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 Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 3:31 pm
It was rather early, and because of such the forests of Jauhar had yet to get up to temperature. The morning due was still on the leaves and left little wet spots on the hybrid's pants as she walked by. Zoraida loved coming out before the forest floor got too hot. Not only was it cooler, but it also seemed more peaceful to her. Animals were either just getting up or just going to bed and she loved seeing all the little animals scurrying about. But today, today she had planned to work on something, surprisingly not anything dance related. After making it a good distance from the house she lived in with her two adoring parents, Zora looked up at the tall forest trees. People of her heritage, the shifters and alkidikes were adept at walking and running and even living in the trees. Yet this hybrid had trouble walking on the forest floor! She had wanted to try and work on it for this reason, and not wanting her parents to worry, that she chose to go out early in the morning and find a group of trees that weren't too high up. She had found such a group one evening when she had been out with her mother and had tried to remember the location. With successful steps, she found her way back and stood below the lowest limb, which was still another 5 feet above her or so. Why did her parents have to choose the part of the forest that had the tallest trees Zora would never figure out. Ungracefully, she wrapped her limbs around the large trunk and shimmied up it with surprising speed. She had made it to the tree limb! Zoraida felt triumphant, but it was only the beginning of the battle. She steadied herself and stood, feeling like she was on top of the world, Carefully, with as much concentration and balance as she could muster, Zoraida managed to make it no more than 3 steps when she felt herself slipping and then falling and screaming. Instinctively, her limbs reached out and there she was, hanging like a sloth, clinging upside down to the branch. Her breath was heavy and it looked like an awfully long way down. "Help?!" She called out tentatively.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 3:56 pm
Sometimes Nyiim left. It was nothing against his village or the people therein, it was just an urge. Although he had always enjoyed exploring, he had done it within Tale for the most part, and only with other Leaf tribesmen, or more often than not with no one at all. He took with him only the food he had stored and did not take what he didn't deserve from the village; it was his exploring-rations, most often dried or heavily salted. The plan was that if he got to half, he would either turn back home or take to hunting at his own risk. Since acquiring his bow and some decent training, that was a much less daunting task.
He had been away from home for two full days now, awaking on the third to find Bosede chewing on a wet stick he'd found on the forest floor.
Perhaps 'alone' was the wrong word. Nyiim had, after all, had Bosede for quite some time now. The hobbled raptrix was always by his side, unquestioningly loyal and fiercely protective. Just because he wasn't always with people didn't mean he was alone.
The young man had a pack on his back and a quiver at his hip, simply holding his bow as they walked. It was still early in that beautiful, bright, crisp sort of way and even the birds seemed pleased that the rain had let up, if only for a while. He imagined he was 'alone' considering he had only passed a small Shifter encampment as of yet, but the ambient noise seemed to prove otherwise. Help? Someone needed help?
His first thought was that he was near a village, but the map said nothing for at least a half mile. Besides, people didn't tend to hesitantly ask for help when they were surrounded by other people.
"Hello?" he called back. He was moving in the direction of the noise, but in a crowded jungle sounds bounced and echoed oddly sometimes. His pace was more brisk now, considering he may be the only person available to help. "Find it," he said then, gesturing for Bosede to find their target. The raptrix trotted off, weaving through the leaves, and seemed to find it.
He stood beneath the hybrid, wagging his tail happily and yet rumbling deep in his chest. He barked twice and Nyiim jogged to catch the sound. What he found was a blue-skinned woman hanging from a tree limb. He couldn't help but grin, and it was an almost awkward, boyish expression. He set his hands to his hips and just looked up at her a moment. She was a good ten feet up, but that wasn't how you climbed trees if you wanted to live. His mind told him: Ice tribe? No, that didn't explain the color of her hair or the marking on her forehead. How strange!
"A bit stuck?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:27 pm
Zoraida wasn't hanging there long but even so, her muscles were protesting the use and burned leaving her feeling very uncomfortable. And though she wasn't there long, it sure felt like she had been until she heard some ruffling noises below her and then heard some barks. Had some animal found her? If so, then she weas really screwed. Then, even with the long fall she would only get eaten by whatever hungry animal was barking up her tree. Thankfully, she heard a voice then, and her head swung back and forth trying to move the dangling hair out of the way so she could see the speaker. In the end she gave up and let her head fall back to see an adorable grinning man looking up on her. "Yeah I...thought it would be fun. Obviously I was wrong." She said with a laugh and sarcasm in her voice that told the man she never intended to end up this way.
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:46 pm
"Well, it can be fun," Nyiim offered, turning to the tree trunk. "Hold on, I'll be right there."
He was no acrobat. Jumping over five feet was not going to happen, so he had no choice but to go up to the young woman. She could well have been stuck for a while, so it was prescient to rush a bit. Bosede watched, ears perked and tails wagging slowly while his master shimmied up the trunk of the tree with practiced skill. Climbing things became necessary when you lived in a tree and your fellow man sometimes entrusted you with their roofs and homes. He didn't live in a tree any more, but it wasn't like he could forget, and he kept in decent enough shape to be able to hold his own weight.
