Open [The Bronze Woods] Another Chance.

[Andruen]

OOC NoteHeya! It's an open thread and it's quite perfect for Andruen to stumble into, so I hope you don't mind! ^_^

The woods were quiet, a crisp and still air settling down upon the groves of trees. It was a perfect place for Andruen to hunt. The snow had gathered over the last couple of days and it held fast in the bitter chills of the mountains that loomed overhead. The snow allowed Andruen to track the creature he was trying to find.

It was a doe, one with a salty-white fur and rich, ebony horns. Not many of these rare deer were left in Mizahar, but after weeks of hunting for it, Andru'd finally found one. It stood in an untouched glade, a small clearing somewhere in the forests. The ground was littered with blankets of snow that were made into drifts by the chilly air. Ringing around the glade were willow trees, pine trees and oak trees all the same, lending their branches out to give slight shelter from the cold sun.

Andruen watched from the shadows, his teal-blue eyes glinting from the tree where he stood. He had been here for two hours now, fending off the cold in nothing but the outfit he wore. It was comprised of several things; a deep green cloak with hood, a pair of leather pants, a shirt of white cotton and a leather jerkin atop that. He wore a face-mask to keep his nose warm, even though his cheeks still flared red from the cold.

An eagle flew overhead, circling above the doe like a vulture above its next meal. Andruen slipped out a long bow of recurved willow-wood and drew an arrow slowly and quietly from the quiver upon his back. He notched the feathered stave to the bowstring halfway down the bow, resting the head of the arrow upon the top of his hand as he drew the bow back, the fletching on the arrow touching his cheek as he aimed.

His breath stilled and his mind cleared as he focused in on nothing but the doe. There was a dull noise, a rushing of the wind upon the waves of air that came from down the hill. He couldn't hear the whispers of conversation, the throb of a kelvic pleading for a man to wait, but the doe could.

Startled, the snow-white doe lifted it's head and looked around. Andruen let the arrow go, but the already startled deer had already begun moving before the arrow reached the halfway point between the two of them. The doe darted, skipped and jumped its way down hill towards the kelvic and Ethaefal as they stood in the woods, turning sharply once it could see the pair and vanishing into the woods, with Andruen not far behind.

He dashed through the snow, his footfalls loosening thatches of snow as he darted down the hill. The loose snow caused him to loose his balance and tumble, his cloak filleting out about him as he took a dive down the snowy slope. He tumbled for a good ten feet before sliding to a stop no less than ten meters from the pair. Luckily, he landed on his rump.

Cursing, he got himself to his feet and looked in the direction that the doe had ran. It had taken him weeks to find such a nice target, and now it was gone. Tuvien, the hawk, slowly descended down to the hunter as he dusted himself off, swiping the snow from his woodland cloak and grumbling. The hawk came to a perch upon the man's shoulder once he finished and Andruen lifted a finger to scratch the underside of the bird's jaw.

"Sorry, Tuvien. She got away." He muttered with a grin, "Next week." He reassured the hawk, who didn't really seem to care.

[Medhozic]

He stared dully at the route that lay ahead, even though she was still behind the comfort of the tree. "Everyone does. They feel pity for all of us, simply for what we are. As if we don't pity you more." He spoke for the entire race - the ways that all others seemed to feel sorry for them all - to lose such a place in the heavens was, after all, a monumental loss. But for them to pity such creatures who knew the world and life more comprehensively than they ever could, to know the Gods themselves that had given all.. it was almost insulting for such ignorant beings to feel sorry for those that had touched the epiphany, of only for a few lifetimes. "Do not lecture me on life, because I have experienced it many times. I know how horrible it is. But do you know what it's like to not have to worry about life anymore. To not have to worry about death, or mortality - to feel time as it is, endlessly stretching, infinite. I have. And to be reduced now, to this." Although she couldn't see it, his eyes were burning into the small enclosure of small bushes off in the distance, as if he was trying to set them alight with his anger alone that he felt for such an ignorant creature. He was about to continue, as well - to tell her of all the horrible things that he'd seen performed in the mindless competitive attitudes of so many races, and the innocents that had been abandoned, left to starve because they were simply seen as less important than others for no reason other than the way they may have looked, or sounded, or what friends they had. But his concentration snapped as he heard a dull thud off somewhere behind the tree, followed soon by the girls quivering voice. "If you are not well, then put your clothes back on. You will be in no state to change." He'd seen changes before - they didn't look comfortable. He'd just have to manage without her in any case, hunt his own meal and possibly be forced to drag her along. After all, she thought it was so wise to lecture him on life - he wouldn't just abandon her to die if she thought so. It just wouldn't be.. well, he was about to think human, but soon thought otherwise considering the lack of humanity between either of them, whether Kelvic or Ethaefal. And, funnily enough, as soon as he dispelled the idea of humanity.. lo and behold, a human simply appeared out of nowhere. It must have been fate. It started with a deer - cresting just above the bush. Already on the run from some unknown predator, though it seemed so graceful even in the pit of danger and the edge of life. Beautiful thing. If only he'd lifted his bow a little earlier, he would have had a chance at taking it down, but it was far too fast for him to even line up a shot between the thick trees and foliage, so he didn't bother - just watched it go, streaming like a white ribbon between the underbrush as if a fish through water. But following quickly afterwards was a hunter of such utter incompetence that it made his enjoyment of such a spectacle turn sour. For once, he even let it show as he looked down at the human that slid into view on his rear as if he was nothing more than a child - certainly not any experienced huntsman, although he did have a bird with him. Perhaps a Kelvic that he'd incorporated into his farce. "What are you doing here." All they needed now was yet another creature parading around and disrupting all of his meals. It'd happened far too many times before, and he'd not wished for it to happen today of all days - when he was stuck confronting a fairly annoying Kelvic.

