The Grass Under My Feet

[Arundhati]

summer 51st 512av

It was a dewy morning, sunrise just past peeking over the horizon, making everything appear soft and sparkle like a spiderweb beaded with dew. Trees cast long shadows, dappling the ground with sunlight through many-layered leaves. She needed a stretch, and as morning was perhaps her favorite time of day, there was no better time to go running.

The Kelvic had long since ditched her clothing at the base of the tree, instead wanting to feel the sun on her skin and damp grass at her feet. It was only a matter of time that she would shift into her more natural form, but for the moment, she was content to tiptoe around and feel the bark of the trees.

Then, she shifted. It had been long since she'd last felt the comforts of being a beast once again, and she snorted and pawed at the air. Arundhati shook her short mane and flicked her tail before actually starting to walk again, relishing the early morning heat with her new equine body. She whinnied and started trotting, not sure where she was headed but not really caring. Soon, the trot turned into a canter and the canter into a gallop, running past trees that seemed to fly by her face and out of sight in a matter of ticks. And all too soon, she was walking again, occasionally shaking her head and snorting, completely ignoring the soft grass and wildflowers underfoot that many other horses would be grazing. But not she.

[Aello]

Aello had just risen alongside the sun, at the time its rays had filtered through the tightly woven trunks of trees to where she lay nestled against their sides. Although her stomach rumbled alongside the hurried footsteps and rustling of leaves, she didn't stop to eat. She simply kept on going, heading towards the city which held her future. Which controlled her fate. Of course, she wasn't of the mind to let herself starve, so she retrieved a few dried rations from her pack, and ate silently as she went. Her feet sinking into the mud beneath; soon to dry into a hard dirt with the evaporation of the morning dew. The consumption of it by the basest of creatures- ants mainly, something her eyes could scarcely see considering the thin sheet of white film that clung to them. A blanket of exhaustion which she had yet to tear away. And yet, the colors crept out with the rising dawn. Rising from the earth as though it were a steaming spring, sending tendrils of air, ripe with moisture, skyward. The forest critters with their beady black eyes, roused by the sun's rays from their slumber were always watching from their lofty perches. Waiting for her to make another move. But Aello never made another; save for the measured strides towards her destination. Her simple steps; tentative, in that it was as though she were being drawn blindly by a string. As though she had no will or mind of her own. And perhaps that could be said to in part see truth, in that she had no will to go, but she had to. In that she had no intent of serving Rhysol if there was no benefit in sight, favor supposedly owed or not. Perhaps a harsh punishment would be doled out for her insolence, but she didn't suppose she cared anymore. After all, what could be worse than having to bear the weight she had carried for many seasons passed? What could be worse than the burden her cursed blade brought to light? She shook her head lightly as she tore off another piece of fruit with her teeth, and chewed hurriedly. To her there could be nothing. There was nothing, but a flickering light.

[Arundhati]

She heard footsteps. Careful, tentative footsteps through the brush and grass. She couldn't see this person, but she could hear them. Dare she become human? It would look odd if she did, a random naked girl wandering in the forest. Too suspicious. What if it were a human on a walk? Strolling through the trees for a change of pace from ravosalas and alleyways. No, for now she would assume the appearance of a lost horse.

She whinnied to draw the attention of the unknown being. It wasn't the footsteps of any animal, it had to be some human-like creature. She took a tentative step forward and glanced around. Did she even have to pretend to be a lost horse? Horses were too bulky to traverse around Ravok. Someone could catch her, as she appeared like a lost or wild horse. One that had escaped from her master and ran off.

It wouldn't be bad, she thought. But would this person be the right person? She doubted it. She continued to walk around until she could see the mystery human. A girl, not very odd in appearance. She had brown hair and looked human, but she could very well be Kelvic. She snorted and carefully walked up to the girl.

[Aello]

