Closed Under the Falling Leaves (Lilun)

[Duron]

Time Stamp: 20th of Fall, 515AV
Location: Coastal Forests outside of the Sanctuary
Who: Lilun

Leaving the gates of the Sanctuary, Duron adjusted his wide brimmed hat and made his way north along the road. Life in the Sanctuary was peaceful for the most part even though he hadn't had much contact with the denizens of the compound. He met the stunningly beautiful konti owner of the Sanctuary named Kavala Denusk, but it was brief and not vary sociable encounter, and he hadn't seen or talked to her since he was hired as a farmhand. The Cerulean didn't mind being aloof towards the inhabitants in the Sanctuary because lately Aferan, his dark brother, had been restless in the back of his mind, so the akalak had been short with everyone. Isolation was the only way to counter the irritability that he had been feeling this season. It would had been worse if he was stuck in the Cerulean tower because shortness of his temper would mostly likely lead to unnecessary fights with his brethren. All in all, the akalak was relativity happy for once in his life.

Duron walked about half a bell north on the road till he came to a well traveled trail leading into the woods. The Cerulean was pretty sure it was hunter trail, so he turned onto the trail and walked into the thick multicolored canopy. The akalak enjoyed this time of year because the leaves were starting to change and there was less biting flies to annoy him while he was tracking. As he walked through the forest, the hunter's green eyes surveyed the woods for any signs of big game, but to his dismay he couldn't find any signs of animal movement as he walked through the forest. Suddenly, he came to a patch of yellowish flowers. As he got closer to the flower patch, he could heard the low sound buzzing get louder and louder the closer that he got to the flower patch. The Cerulean stayed about five feet away as he noticed the small stalks of yellow flowers were littered with tiny fuzzy bees. When one of the bees started to circle close to his head, he decided to play it safe and back away from the flower and go about his business in the forest.

Duron continued through the forest notice there were spots of thick canopy with little undergrowth, there were parts where the canopy was less thick and the undergrowth was tall woody bushes, there were spots were it was void of trees, or the ground was covered in tall grass. When he got to spot with less dense canopy, he noticed the ground was covered in a thick underbrush about three feet high. The three leafs were starting to turn orange, but the majority of the patch was still a greenish color. As he surveyed the patch of three leafed plants, he noticed there was trail about two feet across of broken plants running through it. Duron didn't want to take the chance and touch the plants with his bare skin. He tucked his pant leg in his boots and tied it the laces tightly, so the bottom of the pant leg wouldn't fall out. When he walked out into the underbrush, he lifted his spear over his head till he was out of the patch of woody underbrush.

When Duron got out of the underbrush, he noticed his pants were covered in burs about the size of his thumb nail. Growling at his luck, the akalak spent about ten chimes pitching off the annoying hitch hikers from his pants. When he was finished with the burs, the hunter looked at the ground of the forest and noticed the there was narrow hoof prints in the dark dirt. Kneeling down, he touched the dirt in the track and noticed it was still moist. Looking up, he noticed the tracks continued towards a grove of pine trees. Duron stood up and followed the tracks for about five chimes through the pines and eventually came to grove of orange maple tree that seemed to be less thick with leafs. Looking down at the leaf covered ground, Duron shook his head at his luck and notice his tracks vanished under the fallen leaves.

[Lilun]

Another new and different sort of day, not a horrible one but not one she particularly wanted either. You see Lilun was still trying to find her feet and when one had six different feet that could take a while. If you can’t count that’s two human and four cat like paws. She had found trees, lots of trees but for her this was not a place she wished to be. She was made for open fields and swamps, the swell of ocean air and even the rolling waves. Tree’s plus wings equaled bad. That hadn’t stopped her from venturing forth however and really there was little in the world she had seen in her short life that would prevent her going and exploring, or at least taking a peek.

Once more she had hid her pack trusting in the people of Riverfall not to see it or at least not to mess with it should they spot the sack on the roof. She changed and back tracked for the woods where she found herself not flying as she wanted, but jumping from branch to branch, a flick of her wings now and then should the branches prove to be far apart. You see it wasn’t just the woods she had seen but one of those blue colored men. Now of course she had seen a great few of them but so far she hadn’t spoken to one and with this one going off it was too good a chance to pass up.

