Closed I'm not a thief! I work in acquisitions. (Azmere)

[Jasmine Stormblood]

5th Winter 515 A.V.

Jasmine walked around Endrykas as most were still asleep, the only ones she saw moving at all were the men and women in the Watch. She put her hand on her stomach when it rumbled; two in the morning was not a normal time for the young woman to find herself awake without knowing how to get back to sleep. Her mind was full unsure of what she would do about how her father was trying to force her to wed a male from one of the other clans. She sighed gently and rubbed her face while walking. The young drykas looked around when her stomach growled once more.

"Best find food," She said looking around and spotting a personal tent on the edge of town.

Slowly the woman made her way over to the tent and peered in hearing the sounds of whoever lived with in sleeping soundly. The young woman sneaked in the tent forcing her breathing to stay slow and steady as to not wake the man on the pallet of pillows and furs. Jasmine slowly made her way to where the food was and found some dried meat. The young woman froze when she heard shifting just a few feet from her, once the shifting stopped the girl took no chances and quickly left the tent running from the area. Panting from the run with the thin air not helping her catch her breath the Drykas raised up and looked back towards the tent.

"At least the man didn't awaken," Jasmine said taking deep breaths still trying to catch her breath.

After some time Jasmine resumed her walking and ate the meat she had taken. The young woman took a deep breath thinking of trying to get some rabbit and drying the meat out to replace what she had stolen. Shaking the wavy tresses of blond hair, the girl pushed the thought out of her head knowing that she didn't have the skills of a hunter yet at least not without much more practice.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Azmere]

Azmere was sleeping like the dead. It had been a rough start to the season and he was happily dreaming of running down deer from the back of his strider. A cold breeze wasn’t going to disturb his hunt, at least not the brief one caused by his tent flap shifting to the side to allow a guest in his pavilion. He stirred a bit against the recent disturbance but didn’t wake. He went back to the chase; riding and shooting. Before long, he had dropped half the herd. As the ride continued, Azmere found himself faltering in his timing with his horse. Then suddenly, as if he fell off into an ice cold stream, Azmere sat up in his tent. His eyes darted around but in the black he couldn’t see anything. The tiniest sliver of Leth’s light shown through the flap of his personal pavilion. This wasn’t normal. There was a simple tie that Azmere religiously looped to prevent his space from being invaded by the weather.

Now that he was awake, the Drykas moved about his humble living space to check for certain items. His clothes and packs seemed undisturbed. His weapons were all in the same place that he had left them. Azmere was about to go back to sleep when he decided to check his rucksack again. He always kept a bit of food on top in case he needed it for quick access. He growled a deep noise that started in his chest and reverberated up through his throat. He began to get dressed pulling on his boots, a wool shirt and then the process of buckling his belt and adding his gear. He propped himself up on his knees and started to rise having donned his cloak, club and quiver but stopped. He had a new skill and needed to learn how to use it.

Azmere relaxed down on his bedding. He closed his eyes and laid Vihar across his legs. He allowed his hands to rub the smooth wood of the handle for a tick and then he went still. His heartbeat became regular and his nerves, previously on end due to being robbed, had cooled. He focused on the world before him while he maintained the same breathing that he used for shooting his bow. Slowly, the multicolored eyes opened to see that silver sliver. The cold air tempered his urge to get up and run blindly into the night after the thief. Instead, he rose with purpose but a graceful ease as well. The bowman stepped into the night and slid his bow over his head and shoulder. It nestled perfectly around his muscles and never seemed to hinder his ability to ride or run. Azmere walked through the site and found Hephiestian pressed between two mares. Azmere patted his chest with his palm. The animal stirred as did the mares. They knew he was there but had gotten used to his scent. The man used gentle coaxing of his hands to brush the mares along then settled the yvas on the back of his strider.

Azmere mounted and gazed about. There were many waves of color in broken fragments about the city’s edge. Deciphering them was going to take some work. The Watchman started his trace from the entrance to his tent. Leading the horse over near it, he leaned down and used the light of Leth’s face to study the impressions in the frost-covered ground. His big boot print was obvious but there was also a smaller one heading north. Azmere sat up in the yvas and gazed in that direction. There were several more ribbons of djed dangling a few hundred yards out. Using a soft squeeze of his legs, Azmere urged the strider into motion. There was no need to ride hard but a quick trot would suffice. Azmere rolled his head about stretching his neck. The cold did not allow his aging body to awaken as fast as his mind.

