Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 4, 2006 16:33:40 GMT -5
(Transferred from Shadows of the Forest) The cool breeze wafting through the open windows of the one-room shack ruffled Ari's hair, rousing him gently in the early morning pre-dawn light. With an exaggerated yawn and a back-popping stretch, the young man rose from his cot and walked the four steps to the window. The quiet whisper of the surf spoke to him, calling to him with its promise of fish. Fish. He couldn't believe that after these many years he was finally leaving the city of fish, leaving his role as a fisherman and heading out to see what other humans did away from the ocean. The briny smell of the sea filled his nostrils just as his stomach let forth a loud and meaningful growl. Perhaps just one last time....Besides, he needed to stock up. He grabbed the few belongings he had - his shirt and trousers, a cloak, and a small travel bag - then headed out the door. The wind rushed off the ocean, making his hair whip about. Felt like a storm coming, but it probably wouldn't reach land until mid-afternoon. Ari planned on being far gone by that time. He looked back toward the city one last time. He could never call it home, even if he had spent a good deal of time near its borders. Humans were not like him; he could never quite fit. Would he ever fit, anywhere? He sighed, wondering why most of his internal conversations ended with that question. It ends there because it is the one question I can't answer... Shrugging off his momentary depression, he faced the sea once more. Its seductive whisper seemed louder here. FIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiissssssshhhhhh The sound of the waves almost seemed to speak. A familiar pang from his gut reminded him he hadn't eaten in nearly four hours. Fish it was then. Ari started jogging toward the ocean, keeping a careful eye out for any observers. None could be seen, and not even the early risers were out this early. Only the stars would bear witness then, and they hadn't said anything thus far. Ari's casual jog began to speed up, and a faint blue haze eminated from his skin. As he ran, his body elongated. His stride changed as his legs shifted. His entire body was engulfed in the blue glow characteristic of his transformation. When he reached the cliff, he didn't pause. He leaped. His wings filled with air as he cleared the edge, and even though he was flying against the breeze he had gathered enough momentum to tack against it. It was always hardest going out...Luckily, wind dragons were always good at flying. Arikalen spiraled upwards on the beach thermal, finally getting over the strongest portion of the wind. His light underside made him hard to see amongst the gathering storm clouds. I have to be far enough out before I try skim-fishing. I really don't want to chance a sighting today. Although, in afterthought, if anyone was to see me I'd probably be gone before a search party formed. The sun began to appear on the horizon to his left before he began his stoop. He had risen to quite an altitude, and the stoop was very steep indeed. The wind whistled about him, and he closed his external nictitating membranes around his eyes to keep out the dirt and enable him to see. 2500 feet.....2000.....1000.... He didn't feel like a dive today, so he twisted his body slightly upward. He was going to fast to break - he'd have to skim for a good distance before he could fish. At 50 feet, he opened his wings to their full extension. The surface of the water rushed past beneath him. As he began to lose momentum, he twisted his head slightly so he could look for fish. Aaaaaaannnnd....There! He shot downwards, submerging his head only seconds and coming up triumphant. Many years of practice...The fish was downed in seconds, and he began looking for the next. Many fish later, and some in his claws for the journey, Arikalen worked his way back up into the clouds. The sun was rising in the sky, and the heated thermals made rising much easier. With the wind at his back, he made good time back toward land. Luckily, the low storm clouds provided excellent cover as he shot over the city. He dove under the clouds periodically to check his position. Ari was looking for a nice patch of unsettled forest just north of the city...There! A clean dive managed to get him just where he needed - a nice meadow ringed with forest. He backwinged just before touching down with one hindfoot and following delicately with the rest of his legs. The four extra fish from his trip were only slightly dirty, but should still work. He looked around once more, savoring his last few minutes as a dragon for a while. Sadly, he'd worked out that it'd be much easier to journey as a human. He'd definately have to eat less. Though for him, less was still a matter of subjectivity. He closed his eyes, and let the blue glow wash over him once again. The tingling, slighly unsettling feeling of transformation lasted only moments, and then he was human. He smiled as he looked down into the draconic