Cold Cuts [Rhuryc]

[Atzi]

“Rhuryc” The man responded eventually. The woman nodded slightly then finished up her chunk of meat, tearing it apart with her front teeth. While Atzi was chewing, Rhuryc sat up, he seemed stiff, sore, his face expressed pain and Atzi clearly understood it. A small frown rested on the womans face, it was not like her to genuinely care about someone, but this man had fed her, shared a small tent with her and helped to keep her warm, the last was less willing on his part, but Atzi did not distinguish it as such. “Sorry. I did not realize you were a Kelvic. That or you're a very talented cat.” Atzi smirked and laughed, a strange half purr of a laugh. “I am a Kelvic, but I am also a very talented feline.” The woman seemed to glow with the last bit of her words, she was clearly proud of what she was. The Kelvic watched Rhuryc as he ate slowly, it was fairly clear he was in pain, but he seemed the stubborn sort to try to 'tough it out'. The woman watched Rhuryc, almost like a tiger watching a small rabbit, appraising it, testing it's worth. What Atzi was really thinking about could have been several things, some of which unspeakable, others, more family friendly. In all truth, she was judging him, his character from his actions and demeanor. While Atzi knew very little of modesty, she knew more than her fair share of fighters or warriors, as well as leaders. To the red haired woman, she took his sideways glances and lack of staring as almost an insult, why couldn't he look at her? Had she done something wrong? The Kelvic pushed the thoughts from her mind. “Don't be stupid, what does it matter what he thinks anyways?Golden eyes vanished behind pale eyelids as the woman laid back down. Apparently a great deal. “Here.”[color] Atzi opened her eyes to see a silver flask before her, a rough hand held it. [color=brown] “It's water. There should be enough for both of us to make it to Avanthal so long as we ration it.” Atzi reached out and took the container, bringing it to her lips to take a sip. As she drank a small portion she watched Rhuryc. “Assuming you're headed in that direction.” “...Yes. I would like to get anywhere that has some warmth, anything would be better than this..” Atzi handed the flask back to Rhuryc. “Thank you.” The woman shifted slightly, moving the blanket and standing. “I think it best for you to carry as little as you can. I would happily take your pack and whatever else is needed to be carried.” The woman to a step to the opening of the tent. “I am not a pack mule, though, I simply do not wish to see you in worse condition.” As Atzi opened the panel, her body began to shift, fur sprouted from her flesh, her face elongated, her hands turned into paws and her torso grew longer. The tiger went back to the pile of items left out, a small layer of snow was already covering them. With a small growl, Atzi nudged the pile and picked up the items with her teeth.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc stared out the tent for some time. How strange. He always thought that if he woke up to a beautiful woman sleeping beside him life might make a bit more sense, but as it was his mind was sent reeling. Questions with no answers. No matter. There was no time to dally out in the wilderness. He allowed himself the most brief of looks as Atzi left the tent, his eyes glazing over her form in appreciation of the body. Was there a pang of a guilt there? Pah. Rhuryc leaned forward. He ignored the jagged pain in his side and pushed himself out of the tent. Raw. He felt raw. Nevertheless we went about collecting what remained of his gear. The sword was tied to his belt and the shield slung about over his back, tent refit and blanket gathered up in as tight as a roll as he could manage. His movements were still slow, labored, but with rest Rhuryc had regained some semblance of sanity. At least he knew he was longer speaking to an illusion. Or a cat. Saddled and ready, he offered Atzi a courteous pat on the head - he appeared to be fond of ruffling her ears - when she grabbed the bulk of his gear. And once more he was off. A quick check put the mountainous terrain to his back, his singular landmark of a few, distinctive peaks guiding their trek back to Avanthal. There appeared to be no rhyme or reason for his path at first glance, but all he had to do was line up with what, to him, was a solid gap between two points. In truth he had hopped that the sheer size of Avanthal was enough so that he could not miss the blasted city. He had been wrong before. Nevertheless he took a step. The goings were slow. With his legs still weak from who-knew how many days of standing, Rhuryc's pace through the snow was one of caution. And pain. He moved without much of a limb, but the strides did not match his height, and on occasion he would stumble, catching himself only before planting his face into the ground. Time seemed to drift. The chilling winds of the north buffeted his form with every step, icy, jagged cold freezing his muscles and grinding his blood to a stop. The black fur about his body did much to aid the endeavor, but the nipping frost at his nose, the crisp, indeterminable scents of the wilderness, it wore on his mind. Crunch. His boots hit the snow. Soft, gentle, yet harsh and foreign. One more step. Crunch. Rhuryc forced himself forward. His shoulders slouched, his chest heaved. One more. Then he could rest. Crunch. His eyes flickered. What was that beside him, that orange glow? Atzi. Yes. Cat. They were almost there, weren't they? Rhuryc took another step. He wobbled, his body shivered, and he fell forward. Crunch. The sun beat down on the man's form. Unmoving, yet still breathing, he lay in the snow, his hands sprawled out at his sides. Get up. Maybe he could just rest. Just for a little while.

