Between Sunset and Sunrise the Forest Comes Alive (Abashai )

[Nya Winters]

When Abashai moved, suggesting they check the rabbits, Nya rolled up to her feet. Truthfully, she was incredibly comfortable where she was. Abashai's presence was somehow soothing, lulling her into a calmness she rarely felt. But he needed to move, and so did she. Nya was eager enough to eat, and half-starved in the time she'd spent with Abashai. The Kelvic usually ate several times a day, large meals at that, to keep up her energy. The pair had been together several hours now, first with setting snares then swimming, and as a result Nya's stomach was rumbling. While Abashai made tea and removed the dates, Nya walked over to the spit and took the rabbits off the fire by moving the branch and propping it up between two taller stones. She transferred one of the rabbits to another stick, pressing it into the earth near Abashai's place by the fire (as if she was going to dry the meat), so he could eat from the rabbit at his leisure. She took the second rabbit for herself, burning her fingers in her eagerness. She licked at the offended digets, which just made her hungrier, and took the entire thing back to her seat. The third was left on the spit, balanced between the two stones for them to eat later or make breakfast of.

Nya settled and forgot all about waiting for Abashai. She dipped her head and tore into the rabbit, unwilling to wait now that the meat was in her possession. Nya ate it straight from the stick, tearing into one of its legs. She neatly snapped the toes off and began eating it bones and all. When Abashai's settled beside her, she was well involved in satisfying her appetite. At first she didn't hear his words about the dates. She was so engrossed in her meal, she didn't realize he was setting tea in front of her. All she saw was him reaching. A low dangerous sound came from her throat, a warning of sorts that only a cat could make. It wasn't a growl like a dog would produce. But it was higher pitched noise, one that might proceed a spit or hiss from a threatened or annoyed feline. Nya glanced up at him sharply, her eyes for a moment looking as if the pupils were more slit vertically than circular as a humans would be. The look was dangerous, almost threatening. Then it hit him, there was a possessiveness in her stark gaze as she met his blue-green eyes.

The meat was hers.

Then Nya blinked and her eyes returned to normal. She could see his hand had a cup and that he was offering something too her, not trying to take the meat. The ominous sound deep in her throat ceased immediately, but there could be no doubt what it was.

Food Aggression.

Nya's face paled suddenly and just as abruptly her skin flushed with a red hue. "I.. Thank you. I am sorry. I am just.. hungry. Sometimes I am.. possessive of food." She said, tossing her head abruptly and looking distinctly uncomfortable, as if embarrassed. Nya moved the rabbit she was holding with both hands into her just her left and reached out with her right to politely taste the tea. It was... amazing. She'd never tasted a favored drink with such an earthy essence. And not only was its taste good on her tongue, but its scent was soothing. She set the cup down, and reached over to take a date. She brought the fruit up to her lips and sniffed it. Her tongue darted out and she licked it. Then she took a small bite. Nya glanced over at Abashai, raised an eyebrow, and carefully began to eat the fruit around the pit. Her mood was subdued, almost apologetic. But the fruit was good, sweet like Abashai had said, and she didn't mind it so much. When it was all but gone, she decided she really liked the date. The fruit brought forth more of the human in her while the meat called forth the beast. Nya was slow to return to the rabbit, making herself wait, making herself be calm. She breathed in, then out, and watched the man with an avid focus forcing herself to go slow, to concentrate on him and not the food. Nya eventually went back to eating the rabbit, but this time she was slower about it, and didn't consume the bones. Instead, she picked them out and tossed them into the fire. Her eyes remained bright, perhaps overly so, but there was no more sound than the slight noise of both of them eating.

Abashai's words distracted her, calmed her, and she remained focused and human, listening to more of his story as he answered her question. She thought a long time about what he said before she finally answered his own question to her.

"Your eyes. I knew them as you stared at me across the creek. I knew your flash of a grin and your calmness. I knew the way you were with your horse, and the way you smelled. I knew the fall of your black hair and the grace with which you carry your large body. I knew the sound of your voice before you spoke. I knew your markings, and their meanings, and I knew you needed something I had. I just did not know I knew all that until now. I also did not know you would not be a stranger, but someone important to me." She said, letting her words fill the empty space left by her embarrassment of a moment ago. She didn't speak the words, nor did she mention a bond. But she knew he knew or suspected. "I knew because I could feel it. I feel it now, stronger than it was then. I think it will be even stronger tomorrow." Then she tilted her head and tossed a grin his way, even as she brought the rabbit up to her mouth and took another surprisingly delicate bite.

"Besides, you did not have your bow strung." Nya grinned, bit down, and began chewing the rabbit again.

