All Roads Lead To Somewhere (Samael)

by **Ils'a** on August 15th, 2012, 1:41 pm

Summer 82, 512 AV

[in the bush, not too far outside of Nyka]

Ils’a watched as Sam knelt before the small pile of tinder and kindling, blowing gently on the infant flame. Getting a fire started was not a skill the Konti had perfected, not by a long shot. When she was at her home, in Mura, it was a task her grandmother usually took on. When she had been traveling before, it had been by water and she could as easily sleep in the sea as on land. Plus she ate mostly seafood, and always raw, so there had been little need for camp or cook fires. Watching Sam, though, she decided that she had best learn, for it might be that he wouldn’t always be able to be the one to do it. It was a bit intimidating, to think about how reliant she would be on him, in their upcoming trek. She had a good general sense of direction. But in his animal form, Sam would be better equipped by nature to make sure they were heading in the right direction. She hoped so, anyway. He’d be the one primarily providing the food, with his hunting skills. However, Ils’a did intend to learn the art of setting snares for whatever small game might be scurrying about at night, while they slept. As the days got progressively shorter, and the temperatures dropped, Sam would have a nice, thick fur coat to keep him warm. But she would have to rely on her manmade purchases of boots, wool pants and a woolen cloak. She hoped the boots she had just bought would last the entire journey, and she wondered for the fiftieth time if she should have bought another pair. But that would have meant carrying them, and they were trying to not overburden themselves. Of course, they did now have Daisy…

Ils’a looked over to where the smallish mule was tethered. Daisy was happily munching at some weedy looking grass. This purchase was one that had initiated some heated debate between the two companions. Neither had any experience with such an equine. But Sam had thought it a good idea, both for carrying their supplies, and for carrying Ils’a. The former made some sense to the Konti. The latter had her chewing her lip in anxiety. She had never been astride a horse or pony, and this one seemed far too tall, though really Daisy was not a big mule. And her teeth looked really long and really sharp too, and mules had a reputation for being cantankerous. But the dealer had assured them that Daisy was a sweet, good tempered creature, and in the end, Ils’a saw the sense in this decision. It gave them more options. Once Sam had agreed that she would not have to ride all the time, Ils’a had consented, though she still had major reservations about the whole mule thing.

A more pronounced crackling sound made her turn her gaze back to the now flickering flame. She smiled at Sam, saying, “Well done you.” Kneeling down beside him, she reached for her pack.

“Let’s see what’s on the menu for tonight.” She grinned knowing that the meals to come, for many weeks, would be of the very plain and unfancy variety.

Purchases :

by **Samael Nox** on August 17th, 2012, 11:18 am

Samael glared at the mule, he had somehow lead Ils'a into buying that best and he hated it . He knew he couldn't carry all his gear , her gear,Ils'a and protect her all at the same time so the mule wound have to so for now. Having already made a fire there was little left to do but but put up the tent and feed his partner and himself. As he stood he place his finger on his companion's noseonce I put up the tent I'll set out to get us dinner. How does rabbit or turkey sound" Reaching in his bag ,Samael pulled out a pea green colored tarp and what looked like a bundle of sticks. He spent the next twenty minutes rigging the tent not to fall over in even the strongest of winds as well as rolling out the bed rolls he had bought Ils'a and himself."Now that the tent and beds are set up I just need to find our dinner. Removing everything save his cloak,Samael placed his sword and clothes on his bedroll and pulled his hunting knife knife from his bag.He knew he'd have to get back to Ils'a before it got dark or else he knew she would be in grave danger. Samael walked over to Ils'a putting his hand on her face and with a look of sincerity in his eye "stay by the while I'm gone,ok? I'll try surprise you with something special". Three hours,that is how long it will be until sunset but hopefully I'll be back by your side long before then. Samael quickly disappeared into the forest ,the giant so naturally light on his feet he barely left prints on the forest floor.

