Blood Stains (Closed)

[Aello]

Blood Stains 71 Winter, 510 AV Location: Wilderness just outside Ravok Aello awoke the next morning to a darkened sky. Large grey rain clouds circled ominously above the trees, spilling rain down and onto the earth. Several droplets had been kept from buffeting Aello in the face by the various barren trees that surrounded her; serving as nature's shield; ironically from, nature itself. When she awoke, Aello's head was still hurting, as several droplets fell onto her face. They were cool, and make her skin tingle. The pain that coursed through her body, coupled with the cold rain sent Aello's head reeling. Gritting her teeth and groaning, Aello slowly stretched her hands out towards her face, inching them up and up until they meshed with her hair. Her hair was still dry, for the most part, but the portions closest to her forehead, and the tips were drenched, rain spilling down the sides of her cheeks and off the tips of her hair. Aello scrunched her hands, scratching her scalp with her pale fingertips. Aello flinched, that certainly shouldn't have hurt her as much as it did, she thought, as she unclenched her fingers, and gently run them through her long, wavy brown hair, as it slowly grew cold and limp with the rain. She could feel tiny clumps of dirt and blood in her hair. Gross, she thought, knowing she should wash it soon. Aello extracted her fingers from her hair, and allowed the rain to wash over her. Her clothing was starting to grow heavier and heavier as it became more and more waterlogged, it was clinging to her skin. Reluctantly, Aello forced herself to sit up and to look around her. Water was dripping down the sides of her face, and from the tips of her eyelashes as the rain continued to pick up. The wolf's body was surrounded in a pool of blood, diluted with rain water. The blood now glowed a faint red, and the wolf's fur had grown heavy with the rain. It now clung to the wolf's flesh, and was matted with dried, crusty dark brown blood. The rain was washing away the scent of its slowly rotting flesh, replacing it instead with a strange misty smell, something Aello couldn't quite put her finger on, but knew was rain nonetheless. Her belongings were scattered all around the clearing in which she had spent the night, with the exception of her quiver, which was still strapped to her back. Aello was surprised she had managed to sleep soundly with it still on. Aello felt terrible though, her body was still sore from yesterday's events, and even though she had only woken up just now, and had slept through the night, she couldn't help but feel as though she hadn't slept at all. Rainwater splashed into a small puddle a few feet away from where she was laying. Feeling somewhat vain, or perhaps simply curious, Aello walked over to it, just so she could see how horrible she looked. She knelt down by the side of the puddle, staring at her reflection in the water. Her hair was tangled, and heavy with rain water. It appeared darker than usual, and far straighter. It clung to her skin in clumps, falling into the front of her face as she bent over the puddle to look at herself. Her lips were pink, yet paler than usual, and a blueish-purple color around the edges. They were trembling slightly with the cold. Her eyes were a vibrant, deep chocolate brown, but a hint of exhaustion still lingered around the edges. A thin line of purple hung beneath them; giving the impression that Aello had not slept for quite some time. Her skin seemed far paler than usual, and she was trembling slightly from the rain, which seemed to be chilling her down to the bone. Her clothes were clinging to her skin. Small tattered layers of fabric hang loosely off the main frame of her dress as well as her skirt. The middle section of her chest, just below her breasts, and above her waist had been torn away by the wolf, exposing her freshly made cuts. They looked far worse than they felt, even though they did sting a bit each time she moved, and even more if she touched them. Aello sighed, at least they had clotted since yesterday, she though, twisting her body this way and that to examine them better. They were simply, raised red lines with dried red blood seeping out of the sides, she thought, as she looked down at her skirt, which was slit not only up the sides, as usual, but towards the bottom as well. Frayed pieces of cotton fabric hung loosely from the torn portions of the skirt, the only thing keeping the bottom portion of the garment together. At least her legs weren't cut too, Aello thought, realizing that she'd need to buy new clothes as soon as she got into town, considering how they were also caked in wolf blood. All in all, Aello looked like she had taken quite the beating. Petch, she looked awful. Sighing heavily as the rain beat down on the earth around her, Aello slowly got to her feet, easing her body into it, and wincing with the pain. She walked over to her belongings, clutching her chest as pain coursed through her body. This was ridiculous, she thought, she had hardly taken three steps, and all she wanted to do was lie down in the grass and close her eyes; she didn't want to get up for a very long time. Aello sighed, perhaps her wounds were a bit worse than she had thought.

[Syndre]

It was early morning, but to the rogue it looked more like evening.

The clouds were a dark grey and rolled powerfully across the sky
over Ravok. Thunder echoed along the landscape, yet Syndre could
see no streaks of lightning thru the pour of rain. His silken shirt
clung to his upper torso in black clinging ripples, making the cool
temperature seem like biting cold. His entire body was drenched and
his attitude was sour. He hardly ever left the comfort of the city,
but there were certain addictions that required him to travel outside
of Ravok.

A damp glove moved to his waist and leather fingers worked at the

ebon sash constricting his pocket lined pants. After a moment's
struggle, he gently produced an ivory hued pipe. His azure gaze
dropped down to the skillfully crafted item, allowing a single
black thumb to caress the carved artwork. Yes, there were addictions
to satisfy. He wasn't able to smoke not only because of the
wretched weather, but because he was simply out of his herb mixture.
That was why he was out here, that was why he was in this miserable
state of mind, because he was sober and needed his daily fix.

