[Creep on me]Footsteps in the Mist

[Sairque]

Summer 84, 511 AV Never before had so many frustrating events occurred between market days. The seventieth day of summer had been promising, the Courtyard bustling with life and patrons interested in purchasing her expedition services. That had been the first mistake. Accepting a job from a foreigner. He hadn’t understood that she wasn’t there to wait on him hand and foot, or that she had to go hunting for food other than what she was to feed him. Which was nothing more than wild vegetables and rabbit. After two days of incessant griping, she gave him the opportunity to find his way back to the mountain by himself. Good thing she’d bagged a few good sized kills to fill up her quota because the following seven days had her stuck in the mountain trying to find productive jobs for several Endal that had gotten into a bad brawl with a couple of highly trained visitors. One of them had been abandoned by his Eagle and with his recently dismembered torso, had little hope of surviving among the Dek. So she’d abandoned her stall at the market on the seventy ninth and packed for a ten day hunting excursion. They’d passed Denval some days ago and once the woman felt like civilization was far enough behind, they’d spent a full day observing an area for signs of wildlife and, more importantly, predators that would have little trouble with a lone Inarta. The foliage draped in heavy and thick bands over the land, and while they were both leery of entering such a mysterious area, the scattered openings and glades teemed with acceptable life. All except for the giant, civilized furry apes. Not many Jamoura wandered on over to Wind Reach, and while Sai had no idea what or who they were, she’d heard stories from other hunters about sometimes seeing these beings while on extended hunting trips. She had no idea where they lived, exactly, choosing to stay what she hoped was a respectful distance away from any large groups of them. They didn’t seem interested in her, however, if they even noticed the short forays into the glades to take a game animal before mounting her winged companion and heading once more for the skies. It was the disruption of one of these brief visits to the lush earth that engendered an interest in searching out the inhabitants of this strange, wet land. Crouched, focusing on measured, silent breaths to keep from moving a muscle, the wiry redheaded hunter ignored the burning in her arms as she waited for a mid-sized ungulant to stop dawdling behind a tree and finish moving into the meadow. Long bow drawn and ready, the seconds ticked by until only the feel of rushing air through her throat and the steady In Out In Out chant directing the breaths encompassed the entirety of her existence staring at the hind quarts of the animal. When it suddenly tensed and somehow folded into nothing at the base of the tree, Sai had been sure she’d just startled it. Unsteadily releasing the tension on the bow, the arrow found its way back into the nearly empty quiver. Do not move, Catabasis ordered, in that tone reserved for dire situations that required utmost obedience. Sai froze, mid step and fearing she’d just become something’s prey. The bow waited uselessly over one shoulder, a knife just out of reach with the way her arms had frozen mid-swing. Do you see anything? he asked a second later. Sai peered into the nearby vegetation, not daring to move her head to either side. Swallowing hard, narrowed eyes scouring for any signs of movement, the woman felt a chill run up her spine. Nothing. The fog is getting too thick. What she expected for an answer, however, was not an Eagle with a forty foot wingspan letting out a piercing way cry right above her head. The sound climbed up her nerves, reverberated off the moist particles in the air and deafened her. Hands flew to her ears and her shoulders instinctively hunched up protectively. Even as the knee jerk reaction occurred, Sai knew she’d messed up. But by the time she’d regained control, the foliage was already rustling, something moving with the intent and drive of a hungry predator closing in on prey. The warning Catabasis had sounded didn’t work, apparently, on scaring the thing off. With no idea what it could be, Sai burst into a retreat, scrambling to keep a hold on her weapons as she sprinted not directly away from the thing along where she remembered the tree line being but at an angle toward it, toward the safety of the open meadow. Catabasis screeched overhead again, and the white wall of fog turned gray. A dark blur leapt toward her and Sai felt the satisfaction of her hastily retrieved knife biting in deep. She only recognized her adversary being her Eagle’s talons after she was already clearing the tree tops. Dangling upside down, hair and bow whipping with each beat of those wings, his thick blood coated her in warm comfort. With their focus so tightly intertwined on one another in those moments, thoughts and images passed between them with little volition. A dark sinewy beast with large teeth and claws had been down there. She was sorry for cutting him, and he was sorry for not recognizing the thing as a threat to begin with. His attention turned toward returning to their perch and hers to not vomiting from motion sickness. Still, both noticed the lay of the fog and concentration of it where she guestimated the ape home to be. And that led them to setting off the next morning toward it with the hopes of finding somewhere to land and someone to talk to. What exactly they wanted to do, neither knew. Maybe check with the monkeys, learn about the coal-cat, as they’d come to refer to it as. Neither mentioned the trepidation at entering the concentration of fog and inexplicable sense that the apes hadn’t fared well.

