Closed Coming Home (Scorn)

[Massacre]

At first Massacre was startled when he realized Scorn had managed to sneak up next to him and was leaning against him, but it only lasted a moment, and he did not push her away. It had been a long time since he had been so close to another Zith, it felt good to have her so near. Massacre missed his colony. He missed his family, his mate, and everything else about having a colony. To have another Zith so close reminded him of that, and Massacre wasn't about to let it go. She mentioned that she had no place to sleep, and Massacre's chosen place was really no better than her idea of curling up in the grass. Massacre did not want to loose the only Zith he had seen in seasons, and she seemed to no longer be angry at him about the deer. It only made sense to invite her along. "We should sleep together, then. It is safer together.. and I don't want you to go. You are the closest thing I have had to a colony in a long time. I have been stuck with humans, and.. strange giant furry humans for too long. I miss having a family, and am tired of being alone." Massacre settled in closer to Scorn. It did feel good to have a warm body next to him, instead of sleeping alone every night. He hoped that she would not turn him down. He really did not want to be alone at all. Most likely if Scorn did turn him down, he would follow her anyway.. although he would need to go and get his things first. They were probably safe, but he at least wanted the weapons. Massacre was good with his claws, but he had long since accepted the fact that if he had to fight a person with weapons, it was better to have weapons of his own. Especially the bow, which he could use to kill without even getting close. "I have some stuff at the rock I told you about that I want to get before the sun comes up. And I have some water, if you are thirsty. You can have it if you come with me."

[Scorn]

Scorn was surprised, but not displeased by his suggestion. She had been alone so long, it had not even occurred to her to seek the company of another Zith. She realized that she agreed with everything he said. "Me too," she mumbled. She snuggled closer, shifting slightly. It was good to have a warm body to curl up with, yes... but... It took her a few chimes to realize what was wrong, but she finally noticed it just as he was making his offer of water. He was too big. The one she missed cuddling with was Scourge, and this Zith was a head-and-a-half taller than her. He was bigger than their father, even. She felt a deep sadness then; having come so close to what she used to have made her miss her sister even more, if such a thing were even possible. And yet, even though it wasn't what she was used to, she couldn't bring herself to break away from him. She was torn by his offer. The safety and security of another Zith presence warred in her with the refusal to give up on her sister. The thought of having to leave him again shredded her insides, but she could see no other option. "Today I go with you. But tomorrow I keep looking for my twin. I will not give up on her, even for you, even if it means I am alone for another season or ten or a hundred. I have to find her." She spoke with such deep conviction that she almost surprised herself. Before the storm had taken Scourge, she would never have believed herself capable of making such a hard choice like this. Strange what one becomes capable of when something important is a stake. She followed the older Zith to his aforementioned rock, finding it just as the sky was beginning to turn an ugly pink. When she landed, her limbs decided that they were done moving until she'd had a good long day's rest. She tried as hard as she could to enjoy the older Zith's company, without thinking to hard about how soon it would be over. Or about how bad she would feel leaving him, alone like she was. Knowing how painful it was made it hurt even more to inflict it on someone else, but she could not go with him before she found Scourge. She finally decided, the least she could do was to leave him with a name. "I am called," and here she gave the Zith identifier her parents used, "or Scorn, to the slaves."

[Massacre]

Massacre tried not to think about the fact that they were going to be parting ways in the morning. He tried to simply enjoy the other Zith's company. He shared his water with her, and they talked and cuddled together for warmth. It was something he had been missing for a long time, and Massacre didn't want to give it up. When she told him her name, Massacre told her his own. "And the humans call me Massacre," he added, after revealing his Zith name to her. Zith names were not things that humans, or any other race besides the Zith, could understand. They were a mix of the Zith language, which was already impossible for other races to speak, and a combination of sight and scent. It was a primal thing, shared only between Zith. The day went by in relative peace. There were a few times when Massacre did stir to the sound of one thing or another, but they were usually just the noises of small mammals, and nothing to be concerned about. If he had not just eaten the night before he might have tried to catch some of them, but Massacre had a full belly and was not worried about food. Besides, he hated to hunt in the daylight anyway. The Zith slept peacefully, always keeping Scorn close to him when possible. When they finally rose for the night, Massacre was filled with a sense of trepidation. He did not want to give Scorn up, but he knew he could not force her to stay either. Well.. he could, possibly, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted her to want to stay with him. But she was searching for family, and that was something Massacre could understand. He had once searched for his mate, and nothing would have stopped him from finding her. Finally Massacre made a decision. "I will go with you.. if you want. If you go, I will just be alone again, and might never see another Zith. I want to come with you."

