Hard Days on the Way to Nowhere (Talbot)

[Cicatrice]

Fall Day 29, 511 AV Cicatrice wondered how she ever could have been excited to start this journey. She had wanted so badly to leave Sunberth after the incident with her instructor that she had jumped at the chance to travel with Talbot. She hadn't expected the road to be so hard. Her companion had given her a breif explination on his trials into Sunberth, but it had done nothing to prepare the poor girl. She missed having a bed, feeling...relatively safe (as Sunberth was danger itself), and being able to eat what she wanted when she wanted. She had taken what was left at her house when she left, but it still had to be rationed until the two of them could restock in a city. And another thing she didn't really like about travelling. Neither Cicatrice or Talbot knew exactly where they were going. It could be days before they reached any form of civilization again. "....Have I mentioned how much I hate travelling?" She spoke to her companion, turning her head so she could see him, though her focus was pulled back to her horse rather quickly. She'd never ridden one before, and was finding it slightly more difficult than first thought. Thankfully the mare was rather docile, and didn't give her too much of a hassle. A tired huff left Cicatrice's lips, letting her head fall forward slightly. Half of her wanted to turn around and head back to Sunberth, but she knew that there was no chance in that. Not while Talcum was still around. Just thinking of the man made her mood spiral downwards, so thoughts along that line were pushed aside rather quickly, finding something to distract herself. "Talbot, you said you were a Kelvic, right?" She began, recalling that he had told her something along those lines the first time they had met. "What's your animal form?"

[Talbot]

Talbot spared Cicatrice a couple of side glances, fearing the girl would fall off and get trampled. Her complaints of travel were maddening enough; lugging around a dead weight at the same time would just do his head in. However, he would be lying if he said he didn't feel sorry for her. The girl had taken a blind step forward, agreeing to travel with Talbot. She gave up almost everything. He owed it to her to be tolerant. "You'll be fine. Just a few more days and we'll be able to get a decent bed," he said, hoping to instill some faith in her. He couldn't blame Cicatrice's mindset about travelling, admittedly he shared the same sentiment. But he hated to stay too long in one spot. He couldn't be sure if it was because he had an aptitude for exploration, or because he genuinely felt like he didn't belong. He sighed, involuntarily picturing himself almost completely withered from old age, still riding his horse on a road with no destination. He closed his eyes to get rid of the image. When he opened them again, his gaze was set upon Cicatrice. His expression softened when he remembered that he should be happy. In contrast to the many days he spent on the road alone, he now had someone he could call a friend at his side, and someone he could talk to. Just as he was about to speak, she brought rise to the topic of his racial traits. What was his animal form? To be honest, he wasn't sure. "Either a leopard or a jaguar," he replied. "I can't distinguish." Apart from a recent encounter, it had been some time since Talbot transformed. While musing the notion, an idea sprung to the forefront of his mind. "How would you like to see me in my animal form?" he asked Cicatrice. Of course, boasting his ability wasn't the incentive that brought the idea about, but the fact that their rations were starting to weigh light. On the offhand, it would probably bring some life back into the girl's lilac eyes.

[Cicatrice]

A leopard or a jaguar. Well, that explained why he reminded her so much of a cat in the way he carried himself. The girl found herself slightly jealous of the man's ability to change shape. It was probably a thrilling experience, to run on four paws, seeing things through the eyes of a wild animal. Though, she had read somewhere that Kelvic's didn't choose the animal they transform into; it's how they were born. What if she had gotten stuck with being a pig? Or worse, a rat? Suddenly she didn't feel so jealous anymore; Talbot had been lucky he was born as a predatory cat. Her inner musings stopped short when Talbot offered to let her see what his animal form looked like. The idea threw any thoughts of complaint out of her mind, a bright smile gracing her features. It seemed to even reach her eyes. "I would love to see you in your animal form!" She didn't try to keep her excitement out of her voice. The idea of being that close to a large cat, and knowing that she wouldn't be hurt; there was no way Cicatrice would pass up an opportunity like this. "You'll forgive me if I fawn over you the first few moments, right?" The girl slowed her horse to a stop, reasoning that Talbot needed to get off of his horse to transform. Which brought a thought to her; how would the horses react to the man turning into a predator? Talbot's own horse had probably seen him, and would be fine, but she had no idea what her own mare had been through. Had it seen a Kelvic transform before? And even if it had, would it be comfortable being around a large cat with sharp claws? She spared a glance down at the horse. "I have a feeling this is going to spook you, and I don't want to be riding you when it does." Her mare gave a soft snort, as if it were insulted, making the girl giggle slightly. "Do you think we should tether them before you turn into an overgrown kitten?"