OOC :

Let me know what I need to change...I just tried to justify her presence here and visiting the Jamoura city.

[Creeper]

Shurk had watched the bird rider land just outside the city, with a nearness that suggested she vaguely knew where The Hidden City was located. But Shurk did not recognize her, and like all those within the Hahk'Shatara, he knew every face that had ever set foot in their city. He approached silently, blending in with the trees as his fur does as naturally as breathing. He watched every movement, took in every detail. One would be surprised at how much you could learn just by observing closely. Her hair was a deep red, much akin to the bark of the trees in the forest. He noticed that her right hand was heavily scarred, and he surmised it to be from a bird's talons. All of this combined with her golden eyes and large avian companion, he could only surmise one thing. She was an Eagle Rider from Mount Skyinarta. He would have to be wary. Several of the crimson haired Eagle Riders had visited before, but most had a sour attitude about them. As if they were the gods of all creation, ruling all that they saw. Was it pride? Or merely them being pompous? He shook off the improper judgments. They were not fitting one such as himself. He continued to watch his quarry, more importantly the avian friend. He could tell that it was injured, but not by creature. He sniffed the air, as he had positioned himself downwind of the pair. The blood didn't smell immediately fresh, and clearly didn't impede his ability to fly. He sensed a few of his brothers had joined him in watching the pair. Normally, they would wait for the visitor to enter the city before greeting, but there had been a major catastrophe the day before, and the city was in a state of mourning and disarray. She would receive a greeting none had received in the past. He watched as she continued to walk into the thick mist, and he nodded his head at his brothers. They all jumped down, approaching the pair from separate directions, all of them with outstretched palms, hoping to not startle her. He knew that four large Jamoura would intimidate most, with or without giant eagles. All four of them carried large wooden staves on their backs, thick, with intricate carvings in them. Shurk approached them from the front, his voice deep, booming, resonating, "Welcome young Eagle Rider. I wish you could have---" He trailed off as his eyes took in a new observation of the woman. He saw several short, fine hairs upon her midsection, hairs that would easily go unnoticed by most. These hairs were black as a Lethless night. "Apologies, but it appears that you have met that which has plagued our city for the last day. I am Shurk, a protector of this forest. As I was saying, I wish you could have arrived in a time more peaceful. But it was not to be, it seems. You and your friend have met the Mist Stalkers yes? And yet, you appear mostly unscathed, with some exception." He nodded toward the bird's wound and continued, "You must show me where you found the creature, they left the city yesterday, and I do not wish to have tragedy upon us once more." He wished he could be more polite, but this was a state of emergency. His brothers kept a safe distance from the Eagle so as to not spook it unduly. They did not wish for more bloodshed, for the roots were feeding on enough of it already. They assumed this to be a trial by Caiyha, but some of them wondered if it was a bit too heavy handed. Shurk smiled, baring his large teeth and fangs, "What are your names, young Inarta and proud Eagle?"

[Sairque]

