April Djed Storms bring May.... (Open)

by **Balthazaar Kraigen** on July 30th, 2012, 5:46 pm

As the two broke through the brush and into the valley, a familiar feeling came over Balthazaar and his legs began to move on their own accord. After Sliver finished off the caribou with a swift set of motions, the young botanist gently pushed her aside and went to work on their prey. Grabbing a knife from his bag, he positioned the caribou so that its thorax would be easily accessible. Although he was in no way an expert on dissecting animals, he remembered his father doing it many times over and the memories seemed to permeate his mind as he went to work. He started at the rump of the caribou and cut along the ventral line to the jawbone, piercing the animal’s flesh just enough so that the skin would be severed. Once he was satisfied with the deepness of the cut, he went directly for the thorax and began tearing away flaps of skin to reveal the muscles surrounding that area. Normally, if he was planning to use the animal’s meat for anything, he would’ve started at the abdominal cavity and worked his way up, ripping the organs out one by one. However, there was only one thing on the young man’s mind, a ritual that he and his father performed every time they killed something. Whatever use the caribou provided for the two hunters afterwards was insignificant at this moment in time, the ritual had to be performed first, Balthazaar had to satiate his cravings.

Moving his knife to the diaphragm, he plunged it into the area where it attached to the rib cage and gently cut until the pleural sac had been severed. Grabbing both sides of the rib cage, one in each hand, he slowly pulled in opposite directions until an opening large enough to fit his hands in had been created in the pleural cavity. Reaching his right hand inside the opening, he quickly went to work pulling out the lungs and scooping out the blood as it seeped in. With access to the pericardial sac available, he gently cut it open and reached his hand inside grasping unto his treasure with glee. With a swift tug and with enough force, he ripped the caribou’s heart from its confines and brought it out into the open for both to see. Blood seeping from the organ, he wasted no time tilting his head back, opening his mouth wide, bringing the heart over his face, and squeezing with enough force to drain the heart of the remaining blood within. As the red liquid poured from the organ into his mouth, Balthazaar felt his body and mind begin to relax. When the organ had been pumped dry, he dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, letting his arm go limp beside him. As the sensation of the kill flowed through him, he let his mind wander. His thirst for blood had been satiated, the animal within had been calmed and all was right with the world again.

by **Sliver** on July 30th, 2012, 8:52 pm

There really seemed to be no interrupting the man in his workings, so the wolverine took a few steps back and plopped down on sore haunches, waiting for the strange event to be over. So her hunt had been with the flip side of the stuttering botanist then. She wondered if the two personalities were as neatly divided as she imagined, or if one was constantly at war with the other. The smooth talking, calculating side, with an apparent thirst for blood, seemed to be the lesser of the two personalities to emerge, but the Kelvic was unsure why this was. Wouldn't it be easier for that one to come out all the time, like here? She wondered vaguely if he was even aware of the duality. She snuffled thoughtfully and shook her head. That was for him to figure out for himself, none of her business really. She licked the blood off of her paw contentedly.

When he started going limp she took this as her queue to proceed, and transformed into her scarred and tattooed human form. Sliver gently removed the knife from his grasp and began skinning the beast, removing the neglected organs, and throwing them aside save for the stomach, which she cut open, swiftly eating the half digested insides. It was not tasty, but she had transformed twice today and the energy it took was wearing on her, the easy proteins and nutrients the meal offered were perfect for her waning body. She took the pelt to a nearby stream to wash it off, nibbling on the stomach lining as she went. Once it was cleaned she filled it with several nice sections of meat that she could dry or cook later, and used the pelt as a sort of satchel. Naked, a sack of deer flesh slung over one shoulder, the Kelvic offered a hand to her companion.

"We need to get going, the smell of fresh blood will attract scavengers."

No questions asked, no strange looks given, one animal to another, offering her aid.

by **Balthazaar Kraigen** on July 31st, 2012, 2:47 pm

The botanist shook to his senses and nodded at his wolverine companion. Quickly digging a small hole in the ground with his hands, he placed the drained heart inside it and then covered it with dirt before standing to his feet. On the way back through the woods, he stopped at a stream full of fresh water and washed his hands, knowing that the sight of blood might be alarming to some in the city. The remainder of the trip was silent, which was fine with Balthazaar. Although he was glad to have made a new friend, he was ready to be alone. He needed time to reflect the day’s events and process everything that had happened.

“It was a pleasure to meet you Sliver” The young botanist said to the Kelvic when the two finally made it back to the city.

“I was…fun today” He continued with a smile. “I’m sure we’ll meet up again at some point, but in case I don’t see you for a while…good luck with the Ice Watch. They’d have to be crazy not to accept someone as strong as you”

by **Sliver** on July 31st, 2012, 9:51 pm

The Kelvic inclined her head at the Botanist's words. While the people of Avanthal were used to Kelvic among them, she was starting to get a few stares at her naked form. "...Crazy not to accept someone as strong as you." She was unsure of the truth within the statement, but it was certainly complimentary. She tried to think up something equally nice for her new companion, her mouth hanging open thoughtfully. Finally, after Balthazaar's leg started twitching, clearly anxious to leave her company, the Kelvic just blurted out.

You two were very interesting to meet today as well. I hope...you find what you were looking to escape from.

It didn't make much sense, wasn't exactly nice, but it was the best the Kelvic was going to do. She gave a strange salute to the Botanist and both figures headed in opposite directions along the road. They were very different, yet strangely similar, though the Kelvic was unsure if this alarmed or comforted her yet. At the very least the two strangers to the City had made a new and invaluable ally, and their adventures were far from over.

by **Valkyrie** on August 5th, 2012, 4:01 pm

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