Life is Like Climbing a Tree (Open)

[Ageru]

He followed her still unsure if he should be or not, and though he kept his pace up he didn’t even know the girls name, he seemed to trust her… Well, well enough. Funny how trust can be bought even with just a little bit of food, or even mizas, yeah, he could be bought and he wasn’t ashamed by it. The more he thought about it the more he liked following her. Company was always better than being alone. That was one thing that he was sure of. Company, even bad company, was better than no company. He smiled laughing inwardly at himself for how easily he trusted this woman. Could it be that she is of the same race as him? A possibility, a rather good one too because he hadn’t met much of his race before; this could be a start of a ‘friendship’ of sorts… Possibly, but then anything was possible.

Aimlessly he wandered trolling after her like some sort of zombie. Unthinking, almost unconsciously, he followed behind her in his state of weariness. He thought that he had found himself a nice place to sleep earlier before he was interrupted by her abrupt arrival. Though he couldn’t help but notice the silence that loomed over then, the only thing breaking it was the footsteps and hoof falls of the couple of travelers. Traveling they were, but the destination was unknown. Well, at least to him it was. He was clueless about the surrounding area and put his trust in the strange girl that showed up. Misplaced, maybe, but it was something.

Finally they reached their destination for the night, and a place to sleep. He grinned, having been ready to sleep a while ago, he welcomed this change and nodded at her words, ”It doesn’t have to be the biggest. It just has to work.” he continued smiling at her as he watched her prepare for a nights rest. It was just great to have a place, a relatively safe place at that, to sleep.

Following her lead he sat down, exhausted by the days traveling, a good days walking, and leaned against one of the cave walls. Further pulling his fur cloak over him, he didn’t want to be cold, he just continued to smile as he tried to relax and just find sleep, or have sleep find him. It didn’t matter which happened, as long as it happened he would be just fine.

Though as he was trying to sleep thoughts kept creeping into his mind about this strange person he was now following. He wondered who she was, what her name was, and, more importantly, that mission she mentioned. Although she had said not to worry about it that just peaked his curiosity and he found it strange that she brought it up and then didn’t want to talk about it. Something was off, and he wondered could he trust someone that seemed not to trust him. The cat then let out a quiet little chuckle as he dismissed, or tried to, those thoughts from his mind. He needed sleep, not more things to think about, but it seemed like a useless battle. The more he tried to dismiss it the more it kept coming back and the more questions he had for the lady.

[Mekotsu Hellborn]

After the long cold winter night, the sunlight crept through the cavern and shined on her face waking her up. Stretching, she folded up the cloak and put in in the satchel. The horse got up along with her and shook his body removing the dust his fur collected from the cavern as she patted his back. "We'll get you the saddle today." She looked over at the man and poked him lightly trying to awaken him, unable to she lifted him up and place him on the back of her horse. She then mounted the horse and slowly rode out of the cavern.

Walking out into the sunlight, they were welcomed by the snow that had come down during the night, roughly 2 to 4 inches. She took out the fur poncho and slid it over her blouse then kicked the horse as he began trending through the snow. They began the rest of their journey to the city to collect her items.

[Ageru]

Sleep hadn’t come easy for him that night. With the bitter cold or what he thought was bitter cold, and the snowfall; not to mention all the doubts he was having about the woman sleep was hard found. Even when it was found it was an uneasy, uncomfortable, and rather light sleep. That night he didn’t dream, and woke up often. By the time morning came and it was time for them to get moving he was dead tired and another day on the road seemed like a fate worse than death. Although that is being a little over dramatic, it was the thoughts nonetheless.

He felt her poke him but kept his eyes closed and body unmoving in an attempt to get just a few more minutes of sleep. Just a few more was all he craved. So in his half asleep, un-responding state he felt himself being lifted, which in itself was unexpected, but he knew they had to get a move on. They had to just get to where ever they were going and he being stubborn like this, wanting more sleep, was only slowing them down. It was weird, but welcome, and although the horse wasn’t the softest thing in the world at least he could sleep just a little more. That is exactly what he do. Sleep was welcome in any form. He just needed rest and needed more energy. Day has come too fast, and its light was unwelcome.

