[Everstone Forest] Never Give Up [Sophia]

[Victor Lark]

Spring 20, 511

The morning dew had long since dried and for the first time in spring, the sun shone hot on the black boulders of Sylira's northern non-forest. Most intelligent creatures had found shelter from this more extreme time of the day, but the forest's lone human did not. He did not know nature's schedule, for he was too accustomed to abiding by his own.

The only visible piece of him was a brand new wooden box, leaning against one of the light-colored, shallow-rooted trees in a sad attempt at camouflage. Neither he nor the box seemed very concerned about its discovery, while the young man himself was nowhere to be found. If he knew anything about the anything, it was how to stay hidden. A keen eye might spot him amid the meager canopy of a more densely wooded region of Everstone, many feet away from his only possessions.

Below, in a small clearing of grass between the stones, a fledgling hare chewed idly on a bright green shrub. It probably thought itself protected in this shaded area, content with the moment’s activity. It was very much like he: ignorant of the reality of its current predicament and too young to care.

Suddenly one of its drooping ears twitched. The muscles in his jaw stopped hastily and its eyes quickly examined as much of the world as possible without turning its neck. In the next second, it hopped between two rocks and wriggled beneath another, leaving the half-eaten weed behind.

A muffled groan sounded from the treetops. With the briefest rustle of leaves, a shirtless Victor jumped to the soft ground, utter frustration wrought over his expression. His soft body was showing signs of fat loss, leaving him lean but not quite starved. The bottoms of his cotton breeches were rolled up to his knees and his new boots were already worn in from a few days of slow walking travel. He threw his dagger onto the ground in angry defeat and sat, his hunched back shining with recent efforts and his thin fingers wrung through his hair.

It was true he had food stashed away in his little piece of luggage, but it was not enough. He did not know how to hunt; he was not prepared for this journey. But he would not admit defeat. He could not go back, not yet. Not ever.

[Sophia]

The languidness of the day stretched over the unusual gathering of rocks like a hot blanket on a summer afternoon. Though the beasts of the Everstone forest knew no season, many had found this heat disagreeable and decided not to leave bed as one might do on any lazy spring day. Those few that had forsaken sloth in favor of working found the rocks much to themselves.

One of these beasts lay somewhere in the middle of those categories, or more specifically, lay stretched out basking in the sun on a high and flat stone. The mountain lion's fur glittered golden in the midday sun, rising up and down slowly in reaction to her breathing. Her stomach grumbled softly, but rising for now would take too much effort and energy, so in laying there she persisted.

Eventually, hunger's growl became too loud for the feline's resistance, and reluctantly she rose to meet biological conditions. She yawned and stretched and stretched and yawned before finally putting an end to her procrastinating and setting out on the prowl.

Being an ambush hunter was more work than many may think, and more than once the kill desired bounded away on the slightest rustle or ruckus. And there being few creatures out to begin with was starting to irritate the puma greatly. But she was of a persistent breed, and she would not rest until the meat and blood of another filled her belly.

It was then that the large cat heard a very strange noise, and soon after the wind brought a very strange smell. Provided she had been aware of the cliche concerning cats and curiosity, she might have laughed. However, the mountain lion had been in this faux forest for far too long and instinct presided mostly over her mind. Still, curiosity drove her to seek out what exactly this was.

She stayed within the shadows of the rocks and in the patches of tall grass. Tracking her prey by scent was a little difficult, as she could only decipher the right direction on the occasional bursts of wind, but there were few scents out and about so it was not as hard as it could have been. Eventually, the figure that had created the noise loomed in the distance, beyond the patch of grass she laid low within.

What she saw made her breath stick in her throat. It turned out to be the figure of a man, sitting down with a weapon at his side. In a rush, suddenly human thought and feelings poured back into her, dormant from when she first went into exile. But this didn't cause her to reveal herself just yet. It only offset her, for she was still a predator and therefore cautious. She would watch this man first, to see what he was here for.

