Heart of the Wild (Hania)

[Mao]

OOCI'm very sorry if this not supposed to be here, I will change it ASAP if anything is wrong, please let me know!

Timestamp: 61st of Spring 510 AV.

There was barely a sound in the air; no rustle of leaves nor the chirping of birds to bring about a soothing calm. The quiet was ever foreboding, but it suited the large predator just fine. Her muscles clenched tightly as she gripped the branch beneath her, and carefully inched her way across to spy upon beast that was unfortunate enough to have caught her attention. There was a considerable distance between them, but if she could get close enough to her target without hinderance, she would be able to leap the remainder of the space and be victorious. With this in mind, she clawed her way across the mossy branch, inch by inch, until she reached a point where the foliage completely shrouded her in shadow, forming a camouflage against her coarse black coat.

Soon, she told herself, soon you will be mine. Today your life ends.
The jaguar lowered her head, her pale eyes fixed on the beast rummaging for edible leaves below her. She began to support her leg against a frail branch behind her until it snapped, the sound enhanced by the deadly silence that enveloped the surrounding area. The beast, startled by the abrupt sound, promptly bounded off, with an infuriated jaguar leaping from her perch on the branch, quick to react to it's sudden movement. Onwards they traveled the expanse of the jungle, never delving too deep but never escaping the boundary of the Northern Pass. It was a fatal game of who could avoid the obstacles littered on the ground; the roots, the endless variety of flora and the animals scurrying to escape from the fury of the predator. The only thing on her mind was the kill, it willed her paws forward into a crushing speed, leaving claw marks in her wake, and mud splattered on leaves and trunks of trees. The closer she came to her prey, the more she could smell the fear permeating off the animal, the smell of the blood so sweet in her nostrils.

The entire chase lasted merely minutes, but it seemed like centuries until the large cat finally managed to hook it's claws on the beast's leg to cause it to trip. In one fluid movement she was on the squirming animal and sank her canines into the soft flesh of the neck, puncturing the jugular. She stayed still with her mouth clamped around the neck until the squeals resided, and she no longer felt the rapid heartbeat nor the spastic leg movements. At once she began to tear chunks of meat from the corpse, her maw dripping with blood as she inhaled half of her meal in under five minutes. She'd been starving for nearly a week, and this beast would leave her full for several days, lightening her mood if only slightly.

Once she had finished licking the blood off her paws, she turned and treaded back to where she had last hidden her clothes, near the sloping path of the Northern Pass, under a pile of rocks. Fortunately for her, the location of where she had downed her prey was merely a few kilometers away from where she had veered off the path, and once she had arrived to her stored possessions, she promptly morphed back into her human body. Carefully, she tugged a leather necklace free from within the folds of her tunic, using it to tie her hair back into a tight knot, then proceeded to clothe herself before stepping onto the trodden path before her. Where was she to go now? Head further into the heart of the jungle and risk the Myrians? Or stay near the border and live a life of solitude for the remainder of her life? She had nothing to lose, but she also had no reason to throw her life away so meaninglessly.

Pondering, she settled herself under the comforting shade of a large tree, staring out toward the horizon until she felt her eyes begin to burn from the pressure of oncoming tears. She brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob. This was something that could not be avoided. When there was utter peace and silence surrounding her, the faces of her parents return and her heart aches for their company. But with tears come shame.

Tears are a sign of weakness, Mao, you cannot show weakness, you cannot show pain, this is who you are now.

She told herself this constantly, even now as she angrily wiped her eyes and cheeks and sat with her fists clenched on her knees, glaring at the sky and all it's beauty as the music of the jungle returned once again.

[Hania]

What was it his father had said so many years ago, on their first outing together? The meaning had remained in his heart, that was for sure since he still felt the effect of the words on him, but what were the actual words? There wasn't much to do on the trail except watch your feet and what one might be stepping on eighty percent of the time, any other time was spent thinking; at least for him. There was no doubt that if his thoughts had been transcribed he would have a full volume of memories and a full rule book on how life should be lived. The ground had steadily passed under his steady lope for the past three days when he had set off from Taloba. The hunting had been good closer to the city recently, which meant less time tracking down game but with such good results it was inevitable the prey animals would migrate back out to the jungles outer edges and away from the Myrian hunters. More over he'd had his fill of being around people, and city life for the time, he'd wanted to escape it all for a few days.