Bringing large quantities of the potent herbs into the city via

smuggling was near impossible with the constant inspections. You had
to know someone who knew someone else's rich cousin. Syndre didn't
have the luxury of an in-city connection, so he had to travel to the
wilderness borders from time to time where the Black Sun wasn't
staring at your every move. Annoying little Shytes they were. He
enjoyed the way Ravok operated, but having to constantly dodge the
sight of the Ebonstryfe didn't make a happy thief. He would be happy
soon though he thought, his mind began focusing on the task at hand.

He was here to meet with a fellow low life that spent his time

dealing many black market items. If the authorities of Ravok
didn't want you to have something, Caleb would sell it to you at a stiff
price. There were a couple problems with this, besides the high prices.
Not only would you have to hike into the wilds, but you would have to worry
about getting your forbidden merchandise back into the city yourself.
Luckily, the herbs the rogue was after could be easily concealed,
especially by a trickster such as himself.

Syndre offered his stolen pipe one last show of affection before

tucking it back underneath the tenacious hold of his sash. He reached
upward to the two slender braids that stuck to either side of his
pale neck, guiding their wet length over and behind the curves of
his ears. Sighing in mild frustration he continued to dredge on
through the muddied grass. The trees were sparse where he was and
offered little in the form of protection against the stinging rain.
He decided to veer off course a bit and head to where the forest was
thicker.

Though his path had been slightly altered, he knew he was close

to where Caleb had told him to meet. The drenched thief wound his
way between a cluster of trees as yet another rumble resounded from
the dark skies. His gloved hand rose and offered the devious clouds
an obscene gesture in retaliation to the thunder. Today's mixture
of herbs had better be as intoxicating as the last or Syndre would
ask his beloved Akajia to curse Caleb for his troublesome ways.

The dense cluster broke into an expanse of grass where the trees

weren't as bunched together. The rogue stopped at the edge of this
clearing, his black attired physique was like a creeping shadow
within the wooded area. Bright blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at
a sudden movement that appeared thru the rain and grass. There was
someone else here. A leather graced hand settled with flattened
fingers against his forehead, keeping the rain out of his eyes as
he observed the struggling woman. The bloodied stains upon her
clothing and the awkward way she moved would suggest she was
injured. These really weren't the conditions to favor a trap, and
because of this, the thief's mood instantly changed.

Wounded prey made for easy pickings.

[Nydryn]

Nydryn’s searching in Ravok had not been successful. She had been looking for clues as to where her mother, who had sold herself into slavery about nine years ago, was now. She had tried asking many people, but they all seemed to avoid her eyes and simply shoo her away, not giving her any information. She became suspicious after so many people had done the same thing, but there was nothing she could do to find out if they were lying. Her search had brought her this far. She had been to three cities other than Ravok looking for clues about the location of her mother. She knew that if possible, her mother preferred to stay inside of Sylira, but she had become a slave and who knows where her master had taken her. Nydryn’s failures inside of Ravok had aided her decision to leave for another city sooner, perhaps Sunberth. There were a good about of slaves in Sunberth. Nydryn dreaded traveling to more cities. The travel time itself was so exhausting, lonely, and extensive. The time beneath the stars was breathtaking, but she found herself longing to find a permanent home. Besides, Ravok seemed like home to the destitute woman. She wished she could stay, but a longing to find her mother burned deep inside her soul. When she was younger, her mother had been the one comforting her when she was sad, caring for her when she was sick, and understanding her when no one else did. Nydryn’s father had been the head of the family, as most fathers were. Not even her mother would go against something that her father said. One time, her mother dared to mention something different than what her father had said, and her father had spent most of that night beating her mother. Her mother never disagreed with anything he said after that. Nydryn remembered her mother trying to hide the bluish purple bruises forming all over her body the next day, and when alone in her room, Nydryn sobbed for her mother’s sake, knowing that her mother had to put up with the abuse because without him, she could not provide for her children. Nydryn slowly walked out of her beloved city as the darkened clouds began to spit. It soon began to rain harder, and she stuffed her cloak into her bag, trying to keep it dry and warm. Her blouse was soaked through within a few minutes of walking, and her hair was plastered to her head. She tried to rub her arms, to gain some warmth but it didn’t work to well. The mud on her boots was making it hard to walk, and she stumbled over a good sized rock. She had to press on, but all her instincts told her to rest and find shelter. Thunder rumbled as rain continued to pour, soaking Nydryn to the bone. The rain in her eyes made it hard to see where she was going. She was trying to head toward Sunberth, but she was probably off track. Nydryn weaved through the many sopping wet trees that were scattered in front of her. Her brown skirt looked almost black, and was sticking to her legs as the rain came in torrents. She cursed herself for starting the long journey to Sunberth on such a dreary day. She should have waited… anyone with common sense should have waited, but she didn’t. Nydryn had common sense, but an aura of urgency surrounded the sensitive topic of her mother. After pushing on for as long as possible, Nydryn neared a clearing. The trees were scarcer here, and she needed to find at least a bit of shelter to rest until the rain stopped. Walking a few more steps, she saw a blurry figure standing in the middle of the clearing. Craning her eyes, and pushing her hair out of her face, Nydryn looked harder. She gasped when her eyes adjusted. The figure was a woman. Her clothes were shredded and large gashes appeared all over her body. Not sure what to think, and slightly suspicious after her time in Ravok, Nydryn slowly approached the figure. She stayed about two or three yards away from the woman, and simply stopped, unsure of what she should do.

[Roman]

Roman was walking trough the woods wearing a simple tunic and some sturdy pants and boots. A cloak hiding his dirty blond hair from view and keeping him dry from most of the rain. Roman knelt down near a bunch of plants and carefully examined them. Groaning once more as the plant he was searching for wasn't growing between the patch he stood back up, this entire trip seeming more and more as a waste to him, he was already looking trough the woods for a few hours and still hadn't found a single plant he was looking for. He looked up from the ground as he heard a rustling sound from the left and looked around, a small bit of terror in his heart who know what was trying to sneak up on him this time, he shivered as the tales of ripped up corpses that where sometimes found in the wildernis came to mind, it wouldn't be some kind of monster would it? Giving in to his curiosity he walked towards the sound pushing away the shrubbery that was in his way. When he saw it was just a girl he was about to relax when he saw in how bad a shape the girl was. "Hey, sit down!" He said in a harsh but polite tone as he purposefully walked towards her. "Somebody that is hurt that bad should be in bed in the care of a doctor, what are you doing here!" Roman fretted as he pulled off his cloak and threw it over her shoulders shielding both the girls dignity and her body. "And don't tell me that you got those wounds in this forest, you shouldn't went alone in the forest either way!" he ignored to tell her that was the same thing he was doing and gently forced her to sit down on the ground. He pulled his cloak a bit appart and took a better look at the tree deep scratches running over her stomach. He cursed the lack of foresight to take his tools with him and just pulled out his water sack and began to clean out those scratches looking her over for other wounds as well. "How in the name did you get these wounds" he muttered to himself, being to preoccupied with trying to fix the mess that was the girl to see the wolfs body a few yards away. "Now Just keep still for a moment while I bandage up those cuts, can't let them get infected can we?" he ripped a few strips from his tunic and began bandaging the wounds on her stomach, not caring if she would protest with anything he did.

oocHe is a bit to preoccupied to notice you guys

[Aello]

Aello instantly sat down as the man cast his cloak over her. "Thanks for the cloak," Aello said, as she wrapped it more closely around herself. "And the wolf over there," Aello said, gesturing towards it with her eyes, "gave these to me," she answered as he opened the cloak again and poured freezing cold water on her scratches, trying to clean them. Aello's head tilted back a bit, and her long brown hair tumbled down her shoulders, as she tried to give the doctor more room to work. He was beginning to bandage her wounds, ripping off pieces of his tunic to do so. She reached her right hand out to stop him. "You know you don't have to do that," she said, "it's fine, really," she added, looking at him sternly and in a slightly embarrassed manner. Her wounds weren't that bad after all, were they? Aello wondered, as she cast her eyes down again to look at her wounds. They had risen a bit, as though they had grown infected since yesterday, or perhaps indicating the fact that the wolf had gotten her a little more than she had originally thought. The skin around her cuts was puffy and red, and the cuts themselves were caked in crimson red blood, most of which had hardened overnight. Aello's attention was suddenly jerked away from her wounds however, when she thought she heard someone approaching from behind the doctor. "Hey doc, you hear that?" Aello asked, as she scanned the area. It was hard to make much out with all of the rain pummeling the earth, trickling over the grass in tiny streams, and pooling in tiny puddles which were steadily growing large enough to give a small sized bird a decent bath. "Or was it simply the rain?" Aello asked, wondering if the man was even listening, or too engrossed in his work. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes in the short line of trees that lined the far side of the clearing. Aello tapped the man's shoulder repeatedly with her right hand as her eyes grew a little wider, and her muscles tense. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, standing up as straight as a porcupine's quills, as her heart began to beat like a drum in her chest, just a little bit harder; faster. "Did you see that?" Aello asked, a hint of alarm in her voice, never taking her eyes off the spot where she had sensed the movement. After a few moments of intense staring a face appeared out of the mist the rain had produced, and the thin line of trees. Aello smiled, how foolish she had been for worrying she thought, as she called out to the mysterious figure, "hello there!" she called, "and who might you be?" she asked. The figure didn't reply, instead, it merely took a few steps towards her and out of the mist. A few other faces appeared shortly thereafter, seeming to materialize out of the mist that floated slowly up and towards the grey clouds that filled the sky. There were five faces in total; five figures, the largest of them, the one that Aello had noticed first, seemed to be leading their group. Or at least, she was the one they seemed to be following. "Well it looks like you brought quite the number of friends," Aello commented, as the group stepped out of the mist, and formed a line in front of the row of trees. Aello squinted her eyes to get a better look at the newcomers, there was something not quite right about them, she thought, studying their features. The figure on the far right had peach colored skin, with deep golden undertones, which made the being appear a deep yellow. She had golden-colored hair that tumbled down her shoulders, and ending in the middle of her back with an artful curl, that reminded Aello of a pig's tale. Her eyes were a soft blueish-grey shade that reminded Aello of the clouds that circled ominously above their heads, but then again, the clouds were darker. The woman's eyebrows seemed to be adorned with tiny sparkling gems. The gems were a circular cut, and looked as though they had somehow been fused to the being's skin. They were golden, and appeared to be citrines, somehow managing to glimmer despite the lack of light. The being wasn't very tall, she couldn't have been more than 5'6. She was relatively thin-looking, Aello guessed she weighed somewhere around 150 pounds, but her body seemed more muscular than thin. Her hair covered her breasts, and most of her body, but the portions that remained exposed- mainly her legs and her arms, appeared similar to her face. Her skin was cracked all over, as though it had become far to dry, and was covered in the same gems that seemed to make up her eyebrows. Although the gems on the rest of her body were far larger, and circled around the woman's skin like a series of highly-expensive bracelets. Thin lines of dirt circled some of the gems- mainly the ones that lined her hands and her feet, perhaps it was because she used those portions of her body more than any other, Aello thought. The next figure over, the one to the right of the woman with the golden-skin looked vastly different. Her skin was rather pale, with peachy undertones, and her almond-shaped eyes were a dark black color, like coal. The eyes seemed both dark and cruel, like they were smoldering and ready to engulf somebody in flame; mainly Roman. The figure would not cast her eyes away from him, and looked as though she were boring a hole into his back. The figure was about 5'6 inches, and slender, maybe 130 pounds. Her arms and her legs were long, her nails extended, more like claws than actual nails. The woman's hair was a golden-green color, and it seemed to crackle and twist atop the woman's head, like moss that had taken on the personality of fire. Large clumps of dirt had gathered along her forehead, and in her nail beds. A simple mossy-green strapless dress hung from her slender frame, ending just a few inches above her knees. Much like the first person Aello had scrutinized, this one was wearing no shoes, and much like the first, the figure's skin was cracked in several places. The figure in the middle, the one who seemed to be leading the pack, was far taller than the others. She appeared to be about 5'11, and was extremely slender. Her skin seemed to glow a golden-green sheen, and her dark brown eyes displayed such a sense of elegance and authority that it sent a chill up Aello's spine. Several large tree branches seemed to be growing out of the center of the figure's head, giving her the appearance of a mohawk, even though several short blonde hairs grew around the outside of the twiggy-mohawk. Her tiny nose seemed to be lost in the center of her face. Her lips were a bright red, and stones of several different shapes and sizes seemed to have been plastered to them- stones from deep maroons to bright crimson shades- from rubies to garnets, and several other stones in-between. Unlike the others, the "leader" was far more covered up. A large tree-trunk like structure appeared to have grown onto her skin, wrapping around her breasts like a mobius strip, which was attached by what appeared to be a thin tree branch that cut across her chest diagonally to a trunk-skirt that ended just above her knees. A deep red rose, with soft-looking velvet-like peddles grew out of her chest in the area where one would expect to find a belly-button on your average human. It made everything about the figure seem far more delicate, as though if she moved, the petals may break away, flutter to the ground, and be trampled beneath the figure's oddly large feet. Several clumps of dried mud clung to the soles of the woman's feet, and several twisting lines of dried skin snaked their way up the length of her body. To the right of the leader seemed to be the only male in the group. He was about 5'10, and had grey-colored skin. As though he were sickly or dying. His skin, like all of the others, was cracked in several faces, especially in the center of his nose. His eyes were a cold, muddy-brown color, and his body was covered in a white tunic and black pair of trousers. He must have taken them off somebody, Aello thought, as she quickly looked over to the last person in the line. The figure on the far left was the shortest of the bunch, standing at maybe 5'2. Like the figure on the far-right, she wasn't wearing any real clothes, instead, her medium-length, wavy brown hair was the only thing that truly covered her body. A few green-colored leaves covered the front half of her lower-body, and snaked their way upwards, ending at her neck. They were linked by what appeared to be a pale green vine. Aello wasn't sure if the vine extended to her back however, and wouldn't be sure unless the woman moved. She doubted such a move would be soon however, she seemed the meekest of the bunch, despite the fact that she was holding a large wooden stick in her left hand. Aello wondered if she used it for fighting, or simply as a walking stick. As Aello looked into the woman's amber-colored eyes, she couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to become a part of such a tough looking crowd. But what were those things? Aello wondered, her heart starting to pound in her tiny rib cage all over again. After all, they weren't exactly human, were they? Aello sat up a little straighter, and slowly got to her feet, ignoring the doctor's orders and any protests he may have made to her getting up. She winced in pain with the movement, but did her best to ignore it. Showing weakness was never a good thing. Especially if those things intended to attack her and the good doctor. No one who paid any mind to the pain caused by wounds or in battle ever won, or at least, not to Aello's knowledge anyway. As she got up, Aello bent down at the waist slowly, and slowly placed her quiver on her back, and grabbed her bow in her right hand. She was holding it so tightly and her hands were so cold that they were turning purple. Well that's not good Aello thought, as she called out to the strange creatures once more, not liking the silence that surrounded them or the strange stand-off and staring contest they seemed to be having. "So who are you?" Aello asked, she didn't have to wait long for an answer, since a high-pitched shrill erupted from the ruby-encrusted lips of the leader's mouth. Could it be? Were they really yukeman? Aello wondered as her eyes grew wide. But she had only heard about them in old wives' tales, created specifically for scaring children at night and getting them to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Still feeling rather startled, her heart racing, Aello slowly reached her left hand over her shoulder and grabbed an arrow from her quiver. Moving slowly so as not to startle the yukeman, Aello knocked the arrow on the serving, and slowly lifted the bow, while pulling the string back with her right hand. She was shooting backwards for her, but it didn't matter, all she needed to do was fire a warning shot, right? Aello let go of the bow string, not having bothered to truly aim, the arrow shot out of her bow and landed a few inches in front of the leader yukman's foot. Calmly and quietly, the yukman bent at the waist and plucked the arrow from the ground, holding it delicately in-between her fingertips. The yukman straightened herself out, and stood up straight once more, inspecting the arrow. It seemed foreign to her, Aello thought, as she watched her twirl it back and forth, the peacock feather fletching fluttering, and then growing heavy and drooping in the rain. After a few minutes, the yukman threw the arrow back towards Aello. It landed a foot to her right. She bent down and retrieved it. She stood back up and bent slightly at the waist, knocking the arrow on her head lightly a few times she said playfully, "well thanks for that. Now I don't have to walk all the way over there and get it myself." The leader emitted another high-pitched shrill, very much so like a scream, or perhaps a battle cry. Aello gulped, not good not good not good! Her head screamed as she put the arrow back in her quiver. "Guess you don't like my sense of humor," Aello mumbled as the leader shrieked again, tilting her head back slightly, closing her eyes, and opening her mouth so wide it exposed several rows of pearly-white, and rather sharp looking teeth. "Petch," Aello mouthed as her whole body tensed, and her heart began to pound in her tiny rib cage. Whose turn was it to make a move anyway? OOCI know I am so original with my naming system.... also, please read the lore on yukeman before your next few posts, it may be found in the monster section under landspawns, the link can be found on the main login page. The pictures are in order of appearance, so the first yukman I mentioned in the post, (the one on the far right), corresponds to yukman 1. Also, sorry this post is obnoxiously long. And sorry Nydryn, and Syndre, been too startled to notice you there! Oh, and let the games begin! Yukman 1 : Yukman 2 : Yukman 3 : Yukman 4 : Yukman 5 :

[Syndre]

A small frown was given upon seeing the form of a cloaked man and a

petite figure in her soaked attire. Narrowed voids concentrated on
the two from where he was hiding, his demeanor shifting from a hopeful
anticipation to a slowly creeping anger. What he thought could be an
easy armed robbery was ruined due to the odds being out of his favor.
He could not identify the cloaked man, but there was something strangely
familiar about the second woman. His distance was great enough to where
he had to strain his eyes to see any detail, though the woman's short
golden hair was easily seen. Was that Nydryn? Was she following him?

The anger that had been building within faded with the idea that his

long lost friend was trying to be sneaky. With heightened curiosity,
Syndre made the decision to remain hidden from the three where he
could further discern the situation. He listened, but could not make
out what was being said. He needed to move closer if he wanted to
ease drop, but he was already near the cluster's edge. The woods and
the dark weather kept him protected from sight, so that was were he
would remain.

Then the situation changed once more. He counted another five figures,

closely resembling strangely clothed humans. They had entered the
clearing through the steady creep of fog and Syndre noted something
was strange about this encounter. This was too many people meeting in
the same area of the wilderness, resembling a stand off between two
sides. Sure footed steps took the rogue around the edge of the clearing,
where the thick brush and trees thinned and the plain of grass began.
It was difficult to move in complete silence, due to the underbrush that
littered the moist ground. He was confident that the constant drum of
the cold rain was loud enough to mask any mistakes he made along the way.

He heard the piercing shriek that came from the group's center figure.

It definitely wasn't normal and it had an ill effect on his senses. Was
this something he really wanted to be apart of? In the city he was more
adept them most at surviving the streets, but out here he felt more
vulnerable. This was not his territory and he didn't like it. But what
of Nydryn? Would he simply dismiss himself and leave her to possibly
fend for herself? This is why his parent's taught him to never befriend
anyone, especially of the opposite gender.

He was slightly angered again, not because she had snuck into the forest

and got herself into this predicament, but rather at himself for staying.
He continued with stealth, even with the rain and branches assaulting his
shadowy form. The second unnatural scream was issued from the foreign
creature and about this time Syndre had worked his way around the circular
shaped clearing. He wasn't completely behind the five very earthly
humanoids, but he was far enough to where his azure eyes could begin to
see their backsides.

Hidden in the foliage, his right gloved hand reached around to the small

of his back, quietly working the sliding knot that held his black stained
whip to his encircling sash. Leathery digits enclosed around the
comfortable handle and he slowly pulled it back around to a readied
position. Slender fingers kept the coiled weapon in a oval bundle so that
it wouldn't drag against the leaf strewn ground and add any unwanted noise.
His grasp became extremely tight, the smooth leather of his glove and whip
creaking very lightly while he watched with crystalline eyes.

[Nydryn]

Nydryn craned her eyes to see a second figure join the hurt woman and begin wrapping cloth around her wounds. Taking small steps backwards, Nydryn stepped behind a tree at the edge of the clearing. The man was taking strips of his own clothing and wrapping them around her wounds. She tucked that fact away, realizing that if she stayed in the wilderness for very long, chances were that she would have to bind wounds that she received on her journey to Sunberth. Shivering as rainwater dripped down her neck and her face, she rubbed her hands together. She still felt the dagger that she had put in her boot, and realized that she might want to take it out so it didn’t become uncomfortable. She suddenly saw five human looking figures emerge from the dense woods on the other side of the clearing. They looked fairly human from afar, but after looking closer, she could see they definitely were not human. One was slightly in front of the others, and a shriek emitted from its mouth. Nydryn cringed as the sound reached her ears. Looking back at the wounded woman and the man in the clearing, she saw that the woman was reaching for her bow, and Nydryn’s eyes widened. Was she really going to provoke these creatures to attack? Surely she had no brain. Waiting to see what she would do, Nydryn realized the shot was not to provoke the beings, but simply to make them leave. The arrow was thrown back, and Nydryn cringed again as another shriek came from the monster’s lips. This sound was even worse. It sounded more threatening and from her spot within the trees, Nydryn could see the wounded woman’s frown. There was no way Nydryn could stay. She had no experience with battling any kind of monster, and the only weapons she had with her were her three beloved daggers. But it seemed her escape route was blocked, leaving her no choice but to stay and help the man and woman in the clearing. Pulling the other two from her bag, she stuffed one into her other boot, and openly held the last. She was unsure of what the woman would do next, for the man had done nothing so far. It seemed as though the encounter was still a staring contest between the two parties. Walking as quietly as she could, Nydryn approached the man and the woman. “What are these things?” Nydryn asked quietly, as to not provoke the attack of the strange beings. There was no time for formal introductions for the monsters looked as though they were about to lunge forward and attack their meager party. She hoped the man and woman would not ask about the reason she was in this part of the wilderness, for it was a little embarrassing to be caught starting a journey to another city on a rainy day. She wasn’t sure how this encounter would change her travel plans… she wasn’t even sure she would make it out of this fight alive. Waiting for the woman or the man to say something, Nydryn stared at the beings. Their appearances left much to be desired. Her heart felt as though it was about to burst, and her hand holding her dagger was trembling. Whether it was trembling from the cold or from fear, one could only guess.

[Roman]

Roman nodded in confirmation when the woman said a wolf gave her those wounds, more to keep up the appearance he was listening then something else though. When she began to protest about him working on the wounds he gave her a stern look that would have shut up even the most irritating patient. "Listen here," he began, his tone suggesting he was already tired of giving this speech. "I know what I am doing here and I would greatly appreciate if you just let me do my job here, Because if they don't those wounds will probably get dirty again, they would get infected and you would end up dying of gangrene or something else in a few days. And you wouldn't believe the amount of problems that causes for my business." He finished applying the makeshift bandages and gave a small thug on them to make sure they wouldn't fall of. He raised an eyebrow when aello suddenly asked him if he heard something. Was she hallucinating from the loss of blood or was she delirious or something? "No I didn't hear anything, now calm down and let me check you over for more injuries will you?" He said rubbing himself to generate some more warmth, the air still being chilly even though the spring was coming closer. "I don't want to freeze to death out here. So lets go an..." He gave an irritated look at the woman as she began to tap him on the shoulder. "What is it now?" He looked over his shoulder at the point the woman was staring at. "I really don't see a thing...." Roman fell silent as a figure walked out of the rain that was hampering their sight, quickly followed by four other persons. Roman's eyes widened at the various gems and plants growing out of the thing's bodies. "Yukman." He said to himself as he quickly got on his feet himself and pulled out the dagger that was given to him by the ebonstryfe day's ago. His eyes quickly shifted to the woman that was standing up and grabbing her bow, a bit of concern on his face as he saw her rather sorry state. When she fired an arrow that didn't hit the yukman he could almost hit her over the head, antagonizing yukman wasn't a good idea at all. A few moments later he was remembered why that was when the monster that was shot at let out a bloodcurlding scream that let his hair stand up on end. "We really are screwed aren't we?" A small ray of hope offered itself to them when another human walked out of the forest to them. Normaly he would have looked at them with suspicion because she was just there when they needed help the most, but still, in this situation he would have to be mad to refuse help. "Those are Yukman. Don't know more about them though." He readied his dagger and shifted his attention back to them.

[Aello]

"And here I thought they were merely mentioned in stories that had been fabricated by old women in order to scare their children into going to bed early and not going out at night," Aello commented. "Ooooh how wrong I was." The leader of the pack of yukeman emitted yet another high-pitched shrill. Her muscles began to tense, and so did Aello's. Aello was tightening her grip on her bow. Waiting. Who would make the first move? "Yeah... I would say we're pretty screwed," Aello responded quietly, almost inaudibly to Roman. Her voice seemed to have been drowned out by the rain. She swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in her throat, and took a cautious, half step back on her right foot. "Pretty screwed indeed," she muttered. Definitely should not have put that arrow back, Aello's brain whispered. Her eyes were fixed on the leader of the yukeman. The creature's eyes seemed to blaze intensely with an inner flame. Her lips were parted slightly, exposing a row of elongated, glistening white teeth, that were dripping both saliva, and the rain that had trickled into the creature's open mouth. You should definitely take an arrow out and shoot the one in the middle. That one seems the most intimidating, despite the flower in her navel. Each of the creatures shrieked in unison. Still going with the one in the middle, Aello's brain whispered again. "I heard you the first time," Aello whispered through gritted teeth. She hadn't realized she had said anything aloud. Aello was distracted by her level of concentration, how her left hand was reached over her shoulder, and was slowly pulling an arrow out of her quiver. She wasn't too worried about inciting a battle, or preventing one. There was no point in trying to prevent a skirmish. The monsters were yukeman, and as far as she knew from old wive's tales, the things were all about battle. Aello managed to knock her arrow just as the yukeman charged Aello and her companions. "Petch!" Aello shouted as she rapidly raised her bow and shot at the line of yukeman blindly. She hadn't bothered to aim down the arrow, or even to pull it back the bow string all that far back, or lift the bow entirely when she shot. She had been too hyped up on adrenaline and the threat of battle to bother. Her body had been filled with trepidation; her heart had been pounding rapidly in her chest like a drum, and her palms had begun to grow sweaty. Sweat had mixed with rain, and her hands had grown slippery, but not enough to cause her to shoot. She had shot simply out of fear, out of the heat of an epic, impending battle, which could very well cost the girl her life. She had shot simply because there was a group of big scary monsters headed her way. The arrow had shot out of her bow string and flown in a relatively straight line, rather close to the ground. Aello doubted that it had ever reached a height of two feet during its flight, in which the arrow slowly dipped down and down, until it lodged itself in the foot of the creature who appeared as though citrines had been sewn into her skin. The creature seemed to howl as Aello's peacock-feather tipped arrow imbedded itself in her right foot. The line of yukeman stopped for an instant, as though in fear. A steady stream of what appeared to be brown blood, began to trickle out of the yukeman's wound, and drip down into the clearing. The blood mixed with both grass and small rain puddle, dying the ground its vile color. The blood, unlike human blood, carried the scent of earth, and appeared to be a closer consistency to mud than actual blood. Gross, Aello's brain whispered. Yeah well, now she has to kill it... But, as if overcoming their fear, or perhaps their shock, the four creatures who had not been injured shrieked one more time in unison. Aello took it to be their battle cry. Then, the creatures ran towards her, Nydryn, and Roman, while the other remained behind only long enough to rip the arrow from her flesh, and toss it uselessly behind her. It was as though Aello had hardly inflicted any damage whatsoever. "Petch!" Aello exclaimed again as the injured yukeman seemed to ignore her wound, and charged the line of humans along with the others of her kind. Before she knew it, the leader of the group had tackled her. Aello landed on the ground with a muffled thud, and several large splashing sounds. Trickles of water zoomed out in every direction as she landed. Her head had been plummeted into a two-inch high puddle, and her hair instantly clung to her head. It felt as though the mud of the earth were dragging her body down, along with each individual strand of her long brown hair. The leader of the pack had landed on top of her. The creature had grabbed her by the shoulders, and was busy forcing Aello's body into the ground. Aello, being both injured and exhausted, wasn't having much luck squirming out from beneath the weight of her opponent. The creature was surprisingly heavy, despite the fact that the force of her impact had caused a small portion of her tree-skirt to break off from the rest, and lie fallen alongside the bow that had escaped from Aello's grasp. Aello's hands were pushing uselessly against the monster's chin. Aello was trying to force the creature's face away. The creature frightened her. Its eyes seemed to be on fire, and its mouth was opened wide, exposing its long, sharp teeth. Although Aello was certain that the creature wouldn't try ingesting her, she was uncertain of whether or not the monster would sink its teeth into her neck. Not to eat her, but to kill her quickly and move onto the others. Thus, Aello didn't want the creature's mouth anywhere near her face. Of course, such a thing was apparently too much to ask for. The yukeman's mouth hovered only inches from Aello's face. Six inches at most. Aello could feel the creature's breath brushing up against her skin; her lips; her nose. It smelled strangely of roses, oak trees, and open fields of green grass. A sweet aroma, that was nearly enough to cause Aello to let her guard down, it was such a sharp contrast to the creature's outwards appearance and general demeanor. As Aello continued to try and force the monster's face away, the more and more tired she grew. Her wounds ached, despite their growing numb from the cold and the rain. They felt cool, even though the rest of her body felt hot, and was covered in a mixture of both sweat and fresh rain. Aello wouldn't be surprised if the claw marks were bleeding, which could only mean that she didn't have much time to fight them off, before she passed out from the blood loss. Get that damn thing off of you! Aello's brain screamed. Quickly now, you really haven't got all day! Aello groaned, she really hated when her brain screamed at her sometimes. Not only did it continually state the obvious, but she was certain it knew she was trying to do what it asked already. And her brain should know that. Seriously. The creature shrieked again, and all Aello could do was wish that she had the strength to finish it off. Or at least, get it off. She couldn't help but feel defenseless now that her bow was laying uselessly to her side, and her quiver had been forced upwards, off her back, and onto the ground beside her left ear, (although it was still strapped to her back. It had merely been displaced in the fall). The yukeman's body was pressed so tightly into hers that even if she could move one of her aching, trembling hands from its chin, she would have no way to reach her dagger. Aello gritted her teeth. What a wonderful day this turned out to be. Her brain groaned. Aello couldn't help but wonder how her companions were fairing. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Aello lost her concentration, and her grip on the creature's chin was lost. Seizing the opportunity, the creature shifted her weight. Split bark came up against cloth, a make-shift bandage. Rough edges against a soft material. An inaudible shredding noise. The bandages started to fray, to come loose. The creature's body straightened up more, pulling itself slowly off of Aello's chest, as her hands slid foreword. The creature was sitting up straight, as her hands wrapped themselves around Aello's slender neck. Aello's eyes grew wide as the creature's grip tightened, and tightened. Instinctually, Aello's hands shot up and grabbed the creature's wrist. Her lungs felt as though they would explode. Her face was growing red. Everything hurt. If Aello didn't get the creature off of her, she would be choked to death. Aello's body writhed and squirmed beneath the creature. She was desperately trying to get the creature off of her. The creature seemed to notice, to smile wickedly, as Aello's lungs failed to fill back up with air. As Aello failed to pull the creature's hands off her. As her neck grew red along with her face, and took on marks in the shape of the creature's hands. As she squirmed, and her hands uselessly clung to the yukeman's wrists. But after about a minute or two long struggle, Aello could no longer hang on. Her eyes closed. The world went black. She was not dead however, for she could still hear the rain, the fighting, the struggle. But mostly the rain. Although she could see nothing, and feel nothing. Not the fighting that surrounded her, or the feeling of footsteps shaking the ground. The feeling of cold rain upon her face. Thinking that she was dead, the creature removed its fingers from Aello's throat. It was smiling wickedly. Pesky brown-haired girl: TERMINATED. The creature thought as it triumphantly got to its feet, and looked around the clearing, trying to figure out how it should join into the rest of the insanity that surrounded it and the girl. But how wrong the creature was, for it hadn't killed Aello. It had simply caused her to fall into a state of unconsciousness, where everything was very, very dark. OOCSorry this post is super blah. For anyone who is wondering. Choking can lead to both death, or unconsciousness. It happens sometimes in martial arts forms that use choke holds. Aello is merely unconscious for the time being. But shall she wake up?

[Syndre]

A silent prayer was given to the Goddess of Night as soon as he witnessed

the gathering of earthen creatures rush forward. His limber frame charged thru
the brush and into the grassy clearing, sprinting swiftly from behind the
advancing attackers like a fleeting shadow. Syndre was fast and his six feet
of height wasn't hindered by much weight, allowing his long pounding strides
to close the distance between himself and the imminent confrontation rapidly.
He had ran all his life, whether for the fun of it or to escape from dangerous
situations. This happened to be one of those precarious situations that he
would normally avoid, but instead he pressed quickly forward. Aello and Roman
had Nydryn to thank for the rogue's presence, for if not for her they would
be uncomfortably outnumbered.

Black boots drove into the mixture of mud and grass, sending a gush of dirty

water upward with each hasteful stride. His silk adorned chest rose and fell
with labored breaths, and with a deft swoop of his slender body, he was able
to slide forth his cold iron dagger from the sheath attached to his right
boot. The smooth maneuver was performed without slowing his pace and his
bundled whip was effortlessly transferred to his secondary hand. Cobalt eyes
took in the beginning of skirmish, carefully accounting for each person and
their position in the drenched field. The bandaged woman had managed to
injure one of the Yukman, but was viciously brought down by the pack leader.
The feminine creature with extended claws and lengthy limbs had advanced on
the cloaked doctor, leaving the monster holding a stick and the only male
of the group to team against Nydryn.

There was a passing moment where the chilling rain fell heavier than before,

and in this moment of stinging moisture, Syndre entered the battle. The peach
tinted Yukman that had been struck by Aello's arrow was kneeling in the wet
grass, hissing in pain as it struggled with determination to free the wooden
shaft from its foot. Its gold touched face then lifted quickly upon hearing
heavy footfalls coming from behind. So accelerated was the rogue's movement
that the gem graced creature didn't get a chance to turn its visage. A sickening
thud announced the entrance of his unique dagger into the back of the Yukman's
head. The incisive tip of the remarkably cold iron collapsed its skull inward,
causing the entire length of the wicked knife to penetrate up to the decretive
hilt. The thrusting tip exited through a spouting eye socket.

Syndre's sprint remained unnaturally fluid as he flew by the stiffened

creature, his dark form already an impressive distance ahead before the gold
hued Yukman finally dropped into the muddy grass. The thief hoped that Roman
could handle himself, and he cared little that the pack leader had a cruel
grip on Aello's throat. What worried Syndre was the last pair of Yukman that
were now in striking distance of his precious friend. Leaving his beloved
dagger imbedded in the golden Yukman's head, his bunched whip transferred
gloves once again to his primary hand. His thoughts were focused, his concern
for the Nydryn was burning.

Buckled boots planted firmly into the thickening mud, sending the dexterous

rogue into a brief slide to halt his sprint. An immense boom of thunder shook
the clouded heavens and the loud reverberation was soon followed by a
deafening crack of leather. The thief's uncoiling whip snapped crisply thru
the onslaught of rain, sharply filling the ears of everyone in clearing. He
brought the coiling weapon back behind his bracing body in a deep whirl, then
delivered a second taming lash. The velocity at which the whip traveled was
astounding, its slithering length instantly wrapping around the fractured
flesh of the male Yukman's face.

He couldn't take them all at once, but at least he could give his friend a
reasonable chance to fend for herself.