Open [Bronze Woods] The Meaning of Co-operation.

[Medhozic]

Time Stamp: 5th Day, Winter 513AV. Well isn't this odd. To him, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the entire experience, up until this point. Hooking up his equipment, passing a nod to any of the familiar knights on his way out of the castle, and straight down North Kabrin Road and along the edges of the forest until he found his particular spot - not too far from the springs, but far enough from the road to not scare off any of the potential prey. Especially in the winter seasons, what with hibernation and all that from the best catches, which was why he hadn't bothered to empty out his sack and take it with him - that, and the fact that he couldn't actually carry anything else, otherwise he'd probably take two steps and topple over. Just another day. He found himself traveling to the same stretch of wood almost every day, and yet it was only today of all days that he actually came across another, and a hunter too, by the looks of things. His own short-bow hung around his torso, the limbs pressed against his left shoulder and the leather quiver hung from his right, with the drawstrings clinched tight around his chest and chafing against his bicep with every step. He really needed to find a better way to carry around all of the equipment - perhaps a new set of clothes, or some light armor to make things easier. He still sounded like some clattering clanking tinkerer, with odds and ends hanging all over his body like some glorified wind-chime. If this newcomer didn't scare off all the rabbits, then he probably would. The reason he was focusing attention on his looks, however, was lost on him. It didn't matter what he really looked like - what style your hair was in, didn't matter to a sword when it was coming for your neck. Which is why, regardless of whether this person was a completely harmless herbalist collecting samples, or some grunting brute with a poisoned longsword held somewhere in her clothes, he unhooked the bow from his shoulder the moment he caught sight of her and drew an arrow from its quiver, notching it and drawing back with the tip aimed directly for her back. "Who are you and what are you doing." It was the closest thing to a 'hello' that he'd ever given.

[Ildiko]