tracks beneath his bare human feet. Feet...shards. I should have bought shoes. This forest is going to be a joy to walk through...Ari opened his travel pack. In it were a few necessities, one being his firestarter. He never understood how his transformation preserved his clothes and even his travel pack, but he wasn't about to avoid using such a good trick. A distant crack of thunder reminded him to hurry. Minutes later, he had a good fire going and the fish spitted above the flame. Ah, yes. Cooked fish....he was going to miss cooked fish. Nearly as much as he'd miss fresh fish. Contentedly, he took one of the four off the spit and sprinkled it with some of the salt he'd brought. Just as he was about ready to take a bite, a sharp screech made him look up. From out of the sky a small bird of prey dove down and grabbed the fish from out of Ari's hands. "Hey! Come back here! That's mine!" Ari chased the thieving bird all the way to the edge of the meadow, where the bird landed high in a tall oak. An osprey, by the colors....Ari glared up at the bird. It really wasn't worth a confrontation, although he could've used the fish. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he walked back to his campsite. There, he found a raccoon busy trying to knock his spit over. Have the wildlife turned against me? A yell was all it took to drive the raccoon away from the precious fish. But the damage had been done. The fish fell into the fire as the crude spit tumbled over. Sighing, he grabbed the fish out with a stick. Even covered in ashes they should still be edible. He kept a careful eye out for any thieving birds, then bit into his second fish. A bright flash of light and a loud KRACK-OW of thunder left him dazed and momentarily blinded. Seconds later, the heavens opened up and the rain came down in earnest. He glared at life. Sitting in the rain, he finished up what was left of his fish. Soaked to the bone and his hunger only partially sated, he headed for the partial cover of the trees. He couldn't expect to hole up in a cove or cave, so he just had to wait out the storm. Lovely. Might as well keep walking. What a perfect beginning for a journey....
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 4, 2006 18:36:48 GMT -5
As the traveler worked his way through the forest a lone wolf watched from the shadows. His green eyes glinted through the foliage. Even through the rain he could smell the tantalizing odor of fish. A growl from his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten in days. The wolf in him wanted to attack the traveler and get the food immediately, but the human left in the werewolf wanted to let the man live. The Wolf jumped in front of the man on the path, snarling. However, the Boy soon regained control of his shared form. He stopped the Wolf in its tracks and faced the stranger. How would he get out of this situation before the man killed him? Act like a dog! The inspiration hit him. He lowered his front half to the ground and wagged his thick black tail. He let his tongue stick out of his mouth. He copied the posture of a begging dog asking for food. With hope this would work...
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 4, 2006 18:41:14 GMT -5
Ari froze as the huge wolf appeared directly in front of him. He had spent time as a wolf, so he knew full well how dangerous the canines could be. The wolf was much larger than the mountain pack he had befriended during his months experimenting with shapechanging. It would just finish out his day if he had to run from a wolf in a dark forest in the rain....as a human. His general alarm turned to confusion as the wolf started signalling for....food? He thought about the fish in his travel pack, the one he'd been saving for tonight. Oh well. He'd catch more himself, even if it wasn't fish. His awareness constantly trained on the strange black wolf, he sat down on a slighlty less muddy rock and took his pack off his shoulder. Hopefully this was all the wolf wanted....He took the fish out of the bag and gently sat it down on the ground. Carefully, he backed up, trying as best he could to communicate in Wolf while constrained to his human form. Technically, he could change into a wolf now. It would definately be easier to navigate the forest...But any change would mean he'd have to eat. Most of the prey animals had sensibly taken cover in the storm - it would be near impossible for him to change and keep functioning. After he had paused a considerable distance away, he sat down and tried to look as if he wasn't competing for the fish. The last thing he wanted was for this wolf to turn aggressive on him.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 4, 2006 18:49:28 GMT -5
The black wolf hungrily devoured the fish, carefully surpressing his instinct to growl and horde his food from the stranger. His green eyes took in the stranger cautiously. Unfortunately, the small fish was not enough for the Wolf. With a surge of feral rage he regained control. Stiff-legged, he approached the stranger, growling.
