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 Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:45 am
A slothful, deep-bellied chirp drifted along the curvature of one lean-figured redhead’s ear as she slept, rousing the unconscious Oban was always a delicate task; one Jinx prided himself in being an expert at however this morning the golden colored insect found himself at a loss in his normally refined approach. Something had happened just outside of the woven hut he knew as home! Something new and scary and all together horrible! He had attempted to be subtle and wake his owner gently at first but the white-haired she-beast at some point had coiled against his beloved two-legger and seduced her into a much heavier sleep than what she normally fell into on her own. Nubby spindle-points tapped erratically in place while Jinx lifted his rounded bejeweled eyes from Nera towards the stuff that continuously blew in through the knitted opening on the side of the hut that served as a window. There was honestly no way around what needed to be done, skittering across the room on pointed-nubs the Maglardilla parted his mandibles; the action was slow and deliberate as if the little fellow was suckling down a lungful of air in preparation for his next action.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!” The wailing high-pitched shriek tore from Jinx’s body, deflating his small chest with the outcry. Inching backwards the crunchy-framed insect padded in place nervously while his front legs manically combed over his face with anxiety. Another squeal erupted from the panicky insect as dainty white flurries drifted into the nest and landed just inches away from where he flailed wildly.
Lidded eyes remained closed yet the short-haired Oban was anything but asleep, a tight scowl tugged at the edges of full lips but Nera refused to allow herself to raise her voice so early in the morning instead slim fingers drew together; her thumb pinned the pad of her middle finger then flicked to the side creating an audible snap. Jinx knew better.
He knew better yet he argued anyway, jittering and trilling the horned-delicacy scuttled towards the dark-skinned girl nuzzling her wrist and nibbling along her forearm with urgency, irritation painted the redhead’s facial features before pink hues squinted open then widened in absolute astonishment at the sight that greeted her eyes. White powder, ash perhaps covered the rounded ledges of the small openings that littered the woven nest and dusted in a light coating several feet into the interior on the flooring. Shooting away from the boyish redhead as she rested on her back staring towards the foreign sight of never before seen snow Jinx took it upon himself to examine the substance for his owner, little legs propelled the Maglardilla towards the accumulated bed of whiteness. The floor even though it held rough textures which normally provided excellent grip the closer he came to the mysterious material the more slick the vine-flooding became, pointed feet lost traction in a matter of seconds and the golden-shelled pet skidded and rolled in the cold wet mess screaming as he did so. Colliding into the wall of the construct Jinx came to a sudden and somewhat bumpy halt, his cry of terror replaced by silence as he lay prone on his back. For a moment the domesticated insect coiled his external appendages inwards towards his body and let out a hushed whimper, instinctively Nera bolted upright onto her still injured feet then pause in place as her pet rolled over and trilled happily in her direction, jittering crackers widened and noisily announced his delight before erupting with another high-pitched screech as a sudden glob of snow fell from the window ledge onto the back of his thorax startling him all over again.
“Star-born, mine,” Kneeling the prentice found herself threading slender fingers through tussled white-locks. “You, need to see this.” Nera urged in a whisper, even though the horrors of the war were over she couldn’t find it in herself to speak any louder without being prompted to do so. Leaning forward the petite-Oban wrapped her mouth around the tip of a dark, pointed ear and vigorously suckled until she was satisfied and pulled back waiting for the other to respond.
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:17 pm
...She was going to KILL that creature. Lucijah hadn't found it especially easy to sleep, lately, not since returning from the war with her lover in tow. Sleep was a growing commodity - and having it interrupted by the shrieking of that damnable delicacy that her love REFUSED to allow her to roast was absolutely not the way she wanted her morning to go.
The last few days had gotten progressively colder, and drier - the muggy heat that draped over the forest as it normally did had lessened to the point that it was only humid in the higher rungs of the forest, while the forest floor below took a horrible chill. It wasn't unusual for there to be minor freezing - very thin films of ice on the surface of bodies of water, but high up in the branches where they lived it was... unusual to freeze. That didn't mean, however, that Jauhar was never cold. Lucijah had prepared for such a situation - carting gravelly sand from the forest floor (being in the Jauhar forests so near Tale had some small advantages, after all) and rocks up to the nest, Lucijah had tugged vines from the floor aside, filling the recess with gravel, lining the exterior with rocks and a paste. An oil was carefully rubbed on the living vines around the fire pit, to protect them from catching flame - and over the course of a few careful weeks Lucijah had tested it, lighting fires and letting the embers burn until a thick layer of ash further lined the bottom of the pit, seperating the flames from the vines around it.
