My Little Pony (completed) 10.W.509

[Sparrow]

Time Stamp- 10th of Winter 509

I've never been fond of horses. Big, ugly, good for nothing brutes. I mean, they don't even taste good. Far too tough for my liking. For this reason, I had yet to taste Drykas meat as I soared above the collection of tents that they called Endrykas. The ramshackle settlement was as primitive as one would expect from a race that craps standing up.

Thankfully, darkness kept me hidden as I surveyed the "town". Zith tend to instill a degree of panic among most races, for good reason. If you meet a Zith, two things are likely to happen. Either you'll get eaten, or enslaved and eaten later.

On this particular night, I wasn't looking for a slave, I was hungry. I wanted some food. And maybe some fun on the side as well. Father had always told me not to play with my food. Then again, he had also said to me "Son, don't snap my neck". I wasn't exactly what you'd call an obedient kid.

I drew my wings close and dropped like a bullet. They spread once more and I pulled out of the dive before I could become nothing more than an unusually attractive stain on the ground. Gliding low across the ground, I landed with a muted thud behind a tree on the outskirts of the settlement. I pressed against the tree and wrapped my wings around me like a cloak. In the darkness, I was almost completely invisible. Stealth was crucial. As skilled in the art of combat as I am, there was no way I could fight off an entire army of pissed off horse people.

Crouching down, I eyed the nearby tents and licked my lips.

"Let's see what's on the menu."

I fixed my gaze upon the closest tent and began to creep forward.

Open to anyone

[Hex]

[ Continued from:Drykas Landing ]


Upon feeling the ground hit her feet as she slid off the back of Serenity, her knees wobbled frantically before she finally collapsed onto the cool grassy earth. A secondary attempt at weathering the rough ride of a stryder left Hex with sore muscles in places that made it difficult to even walk but after a short session of deep breathing and stretching her legs, she was able to beat the stiffness and carry on with helping Kayiri set up camp.

With the back of her hand, Hex swept the perspiration from her forehead after securing the last tent peg into the ground with the blunt end of a dagger. She stood up then and turned to face in the direction of the setting sun that melted down until it lay cradled in the valley below. While working through the soreness she deliberately stayed active by gathering twigs and dry leaves for kindling. Large stones were placed in a circular pattern and sand was dispersed around the fire pit for added protection.

The interior of the tent was methodically organized by Kayiri who even considered her space when he placed her bedroll a comfortable distance away. A blackish blue haze filled the air as the sun burrowed beneath the horizon, winning a tug of war with the moon who rose submissively into the sky. On the first night, Hex graciously slept in the tent to show appreciation for the young man's hospitality but somehow she felt uneasy because the tent fabric dampened her ability to detect enemies at a distance. She knew one day she would adjust but by the second night she was aching to bask in the moonlight and be lulled asleep by the stars who winked and buzzed about the sky like celestial insects.

Three trying nights had passed until she gave into her instinctual urges and crawled drowsily out of the tent onto the grass in the middle of the night.

"May I sleep here next to you?" She yawned to Serenity as she fluffed the grass to make a bed. Soft moist earth was her natural mattress and although she wasn't always lucky to get a comfortable bed, she felt all forms of earth were equally inviting. The great steed snorted and shifted lethargically and Hex understood it to be an acceptance of her company. With a smile on her face Hex laid onto her back and rested her hands above her head gazing up with sleepy, heavy eyelids that slowly fell down her face.

During the early evening of the 10th night of Winter (their 5th day together), Hex brought back to the camp site a bundle of the various berries and grasses she learned to pick during her meeting with Rhylen at the beginning of the season. She had an incredible memory for details and was thrilled when she did not have to rely on hunting meat as often as she had before when she was unsure of the edible plants of the area. A thick soup was made in a cauldron, borrowed from another member of Kayiri's clan who sat amongst the rest to eye the bubbling stew with salivating mouths and eager stomachs. When all were fed and full of ale and stew, they staggered to their tents in the distance to leave the two acquaintances at the rumbling fire. A poking stick was used to send sparks flying and encourage tiny flames to lick the drier bark of the overturned log that met the orange embers smoldering beneath like a forge.

