Closed After All is Done... [Kaden]

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit had frowned irritably when Kaden handed back her coat. It hadn’t fit him well, but at least it was something… they’d have to get him another, fast. She frowned at the ‘chewy orange meat’, having never heard of that stuff, but was willing to explain the concept of flavored snow. ”It’s snow… hence the name.. but they put a fruit juice on top. It makes it sweet and adds flavor. However, with your tastes… I’m not so sure you’ll like it.” she shrugged simply curious to see the Kelvic’s versions of sweets. ”I do though.” she added as a side thought, thinking wistfully of the delicious treat. She smiled softly at Kaden’s reaction to Wind, glad that the two got along well. The Zypherian was quiet, though he could be loud if needed. However, he was sensible enough to see that constant bounding and barking was a waste of time, preferring to conserve his energy for other things. ”I have to agree with you there. He’s been with me since I was 7, actually… so he’s about 10…” She sighed, realizing how old that was for a dog. ”Anyways, I’m glad you like him- he likes you back, apparently.” This was said when the old dog began snuffling at Kaden’s palm, while giving it a thorough lick. The Frostfawn giggled a little, and received the same treatment when he returned to her. When they reached the area for food stalls- where Spirit had expected to find whatever treats the Kelvic was talking about- he automatically headed straight to a specific stall. Earlier, he’d been a little shy, and he was probably pretty cold as well… but he didn’t show it. The stall the cat stopped at was one run by an old woman, with a fire and a spit that had meat slowly turning over it. It looked delicious, sure, but the Frostfawn had been slightly put off meat because of the previous day. She almost giggled at the woman’s kind reaction to Kaden, and at the Kelvic’s instant devouring of whatever was in the bucket. When the attention was turned to her, however, she smiled. ”No thanks… I’m a little off meat at the moment. Too much hunting ‘fun’ yesterday.” she shrugged, and tried to ignore the… was it a bone? That was just weird. The stuff Kaden was pulling out of the bucket. He seemed to enjoy it however, so that was nice. ”And… I’ll stay away from that, thanks…” She grinned, wondering if she needed to pay the woman, but patiently listened to the story. It was funny how the Kelvic had met this kind Vantha, and since he was eating stuff that would anyways be thrown out… that was nice. She nodded slowly at the tale, knowing better than to interrupt an elder when storytelling, even story one as short as this. The comment about him shifting brought on a confused frown however, and she had to think on this for a moment. ”I guess I told him to shift- but I first met him in his human form. He was buying a puppy from me.” She pointed to Ticker, who was attempting to crawl up onto the stall surface and eat the stuff in the bucket. Of course, he was failing. Wind, however, was sensible to poke his head around the construction and suck up to the woman. He was immediately pet, and fed a little bit of scraps as well. ”Me? A guard? No. We’re just friends…” she trailed off, vaguely thinking of the Healing Center, before shaking her head. ”Anyways, I’m missing the polar bear, aren’t I? An Icewatch would never keep an eye on a cat like this without some backup.” She grinned, motioning to the Kelvic as she said ‘cat’. Both of them apparently knew how massive his animal form was, so there was no question that the elderly lady would understand her comment. ”But on that note, you’re wondering why he’s in this form? Honestly, I told him not to shift. He had to get stitches yesterday, and I don’t want him to break them. It’ll probably be annoying not to be able to change for a few days yet, but it’s necessary… Otherwise the wounds will never heal.” She smiled kindly at the Vantha, before focusing on Kaden. She waited patiently for him to finish the meal he’d been given, stubbornly ignoring whatever he was actually eating. They’d stop off at another stall for food for her, but first… they’d need a jacket for Kaden. ”Hey, Kaden… ready to do some more shopping? You still need a jacket and a shirt…” she motioned to his bare chest, the scars, bandages, and stitches standing out awkwardly. He didn’t look like someone you’d want to mess with though… It was sort of intimidating. ”Are you cold?” she asked, just a cautionary check to make sure he wasn’t getting frostbite. Even someone with Morwen’s mark got cold in this weather, especially if they were half naked. When they were ready, Spirit waved to the old lady, commenting ”Thank you!” before turning away and leading them on to the clothing stalls. Soon enough, they came across one selling shirts and jackets about the Kelvic’s size. ”Hello” she greeted the young man who was running the front. They’d had to wait patiently as a pair of woman fussed over what color of jacket to get one of them: white or brown? It had been a little annoying, but finally it was their turn. ”I’d like to get a shirt and jacket for my friend here. Something his size.” She motioned up at Kaden, before glancing back at the merchant. ”Right… just plain both of them? Since I have some nice…” he instantly shut up as the Frostfawn interrupted with a glare and ”Plain and Simple.” She wasn’t the best at bartering, so planned on avoiding all contact like that as much as possible. The man hesitated, before rummaging around in a box and pulling out the two garments she’d asked for. He passed them over the stall to the groom, who immediately gave them to the Kelvic with a ”Put these on, please.” Then, she fished out the required amount of gold and passed it to the man, before heading away from the stall. Now what… Food… clothes… what else was there to do? ”So… what do you want to do Kaden? Are you warmer now? Full? Are you tired?” despite the barrage of questions, there was concern in her voice as she eyed the man, wondering what he wanted to do next. She hoped he hadn’t strained the stitches too much, and wasn’t planning on letting him run around. That wouldn’t do. Maybe they’d head to the library and find a good story to pass the time. That was when something occurred to her. ”Hey Kaden, do you know how to read? Would you like me to tell you a story or something?” Stories were always an excellent way to pass the time, in all Vantha’s opinions. It was what they did when they got snowstormed in their Arvintas- with all the rooms connected, everyone could socialize and share tales. She wasn’t a very good storyteller at all, but always enjoyed listening to tales. She could try her hand at it, at least… Kaden wouldn’t know the difference… probably. OOC6sm + 1sm = 7sm deducted for the shirt and coat

