Homeward Bound (Closed)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

52nd Summer, 510 A.V. All that day, the geography of the Syliran Wildlands began to shift toward the plains of Cyphrus, which put Sam in a strange mood. Somewhere around their path was where his family's bones lay, picked clean by time and nature. Thankfully, after ten years, he could not find the spot, and so nobody had to deal with him losing control, raging, or just curling up in the fetal position to sob his eyes out. He was just on edge. Perhaps Aiken was the only one to notice, for it certainly seemed like there was some sort of a bond forming. He might have been mistaken, but he could come up with no other reason why a sentient wolf would show a dog-like affection for a man. As yet he had not mentioned it. He wasn't sure exactly how kelvics bonded to people; he only knew that they did. He wasn't sure if Aiken intended to befriend him forever, or merely wanted to run with a pack for a while. But certainly Aiken seemed more aware of Sam than anyone else. Aren and Crow were thick as thieves, and both quiet for the most part, though not unfriendly. Still, Sam had put on a brave face, or a cheerful face, talking mostly to Kegan as they rode day by day. It was nice to have another cheerful lad about his own age to talk to. Most of the time it seemed like Sam was thrown together with people older than him or significantly younger, so this was passing strange. "Well, here we are," he said as the horses, the wolf, and the dog came to a halt. They were on the brink of the true Sea of Grass now, with no visible relapses into Syliran landscape. The sun was setting, but Sam felt the urge to continue anyway. Of course, this was dangerous, but all the same... "I suppose we should probably camp while there's still a bit of light left," he said reluctantly. "There's a stream here, and... well, grass for the horses won't be a problem from now on. I'm anxious to get on, but we probably shouldn't travel by night. Too many nocturnal nasties. But tomorrow, we'll ride toward where Endrykas should be, and then hopefully get picked up by Drykas outriders who will lead us in." He was rehashing what they already knew, of course, but it felt like they were finally beginning. It was just another beginning, though. Things were always beginning and ending and beginning again. And, on that note, he was going to end that philosophical train of thought. "So shall we make camp?" He was, apparently, the leader of this expedition.

[Aren]

"I'll take... all the watches," the Akalak spoke up. His kind normally traveled at night with equal ease, because of their peculiar visual ability, but since his companions were not possessed of this trait, Aren figured at least he could keep watch over their sleep. With the exception of the kelvic, who might be able to smell a lurking predator, the rest of them would likely be all but useless in spotting incoming danger. "Unless, one of you can also see in the dark?" Of course, Akalaks couldn't really see in the dark, but this explanation was simpler and more readily acceptable. The truth being that he was only able to detect warm bodies, but he could do so even in complete darkness, and that's really all that mattered. He tried to smile, to seem reassuring, but the Sea of Grass was one of very few places that constantly kept him on edge. This was a healthy mindset, of course, but it didn't do anything for your complexion. After a moment, Aren simply gave up on trying to force a smile, deciding that maybe he should conserve his energy for the vigil. The stream they were going to make camp near was certain to attract the local fauna, so he might have advised against this place as a camp-site, but it was too late now. They barely had a few minutes of even the faintest light left, so moving wasn't an option. "Hopefully, whatever comes to drink is more prey species than predator," Aren muttered, almost incomprehensibly, as he listened to the trickling sounds of the water.

[Wystern]

"I've been crawling in the dark for the half of my short-lived life. Seeing's not believing." He didn't feel sleepy, or particularly tired for that matter. Maybe he just didn't understand how dangerous the area around his was, but he generally put faith in the weapons he carried with him. It was indeed not a bad idea to believe in steel, things worked out so far. He took off the saddle from the horse, crawled up to the closest tree, checked it for anthills, leaned the blade against himself, and used his cloak as a blanket for the upcoming night. His stomach grumbled and Wys slowly began devouring the of the dry rations he brought. Time started flying.