[Kizora DuLonite]

"I'm fine."

The words were a lie, but she insisted on them. She'd never been in a situation like this while the nightmares were coming, so it was a good test. That was why she left her parents, wasn't it? To test herself...

She slipped into her other form, turning the corner, her mind resolute and dull. The comfortable release of wings stretching from her back eased some of the dullness. A few caws echoed in the wind as she did her best to communicate her change. Her stuff was still folded neatly around the corner. He'd rattled on a few words tainted with his sadness. He may have experienced something greater than her, as he kept shoving in her face, but she could live with hope, and that was something she valued above all else.

Another man was dashing past, but it barely caught her attention. What worried her more was the hawk circling the sky above. Birds like that had killed others her size. If it got too close, she could always change, but it was an unwelcome monstrosity. When Medhozic turned to the human, she got worried. The poor man had looked as if he only wanted a good hunt, and now he'd have to deal with their current situation.

Hoping to avoid any unnecessary injury, she fluttered around a bit, cawing once or twice to show the man she wasn't just a bird. It was important for people, humans especially, to know if an animal was a Kelvic or not. She'd watched one of her own get injured because of lack of such information.

He looked quite unique to her. Most people traversing the land were sheepish and scared, but he looked quite confident and comfortable among the woods. Maybe it had something to do with his worn look. Or maybe it was the hawk too close to him not to be trained.

[Andruen]

The doe was long since gone by the time Andruen looked over at the Ethaefal with a perked brow. What had he said? Did he just ask why Andruen was here? He lived here. It would be like asking why a hawk could fly. He was about to answer when a raven fluttered about beside the Ethaefal, squawking about like an emu fresh off the leash at a range in the plains.

Andruen's brow perked, and Tuvien's head turned to look at the bird. The hawk couldn't help but be slightly annoyed at the inferior species. The hawk spread its wings and tilted forward, an obvious sign that he was hungry. He was just about to take off as well before Andruen tapped the bird on the head and muttered something in Kontinese. The bird instantly froze for a second before recoiling, drawing its wings inward and straightening itself. The hunter chuckled lightly, slipping his bow over his shoulder again.

"What am I doing here?" He asked, thinking. "I'm... hunting, obviously. And thanks to you and your Kelvic there..." He motions to the crow. "... the marvelous white stag got away from me, thanks to your chit-chat." He chuckled.

He looked at the bird that fluttered beside the Ethaefal. It wasn't every day that a man like him got to meet a Kelvic of such a... strange variety. Crows were not common around these parts, the cold air from the mountains and lack of easy prey making it very very difficult for a raven to survive. The mere fact that the bird cawed at him so ravenously without moving denoted a level of intellect that he had not found in any bird yet, excluding Tuvien, of course. He could not help but suppress a smile at the bird.

"It's quite marvelous... I thought the Ethaefal do not enjoy the company of birds. Especially not those of Leth's aspect." He observed, taking an interested step forward. He'd guided a few Ethaefal through the wilds in his time, most of them in Syna's aspect. The few that took on Leth's aspect were normally broody, cruel or simply lacked interest in certain things, to the point of irritation. Even the kelvics he'd met during his trips as a Wilderness Guide were more interesting than the Ethaefal.

He looked to the kelvic, "You might want to become human again, Kelvic. Tuvien's kind of hungry, and Ravens are good food for him." He said with a motion, and a hawk-noise as he pointed skyward. The hawk upon his shoulder took to the air. "He's rather nice for a hawk, but I would hate for you to get eaten on such a fine day." He chortled, looking back to the Ethaefal.