[Victor Lark]

Upon the realization that he would not find fresh meat any time soon, his stomach turned with growling hunger. Nonetheless, Victor remained sitting for many more moments, wallowing in discomfort and self-pity. Only the merest of breezes came by to comfort him, and to fruitlessly warn him of the scent of a predator which he could not hope to detect.

While one second saw him completely still, like a pale boulder or a fleshy shrub, the next second was full of sudden, decisive movement. Finally, he had resolved to return to his things and spend another of his quickly dwindling meals. It was the only choice he had, and he thoroughly resented it.

Even though the grass was still young and soft, he plodded noisily through it like the human he was. Briefly he moved in the wrong direction, inadvertently saving himself from any encounter with his invisible stalker, but then he recalled his immediate surroundings and turned around. If the kelvic had looked where she was crouching, she would have noticed a wooden trunk not five feet away. And he was stomping unwittingly towards it, towards her. He reached the tree and picked up the box, turning it on its side so that he could open it. Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something unusual—

A cry of terrific surprise broke the day’s lazy silence, inspiring a few tired birds to the air. Victor dropped everything and backed away from the puma hastily. In his distraction, he tripped over the uneven ground only to be caught by a larger rock, which conveniently prevented him from fleeing further. He remained frozen so as to avoid startling the beast.

As he was rather inept in the realm of emotion, he did not perceive the humanity in her eyes as he stared into them. He was not afraid; he did not know what fear was. But he knew to be careful, even as ambivalent curiosity rose in the back of his mind, begging to be satisfied. Masking his heavy breath with strained lungs, he waited for her to decide his fate.

[Sophia]

The human moved, so suddenly that it startled her and almost made her go bounding back into the safety of the standing stones that she knew so well. But no, the male had not seen her. In fact, he seemed blissfully unaware of her presence, and the danger she posed to him. She would waste no pity if he showed hostility towards her in any form, or against her territory.

But even though she stayed still, her defense was raised and she was cautious. The reason that he was here was still unknown, and it very well could be malicious. Of course she had witnessed the last efforts of his failed attempt at hunting, but hunting could not be the only reason that he was here. No, he must be a traveler off the beaten path, she thought. Who else would be in this place, so far from civilization?

She inadvertently got lost in her thoughts, understandable since it had been so long since she had last had cognitive thoughts at all, and did not notice that he had begun tromping back towards her until his cry upset the hot silence. She started, almost dashing away if not for the fact that he tripped and fell down, leaving him helpless to any form of attack. She decided that the best thing to do now would not be to run, but to show no fear herself. Besides, she couldn't leave now if she wanted. She was far too intrigued.

Sophia rose slowly, taking steps towards him. As she moved her eyes cleared, and a flash of light surrounded her body. A moment later she stood shakily in her human form, emitting a sort of grunt at the man before her. She had not spoken for years, and the sentences came out shoddy.

"You... fell. You.. hurt? Are you hurt?" She said, trying to reteach herself. Her voice sounded odd to her own ears, changed from the last time she spoke.

[Victor Lark]

There was a flash of light and the whirl of Djed, and where a fearsome mountain lion had once crept menacingly toward him, a beautiful young woman suddenly stood.

Victor’s face warmed at the sight of her nakedness. He channeled all of his willpower into creating a stolid, pale mask to cover his red cheeks. Then her accent, as well as her own disorientation, piled on to his confusion. His eyebrows betrayed him, twitching upward despite his efforts. Luckily, it only took a matter of moments to regain his composure. Carefully, he stood from where he had fallen.

Something in him wanted to seem like the strong and controlled man who could rescue the maiden from savagery, but a greater inclination appealed to reason: this Kelvic seemed to be a native to this place and, more importantly, she could probably hunt. He could use her on his journey. From what little he knew of her, he tried to impersonate a creature that would appeal to her bestial sense of charity. He became pitiful and stupid, dazed by their encounter.

“N- no, I’m fine, for now. I...” Victor looked around hastily, feigning nervousness. “I don’t really know where I am. Do you?”

