Flashback [Swamp] A journey paused

[Elann]

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Timestamp 91st of Spring, 515AV
Yahebah was far in the past. The last sight of it seemed to fade too quickly. Though she rarely ever went to the docks nor knew what they looked like, now she longed to see them again. It had been days in the hold of the ship, barely being able to move about, not being able to sleep, and conditions that were quite unsanitary. The food was diminishing from the ship and they were on ration detail, hoping that they made their next port in Kenash with all manner of safety. Elann hoped so too as any chance to get off the ship was welcome.

A cry went out one day that land was sighted. The ship had begun it's curve inland to find the port and utilized many key features of the sea to determine their position. All that was beyond Elann and as she sat in the hold with the others she awaited what was to come. She observed how each of them seemed to diminish from the beauty they once had upon boarding and now were hungry, tired, and worn down.

After a good hour it seemed there was commotion above on the boat, or at least more than what was normal. She could hear the stamping of feet on the thick wooden boards that separated their level from the one above it. Eventually she could hear the sounds of ropes tying and she felt that the rocky waves of the ship had lessened here. Nothing was heard from above for another twenty minutes and they sat there anxious. The sound of voices called out in the distance and for all they knew they were under attack by the Svefra.

In time however the captain came down with a swing open of the door. He was a gruff looking man and had a long beard that was black with various ties in it to keep it from bothering him. He greeted the passengers saying, "Ladies and 'gents. Welcome ta Kenash. We'll be making time here to re-supply. Feel free to stretch your legs. We anticipate our reloadin' will take a day or so, so check back with the ship in the morning on the morrow and we'll let you know our estimates. If any of you wish to deboard permanently from your original destination please inform me and we'll do some business."

Elann slowly stood and felt her bones creek and moan. There was something revitalizing about the smell of the air that blew down into the hold now and it had a faint oddity to it. Perhaps it was a swamp nearby? Who was to know. She moved hurriedly off the boat with a smile to the captain, who in kind returned it and said "Pretty lass. Shame you have to be down here." Perhaps he was a father or something but she just accepted it and moved up top and then down the gangplank to shore.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Elann]

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As Elann moved through Kenash she could see how the city was very functional. The people seemed to be having a good time, and as she moved through the town she saw the liveliness of it. Surely it was surrounded by swampland and that sulfuric smell was the same she caught wind of in the hold. She was enjoying the scenery of the beautiful swamp until her eyes crossed that of a person hanging dead from a tree. She closed her eyes and moved off from the docks, slowly fluttering them open when she was further away. Her hand covered her mouth as the intense urge to throw up came to her. She could have even swore she saw some kind of beetle on the body. Who knew what it was doing on him. She tried to move the image from her mind as she headed down south on the path away from the city. The plantations here were impressive and unique to what her whole world was. She was starting to grasp what little she knew.

As she moved forward she kept her eyes open for all manner of things. In her home there were deadly snakes, scorpions, lions, and even quicksand. Even as she walked down the path, in the distance of the swamp she could see patches of quicksand not to far from it. It wasn't that she was so well knowledge of it, but it was just a common sight. Eventually she was just about a chime down the path walking speed and she stopped. It felt very releasing to get out of the hold and her body was realizing it. Even though Elann was a girl and quite experienced in the world, it didn't mean she was a fool. She had her sling on her with some bullets, but the idea that she would have to use it here didn't even cross her mind at the moment. She bat at some bugs that flew in her face and leaned her head back to get away from them. Gnats were annoying, but at least they didn't bite. She could hear the sounds of music playing in the distance back at the city and considered walking back there, just choosing not to look at rotting dead corpses.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

As she penetrated the swamp, there was a possibility Elann noticed ripples in the water. The day was a lazy one for Ssenislin, the fine people of Kenash seeing fit to hang up a morsel to tide him over until his next elk, and when he sniffed something entering his domain... Well, how could he possibly let such intrusion go unnoticed? He knew well the scent of human. His serpentine bulk was largely hidden beneath the still waters as he followed his nose, nostrils and eyes barely poking above the surface. As he caught sight of his interloper, his tongue flared and pace quickened with excitement. A woman! The sight of the bullet pouch on her hip would have made the Dhani giggle, if he were capable of doing so in his current state. The fleshlings had such cute and novel little ways of hurting each other to compensate for their frail, weak bodies. From the pouch, Ssenislin's gaze soon shifted to the bright belt upon which it was hung. He did not believe he had seen such a garment before, those in Kenash either settling for leather or string, depending on their social status. "I must get a touch of it." he decided as he slithered within feet of Elann and began to shift. The Benshira would hear a sloshing behind her, followed by the sight of an immense shadow in the vague shape of a human grow and block her from the sun. If she looked behind her, she'd see a gigantic scaled humanoid rivaling the shorter trees in length, with a thick tail curled up like a liquorice wheel in place of feet and what appeared to be a minor pot belly. He grinned at her as he said with a voice like a crocodile's growl "My, what de-lec-table creature have we here, sssso far from kith n' kin?"