The fire pit had, however, gone out during the night - the embers cold, dead, and soaked. Hanging from many ties in the ceiling were branches cut from bushes and smaller trees, hung to dry out for burning. They, too, had been soaked through.
But by what? Curling her arms further around Nera's waist, Lucijah furrowed her brows and growled, tiredly, in her throat as her lover moved and stood, quickly, leaving the dark shifter's arms to drop to the (freezing) floor of the nest, fingertips twitching as they sleepily deciphered the difference between warm flesh and cold, knitted vines. She valiently resisted waking - out of pure stubborness, and hatred for the shrieking of the little beast. But Nera knew how to wake her - the soft voice, then the heat of her mouth against frozen ear-tips made Lucijah grunt and squirm, briefly, before she finally cracked open her eyes.
Then she squinted them shut again, feeling blinded by the bright white light that shot through the doorway. "What on ... what is..." Luci grumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she finally sat up, shuddering in cold and reaching for a cloak to wrap around her shoulders. Having a father who traveled to Sauti and Zena was a godsend - when it grew cold her mother had given her many furred cloaks and boots, usually a foolish thing to wear in the humid wetness of Jauhar, which made the leather soften and fall apart if used regularly.
Standing up, Lucijah opened her arm, with the long furred cloak over it, and ushered her lover into her arms, curling the furs around them before shuffling forward to peer out of the doorframe.
White powder fell in flakes into the house, the vines beneath her bare feet slick in... ice. She'd never seen the vines iced over before, not ever - and outside, as she peered out, a thin film of ice curled across the limbs of the trees, the world changed from blues, purples, and greens to bright white, glowing in the streams of sunlight that filtered through the canopy above. Lucijah's mouth fell open, and a shocked breath fell out - turning into a mist infront of her lips that caused her to hitch another breath of freezing, cold, dry air into her lungs. "Goddess above, this is... snow? As in... Zena snow?" Her father had told her of it. But he'd called it soft, and as Lucijah tentatively reached out from under the cloak to touch the white, shimmering crust hanging against the doorframe, it was hard to the touch, and slippery. Not snow - harsh, crunching frost. Not that Lucijah would, personally, know the difference.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 7:23 pm
Pink hues danced across scrunched features as the fierce beauty stirred from slumber, Nera knew that Lucijah was awake and more than likely had been awake for a short length of time but was simply being bullheaded about accepting the fact of the matter. Unkempt hair fell across midnight shoulders and large, blissful hands roamed the floor of the nest seeking out a heavy cloak that seldom saw use, sluggishly she watched as the shifter drew the furred traveling garment around her frame and shivered into the confines. Tearing her gaze away from her lover Nera focused on the flurries as they drifted further into the hut, in a way, the manner in which the whiteness moved reminded the boyish youth of the sands of Oba, tranquil cyclones of dancing grain waltzing to the chosen tune of the warm desert breeze. It was gorgeous and at realizing that Nera frowned deeply, there was no way that she was ‘home sick’ Lucijah was her home now yet . . . it would be enjoyable to see the desert just once more, to feel the warmth of Atun bestowed upon her.
As if hearing her thoughts strong arms linked around her trim waist and tugged her into the comfort of the cloak and into the security of body heat. Instinctively the petite redhead followed the subtle movements that the brute made, tender feet scrapped along the vine flooring until they reached the threshold of the doorframe. The glossy whiteness touched everything, branches creaked under the foreign weight and clear spikes dangled precariously along the higher level within the canopy. Snow? Cranking her head away from the sight Nera pushed her face into the crook of Lucijah’s neck, her nose already pink from the chill and freezing to the touch. “Is this normal for the rainforest? I’ve never seen snow before, I’m not acclimated to it. I mean it gets cold at night in the desert but this is . . . too much,” she whispered in a listless tone, small hands snaked around broad shoulders in a vain attempt to lessen the pressure on her feet as they stuck to the frozen doorstep. It cold physically made her ache.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:36 pm
Lucijah gave a slight jump at the cold nose nuzzling into her throat, but she otherwise ignored it, instead peering out into the white world, her eyes still squinted against the brightness of it. "Hmm? No - no, never seen it before." She grumbled, scraping the ice away from the vine infront of her, carefully, with a fingernail. Her first thought was concern for the vines - that they'd freeze, die, and then she'd have to grow her nest from scratch. That was... concerning. Possible, yes, but concerning.
