Closed The Hunt of the Crow (Bethsyliss, Ronin)

[Shanapar]

Time Stamp: 60th of Winter, 512AV Location: Burning Lands Who: Bethsyliss and Ronin Invictus Setting down his backpack in a little nook between the rock, Shanapar slipped off his sand colored wrap, his small cloths, and tossed them down on top of his backpack. He smiled over at the river, and he realized this isolate point on the river would be perfect place to set up camp. Most importantly he spotted a large serpent tracks heading off into the desert nearby, and he knew he would be eating snake tonight. He walked to the edge of the river and smiled down at the sand colored clay near the edge of the shore line. He closed his eyes and spread his arms feeling the warm wind blow over his naked body. Shanapar the Untamed was born in the desert, and if Eywaat wills it, he would die in the desert too. His smiled widened when he heard Shadow cawwahh at him, and he said jokily to his feathered friend, “You worry way to much my friend. I will be covered in clay soon enough and Syna's touch will not harm me; however, I will stay naked a little longer if the sun goddess wishes it. Maybe I will get a visit from her in person today or tonight.” The Chaktawe man laughed out loud at the obscurity of a goddess taking a interest in a man like him. The raven tilted his head from the rock, and he gave Shanapar a quiet cawh, and he flew off over the river. Shanapar smiled at his bird since he figured the raven was looking for a carcass of a dead fish along the river bank. Shanapar could feel the temperature start to raise in the late morning sun, and he knew if he would need to survive in the rising heat of the day. He needed to cool down before he went off hunting this afternoon. He slowly stepped into the cool water, and he crossed his arms over his chest to keep warm as he walks deeper into the river. He knew from his times swimming in the river with his father, mother, and sisters that the opposite side of the cut bank was the safest side of the river to swim in since the current wasn't too strong or two deep on the opposite side of the cliff side. It was the perfect spot to prepare for his hunting trip, and he learned from his father that the river clay was the perfect camouflage for hunting in the desert along with it ability to keep you cool in the desert sun. He figured swimming in the river for a time won't hurt his chances of finding the snake. When he was in about waist deep of water, he bent down and started drinking his feel of the water until his water bladder was completely full. Shanapar stood up feeling his thirst has been quenched, he jumped forward and awkwardly dived into the water. Once he was in the water, he held his breath as he used his arms and legs to propel him through the water. He could feel the slow current, so when he resurfaced he was not in slightly down river from clay. He needed for the hunt. He stood up and widened his stance, so the current of the river doesn't carry him farther downstream. He dived back into the water, and he started to swim against the current. When he realized to himself that he wasn't making progress up stream. He trudged through the water to the shore. He walked along the shore back to camp back to his camp. It took him a only three chimes to make it back to camp, and when he made it to camp, he followed his foot steps back to the shoreline with the clay. Shanapar walked into about ankle deep water, and he bent over and he started to dig away the loose layer of sand, and a eventually he his hand touched a muddy substance. He quickly started to scoop some clay out of the water with his right hand, and he stood up watching his raven fly along the cliff. He smoothed out the clay with his left hand, and once it was smoothed in his hand, he started to smear the clay over his face starting with his forehead, working the clay down his cheeks, and over his lip. He bent back down and started to put some on the back of his neck and his shoulders. He does his best to get his back, but he found it difficult to reach behind himself. He bent down and grabbed some more clay, and he started to smear it the the front of his chest over his stomach, and down to his waist. He continued covering himself in mud until everything other than his genitals are covered. He bought the sand colored wrap because it matched the color of sand of the desert. He watched over to the tall grass by the river and he tore off a six inches of the plant, and he reached back and tied his a hair in a long pony tail with the grass. When he reached back into the river to pull out some clay, he started to smear it over the top of his hair and a long the pony tail to hide his ebony hair. When his hair was completely covered in the sand colored clay, he walked back to his back pack, and he stood in the sun letting the dry warm wind to dry out the clay on his body. The process took ten chimes, and he reached down picked up his sand colored wrap put it around his waist. Once he grabbed both his angle knifes, short bow, quiver, and water skin, he walked back to the snake track. His eyes followed the track as the meandering line of the serpent went into the heart of the desert. He stood up and quickly followed the path of the large snake.

