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R A Y O L U N' S . H U N T S

As much as he wanted to take Lasarra down to the sea side first… Ray knew she needed time with her family after that big fight… and to arrange for a house and this... wedding. He was curious as to what being a married man would be like. Did it mean he’d have to stay in one place? Have a house… Lasarra was worth it, that he knew, but what was it going to be like not moving about with the wind, wandering about along the coast?
So, before he got tied down, he told Lasarra he’d be gone for a week to pick up a few things he left behind at friends place. Not a lie, just not the whole truth! He really did want to visit Frezian and did have things to pick up (like a few small things) but what he really wanted was one last trip out to sea by himself… well, him and Rownin. Maybe go diving a bit so he knew what he was doing when he brought Lasarra out here. He smiled. That was a good idea! Best that he practice a bit more… yes…definitely…

Humming to himself, he ran skillfully across the jungle canopy, high above the ground across branches as wide as a road to as slim as his foot. Rownin lay curled up in a bag on his back, still asleep as Rayolun ran beneath the stars. A good thing since Rayolun disliked traveling along the ground for long distances, there were too many beasts that dwelled down there that could strike at him or his silly roati who had a menzuri fetish.
Rayolun spent the next week attempting to teach Rownin how to run confidently along the thinner branches… something the roati disliked intensely. The larger ones were fine, but Rayolun ended up carrying his companion more often than not. Rayolun thought, after Rownin took the opportunity to wash his neck and hair again that maybe the roati was simply being lazy and faking the fear… Not that it mattered since he didn’t mind carrying Rownin and he did travel faster this way, but that was a cold nose and rough tongue!
After several days of travel Rayolun could smell the sea on the wind and sped up, wanting to go see it again. Rownin also smelled it and started barking happily and wiggling. Dropping to the ground, Ray let Rownin down and raced him through the thinning jungle to the beach.

He couldn’t help but feel his spirits lift when he saw the ocean spread out before him, smelled the salty waters, felt the wind through his hair, heard the splash of the tides. I cannot wait to show her this! She’ll love it, he thought as he and Rownin hit the waters and ran through. Rownin was giving gruff happy barks, his long hair soaking quickly.

He and Ronwin meandered slowly down the beach towards where Frezian’s shack lay on the beach. Once there, he grabbed what little he’d left behind and walked out to see if he could find Frezian to chat and catch up… and borrow the canoe if he could!

Walking along the beach, he spotted a boat with a figure in it off shore. He waved a hand high in the air, hoping the other would at least see him and that it was Frezian.

Sitting down to wait for the boat to reach him he nabbed Rownin and pulled out a comb.
“Time to get those snarls out,” he said with a smile. “Since you cannot resist rolling in the sand and the water isn’t helping at all!”
Thinking this was a game, and not wanting to sit still for too long, Ronwin wiggled about with playful growls, attempting to chew on the comb.

He escaped as the boat came close enough for Frezian to hail Rayolun.
“Hey boy! Finally came back?”

“Only for a bit Frez! Gather my stuff, talk, see the sea and then head back to my girl.”

“Ohhh… So that’s what kept ye away from the sea….” Frezian chuckled as Rayolun stood up and waded out to go help pull in the canoe. “Guess yer old enough that the ladies are mighty tempting.”

“She’s worth it… I was thinking of bringing her down here after she gets her work settled. She’s never been to the sea before.”

Frezian smirked. “Sure… if ye say so.”

He pulled out the net filled with fish and a bucket of crustaceans. “I know what yer gonna ask. Go ahead and take the boat out… I’ll be here smoking the fish. Come back when yer done and we’ll gossip.”

Rayolun grinned and thanked his friend as Rownin jumped into the boat. He hummed to himself as he rowed out into the sea, muscles quickly easing into the familiar task. He knew where he wanted to go; to the reefs just off shore! There he could go diving and enjoy the colors and creatures in relative safety.