[Kaden Swift]

Kaden made a slight grimace at the mention of fruit. “Why eat prey food when you can eat the prey?” He had eaten fruit before but thee sticky dripping peach hadn’t been good in his opinion. It had been cold and mushy. Then when he had tried to eat the thing in the middle he had hurt his teeth and the taste was just horrid. He licked his lips in remembrance of the sour tang from the pit. Since then he had stuck to meat and now and then some bread when he happened to cross someone selling it. Meat was easier to get anyway; and fed Ticker.

Kaden chuffed at Wind, petting the old dog more. Ten was old. He knew what that meant for the dog. To a human he realized, ten was nothing. Looking to Spirit he wondered just how old she was. He would turn four himself; he would be an adult then. How old was an adult for a human? Looking to Wind he knew ten was half of his own life. Giving Wind a last pet he wiped his hand on his pants to rid it of the slobber. Maybe when Ticker got older he would be as calm as Wind, Kaden wasn’t sure if he could wait half his life for the puppy to calm somewhat.

The woman nodded slowly but started to eat the meat herself, her son moving to another stool and with the bored air of a teenager continued turning the spit. “Oh how nice. Dogs are such loyal animals. I don’t have any myself.” Her eyes were a calm gray as she smiled at Spirit. The woman oozed warmth and patience, her clothes a bit old as herself but clean and pressed. She looked down at Ticker and Wind. With slow care she took a few scraps from the bucket and gave each of the dogs a bit of it. “Bones are good for most beasts. Settles the stomach and keeps the mind busy.” While Ticker got some bone, she handed Wind liver. A kinder treat for the older dog. She pat them both before sitting up straight to look at the girl before her again.

Hearing the hesitation the woman hummed. “Well dear, friends are wonderful things,” she had misunderstood Spirits hesitation in calling Kaden a friend, thinking she might not call him a friend or foe yet. She looked at Kaden as the Kelvic cracked a bone in his teeth like she ate a pastry. “Could be you hadn’t wanted a bear; or been accepted by one.” The woman calmly chewed the sugared meat before handing the rest to Wind on the sly. She listened and slowly nodded. “You be careful now. He listen to you about shifting, who knows what he might do if someone else tells him something. He’s gentle as a lamb now.” She shook her head. Oh she enjoyed the Kelvic’s quiet company when her sons were off, but she didn’t live this long without learning a hearty dose of caution. “Doesn’t mean he can’t turn around and bite.” She understood plenty that even the Icewatch would be silly to send just one.

Kaden was swallowing a bit of stomach when Spirit said his name. His head snapped up and he licked his lips. The whole conversation he had ignored. Looking back to his bucket he pulled out a bit more bone before nodding and putting the nearly empty container back to the woman who only smiled and pet Kaden’s red hair as if he were still a tiger. He closed his eyes in delight before he stood up straight and moved to Spirits side. “Not cold,” but his small shiver betrayed him. He said nothing to the old woman as they left, not feeling any great need for greetings and goodbyes. It was another strange human thing. The old woman just smiled and waved. When they came to another stall Kaden watched entertained as some fussy woman kept snipping and saying white or something else. Unlike Spirit he watched her like a cat watched a mouse until she left.

It was interesting to see people interact, they always had something new to do or say, and they did so many things with their faces. His focus sharpened at Spirit snapped and his eyes flashed as he looked at the man; his muscles tensing as he wondered what was going on. Yet the man did nothing and Spirit handed him some cloth. Took him only a bit to realize what she wanted him to put on. Stiffly he tugged the shirt then jacket on; they fitted much better than his old shirt had. He watched with rapt attention as she handed those gold disks over. He never did get around asking what their purpose really was for. He had purchased Ticker with them but what was their use? The shirt and jacket were slowly warming from his body heat and Kaden relaxed somewhat.