Upon arriving at the area where several paths crossed, Azmere dismounted and carefully moved over the surface of Semele’s skin in search of a print to match the one he found outside his tent. There seemed to be none present. Azmere grumbled and knew a torch would ruin his eyes’ adjustment to the night which could be vital. The man was about to give up when a tiny dark spot midst the frost-tipped grass caught his eye. Just below a trail of djed were several of these prints. They were closer together. This child must be walking at this point. The man remounted his stallion and studied the djed wave for a moment. He looked towards the direction it pointed and saw a few more patches. In a whisper, he spoke to the night. “I’ll find you, little thief.”

It's you and me against the world.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine walked still not able to shut her mind down; she was becoming more annoyed by the minute irritated that she could not become tired no matter how cold or tired her legs were of walking around after a long day. Soft blue eyes scanned the area around her looking for her stallion. Finally the woman found what she was looking for.

"Chaser." She called quietly as the stallion stirred and slowly picked his head up seeing the small female drykas.

Jasmine smiles when he got up and shook out his mane walking over to her. Smiling brightly the young woman walked with the stallion beside her so she wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. Jasmine stopped walking and looked back hearing a crunch in the light snow as she sees the top of a man's head and the shadow of a horse. Quickly the girl races ahead knowing who it had to be as Chaser raced after her not wanting to lose her.

"Come on boy," Jasmine said and quickly mounted up not worried about an yvas and used Chaser to run over the prints several times and back tracking older tracks of another horse to try and throw off the man following her.

Jasmine looked back as her blond tresses flew everywhere in the scurry making it hard for her to see. After a while Jasmine used her right leg to veer Chaser off the path to the right easily passing between the Watch patrols. Some time later Chaser snorted and plopped down under a tree. Jasmine yelped and fell off landing in the snow.

"Very funny," Jasmine said looking over at the stallion and sighing.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Azmere]

Azmere walked Hephiestian at a brisk pace but with his vision clouded by djed trails, he dared not risk moving too fast. Thankfully it was late enough that much of the day’s activity had passed and faded. Still new to the concept, Azmere was beginning to piece together the information his magical eyes were loading into his brain. Everything was in pieces and scattered about like fragments of a pavilion after a grass fire. Drjed trails ranged in size and color but the uniformity was impossible to follow, at least in his early observations. When he saw three bands parallel and close together, he gauged their size and figured they must be a patrol. He could see three men on horseback trotting along that particular path. He watched a dog chase the wind and leave a wedge of color behind. Azmere made note of the pattern for future use.

The Drykas paused having found another repeating pattern. A short trail was next to a large one as if a small person was walking next to a horse. The footprints he had been using as a guide lead in the direction of this new pattern so Azmere steered Hephiestian with gentle nudges from his legs to his destination. Using the light of Leth, he studied the prints on the ground beneath the unique djed signature. He was confirmed in his suspicions that his thief had met up with his or her horse. The likelihood that he had been robbed by a Drykas was increasing along with the foulness of Azmere’s mood. He made a note of the side by side waves of color and used their shape with the direction of the footprints to obtain a direction. The rider squeezed his legs together giving his mount the inclination to move forward.

After only a few ticks, the footprints become mangled under a heavy trafficking of horse tracks. The tracks went in every direction making following them by sight nearly impossible. Azmere sat back in his saddle and looked around. There were sparse splashes of djed throw everywhere as far as he could see. Most were the patrols and some were so close to the ground that he could scarcely make them out. He figured those belonged to varmints and paid them no mind. After a second sweep, he noticed a trail similar to the ones left by the patrols but this one was singular. Azmere decided to follow this trail trusting his instincts. After a while of Hephiestian’s lazy trot, Azmere noticed the path veer to the right and directed his mount to follow with the tug his hand. The djed trails thinned out even further as the watch patrols ceased altogether leaving just animals and the lone rider. Azmere felt more confident of his decision-making skills and pushed the horse a bit faster.