After she finished the bite, she looked speculatively at him. She seemed to weigh what she saw, consider, and pick. A question. She was thinking of a question. "You know what I am afraid of, bows and swords." And not being skilled enough at being human - of Abashai rejecting the bond that was already slowly forming. Nya already worried, just hours after meeting him, less than one day after simply learning his name, that she somehow wouldn't measure up. Had she been less naive, she would have understood that such worries made her more human, not less so. But her question.... "But I want to know what you are afraid of." It was a heavy question. And she tried to lighten it by picking up another date. "I like the dates. They are very good. Sweet, just like you said. And the tea too. Thank you for them." When she had finished the date, setting the pit aside carefully (her mother had taught her to save seeds always), she turned her full attention on him once more... wondering what his answer would be.

EditI think I rolled a critical failure on knowing the difference between figs and dates. Shame on me! I seem to remember doing this with poor Abashai's eye color as well. I've fixed it! I really should stop posting at 2am after work when I'm kinda tired.

[Abashai]

Nya had faith in her feelings, in her instinct. He no longer doubted what she was insinuating, what she had all but accepted as fact. The kelvic bonding. A type of relationship to which Abashai had no comparison, no frame of reference. He took a long sip of the calming tea and let it soothe his rising anxiety. Yes, he finally admitted to himself, he had rather sudden and unprecedented feelings for Nya, feelings he initially suppressed. They threatened the control he had of his emotions, the protections he put up to guard his heart. Control..his control. One of the guiding principles of Yahal himself is that one relinquishes control of themselves, their destiny, into his faithful hands. From the moment the old Rapa priest told him he trusted too much in himself, Abashai had struggled to learn that lesson. Two years of wandering he spent learning to trust Yahal for safety, for providence, for strength, for virtue. Today, Abashai's last bastion of control was assaulted. Control over his heart. So closely guarded for so long, he didn't even speak of those things he hid to Yahal, though the Holy One knew. The one chosen to challenge the bulwarks Abashai had built around his heart was an impulsive, charming two-year old kelvic girl. And the gods were behind it. The revelation was astonishing. Never in his wildest imaginations would he have figured this one out.

The girl had almost taken off his hand when she thought he was taking her food. Yes, he had seen the flash of a beast in her eyes, in her throaty challenge. It had startled him coming from her. He was both apprehensive and anxious for the time he would see the beast's form.

His cooler, logical demeanor returned, and he put all his thoughts in there place in his mind. If all this was true, it would come to pass. If. He knew...he just had a hard time giving up that last bit of control.

He began to tear at the rabbit Nya had set before him, not concerned with impressing the kelvic with manners. He took in her question. Fear, what was he afraid of? "There are two kinds of fear. We have primal fears, things that make us fear for our lives, our limbs, for physical things that belong to us, including the lives of our loved ones. To an extent that fear is good, it keeps us alive. I do not fear natural things. I am not especially afraid of death, or those that can bring it. I will confess to you that I have learned to fear sandstorms. Not all storms, as I find a good thunderstorm thrilling. And not a horrified fear, but a reverential fear, because I know what they have done to me."

He ripped off a leg, taking a healthy bite and trying to speak around it. "The other fear is fear of the heart. Fear of failure, fear that you will not be accepted, fear you will not be good enough, fear your feelings will not be returned, fear you will be emotionally hurt. I find most people, of the kinds I have met, have these fears to some degree. I have them too. The danger of these fears are they can keep us from living up to our full potential." He was learning more about himself each moment that passed. Was he revealing too much of himself? Control...he had to give it up.

He popped a date into his mouth and turned towards Nya. He waited until he had swallowed the sweet treat and turned his head to spit the pit into the fire. He leaned forward towards her. Her eyes were fixed on him, and he made sure he met their gaze. "Nya, I am not afraid to know what you are. " Well, he admitted to himself, somewhat anxious of the unknown. He remembered the primal reaction she had protecting her food. "But if what we both know may be happening here is really happening," he could not yet say it out loud yet, "I have to know what you are." He hoped he had not been too forward. He had tried to be patient, but the more time he spent with her, the more Abashai realized how much of Nya was the animal. He guessed Nya might be reluctant to show that side of herself, afraid of what he might think. He couldn't say himself what he might think. But he knew he cared for her and truly believed forces beyond the two of them were at work. He could not grow closer to only half the woman.

[Nya Winters]

She could smell the anxiety on him, but she wasn't certain what exactly had caused it. Abashai's feelings caused her to widen her eyes and watch him intently, becoming more and more concerned. It could have been so many things, from her actions to her presence, or maybe even some of the more painful things he'd already brought up about his past. And with a little food in her stomach - two dates and at least two rabbit legs - Nya was more than able to focus on Abashai for a while. For a long while, in fact. She set her food aside, which was an act of pure will for the girl, and set up in a kneeling position, ankles crossed beneath her rear, and rested her hands on her thighs. She listened intently.