He hadn’t noticed how he had been tensing and shivering from the cold until he was warming up again. “I’m warm now, and full.” That treat had been really good, but was he tired? Slowly he shook his head only for his brow to furrow as Spirit fired off another question. This one he couldn’t answer. “I don’t know, what’s read?” He knew what a story was and he nodded excitedly. “Yes, please! I know stories, I know one about a thieving bird.” A raven stealing a gods magic.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit had simply smiled at the old woman’s comments, instead of saying anything. There really wasn’t much to say. She was quite nice, however… it was good that Kaden had gotten to know someone else who would help them- despite the fact that he barely said anything. Kaden’s comment about not being cold also elicited a raised eyebrow, but no comment. She’d just seen the Kelvic shiver slightly, a sure sign that the icy cold was getting to him. At least they would be getting some warmer clothes for him soon. It was after her set of questions that the Frostfawn really did anything. She was pleased that he was, though frowned when he asked her what ‘reading’ was. Apparently not, then. That would be ok… she could teach him another day. Right now they could maybe head to the library, and tell each other stories. Then when they ran out… she could always read out something from a book to the man. ”A thieving bird? That sounds good.” She was about to bet all her gold that the bird was a crow or raven. They were always stealing stuff in the stories, it was a sort of personification they were given. The crow was untrustworthy, the raven was a thief. It was the usual stuff… but maybe Kaden had a new story… those were always good! She doubted he’d heard most of the Vantha stories, and maybe she could pass this new one around next snowstorm. New tales were always appreciated. ”Well… lets head to the library! We can trade stories there… and maybe I’ll teach you how to read!” after explaining her thoughts, she set off in the general direction of the library, with a plan to stop off at one of the food stalls as well. Her stomach was growling, and the scents coming from one of the booths smelled delicious. She bee-lined there, purchasing a pair of skewers with cooked meat on them from the vendor, after handing over 5 silver mizas. Nibbling on them, she waved her friend over, and led the way to the library. The meat filled her belly comfortably, and it didn’t look anything like the insides she’d seen earlier. Feeling relaxed, she walked along a mostly cleared path along the way, with Ticker dashing ahead to explore, and Wind staying calmly by her side. Occasionally, he dropped back to snuffle Kaden, expecting a pat, but would soon enough return to his companion. They quickly reached the library, and Spirit showed the Kelvic inside, before finding two comfortable seats. Taking one herself, she sat in it crosslegged, kicking off her boots as she did so. ”So… shall we get started?” The Frostfawn rubber her hands together in anticipation, glad to have a warm belly and a comfortable chair. ”Now… shall I go first? I’ll tell you one of the Vantha stories… and then you tell me your thieving bird story. Alright…” She tried to decide which story to tell. She finally decided on one that would hopefully hit Kaden close to heart… something about animals. ”So… I’ll tell you the story of the Woolies and the Silver Wraith…” she began, shifting into a more comfortable position. She tried to give her voice a motherly, slightly commanding tone… like she’d heard others speak, but it didn’t turn out so well. Honestly, to her ears, she sounded like her normal self. ”Long long ago… when Avanthal was still new, about right after the Valterrian… the Vantha were starving.” She probably could have gotten to that point a lot more eloquently, but… whatever. ”They hadn’t gotten used to the great wastes, and we didn’t have the Winterflame’s farms or the Frostfawn’s hunters… they were starving, and hungry, and needed food. Now… we still had Morwen then, and the people of the aurora turned to her for help. They begged for food, showing their… our…” she hesitated at the word choice, not sure if she should stay in past tense, or… ugh. She was terrible at this. ”Anyways, showing their Queen their starving children… Now… Morwen turned to another goddess, Caihya, the goddess of all animals and plants. The Queen of snow asked her for a creature that the Vantha could hunt, and which would provide a plentiful source of food…” Spirit paused, just for effect, like she’d heard the elders do. ”However…” she began, leaning forward just a little. ”Caihya gave our Queen a warning. ‘All things come with a price’ she said, meaning that if she aided the Vantha people, there would be something else. Of course, The Winter goddess tried to pry this valuable information from Caihya, to best prepare her people for this danger, or to see if it was worth it at all. But… the goddess of animal’s lips were sealed, and she never spoke a word to Morwen about the price. Finally… our Queen agreed, seeing no other choice. Caihya granted our people something called a ‘Woolie. This is a big, shaggy creature, like a massive cow with tusks and horns. They’re a hardy race, and eat anything, making them perfect to survive the Wastes. Of course, the Vantha flourished off the meat and bones of the creature, and there seemed to be no sign of the ‘price’ they were supposed to pay.” She stopped here, keeping a careful eye on Kaden, and keeping her expression calm and blank. However, inside, she was grinning. She remembered the elders doing just this, stopping at the best part for nearly a chime, just to see you squirm. It had been irritating then, and she hadn’t understood their reasoning… but now she did. It was fun! If the Kelvic did squirm as she expected, Spirit would give up and grin, but if he didn’t, she’d frown slightly in disappointment, before starting again. ”Now… Caihya understands that there has to be a balance between life and death. So… if she put prey into the world, she had to put a predator into it as well. So… the goddess went to her daughter Siku, goddess of snakes, and together they made another creature for the northern Wastes. They created… the Silver Wraith. These were… are… massive, silver snakes with blood like acid. Killing them would burn everything around them! The pair of goddesses unleashed this creature onto the Vantha after a year of their blissful living. Only then did the people of the aurora have Caihya’s full gift: something to eat, and sustain themselves, but also a dangerous pest and predator to keep them on their toes… “And that was how the Woolies and the Silver Wraiths were created!” she finished with a flourish, forgetting that she was ruining the serious, moral, ending. It wasn’t like she was telling a group of judgmental children, however… Kaden probably wouldn’t mind. She grinned, shifting her feet so that they sat curled under her. ”Now… let’s hear your story! The one about that thief bird!” ST NoteI hope you don't mind me coming up with a price for the food. However... 5sm deducted for the two skewers