"Anyhow, I'm a Wilderness Guide for the Syliras Region. Are you two lost?" He asks, pulling his hood back and the mask off his face so that he could clearly see. He held a smile on his gentle face. "I cannot remember the last time I ran into someone in the Bronze Woods."

[Medhozic]

He sighed quietly in mild irritation and lifted a hand to gently rub the bridge of his nose with two fingers, even pinch it. It was true - he'd just wanted a nice, simple hunt. Maybe bring back some small game, a bit of venison or stoat, or some other game - but now he was forced to deal with a Kelvic that thought she could lecture him on life, actually pitied him - he still couldn't get over that fact. And a human who was also a hunter, who blamed his own shortcomings on them, and thought that they were lost. He was close to simply walking away and shooting them if they dared to try and follow, but the human told the that he was a Wilderness Guide. He must have known something about the wild, then. Surviving. An important aspect indeed.. enough to make him turn back to the Kelvic girl first. "Change back behind the tree and get dressed again." It was annoying that he'd not be able to use her to find game, but there was a hawk around now. Frustrating, but he wasn't going to send her to her death. Not that she'd probably follow his words if he told her to do so, anyway. "I will have to find my catch without you." Then, he turned from the raven and back to the human. "We are not lost. We were about to begin hunting when you arrived." That was the most important question to be answered. "And I do not. But I tolerate them if they can show me where deer are. Your hawk will not be able to talk with you." Unless it was a Kelvic too. He doubted it if the man had such a thing trained. "It wasn't our fault that your deer escaped. It was yours, for not shooting it sooner." That was how they hunted, didn't they? Or did they all just stand around and stare at the deer as they run away.. he'd never come across a human hunter so he was genuinely curious, though he didn't voice any questions. Just stared at him and waited for him to answer.

[Kizora DuLonite]

Outright anger bubbled up in Kizora. The lot of them were infuriating. Gliding carefully back behind the tree, she retrieved her items and dressed again. The cold bit her furiously, egging on her agitation. No matter who or what they were, they obviously never learned respect. She turned the corner, weapon unsheathed. There was too much doubt for her to take a lax position around them now.

"Go right ahead. It seems you'll have quite a lot of luck with wonder hunter over there."

She regretted her words as they left her mouth. The stranger didn't deserve her anger. Then again, he hadn't done much to quell it. She tried to be a bit more friendly when she spoke again.

"You're a wilderness guide? What's the fastest way from her to Syliras. I'm looking for the City. I don't particularly need a guide, just a general direction."

She gathered what few pieces of wood she had left around the tree and stuffed them into her backpack, gathering all her things. They ways things were going, she didn't doubt if they all departed way fairly soon.

[Andruen]

The hawk eyed the crow from his perch on Andruen's shoulder, looking disinterested when the kelvic flew off behind a tree and came back as a woman. Andruen's eyes widened a little and a smirk crossed his lips. And then she spoke. His smile was swept off his face at her words, replaced with the slight elevation of his eyebrows. She had about the same voraciousness in her words as her crow form was ravenous. It made him smirk after a bit.

"I don't mind it, mi'lady." He says with a gentle smirk, leaning on his bow with a bit of interest in her. "You look for the city? Oh, that's at least six hours from here to Syliras... if you go on the roads, that is." He says with a smirk, "But there's a few paths that will get you there in only a few hours." He states with a nod.

He then turned his attentions to the Ethaefal, perking a brow. "You're not much of a hunter, are you? Deer are sensitive to sound, and tracking them silently takes time. A long time." He began with a gentle tone, "I had been tracking that deer with Tuvien for four hours and by the time I had an arrow notched and aimed, you two were chit-chatting the forest into waking. That's the reason why it fled." He stated with a frown, "But it's in the past, yeah? I don't dwell in what could have been." He chuckles, "If you two are lost, head south for about thirty minutes. Half a mile or so you should run into the road that connect Syliras with many other towns. It's a trade route, so you might be able to get a ride from a caravan or something." He said with a shrug.

