A Song of Knowledge [Kendall, Ethan]

[Fusha]

Fusha Timestamp 30th of Winter 511 AV Fusha woke up in cold sweat, her heart beating so hard she thought it might jump from her chest. She shot up to a sitting position, pulling her furs up over her bare chest and breasts. Blinking, she rested her hands on the ground and fell back down onto her sleeping mat, her head hitting her overstuffed pillow. It was just a dream, she told herself, it was just a dream… Then again, she couldn’t even remember what the dream was about. The sky was particularly dark that night, with the moon only a sliver and the stars seeming to be faded into the deep, dark sky. Awareness soon gave into sleep, and her body once more took on the state of unconsciousness so familiar to all living beings, where dreams of fantastical things are so prevalent, and dreams of mundane life are not. The beautiful young woman rolls over on her sleeping mat, recoiling from the sun and refusing to admit that it is morning. After a few minutes, she knows the battle is lost and pulls herself out from under the furs, revealing her body to be judged by all who may look on. She feels the icy kiss of the northern winds travel throughout her whole body and holds on to the feeling, icy to the touch, but warm and welcoming inside because it signifies home. She missed the feeling during summer time, and holds onto it dearly in hopes of prolonging its absence. Remembering that today is the day that she planned to head into the city, she digs around in her backpack, groping for some clothes; apparently the people of the city don’t take too kindly to others without clothes on, judging from her last, unsuccessful trip into it. This makes no sense to her. Animals don’t wear clothes, so why should people other than to keep themselves warm or to aid them in hunting?. Shrugging, she finds her clothes, gloves, and cloak, but does not don them yet, rather rolling them up and tying them with some twine from her pack into a roll she can carry in her true form. She then makes the shift, her body transforming from young woman to coyote in the matter of a second. She grabs the package of clothes in her mouth and takes off in the direction of the city, hoping she might finally learn how to find the meaning of the letter, the one heirloom she possesses. OOCThanks for reading! Sorry to J'karn, but he's taken too long to respond so I stared a new thread. I may be able to hop back on his in the future

[Kendall Saarinen]

Things had seemed to have gotten better between Kendall and Ethan, at least enough for them to start acting friendly towards one another once more. Like all disputes, it would take time for the two to calm and return to their kinder faces with one another, but they were trying. Ethan had proved time and time again that he would not leave the blond. He had shown he was not going to disappear into thin air or lop off into the forest without even a word in edgewise. He was still around and that within itself was reason enough to try to mend things with the bird.

"Thanks for coming out here with me Ethan. I always get nervous being out in these wilds alone… or any wilds for that matter." Kendall held tightly to his notebook as they walked through the deep snow. He had wanted to work on writing and drawing. Although clearly, the city would be the safer place to do these things, there was still so much to see in the wilds outside of the city. Kendall had recently discovered his second element in Reimancy and of course, he always had his sword. He would always be more comfortable with his magic though. Besides, he had a big, strong kelvic at his side. Between the two of them, he hoped that they could fend off whatever decided to cross their path. "We cannot go far of course. The weather will be horrible this time of year. I wouldn't venture any farther than eyesight allows us to see the gates."

As the pair walked, Kendall kept an eye on the world around them. Any loss of sight with the gates could turn ugly for the pair. "Odd question… Do birds have a good sense of smell?" Kendall looked up at the bird with questioning eyes. His father had been quite interested in nature and it's creatures but sadly, Kendall never found it important to listen when he tried to teach. "I suppose they would, since you hunt. I was just wondering… You know, in case we get too far from the gates."

OOCEthan, sorry that I took a couple liberties with Ken and Ethan's relationship. I assumed they would be less catty by this time. If it seems wrong, let me know and I'll change it.

[Ethan]

"Smell?" He muttered, pondering on what Kendall had said. It was interesting to think about. What notions humans had made about the animal kingdom. He never really thought about it. If your a Kelvic you do not compare your body to that of a human. The similarities are only skin deep. "It's hard to say. I'm not like you. But I certainly don't use it much. Sight is my best quality. At least the one I rely on the most. And don't worry so much about getting lost. Besides being a bird I spent half my life being the navigation for ships." He laughed, patting his friend on the shoulder. "You could blindfold me for all I care, wouldn't matter much. Hell even the creatures here are more friendly than in Sylira. We have nothing to worry about. And of course I would come with you! I didn't bring you all the way North, just to have you die in the snow. Hadrian would of killed me if anything happened to you." He teased and gave Kendall a little shove. Their fights along the Karbin road. Meant nothing to him. Ethan didn't see the point in holding grudges. People fight and scream and kick. Didn't mean you had to take it personally. That was just life. "But why this sudden interest in my smell? Your not one to ask questions without a good reason. Are you becoming more interested in Lammergeiers? Don't tell me you want to examine my feathers like Hadrian. I have nothing against Magic but it gets strange when a man starts sprouting feathers instead of hair." Ethan laughed. Enjoying Kendall's company. Listening to the snow crunch beneath his boots. It was a good day so far.