The massive oaks of the forest formed a maze each and everyone visually similar to the next ,Samael's only saving grace was the fact he could still smell the faint odor of burning wood coupled with the scent of his partner. The thought of what a beautiful race the konti were passed through his head ,making him slightly paranoid that Ils'a would some how know he thought that of her and her people. Stabbing his knife into a nearby tree, Samael hung his cloak from it like a coat hook because for now his true form would all he would need. Rocking from left to right to loosen himself up ,he dropped down on all fours and in a flash of light to rival the sun was now a tiger. Prowling through the Forrest all was silent and still ,for all knew that a single sound if heard would mean their life . Facing against the wind ,nose risen he waited for mother nature to bring him the first clue that would lead to his dinner. The smell of a fresh kill was all that hit him ,curiosity sending him flying towards the slain creature ,who's scent he had caught. The scene almost as bad as the one he had caused in nyka ,Samael couldn't help but feel the need to return to Ils'a but he promised her food a and he refused to turn back empty handed. Looking closer at the corpse ,it was now easy to tell no creature had done this ,this was a sacrifice . Though this wasn't done by some creature I should still return to Ils'a as soon as possible.It's been at least from the look of the sun's position so I better hurry. This time in the forest so far had done nothing but made Samael paranoid for his partner's safety and leave him feeling down he could not find food. Over come with the situation at had Samael dropped to the ground only then catching a whiff of what was 50 feet in front of him. Only fifty feet away stood a massive 30 pound turkey ,so distracted by it's meal of a small garden snake was the bird that It hadn't noticed the large cat creeping up behind it. As the bird turned it's head to investigate It was pounced upon and its neck snapped like a twig by Samael's massive jaws .

Though he had secured a meal Samael still had 2 things to do before he returned to camp. The dead turkey hanging from his massive jaws as he returned to wear he had left his cloak ,Samael dropped it at the bottom of the base of the tree. Another bright flash of light filled the forest and in a instant the Samael had returned to his human form .After covering himself in his cloak and grabbing the knife and turkey Samael returned to where he had seen a familiar vine covered in red berries but those hadn't been what he wanted. Picking one of the sun dried berries that had long fallen he bit into it and to his delight it was just what he had been looking for . Sam filled what was surely hundreds of these dried black berries in his pockets until they budged ,he could now focus on his last talk . Less than a hour,that was all he had left before nightfall. Samael rushed to the nearest stream the dropping everything at the bank as he leaped in the water. As he fought the weak current of the small river small fish could be felt brushing against his naked body. Wading back towards his things ,Samael grabbed the hunting knife and began to stab at the small half pound fish to no success . As the last if the suns light reflected off his knife and on the water Samael watched as a fish simply jumped out of the water .Surely it hadn't been coincidence, repeating what he had just mistakenly done, Samael watched as another fish jumped out of the water right and at him this time dodging the oncoming fish. It had been almost three hours since he left but Samael was finally back at camp with enough food to last the two for days. "I hope you like turkey Ils'a" Sam shouted as he came into camp hoping he hadn't been to late with his return.

by **Ils'a** on August 17th, 2012, 8:50 pm

Sam tapped her nose and Ils’a thought it so odd, that a being that was fierce tiger one second could be so sweet the next. Hopefully she would see much more of the latter side of Sam than the former. His tiger self was magnificent to look at, and she would be always glad for the sense of security a tiger provided. But for company, she much preferred the human Sam.

As he began to work on getting the tent up, again, Ils’a watched, asking a question here and there, trying to lend a hand but probably more getting in the way. Roughing it on land was so new to her that honestly, she barely knew how to tie a knot. But Sam was patient and showed her the right ones and describing how to pitch it in a way to best withstand inclement weather. Ils’a tried to absorb all he was saying, and in the end she could at least tie a fairly decent half-hitch. Then Sam was ducking inside and he emerged a minute later wearing his cloak. She could only assume it was all he had on, as she saw no trouser legs or boots down below the hem. Then he warned her to stay close to the fire, and he disappeared into the trees. He would be back in no more than three hours, he had said. Three hours! It was an eerie feeling, to be all alone, save for the mule. Ils’a watched his back until he was completely swallowed by the forest, and she felt a shiver go down her back.