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 4, 2006 18:51:24 GMT -5
Ari froze. He must still smell of fish! Drat and shards. He had no food left! The wolf might decide that he'd make a good meal after all. He didn't know if the huge wolves in this area had a habit of eating humans. He did look happy, though. Happy that free meal had stumbled into his territory? He couldn't be sure. Fleetingly he entertained the idea of saving himself by transforming. If he transformed and attacked the wolf first, he'd solve two problems...........No. He'd been among humans too long. The human bloodlust for all things aggressive had begun to get to him. It was not in his creed, however, to attack when he didn't need to kill. He kept his eyes on the wolf's, wondering again at the strangeness of these lowland wolves. He'd never seen a wolf with green eyes, Maybe he was an abandoned pet, looking for handouts from humans still. But pets can become violent, and Ari had heard enough of wounds from wolfhounds to be nervous. If only he could risk a transformation! But that train of thought ended in unnecessary death. He glanced up momentarily before returning his attention to the wolf. The trees here were tall, but not immense. He had spotted a branch about twenty feet up that could hold his weight. Carefully, he swung his pack over his shoulder and looked up one more time. He leaped. Ari leaped higher than any human ever could. His legs were human in appearance, but his muscles were anything but. How could he know what the innards of humans looked like? And anyway, it made less sense to give up all his defenses just for the sake of conformity. He pulled himself onto the branch. Good. The branch was thick and relatively flat; a good spot. "Kree?" He jumped nervously at the sharp bird-sound. Carefully, trying to keep his balance, he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Sitting on a thin branch not ten feet away was an osprey. If he didn't know any better, it was the osprey. Oh, great. And he still smelled like fish. Ari sighed and leaned up against the trunk of the great tree, hoping he wouldn't fall if the osprey did decide to attack him. With any hope, the wolf would leave and the rain would let up and the bird would leave him alone and he could climb down in peace. Right now, he just kept one eye on the osprey and prayed for less excitement in his life.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 4, 2006 18:55:33 GMT -5
The wolf watched, bemused, as the human leapt an incredible height into the tree above. Strange....but he'd seen stranger things in his life. He just couldn't put a name to them at the moment. Humans jumping into trees....Must've been the fish.
With a sigh, the Wolf who was occasionally called Maxen crawled into the space beneath a thick shrub. The cavity was relatively dry and the leaves kept the rain away. Perhaps he'd have more success learning how to hunt tomorrow when it wasn't as wet.
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Selene
Kitsune
Victim of the Bermuda Triangle
???????? ???? ?
Posts: 7
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Post by Selene on Nov 4, 2006 22:58:33 GMT -5
While crawling through the underbrush, and all the nastiness that entails, in the rain, covered in oilcloths that only keep half of the rain and damp of the ground and mud off, is not one of a huntresses prime ways to tail an animal, Selene had little choice as the strangely pelted wolf she’d been tailing earlier took a turn down a scraggly path, and paused in a clearing for reasons unknown to her; she’d been busy untangling her boot from a rather clingy root that had decided to mate with it, and turned away, leading her down yet another impossible path before resting beneath some leaves. Patience, however, is a virtue, even more important when tracking a rare creature such as that wolf, the strange pelt on it would sell for a high price. Little other than sight could catch the wolf’s lupine steps, the rain washed most of the tracks away, it was a miracle she hadn’t lost it earlier.
“There you are pretty pretty…” Selene murmured as she slipped her crossbow from her back, a bolt from her side, and loaded the projectile, as silent as possible. The rain aided her in this much, the steady hiss of water tricking through leaves and branches covered what little sound the trained huntress could make. Branches and brambles shielded the wolf from her view, but there was no wind, else she’d never have been out in the storm to begin with, and she had a good line of sight to the unmarked shoulder. Carefully she took aim, waiting until the beast had settled itself in the leaves. Such a lovely coat, selfish of the wolf to keep it all to herself…perhaps she could catch it and breed it, but no, coats like that were one of a kind. A small smile and whispered prayer to the air, one eye closed, Selene let fly her bolt, chuckling with anticipation of the gold she’d earn from such a fine, and unique, kill. Greed, however, is a strong motivator, and her head snapped up at the call of an Osprey. Such a bird would feed her well, and many young lads and lasses have taken to adorning their caps with its feathers. Pausing a moment to make certain her kill wouldn’t run off on her, the stillness of the wolf confirmed that, she slipped out of the underbrush and made her way back to the clearing she’d followed the wolf to earlier.
