Open A Burning Lack of Effort

[Phoeniana]

51st of Spring, 513 ZZZZZZZZZZP! She missed. Yet again. Instead of the usual wrinkle of frustration on her pale nose, Phoeniana simply stared at the fruit hanging from the tree with no expression at all. She wasn't entirely happy that she had managed to shoot close to the tree, and she wasn't entirely upset that her target, the dangling fruit, had yet to fall to the ground below. No, none of these were going through the mind of the long, red-headed girl poised a few yards away from the slope of trees in that dense forest. Her brown eyes were stationed on the fruit, and if looks could kill, the fruit would have been incinerated into a pile of ashes on the floor. Anger, a familiar feeling. A caw from over head shook through the leaves of the trees, seemingly making them sway back in forth as if in response to the bird's call. Phoeniana didn't blink and eye or move a muscle. Her focus was solely and completely on the fruit and the fruit alone. Her mind ran a thousand words per second, none of them pretty. It was all the stupid fruit's fault. What kind of fruit dangles helplessly from a tree, waiting to be impaled by some lone, swift arrow? A coward of a fruit, that's what. A coward of a fruit with no morals and no desire to be free with it's other fruit friends that were made into something delicious. This fruit had to be the odd ball. This fruit in particular had to be the one piece of fruit to have no purpose in life whatsoever; no purpose but to dangle and sway at the wind's beckon. Phoeniana, disgusted with herself more than the fruit, turned away from the tree with her eyes plastered to the soil below. A twig or two cracked in the distance and the same caw that was heard earlier blared again. And again, Phoeniana didn't not respond to the impatient woman. Samani would probably just swoop over her head with her wide, majestic wings, her prey caught expertly in her goldenrod beak. She would click her beak in triumph and strut back and forth, trying to show off her prize to the Inarta. Well, good for you, Samani. You get to eat and I get to starve. Beautiful. The ground underneath her leather boots shifted, revealing a darker patch of dirt. The rain from yesterday was probably the result of the good soil. If she were a farmer, or maybe even a blacksmith, she would have found some good use for the soil underneath the soles of her boots. Instead, with the anger already sifted and churned inside of her head, she found use of the soil by kicking it angrily. Her foot swung backwards only to go plummeting down onto the ground, bringing up tufts of dirt along the way. A simple task, yet the only one she could think of doing at the moment save for breaking the bow in her right hand in half. Oh no, there was no way she was going to do that. Cawww! "I hear you,"she mumbled, her eyes still trained on the ground below. Her voice was silken with finesse, but there was a cold bite to her tone. It always got like that when she got mad at...who? Who had she ever gotten angry at other than Samani and herself? She couldn't bring herself to get upset with her father. Not after all he had done for h-- Cawwww! "I said I hear you!"she snapped, her head snapping upwards into the sky. The large black silhouette of an eagle met her cocoa eyes, and while usually this image would have calmed her nerves, it only made her angrier. Samani. Free to be without a care in the world. Free to spread her wings and go off to meet other eagles of her kind and species and mingle and drink and eat and chit-chat... She was definitely getting way ahead of herself, as was usual. Phoeniana, blaming everybody other than herself for her own faults. Then again, what was she to do? Strut into the heart of Wind Reach and say, "Howdy do!" to every person that passed her by? Hop aboard her majestic friend and sail the skies until she spotted some lone traveler, tossing him or her a quick wave from a top a giant eagle? She would be dead before she had a one-on-one with somebody. This had been told to herself by herself for years now, and no amount of kicking the dirt was going to change it. It was just a stress reliever. Cawwww! "I'm ignoring you..."she cooed, not even bothering to take a quick glance at the sky. Samani was being a little bit...wild today, it seemed. Usually when Phoeniana was practicing her work with the elegant bow at her side, the bird knew to leave well alone until she returned to her cottage. So why was she squawking every 45 seconds? ...Unless she saw something there. Something or someone. Phoeniana stopped kicking the dirt as soon as that thought settled in her head. The giant pools of brown skitted across the brushes ahead of her, but not a movement nor a sound was made. Odd. Strange. Infuriating. Cawww! Taking a quick look into the sky and back to the brushes, Phoeniana drew herself up, her white, green, and tan archer's outfit glued to her body like a second skin. A long braid of red flung over her shoulder slid down to her lower back as she hoisted herself into a standing position. Good thing the bow was in close proximity or she would be in trouble. There were rumors of wild animals sneaking up on lone things in the forests, so her father told her, and she was not about to be victim to one. A deep breath later and Phoeniana was ready. In as quick as a blink, she poised her bow at the bush, pulling back the arrow and holding it tightly in place. "I can see you!" A lie. She couldn't but Samani could. Like it mattered anyway. Whoever or whatever was in there was in for one hell of a surprise.

