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 Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 7:03 pm
Direk stood in the snow nearby, not happy about how it reached up beyond her hooves, but not uncomfortable enough to share the patch of clear ground with her master. While it was - slightly - warmer here, and she was well protected by the coat she wore, Direk was not happy. She did not do well with travel.
Ruelash leaned against a rock, eating his midday meal and looking out beyond the Sauti border. He'd have to cross the F*** thing eventually, but he was uncertain about the trip ahead. Wintertime in Zena was not the time to be travelling, but they had managed so far. Sauti winters were far more trying - Zena provided, to an extent, but the hard rocks of Sauti were even more austere than the tundra. It would be a hard journey.
And then, after, the desert would be rough. What, he wondered, was winter like in the desert? Did cold ever even reach there? Cold or blistering hot, the Tale would be rough going, too. And then, Jahuar? He had never been in Jahuar. He had a rough journey ahead of him, and he wondered if Direk was worth the trip.
F***. Yeah, she was. High maintenance or no, she was a formidable little deer thing, and he liked her. He wanted to make sure he was training her right, and the best way to do that was to have an actual trainer look at her, and who better than Lassarra, the lady that sold her?
He did not want to admit that another woman was sweetening the deal. Winta. If he passed through the Tale, he could visit her.
He swallowed his meat and chewed a bit of wakeleaf, spitting it's dark remains into the snow and wiping his mouth. Right. Time to keep going.
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 7:05 pm
Nuawahn stretched out his arms, hands, and his entire body before he took a step on the hard, snow-dusted rock of the mountains. There. This was it. He was away from the land he had been birthed in and had returned to, and was in someplace completely new. He thought that was pretty neat, considering, that the step he had taken before hadn't been much different than the step after - a fact he confirmed by quickly hopping from one place to another. He giggled. How important an invisible, immaterial line was. It made one step into Sauti, and the other into Zena. And, elsewhere, it made the Tale into Sauti, and Jahuar into the Tale. How very interesting it all was! He laughed to himself.
Wherever he was now, Zena or - he stood right on the line just for the hell of it - in some in between place, he was somewhere superbly, spectacularly, new. He - and La'amu behind him, who watched his antics with the long patience of her years - were decked out in winter clothing and ready for the harsh weather of Zena.
"Well!" said Nuawahn, shaking out his limbered up arms, "Lets go to Zena!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:35 pm
Ruelash had been about to keep moving, but he was distracted, momentarily, by an annoyance.
Some idiot was humming and swinging their arms and generally treating crossing the border like some friggin picnic lunch.
"Hey." he said, not very pleasantly, "What do ya think yer doin? Ya wanna get stuck in an avalanche 'r eaten by raptri?" he crossed his arms and glared at the wind boy, "well, do ya?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:30 pm
Nuawahn looked up at the Ice man by the path. "Hi!" he said, waving enthusiastically, "Not really," he said cheerily, smiling happily, "I don't want to get eaten by Raptri or by whatever an Avalanche is." He started approaching - Why shouldn't he approach? The man had called out to him. "Isn't it a great day, Mister? Not too cold, but with just enough wind to let you know where you're going!" he laughed.
La'amu did not like the smell of this man, nor his companion. They smelled of blood and sweat and other unpleasant things. Most of all, though, they smelled mean.
But of course, being an idiot, her notcalf was walking right up to them. She brayed in annoyance and trotted up next to him, giving the man and his friend not so nice looks as she went.
Ice tribesmen were not novel to Nuawahn. Ice tribesmen with Aldabuks were. The moment he noticed the black Aldabuk, he perked up even more - if that could be believed.
"Aaaa, she's so pretty! What's her name!" he said, reaching out a hand to pet the Aldabuk.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:13 am
Ruelash said nothing as the boy approached his Aldabuk. If he got bit, that was his own stupid fault.
"I guess." he muttered, "It's a day, anyway." He didn't think it was a particularly nice one, though.
Direk liked to be called pretty, so that did start the little wind boy off on the right foot.
Unfortunately, unless you were Lassarra, there wasn't really a right foot for the aldabuk.
She knew she was being praised, and stood taller and straighter, looking as noble as a cold and unhappy Aldabuk could.
