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 Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 5:14 pm
Almost as an afterthought Harper ran her hand through her hair, casually gliding over the candy corn beret her father had given her. It was a family heirloom of sorts, something that she and her siblings all had, thanks to Pama Reyson. It kept her calm in the storm of unease. She had a family to return to; without a mate. Harper only preyed that she didn't run into them before she ditched the dodo.
"West coast, mountains, ocean. Sounds nice, but long. Are there many trade routes that pass through this way?" If their man had hitched a ride with a caravan he could already be a days walk ahead of them. She didn't like it, not at all. Still, she'd had enough adventures in mountain passes to be able to safely navigate her route, and she'd been raised on the coast, so the trip in itself didn't sound awfully treacherous.
Harper gave Ross a sidelong glance, noticed him looking at her, and instantly puffed up. With an unsavory scowl on her face, the cat started to prance off in the general direction he'd pointed.
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 8:10 pm
“Unfortunately a couple,” Ross caught onto what Harper was implying with a frown, “But I know short cuts through all of them. Cutting through the forests are easier than taking the roads.” A spark of fire flickered down his tail. He’d already been through so much that slight dangers like the deeper forests meant nothing to him. Actually the thought of something like that deterring him made Ross chuckle. Yeah, that wasn’t going to ever happen. Reckless or not he never hesitated. Too bad that included last night as well.
Shaking his head at the form bouncing away from him Ross sped up and nudged her, “Don’t go left…it’s this way.” He took off onto a more hidden path that entered the twisting paths of the forest. Maybe if they couldn’t find this guy who screwed them over losing a mate in this place wasn’t a bad idea. His dark gaze looked back towards Harper. Nah, he wasn’t that cruel.
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Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:13 pm
Harper nodded, feeling around her satchel for a strip of parchment and a quill. They were in there alright, tucked away with the rest of her things. She would bring them out later, and map the shortcuts; partially because she could make money off the knowledge to the same traders they were trying to avoid, but mostly because it would benefit her to remember.
Her fur bristled in an annoyed manner at his touch, a frown marring her complexion thicker than before. "Then stop yapping and lead the way if ya don't wanna get lost." Harper picked her way behind him, walking with as much subtly as a steer in rut. Every branch she passed was snapped, every bush rustled, and every stone unturned. When she caught him looking at her again, she snapped, "What?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:15 pm
Lightly treading the cattaur’s ears twitched at every loud noise that erupted behind him. Years of travel of training to walk quietly through the trails that he journeyed through was starting to scream warning bells in his ears. If they even passed without a mile of someone’s camp that taur would hear them. Sighing Ross ran a hand through his hair in frustration after she snapped at him, “You!” He hissed, “Haven’t you ever walked in a forest before?” Really, really should reconsider his choice of being a good guy and just leave her somewhere…but it just wasn’t him. Still the thought along with the noise that she had been making irked him.
Sparks of flame flickered along his spine but the cattaur quelled them with a deep breath, “I mean…really. I can hear you stepping behind me a mile away.” His gaze skimmed over her thoughtfully, “How can you make so much noise?” She wasn’t a lumbering minotaur or something. But his hand just waved towards her as he turned around, “If you stir something up with all that noise don’t expect me to help you out since I’ve already warned you.” Like a silent attacker Ross expertly jumped over a fallen log and landed without a hitch on the other side. Even though he was walking without trying to look back since his statement the male kept an eye out behind him for her. Just in case she did stir something up with all that racket.
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Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 7:43 pm
Harper, meanwhile, had already begun her map of the area. Instead of detailing it herself on the off chance it would be sloppy, the quill and parchment merely floated beside her, transcribing whatever she felt important. The way of the path, what trees could serve as markers, little twigs to avoid tripping over...
"Not a normal one, no." Admittedly, the only forest she had been in was the same in which she'd met with the forces of darkness and woe, but that counted, right? "Maybe? What does it matter?"
He quill paused mid-line as she stepped up closer to him with a masculine snort. "I'm SO fortunate that my MATE has abandoned me so! Whatever is a poor, defenseless girl to do on her own? Oh, I know, NOT GIVE A FLYING-" All the while, as her voice raised, and she bent to grab a hunk of mud she felt the rustling in the trees. Did that stop her? Not a bit. She threw the mud anyway, lobbing it at his head as it shifted into ice itself.
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Posted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:49 pm
Ross just stared at her in actual surprise. What was an abnormal one? The images from his teen years flashed through his mind as he quickly shook them away. That still had been a normal forest even then. His nose crinkled at her question, “Well if you could I would suggest doing that. Don’t you understand there’s a reason this hasn’t been made into a public path in years?” Traders who wanted quick access to their points were often lured away on this path by bandits. It was an easy hull in this place with all the twists and turns that few remembered.