The bed roll for Hex in the tent often served as a space for socializing with Kayiri who talked to her for hours to help her practice and improve her common. They spoke of their pasts and childhood memories, reacting in awe to the cultural differences of each other. Before long they were yawning more than talking and by habit Hex bid her friend goodnight and slinked out of the tent to her place next to Serenity.


A rush of wind not far from the tent brushed across Hex's face and she frantically scratched her tickled nose in response. Footsteps broke the atmospheric pattern and her eyes shot open, turning in her skull towards the noise but not moving her body at all. When it was clear that a stranger was approaching the tent, she had to fight against the sound of her heart hammering the inside of her rib cage just to hear the subtleties of their movements. They were skillfully agile as they barely even disrupted the delicate blades of grass around the tent.

Silently raising onto her haunches, she kept a low profile as she snaked her way along the side of the tent to peek around the corner at the dark visitor. She swallowed a loud gasp as she saw something she had never seen before. Two large wings folded and stretched as the intruder contemplated the entrance to the tent. The body of the flying creature was familiarly humanoid like, slender and thin, possibly even malnourished.

Hex was unsure what the intentions were of this person with wings but she felt a very nefarious, complex energy from them that was jagged and sharp, and very unpleasant to read the aura of. The creature slipped into the tent with ease, they were very skillful in their movements, frighteningly dexterous and without a doubt - strong. After a painfully long hesitation filled with fear, Hex anxiously pulled out a small knife she had hidden in her boot and assumed an offensive stance as she yanked open the tent flaps, yelling incoherently to rouse Kayiri if he was not already awake...

[Kayiri]

"I must admit," Kayiri said, still on his bedspread, "one of the most beautiful things in the Sea of Grass is the sunset. The way it just, vanishes behind the horizon, casting the last of it's light through the grass and the tents... It makes you wonder why anyone would want to be anywhere else."

Kayiri had never managed to grasp why Hex would want to sleep outside in the cold, but he was not one to try and iron habits out of others. Maybe there was just something pleasurable about sleeping outside to Chaktwe and she had inherited that. Such odd people, the Chaktwe...

His eyes were already closed, and he was slipping into the dark, comforting embrace of sleep. Then, he heard a yell from Hex. He wasn't sure if it was gibberish or Chaktwe, he would buy either one, but the tone of her voice transferred a clear, international message.

She (and probably by extension, himself and Serenity) was in trouble. His eyes shot open as adrenaline pumped through his veins. He scurried to his feet, grabbing his sword sheath in one hand. He fumbled for a second, his senses still waking up, before getting the blade out of the sheath. He then honed in on the threat, which had somehow slipped into the tent. Holding his sword with two hands, he brought his sword down from above in a crude but powerful movement.

[Sparrow]

I knew what I was going to do even before I slipped through the entrance of the tent. The unfortunate occupant was going to wake up with their tongue ripped out, their arms broken and the tendons in their legs torn to shreds. A slash to the throat would cause them to die at a deliciously slow and agonizing pace. Minimal struggling, minimal noise, maximum pain. The poor little horse-man's last few moments in the land of the living were going to be very unpleasant if I had my way. Once the fun was over, I would feast. The mere thought of my fangs slicing through soft, juicy flesh had me salivating.

Darkness was no obstacle to me as I gently pushed aside the tent flaps. My eyes pierced through the shadows with ease. The sleeping horse-man's form was clearly visible. He was large as I had imagined but I was still slightly taken aback. After I was finished with him, I wouldn't need to eat for a week. As I scanned the tent, two items by horsey's side caught my eye. An iron long sword and a long bow. No doubt those would fetch a gold miza or two on the black market. I'm a scavenger by nature. Why let good weapons go to waste? It's not like he's going to need them where he's going. I scooped up the bow and began examining it. I nodded appreciatively. I'm no archer but I know a good bow when I see one.