[Kaden Swift]

Kaden followed along after her, nodding slowly as she commented on the story. He had thought it was a wonderfully interesting story when he had been told. The slaver had been out of his mind with pain and ha wanted to talk to anyone, even a tiger. Giving a slow nod he looked at Spirit with wariness. Reading didn’t sound like something he would need if it was in a building he had never entered. Maybe it was something hard and for humans. Like time. That was something so stupid he utterly ignored anyone who tried to explain it. Why did he care what position the sun was in for a number? The sun was up, you hunted; it was down sleep.

He watched Spirit buy the stick of meat then picked up his pace to her side as she ushered him over, having trailed behind to think of the stupid sense numbers were for the sun. He doubted the sun needed numbers, so it was humans who did. Well he wanted no part of their insanity. They always seemed to be so stressed and scared about time. Glancing down he stroked Win as the old dog came to his side to check he was still following. Ticker for once was quiet, the puppy trailing after them sleepily. He gladly followed Spirit inside and sighed as he felt the warmth wash over him. Ticker stayed outside; no doubt the puppy would dig a hole to sleep his bone treat off.

The Kelvic only trailed after Spirit and watched her sit in the chair before taking one himself. He didn’t bother removing his shoes; he couldn’t sit as she did in the chair. His legs were too long to fit. “Okay.” He nodded; the chance of a story was an exciting one. He hadn’t heard any stories from here and being told one by a person who lived it would be even more exciting. I he understood it right, humans did something called lying and not all stories were true. Setting his bag down he got comfortable a Spirit started spinning her tale.

He itched to move as Spirit continued her tale, stopping in a place that made him grunt wanting her to continue. They had been starving, he knew the feeling but he did not see that they still were. The gods seem such a great thing, but he knew Morwen; he had seen her. He did not know if he believed in the others. Woolies, he briefly recalled seeing one of those animals. He had circled around it and left it be; it didn’t seem to him as if he should hunt it; and now he understood why. They belonged to the Vantha. Spirit paused again and Kaden fidgeted, wanting to know what price was to be paid for such an animal to come in existence. He gave her a sulking look but brightened as she continued.

A snake. That was an animal he knew and knew better then to get near. That it might burn him should he bite it; or even touch it. Kaden shivered. It was a vast price to pay for food. “Why was a price needed? What of the Ice Cats? Were they not enough?” He was frowning, thinking of the large cat; and those two had been small. He would have died if they had been any bigger. Shaking his head to clear his thought he turned to Spirit and nodded. “I do not know if this story is true like yours, humans can lie?” It was more of a question then a statement; he didn’t understand what lying really was.

He wiggled some and settled back into his chair trying to think of where to start. He had never told a story and they need so many words; he had never spoken so long as Spirit just had. “A long time there was a bird; a raven. So long ago the raven was not black like the crow; but white like clouds. Its voice was beautiful and sweet and it could sing any song in the world at hearing it once.” He scratched his nose, trying to think of more words. It was hard. “The raven would sing and speak to the humans, weaving songs to entertain them. The humans would coo and praise the bird for its clever play but then the god Ivak came and he gifted the humans with fire. Now with fire the humans had more shelter and more time and they soon came up with their own songs and stories and the raven’s clever voice faded out.” A frown tugged at Kaden’s face.

He always felt sorry for the raven. “There were many more humans then the raven and the humans had more time. The raven still had to find its own food and it did not have enough time like the humans to come up with more songs or stories then there were blades of grass. For a while the raven just ignored the humans but it grew lonely and sad for it was alone. You see then there had only even been one raven for only one bird had been as clever as it to mold a cloud around itself to hide from the many large predators around.” The Kelvic had to stop and think of the rest. Stories were hard and his throat felt funny.

“The raven finally grew angry. It had given much of its time to please the humans; it had been the one to teach them songs and stories and now that they could do them they ignored the raven. So the bird looked at the fire and angrily he cursed Ivak for the god’s folly in giving such a thing to humans. For the fire did not just give them the gift of time, it gave them protection warmth and light. So now there were not a handful, there were hundreds and Raven watched them burn away the leaves and trees to keep the light alive. Angrily Raven confronted Ivak, demanding the god to take the fire back. ‘You play to deep god, you play too much. Not even the fox is fool as you in its tricks. I know your game, I know why; you feed on their belief in your fire.’ Raven mocked the god and Ivan grew angry.” Kaden didn’t know much of gods but he wouldn’t be so foolish to mock them.