[Cryd]

Crydix awoke to the sound of a fierce arrow snapping against the bulk of a tree less than a stone's throw from where he lay. He clenched his teeth tightly, and slid his hands gently against the ground nearby to make sure he was where he thought he was. Grass. Where did he find grass? That doesn't matter now, someone is near. I should hide before they see me The Inartan man stuck his tongue out. Many scents had a taste if strong enough. Since he couldn't already smell the nearby person, this would be at least a bit better. But to no avail. He withdrew his tongue in thought. His body shifted a bit, and accidentally, a nearby branch snapped under the weight of his arm. Stupid! Think a bit more, will you?! Softly, he cursed to himself. A thud sounded a bit in the distance, the sound of dirt being hit by something. Cryd had to get out of there, and fast. He had work to do, and archery to practice, he had no time to lay here and fret about being seen by someone. Two large arms acted as feelers for him, the shape of his surroundings taking form in his mind. Suddenly, the screech of an eagle rang out from overhead. Now he began to panic. He back was flat against the earth around him, covered by his cloak. Shifting a bit, he could tell that there was a few bushes around him, masking him from his surroundings, but not from the eagle. Ever so slowly he eased himself up, his large body gingerly moving. A mumble was evident a few yards from here, but he didn't really care what the hunter said. He just needed to be out of there quick. Yet another cry echoed around him. "I said I hear you!" a feminine voice responded. Did she mean the eagle, or him? Was he that loud? The large man began to panic. Taking an arrow to the neck was hardly the way he saw himself dying. He had places to be, things to do, goals to accomplish. I cant die here. A slight breeze swept across his surroundings, giving his a good whiff of what was around him. Now it was confirmed. There was someone nearby, and that someone was not a drudge. The scent was clean enough. They have a bow. I'm screwed! What do I do? So this meant he was this one's slave. Basically. At least that's how Crydix viewed it. The ear piercing screech sounded once more, followed by an annoyed voice calling out "I'm ignoring you..." Good. So she meant the eagle. By then, he managed to get to one knee, slouching his back as far to the ground without reverting back to lying on the ground. If she saw him, he might just get shot. His cloak didn't assist in making him seem friendly and inconspicuous, and neither did his abnormally tall figure either. He eased his second leg into a kneeling position, and so now he was on both knees, leaning forward to hide his massive body. Aggression. She was suddenly feeling aggression, and was silent. Not good. She must have realized. Gah, if only I could see! Yet another screech rang out above him in the invisible heavens. Damn that eagle with its incessant squawking! It was giving him away! "I can see you!" His body froze in place. What should he do? Jump to the side? No, he'd get shot. Remain hidden? Pfft! Who doesn't want to shoot a bush? What could he do, but surrender? A loud sigh escaped his lips. He couldn't do anything but show himself. Slowly. Here I go... His hands were raised above his head on either side of his body, signifying innocence and surrender. His legs gently raised Crydix up from the soft grass. Don't shoot, don't shoot, don't shoot... He tightly closed his eyes, and ground his teeth together, standing to his full height in front of her. Hopefully she wouldn't just slay him then and there, a silly death. The thought of it made the Chiet sweat. "P-please don't shoot." At full height, he was truly large, and most likely intimidating. But in reality, he had been worked so hard every day that he built up strength. He pleaded silently that his cloak wouldn't immediately flag him as an enemy, though this, too, was probably not the case. His blindfold probably only served to make him appear weird to others who didn't know he was blind. What could he do? He merely stood in place awaiting his fate. "I am a humble man...I wish no harm... A bead of sweat dropped and soaked a bit of the soil underneath him.