A flash of bright yellow, blackish brown, and tips of pink caught his eye on the jungle floor. He froze with one foot two inches away from treading on a rather hairy, and large, crawler. He'd seen this particular species kill a medium sized bird before. Being bit this far out would have been inadvisable at best. There was a poison crater in Taloba that would pay good product to have the critter brought back to him and there was a moments pause where the idea of wrangling up the imposing thing crossed his mind. The spear he carried in his right hand was leaned against a nearby root so he could forage for something smaller he could direct the critter with. And just as he picked up a stick to try and coax it into a hemp bag on his belt he spied the young it bore on it's back. A craggie smile graced his lips. "You can't beat nature. You can only destroy it." That's what his father had said to him. He gave the crawler a poke on her rump with the stick, causing it to lurch forward and skitter off. "Go, mother." He whispered. "Raise your young, so you might share of them with us one day."

The poisonous bug was watched as it lost it's self in the foliage on the forest floor. The scent of decaying greenery filled his nose, along with a myriad of other smells. Must, rot, flowers, animals, the hint of death from thousands of years of predatory hunting, but....it was all wrong. Nothing came to his ears and nothing before his eyes moved. The deathly quiet caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. Had he been lax, and was something stalking him? No, no, he was sure he would have been aware of that. The hunter sank low in his crouch, hugging the ground beneath him and chords of well toned muscle coiled in his legs. There was a reverberating snap and suddenly he was off, and running. Fleet feet, with souls tough as cured leather from a life time of being bare, flew over the ground. It was up to his instincts and skill to not trip and break something, or step on something even more unpleasant. The pounding of his own feet threw off the sounds of another chase at times and he was forced to stop, listen, and then run in the direction of other things scrambling about in a struggle for life. If it was another Myrian on hunt he would have liked to know who, and if it was an animal he might be able to steal the kill from it. Either way though he had to cover as much ground as possible while the quarry still attempted escape for when it was done, or had gotten away, he would have to move silently again.

But the chase proved too short to acuratly pinpoint it and he was forced to stop, look around, and think. Finding the trail would have been impossible for anyone not local to the jungle but he was Myrian; the broken branches and general dissaray of leaves on the ground was like a roadmap. He paused to dip the blade of his half-spear in a pool of mud to obscure the metal sheen, and then continued to follow the path. Twice he lost it going over several roots and had to scan around to find it again but find it he did and before long the carcase was at his feet. It wasn't salvageable but what had killed the creature was big, judging by the gore and tooth marks. Paw prints were barely visible in the damp earth that wasn't covered by detritus. The spear was hefted several times while he considered tracking down the predator, and then he was off. The macabre clad Myrian melted into the jungle just as the fables and bedtime stories foretold. Another stalk was happening.

[Mao]

With her head leaning against the rough trunk of the tree, she watched as birds of brilliant color variations soared over the canopies, wondering, for just a brief moment, how it would be like to be capable of flight. To glide on the currents of the sky and let the clean, fresh wind guide her along to any destination. To be free of the burden of the earth; the obstacles, the catastrophes, the feeling the world is slowly weighing down on her, as if with an intent to crush her. The imagery was so vivid in her mind that sleep threatened to overtake her until the crackling of dry leaves startled her awake. She sat on her toes, crouched, eyes darting from frond to vines to the ground littered with sticks, leaves and scattering insects, but there was nothing there, only the glimpse of a lizard's tail as it darted away, fleeing from either her or some unseen force she was not aware of.

Slowly she stood, looking up the path she had just come from, then down towards the sloping landscape of the jungle. Nothing. A step, and she was back on the compact earth winding it's way into the heart of Falyndar. The question posed itself again, Should she risk being seen by Myrians, or risk the fury of nature itself? She decided to tread near the path but not directly on it, moving slow, but steady, and always with a watchful eye trained on the shadows.

The mud felt comforting against her warm toes as she walked, and as the minutes passed, she allowed her guard to slack ever slightly. She began paying more attention to the colors of the flowers that bloomed around her, as well as the height of the trees that loomed overhead. But her distraction would cost her. As she lowered her foot to take another step, she felt a sharp spine pierce her sole, and the pain shot up her leg instantly. Crying out, she leaned down to clutch her ankle as she attempted to hobble her way to the nearest tree. Pressed against the trunk, she held her tongue to prevent a scream as she wrenched the spine of the plant free of her foot, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling on her already soiled tunic.

How could I be so STUPID! She screamed, mentally kicking herself for her lack of awareness, but there was nothing more to do but rip a large strip of cloth from her leggings to wrap around her wound. This would cost her precious traveling time, and hinder her further if she was not able to run like she used to. But she willed herself to be strong, and hoped that her fate was not coming to an abrupt end.