“Ivak threw his fire at Raven but the clever bird hid into the clouds where the god’s fire could never reach. Raven soon returned to the humans but now there were so many more of them and the trees and grass were nearly gone. The animals were dying and the humans greedily turned from fruit and started to eat them. Raven cried for he loved the other animals, they were as witty as him. Enraged he swooped down upon the humans and cried for them to stop. It had been too long however, the humans could no longer hear Ravens words or any animals as they cried and begged them to stop.” Kaden was looking sad now, if it was true he disliked the humans more.

“Raven cried and cried but the humans could not hear. They ate the clever fox; ate the dog that would protect them. They ate them all. Raven could hide in the clouds but all his friends were gone. Now alone he looked down at the fire as it ate the bones of his friends. It was Ivak’s fault; the fire ate and ate just like the humans and just like the god. Soon only Raven would be left. So Raven took flight from the clouds and raced down to the fire. He did not stop or hesitate; and swallowed the fire whole.” Kaden touched his throat.

“It burned and ate, trying to destroy Raven. The white bird cried and withered as he flew to the clouds to try and hide from Ivak and the angry humans, but the fire burned his beautiful white feathers black. He could no longer hide and Ivak was so angry and the fire burned and scotched Raven more as the god’s anger, for Raven didn’t just steal fire; he stole the gods very magic. Though Raven was now black as soot and in pain, he was still a clever bird. The magic was his now and he changed it. Angry at the humans and at the god he forced fire to change. It ate but never gave and so he forced it to. For what fire ate it would leave behind soot and ash; and from that new life would grow. Still angry, Raven took more from the fire. While it fed from the wind it could now snuff it out.” Kaden paused again he had to think of the rest of the story. He felt so sorry for the raven; he knew what it was to be alone.

“Raven was crying, and his tears fell into his mouth and into the fire causing it to hiss and splutter; and then the fire could no longer stand water. Ravens tears held the sorrow of all the animals and not even a gods magic could ignore that pain. Hurting Raven spit up the fire and Ivak snatched it up, but the god could not undo what Raven had done. The clever bird did not go to the clouds but back to the world where it was dark and dead. Raven stood silently and looked down at all the death and tried to sing; but all that came from him was hoarse and rough call. His voice was gone, burned away. The few humans left heard the noise and saw the black bird. They screamed and ran for never had they seen such an ugly animal or a harsh a sound; and Raven sat over their dead and continued to cry.” Kaden tugged at his new jacket, his eyes hooded.

“Ivak released the fire to try and punish Raven but where the fire went and left, chasing the clever bird; grass and tree’s grew again. The animals came out of hiding and out of the soot ash and burnt bone; another raven came forth. Its feathers were black its voice was gone; but now Raven wasn’t alone and as the world grew again he could not miss his white feathers or beautiful voice. From then on ravens went to the places of wars and battles, and they cried in their harsh voices for the pain of those gone. They pick and ate the meat from the bones so when fire came the bones would burn and new life would grow again. Never again could the humans understand the animals for they had betrayed them, and never again was Ivak so strong for Raven had spread the fire so all humans could wield the magic; and Ivak could not take it back.” Kaden sighed

That had been as long as he had ever spoken and now he was tired and his throat hurt. He had changed the story some, in the one the human told Raven was bad; but Kaden never felt as if the black bird had been bad. He looked at Spirit, waiting for what she thought. He had loved her story and now knew to look for the snake, but his story was so strange. He didn’t know if it were true but he would never eat a raven should he see one; or try and scare it away.

ooc :

Wooh! Longest post for me! Okay the story, I made it up. I dunno if that's okay or not since I used the god Ivak who isn't mine. Hope you liked it, took near an hour to think of! Also thank you for Spirit's story, I didn't know the snakes were so dangerous!

Sorry its a block of text, Kaden doesn't know how to tell stories at all, or pause. I think he would just keep going.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

OOCWow! That’s amazing! It sounds like one of those Native American stories, except… more Mizahar-like. Good job on it! I just took the story from the woolie/silver wraith bestiary write-ups and changed that a little… XD Anyways… sorry for the short post on my part Spirit frowned at Kaden’s questions, thinking. ”In nature, there is always predator and prey. You can’t have prey without predator, nor predator without prey. Everything must have a balance. The Ice Cat was already balanced in the system, but with the woollies… there was no balance. So Caiyha created one. Make sense?” she shrugged, attempting to interpret the story in her own way. However… most of that explanation was just repeating the elders from who she’d heard this story in the first place. Kaden’s story was nice, and much longer than her own. He wasn’t a particularly good storyteller, but honestly… the Frostfawn didn’t mind too much. It was the new tale that was important. As she listened, she felt a little sorry for the raven, and irritated at Ivak… but she kept that thought quiet. Even though it was a story, it was bad to be rude to the gods. You didn’t know when they were paying attention. She frowned as she listened, feeling quite sympathetic for the raven’s plight, and especially how it had to eat the fire… that was quite brave of it. It wasn’t really what she’d expected, however… the only theft was the raven stealing the fire. However, she did notice one crucial plot problem. ”I know it’s just a story…” she began, after the Kelvic had finished his tale. ”But… Caihya would have never allowed the humans to destroy the animals and plants like that. She would have… problems…” she shrugged, smiling. ”But it’s a story… and weird stuff happens.” She grinned, unfolding her legs to stretch them. ”Still… nice story! I’ll be sure to pass it on at the next opportunity. We Vantha like our stories.” Spirit shrugged, and motioned to the library around them. ”This is just a symbol of that. A building full of stories and tales! A lot of these books have a bunch of stories that are written down… though most stories are told by word of mouth here, some people like to keep them on paper!” She nodded after her explanation of the library, before pushing herself up and grabbing a book from the closest shelf. It was a collection of children’s stories… perfect. ”See this? This has stories for kids. If you can read, you can learn all the stories. Some books have really important information as well.” She waved the thin, leather bound volume at Kaden, before passing it to him and opening the cover. ”See these? They can mean words, if you know how to read. For example…. This one..” she pointed to one word, about 8 symbols long, ”Means story! Or something similar. If you can read the entire sentence… that will tell you what the book’s about. So… this sentence says ‘A collection of stories by Maysia Snowsong’.” Spirit enunciated each individual word, pointing it out on the page. ”So… would you like to learn how to read?” She raised an eyebrow, hoping Kaden said yes.

