PM to join [The Bronze Woods] Hunter, Meet Horse [Crystal]

[Beodan Clathony]

Noon on the 84th of Summer, 515 AV

Far into the woods, there was a meadow that herbivores of all kinds loved for its many tasty plants. Berries and fruits, along with young, green grass covering the forest floor. This particular tuft of sweetgrass was having a pleasant day. Had it possessed a face, and consciousness, it surely would have been smiling widely. The sun was high in the sky, shining down brightly through the smattering of trees that formed the canopy around the large clearing. Perfect for photosynthesis. It had that warm feelin--- CHOMP. In a brutal display, the Horse Kelvic ripped the poor sweetgrass from the ground, ending it’s short life with a methodical grinding of teeth. Unperturbed by his latest treat’s untimely demise, Beodan continued to graze unabated. His sleek, brown hair was baking in the sun. Well groomed, it gleamed in the light. The clearing was empty of all animals larger than a fox, they knew to stay away from his grass while he could get to them. The combined efforts of the many forest creatures kept this grass young and nutritious, one of the best spots in the entire wood.

Of course, that is what made the meadow a popular hunting ground. Dan did not let it bother him though, no humans that he knew of hunted horses. He picked his great head up and shook his mane, his eye closed in contentment. For the past few weeks he had been working constantly, grinding and sorting herbs, making tinctures, or mindlessly tending his small garden. He was attempting to distract himself from the terrible pulling at his stomach, a product of his bondmate’s sudden disappearance. His ears wilted at the thought. Abandoned him, more like. Only the gods knew if she would ever come back. Blinking to clear his head, he reminded himself that thinking about it only made the pain that much worse.

Though, that was like saying to someone, ‘Don’t think about a yellow teapot,” it was impossible not to. The Kelvic managed to distract himself by chasing a butterfly like an overgrown cat, a wonderful blue it was contrasting with the green so nicely. Round the clearing he chased the insect until it wisened up and flew to kiss the leaves, where he could not reach. He sighed mentally, sad that he had lost his playmate. The distraction had served its purpose though. He walked to the center of the meadow and lowered himself to the grown, his legs folding so his belly laid against the warm ground. His eyes drifted shut, and Beodan began to drift off.

[Crystal Nightshade]

Calm. Cool. Collected. The skills every leader -or in this case- hunter needed. A level head and calm mind insured that one was alert and focused. You needed your witts about you when facing the wilderness. The mind was a powerful tool, but only in level hands could one wield it effectively. That's what the ebony haired woman reminded herself before each hunt. She'd camped all night in the hopes of returning with bountiful game. Though so far she'd yet to catch. The young girl, Crystal had her shortbow lowered, but an arrow was held loosely on the bowstring. She stepped over branches and fallen trees while exploring the depth of the Bronze Woods. Many a time she would come with her father before his passing. He taught her everything, and left nothing to be desired while teaching. Though she didn't let her thoughts wander to those times, to many sweet yet painful memories would surface. Yet she couldn't help but notice the scenery every time she left the gates of Syliras. The summer brought the beautiful bronze tinted leaves she always looked forward to. Crystal snapped from her thoughts, quickly refocusing herself. She needed to be on point, there would be no mistakes this day. Though it seemed as if luck was on her side. Just as she was approaching a clearing, a large brown mass lay itself on the luscious greens of the forest. A great day this one, she thought before inhaling deeply before realising it. She was ready. She stalked closer, raising her bow as she went. Then a groan followed as she neared the beast. It was simply a horse. Of all the times to be had, now was not the best. Though perhaps she could.. rest. Just for a bit. It seemed to be sleeping anyway. She eased her way toward the large horse, hoping not to startle it.

[Beodan Clathony]

Beodan had only been asleep for chime or two before his slumber was interrupted boots crushing down the lush grass. His ears pricked forward, standing stiffly at attention. They twitched out of sync to help him identify the exact location of the sound. Behind him, about 15 steps closer to the edge of the clearing on his left. His eye flicked open, his long neck craning to look at the intruder. It was a young woman, with short black hair pulled into a ponytail (no pun intended). She was wearing leather armor and, most frightening of all, she held a shortbow, an arrow nocked and trained at his flank. He snorted, a deep fluttering sound as if to say, “Who are you, you scare me!”

