[The Kabrin Road] A new road to walk (open)

[Kuujin]

3rd day of Winter, 510 AV It was a morning that was seemingly like any other morning in the Bronze Woods. The sun had already started the day’s journey across the sky, brightening the wood considerably. Even with but a light dusting of snow, the bright light reflected keenly, making the somewhat cloudy day seem as though the sky were crystal clear. The morning air was quite brisk, with a light wind blowing throughout the trees, not that that was the sort of thing to bother the denizens of the wood. Kuujin was one such unbothered denizen, with his mammoth form and thick fur, such weather hardly bothered him. Even while wearing his human guise, which he didn’t often do, he enjoyed the cool winter air. Of course there were times when the weather would not permit a human to easily survive, but again, he vastly preferred his existence as a bear. And seeing that he didn’t often feel the need or desire to socialize or otherwise interact with others, it really never was an issue. Although the day had started out fairly typically, Kuujin was feeling more and more anxious. He couldn’t come up with any sort or reason why – not that he really needed a reason – but he was determined to do something out of the ordinary. With those thoughts on his waking mind, he set out from his cave home. Within the hour he had managed to finish off a wounded deer, though catching its scent was a complete stroke of luck, one which proved to be quite tasty. It didn’t take him long to strip the animal of its flesh, which was a task he enjoyed immensely. Once done, he sat down on the spot and began to lick his chops and paws clean – not exactly a pleasurable task, but one necessary nonetheless. Now, having fed and cleaned himself, he hauled his hulking body to his paws – all four of them, and plodded along his way. Despite having sated his hunger and having no other current need, Kuujin felt increasingly anxious. Not nervous so much as impatient and discontent. Driven on by this seemingly intangible need for something equally intangible, he continued on and on, mostly ignoring the few animals who took note of him. He walked with the supreme confidence that only a predator who was so close to the top of the food chain could have. Despite his animalistic form, that… pride seemed to radiate from him, especially in his eyes, which had a glimmer that only intelligent creatures could have. Needless to say, it would only take a little bit of observation for anyone who had any experience with Kelvics to understand that that’s exactly what he was; a Kelvic. After a while, he realized he’d come quite far. So far, in fact, that between the trees, just a few dozen yards away from where he stood lie a very-well traveled looking path. ‘Ka…kab… Kab something’ He couldn’t remember what the place was called, though he was sure that his mother had told him about it long ago. That, and many other things he’d long since forgotten. Shifting his weight back to his hind legs, he pulled himself up to his full towering height, somewhere between eight and nine feet. The breeze brought him many scents, some faded, and some fresh. He knew he was close to the large keep, probably not more than a few hour’s walk, though it would probably be slightly longer walking on two shorter legs. As his eyes turned towards where he knew the city to be, he again felt the strange anxious feeling that had pushed him so far. His thoughts trailed off as he stared into the distance ‘What lies in that place that me feel so…´

[Iasc]

Iasc moved swiftly along the side of the road. He stayed close to the trees letting the stave of his bow hit them lightly as he moved along. To say he was oblivious to his surroundings was an understatement. The soles of his feet were raw and bleeding from the hours of non-stop walking. He had not bathed in weeks, the smell off him seemed to keep him safe from most dangers that he could encounter in wilds outside Syliras; be them animal, human or both. He was slouched over with his eyes firmly glued to the ground in front of him. There seemed to be nothing that would bring him out of his unconscious state. His mind was moving in circles still trying to cope with problems that were beyond his comprehension.

As his right hand clutched his bow, so did his left hand touch something. Though invisible to the world around him, the hand he was grasping was all too real to him. He had thought on it for many weeks and had refused to believe that she had ever left. “She can't be gone, for I can still see her”, he constantly told himself, and with no-one to correct on the subject he had descended deeper and deeper into his insanity, so that by the time the red light had turned to blue on the watchtower, the line between reality and fantasy had been all but erased as they walked down the road unknowing and unseeing.