[Kegan Emrick]

The ride to the Sea of Grass was pleasant. Arnett seemed to keep up at a good pace with the rest of te group. Kegan knew that Arnett would though. He would not have agreed to go on the trip if he did not have faith in his furry companion. It put Kegan at great ease to see that Aiken and Arnett were at a mutual like for each other or at least they tolerated each others presence. Keganw as happy Sam talked to him because in all truths he did not know any of the group except for Arnett of course. He felt sort of out of the loop because Aren and Wys seemed to know each other quite well. Of course, this adventure was just begining and he had plenty of time to know the travelers better. As the group reached the edge of the Sea of Grass Kegan felt a small amount of fear raise up in his chest. He protectively looked down to see if Arnett was near. He was right next to him though. He should have known that Arnett would never leave his side. Kegan was nervous about the trek into the Sea of Grass. He had heard all the stories about the horrors of the mass expanse of grass. He had heard about the great glassbeaks that were so feared. Kegan usually had to worry about his skills with his sword but right now when he was facing the mighty Sea of Grass he wondered about himself. Will I be able to make my way through this? Will I see Endrykas? Will I be able to protect Arnett? He pushed the thoughts away though. Getting through the Sea of Gerass would be hard enough without his panicing. Kegan was extremely greatful to stop for the night and make a camp. He did not want to brave the Sea of Grass at night. He knew that Aren could see well in the dark but that meant nothing for him. He was just a ordinary human. "I would be more than happy to stop and make camp. Is there anything you need me to do?" he asked. He knew that being the newest addition to the group meant that he needed to prove that he belonged in the group. The last thing he needed was the men assembled thinking that it was a wrong decision to invite him into the group.

[Aiken]

Aiken was beginning to feel a strange itch in his mind. Something didn't seem to sit well with Sam for some reason. He wasn't exactly sure about why he felt he knew it either. The reasoning didn't truly matter to him anyway, only that he knew what was going on interested him.

Having not been in anyway able to communicate with the sentients in the pack also seemed to bother him. While he preferred his wolf form for travel and hunting, and just about everything, he couldn't help but feel a little anti-social without the ability to talk and be understood; growls and yelps could only get his point across if everyone knew what was going on.

Once someone inquired about night-watch, he figured it might be useful to speak up. A bright flash revealed a nude man rather than a fur covered wolf, with Aiken shaking his hair out and rolling his shoulders. The change always left him stiff for some reason.

"I can take a shift if you need to sleep. Wolf eyes do well at night, and a keen ear to boot, right? Besides, I grew up knowing danger lurking around."

He wanted to ask Sam what was bothering him. Maybe if he knew, it would be easier to figure out how to get him happier. Instead, he just looked up to the man and wondered.

[Tundris]

The band of warriors sat still around a fire, chiming to each other sporadically about their travels, lives, and purposes as they ate their respective meals and warmed their feet. During the summer season there was little atmospheric cold to be had, but somehow feeling like vulnerable prey to the dangers of Cyphrus brought on sensations that chilled a sweaty man to the bone. The fire was some kind of reminder of their fight for survival, their last effort to seek meaning in the events they called life - and so there they were, about to bound across the wilderness with no trail or road in sight and no guide to steer them to the safe sanctuary of Endrykas. As dangerous as it was to be tracked down by the roaming Storm Watch, they risked the more immediate danger of being found by a pack of ravenous wolves, glassbeaks, or worse. Even then as they all were quietly sprawled around the camp attending to their chores and duties, there seemed to be an impending doom that closed in on them like an insidious cloud of snapping jaws. Noises of rustling grass and strange eyes glowing in the nights made the men nervous, and in the early hours as they acclimatized to their new threats, their nerves were quickly shot and their stomachs tight as a plethora of physiological reactions hit them along with the fear of the grasses’ endless unknowns. Queasiness, sweating, fear, the men were kept awake half the night just reacting to the new environment. It was several bells before any one of them could get to sleep; twice the entire camp was startled by the eerie screams of a distant creature being slaughtered in the night. The fear among them had escalated all the more as they sat in silence together, all privately indulging in the twisted fantasies of how they might be killed in the grasslands. It became clear to every one of them that from the moment they stepped foot through the Drykas web and onto the sea of grass, they were plunged into a labyrinth of unmerciful rock and claws from which they might never return. Morning would come soon, and it was all they could think about. Somehow the sun always drove away the darkest and most evil of things, the sun was an icon of life and much like the fire it represented the single chance to live freely. Morning would come soon, and with it would come hope.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