Suddenly, a loud yell came from behind me and I whipped around, my lips curled into a snarl. A dark skinned woman stood at the entrance with a knife in her hand. The snarl became a smirk.

"Just what I needed. A side dish," I growled, making sure to give the woman a glimpse of my fangs.

There was the unmistakeable hiss of a sword being drawn and I turned around just in time to see a long sword heading straight for my skull. Thankfully, I managed to step to the side before the blade could cleave me in two. The attack was fast but sloppy, hoof-head was still trying to shake off some cobwebs.

"Here's a tip, horse-boy. If you want to hit something, there's this wonderful new thing called aiming."

My eyes darted back and forth between the horse and the woman. Things had gotten so much more complicated. No doubt more of the herd would be coming to investigate the woman's yell. I sighed. It looked like dinner would be post poned.

I lunged for the entrance, the bow still clutched in my hand. They robbed me of my food, I'd take the bow as pay back. Might as well steal it and not make the night a total disaster. At the very least, I could cause them some well deserved pain. I swiped at the woman with my claws as I dove out of the tent and began making a hasty escape.

[Hex]

Horrified by the sight before her eyes, Hex stood in partial awe and fear into the face of such a mysterious beast man. As the sword bowed obediently in its masters hands, the tip sliced through the top of the tent, curling back the canvas like the flesh on a gaping wound. The beast was too close for comfort in the jam packed tent and Hex nervously eyed the bow that was clutched in the intruder's claws. Glances were exchanged between Kayiri and Hex, their nervous 'what do we do' body language admittedly shook the confidence of both of them, but both stood their ground.

An escaping swipe of claws lunged at Hex and by instinct she turned away suddenly to guard her chest from being mutilated. The tips of the claws snagged at the skin on her upper back and pulled at her flesh until it gave way with a slice. Falling to ground Hex gripped bundles of grass in her hand to push past the pain and regain some strength to intercept the invalid's escape. The hunting knife that Hex was holding had been thrown into the grass out of sight and she bumbled around for a short while in an attempt to reclaim it. The beast was just gaining speed to spread its wings and ascend when Hex located the knife and hurled it blade first in the beast's direction so that she may at least damage its wing.

Kayiri had emerged from the tent and was standing hunched low with his sword in his hands, was he going to chase the beast? Could they even keep up if they tried?

[Kayiri]

"And if you want to own something, there's a wonderful thing called money," Kayiri responded. It wasn't the best, but hell, he was getting attacked by a winged monsters with claws. I'd love to see you do better. He sprinted out of the tent after the monster, pushing aside random objects that had been throw around as he went.. He went straight for Serenity, planning to hurriedly equip her and set off, but froze.

If he left, Hex might bleed out. Knowing how forgetful some clan members could be, they might see her as the intruder, and treat her as such. He watched the Zith fly away from him, walking back to the tent. Obvious annoyance was in his eyes as he sheathed his sword, and then turned to Hex.

"How deep is the wound? We could get some of the other men to look at it, if it's too deep," Kayiri then said hurriedly. He was looking at her wound as best he could without physically turning her to check. Of course, he had no knowledge in medicine, so him looking was entirely aimless, minus the fact that it showed he was genuinely concerned. He sighed after receiving her answer, chuckling in his odd way. "There goes seventy-five Gold Mizas, eh?" he asked rhetorically.

[Sparrow]

I began to ascend, eager to leave the troublesome little pissants behind. I licked my hand and grinned, savouring the flavour of the woman's blood. It had a strange but not unpleasant flavour. Such a shame that I hadn't been able to sample more. Without warning, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and there was a sharp pain in my side. The distraction caused me to dip dangerously towards the ground as a surprised howl leapt unbidden from my lips.

I managed to right myself with an emphatic flap of my wings and continued my ascent. I placed a hand on my side to stop the bleeding as a low growl rumbled through me. I gritted my teeth, just barely managing to stop myself from turning around and tearing the brute and his whore apart with my bare hands. How DARE they? Those lowly parasites had made injured me. No one makes Sparrow bleed his own blood!

