You Can't Change Your-...Where Did Your Spots Go?! [Lucette]

[Sairque]

Timestamp: 19 Summer, 511 AV Tag: Lucette Gist: Sai and Catabasis go hunting near Denval The beast ripped into its limp victim, wear dulled teeth mashing the strong fibers of its breakfast into juicy pulp. Snorting, it nudged at the meal, pushing its snout deep into the saliva edged recesses in search of the perfect bite. It enjoyed the solitude of the glade, its only companions insignificant insects and lofty birds. The creature’s territory was idealic, really. A small clearing just large enough to support its family, ringed with trees, and further protected by a sharply rising cliff along more than half of it. Berry bushes thickened the vegetation along the trees, providing plenty of food. And though the low-production spring created a break in the tree-lined edge, it kept the glade well stocked. Ears swiveling, the animal pulled back and pivoted around to gnaw on a new patch. This new tuft of grass lured the rabbit back into a clean line of sight, the hunter kneeling in a break between blackberry bushes. Lifting the bow, the ripple of pattern in her sleeve caught her attention and there was a happy coincidence that her flight suit, a simple outfit of black bryda and matching close fitting long-sleeved shirt both with a pattern cleverly designed to mimic her Eagle’s feathers, disappeared easily into the foliage’s shadow. Yellow eye returning to skim down the simple, light game tipped arrow shaft back to the happily munching bunny, the sound of her lifting bow rustling against the growth had apparently seemed discordant to it and for it had frozen except for its ears straining to recapture her clumsy sounds. In all honestly, she’d stumbled upon the little fellow. Spotting the berry bushes, Sairque took a break on her hike toward the marshes she figured moose would frequent. So focused on stuffing her face full of the barely ripe fruit, the motion of a little rabbit head peeking out of a burrow had gone completely unnoticed. Apparently the rabbit was just as hungry and intent on its clovers, because it came right out and started nibbling with no apparent awareness of her presence. The tart berries had left her hungry for a more fulfilling meal when the creature finally intruded on her awareness. Thanking the shelter of the glade for creating a windless area, not that it would affect the shot of the powerful long bow during such a short distance, Sai took a deep breathe. On the exhale she released, straight snapped fingers hovering by her ear as the brightly fletched arrow flew.

[Lucette]

The Cheetah watched the rabbit from where she lounged upon a rock, eyes forward and ears twitching. Her feline eyes narrowed as the rodent chewed upon the clover contentedly. There was a time when she would have thought it cute, but that time was past. It was soft and small, and the Kelvic was hungry, always. The temple was distant and this creature was close, how she wanted it! Lucette thought she could catch it, and feel it hang limply in her mouth. Never had she hunted, but the desire to catch it was everything. The breeze ruffled her course, beautifully spotted fur. The rabbit was far from her; she did not care. Creeping to the ground from her perch, the animal mind said: EAT. And inexperienced as the Kelvic was in this form, she knew the animal was weak compared to her. A large pink tongue licked her whiskery muzzle in anticipation. Lucette crouched, head lowered, haunches bunched beneath her. A ripple of movement ran along the length of her body to the tip of her great tail. Like a rocket the Cheetah shot out at a run at the unsuspecting rodent, and the wind streamed against her, carrying hundreds of scents. Lucette had never run so fast, so free. As she neared the prey she tripped over her own large fore paws and stumbled. Trying to right herself with the rudder like movement of her tail, Lucette caught herself, and attempted to turn once more towards the rabbit. Alerted by her clumsiness the rabbit raised its head, alerted to her presence by her clumsiness. It bolted, but so quick was her speed, she reached where it had been only a moment before. The chase was on! But pain! Pain exploded in her shoulder, at the top of her leg. Hurtful anguish ripped along her flesh, the gouge deep. Lucette twisted to be away from the pain, and her body contorted. She knew not where it came from, but the Kelvic rolled in response, crying out an angry yelp. Long nailed claws struggled for purchase upon the ground, and kicked up the grass in her efforts. The blood flowed freely from the wound to stain her spotted coat as her eyes looked about wildly.