Quirking a brow at the underwhelmingly empty clearing, she looked up in the trees, smirking once more at the sight of her new prey. “Two for one today, eh? More for me!” She chuckled, shouldering her crossbow and taking aim once more, and shot. The blasted osprey flapped to the side, making her miss. She never missed! Laughing at her, it seemed, the osprey toyed with the bolt now embedded in the trunk of the tree, ignoring her loading a second bolt and aiming again. Another shot, another miss. “Blast!" Another shot…another miss. It seemed the bird was moving closer to something in the trees, but in the rain it was difficult to make out. Too large for a bird, but certainly couldn’t be a human, there was no way to get that high. Curious now, she swapped out her usual bolt for one she used to stun her prey, where a pointed tip would be there was a soft, round head of birdseed covered in canvas. Thus prepared, she loosed her bolt at the unidentifiable shape.
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Post by Non-Player Characters on Nov 4, 2006 23:41:41 GMT -5
The Wolf howled in pain as the bolt caught him on the leg. He snapped at the bolt, but it only sharpened the pain. With a mighty wrench of his head he tore at the shaft, snapping it in half. Reason was clouded by pain and instinct took over. The large black wolf whimpered once more in pain, then took off into the safety of the dense forest, slowed by his limp.
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 4, 2006 23:43:25 GMT -5
Ari nearly jumped out of the tree when the first arrow thunked into the branch nearest him. The osprey neatly fluttered out of the way, kree-ing in surprise and anger. Ari could just make out the form of the bow-wielder far below. Another arrow followed the first, but this time the osprey was aware of the danger and moved out of the way. He watched the hunter pull out the third arrow and align it in the bow. This time, however, the weapon was aimed at HIM rather than the bird of prey perched uncomfortably close to his shoulder. As the bolt flew through the air he watched its flight pattern. His attention was focused on the bolt and the bolt alone. With impossibly quick reflexes Ari reached out and grabbed the bolt before it hit his chest, twisting out of the way as the momentum of the bolt carried it farther than he could stop by strength alone. The osprey cried its annoyance at the sudden twist. Unfortunately, the extra movement carried him over the edge of the tree branch. With annoyingly inflexible, clawless human feet he couldn't grip the bark; he felt his balance tip too far. He fell. As he fell he could feel the rain falling with him. He watched, strangely unemotional, as the dim light flitted through the thick canopy and highlighted individual raindrops. Then, suddenly, time caught back up to reality. He twisted his body, moving first his torso, then wrenching his legs about and down. He wasn't sure if his body could withstand this drop, even as inhuman as it was. Perhaps the forest groundcover would cushion him. Looking directly below him, he saw his destined drop spot.
A thorn bush. Three inch long thorns.
His last thoughts before impact were, "Oh, shards."
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Selene
Kitsune
Victim of the Bermuda Triangle
???????? ???? ?
Posts: 7
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Post by Selene on Nov 4, 2006 23:55:19 GMT -5
Selene resisted the urge to whoop as her last bolt hit the mark, aware that whatever it was she struck, it wasn’t dead, just stunned, though it surprised her immensely to see a human form fall out of the tree, with her bolt in hand no less! “Aww….bullocks.” That’s not what she’d planned! Human’s can’t catch bolts from midair, they’ve not the reflexes, any past attempt to do so always ended with the fool’s palm pierced. Furthermore, she can’t skin and sell human parts…well, she could but she doesn’t usually associate with the crowd with that kind of demand, and dissecting a human for the valuable organs can get so…messy. It was hard enough to get wolf blood out of her clothing, human blood stained clothing infinitely worse, furthermore transporting such goods was difficult, requiring all sorts of precautions and bribes she simply didn’t have on hand at the moment. During the few moments the human, no, man, was in midair, Selene quirked a brow. Why would anyone be up in a tree? How did he get up there? A quick scan of her memory answered the former of her questions; he must have been hiding from the wolf she’d been tracking, but the matter of how he ended up in the tree was to remain a mystery; not that it mattered since he was fast making his way down from his lofty perch. Aware that the courteous thing to do would be to attempt to break his fall, but by the time this crossed her mind he was a foot above the thorn bush, and she winced along with his resounding crash and oath.
