Macaque you a question (Shiress)

[D'Varrus Tomva]

87th of Spring, 522 A.V.

D’Varrus was relaxing in the sun dappled shade just off the cobblestone path when he heard a thoroughly curious noise. A bunch of monkeys had started hooting at something, and at first he had thought it was him they smelled till he heard a woman cry out. He was up on all four paws in tick as he started loping down the cobblestone path till he came across a sight he hadn’t been altogether expecting.

There in the middle of the path was a woman and her boy being harassed by a troop of macaques. One had just hopped off a nearby limb to approach the boy who appeared to be balancing a toy in one hand and a fruity treat in the other. D’Varrus could have guessed easily enough what was going to happen next, and even started to slow down as it didn’t seem the pair were in any true danger when the boy’s toy came to life. In a blink, the toy now significantly larger and more lifelike leapt onto the macaque, pinning it down to the ground.

D’Varrus didn’t see what happened next because another macaque dropped down from a tree to land on the back of the woman’s head, grasping at her hair as it screamed out something shrill. The macaques still up in the trees started throwing things at the thing that was savaging their companion on the ground, and quicker than D’Varrus would have thought possible, he watched as the blur of the creature that had been the boy’s toy scampered up the tree to grapple onto another macaque that started screaming. Soon they all were screaming with the rest of the macaques jumping out of the trees in droves, inadvertently going towards the woman and her child which only seemed to frenzy the creature more.

Pouncing forward, D’Varrus let out the loudest roar he could manage, baring his large canines as he did so and the macaques as a group started running in the opposite direction before swiftly disappearing back into the jungle thicket. The one that had been disturbing the woman’s hair, and trying to bit her neck ran off just as quickly although before it could get too far D’Varrus started in after it, seizing it in his jaws and biting down hard before he could struggle out of his grip.

Before he could savor his small victory though, that creature leapt down from the tree it was in and started in after him. Only just barely catching a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, D’Varrus booked it down the path, macaque dangling limply from his jaws. Occasionally he would look back, and eventually stopped when it seemed that the creature was no longer intent on following him. Setting down the macaque corpse onto the path, D’Varrus took a moment to stare down the way he had come, taking in a deep breath and twitching his ears around till he was sure the area was relatively safe. Then in a flash of light he changed his form to that of a young man with a clean face and blond hair swept back. The only inkling of who he had been was that he was naked, and there was a bit of blood noticeably around his mouth.

Picking up the dead macaque in one hand, he started back down the path slowly, keeping an eye out for the woman and her child. Whether that took a long time or a short while depending on what the woman had decided to do in the intervening ticks, D’Varrus would not stop until he found the pair, following his nose as much as he was his ears although his senses in this form were significantly lesser in ability.

When he finally did come across them he was carrying the dead macaque casually in his left hand while he slowed down to stop, making sure he was a safe distance away before hailing them.

“Hello miss. We just ran into each other. I’m not a threat to you or your child, so if you could not send your creature after me, that would be great. I just want to talk.” D’Varrus said simply as he continued to stand at a safe distance until told otherwise by the lady.

WC - 717

[Shiress]

It seemed that everything occurred at the same time.

Macaques, Eenie, a jaguar...it was as if they all suddenly exploded in a melee of tooth and claw right in front of Shiress.

What had started as harmless harassment from several macaques hidden in the trees had steadily become louder and more aggravated until one of the monkeys had jumped down from a limb with his round dark eyes aimed at the banana clutched in Ian's hand. That was all it had taken for the toddler's toy to become wholly invested in the disturbance.

From one instance to the next, Ian's stuffed monkey, Eenie, had gone from a black and white stuffed toy to a grotesque semblance of an enraged baboon. This had been only the second time Shiress had seen Eenie take this form, and his beastlike appearance still managed to stop her heart nearly.

Eenie was not like any other baboon that the doctor had ever seen. With hands that ended in long, curved claws, a drool-covered snout filled with pointed fangs, and a white on black body nearly twice as big as that of an average baboon, Eenie was a twisted and evil version of the aggressive monkeys.

Despite knowing that the strange primate had been given to her son as a sort of protector or guardian, Shiress couldn't help the instinct to drive Ian away from the beast in the opposite direction, but it was Eenie's natural instinct to keep Ian close, even if that meant away from his mother. That was precisely what the thing had done, and Shiress could do little more than watch as the twisted anomaly of a baboon ripped apart the macaque that had dared approach the toddler boy.