'...This horse is a burden', the small girl decided, glaring at it through narrowed eyes. 'I wonder what it would taste like. Maybe even better than the rabbits it keeps scaring away.' Ever since she'd been 'gifted' the horse, she'd had to tug and pull its mane to subdue the beast into submission. When she'd throw her weight into her efforts, the horse fought roughly -- she had a few scrapes on her side from where she'd fallen, balance lost when the horse had abruptly whipped around to one side. The creature seemed smart enough, recognizing Ildiko as a being above itself, though it had a stubborn will that could only be broken when she dug her long fingernails into its backside. Ildiko hadn't felt confident enough to ride it at all, yet with the passage of time the horse eventually tamed just enough for her to lead it around with the short rope she'd tied around its neck. So far, its only use was to carry her things. But this morning, she had led it to a small, denser patch of woods and tied it to a slender tree. The beast whinnied and stamped its foot, almost in frustration. Ildiko watched it carefully with a frown. It didn't appear hurt. When she leaned down to check its hoof for an injury, it reared up wildly, landing so quickly that if she hadn't instinctively rolled out of the way, she would have had a deep, hoof-shaped bruise on her back. It missed her, but just barely. Ildiko clenched her jaw, her breath coming out in a tangible, forced huff. She took a deep breath and lifted the flaps of the saddlebags, trying hard to restrain her emotions. Her intentions towards the horse were quickly growing more murderous by the second. She found a razor within the folds of the bags, hastily forming an idea of what do to with it. Ildiko picked up a thick stick off the ground, testing its weight, then carefully inserted the razor in a crack inside the wood. She lightly tapped it against a tree, embedding the blade deeper, though without splitting it completely. Admiring her work with a smirk, she started to walk away from the horse, intending to hunt with her new weapon. It wasn't a dagger, but it'd work fine. Ildiko wanted to sink her teeth into the flesh of a rabbit, freshly caught. She'd heard them for hours, and the scurry of their paws between trees and across ice-covered ground kept her awake during the day, when she wanted to be sleeping. Since she couldn't sleep, she was going to eat. As she moved, she kept the image of a Zith hunter in mind: crouched, swift, and fearless. When she tried to imitate, her footsteps were slow and deliberate, but far too shaky. Far from silent, she heard the moment when her feet connected with the ground, and winced. She was out of practice. Instead of losing focus, she held her breath and focused on making her movements more fluid. Each step, she shifted her weight from her heels to the balls of her feet before moving forward. It wasn't perfect, but making that slight adjustment made her feel more satisfied that the rabbits wouldn't hear her so easily. Another problem. She found her cloak too cumbersome to move in. While it was keeping her warm, the long sweeping fabric was making whipping noises in the wind, and getting trapped between her legs. It was ruining her flow. She removed it slowly, making her way back to the horse, and draping it across its head. ''Serves that stupid creature right. Maybe now it'll calm down.' Without her cloak, she was freezing. She felt the wind's fingers against her skin, cold and unyielding. Weapon in hand, Ildiko suppressed a shiver, and snuck a few tree lengths away from her horse. She'd make this quick. As she passed a thicker tree, she heard a rustling against the trunk. Surprised, Ildiko sucked in a breath, preparing to attack. The rabbit was spooked by the sharp noise, hopping away to get away from her. The sight of movement and the thrill of the hunt sent adrenaline rushing through her body, keeping her warm. She was so close, she could almost taste its warm blood. When it ran, she hesitated initially, not expecting it to be so fast. Ildiko ran after it, but she soon lost sight of it. She felt disappointment sink like a rock in her belly. Her stomach growled with a violent churn, reminding her why she was in the cold in the first place. Ildiko panted heavily and rested by a tree, bending over and coughing. She felt dizzy from hunger, and from over-exertion. It'd been a long time since she'd run. It was far too cold to be pushing her body like this. And then she heard something to her left. The movement again. Wiping her mouth slowly, she turned her head, not expecting to see anything. Another rabbit, curious, came to her side, apparently wondering what the commotion was. She flinched and attacked it without meaning to, frightened by its sudden appearance. The rabbit was bludgeoned with the sharp end of her club, and though it tried to squirm away, she killed it with a final blow. The blade cut through its skin cleanly. The creature twitched once, then went rigid. After she was done and had confirmed that yes, it was indeed not moving, she stared in astonishment at the dead rabbit at her feet. This wasn't her first kill by any means, but it had been her most...undignified. Instead of feeling proud of herself, she felt upset. She should have been able to kill it with pure skill and honed senses... not out of fear. If a little rabbit could make her lose it so quickly, what hope did she have to survive away from her pack? The smell of blood reached her nose and her mouth watered. She pounced on the dead kill, bringing it to her mouth and ripping at it with her teeth. Ildiko sighed in contentment. Fresh meat had been hard to come by. She ate as much as she pleased with no regard for the future, blood coating her lips and her hands as she filled her stomach with abandon. Caught in a full crouch with her hair obscuring her view, she had been too engaged in what she was doing to pay attention to her surroundings...or to hear the stranger sneak up behind her. "Who are you and what are you doing?" The voice was firm, masculine, and spoke in Common. Multiple emotions flashed across Ildiko's face before her features settled on fear. She'd let her guard down. Only the weak let their guard down. This person could kill her without hesitation and that'd be the end of her. She swallowed quickly, keeping her body as still as possible. If she was still, maybe he'd feel sorry for her. Maybe she wouldn't be a threat. She raised her hands slowly into the air to show that she was unarmed. Both bloodied hands appeared in the air next to her head, though one was clutching a small carcass. She turned to face the intruder, though she didn't get a good look at his face. Her eyes focused on the weapon in his hand. He was armed, and therefore, dangerous. She breathed slowly, collecting her thoughts as she stood up slowly. Her eyes were wide like a doe's, and her tangled hair was in her face. The front of her thin shirt was wet and bloodied. Her nose was bright red from the cold. She would have looked more homeless than dangerous, were it not for the blood coating her lips, and the maimed piece of meat in her hand. "Hungry," she enunciated in Common, her voice soft, but hoarse. Ildiko stared at him blank-eyed for a moment, face impassive. Should she say more? She couldn't remember how to form a sentence, much less in Common. Perhaps now wasn't the time to be diplomatic. Without warning, she moved without thinking. Throwing the kill forcefully at his head, she aimed straight at his face. Using it as a distraction, Ildiko bolted as fast as she could towards her horse. Breathing heavily, she threw the cloak off of its head, swinging onto its back and goading it with her heels. It was still tied to the tree. It bucked uselessly against the rope before settling, neighing in irritation. She panicked, fear sending a chill through her veins. Ildiko began attacking the rope around her horse's neck with her own teeth, trying to free it. She needed to run. Her heart was beating so loudly in her ears, that she couldn't think clearly. Angrily, she ripped the cord with her fangs, giving a feral cry frightened even her horse. As she tried to get away, the horse resisted, turning towards the stranger and refusing to budge in another direction. She'd made a grave mistake by staying in this area too long. Her 'diversion' had failed, ruined by a stubborn horse. She felt so frustrated that she could cry. Ildiko stiffened her upper lip and stared back defiantly, hoping to appear fearless. She wouldn't show any weaknesses. "If you're going to kill me, just know that I fight back." Her Common was fluent, though heavily accented. The fierce expression she wore, however, was universal.