The light drew near, until candle's wick rested in a pool of molten wax by Aello's feet, and flickering light was snuffed out. Tendrils of swirling grey smoke brushed away by hurried wind revealed a horse behind thinned veil. One whose finely trimmed coat of amber champagne glistened in the sun's light, as though simmering within its heat. Her tail, a darker shade akin to dried blood seemed to swish with her impatience, as clipped mane rippled alongside the length of the horse's neck and back. Dark eyes of oceanic blues and greens blinked; the aurist's own catching on them instantly once she had finished drinking everything else in. Moisture seemed to seep into the mud, causing the iris to pulse before settling behind elongated blacks. Piles of coal stewing in their own juices. A single brow rose as the girl forced herself not to blink. Not to move a muscle. A bloodbane, she thought, but what would it be doing here, without a rider? Aello wondered. Unless this one has yet to bond to human counterpart. Her thoughts paused as though considering the possibilities. But still, how would a purebred bring itself to be out here unaccompanied? Surely with a breed so abnormal, and deceivingly rare, they'd be more closely watched... A wave of confusion swept over the aurist, dousing her senses as she choose instead, to concentrate on other things. Mainly, what the horse would be doing here, and if it put her in any real danger. Her head fell onto her right shoulder, her long brown hair cascading down to the base of her back. "Hello," she whispered, as her eyes adopted a far off look. As though she were capable of seeing through the animal now, into its beating heart. Rhythmic pace, infinitely slower than her own. A breadth passed in which the girl remained silent and still, before rolling her head around her neck and back into place. Finally, she took a single measured step forward, betraying her will to act cautiously. Gingerly, she raised her occupied hand, and crammed the rest of her rations into her mouth. Chewing thoughtfully as she kept her limb up, and inched closer to the animal. Hand in a crescent, fingers pressing forward. Pushing against the air in the direction of Arundhati's nose; as though she wished the Kelvic to sniff it and get a sense of her. "Don't be afraid," Aello whispered, not sure of what else to say, as she took a final step forward and waited as her breath caught in her throat.

[Arundhati]

It was odd to be interacting with someone as an animal. It was a rare occurrence, and even when it did, it was with someone who knew she was Kelvic. Aru snorted when the girl brought her hand to her nose, and she started licking the girl's hand for the salt and the remnants of her recent meal.

Should she hurt the girl? There was no reason for her to hurt her. Nothing yet, at least. She stuck her face in the girl's hair, smelling sweat and earth and the girl's distinct body odor. It seemed she'd been traveling for a bit. Perhaps she was tired, and she could use a ride on the back of a horse to get to the Southern Trading Post? But she was so tall. Taller than the girl, even at the withers. How would she be able to get on? No one was around to help her up.

She stamped her foot, snorted again. Swish of a tail. She sniffed around the girl's belongings, looking for some kind of jerky or meat. She hadn't had a breakfast yet, and the only food near was the grass. For a Bloodbane, grass wasn't a very satisfying meal.

[Aello]

Aello chuckled as the horse's nose tousled her hair, and then circled around her back. She could feel it nudging her bag, jostling the strap as her nostrils flared. "There isn't anything good in there," the aurist said, as though reading the Kelvic's thoughts. "Just some dried fruit, but considering what you are, it doesn't seem like that'd be too satisfying." She smiled weakly as she slid her hand along the horse's neck, pushing against the fur a little, as though willing her back. "But that's ok, the forest is filled with things to eat," she wore on. "We could hunt together if you'd like. It might be a bit faster, and well, you probably can't get anything that climbs on your own. Which is a shame, considering how much could be found in the trees." The aurist paused a moment, allowing her words to sink in, as she took a few steps back, so that they each could get a better look at each other. After another moment in which her eyes danced over horse flesh, she beckoned with freed hand. "Come if you would like, perhaps we can find something." As soon as the words had left her lips, the aurist was off. Heading past the horse towards the north, in the hopes that there was more food to be found there than there had been in the south.

[Arundhati]

She followed the girl. She was used to being taller than others, but rarely when she was in her horse form and towering over someone. She felt -- she was -- a large, heavy beast, her heartbeat slow and steady. Would she be too loud for this girl to hunt? Maybe the girl could ride bareback. But the question would be on how she could even get one. Arundhati was so tall, and this girl was so short.

Could the girl even ride? There was always that chance that she couldn't. Either way, she spotted a fallen tree and trotted over, standing next to it. It seemed tall enough to boost the girl onto her back, but she couldn't be sure. She attempted to beckon the girl over with her head, but something inside her knew that the girl probably wouldn't understand.