[Sairque]

The rabbit, alerted to the proximity of a hostile presence, bolted before the arrow had cleared half the distance. Sai's weak human eyes didn't catch the particulars but filtered in the predatory gold streak that crumpled into a flailing mess as quickly as it shot across the glade. The startled hunter froze to minimize the incongruence of her figure against the surrounding brush. As the beast continued its frenzied thrash, mildly alarming given the way most animals shrugged off pain in order to fight or flight, Sai's trembling fingers retrieved another arrow, this one with a heavier, nastier head. Cautiously deliberate motions knocked and readied the bow for release. Calm, long breaths that were a methodical part of archery practice didn't grace her lungs this time, instead the organs gladly went without any oxygen at all. Well, it was accidental, and a creature previously undiscovered, but lunch was served after all. Or, would be just as soon as she figured out the best way to dress it without ruining the hide. Those spots popped exotically against the shimmering tan of its course coat. Exotic. A warning nagged at the back of her mind. Big exotic cats. Whatever it was didn't clarify and surface. Sai stood motionless, waiting, watching, and unsure of what the creature would do next. When the chimes ticked on with no sign of the cat having any clear direction, the Endal crept forth from the ripe berry bushes to clear the path of the arrow. The breadth of its chest and length of its legs stood out to the hunter. More striking, however, was the expression of the cat once it spotted her. Petch. A frown of cruel displeasure twisted the austere planes of her pale face, brilliant yellow eye rolling above the shaft of the drawn arrow. Big Exotic Cat. Big exotic cats were always kelvics. Why no native feline kelvics ever popped up, she didn't know, but always with the big cats that weren't worth two pinions aside from the unique coloring of their coats. Black as Akajia, red as lava with coal smears, and now yellow as the sea of dried grasses glittering in the sun during the twilight of autumn. This particular wounded animal had been done no favors by its predecessors that had come into contact with the flight leader. It wouldn't survive the winter without the protection of a city. Those paws were a fraction of the size of native cats, dangerous creatures that could scale tree limbs as easily as walk on top of cliff sized snow drifts. The only way that fur would hide it was if it crouched in a pee stain. And Sairque had nothing but examples of how big exotic cats were nothing but a stain on a hard working society. Still, the off chance that the cat wasn't a kelvic kept the bow at the ready, steadily trained to penetrate that deep, slender chest cavity with a wicked barb. Measured steps brought the accidental hunter fully clear of the berry bushes and onto the springy summer grass, into the cat's visual field if it hadn't already spotted her. Sai's grim gaze left the rust stain spreading outward from the wound and met the creature's eyes. More often than not she eyed it like the prey it had become, but dutiful resignation crept in there intermittently. Its status as a human faded in and out, before her crouched an animal. An animal in possession of meat to eat and a hide to tan, wounded by her arrow. She'd never eaten a feline, it could be disgusting. But it was wounded already. Not mortally, so it could recover. But it would never be able to survive winter here. It could have baby kitties. The bow dipped, arrow tip drooping toward the ground. Those babies wouldn’t make it through the winter either, so it wasn't like they had much life left to live anyway. Indecision frustrating her, the hunter glared at the feline and prayed it would make the decision for her.

[Lucette]

As the Cheetah stopped its thrashing, a woman stepped out of the brush and she held a formidable arrow pointed directly at Lucette. Instinctively the Kelvic’s mind registered Danger. If Lucette could have roared in anguish she would have, loudly and angrily. But the Cheetah vocal cords would not allow for such a sound. Instead a dark, low growl emitted from her throat, to cut through the air. Her feline eyes studied the redheaded other, sizing up the strange opponent. But she had not the experience to know how to fight such cruel aggressions, even while in this more lethal, feline form. But the typical feline responses did not register in her confusion, and out of Lucette’s fear a smoldering anger began to slowly grow from within. Even Roland had never hurt her so badly! So bloodily! Crimson trails ran freely down the Cheetah’s shoulder, matting and darkening the course fur beneath it. The entire area throbbed painfully, and her body felt weak from the loss of blood. Off balance and afraid, the Kelvic tried to back away slowly from the hunter. Holding the injured limb close, she tried to keep her weight off of it, and away from the ground. But each movement, each small hop jarred the dangling leg and shoulder severely. It was too difficult to limp away! The girl hated this hunter as she had never hated anyone before in her short life. She was trapped! How would she get back to Denval? And back to Justus? Roland had been right; it was not safe for her to be out unescorted! This woman proved that point very clearly. Almost spitting in her distress and displeasure, the Cheetah hissed vehemently at the woman. Lucette wanted badly to transform into her human form to run or hide away. But she was afraid; in that form she would be even more helpless, and without any natural defenses. And she doubted that the hunter would care which form she was in…before another arrow found her skin.