Only an idiot would fail to realize this danger Ross decided. Yet here he was staring wide eyed at one who was shouting as loud as any good alarm. Hissing his ears twitched backwards, “Do you really want to die tonight?” He made to reach out to clamp his hands over her mouth but was thrown off by her sudden movement downwards. What was she doing now? Pissed the male held out his hand and caught the mud ball which was dripping wet since he had naturally radiated heat against it, “Really? Are you a kit throwing a fight right now?” He was about to start yelling before the same rustling noise caught his attention. Without even waiting the cattaur threw himself towards the other and pulled her with him into a tight space between several trees.
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:15 pm
Ire already flamed, Harper stepped closer to the male and spoke through clenched teeth before letting her words truly fly. "What are you, a damn fox? They're cubs or kittens, and beyond that I'll throw what I want to at you because otherwise you're not likely to give a damn-"
Instinctively Harper fought against him, after having the wind rush out of her words when he pulled her between the trees. She felt like biting down on his jugular to end it all, but even she couldn't deny they were being followed. Her quill and parchment folded in upon themselves, sliding with the easy grace of magic into her bag.
Lovely how in this small space she had little choice, but to rise on her back legs, leaning her forepaws against him. As infuriating as he was, Harper felt her pulse quicken. She wouldn't look at him, though, and kept her flushed face turned towards the woods where 'danger' surely lurked.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:58 am
Ross wanted to just growl at her, but the situation around them made him keep his mouth shut. Already it was troublesome that he had to hold her so tightly against him especially while she had originally fought against his hold. The rustling grew louder as the forest came to life around them and Ross had to bit the inside of his jaw to keep from making noise. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the sound of movement that was happening on the forest floor. Dammit, he should have paid more attention and just taken the long route instead of this place. He glared at the female who was pressed against him and blamed the racing of his heart from feeling her warmth against his own body on the anger he felt rising.
“Aren’t you great at magic? Do something.” He hissed quietly into her ear, “Some illusion or something to get them away from us.” He immediately grew quiet and didn’t dare whisper another word to her as he started to spot several taurs through the trees. They were surely going to come scanning through the trees at this rate and it would be luck if they didn’t go through all the trees. With the noise that Harper and his argument had created along with the obvious signs of taurs traveling through the woods any tracker would know that there were strangers hiding out here somewhere. He was just glad that he managed to pull them into the shadows quick enough to avoid being openly spotted.
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Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 8:34 pm
"Oh, now I'm useful, huh?" Harper hissed. She blamed the shiver down her spine on her fury, not his whisper. Turning away from him to concentrate on the figures, Harper took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of violet fog. What was visible to her and Ross would have been just that, a violet fog, but within she painted a different picture. With a wave of her hand, a great pair of Cobra naga appeared from the mist, arguing with the same voices the pair of cats had just a few moments ago.
That is, until the male, the one with the large nose and crossed eyes, sent bolts of lightning at the figures. The female followed up with a terrifying illusion spell, one that made it seem as if the trees were alive and attacking their foes.
All at once Harper called out, her voice projecting through the voice of the female Cobra, "KILL THEM, DESTROY THEM. THIS IS OUR DOMAIN AND I SHALL NOT TOLERATE TRESPASSERS." She nudged Ross, then tipped her head to the scene before whispering, "Come on, play along!"
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:14 pm
Ross just rolled his eyes at her reaction, “Convenient more like it.” All he could do was fire magic…along with the other side that he pushed down. All that helped with was fighting. Illusion however that could be pretty useful in preventing a fight. Secretly he was quite impressed with how easily she handled the mists of illusion. But when the scene before them came into play the cattaur had to groan. Who the hell would believe such a ridiculous situation?
Though it was still impressive with how well she managed…Ross found himself watching Harper more than the illusion she was putting on for the bandits. A small smile actually appered on his features until she nudged him. Instantly it turned into a frown, “You want me to what? No – I will not…” He sighed heavily, “RAWR I WILL DESTROY ANYTHING ELSE THAT BOTHERS ME…YEAH.” His voice was pretty monotone and his enthusiasm was obviously not in his acting and suddenly the group was suspicious of these ‘nagas’. Then Ross, who was not feeling up to this play much longer, sent out a column of real spinning fire from the male naga and watched as that finally smoked out the ones searching for them.