Iasc's head moved up slowly, his eyes dead and motionless. He began to slow his pace considerably as he looked around. The semi-constant noise his bow had been making on the trees slowly but surely ceased. He turned full circle trying to find where he was. He could feel the wind brushing lightly off his face, cold and comforting. He could see the weak sun through the trees low in the sky, meaning it must have been morning. He looked down the road he had walking. “How did I get here”, he wondered. “I must have walked along that road.” He turned to look up the other end of path hoping he would see some sort of destination in sight. Nothing. Just more trees. He began to get worried franticly trying to find somewhere he could possibly get some safety. It was completely futile though. He was surrounded by unknown and invisible foes, out here all alone to fend for himself. But, he wasn't alone. He had his sweet, dear guardian angel beside who would protect him, and he her. He could feel the confidence in him growing. He knew he could take on whatever provoked him out here. He may not be particularly strong but he was smart, and quick.

He turned back the direction he had come. The castle must be back there. He had no idea how long he had been traveling but it must have been early when he left, possibly even before sunrise. The fact was that he needed to get back no matter how much he hated the place. He began to walk back, more wary than he had been before, looking every which way he could.
Suddenly, he began to hear noises on the road in front of him. Not knowing if they were real or in his head, he moved towards the trees trying to make as little noise as possible. He quickly retrieved an arrow and nocked it. He lowered his body down and continued moving, parallel with the road. He was expecting to see a person, but no-one came. “Must have been in my head”, he thought. As he moved back toward the path, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Something big, brown and ominous. It stopped him right in his tracks and he dared not look. Slowly he turned his head and it had been what he feared. A huge bear stood looking towards the castle. Iasc's eyes widened in fear as he took in the sight. He raised his bow slowly aiming at the bear. As he was moving away his foot got caught on something and the young man tripped and fell over making more noise than he would have liked. If the bear was unaware of him before, it couldn't have been now. He just about managed to hold on to the bow and arrow when he fell and aimed again at the bear but he couldn't bring himself to loose it.

[Kuujin]

The large bear that was Kuujin simply stood there, his mind far, far away. It could have been moments, hours, or even days, he wasn’t sure. Hell, he didn’t even care, for those moments; all Kuujin knew was a longing and a discomfort that almost seemed to upset his gut. His mind seemed to meander aimlessly, questioning the nature of his existence, what his purpose was, and even... ‘What in the hell…?’ The wind had shifted, bringing a scent that was most foul. Right at about the same time he heard thump, both of which dragging him from his seemingly deep contemplations. Turning toward the source of the disturbance – and the smell – he was shocked, and if a seven hundred plus pound bear could look stunned, he certainly did. It was partially the terrible scent and unwashed and unkempt look of the human that stunned him. Certainly, those few he had ever met and/ or eaten had always looked and smelled much cleaner. He didn’t even smell appetizing. But it was also the fact that he had been so focused on apparently nothing that he had let this human so close as to draw a weapon on him, stumble, and again ready their weapon, and he had hadn’t noticed ‘till the fool had fallen. The whole situation had him quite irritated. He eyes the human curiously, and even went so far as to take a few lumbering steps towards him. He moved slowly, but steadily. He didn’t intend on startling the dirty man, for he didn’t want to feel the sting of that damned bow. True, to him it was little more than a nasty sting, and it would take an incredibly skilled archer to seriously wound him, especially with one shot. But just the thought of the arrow’s bite – something he had felt on more than one occasion – sent a small wave of anger over him. Anger at himself for being so foolish, and anger at the man for getting so close. As he neared the man, standing no farther than two feet in front of him, he knew it would be easy to take his life. Weak thing that he was. Yet he hesitated, and no strike fell. He did not claw at the man, nor bite at him, nor pin him. Instead, he simply stood there, looking at the man as though he wasn’t sure what to do with him. In the end, it was most likely that the man’s terrible scent that saved him. Kuujin loved the scent of freshly spilt blood, the taste and texture of flesh, and the general act of eating was pleasurable. But not only was he not the slightest bit hungry, the man really did smell inedible. Almost sickly, really. Quite far away from his home, and not hungry, but having a man with a drawn bow and arrow pointed his way, he wasn’t sure how to react. From the look in Kuujin’s eyes, there was obviously a lot going on inside that bear-head of his. Unable to come to any sort of conclusion of what should be done, though in the back of his mind he did wonder why he didn’t just kill the man outright, he sat back with a rather loud thump and eyed the man, almost questioningly. Almost as if asking what he thought should be done. Or maybe he was just a delusional bear.

