the rock she had been sitting. With a frown she looked at the large bird. “I swear the animals are behaving strangely here…” she muttered softly to herself as she took a step or two back and away from the eagle. It made a strange cooing sound that she hadn’t expected from the bird and looked almost expectantly between the two of them.

For a moment, the Eypharian ignored the eagle and instead slid up next to the nude man and wrapped a mid and low arm around his waist. She offered another piece of cheese and bread and whispered in his ear. “What do you think of that one? Normal or not?” She gave a nod in the direction of the direction of the bird. She thought of how ironic it would be if eagle also turned out to be one of these shapeshifters. Her eyes began to wander about the riverside half expecting to see a full gathering of varying animals behaving oddly.

[Solugh]

Her arm felt warm against his clammy, wet skin. He absentmindedly took the food offered to him and slowly munched on it. She seemed unabashed at his transformation, but seeing as she was... different... herself. Wouldn't all those arms get in the way of... everything? Her grip around his waist was gentle, but seemed as though much power rippled through her apparently relaxed muscles. It almost was as if she could hurl him a great distance, he gawked at the thought. Maybe as an otter... Solugh pushed the thought out of his mind and finally brought his eyes to focus on the eagle in front of him.

He looked at the bird quizzically, taking in the sight. He never really gave much though to birds before, considering his more downward, wetter interests, but perhaps this one was behaving oddly. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe birds were just the otters of the sky, but that just complicates things because what would the fish be then? He silently cursed his lack of education and vowed to start learning as much about the world as he could.

"If he is one of my kind, we will know presently I think." He tried his best to sound educated, but doubted at the waver in his voice, so he redoubled his efforts to seem confident around all this strangeness. He had not really had much encounter with other people, and it would probably be best to appear knowledgeable, lest he end up in a cage. He turned his head away from the eagle and gently spun out of the woman's arm and his damp hair lightly slid against her side. "Though you should be more careful, punching things in the gut! You wouldn't want to anger..." What was the name she used? with a turn and a deep bow towards the river, deep enough to hide how silly he felt and hopefully any mispronunciations "Makutsi..."

He paused, hoping the bluff would pay off, barely holding his balance over the muddy bank. Maybe he should have just stayed an otter, but the cheese was very nice. With that thought he clamped his mouth around the last bit of it, still in his awkwardly low bow. A thought then occurred to him, and with nary a thought he spun on his heels, kicking up a little bit of the mud. "I bet you are a fantastic swimmer! All those arms and such!" Solugh exclaimed and grabbed the wrist of the arm previously holding him. "Forget the sky-otter and come play!" He tugged her joyfully towards the water, lost in the jubilation of realizing he didn't have to play alone.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah cocked his head at the six-armed woman as she slid up next to the naked man. More questions flowed steadily into the avian Kelvic’s mind and slowly he deciphered them. The creature that he had been searching for had disappeared and now had been replaced by a man shorter and hairier than Noah. He came to the conclusion that the man quite could be the creature he was looking for. Of course, he wasn’t sure but since the man was stark naked and the creature now gone, Noah could only think he was a Kelvic, but what kind?

Noah had not seen a creature that resembled a log before and he suddenly felt the need to ask about it. Just now he took notice of the six-armed woman using her low and mid-tier arms to embrace the naked man. Quizzically Noah looked at them as they exchanged words he could not hear. He had the sneaking suspicion that they were talking about him. The woman pointing towards him didn’t help their cause either.

More was said that Noah couldn’t hear before the man seemingly snatched the woman off towards the river in a rough yet playful manner. The man’s energy surprised Noah and the Kelvic failed to remain calm. An anxiety tickled at his throat, fluttering up from his belly. As they barreled past him towards the river, he shifted. In a shimmer of dust and shine he emerged from his bird form a man, grown.

“I don’t think she had a swim in mind,” he said as quickly as his wit would allow. The rock he once perched upon now felt cool and clammy on his feet. He sat in a squat, arms thrown over his knees as if he was a kid. Unabashed, he stood and leapt from the rock to the wet bank of the river. Mud squished between his toes as he landed.

OOCSorry for my lateness, many distractions came up that I had to attend to and kept me from sitting down to finish this draft that I've been piecing together.

[Sayana]

Even as they spoke, the bird seemed to cock his head as if trying to listen. Although Sayana agreed with the river creature. If it was indeed more than just a bird, they’d soon find out. However, when he accused her of punching him in the gut, she put her hands on her hips and pointed a finger at him.

“You were the one who climbed up on me to begin with. I thought you were going to scratch my cheeks or even bite me.” She brought a hand to a faint scar on one of her cheeks. But then her face softened and she gave a laugh. “But you did manage to fly straight into the water,” she added grinning.