[Medhozic]

It was too much - to have not one, but two at least human-like creatures criticizing his hunting technique and they hadn't even seen him perform. They were suddenly the all-knowing masters of tracking, trapping and hunting the finest game and monsters within a few measly chimes. He'd put up with the raven for long enough - petch, he'd even allowed her to pick out some dried wood from his makeshift shelter and been pleasant to her by not simply ignoring all of her questions. And he'd offered her the opportunity to help with his hunting; not that he'd needed it, but it certainly would have made the entire experience much faster than usual and she would have gained a bit of meat from it. She'd asked for attention, and now she was demoralizing it as if she had the right, after all he'd offered her and she threw it back in his face. He regretted not just releasing that arrow and putting it through her back - then he could have pushed the body under the small fallen tree and gone out to catch some deer, instead of having this feeble attempt at being social. "As if you are able to do much better." That was aimed at the raven-girl, though he didn't turn to look at her while he spoke. His attention had focused itself on those bushes again, off slightly to the left of where the hunter had appeared with his damnable hawk that had spoiled all of his plans, too. Though he didn't turn to the hunter either, as the human attempted to put holes in his techniques. "And I know that it will never take four bells just to line up a shot on a deer unless you are a poor hunter, a poor archer, or both." True, he'd spent his time on a number of catches, but a full four bells.. that was most of the day, wasted on a single deer. That'd last two days at most, and then what. Then he'd be out hunting again. Ridiculous! "If you are willing to spend four bells on a single deer, no matter if it has a white coat or if it has claws, then you have too much time on your hands." It was a shame that he dwelt in the past. He wouldn't be forgetting this little meeting. But he wouldn't tell either of them that - he wouldn't even give them a 'goodbye' as he walked away from them both and back into the forest, drawing up the short-bow that still hung in his right hand while simultaneously reaching back and over his shoulder for an arrow to notch it with. He was going hunting - not to prove anything, obviously. Just to collect some food before Syna's rays left the sky. And doubtful that it would be long before that happened. Wilderness Guide the man may have claimed, but when Leth's glow approached and the wolves with them, the winter chills weren't going to let either of those two off easily, if the wolves did. Just before he completely left their sight, a thought came to his mind and he turned back to face the two for the first time. His half-lidded eyes, for once, showed a bit of hurt underneath the shadows of the pines. "If either of you attempt to follow me, I'll put an arrow in your chest." And with that, at last, he left the small clearing and the fallen tree.

[Kizora DuLonite]

She gave an exasperated sigh as the Ethaefel berated the hunter. The poor fool had no idea of the mess he'd walked into. When Medhozic turned to leave, and shouted out a threat she didn't doubt he would carry out, her emotions mingled. In a way, she regretted the creation of a possible enemy, but I the depths of her head, she wouldn't have changed how she handled the situation.

"I wish you a good day as well."

The words were meant to be sarcastic, but as they slipped past her tongue, she realized they sounded quite genuine. It was better that way, and the accidental nullification of the words made her proud. Even if it was self-consciously, she could put the past behind her.

"Half a hour south, you said? I've been wandering for I don't know how long, and it was half and hour south..."

She turned to the new stranger, sheathing her weapon once again. He didn't seem too terribly dangerous, so she felt a little more comfortable. There was a lot of curious things about him, though. The hawk, which she still kept a sharp eye on, was one of them.

"Where'd you get em'? The bird I mean? I don't believe I've ever seen anything like it."

[Andruen]

The man left. He just left. Just like that. And then he threw a threat back at the lady and himself. Andruen blinked, not quite certain what to do about that. Part of him wanted to follow after just to piss the guy off. But another part of him knew that if he left the crow-woman alone out here, she'd be lost for the rest of the season until spring came and thawed out the trails.

He turned to look at her, frowning a bit and shrugging his shoulders. "I hope you're not lovers, you and him. He seems like a bit of a sour-puss." He said with a chuckle, "It would stink if you were. For you, that is. He'd probably have done quite well to get a gal at all."

Then she asked him something in clarification. He blinked, nodding. "Yeah. Just a ways away." He says with a smile, "I could lead you there. If you don't mind the company." He suggested, smiling.

Then she asked about Tuvien. He frowned a bit. Tuvien's and Andruen's meeting was a touchy subject. "It was a long, long while ago. Back when I was sixteen cycles of age." He began, "Tuvien was but an egg back then. His nest had fallen to the ground after a wicked storm the day prior. I stumbled upon it the day later, and took his egg with me. The others were shattered."

He was sad. It always saddened him when he remembered the beginning of the hawk's relationship with him, "It took about three weeks for him to hatch. I'd naught a clue what to do with him when he did. At first, I kept him in my pocket, until he ate a hole through my pocket." He nodded, "And about two years later, he was old enough to fly. Took me a while to train him, but I think me an' him have a good relationship." He nods again. He glazed over the bit when Tuvien lost his way back to Andruen in the early parts of the training. It was a sad part of the story and each time, Andruen could feel his stomach knotting. Tuvien had become his one and only ally in the forests and he didn't want to relive the loss of his friend.