[Flashback] Thrill of the Hunt (Sorian)

[Mao]

Timestamp 24th of Summer 509 AV

Darkness crept along the sky with dark threads of clouds akin to shadowy fingers coming in for the kill. Whispers on the wind suggest it was an omen that spoke of bloodshed in the night. More than one predator was on the prowl in the grasslands of Cyphrus, more importantly, one who has been traveling for many months in search of her calling. Her feet ached in the mornings when she traveled on foot to avoid suspicion. She had come across many a traveler on her journey, but few she granted with little more than 10 minutes of her time. The nights were for hunts, and to hone her skills as best she could for the coming days, when the food in her pack would become scarcer, and the travelers she snatched goods from less and less.

Once or twice Mao had encountered reptiles in her path as she traversed the sea of grass, but in her quick wit and agile abilities, she avoided them, and learned with time to keep her sharp eyes focused on what her foot was going to step down on next. In the cover of night, however, it was the rest of the grasslands that was wise to fear the shadow that slunk through the green waves of plants that riddled the land. The darkness had come, and it was now Mao's turn. Quietly, she crouched near a pack of glassbeaks standing idly near each other. She had to be wise in her decision to engage one, for if her perception of the sickly one was incorrect, her life could be at stake. Thirty minutes had gone by until the jaguar determined the weakest of the bunch to be the one standing closest to her; there was a slight limp to it's gait and it was overall smaller and less formidable.

Passing a wet tongue over her canines, Mao crept closer to the herd until the soft shuffling of the soil beneath her paws finally caught the attention of a glassbeak. But the jaguar was quicker to react. Less than half a second and the large predator had launched herself through the air and sunk her claws into the body of the beast, clawing and tearing at whatever chunks of flesh she could reach. The glassbeak squawked and attempted it's defiant stand, but the relentless assault from the cat was too much, and with a kick of faith it managed to knock Mao to the floor and bound off. Mao had chosen correct, and she was also far enough away from the pack of glassbeaks that had abandoned this particular one that there was no fear of being chased. Inwardly, she grinned and her attention was focused on the old, limping beast that fled for it's life. A sprint was all she needed, with the adrenaline pushing her forward, faster, and with more force than she could have ever hoped for.

This was the kill. This was her canines sinking into soft flesh and viciously crushing the neck, the skull, the legs. This was the blood that poured from the wounds of a victim, a victim that would feed a killer for days. On this night blood had been shed, but not in vain. The jaguar sat on her haunches, licking her paws and the blood that still tainted the bones. Oh how delicious it tasted; her eyes flashed with approval. But was there more tonight than just a simple hunt? She had gone astray from the road she had taken, and where she had left her belongings, but the scent in the air suggesting there was more prowling dangers in the night than usual.

[Sorian]