Slowly he stepped toward her and his trunk, trying not to startle her as he approached. He opened the box and fished through it for a spare set of clothes, trying to hide his pouch of food. After he isolated the shirt and pants but before he offered them to her, he looked up to meet her gaze. “I...” He hesitated before adding, “You don’t have any food, do you?”

[Sophia]

Speaking was hard. In her previous life in Sylrias she had, unfortunately, never been social with the other citizens. She had been a child and worse, a kelvic. The misery held her early, and she longed to transform where she could not. Perhaps it was this reason that she did not flee from the strange man, never having to do anything with him in the first place.

But she did not leave. She took another step forward, oblivious of her nakedness and how it was affecting him. It had been too long since she had had to pay attention to social acceptance.

"Where you are? You're here, aren't you?" Sophia said, cocking her head to one side. She watched him as he moved over. He reached down, and much to her surprise he opened up a trunk that she had previously not noticed, even though it was very near to her. Half creeping, Sophia stood on tip-toe to try and peer inside of the box. When he finally rose again, he held out some articles of clothing to her. Confused, but not wanting to offend him, she took the clothes and draped them over her arm awkwardly.

"I don't have any food. Do you want some? I can get some for you, if you want. It will be easy." She said, perhaps a little desperately. She did not want him to leave, not the first person she had seen in years.

[Victor Lark]

Victor wanted to laugh at her obvious confusion with his clothes, but he restrained himself to a small smile, affected with false nervousness. He took back the shirt that she had failed to don and as he opened it up, she spoke of food. His stomach growled audibly at the thought of freshly caught meat, a savory alternative to the chewy, dried stuff that he currently owned. At the same time, he noted the touch of distress in her tone. He mistakenly supposed the non-human fearful of capture, like he had the power or gall to be a slaver. Despite this mistake, he was beginning to appreciate his growing advantage in their short relationship.

“Here,” he offered one of the sleeves to her, having wadded it into his fists to make it easier for her to slip it on, “Put your arm through it.” From there, he would have helped her put on the rest of the clothes he had lent, as she required it. He had not considered that she might ruin them in her hunt. For now, his newly modest demeanor, as well as his own sanity, required her to be covered.

“Ah, but I forget my manners.” He mentioned as he worked, “My name is Victor. What is yours?” Do you even have a name? “And, erm... did you say you could get some food? I... would be very grateful. I have not been here long, but in that time I have not done very well. This is a dangerous place, as you probably know!” His eyes searched for hers as he gave a look of pitiful hopelessness, then glanced in the direction he thought was East, towards civilization. To him, it was a suggestion at the racism of Ravok. To her, it might have been a threat of abandonment.

[Sophia]

She looked confused as he took back the piece of cloth he had given her. What was the use for it anyway? There was never a need for covering in her cougar form, and she had long since forgotten the feel of clothing against human skin. It was only when the strange man rolled up the shirt and helped her into it that she recalled the function of tailored clothes, and also the memory of the rotting and dirty dress that she kept within her den, forgotten since she originally found it and decided to keep it.

When she was a bit more decent the man summoned up another memory from the depths of her humanity. He introduced himself as 'Victor', and asked for her name. This knowledge about her past came more easily than the others.

"I am... Sophia. Yes, Sophia is my name, Victor." He continued to go on about how hungry he was. She smiled in spite of herself, happy that she could do something for him that might make him stay longer. He looked as if he were thinking of leaving, but something inside of her longed for him to stay. "Yes! I can get you food! Stay here."

Sophia turned away, quickly peeling the shirt off of her once again and laying it on the chest before the light flashed again and she was once more a puma. She looked back at him once before bounding off into the brush.

A few moments passed. Sophia was having some trouble finding prey, but eventually she returned with a pleased, albeit tired, look on her feline face. In her jaws she clutched a bloody corpse of a rabbit who had not detected the stealth hunter, and would now serve to be Victor's dinner. The only problem was the change had been taxing in this small amount of time and, strained as she did, she could not will herself in a human form again. Instead she laid her head down upon her paws and looked up at the man expectantly.

[Victor Lark]

A grin of realization spread over his face as he watched the animal bound out of view. She did not want to be the mother to his abandoned child; she wanted companionship and praise, like the animal she was. Victor could play that part, just as well.