Still, it seemed pointless to worry and just sit, waiting for his return. She did sit, but she pulled her pack closer and withdrew the snares she had purchased. The man who had sold them to her had explained briefly how to set them, and she played around with them for quite a while. Daisy grazed quietly, and Ils’a took that for a good sign. Surely the mule would be the first of the two of them to know of danger was approaching. Finally, with the wires twisted into place, Ils’a rose and wandered just a very short distance from the fire, looking about for a likely place to set her snares. With her hatchet, she had sliced off some branches from the firewood they had gathered earlier, and finding what might have been a rabbit run, she set the snare with cord tied to the branch, draped over the run. With some light reedy type twigs, she held it in place, perpendicular to the ground. She had taken care to rub all the wire and cord and her hands with earth before setting them, so hopefully her scent and the scent of manmade materials wouldn’t alert any potential victims to her trap. Moving on a bit further, she set the other two as well. She had no high hopes for catching anything during the night, but it was good practice, she felt.

Returning to the fire, Ils’a looked at the sun, which was sinking lower on the horizon. But there was still time to kill, until Sam’s return. She drew her knife from her pack and picked up a stick of the firewood and began to strip and chip off kindling, to be carried in the relative dryness of their packs for those days that were sure to bring rain with them. This didn’t take too long, and when she was finished, she looked about for something else to do. Not lighting upon anything, her eyes went to the mule, and she sighed. The Konti hesitated for a moment, but then rose and crossed slowly to the animal, who by and large ignored her.

Tentatively, Ils’a put out a hand, watching all parts of the mule for signs of aggression or displeasure. But hoofs, tail, ears and muzzle all seemed completely uninterested in her. She eased her hand forward until it touched Daisy’s side. The coat was unexpectedly soft, the warm undercoat of winter already beginning to grow in under the slick red hairs above. Daisy was a pretty thing, all red and cream, with huge brown eyes. Ils’a spent a good amount of time just petting her and talking quietly to her, and Daisy seemed to take the attention in stride, being neither hostile nor overtly friendly.

Finally, Ils’s tired of this too, and she looked westward, to see the golden orb of Syna resting right along the tree line. With a deep sigh, she went back to sit at the fire, tending it as Sam had shown her, poking it up to a brightness that was perhaps not really necessary, but which made her feel better. Her pale eyes kept drifting to where she had last seen him, and she would not allow herself to think that it would be the last time. When she heard his shout and saw him running from the trees, she heaved a breath of relief and rose and ran too, meeting him when he was only halfway to their little camp.

She bestowed a spontaneous hug on him and smiled widely up at him. “I’ve never had it before, but…do I smell fish?”

by **Samael Nox** on August 20th, 2012, 11:59 pm

Shivers ran down Samael;s spine as Ils'a wrapped her arms around him, It had been a long time since anyone was happy to see him. Sam returned his partner's smile with one of his own,stroking the back of her head he kissed her on the forehead."I really hate leaving you in this forest alone but hopefully what I brought will last us a few days at the very least. Fish?.Oh yeah, I brought some stuff. You're gonna love what I got you but I'm not sure how well I can make his taste." Samael took Ila'a hand and made his way over to the fire to show her what he had brought her. His pockets stuffed to the point they bulged from his side ,he reached in pulling out a little black ball. Putting it in his mouth he cracked the pea sized ball in half "taste". Before Ils'a could respond Sam had already taken half from his mouth and put it in hersit's pepper for the food. I remember seeing it in a garden when I was a slave, I thought you would like it. Do you,you do like it right? I also found wild spinach it's everywhere I even found a few sweet berries you could cover them in. I think they are called,uh blackberries! I'm sorry I'lsa I couldn't catch you any fish ,I failed. I think I could if I had more time ! I found some some crabs moving along the river bed and caught about five ,I hope that's enough."

Samael dropped the turkey,pepper,berries and leaves by the fire as he searched camp for a long thin stick. "I know there's got to be one somewhere. " What seemed to be a simple task, took almost three minutes but once he had the perfect stick he went to work sharpening it. By the time he was done ,he held in his hand a skewer sharp enough to pierce the crabs shells. Samael handed Ils'a the skewer of crabs ,unsure if she wanted the crab cooked or not . He dropped to one knee plucking the feathers from the turkey gutting it . Samael left the heart,lungs,on a stone near the fire and burried the intestines ."Lesson one, you gotta bury this so it doesn't attract animals. Do you want to cook this or should I ?"