Even as Abashai calmed, his words started filling the campsite. He spoke of fear as he ate, and Nya listened, carefully reflecting on his words. She had no idea that so many fears existed, though now that he said it, his words made sense. He made a list of sorts, things he should have been afraid of that he wasn't, and things he truly was afraid of. Nya wasn't quite certain why he mentioned the things he should have and wasn't - it was almost as if he was examining himself as a separate person. And it amused her slightly that he seemed slightly surprised at what he truly was afraid of. Primal fear was an interesting concept. She thought about that a moment, deciding she too would need to think about that more later. So he wasn't afraid of death, though sandstorms bothered him. He also classified fear, breaking it further down. She found that interesting. Abashai thought on multiple levels and tended to put things in neat categories.

She wondered then if that is what bothered him... if this thing that was happening wasn't so neat or easily labeled like something her mother might store in a jar of alcohol so she could look at later without it rotting.

Nya tilted her head, and thought about his explanation of heart fear intently. "I wonder if it is because you are strong physically, that you do not fear the physical kinds of things so much. But I am surprised, because I think you are strong inside too, where your thoughts are, and yet for you that is so much more frightening, that somehow that sort of strength inside will fail you. I wonder why you have so much confidence in your body but not in your mind? One cannot be strong without the other." It wasn't one of her questions to him. It was really more like Nya speculating to herself out loud. She smelled something on him again, an uncertainty...

She watched him eat another date, disposed of the pit, and then he leaned towards her. He met her gaze and she trembled then, fear filling her eyes. It was a strange thing for Nya to feel fear. She only usually experienced it when she was hurt or a battle was going badly with something bigger or stronger than herself. And while swords and bows made her extremely nervous, this man invoked new kinds of fears in her that she was completely unaware existed prior to knowing him. His explanation of fear helped her name her inner turmoil, but it was still new stuff. When Abashai confronted her so directly, she couldn't look away. He acknowledged the bond, even in his own way, and rather than ask her another question, he expressed a need to her. A need. He had a need. It pulsated through her and she nodded, completely setting her food aside. She had no appetite now anyhow. His blue-green gaze held her and she knew then and there she could never refuse him anything. Her lips opened, and she took a breath. Then another. Then a third before she answered. "I am a Forest Cat, before anything else and especially before this form, which I was born too though it doesn't always feel natural." She said softly, then reached out and slipped a hand behind her neck to rub at her the base of her skull. It was a very human gesture for someone who was no where near human. "A Talderian Forest Cat." She didn't know if he knew what that was. "We are predators, big cats, that have no natural enemies besides people and each other." She said so softly he could barely hear her. "I would show you, but when we shift we ruin our clothing. My wilder form is larger than this one, so I have to remove my things to show you. I will if you would like, but I know you are not comfortable with bare flesh." She admitted. Then she reached forward and touched his arm.

She didn't move from her comfortable kneeling, nor did she crowd him as she normally would to really get his attention. Instead, she just reached across the space between them and touched him, to get his full attention and bring his thoughts back to her. "I would like my question now. I would like to know how you feel about this. Abashai, I can go now. I am not one that is willing to make you uncomfortable. I can leave tonight, in fact it might be best if I do so. Sometimes thinking alone is the best. This might be something you need to think about more, alone. If I stay, I do not think either of us will have a choice if more time passes. I want you to have a choice. I want a choice. I can come back in the morning, or find you in a day or two, and we can share more words. But if I eat this meal, finishing it completely and curl up by the fire with you, I know.... I know deep within me that when the Syna touches the sky again tomorrow, I will not know a life without you in it. I can feel that. I can feel that really strongly. It thrills and excites me. But I can smell your anxiety. So tell me... how you feel, and what you want. And most importantly, if you need time." Nya said, her green eyes sincere and more human than he'd yet seen them.

[Abashai]

Nya knew him. It seemed every time he opened his mouth, shared something of himself, she would lay him open, exposing what he really was, clarifying what he guessed at, revealing what he did not, or refused to, know. It was magnificent gift, if a bit unnerving. There have been precious few who have provided such insight to Abashai. They say one of the ways Yahal speaks to his followers is through others, even without their knowledge or understanding. Yes, he hated to admit it, he had heart fears. He did not like to been seen as afraid of anything.

She had not held back from him her true nature. She was a Forest Cat. He wasn't quite sure what that was. Once he had seen the elusive sand cat in the Redstone Cliffs. It was similar to the Eypharians pet cats, but almost as large as a man, with strong fangs and sharp claws. It was beautiful and powerful. The creature had looked at Abashia with indifference and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. From Nya's description, the Talderian cats were even larger. He desired to see her cat form, but he would not ask her to change. Not because she said she would have to undress, though he was not sure how he would handle that. He did not ask because he would not treat her like a side show attraction. When the time was right, he would see Nya in her natural form.

Then she asked him how he felt about the bonding that was taking place. Such a question would normally have been difficult for Abashai to answer, having buried his feelings quite well for most of his life, even from himself. Now, he knew how he felt. He knew he wanted to be near Nya in a way he did not quite understand. He had a need to know all about her, to know that she was well and safe.