Or it was, until he kept going deeper and deeper into the woods. She looked behind her shoulder in dread, hoping she would not become lost. The man did not seem to share this fear as he simply kept going and Lilun was forced to follow now or really end up wishing she had never seen his flashy colored hide disappear among the greens. She picked her way branch to branch, the pine tree’s making her bare her teeth in dislike as they would stick into her like little needles, but then they slowly gave way to other sorts of trees and she relaxed with a sigh unheard as he finally stopped among the brightly colored branches. Staring down at him she realized he wasn’t immune to prickly things and the only reason he stopped was to pull those off him.

Finding a nice sturdy branch she sat down and changed, really wanting him to hold still; it was hard staying quiet. Now human she was without her clothes but this earned nary a flick of her thought as she sat on the branch her legs dangling thin and pale. “So, are you going to just keep going? I thought it would be more fun to follow you but you seem to be very quiet even to be walking by yourself. Are all your kind like that?” Her pink eyes were filled with mirth as she started swinging her legs back and forth, leaning forward expectantly for him to speak back. She knew little about hunting and didn’t put it together that he might be quiet because he followed something as she had been quiet because she followed him.

She had spoken in common, and now wondered for the briefest of seconds, if he might not even understand that. Well it was enough that he would hear her she supposed; maybe then he would be more entertaining?

[Duron]

Putting his hands behind his head, Duron surveyed the ground for any signs of animal activity. The akalak started to walk through the leaves till he noticed a branch of bush was stripped of leaves. Picking up the branch, he noticed noticed some of the branch had woody indents in the wood. He wondered if the indents could have been made from teeth. He knew it was a hypothetical question because he couldn't confirm it unless he watched a animal strip some of the bark away from the branch. Letting the branch go, Duron figured that he would need to walk the perimeter of the leaves to find the animal tracks. Suddenly out of nowhere he heard a woman's voice and the akalak immediately got into a defensive position with his half spear. Crouching low, the akalak held the butt of his spear with his right hand while the left hand was holding the wooden shaft a quarter of the the length up. Pointing the sharp metal tip of the spear at head level, the akalak scanned the ground level for the woman, but he saw nothing. Immediately, he thought it could be a Zith hiding in the canopy, but as he looked into the canopy of the trees, the dull green eyes widened in shock.

Still keeping the spear up in a defensive position, Duron whirled around, so the metal spear end was pointing in the direction of a white haired naked woman in a tree. The akalak knew it was a crime to hurt a woman, so he wouldn't be the aggressor, but he would defend himself if she did become hostile. The Cerulean did his best to keep his eyes on the attractive human female's face, but he couldn't help himself and admire the woman's naked body above him. At this moment, the akalak wished he had more self control, but he couldn't help his eyes wandering down to her breasts. Feeling uncomfortable and a bit awkward, the akalak hunter responded in common, “Being quiet is a common trait of a hunter, and yes I am on a trail of some hoofed beast...” The akalak rose a eyebrow when she told him that it was fun following him. He was unnerved that she thought that he was a plaything. When the woman asked if all his kind were quiet. Duron said simply, “Self control is virtue to my kind, so yes...you can say we do share a common trait...”

Duron felt kind of unnerved about how easily she was able to sneak up on him. It was his job to be able to approach people without being seen, but it was a shot to his ego that she was able to do what he should be able without being detected. It was hard to be stealthy in the outdoors because anything could alert someone or something to your presence. The paranoid part of him came to the surface when he asked and almost demand, “You have been following me? Why?” The Cerulean kept his eyes on her face the whole time because he wasn't going to let this mysterious woman out of his sight. For all he knows, she could be a spy, mercenary, brigand, or assassin, and she could be luring him into a trap with her feminine attributes. When his eyes moved to her smooth legs, the akalak cyan face flushed into darker shade of cyan. Annoyed at his lack of control he ask with a nod, “Do you mean me harm or are you just curious about me?”