[Talbot]

Talbot smiled to see Cicatrice lighten up for the first time since they embarked on their journey. He didn't think he could stand to see her brood for a moment longer. When she made mention of the horses' state of mind, he was surprised that the girl couldn't squelch her pragmatism, even in her excitement. "I don't think there will be anything strong enough to hold the horses from within leagues of here," he said, as he dismounted. "Luckily, I have some tack in one of my saddlebags. That way, hopefully they won't need to be tethered. Cheveyo knows what's good for him, anyway, so he won't try to run." He pulled out the tack and adjusted it over either horses' heads, blinding their lateral views. Talbot turned away and shrugged off his coat, tossing it over his horse's back. "You might want to look away," he advised, and soon his other clothes followed. Even if Cicatrice had decided to look, he didn't bother to hide himself. The process felt brief for the Kelvic, but he suspected that for the girl she would remember it lasting eons. At least that's how Talbot remembered his first time. In an instant, he was frothed in a blinding light, and just as quickly, the light dispersed to unveil a jaguar with its tail curled around its feet. Talbot produced a loud roar. OOCIn the likelihood that you got confused, Cheveyo is the name of my horse.

[Cicatrice]

Having the horse tack in place made Cicatrice more comfortable with her horse's reaction, patting the mare's neck gently. She wasn't sure if the horse wouldn't rear up on her, but she trusted Talbot's judgement on the matter. Besides, if his horse was calm around his animal form, it should keep her own from becoming too scared and bolting. She dismounted from her horse, standing a little ways away from the man. She had never seen a Kelvic transform before, so she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. The girl blinked quizzically as Talbot shed his jacket, quickly diverting her eyes as the rest of his clothes began to follow, her cheeks burning brightly. It wasn't until there was a flash of bright light that she brought her attention back, watching wide eyed as she lost her friend, and a large jaguar stood in his place. Cicatrice stood in a surprised stupor, letting her gaze wander over the beautiful spotted fur, broken out only by the deafening roar that erupted from the animal. It was hard to believe that this was still Talbot. The large smile returned to her features, taking the few steps to close the distance between the two. "By all that is divine and holy! Look at you!" She was pacing circles around Talbot, taking in his whole appearance. Now she understood why he had shed his clothing; his new size would have torn his clothes apart. Well, she was doing better with her reaction than she first though; at least she wasn't squealing. That would have been embarrassing. Cicatrice reached out and ran her hands down the jaguar's back, surprised at how soft his fur felt beneath her fingers. She let her hands wander up his back, tracing the base of his ears, forgetting for a moment that this was Talbot. "You're absolutely gorgeous~" It was a few moments before she came to te realization of what she was doing, feeling that all too familiar heat rise up into her cheeks. "Ah...sorry about that.." she apologized quickly, pulling her hands away from Talbot.

