A part of the night

[D'Varrus Tomva]

73rd of Spring, 522 AV

It was evening when D’Varrus left to start his patrol. While it had been raining during most of the day, it stopped a few bells earlier which left the world smelling damp with a few other scents drifting in on the wind. He was of course in his jaguar form, leaving his things back at home for now because he could cover more ground this way. Not only could he see, hear and smell better in this form, he also felt a good deal faster as well. Of course his stamina wasn’t quite there yet, but that was something he was currently working on most evenings. For now though, at the start of a long night, he took things slow, walking the beach up towards the Sharktooth point. From there it would be a simple thing to cross over to the settlement’s outliers in that direction before heading back to patrol closer to where most of the residents lived. Unsurprisingly the beach was empty ahead of him as night descended on the shores of Syka. There was nothing in this direction aside from a couple of out buildings and of course the pigs that he had become well acquainted with since his abrupt arrival on the beach near there. This meant he wasn’t likely to run into a Sykan going this way at the this bell in particular because that was a risky proposition living as close to the jungle as they did. That was the reason they had hired him after all, so he could help make the night a little safer for them all.

As he walked up the beach he paid as much attention to the water’s edge as he did the jungle, remembering that strange jellyfish that Buraga had peeled off of the beach. He hadn’t thought about going in the water since that day, least of all alone with threats like that out there lurking invisibly in the surf for him to stumble across. D’Varrus didn’t care if their numbers were low, he didn’t want to chance it. So was he walked up the beach he kept a good distance from where the tide was washing in, keeping a careful eye on the water while occasionally looking back at the fringe of jungle on his left. From what he could see everything looked normal. Nothing really moved except the occasional buzzing insect that didn’t particularly concern him with his thick coat of fur. Another plus of wearing this form while patrolling along the edge of the jungle. Although he wasn’t supposed to chance actually going into it just yet. Not until he learned how to navigate and survive in that harsh environment. Indigo, Uta, and Buraga had all made that very clear to him. Surprisingly, he found he didn’t have a hard time trusting their opinion and maybe that was in no small part because of the ordeal he had gone through with Indigo almost getting lost, and being saved by that petching river. He agreed with one thing whole heartedly. It was easy to get lost in that jungle. One didn’t even have to go that far. A few feet was all that was needed to get someone turned about enough that they might never find their way out again.

WC - 546

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Stopping, D’Varrus took a big sniff of the hair, opening his mouth up slightly as he did. Something in the air had changed subtly. A different flavor on the wind that was different from the moist earth and salty spray he had been tasting along his little journey. A smell he couldn’t quite place because it wasn’t linked to anything he had reference to. Curious he padded a little more quickly up the beach until he reached a sort of lazy jog, a loping stride that carried him into view of the point where he lost all sense of direction with the smell. He slowed down until he was standing still along the beach, taking great, big inhales but the scent was gone, lost to whatever had brought it to his senses. D’Varrus had to wonder if it was just the wind playing tricks on him, or if it was something else had been the cause for the smell when he heard something splashing in the shallows of the point. While not exactly splashing, more like when the waves rolled in and washed against this inanimate object, it made a trickling sound as the water slapped against the old piece of driftwood that had gotten wedged between two rocks.

Carefully, D’Varrus maneuvered so that he was standing on the rocks when he pulled out the piece of driftwood and then hopped back onto the beach before he dropped it. Looking out onto the clear waters of the point again, he watched the it placidly for a few ticks seeing a few fish darting about amongst the coral. They were keeping close to it as larger dark shapes swam nearby. D’Varrus took a step back just in case these were the sort that might try to lunge out of the water after him. He had never seen a fish so huge, and he imagined it must have quite the appetite. He watched it swim gracefully about for a few chimes before he continued on with his patrol, up the beach from Sharktooth point and towards the Swine Swells. He was determined to check on the outbuildings he had been told about residing up here before he went back to patrol around the commons. Still he was wary about the time he had been keeping, and started to pick up the pace as he lunged into action.

