Stargazing (Open)

[Xerxes]

7 Spring AV 511

===...===


It was a night that the world was almost too much for her to handle.

There was no specific incident that triggered the feeling she harbored deep within her chest; the hot, fiery pulsing of the unknown pressure that had no way of being released. Xerxes awakened from her slumber, breathing heavily and drenched in cold sweat. The dream itself was vague, mostly indistinguishable shapes running rampant in confusing multi-colored swirls. It was not the first time that the girl had awakened in such a manner, but it had to have been the worst one of them all.

No matter how much Xerxes willed her heart to slow, it refused to acquiesce to her strong yet silent pleas. As the seconds slowly trickled by, her condition worsened. Her chest was tight, her eyes were unbearably hot and restless. Her entire body began to quake uncontrollably, and she found herself closing her eyes to try and suppress the violent reactions that she had undergone.

Nothing seemed to work. Xerxes had a thought to splash some cool water against her face and possibly get something equally cool if not colder down her throat. However, upon opening her sea green orbs, she was no longer in her home, but somewhere along the very edges of the endlessly flowing grassy terrain she called home. Once Xerxes came to realize her abrupt change in surroundings, she suddenly became truly aware of it. She could feel it. The soft whispering of the cool, crisp air through the tall blades well before it even reached to caress her skin. The many different forms of life, conscious and otherwise, that was also part of the niche of this land. The heavy weight of darkness that seemed to press down on her from the night sky.

This all encompassing awareness struck a chord within her so deeply that it was enough to pull her consciousness from within the depths of the random bout of inner madness. She inhaled deeply, exhaling much the same, and continued to repeat the process as she held on to that feeling that kept her tethered to sanity. A small patch of cool wetness pressed against the base of her elbow. It was somewhat of a distant feeling, yet she didn’t so much as twitch at the presence of it, already knowing that it belonged to her beloved hunting cat, Oura, who had come to check on his mistress after having very clearly sensed her distress. Within moments, her body returned back to normal, and Xerxes heaved a small sigh of relief, her eyes sliding shut once again as she came back to herself.

By this point, Xerxes was completely awake, with no hopes of going back to sleep any time soon. As quietly as she could so as not to disturb the other residents of the pavilion, she pushed herself off of her bedroll, collecting her longbow and quiver from their customary place at her bedside. After donning her cloak and footgear to help stave off the chill of the night air, Xerxes made her way outside with Oura padding dutifully behind her. Together, they made their way to the nearest border of Endrykas. Xerxes knew she had to be careful not to go too far into the vast expanses of the Grasslands, even though she had two forms of veritable protection with her. It was nevertheless unwise to go traipsing through the grassy terrain alone, especially in the latest hours of the night, and she kept this well in mind as she stopped several meters away from the edge of the outside-most pavilion.

Xerxes shivered visibly as a frigid wind blew its way across the sea of grass, causing a whispered chorus of the shifting of countless blades to saturate the atmosphere. She placed a reassuring hand at the crown of her faithful companions head, turning her gaze skyward as she allowed her mind to empty, simply enjoying the feeling of the infinite existence afforded to her by the star-speckled sky.

[Eldon Sunkiss]

OOCYou need to add a timestamp. If you don't mind, anything during Spring is available for Eldon, excluding the 5th and 10th Crack! The solid sound of metal bashing heavily into wood echoed, faintly, through the howling empty world. The Sea of Grass, in the middle of night, might as well have been a void of life. There was the telltale sound of insects crying in the vicinity, scared not by the presence of a larger, more mammalian, and significantly more furious being in the area. Eldon stared at the tree in silence. His chest was bare, the wounds on his body were nearly healed (assuming it's not after the tenth) yet still bandaged in soft clean linen strips. His arm had regained its strength days ago, and several days before that even healed. Eldon was most pleased to have his arm back, not that it was ever truly taken from him, but it made him more certain that he could, and would, take down his intended prey. Eldon winced his eyes as he tried to focus through the darkness of Leth's bright, yet dark, gaze. The tree was still there, always was. It was the place he met Kayiri, the place where they gambled on their skills, the place where Eldon had lost. He hated to admit his loss, but it was to a man younger than he, but very much like him in many ways. Or, at least he was like him. That Eldon died away in the final gasps of the Winter Season, and since then, a darker, more angry spirit had taken his place. Perhaps he was still Eldon, the strong, the healthy, the watermancer of the Sunkiss Pavilion, but he was not the same. He was now the Fatherless, the frigid hearted, the blood hungry. He had found his nights less and less peaceful, more and more interrupted. First, sleep came difficult because he was plagued by guilt, by sorrow, by self-pity and self-rejection, but those faded until none remained. Now, he still awoke at night, not because he was scared of the night, but because he embraced it. He prayed to some unknown god or goddess that the same Zith, or any Zith for that matter, would try to get the jump on him now. He was prepared as ever, and only getting stronger, fiercer, deadlier. Eldon grasped the small weapon in his hand, the ax designed and masterfully crafted to slice air and flesh alike. It would fly far, fly true, and hit hard. All Eldon really needed to make sure he got his kill, was to be certain he was able to control this weapon. Eldon lifted the hand, the ax, and in one fluid motion, hurled the ax through the darkness, into the tough flesh of the tree. Again a sickening crack, a thump, reverberated softly in the night. The howling wind, however, was quick to swallow it up. Eldon stalked through the darkness towards the tree, and quickly reclaimed both of the weapons, identical axes, buried in the tree. He stopped, listened to the wind. The Bugs stopped chirping. An interesting observation to be sure. The insects rarely hushed themselves unless something was about. Perhaps it was just Eldon himself they heard, or, perhaps, one of his four dogs guarding, watching over the area, ready to defend their master. No, it was something else. Nejin, Morse, Danadeh, and Unlu, the four Akinva Deerstalker Canines that had attached themselves to Eldon, returned to his side, each of them had caught something in their senses, something they weren't familiar with. If it was a Drykas, they would be cautious, but not aggressively defensive like this. Eldon crouched low, taking one throwing ax in either hand, and waited in silence. Perhaps it was just what he was waiting for. A zith. To spill the blood of that monster, to claim vengeance he so very much desired, it would make him so pleased, but might coincidentally make him crave more. He would risk it though. The monstrosities he saw committed, they couldn't be ignored. Sadly, the dogs only caught the scent of a feline. Not quite what Eldon expected, but it would explain their vicious reaction.