by **Ils'a** on August 22nd, 2012, 2:39 am

When Samael returned her hug, Ils’a could not help but feel so much better, to know not only had he come back to her, but that he seemed so happy to be in her company. The light kiss to her forehead was a slightly surprising but welcome bonus. She pulled back her head a bit so she could look up at him, as she felt his hand lightly stroking her hair, and she felt her tummy do a queer lurch. Though she did not know his history yet, Ils’a was in fact, much more fortunate than the kelvic. She had been raised with love and care and attention. So having the affection of someone, feeling arms wrapped about her that were solicitous and tender, was not a completely novel nor far distant occurrence. But this…this was very different from her previous experiences, hugging Sam and having him hug her back, both of them so pleased to be in the other’s arms. Before he released her, she pulled herself tightly against him with her cheek pressed to his chest, smiling to feel both safe and content.

So, quite willingly, she curled her webbed fingers about his as he took her hand and pulled her back to the camp fire. Before she knew it, though, he was poking something in his mouth, chomping down on it and then…he really caught her off guard. The half a peppercorn was in her mouth before she realized what he was up to, and it rolled onto her tongue.

Oh dear gods! She made the funniest face and immediately spit the hard kernel out into her hand, examining it as if it was some lethal secret weapon that Sam had unleashed on her poor mouth. He was rattling on about his harvest of spinach and berries and crabs, but Ils’a dove for the closest water skin and held it to her lips and drank. She held the water in her mouth, trying to soothe her poor tongue, which felt like it had been branded with a hot iron. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she tried not to cry, for she did not want to upset Sam or make him think his gift was unappreciated. It was just…very, very strong.

But Sam was already busy looking for a stick and Ils’a took another cooling swig of the water. It wasn’t helping a whole lot. Still, though, she didn’t say anything about it. In short order, he was shoving the speared crabs on a stick into her hand and she took it meekly.

“Oh, thanks,” was all she could manage to say, holding her mouth open in hopes the air moving over her tongue might cool it some more.

“Um, I don know awot about cooking on an open fiwe,” she slurred, fanning her hand in front of her mouth. “You betteh do it.” Her normally pale cheeks were tinged deep pink and there was sweat on her forehead.

“Hey, do you mind if I eat some cwab?” she asked, slightly desperate to get something in her mouth that might help wash away the burn.

by **Samael Nox** on August 26th, 2012, 7:08 pm

Sam couldn't help but notice Ils'a mouth burning from the pepper and her now rosy cheeks made her failed attempts cuter. He tried not to stare as thoughts like that passed through his head ,knowing little good would come of it . Sam reached over Ils'a making them face to face to each other as he pulled his bag from the tent. Sam took the waterskin from Ils'a replacing it with the bread that had been his rations along with a apple."Water will only make it worse ,try this instead. Water just spreads the hot stuff ,bread works better for some reason. Sam took a swig of the waterskin and left it beside Ils'a as he went over to the mule to retrieve the hatchet Ils'a had bought earlier in the day. Daisy had no plans to make it easy for Sam , she surely knew what he really was and him just being near spooked her. He placed his hand on Daisy's spine so she couldn't move as he reached in the bag to get the hatchet . Samael walked to the edge of camp and chopped two strong y shaped branches and one long branch . Sam laid the sticks he had cut by his side as he chopped up the pepper and sprinkled it on the turkey as well as the heart lungs and the rest organs he had placed on a rock by the fire. Sam used the the branches he had cut to form a spit to roast the turkey as evenly as possible without ruining the food."Of course you can eat the crab if you want,they're all yours. Once the heart and other organs are ready you can eat those if you'd like."

"Everything is set up for the night ,we can eat,talk, anything you'd like."
Sam looked up toward the sky,happy to finally have someone to travel with .It had been months since he spoke to anyone else and now not only did he have a traveling companion but a friend. Sam picked the turkey's heart from the stone by the fire ,as he ate , he took Ils'a by the hand."Does it still hurt? Your wrist I mean. I almost forgot about your injuries in the time we've left Nyka." Sam pulled the apple that made up the rest of his rations from his bag,be sure to give Ils'a half. He swallowed the apple whole and stood dropping his cloak. The now naked man folded his clothes the had left behind ,packing everything into his bag next to his sword. Sam returned to Ils'a now in the form of a giant cat ,rubbing his side against her as he spread out across her lap. This was the second time Samael had shown Ils'a his true form, though most that' had didn't live long enough to see it again . He felt for the first time in a while there was someone he could trust with the secret of what he truly is . Sam lucked up form the konti's lap his blue eyes locking with hers, he brushed his head against her chest purring.