[Kitchi]

Kitchi traced the vaguely familiar path, her bow was settled between her delicate fingers but she was not particularly alert. Her blue eyes fixed merely on the road, instead of scanning for movement like they normally would in the forests. She did not much desire to hunt anything but the wooden texture against the soft pads of her fingers reassured her, it helped to make her feel safe against anything that might be present in the forest. Although she could not remember being hunted my anything particularly dangerous in the past it was nice to know that she had something to deal with it. Her dagger was close by, she could easily grab it if anything appeared too close to draw her bow. The swaying of leaves around her was almost relaxing and she could feel her shoulders loosening as she moved. It was nice to escape from Wind Reach something, particularly when she was not focused on some task or another, a rarity for her. Something large flew over her and she glanced up at it disinterestedly, expecting a small bird. Upon discovering the source of the shadow the disinterest quickly dropped. An eagle? She stared after the large black eagle as it streaks its way across the sky, it was clutching onto something as it moved and quickly disappeared from her view. For a moment Kitchi was merely amazed by it, admiring its beautiful form and the speed at which it could fly but after more thought Kitchi hesitated, she had not intended to meet anyone while out on her walk, in fact quite the opposite she was looking forwards to a chance to relax alone, without interruption. If they were in a bad mood it would not be advantageous to her, perhaps they would be merely Chiet to interact with? She could easily make them leave if she felt the desire to at least. But what about Endal? Someone she had no authority over. The presence of the eagle made her wonder who she would meet if she followed its trail. She continued to walk as she considered her options, supposing that if she spotted someone she could back away, be non-threatening if she needed, or throw her dominance around if it was an appropriate time. A bird cawed, its voice piercing through the air, she didn't know where it was located as she could no longer see the fluttering of wings or feathers. Her best bet was to guess based on the faint movement she had seen and head roughly in the same direction. The caw sounded again, at least she could track it by that. For a moment she wondered why it was being so noisy, were they normally? She frowned, shocked by her lack of knowledge. She cursed herself mentally and promised to research them more when she managed to escape to the enclave next. Her feet continued to push her forwards, moving through the overgrowth and passed all the wooden branches that swayed above her. She was not sure what to expect and the anticipation made her nervous, the relaxation that had cloaked her before starting to fade and vanish. Another caw sounded, far closer then before. Eventually she managed to catch movement in the corner of her eyes. She twisted towards it. Two red heads stood before her, both distinct. The tallest one, a male, was standing with his arms raised above his head. A flicker of fear seemed to trace its way across his face but it was difficult to tell, he wore a ragged black cloak and a dirty cloth was placed across his eyes. Kitchi frowned at his appeared, it was unusual for someone to be covered so. She imagined he was a Dek, it would explain the large amounts of slits in his cloak and the massive, cheap fabric he was adorned with. Aside from his fiery red hair he did not seem to be a typical Inarta in any sense. The other person was holding a bow to the Dek, drawn with an arrow placed ready to fire. She was covered in dark fabrics and her orange hair burned around her face. She appeared angry as she stared down at the Dek. What had he done to her? Kitchi mused. She decided to remain still, wait to see how things play out. She was likely far enough away to not be spotted, hidden by plants and leaves. What was happening? Her thoughts burned with curiosity, studying the events carefully. She wondered if the Dek was being punished for something but it seemed strange that he would be brought so far out into the forest for it, normally they would be taken and placed in stocks. Execution? She pondered if more, it was not an uncommon punishment but it would mean he did something seriously wrong. The bizarreness of the situation struck and she wished that she could hear the words being spoken. Perhaps if I creep closer? her footsteps were careful, she did not want to startle the alert female, she was already prepared to fire at a moments notice. Out of carefulness Kitchi knew one of her own arrows, placing it against the string and half drawing. At least she stood a chance if the orange haired female spotted her, although her best bet would probably be to dodge the sailing arrow if it came.