The girl must have inherited her mother's human wisdom. It would be wise not to rush into such a relationship, into a commitment that would change the course of both of their lives. Nya knew him enough to know this went against his nature, his logic. It has only been a few hours! But when she suggested she leave, a sudden ache gripped his heart. The thought of her leaving now pained him. She was right. The bonding grew stronger each hour they spent together. No , he did not want her to leave, and he did not need time to think. He had had all his life to think, time for thinking was over. He needed divine guidance. Yahal had brought him to this place, allowed this situation to present itself. He knew Nya had accepted the fact that they were bonding. It touched him and humbled him that she was willing to spend her life with him. Logic and caution aside, Abashai knew he wanted it too. But for the past two years, his life was about trusting in his god. And so he would go to the Holy One for guidance.

He laid aside the rabbit's leg, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and turned toward the kelvic girl. He raised himself on one knee, took her hand in his, examined the long slender fingers. He looked up at her, again catching her gaze, making sure she was fixed on him. Her eyes seemed to almost glow in the fire light, in them he saw so much to be treasured. He decided with her there was no other way but complete honesty. "Nya, I feel the bond. I cannot deny it, describe it, categorize it or explain it ... but I feel it. I know that, at my core, I want to let it happen. I believe we are right to suspect that divine forces have brought us to this moment. I do not need to think about it any more. I want it." There was a relief in his confession. "But if Yahal has brought me to this place by his design, than it is not my place to impose my will upon his plans. I need time to seek his guidance, what he wants me to do. Do not leave, this is your place. I need to be alone, just for a while, but I will not go far." I don't want to be too far from you. He found himself taking her hand and pressing her palm against his cheek. He searched her eyes, hoping to see that she understood. He slowly rose, picking up the heavy sword laying beside him. He let her hand slip from his and slung the sword belt over his shoulder. Slowly, reluctantly, he walked over to his piled belongings. Abahsai picked up the oud, the instrument still wrapped in its covering. He turned to look back at Nya for just a moment, wondering that, if they bonded, would the feelings always be this strong? Then he turned and headed off into the woods.

The desert man wasn't how sure how long or far he and walked, carefully picking his way in the low light. His eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight that slipped down through the forest canopy. He kept the stream in view, so as to find his way back. He waited until he could no longer see the fire. Finding a large tree, Abashai sat down against it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and exhaled. He tried to clear his mind. So much so soon. Unwrapping the ould, he slowly, softly began to strum, a rich, deep sound resonated from the instrument. The strums became a song and Abashai opened himself up to the Holy One.

[Nya Winters]

Nya watched Abashai rise as his words fell about her like rain. It was the verbs that grabbed her most... things like 'want' and 'need' all directed towards her in regard to her. She had often thought about finding the perfect man or woman to bond with, but she had never suspected it would be like this. The figure she had imagined had always been female, most likely because of her mother's presence in her father's life. She had imagined small, but a little cold, with a drive or passion for something Nya mostly did not understand. Abashai was almost the complete opposite. He was big, at least six foot that put him even taller than Nya's own sire. He was strong too, if the ease at which he handled the big metal sword was any indication. And while she knew he was smart and devote to his god Yahal, she liked his mind. It had a warmth and humor that surprised her. He also held a humbleness and a sense that he was working on his own life in ways she couldn't quite understand yet. There were also other factors, things that she shied away from slightly. His scent was intoxicating. She wanted nothing more than to bury her nose in his hair and leave it there for a good long time until she had her fill of his scent. And he was warm to the touch, and indeed warmed her in a way that scared her slightly. But, she did like touching him. She wanted to do more than just touch him, honestly. She wanted to curl up around him skin to skin and listen to his words for hours with nothing between them but warmth and scent.

Abashai knew so many things she'd never heard of or been exposed too. She wanted to hear about his people's slavery to the Eph...Em... somewhere she'd forgotten the name of the people she'd never heard of. The fact that her own people were escape slaves and children of slaves made her feel somehow connected - his people to hers. Nya wanted to tell him about that immediately, but he was gone with his music - gone to talk to himself and perhaps his god or the trees or maybe even the winds like she did. There would be time for that later... time to tell him all the things she longed too.

His words kept echoing through her mind. "I want it." Nya began to pur as she moved restlessly about the camp, cleaning it up. She even finished her rabbit, bones and all, now that Abashai was not directly there to cause her to have a care as to what he saw. She even told him about her wilder form and he hadn't seemed to mind. Her one fear did permeate everything though. Nya was afraid she'd hurt him. There was so many times she'd inadvertently hurt her mother growing up. If it wasn't a tantrum where she was biting and hissing and clawing, then it was in accidental play when her mother was trying to entertain or sooth her. Zilvia had more scars than Nya did in some ways, and even part of a missing finger from when Nya was only weeks old. None of the wounds, either physical or emotional, had been intentional - but that didn't make them any less damaging. Nya simply couldn't allow Abashai to get hurt like Zilvia had, but she had absolutely no willpower to not touch him, to not interact with him, and soon enough not to shapeshift around him. That would be her hardest balancing act, being herself around him and still keeping him safe from that very same self.