[Sairque]

Limping away so pitifully was a good way to tug on the merciful and humane part of the Inarta. Unfortunately, the humane part urged her to put the cat out of its misery. Warily, the hunter continued advancing. Those growls and hisses sounded like it meant business…but it didn’t really have the body language to back it. Granted, Sai was no expert in feline aggression but shirking away instead of fighting or flighting seemed to be a pretty big sign for indecision. She didn’t want to push it into one or the other. She didn’t? The woman, thick blood red braid waving in the intermittent wind, paused, the arrow still dropped too low to hit anywhere near the spotted feline. Petch. It hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Unfortunately. Or perhaps it was just unfortunate that the parameters she’d learned to live by for killing included strict rules regarding animals. With a sigh and a prayer to whatever God had dominion over interactions like this, Sai eased the tension out of the longbow. Giving the cat a deliberate look, the Endal raised the weapon to her left and dropped it onto the grass. The arrow dangled awkwardly until it too found a bed of clover. They were too close for the thing to really do any good anyway, she told herself as she reached down and cautiously withdrew a long and curved hunting knife. What she told herself to justify advancing further on the beast instead of leaving it to break off the arrow and continue on its way…well, there was no time for idle thought while approaching a huge injured cat. She’d seen what they could do; balls of claws and teeth that seemed to have not a restricting bone in their body when caught in a fray. At least, that was the native ones. The ones that waited in trees and dropped out onto their unsuspecting prey and went straight for the neck. Creeping forth, hesitating at every sharp hiss and coiling of muscles, the wiry and petite woman’s eyes darted between the Cheetah’s and the wound. It was eerie, looking into those eyes that mirrored her own but held so much more confused emotion than other animals sporting their same color. It was more like looking into those of a fellow Inarta…one that had a permanent tear trail running down their face. Still uncertain of this particular feline’s ability to shimmery poof into a human, as the distance closed to about what she assumed was just without claws reach for the cat, the dark garbed woman descended into a tightly coiled crouch. The two females scrutinized one another, neither with a lick of trust and quite expecting the worst. One curled its claws in anger and the other clenched its knife with a sweaty grip.

[Lucette]

With untrusting eyes, the Cheetah followed the redheaded woman warily, but as the bow and arrow were dropped to the ground, hoped renewed within the feline’s heart.. The terrible hunter would allow her to live! But a loud, sad yowl, forlorn and lost sounded as the hunter pulled out a long, sharp knife, and the pathetic cry changed to a high pitched growl. Hunters were foreign things to the slave girl, as were weapons. She had no experience with either, and it seemed the woman wished to stab her! So long had she been trained to nonaggression that she did not known how to respond, even the Kelvic’s aggressive stance would have been enough cause for a severe beating at Roland’s hands. Lucette lowered further as the woman looked at her from her own crouch. And the knife-wielding hunter crept closer. Too close! Shuddering, the cat’s non injured forepaw lifted, in primal warning, the claws glinting in the sun, though it was unlikely that she would ever strike someone. But as it was, she could not balance and it lowered gingerly to the ground. She hurt! Oh how she hurt! And the pain made her scared - she shouldn’t have been in this Cheetah form! For that was when the pain and beatings always came... and the woman seemed to know this! Lucette’s long tail thrashed behind her madly, hopelessly upset. She only wanted to go home – to the Temple, and to Justus’ embrace. Vowing never to transform again from the human form, Lucette tried to back pedal. But it hurt so badly her head spun, and the girl could not hold the crouched woman’s gaze. She was so afraid! The movement jarred her shoulder and the searing pain could not be ignored, as her vision turned streaming red. Hissing and spitting in agony, Lucette smelled the hunter’s nervous sweat in her nostrils, and her own scent tinged with blood. Even the smell of the rabbit still clung to the grass around her. Head lowering, Lucette knew she could not fight anyone, not even this deadly hunter. The angry beast within cowered, not yet willing to release itself from Lucette’s submissive mind, all her natural responses were subdued and blanketed. Even as much as she hated this woman, she could not fight! She was lost! And a thousand shimmering lights filled the air around her spotted body. White and shimmering, with a tinge of red, Lucette crouched before the hunter, a pale, naked, and beautifully upset woman who was clearly terrified. “Please,” she begged… don’t kill me!” As a hand delicately tried to touch her shoulder, to soothe it, but her palm came away red, blood seeping through her fingers. “Don’t hurt me anymore… I’ll be good.” Though she didn’t know what she had done to deserve such horrifying treatment, besides shifting into the Cheetah. The inner, awaking anger flared again, though Lucette did not know where it came from.