[Phoeniana]

Maybe it was the fact that the bow was already drawn that made her shoot. There was no sense in wielding and poising a weapon if one was not going to let it fly, was there? Why put forth the effort into drawing a bow just to keep the arrow safely in it's place? The again, maybe it was the fear of seeing a man out of all things emerge from a thicket, looking no more good for wear. His appearance alone was reason enough to fire the arrow, wasn't it? If he had been a boar or something, Phoeniana may have not been so shocked at the reverie, taking it on as a hunting mission instead. Or maybe she just panicked. "Ah!" The most feminine, high pitched shout she could possibly manage was all that was heard before she let the arrow buzz straight towards the man, even after his explanation. Her brown eyes were coated with shock and fear, watching the arrow fly by and by...only to fly passed the man and lodging into a tree instead. Where there was fear before, there was now annoyance. "Great. Can't even shoot something bigger than a fruit,"she mumbled to herself, a wrinkle of frustration coming back to play on her pale nose. Her heart-shaped face was framed by the long red braid flung over her shoulder, a blotch or two of dirt sticking to her cheeks as a result of her kicking fest earlier. Had she not been in the forest going on 2 hours, she might have looked presentable enough for the man not to think that she was mad woman. She presumed she was too late for that. "I am a humble servant...I wish no harm..." Phoeniana's eyes snapped back to the grotesque appearance of the man before her. The first thing that caught her eye was his blind fold. It looked to be no more than a dirty cloth tied across the back of his head. There was a stain or two on it that she was sure she didn't want to know about. In fact, she didn't want to know about anything pertaining to him! What would she say to a man who looked as if he had just wrestled a giant beast?! "Oh, it's nice to meet you. Sorry for trying to impale my arrow in your head", did not seem like a nice way to start off a conversation. So she did the only thing she was good at. She stared. She stood with her bow lowered at an awkward angle and stared at the man as if he would vanish if she looked long enough. Samani had grown quiet in the sky, probably knowing that her job of warning Phoeniana was done. If the man really did mean harm, the eagle was sure to come to the Inartan woman's rescue in a heartbeat. However, there was no large bird looming next to her and clicking her beak aggressively, so she was on her own. There was no telling how long she stared at him. Her eyes skimmed his body and attire once, and by the red of his hair, she automatically assumed he was an Inartan as well. A Dek. Even with the knowledge, she didn't know what to do with it. What was she to say? Was she supposed to say anything? For Wind's sake, she had just tried to kill the man! Instead of standing there in that dumb position with his hands over his head like some kind of criminal, he could have been lying in a pool of his own blood hadn't been for her poor archery skills. Whether she should be thankful of that or not, she simply had no time to ponder over. She was too busy staring at the man with her pink lips parted. Another awkward bundle of silent seconds passed between two before Phoeniana finally mustered up the courage to say the one thing that had been on her mind the entire time. "...Why were you in that bu--" CAWWWW! "For Wind's SAKE, Samani! I'm trying to talk here!" Phoeniana shot her head to the skies, glaring at the large eagle that soared overhead. "Could you just knock it off for 10 seconds? Just 10! That's all I'm asking fo--" CAWWWW! Before the spree of curses could fly from her tongue, she sensed it again. That dreaded feeling of being watched, just as she felt with the man in the bushes. Now this dread was coming from somewhere else, somewhere near...It must have been the reason for Samani's interruption. All at once, everything started to pound and swirl in her head. Anger, confusion, annoyance, fear...The weight of it all was too much for her to bare as she stood clenching her teeth and shutting her eyes with her head lowered. Keeping her eyes off the man was probably not the wisest of choices, but she had to heed Samani's caws. In a quick flash, she raised her bow once more, aiming it directly at the Dek's chest. It wouldn't surprise her if he didn't feel intimidated at the action after seeing how poorly she shot her arrow minutes ago, but she wasn't going to lower it for that reason. "How many of you are here?"she bit, sending him a dark glare where his eyes were supposed to be if not for the blindfold. "Who else?" She hoped she was speaking loud enough for the next 'intruder' to hear. Just because she wasn't flawless with her bow did not mean she couldn't put up a fight. She would scratch and kick a day away if it meant saving her life. A few seconds went by and her anger towards the large man increased. "Talk, stranger!"