Keeping him safe? She brought her head up and sent her will out into the forest, seeking a breeze. One answered, a bright quick joyous one. It was perfect for what she needed. She infused the breeze's awareness with what she desired, and sent it out to be with Abashai so that he could have some privacy from her, and yet the breeze could come fetch Nya if anything remotely sinister threatened the man. That task done, Nya added a few more pieces of the windfall she'd gathered to the fire, and stepped back. She stared into the sky, then opened her mind to the divine energy she knew swirled around everything. Her prayer was short, to the point, and very Kelvic. "Thank you for the first sandstorm that took his life away and gave him another. Thank you for the second sandstorm that did the exact same thing. Thank you for the winds that blew him north, and for finding me a bondmate that is as perfect as he is. I feel your breath in this, Zulrav. I feel your power. I hear your message. I've always heard them clearly. I am yours first, but thank you for allowing me to be his too. I will strive to be the best servant to each of you I can possibly be. You both bring me such joy, though I will never wish that you bring me peace. I like what you bring far better instead. Thank you for the challenges and the opportunity to meet them.... thank you for the good meat, for your weather was kind to the forests here and allowed the rabbits to get fat." With the prayer completed, Nya stretched and dropped her eyes from the sky.

With that, Nya stripped off her clothing, leaving it in a neat pile with her cloak on top, and stepped back into the forest mindful of the mare and not wanting to scare her. She shifted shape, and while Abashai was playing the music she could so clearly hear, the forest cat indulged in a good long run in her own favorite skin.

[Abashai]

Nothing soothed Abashai more than playing the oud. It occupied his hands and provided a release for his mood. Tonight the tune was peaceful and with a subtly joyous melody. A sole minor chord brought a hint of irony. The musician felt himself relax, his emotions stabilize. He tried to lay aside thoughts of the kelvic girl that had been rushing unchecked through his mind. He marveled again at himself, at the passion with which he had spoken to Nya, how he poured out his heart without a thought. He surprised himself, wondering who he had become. He concentrated on the strings of the instrument beneath his fingers, the hard tree against his back, the cooling night air. A soft breeze blew by him and up through the lowest limbs of the bronzewood around him. Eyes still closed, he bagan to strum simple chords, an offering that he would bring to his god.

"Holy One. Words fail me. All that has happened tonight has left me without defense, without control. You have laid open my soul through this kelvic child. I feel helpless against the flood of emotions that are so unfamiliar, so moving. I have tried to learn trust and faithfulness. And now I can do nothing but lay myself at your feet and trade my will for yours. If it is your will, if you will grant me my desire and let me bond with this creature, then bless it with your blessing and show me. If it is not your desire, then reveal it to me before it is too late, and grant me the strength to leave these woods without her."

He fell silent, the music fading with one last strum. Abashai sat completely still, eyes shut, only vaguely aware of the sounds of the forest around him. Untold moments he waited. Yahal had never spoken to him, not in an actual voice. But Abahsai had learned to sense his Lord's direction, his encouragement. He waited patiently for the divine to speak to the mortal. then it rained. Not in the woods around him, but within himself. It felt as if Yahal had poured precious annoitning oil over his soul. It soothed and calmed and confirmed. Abashai knew then that it was to be so. Thank you Most Holy One.

He sat silent a moment longer. Enjoying the incredible peace. But he desired to tell Nya, He rose, gathered his things and headed back upstream. As he walked, he wondered if tonight was the culmination to all his wandering, if all the roads he traveled had lead to this spot in the forest all the time. He knew they did. One storm in the desert changed his life as a child of men. A second storm in the desert changed his life as a child of Yahal. A third storm had now struck him, and he knew it would also change his life forever. Like the other storms, this one did the gods' bidding. But unlike those desert storms of sand and wind, this storm came in the form of flesh and blood, with moss green eyes, a quick smile and a voracious appetite. She was a storm in the forest.

[Nya Winters]

Running was good for the soul. Forest Cats didn't just bound with gusto through the trees, they owned their pathways in the same way a bird claimed the sky for a moment in time with a flight of pure joy. A Talderian Forest Cat, however, had to use some restraint outside of Taldera where the trees just couldn't simply support their rough-housing. So instead of climbing the giants and leaping from branch to branch like she'd do in the north, Nya settled for running a large circle around where the current focus of her obsession was, enjoying the pathways that elk and deer had opened up. She scratched on an old giant, shied away from a shadow cast by nothing, and roared her joy into the night sky as breeze after breeze joined in her . Nya ran until there was no more fear for her. She ran until there was no more uncertainty. She ran until there was no more memories of old failures and anticipation of new ones. Leth oversaw her pathway, painting the way with his silvery light as breeze after breeze chattered with her until her ears rang.