He reached the area and pulled up next to a rock that emerged from the ocean. Tying his boat so it wouldn’t drift away, he slid over the side into the sea.

The cold waters made him gasp as it ran across his skin. He took a deep breath before diving down beneath the waves, below to the sun dappled reef. Odd plants, bright in color and flowing like rippling silk, danced in the currents. The dull pounding of the sea beat at his ears, the susurration of the tides wrapped about him, making him feel adrift, alone…comfortable. He saw flashes of bright scales as fish fled from him, the vivid colors, sleek and alien shapes of the creatures caught his eyes. He stayed down until he could hold his breath no more, then he surfaced slowly, enjoying just floating upwards with the streams of bubbles.

He gasped for air as he broke the surface. A happy Rownin, gnawing on a fish left behind by Frezian, looked up to give him a cheerful bark before going back to eating. Rayolun pulled himself back into the boat; he’d seen enough to hold him till his next visit! And next time it would be to show Lasarra, and hope she loved it as much as he did.

R A Y O L U N' S .H U N T S

The city of Neued was, to Rayolun, very different than what he thought a city was. Houses hid within the canopy, a very tame wilderness unless you looked closely and saw the buildings. The villages he’d seen from a distance all stood out from the jungle, fences, houses, pens and in no way really melding with the wilderness like this city did. He wished he had time to examine it more, to see what it looked like when not in a war. To go see the plays, shows, listen to the music, eat at those cafes… But that would have to wait; for now the Obans were knocking at their doors.
The theaters were filled with pallets for the wounded and the warriors who’d come to defend them. The cafes served simple yet tasty food, things easily made instead of the exotic and expensive meals they used to. Dancers rushed to and fro grabbing the wounded and taking them to safety, bringing in extra missiles, giving aide where they could.

Rayolun looked out over the hunters and warriors that were scattered through out the city, keeping the Obans at bay for now at the edge of the city. There was no real wall to hold, only traps and a quickly created barricade. All ladders had been destroyed to keep the Obans from easily climbing into the trees where the real city lay, the buildings on the ground were used as traps and places to attack from as they fought a losing battle.

Rayolun was sitting in a tree above one such ambush, they were attempting to evacuate the wounded, children, and old out while they still could. Neued may have been an old city, fallen on hard times and declining but it was still a city. Where will they all go, he wondered, they are not used to the hard life of the jungle wilderness… The Alkidikes will not accept them into the Isles... but maybe they will find welcome in the villages along the coast. At least there he knew they would be well defended. Alkidikes were, in his opinion, one of the better fighters of Tendaji. Strong, tall, fast, determined and they never gave ground unless thoroughly beaten. I hope they reach the Alkidikes… and that the tall Sisters aid us in the coming fight, Rayolun thought as he shifted his grip on his trident when he spotted the Obans trying to sneak through the stylishly placed plants and rocks that created the illusion of jungle without the danger.
We need their strength and determination to win this, as I do not see us stopping the Obans here.. stalling maybe but not stopping. He saw a slight movement to his far right and looked to see another shifter signaling him; the caravans were off, time to cause havoc and keep the Obans here and away from the civilians!

He grinned; time to kill! Normally he didn’t like to take a person’s life, but the Obans were special. They destroyed trees, destroyed cities, invaded and tried to enslave his people… He would kill them and gladly.

The Obans below were nervously looking up, they knew that shifters loved to attack rom the trees…. Which meant they were not looking behind them at the Leaf tribe members sneaking up to ambush them! Ray grinned and provided the distraction they needed; silently dropping down on top of the strangely dressed leader who’d been whispering orders to his people right below Rayolun’s location. The Obans gave an angry cry as he killed the taller man and charged… just as the Leaf tribe attacked. Rayolun was swallowed up into a brawl, arrows striking around him as he used the dead Oban as a shield as he lashed out with his trident. A spear penetrated through the body, grazing his ribs as he twisted to avoid it. He chuckled and dropped the body, letting it drag the weapon down so he could leap over it and attack the young Oban boy who’d gotten the blow in. His trident’s prongs shredded the other’s shoulder in a bloody crunch as the boy screamed in pain. Rayolun callously pulled it out and ended the other’s life with a quick jab through the neck. Shaking off blood from his trident, he looked around to see the Leaf tribe looting the bodies and collecting any thing of use. We may lose here, he thought, but we will make them pay for it!

