[Quest] A Simple Game of Cat and Hunter (Closed)

[Fenilen]

A small chuckle left the lips of the Inarta as the beautiful Vantha called him a master of his craft. "A master, I am not, but some talent have." His Common was broken, as he wasn't entirely focused on forming his sentences properly. Not to mention, his Common wasn't all that great to begin with, but that was besides the point! "Glassblower I am, but also use sword and longbow," as he responded quietly to her interrogatives, his green eyes followed the hound that walked around his legs, sniffing in his scent, learning the feeling of the air that touched his legs on her nose. Curiously, the Inarta extended a pale hand to the dog, attempting to make eye contact. Such an odd creature, unlike anything that he had ever seen in Wind Reach! What was this thing? What could it do? What was it called? What did it eat? The response he received for his supposedly friendly gaze scared the boy witless, knocking the surprised boy flat on his back, knocking the breath from his lungs. Dazzled green eyes gazed upwards helplessly as the monster set upon the boy, paws on his chest, muzzle zipping for the Inarta's throat. This was the end! The creature was with Them! Gruesome images of his lifeless body lying upon the floor of the Hold, gurgling as he attempted to draw breath in the absence of his throat flashed through his mind. But he was spared from this fate! The beautiful Vantha pulled the monster back with a gentle command of her enamoring voice. The assailant hesitantly left his throat intact, climbing off of his chest, allowing him to scurry to his feet. Fenilen scurried closer to Keriay, stopping besides her. It took every fiber of restraint he had to keep from clinging to his attractive savior. She hardly knew him, and would likely be weirded out by his sudden show of affection. Instead, he just stood oddly close to her, remaining silent when she commented on Inarta archery. Best not to disappoint her by telling her that he had a bit of a struggle pulling back the string of his mighty bow! "Many notes," was all she heard in response. When she began he speech, he walked away from her a bit, giving her a small amount of room. Oh boy, a whole speech in Common. The book opened to the second page and the quill pen found itself dipped in ink. The moment she began speaking, notes were jotted up and down the expanse of the blank page in messy Nari, a language he had not written in in longer than he could remember. Notes : Note!Bold text is in Common, normal text is in Nari, italics is in Vani! Frostfawn = Hunters, Breeders Hunters, breeders of animals Hunt for good part of life Hunt for good part ??? Hunt for a good majority of their lives in Frostfawn Hold Wastes have littles to no vegetation. Many die in hunts, not even best are safe. Comparable to hunting in Unforgiving? Trees and plants are find to hard. Many people die in Wastes, no one is safe. Like hunting in mountains. Trees ??? hard ??? die ??? hunt ??? Can't see own hand in front of face in snow. Can't see hand in fron of own face because snow Dire? Talderian? Kill with one paw. Paws must be big. Dire = Giant Does that mean Talderian = bigger than dire and giant? Vani = Giant? Make word for Taldera (Taldera) possessive? Talderian? Rely on hearing more than sight due to blizzard. Rely on hearing more than seeing because it is hard to see. To Hear ??? To See ??? harder To See When their beautiful leader described their formation, Fenilen quickly drew a sketch showing what it looked like. Drawing : The boy was focused so intensely on his notes and his drawing that he barely noticed the slight girl that approached him. When she spoke, the boy literally sprang an inch or two into the air, his book and pen flying as he did so. He almost instinctively went for his sword as his green eyes assessed the threat before him. No, she was nothing but a small youth. The Inarta's heart pounded in his chest even after he discovered that the surprise really hadn't come from an assassin. Silently, the redheaded boy brushed his hair back once more and collected the book and the quill pen from the ground, watching the girl with suspicious eyes all the way. "Hi," he finally responded, gripping the items tightly in his arms. "Am Fenilen, son of Maverick, brother of Emory and Nyali. Apologies for the little fit there. Am frightful-- but with good reason!" he then spat out hurriedly.

[Sage Eleanor]

Sage’s eyes widened in absolute terror when she saw the man reach for his sword, she stumbled backward a bit but did not leave. She watched him carefully as he bent down to grab his dropped items and took another step back as he straightened out. As he introduced himself she listened intently, cringing slightly at his last words. Sage nodded slightly then timidly presented herself to him and boldly took a step forward.

“S-sorry for s-startling you,” She apologized. “It’s very nice to meet you F-fenilen, my name is Sage.” She paused for a minute before continuing. “I was wondering, that is if you don’t mind too terribly, if I may accompany you on the hunt?” She shuffled her feet nervously and added hastily, “I promise I will not be in your way, and I am Kelvic, I may provide warning while you take notes.” Sage looked up nervously and tugged at the ends of her jacket, then clasped her hands tightly together. Many thoughts crammed into her head when she looked at Fenilen again.