[Bethsyliss]

Bethsyliss had been traveling across the desert alongside the Kelvic Ronin for fifteen days -- as much time as she had spent journeying in Eyktol alone before her path crossed his. Traveling side by side certainly had its advantages. Hunting was easier and safer when they were two predators against their prey, especially considering Syliss's and Ronin's animal forms were quite complementary when it came down to that. Syliss, in snake form, could stealthily sneak up to unsuspecting game, while Ronin, in cheetah form, was a master of pursuit. For that reason, Syliss was used to hunting at nighttime when she was enshrouded in darkness, and Ronin hunted in the open daylight when he could easily lock on to targets to run after them. Also, traveling with somebody provided the benefit of companionship. Even though they were both still quite weary of each other, they had grown accustomed to each other's presence enough to be able to engage in pleasant conversation when they were both in human form, although that didn't happen often because they both knew how important it was to conserve one's saliva in the scalding heat of the Burning Lands. Most of the time, they exchanged those meaningful glances that were the primary method of communication between animals of different species. That required a great deal of trust, and, for a reason other than the deal they had struck when they had met, trust had installed between them quite naturally, for none of them had made any attempts on the other to attack or run away since they had set out. However, a shared voyage had one very important drawback: in order to sustain it, they needed twice as much food as they normally would. The major inconvenience with food in Eyktol was that it was scarce. Hence their major concern throughout their hike across the desert was finding food, either plant or meat. As they approached an acacia tree, a raw smell tickled Syliss's nose. Her heightened senses when she was in snake form enabled her to pick up scents that were some way away. She could detect food from over the next dune, which was very practical for the both of them since it meant they didn't need to see their prey before knowing it was there. Syliss looked at Ronin, who was in human form so he could carry the backpack. Her eyes spoke clearer than words could have done: Food. She jerked her head in the direction of a dune slightly astray from their path and flickered her forked tongue towards it, signaling to Ronin that he should fetch their prey over there. Her eyes softened then, meaning: Leave the backpack. I'll stay here. Ronin would need his cheetah form to hunt, so the backpack he carried would simply get in the way. Syliss chose a rather large rock beside the acacia tree with shade enough to shelter the backpack while she would relax on top of the rock and bask in the sun's warmth. She settled on it with her tail coiled up along the surface of the rock and let the winter sun's rays softly stroke her reptilian body.

[Ronin Invictus]

Ronin followed closely behind Syliss as they trekked through the desert. Syliss in her snake form would often dart ahead, since she was much faster than him as a snake, and he would find her waiting for him after a while of walking. The first few days of travel were the hardest for Ronin, blisters had formed on the bottoms of his feet from the constant chafing against the soles of his boots, but he eventually got used to it, his feet now hardened against such things. The backpack which made his back sore from a long day of carrying it now did not bother him, and in fact the weight was familiar to him at this point. Ronin tired much faster than Bethsyliss with the load though, and consequently he was drinking the most water, but as fast as he drank, the desert seemed to sap away from him. He was slightly sun burnt on the back of his neck now, and he cringed at the thought of how much worse it could get.

Ronin huffed as he caught up with Syliss, shielding his eyes from the blistering sun with one of his hands as he watched her. At the prospect of food, which meant energy and revitalization Ronin quickly dropped the backpack and took of his clothes to avoid ripping them as he shifted into the form he was most at home in, a cheetah. Ronin was a daylight hunter, and he hunted primarily on sight, although his hearing was acute. He was able to make out small details up to a league away. Some of these senses carried over to his human form, but not as strong as his true form. Ronin purred slightly with content as the shifted completed before he started to make his way over the dune to see what was in store for him. It was about time he would get to stretch his legs.

ooc: is the "food" a random animal or is it Shanapar that she smelt?