[Medhozic]

As soon as it turned, he realised that it could not possibly be something human. It was too scrawny, too hunched and wild with an animalistic glare in its eyes, more comparable to deer than to any human creature. The humans, as far as he knew, did not eat such flesh without cooking it, either.. this one may have looked something like a human, but it was not. But even though it didn't, it looked familiar nonetheless. He remembered something like this beast, something rare and beautiful.. but it was not like the Ethaefal. It was something to be prized to have hunted, majestic as it falls under the might of the strongest, and beautiful when its head hangs as a trophy in ones house. Like the winged one that got away... because, unknown to either the little female or him, he had met Zith before. Full-grown Zith, hunting for food; but they were prey, just like all others that he had seen. He had tried to hunt it; wings were a privilege he did not have, and it had escaped. This one was younger, but that didn't mean anything. It wasn't human, and it would make fine prey; much finer than the rabbits or the deer stalking through the cold forest floor, the lonely scavengers or the lost runts that were the pinnacle of a days fine hunting in the Winter seasons. Hunting was scarce, anyway. Something nagged at the back of his head, though. It looked nearly human, enough to pass as one if not for the fresh blood dripping down her chin or its fangs peeking just from between those crimson lips. A thin human, with little muscle mass and barely enough food to keep her alive.. but a human nonetheless. A poor one, perhaps? A beggar who roams the streets, feeding from whatever it could, regardless of whether it could be cooked.. a child, looking by its stature and its meagre size. An ignorant child, though. He snapped back to reality when a rabbit was thrown at his face. It made his eyes widen and his blood nearly boil under his illuminated marble skin - he hated killing rabbits. They were small, innocent things.. to kill one was only done in necessity, and only done with the dignity of knowing that their body would be used, for the strongest survive and the strong must feed from the weak - it was a rule. It was a rule that he would always follow, and this girl.. this thing had desecrated its body by turning it into a projectile not even comparable to the arrow that would pierce her chest for the insult that she had caused to such a poor, defenseless creature. The wooden limbs of the bow were swung and hit the flying carcass, stopping it before it could splatter against his face, but it threw his aim off balance and he had to spend precious time following her through the forest - which was hardly difficult due to his swift steps and the resistance that was going through with the creatures horse horse - before he could line up a shot with his bow on the girl. Even then, the tree that Ildiko was hurrying to untie the horse from was struck with the arrow, splintering the bark in a shower, rather than slamming through the back of her hand, where he'd been aiming for. It was a surprise that she even owned a horse - being such a horrid creature, he knew that it wasn't hers, and this creature was in obvious distress. Why else would it refuse to go away with her? After he had taken the creature for his own, he would take the horse to a stable, and leave it with them as a gift. He could not take it for himself - he had neither the money nor the time to invest in such a creature.. beautiful as it truly was. "You shouldn't have tried to attack me." Already, another arrow was stretching the bowstring, drawn from his quiver and aimed methodically for her chest. This time, he wouldn't miss this feral beast. She could cry and scream all she wanted. But surprisingly, even as he prepared to take his prey, she seemed defiant... after fleeing just moments ago. If he was one to smile, he would have. "Do you think that will stop me, if I choose to kill you." He couldn't help but ask; it was always nice to try and have a conversation before killing. He wanted to do it with the rabbits, but he couldn't understand their language. He understood her, though. Her anger, her fear.. it was plastered all over her wide eyes, her snarl, every part of her. Did she even know how much her face showed her emotion, how anyone could have seen just how scared she was regardless of what came from her mouth? "This arrow does not care whether you fight or not. You cannot intimidate an arrow, or threaten it. Why try."