That in mind, he clung to the trunk with his legs and one arm while pivoting at the waist to grab the branch to which she clung. He felt the limb to be sure it could hold them both, found it strong and alive, and pulled himself up onto it. Rather than stand and potentially shake the poor girl off, he crawled toward her on all fours, then wrapped his legs around the branch, hooked his ankles beneath it, and grabbed her wrists.
She was a pretty sort, he noticed. Exotic for certain. She was no Alkidike, nor did she seem to be a Shifter, and if she was Ice she was certainly of mixed heritage. His smile had disappeared, so he offered a soft one to try and reassure her that he wasn't going to hurt her.
"Grab my wrists," he offered with a nod toward them. It would take a great deal of trust in strangers to have her let go of her sturdy perch and take up said stranger's grip alone, but it was this or falling at this point. Besides, Nyiim had lived his life trusting the kindness of strangers.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:49 pm
It was a shock to the younge woman when the man seemed so willing to help her. She shouldn't be surprised as much as thankful. It would have been a painful fall if someone hadn't shown up. With the animal still beneath her, Zora wondered if she could just let go and let the man catch her, but it seemed the other had another thought. She watched, what she could see anyway, as the man expertly climbed the tree with surprising grace and ease that made her envious. If only she could move like him! It was clear, though, that he had experience with trees as he tested his wait and then crawled over to her. It took her a moment after he told her to grab his wrists to figure out what he was asking. "Oh, oh of course." Zoraida said, hesitating no more as she squeezed as hard as she could with her legs before letting go, one hand at a time to grab his wrists. Her hands were surprisingly devoid of sweat but they were cold. Zora's hands clamped onto his wrists hoping she wasn't squeezing too tight but she didn't want to fall. Finally, she unwrapped her legs from the branch and felt herself hanging. Whether it was because she was falling or the man was holding her there, Zora didn't know, mainly because she had her eyes crammed shut. "Don't drop me." Was the only other thing that showed her worry.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:02 pm
For all Nyiim had grown to place his trust in strangers, it generally didn't come to other so easily. Her willingness to comply struck him for a moment as she altered her grasp. She was holding him rather firmly and thus he felt safe in tightening his own grip.
"Now j-- ooh, okay." The young woman acted before he could offer any instruction, but at least it had been in the way he'd planned for. The muscles of his arms strained at the sudden dead weight and he grimaced as he maintained his grip. For some reason, a little laugh escaped his chest when he noticed she had closed her eyes. This whole ordeal was sort of ridiculous.
"I won't, but you're going to have to let go," he said, voice a bit strained. He lowered her to the full length of his arms, relieving some of the tension, and let her hang. "It's just a couple more feet."
Back on the ground, Bosede had put his paws against the trunk of the tree and stretched his neck up and back to try and sniff this new person, his nose already twitching with huffs of air.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:16 pm
An eye opened tentatively as she didn't feel herself hit the ground when she thought she would, and instead, felt a tight grasp on her own wrists. So he was holding her, but she didn't know how long he would be able to hold onto her, or how long she would be able to hold on. Zora nodded and looked below her when she began to feel little puffs of air on her feet. "I...okay. Um, if its only a few more feet you can drop me and I think I'll land on my feet." She kept looking below her, it wasn't as far anymore and Zora thought she might be okay, she might even land on her feet! At least she hoped she would land on her feet, she didn't want to fall on her butt in front of this guy who was rather cute and trying to help her. "Your raptrix...it isn't going to bite me right? It knows I'm definitely not dinner...hopefully..." Zora was ready whenever he was, she would have to time it right as to not pull him down with her! From what she'd seen, it was probably unlikely but one could never know.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:39 pm
He waited until her eyes were open to begin letting her go, and stopped when she spoke. It wasn't unusual for people to find Bosede intimidating, but Nyiim barely ever remembered to reassure them.
"He's harmless," he said with a nod, which wasn't quite true. The raptrix had the same dangerous talons and teeth as any other but he was far from wild. Unless Nyiim sicced him on her, he wasn't going to attack. As if t prove his point, the Leaf man looked down at the beast and gave him an order, "Down."