[Bethsyliss]

As she always did when Ronin removed his clothes, Syliss stared in awe at the athletic body of the Kelvic before he switched forms. The whole process she found rather amazing, but her favorite part was before he got to initiating the actual shapeshift. While most cold-blooded reptiles only felt mild desires, Syliss's body blazed when she had the chance to witness Ronin's bare skin, and the golden scale above her left eye seemed to shoot rays back at the sky more intense than the sun's. She watched him as he transformed into a cheetah and ran off at an electric speed, then returned to one of her favourite activities: basking in the warmth of the desert heat. After a couple of moments she noticed Ronin's backpack lying on the burning sand. What an idiot, she said to herself. When he comesss back, the bag will be too hot for him to carry on his back and we'll lose time waiting for it to cool off in the ssshade unlesss he's willing to singe his ssshoulders. She slithered slowly down the exposed rock she was using as a promontory to catch the sun's rays. Her scales produced a slimy hissing sound as they rubbed against the rough stone surface. Making no haste -- for she did, after all, have to wait for Ronin's return -- she coiled herself around the straps of her companion's backpack until her tail was tightly knotted about them and dragged the bag over to the shade provided by the large, uneven rock. Then she circled the rock, searching for an easy place to climb back on top of it and enjoy the rest of her sunny winter day under the sun of Eyktol, that same sun which she had known for nearly a century now.

[Shanapar]

Shanapar didn't run because he wanted to conserve his water and energy in the desert heat, but he wasn't going at a leisurely pace either. He kept his eyes on the ground following the meander snake path as it made it way across the sandy desert. Suddenly, the track lead him to a rocky island in the sea of sand. Realizing he lost the snake's tracks, he threw his hands up in frustration and swore quietly to himself in Tawna. He walked around the edge of the rocky soil looking any signs that the serpent went back into the sand. The large chaktawe looked around the rocky area and saw no places for a serpent of this size to hide in it. Feeling angry and hungry, he decided to sit down cross legged in the warming sun and wait for his growing frustration to subside. He looked up and saw small lonely cloud floating in the desert sky,and after a few chimes, he seemed to calm his mind with the silence of the desert. The hunter stood up and he resumed his search for the track. Suddenly while walking around the edge, he saw a humanoid foot tracks walking into the desert. Curiously, he walked out into the sand, and he saw the large snake track following it. He started to wonder if the large snake was hunting the humanoid, but the strange thing about the two sets of tracks ran parallel to the each other for a moment, and he eventually the snake veered off to the right away from the human. Shanapar stood their trying to make sense of it all, but he swore to himself when he realized the other humanoid might be hunting the snake too. He started quicken his pace to a slow jog. He wanted the full extent of the snake's meat, but he would be satisfied with the scraps too. He wasn't above picking over a carcass if the animal was recently killed. He had to do everything to survive in the desert. Even if he had to swallow his pride as a hunter, and become a scavenger for the sake of his own survival. He veered off towards after the snake path, but it stayed close to the humanoid tracks. He stopped to collect his thoughts, and he realized his hunger was making his thinking process scattered. He crossed his arms in disgust realizing his father was a much better tracker than him. He decided to give up on the snake track because the way it was moving through the sand. He couldn't make any sense where it was leading him too, so he decided to follow the humanoid tracks just in case the person might know or seen a large snake in the area. If he caught his snake, he would defiantly share the kill with the humanoid.

[Ronin Invictus]

As Ronin crested over the hill he slowed down, standing at the top of the dune until he spotted the desert cow. It seemed to be very weak, it was most likely a cow that happened to wander off from its owner. Whatever the case may be, it was easy prey that would guarantee him and Syliss enough energy for days. It would be slightly tricky for Ronin to bring the cow down even in its weak state although, and he would have to take care not to be kicked by it. Ronin crouched low, inched forward a few inches before rising and sprinting towards his prey.

The cow was soon alerted to the Cheetah's presence and started making a feeble attempt at escape, but Ronin had closed the gap within seconds. He pounced, flying many feet through the air before landing on the cow, sending both the cow and him to the ground, with Ronin landing on top of him. He had to quickly get out of the way of the cow's kicking legs though, snarling as he quickly got out of the way before biting down on the cow's throat. He held the cow in his grip for a long while, the beast's movements becoming slower and slower until it stopped altogether. Ronin stood over the cow now, quickly scanning the area around him for any other predators, a habit of his, or it could have just been instinct. He sat down panting to catch his breath, and after he did he would go back over the hill to call Syliss.

