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 Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 6:53 pm
The irony of Sol arriving in Sol, out of all of Jauhar's many settlements, was not lost on the traveler.
It was simply the closest to Tale, and thus, the easiest for their caravan to reach. The nomads that had escorted them here had said their goodbyes, keen on moving further into the jungle to join up with family and the like. They were pleasant enough people that Sol found himself smiling after, but he wouldn't miss the constant noise; a party was fun and all, but when it carried on for weeks one started to miss silence.
Since traveling to warmer climates Sol had felt the need for a change; he'd long since ditched his cloak, and even the scarf that normally lay wrapped around his shoulders lay discarded in his pack. It wasn't nearly as warm here as it would be further in, but there was still a fine layer of sweat on his skin, regardless. Cloak or not he was still wearing pants, boots, and a top that clung to him. There was no replacing any of that unless he stripped down to 'typical' shifter standards and that just wasn't happening.
Sol canted his head towards the rope ladders hanging down from several of the larger trees. There may have been a number of inns on the lower levels, but Sol didn't trust them. If this was going to be their last night together then he wanted to make sure they wouldn't be robbed. "How good are you at climbing, Koril? If you're uncomfortable I'm sure Sev wouldn't mind giving you and Flana a ride."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 9:11 pm
As they parted from the caravan, Koril bid the nomads a rather exhaustive farewell. While the trip was taking longer than he would have liked in order to get back to his family, he could not find himself regretting a moment of it. His family would be fine. As for himself...
He looked up at the ropes indicated, and then at his companion. Oh yeah.. he would be fine, too. "I can climb. Flana might need help though." He looked down at his familiar and patted her bright yellow head. "You're not really made for climbin' ropes. Not sure I can carry ya and climb at the same time, either." he mused, earning a quizzical look in return. Koril giggled and wiped a bit of moisture from his face as he turned back to Sol. He'd forgotten how damp and warm Jauhar could be. "Gonna need Sev to get her way up there."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 9:44 pm
With a nod of his head, Sol motioned to Sev, and the raptrix took her cue. The large, laboring canine stepped up to the smaller familiar, grasped the back of her neck in her jaws, much like a mother would a pup. Heedless of any sort of reaction from Flana, Sev spread her wings and with a hard thrust, the raptrix was air born. After a point Sol lost the ability to see her, though from sound alone he could tell she was climbing further and further into the trees.
Flana may not care too much for the treatment, but at least she would be safe with Sev to watch over her.
With that issue taken care of, Sol slung his packs over his back. The process of climbing with limited sight was both unnerving, and horribly familiar. When they visited Jauhar in his youth he had no trouble keeping up with Eema in the trees, but now...now so much had changed. Still under the guise of a 'perfectly functioning being', Sol reached out for the tree, frowning when he touched the bark instead. Furrowing his brows, he slid his hand to the right until it touched the rope ladder.
Open as he was becoming, there were still some things he didn't care to share with Koril. But it was becoming harder to hide with each day and that...that had Sol worried. How much longer would it be before he lost his sight all together?
Exhaling, he took a step to the side, and motioned to what he hoped was the tree. "You go first; I've got longer arms so if you fall I can catch you."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 10:17 pm
Flana's ears perked up with surprise at the sudden grab, squirming just a little before instinct took over to make her curl and tuck her legs and tail in close.
Koril watched the pair, unable to help feeling a little bit of nervousness. Sev would take care of Flana though. "I'll be up there soon!" he called after the pair with a cheerful wave.
He walked toward the tree after Sol, brow knitting the slightest bit at the hand sliding along the trunk. Sol wasn't one to pet trees. Strange. He didn't think on it long as the rope was gestured to. Well, it was in the general direction of the ladder. Nothing strange there, right? "Psh! I won't fall!" he said confidently. Shaking out his arms, he scrambled to climb up a few feet before looking back down at Sol brightly. "I wouldn't mind falling into your arms, though," he said playfully before scurrying a little higher.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:14 am
It was becoming painfully obvious to Sol that his grand plan of 'staying in an inn' wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. As a child he was dauntless; there was no tree to high, no river too wide, but it was just occurring to him that without his sight even once he made it to the top he would have difficulties. His antennae flickered, shifting in the slightest closer to Koril as the other spoke.