[Kaden Swift]

ooc :

Thank you! It was a lot of fun to make, maybe I can make more later. It was also meant to be a bit like Native American stories. I always loved those growing up since they always had animals in them and they were always so smart.

Your story was just fine. It was something new to me and to Kaden. With some luck he might learn from it! It's also smart to take something like that and make a story. I should have thought of it! No mind on the short post; hard to reply much to a story being told I think. With some luck Kaden's little stunt gave you more to do!

He wondered what the Ice Cat was balancing that the predator wasn’t enough. At the end of his story he nodded but didn’t know the god she mentioned. He hadn’t even known animals had one, and wondered if she were his. Still as Spirit complimented his story Kaden flushed somewhat. “Maybe more people will like it to.” He looked to his boots before suddenly yawning even as he knew he was unwilling to tell the story again and pleased enough to let Spirit do so. He was getting tired and his throat felt raw from talking for so long. Still he looked up as Spirit gestured around them, his eyes following her hand to see shelves stacked full of books.

He didn’t know what books were or how the dusty smelling place would tell him more stories or even what written meant. Still he slowly nodded, even as the word paper cropped up and he understood that no more than the rest of it. “I don’t see stories. I smell dust,” he said. As if smelling dust someone how explained not seeing how books could be stories. He watched her get up but didn’t move himself as she grabbed a book and showed him it. He did take it as she passed it to him but he saw nothing remarkable about the thin and strange object. “Kids can read?” He was busy looking down at the book as it was opened.

Words, he didn’t see anything but a black blotch where she showed him. Touching it he tried brushing it away from the slight yellowing paper but it stubbornly seemed to stay where it was as Spirit explained to him about the stories. It was just black squiggly lines and splotches of things. Tilting his head to the side he tried looking at the book from another angle. “What is a collection?” He took the book and gave it a small shake. He smelled dust and paper, glue and leather. As she again asked him if he wanted to learn, Kaden finally looked from book to Spirit. He didn’t bother moving as he noticed she was right beside him.

“Learning, is it hard?” He didn’t mean learning to read, simply learning anything. No one had taken their time in teaching the Kelvic anything. Kaden was distracted as the smell of books mixed with dog. He suddenly noticed that this place didn’t smell of people or animal. It was a sweet musty smell that tickled his nose and made him feel sleepy. Once more he looked to the shelves of books, each one held a story and there was so many; but those black smudges. “Do I need to read?” Kaden nudged the book away, suddenly wanting to smell something other than it. No, what he really wanted was to shift and hunt. Today he had been still.