[Aello]

The colors stretched, flowing silently in a stream thinned by wavering waters. Feathers trickled, fraying tendrils brushing. Jostling each other into ruffled expression as the neck twisted. Light glimmering as it filtered through the strands; casting a golden tinge to paling skin, glistening with its first beads of heat's making. Transparent orbs drizzled down elongated lines as muddied irises caught sight of splayed mane. Climbing down undulating ridges, ivory colored bone cast beneath a thin layer of jaundiced skin, blanketed by the soft sweep of chestnut colored fabric. Fine hairs of elegant make rolling in subtle breeze, filtering through an endless line of hardwoods. "You wish for me to near?" Aello asked, although she expected no answer. There was a pause as her thumb trailed over the supple curve of her father's old bow, and her lithe form twisted. Mirroring the form of surrounding, gnarled branches, the woman turned to face the horse fully. Her eyes grazed over downed log, the bloodbane standing proudly beside. "You're waiting for a rider?" Aello asked as she crossed the distance which had hung between them. "Me?" the aurist asked before falling silent. "But, I've never done that before." She bit her bottom lip nervously, the crowns forming a rippling pattern across the delicate curve as the rosy color drained. Her right hand came forward, palm pressing delicately against fur coat. Remaining still as heat radiated between their forms. "But it can't be that hard, can it?" she asked, as she allowed her pack to drop before removing her hand. In a few beats of thundering heart, she had strapped her bow to the bag and pushed it back into place. "Alright," Aello whispered, "here goes," she added as she extended her hands. Allowing her palms to fall against the horse's side. Her right foot left the ground, and a tick later, had settled atop the log. Another tick, and the left had followed, her hands making their rounds. Her heels sank into wood growing slick with mold and moisture as her fingertips brushed against the horse's back. The end of her mane. "Hopefully this won't hurt," finished as she pushed down against her hands with all she could. Nails tickling horse's hair as she jumped off the log, and added more pressure to her hands. She hung limply a moment, before forcing her muscles to roll. Allowing her body to ascend slowly as sweat trickled down her brow. Red pigmentation flooded her cheeks as she tried to swing her left leg up and over. A few times. At first, she'd tangle with the horse's legs. Another time, it rolled off the rump, and she had to let herself down, for the strain on her hands had grown too great. After having taken a deep breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth, gathering herself, Aello tried again. This time, she managed to swing her left leg all the way over, allowing her to settle into the horse's back. "Ok," she whispered as her hands slid forward towards the middle of Arundhati's mane. The left lifting off and patting the creature's side slightly. "That's a good girl," she whispered as her hands circled onto the mane. "Sorry if this hurts you," she whispered as she grabbed a few tufts of hair in her hands. Allowing her to grip the majestic animal. "Guess we're using the daggers today," Aello muttered under her breath as her legs hugged the horses sides. The heels digging in just enough for Arundhati to think that she wanted her to start walking, or perhaps, trotting onwards. "Whenever you're ready bloodbane," she finished as she swallowed deeply. She could hear the sound of her saliva trickling down before it caught in her throat. The buzzing of the flies and the swishing of a horse's tail. Aello prayed to Dira she didn't fall off. OOCSo yeah... acrobatics and no riding... seems fair... You be ruining my image boy!

[Arundhati]

The girl didn't know how to ride.

That was evident at her first attempt to get on. When she finally was sitting comfortably, Arundhati's only worry was that she'd fall off. So, she tried to walk slowly. Of course, riding bareback was much more difficult when you've never ridden before, and even harder when all you had to control the beast you were sitting on were your feet and your hand in its short mane.

Even with walking slowly, she could tell that both she and the girl were uncomfortable. She was sitting awkwardly and almost sliding around. The girl probably didn't know how to dismount, which was unfortunate for both of them. And then, in a matter of chimes of getting on, the girl fell. Arundhati was expecting this moment from the beginning, and being such a large horse, she fell quite a ways. There were hopefully no injuries, but she couldn't be sure.

She shifted out of her horse form and knelt down beside the girl.

[Aello]

Aello fell on her behind, hard. The arrows in her quiver rattled against each other as a moderate thud sounded. Her fingers unraveling partially, causing the bow to slide before she could tighten them again. The huntress groaned as sharp shooting pains coursed through her body, and reached for her head as soon as everything had settled. Her fingers trailed apart, and strands trickled through. They tickled as she clutched at them. Letting them weave through her limbs. "Well that's going to leave a bruise," Aello muttered as there was a bright flash, and the horse was replaced with a tall naked woman, who knelt beside her. She could feel her eyes grazing, wondering if she were hurt. "Don't worry Kelvic," Aello whispered. "I've had worse than this, many times over." She offered a small smile as she forced herself to her feet. Onto legs which didn't want to support. The huntress coerced them. There was no time to nurse. "What do you say we continue on foot?" Aello asked, as she took a few steps forward in the same direction. "There should be something up ahead, if we haven't scared it away with the noise," she finished as her grip tightened around her bow. OOCSorry this is shyke.