[Atzi]

It didn't take long for Atzi to be loaded up with Rhuryc's pack and other items. The man maintained control of his sword a shield, which were likely two of his heaviest items. While the Kelvic thought the man foolish for such stubbornness, she allowed him to make his own decisions, he was still up right and appeared in decent enough shape to walk. A rough hand gently reached down and ruffled the top of Atzi's head, her ears twitched as the fingers brushed over them. The woman didn't mind the touch, but she preferred having her chin scratched. Rhuryc looked around for a moment before he began to walk. Atzi walked next to him, much slower than she normally would. The man was slow, weak, he stumbled, barely catching himself before face planting into the snow. Atzi made small noises the few times the man stumbled, each time she would get closer to him and lightly nudge his knee. The two continued to walk in silence, the sound of Rhuryc's boots crunching the snow traveled over the snow around them. As Rhuryc stepped, he wavered, shivering and then fell. He landed in the snow with a crunch, the snow compacting under him. Rhuryc didn't move. His breath was slow, but steady. Atzi felt her heart stop for the shortest moment before her large paws crunched up next to him. Her snout lightly nudged Rhuryc's shoulder. “He should not be walking.” Atzi grit her teeth for a moment. She was not positive as to the direction the two were headed, but it appeared they were walking towards the mountains, it was a general enough path that the tiger felt confident in heading that way. Without much more thought, the Kelvic nudged her snout under Rhuryc, hefting him on top of her back, he could adjust once he was able to move, but he was not going to walk. At least, the Kelvic wasn't going to let him walk. Rhuryc rested across her, his arms on either side of her large, furry neck, his legs on either side of her back. His feet would drag, but there was nothing Atzi could do about that. The tiger let out a small roar before she began to trot toward the mountains. “We'll be there soon. We better be there soon.”

[Rhuryc]

Soft. What was that? He grasped the fur, his hands balling into fists around the tufts. He was moving. Cat? Moving hurt. Thinking hurt. Yet somehow he felt his body shifting, the motion beneath propelling him forward. Opening his eyes seemed too difficult a task. He had to look. To see. A flicker of motion forced him to open his eyes. The landscape passed without distinction. White. A white sky, white ground. It was like an endless path of nothing, a vast, infinite void of color or life. All except for the heart beat beneath him. It was faint, but strong, he could just make it out. The pad of feet. The strain of muscles. All of it registered on his diminished senses. He was being carried. Somehow. He needed to stay awake. He protested with all of his strength, but all he managed was a grunt. A murmur. Pathetic. Rest. He needed to rest. Gently, Rhuryc drifted back to unconsciousness. There were brief glimpses of terrain. He would struggle, semi-conscious, his gaze flickering about every time he could manage to move his head. Mountains. White. Snow. It all passed like a feverish dream. His fingers would flex, attempting to draw strength and warmth into them, but all he would manage would be to pull on the Tiger's fur, her soft body giving the man a momentary comfort. Between his fits of awareness Rhuryc would attempt to gauge their location. He would look to the peaks. And every so often he would manage to utter a few words of direction. Turn. Move this way. Watch for the wall. Most of it came out in mumbles, fever speak, soft whispers of strength. With the very effort it took for the man to speak it was a wonder he was still alive. Something kept him strong. Something kept him going. He could not tell how much time had passed, but by the time they reached the white wall of Avanthal darkness had set in. Rhuryc found himself alert, for once. His body would not move as he wanted, the slightest motion left him reeling in pain, so he left his care to Atzi. She was strong, stronger than he had imagined, and for some reason she was dedicated to his aide. The gods, it seemed, had somehow decided he was worth saving. The rest was a matter of hazy images. He saw guards react with haste. He heard shouting, saw movement. Boots on snow. Hurried motions. They made it. "Thank you, Cat." Rhuryc mumbled into the Tiger's fur, one hand weakly rising to ruffle the feline's ears.