Jerkily he looked back to Spirit and without further ado he reached out and looped his arms around her before tugging her down to fall across him. “Play instead, better then dust.” His eyes swam with warm humor. His fingers twitched and his claws grew dangerously close to skin far softer than dogs. Something Kaden didn’t know, couldn’t know. He didn’t touch humans, but Spirit didn’t smell human to him. Today she hardly even smelled of dogs. No, she smelled like him and that was good enough to put him at ease, enough to want too play.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit frowned when Kaden said he couldn’t see stories, but he could smell dust. Sure, she knew that he didn’t understand the concept of books, and more than a few were a little dusty, but… did that statement make any sense? When the Kelvic inquired about a ‘collection’, the Frostfawn was able to give him that answer. ”A collection is… a bunch of stuff stuck together. So this is a collection of stories, or a bunch of stories stuck together in one… thing. Or book.” She hoped he understood most of the sentence… he seemed to be pretty clueless about the whole thing. When he asked learning, Spirit felt a short blast of pleasure. So he did want to learn to read! ”It can be hard… but not if you actually try.” she eyed him carefully, not realizing she was actually answering the exact question posed. Her response would have been exactly the same if Kaden had asked if learning in general was hard, and in her mind… the statement was true. She loved learning, and that made it easy for her. Though… she didn’t know how open the Kelvic was to learning. ”You should read. It’s very helpful” she commenting, answering the next question. At least he was asking questions… though this one mostly told her that he didn’t really want to learn at all. However, the next action was probably a lot more startling than anything before. When Kaden grabbed her and dragged her on top of him, she squeaked, and toppled awkwardly onto his chest. He’d mentioned something about playing… great. Squirming, she tried to tell him ”No Kaden, no. Not this kind of play.” her voice was mostly firm, but it quavered a little. Puppies did not do this. Sure sometimes they jumped on you, but they weren’t this big, and they didn’t pin you. As well… this was incredibly awkward. She knew the Kelvic didn’t think of himself as human, but he sure felt human. Managing to place both hands on his chest, the Frostfawn pushed up with all her strength, attempting to pry away from his grip. ”Let me go…” she grumbled to him, glaring. Her heart was pounding, and this was just a little too much. ”I am not Ticker. I am not a puppy. I am a human and…” she was about to say humans didn’t do that, but… some did. A lot did, actually. She didn’t herself, but she was just an exception. ”I don’t do this.” she finished, squirming in an attempt to get out. She did want to hurt Kaden or… strain his stitches. Panicking slightly, she stopped, saying ”Kaden. Stop. You’ll strain your stitches.” Her voice held a little worry, and she stared straight at the man, using a free hand to tap his shoulder. She knew it would cause him pain… but it would be enough for him to let go, right? ”Please?” she added, hating to drop that far. They’d almost already organized a pack order, and since it seemed to have left her on top… saying that was like rolling on her back and giving in. Of course, their interactions had been noticed by the two dogs. Ticker was bouncing up and down, wanting to be included in the excitement, but Wind… he’d noticed Spirit wasn’t happy with this. His hackles were up, and the canine was growling at his companion’s ‘attacker’. Taking a chance, he darted forward, though not as nimble as he used to be, and bit Kaden’s calf. It wasn’t a deep bite, just a warning nip to make the man let go… it probably wouldn’t even bleed, since the dog’s teeth were worn with age. Ticker whined at this, but didn’t interrupt the older dog, knowing better than that.

[Kaden Swift]

A collection was a group of things together. He wondered if the humans were not a collection then. They all herded together. He didn’t know if he wanted to learn to read. He did not see the strange object helping him to hunt or to hide. Stories were fun, but he could listen to people talk. As Spirit toppled so easily Kaden grunted but held her firm. As she wiggled and moved around he only watched her curious as to what she was doing. “No?” he frowned. Why not, didn’t she want to play? He didn’t budge or move as she pushed and squirmed.

Even as her hand shoved at his chest his grip didn’t falter and his confusion hardly stopped. The Kelvic even felt a slight hesitation as Spirit glared at him. She hadn’t done that before. Yet he watched her move and felt something small wonder why she didn’t have more force between her struggles. ‘She is small.’ “I play with Ticker, I am not a puppy.” His expression was dropping as she continued to thrash like a hooked fish. He tensed as she suddenly stilled then pushed at his shoulder, reminding him of the throbbing pain. He didn’t like pain and neither did he enjoy that she reminded him of it. “I didn’t want them. If I had not slept I would not have them.” He tried to think why he had slept but he couldn’t make the connection between Spirit’s rag and his forced sleep.

He smelled Spirit’s stress over the dust. He didn’t understand her panic since she wasn’t prey. Only a prey thing panicked and fought like this in his grip. He didn’t notice as his hold of her tightened but he did notice the dog that bit him. Head jerking back he bared his teeth and hissed. Standing up abruptly Kaden lifted Spirit as he had in the healer’s room, the slight weight only tugging his stitches to warn him of her weight. Compared to the Ice Cats she weighed nothing at all, it was like picking up Ticker. Snarling down at the dog Kaden’s muscles all tensed. Spirit’s panic was confusing, and that the dog biting him infuriated Kaden.

It was twice Spirits dogs had bitten him and Kaden wasn’t happy. The only thing stopping him from shifting and ripping the beast apart was his clothes and hold on Spirit. Yet standing now he set her down and he growled with his lips pulled back to bare sharp inhuman teeth. “Stop biting, always biting.” He shook himself as if he was a tiger and furiously he looked at the clothes that stopped him. He was trapped, he was stuck. Spirits panic was stuck in his nose sending the Kelvic’s own heart speeding up. What was she scared of, why did the dog bite him? Was she scared of him? Anger made his blood burn but he looked at Spirit, he just didn’t understand. “Why?” Hurt tinged his voice and the man ducked his head as more smells of panic filled his nose. Why, what was it that made her move like that?