[Fordwen]

Standing in the back of the group of hunters, back against a wall Fordwen was not noticed as he observed the others. Only two people stood out to him out of all the people assembled. One reminded him of his sister so much that he found him self silently saying her name over and over, this brought back painful memories so he decided to move on to the next. This person brought on completely different feelings, feelings of hate, this one had red hair, a bow, and the same talon sword he carried. An Inarta. Fordwen griped the hilt of his sword so tight that his knuckles turned as white as the Surrounding snow. He made him self calm down, this one looked to be about the same age as him self, there for he had played no part in his banishment.
Fordwen found his mind wondering back to the girl. He felt that he would very much like to meet her. He saw that she was going over to speak with the Inarta and noticed that the boy jumped when she spoke to him. Obviously he was not a warrior. He decided that he would try to talk to this girl, which was a very odd decision for him. He approached the pair and in his light baritone voice said,"Hello you two."

[Aamu]

The group was getting all cherfull and crap, but Aamu was really not in the mood to jester in front of a bunch of strangers. She just pulled to the back of the group, stopping herself only a few feet away from the only Frostfawn she barely knew, Kulde. He was not really the soul of a party, that one, but neither was Aamu, and since silence was what she was looking for now, she did not mind to share some. Her eyes gazed over the group carefully as she was unsure what were they even waiting for? Oh, Aamu knew all too well that they were waiting for a miracle in order to survive, but it's not like she would voice up and ruin the mood for Keriay. He thoughts quickly shifted away from grim predictions as she turned towards Fenilen only to hear his disjointed speech; Now Aamu was not all that better than him, but still, he looked like he wasn't even trying. Such impudence it was to act that way, when he looked like no more than a paper pushing weakling, still, Keriay said he was good to go, and if she saw something in him, there probably was something... something weak... but that was beside the point now. As the people began talking to eachother, Aamu still felt like they were all trying to take their minds off the worst possible ending. Maybe it was a good thing to do for them, but for the Vantha girl it was plain stupidity. Her eyes quickly flickered as she could hear steps behind her. She quickly got her bow in one of her hands, and just as she was about to reach for the arrow, the source of the noise passed them by; It was an another Inarta. What was with these people, did they have like a death wish or something; Geez, it took more courage to be responsible for such idiots than to face the Wastes, Aamu was sure of that much. The group seemed not to nudge much to the pressence of this newcomer, but still, it was not like they were supposed to, they were newbies after all. She just hoped they would be a tad more observant out there. With a simple sigh, she got the bow back on her shoulder and waited for the hunt to start. That was what she came for after all, not some group therapy thing.

[Kulde]

The smile that Keriay sent in his direction, made Kulde's knees weak and a quick change of color flooded through his eyes. Eyes he quickly averted from the beautiful sight. He looked down at the ground as she spoke. Keriay's changed as she spoke. Kulde could hear this in her voice. Getting more serious as they spoke. Something Kulde liked to hear. Hunting was serious, hunting talderian sized beasts was suicide if you took it lightly. She quickly told them how they were supposed to be standing. Much like how someone important would be protected. Create a perimeter around the 'cargo'. Why were there even 'weaker' members in their team? Kulde had been skeptical of joining the party, he hadn't though himself up to par with other hunters in the hold. He didn't voice this disagreement out loud. Instead, he just buried it behind a neutral facial expression. Kulde turned to look at Aamu when she decided to walk over and stand a few feet away from him. Kulde was a bit suprised by this, but he didn't express his surprise, maintaining a tight leash on his emotions. Trying to not let his nervousness show or claim him. He didn't really know Aamu, only that she was a marginally better hunter than him, but nothing too fancy. Of course, saying this out loud would be pretty darned stupid of him. Since the other thing he knew about her, was her strong personality. He just gave her a small nod to acknowledge her before just looking around again. Of course, Kulde took a step away from Aamu when she suddenly grabbed her bow and seemed to be readying for a battle. Kulde turned to look at what Aamu had decided she wanted to kill. A black and white haired individual. Probably just a late-comer to their gathering. He didn't like how Aamu had reacted to him. She seemed a little too jumpy. He could only hope that would change once they entered the wilderness.