Unable to communicate that he was not just a horse to be hunted in his current form, the Kelvic will himself to become human. The horse vanished in a cascade of light, a man kneeling on the ground in its place. Dan threw his hands up in front of him, palms facing her in a submissive gesture. He slowly got to his feet, stray blades of grass sticking to his naked form, falling off one by one as they lost their adhesion. “Don’t shoot! Please, you don’t need to eat horses!” he pleaded, his chocolate eyes wide and fearful, “I’m not game, I’m Beodan. Er.. could you put the bow down if you don’t intend to shoot me? I mean, I’d really appreciate not being shot.” This whole situation was making him nervous, his heart hammered in his chest. Just a twitch of her fingers and he would be bleeding out into the grass.

His speech had trailed off once he realized that it probably was not appropriate, under the circumstances, to ramble. Dan tried his best to stand perfectly still, his brow frozen in a furrowed expression. Tentatively, he asked, trying to break the tension, “Uh, what’s your name, miss hunter?” He hoped the mundane question would brighten his current situation a bit, maybe to the extent of the bow unstrung at her side, or even better leaning against a tree far away. His eyes shifted down to the boots he had heard earlier, and saw a knife strapped to her hip. Of course, no hunter only used a bow.

[Crystal Nightshade]

As she eased toward the beast, it's ears began to twitch, alerting her that her presence was known. Without thinking she immediately raised her bow, just in case it tried to trample her. She'd not once seen a horse in the wilderness, so she wasn't taking the chance in case it could harm her. It snorted at her, obviously not a good sign as it realized she was holding a bow. Immediately filled with light, in the place of a horse stood a man, pleading his life to her. She took a step back, highered her bow a bit more and aimed at the the creature. "Who are you?! And how.. how did you do that?!" Her voice was slightly panicked, a hint of fear but mostly confusion. She'd never seen anything like this before. Her father told her everyone fears what they don't know, but she had never truly been ignorant. Until now. She was already sweating a little, fear of what could happen seeping into her mind. She needed to calm down. Use her intellect. She took a deep breath, eyes and bow trained on the thin-- man before her. Well they were. Then she realized the man was stark naked and made a high pitched groan before turning away. "You.. why don't you wear clothing?!" She scolded, looking anywhere but at the man in front of her. She had lowered her bow. "Have some decency!"

[Beodan Clathony]

The panic evident in the girl’s voice calmed Beodan’s nerves a bit. She was just as startled of him as he was of her! “How.. how did you do that?!” the hunter asked, awed by the simple display of shapeshifting. Well, simple to him. He gave her a friendly smile, and countered with a question of his own, “You’ve never met a Kelvic before? Well, I’m honored! That was me Shifting. I am the horse, and the horse is me, we are one. Separate, but both make up who I am, if that makes any sense. It’s kind of like-- whoa!” She had tightened her grip on the bow, readying the arrow to fire. The smile dropped off of his face and he went white with fear. He shut his eyes, not wanting to watch his demise approach.

Just when he began to pray silently to whatever god would listen, she turned away with a girlish groan. He cracked an eye, squinting to see if he was not longer under threat. "You.. why don't you wear clothing?! Have some decency!" He looked down his bare chest then back to the girl. What did she mean by that? He was a decent person, or at least, he hoped he was. She had her gaze averted, suddenly interested in the trees and grass that swayed in the gentle breeze. He had been a horse not two chimes ago, and she wondered why he was not wearing any clothes. He smiled to himself, talk about strange priorities. “Ah, miss? Every living thing within miles of here is not wearing clothing, except for you. Maybe you’re the strange one?” he posed to her in good humor, though his cheeks were tinted pink due to her chastisement. He was rarely scolded, so it was particularly odd for him to experience.

Dan sighed in relief when she lowered her bow, letting the string relax in her hands. He hated conflict, and it would be terribly ironic if he died staring down the shaft of an arrow. She was still facing away from him, a fact that puzzled him. Did she not want to talk? Since she had not left yet, he assumed she was waiting for him to speak. He broke the somewhat awkward silence, opening up in a soft voice, “Anyway, I’m an herbalist. You know, plants and tinctures for healing and all that! I see you’re a hunter, ah, for sport or living?” The he hoped the small talk would set her at ease with him, maybe willing to come back to his tent for some tea. It got lonely living alone in the woods, ever since his bondmate had left him. He would appreciate the company. But that was getting ahead of things.

