Open An odd Pair

[Redd]

x

Redd had watched Vayl's expression turn dark and she felt the anger that seemed to be emitting from him in waves and the young wolf couldn't help the growl that worked to her lips as he began to explain that he was a Symenestra and that if she stepped into Kalinor she would experience the childbirth process.

Lifting a hand, she poked her index finger into his chest and limped closer to him, the growl still upon her lips, but now her hazel hues showed the fury that she kept in check most days. "While the way your kind comes into the world sucks, that doesn't mean I'm willing to die from child birth. If I was ever dragged into there, they would have to skip the child birth process and tear me to shreds because I can be dangerous when..."

She winced as she sucked in air, her left hand wrapping around her form so then she could press an open palm to her fractured ribs, trying to quell the pain there as she shifted her weight to her left foot, her right ankle already feeling like it was on fire. "Like I said, I can be dangerous."

The young wolf turned around, turning her back to him as she forced air into her lungs, her left side tugging at her wounds, her fractured ribs causing her pain and her ankle wasn't making anything better. Closing her eyes for but a moment, she gritted her teeth taking deep breaths and wincing every time.

After a couple of ticks she continued but in a softer tone, "Just because, I'm what you call a Kelvic, doesn't mean I don't understand things. I'm an animal, an unwanted, I know this but being careful is not really in my nature. I act more before I think, whether it be for the good or the bad."

Feeling like she had her pain levels under control, her hazel gaze opened, flickering to the sky as she did so, a sigh opening her lips, "I can tell, being as I'm only three years old, that I age faster than a normal human. I'm going to die, one day, whether it be from a few years from now, from my wounds... Or even child birth. It's an inevitable that we all face, some sooner rather then later."

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Inoadar]

Inoadar grinned with the satisfaction of a confirmed source of new toxins. He watched the two trade sullen remarks. He couldn't have asked for a better thing to occur. This would keep their minds off any odd sounds coming from his direction. He couldn't care less about the mating or birthing processes of the spider people. All he cared about was the fact that this skinny kid, whom he already strongly disliked, would be able to provide him with both a lucrative toxin, and the enjoyment of starving him. If the youngster would 'force" him to beat him into submission first, so much the better. The only thing that had worried him was that the first shot would surely warn the other, and for him to get close enough to hit the kid in the tree, the wolf girl might be able to reach him before he could load a dart of Wildleash. This of course, was only a concern if she launched herself at him immediately. She might hesitate when she saw who he was. He might be able to bluff her into thinking the cane was already loaded with Wildleash. She probably knew nothing about how they worked. Then again, when he'd encountered her before, he'd never disclosed that he'd hit her with a dart. He'd been forced by her aggressive proximity to simply jab her with it by hand. He'd never told her what had affected her exactly. But she knew it had been something he'd done. She'd known it instinctively. Plus which, she was obviously injured. But then again so was he. But Inoadar knew that if she was focused on her debate with Vayl, she may not realize he'd been hit before he could load the follow-up Wildleash dart. His own injuries had been tended to well enough. They were cleaned and bound. The strains considerably lessened, the hairline fracture stiffly wrapped and slung. Of course, the sling was set aside for this. The arm was far from completely disabled. He mostly only needed to be somewhat gentle with it. He'd sneaked through the trees to come around to the side of where Vayl now sat. But the view for Redd to see him would be unhindered when he rose for his shot, and unblocked for her charge. As a last precaution, he pulled the Wildleash dart from the loop bracer and stuck the barrel of it through a button hole. He took a piece of string and wrapped it around the trunk of the tree he was hiding behind. He left enough slack that he could slip the blowgun through and wind it a few times to tighten the shaft securely for steadier aim. He also slipped the blade of his dagger under the string for a quick cut and release. He took a few steadily deepening breaths to prepare his lungs for the possibility of having to hold it for more than a few seconds. Then he rose enough to clear the tops of the surrounding shrubs and set his lips to the mouthpiece. He lined up the barrel, accounting for wind and just a short bit of drop. He was close enough that he normally wouldn't, but shooting uphill made it necessary. He set himself completely still and blew... Two peculiarities immediatey caught his attention, and they were both disastrous. One was the total lack of air build up for that instant before the dart would fly from the muzzle of the shaft. And the other was the low whistling "whoosh", rather than a higher registered "thwip". He had neglected to load the Pillowsap dart! He could only hope the odd, wooden, flute-like whoosh had gone unnoticed...

