Out of the Darkness (Closed)

[Aello]

Aello watched as Damian's aura glimmered off in the opposite direction from where she stood. She smiled weakly, supposing the Kelvic planned on heading the creature off should it escape. That only caused her smile to widen, for there was no chance that it could. Not unless she let it. Her eyes sparkled as she watched Damian's aura, wondering if he really was doing as she expected- blocking a potential escape- or if he intended on getting their dinner himself. The aurist stood then, with her back against the tree, waiting as she watched the rabbit grazing out of the corner of her eye. When Damian failed to move for a bit over a full chime, Aello spun around the side of the tree and raised her bow. She closed her left eye to help her aim as she pulled the bowstring back, and dragged the point of her arrow over the rabbit's middle. She watched its aura glow as it looked up. She could imagine its eyes growing wider as it noticed her. Its muscles tensing as it prepared to dart away. It was then that Aello let go of the string, sending the arrow flying as the string itself spun wildly. Aello could just barely make out of the sight of it as it soared towards her target, which was just beginning to move, but it was too late. The arrow cut through the center of the rabbit's body, an inch below its heart. The animal let out a frightened squeak, as its blood stained the forest floor. Aello could sense the rabbit's chest rising and falling all the more rapidly as it tried to scamper to safety. Its paws raking the ground and getting it no where. She could sense the animal's panic, the ferocity in its heart. Even though she knew it was over, the rabbit refused to think it was. She knew its fur was matted in blood, that it was only a matter of moments before it bled out completely and perished. But Aello would not let it suffer that. She strode forward, pulling her cursed dagger out of concealment as she moved. Her hips swaying along with the draping fabric of her dress, as she lowered herself down beside the dying creature. It stared up at her, ready to bite, but Aello was quick. Dira, thank you for delivering death this day, she thought, as she raised her dagger, and then brought the point down, sending it through the rabbit's neck. Blood spurted out, speckling her hands. Warm blood, which chilled her to the bone. Slowly, Aello extracted her dagger from the rabbit's flesh, as its aura faded. She watched several droplets of blood drip off the tip. "Come out love, the deed is done. We just need to find something else. This will probably only fill your belly," she smiled weakly as she sheathed her dagger, and pulled her arrow out of the rabbit's matted fur. She wiped the blood off on the ground, before returning it to her quiver, and picked the rabbit up by one of its feet. "We'll make it quick. Something small. A squirrel maybe, seeing as I'm not too hungry, and they're easy enough to find. Come," Aello called, as she gestured with her head off into the darkness. "Let us finish off our hunt."

[Damian]