[Cryd]

He heard a loud squeal, and felt something change in the air. Something was heading towards him, and fa- The arrow whizzed past his cheek and straight into the tree behind him. Crydix couldn’t find the words in his mind to express his shock, fear, anxiety, and relief all at once. The arrow had just been fired, and it barely missed. Only a few inches to the side would mean his death. His eyes widened to massive proportions under his filthy blindfold, and his mouth gaped widely. So close, oh so very close. Only a few moments ago, he was taking an ample nap, and a rather rejuevinating one at that. Could he ever live a normal life? Why cant he just take a damn nap without it turning into a life and death situation?! Now he stared death in the eyes. Or at least, he felt death in the eyes. She had shrieked earlier. Was he really that dirty and strange? The muscular figure was beginning to feel a sense of rage building within deep his head. "Great. Can't even shoot something bigger than a fruit," the feisty woman exclaimed. To stop from shouting loudly at her, he clenched his teeth as hard as he could, only breaking it to repeat ”I mean no harm… I mean no harm...I mean no harm... calm down...” Her appraisal of him hadn't ceased for a while."...Why were you in that bu--" The smug archer's inquiry was interjected by a loud screech from her eagle. The eagle had screeched much the same way when he had awoken. That meant there was probably someone else nearby. He focuses his senses and stretched it to his surroundings, focusing on the slightest noise. A leaf shifting against the soil, a muffled snap of a branch, anything to signify the location of the other. He didn't need this to complicate itself any further. The woman was now screeching back at her eagle and about how annoying it was, only to cut off mid scream. She noticed only now? Then he sensed a slight hint of aggressiveness from her. This may turn ugly... Unfortunately, he was correct. The tension in the air was all to feasible. She drew her bow again, and she wasn't looking to hit a tree this time. This is where it ended. Curses... I am doomed to live the life like trash, and then ended in a misunderstanding? No. No not today. All of the sudden, he couldn't possibly care less if she would try to kill him. He was going to dodge if it was the last thing he did. "How many of you are here?" What? Crydix cocked and eyebrow at her. "Who else?" She repeated. There was no reasoning with this woman. At the beginning of her last sentence, he simply dove as hard and as fast as he could to the right, ramming into the hulk of a tree, but only at an angle, and so he managed to fall to the cover of the nearby bushes. Now everything was about to turn to hell. Don't die, don't die "I refuse to die!" he bellowed.

[Kitchi]