More chimes went by as ore ground was covered and Azmere found himself listening to the sounds of a nearby stream. It was peaceful and seemed to enrich the colored swaths cut through the air by the various creatures. It wasn’t long before he noticed the mark he’d been after. Several trees stood high on the snow-covered plains casting long shadows. Azmere decided his best bet was not to go headlong into his death but to try a little trickery instead. He dismounted in silence and removed his packs. The rucksack was attached to the backpack and then both were placed upright in the yvas. It wasn’t as tall or broad as he but from a distance, it would seem as the horse had a rider. Azmere knew his strider. He knew the stallion would linger a moment then begin to feed and eventually head towards the water. This would buy the hunter enough time to stalk his prey on foot. Pulling his hood over his head, Azmere took his bow off his body and held it in his hand while the other free hand held an arrow.

Like a lion, the Drykas moved quickly and silently across the snow remaining low and stopping every so far to scan for movement or changes. After doing this several times, Azmere hunkered down behind a tall drift that would completely obscure him from the sightline within the trees. He closed his eyes and poured his focus into removing the colorful djed from his sight. It was hard enough to distinguish objects against the moonlight’s reflection from the snow. Everything was a shadow and Azmere didn’t need a bunch of hanging djed paths infecting his vision. A chime went by and then two while he focused on pausing or shutting down the ability. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked for his stallion. There seemed to be no color around Hephiestian or the path from whence they’d come. Azmere was pleased and moved around the drift still being silent.

The nearer he came to the trees the more Azmere felt like he was in for a big disappointment. That sinking feeling would not be shaken but he did not allow it to affect his progress. Azmere was now within firing distance of the trees but he had no target. He notched his arrow and drew a slight tension upon it while he continued to creep forward. The breathing of a horse bounced over the snow like a beacon. Azmere dropped even lower but continued to move ahead. He took several steps and then stopped. Whoever stole from him could have killed him in his sleep but didn’t. A tick’s contemplation decided the matter and Azmere unnotched the arrow and replaced it to the quiver. He slid the bow over his head and arm and stalked through the snow. Each step was painfully slow now as he avoided making any sounds including the crunching of the snow beneath his feet. All was fine until he slipped and his boot plunged deep into a drift making a relatively loud ‘fooomp’ noise. Azmere lifted his gaze to the shadowed trees checking to see if anything or anyone heard him.

It's you and me against the world.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine grumbled under her breath and tried to move Chaser. Her feet slide out from under her as she pushed trying to force the strider up. After a few chimes she just slowly went limp panting gently beginning to tire from pushing on the strider who had not moved an inch. She sighs and just lays with her back against the horse. A light sweat had worked up on the young drykas as she had tried to use her much smaller frame to move the one against her back. The young woman just laid there breathing deeply before closing her eyes and rest for a few bells as she was unaware that the man following her had managed to find her trail and was continuing to track.

Jasmine's breathing soon slowed to a shallowness that proved how much she trusted Chaser with her safety to know when to wake her. Chaser's ears twitched as he listened to the world around him for any danger to him or his rider. The world was quiet under the snowy night around the horse and rider, suddenly Chaser jerked up hearing a loud crunching sound not far from the tree. Jasmine gasps and falls backwards.

“OW!” Jasmine said with a shout and looked up glaring at Chaser.

“What was that about?” Jasmine shouted and stopped seeing the nervous look in his eyes, “Chaser?”

She asked looking up at him before looking around at the shadows cast from the bright moonlight. Slowly the woman gets up listening to the world around them. Shifting she jumped on to Chaser's back getting a better vantage point. She clicks her tongue moves Chaser to where she can use his back to get a hold of the lowest tree branch. Once she has the branch the young woman pulls herself up onto the thickness of the branch nearest the tree slowly moving around using the tree to look out. Scanning the distance her bright blue eyes focus on a horse in the distance.

“He found me?” Jasmine asked slowly inching forward not paying attention to how thin and weak the branch was becoming.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Azmere]

Azmere had frozen for several ticks fearing the worst; he’d exposed himself. To his surprise, no one took off running. No one shouted at the sound of an intruder on the solitude provided by the trees. Azmere was puzzled. He had fully intended to give chase once more but this was not the case. He crept closer and soon heard the heavy breathing of a horse mixed with the soft chirping of a young woman. So the thief was a woman? Azmere frowned. Now he really was off his game. The train of thought that woke him and stirred his blood was revenge for a wrong-doing but that shifted to the notion of a desperate soul who simply didn’t have enough to eat and now he was faced with the possibility that it might simply be a wayward girl running around without a clue of the consequences of the world. He sighed. It was quiet but audible. How was he to make sense of this entire thing if it turned out to be some doe-eyed teen whose parents sheltered her from the truth of life? He rolled his eyes. The thing to do should be confront the child and then haul her back to her family. Given Azmere’s recent transition to being responsible and visibly so, the kid’s dad would probably try to barter some kind of marriage into the conversation.