[Cheshire]

The group seemed to be assembling nicely although there were not as many skilled hunters as Keriay would have liked. Still she was thankful to have Kulde and Aamu in her party. As hunters she assumed the pair knew their way around the wild of the icy North. They would be quite helpful when they were out in the Wastes. If there was anyone suited for navigation through Taldera it was the Vantha. As the Inarta clanged Keriay Sienna looked up at her with bright brown and blue eyes. Her tail wagged excitedly and she let out a small woof as she gently tugged on the pant leg of Fenilen's pants. Keriay patted the Inarta's head awkwardly and tried to inch away from him. She really was not the best person when it came to showing emotions. She was a bit stone cold in that regard but she tried to comfort the man regardless. "You will be fine Inarta. She is most likely the least scary thing you will see out here. Hey, you might even come to like her." As the Inarta pulled away Keriay breathed a sigh of relief. Sienna seemed to be quite enamored with Fenilen. "Looks like you just found yourself your first Avanthalian girlfriend Fire-hair!" She winked at Fenilen and walked over to the front of the crowd. "Okay troops, let's head out. Since I do not have any takers to be my kelvic look out I guess Sienna will have to be my nose for this adventure." Keriay patted her leg and called to her canine companion. The Zypherian bolted through the crowd and came to a halt at her side. Now it was time to put everyone in formation. "Okay, I will be in front while my three hunters, Saana, Besad, and Lagin will take the right, left, and back. We will be working in buddy systems here. Aamu, you are with Fordwen. Kulde, stick with Fenilen. I will keep an eye on…" Keriay looked at the girl sticking close to Fenilen skeptically. "I'm sorry, I did not catch your name. I'm Keriay, what is your name." She smiled at Sage and extended a gloved hand in greeting. When the "troops" were assembled Keriay looked out at the swirling mass of snow and wind known as the Northern Wastes and smiled. "I love a good hunt, don't you Sage?" She walked forward with Sienna at her heels panting in content. "You do like dogs right? If not I am sure Sienna would love to go over and tag along with Kulde and Fenilen." Keriay wanted to make the girl feel comfortable. She was small and she looked a bit out of place in the frozen north. Still, there was no way to know anything about the girl until the danger rolled around. At least that is what Keriay thought. In front of the group laid the seemingly endless stretch of the Wastes. It was hard to see much but from what one could see there was a lot of snow and if you were lucky, a few rocks. No one had made it completely through the Wastes or at least lived to tell the tale. The group would not venture too far into the white void. Only far enough to battle a few over grown cats. OOCI'm sorry if I did not match you with a partner in this post. I am going by who has answered since my last post. I send a PM out to everyone but no one answered so I am just leaving the list as is. If you feel you were left out send me a PM and I will get you paired up with someone.

[Aamu]

So Aamu had landed a partnership with the somewhat creepy Vantha that she almost drew her arrow at? Someone in Ukalas must have loved the irony, or so she thought as she made small, yet firm steps forward to F..something, as she had already forgotten his name. She did not want any of the awkwardness she felt to come forth and meddle with the task at hand. She stopped next to the Inarta, nodding only slightly in order to let him know she had aknowledged his pressence. Anything further would be a waste of time, and he did seem a bit off his rocker in Aamu's mind. She never really took much time to inspect the man, but she did notice one potentially reliable characteristic. He had a sword on him, and if he knew how to use it, than he could prove to be of further use for the duration of the hunt, if does not do something stupid soon, that is. She and whatever his name was got their place in the formation, and she could feel some enjoyment as they finally started to walk for the wastes. Any Vantha with decent brains should know that they would not go far, at least not further than needed. Aamu shivered for a moment, unsure if it was fear or the excitement that had gotten into her for a moment. The F guy seemed a bit lost even before they started walking, so she made it a task of her own to keep him in check, last thing she needed was for her outsider of a partner to end his life prematurely. Finally stepping foot in what could really be called the Wastes was not pleasant experience; There were no longer any obstructions for the wind, as he was now howling more cruel then ever, his unleashed ascpet unchanging. She quickly moved her hand to where the outsider was supposed to stand, just to make sure everything was alright. Once she checked, she quickly got back to her observations, not that much could have been seen or heard, still it was worth a shot.