[Talbot]

OOCI had to edit this because I think I may have strayed from the general idea of a Kelvic's psychology. It only then occurred to Talbot that Cicatrice's small frame made her an ideal candidate for a meal, to his amusement. Luckily he was in his right mind not to pin her down and flay her alive. Thought he had no way of showing it, he was a little surprised when he felt Cicatrice gliding her hands through his fur and to hear her excited, appraising tone. After a while, he relaxed and closed his eyes to indicate that he was happy. He felt slightly disappointed when she pulled away; no one had tried to pet him before for obvious reasons, but he found that he liked it. Remembering the task he'd set himself as Talbot the Human, he stalked away into the tall grass.

[Cicatrice]

Cicatrice watched as Talbot the jaguar stalked off into the grass, leaving her alone with the two horses and all of their equipment. "Okay...I'll just keep watch over the horses than." She mumbled, turning to face the two animals. "Shouldn't be too hard." Her hands reached up, taking hold of the reigns, leading the animals off to one side of the road. In the unlikely event that someone else came traversing down this road, she didn't want to be blocking their path. With Talbot gone, Cicatrice realized just how quiet it was, the silence sitting heavily over her. With the natural hubbub of the city, the country side seemed eerily quiet. Frowning lightly, she went through her bag until she was holding her Estoc. She had never drawn the sword, but even just holding it gave her a sense of security. Just because she had never drawn the blade, it didn't mean she wasn't able to use it if threatened. With nothing to do but wait, she contented herself to pace impatiently.

[Talbot]

Talbot stretched himself out until he was lying flat in the grass, undetectable even from where Cicatrice was standing. He heard the grass rustle somewhere close by. Slowly, but carefully, Talbot crawled through the grass until it thinned out to a clearing, where a number of unsuspecting wild boars grazed on the vegetation around them. The kelvic bound on the closest boar from behind and submerged his teeth into the crown of its head until it sunk to the brain, killing it instantaneously. The other boars had scuttled away, but one would be sufficient for both Cicatrice and himself. Using his teeth like a vice, he dragged the carcass out onto the road where Cicatrice was waiting. Talbot's current form prohibited him from what he would have to do next, so he bound back into the grass to transform. When he crouched naked in the grass, he called out to Cicatrice. "Hey, I need my clothes!"

[Cicatrice]

Cicatrice heard the screech of a wild animal in the direction the Talbot jaguar had disappeared into, frowning lightly. Had he run into something vicious? Though it was unlikely that there was anything around here that would attack a giant cat. The more probably answer, she figured, was that Talbot had attacked something himself, which didn't worry her as much; not as much as the silence around her anyway. She heard Talbot's return before she actually saw him, and the dead boar he held clamped in his jaws. Well, now his actions made sense, though he could have told her he was going off to hunt. Her gaze was kept drawn to the dead animal after it had been dropped, only broken by Talbot's voice. "Oh, so your human again?" She asked, bundling up the requested clothes and tossing them over to the man. "Shame; you were better looking as a cat." The insult was meant as a joke, and she hoped that Talbot would take it as such.

[Talbot]

"Keep up the snarky comments and you won't have to rely on me for food anymore," Talbot quipped, although he knew she was just playing around. He hardly considered it an insult anyway, since the jaguar was his original form. He just preferred living as a human. Soon he emerged from the grass clothed, his eyes resting on the carcass that lay in the middle of the road. It was no gourmet meal, but it had enough meat to keep them nourished for a few days. Though in his youth Talbot had been treated to succulent meals by his mother's excellent cooking, on the road he learned that starvation could be worse than any cockroach-riddled stew. He doubted Cicatrice had the same pleasures. After he'd heaved the boar onto the back of his horse and ensconced himself in the saddle, he looked at her. "Now that the fun's over, I think we should find ourselves somewhere to set up camp so we can cook this, before it gets too dark." The sun could be seen sinking towards the horizon. He was ready to kick off and start heading along the road again when he heard an array of snorts coming from the long grass. From his position up on the horse, he could see that the wild boars had returned, and now they were furious. The general outlook on pigs were that they were harmless, but boars were an entirely different story, especially when grouped together. Talbot gaped. "Cicatrice!" he yelled out in warning.