“Did things go as planned elsewhere?” Rayolun asked, not wanting to say caravan incase an Oban was lurking nearby hidden.

“Yeah… just the last one to go now.” Another responded with a nod before leaving to return to their camp and regroup. No dead this time on their side… hopefully other groups were just as lucky, he thought without too much hope. It had been a long hard few weeks; and he knew better than to hope that everything had gone smoothly. Nothing else had…

One last caravan of people... then the fighters can vanish into the jungle and leave an empty shell to the Obans. Rayolun did not like having to be so gloomy.. but he was practical. At least they’d saved a lot of the civilians, and had cost the Obans much in time and men. That was a small victory in and of itself even if they did lose the battle and city. Now to just last another day and hope we don’t lose too many….

That night the last caravan was set and ready to leave, and a nervous feeling ran through the warriors. The Obans knew something was up; they’d brought in greater numbers and were using the Tendaji tactics against them. One hidden group always following a visible group, and while they were not the experts at hiding in jungles like the Shifters or Alkidikes… there were other tribes here that were not as adept at spotting them and had walked right into the traps. They’d lost too many to those traps and now they’d been forced to move up the last caravan’s departing time. Not all would be able to escape and many were running wounded but they had to leave now before they got overwhelmed.

Rayolun was running a rear guard with the other shifters, all others were supposed to be off and guarding the caravan. Things were going badly for them; too many obans to kill, too many were wounded or tired and were falling. Rayolun only had minor scrapes, and was doing the best he could but he and the other fighters were starting to stumble with exhaustion. Finally, the signal to vanish, that the caravan had left came. A loud horn breaking through the screams and war cries of battle. The shifters turned and ran as one, leaping over bodies, climbing up trees to vanish into the dark. Rayolun was halfway up a tree when an arrow hit. It sliced through the cloth he wore and pierced the thick muscle running along his thigh. He grunted with pain and tried to keep on climbing, but his right leg gave out. It could not hold his weight pierced with that arrow. Cursed ran through his mind as he struggled to keep climbing, to pull himself up by the strength of his arms alone. But the long fight of the day had tired him out and they could not maintain their hold. His hands slipped, and he fell down the tree, a cry escaping as he crashed into the ground. Sound faded and darkness claimed him; the last thing he saw was the sandled dark feet of the Obans pounding by.

R A Y O L U N' S .H U N T S

It was a long trip to ‘home.’ His leg was healed, but it was not yet strong enough to keep up with his other so he had too rest more often giving himself plenty of time to consider the changes in his life. It was funny thinking about a home. Before he’d only ever had ‘the jungle,’ or ‘the sea.’ Never an actual location to call his own just a range he wandered through that couldn't be called his. But now it made him smile to think of going back home to Lasarra, hear all about her plans for the wedding and the future. And taking her to the beach of course! A place to call his own… that meant something to him; it was important. No longer did his feet just wander without direction, they had a path now, one that pulled him to that small village in the jungle. The urge to go see what lay beyond the horizon, to go venture into places he’d never seen before was lessened; why bother when he had a place to return to? The feeling of loneness or detachment, the knowledge that he could vanish into the jungle and only a few would even wonder where he went were almost gone now. He had a place now, one to call his own. And soon; a wife! He was rather looking forward to that and kids too.