A glance up revealed the osprey’s disappearance, were it not for the wolf she had waiting for her further down the way, the potential of a reward for assistance, and the miserable rain she’d have engaged in the chase, instead she opted for slinging her crossbow on her back and carefully made her way through the brambles, thick leather clothing shielding her from the worst of the thorns, until she came to the center where the man lay crumpled like an exotic parody of a flower that the brambles wished to protect. “My my…what have we here?” She murmured appreciatively, the fool in the tree may not have the best luck but he was certainly handsome. Thanking the fates for her good fortune she reached out with a dainty hand and brushed dark bangs from the man’s eyes, her own hidden within the shadows of her hood. Past education taught the huntress to appreciate the fleeting beauty in the world, be it in art, a creature, or another human being. Pale skin dotted with freckles that enhanced the man’s charm rather than detract from his beauty, she was puzzled by his simple attire and blatant lack of footwear. One didn’t traverse the forest without shoes, it wasn’t prudent. The poor man was soaked to the bone; the remains of a fire off to the side hadn’t helped him in that respect at all. In a rare moment of compassion Selene offered a shadowed, yet sweet smile. “What’s a lovely thing like you doing all the way out here, hmm?”
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 5, 2006 0:03:44 GMT -5
Ungh. Pain. He definately felt pain. For what seemed the thousandth time today, Ari wished he had just decided to explore as a dragon. Exploring the world as a human was just too painful. Maybe he should have stayed with the fish.... And he was hungry. Drat. He'd only gotten half of his hard-earned lunch today. Maybe he could eat that osprey....His elders had told him he was as good as dead in the human world. Maybe they were right......... He flitted in and out of the twilight zone of unconsciousness for longer than an eternity and less than a minute. One by one, the shadows lifted from his mind. There was definately a pain in his back, and his legs...he fought his way through the haze of pain and the throbbing in his head. At long last, most of the buzzing in his ears ebbed and he became conscious of the rain pouring into his face, trickling down his face and pouring into fresh wounds along his arms. He wasn't in the best of shape.... Noise...what was that noise? He was rather afraid to open his eyes, lest he see what pain he truly should feel. Ari regretted that he'd never tested his human form to its limits. How much pain could he go through and still function? Suddenly his mind registered the noise he'd been hearing as a human voice. His eyes flashed open. A human! The hunter!
Ari had been a solitary being for his entire life. Human or dragon, it was rare that he ever spent a night in the company of another. So waking up with a curious human peering in his face was unsettling. Knowing that this human had tried to shoot him rather increased his anxiety. For a moment all he could do was stare at the cloaked face of the human hovering over him. His golden eyes were wide with surprise. Belatedly, he remembered how his eyes set him apart. All concern for his wounds forgotten, he rolled to the side and was on his feet in moments. He was bleeding from small wounds along his arms and legs, but there was nothing major. Nothing that would normally be expected from such a fall into the dangerous bush.
Teachings from the Elders came back to him in a rush, aided by the adrenaline in his system. "If ever you see a human while out hunting, make sure to run. Humans are an unpredictable and wild animal, and they do not hesitate to kill. Humans kill for sport. Do not mistake the Humans for Elves; Humans will kill you on sight...." Never mind that he'd spent years with humans. In this forest, hurt and tired and hungry, all he could think of was the need to run. He spun away, moving quickly as if to run. Unfortunately, the bramble still had a fix on his travel bag. As he moved away, the plant pulled back. The ground beneath him was a mass of mud and slick leaves. His feet flew out from beneath him, and pain shook his already delicate skull as his head hit the ground. Mud splashed all over his clothing. Lovely... As quickly as possible, he scrambled to his feet. Now, muddy, hungry, tired, and with a throbbing headache, he still was determined to get to safer lands. Unfortunately, his fragile head was tired of being battered and with a particularly vicious throb it ordered him to sit down. His legs couldn't hold him anymore, and he crumpled to the ground. Luckily, he didn't lose consciousness this time. Out of breath, he leaned against the tree trunk and tried to clear his vision. If he were to be killed by a human, after all these years, let him at least have fighting chance! Even as he recovered from his multiple falls, he started gathering what energy he had left, just in case he had to make a final transformation. If nothing else, he wanted to die a dragon.