When he tugged at her arm towards the river, the Eypharian took a couple of quick steps after him but stopped once her boots reached the water. There was obvious hesitation despite her longing to be playful along with him. And then behind her came yet another voice.

Sayana turned quickly to see the second naked man stand up from his crouched pose on the rock. The eagle or whatever the bird was, was no longer in sight. “See? I told you there was something up with the bird!” Sayana said to the hairy ginger. Then in response to the swimming, she hesitated and then replied, “I um, don’t really know how to swim. But the water looks nice, and refreshing.”

The Eypharian then moved back to the rock and looked from one nude man to the other. She definitely felt out of place. But that would be easy to fix. First she took off her boots and belt with her daggers. Then she began to strip starting with her top and then her skirt and under garments. “My name is Sayana by the way,” the Eypharian said as she placed her clothes on the rock. In her nude form it was a little easier to see the gentle bulge of her stomach from her early stage of pregnancy. Though it was still small and could also be mistaken for a season or two of good food.

“Are we going to go for a swim?” She asked as she splashed into the shallows of the river. It was moving slowly but she wasn’t sure how deep she wanted to go. Even with the water only up to her shins it felt murky and muddy.

River :

This is roughly how I imagine the river to look like (but maybe more large rocks here and there). Feel free to post if you have a better picture of what it might look like.

[Solugh]

"Well if you have a better way to check..." Solugh began, but stopped mid sentence as the sky-otter became a person. Solugh gaped at the other naked man for a moment, ignoring the woman disrobing, and shock crept through his veins. Another one like me.. Maybe he will know more.. The otter-man mused to himself, lost in thought and completely oblivious to what would be quite the scene to anyone watching. He was brought out of his own mind by Sayana's question. He glanced back to the man, realizing he had spoken as well, everything seemed to be registering slowly.

"Well, I can teach you no problem, you should make a fine job at swimming with all those arms." Solugh commented with a nod of his head, then continued, "but maybe he would like to join too? " He found it hard to look at the other Kelvic, blood pumping through his neck, his heart racing. I guess it is my first meeting of another one... He justified his excitement with another nod of his head. With a slip, a dash, and a splash, Solugh was right behind Sayana, water kicking up from his every step. "C'mon Sky-Otter! Let's see if you swim in water as well as you do in sky!"

With a hearty laugh Solugh jumped backwards and disappeared below the water's ever shifting surface. In another moment he floated back up, eyes and nostrils just above the water. With another splash he shot out of the water, happy to once again be doused.

"Like this Sayana," the name was foreign to his tongue, and he had to elongate it to make the syllables barely work. "Lay on your back and just float. It is really easy! Just breathe and flow, but make sure your face is skyward or you might find it not as relaxing." His face seemed serious, but his voice light with an ever-present ring of a smile.

To demonstrate he fell backwards, floating just below the surface of the water. After a few seconds he popped back up to the top, his hairy stomach and face barely breaking through to the air. Feeling the current move around his body he relaxed, his eyes closing. What an interesting day... It had been indeed. He had only just arrived in Syliras and already it seemed his was having a mini-adventure. He wished for a mini-meal to end it with, the fading memory of the taste of the cheese made his stomach grumble.

Suddenly he jerked his eyes back open and flailed back to being right-side up. He was being rude, and that was no way to mark the first time meeting someone since he left home.

"I almost forgot! I am Solugh!" He made an awkward bow that ended up submerging his head briefly. And with that he flipped forward into the river, swimming up to the shallower end to await the sky-otter-man and Sayana-the-many-armed to have a shot at it.

[Noah Amuel]

The woman’s hesitation, coupled with the other Kelvic’s excitement, proved to be humorous. In fact, he felt a small pity for the woman, being dragged around by Noah’s fellow. If she had not planted her heels in the soft mud before the man drug her into the water, she’d surely be near drowning by now.

The moment reminded Noah of when he was younger in Zeltiva. His older brothers had dragged him to the docks, wanting to swim in the early morning before the workers began their day. Noah was happy to go along, if just to watch for he could not swim. His brothers were having none of that. They dragged him in, much like the other Kelvic did to her and, like her, he resisted. Noah had fun watching others have fun, not needed or wanting to partake in the activity himself. His brothers promised he would be fine so, reluctantly, Noah agreed.

He sat on the wharf, letting his toes dip into the water. He remembered the anxiety that filled him that faithful day. Ryon, his eldest brother, offered him a warm smile with his arms outstretched below him. Noah leapt from the wharf and fell in the water. He felt his brother’s arms retrieve him before he sank too far. Ryon placed his arms in the nooks of Noah’s pits and held him up. Noah practiced kicking, gathering a familiarity with the water and the motions needed to propel himself before his second eldest brother Kristofer taught him how to float on his back, then his stomach.