[Lilun]

She watched him poke about the ground, wondering if he were like those little birds that would move about the ground pecking and kicking only to be jumped upon and eaten for daring to touch the ground so long. Then he was in motion and she decided he wasn’t a little bird; he was a really big bird fooling a stupid snake into creeping closer. Finding a spear being pointed at her wasn’t what Lilun would have called in her plans, if she had any plan that was. She wasn’t sure if she should feel flattered she had scared mister blue so much or insulted he would point some pokey stick at her. In the end she decided on amusement since there was no way his stupid stick could reach her. So it was she smiled warmly showing off white teeth even as her legs continued to kick back and forth.

“Hoofed beast?” She tilted her head watching him keenly and unblinkingly. She was happy he knew common but to call an animal a beast. A small little furrow appeared between her brows. “An animal maybe.” How could anything with hooves be a beast, they ate plants didn’t they? So scary. Huffing she swung her legs wider and as she did she leaned back as if she might fall backwards but instead remained inclined for a moment or so before abruptly sitting forward again. “Really, why is that; is it boring? I think that would be boring, always knowing what you would do always knowing where you would go and how much you would take.” She took no mind of him watching her, finding no cause for worry. Her skin could be no more different then her fur and plenty of people would pet her other form and scratch between her ears. She had yet to understand why humans seemed not to understand this, even her brother.

“I said I had been didn’t I?” She brought a hand up to rub absently at her nose as her eyes went up to the high tree branches. “For why, why not,” and she looked back down at him and grinned. “Or maybe I didn’t say, I forget and who cares!” Stretching she brought her hands to the branch and shooved until she stood on the thick tree limb. “You ask a lot of strange questions, why would I hurt you?” She looked at him head tilting to the side again noticing his skin darken. That was amusing and she wondered what caused him to do it and if she might make him do it again. “Are you expecting someone else to be following you maybe, or no one at all? Really you should only want so much control Mr. Blue!” Lilun was having quite a bit of fun; she hadn’t thought talking to someone new would be like this! Walking along the branch she hummed wondering what would happen if she jumped?

Peering down to the ground she decided it would hurt if she did, too far down. All the same while she was safe here from that pointy stick, down likely not so much. “I still can’t think of why I am following you. Boredom maybe, curiosity’ Oh but don’t worry; I’m not a cat to die from that!” She took a backward step her arms held up to help her balance without a tail and wings. “I don’t know why think about it, but then you asked so,” and she shrugged. It was a motion she carried over because unlike her other skin she had to tail to flick instead. “You looked interesting,” she finally declared as her hands were thrown up like a cheer. Sharply Lilun turned and as she did her legs went out and she dropped back to sitting on the branch hard enough a few orange leaves fell to the ground. “Only you are being boring and watching the ground all quiet. Not interesting or fun.” She kicked her feet harshly, forgetting the earlier decision of not jumping Lilun slid from the branch smiling as she started falling. She was prepared to change so she could land on four feet, but wind against bare skin was a new feeling and she only laughed happily.

[Duron]

Focusing his green eyes on her face and not her naked body, Duron listened to the strange woman as she seemed to answer his questions with more questions. It was infuriating not getting a straight answer, but he had to admit it did add to her mystique. As she continued talking, Duron started to lower his spear when he started to realized the strange white haired woman wasn't a threat. In a way, the Cerulean thought that the woman was almost childlike as she judged him either as boring or interesting. It was a odd way to categorize anyone, but she might not be right in the head either, so those categories for a person were probably acceptable in her mind. Was he entertainment to the woman? The akalak didn't like the idea of being entertainment for anyone, but the longer that he listened to her. He doubt the woman had any ill will towards him. Regardless, he was hunting for the Sanctuary, so he didn't have time to cure this woman's boredom. Putting the blunt end of the spear into the ground, Duron used it to support his weight as he leaned onto it. Looking at her, the akalak said with a nod, “Sorry for pointing my spear at you. I don't encounter many people in the forest, so I hope you can forgive me for being a bit jumpy...”

As Duron watched the woman, he wished the white haired woman would just stay still because he couldn't take his eyes off of her as she gracefully moved around in the tree. The Cerulean knew that he had been failing miserably at swearing off women since his first encounter with Ayatah. This woman was nothing like the myrian, but she was equally as intriguing. Regardless, even with her distractions, Duron was akalak, so he had to do his best to control himself. Returning his focus back on her face, Duron said simply, “You sure love to answer questions with questions don't you, human. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to answer all of them at the moment. Maybe I try to answer them at a different time...” Running a hand through his black hair, the akalak said with a nod, “My name is Duron, and I am a hunter for the Sanctuary. I am currently on a trail of hoof beast called a deer, or I hope it is a deer. Anyways, me being a hunter is the reason why I am quiet because I don't want to scare my prey away..”