As he was slowly drifting off into a deeper sleep he found the horses movements distracting to a good sleep, but at the same time reassuring that when he would wake up he wouldn’t be alone. Company was good to have, and was exactly what he needed. He could feel them moving, trotting on, but couldn’t tell the direction they were going. No, that was impossible to tell in the state he was in. Heck it was hard to tell with your eyes closed to begin with. Direction though seemed to not matter, as everything else in the grip of sleeps trance, and soon enough he found himself asleep and now unaware of reality and into a deep, relaxing, refreshing sleep. As hard as that must be on a horse it just showed how tired and worn out he really was.

[Mekotsu Hellborn]

After traveling for a few hours, they came up to the town of Syliras passing the guards and the front gate. She nodded her head at the guards smiling and trotted along till they reached the inn. Getting off of the horse, she picked him up again and checked them into a room and carried him upstairs and place him onto one of the beds and put some of the bags from her horse down on to the floor next to her bed.

She then went back down and into the town walking around the market to find the items she needed to purchase. Finding the stabler, she purchased a saddle and a pair of reigns along with some saddle bags. Then finding the blacksmith the got her dagger sharpened and bought some more arrows as she normally liked to keep a minimum of 100 with her at all times and she lost a few in her training arena earlier.

After grabbing some food and selling some of her pelts, she went back to the inn and retrieved back to the room to see if he had yet awaken from his slumber.

[Ageru]

The cat slept soundly in the warmth of his cloak. It was nice and eventually he went deeper and he found himself in an ethereal dreamscape that his imagination brought to him to entertain him in his sleep, to whisper hidden messages, and play back important memories. Sometimes the dream world that he found himself in blurred the line between a real memory and fiction. Distorting and all too often twisting it into that it wasn’t. A flaw of a once broken mind, a flaw of a free man burdened with his freedom, and the flaw of a joker trying to make a serious life for himself. It just wasn’t working and when he would wake, most often in a sweat, he would try to sort out the fantasies of his mind to the reality of what really happened. Though sleep didn’t give so easily and kept him there, like some prisoner, to witness the dream, the haunting memory, the nightmare that it has prepared for him. An unfair trail for such a hurt and lonely cat, though if time allowed, the dream would continue on and reveal to him the hidden secrets of his subconscious mind. Showing him the past lost, forgotten memories taken by time and sealed within him for the right time, waiting, to tell him of their knowledge and teach him more about the human race.

Much unlike any dream he has had so far this was a memory, and to his surprise a pleasant one. He was with Edward again, the kid, the son of his former master. They were together, the six year old and him, in the all too familiar field that surrounded their ‘house’, his prison. A smile crept over him as he chased the kid around, so obviously letting him keep the lead, and the cat only close behind. They were playing Eds favorite game, tag, and it had to be one of the best parts of his ‘slavery’ to the wealthy merchant family. The dream went on to the cat, only about a year old himself, pouncing on the kid and finally tagging him. Though playing by Eds rules Ageru was always ‘it’ and he didn’t mind that, nope, not one bit. They were both happy, continent with what life had given them… He watched Ed with his cat eyes and just looked over him. The kid had blond hair and blue eyes and to Ageru the best little laugh in the entire world. Though he had to admit, for a slave, he really cared for the kid, and never minded taking care of him.

As quickly as the dream began it ended, and he woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar room. With the unknown room he felt a slight tinge of despair as the dream was still fresh in his mind, one of the better memories from his time in servitude. He laid there for a minute still and as stiff as a board just smiling up at the ceiling. The sleep was restful and welcomed and he was glad that he wasn’t haunted by other less favorable memories. Though the dream was welcome it reminded him of what he lost, Ed, and brought everything back to perspective. What was he doing here? Why did it happen? Why does sleep taunt him with the pleasant ones, the pleasant memories?

Snapping from his thoughts his eyes shot to the door as he heard someone come in, but he didn’t sit up. He just rolled over and looked at her as she entered with a slight smile on his face despite the constant doubting thoughts about her. Sleeps grip still held him a little and she he sat up to dispel the spell if the groggy cloud that hung about his head, and he stretched arcing his back, hands reaching high in the air and legs shooting outwards in a wild and random looking fashion, but it felt so good… "Where are we?" he asked.