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Selene
Kitsune
Victim of the Bermuda Triangle
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Posts: 7
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Post by Selene on Nov 5, 2006 0:05:00 GMT -5
Pleasantly surprised by the unique golden hue of the young man’s eyes, amber and honey she’d seen; so many times she was tired of them, but golden eyes were a real treat, and on a brunette to boot. Before she could murmur a properly alluring greeting he scrambled back with a dexterity and muscle control that he defiantly shouldn’t have had after such a long fall, or after landing into the greedy embrace of the thorn bush. His mad scramble away, and the flash of panic, if not outright fear, puzzled her. True, she’d shot at him, but the bolt wasn’t lethal, and how could she have known it was a human in the tree? She reached out to assist him with his stuck bag, at the very least, when he slipped on the muddy leaves and smacked his head on the deceptively hard ground. “Whoah, easy lovely…” Hands splayed wide and empty, Selene kept her voice low and soothing, talking to the strange man as she would a terrified animal, seeing as he was behaving as such. Apparently the man wasn’t going to be soothed so easily; he still dragged his body away, promptly crumpled against a tree. Confident now that he wouldn’t try to run anymore, and ignoring her internal protestations about getting her hair wet for the sake of a pretty face, and what a pretty face it is, she slowly reached up and slipped her hood back, revealing her face.
Though the rain wasn’t hard, it soaked her auburn hair into a wavy mass, slicking her bangs against her forehead and cheeks, cold thick ropes of it sliding uncomfortably against the back of her neck. Clasp of her cloak straining, her hood had begun to fill with rainwater, she moved very slowly, not wanting to alarm the man anymore than she already had, and inched forward, one hand sliding into her pack and retrieving a thick slab of dried deer meat. Man looked hungry, and food was a neigh universal sign of peace and goodwill, aside from that she had plenty to share, it was freshly cured from a buck she’d taken down a week ago, the pelt, most of the meat, organs, bones, and horns she sold, keeping only what she needed. That was her way; take what you need, sell the rest. If not for her superior hunting skills, which were lacking today but she planned on blaming it on the rain and the bad start she’d gotten, she was equally renowned for her ingenious uses of animal parts. Nothing was ever wasted from one of her kills, if there wasn’t already a use for a certain organ, bone, or whatever, she’d make one and sell it. Most of the leather she was wearing came from her kills, some she’d embroider and sell for fanciful folk, though her nature was a bit more practical…for the moment. She loved baubles, beads, and scarves as much as any woman, her cabin was full of them, but once she was in the wood she fared better than any mountain man in existence.
It wasn’t like her to bother this much with anyone else, especially when there wasn’t money or a prime kill involved, but the man intrigued her. He was barefoot in the woods for one, smack dab in the middle to be honest, and had nothing wrong with the soles of his feet save for a few scratches from the bush. Selene knew that for miles around there weren’t any real paths, this clearing was a miracle of nature, the ground was rough and muddy where there weren’t jagged rocks or scathing roots poking up out of the ground. He wasn’t clothed for travel in this weather either, and his pack looked far too small and light for any responsible forest traveler. There was also a conspicuous absence of a coin purse, though it might be in his pack, it was fairly obvious she was dealing with a novice of the ways of the wood, and for once she wouldn’t mind at all offering a few pointers. First things first, calm the lad down.