Damian watched as he almost completely settled into the powdery snow. He almost seemed to be a natural shadow at the pit of a divot in the snowy landscape. He watched the rabbit carefully all the while, he kept tabs on where Aello was located. His tail tip twitched across the snow with excitement and made a wing shape in the crystalline surface. Damian's tail stopped movement as he shifted his weight to the front of his paws, ready to run if needed. His eyes, red at the time, were stern and focused on Aello and the prey. He studied the rabbit's posture and began to tense his muscles as he watched the creature look up at Aello. He could see the rabbit begin to tense as well. Time seemed to slow for Damian as his animal instincts began to creep over the slight logically inclined part of his brain. He barely registered that the arrow had been released before his body had darted off toward the creature. He was in a full sprint toward the rabbit when the arrow struck the creature's side. It scared him, even though he knew Aello had a bow and arrow, he was not used to hunting with a partner. As the rabbit, struggled in pain, Damian jumped over the rabbit and dug his paws into the snow to break. He barked loudly at Aello as the rabbit began to bleed out onto the snow. The soft, cloud-white, snow turned red as the crimson life tainted the floor. Damian wasn't going to approach the rabbit to finish the kill, instead he waited for Aello. It was her kill, though sloppy kill to the dog. He never really watched his prey die slowly, he always broke their necks and imagined their deaths were quick. He quieted down his barking as Aello passed by him. Once past, he began to follow Aello only to back away slightly when a dagger was pulled. He listened to Aello, "Dira thank you...". Damian was curious to whom she had dedicated the kill to. Curiosity faded quick, as hunger once again took over. The smell of fresh meat made him even more eager to get a kill himself. Excitedly, while Aello finished her deed, he jumped into a bush and began to take in the scents within. Some where old, others quite fresh, he took the time to note the newest scent available. Another ground squirrel, Damian wasn't going to complain, food was food. He heard Aello call out to him and he poked his head out curiously. When she suggested more hunting, his tail wagged and shook the bush. He was already on a trail as he bounced out of the shrub. He shook his body and flung the bit of snow that had collected on his fur. He trotted through the snow and began to guide Aello through the forest. Every now and then he'd sniff the air and attempt to catch the scent he had familiarized himself with within the bush. He seemed to guide Aello in a zig zag pattern until he finally caught a fresh scent, a strong scent. His ears perked as he caught the sound of ruffling off in the distance. The forest was dark in this area; the light of Leth shut out by the thick foliage. Damian's eyes glowed brightly as the world seemed to loose it's color and become a bright grey scale. He looked back at Aello and sat down onto his haunches. He looked over his shoulder and gave a soft, rumbling, bark as if to indicate to wait. When Aello, stopped he took the opportunity to slink off into the dark. He remained low to the icy floor as he crept through the brush. He could smell his prey up wind of him as he slowly made his way over to it. His eyes glowed in the darkness as he stopped a few feet from where the squirrel was busy with it's fur. Damian once again cinched up his muscle and built up tension like a spring. After a brief pause, he pounced at the squirrel. The sudden movement obviously scared the naturally skittish animal as it too began to take off running. Damian chased it through the brush and out into a patch of open snow. He watched as the squirrel dove into a hole in the snow, but Damian wasn't going to let it go that easy. He began to dig his front paws into the snow and began to dig to get to the squirrel's burrow. He barked excitedly the entire time. Soon he quit his barking and dug his nose into the destroyed burrow. He yelped once as the squirrel bit the tip of his nose. However, Damian bit back harder. His jaws were open before closing tightly, catching part of the squirrel. He was quick to pull the small animal out into the open. His paws landed its body as he brought his jaws back down to the squirrel's head. He bit down hard and shook his head side to side, the snap of the squirrel's neck almost inaudible. His tail wagged as he resisted the urge to just tear into his kill, he had another to share with. He turned back, squirrel in jaw, and relocated wherever Aello was. When she was found, he stood with a proud look on his canine muzzle. The squirrel carcass almost dripped with dog slobber and blood.

[Aello]