And shaming. Wrinkling her nose, Lucijah stepped back from the doorframe, away from the whiteness, widening her stance so she could scoop her smaller lover into her arms, carrying her to the middle of the nest, and settling her back where they'd been sleeping. It was cold, cold throughout the nest, but here she could kneel by the fire pit, cursing quietly at the soggy ash there. "This isn't normal." Of course not!
Already her mind was turning over what she'd need to do. Gather as much wood as she could to dry out for burning - if she insisted on using wet branches it would smoke, and they couldn't afford open windows, the cold would come in, and the snow. Her only consolation was that she had spread out knitted nets of vine under the healthier fruit branches, which would catch the nuts and fruit that fell prematurely - but she'd need to climb up to pick what mature plants she could, in case the freeze lasted. Lucijah began to stir up a fire, but her eyes were distant, mouth moving soundlessly as if murmuring lists of things to do to prepare, without any sound dripping from her throat.
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:30 pm
Nera watched steady hands reach out and attentively scrape frost from the outer working of the vines, her pale eyes distance yet somehow focused at the same time. “You know,” gently began the petite-Oban just as Lucijah pulled her from her feet and codded her to her chest like a weary child. “I’ve read plenty of books, ice is harmless for plants, at least vines, it gives off a chemical heat which is safer than just frost. I think the nest will be just fine, but if you are really worried about it we could weave some windbreakers, nets to go around the hut and fill them with leaves so that the snow won’t blow inside anymore.” At being placed down into the warmth of the bedding the short-haired redhead drew her bottom lip between her teeth watching the other woman scuttle towards the dormant fire-pit while murmuring silently to herself. If none of this was normal then the muscularly built shifter surely was worrying, they barely had enough supplies for a mild winter season, to survive something like this would need so much more. “If you need me, I’m going down to the ground level, I will try to catch us some fish,” the once vociferous prentice mumbled while thin digits milled along each other then gradually climbed to her face where she pushed them against her bottom lip nervously like a small child waiting for something frightening to happen.
“I will take Jinx with me so you don’t have to worry.” At the mention of his name the golden-colored insect lifted his horned head and toddled over towards his owner and burrowed against her nuzzling his rounded features against her chilled thigh.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 5:12 pm
Again with her books, Lucijah thought fondly - but outwardly she rolled her eyes and made a grunt of a sound. It wasn't that books were foreign to her people - no, she knew there were those who learned to read, to absorb things from the old tomes. Lucijah didn't think she'd have the patience for it - but she couldn't deny, either, that some of the random tidbits Nera had taken from the books she read had actually come to some use. So she stopped scraping away the frost, and instead continued on inside, undeterred by her lover's rambling as she lifted her and carried her.
A windbreaker, hm? It... might actually be the best course of action. Lucijah became so involved in her thoughts that she didn't quite hear what had been said until Nera began to cover her face, the motion much more meek and uncertain than Lucijah though Nera would ever be. But... ever since she was taken from the nest, Nera had been... meek. Now, cerulean eyes focused on the redhead, pursing her lips and looking at the woman from head to toe. They both dressed for warm climates - they weren't prepared in the least for this sort of weather. "On the condition you take this." Lucijah finally conceded, pulling the cloak from around her shoulders and instead shuffling, on her knees, until she was next to Nera, draping the thick cloth around them. The fur was resistant to snow, being from Zena as it was, so she had faith it would be better than other clothes she could offer. They weren't dressed for this, nor did she have clothing prepared - they had some leather and traded cloth that could be made into simple boots, but she was no cobbler. She was, however, relatively decent at crafting clothing - but that didn't change the fact that any clothes she made would be thin, and become heavy and soggy from snow.
Lucijah just didn't want to admit she wasn't prepared to protect her lover from the cold, so soon after being reminded she wasn't prepared to protect her from people, or even from beasts. It was one more reminder of her lacklustre performance as a mate. Frowning, Lucijah huffed then raised a hand to gently ruffle Nera's hair, just to make her angry, giving a smirk to try and coax Nera into relaxing. "Go collect your fish, true heart, I'll work on this 'windbreak' idea of yours."