[Iasc]

Iasc shifted his body weight so as to balance on one knee and one foot. He kept focusing on the eyes of the bear with an arrow aimed at the furry hide. The bear moved forward a few steps slowly. Iasc stood his ground, unflinching. He did not want to kill it and if he could show he wasn't afraid of it, he might be left alone as well. His jaw was clenched firmly shut and there was a fierceness in his eyes that had never been there before. He felt as if he wasn't acting unafraid, but that this bear truly didn't scare him. If it wanted to beat Iasc to a pulp, there was nothing the man could do about it, and being scared would not change that. It would just deceive him into making irrational decisions.

He felt anger, longing, desperation and any number of other feelings well up inside him, each fighting for prominency, all wanting to be heard. He licked his lips. “Fire the arrow”, screamed a voice inside him. “Kill the wretched thing. It's survival of the fittest out here, boy. If you don't kill it, it will kill you.” He cautiously drew the bow to half tension, getting ready to bury the arrow. In that instant everything in his sight turned dark red, as if made of blood, except the bear which went a deathly black. Anger and frustration crossed his eyes just for a moment. He was angry at himself for being a weak, pathetic human; angry at the castle for taking everything he ever loved; and frustrated because those he loved, he would never see in the flesh again. They would be mere ghostly comings and goings destined for a life of servitude and slavery.

“I can't die”, he told himself calmly. “I am immortal.”
Never had he used the word before and it seemed strange to him, but the culmination of recent events had made him believe it. He was human after all, yet still immortal. He ignored the logic behind it and grasped for the hand of his invisible companion, clutching the fingers that were real only to him. Slowly he lowered the bow. If it wanted to attack it would have done so by now. The beast, seemingly unsure how to proceed, slumped back down onto the ground. The stand off was over.

Iasc sat down slowly with his back against a tree, never taking his eyes off the bear. He raised his bow again. “What an easy target it would make”, he thought to himself, but he would not make the shot. He knew that. If it advanced on him maybe, but not in it's passive condition. He lowered the bow once again and dropped it onto the ground as a sign of peace, hoping it would understand.

[Kuujin]

For many minutes Kuujin eyed the man. He could tell that something – not just the stink – was wrong with the man. As he looked into the man’s eyes, there was no fear, which impressed him considerably. Most people he had dealt with had shown some amount of fear, even if not openly. He could almost always smell it on them, but such was not the case with this man. He noted the way the man lowered, raised, and lowered his bow again, as well as righting himself, and then finally coming to a rest against a tree, almost as though he was as unsure of what to do as Kuujin was. For reasons beyond his comprehension, he simply felt curious. For the first time in a long, long time, Kuujin felt himself desiring to communicate, though he knew not what ends he was attempting to meet. With his eyes lingering upon the potentially deadly bow, he let his mind find that special place deep inside of him. Still sitting upon the ground, a strange bright green-yellow light began to emanate from his hulking body. It was soft at first, but quickly grew brighter and brighter. If the man looked hard enough at it, he might barely see Kuujin’s once thick limbs changing form, growing a little longer and less bulky. His entire form started to shrink, though only slightly. As the light began to fade, there sat a large and darkly tanned man. His hair was very thick, and although it appeared black, it was actually black. Both his beard and hair were long and looked rather unkempt, though somehow free of debris. For a moment, he paid no attention to the man, stretching his arms out and rolling his shoulders a little. The entire process from bear to man had taken less than a moment. Once settled in his new skin, he turned his attention back to the man, very well aware of how much more vulnerable he was to that bow now. Still, he didn’t sense any hostility in the man before, and hopefully that hadn’t changed. Still, if it had, he was more than fast and strong enough to kill the man like this, and hopefully the man would miss. Or such was his thoughts on the matter. He didn’t quite have a reason for doing what he was doing, nor did he need one. He was simply doing what he thought he should. As he wasn’t one who observed or even knew the rules of etiquette, he didn’t offer his name nor any sort of greeting. He simply continued to eye the man, as if waiting for something.

