[Flashback]Walking and Waiting[Fela Meason]

[Ssafirsotibones]

38 Summer 508 Today was just another day for Bones. He had gone for a bit of a walk through the city of illusions, seeing many a sight. The magic at work here was one reason that he had chosen Alvadas. People could not be sure if what they saw was real, or an illusion. This made it much easier for undesirable races to live. But he had seen enough, and decided to once more venture outside, away from the others there, and away from the humans that so hated him. Though not just him, they distrusted all of his kind. He was not sure were he wanted to go, he simply let his feet carry him. As always he was sparsely dressed, making it all the easier to disrobe if he was to transform. Though that was not often safe to do within sight of anyone. With his gladius and his pack on his back, he moved on, walking and walking. Finally he decided to go hunting. He found a nice quiet clearing, and settled down. He would wait for something to pique his senses, and then go after it. Though there was not all that much wildlife in the area of Alvadas. But eventually something would come along, giving him something to do.

[Fela Meason]

38th Day of Summer, 508 AV The outskirts of Alvadas were very quiet today, the only noises were the footsteps of the young Kelvic as she made her way towards the mountains of the west. Fela was puzzled by the lack of sounds, the further she walked the fewer houses she saw and the more trees materialized and blocked her view. The silence was deafening in its own way. She stained her ears for any sign of life, the smallest brush against a tree, the crunch of leaves and twigs or the beat of an animals heart. At last a sound, a twig snapped off to her right. Fela concentrated all her senses in that direction and sunk low to the ground. My first hunt. She whispered through her mind. Fela willed her body to change, to start the shift from young girl to animal. In a silent show of light her body shifted, bones bending and reforming, claws extended and teeth elongated. The entire process was completely painless. Fela flexed her claws in the dirt and thought about how good it felt again to be in her own skin. Moving through the trees careful to make as little noise as possible Fela scanned the tree line for any sign of movement. Through the leaves a flash of tan skin caught her eye and drew her closer. The trees thinned and soon she found herself in a clearing without any cover and eye to eye with a feral looking man. Silver eyes stared back at her, narrowed and hungry.

[Ssafirsotibones]

As bones sat there, he decided to get a bit more comfortable. He kicked off his sandals, and stowed them in his pack. Next he took off his robe, stuffing it away also. This would reveal his lean compact muscles, covering his arms, and his skin which appeared tan, though in fact it was just pigmented that way. As he sat, he relaxed, with his gladius still strapped to him by a leather strap across his torso. However he did sense something approaching, which he could not put his finger on it. Darting his tongue out for a moment, he tasted something in the air, but was not sure what. Before he could investigate more though, a jaguar came out into the clearing. Looking at her, he watched her for movement. It seemed a bit of an odd animal for him to meet here, as he was pretty sure they were not native here. They were more common back were he was from, in Falyndar. Still though, it was best to be cautious, and he raised one hand up to the hilt of his weapon. Still looking it in the eyes, he spoke quietly to it, in his slow sibilant speech. "Hello there.... Ssseemsss like an odd place to meet one of your kind... Are you looking for a fight? Or do you have a deass wisssh?.. Either way, I am not a good perssson to crossss..."

[Fela Meason]

38th Day of Summer, 508 AV Fela listened to the man speak and tilted her head to the side. The way he said his words had a strange lisp to them, she had never heard itbefore and it sounded wonderfully playful to her ears. She had to hear more. Slowly she made her way through the clearing with a friendly jaunt in her step, she made sure to show no aggression towards the man. Well, I can't really speak to him, but still an investigation is in order. Fela made sure to not go where he could not see and to not bare any teeth at the strange man, instead she pulled in really close and inhaled deeply of his skin. He was musky and clearly not human. He pulled back from her reach. Every action the man preformed was both aggressive and defensive. The young cat knew that the best option would be to flee but something about the man held her interest and kept her feet in their place. His strange smell prompted her to know more. In a blinding show of light Fela changed back to her human form and stayed low to the ground in the clearing. She turned up eyes up to the man and smiled at him. What's your name mister? Fela sat down cross legged in the field and relaxed. This man sure seems strange, but I don't think he is dangerous. Fela thought to her self. She waited for a response and busied herself with batting at a tall weeds in the clearing with a delightful giggle tumbling from her lips.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones watched as the animal moved around. She seemed to be more inquisitive than violent, and did not seem to be hunting. Though Bones did not let down his guard, and was still holding his gladius' hilt ready to draw it. He was a bit surprised when she changed into a person, and stood there before him naked. However from his own snake forms, he was familiar enough with nudity that this part did not bother him. He was simply surprised to find a kelvic here, changing form, were he thought previously there was an animal. "My name? I am Boness... and you?.." Seeing she was sitting now, he sat himself, and lowered his arm, though he still kept aware of what was going on. Best to be cautious. As she played with a bit of weed, he looked her over, and gave off a rare smile in response to her giggle. Though to most this smile would be more creepy than nice, as he almost never made such an expression, and was not practiced at it. "Ssso, what are you doing out here, young one?..."