Just one more night; if he could keep this up for one more night then he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
"You say that now, but wait until you're so far up your arms start shaking." He'd just placed his hands on the rings of the ladder before Koril's banter caused him to stiffen in embarrassment. The hybrid kept his face turned towards the bark of the tree, hiding his expression as he felt his skin burn. The reaction didn't last for long, however; Sol quickly grasp the sides of the rope in his hands and started to climb up the rings of the ladder. Even with experience he had to remember to shift his weight, since it wasn't as if the rope ladder was as stable as anything made from solid wood.
"Were you always such a cheeky little brat?" Even as he asked it Sol was chuckling. He couldn't stop himself if he tried.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:32 am
Koril peered up at the rope, trying to follow it as high as possible. ....The trees and branches blocked where the rope ended. He had always been one for running around and climbing things, but he had to admit that this was a new task to tackle. Most of his time was spent either at the inns on the ground or at towns that had easier ways up, or his own camp setup.
....Nah. He'd be fine!
"Only with you!" he called back with a grin. Sol really did bring a lot of different things out of him. The past few weeks might have started on a low note, but they had ended up being refreshing and precious to him. It was depressing to think that the trip would be ending soon. He wanted to chatter further to keep his mind off things, but it wasn't long until his focus had to go to climbing. "Why are the trees so tall?" he finally huffed at one point, hooking one arm around the ladder so that he could shake out his other arm.
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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:24 pm
Hand over hand, rising up as he'd done time and time before, Sol found a little solace in the rhythm. He could hear the chitter of Jauhar's giant insects flitting around the branches above him. It was a little unnerving, hearing them without really seeing the creatures, but at least with his antennae he could narrow down where they were. In earthling company they stood out, but here....here they were as natural as breathing.
And when he looked up, Sol could just make out the taut surface of Koril's backside as he climbed....
When they came to a 'resting' spot, Sol just shook his head with a smile. "With so many trees in one area they have to grow tall if they ever want to see the sun." Pausing for a bit, Sol looked up again, "Hey....you think you can make it the rest of the way?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:44 pm
Koril gave an exasperated groan. "They could all see the sun if they stayed short," he replied rhetorically. Trading arms to shake out, he peered up into the branches above before looking back down and giving Sol a wave. "I can get it. Looks like the platform is pretty close. Just.. need ta sit a minute." So much straight climbing was tiring! Even so, he didn't really want his friend to see it. What could Sol do now, anyway? He couldn't be carried the rest of the way, and Sev was up top already and guarding Flana. "You doin' okay, Sol?" As if he actually needed to ask... Sol sounded just fine.
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:11 pm
"...we could always sit on the branches, if you want? I'm sure there's at least a few sturdy enough to support us." At least they were nearing the platform; that was a good sign. Sol had expected to hear the sounds of others milling around, but maybe they were in a different area? It was enough to make his brows furrow. If he was trying to rely solely on sound then it looked like his life would just get harder.
"Yeah, I'm fine. My. Eema lives here." He said it so casually that Sol barely even caught himself, but when he did his cheeks burned. "Eema is my...she was my fathers' surrogate. The whole family stays close." Sol moved up a few rings until he was close enough feel Koril's sandal on the same rung as his hand. Despite his earlier offer, Sol shook his head and urged him onward. "Come on, just a little further and we can have a lazy afternoon."
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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:39 pm
Koril looked at the surrounding branches and nodded. They would easily support two people just needing a break. Distracted by the new name though, he looked down at the other hybrid with surprise. "Oh, that'll be good! I bet it's been a while since you've seen her, since I met ya in Zena!"
He blinked at the approaching man before his body slumped like a reluctant child's. "Aww!" he complained, giving the branches a wistful look as he resumed the climb. As much as he wanted to be lazy now, he knew he would enjoy slacking off later even more if he got this out of the way quicker. Of course, quicker while tired meant.. not quite as careful. Displaying his classic gracefulness when moving too quickly, he tried to push up with a foot that wasn't braced properly. He let out a peep of surprise when he felt the mistake, and tired hands cramped when they tried to catch his weight. "Look out," he yelped without thinking, still trying to catch himself. He didn't want to hit Sol below him!
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 9:32 pm
"It's been a few years," Sol murmured, thinking back on the last time he'd been to Jauhar. It was back when his fathers' had returned from Oba and those...weren't especially good memories to fall back on. He knew his papa shared letters with Eema from time to time, but no one had come to check on her in recent years. With one father dead, the other traveling and a sister who couldn't sit still Sol saw no reason not to visit with the woman.