[Hania]

The trail wasn't easily followed for what ever had made the tracks, estimating it to be one of the greater cats and not some small rodent killer, was well in it's element to leave hardly any sign of it's passing. The prints in the ground were few and far between often forcing him to rely on seasons of trailing such game and the little things that were out of place anyone but a native would miss. The task was absorbent, grueling, and yet marvelously challenging. There was little else he would rather do than test his skill against a predator that was born to rule these lands.

Many of the trees were familiar but the first true landmark he instantly identified with were the rocks stacked together. They marked the area of the Northern pass. One blue, and one green eye scanned the area for any sign of humans, or other invaders. If there had been any there would be waste, or some sign of their presence. Humans were such messy, assuming, arrogant creatures. An overwhelming urge to teach them their lesson, put them in their place, and remind them of who truly should, and once again will, preside over all land, and sea. But try as he might amidst hopes and wishes there was no evidence of a camp of any kind. He was so disappointed in the absence of any trespassers that he was going to give up the hunt and start back to Taloba. He was, until a leaf unfurling after being pressed down caught his eye.

Then he noticed the slight dimple in the ground around the leaf. He sank down to hands and keens to study the curious indent. The dirt was damp, and comparatively warmer than the area surrounding it. "Something....what are you?" His whispered words floated away within the din of the jungle. Anyone not used to the area would be using the game trails to travel. Spinning around he noticed two, one severely overgrown and hardly recognizable, the second a passable mode of transportation. Bones and trinkets clicked against each other as he hurried off. Something in him told him he was not far behind his target. So great was his hurry that he also missed the footprints leading off several yards, and paralleling the trail.

Within minutes, however, he was sure he'd lost it. Nothing peculiar stood out or he was not skilled enough to notice it. About to swear on his own incompetence his thoughts were interrupted by a cry of pain. There was actually a moment where he wondered who would want to bother him this far from the city. And then he turned towards the noise, creeping forward. Before him lay endless greens and browns, nothing but jungle. Another step yielded the same results. Finally he caught sight of a straight line, something quite uncommon in nature, and something that stood out quite a bit. His short spear still held in his right hand three quarters of the way back on it's shaft, ready for lethal implementation, eyes traced the line up, and around....and around again. This was a human child but it did not have the stink of human. Curious. Nothing about it fit his expectations of a youngling of their kind, but then again he'd never seen one; for all he knew they plucked them out of the ground like tubers. The man stood quiet, and stoic while studying the being.

[Mao]

The pain that tormented her was nearly unbearable. She attempted, in vain, to tighten the strip of cloth around her foot to ease the throbbing, but her lack of knowledge in first aid made her fail miserably. She did not know how to keep a knot tight and secure, and thus she resorted to merely shoving the end of the cloth in the opening wrapped around her ankle. She knew if she made too much noise, it would attract unwanted attention, either humanoid or beast, and she was definitely not in any condition to confront either. Patting the crude bandages, Mao carefully pulled herself up and used the trunk of the tree behind her for support in her attempts to walk. It was doable, but she knew it would soon tire her if all she could do was limp for the remainder of her journey.

As the young Kelvic took hold of the sturdy vines hanging from the mossy branches above her, she looked about. Her whimpering and cries had apparently gone unnoticed. Either she was fortunate in this, or something was amiss that she had not yet discovered. Pale eyes scouted the shadows around her, they seemed invasive, as if to overwhelm her. Normally, they were her allies in the test between predator and prey, but now they were the opposition. This thought made her uneasy and she found herself straining her ears and scanning the area more often.

What shame, she thought, I have been reduced to common prey.

No. This would not happen, not today. She, indeed, began to feel a chill crawl along her spine, the same feeling, she assumed, her victims had when she was the one leaping for the kill. She would not allow this to occurr, if she could help it. She would either die fighting until the end, or prevail, and escape.

"Come!" She cried into the shadows. "You must see that I am injured and unable to fight. Come, make the kill, if you are so weak and tempted."

If her words did not incite action, then her tone certainly would. She was blunt and rude, but she also hoped that the predator was a human, or a variation of any kind, for she never knew of any animal that did not strike when an opening was made so readily available.

OOCReally sorry for the delay, what a busy weekend I've had. Should be able to post faster. ^_^

[Hania]

The hiss that emanated from the murky deep greens, and dull browns around the Kelvic sounded like one from a feral cat, or like a large tiger, only in miniature. The sound was replicated so well a hand sized rodent skipped away in fright. Her impudence was like spit in his face which caused his lips to curl menacingly, but the courage to face her death was what stayed his hand . Eyes in the dark scanned the trees momentarily before their owner decided it was safe enough to approach the trespasser.