He hopped into a trot, one paw after another as he built up a rhythm working his way up the beach. As he wasn’t trying to be particularly sneaky, the pigs sensed him long before he got in range of them, and avoided him appropriately, shying away at a distance they considered safe. He supposed they must have some experience with jaguars in the jungle, a creature he had yet to particularly learn about though he supposed he knew who to go to about it when he was ready to speak on it. Truth was he was pretty curious about his relationship to the jungle, or at least that of his distant cousins, but he didn’t know exactly how to broach that subject without feeling foolish. It wasn’t something he had put much thought into because he never had a reason to. He had been determined from the day he first changed that he was going to be a guard for some wealthy merchant and they raised him to be good at that, and nothing else. It left him feeling more or less incomplete, a feeling he couldn’t shake no matter how much freedom he got. D’Varrus had felt something close to completeness after sharing a moment with Indigo but that feeling was gone now, and left him feeling a stronger yearning than ever before. It was probably why he felt like he was in his head all the time of late.

WC - 637

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Continuing past the swells he saw a building on the coast. It was a beautiful piece of structure, standing tall above the waves as it was lofted by elaborately carved wooden pillars. He supposed that’s why its name was the way it was. ‘Standing Tall Builder’s Emporium’ was what it was known as and there could be no mistaking that this was that business because aside from the Sawmill this was the only structure he knew of this side of Syka. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the structure, slowing down from his trot to a walk as he looked across the grounds carefully to make sure there were no problems. When he was satisfied that everything was alright with the structure, and its potential resident, he took off again this time towards the short path that lead to the Sawmill, helpfully guided along by a sign that directed him up the narrow dirt path. He smelled them before he ever saw them. The Ashta, strange creatures he didn’t know the name of but had smelled before. He thought briefly if that could have been the whiff he caught earlier but quickly decided against it as the smells were not comparable in the slightest. Besides these creatures smelled strangely rich, not earthy exactly but more like a fragrant flower infused into their musky scent. They were large enough that it didn’t even cross his mind to think of catching one of them. He gave them their distance, not even pushing into the Sawmill very far because of it. He was sure if anything turned up that was even slightly threatening these Ashta would be enough to either take care of the problem or at least alert anyone who happened to be nearby. Since they seemed relatively calm if slightly anxious about his presence, he decided to get moving quickly before one of them decided to approach him.

Going back the way he came, and intending on going all the way to the settlement, D’Varrus really let loose as he ate up the ground on his way back. Extending the digits of his paws, he grabbed at the ground as he propelled himself forward heart beating harder in his chest as he worked himself into a steady pant. It felt so good to just let loose like this on occasion that he almost missed an opening in the cobblestone path that would take him by the Bungalows, a route he’d meant to take on the way back to be thorough with his patrol. Skidding to a stop, he walked his way back to the entrance to the cobblestone path and took a moment to catch his breath before continuing down it. That run had been enough to wake him up so now he felt alive with the night as he padded down that stony path, listening carefully for anything he might catch over the sound of his labored breathing. Realizing this, he came to a stop near one of the Bungalows and settled back on his haunches until he caught his breath. Slowly a sound drifted to his years, a sound that was vaguely human, but muffled as if they were trapped under a blanket or something although they sounded like they were right in the Bungalow he had stopped beside.

WC - 553

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Curious, D’Varrus took a few cautious steps up into the bungalow as the noise grew louder and he could definitely make out a voice though it was speaking in a language he didn’t understand. He poked his head in, and found it suspiciously empty, dark, though it definitely looked like it was currently inhabited. The voice was also practically legible now. Right underfoot even though he couldn’t see where this person was. Looking around, he sniffed the air again and realized a thick blanket had been tucked under the shelf. He gave his surroundings a cursory look around and then pawed open the thick blanket when he was greeted with a most unusual sight. There in the middle of the blanket was a leather bound book with what looked to be a window in the middle of it, and in that window was a person. A grizzled old man with a dirty gray robe that was currently shaking his fist at him. D’Varrus shook his head briskly and when the image didn’t disappear he carefully put the blanket back over the book. Then he gently bit down till he was sure he had a firm grasp of it before he carried it out of the Bungalow. This seemed like just the sort of thing that Buraga would want to see, so he would keep it over at his Rancho until he met with the man in the morning to report on his findings. He couldn’t very well leave it in the Bungalow he found it in because he had a sneaking suspicion that whoever was currently inhabiting it might come back and move the book. If it turned out to not be a cause for concern, he would return it, but he figured it was better to be safe, and have it checked out while he had the opportunity to do so. Fortunately he didn’t have to travel far to take it back to his Rancho where he stored it underneath his bed before going back to return the blanket in its spot under the shelf. He couldn’t get it folded in the same way as before but he didn’t much care about doing that because any reasonable person would check for such a strange book, and realize it was absent anyways.