They circled low for a long while, the Eagle unwilling to land until he was comfortable with what details could be gleaned through the trees. There was no creature with sharper eyes, but thick forest proved challenging. The mist did not help. Sai used this time to take a bearing for where Catabasis and she guestimated the hidden city to be. When finally they landed, he made his Rider stay seated for several chimes more, gleaning what details could be from this new perspective. Within the embrace of the forest, this lush world opened up to him. Many creatures fled from the giant predator, but he stayed silent and still, watching their gradual return. No coal-cats made appearances, and no prey species seemed agitated beyond the unsettling experience of a mammoth Eagle sweeping in. Sairque, even through her own impatience to approach the city, could feel his anxiety with the density of the stands surrounding their small glade. His foot did not pain him, the wound was no more than what he sustained on hunts for bears or walruses, but he did not want a repeat of what led to it. The petite redhead checked her arrows, daggers and slid from her seat. Landing nimbly, arrow found sting quickly, and she waited more long moments to see if anything would stir at the appearance of prey significantly smaller than Catabasis. His talons dug into the thick duff, ready. Fishing out the compass, she realized that navigating thick terrain like this was significantly different than the barren heights near Skyinarta. Sure, she could keep the needle in the arrow, but she couldn’t walk through trees. Thankfully, the bearing was rough already, so she had no expectations of actually making it right to the gates. If the denizens here had gates. Taking the bow in one hand, arrow still knocked, the resourceful little woman lifted the navigation tool and found what tree it pointed to from this location. The fog would also prove problematic in this regard, if it swallowed up trees that she needed. With one last look at her companion, who through necessity would be remaining behind, she snapped the case shut and took her first step into the depths. Immersed in checking her bearing, tree to tree, and keeping a watchful eye out for coal-cats, time ticked immeasurably for the Endal. It felt like she’d only been walking for mere chimes when Catabasis reared in the back of her mind. Prepare yourself, you are surrounded. Just like the day before, Sai could tell that he did not know for sure what she faced, and the unknown lifted the hairs on the back of her head. As the leader of the party, no more than a dark blur on her periphery, stepped out, the woman swiveled, arrow pointed at his chest. The fur of these creatures had confused the Eagle, as he caught mere glimpse of motion and color, no definite shape. Sai dropped the point through goodwill, although she remained taut as one would expect a small human to be in the face of four large creatures such as these. Anxious glances of gold taking in each delegate. His common was impeccable and the language structure clearly eased her nerves. Fiddling with the small metal device attached by leather throng to her wrist, Sai eased the arrow back in her quiver. She didn’t seem surprised by the bypass of manners in favor of the matter at hand. “Mist Stalkers? Yes…yes, we’ve been calling them coal-cats. We only ran into one, we think. He was too quick and we’d never seen anything like him.” She was surprised to find that she was still within sight of Catabasis. The density of the trees played havoc on her neophyte navigation skills. “Catabasis,” she nodded to the Eagle by way of introduction, “took a hit meant for the Stalker when he plucked me from its claws.” She turned and led the spokesperson back to her companion, who bobbed low to fix one huge eye on him in study. Taking in the signifiers that would help him recognize this species more readily in the future. The Eagle, having access to previous lives and an entire network of his race, knew significantly more of the Jamoura than his little companion, but this was still his first close encounter. “I’m Sairque. Catabasis wishes me to let you know that he would have preferred to make acquaintance with your people on a happier occasion. We’re both at your disposal to aid in any way we can. I’ll figure out the direction we must travel to get to the site of our attack yesterday.” Of course, the Eagle could have said this all himself, but...perhaps this wasn’t the best time for such things. The little woman fiddled with the compass for several chimes, with much body language that hinted at argument with the giant avian creature that just reeked patient amusement. He supplied an image of their descent and tried walking her through triangulating the location based on their current placement in relation to the dense covering of fog denoting the city. After much correction and several baleful glares, Sai turned back to their hosts. She pointed in an easterly direction. “Do you know of a series of three long meadows in that direction, not far from here? That’s where we were.”

[Creeper]

Shurk knew the location, as did his brothers-in-arms. It was dangerously close to a section of the forest all Jamoura were taught to avoid. They knew it as the Kamor'ajan, there being no proper translation in the Common tongue. He considered the situation at hand. He knew anyone who ventured into that section of the forest often died or was maimed. But if the Miststalkers kept their den there, they would need to know exactly where. He picked his words carefully, choosing to leave nothing out. "We know that area, it is near the Kamor'ajan. I fear the situation may be more dire than we expected. That area is dangerous, beyond anything else in the region. If the Miststalkers, are holed up there, we need to find out for certain." He then turned toward Catabasis, "Would you mind scouting the area ahead for us? We will take your Rider with us, and protect her with our very lives. I ask that you scout all of the clearings in the area that you described. We will meet you there." Catabasis would be a bit concerned, but knew of the trustworthiness of the Jamoura and would allow it. Shurk nodded at his brothers, and two scrambled up the trees. They would be watching over Sairque and the remaining two Jamoura from above. Shurk looked at the spry, crimson headed woman, "If you can, move as silently as possible without falling behind." Shurk would lead the group, with the other falling behind her. They would move with an alarming speed, yet almost totally silent. If Sairque weren't paying attention, she would forget that she wasn't alone. The group would arrive at the clearing, and Shurk would immediately begin investigating the ground, the mist that was there earlier, gone now. He summoned Sairque over and pointed at the heavy indents in the ground. She would see that the front paws were larger than the hind, and that they were deep in the ground. "See the depth? That means this is one of the larger ones, possibly the Alpha, there were only two sets of tracks back in the city this size." Shurk would allow Sairque to follow the tracks, that would lead northward. The tracks would lead to a game trail just hidden in the trees, and Sairque would discover dozens of similar tracks, all smaller, but indicating that those that had fled the city, had come this way. Shurk shook his head. His fears had been confirmed, they were heading straight for the Kamor'ajan. He looked up into the trees, seeing where his brothers were hidden. Sairque, however would continue following the tracks, so absorbed in the gravity in the situation, she left the Jamoura behind. She heard Shurk's voice north of her, "Here, this way. Come this way, quickly."

