❧ Jacinthus

[Orpheus Solon]

To Banter

 

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Youthful Admiration

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Ancient History

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Meta Chapter 3: Zena

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Cooling Down

To say that he was frustrated would have been the understatement of the century, he was never more unhappy then this moment as they moved into the cold, icy world of Zena where it would seem that a group called the the Ice Tribe lived. His bow, his skills, everything had failed him at a time where he should have been the most effective, in a battle. He'd shot off three arrows during the course of that fight and of those three shots against that massive beast that they had fought against only one of them hand landed and even then it wasn't nearly as effective as he felt that it should have been. On top of that his sister had gotten hurt... he should have been stronger, should have done more, shouldn't have let that monster hurt her. It made him think of all the questions he'd always asked him when he was younger when it came to their parents, asking about all the things that he should have done then even though he was just a youngling at the time. No matter what age he was he'd always wished that he could have done something to protect his parents... and now, when he should have been protecting his sister, he'd faltered. It was due to that frustration that he'd left the group for a bit, wanting to be alone, and was currently firing off arrow after arrow at a tree that he found. When his quiver lay empty he merely walked over to the tree to pull the arrows free of it it, tossed them into the quiver once more, and backed off to once more take his shots.

"I can hit things now." He muttered to himself, giving the bow a dark look then looked at the tree that had the various marks on it from where it had been hit by and damaged by his sharp arrows. Maybe if he did more in the way of practice he would be able to figure this out he thought to himself, why it was that he had been unable to hit anything while they were in battle but he was doing just fine now, "Maybe... maybe it's because I'm standing still." He murmured to himself, considering the idea. He had been forced to move amidst that battle after all, unable to stand still because the beast would have likely noticed that and homed in on it. Moving had been the best option to avoid the multiple attacks, though he had still been hit once. Just thinking about his wounds, which were still aching a bit, only made him that much more frustrated. He'd allowed Kei to get hurt, allowed himself to get hurt, and hadn't done as much damage in return, it was something that caused him to give a rather creative and colorful string of curses as he notched his arrow, lifted it up, and took aim, "Such a complete and total pain in the..." He loosed the arrow, watching it fly and hit the base of the tree again before he gave a little hissing sound, looking down at his hand where the feathers of the arrow had sliced him into him, "Ow..."

Giving a shake of his hand the Leaf Tribesman gave another muttered curse before lifting his hand up to suck on the wound when he saw blood welling up in the shallow cut. He wasn't focusing so he got hurt... was that the problem? During the battle he'd been looking around himself at the others who were in the battle, at his sister, at the terrain, at the monster. His focus had been on everything but what he should have been focusing on, that being on himself, his aim, his target... his mind had been all over the place, hadn't it? Of course he wasn't going to be at his best, or even mediocre, if he couldn't even get his mind on one thing... but it had been difficult, he didn't want to turn his mind away from his sister, from his friends, from their safety but perhaps doing just that was something that he had to learn to do? He didn't want to be battled hardened by any means, he wanted to still be able to feel after all, unlike some soldiers he'd seen in his time but he also needed to be battle ready. There was a difference between the two things, a fine line that he had to find and learn to walk, hopefully before his next major battle were he at all lucky.

Lowering his hand from his mouth he looked the wound over. It seemed as though the blood had ceased flowing, that was good at least he thought to himself before lowering his hand to the side and looked over to the target that he'd picked. When he able to concentrate it seemed a lot easier to shoot, wasn't it? He made most of the shots before him, a lot of them clustered together, the only one he'd missed was that final one where his frustration got the better of him and he'd cut himself. It meant that he had some potential, right? Giving a flick of his ear he mused to himself, "Maybe I am a better hunter then I am a fighter."