[Vayl]

x

Vayl paused mid sentence, mouth half open. His ears had pricked, and had stayed so. Heart-rate tripling, he glanced down at Redd, and saw that she had had a similar reaction. Straightening up slowly, but utterly silently, and slowly turned, eyes scouring the area around them. His eyes snapped onto a sliver of silver. A knife, and next to it, a rope. Vayl squinted, but it was too bright for him in the day. There had to be someone there. Or whoever was holding or had put that knife there had made that noise.

Vayl walked briskly, but still as quiet as he could, towards the tree adjacent to the one he intended to go towards. As he walked past it he took a deep breath out, and closed his eyes, focussing on his senses. Out of the corner of his eye he still hadn't seen anyone, except the unconcealable knife blade and the rope it was seemingly tied to. But he was a paranoid Symenestra, he wasn't going anywhere until he was totally sure there wasn't anyone around.

Just as he seemed to pass the tree, he rested his left hand on his Katana, feeling the ground beneath his feet carefully. He wasn't going to move any closer in case it was a trap, so it would be a battle of wits for now. Pausing, he looked over his shoulder.

"The kelvic you see me with is the head of a pack, who is around this area. All she needs to do is scream and you die. Petch, all she needs to do is not report back to her pack and they'll be hunting for her scent like the dogs they are. And they will find her corpse, and your scent on it." Vayl's eyes narrowed and a cruel smile crossed his face, his left hand gently rubbing the hilt of his katana.

Vayl looked up at the forest canopy and kept his voice loud, not quite knowing how far the person he was talking to was.

"And I myself will hunt you down and kill you. Unless of course you stand up, hands palms open and facing me, slowly."

Vayl sighed deeply, to relax himself, before crouching a little. Suddenly there was a sharp ring of metal and Vayl's Katana was drawn, in the process swiping at an imaginary throat in front of it. Vayl's focus here was entirely on speed though, and the air seemed charged from being sliced in two.

Straightening up slowly, Vayl reversed his grip on the weapon, the blade running along his back, sharp end facing outwards.

The steel was still softly ringing, like a tuning fork, as Vayl looked over his shoulder and turned to look at the dagger-tree in full detail.

"Well come on then."

There'd better [i]actually[i/] be a person here...

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Redd]

x

Redd had indeed been distracted, but a part of her had always been on the alert for signs of danger and any that did indeed involve wolves. So when the sight of a familiar human had come into view clearing the tops of the surrounding shrubs, a frown creased her forehead, before she registered the low whistling of the "whoosh," her instincts telling her to duck and duck she did wincing as she did so.

As soon as she pressed a hand to the dirt a growl upon her lips, she tried to work out what was going on and why the human had come back. Had this human come back to finish the job now that there were no wolves in sight?

The wolf took a few ticks to think over the last encounter she had with the human while Vayl did whatever it was he was doing, had he not seen the human appear over the tops of the surrounding shrubs? Her hazel hues glanced over towards Vayl, shaking her head. She, plus the human knew that she was most definitely no longer in a pack and the two also knew that she was never the alpha of a pack. However, that was the problem, he knew this so why was the human here?

Taking a deep breath, her lungs expanding to accommodate this, she finally decided that there was only one way to find out. The young woman leaped forwards into a run, limping, but not as badly as she had done so days before hand, her human feet carrying her over towards the spot the human male had been spotted.

She couldn't fathom why the human was here now, but she felt the anger deep within her and the need to protect Vayl, this was what was pushing her forwards into her run now, not adrenaline. As she ran, her top lip curled upwards to reveal her white teeth her hazel hues seeming to glare at the human male, as a growl worked its way back to her lips.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Inoadar]