[Shanapar]

Shanapar was moving quickly through the desert following the humanoid tracks. He kept his black eyes in front of him watching the horizon start to shimmer in the heat. Suddenly off in the distance, he noticed acacia tree. He slowed his pace and noticed a shiny black shape curled up on the surface of the rock. Shanapar smiled to himself, and he looked for a place to hide. He noticed a rock formation about forty paces from the tree. He put his finger in his mouth and stuck it in the air, and noticed the wind was coming towards him. Shanapar knew he was up-wind, so the serpent wouldn't detect his presence by smell. He crept up the rock and hide behind it. Once he crouched behind the rock, he took his bow from his shoulder and removed a arrow from his quiver. He kissed the tip of the arrow and said a quick prayer to Eywaat. He knew he had to kill the snake quickly, or this situation could get out of hand. Shanapar crawled to the other side of the rock, and he watched the snake through a crack in the rock. Once the bag was moved the rock into the shade, he watched the snake coil around the rock, and it slowly made it way up the surface of the rock. Once on top the snake curled up on the rock, Shanapar knew it was now or never. He crawled to the edge of the formation, and he got in a crouching stance as he watched the serpent. Setting the arrow on the draw string, he lifted his short bow up and rested the front part of the arrow's shaft on the top of his index finger. He carefully lined up the tip of the arrow with the largest surface of the snake. Shanapar remembered his father telling to always aim for the easiest target since it would be easiest to hit its mark. He started to feel his heart race, but he took a deep breath to calm his anxiety. He drew back the bowstring, and he fired his arrow at the snake. Shanapar smiled as the arrow was heading straight towards the target, but suddenly a great wind blew across the desert and the arrows path was changed slightly, and Shanapar watched in frustration as the arrow struck and shattered on the hard surface just below the snake. Shanapar swore to himself, and he quickly stood up to get a better shoot, and he pulled a arrow from his quiver, set it on the bow string, and lifted his bow and lined it up with the snake. He wasn't going to allow his prey to get away, so he drew back the arrow, released the bow string, and fired at the snake again.

[Bethsyliss]

Bethsyliss was enjoying her sunbath on the flat surface of the rock, her eyes closed and her mind wandering about in pleasant daydreams, picturing the meal her Kelvic companion was going to bring. Traveling with sssomeone is ssso nice, she thought, trying her best to chase away the idea that Ronin was his slave. Slavery was definitely something she did not want to remind herself of right now. Instead she effortlessly conjured up an image of Ronin naked in human form. That distracted her for a while before she realized what she was fantasizing about. She returned to less steamy thoughts, even though the idea of Ronin bare was so appealing to her that it kept creeping its way into her unfocused stream of consciousness. The rays of the sun warmed up her black scales, and she waited, resting, not paying any attention to her surroundings. Suddenly there was a great crash and the rock on which she laid shuddered as if it had been struck by lightning. Syliss's heart missed a beat. She jumped with a start in panic, and her breathing rhythm escalated in a matter of seconds. Opening her eyes, she saw a rain of splinters showering all over the rock she was on. Sssiku give me ssstrength, she prayed, trembling violently. She wanted to flee, but the traumatic shock of the surprise had paralyzed her body. Unable to move, she just remained on top of the rock, the impending danger sinking into her perception processes, at the mercy of another projectile. Not a moment later, she heard the air about her whistling, and caught a brief glimpse of an arrow headed towards her at an incredible velocity. It struck the rock again, sending off another shower of wooden splinters in the opposite direction. The impact was enough to cause Syliss to snap out of her livid torpor. She jerked her hear towards the location where the arrow had come from. Because of her distress, her vision was blurred and her scope was limited, but she made out the outline of a man with a bow some hundred feet away. She immediately darted off the rock the surface of which she had been laying on in the direction opposite from the shooter, and took shelter under the rock where she had hidden the backpack some moments ago. There was now a solid and reassuring wall of stone between her and the attacker. He would have to close the gap between them if he wanted to get a blow in, rendering his ranged weapon ineffective, and that was when she would retaliate. She panted, absolutely terrified. Any one of those shots would have pierced right through her had she been unlucky. She fervently hoped Ronin would not be long with his hunt. She needed him now. She braced herself, preparing to react, and waited for either her companion or her enemy to appear.

