• Closed • Wind in the Leaves, Shadow under the Bough

[Rakvald]

25th of Ashan 719

Rakvald had been on the lookout for friends to recruit, for his eventual rescue of his child in Quacia. This led him to some very strange, and sometimes awkward situations and conversations. Most people who he related his plight to, turned him away, and spurned him. Perhaps it was his language, or they feared some unwanted scrutiny from those guarding Desnind.

Whatever the case, he'd had no luck at all recruiting friends for his future caper.

Nevertheless, he did not give up. In his walks through the wilderness, he noticed a certain brown-haired huntress. He'd tried to keep unnoticed, although she probably detected him anyway. It was hard to be stealthy as a seven foot tall Lotharro.

Even so, he tried to remain low key as he took to following her, watching her work. Several times he wanted to come over to her, and ask her for help, or just make casual conversation, but she was often seeming to be about her business. Other times she was about to make a catch, or focusing on quarry.

Finally, on the 25th of Ashan, he resolved to speak to the woman.

Rakvald arrived at her usual hunting grounds, only to find her not there. Where could she be?

He started looking under locks, behind trees, under leaf piles. She was nowhere to be found.

"Ah! Hey! Where you lady?" He said in broken common.

He waved his arms, trying to bring attention to himself.

It was then, that he heard a low growl from behind him. He'd been found alright, but not by the huntress he was looking for...

Slowly turning around, he noticed a large wildcat, preparing to pounce on him...

[Tor'ree]

Title and date

Tor’ree walked around the city looking at different wares. She decided to take some extra time getting out to the forest to hunt; with the increasing danger lately, the woman figured getting an actual weapon would be a smart choice. It did not need to be anything big, just enough to protect herself when it came to predators noticing her before she noticed them. Moving around the city, the girl thought about the need for a blacksmith; though there was no way to have one without setting the entire city on fire. So she would have to go to find a merchant with weapons.

“Ugh this is taking so long,” Tor’ree said with a groan.

The woman did not know if even the merchant would have what she sought. Which would irritate her, but there would be nothing more that she could do other than getting on with the hunting trip. Taking a deep breath, the woman made her way to the fire pit first. She had seen several people there that had metal weapons attached to their hips. It took some time for her to finally get all the information needed to find a merchant. Looking at his wares, the woman decided to get six daggers all together and hurry. In her mind, she had already wasted enough time getting the weapons. Most breaks she was out before the sun was even up. The later the hunt, the more day predators would be moving around.

“Ugh, I am so late,” Tor’ree whined as she felt her familiar roll his eyes.

The black wolf always seemed to think she was being over dramatic when it came to her job as a hunter. Though that was when she choose to actually do her job. The male wolf had always chastised her for being to distant from the people within the city. Looking back the woman could see where he had been right. There was no way of knowing when a person would pass from their current life into the next. The young Sev’ryn had wanted children since she was young to teach the ways of her people, but a part of her had grown cold to the idea. After jogging a good distance into the woods, the woman slowed and listened to the world around her.

She would have be on the top of her game, if she was going to find any prey this time of the break. Slowly opening her eyes, the woman began to move into the forest watching her feet closely to keep from stepping on any fallen twigs or branches; the last thing she needed was for her lack of stealth to cause her to be found out. It was not long before she heard the shouts of a man not far from her. Wincing the woman growled and moved towards the noise as quickly was she could. Taking her bow off her back, Tor’ree heard the growl before she spotted the animal that stalked the fool ahead of her. Looking around the girl finally spotted the leopard as it stalked closer to the man.

The Sev’ryn instantly recognized him, but could not place his name. Nor did she care to at the very moment, both of their lives had been put in danger. It was clear as the huntress took aim that the man was not well versed in the ways of the forest. Taking a deep breath, she let out only half after pulling back all the way. Aiming for the head, the woman prayed that it had not heard her. Releasing the arrow she watched as it took a single step forward causing the arrow to become lodged into his shoulder. Cursing under her breath, Tor’ree instantly pulled another arrow and took aim again. She did not give herself time to release her breath; the woman simply loosed the second arrow aiming for the head once more.