Selene stopped crouch walking, an awkward but mostly silent and useful means of movement she’d adopted during some of her more trying hunts, naught three feet from the stranger, murmuring in a low, soothing voice as she offered the food with a steady hand, keeping her eyes on his. Always look them in the eyes when you talk to them, be it animal or beast, let them know you see them and respect them. “I’m not going to hurt you, ok lovely?” She couldn’t help it, the man was handsome. “I didn’t mean to shoot at you, thought you were a bird or summat. Either way, the bolt wasn’t lethal, see?” The offending projectile was held up with her other hand, she tapped the beanbag tip on the side of her leg; the stranger had dropped it in his mad but unsuccessful dash away from her. “Would’ve bruised you at worst. How you caught it is beyond me, but I’ll admit I’m impressed, and that don’t happen often.” She offered her smile, now unshadowed, along with the dried meat. “M’name’s Selene, some call me Vixen; you can call me whatever you like so long it’s not lewd.” Her usual pick up line was absent of any sensuality for once, the lad across from her seemed scared and confused enough without throwing hormones in the mix.
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 5, 2006 0:15:36 GMT -5
Ari's head throbbed. The human...woman in front of him solidified, then split into two images as his vision blurred. He must have hit his head really hard... A few blinks later and some slow breathing brought his senses back under control. Luckily, he healed fast. All wind dragons had quick metabolisms and quick healing abilities. It wasn't magic as much as a connection to the elements. In any case, the healing helped clear his befuddlement. Unfortunately, rapid healing made him hungry. As rational thought came back, he was able to ignore his instinctual need to run from humans and make sense of the hunter's soothing mumbling. She wasn't going to kill him? Strange. Well, he'd proved nearly every Draconic conception of humans wrong, why not this one as well? Of course, the Elders would just respond with some oft-repeated mantra like "The human's favorite craft is deceit. 'Ware their forked tongues!" Now that he finally had a chance to look at the bolt, he noticed that it indeed would not have hurt him. Not like the thorns....A quick glance at his arms showed that the wounds were scabbing over quickly. Luckily, the rain should have washed out any contaminants. The woman had finished talking. He really should pay more attention to her...He blamed his mental wanderings on the hard ground. His head throbbed once more in reminder, but the pain was much less. He looked up into her expectant eyes. Selene... He slowly stood, using the tree as a crutch. He didn't know how his head would take the movement. Minor pain flared as the healing skin readjusted to his new posture. One gash on his knee split, but quickly scabbed over again. Taking a deep breath, he decided to take the plunge. The Elders told him he was too trusting...But it was better to take life optimistically. He didn't want to end up like the dry windbags of caution. Besides, there was no fun in a risk-free life. "Hi. My name's Ari. Nice...to meet you." His voice was a quiet tenor. All he knew of Human culture was from his observation of tavern and market life. He didn't interact much; he was odd enough that most people felt uncomfortable around him. I stare too much...And I think too much... Cautiously, he extended his hand. There was some strange Human greeting custom of touching hands....He hoped his smile looked friendly enough.
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Selene
Kitsune
Victim of the Bermuda Triangle
???????? ???? ?
Posts: 7
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Post by Selene on Nov 5, 2006 0:18:14 GMT -5
Though no longer glazed the stranger’s, Ari’s eyes still seemed unfocused, turned inward while at the same time staring at Selene, rather than the food she offered. Shrugging and ignoring the tickling at the back of her mind at his odd behavior she slipped the jerky back into her back as she stood herself and accepted his hand. “Ari? Strange name that. What are you doing out here in the middle of the forest unprepared hmm?” Releasing his hand she picked at the sodden fabric of his shirt, frowning. “You’ll catch your death if you stay out here like that. How are you scratches?” Ignoring any answer from the introspective and seemingly befuddled man she slipped his sleeves up and looked for her self, content when she found all score marks from the thorns scabbed over neatly. “Fast healer eh? Handy, must do you wonders. Pardon me.” Selene released his arm and sipped a hand alongside the back of his head, slim fingers deftly searching for any knots or bleeding, a concussed person was no fun at all to be around, and twice the work to care for than a merely sodden one.
Satisfied that he was in no danger of being concussed, miraculously in her opinion, she spared a disdainful sneer at the ramshackle camp he’d set up before, this man had obviously never wandered into the woods before. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you? First off, leaving your camp in the open, especially in a clearing like this, is bound to attract animals and bandits! You don’t look like one to handle yourself in a scrap, no offence lovely,” She emphasized this with a pat on the cheek as she withdrew her hand from behind his head. “But you don’t. Bah! You haven’t even used rocks to line your fire. If it hadn’t been raining the whole clearing would have lit up. Do you even know where you are? Never mind. I can’t in good conscience leave a novice like you out here on your own; you’ll get killed or worse scare all the game away.” She tapped her chin with a delicately filed nail, assessing the situation and the best course of action.