Azmere wasn’t opposed to marriage. He relished the fact that someday he would find that right woman who would be capable of making his heart stop and start on the whim of her every smile. That is what he had imagined. Recent years have left many to question his integrity after his romping days with an exile and the extended bachelorhood of his life. It was getting lonely being alone. Azmere had plans to attend the wedding of another older Drykas, Graham Whipmane, who once held the same stigma. Brothers In Arms…until that Inarta girl came along. Of course, from what Azmere understood was that she’d been raised Drykas and he supposed that was acceptable. The bottom line is they love each other. It wasn’t a bond of convenience of mutual benefits for the families. It was two people giving up their hearts in an exchange that would help them build a life together. Azmere understood building a pavilion to be strong but there are other ways to do it aside from marriage.

A rustling in the trees snapped him from his mental tirade. Being up so early had cost him a great deal of focus, it would seem. The hunter returned his gaze to the cover and found a particular branch shimmering more than the rest. Using gentle steps and his eyes to find solid footing, Azmere crept quietly forward. He could hear Hephiestian munching and stomping around so he assumed the person in the trees would as well. Sometimes this distraction worked well…sometimes, not so much. Now within about ten feet of the trees, Azmere could see tiny glints of gold reflected by the moon between the branches. It was either hair or a very soft cloak. Further inspection revealed very little as Leth’s shining face did well to illuminate the surfaces but neglected the inner folds. The Drykas slowly scooped some snow into his hand and used his other one to pack it into a ball. He repeated the process several times until he had a snowball the size of an apple. Once he was satisfied with the weight, Azmere straightened a bit from his crouch and cocked his arm back bringing the snowball up by his ear. He snapped his arm forward allowing it to extend and watched the frosty orb sail true and right into the center mass of the golden wisps, whatever they may be. He did not hesitate after his release and took off at a run towards the trees. His words were simple and clear. “I have you now, thief!”

It's you and me against the world.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine looked down hearing the small give of the limb. She began to move back onto the bigger end of the branch, so that she would be sure the limb would not break under her weight. Jasmine's mind was else where as she moved backwards. Slowly her mind went to the thoughts of the new member to the Whipmane pavilion. She had began to fear that no one would want the girl as she aged. True the blond haired beauty had made sure to eat only when necessary for life and to run around as much as she could to keep the weight off.

Jasmine heard something off to her right. Turning her head quickly it took only a second for her mind to register that someone had thrown a snowball at her. The sudden realization took the girl by surprise as she gasped losing all grip in her hands on the branch. Cold frozen wetness collided with her head knocking her off as she flew down hitting her head on one of the branches knocking the young girl out. The last thing the girl heard was a man shouting about finding a thief.

Chaser snorted and reared up racing over to his rider seeing her out cold in the snow.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Azmere]

His steps lead him after the projectile but Azmere never took his eyes off of the target. He saw it pass into the trees and heard the sound of someone falling. It was strange because the person didn’t scream. Once he got to the trees, the Drykas heard a horse rear and stomp possibly in protest to the presence of a stranger. Azmere proceeded with caution stepping slowly between the trunks to get a better look at the situation. He saw a figure in the snow and a strider. So the thief was a Drykas, as well! His chest burned at the thought of stealing from one’s own people. He wasn’t ignorant in the expectation that everyone should play nice with one another but it didn’t mean he had to like the converse. Azmere frowned. This was not how things were supposed to go. He simply stood next to the tree for a moment accessing his options. The horse stomped the ground a few times and lowered its big head to its rider for a good sniff.

Azmere studied the figure in the snow with more scrutiny. The girl was young but certainly old enough to know better than to steal. She had tons of blonde, curly hair and didn’t seem ill in the slightest. Azmere took a slow step towards the girl. His one hand was out towards the horse as were his eyes but his right hand slipped down next to his club just in case. The horse seemed alert with his ears pointed up but he did not move towards the Drykas. Azmere took another step towards the girl and as he took the third he knelt down next to her. Girl was a good way to describe her. She looked about fourteen. What in Zulrav’s name was she doing out this time of night? Azmere shrugged. Maybe her parents were drunks or they were dead. It was hard to say without knowing her pavilion or clan. He studied her for several moments which involved holding his hand above her mouth but under her nose to check for breath. She was breathing fine. He also noticed that her chest rose and fell in regular intervals as well. These were all good signs and things for which he was grateful. How do you explain killing an innocent girl with a snowball to her clan elders? You don’t. You get rolled up in a rag and trampled by a bunch of family members and their striders.