She prayed that by having surprise on her side, the animal would not have time to react and move away. Sadly it did move, but not soon enough for the projectile to miss. The arrow embedded itself in the back leg of the creature as it ran towards her. Sending out a curse in her native tongue, the woman barely got a hand on one of her daggers before the beast had her pinned with her bow in between its jaws.

[Rakvald]

The beast grappled with the woman beneath it, it’s jaws closing on the bow instinctively as if it were the limb of it’s prey. The creature did not relent on it’s grip over the bow, but began clawing at Tor’ree’s shoulders. It would have gotten worse, but then, from behind, she heard a bellowing roar of the Lotharro.

”Oy! Big kit get off lady!” He growled, grabbing it’s torso, and lifting it bodily off of her. It wasn’t a large jungle cat, perhaps a medium sized, so he had no trouble lifting it off of her, though not without leaving a parting present of a gash against her arm with its elongated claw.

”Oof!” He bellowed as the creature whipped its head around with the bow still in its mouth, the power of its jaw leaving scratches in the wood of its handle. Finally it let go of the bow, and turned its attention on Rakvald.

But he was ready, and began using his fists, his teeth, his face, anything to try and stun the animal. The creature leapt deftly out of his arms, and onto the ground. There, it made a few swipes at the air, one of which made purchase in Rakvald’s shin. ”Argh! Bad kitty!” He glowered at it, wincing in pain.

In no way cowed or discouraged by his wound, Rakvald advanced on the jungle cat. It leapt forward and sunk it’s teeth into his left forearm, which he used to bait it. Having trapped it thus, and knowing it wouldn’t let go given the taste of blood, he began pounding it in the brain box with his other fist.

Thud, once, again, and thrice. Every devastating blow against the cat’s head sent a lance of electric pain upwards of Rakvalds arm. He groaned and growled and shouted and screamed. ”Off kitty! Leggo!” Another few punches and hammer blows to the cat’s brainbox had sufficiently stunned the beast, enough that he could withdraw his wounded arm.

Staggering backward, he felt a bit lightheaded, from loss of blood and pain, yet he was not done.

He gripped the handle of his larger kukri, and brought it out of its sheath. With a swift motion, he put the beast out of its misery, burying the business end of the kukri in its skull. Thus it died.

Rakvald sunk to his knees, exhausted, yet holding on. He appealed to his spark, to heal the wounds he’d garnered, both on his forearm and his shin. Gradually, they began to knit shut, first starting with the blood vessels, then the skin. After a while, he remembered the woman he’d come to find. ”Ey! You okey?” Then he saw her wounds. ”You need healins.”

[Tor'ree]

Title and date

Tor’ree winced and tried to roll her body enough that the animal would miss vital organs. Thankfully it was more worried with trying to claw her face. There was really no way to protect her head with the predator directly on top of her body. The woman growled feeling the claws dig into meat on her right shoulder. Her mind had pushed the man from before to the side while trying to keep herself alive.

Looking over when he cried out even the jungle cat seemed to stop and look over at him. It did not take long before it was once again shaking its head in an attempt to remove the bow. When the man grabbed the cat and slowly picked it up. The claws pulled up her left arm as it took the weapon with it. Moving back some, she tried to ignore the pain while watching. It was not often that the girl saw a grown man pick up a grown jungle cat bare handed.

Standing up slowly, the woman took out one of her new daggers and head it tightly. Looking around, she tried to figure out if the cat was male or female. It would not be long till its mate would appear. Most creatures mate in the spring, but there are some she found out that they did it in different seasons as well. Most of the time that was when the cubs or fawns were born late in the year. The woman waited until after the large man had finished the cat with his kukri.