“Well, I’m not going to find anything else in this rain, odds are it’ll get worse soon and everything will go to ground, and I’m in no mood to hunt for anything in the mud.” Heaving a dramatic sigh, as if she was making a great sacrifice on his behalf, she flicked her hood up and motioned for Ari to follow her. “Come along then, we’ll stick it out at my camp and see if I haven’t got anything dry for you to wear…if you behave yourself I might even make you some boots.” Mind set, the huntress started to make her way out of the clearing, circumnavigating the brambles and weaving between the trees, working her way into the thickest parts of the lush forest; she looked behind once and jerked her head in the opposite direction, indicating for him to follow her, and quickly. “If you get lost I’m not coming back for you.”
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Arikalen
Dragon Shapeshifter
Tranfered Through Interdimensional Portal
Posts: 9
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Post by Arikalen on Nov 5, 2006 0:25:44 GMT -5
Ari stiffened as the human woman...Selene...put her hand in his hair. Why? Oh, to check for head injury. But he was fine. Wasn't he? Inwardly sighing, he wished he'd studied humans a bit more. Six years, and he felt like he'd just come among them. As she pointed out his campfire, he turned to look at the smouldering ashes as well. Hm. Well, he sure wasn't used to adventuring on two legs. Again, he wished he'd just made the journey in dragonform. But where? That was the question. He'd gone as a human for precisely this reason; to meet humans. And here he was with a human. Problem solved? Not necessarily. He'd thought that he had a good grasp of human language. Apparently, human language was a good deal more difficult to grasp. As he tried to make sense of her rapid-fire dialogue with its slightly peculiar accent he realized that this dialect was subtly different from the dialect at the shore. He wasn't even five hundred tiars from the city, and the language was different? Interesting. For one, she spoke with more sharp edges to her words. The humans he had studied liked to slur the edges of the words together, so it came out more like a fluid rush than the percussive rhythm of words the woman spouted. Fascinating. He wondered if different dragon clans had the same differences of language...But most likely not. After all, they all had to understand the Elders when they came to teach. And there weren't that many dragon clans and subclans. A city of dragons could be up to fifty dragons, and that was a crowded coven! Humans built huge cities, with thousands living in groups in tiny 'houses.' Thinking back, he realized that the change in language also split the 'wealthy' from the 'peasants.' How odd... But he was missing out on what the human was telling him. He wondered if she thought him slow, that he couldn't keep up with her speech. Oh well, he'd gone through that before. What should he say? What was there to say? She'd let him follow her. That was good, wasn't it? That was what he wanted. But she was a Hunter, one of the worst of Humans. He thought too much. In the end, a comically loud groan from his empty stomach decided it for him. She had food, he would follow. But he had to say something, lest she think him ungracious, right? Hopefully she didn't hear his stomach gurgle. How sharp was human hearing? "Thank you," He started to follow her. "Selene."
As she moved through the trees with human-like grace, he tried to mimic her. Six years had taught him how to walk and run on two legs, but not how to do the subtle movements. In comparison, his movement was oddly stilted or strangely fluid. He knew he didn't look right. That's why he chose to be a fisherman in the first place - it was a 'job' that allowed him to do honest work for coins while still avoiding humans. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the best way to do it. Some of the Adepts could shapechange and also aquire the instincts of the creature. They would know how to move and act like a human, because in a sense they were human. Ari was a dragon in a human form. At times he resented his awkwardness, but secretly he was glad that he was truly Arikalen all the way through. As he stopped concentrating on being human and instead on just avoiding the worst of the tangles, he started walking like a dragon subconsciously. He tapped into the natural grace at his core. As his mind wandered, his body took over. Moving through the trees he made no noise, not even from the sticks and leaves underfoot. In a way, he was subconsciously touching Nature and moving through her, the way wind dragons call and 'see' the currents of the air. Flying on the ground.
His stomach let forth a long, obnoxious growl. Again.
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