He glanced down at the clothes she had subsequently discarded and paused a moment, unsure of what to do while she was gone. When he was finished being shocked, he began to carve an impression into the ground with his foot. If she was true to her word, they would need a pit for starting a fire. He had barely kicked it deep enough when she returned, the smell of blood and meat filling the air.

He greeted her with a smiling chuckle, taking the corpse as she dropped it into his hand. With his other, he reached out to touch the top of her head, ruffling the fur behind her ears in appreciation. “Thank you, Sophia.” He said, then hesitated a moment before adding, “Good girl.”

The dagger laid abandoned on the ground where he dropped it; he turned to pick it up and sat on a rock, taking it to the still warm hare. He cut a clumsy line in its soft belly and haphazardly ripped its innards out, offering them to the cat. “You like this, right?” If she did not take it, he would throw it into the hole for burning. “Could you fetch some kindle wood, too?”

As she hopped off again, he did his best to remove the leg, unaware that he could have simply broken the bones instead of dulling his dagger by trying to cut through them. Once they were discarded, for his temporary pet to gnaw on if she so chose, Victor peeled the skin from the muscle. It was easier than he thought it would be, with the first cut to serve as a starting guide. Still, there was a lot of blood in the thing, and holding it over the soon-to-be-burned sticks was all he could do to avoid distraction at its excess. Finally, he sawed the head off with a few strokes of his trusty dagger.

He chose a particularly long stick to skewer it with and leaned it against another rock in eye-shot, so that he could try to start a fire from the materials in his trunk. The flint and steel were not foreign to him, but he was no expert in the art of fire-lighting. It took him countless chimes to finally produce a lasting flame, and even that would need some feeding. For better or for worse, the air was relatively still: the fire was rarely extinguished but could neither grow with any decent push of oxygen. His stomach ached as he bent and rose again, drowning in his own sweat, adding old leaves and striking the flint at different spots.

Finally, it seemed to hold a heat sufficient for cooking. With a sigh, Victor picked up his stick and held Sophia’s catch over the flame. Unfamiliar with the limitations of her race, he looked at her and started an idle conversation meant to seduce her into further attachment. “So how did a pretty girl like you find herself all the way out here? Are you from Ravok?”

ST noteWe agreed beforehand that I could assume Sophia helped him start the fire.
.

[Sophia]

The decayed state of her mind being what it was, Sophia found nothing condescending in the manner in which he accepted the prey she had brought him. She was little more than a creature now, and all she knew from his pats and words of praise was the pleasure it brought her. Though she did not know it, this was the pleasure that ended her misery and gave her purpose. The nature of the Kelvic had been fulfilled, and now she was bound to this man. Now all she wanted was to make him happy.

She watched him silently, too exhausted to attempt to help. Even if she hadn't been however, she was not very aware of what exactly he was doing. She ate all of her kills raw, and hadn't had a cooked meal for a long time.

He offered her the innards of the creature, to which she perked up and padded over to take gently from his hand. Wondering briefly why he wouldn't save them for himself but grateful anyway, Sophia brought them back over to where she had previously laid and began to work on slurping them down. He then asked her to get some kindle wood. Tired as she was, once again making him happy would be worth it she decided. And although she did not know what kindle meant, she recalled what wood was and stepped quietly off into the distance.

She returned with a bundle as large as she could hold grasped uncomfortably in her jaws, and she was thankful to spit it out into the hole he had made. Sophia ate a few more bits of the rabbit's guts to dispel the taste of timber from her mouth as she watched Victor manage and argue with the starting of the fire. She was visibly surprised when the flames finally began to climb higher. As with everything else, it had been long since she had last seen a controlled fire.

He began speaking again, asking the cougar a question. However she was still tired, and would be until she slept again, and could not answer him. But Sophia did not want to disappoint him, so instead stood and treaded over to him and began purring while rubbing against his legs. His attempts to create a stronger hold over her were rather pointless, for there was no way that he would be able to leave this place without her following behind.