The Reluctant Return Home Part 2 (Open)

[Derailey]

Time Stamp : 10th of Summer, 511 A.V.

Derailey sat atop a large brown boulder that rose above the tall grass, with her legs crossed, and watched her dog Solo happily jump and run around Chel, her horse, and loyal companion for many years. She smiled softly at the sight. They seemed to be the only beings that she truly felt safe with. She trusted them, and it seemed they returned this trust ten fold.

She rolled the hilt of her dagger in her palm, feeling the sharp diamond embroidery rub against her skin. She listened carefully to everything that was going on around her. From here, she could see across the grass for the most part, and would be able to see any danger that might be coming this way. She couldn't risk the lives of her companions that now played before her. She would never forgive herself if anything was to happen to either of them.

Solo bounded around Chel as she ate, making heavy thuds on the drying dirt under him. He was a large dog, much larger than one should be. She wasn't sure what his breed was, but he was a mix between a wolf and...something much bigger. He was more than half her size on all fours, and was just as tall she was, if not bigger on his hind legs. She laughed a bit when Chel neighed at him, and he did a drop and roll and started barking.

A light breeze brushed over the grass, making the tall green stalks sway. It smelled of the hour before the rains would come, heavy with the scent of water. The storm she had seen coming the other day just seems to have disappeared. She clenched her teeth. 'What was that pain?' she thought to herself. Indeed, she had had a sharp pain in her head, and the loudest high pitch ringing she had ever heard, but it didn't last long, at least, not long enough for her to find the source of the problem.

Derailey sheathed her small blade, switching her positions until she was standing. She rotated, looking all around her. Odd. there were no clouds, but the scent of rain was overpowering. Unable to figure it out, she guessed it was best not to stay in one place long.

She whistled, and called to her companions, "Chel. Solo. We need to move." Of course, they understood. Even if they didn't, they were better than most at sensing when their master felt uneasy. She grabbed Chel's reigns and started to lead her. Endrykas was still so far away, and she was running out of supplies. They needed to travel fast, or else they would face the risk of starving.

[Inirria]

Inirria snorted as she made her way through the grass, her head tilted and her eyes narrowed in the sunlight. Blood, they seemed to be, coated with blood, which looked almost monstrous against her black fur and skin. Her head was ringing, but where a human would catch only a high pitched whistle, she heard something that could be described almost as words. It couldn't be called a word, but it could be described as such. There was a difference.

Her head whipped around and she sniffed the air then snorted again. She was getting frustrated. She'd not slept again, and was so exhausted, but that whistling phrase kept her awake and angry. How dare something whistle and shriek at her like a flipping bat, making enough of a racket to feel like a skull-splitting headache. She couldn't even tell who was speaking, the words were too garbled, but the sense of hurry and panic was there.

If it was a Zith, she'd have to help them, especially if they were dying. She'd made that duty her own, and she would keep to it. Whatever else making that forsaken shriek could just die and she'd feel no inclination to save them. Drykas included.

She shook her head, her raven hair tumbling down her back, trying to clear her head to think of rest. She'd need to sit down at least, but she just couldn't. She was too restless, too bothered. Something was nagging at her and she couldn't place what it was. Was she in danger? Was something coming that she should flee? She didn't know, and she was afraid to find out.

Now, there was an emotion she'd be ashamed to admit. Fear. It burned in her, and it made her skin tingle and fur bristle. She was ready for it, for whatever would come, and she was terrified of what it would be.

Quite abruptly, the sound of a human voice cut through her reverie. A dog, a horse, and a human all spoke. Sounded like one of the Drykas themselves, with a pet and their beast. She wasn't particularly hungry, Inirria that was, but she'd kill them anyway if they bothered her or tried to kill her.

With that oh so comforting though, the Zith got low and snuffled her way nearer to the group. She was following a scent and sound trail, something her brother had taught her when they were still runts and were hunting slaves they'd let free. Scent worked just as well as sight did in the day, and it was far more reliable than many senses.

[Derailey]

The soles of Derailey's shoes made soft thuds on the dirt, and were quite quiet compared to the scratching of Solo's claws, and Chel's heavy hooves against the drying dirt. The land was starting to rise and fall unevenly now, making the trip a little less smooth then what it had been before on the flatter plans of the high grass, but Derailey was not one to complain.

