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 Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:21 pm
Morning clung to the earth in the guise of darkness, the whispers of predawn smothered beneath its quiet stillness. Birds had long since been silent in their song, captured and put away so that the night may not have swallowed it. Even so, speckling their trees and boughs, they awaited the break of sunrise over the distant hill, anticipating the light that would spill over the edge of the world for them to drink and trill back.
Yuval was only a part of the nature, as foreign as he appeared standing amidst the blue-washed autumn leaves. He could feel the cool wind trickle around him, a slumbering sigh, and he turned his face with it. He had been restless in his pursuit and teetered on the brink of exhaustion; he refused to sleep. How long had it been since he had been asked to accomplish a task such as this one, he pondered. How long yet was it going to take him to complete this ridiculous mission?
The ‘when’ drove him further; the ‘when’ drove him mad. He ached for the triumph of completion, and yet he savored this endless pursuit. A game, one he hadn’t played in such a long, long time.
He looked to the gaps in the leafy treetops, dying leaves being plucked from their branches and danced away. Morning would make headway soon enough; the low dark of the sky was becoming heavier. She will fall, he thought. She will fall and break and die.
The damp foliage cushioned the noise of his footfalls as he pressed on. In the distance a nightingale whistled a solemn note, which curled into the still air and whirled away. A vague smile pulled at Yuval’s lips as he wandered the thinning tree line and for amusement’s sake he whistled back, a true mimicry of the song.
You need to rest, Hadil murmured. Yuval lifted his head and looked around, a soft light born in his eyes. He idled by a tree – the brook he had heard, that had been the cause of his surprise. Yes.
He refused to acknowledge the realization that dawned in the midst of that lingering voice: that for the first time in a long while he craved to be home again. Instead, he took the voice of his master’s child at face value.
“Perhaps you are right,” he said to no one. Yuval pressed against the trunk of the knotted tree, a bare hand fluttering over his eyes. A quick nap, that was all he needed. Maybe tonight he would be plagued by something more pleasant than a nightmare.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:16 pm
Another stirred in the lingering darkness, though this one was not nearly as exhausted. Hitsu had awakened a long while ago, and had only risen when she came to realize that she was indeed the only one awake amongst their growing group. It was a disappointment really, Hitsu had hoped as she'd went to tend to the dying fire that someone else would stir and she'd have someone to talk to. Neko had been sleeping like a rock, Hitsu could swear she'd made enough noise to wake him more than once. Alas, they had all continued their slumber, and it was in her boredom that Hitsu did something very foolish. She decided to go out and have a look around.
As she explored, the girl mulled over several ideas of just how she'd keep from getting scolded as soon as she'd returned. Sure, she was technically an adult, but that never seemed to keep her brother from treating her like a child. In truth, she knew he was only worried about her, but he didn't have to be so over protective. Pulled from her thoughts, Hitsu looked up as her ears picked up the sound of trickling water. Water? If it wasn't too deep, perhaps she could catch something to cook up for breakfast. Surely Yuki wouldn't be so keen to yell at her if she'd gotten them all something to eat, right?
So now, here she was. Following the sound of moving water, she'd discovered a small hollow in which there ran a small stream. The water was clean and clear, and there were fish floating peacefully beneath the surface. Hitsu could see them, and she was thankful for the shallow water. It wouldn't be dangerous for her to be too close to the edge. She gathered sticks and grasses from nearby, along with a few small stones. It was slightly ironic; She was patient enough to construct her own net, but not patient enough to take barely minutes to construct a simple pole and wait for a fish to bite.
Hitsu had seated herself alongside the bank, appearing quite content as she worked. As she weaved the strands of grass, she hummed softly to herself. This place was pleasant, she thought, and it was a shame that they hadn't set up camp here. It was quite beautiful.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:19 pm
He had surrendered himself to a few blissful moments of unconsciousness against the unyielding bark of the tree. It was surprising how unraveling it was to be aware of your own drifting in the midst of slumber; awake just enough to know you are asleep. Silence pressed against all sides, the warmth of sinking deeper into his subconscious thick and smothering. He made it a point to grasp onto the final threads of consciousness – capturing the rustling in the leaves above, the creaking of the branches. They blinked in and out: the breeze, the scurry of the brook over the pebbles, the humming….
It dropped into his slumbering mind like a stone into still waters. His eyes opened, heavy with disorientation, pupils completely dilated; they narrowed as his senses cleared.
That was no bird he had ever heard, he mused. There was a smile ghosting against the corners of his mouth, and in the bleak light of predawn it was almost pleasant. He raised himself from his place at the tree
And what was this if not a winsome reply to his earlier call? Though the babbling of the stream was certainly louder, he followed the underlying melody instead.