Watching as the last of them bailed out from the forest Ross pulled away from Harper and just started laughing. That really had worked? What the spirits? Laughing some more he tried to breathe before running a hand through his hair, “I can’t believe that ridiculousness actually worked.” His usual cold expression was actually alive and childlike in how much he was really amazed at the situation. For a split second he even had a warm smile for Harper, “You did good with that…even though it was so crazy.” His expression shifted as he realized what he did and the cattaur crossed his arms, “I can’t believe those idiots fell for it I mean.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:22 pm
The more she worked to manipulate the space the brighter Harper's eyes became. Magic had been the one talent she'd excelled at as a child, and while it had soared out of her own boundaries far too many times, learning the different techniques is what had kept her so close to her Pama.
And at first she was honestly disappointed to see Ross almost dismissal of her techniques, until he played along. It was lackluster, but she couldn't help stifling a laugh anyway. "BEGONE DEVILS OF THE NORTH. RAWR, HISS, HISS, RAWR." His fire did the trick, though; while half were still concerned with the images the other were more worried about getting their skin fried, but all had fled. The scene was too priceless! Her laughter was no longer stifled, and she let it go, laughing so abruptly she even snorted a little.
"Hey now, you wanted illusions." She wiped at her eye and laughed a little more before trying to contain it, with a few slipping out around labored breathing. Harper looked at him from a sideways view, and smiled, a little flush to her cheeks, with her long bangs free falling around her cheeks. "Thanks, I guess." How was it he was so charming and warm one moment, then such an a** the next? She huffed, and ran her hands through her hair to straighten it before slipping out of their tight spot.
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 2:30 pm
She actually could be kinda cute when she got excited like that. He smiled as they did their ‘play’ of sorts for a moment nearly forgetting himself in the excitement that she radiated when it came to the illusion. For a situation that was supposed to save their hides she was really enjoying herself. As she laughed he couldn’t help but to grin at the temptation to join in, “You must really love it.” Ross commented softly before pulling back away from her.
“I did indeed along with quiet.” Ross shook his head trying to appear stern and to hide the faint smile that still graced his lips, “But now that’s over with.” He fixed the pack that hang loosely on his back, “We should hurry up to catch up with that scoundrel, right?” No matter how cute she had just looked, no matter the potential…he had to remember their real reason for being out here, “That way we can get on with our lives.”
At the same time a wind whipped through the trees and around them. Cursing Ross looked up towards the tree branches which were hiding the sky from them, “Let’s go quickly…rain is coming.” He frowned not wanting to explain why a fire cattaur out of all things should be able to feel water in the air. Looking once more towards her he nodded and started to move briskly through the rough path.
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Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 6:26 pm
"Sor-ry." Harper added with a thick amount of sass. He would be so much more handsome if he could smile like he had, and just...just...stop degrading her like that. It was an easy reminder of what she was out here to do. "Lead on. I'll try to be quieter this time so you won't complain so much."
Harper raised her head, squinting through the leaves on the trees with a frown. How could he...? Ah well, it wasn't like she wasn't used to rain! When she looked back down she noticed how far Ross had gotten from her, and panicked. Despite what she'd assured him, he took off at a stout jog. "Hey, hold up! It's just rain. What, don't want to get your hair wet?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:25 am
Of course he hadn’t been expecting a serious apology from her, but the statement still did throw Ross off. Did he complain that much? The young cattaur just rubbed his forehead in aggravation before moving on. It wasn’t like he had something against Harper, it was just that this whole situation was ridiculous. Their arguments weren’t helping his fiery temper either. Ross only bit the inside of his cheek to keep from sending a sharp retort at her and continued walking briskly down the path.
Finally having realized how she was trying to catch up with him the cattaur purposefully took a few more powerful strides before finally slowing down, “Just rain?” He raised an eyebrow at her before sighing in frustration, “It’s not going to be just rain…can’t you feel it?” Flicking his tail against the sudden pressure Ross cursed quietly, “We need to get to higher ground before the storm hits.”
This rain wasn’t going to just get their hair wet, it was going to pour. It was rare in the summer but some rainstorms could literally flood this whole part of the forest in a short time when they did hit. And Ross would much rather try to race against the tide instead of fighting against it. As the first heavy raindrops began to pour down and the thunder rolled in the distance his decision was made. Turning back Ross went to Harper and grabbed her hand before pulling her after him in a run, "Come on let's move!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:52 am
While not petite, Harper still found herself struggling to keep up with his brisk trotting walk. She had never been much of an athlete, and having used so much magic didn't help out either! Her lungs were warm and burning sharp, but she tried to tamp down on it as much as she could. Couldn't let him see it.
"What are you, a weather vane?" Harper huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she rolled her torso back with a puff. She still couldn't 'feel' it, this storm he kept going on about, and was about to say as much when the first droplets of rain hit her in the eye. Even if a storm was coming, Harper still didn't see the need to fear it. Having been raised on the sea's shore it was a usual occurrence for her, so naturally, when her hand was taken in his she tried to fight it, but a tired resignation made her take off with him.
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