Duron was hoping that his answer was enough to satisfy his curious stalker's questions, so he could get back to work. Suddenly, the woman slid from the branch and landed on the ground in front of him with a laugh. The akalak could handle the naked woman in the tree because she seemed farther away from him, but the fact that she was standing in front of him made his heart race. Thinking to himself, Duron cheeks darkened again, turned his attention back to the ground, and knelt down to pick up some leaves. The akalak wasn't tracking anything. He just wanted to turn his attention to something other than her and the multicolored leaves seemed like the best decoy for his wandering eyes. Looking at a broken leaf in his hand, the Cerulean asked without looking at her, “I..am going to continue my hunt now, so if you want...” Staring at the leaf intently, Duron thought carefully if he just wanted her to go away, or if he wanted her to tag along. He figured the first opinion would be for the best because he would be able to focus better on his hunt, but the curious part of him wondered if she might be able to make the trip more lively. Letting go of the leaf, the akalak stood up and looked at the naked woman and asked, “...to come, I will need you to keep your eyes and ears open for any signs of our hoofed beast.” Giving her a welcoming smile, Duron asked with a nod, “What is your name, human?”

[Lilun]

She had shrugged; a small roll of her shoulders. Jumpy wouldn’t be her chosen word for pointing a stick like that at someone, paranoid might just work or maybe aggressive? Then he called her human and for the first time Lilun really frowned. “Yes, because if only one person asks questions how do you know the question asked is worthwhile answering?” She was never more pleased that her brother had nearly beaten the ability to talk into her skull. Words were proving to be very fun if only to annoy the blue man. Though watching him she saw he was doing a pretty good job at annoying himself.

He leaned now on his stick, but she didn’t doubt he could easily swing it back; what’s more his eyes seemed to jump from place to place and while he looked at her it seemed to take a lot to do so. Prey, was what came to mind as he fidgeted and yet he still wasn’t. The man could kill her easily and she didn’t doubt he would do so if she did something; but what was that something she wondered. “That’s no fair, I did answer yours,” she was certain she had! Duron and a hunter. “Lack of noise can scare just as easily you know.” She should know, when there was no noise and the birds quieted; it was time to flee because there was something bigger to be found.

Still she had jumped and was surprised she had managed to land in human skin. Happy and pleased she smiled at Duron unaware of his inner plight but all the same watching as his attention turned back to the ground she huffed. Why were they so interesting, the leaves were many colors on these trees unlike the pines who would never be more then green and brown should they be dying. Perhaps the colors were somewhat interesting but enough to avoid her? She looked down at herself and blinked, oh. She forgot about clothes. Mr.Blue started to talk again in a slow sort of halting way that made Lilun wonder if he was so bothered by lack of clothes. Surely the man had to bathe himself? Finally he smiled and Lilun returned in. “I can do that,” but then he had to go and call her human again.

Nose scrunching she was tempted to change and swat him with claws. She knew it wasn’t really his fault that he couldn’t tell a Kelvic from a human but it irked her still to be called one of them. No matter that she loved her brothers; she never wanted to be one of them. So she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest looking away. He was talking to a human and there was none here so why answer? Aware she was being petty didn’t stop Liluns sulking. Still, it was hard not to answer things or not do what was told or expected so giving Duron a small glare that still looked like a pout, she answered. “Lilun, and I’m not human.” She tried to think of revenge, seeing as Duron didn’t want to look at her without clothes, she suddenly smiled. She would bet her tail he didn’t want to touch her.

Still smiling Lilun moved closer to him intent on giving him a hug. It was the best and most simple revenge she could think of! Plus it didn’t bother her at all! If he didn’t move away or skitter back she would wrap her arms around his waist before leaning into him and rubber her face across the upper part of his stomach; too short to reach his chest or throat. The best revenge is one that made you happy.