Nevertheless he got away from the Bungalows as quickly as possible, padding up the path where he eventually came across the Community Pool. There he was tempted to take a bit of a dip in those waters but he resisted as he still had a lot of ground to cover before this night was through. Maybe later when morning was on the horizon but not now. D’Varrus continued on, passing by the common core and the path to the dovecote to cross over to the other side of the settlement where the Panacea was. Taking the cobblestone path to the right of it, he gave each path along the way a cursory look down it, listened for a moment and when he was satisfied no one was either in trouble or making trouble he continued on his way, keeping his nose out in the meantime. He was actually following his nose when he came across a campsite trying to follow a stream to the sea. As the night was well under full swing, he padded quietly down the stream’s bank, keeping a careful eye on the tent but from the sound of things they were deeply asleep. It was still rather odd finding someone way out this way, but he supposed it was a nice enough area where the water pooled shallowly before adjoining with the sea. Pretty in the moonlight, and probably just as beautiful in the day he thought as he skirted around the estuary’s banks, looking into the water carefully. Like the point, it too teemed with life, which made him wonder less about why this person chose to camp were they did. He considered briefly introducing himself but when he considered the hour he decided firmly against that course of action and instead headed back the way he had come.

WC - 686

[D'Varrus Tomva]

From is journey across the length and breath of Syka, he was well satisfied that everything was in order about the settlement. He had run into no dangerous creatures, nothing stranger than a book someone left in their Bungalow. That was something he would have the chance to ask about soon, perhaps even before the sun rose if he was lucky. He remembered something from his discussion with Buraga the other day concerning Zayne. That triggered another thought within him as he started to race back to his Rancho. Suddenly this book couldn’t wait. He needed answers as soon as possible. Taking the route back that ran across the beach, he pushed his body as hard as he could take it, though he lost a significant amount of time giving the Ixam a wide berth. It meant he had to take the cobblestone path back around the Bungalows and on down to the Rancho’s but it was worth it to avoid running past those strange creatures. Running on the path was actually kind of fun, hearing his claws scrape faintly across the stone as he padded quickly down them, one foot after the other as he took great gulps of air. It wasn’t long before he was back in the sand, and making his way across it down to his house on the end. He leapt onto the deck, and promptly changed into his human seeming form to walk inside. He was so caught up in what he was doing, he almost passed out as he edge of his vision darkened for a moment and he had to hold onto the threshold for a moment till his managed to slow his breathing down. Then when he was feeling a little more up to it, he bent down to check and make sure the book was there. It was, but the old man was strangely gone.

D’Varrus didn’t know what to make of that as he hastily got dressed, pulling on his clothes before he headed back out with the book tucked under his arm. This time he did cross by the Inn, but he gave any Ixam he came across their space, and avoided looking at them directly. He didn’t want any distractions while he was on his way to the Tranquility Center. It took several chimes walking on two legs, but eventually he came upon the open air building that was as quiet as the rest of the night had been. Just inside the deck, the space was mostly empty save for an odd pair of cloth gloves that sat unattended in the middle of the floor. Setting his book down, he approached the gloves, and picked them up, giving them a brief sniff before turning them over in his hands for inspection. They seemed normal enough, like the sort he had sometimes wore when sparring in his human form. A little interested to see if they would fit, he pulled them on and to his surprise they slipped on as easily as if they had been made just for him. As if they had been altered for his hands and forearms. They reminded him vaguely of the clothes that Naadiya had initially tried to get him into, though these were much more comfortable than those tight shirts. As he was flexing his grip, Zayne walked in from the back, and D’Varrus started to take the gloves off.

WC - 569