She wondered what all she would need to accomplish once she returned to Endrykas. She knew she would have to stock up on supplies, and probably buy a new weapon, something larger and much easier to use than her knives. Her eyes wandered across the rolling grasses of the hills, and noticed the slight tickle of the grass against he somewhat exposed stomach. It barely rose above her hips, thankfully. Where she had been before it rose highers than her head.

Suddenly, a small jolt ran through her body, shocking her enough to stop her movements completely. Freezing, she listened carefully to everything around her. She had just...felt something. Yes, she knew she did, but she only heard the rustling of the grasses. She turned her head, looking around to see if maybe something was there. But of course, she could find nothing out of the ordinary.

Chel turned her large head toward Derailey, nudging her slightly with her snout in worry. Derailey absently lifted a hand to pat the side of her mane, still keeping her eyes and ears trained on everything around her. She wasn't satisfied with finding nothing, but knew they had no time to waste staying in one spot. She faced back forward, continueing with their journey. "Come on."

[Inirria]

Inirria's narrowed ruby gaze found what she had been tracking and, even though the light was causing her a terrible amount of pain, she kept her eyes on them. She was correct with the assumption she'd been tracking a Drykas, for the tattoos plainly stated this fact. The horse and dog were correct as well, and the Zith felt happy with the correct guesses she had made.

Time for some games.

The Zith tilted her head at the small group, judging them with all the unnerving skill of a predator, before deciding to get the mare first. A small smile caught her lips and she hopped off as cheerily as she could when excited to procure some stones. She dug in the ground with her claws, creating small piles of dirt, and pulling out little pebbles embedded in the grassy earth. She took them back to where she had seen the Drykas and resettled herself, compensating for the distance they had all moved. Then, with a flick of her wrist, Inirria snapped the stone at the rear of the horse, missing but still making enough of a ruckus when it hit the ground that it probably would startle the horse anyway. The next rock she threw she actually opened her eyes fully for. They watered painfully, but at least she had a good sight of the horse rather than a blurred one.

This rock she threw with a little more force and then, before seeing if it hit, she dived into the grass to get away from where she'd been. She'd keep this up for a while if she had to, doing something that would make her tired enough to sleep hopefully.

[Derailey]

Chel was suddenly becoming useased, stopping and turning her head, she would let out occasional winnies. Derailey watched her carefully, stopping when she needed to, and comforting her by rubbing her snout and staring into her fearful black eyes. "Calm, Chel." Behind them, a few rocks had landed on the ground. She eyed them. Was that what has caused Chel to act out? And just as that thought entered her mind, a rock hit her square in the forhead.

She reacted quickly, releasing Chel's reigns, one hand going to rest on the hilt of her knife, the other coming to grip at the damaged spot. She hissed a bit, knowing that there was probably a red mark there now. Solo was by her side in a second, crowched down, fangs bared, growling at something behind them.

Derailey regained her composure, and unsheathed her knife. Straightening her stance, she ran her eyes across the swaying grasses. Something was there, Derailey could feel it, but...what it was, she didn't know. She caught hold of Chel's reigns then, as the horse once again began to become fightened. "Calm, Chel, Shhh," she hushed the large creature, comfortingly, and barely had time to stop Solo from wandering too far in the grasses as he searched for whatever had bothered him. She whistled sharply, halting the dog as it came to a particularily large abundance of greens. "Solo. Come."

Of course, he did as he was told, reluctantly, and returned to the group. Derailey stood, staring hard at the grass. Staring hard at whatever, if anything, was dwelling there. She gripped her knife a little tighter, pulling on Chel's reigns to start the journey again, but this time, Derailey was on full alert.

[Inirria]

Inirria froze as the dog approached her tuft of grass, moving even lower and feeling her sharp teeth clench in a defensive snarl. She would have hissed had the dog come closer, still... The Zith reached for one of her stones and lodged it at the dog as it bounded back to it's Drykas before darting into another tall patch of grass, ruby eyes flashing.

The Zith was very childish in this regard. She liked to play games, although she had already reached the age for sexual maturity among her short-lived race. She still had fun playing games, fake-stalking unwitting horse-women, molesting dim beasts with stones... As long as it wore down her energy, she was perfectly fine.