He was smiling, humming happily as he swung down the tree to land on the outskirts of town near the house Lasarra had been living in… only to find it destroyed. He stopped, shocked at the site; houses half burnt, tracks all over, and no living thing to be heard inside.
He rushed through the village to Lasarra's place, heart in his throat. The house was a wreck, the animal pens broken, doors smashed, and the walls showed signs of fire along th eastern side. But no blood. He turned his attention to the tracks; was she still alive? There was no blood so she must not have fought here. He knew Lasarra, she would fight! So would her radaku...

She had to be alive! Right? He took a deep breath to calm down. Think, be practical, be calm. Blind rushing gets me no where, he thought to himself. Composing himself, he turned his attention to the rest of the village: was there anything there that could help him figure out what had happened here? Sandal tracks, lots of them, were the most recent. Were they bandits? Or had the Obans reached this far? There was a few signs of fighting but not enough to convince Rayolun that the ones who had attacked had met resistance. Or at least not here...

Thinking now, he realized that Lasarra's sister would know; she had to have returned before him! Or had this happened before the war? Looking at the few blood signs, the fire marks Rayolun realized that this had happened before the last battle! I should have been here, he thought, I should have stayed here instead of leaving to fight at Neued! But would it have mattered? The villagers obviously evacuated and no one died since there was not enough blood. If they were captured... then they would end up n the Oban's camp one way or the other since bandits sell slaves to them. Which means they would have escaped with me.
Rayolun tried to reason his way through this, tried to get rid of the guilt that was starting to form. Yes, he should have been here... but how was he to know? And Neued had needed help, that he did not regret! No, he had helped people there, just as he had helped people to escape after they'd been captured. He had done what was right at the time.

Lasarra's a strong woman, she knew the jungles and would be safe, he told himself. Surely she would be safe! But where was she?

I need to find Kel! Need to find out what happened... where is Lasarra? Or Rownin, my Roati... I left him here with Lasarra.

R A Y O L U N' S .H U N T S

Rayolun finally left Neued behind. While he hadn’t minded taking care of the Matori, getting them to Neued and then making sure they had a place and saw a healer; he really wanted to go back to searching for Lasarra. Something inside him worried; he knew she could fend for herself… but she’d never really lived in the jungle. Hunted in it yes, camped as well.. but never living in the wilderness with no home and always sleeping with one eye open.

But she’ll be in Ast! She’s smart… she’ll survive and wait for her family there… right? He traveled back through the jungle, often carrying Rownin through the night as he crossed back over the jungle towards Ast. Last time he’d ran this path, he’d been so excited and happy to return to a place called home… Now he was merely quiet and trying to contain his worry and anger.

Along the way he encountered a few oban groups. After what they’d done to Lasarra’s village, he stalked each group for a few days to see just what they were doing. If they were bandits he attacked. If they were just idiot settlers who’d gotten lost, he pointed them back towards Neued. He would have been upset at the delays… except that in doing so he was able to search more of the jungle or any sign of Lasarra; he was at least able to determine she hadn’t gotten this far.

Halfway back to Ast he saw the earth below him tremble; Wadana were moving and moving quickly beneath the ground. His eyes picked out tracks of the latest Oban group he was stalking. It was a small group; really only a family with two children. They were settlers and Rayolun was going to have to set them back to Neued… they were getting closer to Alkidike and Shifter settlements and that meant they were probably gong to die. Lasarra would not want me to leave a simple family to die... bandits yes, but not a group that’s probably innocent. He told himself with a sigh as he raced after the group.

A scream in front of him made him speed up. He skidded to a stop to drop Rownin off on the branch and dashed down the tree.
“Get into the trees!” He called out as he launched himself down into the clearing, trident stabbing at the wadana that gripped the young Oban girl’s leg. “But not that one.” He said to the mother who was dashing towards a tree that had carnivorous vines wrapped about it.
He grabbed the girl and hoisted her onto his shoulder and dodged a Wadana that tried to grab his feet. Running over to a tree he quickly scaled it. Looking about he saw that the others were at least on the trunks… if really near the ground.
He went about to bring them farther up into the canopy.
“Thank you.” The father of the small group said as he went about tending to his daughters wounds.
“And why was the tree I chose something I shouldn’t clmb?” The mother asked in a haughty tone. Rayolun looked at her silently then climbed back down to grab the wadana corpse and tossed it at the tree. The vines.. or what looked like vines, moved with lightning speed to wrap up the body.