Aello followed Damian through the forest in silence, stopping only when he indicated for her to do so. "Try not to be too long," she whispered, as she got down on her hands and knees, and began to carve the rabbit with the help of her cursed dagger, thinking it best to make use of her time. First, she cut off the ears. Then the legs. There was no real meat on those, the rabbit being as scrawny as it was, so she tossed them into the line of trees. The last thing Aello did, before wiping her bloody dagger off on the ground and sheathing it, was make a long incision down the length of its chest, freeing fresh blood. Blood which stained her hands. Sighing, Aello wiped that off on the ground as well before looking around for Damian, he wasn't back yet, which caused the girl to worry. Should she go looking for him, or should she simply wait? Should she bring something down for him, and offer it upon his return, or simply deal with herself? Not that there was much more she could do now, without making a huge mess, and more work for herself. After all, she wasn't in a good place to set up camp, with the trees being so close together in this particular neck of the woods. She couldn't then, cut the rabbit into smaller strips, which would be easier for her to cook, without having to find a way to transfer each piece to a campsite. It was simply easier, for the time being, to leave the rabbit as it was. Sighing once more, Aello plucked the rabbit up by its foot, as she eased herself back onto her feet, and peered around. She could hear a rustling sound off in the distance, which made her wonder if it was Damian or some other animal. Shrugging, she took a few steps closer to the sound, before Damian showed back up, his eyes glowing happily as they caught sight of her. "Well that wasn't too unbearable a wait, and you did find something. What do you say we go enjoy them now, by the side of a fire?" Aello asked. "All we need to do is find a proper place to set up camp, and start it." "Come along," Aello instructed as she began to move past Damian, "all we have to do is find a clearing, or at the very least, a place where the tree line thins enough for us to safely start a fire." The girl smiled sweetly to herself as she continued on her path. Never stopping, only slowing if the sound of Damian's steps seemed to die away. She'd pick up the pace again only when she heard them. For a long time, the girl forced herself onwards like this, never truly speaking, until a time when the trees began to thin, and the pair happened upon a small clearing. The clearing was no more than ten feet wide or so, and maybe another six feet in height. It was surrounded by a ring of towering trees, with barren branches. Trees with wide trunks, which seemed to stretch forever onward into the sky, casting long shadows with the help of the moon's milky glow. "This should be a good place," Aello commented, as she dropped the rabbit, and then placed her pack on the ground a few feet away from it. She leaned her bow up against that, and then, dry washed her hands. "Why don't you get started on your meal, or at the very least making yourself comfortable, while I go find some stuff for a fire?" Aello asked. "All you need to do is stay away from the rabbit, which I plan on carving up for the two of us when I get back." The aurist paused, "just watch over everything, ok?" Aello added as she gave Damian a few pats on the head, and moved off into the darkness.

[Damian]

Damian tilted his head while Aello spoke. He wasn't sure how he felt about being led and directed. Even though Aello had a disconect with him in communication, it didn't really matter. He had his food, and could leave if he wanted. However, he couldn't just let her be all alone. He didn't want to find her or traces of her in the forest. It would be a burden on his mind. He sniffed the air and could smell the ears that were discarded by her. While Aello began to walk away, he dropped his squirrel and dug into the brush to pick those scraps of cartilage out. Once done he collected his squirrel and began to trot by Aello's side, but partially in front of her. He kept up with her pace, as they soon happened upon a clearing. He listened to Aello and grumbled to himself. Though he did stay close to the clearing while Aello left to gather what supplies they needed. He dropped his scraps on the icy ground and began to tear into the slightly frozen meat. He chewed the bones whole, crunching and chewing the animals before letting it fill his body. Half a squirrel gone along with a rabbit's ear, he paused and moved to the center of the clearing. He began to nose snow and icy, organic material away from a central location. He used his paws to dig a shallow pit and clear some of the ice from the ground. When finished he looked around for Aello. When he didn't see her he decided to ration the rest of his meat for after his shift. The light whisps of what appeared to be shadows began to swirl around his paws and body. They grew in number until his body was completely concealed by the distorted light waves of the strange magic. The same magic that would take most years to master, but only came naturally to the kelvics. The black form seemed to stretch and distend along the ground slowly lightening from the dark refraction. Soon they begin to dissolve and the figure of a grown man is left within the clearing. Damian growled still as he pushed his body away from the ground. His eyes, continued to glow that unnatural red glow. His naked body was covered with various cuts and scars, a sign of his wild nature despite the shell he wore. He preferred to sit on his knees as he waited for Aello to return. He muttered under his breath, "Bossy lady, I do hope she gets back soon. Its bloody cold." "I bet you wish you had fur," He heard a voice tell him at the back of his mind. Damian just growled back at himself in reply.