Memory of the slavers floated up and Kaden paled and stepped back from Spirit like a kicked dog. Animals don’t touch humans, ever. He wasn’t human, he wasn’t a dog. He was a fighter meant for the pit, not someone to play with or tell stories. He was meant to fight, to kill. She was scared of him. His face further paled and Kaden’s eyes flattened before he looked down and slumped. She was scared of him, and it hurt. Something in his chest hurt and he didn’t know why. He didn’t know what to do to make it better, so he did what he was trained to do. He sat down where he stood, cross-legged and head bowed submissively. If he had been a tiger it would have been the same. He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight. He didn’t want to be scary.

ooc :

Not sure if I did this right. I was stuck between what he would do with all of this. He's not really emotionality developed and I know from experience with rescued big cats that the zoo manages to save from small cages, they still pace the perfect steps of the space they once had and they ignore what they now had. Old habits and old abuse stick when they get scared or panic. Hope I didn't botch this to badly. Nearly just erased it.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

OOCNah.. it’s cool. It’s funny that Kaden thought she didn’t like it because he was an animal- but it’s the other way round actually. Sorry for the short post on my side, it looked so much longer when I wrote it on paper Spirit, when released, sat down on the floor heavily. Wind came and sat beside her, keeping an eye on Kaden. She petted the dog absently as she stared at the floor, waiting for her pulse to calm down. It only took a few moments, and she glanced back up at the Kelvic with a wary smile. “I’m sorry he bit you… my dogs are a little overly protective of me.” She shrugged, but took another few moments to answer the ‘why’ question. She could tell, from his tone, that she’d hurt Kaden… but it would be hard to explain it to him. ”Kaden… right now, to me, you feel human. Not like a cat, or a dog. Now… physical contact like that, it means a lot to humans. It’s very… emotional, and generally not considered ‘playing’. I understand that it doesn’t feel like that to you, but still…” She wasn’t quite sure how to explain this, and tell it to Kaden. She also wasn’t sure what she wanted in general. Pausing, thinking, she came to a decision. ”Now… most of the reason why I reacted like that was because I was surprised. I don’t mind hugging, human or cat form, but please… tell me first. If it was anyone but you, I might have hit you.” That statement was utterly true. Even with her cousin, she would have punched him… but it would have been a playful punch rather than anything else. In an attempt to make a point, she pushed herself up, and hugged Kaden, wrapping her arms around the disgruntled Kelvic. After a few moments, she let go, taking a few steps back and smiling. ”See?” she said, patting Wind with a free hand. ”Now… do you want to play a game? Any ideas? Do you like tag? I know the dogs can join in!” Well.. wind wasn’t too fit, but it didn’t take much to teach a puppy to run away or try and catch you. Spirit was mostly doing this to make up to the Kelvic, but she knew he was looking for a game anyways. Maybe this would make him feel better.

[Kaden Swift]

He huffed. That dog only bit him because it knew Spirit would protect it. If it had been any other dog he would have killed it. Glaring at Wind he decided to say nothing. He wasn’t sure if anyone would be happy if he threatened their pets. It didn’t matter though, the dog belonged to Spirit and with just that Kaden couldn’t do anything. He vowed never to let Ticker attempt the same biting as her dogs however. Sullenly he listened to her as she spoke on. He was confused, what had he done that had her hackles up?

“That’s stupid. Just touching a human is bad.” He was turning what she said back and forth in his head. He really wasn’t sure and it bothered him. It didn’t seem Spirit would tell him right out either. Touch was to play, to sleep with a littermate; to protect. Oh. He looked at Spirit and frowned at her. “Breeding, you meant breeding. Why would I do that?” He shook himself, his nose wrinkling. Even thinking of it sent his stomach churning. He was only three and not a single thought of breeding passed through his head at any time. Once more he wondered how old Spirit was that she thought of it.

He pointed at her. “You don’t have knives or any stick. What could you hitting me really do?” He didn’t believe she could do anything. Her dog could and he was sure Ticker would go to her if she wanted. It’s like she spoke to the dogs somehow. He was sulking, that his attempt at socializing had been wrong. Well how was he to know what humans did? As he was suddenly hugged, Kaden jerked. He had never been hugged before, sure he hugged Ticker and had held Spirit but that was different. When she pulled back he felt the urge to un-ruffle fur that wasn’t there.

“No I don’t want to play.” He looked at her warily. “I tried; you thought it was for breeding.” He shivered and looked from her to the forgotten book in the chair. Reading didn’t seem very funny; he wondered what else Spirit could teach. He thought back on what they did. Maybe he could try and teach her to hunt but she was lacking teeth and claws; and he couldn’t shift anyway. Even now he felt the stitches tugging at his skin. The horse. “Can you teach me how to ride horses instead?” He looked back at her and waited. The horse was fast, far faster and strong. He could carry food back. He frowned. Spirits horse was afraid of him.

That brought him back around to the present. Spirit had been afraid of him; she thought he had touched her to breed. Which made no sense to him since that wasn’t how you did it to his knowledge. “Why did breeding scare you?” He was puzzled, he didn’t like the idea but it didn’t scare him. Just put him off on meals but he knew that wouldn’t last. He was fairly sure he was tied to his tiger half and it would know when he should be interested. It wasn’t something he thought about or even cared about. It happened then it did. He was watching Spirit to see what she would do.

ooc :

Hehe. Yea, and the poor thing won't figure that out any time soon. Short posts are fine, to me it looks like they could be useful to move the story forward at a faster pace.

Sorry this took so long to post, I am doing a heavy cleaning before winter since it's near impossible to clean during winter time.