He climbed back up. “That would have been you.” He said to the shocked Oban. “I suggest you return to Neued. There you will at least be somewhat welcome. Out here? I’ve seen plenty of Oban corpses around lately. Best you remain out of the jungle and especially of the jungle floor. It’s safer in the canopy, so stick to the tree roads.”
He said before going over to pick up Rownin and leaving. He knew that the group would at least have a chance now that they were off the ground. He would not lead them back to Neued himself though; he needed to get to Ast where Lasarra would probably be!

He stopped by the destroyed village on the way over and felt anger boiling up again. He pushed it away; anger would be of no use to him now. He needed to be calm and collected; needed to stay in control. No new tracks were in the village; Lasarra had not come back here at least. Going back over the tracks; most of the non sandaled tracks did lead away towards Ast… Lasarra hadn’t been able to take her animals with her… which meant that she’d probably ben dragged off by family or friends to safety… Otherwise she would have put up a fight and tried to save all her animals instead of the few that he hadn’t found in the oban’s group.

He set off once more through the jungle; towards Ast and hopefully Lasarra. But as he left he couldn’t help but feel dread mixing with the worry. No trace of Lasarra. None what so ever… He could try to hide the truth from himself.. but it was hard to do so… Not when the tracks could not give him any hope.

As he came to Ast he heard a deep voice singing softly;

Silence except for the soft patter of rain echo’s through the jungle.
Silence like in my heart,
once filled with light and life
now stands silent and dark from the loss of my lass.
Soft patter of rain like tears down my face,
quietly, softly, sadly rippling through my heart.
Silent searching with out an end,
no voice will answer my calls,
no smile, no welcome home.
Soft patter of rain against my skin,
like the cold stone where my heart lay,
the rain hits and runs away.
No trace, no sign.
Like I once vanished into the jungle,
so now has she vanished from my life.

A soft pattering of rain falls throughout the quiet jungle,
like the tears falling down my face to echo within my cold silent heart.

It resonated with him; the sad tones, the grief that echoed in the older man’s voice. No! He shook it off; Lasarra was still alive! She was just… hiding or… somewhere.

R A Y O L U N' S . H U N T S

Rayolun looked down at the wet ground. It had been weeks since he’d passed through here. Weeks of rain. What little traces of passage there had once been was no long gone. It was like this every where he went now. No matter how far he ranged, he could find no trace of Lasarra. No matter how many hunters or villagers he talked to, he found no word of her passing through there. And people would have noticed… a shifter with the eyes of an Alkidike and no stones? Especially one as lovely as Lasarra? Someone was bound to have seen her! But luck was not with him.

She was no where to be found. He’d gone back and rechecked Ast as well, hoping that she’d returned to her home. But the same mpty have ruined house greeted him. In fact it was being dismantled by others needing the materials to build their own place. That hurt, far more than he’d realized it would. The only place he’d ever come close to calling home was now being destroyed even as his heart was by the loss of Lasarra. That, more than anything drove the realization that she was gone into him. He fled back to the jungle, searching aimlessly for many days. He only half remembered this time, his mind and heart sunk into a dark cloud.

How he kept from dying he didn’t know… but even at his lowest, Rayolun’s strong spirit clung to life. It would not let him de even though the pain inside made him wish he could. Rownin at this time was the only one who saw him; Rayolun kept to the shadows, away from the world. He slept during the day and hunted at night; always searching, always keeping on the move. He only ever spoke in a whisper to Rownin, his deep soft voice sad.