[Sairque]

Trembling from the fearsome sounds the feline produced, the hunter flinched as it made a threatening almost-swipe with one enormous paw. Jaw clenching, muscles popping in distinct bands at the tension coursing through those veins, she refused the instinct to jump back and run away. And she most certainly refused to acknowledge the responsibility she felt for the current condition of the beast. No, she was just…doing this, this thing, approaching and trying to make some sort of a connection to…because, because…she was crazy. Yes. A lunatic. That was something to stand behind. The claw lowered, a seeming step in the right direction up until the cat revealed those huge teeth and hissed. Sai jumped again, overbalancing and tipping back. Catching herself with the fist clenching the knife, the hunter almost pushed herself upright as the cat ceased its intimidating. The thing clearly didn’t know what it was doing, it was unsure and indecisive. There was something odd about its behavior, Sai was almost sure she could use its hesitation just long enough to maybe help it somehow. But then, to just really make the Inarta feel better, to really smooth things over and neatly wrap up this little experiment, the cat shimmery poofed into a blinding light of a million sparkles. Cursing, the woman threw herself backward into the beginnings of a somersault, rolling over her head and using her arms to hurl herself back onto her feet. Hands up conciliatorily, the redhead froze. The knife had lodged into some organic matter and been abandoned. Good thing that the shimmering poof was indeed the magic of a Kelvic and not of some other discipline. Like a pissed off animal Goddess shifting to inform her she’d failed some test of heart and gutting her. No, no, just a Kelvic. Wrapped up in relief so strong that the wiry hunter sobbed out breathless laughter, the naked cheetah’s pleas went ignored for a few seconds. Adrenaline dissipating, limbs so strong and sure just a moment ago turned to jello and unsteadily deposited her onto her knees in front of the injured woman. She did manage to swallow the first words that came to mind: you could have eaten me! Nom nom nom no more Sairque! Blowing out a thankful breath, the hunter waved the fearful pleas away uncomprehended. “No, no. I’m not-don’t.” Words tripped over themselves as her mind tried to wrap itself around how lucky she’d been. She could have been eaten alive. Oh man. Focus. Focus. Terrified girl shot with an arrow. Ooo, Sai’s arrow. Sobering, yellow eyes almost angry in their intensity pinned the Kelvic. Her responsibility. Discipline descending upon the woman like a well worn cloak, she straightened and shifted closer to the woman’s wound with no mind to any flinching or other such fearful nonsense the Kelvic displayed. “Come with me,” she ordered after a moment of scrutinizing the bloody wound. “We need to get that patched up.” Pushing to her feet, a hand extended to help the Kelvic up. A mix of guilt and blind focus on the task at hand kept the conversation skills to a minimum.

[Lucette]