The Cyprus wilds. It was far less friendly than even the most accustomed hunters would dare acknowledge, for as vast and open as the sea of grass is, it held many secrets within its havens and boughs. And even with the ever-present breeze of calm, it brought swift death to the unaware. It held two very distinct faces, faces more real than apparent to even the most unobservant character: During the day, danger was a dainty maiden dancing frivolously along the fresh greenery, giving a fighting chance for the ready to survive its seemingly complacent charms. Yet during the night, when the tiny repose that Syna gives to travelers flouders into the darkness of mother Akajia's rise, the plains becomes fetid with the spilled blood of both the ready and unready alike. it is the unholy time when even the hunter can become the hunted, the intrepid the coward, the deadly the helpless. Then, there is the fear of the aberration, the unusual, the ones that walk the edge between the known and the unknown. These are the legends of Cyprus, sentient beings that could be either ancient or new, yet all carry a very important similarity: these are the rare ones that, when encountered, seldom leave witnesses alive. Entire bands of warriors and soldiers have been known to disappear without a trace while traversing the darkness, taken to the end by some malicious force nobody could have expected to find. The carnage of nature has never been so traitorous, so devilish and so wild as it was in Cyprus, just as a particular feline was about to find out. There is a particular legend in the sea of grass about a massive and powerful terror draped in blue, a feral being whose name has been etched in the stone tablet of fate as a loathed outcast and a fugitive for all hands to kill. They said that it runs like the wind and mauls its victims with hands that viciously rend life from its prey and sanity and comprehension from its survivors, leaving them with only a repetitive, maniacal laugh of pleasure to relive as spare change for their companions' sufferings. Over the years, the legend grew more and more fantastic: some say that it was a human being altered by the Valterrian; others claim that it is a Kelvic that took the form of a true demon. Whatever the creativeness, what remains true is that it is a victim of circumstance, of tragedy. It is neither human nor beast, but a member of a dwindling race keen on hunting it but not killing it. An Akalak. Huge muscles stretched powerfully over a tremendous frame of bones, with subterranean veins that squirm and unearth over his pale blue skin with every flex and every movement. It walked in a lumbering and slow motion, appearing to be drunk, yet when it sprints it moves with inhuman speed. Glassbeaks have learned to avoid this terror, and humans have been stupidly unaware of its existence. For a hundred years the sea of grass has been his to rule, and now, after a short absence, the king is back. That night, the legend was on the prowl, having taken some time off from its more docile half's residence in a certain Sanctuary near Riverfall, the home of the Akalaks. it was part of a bargain between two halves of the same soul: the docile one will spend some time in Sanctuary, while the feral one will be free to hunt and kill as he pleased for an equal amount of time. That night, it was Navis the Tormentor's turn at the helm, and he had in his sights a most unusual selection of prey: a savage Kelvic, who laid unaware of what he was planning. Behind a big rock he stood looming over Mao and her fresh kill, blue eyes glinting behind the full moon with deadly intent. A smile was etched on his lips as he licked his own chops, imitating the way she had hers when the struggle had ended. Now he was intent on bringing a whole new one to her altogether. "Here, kitty kitty kitty kitty," he mouthed under his breath, as he crouched to gather more strength in his legs. He then pounced down from his vantage point upon the black jaguar, fangs of ravenous hunger bared, not caring in the least if she had seen or heard or smelled his presence beforehand. She was his, no matter what the cost.

[Mao]

The chill that crept down her spine was unsettling, even for a predator such as herself. The air was smothered with the scent of blood, metallic and sweet, but deadly when it covered the scents of a lingering threat. Carefully she scanned the horizon ahead of her, then flicked her ears back when a distinct noise caught her attention. For the first time since she'd set out from Syliras, Mao the predatory Kelvic, the jaguar that hunted by the veil of night, was cut unawares. A growl escaped her throat as she whipped her head around to look at her attacker, and an agile leap for safety as she attempted an escape.

Barely within a hair's length he had nearly grasped her back paw, but this creature, a man she had never seen before, with blue skin and as tall as a building, at least in her mind. He was exotic to her eyes, for her short life had never given her the pleasure of experiencing the many races of Mizahar. She was in awe, but instinct told her this creature meant her harm. She hissed at him, then wondered, perhaps since he appeared as if a man, he would have the mind of one as well, and he would show mercy. The Kelvic pondered over engaging the intruder or hoping for a clever way to escape her current predicament. She mulled over his height and weight, and the muscles that riddled his body. He was far stronger than she, that was certain. There would be no contest on who would survive a fight at all. She had to admit that this time, she would not escape victorious.

Crouching as low to the ground as she could, Mao transformed her body into that of her humanoid form, and stood with her long black hair cascading down her back and a small portion of her chest. She eyed the Akalak carefully as she spoke, completely nonchalant to the fact that she stood, unarmed, unprotected and utterly defenseless. Still, she opened her arms to show she meant no harm. "I am human, do you not see?" She said, as clearly as was possible. "If you are not stupid you will not attack, I don't want to fight. I'm full and ready to rest. Go back to where you came from." Her words were full of venom, for her blood boiled at the realization that she would not survive if this man decided to attack her. "Go, beast! Leave me be." She turned and began to head back to where here belongings were stored, hoping, wishing that this thing would not follow.