[Fela Meason]

38th Day of Summer, 508 AV Fela pulled herself away from staring at the weeds and looked at the man in front of her, he said his name was bones. Fela cocked her head to the side, again puzzled by his odd accent. He flashed teeth at her, her first thought was that he was warning her to back off, then she realized it was a smile. More of a grimace, but a smile none the less. My name? My mother calls me Fela. She named me for her sister who died last year. Old age got her. Fela sighed deeply. It was quite sad, I did not know her but from what my mother tells me they were very close. She weeps daily for her and drugs herself into a stupor. The young girl shrugged her shoulders and busied herself another piece of grass. Ssso, what are you doing out here, young one? He asked in his strange hissy accent. Fela stared off into the distance as she replied, I had some free time away from my...She paused...family and thought I would get some alone time in the woods. The last few days had been a whirlwind for her. If she did not return soon to the Bizarre she knew her punishment would be grand. She was a slave now, plain and simple. Once they found she had snuck away they would surly send out guards to find her. That poor blind girl, she left her all alone. She wanted to not resent her, instead Fela felt sorry for the girl. At the same time she did not like being held captive. She cursed her mother in her own mind and tried to control her own emotions. She looked at Bones and asked, What about you? Here to drown your sorrows in nature's embrace?

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones listened to the girl, as she spoke and answered some of her questions... He paid attention to some of it, and some he did not. As he drifted in and out of the conversation, he continued to look around at the wild. This was his true home, out in nature. "Fela... nice to meet you... Deass... It is never nice when it isss sssomeone you know... Ssough it is a part of life, it must happen..." "I do not understand ssat, doesss ssshe hope by doing ssis ssshe will be returned? Ssat is one part of humansss I don't understand... Once sssomeone passes on, they return to the cycle... clinging to them only hurts you..." It seemed she was not the most happy person, and not happy with her home life... "My sssorrowsss? I do not believe I have ssem... I sssimply enjoy being out in nature, feeling a connection to life... And sssometimesss I hunt... It isss good for filling my belly, and to sssee the land..."

[Fela Meason]

38th Day of Summer, 508 AV Fela smiled. That's one way to look at life, if only their weren't sorrows. She was very young and had already felt the sharp sting of life. Fela pulled herself to her feet and glanced around the forest. She could hear birds stirring in the trees once more, small furry animals running to and fro. She wished to give chase. She had already burned her entire large breakfast from her earlier transformation and was already feeling sluggish. The grass felt good under her feet, the air on her sensitive skin. She grinned back to the man sitting on the ground. How about a hunt? Fela shifted back to animal and shook out her fur. She felt the weakness in her limbs, but if she could catch something not only would she prove herself as an animal but also as a hunter. Her muscles bunched and she prepared herself for a good run.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones looked over at the girl... Sorrows... He just did not think his mind worked that way.... Humans, so full of emotions, always pining over the past.... What was the point... You could do nothing about it, best to move on and worry on the moment... These silly little humans, running around in there short little lives... Especially kelvics, there lives were even shorter, and yet they wasted so much... He had his own pace at life, and let things happened as they would. Best not to fight life. "A hunt? Yesss maybe I could find sssomessing to go after.... Give me a moment, and I will transssform... Then we can go." Taking off his pants, and setting them in his bag, he put his things aside, and began to change into his dhani form. His transforming was not as fast as a kelvics, and you could see his body slowly shifting. First his small bit of hair shrunk back into his body, and his skin became a bit more scaly. His torso and arms remained mostly the same, however his legs slowly fused into each other, and his head elongated becoming more snakelike. His nose flattened to his face, and his head became more scaly, and as the legs fused they also stretched out. Finally his tail stretched far out behind him, longer than his entire body had been before. His head looked like that of a snake, with fangs, two flat wholes for nostrils, and a long snout-like head. Looking over at Fela, he gave an look at her, to see her reactions. Darting out his tongue, he tasted the air, checking around for scents. He could not sense anything near, but there were a few traces they could follow, of different animals.

[Fela Meason]

38th Day of Summer, 508 AV The young Kelvic looked on with fascination as the man stripped himself of his clothes and started the transformation. Fela thought about her own clothes that lie shredded in the woods, it wasn't much of a loss though. Her ragged clothes were the last remaining memory of her old life, with the exception of her mother's thurible. When she wandered back naked, after her scolding, the Kylin family would clothe her again and bathe her and feed her and tell her to never scare them again. She was a pet, a fancy sentient pet. Before her stood the snake in his full glory, snout long and square with flat holes for nostrils. Beautiful silver scales covered his muscular tale and stretched up his body fading into the flesh of his human half. It was fascinating to watch. Her curious nature was well pleased with the show he had put on. She trotted over to stand next to him and also scented the air hoping to catch a whiff of creature. The only scent was that of the man next to her. The musky scent of snakes had become stronger. The scent reminded you of dry river beds full of jagged rocks and dark caverns. Places were danger could not be seen until it was too late, too late to run and too late to hide. Places where you died. Simple. The cycle of life wasn't complicated. You ate things and things ate you. The air was still and Fela sensed nothing, nothing moved and not a sound could be heard save her breath quick in her chest. She willed her heart beat to slow down and started her slow stalk through the trees hoping the man would follow behind her. The young girls was not yet smart enough to know, never turn your back on a Dhani.