[PRP] Join our campaign. [ Oranbas+crew | Khamisi ]

[musicaloner7]

The day was rather pleasant, surprisingly enough. There was but a faint n** and chill in the air that would roll by on random occasions, ruffling the lighter parts attached to the bulky kalona. His crew and him had ventured just off the mountains and were in pursuit of a new place to camp for a few days to restock and refuel, before continuing on their adventures. As per usual, it was his duty to scout out the area, a job he was quite used to in his days as a ruthless kalona soldier. It reminded him of his days as a lowly foot soldier, but it wasn't something he disliked. There was a sense of familiarity, without the expectations. Brilliant yellow eyes traversed the wooded area from atop the raised earth he stood upon. Plenty of coverage was to be had, via the forests, but the grass outside was dry and dead, or far too bristled to be edible. Perhaps the forest floor provided some means of nutrition...

He wandered further down from his pedestal, massive wings folded neatly against his back, slinky tail flicking and curling silently behind him as he strode with purpose. There were no offending scents that provided a means of warning or worry... a few old grizzly bear tracks from months prior, and a few wolves had tracked by this area probably in pursuit of some sort of migratory ungulates. But so far, so good. This would indeed do well for his group to settle in. However he was not done, as the woods themselves need to be investigated...

 

[Lady_Ourania]

It seemed implausible that someone who didn't have any set destination could become so lost. Still, there was no sense in denying that the forest around him was wholly unfamiliar, bearing none of the landmarks that a few months spent living in the same place had instilled in his awareness. He couldn't exactly foster the blame off on someone else, either. It had been his choice to follow the promise of company, dogging the friendly mare's steps, her light, musical voice still tinkling in his ears. But he'd stopped seeing that fleet, ivory figure some miles back, the mischief in her bright eyes perhaps more mocking than he'd realized at the time. That he had managed to keep up with her as long as he did may have been a better indicator of his determination than her interest.

If not for the rapid drop in temperature that night, he might have eventually found his way back. Instead, Khamisi had wedged his streamlined bulk beneath an outcropping of shrubbery, adopting a vaguely fawn-like posture with his limbs tucked beneath him, body secured by his tail to conserve heat. Morning, at least, had brought some relief in the form of sunlight, its heat burning through the dew that had gathered in the ridges between his scales. A sigh caused the nearest patch of pale, pink flowers to wobble slightly, the bright-backed leaves shifting uneasily. Being alone gave him too much time to think, to feel acutely the various scratches and nicks he'd acquired from giving chase. Because whatever else he might have misunderstood, the mare had appeared to enjoy the pursuit. If only it could have gone on a little longer...

Movement in the corner of his vision broke through the cobweb-thin thought, bronze ears angling forward to catch any related noise. Whoever it was, they were quiet enough that he might have missed them entirely if not for his unique position. A flash of pale color in motion snared his attention, and the heaviness in his ribcage abated slightly, displaced by a rapidly sprouting kernel of hope. Had she come back? Maybe she'd expected him to keep up, only to turn around and discover him gone. The brush shuddered violently as Khamisi struggled upright, pins and needles in his legs from hours spent in a cramped position. The kirin emerged from his hiding place with leaves skewered on his ridged spine and caught in his hair, the rippled blue on his legs and belly half-hidden by mud.

Bedraggled and beaming, he brought his head around and froze. The countenance that met his searching eyes was not, in fact, the delicate mare that had led him on. She'd never had such a predatory air about her, for starters, nor a whip-like tail that ended in a wicked spade. Pale, mussed hair coursed down broad features, bands of storm-cloud grey lending a snarled quality to the stranger's muzzle. If he'd had any lingering doubts about the other's position in the food chain, the stark contrast of the rosette marks that blotted his coat and the underside of his wings resolved them.

Disappointment broke across Khamisi's face a moment before he could think to mask it, but curiosity tempered the expression somewhat. A Kalona. He'd never encountered one before, though he'd heard of them in enough detail to recognize one. As a species, the rumor was that they tended to stick to themselves, clumped more like packs than herds, and selective in who they permitted to join them. A niggling reminder about ill-temperedness played in the back of his head, but it seemed unwise to explore it with those bright, vaguely incisive eyes on him.

"Ah, hello," he said haltingly, a timid smile playing across his mouth. "I. Um. Is this your territory?"  

[musicaloner7]

Lady_Ourania

The pair of skulls, lined with assorted bones, laced along his neck knocked together to cause a gentle clinking as his chest shifted with each placed step. It was an almost calming sound to him, so faint and hardly picked up on unless one was right up close, like hollowed reeds bumping one another under the influence of a playful breeze. Such a nice and pleasant sound...

