Once I saw the golden grass fly (Merenwen)[Mature]

[Erzotol Silverden]

Erzotol couldn't help but smirk at her suggestion of a bunny being beyond his capabilities, but the expression dissipated as her bare body brushed against him, most notably, his unarmored forearm, and he tensed up at the touch. It wasn't much that he didn't like the feel of her skin, which was quite soft, it was rather that it made him uncomfortable touching her so with no knowledge of her forthwith. He was not a man ruled by his passions or one to aimlessly perk up at the slightest of touches, but rather the ever wary cautious man, and though he tended to come off as rather soft towards women and more than eager to smooth talk them, around this one he felt on his guard for no reason in particular. She was like nothing he had ever experienced, stunning him at every turn, and yet also drawing his curiosity and keeping him interested, in a sort of mind paradox.

As she walked past him, he kept his eyes on the grass as if distracted, though he found the presence of mind to respond to her. " I and my hunk of metal will do just fine, I'm eager to see what you chase my way. I'm sure your talents are formidable. " he said, eyes grazing over the top of the grasses as he turned heel and followed her. " Indeed, I will be ready for any creature " was all he responded as he took his position a few paces ahead of his horse, standing easily in the waist high grass while he drew his blade from its leather scabbard with a hiss of steel. Oh great how it was to hunt again.

[Merenwen]

As Merenwen darted through the grass, she was disappointed he hadn't acted more unnerved at her bare touch. She continued long out in front of Erzotol, seeking with her ears pinned straight up, listening carefully for whatever was nearby. She wanted to find something fast to show off to him, to have him impressed by her hunting skills. But it seemed the little prey of the grasses were getting more clever and wary. Her padded feet made only the slightest of sounds as she crept through the grasses. The quiet shuffle of the blades around her subsided as she laid close to the ground, dragging her belly softly in the dirt.

She laid and listened, trying to practice what she preached about hunting requiring the utmost patience. This patience eluded her, however, and she continued out further. Almost as if an answering to her mental begging, she caught the sound of a hare. It was coming from her right, slowly, but surely.

As she listened more closely, she noted there to be more than one. A rather small group of them, perhaps abiding be the rule of safety in numbers. This would be their downfall. She wondered if Erzotol would be able to catch more than one of them. Hares were quick, and not to be undermined. This she had learned firsthand.

Just before the hares got close enough to see or sense her, she let out a loud, fierce yowl, and jumped through a layer of grass at them, sending them in Erzotol's direction. Primal, feral instincts taking over completely, she ran after the hares, tracking them through the grasses, herding the small company towards Erzotol. The bloodlust took her captive, and fueled her need to chase them, propelling her out after them.

[Erzotol Silverden]

He tried to keep his eyes on the kelvic until he could see her no more amongst the sheltering golden blades, and then he sighed, taking deep breaths, and setting himself more into the proper frame of mind. His skill with the sword was still yet amateur at best, but if he could scare the prey back towards his hunting partner, then the hunt might be successful just yet. The muscles in his arm tightened in preparation, and he held the sword, tip to the sky before him in his right hand, easily in a position to swing it before him, and maybe even catch whatever she chased his way.

It seemed to take a while before anything shifted amongst the grasses, but finally movement could be seen a distance ahead, though it was only slight, and could've been a phantom breeze he didn't feel. Still he prepared himself, clenching the hilt of the blade tight till his knuckles turned white, and just then on the ground he witnessed a flurry of movement ahead of him, multiple small animals that he couldn't rightly identify so quickly, and he swung his blade down in a arch before him, yelling loud in hopes to startle the beasts back toward Mae. He saw the forms quickly recede back the way they came, and he hoped the girl was ready for them. Despite his hopes though, he still stood at the ready, ready to try and slice any small furred animal that came back his way, and his eyes scanned the grass for any glimpse of Mae.

[Merenwen]

As Merenwen herded the small group of furries through the grass, she darted from side to side to keep them on the right path. She tuned in for any sound of Erzotol, and hoped she had them on a straight trek. As her muscles began to tire from sprinting, she heard Erzotol, at last, let out a beast of a yell. At first she could have sworn she heard the little animals' feet skid on the ground, but she centered her vision as they began to flitter back her way. With a massive clawed paw, she swatted one hare hard into the ground, and snatched another up in her teeth. The remaining hare darted back towards Erzotol.

Quickly as she saw the glint of his sword, she clamped down on one hare and clenched her claws into the other so as to wound it. She jumped back away, to give Erzotol room to swing as he might, without casualty. With a sharp, rigid motion, she shook the hare until she heard the audible snap of it's neck breaking. The coppery taste of blood oozed through her teeth as she laid down with the hare, leaving the second wounded animal for Erzotol to finish off.

[Erzotol Silverden]

Soon the girl, and the rabbits where once again so close that it was hard to bring his sword to bear against the easy prey, and the uninjured hare managed to slip to safety on his right before his lumbering swing of the sword could catch it. The next rabbit was a bit slower since the kelvic had injured it, limping its way along, and seeming quite awkward in its movements. He twisted his arm for a tight backhand swing, and the tip of his sword managed to clip the animal in its lower back, sending the poor beast sprawling out into the dust, unable to move, and he slowly walked over to finish it off, ending its pain. Over all the little excursion turned out to be quite in their favor, catching two out of the three hares that had been present, and he smiled satisfied as he stooped down, and picked up the animal by its hind legs, before turning on his heel to walk towards Mae.