[Elann]

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Elann did indeed notice many ripples in the swamp. Some were from various spiders catching their meals on the water, some were water skippers, others were various lizards leaping off leaves that had fallen into the water and some were from the wind. There was so much that her eyes saw in various hues of greens and browns that she could hardly discern the hidden. It didn't mean she didn't try to detect things as she was being wary, but she didn't know exactly what she was looking for out here. As she bat at the gnats in front of her she began to hear a bubbling sound from somewhere nearby. The sounds grew louder and the faint sounds of flashing water falling came from behind her. She spun around and what she saw was too much for her. Not only did a shadow overtake her, but whatever was before her was silhouetted by the sun. It shone brightly in her eyes, having found the perfect hole through the canopy it seemed to near blind her. Whatever it was it was large. The shock sent her reeling backward on the path and she was about to let out a scream when she heard its slithery voice.

Even more surprised now she near choked on her spit. With a failing high shrilled scream she ran away from the looming figure. With little elegance, the little wool covered creature that was Elann attempted to grab for her bullets in the pouch as she ran down the path, but the fact of the matter was that this beast had her dead to rights. She attempted to scream again as the terror reached over her. If it was just an animal she would have been afraid and run, but it seemed almost malicious in it's voice and deep growl.

"What do you want!? What do you want?! What do you want?!" she said and at the same time screamed again if nothing more to show her fear of it as she ran. A strange aroma protruded from her gown as she ran, and upon the wet wooden planks that she ran on, there were hints yellow drops of fluid. Elann had wet herself in fear of him as she ran.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

Ssenislin laughed, a harsh hyena-like cackle that shook the surface of the water and sent nearby birds fleeing. "What'ss wrong? Never seen nothing like me before?" he purred with a preternaturally large smile. The fleshlings' terror was always oh so salivating. If Elann thought her screeching and running would dissuade the beast from going after her, she was sorely mistaken. For Ssenislin, life was no fun without a good chase. While the little humans were quick, a Dhani's reach could be quite long indeed when the mood took them, and Elann was getting the constrictor's blood racing. Ssenislin jeered like a bull fighter as he shot forward like a coiled spring, meaty hands grabbing for the girl's ankle. If he caught her, he'd draw himself back to a "sitting" position, dangling Elann at his eye level as easily as if she were made of cotton. Someone this delightful was not to be snapped up. No; like fine wine or tobacco, they were to be savoured. "Hush, girlie!" he'd snap with relish, eyes flashing hungrily. "Is that how you treat your hosst?"

[Elann]

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Quickly her heart pounded against her chest as she proceeded down the road her head flipped around to check behind her. The figure was now clearly seen as a large reptilian type beast. She had yet to see one of his kind and known of it. She logically realized that she was running away from the town and toward the plantations and that wasn't a good idea. But could she muster enough courage to face him? She continued running and screaming at his words but as she finally got her bullet pouch opened he snared her foot. Her forward momentum made her almost yank the large beast up onto the path completely but made her trip and land upon her hands. The sound of smooth stone bullets clattered across the wooden planks in front of her and had clearly come from her open pouch. "Yahal help me", she thought to herself.

Elann ignored the pain of the fall, her scraped knees, elbows, and forearms, where she now lightly bled and instead reached around her back for her sling with one hand and the other hand to go for one of the bullets rolling away from her. She had determined to fight. As her two hands met to sling a stone into position she felt her body be yanked upwards by the foot. This surprised her as she suddenly found herself dangling upside down staring this beast in his eyes. The sudden jolt upwards made her drop her bullet yet she retained her slingshot in her hand. It was Benshiran in design and was steady there as it had been all her life.

His voice growled in her face and she squirmed, making a nasty face as his swampy breath flew into her face. Instinctively she reached out with her right hand (which had a serious burn on it) and slapped him across the face with all the force she could muster. "Put me down!" she screamed. Hopefully even though she was a chime away from town maybe someone could hear her screams. He eyed her hungrily and he pushed constantly at his face and mouth, doing all she could to keep him away from her. "Let me go or tell me what you want!"