When morning did come, Sam was a little out of sorts. He didn't know why he was experiencing such a negative reaction to Cyphrus. He had grown to his first manhood there; it was home. Perhaps it was fear of the unknown future, or picking up on fear from the others. A pack or a herd, shared many things, after all. But he and the Akalak should have been all right, and their confidence should have rubbed off. Intellectually, he trusted the Akalak's night vision, Aiken's senses, and those of the Horses and Kegan's dog. But at a gut level, something was off. He couldn't explain it yet, but it certainly put him on the wrong foot. He awoke stiffly, but with his weapons arrayed around him just in case they became necessary: scimitar, hunting knife, shortbow and quiver of arrows. So far they had been unnecessary. Had he imagined it, or had Aiken been curled up next to him at one point for a short nap? He wondered if he would be able to communicate wordlessly the way he did with Horse if the kelvic stuck around long enough. After standing up, Sam began to stretch. Though he was young yet, things popped and shifted inside him after sleeping on the ground and all the days of riding. City life had softened him a little, but he was taking care of that on the way home. Home to Endrykas. So long as the feeling of wrongness didn't manifest from bugaboo to real danger. Yawning, he looked around to take stock of his little, rag-tag, pseudo-Pavilion. Softly at first, he began to sing a Drykas song that he remembered from those golden mornings of yore when he had woken every day to his happy Pavilion on the Cyphrus grasslands. He was no expert singer, but the Pavi words were mellifluous and they were charged with years' worth of hope and joy that had been buried for a decade. Perhaps his companions would awake with less a sense of foreboding for it. Horse, at least, seemed interested.

[Aren]

It had been a long night, but Aren had remained vigilant the entire time. He knew, first hand, that becoming distracted in these blood-stained grasslands meant opening the door to a swift and unceremonious death. "D-Don't sing," he swiftly requested of the recently awakened Sam. It wasn't that his singing bothered the Akalak, or anything like that, it was simply a matter of practicality. Any extraneous sounds could mask the approach of danger, and divide the attention of the party. Though the night may have passed, predators hunted even during the day, and were only less dangerous in the fact that seeing them was slightly easier. "Death lurks in every shadow, in every patch of grass. It hears you as you whisper, it comes on beaks of glass." This was a phrase Aren's father was fond of repeating, and in the days leading up to the boy's Rite of Trial, it haunted the young Akalak's dreams. The point of it wasn't to frighten, of course, but to encourage young ones to cultivate a strong mental attitude in preparation for their Trial. Aren thought it was no less helpful now as it was almost a hundred years ago, and encouraged his companions to keep it in mind, "Remember that, and maybe you'll all be lucky enough to avoid seeing the crushed skulls of anyone you know." Of course, it was too late for him to avoid that particular peril, but the Akalak saw no reason why they couldn't be more fortunate.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"If we're that worried about detection, we shouldn't have lit a fire," he noted, a bit sullen. He was, one had to remember, still only seventeen summers old. In any case, he stopped singing. As the others began to rouse themselves, he strapped on his scimitar, knife, and slung his bow and quiver over his shoulders. It might be an inconvenience to keep rearranging them whenever he mounted and dismounted, but he wasn't going to let them out of easy reach until he was camped among the horseclans. Here there numbers weren't enough to deter all predators. In that much, Aren was perfectly correct. Once armed, he looked to Horse, who seemed to have weathered the night well enough, though he continued to look around, ears swiveling at each sound, hyper-aware of his senses in this new region. Already groomed and fed, Sam gave him some attention and affection to keep him calm. He was more skittish than a Cyphrus bred horse, and that was only partly the new environment. He saddled the windrunner, assuming there would be no need to dawdle. The sooner they were moving, the sooner they would get to Endrykas, at at least some of the predators could be outrun on horseback, even with Aren riding double with someone else. The cavesson he slipped over Horse's head just in case. He was trained not to need signals from the reins, but if things got frightening, Sam would feel better for having another means to keep the stallion from bolting. Once one animal was seen to, he began to look for the other. There was some debate, as he understood it, whether kelvics were animals or men. He had always assumed they were animals who could assume human form, and so were more intelligent, but others were harsher in their judgments. He thought that he would speak to Aiken like a man when he was shaped like a man, and treat him like an intelligent wolf when he was shaped like a wolf. Perhaps that was uncultured of him, but that was how he thought. Surely he would get bitten if it bothered the kelvic. "Aiken?" he asked, looking still for him. He thought he might be comforted by the wolf's presence. After all, they had taken out a bear together. Perhaps they could do the same with a grasslands predator. He kept his voice pitched low, knowing the wolf had better ears than a human, and also not wanting to earn a disapproving glance from Aren.

[Aiken]

Aiken's ears twitched with the call of his name, sensitive even in human form. He sat up and looked at Sam with a rare questioning look on his face. "What's the matter?"

One wouldn't think Aiken had much of a soft side until they had truly met him. An hour in his presence would leave you with a tiny impression, with most of that being about how closely he guarded his secrets and emotions. But now that he had gotten closer to Sam, formed a bond even, he was freer with how he felt and how he showed it. Everyone else was still on the outside.