[Sorian]

The massive body touched the ground with a quaking thud as his grasp ended up touching nothing but soil and dust. The cat was quicker than he had anticipated, although speed was not entirely unexpected. The fury that batted his blue eyes hinted of very sinister intentions, indeed; he was quite hungry for flesh, and much like how he looked exotic to Mao, she too looked exotic to him. An exotic meal, that is. Raising his head from the bow it dropped to upon his lunge, the hardness in Navis' predatory eyes shook noticeably when the sleek black jaguar transformed into an enchantingly beautiful woman, with hypnotic, blazing green eyes that were markedly those of her true form. His eyebrows crashed together in a grunge in confusion, and he could not help but tilt his head to the left in curiosity. While he had lived the entirety of his two hundred years fighting, killing and eating various races, he has, for the life of him, never seen such a lovely kelvic. Though she still looked very eatable to him, the ruse of her changing into human form distracted him thoroughly. Despite the apparent hostility that she faced him with, his curiosity had sated his hunger for him, and a small smirk emerged from within his cold, blue lips. His hair, which had been cropped by Kavala some time ago, had by then grown long again, and they covered his face with long, cascading locks. The tension in his muscles, the living embodiment of his power, ceased their movements as he began to relax. When she vehemently attempted to send him away and began to leave, Navis folded like a piece of paper against his raging curiosity. The woman had caught his undivided attention, for sure, and she was not going anywhere without placating his interest. He stood up from his crouch and started following her with a blank face in hulking, sedated movements, not wanting her to sprint away from him. Not that it mattered anyway, for he could run as well as any creature in Cyprus. He continued to follow her wherever she went, saying nothing and making no noise, save for the heavy footsteps that crunched at the grass at his feet and occasional heavy grunts.

[Mao]

She did not have to look behind her to know the creature was following her. She could feel the vibrations on the soil beneath her feet, and the way tiny animals shied away from their location as if a sinister storm were approaching. Except this was no storm, but a giant. A giant that would not leave her be, much to Mao's annoyance. However, she did not acknowledge his presence until she had carefully and quickly made her way to her stored possessions, placed securely under a small pile of rocks she found nearby. As she clothed herself and secured her small knapsack on her waist, she promptly turned and addressed the Akalak.

"I see you have not left me be. Do you talk? Or are you mute?" She snapped, eyes fixed on his form with a sinister glare. "I really would not like to fight a mute, otherwise I wouldn't hear the screams. So if you're going to stick around, say something. I don't have much patience for strangers." Oh how her words were like daggers. But she would not have such a strange man following her until she grew weary, then strike when she least expects it. She was aggravated, as her tone suggested, but she was also afraid. Afraid that for coming such a considerable way from where she had come, it would all end. Fear was something she was hopelessly trying to overcome; a feeling she desperately tried to keep hidden. However, anyone could see it in her eyes, and the way she moved; cautious and careful, even when she walked up to him and inspected him closer.

"What are you?" She murmured quietly, "Do you hunt as I do? Are you Kelvic?" If he was Kelvic, she'd never seen one such as him before. A mutation? A demon? She could not say, but curiosity was overcoming the fear as she scrutinized him. He was so much taller than she that she felt like a mouse in the presence of a lion. And his skin, blue as the sky on a bright day, oddly appealed to her.

No! She cried in her mind. He is like a fugitive, a murderer out on the loose!

Not much different than I....

Quickly, the Kelvic looked down to the ground and moved away, as graceful as if she still resided in her jaguar body. She would not have any of this. Affection was for the weak, for those that would trust others then have their hearts ripped to shreds like the victims that suffer under her merciless claws. She glared at the creature then turned and stalked away, no care in the world if he decided to answer her questions or not.