He didn't mind the idea so much, it meant that he still had something that he was good at, something that he wanted to focus a lot of his time and energy on, and that was providing for his tribe now that he was allowed to carry a weapon and given his rank. Once they were done with this journey he meant to do that, to settle down a bit perhaps, stick closer to home, and do his best to rise in the ranks in their tribe. The downside to that would be that if he did settle down too much then he wouldn't be able to see the others he knew from the different tribes, would he? It wasn't as though they could always ask him to come and see him in Tale though, especially those that he'd met were so far away in Sauti. It was a bit of a sad thought, to think that after the journey was over that those he'd met in this place he might never see before. He'd enjoyed the time spent with Ayo and Shukri after all, they really did need a way to relay messages long distances, didn't they? Something that those smarter then him really needed to figure out an answer to he thought to himself before he slung his bow over his shoulder and walked over toward the tree, plucking each of his arrows from the base of it.

"I should probably go back." He murmured to himself, sure that at least Kei was likely worried about him since he'd stalked off not too long after they entered Zena, needing a bit of time to himself to walk it off, to take a breather, and to calm down. He had done that, feeling a lot calmer now, though he couldn't help but to feel just a little bit frustrated over it still. It was a feeling that he was sure was going to stick with him for a while yet but at least he was no longer cursing over it, that was a plus. Taking in a deep breath he put his arrows into his quiver once more before walking passed the tree to fetch that final arrow that had missed the target tree, pulling it from the frozen, snow covered ground, before he sighed a little, "I will do better next time." Even if he wasn't exactly looking forward to another battle, finding that he much preferred using his bow and arrows for hunting. Now that he'd been in a battle, even if it were just against that legendary beast, he didn't really look forward to the day that he knew was coming, when he would be forced to raise his weapon against the member of another tribe.

One could only hope that the alliance that they had at the moment between the now five tribes was one that would hold, that it was something that would keep them together and allied with one another. He just feared that one of the tribes, the Alkidike, would the first to do something to ruin the peace due to their very nature as arrogant warriors. Maybe this journey would be a good way for them to get used to the other tribes? To learn from them? To grow to like them? Something he found to be iffy at best but you never knew. It was a nice dream at least, because then at least he wouldn't have to worry about having to fight with another tribesmen be them from his own tribe or any of the others. As grating as they could be he still didn't relish the idea of fighting with any of them with anything other then words.

Putting his last arrow into his quiver the Leaf Tribesman turned on his heel and walked away from the target tree and back toward where he'd left all of the others. He found that at the moment, now that he was calm again, that he wanted to go back to where the others were, to sit with Kei, and to see how she was doing at the moment since she'd gotten a little roughed up as well.

(( Word Count: 1579 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

A Practice Bout

 

[Orpheus Solon]

After the Duel

Sitting down in a somewhat out of the way spot, one that he'd found not too terribly long ago, quickly claimed as his own, and set up to his liking was Jacinthus. The area within a somewhat cave, one that had a wide overhang of rocks overhead, a back wall behind him, and one side wall to the North that kept the snow and icy winds from blowing in where he was camping at the moment. With the fire pit he'd dug and set up it was actually kept at a decent enough temperature though nothing like the wonderful heat of Tale. It wasn't as nice as home in many aspects but it would do for now, until their group either moved on with their journey toward more new lands or they decided to head back. He had to admit that he was a bit curious to see what they were doing next, especially seeing that he'd seen a few people already pack up to make the long trek back home. He would worry about it later though, right now he had other things to do, like come down off the adrenaline filled high that was his duel against the mage that he had spent a part of his afternoon with.

Starring at one of his blue tipped practice arrows, giving it a bit of a smile before he tapped it against one of his hands, "That was kind of fun." It was kind of strange too, it was so rare that he did something that was as fun as that duel had been, always a bit too on the focused side since he was always working to do something that would get those around him food, on something that would get him the recognition he so desired, or something that would aid him and his sister in having a more comfortable lives. His mind was always racing along those lines, wanting to end up one day as a person that was spoken well of even after he was gone. Sure the duel was partly for that at first but he'd also had fun with it, there was nothing on the line, nobody was in real danger, it was just something that would aid him in being a better aim with his bow. Truth be told though by the end of it he was a little glad that the mage had decided to forfeit the duel since Jacin felt a bit mean, as if he were bullying the guy and being a bully wasn't something that Jacinthus savored in the least bit. He wasn't the sort to torment others, tease them playfully sure but never cruelly, nor did he ever want to use his skills to cause too much harm to what he made into dinner. Those just weren't for him, a good hunter, if you asked him, ended things as quickly as possible. It was for that reason alone that he was really glad that the mage had given up, since that way he was able to lower his bow and call it quits. He'd already left him covered in too many blue marks as it was and anymore would have just been overkill if you asked Jacin.

