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 Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 9:48 pm
Virain felt that he'd never get the hang of things as he crept around the underbrush. But Kybell had told him to get dinner, and the man was basically teaching him as a favor (or rather, a boon) and it was the least he could do. Even if they resorted to eating whatever it was the Kybell could scavenge with the help of his familiars more often than not. But the young matorian did see a marked improvement in his hunting abilities. He no longer scared away prey just by walking and he could actually use the sling to hit things (other than himself). Kybell didn't trust him to use magic to hunt with yet, afraid that he'd burn down the forest with even the weakest of his arsenal.
Virain was afraid he'd do that too and hadn't said a word against his wisdom.
So he'd been forced to practice and practice some more and he could at least sling sharp rocks at things to stun them. His tracking, once he'd figured out how things went, was still a work in progress. He knew enough to get by and had a good enough grasp of animal prints now to be able to pick out the fresh ones and follow it. Such as right now he was following the prints of a radaku while also being on the look out for wanadu burrows and menzuri webs. The later he did by waving a long stick at anything that looked like it was a convenient ambush spot.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 9:57 pm
Maya had run uncomfortably low on supplies lately. More to the point uncomfortably low on food. And if she was going to be returning home briefly and spending time with her daughter and that cursed oban Nkole then she was probably better off bringing meat with her as a peaceful offering instead of just searching for the plentiful fruits and nuts in the area.
She hadn't been really looking all that long. Being able to sense the vibrations in the forest and having spent her whole life hunting. It was easy for her to track down prey. However as she moved through the trees her eyes settled on an unfamiliar kind of... earthling? Had to be an earthling right? Not that this strange creature was anything she had met before. Unless... Maya scrunched up her nose as she followed the man slowly, was this one of the matori people she had heard rumor about?
Maya watched with growing amusement. Whatever he was, he didn't look well versed in hunting though he could have been a great marksman for all she knew. Her eyes just weren't tell her much. Her eyes flicked towards the first set of movement... a spitorog had stumbled into the tiny opening and Maya found herself laughing out loud. Every time she saw one of those she couldn't help but think back on a friend of hers. She had referred to him often as a helpless spitorog when they were younger. Recent events however had proven he was a powerful individual. Strong enough to teach her daughter magic that was.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:16 pm
He'd just leaned down to poke at a suspicious looking hole when laughter rang out. Close laughter. He jumped, straightening and held up the stick as if it were a staff. A very long, awkward looking staff, but something he could fight with. Passibly. Oh who was he kidding, he'd end up dead if it really was a fight.
"Who's there?" He called out, voice shaking only a little, for which he was proud of. The metal bands in his hair clanked together as he twisted around, trying to spot whom ever it was that was laughing. Probably at him and his attempts to hunt. At least, he hoped it was a someone and not a something. He didn't know of any animal that could mimic voices.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:29 pm
Maya's laughter turned to giggling as she continued to watch the earthling from behind the shrubs. They really were quite entertaining sometimes. Never ceasing to amuse and astound her. Shifting from her place she moved around the forest doing her best to remain out of sight of the earthling. "What are you?" Maya asked from a different location than where she had previously been giggling. Continuing to move as quietly through the shrubs as she could. "Where do you come from... earthling?" She continued to move around the Matori man. "What brings you to such a location as this, and so close to Alkidikes?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 2:03 pm
"I..what am I?" He parrotted back, spinning as he tried to track the voice. He failed utterly as he stopped, facing where Maya hadn't even circled around to yet. "I'm a Matorian, a member of the Water Tribe." He frowned, hands gripping the stick tightly. Was this a Shifter that was playing with him? He raised his eyes higher, peering up at the high branches but failed to spot anyone.
"I come from Neued, my- my fam-" His voice died. His parents were doing terrible things there, and though he loved them still, his faith in them had been broken. "I came from Neued." He said finally, refusing to think about who he had left behind.
Why was he there? That was an odd question, "My Teacher brought us here. I'm training to become a Shaman and he just lost his daughter. His mate is gone too, back to her home and he's listless." That was probably more than the voice needed to know, but Kybell hadn't told him to keep it a secret and Virain didn't feel as if it were something to be kept hidden away. Not like he did with Phaedra and V'demhe's name.