[Fordwen]

So Fordwen was partnered with the Vantha girl although he did not usually take the time to learn names, he thought it unnecessary since more often than not he never saw them again for one reason or another, he thought that it might be important for communicative purposes to learn her name although he had already forgotten it. He made a mental note to remember it next time it was give.
He looked her over noting two things, one she was far shorter than he was, and he was not tall, but by looking at her he could tell that it would not be a wise move to point it out in any way shape or form. The second thing he noticed was the bow she carried it was a composite short bow, a smaller version of the one he carried, and was glad to see that she looked more than capable of using it.
As he took the position she indicated he noticed the unwillingness to talk, he was ok with that. When he was growing up in the wild there was no one to talk to and he had developed a sort of mental tone of silence, he did not talk, and as a side affect others seemed to be unwilling to talk to him. To tell the truth he wasn't entirely sure he could make vary good conversations by him self and would probably have to have the subject laid out before him to be able to have said conversations.
As he crossed the threshold into the wastes he felt a momentary stab of sadness he had finally found a place that did not turn him away and he was leaving it again. He had to constantly remind himself that he was only going out of the city for the trip and would be back. Of course once that moment past it all became comfortable again as it had been for the past seven years of his life he walked along as though he were only half a mile from the home he had lived in all his life and to be honest the analogy was an almost real one. He felt the eyes of some of the hunters on him and realized just how uncomfortable everyone else seemed to feel out in the wastes and that he had assumed an easy familiar gate and posture. They were probably surprised especially from someone they viewed as an outsider. He just kept walking waiting for something to happen so he could test his bow string and see if it needed replaced.

[Sage Eleanor]

Sage stayed very quite during the departure. The leader had chosen her to be by her side. Sage had abandoned the small conversation between herself, Fenilen, and the odd man that had approached them before the announcement. She now stood by Keriay and her dog, listening intently to their surroundings while maintaining focused on her words. Carefully Sage took a peek at the dog and gave a soft smile.
“Yes, I like dogs.” She murmured quietly then turned and faced straight ahead. Her right hand snuck into her jacket pocket and grasped a small vial of acid she had purchased before the trip. It was her main line of defense and she kept some with her at all times. The powerful substance had proven most useful when attacked by bandits and thief’s, burning their skin and allowing escape without pursuit, at least for a descent amount of time. However, Sage had never used it on animals and had no idea how effective it would be during the heat of the moment. Her particular fighting and hunting style wouldn’t exactly be complimentary to the others of the group.
The white mist of breath left her lips in a soft sigh. She glanced at Keriay timidly and then back at Fenilen and Fordwen, who seemed to be very awkward in his position. Quickly looking away she heard a slight rustle and the soft squish of snow. Her eyes widened but she continued on. “Probably something small….” She thought as she smelt the air. There was defiantly something there, nothing familiar to her nose but it was another animal. There was another small slush of snow and Sage looked to her left were the noise was emanating from.
Sage halted and peered into the snowy blaze. She didn’t see anything and hesitantly jogged forward and fell back in pace with Keriay. Keeping her eyes peeled on the frozen terrain she listened for any more sounds, after a few minutes of silence she began to relax.

[Fenilen]