His mossy eyes went from starring at the blue dyed practice arrow that he was playing with and to the fire that he'd built that was dancing before him. Sitting up and leaning forward he looked into the pot that he had over it, something borrowed from the Ice Tribe, and watched as the snow within, or at least what had once been snow. Now that what was in there was melted down he reached over to get another couple handfuls of it, tossing that in as well. He wanted to get plenty of the stuff so that he would be able to enjoy the bath of sorts that he was planning. As long as he stuck close to the fire it should be alright for him to start to clean himself off. He added a more snow when needed until the pot he had was filled near to the brim and once it was hot, but not scaldingly so, he carefully removed it from the fire so that it wouldn't start to boiling. The very last thing he wanted to use for bathing was hot, boiling water since that would do nothing more then to turn him into a cooked archer, not something that seemed all that pleasant in his mind. After the pot of fire heated water was placed to the side, and he checked it carefully with his fingers, Jacin glanced from side to side, making sure that nobody was about before stripping off what he was wearing at the moment.

Using the cloth that he produced from his pack he set to quickly scrubbing himself clean of the dirt that stuck to him from the last duel he'd had, the sweat from the duel, from his practice sessions, and from the journey so far, and even a bit of old blood from the fight with the Legendary Beast. All of it was washed away making the Leaf Tribesman feel like a whole new, and clean, man. Once that was done he set to work scrubbing his hair best that he could without any form of cleaning agent. He wished he'd remembered to pack some of those roots when he left home but cleanliness had kind of been the very last thing on his mind that day. Instead he'd been thinking on far more heroic things at the time, "Ahhh, need to hurry up." He said to himself, able to feel the cold in the air despite being near to his fire. Reaching into his pack he got out a second pair of pants and a shirt, cool weather ones given to him by the Ice Tribe as well and he was quickly, and happily, pulling them on. Once dressed and able to deal with the cold weather of Zena once more Jacin set to work again, this time to use the remainder of the water that he had left to clean the clothing he'd been wearing to this point. It was looking a bit rough and rank, dirty from all of what he'd just cleaned off of himself. There was no way that he was putting that stuff back on unless he got it clean.

The scrubbing session took a bit of time given that some of the stains, and scents, were worked in pretty deep but soon enough he was hanging the stuff up to dry near to the fire but not so close that it might catch on fire, "Phew, alright. Now I feel more like I can be in the presence of others without chasing them off." He murmured after gave himself a quick once over then sniffed at himself. He smelled in a way that he didn't think he would be chasing off those around him, that was a bonus. Jacin's next task was to carry the pot, which had cooled off a bit, away from the fire to pour out the remainder of the water which was no longer fit for anything other then melting the snow where he poured it out. That tasked done with he carried it back over to his little makeshift camp that he'd set up, plopped down on the rock he was using at his seat, and found himself starring into the fire. The way that the flames danced around was rather relaxing, wasn't it? A relaxing moment from time to time was alright though at the moment, looking away from the fire, he wished that someone else was here with him. Either Keilana or Takoda would be nice, those being his first choices, though there were others that he wouldn't mind talking with, like Enki.

While he didn't want to move in on Kei's territory he really would like to sit down with their leader, to see what it was that he was planning next, where they were going next, how long they were staying in Zena, and various things along those lines. They seemed to have been here a lot longer then Sauti and this place wasn't nearly as pleasant given the weather. Was this the end of their journey? After this would they be heading for home in the same way that he'd seen a few people doing? Or were their places to explore beyond Zena? He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do as of yet, the fact that Keilana was here with him made staying with the group an easy choice, it also made heading back just as easy if she decided that she was tired of the whole adventure thing. The only thing that he wasn't about to do was leave her alone, he wanted to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe, as he always did. He needed to talk with her about it, see what she thought, and see what she wanted to do. When he knew that, as well as what Enki was planning, then he was sure that he would know what his next step would be. Until then it seemed that the waiting game would continue onward for some time yet.