[Ildiko]

The tree bark exploded centimeters from her head. She shrieked, shielding her head with her arms as she ducked. "Ow!" The splinters scratched her bare arms, leaving rivulets of blood across her skin. Ildiko turned towards Medhozic with a smoldering glare. When she saw his eyes, she flinched. He was both younger and older than she'd expected; his body frame and slight build showed that he was young, but his stance and body language told her that he was matured, apparently practiced in hunting. He was pale-skinned, like that strange blond human she'd seen earlier. To her, one who had been raised around various skin pigments of brown and blue, Medhozic and the man appeared stripped of color like half-finished works of art. The glare from the bright winter's light made it hard for her eyes to see him clearly, but his unreadable expression that she did see made her blood run cold. This was obviously no Zith. A Zith could quickly overpower her and then laugh as it tore her to pieces. This male in front of her seemed more likely to end her life with an arrow to the heart. She'd had to duck quickly to avoid being hit, and the sudden shifting of her weight caused her to tumble to the ground. The impact took her breath away. She lay on the ground for a few moments, coughing and wheezing. She looked at him helplessly as she caught her breath, bringing her knees to her chest like a small child, or a wounded bird. Then she remembered that he was a threat. A potential enemy. Just as quickly as she had fallen, she straightened herself. Her body felt sore, but she steeled herself against the aches. Ildiko brought herself to a kneeling position, then to a sitting one. His bow was aimed for her chest; his arm drawn back, ready to send an arrow into flight. She froze. "You shouldn't have tried to attack me." Attack? Him? Granted, she had attacked first, but he had aimed first. Where she was from, hesitation got many young Ziths killed every year. She'd moved out of pure instinct, fueled by the desire to live. She felt that same desire burning like a flame on her heart, now, an animalistic fury rising up in her. He'd shot at her. He'd shot at her and he missed. The advantage was hers. His blood deserved to spill on the ground. Her eyes lit up with bloodlust, her lips curling into a demonic smile as she thought of how many ways that she could kill him. Her mind settling on fighting dirty. Clawing, throwing dirt, using everything around her. Climbing on top of him and using his own weapon to beat his head in. He was obviously stronger than her, so it'd only work when she had the element of surprise...she'd surely be wounded in the scuffle, but his life would be hers if she took the advantage. Quickly. Her muscles tensed as she prepared to move. He was still, weapon still drawn, though it seemed as if he was contemplating something. Ildiko let out a slow, shaking breath, the tension leaving her with the air. She was far too weak to fight him physically. The sprinting she'd done wiped out the last of her energy. The chill she felt on her body quenched her desire to do him arm. Her arms were red from the cold. She just wanted to curl up and eat her meal in piece. Was it the hunting ground that he'd wanted? He could have it. Ildiko eyed her cloak on the ground a few paces away, longing to get warmer. She shivered. The hardened, fierce expression left her, replaced with something almost docile. "You missed," she pointed out, voice slow without mocking him. As long as that weapon was aimed at her, she'd refrain from anything potentially offensive. Though she couldn't resist taking a verbal jab at him. "Do you shoot at every person when you first meet them? Where I'm from, we say hello. Hello." Her voice was even, and the corner of her mouth twitched in a bold smirk. You may have me cornered, but I'm still in control of how this ends., it seemed to say. She wondered why he was so mechanical, so detached. Anyone with half a brain would have shot at her already. Though, he seemed to have an intact mind. She saw how he looked from her, to the horse, back to her, as if things didn't add up. What did he want from her? An explanation? A plea? Did he want her to beg? She begged for no one. "Go ahead and shoot. I'm as good as dead anyway. My family left me behind." Ildiko closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the feeling of impact. Nothing happened, so far. She kept talking. "I see that you saw my horse. Do you want to share it?" She licked her lips. The thought of fresh horse meat filling her belly was enough to make her smile.

[Medhozic]