[Ronin Invictus]

As Ronin crested the dune where Bethsyliss was behind, his eyes first fell on the rock she had been basking on, his eyes adjusting quickly only to find that she was no longer there. Ronin wasn't surprised at first, maybe she had moved to the shade around the rock to cool off, but as he scanned the area he did not find her, instead he saw a man stood up with a bow readied as if he was shooting something. Panic coursed through him for a few moments, even though he knew the man wasn't aiming at him, but as something behind the rock. That must of been where Bethsyliss was hiding.

Ronin couldn't let this man kill his companion. He felt like he needed to save her not because she was the only one who could lead him out of the desert - the other man probably knew his way around as well, but because he... he didn't know. He just couldn't, one could say he grew a sort of attachment to the woman? He wasn't quite sure what to think now though. Ronin growled, baring his teeth as he came up with a course of action already, the ideas fueled by instinct. His growl was not loud enough for the man to hear from this distance, nor could Ronin roar as a cheetah, as many thought.

So, with his teeth still bared, he broke into a full out sprint towards the rock and the man opposite of it. The man would soon notice the streak of gold and black spots closing on him with incredible speed, and by then it would be too late. As Ronin reached his top speed, the ground below him literally flew by in between strides, his momentum down the dune making him go even faster. As his paws left the ground as he fully extended and tucked his legs underneath him to let forth even more bursts of speed, he left the ground, covering quite a bit of distance flying just above it.

In a few seconds he was nearly upon the man, Ronin then leaped, covering an astounding distance in between him and the small rock that jutted out of the sand with the momentum he built up, and with that momentum he pushed himself off the rock as he flew towards it with his strong hind legs, soaring the rest of the distance, his claws outstretched and his teeth bared. The whole maneuver from leaping towards the rock to vault himself off it to hopefully connecting with Shanapar took just a few moments, and with the distance he covered, even the most agile of men would have a hard time even reacting.

If Ronin connected with his target, the momentum behind the big cat would be enough to immediately send the man to the ground, and without the sand to cushion the hard fall, he would have most definitely gotten seriously injured from the one hundred sixty pound cheetah landing on him with that kind of momentum, as it was though, he would probably get some painful bruises. The cheetah would then pin the Chaktawe to the ground, and he would have to explain quickly if he wanted to live long.

If the man did manage to side step Ronin at the last second although, the Cheetah would fly past him, and the cat would be a few moments on a follow up, enough time for Shanapar to get his bearings.

[Shanapar]

Shanapar saw his second arrow shatter off the rock, he growled himself in frustration when he saw the snake hide behind the rock. He wasn't about to let the snake get away, so he put the bow on his shoulder and unsheathed one of his curved daggers. He could feel his stomach grumble in protest as saw his dinner getting away. Shanapar heard something charging at him, and he turned to see a cheetah leaping at him. He side stepped out of the way as the cheetah leap by him. He held the dagger out in front of him in a defensive posture staring down the beast hunter with a respectful look on his face. The Chaktawe knew he was going to loose the snake, and he wondered if the cheetah was hunting the same thing as him. He knew this was going to be struggle to the death between to hunters, so he decided to let the cheetah have the snake. Shanapar remembered his father told him once that if he encountered a fierce predator, he must not be afraid otherwise the beast would sense it an attack. Also, he could avoid a conflict with the beast if he showed the predator he was prey. It might get scared and run away, so he made himself as tall as possible and straightened his large shoulders. He was still in a defensive pose, but he would be ready to strike if the cheetah attacked him again. Shanapar kept backing away from to the safety of the sand dunes holding his curved dagger out menacing and defensively out in front of him. Shanapar made his threatening presence by yelling at the cheetah in common, “I know you are a creature of Caiyha, and we are both hunters if you want the snake as your meal fine! However, if you attack me, cat, I won't hesitant to kill you. The snake is your do with it as you please!” Shanapar gave the cheetah a threatening look as he sliced the air in front him. Showing the cheetah, he meant what he said, but he didn't think it was going to back down, so he continued backing up till he find a time to retreat.