Even his attempt to stifle his curse at his own ineptitude failed. Though this was more of a hiss than a whoosh. Inoadar wanted to beat his head against the tree trunk. It was almost worthy of a count-down, the way his anticipation of the Symenestra's remarks bore fruit. Right on cue, the white haired brat launched into a tale of doom regarding the alleged wolf pack. He smirked bitterly. This kid was hardly likely to know that he'd met Red several days earlier and knew this story of her leading a wolf pack was a load of rubbish. But he also knew he'd compounded his own idiocy by leaving his dagger strung up against the tree trunk. He'd closed his eyes to better focus on sounds, and had heard the sword-wielder's careful approach. 'Perhaps he thinks the dagger is a lure to get him out of position for an ambush.' He thought. He had to hand it to the guy, caution and patience, the tools of a killer. Soon though, he heard the less stealthy approach of the Kelvic. He wondered why she did not transform back to wolf form, but was not about to complain. Her arrival would no doubt herald demands for an explanation of his presence. His position would be completely betrayed then. There was no longer any hope of catching the swordsman by surprise, so he reached back and cut his dagger free. He sheathed it and reassembled his cane by inserting the stiletto portion back into the blowgun staff and twisting it, to lock into its harmless-looking cane form. He then stood and turned, stepping out to emerge in front of the wolf girl, rather than the Symenestra. His eyes were on him, however, as he held up his hand, hoping 'Red' would conform to the unspoken request by stopping her forward progress. He let her see him take hold of the Wildleash dart in his other hand, gripping it in a stabbing hold. "This is only if you choose to involve yourself in my...disagreement...with 'Junior' here, Red. I would prefer not to cause you any more trouble." He turned slightly more in Vayl's direction now and raised his voice with a sneer. "You play with the handle of that thing like a teenager pleasuring himself. Why don't you just whip it out, once and for all, and we'll see how long it is? All I've got is this." he said, stroking his cane suggestively and mocking a disappointed expression of realizing that he didn't measure up. "But I'm willing to bet mine lasts a lot longer." His voice turned cold. "Yeah, I'll give you about thirty seconds." He started flexing his fists to trigger the mental grip of feeling the pulse of muscle. For Inoadar's beginner level, this was the first step of engaging The Flux. He felt pretty sure he was going to be needing it shortly.

[Vayl]

x

There was a slight pause as Vayl stood stock still, before there was a slight chuckle. Vayl's lips curled upwards, as his laugh, a sound not dissimilar to bone grating on bone, rose in volume. Before long Vayl was laughing full volume to the sky, his face an expression of pure, sadistic delight.

"That's all I needed to hear" he smiled, turning to face the human, he slowly unsheathed his weapon before hoilding it behind his back, the tip could be seen over his left shoulder.

"You know human, I might have been offended by that joke if it weren't for the face our races enjoys the best pick of your women. Why they practically.." Vayl grinned toothily and his eyes sparked violet. "They practically throw themselves at our feet to have our childeren. You humans must terrible in bed."

There was a new light on Vayl's face. This was something neither Redd nor Vayl himself had ever seen. This was Vayl when he felt he could kill someone that deserved it. A filthy, selfish, arrogant human. Vayl's muscles were twitching in anticipation with punishing this despicable animal, he would laugh at the pain it would have to endure, he would revel in its suffering. Finally he could take revenge for his race, and for himself.

Vayl held his katana in front of his face, unsheathing it slowly with a smirk, revelling in the power it made him feel. He had the power to kill, to maim. He finally had it. After all these months of training and saving up. Now was his reward.

Slowly he crouched and held his katana horizontal before reaching up with his left hand and gesturing towards the human. From what he had read this was the most exotic and taunting starting posture he could begin in. He couldn't think of a more fitting first move.

He beckoned with his left hand softly. "Come then, human" a bloodthirsty smile crossed his lips and his hangs gleamed along with his eyes.

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Redd]

x

Redd noticed the male as he stepped out from behind the surrounding shrubs and her pace slowed to a limping walk, her hazel hues flickering over the male's form, the ever present question there in the fore front of her mind.

Upon seeing the human's hand rise she came to a complete stop, glancing over towards Vayl, where the human's line of sight seemed to go and her head angled to her right. Listening to the the male's words, she glanced back to him, seeing the small sharp object in his hand and the young wolf almost shied away from the human altogether.

While she didn't know exactly what had hit her back then, she did know it was sharp and a sharp object could be exactly like the object he was gripping now. If it was the same thing, than he could render her useless altogether, she wouldn't be able to shift like the last time.

"This is only if you choose to involve yourself in my...disagreement...with Junior here, Red. I would prefer not to cause you any more trouble." She listened to these words with a silence before her gaze flickered back to Vayl. They had a disagreement? Wait, he called her Red, how did he know her name.

Oh, hold on... She told herself as she replayed the word inside her head, no, he didn't know, because he didn't say her name right, so that must mean he is guessing? He didn't seem to have cared for her name back then, so why give her a name now?

Slowly, she backed away from the human, as she listened to Vayl's own words and a wince had crossed her features as his bone grating laugh reached her sensitive ears. Her hands lifted to press them to her ears and she closed her eyes for a moment trying to drown out this laugh.