The constant shifting made his upper lip twitch, and in that moment, he knew that he would not kill her. No, no. Whatever it was, it could not decide whether it wanted to be furious and murderous, or lost and confused. It shifted so rapidly from one to the other and back again, it was as though it was two different creatures in one body, struggling to escape. In its own way, it was cute watching the little thing struggling over itself. He didn't mind - he could control it, with a short-bow aimed at her chest and a Kopis still swinging from his hip that could be drawn if she tried to jump off for his throat. She certainly had the fangs, but he had the knife - it mattered little who would have more skill in either. And judging by her struggling, and the way that blood had been drawn before even a single arrow pierced her, it would obviously be the nigh-defenseless human-looking thing that would lose. He answered each of her statements in turn, with one of his own. Crisp, short, though a twitch of amusement went through his eyes with her situation. "I missed. Do you want me to hit you this time." That one was with amusement, glittering faintly in the shadow of his eyes. The first question, though, removed it all as quickly as it had appeared under the same glower that had replaced all that was once natural. "I prefer not to take risks. Hesitation kills too many when there are those who would spare your life for a few Miza's." That took him back.. farther back than it should have, to a time that was too long for anyone to know, but it stood there nonetheless. But the bow never drifted, and neither did his grip on the situation, else it would all be brought fresh into his memory, and that was the last thing he wanted. "You are a risk." He said it with conviction. Regardless of whether her family was gone, regardless of her horse that should not have been hers, and regardless of her scared little innocence trapped behind a visage of murderous will to survive. "You will need the horse more than me." In any other situation, he would have shot her then and there. He would have released that arrow, so carefully drawn at such a close distance, that would have never strayed in its path, and eliminated something that should not have been here in the first place - a threat to his life, something that had showed a potential, and a will, to kill him. But this was something completely alien to him, and the simple confusion that wracked his brain between the two sides of the argument nearly drove him to throw it all the shyke, and shoot the little girl anyway, just to bury the burden. But something spoke to him, deep in the cold little heart that he held, like a little kitten mewling at his soul and scratching his leg, begging for him to reconsider. So, he drew a breath and lifted his head, causing the curtain of hair held by his horns to fall down the gap between the smooth-marble horns and his skull, and lowered the bow down to his side, letting the drawstring coil back to its normal state and for the arrow to hang between his fingers. If only this little, fragile creature knew how lucky she was to have survived this day; she would cherish it for the rest of her life, he hoped. "If you try and attack me, I will put an arrow through your chest and take your skull for a trophy." There was nothing that was stopping him from doing just that if she truly did attempt - he only had the power to stop himself from killing her as it was, because he took such pity on her - but he stepped slowly towards her slowly, almost languidly. There was caution, but he hid it underneath the visage that he was simply crouching quietly as he continued. He was ready for her, if she should attempt to attack. The arrow was being lifted again, but only to be replaced in the leather quiver that hung over his shoulder. And his free arm, with the other gripping the bow, reached out for her in a symbol of good-will, to help her to her feet. "Come. Tell me what your name is." He didn't offer to give his own.

[Ildiko]

"The gods-damned thing doesn't even like me. It's a waste of resources. Keep it; or is the horse not why you aimed a bow at me in the first place?" She ended her sentence with a throaty growl, keeping an eye on the stranger in front of her. Where he was stoic and fluid in his movements, she was dynamic and full of nervous energy, as if she was too anxious to sit still. His sudden change in behavior confused her. She observed him openly, mirroring his facial expression. He was beautiful, in an ethereal sort of way, appearing more as a child of the moon than of the earth. She imagined that if Leth had a body the moon god would look like Medhozic, and would have the same strange, dusty skin. She doubted that even Leth could hold such a vacant expression when speaking threats, however. Leth was the one that she prayed to when she was frustrated with Yahal. To her, Medhozic was no longer 'stranger'. The association between him and the moon god had stuck fast in her mind. Her face contorted strangely with emotion. She merely wrinked her nose, but the way her skin stretched across her cheekbones made it look like she was grimacing. Even if she did favor Leth, this man in front of her was willing to kill her. "I am not in the mood to fight you, moon child. I don't eat huma--"She started to say 'humans', but when Medhozic bent down lower to help her up, she noticed the glint of something distinctly horn-shaped on the top of his head. "...I've never seen a hunter wearing his prizes before. Are you hunting me, now? I have no horns." She spoke with a deceptive ease; though her words sounded open, she was truly just trying to keep him occupied long enough to find her escape. It was a bad idea to allow him to help her up. It felt like a very bad idea, but she suspected that if she ran, she would die. If she fought him from the front, she would die. She didn't want to die. Ildiko held his hand, her grip weaker than expected. She curled her lips and gave him a strange smile meant to hide the trembling of her hands. She used him as leverage to try and bring herself to a standing position; if he had pulled her up, it would hurt. His eyes didn't seem malicious, but she felt as if he had a strength to him that he was hiding. He obviously had meant what he'd said about killing her. "Ildiko?" she said without thinking, caught off guard by such a request. Did it matter what her name was? She wondered if giving her name was a mistake. It hadn't mattered to her colony what her name was. She was always halfling or no-wings to them. Her colony hadn't prized names at all, and viewed names as transient, changeable things that grew with each person's achievement. No, she was far detached from her name, yet she felt like by giving Medhozic her name, she had just given him a strange power over her. She didn't like it. When she was settled, she calmly walked a few paces away from him. Ildiko knew that it would rile him up, and she expected a reaction out of him -- but as she did it, she realized that he would be just as likely to shoot her. She moved just far enough to reach her cloak. She brought it around her shoulders, back facing him. It was obvious that there was nothing in her hands. She didn't trust him at all, but she was confident that he wouldn't shoot her... yet. Ildiko walked back and looked at him expectantly, as if they had merely been holding a conversation and it was now his turn to continue. "Do you have a name?"