Nostrils flared on occasion as he took a deeper breath to gather more scents around him, head tipping upwards, eyes staring even to the sky itself to gauge what the weather might hold in store. Moisture was present but not condensed and heavily laden in the air... rain would not come today, which was a positive at current. They needed to rest somewhere dry, after all, and given that their sights were on this wood, it would prove inconvenient should a rainstorm wash over it. The veteran took notice of the varying wildlife that were residents here, looking to their hidden nests, feeding spots... as well as taking a side note of what game he could hunt for himself. Meat was his basic, and daily diet, and a good hunt wasn't to be missed. It was what made him most... normal, in a way, after all. It held a sense of purpose, tied to his days as a hardened soldier that knew nothing but to kill.

He was a more watered down version of himself, internally, yet remained unscathed by time or experience externally. The same scars littered his beautiful pelt, only a few new dawned on him from his first encounter with Athena. It'd been something he'd deserved, though, and a deep respect had been instilled with it. His loyalty towards her was unwavering, as she was a magnificent leader he was proud to travel by.

His heavy steps stopped suddenly when brush nearby rustled and jerked about unnaturally nearby, his eyes instantly snapping to it, and his muscles tightening under his alright taut skin... most indeed ready to take down what ever resided within the vegetation. In fact his wings were prepped to splay out in a larger display of himself for both intimidation and shock factor towards his unknown company, twitching very faintly once the stranger revealed themselves.

Another stallion.

Oranbas stared unblinking, and intensely at the other male, his posture unchanging from its rigid, but prepared state. His mind was calculating, taking everything this other presented into account; size, stature, musculature, tone, scent, the armor of his scales, and a loose grasp of mind set from that brief bit of speech. It took awhile for the kalona to reply, analyzing his overview to come up with a proper reaction and response. Slowly, his muscles relaxed a little, and his body turned to face fully towards the mixbreed. It held resemblance to Tristan, in a way...But foreign breeds were something he was still trying to grasp.

Ah. But a reply was needed. Based on the question asked, this... forlorn looking gent wasn't a native to these parts either. "No. But I shall be borrowing it for a few days." his deep, heavy voice answered slowly, as if dripping from his lips.  

[Lady_Ourania]

Silence met his question, and Khamisi could practically feel himself wilting under the potency of that stare. His ears very gradually began to tick back, coming to a halt when they were parallel with the curve of his skull. It may have just been sleep-deprivation and weariness contributing to a general sense of unease, but the other's reaction to his appearance hardly seemed standard. A quick scan of his words hinted at nothing offensive held therein, and certainly no barb strong enough to warrant some kind of physical retaliation. That didn't stop Khamisi's feet from shifting subtly to accommodate a wider stance, body sinking into a more defensible position. If this was the Kalona's territory, maybe it didn't matter that he'd declared his presence, or even that he'd wandered in unwittingly from the start. For all he knew, murdering interlopers served as some kind of pastime for bored stallions of their species.

Still, it had been a long time since he'd needed to protect himself in earnest, and never since he'd had to make a go of it alone. He became acutely aware of the weight of the horn that spiraled out from the center of his forehead, an instrument made for healing that nonetheless ended in a rapier tip. His scales were stronger than they looked, but they only protected his flank and spine, fanned along the crests of his shoulders. Please don't, he shoved the thought directly into the taut lines of the other's body, swallowing thickly around his own dread. If it came right down to it, he'd rather turn and run, never look back. But that might not be an option here.

Just as quickly as he'd tensed, the stallion relented in his bristling scrutiny. He wasn't off his guard, but neither did he seem prepared to tear his throat out. Khamisi couldn't help the burst of relieved air that escaped his lips, embarrassment surfacing a second later. Given the other stallion's size - and the teeth he knew lingered behind that stubbornly unmoving mouth - a fight between the two of them wouldn't have been much of a contest. It took longer still for a response to bridge the space between them, and his ears sprang back up to capture the words, greedy for a voice other than his own. A negative spun into an affirmative, and he nodded slowly. Fair enough, if a little unexpected. "Right. Sorry. I was just leaving, anyway..." He paid a quick glance to their surroundings, then wet his dry mouth with his tongue. Surely there was no harm in asking? "I don't suppose you've seen a mare come through here?" he asked carefully, wary still of setting the other off. "We were traveling together for a while. I lost her." He paused, then amended the statement with a self-deprecating smirk, "Or she lost me. Either way, I wanted to make sure she got out okay."  