[Crystal Nightshade]

"Me the strange one?" She said, whipping her head around so fast it could fly off. He though she was weird. Strange even. Though he had a point she still had and argument. "You.. you morph! Into a horse! Even if you are the same," she began, her eyes trained on his. "Shouldn't you at least have a change of clothing for when you shift?" Demanding as ever, yet with a pink tint of embarrassment on her features as well. Why was she even communicating with it? No that was rud-- no, it didn't matter! This person, er, horseman was giving her a migraine. The situation was to much to comprehend at once. He spoke again and she barely processed it before speaking. "Living." She replied, looking away. "Are there more.. horsemen, like you?" She asked quietly. Crystal was attempting to process the information, break it down into small fragments. So far she had failed, but she was beginning to calm down, albeit slowly. She would hopefully understand wether or not he was a threat to her while at the same time learning more about these.. Kelvic's. What was most confusing was his ability to shift. She needed to understand how it was possible. If there were more like him, did that mean all of them were horses? She tried her hand at a conclusion, but she was simply grasping at straws. Her attempts were giving her an even larger headache. She recalled him saying he was a herbalist. Something with plants? Well, he was a horse, so it fit. Now that she had thought on it, she had acquired an interest in this new species. It was a bit thrilling to think about being able to shift. Though she didn't want to be a horse, perhaps something more feral. "Can you change into anything else?" She asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

[Beodan Clathony]

"You.. you morph! Into a horse! Even if you are the same. Shouldn't you at least have a change of clothing for when you shift?" the woman asked, her blue eyes flashing as she finally turned to face him. A change of clothes, perhaps a good idea, except, “How would I carry the clothes, even if I did need them for some reason. It’s too much effort for no gain, only restriction.” He spread his arms out and angled his face towards the sun. “Don’t you like the feeling of sun on your skin? Grass between your toes?” he asked, wiggling the little digits in example, “How can you enjoy it all when you hide away from all the good things the forest brings?” He wore clothes only when he had to, like planned trips into town. Most recently Sayana’s wedding, which he had put on his best coat for in order to put up a good show, and still it had seemed casual in comparison to some of the other men there.

The Kelvic nodded at her next statement, she looked like she hunted all the time. What with her tanned skin and toned muscles, combined with her well used bow. "Are there more.. horsemen, like you?" she asked softly, looking away from him once more. That was a good question, and truth be told Beodan had never met another Horse Kelvic. “Not one that I’ve seen, but I’m sure they are out there! We can be any animals really, wolves, dogs, cats, squirrels, you name it,” he explained, scratching his chin as he raked his brain for a list of all the Kelvics he could remember meeting. Only a handful, so it was no surprise that she had never seen one before. The hunter’s world had gotten a little bigger!

“Anything else? No no, that would be like asking you to turn into something. Anything other than a horse just isn’t what I am, like you aren’t a lion. I’d like to be a wolf for a day, my friend Nikia seems to enjoy it, though I wouldn’t know how to do that,” Dan replied, gesturing with his hands as he fought to explain himself. He was happy with the hand he had been dealt in life, and wouldn't’ give up being a Horse Kelvic for the world. It was a simple lifestyle, one he valued more than wearing fancy clothes and eating fine food. His tent suited him better than a palace anyways. Speaking of which, Beodan cleared his throat, and invited, “Well, uh, if you aren’t busy, would you like to come over for some tea? My home is just a little ways that way.” He gestured off to the side of the clearing with a hand.