I had been planning to let them live but they had made it personal. I landed on the outskirts of the settlement and raised my blood splattered hand to the moonlight. Slowly, my blood began to drip. By the time the first drop had hit the ground, I already had a plan. A smile flitted across my face. Now they had a trail to follow.

Blood, dead animals, foot prints, if they didn't find the trail theyhad to be either blind, mentally challenged or dead. If all went to plan, they would follow my trail and fall right into my trap. You may ask, how do you know they will follow you, oh Mighty One? The answer? I know everything.

The Drykas are a passionate people. If stealing his expensive toy and maiming his girl didn't make the big idiot mad, then nothing would. The brute would come lumbering after me, swinging his sword like there's no tomorrow. Then the real fun would begin.

I chuckled darkly to myself. Maybe this night wasn't a waste of time after all.

[Hex]

In between staggered gasps she felt almost suffocated by the fuss Kayiri was making over her but he didn't know her healing abilities and so the anxiety she felt was just being absorbed from Kayiri who knelt over her with panicked concern.

She didn't look up to see if the dagger had made its destination and through the blinding pain of her own condition a thin puncture shot out into the atmosphere. The realization came with a wave of blood that slicked through the air with a red sparkle of colour leading off towards the Northern Mountains. Hex arched her back then from being hunched over and tilted her head to catch the rich scent of the beast's blood, smiling in reaction. As pleased as she was, she felt uneasy when the aroma continued flowing smoothly as it traveled further and further away at a consistent speed. They would undoubtedly follow the trail - she couldn't lie about the trail the beast was almost certainly making for them. He wanted them on his turf, fair enough. If the bow was at all significant to Kayiri they would have to follow.

"What was that..." she mumbled and gestured with her pointed fingers at a bag and cloak that lay on the ground near Serenity and tried to crawl. With a thud she landed on her front, having then realized just how much blood she had lost and no wonder - her heart had been racing. When the bag and cloak was returned to her by Kayiri, she located a handful of three green vials and one purple vial and set them down onto the grass in front of her.

She turned then to Kayiri who eyed her paling face with concern. "I will sit in silence for almost a day without movement but do not fear, such great wounds take much energy and concentration to fully heal." She was spinning her hair in a knot and blood clung to clumps of hair like thick tree sap, staining her fingers as she secured the bun with a long smooth stick on the crown of her head. "I need help, peel the leather away from the wound and fetch some water, it must be cleaned." She flapped her fingers lethargically at the curled leather on the top of her dress. Pieces of leather had been lodged uncomfortably into the wound and needed to be removed.

Before she could enter a meditative state to begin the healing, she hoped she could fully explain to Kayiri how to properly clean the wound of any 'beasty poisons'. Her hopes were high since she hadn't yet experienced any nerve twitching - a most common symptom from absorbing poisons through a wound.

"Wait before you go," she stopped him before he sped off, " A linen cloth, warm water and a potent liquor to kill any infection. Bring a lantern to see any dirt or leather stuck in my flesh, and I need to drink water. Clean it all out and then douse the wound with the liquor. After that I will do the rest. Thank you Kayiri." She clutched his shoulder with her right hand, expressing her gratitude. If she were out in the wild the healing would have taken much longer and without a safe place to meditate, her stressed state would prevent her from properly absorbing the vial contents.

She noticed then the stomping foot falls of other clans men and women who had heard the ruckus. She palmed the vials then as Drykas women helped her to her feet and led her to a tent where she could change out of her leather bodice - otherwise the liquor would destroy the material. A bedroll was laid out for her but she needed to sit through the entire healing process and laying down promoted sleep - an unconscious mental state. She needed to be fully aware and concentrate fully on ridding the area of harmful bacteria to mend the flesh.