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

Of all the things that Ssenislin expected to happen, being slapped in the mouth was pretty close to the bottom. The Dhani stood there in dull shock for a tick, stunned by the sheer gall of a fleshling to strike at his magnificent face. "You call that a ssslap?" he finally said with the inflection one uses to berate a waiter who spat in one's food. He would have continued down this irate path, if it weren't for the bizarre and equally unexpected sensations of a panicked woman doing pushups off his face.The beast's disgruntled demeanor soon gave way to giggles as Elann pushed and pawed at his lips and cheeks. "Ssssstop that, that ticklesss!" he rumbled between chuckles."No, really. You'll get blood in my mouth, and then thingsss will get out of hand." It was amidst these protestations that Ssenislin's gaze affixed itself on Elann's colorful silk belt again. Mere meat was always fine, and exotic varieties were most welcome, but Ssenislin liked to consider himself a Dhani of myriad tastes, and this strange, vibrant garment pulled at his curiosity. He simply had to know more about it and its enchanting hues. "What'ss your name, child?" he said absently as a fat finger tried to hook itself under the sash and tug at it. "And where did you get this?"

[Elann]

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Elann listened to the grumbling voice as she flopped about, pushing at his face with all seriousness and intent to harm, but it was to no avail against his hard skin. He even mocked her and laughed, yet what he said next made her stop pushing on his face. For one it indicated something that meant he was perhaps not interested in eating her, and two that it would be her fault if he did.

She slung her slingshot and her other arm across her chest in a true angry fashion as she could do nothing else against his mighty strength. She readied herself mentally to throw her hands up should he decide to drop her on her head, but other than that she sat there scowling in defeat. She could see him and his deeply enchanted gaze at her belt, a gift long ago from her father and literally one of the last few things keeping all her clothing from falling off her body down to the wooden planks below. She struggled in a little fit once more by just moving her leg and when he asked her her name she stopped her fidgeting and she could see through a skewed vision that he moved a finger to her waist and under the belt. It was getting harder to see as she was getting lightheaded and dizzy hanging there, but with all her strength again she slapped his hand away and said, "It's not yours, and if you want to know my name you'll put me down gently. Then maybe we can talk about the belt."

The pain was too much this time as she slapped at his hand. The burn on her wrist and palm she sustained a month prior stung her something bitter and she held her hand in pain. She hoped he'd listen to reason, but who really knew. It was clear now that no-one could hear her calls. The joviality of the sailors docking and having their bit of fun drowned out her screams.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

Now that smarted. The first time Ssenislin got slapped, the shock of someone being brave enough to actually do such a thing superseded the indignity of such a gesture. This time, despite his thick hide, that smack hurt, and not just physically. "That'sss not ssso cute the sssssecond time." Ssenislin snarled as he shifted his immense tail in front of him, dropping Elann in his coils. "The third time, I may choosse to sssslap back." Her insistence that the belt was not his sent another fit of cackles rattling his frame. "Girl," he finally said after a good chime, his coils tightening slightly as he spoke, "I own everything the river touchesss. Ain't nothing I cain't have." he rumbled, leering over the Benshira. His forked tongue flicked out, almost grazing her brow. "Ain't nothing I cain't take. If I wanted, I could take the whole city, and the little men in their little houses wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop me." Of course, this was utterly untrue, and Ssenislin knew it, but he wished he could. Besides, while taking the whole of Kenash was completely out of the question, one frightened woman was another story entirely. "You gon' tell me otherwisse?" he growled with a taunting smile.

[Elann]

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Could she just let him invade her space, touch her belt her father gave her? No. She was always one to resist evil in any form, so he and his intruding nature that he could take whatever he wanted was a challenge to her. He finally released her and she fell into his coils which she squirmed to get out of but found that they were his specialty. Quickly before they tightened she raised her arm with her slingshot out and then was trapped. She had heard of how constrictors worked to kill mice and various rodents, well now she was the rodent. Every time she exhaled as he spoke to her the rings moved slightly tighter about her till she began to feel quite uncomfortable. She tucked her slingshot behind his coils away from his main body so he could not take it from her.

She was no manipulator but she considered toying with him, yet didn't want to insult his obvious intellect. He certainly at the very least seemed prideful. "No...I'm not" she commented about how she wasn't going to boss him around. She tried to surprise him by struggling after a brief pause, once more trying to get free, but realized he had her good and solid. She sighed and looked into his eyes. "I really don't want to bite you" she thought, which was probably a bad idea as he would crush her like a tube of paste. She thought to herself, what if this was a god? What if it was a child? Would either presence effect her decision? She considered what would a servant of Yahal do?

She asked "What could I give you that you could want? I have nothing left but the clothes on my back. Would you take those? Surely a powerful being as yourself, who swims the swamps in pride, mighty in power, could take all the clothes he wants. But why when in fact he already boasts of a more beautiful clothing than any I could ever wear?" she gestured to his skin with her chin and then said "What then do you really want?" she considered a moment. "How about a song?" she was trying to be brave but she could hardly breathe. It was hard for her to even consider getting in a breath to sing unless he released her a little.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts