Broken Out (Open, Ageru)

[Jyo]

First of Spring, 511.

He was told since he was a young boy not to turn his back on the city. He'd been told not to turn his back on the city, and he'd heard the men speak of the horrors of the outside world. He'd never known any other life, but the walls of the castle hadn't been able to cage his wild heart.

He was finally ready. His songs that night had been about the city. The city protected us, but it didn't care for us. And he was ready, ready to break out. He felt the wind pick up. It felt like something was going to change.

He knew he'd be back eventually. He'd be back, and there'd be hell to pay for those people who'd turned his home into a mockery of civilization. He had something to tear down.

So he'd crept out in the dark of the night, lit up by his horse and his heart. There was no time to lose, no time for goodbyes. He thought he'd escaped without revealing his intentions to anyone. Not that anyone in the city loved the wanna-be rebel anyway. Not since the city had taken those people from him.

He thought he'd escaped, but there was that nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something, someone, was following him. Watching him. He'd known he had had eyes on him since he'd mounted his horse, but this feeling was sinister.

The outside didn't scare him. Death didn't scare him. But the city did.

He stopped, jumping off his horse. "Step forward. Step into the light!" He threatened, shouting at a presence that might not even be there. Who knows, he could be imagining things.

[Ageru]

Ageru found the citys night life to be interesting. Well, interesting enough to stay around, but because of his mark he was sure not to physically touch anyone, even though sometimes he felt like he needed to. The mark was a great gift, but it had its uses at times, and at night, with a bunch of questionable people around he thought it would be best to avoid the area altogether.

He couldn’t believe it was night already. The day had gone b so fast. Who knew that Syliras could be soo big, but it was at this time, this night, that he found someone that just oozed interest. With this interest peaking him he decided to follow the young man. Or maybe it wasn’t out of interest but just nothing else better to do. He had nowhere to go, or anyone he really needed to meet. Those he met were few, though it seemed everyone was friendly to him because of the unique charm that his gnosis gave him. Nice, or maybe sought to use to their own advantage. He didn’t know, but it was nice to have people to talk to. He despite his long history with people loved them and their thoughts and ideas.

So he had been stalking this young man for quite a while now, enough to get out into the wilderness. It wasn’t scary and he had great vision in the dark. The man seemed paranoid and quite secretive about what he was doing, which only peaked more interest. Nothing was ever how it seemed. He knew that and respected it.

Still observing the man he watched as he got off the horse and called out into the darkness. The cat wasn’t going to come out, no, he was having too much fun, and besides… It would be boring to end a game like this so soon. The man must be some sort of crazy. He liked to think that he wasn’t spotted in the shadows that hid him ffrom view, and being the small cat that he was he was sure not to make much noise when he walked, or rather in this case, stalked the human.

Sitting down, tail swaying back and forth he watched him, and decide to move again once suspicion was off of him. Though if he was spotted it would easily be seen that he was only a harmless kitty cat, right? For the most part, but nothing was ever as it seems.

[Leon]

The stars hung loosely to the sky, as broken images of them lay scattered in the blackness above. The unforgiving clouds masked the moons ever precious glow for only a moment. Another sleepless night, another night spent searching, waiting. He was unsure of why he had surfaced here again. The memories that held him to these woods were of nothing he wished to remember. That feline who still managed to dominate his very thoughts. The frailty of emotion was a burden which he could not escape. Something stirred within the darkness, the quiet and peaceful darkness. His eyes did not stray from the disturbance as within passing moments the sound erupted beside him. A horse and its rider, passing within feet from his place of hiding. Careful not to move he watched as they disappeared just as quickly as they had arrived. Little footsteps almost unheard pattered upon the ground like the rustling of the wind. Had his focus not already been raised he would have overlooked a little cat stalking a prey way larger than it could take down. Something snapped in his head as he tuned in closer on that small misguided creature? Cursing his nosey nature he began to rise from his place of enclosure. The hunter had become the hunted. He followed the stealthy cat with the years of hunting experience he possessed. The wind was his friend this night as it blew chillingly against his face. The horse had cut a path for them giving him a soft and easy trail to follow. Within minutes of following he halted. The sounds of the horse had increased, and no longer did the thudding of its hooves register in the back of his mind. They had stopped. From the shadows he watched the cat, who watched the man. “Step forward. Step Into the light!” The man’s voice seemed nervous. He was playing a foolish game calling out to his persuader as he was. A trap could easily be sprung, ambush from any direction. He was exposed; no longer did he hold the advantage of momentum. He was defiantly a beginner unlike the sly cat who was use to the mouse games. He watched the cat’s tail as it flicked playfully against the earth and air. He moved forward slow steady using the wind to distract his movements. His body use to the slow actions did not hinder his movements. A careful step and he was closer to his prey. He had made headway on the cat and was within touching distance. He wanted to touch the cat to see what it would do...but before he did he stopped, something in his head told him not to do it, that it would be severly wrong to do as much. He knew perception held onto all creatures and his life force was sure to be felt by the cat at anymoment. He was still unsure if it was just a hungry cat, or a Kelvic. But his mind was set one other thing at the moment…the man with the horse. “Shh I got this one” He whispered meaninglessly to the cat as he pressed forward out from behind the brush. Stealth still held him he made his way forward. Only a small rustle of the brush could be heard until his own voice split the remaining silence in half. He wanted to look back and see the expression on the feline, if it even had one to show. He wanted to see if it had darted away, or if it was still surveying the prey before it. He knew what he was doing was reckless but he took pride in knowing that he held the advantage knowing his environment. “Is this enough light for you?” His voice holding the sarcasm he was more than proud to show. “Do you have any idea how late it is, dangerous creatures lurk in the night. You never know when a hungry tiger will attack.” A small smile touched his edges of his lips. He was of course thinking about her, that girl who dominated his heart. He was unsure what to make of this guy or why he was here, but the way he presented himself the reckless acts he did was a good indicator that he was not from around here. His hand rested lightly on the side of his cloak. The wolf pelt soft to the touch and warming in the mild chill. This night was turning out to be an excitement. It had been a while since he had run across anyone, but he was not afraid for the moment of what this man could and would do.

[Jyo]

Jyo's hand went straight for the axe at his back when he heard a response, but when nothing immediately life threatening came at him, he calmed down, hands going to his side. A mistake? Maybe, but Jyo was young, and he would rather avoid a fight if possible. He had nothing to prove. At least, not out here, out of the city.

At least he hadn't been imagining something. He didn't know who this strange man was, or what he wanted, but he wasn't one of Them, and that was an improvement in Jyo's mind. They were out of the city, nothing could touch him here.

"Do you think I'm scared? I'm scared of plenty of things, but death isn't one of them. There's worse things than death back in the city. Maybe there's monsters out here, but at least I know where I stand. Danger lurks everywhere, I'd rather die tonight, free for the first time, then live another second back in that cage of a city."

He shook his head, turning his back to stroke Light's head. "A man can fight a tiger, or a monster, and if he loses, he knows why, but his own mind is more dangerous, and slavery more insidious. Give me the open path through a dark wood over an empty city, or kill me now."

[Ageru]

The cat could only smile inwardly as the man called out into the darkness. That really wasn’t a smart thing to do, but he seemed prepared, with an axe. Like violence would solve everything, but it usually did when it came to conflicts. It could be seen, and there was a lot of examples supporting it, though was it really smart to get off the horse? Probably not. Then again, it was his life not Agerus. He could spend it how he saw fit. His tail flicked again as he yawned but quickly titled his head backwards as he felt the presence of another.

Then his eyes were glued to the man behind him and not the foolish one who had gotten off his horse. This one seemed to come from nowhere, and he hadn’t even noticed that he was being followed. Was he that slow? Although the strange man came from nowhere he wasn’t scared of him and briefly watched him before turning back to the other with the horse. He could only guess what the other was doing, but he trusted the man by him not to do anything rash, and although the cat wasn’t always the best judge of character he was going to let him slide. That is, just as long as he isn’t touched.

“Shh I got this one”

With those words the cats attention was again dragged to the man by him, his ears twitching at the almost harsh whisper that broke the silence. Harsh in the terms of the sound compared to silence. Amused the cat watched the other man approach the man with the horse. This was going to be interesting. He sat there, the only thing moving was his tail, almost a statue he continued to survey the area that lie before him with a sense of glee and anticipation. That, he could tell, was building. Though feeling a little exposed because the man just crept the riders way from Agerus direction the cat decided it would be best to move deeper into the shadows. Perhaps just a couple more paces back. True it was going to be harder to see them, but it was worth remaining… unknown. Well, unknown only to that of the rider.

He purred softly to himself as it seemed that the rider was only expecting one thing to come from the shadows and not two, and so, for now, he was in the clear. The man seemed satisfied with the person who stepped into the light and was expecting nothing more, but the smart would think where there is one there is also many. This man seemed so new to these kinds of things. Ageru only knew from experience, though there was plenty of things out there that he didn’t know about; a lot of things that he didn’t understand. Not that he really cared. All the lessons worth knowing to a person is that which life gives them.

There was something strange, childish about his words… About the riders words. They seemed passionate but foolish and got him to thinking if he ever thought before he spoke. The obvious answer would be no, but there is always that slight chance. Nothing is ever as it seems. Ageru just isn’t a cat, but also a human. Some might call him a Kelvic, but he prefers to look at himself not as an animal that can turn into a human, but as both a human and an animal. There is a difference and that is in the mindset that the cat was in.

[Leon]

The reaction was almost exactly what he expected. The stranger reached for a weapon, it was the same reaction most people would undergo when confronted with danger. It was something like the trapped mouse effect. A response that flared up almost unknowingly when ones back was against the wall. Analyzing his speed of reaction, he knew he held the upper hand on the quick draw. His sword was far easier to access, and took half the time. But alas Leon was no threat to the man as far as he could see and so the stranger’s body relaxed. He watched with careful eyes the hand that coveted the axe’s handle fall meaninglessly to his side. Within the whisper of the world around him life stirred. His heartbeat drummed out the melody it was so notable for. His calm and collective breathes taking in the chilled air around him. He was always on guard always ready for something to strike, his mind and body tuned in to the world around him. He waited only seconds for the stranger to speak, for him to ask him who he was what he was doing. Questions he was more than use to at this point in his life. But instead foolishness escaped the confines of the stranger’s lips. "Do you think I'm scared? I'm scared of plenty of things, but death isn't one of them.” There was a fine line between being scared and being smart. Actions require patients and understanding. The line between life and death is but a frail string that without the proper precautions could snap, leaving the broken pieces to remain. Taking the scared gift of life for granted was more than just a foolish feet. Though fear did not hold this man, nor did understanding. “There's worse things than death back in the city.” Plagues, plagues of people lost in existence, lost in purpose. The things that remain in this world unknown are the same things that are meant to be left unknown. The city held the safety of shelter. It on its own was a blessing. He was not to agree with the man’s statement, but he knew where he was coming from. “Maybe there are monsters out here, but at least I know where I stand. Danger lurks everywhere. I'd rather die tonight, free for the first time, than live another second back in that cage of a city." Tressa had used that line before once before… the cages of the city. The openness of the wild was her calling. But then again she was brought up with the heart of nature bound to her in another form. Even though this man before him felt he was completely right in his logic, he was ass backwards in the thought process behind it. Life was not something that could be so easily tossed around. Actions always had some consequence. This man had no idea where he stood, he was just like a newborn bird on his first flight, unaware and unafraid of the dangers of the world around him. He had no idea how true he was on the danger part. Though he didn’t wish to admit Leon himself knew little when it truly came down to the making’s of the worlds plans. Watching the man he noticed him pause and turn from him. This was a more than foolish manoeuvre that he would take complete advantage of. "A man can fight a tiger, or a monster, and if he loses, he knows why, but his own mind is more dangerous, and slavery more insidious. Give me the open path through a dark wood over an empty city, or kill me now." The words poured from the stranger’s lips once more. The last line uttered slowly becoming the final straw of what was to be this newborns declaration of freedom. With the man’s back turned to him, Leon’s hand moved quickly to the sword that rest on his right side. Pulling it free from its scabbard he preceded to hold it steady to the man, letting the point be the interceptor between the pair. “Now hear this. I really don’t care if you live or die this day. The fact that one such as you is just wandering in the woods means little more than an easy pay check to me. Do you know how easy it would be to end your pathetic ways of thinking right here and now.” His blade pressed a little further, letting him know what lay truly behind him. “Life is not something that can toy with the way you do. You speak of life and death as if it is a game. You may in fact be unafraid of dying, but that disregard for fear does not mean that you are not still dead. You foolishly turned your back to me not knowing anything about me, about my intentions, not even my name. Your trust is not misguided but you need to realize that no matter how fearless you are, it will not stop the end from coming.” Leon withdrew his blade from the back of the stranger and places it with a quick hand movement back into its scabbard curving the blade as it entered. Letting out a heavy breath he shook his head making sure to keep a close eye on the person before him. “But your right about one thing… The city is a prison and I do not blame you one bit for wishing to be rid of its clutches. My name is Leon, may I inquire to what yours is.” His attention on the cat diminished. Occupied by the stranger before him he left the creature to do its meddling and lying in the bushes behind him. He was sure that it had moved location. But regardless he still knew it was around watching, and probably still flickering that tail.