Kitchi crept forwards more, attempting to hear the words tumbling between the Dek and the fiery haired woman, she was still just too far away to hear what was being said but she could tell from a distance the tension and heat that ran between them. Kitchi continued to creep forwards slowly, curiosity burning itself into her mind. She could not leave now. Freezing Kitchi saw the arrow whizzing through the short gap, barely missing the Dek male in its flight. It continued to sail through the air, its feathers spinning as it moved. He seemed startled but then nobody could blame him from it, the blindfold would have made it impossible to predict. She imagined in his mind the whirring of air besides his ear must have lasted an age, pulling on with the threat to his life remaining longer then it should have. Well at least I am not the only one who misses Kitchi snorted internally but the question of his crime played within her mind too. What had this Dek done to deserve the position he had found himself? It was certainly a place she would not want to be if avoidable, but then her caste meant it was unlikely she ever would. And what was with the blindfold? Everything was turning towards the strange and each second seemed to twist into the more bizarre without thought for her sanity or ability to understand. More words tumbling from the woman's mouth. She was obviously irritated, her mouth moving quickly. Another piercing shriek made its way around them and Kitchi cringed visibly. Her forehead crinkling against the sharp pain running through her brain. The bird was particularly noisy. Was this normal for it? She did not think she would stand it for long if it was. The female did not seemed particularly pleased with it either as she spun around to snap at the bird.
"-for 10 seconds? Just 10! That's all I'm asking fo--" Kitchi tensed, she had just started to hear what was going on, why had she stopped? I should have left it, ignored what was going on Kitchi gulped, panic was starting to brush its way around her bleed. Anxiety filling her now tense body. In seconds another arrow had been loaded and Kitchi's blue eyes widened with fear and shock. Had she been spotted? She gulped but the bow was not pointed towards her. The metal tip of the arrow found itself pointed towards the Dek's chest. She jumped. What on earth was going on? "How many of you are here?" Kitchi could just about make out the glare boring its way into the blindfolded Dek's soiled cloth. "Who else?"  The words were authoritative. Strong and determined. Kitchi would have been impressed by her dominance of the situation if it was not aimed at her. Kitchi had to make a decision, she did not want someone to be injured, or worse, because of her presence. "Talk, stranger!" The woman shouted again, her voice was filled with anger. It seemed she was determined to cling to her life but Kitchi did not understand how it was at risk, the blinded Dek posed no threat to her. Kitchi started to draw her bow, lining an arrow against the string. Her movements were slower then usual, attempting keep her exact location unknown for now. It would not help matters if the angry woman could point the metal tipped arrow at her. Her own bow was drawn by her side, the wood held tightly as she measured everything. She could not miss. It was important that she did not miss. Her fingers unfurled from the string and the arrow flew forwards, the feathers whistling as they travelled towards the tense situation. It seemed like an age but the metal tipped arrow found its way towards them, soaring faster and dropping slightly as it moved. It hit its target. The metal tip embedded itself into the wooden handle of enraged woman’s bow. The feathers and wood displayed prominently from the splinters that had formed around it. The metal glint seemed to draw attention to the lodged object. The bow was distorted, unusable for the moment. Another time and she might have wondered if the woman would force her to pay for it but she did not have time as she dashed forwards, she did not even have time to celebrate the success at hitting her target. Her boots padding softly against the floor as she ran, twigs snapping beneath her feet but she did not care,. The woman had to get the arrow out of the bow and prey the wood did not snap before she could fire again, Kitchi had the upper hand. The encounter was going to be tense, they was no doubt about it. It was unfortunate but something that was simply the way the world worked. In her haste to reach the pair she did not notice the Dek leaping into the bushes, likely having sensed the arrow moving towards them and mistaking it for one much closer, much more life threatening.

[Phoeniana]