A small chuckle left the lips of the Inarta as Keriay suggested that her hound was to be his first Avanthali girlfriend. A little grin accompanied the chuckle, as if suggesting otherwise. A curious eyebrow raised when he heard the girl before him greeting him, introducing her own name, throwing it out into the field for him to remember. He, personally, didn't mind, but whatever they did was up to the stunning Keriay, not him. A curious glance shot back over to her, before he spoke to Sage, his voice hushed, as if they were conspiring, even though they were not. "That, little Kelvic, is up to the venerable master, not to us," his green eyes dug into her for but a few brief moments, and then darted away, as his arms folded behind his back, fingers interlacing with one another. As he retreated into the corner of his mind, another voice assailed him. Before even turning to face this speaker, he was analyzing the voice. Deeper voice, that made them male, and the accent that they spoke with had those familiar clicks, one that sounded as if he was begging to burst out into the familiar Language of the Sky. Hope blossomed in Fenilen's bosom as he turned on his heel to face the figure, only to find, sadly, that the man was not Inarta. His hair was not red. He was not one of him. But wait... The cuffs of his pants that poked through his cloak, the bow that was slung over his back, the sword that rested upon his hip... They all screamed Inarta craftsmanship! If *he* was not red haired, if *he* was not Inarta, than what was he? How had he obtained such good? He had never seen this man, this *boy* in Wind Reach, and he didn't look any older than him. He would have been old enough to remember him, had he visited, or would have heard tails of him, since his hair was such a shock of black and white. As he closed into range, though, the final nail in his wooden coffin was hammered into place. His eyes. They were gold. They did not change and shift like those of the Vantha, instead choosing to remain a single color, a solid gold, a color unique to the Inarta, if what the stories had said were true. So the man *was* Inarta. But he did not have red hair? So he was a Dek? How did he get from Wind Reach to Avanthal, then, and gather all of these supplies? How did he even survive the cold in the formless Lontav? The other option was that he *wasn't* a Dek, in which case he was trying to abandon his Inarta heritage by abandoning the hair that made them so beautifully unique. If that was the case, then he did not even deserve to carry the instruments of their people. "Ho, traitor," he said, the second word chirped out in Nari, accompanied by a hostile glare. With that out of the way, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed off, pulling his book from its satchel, pen accompanying it, scrawling in it quickly. Notes : Note!Bold text is in Common, normal text is in Nari, italics is in Vani! Frostfawn = Hunters, Breeders Hunters, breeders of animals Hunt for good part of life Hunt for good part ??? Hunt for a good majority of their lives in Frostfawn Hold Wastes have littles to no vegetation. Many die in hunts, not even best are safe. Comparable to hunting in Unforgiving? Trees and plants are find to hard. Many people die in Wastes, no one is safe. Like hunting in mountains. Trees ??? hard ??? die ??? hunt ??? Can't see own hand in front of face in snow. Can't see hand in fron of own face because snow Dire? Talderian? Kill with one paw. Paws must be big. Dire = Giant Does that mean Talderian = bigger than dire and giant? Vani = Giant? Make word for Taldera (Taldera) possessive? Talderian? Rely on hearing more than sight due to blizzard. Rely on hearing more than seeing because it is hard to see. To Hear ??? To See ??? harder To See Traitor Inarta living in Avanthal. Hair colored Black and White. Bears Talon Swords and Longbow of fine, obvious Inarta craftsmanship. A scar runs down his face. Wears a Byrda under his coat. Separated self from Traitor. Add more later. So finished his first page of noted, if one included the drawing. Silently, he looked up at Keriay as she began speaking again, his eyes curious, his ears and mind garnering her his full attention, absorbing every little detail of her speech. A little tilt of his head found the man he would guess was his companion, judging by the way no one else had yet made their way over to him, so he himself stalked over to him, settling down besides him, where he brushed his long, wispy red hair back with a single hand a small sigh, which, since they were currently indoors, was not visible-- something that was much to Fenilen's delight. Curiously, he then turned to look at the taller man, tilting his head as his voice left his lips once more. "Hi. I am Fenilen Ruin, son of Maverick, brother of Emory and Nyali, friend of Eagles and all things Avian. You are Kulde?" he said softly, his head never losing that curious, inquisitive tilt that made him so adorable. Then, they began to move. Fenilen was right behind Keriay. Despite having sketched out the drawing so masterfully, he paid terrible heed to it, sticking painfully close to the front of the group, squinting so that he could see through the assailing, blizzard-esque conditions. It wasn't that effective, but it was better than going blind from snow slamming into his eyes, he thought. Whenever he opened his lips to try and speak a quiet prayer to Priskil, the wind, sent down to Mizahar by Zulrav, stole it from his very lips, so that not even a sound could be heard. Instead of whispering it, like he normally would, he reverted to almost shouting them, which was still barely audible over the howling, wicked winds, the ones that bit through every layer one wore over their precious body. It assailed every inch of exposed skin, tearing away whatever vestiges of warmth one had hoped to hold close. Fenilen's ears, despite hiding under the thick goatskin of his Katinu, were freezing, turning bright red, and all he could do was keep on trudging through the cold, trudging through the pain. How anyone could live in the cold, live in such a miserable existence so far away from the Mountain's beautiful warmth... He would never know. To focus on other things, the trusty book and the ever-present pen returned to his hands, and with them, words were scribed into the book, albeit with freezing, shaking, mitten-garbed hands, so they were notably terrible, handwriting wise. Notes : The Talderan Wastes are just as cold as legend says. They are more devoid of warmth then the exterior of the Mountain during Winter. There is no warmth to be found, no salvation to be had, but somehow, the Vantha do not even flinch at the below-freezing temperatures. They stride through them as if it is the middle of summer, as if they are skipping daintily through the grass, frolicking, enjoying life to it's fullest. I can not yet decipher if this is simply because they are used to the cold, like we are used to the warmth of the mountain, or if it is by some other means, be it their garb or something more magical. Will explore this more at a later date. Their garb is different though. It is not like a Katinu. It is like they wrapped a thick coat of fur around them, to ward off the cold. Will explore later. Fingers freezing. With that down, he stowed the tools, and returned his attention to the land around them, the land that could, no doubt, kill them at any moment, if it so whimmed.