[Aello]

Aello walked slowly, so as to be more mindful of her step, and all the less likely to trip over something. Although, that may have been the best way to find what she was looking for. Sighing, the girl crept through the forest, stopping only to pick up sticks and larger branches, and the occasional dried leaf if she could find one. Although, there were few to be found, their masses long having been scattered and turned to dust by the winds and feet of the forest animals. As she moved, the cool air bit at Aello's flesh, urging her onwards, until she had retrieved a pile so great, that it seemed to bring her down. Sighing, as she moved back to the campsite, the girl was surprised to find Damian in his human form, nearly causing her to drop the wood on her feet. Her mouth hung open as she merely stared at his shivering form. How foolish could he be to shift without a change of clothes? "While I'm glad to see our conversations won't be quite so one-sided now," Aello began, as she put the wood and kindling down by her feet, "I'm surprised to find you like this. You're going to make yourself sick." Aello sighed. "Unless you want to be wearing a dress or hoping the fire does enough to keep you warm tonight, you may want to go back." Aello paused, as she lowered herself onto her knees, and began to clear a circle of ground with her hands. With it being so cold, she didn't do a very good job. Just an outer ring, within whose confines her fire would rest. "It's in my bag, feel free to get one out," Aello muttered as she began to arrange the wood in a teepee, with a bed of kindling at its center. When she was done setting the wood up, Aello fetched her flint and steel and held them out to the fire. One item for each of her hands. She held her arms on a downwards slant, towards the kindling, as she began to rake the flint and steel together, until she got a spark. Then more of the tiny bursts of orange energy, which were cast out by the wind. Over and over again, Aello drew sparks after the scrape, but for a long time nothing happened. If it can truly be said that good things come to those who wait, then it may be true in Aello's case, for eventually the kindling took too the sparks, creating the beginnings of a fire. Satisfied with her work, Aello tucked the flint and steel in her pocket, before lowering herself down, and blowing lightly on the fire. Fanning the flame until it began to click and spit out sparks. Until it began to purr, and then roar with life. Casting its surroundings in a deep orange light, as it sent several spirals of grey smoke into the night sky. Sitting herself up again, Aello dry washed her hands, and then turned to the rabbit. She retrieved her cursed dagger, and swiftly cut off the head before tossing it aside. When she was done, she split the creature down the center of its chest, and gave half to Damian. "This is yours stranger, the rest is for me, unless I don't finish. Then you can have it. Just to be sure naught goes to waste," Aello explained, as she cleared the rabbit's skin off, and then wiped the dagger off on the ground. She deftly sheathed the weapon, before spearing her meat on a stick, and holding it over the fire. She hoped it wouldn't be too long until it was ready. "I just hope you don't mind your meat a bit well done."

[Damian]

“I hope this young one isn’t flying around like a blue-arse fly.” Damian spoke to himself as he looked around the clearing. He sniffed the air and could still catch the scents while he was a dog, “Hmm to many scents that aren’t mine.” He walked with a bit of a bounce in his step despite the bitter cold. He reached a hand down and aimed as he began to piss on a stump before stopping the stream and moving to the next. “That’ll do just nicely, let everything know this is my house yep, yep.” He continued on like this until he heard a ruffle behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Aello, “Oh hey, what's the story young one?” His doggish accent was thick, similar to that of an Irish, “Great, you got the wood! I’m freezing my children’s children." Aello offered the dress, "I don’t give a monkey, I’ll wear anything.” While Aello busied herself with the fire pit, Damian took the time to move to her sack so that he could save his. His hands shook, which only added to his clumsiness, before finally he retrieved the article of clothing. He pulled it out and studied it, “Well I’ll have a craic of a time figuring this one out.” He spoke to himself right before he sniffed at it, “Mm, now I will smell like a girl. All the animals will think I have a fanny.” He oriented the dress and pulled it over his head. He struggled with it and almost made a new arm hole before he found the proper spot. He slid it on and didn’t realize it was backwards. It was about that time, the orange glow lit up the surroundings. He wiggled his arse as if he had a tail still, “Fair play, you’ve done it young one. Maybe you arn’t gammy after all,” he teased. He made his way back toward the fire and practically threw himself at the slowly building flame. He looked at Aello, with a dorky expression mouth open, “Homely--rrroof? No no, you don’t have to give me anything. I’m not hungry, that was your kill. Besides I got this still!” Damian dove for his scraps that he had left alone for a bit and brought a bit of the meat to his mouth. His jaws bit down on it and began to struggled with it, not used to the style of teeth humans had. He finally tore a chunk off and grinned like a dufus while he chewed. “Though, if you don’t eat it, I don’t like being wasteful.” He turned away from Aello and spoke under his breath, “Besides I’m lying and am quite famished...” He turned back with a grin as he swallowed his meet loudly. “How do you mean well done?” He eyed the meat near the flame, “Oh you mean meat on the cooker. No I don’t mind,” he again muttered under his breath, “I would of prefered it raw but beggers can’t be choosers right?” He stopped mid thought as the realization that he had spoken out loud dawned on him. He turned back to Aello with that grin again, “No, no I honestly don’t mind. I’m a bit of a langer you know?” Damian in order to show his affection leaned over and laid a long lick across Aello's cheek.