[musicaloner7]

Lady_Ourania

The clear relief this stranger expressed was... surprising, to say in the least. It looked as though the other stallion had been holding his breath the entire time they'd found one another. But Oranbas remained calm, and watching, not yet convinced entirely of this other travelers intent. From all he'd went through, and the wars he'd seen waged, he knew the art of deceit quite well, and how powerful it could be. Even those with weak stature could make for the worst of foes. Never underestimate anyone, was a key mind set to any successful fighter.

Still... this guy was acting quite curious. Different from others he'd met so far since leaving his home and land. As he listened to the grief that this male seemed to be in, his head turned slowly, nostrils flaring once more to give deep inhales. So this guy'd been following someone... were they here? And if so, were they a possible threat to his comrades? he still could not smell anyone besides the two of them, that had scents fresh enough. There were a few females that were faint, and months old, but... surely the stranger hadn't been lost that long... had he? But if the two truly had been traveling as a pair, she wouldn't have left him like this... unless... she truly did not wish to be with him. If that were the case... then why? Was there something wrong with him? Or was he something to be concerned about?

Staring back at Khamisi again, his scrutinizing expression returned, "No. I've seen no one but yourself. And there aren't any scents fresh enough to suggest another has passed by anytime soon." he replied slowly, watching for his companies reaction to this grave news. This made him think, "Had you done something to warrant her abandoning you?" he asked skeptically. It was a forward question, but the best way to figure out more of this males character.  

[Lady_Ourania]

The heft behind that gaze had an oddly stifling effect on him, cold and weighty as an avalanche. Khamisi found himself drawing in a deep, lung-enriching breath as the lamplight stare at last shifted away from him, the other stallion scenting the air with care. He sniffed the air discreetly as well, afraid he'd missed an obvious tell. Nothing of merit met his senses, but the rain had drowned out many of the usual markers. Perhaps being of a carnivorous persuasion afforded the Kalona a better range when it came to chasing errant scents down? Technically, this stallion would consider someone like the mare he'd so recently accompanied a prey animal. With his blunt teeth and soft underbelly, Khamisi realized that he also would have fallen into such a category. And wasn't that a cheery thought? He grimaced, absently brushing his sides with his tail in an old, nervous habit. The gesture succeeded in dislodging a number of the leaves that had formerly made up his hiding place, so he allowed it to mindlessly repeat.

When the answer came, it was largely as he'd expected. He nodded, repressing the low sound that wanted to work its way past his throat. Well, so much for his theory that they had simply become separated by the storm. Even he'd known that was wishful thinking on his part.

He wasn't prepared for the follow-up, however, his pale eyes flickering back up from where they had been mutely observing the damp ground. Those irises clouded over slightly, growing grey and troubled as he absorbed the implications. It was a fair question, if one to which he had no readily available response. "I don't know," Khamisi answered softly, his brows knitting in thought. He'd assumed that the mare had grown tired of him, but perhaps he'd said something to ward her off? It wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility - his knack for talking out of turn had cost him budding friendships in the past. And he had likely spoken more than he should have, trying to fill the quiet with banter, some comment winsome enough to warrant her quiet, lilting replies. "We... weren't much to each other. Not yet," he admitted, mouth lifting in a wry smile. "She said she wanted to play a game, and I was willing enough. If I offended her, she didn't mention it."

In retrospect, most of the words she'd spared him had been dedicated to the grove he'd called his own. And he had run with it, boasting of its lushness, how it was relatively free of pests and predators alike. His face warmed as he remembered her wit, how easily she had turned it on him, led him astray without any real effort. If all she'd wanted to do was lure him from his home, there were easier ways of achieving similar ends. Khamisi gave a soft cough to cover the flash of mortification, drawing back and tipping his head toward the other. "Not that, uh, you needed to know that. Sorry. Thank you - for checking." He turned away, regarding his surroundings with a tight set to his features. If the Kalona planned on settling down here, it was probably time for him to clear out. Not that he really had anywhere to go. Retracing his steps to find the old grove was suddenly a less than palatable prospect. If she was there, it would confirm suspicions he'd rather he hadn't cultivated in the first place. Not that the chances of him fumbling his way back were especially high. His working knowledge of the night sky was limited enough that constellations would be of no help, and night was hours away yet, anyway. No, it would be best if he started fresh, found somewhere else and settled anew. He didn't treasure the idea, but it was better than standing around looking bereft.