However, she still felt Vayl's feelings and they were nothing she had felt coming from him before and she couldn't help the buckle of her knees as her form fell downwards to kneel upon the ground her hands still firmly clasped to her ears.

It was like a dark feeling that was coming from Vayl, but it was more than that, because he seemed to be delighted by the fact that the human had mocked him. Was it a dark delight? Wait... There seem to be more than that, it was as if she could relate to the feelings that Vayl seem to emit, a dark bloodthirst. A bloodthirst for death, for blood to be spilled upon the fertile earth beneath them as teeth ripped through flesh to gain access to that sweet meat underneath. It was a stifling feeling, one that she had only ever felt when she was on a hunt with the pack, it wasn't just that but the excitement of the hunt and she could feel this coming from Vayl as well.

As she peeled her hand away from her ears, she pushed her form up from the ground to a standing position once more, her top lip curling in a growl as she moved further away from the human.

However, the human was no enemy of hers, in fact they had worked together in order to survive so this would also be a reason why she would try not to find herself involved in their fight.

x

"I can't give you the sunset,
But I can give you the night."

x

[Inoadar]

'Perfect...' Inoadar said to himself, his strategy already taking form. It might have been problematic if the Symenestra had charged him. His access to the Flux effects were none too quickly gained. But once set, he had enough focus to maintain them. Now the timing was all in his hands. "I guess such a brave little shyke as yourself, armed with that big ol' sword, WOULD be in a hurry to face man armed only with a knife....well...AND a cane." He brandished the cane, leaving the knife sheathed. The derision in his voice could have soured milk. He started forward, gaining speed with each step, feeling the increase in power in his legs and lower back, at the expense of his arms. He'd seen this fellow swing that practice sword during the Weaponmaster's Riot earlier this Spring. How could he NOT? The arrogant little prick had swung it right in front of his face! At the time, he'd not realized the eventual benefit. But NOW he saw himself able to calculate the extent of his opponent's reach with his weapon. Inoadar amassed enough speed to convince anyone not familiar with The Flux that he would not be able to stop in time. The expected glint of malicious glee showed in his foe's eyes as he suddenly executed a decapitating swing...and missed by no more than an inch. Inoadar sneered, his complete stop defying normal physics. "Oops...too soon." He back-pedalled with mocking casualness. "Shall we try that again?" He suddenly charged again, tearing chunks of sod from the ground with each strike of his feet...and came to dead stop again, ducking this time when the sword came free of a two hand grip to achieve extra reach with one hand instead. "Close, but no cigar, junior." he taunted, reveling in the scowl on his adversary's face. Soon...so soon the sword wielder would lose his poise and move in for follow-up swings. Inoadar would use his Flux-enhanced quickness to get inside that reach, and then he would make short work of this fool. Symenestra were known to be less sturdy than most races. 'This punk will soon be wearing his own teeth as a necklace!' Inoadar promised himself. After a few more test maneuvers, he found a pattern to the swordsman's responses. A swing, a spin, a glinting "X" carved through the air, and a return to stance. Inoadar's eyes set with resolve. THIS time, he would not curtail the Flux. THIS time, he would slip past, using the boy's own moves against him. THIS time he would make his enemy PAY for his predictability. He charged in, putting only his natural speed into the approach. He saw his victim step into the predicted move and accessed his flux power. But not to stop this time. This time he added a burst of speed to gain distance while the white haired demon spun. To come around behind him undetected. But this time, whether by luck or design, the boy did NOT spin. He carved the "X" in the air as Inoadar passed. It was only the luck of which side he stroked first that allowed the blow to be only glancing. Inoadar felt a line of fire lance a foot long furrow in his right shoulder. His mail shirt kept the wound from being deep enough to be a great concern, but the sudden pain upset his focus, as did the shock and shame that his foe might have outguessed HIM. Still, his goal was achieved. He was alive, inside his enemy's reach, and only hampered by a flesh wound. He swung the cane down, in sync with his momentum, to catch the back of the Symenstra's ankle, intending to use the Flux to swing the boy over onto his head. But to his dismay, the one upset, the diversion of focus from the cut, had caused him to lose track of his Flux. He had not transferred the focus properly or fully! He still had no strength in his arms, and he was not balanced well enough to overcome his own inertia. The sudden pull of his own motion stretched him out to come down on his back as he looked up into the hateful triumph on his enemy's face, as the sword lifted for a killing stroke. With what he feared might be his last gasp, Inoadar used the Flux power still residing in his legs to spin himself on his elbow and kick out at the leg now clearly bearing the bulk of the swordsman's weight. The effort the white-haired assailant made, to avoid a crippling impact, altered the strike of the blade into what felt like just another flesh wound. Inoadar took the opportunity to tuck his legs beneath him and lunge at his foe.