The jaguar that had suddenly appeared shortly after had been nothing more than an orange and black streek before Shiress's full attention diverted to the monkey attacking her from behind just before the large cat let out such a vicious sounding roar that every hair on Shiress's body stood on end. The cat's cry managed to scatter the macaques, and while the cat gave chase, Shiress stumbled over to Ian and gathered the frightened boy up in her arms.

Eenie had ambled over to stand near them when. A short time later, the monkey straightened to his full height and peered pointedly through a line of trees just before Shiress heard a voice call out. She, too, straightened and spotted an unclothed young man standing off in the distance. Emerald green eyes warily scanned the man's lean, pale body before alighting on his hand, where a dead macaque dangled limply.

"He's not mine...exactly," Shiress called back, still closely watching the young man, "A Kelvic, then," she added, more a statement than a question, then, to clarify, she asked, "You were the jaguar from earlier?"

Suddenly lightheaded, Shiress turned and walked toward a large rock and lowered herself down. After situating Ian, she lifted a hand to the side of her neck, where she felt a trickle of warmth slide down the sensitive skin below her ear and frowned down at her hand when it came away bloody. That macaque had gotten her, and she hadn't even felt it. She scrubbed the palm of her hand across the beige knee-high pants she was wearing as subtly as possible, then pulled a long curtain of hair across her shoulder to hide the injury from Ian and the stranger.

"You can come closer," she said, "As long as you mean Ian, my son, no harm, then the creature won't hurt you. I was trying to find The Komorebi Estuary. I had gone a couple of days ago, and I think I got lost. " she shook her head, eyes scanning the trees, "I didn't think those monkeys were a threat and I...thank you for what you did. If you hadn't come along, I'm not sure what might have happened."

"I'm Shiress, and this is Ian," she said, nodding her chin toward the golden-haired child in her lap. She glanced over her shoulder to the monkey and scowled, "That's Eenie, and he's...a long story, but I promise he won't hurt you."

Eyes going back to the stranger, Shiress smiled genially, if not a bit tiredly, and motioned to the rock she sat on, "I just need to rest a tick, I think. I really do appreciate your help. What is your name?"



Word Count - 758

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Whatever that creature was, he thought it closer to a nightmare than any monkey he had ever seen before. Not that there had been many in his experience at the KRI. There had been a few, mostly of the sort he was carrying dead in his hand, but there had been a couple of big brutes that almost looked human. Never though had he seen anything like that, and D’Varrus thought he had seen it all at the KRI.

Still he kept his movements slow and calm as could be as he approached the woman and child. His eyes however never left the monkey which was eying him evilly as he approached. “I promise I have no desire to harm either one of you. I was actually resting nearby when I heard the commotion. I hadn’t expected that you already had such a guardian.” D’Varrus said flatly as he studied the trio carefully before resuming his watch of the creature that the woman had referred to as Eenie. He wasn’t about to let the threat out of his sight if he could help it, and remained tensed for several ticks, ready to change back if he needed to get away quickly.

Although that might be problematic D’Varrus thought as his stomach rumbled, and he found himself feeling suddenly quite thirsty. Without really even thinking about it he brought the dead monkey in front of himself so he could grasp it with both hands. Then working his fingers into the wound around its neck, he pulled hard, his grip occasionally tearing free in a spatter of gore before he went back at it, digging his fingers deeper each time until he found a good enough hold that his next pull tore off the macaque’s collar bone. What was left was a big enough gap for him to bring it too his mouth to tear of a piece of its inner throat with his teeth.

When he had worked enough of a bite into his mouth, he let the monkey hang limply from his grasp one more as he chewed a chunk of muscle and sinew, working the bite down quickly as he continued to observe the trio. He would have much preferred to pick the monkey apart in his jaguar form, but this would do for now. When he had swallowed the mouthful he had taken, he took a moment to taste and sniff the air before responding.

“My name is D’Varrus Tomva. I am new to Syka so it is not surprising we haven’t run into each other yet. Its.. A pleasure to meet you Shiress.” D’Varrus said, the word pleasure coming out harder than he had meant it to. Perhaps it was the unnerving presence of Eenie that had caused him to stumble over his words because try as he might, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that the creature was glaring at him in whatever form it took. D’Varrus normally felt confident enough in his own abilities, but seeing that thing savage the macaque with such speed had shook him.

Licking some of the blood off his lips, he looked from Shiress to Ian, then back to Shiress as he felt uneasy about looking at the child after what the woman had said. Anything might set off that guardian of his, and he really didn’t feel like playing that game again.