Noah combined these two and – with the supervision of his brothers – used his arms to paddle in front. He was swimming by the time the workers rose from their slumber. Even though he wasn’t the best at it then, he happily joined Ryon and Kristofer in their early morning journeys to the dock and with each trip he became a better swimmer.

He looked at the woman now, envisioning her as his younger self except with six arms, dark skin, and breasts. Noah averted his eyes as she began to undress, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. He felt unashamed of his own nudeness and the other Kelvic didn’t bother him either. He chalked it up to the woman being of a different race entirely as the cause of his nervousness. He had seen his sisters and mother naked frequently as he was accustomed to his entire family being comfortable with one another not only in Kelvic habit but in family trust. The woman was neither a Kelvic nor a family member.

Noah cleared his throat nervously as she introduced herself as Sayana. It was a pleasant name that seemed to fit her well. “I’m Noah,” he returned. “Pleased to meet you,” he added quietly. He watched as she waded into the water. The water took to her, slowly submerging her legs in a murky depth that even Noah had trouble seeing through with confidence. Behind her, the other Kelvic charged forward before leaping into the water backwards in demonstration. Still, it seemed as if his energy had no bounds. He had even called Noah a “Sky-Otter,” much to Noah’s distaste.

Noah watched as the Kelvic floated in the water much like a log and found it fitting that he was able to shift into a log-looking creature. Noah assumed the creature was called an otter based upon what the man had called him. After floating for a tick or two the man flailed about in the water, introducing himself as Solugh. What an interesting name, Noah thought before moving towards the water himself. “I suppose we shouldn’t keep him waiting, ah?” Noah said as he waded past Sayana. He made sure to keep favor with the shallow shore, hoping that Sayana would find the courage to continue after him until the deeper parts of the river revealed themselves.

[Sayana]

Sayana tentatively stepped deeper into the river and felt the water rise above her knees. It seemed like the first man, the river creature, was having a whale of a time splashing about in the water. However, at his suggestion on how best to swim, a bit of panic crossed her face.

“Lay on my back?? But how do I keep my head up then? What if a wave comes?” She asked anxiously as she eyed some of the rougher waters near the middle of the river. She pursed her lips. She was already undressed and in the water, she wasn’t going to back down now. Besides, how could she appreciate Makutsi’s full glory if she was afraid of a bit of water?

She gave a nod and smile to Noah and followed after him to go a little deeper but not by much. When the water was at about mid-thigh, she lowered herself slowly into the water and in a tick or two her face showed just how cold it felt. “Ooh that’s cold,” she gasped and was almost about to leave the river for good. Yet with new resolve she continued to submerge herself in the flowing water and slowly oriented her legs so she could float on her back. At last she had her legs up, her high and mid arms slowly moving in the water back and forth and appeared to be successfully floating. Yet she was cheating and had her low hands touching the bottom of the river in that shallow part.

“I think I’m doing it, Solugh,” Sayana called out from her shallow part of the river. Although it was still rather chilly, it seemed to be slowly warming up or the chill wasn’t bothering her so much. Her head was lifted slightly and only now did she slowly relax it into the water. It was actually rather pleasant and her hair swam around her in long brown tendrils.

However, the odd thing was, the more she relaxed the more she found it difficult to actually keep her low hands on the ground. Half the time she seemed to be reaching with her finger tips and yet she didn’t seem to be sinking either. She gave a couple of slow kicks and moved her mid and high arms through the water, and actually let go with her low hands.

“Look look!” She called out excitedly. She did a few more kicks and then tipped herself forwards. For a moment she thought the water was engulfing her and her heart raced in panic but then her feet quickly found the bottom of the river.

“Can you only do it on your back?” Sayana asked as she began to half-wade and half-swim along with the current. The water was about at her stomach or a little higher and she could make sluggish jumps while using her multiple arms to push the water back behind her.

She tried to follow along after Noah, though was more cautious if he began going to the deeper parts. “Do you swim much, Noah?” She asked curiously. “Do you ever dive into the water as a bird or does that just muck up your feathers?”

[Alexander Demarcus]

Alexander looked on in awe as the 6 armed woman started swimming, he missed swimming he hadn't done it in so many years. He longed to touch the waters surface without having to concentrate. He stood there afraid to be seen, he had no idea what would happen to him if he was seen. Would he be shunned? Chased away? Or would he be welcomed with open arms?

The woman was certainly very beautiful. There was also 2 men who could change into animals! This was exactly why he wanted to explore Mizahar to learn the cultures and races of this world. He just sat there smiling as he looked in in ernest he was almost ready to interact with them, just then he noticed they were stark naked and in a moment of childlike weakness he let out a small giggle just loud enough the be heard and his eyes opened wide.