The forest cat picked her pathway with abandon, not paying any attention to anything that might be in her way. Her only thought was staying close to him, being where she could get too him if something threatened him. And as she ran, she thought about Abashai. Big paws dug into the soft forbes sheltering under the tall timber as the massive cat moved onward with a slight curve to her pathway. Abashai was unique of all the humans she'd met since leaving home. Nya wanted to understand him better, to help him with whatever his purpose here in life was. Abashai was a mixture of so many things, and all of those things were interwoven tightly with his beliefs and values. That surprised her most of all. Nya couldn't have hoped to have bonded with someone as devote - someone who could understand her own devotions. He was wisdom, strength, honesty... and he had a sensitivity that astonished her. Nya just wanted more of him ; more words, more scent, more of the heady feeling she felt when he smiled or exposed her to something new. She knew that was a natural response, one that she'd long since read abut in her mother's notes. Nya knew she needed him in the early stages of bonding, because the longer she stayed with him and the older she was before she bonded, the stronger their internal ties would be. She was already old for a kelvic, though incredibly young for her wilder form and human shape, but far older than most kelvics bonded. Bonded... Nya marveled at the word, at the sensation - repeating it to herself in quiet inner wonder.

Even now the bond was weaving tighter, becoming more intricate, because of her thoughts being on him and from his scent drifting in the wind. The Kelvic could feel the Benshiraian, somewhere off to her right, though she could not hear his music any longer. Truth be told she was making too much noise with her running for her ears to even remotely register music or the quick scramble of a young deer to its feet where it had decided to rest. The deer was directly in her path, and instinct kicked in. She had it down and dead before she even realized what it was. A few quick tears with her teeth had the offal out of it and the vital organs consumed. She carried it then, continuing on her run, until her now-weary strides lead her back to the campsite. She hung the deer in a tree overlooking the main tent easily enough. She just kept the carcass in her mouth and tossed it up into a tree overlooking the camp sight, high enough that a bear couldn't reach. Then she halted, blew a soft breath because the run hadn't even winded her... and bounced into the clearing. She knew she was alone, but her joy still couldn't be dampened. She leaped onto her pile of clothing, rolled several times, then ended up flopped on her back, paws in the air. She lost her wilder form then, allowing her humanity to encroach back into the shape she chosen.

A joyful laughter erupted from her as she grinned foolishly up into the sky. She was not worried about Abashai's decision. The decision was already made. The man just needed to see in his own way that it already was. She smiled again, ready to voice her joy as more laughter... until she yawned. Her cloak smelled clean, inviting, and she wrapped it around her nudeness rather than move from on top of the small pile. Nya was mindful of the rules. Skin made Abashai uncomfortable. But the clothing she stretched on was soft, alluring, and she yawned a second time before letting her eyes drift closed. Soon enough, in the way of all things young, she was fast asleep. Other clothes, things still wet, hung from branches around the campfire. Nya never slept afraid, nor did she ever have problems with a cat nap or two.

When Abashai returned, he'd find her there, sound asleep on a tangle of clothing by the fire. She was wrapped in a thick green cloak, though he could tell she wore nothing else by the bare feet and shoulder protruding from it. Her hair was unbound, shrieking for a trim since it appeared the girl must have used her eating knife on it in some semblance of 'attempting human'. When asleep, all her open thoughts were even more clear - and so too was her youth. She looked to be fifteen or sixteen, if he judged her as he would a Benshira. In her sleep all Nya's lines softened. She actually seemed incredibly young. There was a roundness to her face, a fullness to her lips that he knew would smooth out as she grew. Cheeks would hollow out, lips would thin slightly, and classic lines that Nya simply didn't have yet would emerge. But the most important thing was what he could read there in her face.

Joy.

It could be nothing else. She owned the emotion like it was something she herself had invented. And as he studied her, the kelvic woke slightly - cracked an eye open - and smiled. Her pupil was vertically slit again, but there was no other sign of her inhumanness. She stretched, half rolled drawing the cloak more tightly around her, and muttered something soft and sweet at him. And just that quick she was deeply asleep again. The run had tired her, but moreso, the bonding and all its worries had taken the biggest toll. Nya was exhausted, and unwilling to wake until she'd got her full measure of rest. Her words had been a soft suggestion that he do so as well. The pile of clothing looked inviting, and there was plenty more room for a second body wrapped in another blanket or cloak to share the space and let their own emotions settle. There was also more space across the fire, a comfortable distance away from the girl.

Regardless, things would look different in the morning. And to Nya's way of thinking, perfect, since breakfast was already neatly managed.