Bosede heeded his master's command and first sat, then put his belly to the jungle floor and waited there. Nyiim's grip began to loosen as he tried to let the girl down.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:29 pm
With visual relief from seing that simple command obeyed, Zoraida smiled at him and nodded as he began to lower her down once more. She followed his lead and slowly let her grasp on his wrists loosen and it wasnt long before she felt herself falling the last three or four feet to the ground. Land on your feet land on your feet, she chanted silently to herself. Much to her dismay, however, when she felt the impact from the ground jar her legs, she felt them buckle beneath her and begin to fall backwards. In an attempt to right herself, she threw her weight forward yet she over compensated too much and with uncontrollable speed she was falling straight onto her face with no way to stop herself. And with that, her life was over. Not really. It wasn't like it was the first time something like this had ever happened. Maybe he would laugh and then she would laugh with him silly klutz that she was. Without any of the grace she tried so hard to achieve, she sat back and rubbed at her nose. Only effectively clearing off half of the dirt smudge that appeared from her toddler like faceplant. "Oh, well, uh, thank kyou very much. That would have been a nasty fall if you hadn't found me! Your Raptrix seems very well tamed." Zoraida said suddenly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 10:24 am
At first Nyiim was worried, but a fall on the butt wasn't the worst thing. Somehow, though, the girl ended up face-down in the grass. He didn't laugh outright, but a strained smile did cross his face for a moment, although it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"Are you alright?" he asked, still laying on the branch high above the ground. He was unhooking his legs, though, and slowly pushing himself up. If he came back to the ground, at least they wouldn't have to shout. He rose to walk down the rest of the bough and slipped down the trunk with his feet as brakes. Bosede turned up to watch his master and began shaking. Nyiim scratched the raptrix's head and nodded. "Okay."
Bosede rose and licked Nyiim's hand as the Leaf man approached the fallen girl. "You're welcome," he replied with a nod and then added, "He's a good boy."
Bosede's tail wagged at the compliment and went to the young woman, nudging her with his nose. Was she alright?
"I'm Nyiim." A hand reached down to help her up, and the barest smile lay on his lips.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:38 pm
"Oh, you know...just erm making the ground's acquaintance." Zora said in an attempt to hide her blunder with humor, as she normally did. She couldn't help but laugh when the raptrix came and nudged her with his nose. It was wet and kind of cold but surprisingly refreshing and not icky! She held out her hand to him to see if he would allow her to pet him. That's how you were supposed to go about it right? "It's nice to meet you, Nyiim. Thanks again for saving me. My names Zoraida." She felt that the hint of a smile on his mouth was encouragement, she took his hand, not as tightly as she had gripped his wrists before, but still rather firmly as he helped her up. She felt herself begin to feel a little jittery around him, and up close, she could tell he was pretty attractive.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 4:12 pm
Bosede sniffed the proffered hand but backed away when it came time to get the girl back to her feet. He returned, though, wagging his tail happily. His facial expression suggested he was still hesitant and prepared for the new stranger, but Nyiim wasn't worried. That was how it went. It took quite a few visits for the raptrix to get especially warmed-up.
"Of course, and the pleasure's all mine." He still couldn't place her heritage, but it had to be an interesting one. It was unusual for him to want to stand and chat with someone, but he had that urge now. clearly she didn't climb trees often, and as far as he knew they were quite a way away from the nearest settlement... at least that's what the map had said. He just peered down at her, head tilted slightly to one side, and reminded himself to smile. The art of conversation often evaded him.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:59 pm
Zora smiled as the raptrix wagged it's tail happily after she stood up. It still seemed cautious, but she wasn't going to press on anything. That's how people got hurt with animals after all! The slight tilt of Nyiim's head made her wonder what he was thinking about. But, instead of standing there awkwardly and staring at him staring at her, Zora figured she should say something, anything. "So you climbed that tree really quickly. Are you like..a professional tree climber?" Her smile was hesitant, unsure if her jokes were welcome or not. "All jokes aside, do you..." She looked away nervously. Was it okay to ask something of a stranger she had just met, one that had taken the time to save her at that too. "Do you think you could teach me?" Zoraida absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger, wondering in what way the man would call her crazy.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 2:11 pm
The joke was lost on Nyiim. Somewhere there had to be someone who climbed trees having to do with their profession. He had just lived in them. There was a difference.
"Uh." He peered up at the tree, the limb they had descended from still a good five feet in the air. "I could try." His gaze returned to Zoraida and he offered a little smile. "For now, though, I might just suggest climbing with partners."
He wouldn't know where to start in teaching her to climb. It just sort of happened! When you were little, you climbed trees specifically because your parents told you not to, and you just progressively got better. It seemed that Zoraida hadn't grown like that. Well then practice would make perfect, right? She was just getting a late start. He turned up to the tree, squinting into the sun, and then shrugged to the blue-skinned young woman. "I could try," he repeated.
Bosede was not so nervous about the new person any more, and so sat down in the grass and snuffed the air. He didn't smell danger, just people, and his master seemed alright with this one.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 2:23 pm
Zoraida's grin was bigger than it had been in weeks thanks to Nyiim. She rubbed her hands on her pants to get rid of the dirt that was still on them as she walked closer to the tree. While it didn't seem that her joke had any effect, it didn't really matter to her. He said he would try to teach her how to climb trees and she wasn't about to turn that down! "Oh really? Thank you! So where do we start?" Zora figured it might be best to keep the jokes to a minimum since her last one hadn't received any laughs. It pleased her that the raptrix seemed more at ease and for a moment, she got distracted watching him sniff the air and once more held her hand out to him. It suddenly occurred to her that he must think she's been living under a rock since she can't climb trees...maybe it would come up in conversation and she could explain! But she'd rather not embarrass herself more so unless it came up, Zora decided she wouldn't talk about it...and would try to have as much balance as possible.
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