Before, of course, trying to bite the boy's hand.
Ruelash smirked as her teeth snapped on air. "Direk don't like being petted." he said. Chi's breath, the kid was a babbler. He'd just wanted the kid to shut the hell up and stop singing, but now he was coming up here and having a damn conversation. Great.
He gave the capramel an equally unpleasant look in response. "Her name's Direk. She ain't for sale. Git outta my face." He said, making a threateningly dismissive gesture.
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Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:30 pm
Nuawahn laughed. "Yep! Its a day!" he said, almost singsong, "And days are so full of potential!" he laughed again at the Aldabuk's antics. "Gotta be faster, miss Direk!" he said, grinning, though he did take his hand away. If she didn't want to be touched, that was fine. Some people and critters didn't like to be touched, and that was just them. Nuawahn didn't mind. He liked it when people were happy and understood that just because he liked to hug and snug and cuddle everybody did not mean that they would. Amma didn't, but she tolerated it.
He turned back to Ruelash. "Direk is a really neat name, did you name her?" he said, seemingly oblivious to being told to leave, "This is La'amu." he said, gesturing to the Capramel, "But I didn't name her at all. She was named long before I was born." Nuawahn thought that was pretty neat, to say the least.
"Say," said Nuawahn, "Are you coming, or going?" he asked, curious.
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:33 am
What the hell was wrong with this guy? Normally, people weren't so chipper, especially not after talking to him. Lash didn't like it.
"I s'pose?" he said, grimacing a small 'smile' at Nuawahn, "I'm goin'." he said, shrugging, "Ya're coming." obviously, "Why th' hell would ye be comin' in the middle of winter... idiot." he grumbled. It wasn't a question, more... thinking out loud.
He glanced at the capramel, not particularly caring, though he was impressed at the implied age of the creature. He didn't mind capramel Capramel were sturdy, useful critters, not at all annoying or useless like Raoti. Raoti were tasty, and had nice fur, but were otherwise useless. They couldn't guard or attack and were pretty much pansy pets.
His Aldabuk was not a pansy, and Ruelash was not immune to flattery.
"Yeh." he said, giving Direk a pat, which she - barely - tolerated, "Named her, an' named her tough." he said, proudly, "An' she be tough, one tough Aldabuk." he gave Nuawahn a slightly less outwardly unfriendly and hostile look.
"Arright. What are ye doin', going to Zena in the winter?" he asked, almost reluctantly interested.
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:41 pm
"She looks like it!" said Nuawahn "I mean, aside from trying to bite my hand off!" he laughed, "She's got lots of good features... So, what. Do you just travel with her or..." his eyes shone curiously, "Is she your battle friend?" it was so romantic to think about people and their pets together in battle. Nuawahn bet that the bond between them would be deep. That would be a good thing! Not the getting hurt part, though. Nuawahn wasn't so sure about that part. "Do you battle with her? I've never battled... Though some friends of mine liked to pounce me and wrestle me down... I always let them win, though!" Nuawahn chattered, grinning at the memory. They'd liked winning, and had been so upset when they'd lose. It really wasnt worth it to try to win himself. "I don't think I could have won against them though! They were Alkidikes, after all! I mean, little ones, because they were my age, but still bigger than me!" he shifted his scarf up a bit, "And I'm not that strong anyway, so I figured why not let them win, right?" he shrugged.
"Anyway, I'm going to Zena because I've never been there! I've been lots of other places, but not here. And I don't know if I'll be back in Sauti before next winter, so I figured I might as well go now... It can't be too much worse than Sautian Winters, can it?" said Nuawahn, "Or Tale nights. Those were cold! And dark. Like a sea of night! So pretty!" he giggled a little at the memory, "Have you ever been to the Tale, Mister?" he chirped, smiling at the intimidating man.
La'amu didn't like this man. He was clearly a threat. But... she wasn't afraid of him, or his stupid Aldabuk. Nor was she trading insults. She just stood, and waited.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 10:11 am
Ugh. This kid just would not shut up. Ruelash shook his head to shake off the bafflement he felt at being overwhelmed with words. He didn't even want to stab the little brat, just boot him off his part of mountain. He almost wasn't curious anymore. Almost.