[Abashai]

Abashai had returned to the camp weary and emotionally exhausted. When he saw Nya stretched out and bundled up by the fire, he carefully set down the oud and went to her. A warmth crept over him that had little to do with the fire. He had knelt down beside her, studying her. Nya appeared more human than anyone he remembers. He marveled again at her youth. She appeared little more than a child, seemed so innocent as the orange firelight reflected on her soft features. He smiled broadly, thinking she markedly resembled a desert child, a ragamuffin that had run and played all day, their hair a mess, stripped of their dusty clothes by their mother before collapsing into their bedroll to fall instantly into a deep, peaceful sleep.

He reached out to move a long strand of her unruly hair that lay across her face, gently placing it behind her ear. When Nya stirred, looking up at him with feline eyes, he reminded himself again not to judge her as a human. The animal's startled him somewhat, not in fright...he just didn't expect it. Yes, she must have shifted her form while he was gone. It did not bother him. And he did not want her to keep her natural form from him. That forest cat's body was more Nya than this sweet, human form lying before him. He was bonding to Nya, all of her.

Abashai took Nya's mumbled advice. A good long rest was in order. He looked over at Sus, the mare seemed content, though she clung to the edge of the clearing. Now he understood the horse's skittishness around Nya. If the two of them did not learn to get along, one would have to go. Sus would lose that one. The Benshiran removed the sword from his belt and laid it on the ground next to him. He didn't bother removing his coat, just the heavy leather belt around it. After tossing a few more logs on the fire, Abashai lay on the ground next to Nya. He folded up the wide belt and lay it under his head. Reaching over to feel the steal blade on the ground, he pulled it within easy reach. Resting on his elbow, Abashai looked over at the sleeping girl, her back to him. His hand reach out again to muss her long silky hair, shaking out the dust and leaves it had gathered as she slept.

He rolled onto his back , staring up into the storeys of tree branches above them. Then he spotted the dear carcass. Abashai had to laugh at the thought of this lovely young girl next to him, wrapped only in a cloak, bringing down an animal bigger than she. Nya was indeed unique and he suddenly felt almost possessive of her. Nya was a treasure he had found, no rather, she was given to him. It both humbled him and gave him strength.

Feeling every muscle in his body relax, he allowed his eyelids to slide shut. He fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire and Nya's soft breathes.

[Nya Winters]

The sleep was good for her, resting her overly tired mind. It wasn't so much that she was exhausted physically. There had been nothing but a run to really wear down her energy the day before, so it wasn't actually her physical strength that was lacking. But her mind had been taxed past its limits. The girl wasn't used to doing so much thinking. Abashai made her mind work overtime. Even now, she started waking up and could smell his scent all around her and it activated her thinking, slingshotting her into awareness. And in that awareness, Nya realized that instead of him being around her, she was all around him. She could feel his warmth pressed against her and lifted her head to open her eyes. Nya yawned, stretched slightly, and began purring as her tail thumped the ground in pleasure. She'd lost her human shape somewhere in the night. It was the reason why she usually slept without anything but blankets wrapped around her. Clothing could be dangerous if you weren't fully in control of your shape. Belts could kill, even necklaces could choke. It was the reason creatures like her in Ravok wore iron collars and their human shapes unless they wanted death by strangulation.

Nya dipped her head and nuzzled the black haired man she was wrapped around. It startled her to realize how frail he looked as a human, though he did not even remotely smell like food to her as others sometimes did. Her forest cat eyes examined his sleeping form and approved wholeheartedly of it. The thought that she might scare him didn't cross her mind. Abashai was strong, far stronger than he even realized, and she had nothing to hide from him, not even her size which easily rivaled that of his mare. The animals of Taldera were oversized. She'd read about polar bears that acted as mounts, and even knew about jungle cats that were easily her equals in Falyndar that the Myrians used. So she wasn't entirely alone or unique in the world - just bigger than usual where they were at that moment. And it felt good to curl around the man, protectively, and simply watch him sleep. She dipped her head again, sniffing at his hair and rubbing her jawline across the top of his head in a feather light touch, leaving a trace amount of her scent on him. Nya wondered, as she woke fully, if he knew how much she had needed him. The forest cat realized, as her brain came fully awake and new thoughts encroached, that her purring and squirming was probably going to disturb him any minute so she quieted immediately.

Then she went back to thinking. Nya needed him badly. She always had. The reasons were more complex, more deeply buried, but would surface as time and thought awoke them to her awareness. She knew because of her mother's careful notes... notes she was glad she read now. But she did not want to mirror him, nor did she think she would. She was her own person, and he was himself. Together, they would be something better. Nya wondered what Abashai needed and why he traveled, seeking something he had no name for. And most of all, she wondered what was next for them both. Nya knew what it was like to have no purpose, and it wasn't a feeling she liked in particular. So, above feeding them both - hopefully Abashai was a good cook - Nya decided her first purpose was to decide what exactly they were both supposed to be doing. Maybe bonding was the first step, but Nya knew the gods and their ways. Zulrav's presence in her life had taught her that nothing involving them was accidental. And she guessed, based on what Abashai had said before, that Yahal had something in mind as well.