[Scorn]

Scorn slept that whole day the best sleep she'd had since she left her colony. For the first time, she was with another Zith, which made her feel safe. She was slow to wake, only stirring when Massacre did, well into the dusk hours. She did not remember at first all the events of last night. At first she thought she had found her sister, but the size of the Zith body holding her belied his gender. The events of the previous night quickly and gently returned to her however, and she felt a sadness at the prospect of having to leave him that almost matched what she'd felt upon leaving her colony. She was just gathering her few belongings (eyeing the pouch of hundreds of small rocks with distaste), when he spoke. And he offered to come with her. She felt a fluttering in her chest as an uncontrollable elation swept over her. Dropping the pouch to the ground, she lunged at him, flinging her arms around his neck and nuzzling his cheek. "Yes yes yes I want!" Finding this answer to be sufficient, she danced away from him and scooped up her belongings, excited about something else entirely now. Suddenly filled with energy, she spoke with a playful tone in her voice. "Just make sure you can keep up, yes?" Flashing a grin at her new companion, she flapped her wings hard and took to the air. Once she was settled into a comfortable pattern, she listened for Massacre, and scanned around her to see where he was now. Part of her was afraid that he had lied about coming with her, or changed his mind. It would have been terribly sad to lose the first Zith she had found in so long, but more pressing on her mind was that she wanted to prove once and for all that she was a better hunter than him.

[Massacre]

Massacre was surprised by the sudden embrace, but he could not hold back the smile that crept across his face as he wrapped his arms around the zith. He too was feeling quite happy and excited, now that she had accepted him. He wasn't going to be alone anymore, and while it wasn't exactly what he had been looking for, Massacre wasn't one to question his good fortune. After Scorn flew off Massacre gathered up his own things. Now that they were together, he doubted that they would be returning to the rock again. It was not wise to sleep in the same place twice, unless it was protected. There were few predators that would hunt a Zith, but for those that did, the longer the Zith lingered in one area the easier it would be for their predators to pick up the scent. Massacre did not feel like tangling with any glassbeak, that much was certain. Once he had all of his things he quickly took to the sky, chasing after the young, energetic Zith. Massacre might have been older, but he was still strong, and it wasn't hard for him to catch up, assuming she didn't decide to make him work for it, at least. As he drew closer he noticed her looking around for him, and Massacre took that moment to catch back up, matching flight speeds with her and falling into her pattern a safe distance away. Again it felt good to be with another Zith, matching her moves, keeping in formation, occasionally breaking out in playful maneuvers. He missed the days that he used to fly like that with his tribe. Massacre wasn't sure where they were going, but it didn't matter. In the distance he spotted what he thought was a glimmer of light, possibly a fire. Fire usually meant people, and it was probably a camp. They were too far away to tell for sure at the moment, however, and Massacre wondered if Scorn had even seen it yet, or if she wanted to bother. Flying was making him hungry, though, and it had been so long since he'd tasted Drykas, or Akalak, flesh.

[Scorn]

Scorn noticed the fire-light not long after Massacre did, and caution warred briefly with curiosity before losing, badly. Her father had always warned never to attack a fire-party lightly, since animals that could make fire were usually smart enough to defend themselves. Still, she had never actually seen one up close, and maybe if she got a better look at them, she could figure out a clever way to hunt them without getting hurt. Even if she didn't have a full group of Zith, she had Massacre. She flew higher so it would be harder for them to see her when she got close. She was pleased when Massacre followed. She had rarely been in a hunting party with someone as... experienced as he was, and even when she had, she was usually treated like a child and only allowed to go after the safest targets. But in this scenario, she was the better hunter! She had proved that last night, so there was no way she would be taking orders. They would work together as equals, as a team, or not at all. Before long, she could make out shapes around the fire. She listened carefully, trying to count heartbeats. There weren't just slave races down there; she also saw creatures that vaguely resembled the deer she had eaten last night. The deer-creatures were bigger, and might be more filling, but there was something about slaves that just...tasted better.

[Jackalope]

oocI'm horribly sorry this took so long. I had some crap in RL that kinda drained me, but I'm back and ready to tumble with you nasty Zith. Let's have fun! The Redsky Pavilion. They were a proud bunch, to say the least. Though if you were to ask anyone in Endrykas who knew of them, they’d have less kind ways of saying it. They were arrogant, conceited, pretty much any word you could think of for one being full of themselves, and they had a less than stellar reputation within the community as a whole. It was the general view that they didn’t pay the respects which the Sea of Grass deserved. If you were to ask anyone in the Redsky Pavilion, they’d scoff and give you their family mantra. “Respect is earned with action, strength is forged in the Seas.” Needless to say, they were a gruff bunch. Powerful, but not well liked outside of their own. This resulted in a rather small family in total, as their attitude was leading to their demise. Having alienated themselves from most of Endrykas and foolishly challenging the grasslands was almost more than they could handle, though to this point, they were somehow hanging on. The web was precious, and although they weren’t liked, they were still Drykas. The people of Endrykas would band together if a threat appeared. -- Garis sat quietly around a small fire they’d built. Dug down into the ground, made sure there were no roots or grass that could catch and made themselves a nice little flame with which to cook their catch. A few birds, rabbits, other small critters. Nothing big, but it would do. Bellies filled for another day, and no one could complain there. “Kayden, will you hurry up with that,” Garius yelled. He was a rather intimdating man. A full six feet tall, body chiseled with muscle from dragging animals, slinking through the grass, and the general tough lifestyle of all the Drykas. He wasn’t the Ankal, but he should be soon, when his father croaks. Their small group was off away from the main group, though they planned to catch up tomorrow. For now, they needed to feast. “Shut up, Garis. It’s just about done. Do you want this cooked? I’d rather it not taste like shyke, like it does every time that you cook.” Kayden was a somewhat scrawny Drykas, especially considering his propensity for food. Still, he’d earned his share, having taken down two of the three geese they were enjoying tonight. “..Whatever. Where are Liara and Vogal?” “With the horses, you wanna go call them over?” Garis frowned and thought for a moment about resisting Kayden, but the man was a good cook and he didn’t want him messing with his dinner, so cooperate he would. “Whatever. Sure.” He stood and began walking over to where the other two Drykas stood. A rather unremarkable Drykas man and woman, lips locked in passionate embrace. The annoying newlyweds, both of them hunters but gods, they wouldn’t keep their hands off of each other. “For crying out loud. Give it a rest! Foods almost up! Make sure the horses are taken care of, and just..stop it, petchers.” The Drykas were unaware of the approaching Zith, the night sky offering the protection which the winged creatures would frequently take advantage of. Four Drykas, four striders, and all delicious.

