[PRP] A Dangerous Trail? (Chatura & Wystan)

[Sayuri_Nitta]

Chatura wrinkled her nose as she followed the scent. It was heavy on the air, and slightly rotten smelling, getting worse as she was obviously getting closer to whatever it was. Finally she found her first sign, the decaying corpse of what had been a deer. The smell made her gag a little but she kept her composure and looked carefully at it and around it, noting how it had been torn up, and the unusual hoof markings around it.

She measured the hoofprints with her own, gauging that the owner was probably about the same size as herself..which was good in a way as it meant that at least she wasn't tracking something much larger than herself. But she was still tracking a killer, a hunter of other animals and she didn't want to be added to the menu. She hoped she would be able to talk with this hunter but she had to find them first. And these 'leavings' were at least a few days old.

Chatura shook her head as she moved upwind of the carcass, inhaling deep breaths of clean air. She thought she might be able to pick the trail up again, but that meant going back to where what was left of the deer and she wasn't quite ready for that yet.  

[Thalea]

The scent of decaying flesh was getting stronger as Wystan made his way through the forest; with silent hoof falls he soon came upon the source of the stanch, a rotting corpse of a mangled deer, hoof prints were scattered around the deer, one set belonging to the killer and the other to some other unknown Soquili. Wystan’s nose started to twitch at the smell, but he ignored it as he gazed at the hoof prints, each set were small than his own prints; he took an educated guess that one of the prints belonged to a mare. The detective took notice of the direction of the hoof prints and started to follow, his body on guard for anything that was unexpected.

Soon the Angeni was out of the terrible stench of the dead deer and up in an area of fresh air, he took in a deep breath and continued to follow one set of prints. He came to a stop when he heard the sound of another Soquili, he snorted at the sensation telling him to turn around. Like always he did not listen and kept moving forward and soon came to be standing near a blue and black bodied mare with a long black mane and tail who was also taking in deep breaths of fresh air.

Whatever the detective was expecting, it was definitely not what he saw, “Hello there Miss.”
 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

Chatura was sucking in a breath when the male voice sounded and she hiccoughed instead as he startled her a little bit. She gave another cough, turning to look at him as she composed herself, thanking her stars that it was Angeni and not whoever had left the deer carcass. Coughing and spluttering wasn't the best first impression, and even less so if it gave the impression of weakness.

'Hello sir.' she said when she was finally able to reply to his greeting. She bestowed him a smile, all the while looking him over, seeing that he did indeed have eight wings as Solstice had said Angeni had.

'Sorry, a sudden surprise when inhaling deeply isn't good.' Chatura chuckled faintly.  

[Thalea]

Wystan watched her as she recovered from him startling her; the reaction was interesting and she was able to compose herself quicker than most. As she pulled herself together Wystan continued his observation of the mare. On her light blue body a white tribal like design was clearly shown around her neck up to the spot right under her eye, it was also on her leg and stomach. It was quite fascinating to the detective. He gave her a bright smile, showing her that he did not mean her any harm, “I apologize if I startled you miss.”

He gave a small laugh at her response, “Do not be sorry, for it was mostly my fault in the first place. I am known as Wystan, might I be honored with your name miss?”  

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'It's okay.' she replied with a smile, giving one last little cough. Her throat seemed okay, her voice not too scratchy from the coughing fit and continued to regard him thoughtfully, wondering if he too had stumbled across what was left of the deer.

'I should have been more alert, but that smell got to me. At least you are not whoever left that carcass back there.' she gave a quick nod with her head in the direction of the deer remains.

'Good for me, especially when I wasn't paying attention.' she looked rueful.
'Pleased to meet you Wystan, my name is Chatura.'  

[Thalea]

He was not surprised that she would mention the stench of the dead hart carcass that lay in a heap down the path behind him. The stallion could not help but agree that the smell got to him as well; it had been a while since he had smelled anything that foul.

Wystan gave her a small smile, “True and the same could be said of you, since it was your prints that I followed.” His blue eyes shifted down to the soft earth where his hoof prints and hers mixed as they led away from the body.

The winged stallion bowed his head to the mare, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Chatura. If I might be so bold, what are you doing out here in the middle of the woods?”
 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Of course, as I mentioned it, I came from the area. I was actually looking for - well, let's just say you weren't what I was expecting but as I wasn't paying attention I am glad it was yourself.' Chatura smiled.

'What I'm doing? Uhh...well.' she wasn't sure how to explain herself, or what his reaction might be when she said what she was doing. But she was an honest mare and didn't like to lie, and after all she'd just met this stallion and didn't want to make a bad impression.

'I was following the tracks of whoever or whatever left that carcass behind.'  

[Thalea]

Wystan smiled back, he was not sure what she expected him to be, but her later words clarified his unspoken question. It was unexpected that the blue mare standing before him was searching for the creature that had caused that mutilation to the decaying carcass on the tail behind them.

His blue eyes looked at the mare, she was telling the truth, her words came out clearly and she didn’t blink as much as someone who was lying would, “What has caused you to go on this quest?” Wystan would not judge her, for that is not his way, he just wanted to know as much as possible.
 

[Sayuri_Nitta]

Again she would be honest about her motives, he seemed genial enough and hadn't looked at her as though her head had suddenly turned in a birds, so she guessed it would be okay to tell him the whole thing.

'It's not so much a quest, more research.' she began.
'If I'm correct, it was a Kalona that left the carcass and that's what I'm trying to meet. If possible..and safely.' Chatura bent one of her legs, shifting her position into a more comfortable one as she spoke.

'There's much I want to know about them, about that which flows (albeit diluted) in my own blood.'  

[Thalea]

Wystan turned his gaze on to the mare, she was doing all this in the name of research; it was almost identical to the way he worked while he was on a case, “I believe that it is an honorable mission that you are on. How much information have you collected about the Kalona that created the corpse of the deer?”

‘She had Kalona blood within her?’ Wystan knew that looks could be deceiving, but he could not see a trace of the blood that she had mention within her. The Detective admitted to himself that he was intrigued, “What will you do when you meet up with this Kalona? How do you know he or she will talk?” Wystan was curious; he had never met a Kalona before or come close.