It seemed as if the Myrian walked out of liquid shadow with the way it pooled in the recesses of his skin, and fell off of everything else. The dark images of tattoos blurred well with the dappled light created from the treetops above, obscuring the look of the man in detail. And it wasn't until he was ten feet away that he was clearly visible. If there was any doubt that a Myrian was present it would only be in his height; which was more than made up for in presence. Mismatched eyes peered forward from behind a thoughtful, heavy, frown only accentuated by a smattering of pits and lines that would prove to be scars.

Braided hair was kept close to his head and adorned with a halo of eagle feathers. Some sort of bone collar adorned his neck, and a ring of coarse hair rested on his shoulders though all were things that obviously belonged to another living animal at one time. The free hand not occupied by the small spear was raised to his lips, and covered them. He was hoping the girl was at least smart enough to get the message she needed to shut up. Another, smaller step forward, and another glance at the sky. There was still some time before it began to get dark but little real time before he would have to make camp until Leth began his journey across the sky; and he could travel again.

"You make much noise." Even in his whispered tone it was clear that common was neither the man's first language, or practiced much, since his k's were pronounced from the back of his throat. An eye flicked to the injured foot where it lingered almost as if the blood stains were memorizing and troublesome at the same time. With the spear still ready in hand and giving him the advantage he knelt down beside the haughty thing. "If you do not turn back the jungle will kill you before Syna wakes again. Before sun comes up." He was still toying with the idea of killing her since it was the easiest and safest way to remedy the situation. Just be rid of the thing and he could go about his merry way.

Her eyes were not human, that much was obvious up close, nor the scent of fresh metallic blood on her breath. This far from the city no one would care, or know, what fate befell her regardless of race; especially after he'd skinned her. "Is your need to be here so strong? You come to Myri's people, Myrian huntings when we kill outlanders. What is you problem?" He gestured to her head insinuating that she might be mental.

[Mao]

The Kelvic did not expect a reaction, and so soon. She had been playing out her death in her mind: a knife from the shadows, striking her in the throat, a gruesome and embarrassing end. Instead, the darkness revealed a man, or what appeared to be a man, she was not entirely sure until he approached, and only then she realized he was most definitely a native; a Myrian. Her instant reaction was an angered hiss and a stumble back, crouching low despite her injured foot releasing more of her precious blood. When he spoke, however, Mao was relieved she could understand his words. She relaxed her stance ever slightly, but kept a watchful eye on the spear the Myrian held.

Another hiss as he approached, she eyed him more closely, wary of his closeness and apparent disregard for personal space. "I am not afraid of the jungle." She stated, amazed that a Myrian of all people did not just outright kill her on the spot. She had heard so many rumors and stories from passing villages and cities, meeting one in person was far different than what she had imagined. "I can become as a shadow if I so choose. I am a predator, not prey." Her words, one day, will get her killed. She would be stubborn until the end, even in the face of death.

Stepping back from the stranger, and wincing from the pressure applied to her sole, she looked to the sky. Indeed it would be dark soon, but should she risk becoming a beast and attacking the intruder? Or hope that a somewhat neutral conversation would result in being left unharmed? She did not know the answer, but the Myrian certainly intrigued her, as well as the question he directed toward her. "I know of your kind. I knew when I decided to come here. The jungle calls to me, it called me from the lands of Sylira and the treacherous humans who live there. I will not leave." Her tone was stern and her gaze relentless. "I have killed as you have," She gestured at his garb, and the bones of once living creatures. "Are we not the same in this? I long for the thrill of the hunt."

[Hania]

He snorted derisively, irritated that anyone but a Myrian would say they know of him. "All outlanders know of Myri's people is violence. I could kill you and hunt in your body for the liver and not have problem sleeping. That is what you know." The spear was raised slightly as he glanced over his shoulders, a force of habit in the jungle. The common saying, "It's the croc you don't see that kills you", often proved true in Faylndar though at the moment he was worried more about his own people. If they caught him just talking to an intruder, instead of slicing her up, he would have to do some fast talking and probably make a sacrifice of her. He kept telling himself bleeding this girl out would solve all of his problems but a small knot in his gut kept him from doing so.

To come to these jungles, and to choose to live in Myri's domain was....stupid, or remarkably self assured. And judging by the tone of the conversation he was gathering there was no absence of belief in herself, which appealed to him despite knowing better than to let her get under his skin. Regardless, he needed time to think on the matter because it required action on his part either way. He stumbled into her so he was responsible, for now. "Move, up the path." The spear was lifted in the back general direction he had traveled from. "Even if you like it here that injury will do nothing for you tonight. I am not the only one outside of the city, and things are starting to wake up now. They should not be bothered by your yipping, and stomping about.