[Aello]

Aello chuckled. "No, not exactly. I have a nasty tendency to burn things a bit. Blacken the meat... the center is cooked pretty nicely though," she explained, as she gave a slight nod, and allowed the stick to dip. The flame seemed to jump even higher, reaching for the meat. Licking its sides, and allowing it to turn from a bright reddish-pink to a golden-brown. From time to time, she'd pull it out of the fire and poke the meat with her finger to see how hot and well cooked it was, as she listened to Damian, not at all sure what he meant at times. When he moved closer, Aello could only help but smile until he licked her cheek. Instantly, her face scrunched up, and her meat loomed dangerously close to the fire. Drooping until it sank into the lower confines of the teepee. "Ahhhh. What are you doing?" Aello scowled as the Kelvic retracted his tongue. "I know you're a dog and all, but humans don't tend to lick each other," the girl explained. "Unless they're having sex..." she finished, in little more than a whisper. Sighing, as she lifted her meat out of the embers, Aello turned to Damian. "Please don't do that again," she insisted, as she turned the rabbit over, and began to cook the other side. After a few chimes had passed, she pulled the meat away from the spitting fire, and poked it with her finger. The meat was warm. A bit tough to the touch. The edges were black, and the sides, covered in a golden-brown sheen, which strangely enough, seemed distinctly burnt at the same time. This should be good enough, Aello thought with a shrug, as she bit into the meat and chewed furiously, doing her best to ignore the overly bland, and slightly burnt taste of it. "So stranger, you have yet to share your name," Aello commented, after she had swallowed her first bite. "Considering you're in my dress, I think it only fair." The girl smiled weakly as her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "Not only that, but what is a Kelvic doing out here alone? Don't they normally crave some level of social interaction? Of... community?"

[Damian]

Damian recoiled when Aello obviously didn't enjoy the lick. He tilted his head innocently unsure of what he had done wrong. He listened to Aello, only have way. His eyes focused in on a squirrel as it darted up a tree. His legs bounced under him and the dress as he restrained the urge to run after it. The scent of meat as it burned filled his nose. The scent of singed flesh quite offensive to his nose. "Yeesh, young one. I thought you said overcook not burn...I'd still eat it." He was oblivious to the fact that his lick had caused Aello's food to fall into the fire. He brought his half of the rabbit to his mouth and began to feast on the raw flesh loudly. Satisfied growl noises came from the pit of his chest as he ate quietly for a bit. He only turned back to Aello when she began to question him. He began to talk with his mouth full, "My name?" The fire sputtered as bits of flesh flew from his mouth and into it. He swallowed before continuing, "My name is Arrr roooo rawww rarrooo woof." He wore a smug smile after he made the growly noises. He readjusted the dress that Damian had found awkward to wear in the first place. Though the fabric warmed his skin much like his fur. He took another bite, cracking bone as he did, and began to feast once more. He remained quiet for a few moments after before he suddenly barked. "Oh! I've made a show of myself. I forgot you don't speak canine. You may call me D," he stuttered for a moment as he translated his name, then continued with excitement, "Damian! Yes that's my name." Damian looked over at Aello with his tongue slightly poked from between his lips. His eyes were green at the moment, but every now and then the light from the fire would catch them and reflect that same red glow from before. If Aello would take the time to study his mouth, she'd find that Damian had slightly larger canines. His brow furrowed when Aello inquired about why he was alone in the forest," Well ye see, I was in a cage of sorts. Then someone took me out and gave me to another human. Then that human took me here and let me go." Damian clearly didn't understand he was born in a slave trade and then stolen by someone. He didn't have the sense in him to realize that whoever took him from the cage released him into the wild to be free. "Aye! I'd love to run with a pack of my own. I tried with wolves before, what pricks." Damian moved to his hands and knees. With a different accent, much thicker and gutteral, "Hey blick in die doggy. Er will mit der echten Hunde. You vahnt to run with volves? Feh, to bad you ahn't a real dog." Damian huffed, "I got in a fight with them and was able to overcome the alpha. I'm more volf," he mocked, " as they are." He settled back down on the ground and tore into his food.