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 6:58 am
Heavy warmth draped over narrowed shoulders and instantly those slender hands that hide her face drifted downward until they fell away to rest at her sides. “But what will you wear? You’re going to get just as cold as I am. Plus I have sandals; you’re still just a barefooted beast. Callouses will only protect your feet so much, twilight-mine.” Leaning forward Nera caught the side of the other woman’s face, trailing a kiss from the contour of her cheekbone towards the tip of her ear; there was something irresistible about the pointed appendage. ‘Essd be praised, I wish my ears were like this,’ dragging the pad of her tongue across the needle point tip of Lucijah’s ear the youth savored the exotic texture and unique taste her beloved exuded. ‘Hers are more sensitive than mine are too, she always loves it when I play with them. I bet I would look so much more attractive to her if mine where pointed.’ Inwardly sulking just for a moment the redhead pulled away to make direct eye contact with the tall she-beast, smooth features appeared taunt and forced into some semblance of neutrality as they stared at each other. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep the cloak for herself the added warmth was welcomed but she also worried about the wellbeing of the other woman, it honestly wouldn’t take long for hypothermia to set in if she wasn’t careful.
At the playful rustling of her normally well-tended hair Nera produced a low-toned hiss and swatted at the shifter’s hands. Grappling onto the large clutches the pink-hued prentice pulled Lucijah’s palms to her face and nuzzled into the warmth of her skin littering her wrists and digits with sheepish kisses. At the sound of her brute conceding into her leaving the nests on her own the lean-figured youth grinned toothsomely. “I will bring home as many as I can, we will get through this together, I know you’ll take care of us.” Reinforcing the statement with another smile and a quick embrace the redhead found her footing and pushed herself into a standing position. Fastening the cloak around her bare shoulders Nera proceeded to gather the most basic supplies she would need for the outing, fingers found themselves working into sturdy netting and pulling a small blade to her thigh before strapping it down for easy access. “Jinx,” snapping her digits twice the shorthaired Oban silently commanded the insect to come to her and take his place on her back. Flailing numerous legs the horned-creature let out a squeal before it scurried over to its owner and climbed up the backs of her legs and snuggled against her underneath the cloak, small mandibles nibbled and groomed the fine hairs at the back of her head as he linked his spindles in place and settled in for the trip. “I will see you soon, beloved. Take care.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:34 pm
Lucijah snorted and shrugged her shoulder at the concern, but before she could insist that she'd be fine her love cupped her face and tugged her close, warm lips kissing her cold cheek, hot breath ghosting over her cheekbone, as her lips skimmed up to her ear. It really was sinful how distracting her dearheart could be when she wanted to be.
Shivering, and not because of the cold this time, Luci playfully bat the redhead away, tilting her face away with a playful scoff, her features softening with each soft kiss to her hands. She tilted them to gently pet Nera's face, stroking a finger along her lips. "I'll be up here, and can retreat inside whenever I need to. You'll be farther away, so you'll need it more."Lucijah said simply. And that was the end of it.
Nera seemed to take the excuse, because she quickly got ready. As she did, Lucijah gathered large leaves, wrapping them around her arms and thighs to give some minor protection, and once Nera was ready she stepped out of the nest, and into the frost, with her love. Usually a few vines were enough, but this time Lucijah gathered a dozen - uncertain of the tensile strength they possessed while frozen. Carefully she secured the vines, tying them onto a leather harness that she had made for her lover - which slid up to settle around the legs, and hips. When ready, Lucijah held the ropes, slung over an overhanging branch, taut - and let Nera hang from it, settled and comfortable - at which point Lucijah slowly, carefully lowered her. It took a lot of strength to do such a thing, and it was harder with her cold, numbing fingers, but Lucijah's pace in shifting the rope, and lowering the pulley that held her mate aloft was swift, moving at a quick and steady gait until the rope began to slacken, and a tug was sent back up through it, signalling that Nera had made it safely to the ground.
Satisfied that she was safe, Lucijah rubbed her hands together with a wince and retreated back inside, telling herself it was to prepare netting for the windbreak - and not to warm her somewhat raw fingers.