We wait for Leth, I will know what to do with you by then." He moved to the side so she could walk in front of him but watched her as if expecting some sudden betrayal of his patience in judgment. He wasn't even sure why he was taking her along for a bit. She made too much noise, she was too self assured, and her blood was sure to attract something in a hungry mood. He slipped back into his own language, muttering to himself, "Bait meat is all I could get out of you anyway."

[Mao]

Mao had held out for this long, just a little while longer and she could attempt to make an escape if she so chose. As the Myrian spoke, she had been concocting a plan in her mind: wait until the man dozed off, strip, morph then clamp done tightly on his skull. She would crush it as she had crushed hundreds of other animals, regardless of if he had shone mercy to her or not. The Kelvic could not rely on the hopes that this hunter would not change his mind and kill her outright but then again, she also would have no chance of being able to fend him off in her current condition. She may be stubborn, but she was not stupid.

"If you could kill me so easily, why not do it? What is stopping you?" She wasn't sure if she was enticing him to strike her or if she just wanted to know more about this stranger; to know why he allowed her to live. She eyed his expressions and the way he spoke carefully, because to be honest, to her, it was fascinating. When he spoke again, his tone made the Kelvic's blood boil. It sounded like an order, something she did not enjoy in the least. But to appease him (and to prevent the unfortunate occurrence of her liver being snatched), she obeyed. "I'm not yipping." She growled, doing the unthinkable and pushing him aside as she walked ahead of him. "Let the beasts come, I will rip their hearts out and feed it to them." What a pleasant child she was.

As she trekked in front of him, she made sure there was a considerable distance between them. She would not allow him an opportunity to strike her directly in the back, even if it seemed silly and weak to do so. She was getting used to the pain that shot up her leg as she walked, but the darkness that inevitably enveloped them forced her to take slow steps. Perhaps these shadows could prove useful once again....

[Hania]

He felt the impulsive urge to wedge the spear head between two bones of her spinal chord when she merely touched him, let alone try and shove him aside. As it was he bit off several taste buds on the end of his tongue and resigned himself to a childish gesture behind her back. "What is stopping you?" Her words bounced around in his head like a scatter brained blood bill. What was stopping him? Surely not her attitude or he would have carved himself a nice steak already. She seemed to be set on keeping a good pace or putting distance between them, both of which he was happy to let her do. Her limping would attract attention before his own gate which could mean a chance to get away from a hungry predator.

As time wore on he continued to examine his actions and came to a conclusion by the time his eyes were no longer able to focus on anything in particular. He gave a whistle to get her attention and pointed towards a small cluster of trees off the trail a few meters, or more clustered than usual in a jungle. "Camp here." As he stooped to pick up some of the dryer leaves laying about he outlined what he was thinking in his head. Intruders were killed on the spot as a law, everyone knew that. But when he'd found her she hadn't looked as if she was leaving the area but only heading further in. If she truly was here to live in the jungle then she knew dying was an all to real possibility. More over she was not human or Dhani, which intrigued him, as did that slightly cocky spirit and he found no reason to kill something he both liked, and found interesting.

As he neared the stand of trees he circled it once, and rapped on the trunks with the pole of his spear. Not hearing anything object to their intrusion he waved the girl in, though outright refusal on her part didn't look like it was going to bother him much, declining the offer would still be the mistake of a lifetime as the steady grip on the spear and poised stance would attest. He followed her into the ring of trees that had grown around a submerged boulder, probably remains of a once thriving little village. The area proved to be just large enough for three people to sit comfortably and looked like it had been used for such a purpose before, if the black char on the rock ground was anything to judge by.

"I've used this place before. It keeps out the larger...bugs." He seemed to have a slight problem recalling and pronouncing the word 'bugs' because he rolled it around in his mouth before saying it. From the inside waist band of his ragged capris he pulled a flint rock which was clumsily used to set a spark smoldering in the clump of dry leaves he'd set in the middle of the floor. "No fire. But smoke keeps smaller..bugs away. Maybe no ants tonight." Only once he was sure the smoke wasn't going to stop rising did he feel around for a place to lean his spear against. "You are strange. Only people paid to enter the jungle come here, but you want to...live, here yes?" It was unclear if he was asking about correct wording or for an answer. "My spear should have drunk your blood already, but I like your fight." He patted his own abdomen as if that's where 'fight' came from. "You will follow me deeper into the wood. If you survive there, or if you make it back out again you will have earned your life. Better to die with claws out, than belly up." For a moment he seemed to slip into thought and then tried to play the laps off casually, like any self conscious man would. "I can retie your foot..."