Popping her neck, Tor’ree turned her full attention to the man. She thought that he looked familiar, but to keep from feeling even more like an idiot the girl did not try to speak his name. The true question was if the Sev’ryn would ask the man his name. She tried to remember if she ever heard it the day they had been with the strange minded healer.

“I will need a healer soon yes. Bring the kill with you. It needs to be skinned and the meat sold in the city. What were you doing out here screaming like a child who lost its mother?” Tor’ree asked.

She tried to ignore the pain in her arm and shoulder. There was only a certain amount of time before the amount of blood called to other predators. Once he had what he needed, the woman grabbed her bow looking it over. Putting it back on her, she winced some feeling the skin pull where it wasn’t ripped open as fresh blood rolled down her arms.

“Come, we need to go before another predator smells the blood and finds us,” Tor’ree stated.

[Rakvald]

The battle… or hunt or… whatever had just ensued was over, winding down for the moment. And the two found themselves in a moment of calm afterward. A calm that Rakvald tried to take full advantage of, in caring for his wound.

It was not knitting properly, the flesh, arteries and muscle beneath his forearm. He’d just a score of trials ago been hunting with Silaqui, and while with her a boar had torn open a gash in his forearm. It’d healed up then, but with an ugly ulcer that took much effort to heal. Now he saw that he hadn’t done a good job of it afterall, but covered it over with skin. Now it was surfacing once more, an ugly red hole on his forearm.

Closing his eyes, concentrating, and bringing his right hand over the wound, he laid on hands to heal it, knitting and kneading the flesh to make it take shape the way he wished it to. His spark reveled in his meddling, taking the renewed energy he lent it to grant some extra healing power.

Yet when it was just about to close the ulcer, an audible ‘pop’ filled the air. Where the open ulcer had been, now was a scarlet-red pig’s eye, looking like it was covered in blood and leaking every other second, some brownish red fluid. At first Rakvald thought he’d bungled his healing again, but when he tried to shape the corruption, it resisted. Damn it all, another spark corruption. He’d have two heads next cycle at this rate.

At the least, he could tell that the wound was truly closed, even if it left such an ugly mark there. He shook his head.

”Uh, a child lost its mom?” Rakvald said, lost for a moment in his reverie. Then he remembered. Wait, did he? No he forgot. He completely forgot why he was out here. Except that he was interested in finding the Sev’ryn lady? Why was he following her again?

Anyway, he didn’t want to alarm her, so he just shrugged at her. Then he went over toward the jungle cat, and slipped it around his shoulders, lifting with his knees in a fireman’s carry. He nodded to the woman, ”Les go.”

He looked with some tired concern at her own wounds, which looked a bit less serious. At least her purdy face wasn’t harmed. Although granted, cats often left more attractive scars. And Rakvald certainly digged him some women with scars. ”Let’s get you heals.” He decided he wouldn’t inflict his graft on her. It was acting up anyway. Leave it to the professionals, or so he thought to.

[Tor'ree]

Title and date

Tor’ree looked at the man as the fight for survival calmed down. Standing up, she walked to where her bow had been thrown. Wincing, the woman knelt down and picked up the weapon trying to ignore the injuries to her arms and shoulders. Taking the time, she faced the man that had come seeking her. A part of her wanted to yell and call him a fool for screaming like a mad man wanting to die. Fighting back the urge, she watched has he held his arm as if that would do anything.

Walking over to the man and beast, the woman planned to tie the animal on a strong enough branch for both of them to carry it. A loud pop caused the girl to look back at the man assuming he had stepped on a twig. It was the eye on his arm that caused her own eyes to widen. Pursing her lips, the woman tried not to acknowledge it at first. Peeking once again, she couldn’t help what came out if her mouth once again.

“Okay What is that on your arm?” Tor’ree asked walking over grabbing his arm looking at it.