The female came and peered out of another particularly thick patch of grass and stared right into the eyes of the horse. She ducked back away into the rustling mass, hoping the Drykas hadn't seen her. Even if she were enjoying herself, she still had to keep in mind exactly how dangerous this game was. A Drykas was much more powerful with Syna above, and could kill a poor little Zith without second thought and with relative ease. Now, if Leth were about, the Zith could be at an advantage, startling away the beasts and leaving only the horse-woman to defend herself.

Inirria held very still to listen, her fur rustling in the breeze as her head cocked to the side. She wanted to know if the human had seen her.

[Derailey]

Derailey kept her eyes moving, making sure to scan every approaching blade of grass, and every bird that touched the sky. She would not be caught off guard again, for whatever unkown thing was near. Life was too easy of a thing to lose out here in the Sea Of Grass, she knew this all too well, as she had spent her whole life among the flowing green. So, her body felt a little tenser as she and the group moved swiftly through the sweltering heat, and steadily shortening grasses.

She knew they were moving to slow now. 'If' they were being stalked, which Derailey felt this slightest suspicion they were, they would have to quicken their pacing and hope to break any trail that might be leading to their slow decent. She did what came naturally to her when she wanted to go fast. She swung herself up onto Chel, getting a better view over the grasses, which left little room for any 'deadly' creature to manuever without being spotted.

She steered the large horse with the reigns easily, turning her to get a better view of everything around her. So far...she saw nothing, but her companions were far too uneasy for their not to be something to worry about. She whistled to Solo for him to follow as she started Chel on an easy trot, the ground breaking under the pressure of her hooves.

[Inirria]

Inirria heard their pace quicken, and sensed that the human was no longer on the ground; the Zith could no longer hear her footsteps. She chirped a word in Zithanese and took the risk of being seen when she poked her head out of the grasses. The people were moving away, and she felt even more wary now. A higher vantage point was afforded to the Drykas, for she had mounted the horse. Now, the Drykas could have her horse gallop away, and while Inirria could keep up with flying, she'd be very visible.

The Zith, deciding to do something reckless, removed her bow from her harness and a single arrow, creeping into the open and aiming from behind the Drykas. With a blood-curdling shriek, she fired off her arrow, missing the Drykas, and scrambled back into the long grass to get low and hide. Hopefully, she scared the wits out of the Drykas, her horse, or even her dog.

She once again crouched low to the ground, her large wings half spread, and waited to hear what the reaction to her latest action had caused. This was an extremely fun, extremely dangerous, game.

[Derailey]

Derailey wasn't ready for the sudden scream that pierced her eardrums, or the arrow that flew passed her head and stuck into the ground in front of her party. Chel's eyes widened, and she rose off of the ground, and onto her hind legs crying out loudly. It took everything Derailey had to settles all four of her feet back onto the ground and keep them there. She could hear Solo growling loudly, barking at the grasses behind them. Calming Chel down enough, she jumped off of the horse and onto the ground. She could have sworn she had seen something move into one of the larger patches of bush.

She kept her eyes on the patch, advancing towards it with her large unsheathed knife, Solo right next to her, ready to attack at any moment. As soon as she was close enough to the grass, she swept the blade across it, cutting down about half of the stocks. She gripped her knife tightly, keeping it close to her body.

[Inirria]

Inirria laughed as she heard the cacophony of sounds from her sudden scream and arrow. The horse sounded terrified, the dog extremely angry, but quite abruptly... The horse seemed to quiet. The dog never shut up, but the quieting of the horse could be seen as ominous, even to the Zith. So she crouched, listening closely with her claws depressing the earth. The dog was growling, and now Inirria caught the footsteps of the human coming right at her. Inwardly, she snarled. She hadn't taken care to not be seen, and the human had caught sight of her or something.

Dark fur bristled as blood red eyes glowed brightly. She tensed up and her wings stiffened in preparation to lunge out and knock the human over and go after the dog or horse. The flash of the blade startled her, however, and she hissed between her sharp fangs angrily. She kept her eyes on the wrist holding the blade and slashed out at it, exposing the furry arm as her claws aimed to disarm the Drykas before retreating. She had to be ready now. The woman had a dog, and she had to be careful.

It was too late, in her opinion, to turn back. Humans and Zith never got along in her experience, and this one would try to kill her now that she saw her.