"Who are you? Where are you?" He shot back, disliking the feeling of a stranger's eyes on his back.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 6:14 pm
"Matorian? The enslaved people? Interesting, perhaps I should take you with me back to my house. I have a daughter who needs to learn the true horrors of the Obans she's falling in love with." Once again Maya shifted location still uncertain of how to approach the earthling she knew nothing of. For all she knew he could be a powerful warrior with skills beyond her own,. only seeming innocent with the stick he held. "Neued?" Her antenna twitched at the start of the word family. She was certain that's what he was about to say. Stopping in her path to give the male a harder look. What would cause that kind of blunder? Perhaps his 'family' were the Obans? Well if he didn't want to talk about it she wouldn't push it. It was even more shocking that while he was so closed about her assumed word that he was so open about the shaman teacher... oh teacher so he wasn't any more proficient in battle than her daughter. Slowly rising from her hiding place in the bushes Maya gave a laugh. Not at the matorian but at her own flawed judgements. Teiluj had tried to warn her about being judgmental like that. "I am Maya. Obviously a daughter of Aisha. And behind you... well that's Pacju. Beware... she bites." There was a mischievous look in her grin.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 7:47 pm
"You'd let me go again after right?" He asked warily, not quite sure what the lady was trying to get at with her words. If her daughter was falling in love with an Oban, so far away from Oba, then the Oban in question couldn't be too bad a person. Unless she was talking about them as a race, then he could see the point she was getting at. "Not all Obans are bad." He said, twitching at every little sound. "I keep telling people that not all Alkidikes are bad, so the same has to apply to the other tribes."
"Yes Neued, things happened there, sad things, so we're traveling. It's good to get away for a while, even if I don't know how long that while will be." He froze as he heard the leave rustling behind him and spun around, to come face to face with an older Alkidike. He felt his eyes widen a bit and his grip on his makeshift weapon loosen.
She was...she was very pretty.
But all thoughts about how pretty she was flew out of his head as she mentioned a 'Pacju' and how she would bite. He spun on his heel and searched frantically for this Pacju, not wanting to get bitten for not paying attention.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 8:02 pm
A slim female Radaku was crouched on the ground behind Virain. "Why wouldn't I let you go. Contrary to horrors you might here, I've no intention of creating slaves. My daughter is rather special she's what most call an 'other' but Obans on the other hand, are crafty in how they do things. I don't quite trust him." Reaching forward she moved to take the stick away from the Matorian narrowing her eyes as she searched him over.
"At any rate you don't look like you've eaten well enough for some time. Come." Maya figured there were no further words required then that. Turning she moved through the shrubs and bushes in the direction of Ast. "Ast, isn't far from here."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 8:02 am
Virain swallowed as he spied the Radaku, "I-I guess I should count m-myself lucky that you aren't hunting me." He said, voice breaking only a little, "Else I would be dead without ever kn-knowing what hit me." His own words annoyed him. How was he to become someone worthy if he kept stumbling over himself. He was giving it his all but that didn't seem like it would be enough. The girl he wanted to confess to was an Alkidike. A daughter of an unparalleled warrior race. If he couldn't even hold his own against-
He startled as Maya took his stick from him and he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks in mortification.
He cleared his throat and scrambled to recall what she'd just said. "You wouldn't have to keep me as a slave. There's other uses for a- Ahem- let me just..drop that subject." He could feel his blush darkening as his overactive imagine went into overdrive. He perked up at the mentioning of food. "Oh! That's why I'm out here, Master wants me to learn how to hunt by myself. We've hunted together and I was passable, but now that I've started going solo I'm abysmal." He rubbed the back of his neck as he fell into step behind her, his feet somehow finding every twig and crisp dead leaf to trod upon.