[Iasc]

Iasc remained where he was sitting, watching the bear warily. Never having been in a situation such as this before, he had no idea how to act. He had assumed that the bear would attack him on sight when he first encountered it. The fact that it had only advanced a step or two perplexed him greatly making him unsure what to do. To him, the bear also seemed to be wondering what to do. It was as if it was waiting for Iasc to make the first move; however, Iasc didn't know what the first move was. Would the bear understand him if he talked? If it did understand him, how would he know? There was really only one way to find out for sure. His contemplations were suddenly interrupted.

When the beast started it's metamorphosis, Iasc bolted upright in his seat. His hand found it's way to the bow on the ground and he readied it quickly. Never before had he seen such a sight. The bear erupted into a green-yellow light. It was quite beautiful but potentially deadly. “Some strange magic is at work here”, he thought to himself. As Iasc looked restlessly at the light that was emanating from the bear, his eyes darting from one place to the next on it's huge frame waiting for an attack to come, he noticed, as the light began to recede, a change in the form of the bear. It was no longer a bear, but a human. A full grown man, taller than Iasc with long black hair and a black beard. He was much more muscular than the young man as well as being taller than him.

Iasc couldn't help but smile. He understood now. The man, well the bear actually, was a kelvic. He had heard stories of these shape shifters but had never knowingly met one. He slung his bow over over his shoulder and walked towards the man cautiously. He eyed him curiously, with a small smirk on his face. “My name is Iasc”, he said in a deep voice. He decided not to extend a hand as he would have done for a human, for this was not a human. He was part of a race that Iasc knew very little about. He had never given much thought to them, usually being much more concerned with other tidings. He quickly eyed the man up trying to gauge his thoughts, not even knowing whether he spoke the common tongue or not.

[Klyphaestus]

OOCLet me know if I'm an intrusion.

3rd Day, Winter 510 AV

'Come, you stubborn little fool. Stop this nonsense at once for we still have leagues to cover.'

A voice of a young man came from behind the nearby tress, accomponied by the reluctant reply of a goat. The young man, somewhat pale but not weak, was pulling hard at the goat. He cursed under his breath for a moment when his efforts seemed to be squandered in vain, ran both of his hands through his short black hair, than tried again. 'Don't be so difficult. What are you? A damsel who rejects every knight? Even she's a thousand times better than you.'

The goat gave the young man a haughty glimpse while in its mouth chewing something in a quite irritating way. The young man sighed. He was wearing a wool cloak and, under that, a leather jerkin. A pair of leather gloves were stuck in his belt, leaving his hands unprotected in the cold. He pushed his waterskin to his back and stumped his staff, which very much was just a roughly shaped long branch picked in the woods, and announced to the goat with great authority. 'I am Klyphaestus, authorized to bring you back to your rightful owner. He has treated you but fairly, and has so kind to decide to overlook your breaking away as long as you return under my surveillance. I hereby ask you one more time to come with me, and it would be better to both of us if you happily comply, or else I would then be forced to appeal to arms. That is, should you refuse this last offer.' He was about to continue when he saw the two men among the woods. 'Hail, travelers! Mind to lend me a hand?'