Insane. The Dek was irrefutably and utterly insane. ”I am here to serve… I am here to serve… I mean no harm, and am ashamed for my crime...” As intimidating as she tried to appear with the pointed tip of her arrow lined directly inbetween his breasts, she cocked a single eyebrow and blinked once. One time. "...What? What are you talking about?" It seemed a lifetime in a half before she heard yet another caw from the air. Samani must have really seen the new visitor and Phoeniana would do best to focus on that matter other than the matter of the man's insanity. What kind of man wore those kinds of clothes in the woods, no less. They were dangerously close to where her father worked at the Skyhigh Stables...so what was Dek doing in the middle of no where? And what was with that blind fold!? Phoeniana did not falter in her poise at all, wanting to remain as stiff and determined as she had ever been before, but curiosity was starting to get the better of her. He can't really see me aiming at him, can he? Not with that blindfold in the way. However, it didn't explain how he managed to notice he was in danger. Oh, wait, that was right. She had tried to kill him only seconds ago. Parting her pink lips to take in a small bit of the brisk air around her, things suddenly started to fall apart. With no warning whatsoever, the Dek flung himself to the sight, hitting a tree along the way, all while shouting, "I refuse to die!" Phoeniana was as ill prepared for that as she could have been, so much so that she nearly shot out of panic once more. "What kind of crazy..." There it was! The sense of another presense! Much to her demise, she was too late in sensing the presnse to her left for when she finally managed to do so, an arrow whizzed out of a nearby buch. Fear prickled the hairs on the back of her neck and not so much as an awkward croak escaped her lips until THWUNK! The hand holding the bow shot to the side and she winced in pain at the sheer impact of the arrow lodging into the delicate wood of her bow. Her weapon, nearly broken by one shot from a mysterious source. Her eyes snapped to the side just in time to see a woman, a woman, careening towards her with boldness and determination behind the beautiful blue of her eyes. The look of a fighter. Phoeniana took a step back, then another, then another until she was forced to plant her back against a nearby tree, her bow twisted at an awkward angle on the ground. Her only method of defending herself against a wild Inarta with a bow that was pretty much useless. She was doomed. Crrreaaawww! Oh no... "Stop it! She'll kill you!"she shouted, holding up both of her pale hands, her slender fingers spread to enunciate the word "stop". The overhead screech was a familiar one to Phoeniana. Each and every time she had watched her majestic friend hunt, the same ear-piercing shriek cut across the royal blue sky of Wind Reach right before Samani dove beak first for her prey. That prey was the Inarta woman. "Stop! Don't move! Don't...Just hold it a sec!" Who was now once a woman who thought she could barely say 'hello' to another Inarta, Phoeniana was babbling like an idiot, waving her hands back in forth to signal that she meant no harm. No harm...yeah right. You almost got that Dek killed and now Samani is going to kill this woman! Tossing her head up to the skies at the black outline of an eagle careening towards the ground, Phoeniana bit her tongue before shouting. "Samani, dont!" The eagle was heedless to her warnings, looming closer and closer to the running Inarta woman. She planted her wings at her sides to gain speed, her large, tan eyes locked directly on the wavy red hair of the stranger. Phoeniana shot a look to the girl and back to her sky diving eagle before clenching her fists together and squeezing her eyes shut. There was no way she was about to watch her eagle tear into the Inarta flesh.

[Kitchi]