And what a surprise met his eyes as he shadowed the line of trees, picking his way through with the utmost precision. No bird, no nightingale, nor no river spirit came to taunt him, but something much, much worse.
And infinitely better all the same.
The scene was deceptive in its innocence. What was this kitten doing so far from her mother’s teat? The sight-hound’s head tilted, eyes brushing delicately over the young woman’s form, her concentration, her task. The curiosity that had sparked in his near colorless gaze smoldered – this must have been some trick, some ploy to distract him. And it had.
“Has the first lark finally awakened?” he mused aloud from his place in the trees, drifting towards the hollow.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:57 pm
Oblivious to being overheard, her quiet tune had not ceased for a moment as Hitsu continued her construction. It was coming along nicely, nearly finished. It wasn't something she would have given her brother to go out with, it was simply intended for this use alone. It was doubtful that she had the time to put together a net that was too intricate, someone would surely be missing her before too long.
The net was lifted carefully to be examined, and only now did her soft melody cease. The girl wrinkled her nose a bit at the quick job, "It should work for now, I think." She had been unaware of the presence of the hound, not until now. Over the trickling water, his voice was little more than a murmur. However, she had heard it. At first, she gave a light jolt. Startled, thinking perhaps that one of her friends had found her, specifically one that wouldn't think highly of her wandering off alone.
Though, when she looked up, that was not the case. A tall stranger stood a distance away, watching her from the trees. While relieved, she was a bit concerned. She did not know this man, and she did not know his purpose here. From his distance, she could not easily read his expression nor catch the scent of canine. "I-I'm sorry?" She called, both in being unsure of his words and offering apology should she not be welcome here. She stood quickly with the net held firmly in her hands, as though waiting to be told to go and fish elsewhere.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:18 pm
His footstep did not hesitate, but it did pause. A single brow swept upwards like a bird’s wing – her apologetic movements nearly made him cluck his tongue, but he refrained and instead made way to close the distance. There was a wondering bright to his eyes, his arms folded casually behind his back. She was a mite of a girl, he noted keeping any appraisal to himself, and he took measures to remain as unimposing as possible. Although that would be a feat considering the hairline scars, but in the dark….
“For what?” he pressed. This time both brows rose in good humor, “I’ve always expected the morning to be greeted by birdsong, never catsong.”
He may have been considerably nearer now, but Yuval made sure to keep his distance. His eyes swept the trickling stream as though absorbed; in truth, his unconsciousness was railing at him for deviating him from his task, quailing at this double-sided path. Presently, he saw it as an opportunity. Why would the gods dare drop this delightful little kitten amidst the reeds if not for him to find?
It never occurred to him that she could be an undue temptation.
Those marble-like eyes flickered upward, “Although, I am not complaining. It was as sweet as any lark’s melody.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:02 pm
"I-I thought..." Hitsu started, fumbling nervously with the tool in her hands. She apparently caught herself, and lowered her hands, trying to calm her nerves. "I thought I might have been trespassing." She finished, quickly adding an explanation whether it was needed or not. "I didn't mean to, I was only trying to catch a few fish..." Her words trailed off slowly, and she stared at him somewhat fearfully as he stopped nearby. Not afraid of him exactly, just the worry of being somewhere she shouldn't. It would have been bad enough for Yuki to be scolding her for running off, but she'd never thought of upsetting someone else instead.
It was then that his final statement caught her ears, and she blinked. He was complimenting her? She blushed lightly, "Th-thank you." She said with a gentle nod. Afterward, an awkward pause. Unsure of what to say to this stranger, her gaze shifted back to the stream. Her mind tried to work out some way to not seem rude, and she suddenly spoke up again. "Would you like me to catch you some fish, too?" She asked, peering up toward him sheepishly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:46 pm
Her timidity amused him a great deal, he realized. When she fiddled with the net, his eyes were drawn down to her hands – he tasted laughter on his tongue from her tumbling words and swallowed it with a faint smile. There was something endearing about her faltering, he found grace in its gracelessness.
“Trespassing on what?” he said after a moment. “Even if I did own this land, this stream, I daresay it’d own me first. Arresting, isn’t it?”
And though he cast his gaze about if considering the land around him, he seemed distracted, his thoughts lingering elsewhere; they fell quick upon the girl again, and for all the world he couldn’t even tell himself if he were speaking of the land or otherwise. The ambiguities of his latter words were left wide open to interpretation. She had to do but nothing to garner his full attentions.