Hex was helped into a linen dress with buttons down the back which were left open to expose her skin for treatment. As she waited in the tent, the first vial (purple) was consumed, filling her lungs and ballooning her diaphragm. The pain of stretching her back was nearly too much to bear but she had to wait until the potion was absorbed fully. Almost a full minute later she exhaled, purple dust like particles swimming through the air and magnetized over every inch of her skin until the shimmering colour had integrated with her completely.

Soon after she turned to the sound of Kayiri calling out for permission to enter the tent. She let out a soft but clear acceptance and turned her body to face the tent flaps. She would begin the healing as soon as she had trained Kayiri to clean a wound (if he didn't know already)...

[Kayiri]

A victorious cry escaped Kayiri's lips as he heard the creature scream. "Did you hear that, Hex!? We showed that bastard some Drykas hospitality!" Kayiri declared triumphantly. He was beaming with pride, despite the fact that Hex had dealt the blow to the creature, not himself. He then turned bright red, somewhat embarrassed by the fact that, in his momentary happiness, he had almost forgotten that Hex was bleeding all over the ground in front of him.

When she gave him her firm orders, he nodded in acknowledgement. Just before he left to get the water, he heard her from behind him. Kayiri turned on a dime, listening to her ask for arm water, the cloth, and the liquor. He smiled as she grabbed his shoulder, and was off after he quickly explained the nature of the situation to his incoming kin. He was then off to one of the storage tents. He fumbled around in the dark for a moment, the still present adrenaline making his fine motor skills clumsy. He finally found it, the neck of the bottle. He picked it up gingerly, along with some cloth from an incomplete tunic. On his rush out, he grabbed some water which has just been put over the fire, judging by the fact that it was not yet boiling.

He then made his rush back to the tent, where he found Hex missing. He groaned, asking one of his kin where she had went. They pointed off at some tent a bit closer to the core of the cluster, and off he went, gently making his way through the crowd until he reached the tent. He spoke loudly, as to be heard over the rambling crowd positioned outside of the tent.

"Hex! I have what you needed!" he said. He pressed his ear to the tent, entering as soon as he had permission. When he opened the flap, he walked inside, and stood with a dumbfounded look at the glowing purple particles all across her skin. He slowly walked around her, trying not to make contact with her, in case it would disrupt her spell. Kayiri placed the water, cloth, and liquor by her side. He then took her seat behind her. He cleared his throat awkwardly, averting his eyes, not from the blood, but rather because he felt somewhat perverted looking at her bare back as he was. Kayiri was a strange person indeed.

"I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing," he then admitted awkwardly. "I'm just the oaf that swings and sword and shoots a bow, other people take care of the medicine and healing..." he trailed off, but soon started again "should I go get one of them, or did you want to teach me?"

[Hex]

Although the pain she bore was excruciating, she shone a smile through like copper beneath layers of oxidized iron. Unfolding and then hugging her knees she leaned forward on her legs gingerly to show her wounded back. Although Hex sat facing away from him, the embarrassed blush that crowned Kayiri's cheeks emanated a warm sensation of innocence that seemed to best embody who he was. Instead of taking more sensitive precautions to ensure his comfort, she knew the task ahead would more than distract him from any awkwardness he initially felt.

"You will learn" she began sternly, "take a thick linen and soak it in the water but make sure to squeeze it out so that it is only damp. Next you must wipe away the blood."

The slightest touch on her back was painful and she winced and groaned as Kayiri pulled away the layers of sticky blood around each wound. After rinsing the linen many times in the water, it took on a scarlet red and continued to deepen as more blood and dirt was excavated from Hex's back. When the water and linens were replaced for the third time, the inflamed edges of torn flesh took a thorough beating.

"Every wound must be cleaned before I can heal. If anything is left inside when the wound closes, a great infection may occur."


Turning her head to the side and resting her chin on her shoulder she was able to see the ambiguous blob that was Kayiri sitting behind her. As she focused her eyes on the cold blood water, she addressed the bow that was stolen from him.

"Are you able to replace your bow? I saw your face when he stole it and you looked ready to gallop on after him. What will you do Kayiri?"