Nya glanced at the mare in the extreme furthers part of the clearing, noticed the desertbred was being braver than required, and went back to ignoring her... which was the best way to keep her calm. Nya knew the mare could get used to her being there, it would just take time. The horse was Abashai's and thus something that needed to be protected and great care taken of, so Nya would be careful not to scare her beyond what was necessary.

Nya yawned again and gently woke the man (if he hadn't been already waking up) with an overly large rough tongue lightly across his nearest ear. She'd pause a moment, let him soak in her presence and what she looked like in her wilder form, and then she'd shift back. Nya's shifts were smooth, her frame dissolving in a glow of tiny beads of luminous energy that reformed into a much smaller human shape. Once she'd completed the shift, which was almost instantaneous, Nya grabbed the cloak which was partially under her and wrapped it back over her.

"Good Morning." Nya said, still curled up on her side, though this time not around him, since there was no hope for that in this shape. Nya was only next to him and he was once more far larger. "How did you sleep? I did not wait up for you, but I meant too." She said, running her hand through her hair and scowling in feline displeasure at the amount of dirt in it. Grooming would be a priority after she'd spoken to him a while. "I have something for breakfast too... if your hungry." She said grinning slightly wickedly and then glancing up, not realizing his sharp eyes had already spotted her food stash. The third rabbit that was left over from dinner had long since disappeared. Nya was always hungry, but that would most likely stabilize when she was mature as well.

"Thank you..." She said abruptly, reaching out to bump her head against his shoulder and then rest her chin there. She rolled to her stomach, looking incredibly lazy. "Thank you for returning and all the rest of it....." Nya wanted to have a conversation about the next step - about what they were going to do or where they were going to go, but it could wait for after greetings and after food. The deer would take no time to cook, so it truly needed little attention. Nya would try and dry some of it too, so they had meat if they needed it for later.

She smiled at him, chin still on his shoulder, and let him gradually wake up and get his brain going. Later, she'd deal with the tough issues, maybe show him her cave - winter was coming and they might want to stay put a season or so - and talk about what he really wanted to do with his life. That was the root of it. What he wanted, if he even knew... Nya was sure if he didn't, she could help him figure it out. But until then, there was the pleasure of breakfast, conversation, and good company.

[Abashai]

Snuffling had stirred him. Sus, he thought. The horse often woke him by nuzzling his head. Then Abashai felt something warm, wet and rough swipe across his face. Sus had never done that. He had pried open his eyes, slowly letting in the morning light. There was a warm weight against him. It reminded him of the times as a child when he would sleep with the goat kids. The little ones would crowd around him, pressing against him to stay warm through the cold desert night.

When Abashai's vision cleared, he saw the massive forest cat's head. Instictually flinching, he had reached out and grasped the hilt of the khopesh lying at his side. Then he recognized the beast's slitted moss green eyes. The same eyes that had softly looked up at him last night. The grip on the sword immediately loosed. The Benshiran stared in wonder at the powerful head. The smooth fur, brindled just like Nya's hair, seemed to compliment the forest, soaking in and then reflecting back the woods shades and highlights. He felt her weight against him, massive limbs and paws stretched lazily across him. Abashai could not see her whole body, but could tell she reached beyond the length of his own. Nya the forest cat was beautiful and majestic. In an instant, a mystical myriad of glowing points left behind the small, lovely form of Nya Winters.

Abashai had returned Nya's greeting with a smile and 'good morning'. He was still in awe of the glimpse he caught of the great forest cat. She had allowed him to see her because she knew he needed to. Now, he knew who she was. He accepted it, welcomed it.

He wanted to return her gratitude. The Benshiran looked over at her sweet face, so close resting on his shoulder. Even in human form, Nya liked to cuddle like a cat. Abashai reached over and caressed her long hair, the gesture somewhere between a loving stroke and an affectionate petting. "Thank you for letting me see. Talderian Forest Cats are beautiful." He smiled again warmly, letting her know that he did not fear her other form, but appreciated its grace and power.

Looking back up at the prey hanging in the tree, Abashai laughed. "So, that's what you were doing last night! Looks like I won't have to worry about going hungry!" Indeed, life with the kelvic woud be full of surprises. He looked foward to their bonding, even if he didn't understand it. For the first time in a long time, he did not sense that need to move on, the urge to travel. For now, he felt content with this unfamiliar wood and Nya's presence.

The desert man thought he heard the girl's stomach grumble. "Let's get some breakfast, Ny." The nickname just seemed to come out. Pointing to the deer in the tree, out of reach, he raised his eyebrows and gave Nya a big grin. "You're getting that down, right?"