“Are you alright?” He asked after a moment of looking at Shiress as he cautiously accepted her invitation to sit on the rock. Again he was keeping his movements deliberately slow. So slow it almost felt like he was supposed to be stalking something, although that was clearly not the case. Sitting beside her, he took a moment to look her over as he sniffed the air. Of course the coarse coppery smell of blood was sharp in the air, but not all of it was the macaques. However looking at the woman he didn’t see any wounds. None that were visible at least although there might be some hidden under that thick mop of dark hair of hers. D’Varrus decided after thinking it over for a moment that it was best to leave that alone for now. If the woman brought it up, so be it, but he had pried enough.

“Have you always lived her, or did you too just recently arrive?” D’Varrus asked nonchalantly, scratching along the edge of his jaw as he considered something she had said earlier. “Did you say estuary? I think I know where that is, but its back that way.” He said pointing over his shoulder, the way he had come back with the dead macaque.

WC -777

[Shiress]

"Guardian may not be the appropriate word for him," Shiress said, glancing sideways at the corporeal form of her son's toy, who had gone from a beast to a normal, innocent-looking capuchin-like monkey. Though normal was a stretch also, seeing as he was black with white stripes and had eyes like a diamond nestled inside a field of obsidian, "watchdog might fit better. He was a divine gift of protection for my son, Ian."

She gently jostled the toddler, smiling down at him when he glanced up, hearing his name, "Eenie so far has taken three forms; the beast from before, this one, and a stuffed toy. He will not harm you unless you mean Ian harm.

Shiress's face was still lowered to her son when she spoke, but upon hearing the sound of breaking bone and ripping flesh, her gaze shot up and over to the Kelvic, and her mouth fell open. The man was tearing apart the dead macaque in his hands, and....was he going to....yes, he was. He was eating it.

Shiress watched in shock as the Kelvic tore a piece of flesh from the carcass with his teeth, chew, and then swallowed. Ian had gone completely still and tense in her lap, and his green eyes fixed on the dead monkey that was now being consumed. Ian let out a small whimper that had Shiress snapping her mouth closed with a grinding of molars. She pinned the young man with a stern glare.

"It's a...pleasure to meet you, D'Varrus," she said, giving the same hesitance to the word pleasure as the Kelvic had, her voice decidedly colder, "but I would ask that you mind your eating habits, if not your choice of entree, in the company of children," she shook her head, resituating Ian to where D'Varrus was out of the toddler's line of sight.

"Yes, I'm fine," she lied, then added, "We arrived on The Veronica, the tenth, I believe."

They fell silent for a time, and Shiress could feel the boy's oddly colored eyes on her, and when he audibly sniffed the air, she knew he had picked up on her injury. She swiveled her head toward him, looking somewhat sheepish.

"A macaque got his teeth into me," she admitted, "so I don't think we will be going to the estuary. Actually, I need to get back to the Protea, so I can see to my," Shiress paused, glancing down and, seeing that she had Ian's undivided attention, amended, "so I can get cleaned up."

The healer stood, hefting Ian onto a hip, studied the Kelvic curiously for a tick, then asked, "Would you mind going with me? Just in case those monkies come back? It's not a long walk." She didn't add that Eenie, now sequestered back into Ian's backpack, didn't give a rat's whisker about her and wouldn't protect anyone but her son if they did come back, but she did tack on a slightly desperate "please?"

Shiress felt a trickle of warmth slide down her back as she began to pick her way through the underbrush, and fifteen chimes into their trek back to the inn, she was covered in a sheen of sweat, breathing heavily, and the twenty-five-pound toddler on her hip now felt more like fifty. That macaque's teeth must have gone deeper than she initially guessed and added to her current state, and Shiress didn't think she'd make it even halfway back to the Protea.

Coming to a stop, her chest heaving, Shiress turned to D'Varrus and threw Ian into the man's arms, giving him no real choice. It was that, or end up falling and injuring them both.

"Would you mind?" she asked, sort of after the fact, offering the younger man a hesitant smile, "I'm a bit winded."

Ian, for his part, gave D'Varrus a belated grin that inflated the toddler's chubby cheeks, lifted an equally chubby hand, and patted the Kelvic gently on his cheek like he had not a care in the world for who carried him or where they were going.

"Hi," he said, giving the older man a quick but thorough once over that only toddlers could manage.

Ian slid his thumb between his lips, then settled his little head down on Var's shoulder, and that was that.