[Aello]

"That's a nice name," Aello commented after taking another bite of food. "Mine's Aello, should you ever need to know it," she added, as she took another few bites of food, and listened to Damian's story in silence. "It sounds like you had been made to be someone's pet, or slave. It depends on if they knew about both of your forms I would suppose," Aello said simply with a small shrug. Before she continued listening. The more Aello did, the more she came to think of Damian as a simple sort, with no true knowledge, or stories to share. The more she came to see him as undisciplined, and a bit rash. A bit rude. Not at all refined as her two companions. It bothered her a bit, but then, she wondered, what more she could expect from a dog. Especially a male dog, who tended to have to show his dominance any chance he got. Not that he was a particularly dominant figure, she could easily kill him if she wanted to. Especially with him being within the unfamiliar confines of her simple dress. "You know Damian, one of my traveling companions is a wolf. He's a rather proud, loyal, protective sort," Aello muttered. "It would be nice if you didn't make fun of their kind, or brag, especially when you have nothing to brag about... wolves are easy enough to kill if you want them dead," she commented with a small smile. Her eyes glimmered as the fire crackled. As it jumped up at the sky. "Ever killed a hoard of yukmem? What about dire Talderan animals?" Aello asked. "Chained ones? Now those are things worth bragging about," the aurist finished as she took another bite of her meat. She was growing tired swiftly. Sick of simplicity. She missed Nex, and Alenias. At least they seemed like people worth talking to. Damian just seemed little more than a childish fool.

[Damian]

"Thank you, yours is quite pleasant as well." He repeated Aello's name, softer this time around, though a bit slower. The man sat in thought for a moment before Aello began to talk to him again. He listened closely and glanced over at her every now and then. His eyes focused on her face in particular. He had an uncanny ability to pick up on the visual body language as fine as the slightest muscle twitch or even the subtle difference in a smile. A face told stories and Damian was busy as they listened to Aello's subconscious. As he continued to prattle on, he observed Aello closely. He could almost see Aello's disgust while he neared the end of his wolf impersonation. When he sat back down, he averted his eyes away from Aello and waited. "I wasn't bragging," he said softly with a bit of a growl, "But what makes them better then a dog?" Damian was more or less talking to himself in reflection. What would normally seem as a strange comment to some didn't have much effect on him, "Everything is easy to kill, hell I'm easy to kill!" He chuckled. He glanced back over at Aello, a bit more reserved and ashamed. He caught the subtle features of annoyance while he began to ask, "Why was a girl like you in a position to kill so much? I mean, you don't seem like the type to," He paused for a moment, then continued a bit less chipper then usual, "Would you like me to leave. I can leave if you want. I mean you've given me great company and a bit of warmth, I could hardly ask you for more." Damian seemed down as if he didn't really want to leave.