Instinctually the Cheetah mind registered each movement as the hunter dropped to her knees, even as Lucette’s own body tensed, crouched naked under the warmth of the sun. A whisper of thought touched her mind…Transform. Transform! It would be easy, but the human half of thought made excuses: she could not run, her wound pained her too greatly. But the true reason the Kelvic remained in human form was that Lucette was terrified into immobility. Before the slave girl could force herself to move, the woman straightened and drew near. An avalanche of overlapping emotions surfaced in the Kelvic’s eyes; fear, anger, distrust, submission... And hatred. Lucette’s head turned smoothly to glance at the hunter’s handiwork. The shoulder still bled, small, red rivulets ran along her skin, from the length of her arm, to drip from clinched fingers onto the grass at her feet. Lucette’s eyes shifted as she took note of the discarded weapon.. All manner of thoughts went through the slave girl’s mind. But the woman spoke, “Come with me…” It was an order. Lucette froze in place, though the knife hypnotically pulled her eyes back toward it. The Kelvic had no duplicity with in her; it was easy to see the thoughts that formed, and the barely hidden intentions beneath them. But the hunter’s hand came forward towards her, and Lucette flinched and shied away from it fearfully. The movement sent a running fire of agony along her nerves. Her breath sucked in sharply, suddenly to exhale between her teeth in a low hiss. She wanted to go home! Back to Roland where the world was kept safely from her. Against her better judgment, Lucette stood, shaking and silent. Distrust filled her, and ran rampant through her tense body. The hunter’s words meant nothing… the hunter had hurt her! For the first time in her young life, Lucette hated what she was, because she saw no other option but to follow. The Kelvic was a creature of fierce, primal emotion but she was also a Kelvic trained to submission, and slowly the differences between the two were beginning to widen the longer she stayed in Denval under Justus’ care. But as of now, there was no choice but to listen and do as she was told. Even injured, Lucette tried to stand to her full height; Roland had never allowed slouching. Her eyes spoke of pain and betrayal, yet her carriage was impressive, regal. Feline. While her body was softly toned and the torso long. Self-awareness clung to her naturally, though the girl was hurt and mortally terrified. The pale body trembled from shock and loss of blood. One hand lightly pressed against her shoulder instinctually. If she could have reached the injury with her human tongue she would have licked it clean to soothe and comfort the hurt. But she followed…

[Sairque]

The girl had such a regal air about her, yet there was no mistaking the tame nature of her movements. Scrutinizing with a sidelong gaze, the hunter dipped without breaking stride to pick up those tempting weapons. It was easy to assume the wounded creature was otherworldly and accustomed to respect with the stunning display of both presence and magic. Slipping the knife away, the archery implements momentarily rested at her feet as the redhead stripped the very shirt off her back and offered it to the woman. A bright orange strip of cloth kept her within decency’s boundaries, and the tough life of her people found representation in the whip cord frame and distinct lack of fat to obscure dancing bands of muscle. “Press this to your shoulder and don’t pull it off,” she commanded in Nari, the bird-like tongue musical. When that received a blank stare, Sai tried again in common, though this attempt was broken and heavily accented with song. If all else failed she would fold the shirt up herself and lay it across the wound, glancing up into those gold flecked eyes, and reach down to bring the Kelvic’s own hand to hold the make-shift bandage in place. The woman had an odd way of not blinking, and moving her entire head to follow movements. Weapons once more retrieved, they resumed their hurried trek deeper into the woods. After a few swift strides in silence, all the while Sai keeping an eye on the cloth to insure it was properly utilized, the imperious, yet short, woman, ventured to break the awkward relation but found herself distinctly lacking the words. The girl had darted in front of her prey, startling it but taking the arrow meant for it, and now regarded her with distinct terror, like she had intentionally shot her! “Can you make it to Denval today?” the austere hunter finally asked in common, eyes darting to the wound and lingering on the tense lines of pain. “And do you often sacrifice yourself for rabbits?”

[Lucette]

Lucette’s eyes never left the warrior’s as she removed the shirt from her back. The familiar action worked to sooth the slave’s mind, so narrow was her world. That was what she knew. That was known. The Kelvic intuitively knew how to respond to the naked form of others. She stepped forward unashamed, more closely than she had yet been, though fear still gripped her. Lucette knew her place and what was expected of her. But as the cloth was laid in her hand, Lucette looked with surprise upon it, then at the woman. Doing as she was told, the girl pressed the balled up shirt to her shoulder, and hissed through her teeth at the contact. But she held it there, and continued to follow silently, obediently, even as she wanted to wail. For what words were there to say to someone who had shot her? Every so often she gasped at the pain that shot through to her fingertips. The fabric soon became soaked with her blood, and more with each attempt to move her shoulder. “I will make it…” she offered. Honestly, the girl didn’t know if it was possible, but she dared not risk argument. She dared not! It was what the woman said she wanted, and Lucette was afraid to disappoint her. Heavy pain spread its tendrils from her shoulder to her chest. Lucette tried not to show it, but it was apparent in the crease at her brow and the hurt that blanketed her eyes. Her footsteps, normally light and dainty, felt weighty and cumbersome upon the trail. “Sacrifice?” the Kelvic looked confused. “I only hoped to catch it... to…to…” she almost said eat it. But Roland refused to let her eat living things, maybe this woman was the same… so she said instead, “…until you hurt me.” Lucette thought for a minute more, then asked in her silky voice, “You do not like Kelvics?”