Word count - 740

[D'Varrus Tomva]

D’Varrus cocked his head, chewing slowly. D-I-V-I-N-E. He understood the word well enough, but hadn’t ever managed to wrap his head around the concept. It wasn’t hard to think that there were supremely powerful beings out there, there was always someone stronger after all. No, his issue with the term came with its associations. Namely religion, influence, and worship. He didn’t get how any of that factored in, nor why such beings would want that. Protect however was something he did understand, so naturally the conclusion he came to followed that logic.

“So this is a gift from the boy’s father? A potent gift that. Did his father come with you here or is he off with other business?” D’Varrus asked, already assuming the latter. When it came to supremely powerful men, they often had a lot more to concern them then following their wives about. An if he had came with her, he wouldn’t have bothered giving her son this powerful guardian. He supposed he was fortunate he found out the way he did, because he didn’t fancy the alternative if for some reason the monkey had mistaken his intentions and D’Varrus had lacked the same means of escape. It would be a cruel joke to be released only to be ripped apart by a divinely appointed monkey.

He was genuinely surprised at Shiress’ reaction to his impromptu meal. It wasn’t something he’d ever really thought about. His captors usually got a chuckle out of it, but this woman’s reaction was totally the opposite. As was her son’s. In fact the boy seemed to be almost terrified, and it took a tick for him to put together that it was on account of him.

“My apologies. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive.” He said as he tossed the monkey on the ground. It would get eaten of that he had no doubt, or maybe he would come back later to finish it off depending on how long this interaction took. Which didn’t seem like it would last long at all given her reaction and current state of mind after the monkey attack. He realized that sometimes people needed space after encounters like this, but again Buraga’s words came to mind as he remembered his position in the settlement. This woman needed medical attention, and it was his responsibility to make sure that she made it safely to the Panacea to get such aid.

“I think we should go to the Panacea instead. They will be better equipped to help you there than some Inn.” He said, and would remain firm about that until eventually she convinced him otherwise as to her ability to take care of her own injury. Then begrudgingly, D’Varrus gave a slight shrug of his shoulders as he offered an arm to the stubborn woman.

“You are more tenacious than most fishwives, you know that don’t you? I’ll take you to this Protea Inn, but if I’m not satisfied with your remedy I’m dragging you to the Panacea whether you like it or not.” D’Varrus said evenly, licking his lips then wiping off the blood off his mouth as best he could with the back of his hand. Then as they walked he licked the back of his hand clean, and repeated until he’d cleaned up most of the gore off of his face.

They didn’t make it far either when Shiress started to slow down, with D’Varrus picking up on signs of her physical distress before she doubled over. Her breathing for one he had a keen sense of, listening carefully as she started to breath harder than the effort warranted. Then she surprised him but pushing the boy into his arms, leaving him little choice but to hold the child to avoid having him fall onto the ground. D’Varrus gave Shiress a circumspect look as he glanced back at the toddler in his arms who just smiled before gently laying his head on his shoulder.

“Hi..” D’Varrus said slowly back before looking at his mother. “Lean against me. I’ll get us all to the Inn.” He said firmly, putting a little base in his voice in hopes that it would bring the stubborn woman in line. She needed his help, even if she was too proud to admit it. If he hadn’t been sequestered on a ship for as long as he had been, he could have even carried them both without much effort, but as it was his strength was not as it had been when they left Ravok. They’d brought him this far with the intention of training up in Alvadas for a season after they landed though.. Well things didn’t exactly end up that way. Sometimes he wanted to know if it would have been better if he had just made it to Alvadas and sold to whoever he had been brought for, but he tried to disassociate himself from such defeatist thinking. It was a step back when he needed to be taking steps forward.

Like now to the Protea Inn. They were closing the distance and pretty soon they were through the front doors. D’Varrus let Shiress lead the way from there, following her in to her room where he would set Ian down while he waited to see what she needed him to do.

WC - 887

[Shiress]

Shiress nearly swallowed her tongue at the question D'Varrus asked.

"Gods no," she said, maybe a little too loud, "it's not from his father," she paused, a look of sadness coming into her eyes, "Ian's father disappeared when I was still pregnant with him. No, I came to Syka alone with Ian."

Shiress didn't offer any further explanation about Eenie's origins and hoped the Kelvic wouldn't ask anything further, though she couldn't blame him if he did. When she stood and repaired to walk back to the inn, D'varrus made his argument about going to the Panacea clinic instead. Shiress gave the young man a slight smile and shook her head.