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Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 1:31 pm
Hazy mist trailed above Nera’s head like steady flow of smoke from a chimney chute as she was lowered from their treetop home towards the ground level of the rainforest, the closer and closer she came to the landing the sharper the chill cut away at her lungs and stabbed at her limbs. In honesty the girl was used to desert nights they always held a piercing edge of cold that was unwelcome yet expected and somewhat tolerable, this phenomenon however was cruel and unanticipated; without proper supplies and fortifications - - - she didn’t want to think about the outcome. She needed to get her bearings and focus on the task at hand, she wasn’t a child and as much as she found herself marveling and gawking at the crystalline shimmer from the hardened crust of the snow the Oban girl pushed away the youngling-like wonderment and rallied her own determination for the task at hand.
Sandal-clad feet dangled inches above the permafrost while slim hands worked at the harness set around her thighs and hips, a sense of loathing painted the redhead’s expression before she pulled at the vines that dug into her scantily clad frame and dropped the remaining distance into the snow. “Issd!” The curse tore away from the base of her lungs and exploded into the frigid air in one giant puff of lingering steam, seldom did she use the name of her patron goddess in vain though the longer she stayed in the wilds the more often she found herself muttering it like a vulgarity rather than a praise. Giving a tug to the line of slack in the rope Nera signaled to her treetop lover that she had made it to the ground safely. “Alright Jinxie time for us to show Lucijah how great we are, gonna prove to that woman we are worth all this trouble.”
White snowfall crunched underfoot as the boyish redhead trudged towards the frozen pond, she had the basic supplies that she needed for the task, it would be difficult but everything would be manageable with enough time, breaking through the ice, baiting the netting and managing to setup a smokehouse of some kind to preserve the game. Burrowing into the folds of the furred cloak the prentice plowed her way through the banks of heavy, wet snow, leanly-toned legs pulled tight and the fibrous muscles coiled into rigid knots with each step that she took; sluggish and unbalanced the endeavor was exhausting, plunging one foot calf high into the winter snare then forcibly tearing it away from the icy vice-like grasp it captured her limb with; then repeating over and over again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:27 am
Nera had her dangerous work, down below the trees in the icy undergrowth - just as Lucijah had her own work above. She took a brief reprieve, warming her hands as best she could within the laughable hovel she'd thought was a secure home, until now.
Every shifter male worth their salt learned from youth the importance of building a suitable nest in the trees for their future wife and children - how to plant the vines in such a way that they grew into a healthy plant, one that could be harvested and replanted. Lengths grown and coaxed through the years into a winding weavework - curled around bent reeds or supple branches, and wound end on end around the broad branches below for support.
A female leading a household wasn't unheard of, or actively dissuaded - but the long time rivalry against their Alkidike rivals had left a certain distaste for relationships that echoed them. Two women together were normally accepted, but watched - for perhaps Shifters with such a lifestyle sympathized with their long-time rivals for Jauhar a little too closely. Lucijah's mother had been quite keen on bringing an heir into the family - of Lucijah marrying and popping out younglings and moving into a grandly built nest. Lucijah's own childhood nest, which her father had built, had been seen as laughable by most Shifters - not because it was badly made, but because he had employed building techniques used by many other races, including the wood-based buildings of Zenan culture.
An amber colored liquid, which her father had imported from Zena, ensured the wood was water-proof - and so the 'tree-cabin' resisted the elements as well as any nest, even if it did seem uncanny and strange.
How much warmer it was in that cabin than it was here, Lucijah mused. Her knitting of the vines had been tight, but not enough - there were small gaps in places, letting icy air seep into the nest, betrayed by icy slickness along the grooves. 'Leaves' Luci thought, nodding to herself. Outside of the nest, the air was impossibly cold - biting into her skin, and leaving her fingers, toes, and ears burning. Scrabbling up the normally easy climb to the canopy top, Lucijah began to pluck what thinner vines she could, teeth chattering as she wound them around her forearm in long cords, until her arm was heavy and thick. IT was warmer, too - but she had more work. Higher still were healthy leaves, warmed from the sun, the ice and dew lingering. But gravity had long since stripped much of the wetness from them. Carefully Luci gathered as many as she could, stack that she tucked under her armpit and wrapped up in her loincloth like a sack.
It took numerous trips - gathering smaller vines and leaves, and warming herself as best she could in the nest while her shuddering, now numb fingers attempted to weave a fine, mesh net so the leaves wouldn't blow or fall away. The work was sloppy, even by her standards, her fingers near frozen and unwilling to twist or bend for the necessary motions.