[Medhozic]

Unlike her, his scowl was full; his pale skin wrinkled in a way that seemed restricted to only his nose, like he held control of the folds of his skin with precision. He didn't, obviously - although that didn't mean that he didn't wish for it, like he wished for control over everything about himself. His pain, his emotion.. all the infatuations that he held with animals, such as the one that she traveled with, yet showed absolutely no respect for. "The reason your horse does not like you is because you do not treat it properly." He could tell from this distance, although that did not mean he had any knowledge of how to treat a horse correctly. Such things were supposed to be given care, and respect for the work that they would give, and she had only succeeded in startling it and frightening it to the point that it would rather flee her, than aid her in times of need. It was almost shameful - but this thing was no human, it would not know of these things. When he drew closer to help her, he spared a glance and could see it all for himself. Her words brought attention back to her with a turn of his head sharp enough to have broken it, if not for the fact that he was still breathing. While she helped herself up, he did too - forcefully tugging her arm to bring her to her feet, most likely much faster than she would be able to by herself. And most likely done with the intention of causing harm. He was no son of Leth.. never. Although he felt compassion for Leth, it would never compare to Syna.. that much would always be true, no matter what this creature felt of him. His expression hardened as he looked away, uncaring that a few moments later, she began to turn away too. He knew that she had nothing to harm him with - she would have used it by now, if she could have. And she could not run, for he held her horse, and had begun to gently stroke over its nose, up the side of its cheek and stare into those wide eyes. His brushes were delicate over its soft fur, and all concentration seemed to lapse over it, although he responded to her with the same cold, reserved tone that showed some shift in his attitude towards her. "I am no human. And these are no prizes. I am Ethaefal, son of Syna.." As he trailed off, he passed a glance to her, his light brown hair thrown over one side of his head, showing one horn in its full glory, although he hadn't actually intended for it. The tapering from the thick base at the side of his temple, before it bent back and straightened on its way following down the length of his skull, a backwards-pointing tip at the back of his head.. all exposed, glinting faintly with warm marble. "My name was given to me by Syna herself.. you would not be able to pronounce it if I told you." Deep inside, though, he knew that he could not pronounce it either. He knew it, he remembered it.. but he could not say it. And he could not bring back that time, where he was once in the skies, looking down upon the rest of creation. Once, the mere knowledge of that would have drove him to madness. It already had - but now, it was dreary acceptance, that was hidden deep under his mask of blank expression and controlled voice. Such a thing did not come easily - he had spent much time perfecting this control, this restraint of so much pain.. but it had worked. Mostly. Which is why he found himself soon able to shake away the thoughts and pull away from the horse, to focus on the present, instead of the past. "What are you doing, here. In the forest, with a horse that you cannot ride. Hunting prey that you eat without cooking it." Much more restraint had to be used, before he could construct that sentence without wrinkling his nose into the same grimace that she had made only moments ago. "You are a hunter, but you have no bow."

[Ildiko]