Eventually, even this came to and end. Rayolun sat under a large leaf watching the rain fall all around him; what was he to do? He could not justify his aimless life anymore. After the light and purpose he’d had… this was only hurting him. He needed something.. anything…..

R A Y O L U N' S .H U N T S

+20 exp (non rp)

R A Y O L U N' S . H U N T S

meets the noisy Vodyanoi and tries to teach him how to hunt as the boy's useless in the wilds.

R A Y O L U N' S . H U N T S

Rayolun stretched and yawned as he woke up from his afternoon nap. The day before he’d met up with the four young matori boys and followed them to their home; this morning he’d met with the leaders and had a very long talk. They’d had a bunch of questions, especially once they’d found out he’d been at the battle and seen what had happened. I didn’t even get to ask any questions, he thought in amusement as he stretched out the kinks in his back. Just answered their questions. I don’t think I’ve had to talk that much since… well; he sighed, a very long time.

Now it was the middle of the afternoon and he wanted to see what sort of supplies they had. He knew the Matori could fish; he’d seen them diving as well as small boats with nets, fishing poles and spears. But could they hunt on land? As much as he wanted to join those out o n the sea, see what the waters off the pale beaches of this tropical land held, he wasn’t here to play. He was here to help. I can go explore that later.

Rayolun felt his heart lighten a little; just being here, surrounded by people trying their best, in a land that was new yet familiar, was helping to mend the hole inside him. Having something to do also helped. He spotted the young boy Jashi trotting over to him, a grin on his face.

“Rayyyy! You ready to teach us? We made spears!” He called out happily. Teach? Ahh… Rayolun smiled slightly, that was right Those four boys had wanted to learn how to fight.

“Are you sure spears are the weapons you want?” He asked as he hopped out of the tree he’d been sleeping in, landing lightly on his feet.

“Well… it’s the easiest to make so…” Jashi shrugged. Rayolun smiled and shoo his head.

“It will do for good basic training. And will be good for learning how to hunt.”

“Hunt? Why not fight?” Kalish, the older more supisous matori boy asked as he trotted up.

“Because hunting is more worthwhile and will keep you alive.” Rayolun answered simply. “And because knowing how to kill a person will only lead you to killing others while hunting is a skill that can keep you alive. And yes, spears can just as easily kill a man as they can a beast.” He did not want to teach them to murder; but he would teach tem skills to defend themselves and hunt.

“And maybe one of you will like a bow or shield or gauntlets better.” He shrugged. “I know the basics to a lot of weapons so you don’t have to stick to tridents or spears.”

Kalshi just snorted and turned away, obviously not happy with that. Rayolun shrugged; the boy was angry and wanted to kill obans obviously.

“Sorry about Kalshi…” Jashi said. Rayolun just smiled and patted the small boys shoulder.
“No worries. I can understand how he feels. But knowing how to feed yourself is more important than knowing how to kill a person. People are easy to kill, animals are muchharder targets.”

“Really?” Jashi did not sound convinced.

“People are squishy and often oblivious. Animals have keener senses, often have sharper teeth and claws, some are armored and others have poisons. Many of them can fly and are faster than us, or leave no trace when they pass through brush. I have always found it easy to track or kill people than animals.”

“I.. never thought of it that way… and there’s less.. issues with hunting. No thoughts on ‘is this okay?’ or ‘does this person have a family waiting for them?’ or… things like that.” Jashi said, his voice soft and almost a whisper.

“Yes. Nothing good comes from killing other people. Just.. more anger… more sadness. Though it is hard to keep that in mind when you hate someone.” He knew how hard it was… after all, he struggled with that when facing obans, the people who had taken his wife from him.

“Can you make bows?” Jashi asked, tactlessly changing the subject.
Rayolun smiled and nodded. He was doing good out here, helping others rather than losing himself in grief or rage. That had to count for something right?