She had never seen an eyeball just pop out of someone’s skin the way this had. The urge to touch it and see if it would blink was strong, but when the weird liquid started coming out that the urge went away. The Sev’ryn felt herself back away a little just in case something was to happen. The last thing Tor’ree needed was to fight someone Rak’s size. Looking up quickly, the mention of a lost child made her skin prickle. There were plenty of things that looked beautiful while being deadly.

“What do you mean by a mother lost her child?” Tor’ree asked as her eyes narrowed.

If there truly was a child missing, then her injuries could wait. When the man shrugged off his earlier question Tor’ree found herself wondering what he was really doing there. Moving to help him carry the cat, she was shocked when he picked it up just fine. Impressed the woman began to walk beside him back to the city of Desnind. Raising her arm, she wiped off some blood happy to see it beginning to stop on its own.

“Yes, more scars to add to the collection,” Tor’ree said with a chuckle, “so what had you searching for me so loudly? Surely you realized that by screaming you couldn’t hunt anything.”

Looking over the Sev’ryn found herself at peace having someone around her. At least someone that did not require her to protect them as well. There were few warriors in Desnind like the large man that walked beside her. It did not take them long to see the city in the distance, her mind floated to the big cat on the male’s shoulders.

“We need to take the kill to the butcher if you don’t plan on skinning it yourself,” Tor’ree stated, “you can get a fair price for the pelt and get them to section off the meat for you.”

[Rakvald]

”It an eye!” Rakvald bellowed laughter, at Tor’ree’s question about what was on his arm. He continued chuckling even as she backed away, giving him a look as if he was about to fall on her. He shook his head, ”No worry, little hunter. I not a bad wizard. Rakvald is best wizard!”

”Uh… Mother lost child… Uh, wait no. That was somewhere else, to west, Quacia. Far away from here. Mother lost child, my child.” Rakvald scratched his beard, having trouble expressing himself in common. Finally, he shrugged, ”I got take you to healer, get fixed up. Or you can make own way if want… If you really not want kill, I take and get pelt.” Rakvald hefted the creature over his shoulder, grunting as he did so. It was heavier than expected. Although he was well enough conditioned to carry large things, being a large thing himself, he got gassed very quickly as he moved ahead toward the butcher.

”I can close you wounds if you want? Is dey bad?” Rakvald asked, quirking a brow.

”I a pig farmer. Raise pigs. Pigs will like kitty meat, I think, maybe. Pigs like most anything.” As they went along, Rakvald gave her an appraising look. He suddenly remembered his purpose in seeking her out. ”What your name? I might need good hunter sometime, if you do.”

”I always looking for more stock beasts, so needs them alive most of time. Dead ones are okay to feed pigs.”

[Tor'ree]

Title and date

Tor’ree looked at the man funny when he simply said it was an eye. She calmed her nerves before they got the better of her and made her say something stupid or hurtful. It was not often that the woman held her tongue, but the priests had told her once before that she would get people to open up more IF she would not speak down to them. Of course, the Sev’ryn caught an attitude and walked off not wanting to hear what she already knew.

The woman looked back at the man that was before her. He called himself a wizard which confused her. Was it truly magic he had performed that caused the eye to appear? Crinkling her nose, the Sev’ryn was not sure if she wanted to learn something that would cause extra appendages to appear on her body. A curious question popped into the woman’s head the more she stared at the eye. Of course, as was the par for Tor’ree she asked the question.

“Can… can you see out of it?” Tor’ree asked.

The Sev’ryn winced some when she moved the wrong way and felt the sting from the opened parts of her flesh. She mentally cursed herself for not aiming better on her first shot. It was the perfect time to hit the lungs and kill the creature in one hit. But that was not what had happened, she appeared to need more target practice. Moving back some she watched as the male hefted the large cat back on to his shoulders as they made their way towards town.