(( Word Count: 1546 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

At Long Last

 

[Orpheus Solon]

It Was Inevitable...

The plan was a simple enough one really, all that he had to do was find his sister, talk with her about the plans that he had to take Takoda home with them to Tale and to their village, pack up the makeshift camp that he had set up upon arriving to Zena, and in a couple of days time they would all head off as a group, back to Tale where things were nice and warm and made sense to him. Zena and Sauti were alright enough places to visit but the longer that he was in the two foreign countries the more that he had missed home. It was strange since he had been more then eager to make random trips into Jauhar to see new things, things that weren't those that could be found in Tale. It would appear as though he loved his homeland far more then had thought that he did. It was an interesting thing to learn indeed. As he was thinking about this though he suddenly realized something, he was being watched, wasn't he? The archer knew the feeling well, it was one that made your back itch from the eyes that were on you and the first thing that he thought was that it was a predator of some sort given that he felt as though whatever was watching him wanted to do him harm.

Hands sliding to his back he caught hold of his bow, and an arrow, and whirled around to meet whatever it was that was glaring holes through him head on... and then he froze in place when he saw who it was that was standing there. Not a predator but perhaps someone more dangerous, it was Takoda's shield carrying bodyguard. Oh, this wasn't going to be good, was it? The look in the guy's said it all and it was as their gazes locked that he suddenly realized something very, very bad. This guy, he liked Takoda as well, didn't he? On top of that he would bet his very bow that the guy had seen the two of them together, probably saw them kiss, and he wasn't pleased about it, not in the least. As such he didn't lower his arrow, instead leaving it trained on the guy. He was Takoda's friend but he couldn't not shoot him, not in any way that would seriously injure him because the Healer would be bound to knock him senseless for wounding the guy. He didn't want to do it but if he had to then he would, he would defend himself after all, "What do you want?" Jacin demanded, sending a prayer to the spirits of Tale that this didn't cause some sort of incident between their tribes because it turned out that the boy of them wanted the same person... it wasn't something that he was going to guess happened often, the idea of a man being fought over by two other men, one of whom was from another land. Sounded like some sort of strange story of romance that should be told around the camp fires or something... well, provided it ended well.

Chalcedony starred at Jacin for a long moment when the other asked what he wanted, glancing down at the sharp, gleaming tip of the arrow that was being pointed his way before he turned his attention to Jacin and his eyes narrowed, "What do I want?" He asked of the Leaf Tribesman before he gave a slight twitch, "I want you to stay away from home, why don't you just turn around and start walking. I don't want you messing around with my friend anymore." He told him, doing his best to keep his tone of voice as steady as possible, even if he wanted nothing more then to yell at the guy, to tell him to piss off, and to stay at least a country away from Takoda at all times. He had never felt so mad then when he stumbled across the pair, finding the damn Leaf Tribesman pawing all over Takoda, kissing him, and otherwise being far too close for the Shifter's liking. He'd been tempted to attack him right then and there, to grab hold of the brunette, to drag him off of Takoda, and give him a swift kick in the a** right then and there... tempting, but not something he'd do. Chalcedony wasn't a violent man, didn't fight without damn good reason. On top of that he felt if he'd done that it might have embarrassed Takoda and made the Healer upset with him, it was why he'd waited until the archer was alone to confront him.

Hand tightening on the shield that he had in his hands he glanced to the side, "Just... go, alright. I don't like you hanging all over him... just... go back to Tale." He muttered, forcing down the desire for violence he felt welling up in him knowing it was a silly, childish emotion. He couldn't let such feelings get the better of him, he just had to chase this guy off was all and then there would be nothing to worry about.