[Crystal Nightshade]

There he was correct. How should the man carry the clothes? It wasn't a very well thought out question, but she had been given a precise answer. She could always say his mouth, but she decided to let it drop. "Sorry, I'm a little.. shocked? I guess." She made sure to put back her arrow before continuing. "I love nature yes, but most people think it indecent to parade around in the nude. Especially around the opposite sex." Explaining herself was coming along easier than she expected. Once again her cranium was doing backflips, all while pounding heartily against her skull. Another migraine wave passed over her as he explained his mind shifted into different things. That said she could assume that any animal was a possible form. "Ugh. This is so hard to grasp." She murmured to herself, messaging her left temple with her empty hand. He invited her to his home, in which she gave him a look. "I'm not traveling with a naked man. Besides, I need to make a good catch before nightfall." So she turned to walk away. Or at least she would have had her own stomach answered in protest. Her cheeks went rosy, and embarrassment swept through her. She gave the man a side glace, and spoke in a flustered pattern. "Perhaps if you offer me food. It's only proper to provide for our guest." She pointed out. She had no food on her, usually eating part of the game she would capture. Oh but, she didn't have his name either. He'd rambled it before, but she'd been to caught up to pay attention. She couldn't exactly go to his home without knowing. It would be rude. "I-I'm Crystal by the way, Crystal Nightshade. Can I have your name again?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't question her about it. She would ask more of Kelvics as they traveled.

[Beodan Clathony]

"I love nature yes, but most people think it indecent to parade around in the nude. Especially around the opposite sex.” Beodan could recall many times when people had eyed him strangely as he walked into town, just having galloped to the front gate as a horse so he did not have anything covering his body. The women did tend to react more strongly, in one way or another. The guard were nice enough about it, especially the ones at the gate. They were familiar with Kelvics heading to and from the forest, and generally forgave them for violating social norms. He realised that she objected to his lack of clothing when she replied, “I'm not traveling with a naked man. Besides, I need to make a good catch before nightfall." She looked at him as if it was odd that he had even invited her in. Didn’t humans invite each other in? He had been sure that it was common to do so.

He opened his mouth to respond, but she turned on a heel and began to walk away from him with her last sentence serving as a dismissal. A growl emanated from somewhere nearby. Dan’s smaller, yet still acute, ears set him on alert. He shifted his head from side to side, looking for the source of the noise. “Perhaps,” his eyes snapped to her face as she started to speak, wondering if she had noticed the sound too. He could only see her profile, but the cheek facing him were suffused with heat. He listened patiently, she seemed to be embarrassed by something. “Perhaps if you offer me food. It’s only proper to provide for your guest.” He chuckled warmly, a grin splitting his face. “Of course, my lady! I have plenty of food for you to eat!” he said in a mock proper voice, hoping to get her to laugh with him.

The Kelvic took a step towards the edge of the clearing, waving at her to follow him. She did not move. "I-I'm Crystal by the way, Crystal Nightshade. Can I have your name again?” the girl, Crystal, asked. He turned back to her, lips turned upward in a small smiled. “Beodan, but call me Dan. I have a nightshade or two growing in my garden. A good name for a hunter!” he complimented, walking up to her, “Now come on! You must be hungry, if your stomach has turned into a wolf!” He took her hand and began to lead her along a path that wound through the forest. Path was a loose term, and he could only find his way because he traveled to this meadow regularly.

[Crystal Nightshade]

Crystal let a small smile play her lips, and a small chuckle seconds later. Then she nodded with the same mock he'd used earlier just before he took her hand. "Please, lead the way Sir Dan." She didn't flinch away from his touch, but she thought his behavior odd. Maybe it was a trait common amongst Kelvics? Either way it was pleasant, and made her less wary. "Well had you skipped breakfast the day before, I fear you'd be worse than a bear." She said smugly. She felt herself relax, but still continued stay alert on the way to his home. Speaking of, could she expect much from a home in the woods? What was it like? Was it the same as camping the night? Or was there much re to it than that? How did he keep warm on those cold winter nights? Though the thought that bothered her the most; wasn't it lonely by himself? Perhaps she was ahead of herself and he had family at the home? And what of Kelvic's? She had yet to meet one, so this was a new experience to her. He seemed more into his animal side than human. Plus he didn't seem to notice the idea of nudity was indecent. She wasn't doing herself any good by questioning herself, so she questioned Beodan instead. "So what is it like living in the Bronze Woods? I'd imagine you can eat just about anything plantwise, and for a herbalist this place is perfect.. but what about winter?" She was aware she was rambling, but her curiosity was ran deeper than her manners at times. Something she had yet to break herself of. Not one to disappoint she quickly corrected herself by adding a short apology. "Forgive me, I'm just a bit curious. I'd like to know as much as you can tell me about Kelvics as well." She said with a bright smile.