Tor’ree listened closely when he spoke of the child being his own. Looking over, the woman could not picture him with any one woman. He seemed to be too much of a traveler to be tied down to one place. Of course, that would explain as to why the man did not have possession of his own child. Quacia. She had only heard stories of what it was like within the city. It was too far for her to visit on foot even if she knew every inch of the forest that separated the two cities. The thought of going did not bother her, but the woman was not sure how they would have made it to the city without some kind of transport.

The mention of her mounds caused the Sev’ryn to look down at her shoulder and arms. There was never a time when she did not have some kind of injury. Though with the general size and depth of the claw marks, she would have to go to the healers in order to get the wounds properly cleaned and dressed. The thought of going alone stressed her out to no end so the mention of Rak coming with her calmed her nerves some.

“My name is Tor’ree. If you would like to come with to the healers that is fine. It uh looks like your magic doesn’t like to be used,” Tor’ree stated and pointed to the eye.

[Rakvald]

"Oh -- HAHAHAHAHA!" Rakvald reacted to her question. The question as to whether he could see out of the eye that had just opened on his arm. "No, no see. That eye is souvenir of a great healing I did. It won't affect people whose flesh I knit! Can still heal your wound, might be time before you get to a healer? Don't want you bleeding out..."

Rakvald held out his hand for her to take. If she did, he would proceed to spend the next few bits knitting those bits of flesh. His ether stretched out through her arm and into her shoulder. There, at the site of the terrible wound, he numbed the pain of her wound as he reformed the flesh, and put it back into proper form. Throughout the three bits, the injury was healed, with not so much as a scar. He held on until it was completely fixed.

"Dere... Dat better? I take the cat to butcher now, you go to a butcher and pick up your kill later!?" He asked, curious if she really was willing to let him have the dead creature. He could always use it to study the anatomy of such beasts.

"Ya, its a good idea to go to healer anyway. Make sure Rakvald didn't make it worse!" That's presuming she had let him at her wound at all. "I Rakvald, by the way. I with the order!"

"Come to my house whenever you want! It big treehouse in the southwest of da village. With big garden lands underneath. And Pigs!" That invitation extended, he went off to the butchers, to see if he could learn a thing or two about cat anatomy.

[Doran]

Rakvald:

Knowledge:
Endurance: Taking a bite on the arm.
Endurance: recieving a deep wound in the forearm.
Graft: Energize Swift healing once the danger has passed.
Graft: Energize: Knitting blood vessels shut first.
Graft: Overstepping can lead to strange mutations
Medicine: Prioritizing stopping bleeding.
Strength: Matching your strength with a cougars
Unarmed Combat: Grappling with one arm to allow a strike with the blade
Unarmed Combat: Hammer blows against the brain box.
Unarmed Combat: Haymaker.

Loot: -
Injuries: Cuts and gashes, healed his with graft.
Renown: 10 for hunting a dangerous predator not far from the village
Magic XP: Yes, for Graft.
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.

Points: 15

Tor'ree:

Knowledge:
Detection: Hearing a madman calling for 'lady'
Endurance: Taking a claw strike against the shoulder.
Hunting: Staying low while stalking prey.
Hunting: Don't antagonize predators.
Hunting: Distractions can save your life while hunting dangerous prey.
Combat Blades: Proper grip
Combat Blades: brandishing a dagger
Socialization: Contact: Rakvald a pig farmer.

Loot: cat carcass and hides
Injuries: Cuts and gashes. Should be healed by now.
Renown: 10 for hunting a dangerous predator not far from the village
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.

Points: 15

- - -

Comments: This was an enjoyable thread. You are both good writers!

I love how different Tor’ree’s and Rakvald’s personalities are and how they interacted.

There’s something kind of humorous about Rakvald even when he’s fighting. I laughed when he said “Bad kitty!” to the creature!

Tor’ree on the other hand seems to be fairly serious.

Her reaction to an eyeball appearing on Rakvald’s arm amused me though!

Great job, and enjoy your rewards!