Of course even as he thought that Jacinthus just gave a bit of a laugh, "You want me to get lost, huh? That is fine and I will be heading back to Tale in a couple days." He said as he lowered his arrow before his lips turned up into a bit of a smirk, "Of course what else you ask me for, that desire for me to leave Takoda alone, it isn't gonna happen. He is coming with me to Tale after all. Apparently going home with you isn't an option that he is at all interested in." He knew that he was baiting the guy, not the best of ideas, but he wasn't a fan of someone that he didn't even know telling him what to do. Going as far as to tell him to go home without Takoda though, that was too much, "Takoda is mine, Shield Boy. Not to mention that he picked me. Obviously he has zero interest in you as anything other then what you are, a friend." He told him, glad that it had been that one that was stuck in the 'friend zone' instead of him. He really hadn't understood his feelings for Takoda, not until they had spoken tonight, but now that it was all out in the open he wasn't giving him over to anyone, no matter if they were of the same tribe, even if they were friends, and even if this one like Takoda as much as he did. Takoda wasn't someone that he was going to give up now that he had him, childish as though it might seem for it.

News that Takoda was going to be going back Tale, not Jauhar, seemed as though it had silenced Chal for a long moment, leaving him standing there stock still as the other was suddenly declaring to him that Takoda was his, that he'd picked him, and that Takoda had no interest in Chalcedony as anything other then as a friend. He blinked a couple times, then gave rapid shake of his head, "That is a lie! Takoda wouldn't just go to Tale with you!" He cried out, not wanting for Takoda to disappear into Tale without him, he'd never see him again! The idea of losing his important friend, one that he enjoy spending time with, and losing him to this arrogant p***k, it stung, "This is a mistake, you tricked him!" He had to of, he had to deal with him, to protect Takoda from him, and make sure that this guy didn't lead him away from his people and off into Tale! The lone Shifter in a strange country, who was to say that it wasn't a trap or a trick? What if they wanted him to get information out of him or some other insidious reasons? He couldn't allow that to happen! He would protect Takoda.

"I won't let some weirdo like you kidnap him!" He declared, something that had Jacin's eyes going wide, looking as if he didn't much care for being called a weirdo by someone that he didn't even know, on top of that and likely worse then that being called a kidnapper, "I will protect Takoda from you and I will make sure he doesn't go anywhere near Tale, at least not with you." He wouldn't! He had to keep him safe from this stranger, who knew what he wanted with him for real? Nothing good, he was just sure of it! He was taking advantage of Takoda's gentle nature and kind heart and it was something that Chalcedony didn't like even in the least bit.

A hissing sound escaped from Jacin and he took a step forward, "What? You think that you are going to get in my way, Shield Boy? I think not. We already made our plans, he will likely tell you tonight, and two days from now we are leaving no matter what you think!" He spat out, lifting a fist up to brandish at Chalcedony, "So how about you back off, take it like a man that you lost him to me, and get lost! You say another word and by all the spirits in Tale I swear I will knock your head off your shoulders!" He didn't care at this point, the guy was insulting him, calling him all sorts of names, acting as though Takoda were some youngling that Jacin were trying to lure off somewhere with candy to eat him, and it was starting to piss him off. By this point, were it anyone from Tale, he'd of attacked already, but because it was Takoda's friend he was really, really trying to be nice, trying, but failing now... one more word, one more stupid comment from this overly protective, idiot Shifter and he was going to knock him senseless and leave him buried in the snows of Zena until whenever they melted down enough for his body to be found!

Chalcedony starred at the fist that was being waved at him, eyes going wide, before he tossed his shield to the ground, "You are gonna beat me up? As if you could... a wuss like you who hides from battle and takes pot shots with your pansy a** bow?" He spat out, using some choice insults he'd heard his father use before, a man that felt the only fighters that weren't wimps were the ones knee deep in battle and coated in blood by the end of it, "Let's see what you can do, if anything?"

A moment later the two hardheaded young men were lunging forward, weapons forgotten, so that they could settle their differences with their fists. Emotions were running high, the worst of those emotions being jealously of one another and an even stronger emotion that they felt toward Takoda, something that could only end between the two of them with violence... it was inevitable after all...