After numerous trips, however, Lucijah had a healthy, long net - which she tied to the support branch of the doorway. Long, bendable branches were leaned into a curve, tied together with vines until it curved around the nest, at least five feet off the ground, with a messy net tied between the poles. The leaves, however, were harder. The meager amount she'd collected hardly filled it - so next she would have to gather more leaves.
She had cloth sacks for gathering fruit and berries - this Lucijah took to the higher branches, two large sacks - one that she deposited plucked berries and nuts into, the other for leaves. If she'd prepared ahead of time, Lucijah could have gone to the forest floor to pluck large, fanned leaves - nearly as tall as herself, and accomplished the task faster - but now they were sure to be wet and frozen.
Another lack of forethought, Lucijah thought, her teeth grinding in misery.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 5:20 pm
Nera found herself surrounded by creaking ice, the task of breaking through the hardened surface had been far easier than the girl had anticipated and within two hours she had properly chummed the water and laid out her netting. Exhaustion tightly gripped the youth by the throat and the stinging surge of damp cold air traveling into her chest made a dull ache resonate from her core, each moment that passed caused the prentice to impede further; condensation ran from her crooked nose and dripped down the length of her pointed chin. There was no moment to rest however, Nera was all too aware that if she stopped even for a brief period that she wouldn’t be able to find the strength to rise to her feet once again so instead the redheaded Oban set to work gathering vines, broken limbs and dry underbrush. “This is such bullshit, Jinx. Nothing down here is dry enough to use as insulation, I think we might have to find a tree hollow if we want to get this done right. There are a couple around here that would be perfect, we might have to dig a little, you up for that buddy?”
Trilling in response the Maglardilla snuggled closer his owner and burrowed his face further into her hair for warmth, if she expected him to get out of the cloak he was going to savor what time he had left in it. Tromping around the frozen jungle floor Nera made her way to one of the several warrens that comprised of fallen down trees and uplifted gnarled roots, the underside of the burrow was dry, and stretched back several feet making it a perfect location to setup the primitive smokehouse.
“Essd,” irritably hissed the lean-figured youth as she set to work. Small hands carefully anchored make-shift platforms into the boxed off den while calculating the length she required for the flue. Even though the undertaking was taxing the process only took a short length of time and the fire that she had successfully built in the outcropping of the uplifted tangle of roots blazed triumphantly. Forcing her body to cooperate Nera made her way back to the nets that she had left unattended, the woven vines that she used bobbled at the surface of the water. Within moments the caramel complexioned prentice heaved out a small clutch of fish from the water, gutted and fileted them right there on the ice, re-baited the water with the entrails then headed back to her smokehouse to prepare meager haul.
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Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:48 pm
Lucijah did what she could with the hovel, packing the windbreak with leaves until the interior was at least somewhat warmer - and then spent what time she could packing the what remaining leaves she could into the gaps in the vines. She cut armfuls of smaller branches and hung them upside down from the ceiling, both to dry them for later in the week's burning, and also to take up room in the frigid nest, layering the bedding with more twisted vines, leaves, and what ripped cloth and meagre clothing she had hidden away.
It was still horribly cold inside, but the snow didn't float inside, and it was at least somewhat warmer.
Now Lucijah simply had to find Nera. Descending down the vine ladder was... definitely trying to her - if she'd thought the air above was cold, she was kidding herself. The humidity of the rainforest was gone - instead replaced with cold, floating wet mist and frost that collected on her cheeks. Arms huddled around her middle as Lucijah crept through the ice, feet numb and burning, body shuddering, teeth chattering. At the very least, the stream where Nera had set up her nets was easy to find - she saw the nets, woven by her lover's dextrous and wondrous fingers, layed out perfectly in the icy river. Finding where she CURRENTLY was, however... "Amberling, I h-hope you're a-r-round here still!" She stammered out, flinching as her feet crunched through slushy ice.
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 11:47 pm
The crackle of the fire and the ambient glow from the flames filled the out cropping with warmth and a coziness that the youth hadn’t felt since the night before when she was tucked in the arms of her lover. ‘Amberling,’ Lucijah’s words carried upon the frozen mist of the wintery air, pulling herself up from the spot that she had made into a seat Nera peeked out from the gnarled upturned roots and called back towards the white-haired shifter. “Over here, Northern Star of mine, I have a fire going, come warm yourself!” Giving her arm a wave the redheaded Oban flagged over the shivering Jauhar-brute as she trudged through icy slush in her bare feet.