[Vayl]

x

Vayl had never felt so much pain in his life. Either he was weaker than he thought, or humans possessed much greater strength than he could ever imagine. Inwardly he sighed. His path of vengeance was going to be longer and harder then he could imagine, but he guessed in the end that would make it more worth it.

Then some switch flipped inside, the pain pinched eyes widened, and Vayl's previously tense posture loosened into that of ecstasy. All of this pain. It made him feel so alive! The world seemed... black and white, bright, sensitive.

He threw his Katana away to one side, and bared his fangs in joy, scratching at the human in front of him even as he was pinned underneath the stranger's legs, his arms becoming pinned to the ground.

His voice sounded totally different now. Predatory, gleeful.

"Yes human, hurt me more." he giggled maniacally. "I deserve it don't I? All the wrongdoing my race has done to yours, the insulting in that riot. I deserve it all" He laughed hoarsely as the life was choked out of him. He didn't care he was enjoying it.

All his life had seemed like a failure. Nothing had stimulated him, nothing had made him want to get out of bed in the morning, only the endless hurt of loneliness, driving him ever onwards towards finding a companion. Now he had this. Pain, fighting, death. There were no rules here, what the book said was wrong. It wasn't about honour, discipline.

It was about pain, and killing. That is why men fought. The rules of property, arguments and the like, they were just excuses to fight.

Vayl's eyes grew dimmer as he slowly suffocated, a smile still on his lips.

Sure there would be the men driven to fight because they had to, but the real men, the real fighters. They didn't need a reason. They did it for the joy of it.

"Is that the... best you can give?" he rasped as the world turned black

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Inoadar]

Inoadar grabbed his adversary around the knees and hoisted him over onto his back. He leaped atop him and wrangled around his arms to get a punch or two through the tangle. Somehow he got the blade away from him, he was unsure how, but it didn't occupy his mind for more than an instant. All he knew was that he had this smug little loudmouth where he wanted. He rained blows on the kid, dismissing The Flux, before he subjected himself to overgiving. Already he knew he must have come close, because he felt a strange weakness starting to manifest itself. Fortunately, the swordsman was no brawler. He didn't even seem to be trying to block the punches anymore. Inoadar had his shins across his enemy's arms and was beating him bloody. He had crouched at first, assuming the kid would be bringing his legs up to try to kick him off. but instead the white-haired guy started laughing, exulting in the pain! Praising it! Reveling in it! Inoadar felt a moment of strange nostalgia as he thought back to his time with The Second Edict in Nyka. They had been so half-hearted in their approach to strength through pain, and their supposed devotion through self-inflicted suffering. The elder had constantly prevented him from employing his own techniques to bring realization to the other students that they could endure far more than they were. He had ended up killing the elder as a gesture of contempt for their lack of true conviction. He actually experienced a pang of regret as the bloody mess spread with every swing of his arms. This kid, annoying and arrogant as he was, seemed to realize the purity of focus it required to achieve greatness through the enduring of agony. It was a shame he'd made himself such a deadly enemy. He had to go. Inoadar suddenly found himself weaving on his knees as he beat the kid's head against the ground. It was not truly hard enough to crack his skull, but he seemed to finally to succumb to unconsciousness. Inoadar smiled with grim appreciation for the kid's last defiant words, but it would not save him. There was so much blood... He tried to get a last firm grip on the vulnerable throat, but it was so slippery...Why was there this much blood? He couldn't even get a good enough grip to strangle this guy for all the blood. he stopped for a moment and realized there was a drip of it coming from his own hands. His hands seemed suddenly to be at the end of a distorting tunnel and there was a humming in his ears. He barely had the strength to raise his own arms. But he raised them enough to realize the blood was dripping from him! All at once, the kid seemed to somehow swing his legs up in an impossibly flat angle to strike him in the back, and he found himself staring up into the sky. What was this? He could feel the grass sticking him in the back and he felt strangely cold. He managed to roll over one last time and saw a massive stain of blood where he'd been laying. As darkness swamped his mind, his last thought was a nod to the kid for getting in a better stroke with that blade than he'd thought. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but he didn't have the energy.