[Massacre]

Massacre glided in and landed as silently as he could next to Scorn, his eyes sweeping over the scene before him. A band of Drykas, as he had suspected. From the looks of it there were only four, and they were not even posting a guard. The horses off to the side might be of some concern if they detected the Zith, but that was the only threat they posed. The older zith quickly began sizing up the threat of all four. The one by the fire was small, though Massacre had learned not to underestimate someone just because of their size. But, more often than not, small really did mean they were easier prey, though they had less meat. The other one who seemed to be called Garis was larger, standing as tall as Massacre, and was likely the leader of the group. He would need to be taken out first. As for the other two, Massacre could not get a good look at them. They sounded to be mating with one another, or at least getting ready to do so, over by the horses. While he wanted to take down the leader first, attacking those two while they were distracted might be the better option. Then it would only be two versus two. That was all assuming Scorn was game. The older Zith might have even taken on the small encampment by himself, but he had another with him now, and he had to think about the both of them. "Are you hungry," Massacre whispered, "I think we can catch them by surprise."

[Scorn]

Scorn tried to follow Massacre's lead, and looked at the group of slaves. Though they were slightly separated from each other, she doubted she could take any of them out without alerting the others, even if she managed to kill them before they could scream. She tried to think of a strategy, looking for any weaknesses she could exploit. Though, she had trouble focusing on the prey, and she found herself glancing frequently at the older Zith, wondering if he saw anything she might have missed. When she glanced back at the camp, she realized something had changed. One of the slaves had moved, and now one of them was relatively separated. She did not like that he was by the brightest light, but this might be their best chance. Hurriedly, she explained her semblance of a plan to Massacre. "There are too many to attack at once, but if we can draw them apart one at a time, I think we can kill most of them before they notice." Her stomach rumbled at the thought of the meal she would soon be sharing, and she was too hungry to feel like waiting for Massacre's approval. Her plan was good, and she was too impatient to talk about it anymore. She took off with a smooth flap of her wings, gliding as quietly as she could around the slave camp, until her target (the one sitting by the bright light) was directly between her and the rest of his friends. She landed outside of the fire's glow, hoping she hadn't been spotted. Her sister had always been better at this sort of thing, she thought with a twinge of loneliness. She began whispering in the Common human tongue. She did not really pay attention what she was saying, just making nonsense words. Her idea was this: the human might hear the whisper and recognize a word in his language, hopefully thinking he had an ally in this direction, or at least be interested enough to investigate on his own.

[Jackalope]

oocSorry for the delay. This got buried. If I take too long to reply, don't be afraid to bother me about it. Kayden looked up from the fire when he heard the whispering. It was a queer thing, hearing someone talk so quietly, especially in a language he barely understood. It was nonsense, but those words were Common. Why someone would be here in the Sea of Grass speaking anything but Pavi was cause for concern. "Garis, get back over here. There's something over here." The de facto leader scoffed when he heard Kayden's warning. "So fearful of the dark, Kayden? I didn't realize we had a babe in our midst." "Just be quiet and go check it out." Grinning wickedly, Garis loosened his blade from its leather sheath and began to stroll over to where Kayden claimed to see something. "Don't you worry, I'll take care of the big bad whispers, you cur." Kayden remained by the fire, making sure their food didnt' burn, though he'd reached over to bring his spear just a little bit closer. "I hate the dark," he muttered. Garis was rapidly approaching the edge of the light, his surroundings rapidly dimming. This is such a waste of time. Why do I always have to tak-...What is that? A look of surprise came across the Drykas man's face as he could just make out the silhouette of something in the darkness, but he wasn't quite sure who it was? "H-hello?" Meanwhile, the newlyweds were still engaged in passionate embrace, unaware of their surroundings.