[Kuujin]

OOCNah you're good. It says Open for a reason

As the light faded and Kuujin regained his senses, he was immediately displeased by the bow that again was pointed his way, and his almost instant sneer displayed his opinion of it. But, luckily, before he could comment on it, attack, or do much of anything at all; the bow was back and over his shoulder and suddenly, he was being greeted. As he pulled himself up, it’d be clear that he was quite nude, as he was in reality more of an animal than a man, and animals certainly don’t wear clothing. Gone from his face was the sneer, and what had replaced it was a look of vague confusion and thoughtfulness, as if was trying to understand how to best respond. After a long and lingering moment or two, he finally seemed to find the words to respond with. “I am… Kuujin.” His voice was even deeper than Isac’s, though it had a slight rasp to it. “What is wrong... with…” His deep voice went quiet and his sensitive nose as he sniffed at the air. A gust of wind brought him a scent… Though he couldn’t tell what in the world it was; Iasc’s stench being far too strong, nearly overpowering at this close distance and certainly more than enough to mask just about anything else nearby. He frowned somewhat, his eyes darting about and his ears strained, hoping to catch some other sign of who or whatever was coming closer. He thought he had heard a soft voice talking. “Goat?” he murmured after a minute, his eyes finally settling on a strange pale skinned man who seemed to be arguing with one. Mentally, he cursed Iasc and his stench, letting the man get so close without him having any clue otherwise. “Or maybe it’s me…” he thought. It wasn’t the first time today someone had approached unbeknownst to him and in such a short span of time too… As far as a response, the only thing the big man had to return to the would-be goat herder was a look of mild annoyance; not having any desire to help.

[Iasc]

Kuujin introduced himself. It seemed to Iasc as though the words were strange on the kelvic’s tongue, as if he hadn’t spoken in a while, unsure if the words he spoke were even right at all. Iasc found him self wondering how long Kuujin had been out in the wilds alone, devoid of interaction with other forms of life save for killing and eating them. It was a life that he himself had considered living over the past few weeks to get away from it all, although he knew it probably wouldn’t suit him. Kuujin began to talk again but stopped almost immediately to sniff the air. After a minute of looking around he fixed his gaze over Iasc’s shoulder into the trees. He turned, only to find a pale man wrestling with a goat and giving a monologue.

“I do not care about your petty problems”, Iasc sneered at the man in response to his question. He considered sending an arrow into the goat’s skin but thought better of it. “Maybe if I shot the man”, he wondered to himself. He knew he wouldn’t do that, however. He wasn’t a killer, to animal or human, unless out of necessity.
He sighed and took a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’m sorry for my tone and what I said”, he apologized trying to sound sincere, for there was no use in making pointless enemies. “It’s just I have... things on my mind.” It would be futile trying to explain his problems even if he wanted to. It seemed he would have to keep his irritation with the man under wraps for the time being.

“What is your name?” He asked. “And what are you doing out here with a goat?”

[Klyphaestus]

It was then that Klyphaestus finally took notice of the man's bloody smell. He examined the man with a slight frown at the rudeness shown but chose to let the remarks pass in silence. The man was armed, and Klyphaestus wasn't. It would be a fool's choice to fight an arrow with words. But then the man, who appeared to be at Klyphaestus' age, appologized for the harsh greetings. Klyphaestus inclined his head slightly with a grace which seemed rather strange when performed next to a goat.

'I am Klyphaestus who lives in the castle, carrying out this goat-retrieving mission, as you can see. Are you both heading towards the castle or just starting a new journey? I greet you anyhow and should now, if you would excuse me, continue my labour. Good trip!' He introduced himself with his regained merry tone. What alarmed Klyphaestus was the way the pair looked at him. Klyphaestus suddenly felt very insecured and vulnerable, being all alone in the wild facing a huge man and a young man soaked in blood who, Klyphaestus secretly suspected, was somewhat off the balance. To be precise, Klyphaestus was not without an ally. But what good a stubborn goat could do when all it did was standing and chewing and looking haughty? Klyphaestus whipped the goat with the tip of his staff with some irritation and resumed to pull it into movement. This time he succeed in making the goat taking several steps forward, but then it stopped again. 'Move!'