[Atzi]

Atzi had little reaction to Rhuryc's hands squeezing tufts of fur, her skin was numb, she could barely feel it anyways. Still, the sensation of tugging was felt around her neck and Atzi glanced over her shoulder to the injured, exhausted man. Atzi's companion made a small grunt which the tiger responded to with a low, vibrating growl. “You will not protest to this, I will drag you by your coat if you try.” Golden eyes shifted from over her shoulder back to the white nothing before her. The mountains, maybe if she could just reach the mountains he could be saved. Atzi picked up her pace, which was difficult, not because of lack of energy, adrenaline was pumping through her now. The reason Atzi had trouble picking up the pace was the weight she was carrying. Atzi could carry a fair amount of weight for a long distance. She could kill a large creature and happily carry it for miles. Rhuryc was not the same size as a creature she would have killed, he was a full grown man. Pain filled her muscles and bones, the mountains seemed days away, she couldn't keep this up for days. The tiger made a small grunt like noise as her feet hit the ground hard. Rhuryc was only partially conscious, occasionally he would speak softly against the tiger, directing her as to the direction she should be going. Atzi barely responded to the mans' directions, she just shifted where she was head accordingly. Atzi could feel her chest heaving, it was like her lungs were being split in two, the cold air burned on the way in, exhaling stung on the way out. Atzi's body was numb, everything was numb except for her lungs and her steadily pounding heart. It took chimes for Atzi to see the glimmer of Avanthal, the icerock shone beautifully even in the dark. The temperatures had dropped significantly but she was almost there, there was no point in stopping now. As the Kelvic jogged to the gate, several guards and dire polar bears hurried to their aide. Atzi was exhausted, panting, her throat was parched, she was unable to make noise, but they had made it, Rhuryc had made it. “Thank you, Cat.” Rhuryc managed to mutter, a weak hand ruffled Atzi's frozen ears. One of the guards took Rhuryc carefully, placing him on top of one of the polars', the three began to gallop off, Atzi tried to follow but found her legs wanted to do no such thing and collapsed as well. The large tiger laid on the frozen ground, panting, sweating, freezing and parched. Atzi listened to the guards speak, the spoke Vani, which Atzi knew little of. The Kelvic shifted back to a human, and tried to get back up, she needed to follow Rhuryc, she needed to know he would be alright. A gloved hand landed on her arm as Atzi was wobbling to her feet. It was on of the guards, roughly covering her with a thick, fur coat before placing her on the other bear. “Hold on” He said in Vani and the polar took off in the direction Rhuryc had vanished.

OOCSo, this is pretty much done. I figure we can pick up at Whitevine with Rhuryc waking up? So... New thread!

[Cheshire]

. Character: Atzi Experience: Tracking +1, Bodybuilding +1, Navigation +1, Stealth +1 Lore: Not Camouflaged at All, Non-Verbal Communication, Sharing a Tent With a Stranger, Carrying a Man to Safety Character: Rhuryc Experience: Weapon (Shield) +1, Wilderness Survival +2, Navigation +1, Observation +1 Lore: Calling Out an Enemy, Is She Kelvic?, Sharing Your Tent With What Could be a Wild Animal, Nightmares of Vexation. Finding a Naked Woman Sleeping With You, Additional Note: Great thread guys! I really enjoyed reading it! Remember there are not mountains in Avanthal. You could have said you were following the norther lights though. PM me with concerns.