[Sairque]

Fog billowed, roiling with sticky abandon as massive wings pumped. Vegetation laid flat under the onslaught, but Sai weathered it as standard procedure, standing small and forlorn as he circled once and disappeared. Golden hues, miniscule versions of his, followed his trajectory for several ticks afterwards, as though she could actually see him winging east. An inky thread pulled taut, quivering with communication. Thick, bulky shadows disappeared as she turned to follow the spokesape toward the Kamor’ajan. The Kamor’ajan, it hissed on the tongue. Within moments, arrows and bow had been secured, the little woman only as loud as her breathing and footsteps. With his order in mind, she took up position directly following. Most of her hunting had involved ambush tactics, stalking had been more something she did to prank Addy. He moved like silk, over traps of dried duff and through thickened vegetation without catching and snapping anything. It wasn’t hard to be quiet on the austere ridges elk and goat frequented. This thick forest, as with navigation, was another story. Brittle twigs were passed over in favor of forgiving earth or moist vegetation, roots or rocks. Sai’s blundering quieted considerably as she watched Shurk’s choice in steps. Complete silence, comparable to the Jamoura’s, would have sacrificed mobility, so frequent pops announced her presence as she moved as quickly as they. The little redhead, nimble and confident, cut through the forest, fear of miststalkers long gone as she focused on the more experienced shadows moving like black mist toward their destination. When Shurk stopped, Sai stepped to his side, but her eyes zipped through the trees, gaze unseeing but pupils following a pattern of Eagle flight. He might as well have been lounging in his aerie for all the anxiety he felt at their current mission. Comforted, amused even, Sai dropped to her haunches and listened to Shurk’s information. One small and bony hand covered a paw mark, and she felt the way they had impacted and pushed off the ground. Two sets in the city, only one set here. Was it following them? Creeping along with careful attention to the movements and pauses in the tracks, anomalies in their pattern, the jackpot of smaller tracks immediately had her following along. She practiced moving quietly, paying attention to the individual paths of the cats. They frequently pushed off one another, as though they’d two cats had come side-by-side and tussled to see who would move ahead. Maybe playing, maybe something else entirely. When Shurk’s voice rumbled through the trees and she glanced up to find herself alone, a faint uneasiness crushed her stomach. With attention to silence, and anything strange in the tracks that she followed over moving north to her companions, Sai felt Catabasis winging back toward them. Mission returning no visual. Aware that she’d been separated, if only momentarily, he kicked up the pace as she scrutinized vegetation for the Jamoura that faded in so easily.

[Creeper]

When Catabasis arrived at the clearing, he would find two of the Hahk'Shatara there, waiting, probably for him. So as to not startle the massive predator, one stepped forward, "Your rider, Shurk, and Lergh went north. I have heard that your kind and hers share a bond, so I'm sure you are aware." Catabasis would see one of the Hahk'Shatara looking around, as if he sensed something amiss. They were not comfortable being even this close to the Kamor'ajan. The one that spoke moments before started once more, "The Kamor'ajan is believed to be an area of the forest cursed by Caiyha herself. None, save perhaps the Goddess herself, know the origin or the reasoning for the area's existence. Many of the foolish have tread through that ground, and only one has ever returned, his body broken and his mind addled. We teach the little ones to avoid that dark land. I pray that none here have to enter that accursed area." Sairque would hear Shurk's voice once more, just a little further ahead of her, "Come Rider, come." It sounded insistent, as if she would be in danger if she didn't. Another Jamoura's voice broke through fog, "Sairque, follow us, hurry, we are in danger, we think you are being stalked." Upon hearing confirmation from Catabasis, she'd know the Jamoura were with her. After all, getting separated in the Fog was very easy. If she headed into the fog, following the voices of her companions, she would continue to always just be out of view, always one step behind. "Hurry, hurry Rider." Catabasis was growing ever more nervous that the Jamoura hadn't regrouped with his Rider. Something felt wrong about this whole situation, his calm demeanor fading fast. Even with his sharp eyes, he couldn't be sure if he could see figures darting through the mist, or if it was merely a tumble of the wind. Sairque would hear the faintest of wing flaps, of a bird designed to be silent. Any other race wouldn't have detected it, but the sound of feathered beats would always be noticeable to the Endal. She stopped, the voices still continuing ahead of her. A pure black feather floated down in front of her, and by a subtlety in the air, the fog parted just beneath it as it descended. It reached the ground, and kept on going into darkness. A strong hand grabbed her by the back of her clothing, pulling her back. It was Shurk, with a finger raised to his lips. Sairque could smell blood on him, and wouldn't know who or what it belonged to. In barely a breath of a whisper, "Make no noise, we are surrounded."