Azmere reached down and moved her head very gently checking for any open wounds or gashes from her fall. He did not see any though the lighting was not very good. He spoke to the unconscious girl, softly at first but gradually raising his voice to normal speaking level. “Miss. Hey you.” He frowned and tried again. “Wake up, girl.” He shook her shoulder slightly then decided a different method. He cupped some fresh snow into his hand and packed it down with the other. He then took the icy mash and slid it along her jaw and placed it at the base of her skull and lifted up applying pressure to her skin with the snow. He felt it melting in his hand from her body heat. “This should get her up.” He hoped.

It's you and me against the world.

[Jasmine Stormblood]

Jasmine groaned some when she felt something cold yet gently against her cheek. Slowly the young girl's eyes fluttered open only to tightly shut when she felt the splitting pain in her head.

"AH!" Jasmine hissed and curled up tightly holding her head trying to will the immense pain away.

Something wet and sticky was felt by the young girl when her hands went back to the back of her head where it had come in contact with the rough wood on the tree limbs. Taking deep breaths slowing her breathing the girl cleared her mind still curled up in the tight ball on the ground. Chaser snorted and ran towards the pair wanting the man away from Jasmine. Jasmine layed down flat on her back and raised on hand as Chaser calmed and walked over sniffing her hand.

"Calm, I will be fine just a headache," Jasmine said looking at the stallion gently before sitting up and looking over seeing the man beside her.

"It's you," Jasmine said surprised it had been the multicolored man that had thrown the snow ball at her, "do excuse my rudeness."

Jasmine looked at the man and as her hair fell about her face, the maturity of her eyes was revealed. Her form was very much that of a blossomed young woman and as her cloak fell from her shoulder, this would become evident to her attacker and subsequent savior.

The Clan is Strength.
The Clan is Life.

[Azmere]

The Drykas coiled his hand back slowly then lifted his body away from the girl allowing her some space to react. He flinched slightly with a defensive rise of hands when she suddenly curled. It wasn’t fear so much as wanting to block any wild swings. The woman’s strider made his presence known indicating her status as a fellow Drykas. Azmere hissed through his teeth at the horse. Stupid beast. Charging wasn’t going to anyone any good and it didn’t impress or intimidate the man at all. He narrowed his eyes and wondered for a moment about a few things and then left his thoughts to return to the wounded girl in front of him. Azmere listened as she talked with her stallion and craned his neck to look at her hand. He wasn’t quite sure but it certainly looked like she was bleeding from something. His best guess was that she hit her head on the way down. He frowned some and sat back on his feet.

Azmere blinked when she looked at him and asked for forgiveness. He wasn’t entirely sure how to take that. She stole his food then led him on a pointless chase. Then it dawned on him. She bumped into him at the festival. His expression went from curious to agitated. She had played him. Set up from the beginning, Azmere held a growl from escaping his chest and rocked into a more comfortable position back away from her on one knee. Not one to judge, Azmere decided to give her a chance considering he had caused her to fall from a tree, though his body language and demeanor was a bit sour now that the theft’s premeditation was common knowledge.

The warrior studied the young girl. She was not as young as he had initially pegged. Her hair was full and did well while framing her face to accent that she was a good looking woman. Her bright eyes and polite smile sat atop a well-built physique from what he could ascertain. Azmere had a broad scope of vision and with Leth’s face reflecting off of the snow, he could see well enough to form an opinion that this girl took care of herself. Too bad none of these things justified stealing from a fellow Drykas. Azmere was lining up questions to ask in regards to her family and clan. Deep down, he was praying that she wasn’t Topaz. For a few moments he said nothing; revealed nothing. When he did speak, his tone was flat and to the point and any signs would be abrupt.

“Tell me your name, girl.” He signed asking for her clan as well. The contrasting bursts of color in his eyes were cold, distant, as they pierced her gaze while waiting for answers. “Why did you steal from me?”

It's you and me against the world.