[Sorian]

Navis didn't mind Mao's indifference, nor did he care if she tried to bite back at him or snarled or growled. All he cared about then was following her wherever she went, and his azure eyes, hidden behind a canopy of his thick, dark hair, were every bit as focused on her every movement as she was high on the alert. He didn't even care if she thought he was a stray dog following a piece of bone, or a ravenous man following a courtesan. The scent which she exuded was not anything he had ever smelled before; there was a sweetness to her that he couldn't place, and along with her smooth skin, hypnotic beauty and her feisty demeanor, he was drawn in like a fly to a very well made cake. When she started dressing up, he felt a little disappointed; he was enjoying every moment staring at her naked back and watching every sway of her grand figure against the backdrop of black. The clothes she wore were much less fragrant than her bare skin, and the displeasure showed in the thinly smothered look he had on his statuesque face. The reaction he had drawn from his following her--a feisty, hot-headed finish--amused him and made him smirk, revealing some of his pointy but finely arrayed teeth. "Hmhmhmhm," he laughed through his teeth, followed by a few simple words. "No little kitten. I am not mute." His deep eyes, filled with malice and desire just a while ago, were now much softer, fertile with the booming curiosity in his mind. "Do I look like a Kelvic to you?" he retorted to the question with a sarcastic and faintly upbeat manner, just before she turned around and started walking away again. "And a word of advice," he chimed in as-a-matter-of-factly, which might have surprised her,"You ought not to turn your back on people you might have to fight, depending on what you try to do. Do you have a name?" He has found out that he enjoyed annoying her, drawing out her reactions, as if it was a pleasure he had not known before. Each word he has said had been calculated to fit what he wanted her to say, in this case, any sort of witty, scathing or sarcastic remark.

[Mao]

Mao had just been contemplating breaking into a sprint to escape this madman when she heard him speak. She stopped abruptly in her tracks and turned to look at him more clearly. So strange was his smile and his words to Mao that at first she couldn't place if he was insulting her or merely amused. However his next retort made her hands clench tightly into fists. The anger that boiled deep in her blood was threatening to explode out of the pores of her very skin. This creature was indeed insulting her as if she was just a common beast with no will of her own.

Do I look Kelvic to you?

She scowled at his words and walked right back towards him, circling him as she spoke. "No, you look like a monster. That's what you are. A beast from the depths of sea. You've not answered my question but you act as if I am clueless. So I have not seen your kind, are you proud of this?" She seemed as if she was hissing these words as she spewed them out to the Akalak, inspecting him from every corner, trying to spot a weakness. All she could find was her enjoyment in soaking in the sight of him: his toned muscles, his skin, his height. These things were impossible to deny, but she would not show it in her expression as she faced him once more.

"You're going to fight me? Do it then." As if to entice him, she leaned up and landed a slap directly to his face, her nails even managing to tear skin. "Is that enough for you to attack me?" She called as she skipped away from him with a childish grin. If this was a game, Mao would surely enjoy it. She would flee if she had to, but she wanted to see this man in action. "My name is Mao, but you needn't remember." She answered with smirk, "Come, big boy. Can you catch me?" As her words were carried by the wind, Mao turned and darted off into the tall grasses of the plains, pushing her legs as hard as she could. Her destination was unknown but her intent was clear: Lets see if this stranger can put up with feisty Mao.

[Sorian]

The sound of cracking fists and clenching teeth from the seething Kelvic didn't even make the towering man bat an eye; it was just as he had expected, the reaction he had wanted. He would have liked a witty and sarcastic reaction than pained and insulted more, but it sufficed for him. A gleam washed over his perusing eyes; it was going to be a very interesting night. Navis almost burst out laughing at Mao's diatribes over him being a monster of the sea, yet in an unusual show of empathy he did not budge, nor did he put up any sort of wariness when she continued to spew her barbed, venomous words and encircled him like he was the one in mortal danger. His eye merely curled towards her as she moved, with the smirk in his lips so wide now it would be quite obvious to the lithe feline woman that he indeed was amused. Not necessarily insulting, but quite amused. He was just about to answer her question formally when he felt the speedy scratch dent his cheek's skin, with some blood being whisked away as her hand glided past his jaw. A look of surprise soon devolved into a scowl, and seconds later, a frightful look of malice enveloped his face. "So, you want to play do you my pretty little kitten? I shall oblige you then," he thundered with a smile creasing his mouth open, in a playfully menacing way. He began to crouch down once more in preparation for the chase, a swift burst of his powerfully muscled legs propelling him through the grass. "I am Navis the Tormentor, an Akalak, and tonight I shall make sure you don't forget it!" The hulking mass of blue exploded forth after the woman's tracks, jettisoned forward by years and years of experienced running, even more than that, a century's worth of hunger. No, it was not a hunger that yearned for food to devour, nor of flesh to rip or bones to break apart. It was a hunger for something to find interesting, something to excite, to boil his blood in adrenalin and soak him in frenzy. "You cannot escape me, kitten! You're mine!" he roared as he ran like a man possessed, tearing through grass, rocks and even the sleeping animals that were unfortunate enough to lie in his path. If Mao would even glance back for a moment, a very amused smile was fixated on the Akalak's face. Whether it serves to amuse her or further irritate her remained to be seen. Mao had caught the Tormentor's fancy, no doubt, and the thrill of the hunt was on.