by **Ils'a** on August 30th, 2012, 8:15 pm

Ils’a took the hunk of bread gratefully and bit into it. The starchy substance did in fact work a bit better at absorbing or neutralizing the burn of the pepper residue. She held the wad of damp dough in her mouth as she watched Sam retrieve the hatchet and cut three braches with which to make a very crude spit. First, though, he stopped to spread the pepper on the turkey, and Ils’a made a mental note that she had best be careful before chomping into any of that. He next put the meat over the flames, setting the organs on a rock to cook, after a fashion, and then said it was fine for her to have at the crab. Swallowing the bread, Ils’a used one rock to smack a leg off a crab and extracted the fine filaments of muscle. It tasted delicious, though it too had little effect on the peppery flavor all over her tongue. Thankfully, though, the sensation was fading, and she continued to eat the crab at her leisure, watching the fire and listening to the turkey fat sizzle and pop as it hit the flames. It seemed quite peaceful here, far better than the bustle of Nyka. And with Sam, and Daisy, for company, really, she was quite content.

When Sam took her hand with a gentle grip and asked after her wrist, Ils’a readily shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s just a tiny bit sore. But I’m sure it isn’t sprained. It’ll be fine. I hardly notice it any more.” She flexed it to prove it wasn’t bothering her. Accepting the half of the apple Sam offered her, she had to wonder about him, he was so kind and helpful. This Sam contrasted so sharply with the still vivid image that she had of him in her mind, when he had lit into the slavers earlier in the day. The thought of all that blood made her queasy again, so she shoved the memory away. She much preferred this Sam, this quiet, sweet Sam, though she realized too that the other Sam, too, would be very much needed, and appreciated, throughout this journey.

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Sam rose and folded his clothes neatly away. Ils’a wasn’t bothered by his lack of garments. Kelvics were very prone to being naked. They couldn’t really help it, if they were frequently shifting. Which, in fact, Sam did, and then he returned to where she was sitting before the fire, in his tiger form. He rubbed against her like some huge pussy cat, and Ils’a was thrilled to be so close to such a magnificent animal, and still know that she was safe, with him. As he pushed against her, she wrapped her arms about his neck and cuddled him, enjoying the warmth of his fur, which was a mixture of rough and silky, depending upon where she touched him. Her fingers curled into the ruff about his throat and she scratched his chin. The purr he gave her in response was as loud as the rumbling sounds of walruses she had encountered in the northern sea. Finally, she laid her cheek against the top of his huge head and closed her eyes, happy to have found a good friend. One small, webbed hand dropped to stroke his silky shoulder, and she opened her eyes again, saying, “This is lovely, Sam. Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done today.” She gave him a little squeeze.

"But if you wish to talk about our plans, I think you might need to shift back to human. There’s no rush though.” She gave a small laugh. “Wherever we head, I’m sure it will still be there no matter how long we take to get there, right?”

by **Samael Nox** on September 20th, 2012, 2:41 am

Sam was surprised by how welcoming of his animal ,though he enjoyed every moment of the attention. Never before had he been petted and never before had not minded being touched but he felt Ils'a was ok. When Ils'a mentioned wanting to talk about plans for the future, Sam moved from her lap to hee sider running his tail across her face jokingly. H e leaned against Ils'a his head resting against her should ,transforming once more in a explosion of light. He chuckled putting his arm around her shoulder"no one has ever pet me before,you may want to hold back on that or a guy might get use to it . Kidding ,I guess if anyone can touch my animal form it should be you ,we will be together a while."He turned his body towards her in a crouched position his fingers interlocked in front of his face.".Ok,ok I guess we can talk about our plans but I'm glad that you're you're no longer in pain. I never really had any place or plans to go to any specific place. I just want, no need to find my parents and there is only one thing more important than that! Lest go to a place that we will be safe ,no somewhere where you can swim to your heart's content or where we can get rich! Kidding, I don't care about any of that stuff, as long as you are happy and safe I'll follow without question. We can talk more after eating, we don't want it attracting any undesirables "