(( Word Count: 1842 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

Getting Ready to Go

 

[Orpheus Solon]

~ Reserved  

[Orpheus Solon]

Dueling With Enki

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Class Quest: Hunter

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Resting Up

Jacinthus couldn't remember ever having been this exhausted in all of his life and that included all the time he spent walking to and from that icy 'wonderland' called Zena. After he had been painted with various colored salves to aid him in the recovery of the various wounds that he'd received in the battle against those bug mages he just couldn't find it in himself to move an inch. He was laying there in the shade of the trees that Enlil had found to wait for him under, starring up at the leaf filled branches as they danced in the wind, and he did nothing. There were a million things that he knew that he should be doing at this moment, the most important of those things being racing home to make sure the real Keilana and Takoda were alright, but he didn't have it in him. Soon though, soon he would head for home and check up on the both of them, the moment that he was able to stay on his feet in fact. For the moment though he was kind of stuck... though maybe it was a good thing in the long run?

Since he'd first received the note that held the first set of instructions, instructions that send him on a hunt to take out a giant Witu, he had been moving non-stop. He'd gone far to the South to find that giant Witu, then North to the forest of red leaves, further North to where those disgusting bugs had been located, and then back here to the forest once more. During that time there were two battles, one significantly harder then the other, and now the Hunter was just tapped out. Not only physically from those battles but mentally as well given that for the longest time that he'd thought that his sister and Takoda had been taken by those things. To think that they were trying to use some horrible magic against them but at least whatever they had been trying to do hadn't worked, right? Enlil had taken care of it in a way that he couldn't quite comprehend due to magic never having been something that he understood. Magic was above him, something that he left to people like Takoda who had a firmer grasp upon such things, but never before now had be actually been afraid of magic or those who wielded it. There was just something unnatural and wrong about those bug mages he thought to himself as he let his sleepy green eyes sink closed.

"Something has to be done about them." He murmured to himself, his voice barely a whisper due to how tired he was at the moment. He wanted to try to figure out where they came from, hunt them down, take care of them once and for all... but for the moment he was out of commission. Not just because he was spent after his journey but because he was now without a weapon. His arrows had all been used, his bow had been destroyed, the only thing that kept that from panicking him completely was the fact that he'd been given a new rank in the tribe. With that new rank came a better, sleeker weapon, he'd seen them before, the bows that the older Hunters had, and he knew that it was something he would be given as well. It was something he really wanted too. He'd get his hands on one of them and then and only then would he fell less... well, naked. There was just something about being without a weapon after having one for so long that made him feel rather inadequate, as though he were no longer of any use to his family and his tribe. The only way to deal with that, to get back on his feet, to be formidable enough to actually hunt those bug mages, would be for him to get another weapon back in his hands. It was going to be the second thing he did when he got home, the first being him checking up on Keilana and Takoda of course.

While he wanted to get a weapon back in his hands the most important thing was to check up on the two of them. He had to make sure that they were alright, that they hadn't tried to strangle one another while he was away, and if they were their normal selves when he got back, bickering with one another over silly things, then he would be content. He wouldn't have anything to worry about and he would be able to go to the elders to get his new weapon. He'd much rather the two of them being arguing it out amongst themselves then fall prey to those awful bugs any day, Takoda especially given his fear of insects. He really hoped that the Healer never ran across them due to the fact that he was almost certain he would freeze up meeting a bug that size. Keilana on the other hand would just bash one of those stupid creatures to death with that over sized hammer of hers. Instead of letting either of them have to face such creatures though he would much rather do it himself. It was something he would discuss with the elders for sure, try to get them to allow him permission to hunt the bug mages as his leisure. It would sure as hell make him feel a lot better knowing that someone was disposing of those horrid beasts instead of leaving them to roam free to concoct whatever nasty plans they were thinking up in those heads of theirs.

Alright, so it was all planned out he told himself before he let himself start to drift off. He knew what he had to do so all that he had to do now was get some sleep under the watchful eye of Enlil and then he would see about heading home and seeing through everything he'd planned on doing. As he started to slip into sleep a voice in the back of his head told him that somewhere in there amongst the various other things that he'd plotted that there needed to be food as well. It was something that caused the smallest of smiles to appear on his lips before he breathing evened out and the exhausted Hunter was snoozing away.

(( Word Count: 1064 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

With Takoda