[Mao]

The sound of her heart beating like war drums against her chest was equally reverberating in her ears as well. The wind collided with her cheeks and the soil beneath her feet flew into the air like earthy rain. Faster she willed her legs, the landscape racing past her as she flew by, but she would not stop. She knew the Akalak was close behind her, and he was quickly catching up. But in her mind she had no idea how to outrun him in her current position. Pale eyes looked back to her pursuer for a fraction of a moment before it finally dawned on her.

Yes he was quick, but he was also exceptionally large and probably weighed just as much as well. He would not be able to make the complete stop necessary to turn directly around. This was her advantage. Chancing a glance back at Navis, she calculated the distance he was from her before turning back to the direction she was running. She needed a rock, anything solid on the ground and she searched for one until her eyes locked on her target, just a few paces ahead. One moment, sliding along the surface of the soil the next her foot making contact with the rock as she turned her body around to face the ground and launched herself off the solid mass. She ducked between Navis' arm and raced past him.

But the Kelvic soon found that sustained running was not her best suit. Her heart felt as if it would tear open her chest and escape into the wilds. The sprint would not last long, and if she was to escape this man it would have to be soon. Desperately she searched for shelter or an obstacle to slow the chase, but there was none to be found, only the soft, swaying sea of grass lay before her. She had set herself up to a game that she would inevitably lose, but not without a fight. Mao continued to will her legs forward, however her speed gradually became slower and slower, much to her fear.

[Sorian]

The sudden acrobatic maneuver from the sleeker woman took Navis by surprise, letting her escape his maw-like hands as she slipped through his grasp. As his eyes followed her darting image, her skin illuminated by the pale moonlight, he could not help but gawk and stare after her; in fact, he stared a little bit too much after her that he wasn't able to react fast enough to the very rock she jumped from. He slammed into the rock flat and hard, making him rebound off of it as if his 260 pound body was a mere rubber ball. The huge Akalak dropped onto the grassy soil like a sack of potatoes and passed out for a while, the darkness washing over his senses like a tidal wave. Suddenly, the sea of grass was silenced of the ruckus, with only the soft, pained moans of an aching Akalak surfacing every now and then. It is quite unfortunate for the dazed and dazzled Navis; his quarry, his prey, his object of desire was getting away, albeit slowly and uncomfortably. His still conscious sense of smell started slapping him of the fact, urging him to get up, yet his body refused to move, numbed and stunned by the impact of the crash. Some blood even trickled out of his nostril, with his eyes blankly looking into the moon overhead. One minute passed, and his fingers began to squirm and clench to get a feel of the soil. Two minutes later, his legs contracted and propped up and began to kick. Three minutes later, his entire muscular body sat up amidst the cawing of birds and the rustling of the grassy blades. Mao was long gone, he knew for certain, but the intoxicating smell of her body was still lingering fresh in the wind. Another smirk erased the mute features of his face in amusement. "Very nice try, my pretty one. But not nice enough." Shaking his head to remove the cloudy bolts of lightning in his head, he got up and started following the trail, moving in a protracted, easy pace, slowly but surely he was gaining on the woman, who was still fleeing laboriously from him. After several minutes of walking, she was back in his sights, a nasty smile to go along his amused eyes. If his disappearance had relieved her even a little bit of her fear, it was soon going to end. "Hello, my dear," he grinned devilishly at her.