"Ah, thank you. I ah, I don't have much on me to trade for a meal, but I can clean and mend and do other things?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 9:54 am
Maya cringed every time Virain managed to step on something causing the drying underbrush to snap and crackle under his feat. If he kept that up they would both be an easy target. Her antenna twitched as she focused on the surrounding forest easing up a bit when she became aware of Pacju moving out of sight searching the very forest itself for any sign of danger. Turning her attention back to the earthling Maya couldn't help but tilt her head to the side. 'other uses?' Turning her head and to look at Virain out of the corner of her eyes Maya watched in utter confusion. She had no idea what he was trying to get at, and his darkening face only reminded her of her daughter. His odd stuttering wasn't helping the subject much either. Once he had finished she gave a chuckle. "For starters you walk like a Mammu. Loud and aggravating, but that could be because you're not yet used to the forest young earthling. She turned to give him a smile stopping in her tracks and patting him on the head. "You remind me of my daughter Teiluj. And there's no need to trade for food" Maya almost looked insulted at the idea before turning back towards Ast.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 12:30 pm
He made a face at being compared to a Mammu. He might never have seen one in person, but from the details he'd read in a book they were very large. He glanced down at his feet and back at the trail he'd left. Perhaps that's why he couldn't ever find anything, he'd been announcing his presence to the entire forest without knowing it.
"I'm a bad hunter." He muttered to himself, and tried to watch where he placed his feet this time. He couldn't help but lag behind as he tried to fix his mistakes, the sound of his footfalls fading into something easier to tolerate. "Oh! Teiluj is your daughter? How is she? I haven't seen her in a long time!" He bounced up, easily crossing the distance that had sprung up between them, forgetting once again to quiet his steps.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 12:57 pm
Maya continued walking, mildly relieved that at least the earthling was trying to walk a little quieter than before. Ignoring the self defeating comment that was made she flinched visibly at the tone in Virains voice as he repeated her daughters name. Whirling around on the earthling she glared him down. "How do you know Teiluj?" If her daughters name was common knowledge even for this earthling, then it was possible several of the extremists knew of her daughter as well. That thought frightened her greatly as she reached up to grab hold of Virains clothing. "Answer me." Her voice had risen in volume as she spoke, daring the earthling to say something that would goad her into ending his life. "If you have any plans for her, you better drop them now. I will end you here and now little earthling. I wont even blink and eye about it."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 3:51 pm
Any good feelings he had about the situation vanished as Maya whirled around and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, demanding to know how he knew Teiluj. He whined in the back of his throat, eyes wide and terrified. Automatically his hands reached up to grasp as her wrist and forearm, though he had no strength to do anything but hold onto her. He shook in her grip and his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for a potential blow should he not give an answer to her liking.
"S-s-she he-helped m-me wh-when I-I w-was youn-younger." He stuttered, voice small and laced with fear. He wanted to say more but his voice failed him, so he just stood there, shaking.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:03 pm
Maya stood there in utter shock, glancing down at the earthling. She had expected him to stand up against her. To tell her what for, put her in her place. Instead he was holding onto her, she gave him a puzzled expression and tilted her head to the side before it dawned on her. Was it possible that this matorian had been a slave as was so common in his race. Maya suddenly felt guilty at her sudden outburst, but she wouldn't take it back. Her daughter meant everything to her, and having the slimmest chance that someone was willing to hurt her pass by her. Well she had to squash it, she couldn't tolerate that thinking.
Her heart sunk further as he explained how he knew her. "Oh by Aisha, I'm sorry... I had assumed you meant her harm. Teiluj means the world to me, even if the child tends to random strangers." Maya gave him a sad look and reached into her bag for something to eat. "Here this will tie you over till we get back to my house. If Teiluj has helped you before, then she will be happy to see you. If not... she turned away before sliding her finger across her throat. "Then I will deal with you promptly myself."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:23 pm
Virain lowered his eyes, finding it easier to look at the bar of mashed berries and nuts that she'd placed in his hands than to watch her. Maya was nothing like Teiluj, the gentle hybrid who had helped him so effortlessly. So easily. No, perhaps that wasn't true. Maya had been willing to feed him, a stranger, until she learned that he knew her daughter. It dawned on him that she didn't even know his name, but he was unwilling to part with that tidbit of information.
As much as he disliked his parents he didn't want the Alkidike to have any leads back to them should she decide to kill him. Silently he nibbled on the offering, feet falling quietly on the forest floor for once. He found that he no longer felt hungry, nor in a rush to go to Ast with Maya. Even if it did mean seeing Teiluj again and her mysterious Oban crush that Maya disapproved of.
Though he did have to wonder why she didn't just...take care of him the way she was threatening to take care of Virain if she didn't like him.
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