[Mekotsu Hellborn]

She looked at him as she walked into the room and placed all her newly bought goods on the floor. Walking over, she sat on the bed stretched letting out a slight yawn. Even though she was a kelvic, she rarely every transformed into her other form, less she was hunter or fighting something where it would need to be used. Placing a few pieces of warm meat on a piece of cloth on a wooden stand next to the bed and began to eat some of it and made a hand motion as to offer him some.

"We're at The white swan inn i believe it's called. Did you sleep well?"

[Ageru]

”The White Swan Inn?” He asked in more of a confused tone. He knew almost nothing about the world though as she asked about his sleep he nodded happily to her, ”I had a great sleep,” he confirmed. This place was nice and the bed just about the softest thing he has ever slept on. That is besides Eds bed, where he spent most of his nights. As a cat of course because there wasn’t room for two people, but he didn’t mind. He liked being small and snuggled by the kid. It was a better part of his ‘job’.

He had watched her yawn, ”Are you tired? he asked looking at her leaning in, possibly invading her more personal space, with a curious head looking into her eyes with a sly grin his nose almost touching hers. He watched her for a moment before backing up sitting now cross-legged on the bed. ”What did you get?” he asked motioning to the all the stuff that she had sat by the bed. He was curious but not so much to investigate himself. He would wait for an answer. That was the best way compared to looking though what she bought like he owned the place.

He kept a warm and welcoming smile as he continued to observe her. She was interesting that was for sure, and this traveling together thing was kind of working out; although it was only the first day he kind of liked it so far. He didn’t do much but sleep so far, but it was all good.

[Mekotsu Hellborn]

He hadn't really talked much since they met so the sudden questioning was a little surprising to her. "Well, no i'm not too tired, i tend to be tired during the day no matter what, but i am a lot more active at night. Um and i just got some new things for the horse and my archery."

She rubbed her neck and continued to eat the pieces of meat. Pressing her fingers into her eyes, she was stressed at the fact that she needed to find work soon, if she ever decided to stay in one place, she would need to raise some money but, who knows, maybe she'll travel this world forever.

Taking off her leather shoes, she cracked her toes and removed her cloak also and dropped it on the floor next to the shoes. "Been a while since i touched a bed."

[Ageru]

He didn’t mean to surprise her, its just he needed to know, and although the knowledge wasn’t all that to be yearned for his curiosity was satisfied. He stared at the stuff by the bed for a moment ”That’s nice…” he said. That was all he could think to say in this situation, and now satisfied he watched her and saw her rub her neck. She didn’t seem to be fairing too well at all. He scooted a little closer to her as he took some meat for himself and popped a bit into his mouth. He was going to use the time it took him to chew it for thinking up something to say, anything at all.

”You look a little…” he paused to think of the right word. Having not fully thought this through when he swallowed he was just going to wing it, ”stressed,” he so skillfully observed. ”Its been a while sense I’ve slept in a bed also” he nodded thankful that she provided this space for him. He felt like he could really get to know her, and that, maybe, she isn’t as bad of a person as she seems to be. She did carry him all the way here. He wondered what she thought of him, but kept it inside; he didn’t want to make things awkward, or more awkward than what he was planning on making it.

Under his rather warm and covering cloak all he wore was a simple pair of leather trousers. The only article of clothing he owned besides his cloak, but he didn’t mind. He spent most of his time as a cat anyways, though traveling its more convenient to be a human so you can carry more things. That was his logic, it wasn’t that he minded being human the form just held too many memories for him, and the cat one so many good ones. ”I would like to thank you for all your hospitality.” He smiled at her, ”Is there any way I could… perhaps pay you back?” Now that he was a free man he couldn’t just expect handouts. No, that would be wrong, but if she didn’t want anything he wasn’t going to press the issue, but he did have some skills. Not combat skills but nonetheless useful.

[Mekotsu Hellborn]

She kept staring at the floor from time to time, never really giving him direct contact. Think about all that had happened, what she thought that would happen, and what would really happen, ran through her head. Listening to the words he said, the liftful spirit in her died down to an almost immediate halt.

"There's nothing you can do...just...love what you have in the moment..." A sigh came from her lips as she stood up and walked over to a corner slowly transforming into her large black wolf form. Not even feeling tired she laid down and curled up into a ball, her tail flapping up and down slowly patting the floor. Her blue eyes had turned red but they soon disappeared as she shut her eye lids slowly.