He dropped his prize before the lynx girl, and then moved to sit down himself, falling into a crouch before settling back down on his elbows, still well in view of the girl. " Pretty good hunt I would say " he offered.

[Merenwen]

In a shimmer of light, Merenwen shifted back to her humanoid form. She crawled forward, dragging her belly along the ground. Without regard for how she might appear, she leaned over the pair of bloodied animals and breathed in the savory, rich scent of a fresh kill. The coppery scent of blood flooded into her nostrils, causing saliva to pool under her tongue. She propped up on her elbows and peered up at Erzotol from under her mess of hair, her golden green eyes searching his steely blue ones.

"I commend you. Lovely kill... Lovely."

Sweat from a hard sprint beaded her forehead and neck, trailing down her body to her thighs. Her hair was plastered to her face in places from the sweat and blood of the kill, hiding the tender olive skin of her cheeks and forehead. Parts of the smears were drying brown and sticking. She wiped the residue from her mouth the best she could manage, dragging the back of her forearm across her face.

At this, she snorted lightly. What did she care what Erzotol thought? She was an animal. She was supposed to kill. And if the sight of a kill's blood stained her face, he could get over it. What was she coming to?

[Erzotol Silverden]

The girl struck a curious picture laying there on the grass with blood smeared on her face, but the sight was not completely disquieting. She was after all, complementing him in a manner of speaking. " Most the cause of your hand, so credit goes to you as is due " he replied, gesturing back to her to enjoy her exploits, while he relaxed, his eyes never leaving hers. He hadn't really expected her to try and whip the gore from her face, if all he heard about kelvics where true, such wasn't a common action, but it was yet another thing that drew him to her, and he couldn't help but let his curiosity reflect in his eyes, as a mere gleam, easily mistaken as satisfaction for a hunt well done.

[Merenwen]

As Merenwen reached to the hare she had snapped up into her jaws, and dragged it towards her. With a long fingernail, she dug in one of the fang wounds, feeling the warmth of the inside of it's little neck. Remorse for the animal escaped her, as was the way of life. An endless food chain, a cycle constantly moving. She picked at the corpse with her nails, prying nonchalantly at the edges of the wounds.

"Hardly a bounty for you, though, yes? You're a man, much larger than myself. I love hares. They're a perfect small meal size. I do not find it wise to overstuff in case I need to run. You may keep them, if you so wish. They are easy to come by for me."

This man had been exceptionally kind to her, welcoming, even. She hadn't expected him to react in such a calm, respectable manner towards her. This perplexed her, and yet, pleased her. All the while, she grew irritated at his insouciance. Secretly, she wanted to rouse him, to provoke him into some manner of discomfort. She sat up onto her knees, looking like a ravenous animalistic beast-human, her hair in a mess, the blood and sweat showing clearly.

[Erzotol Silverden]

He scratched absent mindedly at the stubble on his chin, and continued to keep eye contact with the girl, his eyes never straying down. Curiosity surely begged him to, but his respect for women always had overridden that, and today would be no different so he thought no further on it, more concerned for the conventional company, and conversation at hand. " You should eat your fill first; I have plenty of my own food to keep me satisfied. The true reward for me was getting a chance to hunt " he replied, smoothing back a stray lock of hair with his hand.

True the pleasure of the hunt was among the greatest, and he very much enjoyed it, though he didn't support hunting simply for fun, and not food, and he supposed no one else on the sea of grass did either. Life was hard on the grass, who would find the time to hunt purely for pleasure anyways, it just seemed so impractical to him. Still this was a good hunt, and it was well worth it as long as one of them consumed the spoils and his eyes still on hers, he smiled.

[Merenwen]

Merenwen felt a little bad about wanting to take his offer of consuming both hares on her own, but she couldn't lie to herself. She knew she was hungry, and had been out in the grasses to search for food in the first place. Erzotol had seemingly enjoyed the simple joy of the hunt itself. As she continued to fiddle with the gashes in the skin of the first hare, she eyed him carefully. What was with this man? Wasting his time for the pleasure of a hunt with a random Kelvic woman?

Her eyes flickered down to the lifeless animal and back at Erzotol. She searched his face for a sort of expression, but he was a brick wall, it seemed. A stirring flooded her consciousness, making her shift uncomfortable. She wanted a reaction out of him. She pushed herself up onto her feet and looked down at the hares.

"As you wish. But how awkward to eat in front of you. I'm sure our habits are... Different, to say the least." Merenwen crossed her arms and looked at him through her mess of hair. "What brings you out here today, anyway, Erzotol?" She slinked past him, a little close for it to be just a coincidence. She stood just barely behind him, facing out overlooking the grass. Slowly she turned and looked down at him, over the top of his head and shoulder, thought circulating.