"No, it's okay, honestly. I will be alright," she hoped she would be alright, but at the rate the wound was bleeding, she had to wonder if she had just lied. "I'm a doctor, actually, and if I can get to my room, I have my own supplies that I can use."

Shiress's insistence must have irritated the man. She didn't know what to think of fishwives comment, but the fact that so many others had referred to her similarly lately rankled. Well, Shade refers to her with much worse terms, but still...

Shiress cut her eyes slowly over at the shifter, her arse thoroughly burned, but remained quiet, focusing on controlling her breathing if she was to make it back to the inn on her own two feet. She did give some of her weight to D'varrus when he persisted, but it wasn't long before Shiress straightened to walk on her own.

Ian was heavier than he looked, and the young man would be huffing and puffing soon enough on his own, and she was capable of walking. For now, because by the time Shiress and D'varrus made it back to the Protea, the poor shifter was all but carrying both mother and son.

Shiress stumbled into her small room, making a beeline for the bed, all but collapsing down on its edge, chest heaving.

"Shyke, but it's hot out there," she quipped, aiming for levity but probably coming up short. Leaning over, she pulled her black medical bag out from beneath the bed and sat it on the blanket beside her. After a tick for the world to slow its spinning, she grabbed the hem of her bloodied shirt and tore it off, forgetting that a very young and very male stranger was looking at her. At that moment, though, Shiress could care less. The pain in her neck and shoulder throbbed and burned, and she aimed for relief.

Glancing up, Shiress pointed to a water pitcher and basin, "Can you pour some water into that? I need to get the blood cleaned off and grab those bandages on the table beside it."

Catching D'Varrus's gaze, Shiress grimaced, realizing that she was ordering the young man around like he was her personal nurse. She offered him a sheepish smile, nodded toward the open doorway, then froze, a look of terror crossing her features.

"Where's Ian!?"


Word count - 733

[D'Varrus Tomva]

His whole body ached, and not just from lugging both of them in towards the Protea. Shifting like that took a lot out of him. It was more than just feeling a little low energy. His skin tingled, and his muscles burned like he had been running for miles on all fours. Sweat was properly beading off of his skin, concentrated across his brow and soaking the underside of his shirt so that the cloth stuck to him. By the time they reached her room he was panting, tongue lolling out across abnormally long canines that made his lips protrude slightly when his mouth was closed. He looked from Shiress to the boy with a tired patience as they got settled into the room and he took a moment to stretch his back before hurrying to do as Shiress asked.

As he poured water into the basin, he splashed a little on his own face, slicking it over his short blond hair before quickly bringing the basin and bandages over to Shiress whom was looking worse for wear, and perhaps not entirely because of the monkey bite. He tried to recall the sign he had read, but before he could think on it Shiress pointed out that Ian was indeed gone. Cursing silently under his breath, D’Varrus hustled out into the hallway, looking down both ways for the boy. When he didn’t catch sight of him, he decided to head down the longer way instead of checking to see if he went in through any of the doors.

Sniffing at the air, he tried to see if he could catch the boy’s smell but didn’t have much luck in that as his smell was not the keenest in this form and he honestly didn’t have a good range on the boy to work from. They had only just met after all so differentiating his scent from the others that cluttered the hallway felt like a downright impossible task. His hearing though was much better, so he decided to focus on that as he stalked down the hallway listening for the patter of those short, stubby legs preferably still on wood in the Inn.

He didn’t end up hearing the boy running or anything like that. Rather he saw the boy in the kitchen about halfway onto a chair that he was seemingly using to try and get at some bread that had been left on the counter. Quickly, D’Varrus rushed over to scoop up the boy along with a hunk of bread that he used to placate Ian as he hauled him back to his mother’s room, once again out of breath far too soon. It made him realize that he needed to start making an effort to exercises more regularly until he regained some of the fitness he had lost. This was just shameful.

After depositing the boy on the floor of the room, D’Varrus made a point to close the door firmly behind him before turning his back to it and leaning on it so he could keep an eye on the boy this time while also being on hand if Shiress still needed him to grab anything. He could of continued to grumble about the fact that she still insisted on working on herself, especially a bite on the back of her neck, but he decided to defer to her experience in this matter as it was easier than arguing, and it was less uncomfortable besides. He was still feeling out his autonomy after all, something that would take a lot of getting used to as he adjusted to his new life here in Syka.

“Do you need me grab anything else?” He asked after a tick or two.

WC - 622