Kitchi ran forwards, a determined pace as she moved towards the woman. She had brought herself enough time but what was she going to do now? She'd think of something, she just had to have faith in it. It was fortunate that she managed to hit the bow as she had intended. The other woman planted herself against a tree, she looked slightly defeated. Her bow dropped to the ground, twisting awkwardly. At least the woman posed no threat anymore, Kitchi hoped. If it was her she would have her dagger as a backup and she could not be sure this woman did not as well.
Crrreaaawww!
The sound cut through the air, disturbing Kitchi's thoughts. It was somehow different to the previous sounds and Kitchi puzzled over it as her feet pounded forwards, disturbing the twigs and leaves in her path. The adrenaline driving her forwards and making her ignore everything else, including the presence of the bird who had just cawed loudly.
"Stop it! She'll kill you!" The other woman jumped up suddenly, her arms spread out in a desperate plea. She was staring towards Kitchi now, her eyes burning with fear and panic. Once again the events had begun to turn and twist again, never sitting still for a moment. "Stop! Don't move! Don't...Just hold it a sec!" The words finally rang through in Kitchi's mind and she started to panic, what was the woman shouting about? Stop? The words flickered in Kitchi's mind, should she? The woman might be tricking her but then again? The fear and distress the woman was displaying made her want to believe the words, but even if she was telling the truth what was the danger? What was going to attack her? Why would stopping save her? "Samani, dont!" The woman turned away from Kitchi, looking up into the sky and Kitchi finally noticed the dark black figure in the sky. She had forgotten about the giant eagle soaring through the air towards her. Sharp talons gleaming in the light. Kitchi's blue eyes widened in shock and panic. The eagle moved towards her quickly, she did not have long to think. Dagger? No. Dodge. Instantly she launched herself to the side, hoping it would be sufficient to evade the quickly, nimble bird. It nearly worked. She felt the claws brush against her shoulder, digging small marks into her right shoulder. A searing pain spread through her as she hit the ground, hard. Her whole body seemed to ache in protest of the movement. Kitchi groaned as she attempted to raise herself, nothing seemed broken at least. Her fingers raised to the dull throbbing in her shoulder, gently touching the cuts. She brought her fingers back into sight, staring down at the red blood marring her pale skin. Her shoulder hurt, throbbing painfully. Later she would realize how lucky she had been, a second later and the bird would have torn through her arm, broken bones, destroying ligaments. With a curse she switched her gaze back to the eagle, she had almost forgotten it once again. The black feathers had pulled back into the air, was it preparing for another attack? Kitchi was not sure she could escape its claws again. Within seconds her fingers had fallen to her side, clutching around her dagger and tensing. She ignored the pain from her shoulder, using her dagger would hurt, a lot, but it was better then being defenceless. If she was lucky the bird would return to its owner, or think her not worth the energy of another attack, but she did not trust her lucky to hold out any more then it had.

[Cryd]

Too many things were happening at once. First he dived into the bushes, then a loud THAK was heard, then the sound of someone running speedily, and then an eagle;s screech, followed by desperate cries from the same woman that had just recently tried to kill him. What the hell is happening?! He quickly attempted to decipher the situation while he strove to stand to his feet. First, the loud noise. It sounded like an arrow hitting wood. Well, there it is. A arrow hitting wood. A tree, maybe? There wasn't really much wood to hit around here, excluding the trees. So an arrow must of hit a tree. Second, someone is running quickly. The footsteps seem a bit light and coordinated in the way that only humanoids run. So it was probably a man or woman that was running. Ah! That would explain the arrow! It was probably that other presence that the eagle saw. Is this an ambush? The person's running slowed down slightly half way through because of the cries coming from the other person, the woman who tried to impale him with the arrow. "Stop it! She'll kill you!" Well, that's a familiar voice...Who is this "she"? He pondered it a moment, and his thoughts were answered by the sound of wind rushing past feathered wings, and the stumbling of the attacker. The eagle! Talons cut flesh, and the bitter smell of blood flooded over him. Hmm... situation just got worse... Who was the attacker? The Inartan sniffed the blood a bit, concentrating on the amount and potency of the stench. Not too much, just a wound. Plus the person is rising back to their feet. By now Crydix was already well on his feet, crouching behind a nearby tree. So, let's review. Someone ambushed the woman, and then the eagle took it personally and swooped down to bring pain. The person dodged and the eagle flew back into the air. So... what now? It didn't take long for him to decide. Let's get the heck out of here while they're distracted... But first... Let's see what happens. OOCSorry for the wait! I've edited my previous posts a bit, changing a few things here and there. CS is updated, too. Also, I understand that this background I have for my posts is rather annoying... I'm working on finding a decent one, sorry.

[Stardust]

Kitchi

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	3
Interrogation	2
Shortbow	2

•	Lores Earned
•	The Surprise of a Bird
•	Everyone Misses the Target at Some Point
•	Assessing a Situation
•	Recognizing a Dek

Dream On

Well, since Cryd retired and Phoeniana has an intervention on her CS, it looks like Kitchi is the only one I can grade this for, currently. If Cryd returns or if Phoeniana fixes her CS, they can request the grade again.

I would have liked to see more to this. It's sad that it wasn't completed. It was rather entertaining, if not strange!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.