[Sairque]

Catabasis didn’t respond to the Hahk’Shatara at first, he fixed one great golden on the jittery speaker and shifted his footing, talons pulling out of the deep trenches created upon landing. Wicked claws glinted almost deliberately when he took off again. As he wheeled overhead, prompted to follow the bond and locate his Rider by suspicions of foulness above and beyond Mist Stalkers, he deigned say one thing to the messenger. His voice reverberated through the Jamoura’s skull, palpable. If the danger is great, why do you tarry to tell me such trifling things? You’ve sent helping hands into peril you do not enter yourselves, to save your own city. If the Mist Stalkers live within the Kamor’ajan, will you dally out here while my Rider— The Jamoura’s mind cleared with abrupt freedom. A Wind Eagle’s full telepathic attention was a terrible gift rarely bestowed on non-Inarta. Sai, meanwhile, felt it center fully upon her, and had the situation not been so dire, she would have smiled at its familiar burden. He’d relayed the news that at least two Jamoura were with her, but that didn’t stop her from realizing the true situation now matter how much it conflicted. Shurk had tucked her against him, and he loomed over the petite redhead like someone else’s shadow. There was something comforting in having something so solid protect her back and flanks, but she also felt distinctly cut off from full situational awareness. She didn’t answer beyond palming a dagger out of her sash and shifting her stance into readiness. The blood could be Shurk, Mist Stalker, or another Jamoura. In the moment of clarity offered by that mysterious feather, she’d realized the voices beckoning her weren’t right. Shurk’s immediate appearance at her back confirmed things. They’d summoned her to move too quickly without the normal establishment of sight upon one another. And there were at least two, whatever they were, ahead of her, from the differences in voice. She said a quick prayer thank whatever bird that had been. We’re being herded, she told her Eagle, by other Jamoura. Come, what’s ahead of us? Not Jamoura, he corrected, eating up the distance between the clearing and his imperiled Rider. Something good came of those Jamoura abandoning Shurk and Sai, after all. He felt her exact location as he passed high above. In caution, he stayed well above the canopy, scouring the land north of the party for obvious signs of ambush, trap, or death by other means. His Rider, frozen, peered into the fog for signs of their assailants. She also checked the earth beneath their feet for continued signs of Mist Stalkers. The Eagle’s attention left hers momentarily as he relayed the situation back to the two waiting in the clearing. If something didn’t happen soon, they’d either have to attempt a retreat or formulate a plan for continuing on in search of the Mist Stalker source.

[Creeper]

Shurk slowly bent down and picked up the ebony feather, holding it up for both him and the Inarta to see. The feather appeared to be similar to that of an owl's in everything but color. Shurk knew that this was why the bird flew with a near silence, and he knew that this was known as the Mock Raven. Whispering into her ear, "If you cannot see what is making the sound, out here, do not trust it. These woods are full of trickery and deceit. These Mock Ravens are the most tame of those within here." He swung a heavy arm in front of them, the wind from the limb clearing away a brief stint of fog. There was a deep pit in front of them, less than a stride from where she had been walking. It appeared to be a sinkhole, formed by the death of a root system of a fallen tree. Sairque would see many bones littered within it, skulls of people and animal alike. "They feast upon the fallen, but will not attack directly. There must be a flock nearby, Lergh lost his head, and fell in another of these sinkholes. We must move on, those tracks belong to the Miststalker, and look to head deeper in, heading north. You follow those, I will be your eyes and ears on everything else." Shurk would make it a point to stay near the crimson head in his charge. Lergh would be missed, but he'd always been a bit careless, just like those two that had been charged to stay with her eagle. The Hahk'Shatara would eagerly sacrifice themselves for visitors to the forest, but sometimes the urge to protect trumped their ability to think with a clear head. The tracks would draw them deeper into the cursed wood, the fog was beginning to clear, but the forest grew thicker, darker. Catabasis would no longer be able to see into this section of the forest. Several times they heard various voices, sometimes their own, sometimes of people they'd never heard, but all fell on Shurk's deaf ears. The Mock Ravens would claim no more this day. The tracks led them to a stream, simple, babbling, flowing. The tracks disappeared into the water, and they were not seen on the other side. That could only mean that the pair of Miststalkers had traveled with the stream, but which way? Northwest with the current? Or Southeast against it? Sairque's keen eyes would also notice flecks of gold, only in the prints on the creek's edge, flecks she hadn't seen moments before.

[Capricious]

As Sairque has not been active since November, this moderated thread is being closed. Should Sairque return, it will be graded as is.