The sight-hound drank up the faint color that blossomed across her cheeks. If it were as simple as that, well then. His smile broadened. Yuval, despite not having eaten in a good while, did not feel the disarming gnaw of hunger in his belly. He could have just as easily declined her offer, sweet as it was, but he found himself thinking it over. Why not? He could do for a brief respite; his charge wouldn’t disappear that quickly.
“Oh, I am undeserving of such kindness, but I find it hard to refuse,” he spread his hands as though in defeat. “Would you like something in turn?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:42 pm
Apparently, this was not his territory. For that, Hitsu was thankful. "It is very beautiful." She confirmed, gazing up toward the sky. The colors of dawn were arriving slowly, and for several moments she merely stared. With her home being as deep into the forest as it was, until they had fled she'd never really clearly seen the sky.
She returned her attention to him when he had replied to her offer, and smiled lightly. Hitsu shook her head to the question, "No, not at all." She settled down onto the bank again, looking down into the water and the shadows that floated within it. They didn't look like they were very large, but if she tried to catch several there would hopefully be enough to go around between her friends and this man. One could hope, anyway. If there wasn't, there were surely other things that they could gather up to eat.
Then, she seemed to think twice of her answer. "Unless you'd like to offer an introduction." Her tone was in no way demanding, not that she hardly sounded forceful even when she tried. She looked up to him expectantly for just a moment, before turning her attention again to her task. Now she really hoped the net would work, as she would have a witness to her failure if it wasn't good enough for the job.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:00 pm
He followed her gaze upwards, where dawn began to awaken in the creases of the sky. Once the sun stretched out his arms, the day would have arrived in full and it would be time for him to continue. But now, as the crushed velvet blue of the sky diminished into a dark violet, he decided to seize the opportunity of this meeting. He did not lower his head, only his line of sight, which again settled fixatedly on the girl.
Oh, the expectance reflected in her eyes was delightful, even if it lasted for but a moment. He was silenced by her inquiry, the idea of telling her ruminating in the back of his mind. Quid pro quo, he supposed, for her fish, his name. Yuval was hardly opposed to the idea – it was simple etiquette to supply it when it was requested. It never occurred to him that it could rock the foundations of his entire mission. What he saw in this picturesque meeting, however, was not an exchange of names or a companionable breaking of the bread. He saw a game, and she only have to take his hand to join.
“My name?” he finally asked, as though genuinely curious as to why she would want to know such blasé information. His next words teetered on the edge of his tongue, tittered against his teeth noisily. “A lark can only summon one thing, my dear!”
He gave a theatrical bow, though his voice never rose above that metallic hum of his, “I am the Dawn, awakened at your behest!”
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:51 am
His answer brought a smile to her face, how could it not? She laughed in amusement, looking up to him to give a soft nod as he bowed to her. "Well, in that case... This lark thanks the Dawn for his company." Her attention was moved from him, as she situated a few large leaves to lie any caught fish upon rather than simply putting them on the ground once they'd been cleaned.
"Do you live close by?" Hitsu asked him, apparently testing to see just how mysterious he would like to remain. Not that it bothered her, but it seemed only right to try and continue some sort of conversation. As she spoke, she dipped her net into the water. The water was a bit deeper here, and in the growing light she could see a few fish lingering at the bottom.
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:49 pm
The corners of his eyes creased, the only testament to the amusement he was beginning to feel and though the young woman’s laughter was infectious, he kept his emotions tightly reigned. Not much of a struggle, mind you. Yuval rose and tucked his arms against the small of his back, continuing his quiet observance of the feline with that unblinking persistence of his.
Had it not been for the blue shadow of early morning, the dimpling of those scarred cheeks would have been visible. He could have very well halted their short-lived game, but with the dawn upon them his mind ticked away, branched out in delightful, whimsical directions that were so unlike him. Unlike the him now. Yuval traced the seam of his new glove, harboring a brief wonderment at the unbroken leather. They’d loosen up soon enough; he’d break them in.
“I do…in a sense,” he said. Yuval tested the moist earth beneath the soles of his feet by tilting forward, a thoughtful smile quirking the edges of his mouth. “From where I stay I can see everything, everyone…all the time.” His fingers gave a small dance through the air as he waved a hand casually, almost dismissively. Falling quiet, he resumed his lethargic watch of the young feline before slowly walking down stream and nearer to the trees; despite his quiet, his voice still carried:
“Tell me, Lark, have you ever heard the story about Night’s jealousy?” His back was turned to her so he turned his face to stare over his shoulder, “I think you would like it very much.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:08 pm
[SECOND MEETING STARTS HERE, CUZ I SAY SO.]