Jumping to her feet Nera rushed over to the taller woman and ushered her towards the partially concealed alcove, the moment Lucijah was nestled inside the lithe-framed sandling coiled into her lover’s lap wrapping the furred cloak around her shoulders and rubbed the tip of her crooked noise against that of Lucijah’s. “How did the windbreaker thing go,” pausing for just a moment the prentice let out a groan before continuing. “The pond didn’t yield such a big catch but I could roast us a couple right now if you are hungry.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:29 am
Oh thank the goddess. Lucijah hadn't expected a fire below - so hearing the news, she gave a soft, shivering groan of relief and lurched after her lover, settling so her feet were almost dangerously close to the flames. A playful flinch of her features conveyed her dismay at the coldness of Nera's nose against her (because fire or no, it was still nippy in this outcrop), but she gratefully gathered the broad furs around them, coiling her arms around Nera's middle.
She was hungry, but not starving - she'd eaten what frozen fruit she could stomach before - but the sound of cooked fish made her belly grumble. Regardless, Lucijah shook her head and possessively tightened her grip around Nera's waist. "Don't you dare move."She grumbled, resting her face against Nera's, closing her eyes and steadying her breath.
"It... it sufficient, for the time being." She finally admitted, haltingly, once against opening her eyes - but now she looked overcome with hesitance, opening her mouth to speak - but hesitating over the actual words.
After a few moments, Lucijah heaved a sigh. "This won't work, love. Even with fish, fruit... it's simply too cold, and the nest..."It felt like she was physically burning herself to admit these things - her pride didn't like to admit she couldn't take care of Nera here. The alternative was to retreat home with her tail between her legs, suffer the incessant complaints of her mother. After becoming injured she'd gone to see her family often, leaving Nera in the forest in the makeshift nest - but after her lover's kidnapping, Lucijah had run off to war and never come back home. The idea of leaving Nera alone again was too much to bear.
But 'home' wasn't a safe place for Nera - not yet. The resentment of shifters and Alkidike towards the fire people was simply too fresh, and even with Lucijah's commendation there would be plenty who would want to wrest Nera away from her to serve their own brand of justice.
And this experience, if it had proved anything, had made it clear Lucijah simply wasn't strong enough, or smart enough, yet to protect her.
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Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:32 pm
Nera had busied herself with running the length of her hands along firm thighs as she listened to the woman next to her, each stroke of her palms against the darkened flesh of her lover was innocent and invoked desert heat with the friction. How was she supposed to cook if Lucijah held her in a grip that could crush steel? Regardless she obliged and continued to lean against the tall shifter enjoying the blooming warmth their bodies produced together, for a long moment Nera simply lost herself, bright pink eyes had lulled closed and the heady scent of her star-born’s white tresses lulled her in a state of relaxation, it was only when Lucijah sighed heavily did the fire-prentice bring her attention back to the present and the hesitant words that the other spoke with distain.
‘This won’t work,’ Nera felt her eyes widen ever so slightly at the delivery of the statement, when the shifter went on to talk about the fish, berries and how it was just too cold in the nest the redhead felt her shoulders sag and the tightly coiled row of knots in her upper back loosen like wet clay in warm water. Nera wasn’t one to give up but she also wasn’t stubborn or self-destructive she recognized the signs of defeat like any good warrior well before the final blow had been landed. ‘This must be killing her, my precious stalwart moon-child.'
“Maybe, we could spend the winter at our own homes? I could return to my mother, I’ve been--- wanting to see how she was after the defeat,” Nera spat the word out then cleared her throat with a shallow cough to cover the distaste that suddenly seemed to flare up again at the thought of the battle her mother governed over. “She--- was the General there, the one leading the encounter. Besides, it wouldn’t be forever, just until spring. Then we can work on building a better nest or---or travel! I’ve always wanted to travel, Lucijah-mine. I would ask you home but,” dainty hands made a flourish moment as if physically dismissing the thought before she explained herself. “The war. It’s still fresh. I don’t know how well-received you’d be in a city full of men and women that’ve just lost the literal backbone of their society.” Peering up at her brutish counterpart Nera offered a wan smile, the tip of her nose was a hue of bright pink compared to her normally ruddy skin tone which brought out the color of her eyes and somehow highlighted the fullness of her pouty bottom lip. “It would be the same for me in your home, I know this. So--- perhaps it is best if we meet back up later, after this freeze is over?”
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