She felt that his every glance towards her was filled with disgust and disdain, as if he'd already written her off as some sort of animal. It made her feel angry and offended, and if she had been another kind of person, she would have started a shouting match with him just to argue her worth and intelligence. But Ildiko had no interest in correcting his judgements. Currently, the highest priority on her agenda was to survive, and irritating him wouldn't help her chances of survival. She didn't know exactly what he thought of her, but the attitude he had made her cold towards him in return. Though he wasn't going to kill her this instant, and she wasn't going to kill him, she noted that they were each guarded and openly observant about the other. Ildiko didn't feel a pressing need to change that. The wariness they felt allowed them to observe and appraise each other. If anything suddenly changed, she'd act out of instinct to preserve her own safety. The cold had sent a numbness through her arms and legs that prevented her from feeling the pain of Medhozic's grip until she was away from him and her cloak had warmed her small body up. It wasn't until she felt the pulsating pain of blood rushing back to her extremities that she realized just how roughly he had 'helped' her up. The pale, red outline of his fingers was seen on her skin, and the more her arm warmed up, the worse it felt. She lifted her head, brows drawn together in a quiet, brooding anger. He had busied himself with the horse. To her surprise, the horse was responding to his touch, nuzzling gently against his hand and snorting with pleasure, and she watched him carefully, slack-jawed and in disbelief. Her exposure to horses had been limited; horses were a common food in her colony, but the live ones had been few and far between. She took note of his hand placement, how tenderly he ran his hand across the creature. He seemed to have some intuitive knowledge of how to read a horse's body language... she had no such knowledge, and assumed that if it was whipping its tail and nodding its head, it was being rebellious. Her perspective shifted -- she saw that its tail was moving, but in a slow, sweeping motion in time with Medhozic's touches. Perhaps the horse wasn't so difficult, after all. It made a strange noise through its nose, and she stepped back. Was it okay? Was he okay? Should she step in? He was intimidating, to her, but if the horse went rogue and started to kick him, she wasn't so sure that she would run away. Medhozic was strong, and therefore, could be useful. It'd be a pity to lose him, though she didn't like the idea of protecting him. He seemed intelligent and more knowledgeable about horses than she. She wanted to earn his favor. Maybe he would be less hostile, and teach her what he knew. But she had no interest in becoming submissive to him. She bit her lip as she thought of this. The grandiose way he introduced himself hinted that he was speaking of a god. The name was familiar, but she couldn't recall the importance of it. "Son of Syna?" She shook her head, not knowing who that was. Leth she only knew because of the slaves. Ildiko realized that this stranger in front of her was both a mystery deeper than she had expected, and a treasure trove of information. "I do not know of this god. Are they important?" Her tone was soft and as genuine as she could make it, but lacked affection. She was curious, nothing more. "Perhaps not, if I have not heard of them. There were many slaves and many gods for each, yet I know no Syna." When he was silent, she stared at him in wonder, eyes wide in shock and confusion. She was not fond of art or the like, but she was stunned by how beautiful he was. The horn was definitely not simply decoration. It looked like a part of him, and in a strange way, it accented his beauty. Ildiko frowned, unsure of what to make of it. She'd hunted creatures with horns before. She didn't know what he was and she didn't like not-knowing. He claimed to be Ethalafel, yet he looked human. Did he have a mark from the gods, one that made him extra powerful? She was speechless. "That's strange," she mumbled, wanting to fill the silence with something. She did not volunteer what she was. The look in his eyes showed that he had already made an assumption. She snorted in amusement; he seemed to take personal offense at her mention of the moon god, and she took personal pleasure in his offense. She would have teased him if they were closer, if they hadn't been as wary as two predators who'd stumbled upon each other by mistake. They tested each other in their body language and conversation, morphing social graces into a combative dance to test each other's boundaries. He seemed haughty when he spoke of his name. She rolled her eyes. "I will call you Syna, then." The faraway look in his eyes that came when he fell silent confused her. Did he know that they were still in the woods together? Was he starting to trust her? Or was he acting as she had, pridefully assuming that the other would hesitate to make the kill? "I am not a child of any god," she said flatly. She didn't elaborate, and didn't feel that he wanted an explanation. The way that he looked at her told enough: she was a monster to him, a brutish thing that ate rabbits raw and abused horses. "I was hungry." She refused to answer his questions any further. "I need to get warm." She made more of a flat statement than a request for permission. Her hunger was sated but her body temperature was quickly dropping, as evidenced by her starting to shiver. At night she'd slept against the horse to keep her body warm, but it was daylight now. She wanted to make a fire but was afraid of attracting even more unwanted attention. Ildiko wondered what they were going to do now. Was he going to stay by her side for the rest of the day, would he choose to hunt in his own territory? She didn't expect him to leave, however; he seemed attached to her horse, and she suddenly felt unwilling to give it up. Now that she knew that it wasn't stupid, she wanted it to bond to her like it had to Medhozic. "I don't care what you do as long as I stay alive. But I need to get warm." She walked close to him, to the side of the horse, reaching inside for a blanket from the saddlebag.