Dawn had not yet arrived, the color on the horizon had just barely begun to glow. Yet, Hitsu had awakened, and she was restless. She stood at the window of the inn quietly, looking down into the street and the people wandering about looking at the food and trinkets for sale. Sure, it was very early and there were still several tables left vacant, but so many already had things to offer. Yuki had said they'd be leaving first thing in the morning, that meant she wouldn't be able to go down and look around. That is, not unless she went now. Better to ask forgiveness instead of permission, right? Perhaps she could make it back upstairs before she was missed. If not, he'd certainly be less angry with her here than out in the forest. There were several people around, certainly nothing bad could happen here, right? She wouldn't go far, she'd be careful and keep the inn within view. One last look at those sleeping, as she crept past them all, and she silently made her way out, downstairs, and into the growing market.
At first, she paused in the street, looking back to the inn and up toward the window she'd been looking out only a few minutes before. When she didn't see anyone else looking out, as she had slightly feared, she continued toward the nearest table to see what it had to offer.
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:47 pm
(( OHGOD yesm *cower* ))
There were, perhaps, a handful of things that kept Yuval from being a perfect machine. Number one, of course, was the fact that he was mortal, an annoying certitude that enjoyed reminding him in the midst of confrontation with an oh, hello, this stab wound is bleeding excessively, don't you think? perhaps we should stop as well as, he was hard pressed to admit, the occasional want of drink. Second were his terrible bouts of curiosity and whimsy (contrary to popular belief that it'd be something like carnal pleasures) - and yes, even he fell prey to them every now and again with the fervor of a man without water. The third was that, like all living beings, in order to survive he needed food. Or, in this case, provisions - and of course all of these lead back to the first.
Madame Luck must have favored him. Well, either she did or his quarry was simply too dumb to cover their tracks. A less obvious road would have been to beeline through the trees again, but resting with civilization is often a pleasure one is hard pressed to give up. The scent had flickered and died like candlelight as it passed into the city, mingled with the mire and life of the town. This did not trouble him. He relied more on his eyes than on his nose as it were.
Already there were people filling in the market like caulking glue. He could hear the steady thk, thk, thk of stands in the midst of construction, while the buzz of voices and hagglers pressed to his ears, fresh and clear. There was always something quaint about street vendors --
"Are ya buyin' or jus' lookin'?
He didn't glance up, but remained staring intently at the row of fruits while swallowing his earlier thoughts with a mental sigh. Early morning, just opened, and already annoyed. He didn't have to be an entrepreneur to know this must have been bad for business.
"Just enjoying the smell of ripened fruit in scant light of dawn," he returned casually. It wasn't as though he were going to purchase anything - might as well humor the woman. He picked up a cantaloupe and inspected it thoroughly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:42 am
Hitsu moved slowly down the line of tables, pausing every now and again to browse. That was all she could do, after all, she didn't have anything on her to buy with. She knew better than to spend on things like this, anyway, at least not when there was no telling how long they'd be running. One couldn't eat jewelry, after all. She very much liked looking at it, though. She complimented the vendor on her work, and moved along to the next table. When Hitsu looked up, she noticed a familiar figure a few tables away. There was little mistaking him, she had never before seen anyone else that dressed like the tall canine. She smiled softly, and walked an arch between them as to easily try to step up behind him unnoticed.
Just as soon as she had reached him, she quickly reached up to cover his eyes with both hands. "Guess who!" She called. As an afterthought, she hoped he would remember her, or else this would be rather awkward.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:05 pm
Each dip and groove and crease and rivet and cut and bruise and break in the skin....
His back grew taut, but otherwise he remained immobile. He'd felt this presence approach him, had been on guard seconds before they had broached that barrier of normalcy's closeness. Through the noises of the market, he picked out the light footsteps of this one, wondered, wondered why the scent that came through the crowd was familiar, why he reveled in this familiarity as warm hands cupped his eyes and then --
Guess who!
Yuval tilted his head, as though continuing his scrutiny of the fruit. In the cool morning air with each of his senses piqued like bursts of flames, he could feel the warmth radiating off of the waifish girl, buffeting him in the back. He thumbed the skin of the cantaloupe thoughtfully.
"Oh, well, it could be any number of people, really," he responded with a smile - and a surprising amount of monotony. "But I don't believe I know this one. Hm."
The off-white orb was placed back amongst the others. Yuval brought his hands up to the pair that hid guarded his vision and pulled them gently away. He studied those delicate fingers in mock confusion. And he wondered, young again, if he kissed them....
Letting them go, he turned towards the feline and captured them again - his palms against the backs of her hands - and held them hostage, "Ah, I've found what I was looking for! The prettiest bird in this kingdom of squalor!"
That faint smile became both curious and cautioning at once (imagine! him
reproving another - the hypocrite!), "You must be careful of doing that, Lark. Not everyone will take games you play so lightly."
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