"Ye'r kiddin, right?" he said, managing to find a way to fit a word in edgewise, "Sauti winters got NOTHIN' on Zena. Zena is cold, frozen by chi's own breath, so ye'd best be turnin' back if you think you can brave that."
Yeah. A wimp like this kid was destined to be mountain food. Whether it would be the snow that did it or a large predator, lash didn't know. But...
"Yeh, ah've been." he said. Tale nights had bothered him, but they had been... pretty. Not that he'd ever admit that they were pretty. "Whats that 'bout Alkidikes?" he was more interested in that than any of the drivel that the brat had been spouting about... battle friends or whatever he'd talked about. "Ye've met them?" Ruelash still thought they were intriguing, though he'd been dissappointed in their strength at the tournament. He'd been expecting more of a challenge from the ones he'd fought, though he was perfectly happy to think of it as his own ability that had won him third place. He'd been stronger than three alkidikes. "So ye've been to Jahuar?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 2:26 pm
"Mmmhmm!" said Nuawahm "I loved there for a long time! Since I was little! I had lots of Alkidike friends." he touched his braids. "One of them even did my hair! Isn't it nice?" he laughed, "I wandered all over Jahuar, but I was mostly in Emeka, you see." he explained, "Thats one of the Alkidike settlements! its really deep into Jahuar! You have to walk a long ways to find it from the Tale." He paused thoughtfully, "Most people haven't been to the Tale, which is a shame! Its so quiet there!"
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:12 am
"Yeh. Quiet." and dry. And it blasted you with heat in the day and cold in the night. He didn't mind harsh climates, but h'd been happy to be back in HIS harsh climate after the Tale.
Ruelash had been puzzledly half listening to what Nuawahn said. He was quiet for a moment as he processed it.
"Hold up." something stood out. "Ye LIVED there?" he stared at the boy. Other than the freakish face crystals, he was definitely wind - more wind than wind, really. "Chi's breath, why'd ye do that?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:24 pm
Nuawahn laughed at the expression on the man's face. He sure made some funny faces! "Because I was there, of course!" he laughed. Silly man! Why else would he have lived there? He was there because he was there, simple enough. "It was a lot of fun, fresh fruit everywhere, lots of roughhousing... Sometimes I even visit! Have you ever been to Jahuar?" he asked. He wasn't sure - the mans response could be taken in lots of different ways.
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:25 pm
Yeah but why was... Ruelash squinted at the boy, head reeling slightly from the sheer confusion that the kid seemed to just give off like an aura.
Was he making fun of him?! Ruelash couldn't tell, and he didn't like it. Also, the boy didn't shut up.
"Never been." he growled. Not really. The Tournament hadn't exactly been in Jahuar. Close enough to feel the humidity though. Ruelash hadn't liked that. "Gonna be soon. Heading that way." he offered. He didn't know why he told the kid that. Talking would just keep him here longer, and he wanted the stupid avalanche bait to go away already and die in the tundra.
But there was a pressing question:
"Wha's a fruit?" he asked, reluctantly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:01 am
"A fruit's a sweet, yummy thing that grows on plans!" said Nuawahn, giving the sour man a big grin as he rummaged in his pouch, taking out a dried fruit. "Like this!" he said, offering it to the man, "Cept... plumper and full of water and sugar. This one's dried!" he happily and thoughtlessly gave it away, "Its like candy!"
"Really?" he said, "Why're you going to Jahuar?" It wasn't a bad place to go, he was just curious! Maybe he could give the guy a few pointers...
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:47 am
Ruelash took the offered... thing... with some misgiving. It was soft and chewy feeling, and it felt very strange.
"None o' yer business" he growled inspecting the dried fruit before, not sure what else to do with it, he popped it in his mouth and chewed. And swallowed.
he was quiet for a moment, before giving nuawahn a sour grimace. "Dun' like sweet." he concluded.
Direk was done with this. Offering her oaf something that was OBVIOUSLY something SHE would like, and not offering her anything? Hmmph! She gave the ugly capramel a final snort before tugging at her oaf's clothing. The only thing worse than walking in the mountains was standing in them.
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