[Medhozic]

The strokes, in response to the whuffles, slowly turned to his palms and ran along the side of its snout, around its cheeks and the back of its head, around its ears and lavishing attention around all of the untouched spots, almost seeking for some damage, fingertips delicately tracing patterns over it before he pulled away again. Of course he knew nothing of how to fix an injury with a horse - it did not mean that he could not check to find such things. And besides, the horses reaction was a calming warmth. He liked making animals feel good - caring for them. It made him somewhat happy, the closest he'd been since his time with Syna, and although he knew that he would have to kill them to survive, he also knew that he could care for some, as well. Perhaps keep one, as a companion in lonely journey's across the land. It was also easier to trust these animals, much more than humans or other humanoid creatures. Some of them were cunning, calculating things that were only interested in money; they could change at the drop of a hat, they could grow from kind to malicious, and always they were so interested in him.. like he was just another animal in a zoo, when he walked through the streets of Syliras and they gawked at his horns like he was a common sheep, and they were only waiting for the guards to throw him out. Animals weren't like that - they either wanted to kill you, or they didn't. There was no middle ground, and it never changed, and they weren't interested in money or power. It was blissfully simple for them all. The more time he spent with the horse, the less time he wanted to spend with this creature. It made him realise just how little he cared for all of it; his mask of stony indifference was reshaping from its earlier cracks. He wouldn't make the same mistakes as he had this day, making her believe that he actually cared for her life above something like a rabbit. At least, that is what he hoped; making such mistakes could cost his life against an adversary that wasn't so completely defenseless and weak compared to him. "Leth damaged himself, to save Syna. They share the skies together, Syna during the light.. and Leth in the dark." He looked skyward at the mention of her name, and breathed out an inward sigh of melancholy. "She is the Sun Goddess.. and there are some that roam the mortal plane as her children, too. I am not one of them." But before he could drift away into his own thoughts again, she was moving up to his side to shuffle around her equipment. So close to him, as well; he wasn't scared though, if she should attempt to attack him here. He would never, ever be scared of death.. because only he knew what lay beyond. And, besides, he knew death would not come from this creature. More likely, death was already following her... "Then you should make a fire and get warm." He passed a glance to her, but he didn't shift from his post, hands caressing the horse with the tender care reserved for a newborn child. "And you should cook your food before you eat it." He was about to add that she would become sick if she didn't, but judging by her fangs, he knew that it was probably safe for her to eat such things with blood still flowing through them. Which didn't stop it from being uncivilized and disgusting in his eyes nonetheless. If she was ever going to pass as something close to a human, she'd have to change her mannerisms. "And I know that you are no child of no god. You have no horns." He watched her carefully though, almost warily, though he tried to keep such a thing out of his mask. She was no child of a god, but she was deadly to small woodland creatures with a possibility of becoming more dangerous in the future.

[Ildiko]

Her tension was tangible as she pulled the worn cloth from the bag, though she listened to his speech carefully. He didn't move from his spot near the horse, but the way that he hardened his emotions towards her was nearly visible, ending in a set in his jaw that made her keep her distance. Ildiko hid her surprise at his words well, though this new information floored her. Syna was the Sun Goddess, but Leth wasn't just the god of the moon, he had actually saved the sun goddess -- this was groundbreaking to her, one who'd believed that the moon was just as lonely and selfish as herself. Leth gained more respect in her eyes, though she wasn't sure how much she liked the 'self-sacrificial' part. The moon had attracted her because it seemed like a very solitary thing, a thing of the night and yet not consumed by the darkness. It spoke of self-sufficiency to her, but also loneliness. For someone who claimed to be a child of the sun goddess, Ildiko found him unusually blunt. She'd thought him emotionless until he started interacting with the horse. Now, watching him was like watching a statue come to life. He wasn't smiling, but he seemed genuinely happy to be near the beast, and the beast seemed grateful for the attention. Ildiko felt a twinge of jealousy. It was her horse, not his. She removed the flint and steel from her pack and slipped them into her pockets, walking away to gather wood. It was hard for her to find wood dry enough to make a fire, but she soon had a small pile by her feet, away from anything flammable. Ildiko set rocks around it to contain the flame. Ildiko used her eating knife to cut a corner of cloth from her cloak, and struck the flint and steel together until she saw sparks. She lit the cloth easily, the corner of it igniting. She dropped it on her small pile of wood and waited for the flame to catch. She blew on the growing fire, coaxing it to spread. It didn't do anything noticeable, and died out from the wind exposure. "Are you my mother, now?" she huffed, frustrated that the fire was not cooperating. She lit the cloth again, cupping it in her hands to make sure that it was protected enough. It caught quickly, roaring into a fire large enough to warm her. She sat by the fire and roughly wiped her mouth with the hem of her cloak, wiping the dried blood away. "Why should I cook anything? A fire could attract the wrong kind of attention. A fire could get me killed." She licked at a forearm delicately, rubbing it with her cloak to clean it. She cleaned her hands on the ground below her, and hovered them over the fire. "Why are you here?"