[Fusha]

Fusha Fusha was enjoying the feeling of the crisp wind passing through her fur so much that she didn't realize there were two people walking through the woods near her until she was almost upon them. She slowed to a trot, then to a walk, and sat down in front of the two humans. She tilted her head at them, wondering what business they had out here in the woods, the estate of the wild animals. She dropped her roll of clothes and walked up to the two people, of which one's eyes bored into her, in the like of a bird. Going back to her clothes, she shifted and then untied the pack and dressed. Turning back around, she then approached them again, making sure to put her letter in her pocket. However, it ended up quite awkward because she didn't know how to introduce herself. Waiting for one of the others to make a move, she shrunk back a little bit after feeling the tension in the air. OOCOK I edited it cause I was taking a little too much liberty. Hope this is better. Also I was thinking that they would take a little bit of a hostile view of Fusha to start with.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall nodded at the man's words. It was interesting learning about Ethan and his bird self. The blond had not known too much about animals before he left Avanthal. Of course, he knew a bit. He did go to the university of Zeltiva after all. He had just never had an interest until he met Cathan and Ethan. They were animals and yet, they were friends. They had personalities and emotions. The showed him that animals were not just silent beings that roamed the world simply at the mercy of higher beings. Animals were complex and yet, in their own way, quite simple.

The playful jabs to Kendall's side garnered a small forced smile. Talk of their time in the Reaches still bothered him. It had been one of the more horrible times in his life. It had brought him closer to Ethan, but at a cost. Hadrian had returned to them but even the tall mage could not instantly seal the emotional wounds that had formed in his absence.

Kendall shrugged. "No real reason really. I just wanted to know that someone out of the two of us was ready to scout out potential threats." He chuckled slightly at Ethan's words. Hadrian was always the scholar, taking in knowledge where ever he could. Kendall's motivations were a tad more simple. He just did not want to die. "Don't worry. I don't know the first thing about morphing. Hadrian refuses to teach it to me unless I practice my meditation more."

The blond's words seemed to halt when a animal approached. His hand moved slowly to the hilt of his sword, although he knew his swordsmanship would most likely have little effect on a wild animal. Fire would be the better way to go.

Kendall stepped closer to Ethan as he tried to focus his energy into calling upon his Djed. The animal just sat in front of them though. It was so strange. "What is going on here?" Kendall's ton was hushed as he spoke to Ethan. When the beast turned and changed it was clear what it was… what she was. The animal was Kelvic. Kendall was not sure how Ethan would feel about him attacking one of his kind so he waited and kept focusing. He looked up to Ethan quietly, waiting for him to make the first move. The bird knew Kelvics and animals better than Kendall did.

[Ethan]

Ethan admired Kendall's simple way of looking at things. It made him feel uncomfortable when he was constantly asked about Kelvics and their abilities. It was a nice change to be asked small questions for logical reasons. Ethan didn't go around asking Human's about their psychological faults and reproductive traits. Sure he wanted to, but there was a time and place for such things. "He has said similar things to me. He won't teach me more until I have gotten a better grasp on Auristics and Reimancy. Its for the best I suppose. If you start to spin more plates than you can hold. One of them will eventually fall..." His words trailed off as the Coyote came into view. One Coyote was nothing to worry about. Both Kendall and himself were armed. The blond with his longsword and Ethan with his spear. Both men were far more competent with magic than with weapons but, they would provide the distance they needed to avoid this creatures jaws. Instinctively Ethan moved in front of his companion. No Coyote would approach two men. Even if it was accustomed to people. It wouldn't be immediately open and trusting. He didn't need to use Auristics to see his own kin. And a wild Kelvic was a hundred times more dangerous than any base animal. So he needed to keep Kendall out of harms way. "State your business or be on your way, Kelvic. I will shove this spear through your gut if I have to."