Of course Sol couldn't look out; the hit happened all too quickly. All of a sudden there was a foot slamming into his face, knocking Sol off balance. For a moment he leaned back, letting go of the ladder in a startled panic. In that moment his eyes widened, heart stilling in his chest before reflexively curling his chest and pulling himself forward, slamming up against the three back in a desperate bid to keep from falling. Thankfully his feet remained steady, and now...now his hands were firmly clasped around the ladder. Too tight, maybe; surely he'd have rope burn if he wasn't wearing gloves.
"What's wrong with you?! Are you trying to kill me?" His voice was a little too loud, allowing his anxiety to slip through. It didn't help that his face was aching and that something wet was dribbling down onto his lips. Tentatively, Sol move his hand just enough away from the ladder to touch his nose and found the sore of his pain...as well as some blood.
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Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:48 pm
Koril winced when he felt his foot hit something that was too soft for ladder or tree, followed by the tug on his arms as his elbows hooked to catch himself from going further. His face flushed dark at the scolding, cautiously peeking down. "Of course I'm no-," he whined, face hot and dark with embarrassment and concern when he saw the result of his slip. Sol was bleeding! "..... I'm sorry," he murmured.
Not a stranger to being snarled at, though not in such a precarious position. Pressing his lips, he defaulted to climbing off from the ladder to the nearest sturdy branch. For one, he needed to rest his arms, and for another, he needed to grab bandages. "Do you.. want to stop for a bandage or go ahead? I'm.. gonna sit.. for a little..."
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 12:39 pm
If looks could killed Koril would have been fried by now.
It wasn't hard to spike Sol's ire, but at least these days he wasn't bottling it up. That being said, it likely wasn't easy to hear half the things had to say, though at the moment he was choosing to be mostly quiet. His face did hurt, after all, and his nose was still bleeding. Not enough to be of concern, but the fact he couldn't wipe it away immediately, for fear of falling, was irritating to the man.
"Just...just scoot over." Sol moved up a few pegs until he felt sure that he was near Koril before tentatively reaching out to his side. At first he felt nothing; then he raised his hand, felt the branch, and proceeded to, very carefully, pluck his way over to it. Naturally that meant he hadn't noticed if Koril had moved over or not, so when his thigh brushed against the others he was momentarily tempted to go back to the ladder. Unfortunately, he was already this far into it and didn't see any point in going back.
Once he was settled Sol reached up to his face. There would be some bruising on his cheek, but nothing bad. His nose, though....Sol hissed when he touched the swollen bridge of his nose. Thankfully nothing was broken, but it was still bleeding. Even as he held his hand to it a steady stream of little drops kept trickling into his hand. He pinched it and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs for the time being.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:59 pm
Koril started to shuffle through his pack, keeping his eyes firmly away from Sol out of guilt. His brow rose at the words, and he quickly scooted to make room. Apparently not enough... but now that Sol was slipping into place... He finally dared to peek over, wincing again at the sight of the blood. That would definitely bruise that handsome face.
Hooked inside his bag was a small medical kit, mostly filled with antidotes for the known animal venoms. There was also a clear cleansing solution though, and he pulled that out along with the bandages. "Here.." he said softly, holding out the items with both hands. They still shook slightly from the exertion, and he moved carefully to keep from dropping them. He bit his lip softly, avoiding saying anything further.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:20 pm
When Sol had envisioned their last night together he didn't account for Koril's gracelessness. There had been thoughts of getting a room, maybe some drinks, one last round of dancing...
...instead, his legs hung over a thick, crimson branch in the jungle while he tried staunching a bleeding nose. It...wasn't exactly ideal, but honestly, it wasn't terrible. Yes, his face did ache, though at the very least they didn't have to interact with others. He could hear them, shuffling about on rope bridges above him with purposes that were beyond them. For the moment the two were in a little pocket of Jauhar all their own, which gave them time to rest.
Twitching his antennae, Sol turned his head and followed the flow of Koril's aura. He could 'sense' the general direction of his hands, which helped when Sol raised his free palm to seek him out. His apparent hesitation, however, and the slowness with which he reached for Koril's offerings were telling. He'd thought he was reaching for a bandage, but furrowed his brow when he touched something else. "What is this?"
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