[Xerxes]

It was only once the wind changed direction that Xerxes realized something was amiss. Or rather, Oura, after having suddenly caught the scent of the canines, tipped Xerxes off with the sudden tensing of his body, almost immediately followed by the raising of his hackles in tandem with the deep rumble of a warning growl. With an ease that boasted years of practice, Xerxes slid a single arrow from her quiver before nocking it, following a few steps behind the big hunting cat as he padded his way across the grassy plains with an innate covertness that most any kind of feline possessed.

After catching sight of the ‘culprits’, Xerxes relaxed a little. There was no mistaking that breed of dog; Akinva Deerstalkers made excellent hunting companions amongst the Drykas. After signing the command of return to Oura, the girl held her ground, not moving any closer than she’d already done, but at least returning the arrow back to its carrier so as to present a peaceful encounter. For a moment, she simply examined what she could of the male whom the canines were clearly protecting; he was much taller than her 5’2, at least six feet, with an athletic build and short hair. Her eyes lingered curiously on the pair of small axes he was hefting in both hands, before returning back to his face.

“I didn’t think anyone else would be out here this late….” she began, her voice unusually husky for a female, but not unpleasantly so. The wind suddenly picked up in force, causing the loose tendrils of her long, auburn hair to dance erratically back and forth in the air. “Or early, depending on how one looks at it, I suppose. I hope I’m not intruding.”

[Leon]

The irrevocable urge to push forward held him and his momentum steady. The daylight had long since dwindled from his vexed vision. His subconscious lured by forces unbeknown to him, left him walking without any consideration of time. Time had little merit anymore anyway. A hatred formed between those frail hands that lay bound in the back of his mind. Every night he seemed to relive the moment where the one he loved vanished from his life. Thus he did not sleep when the sun was awake. So for now those thoughts were elsewhere, banished to another realm where even time could not reach. The word was but an obstacle to him as he was left drifting over the blades of shifting black. The Sea of grass held many stories and legends. This place reminded him of the ocean, like the deserts of his homeland, stretching for miles almost endlessly. He could remember his mother telling stories of the amazing people who resided there. But as he stared out over the star lighten field, darkness was the only thing he was confronted with. The place his mother had spoken of was nothing more than a shadowy battlefield. Confronted with his emotions, he stood staring long into the distance looking for something, some semblance of hope in this forsaken place. Stars merged with the world around him. It felt as though he was surrounded, compressed into the feeling of his solitude. As he spun around searching for his bearing he noticed an anomaly in the distance. Amongst the brightly lit stars was a place where no stars hung at all. It was devoid of almost all traces, there was something there tall enough there to block out the light of stars. He let the thought spin in his mind, unsure of what it could mean, until at last he had reached an answer. ” A Tree’s.” His lips forming the word, that his mouth dared not to speak for fear of being betrayed. His breath heavier than normal, left him expelling the air quickly as if signing his relief this day. He was glad that he would have a place to bed down in the morning, a place to take shelter from the wandering eyes of those that loomed during the day. With the new task in hand he pressed forward. His legs taking the first confident steps since entering this grassy prison. But he was not alone, he could not explain it, but something, something was here. His first thought was to run, to flee from the shadows that tormented his senses. The cold air danced playfully around his body, finding the weak spots in his clothing with ease. His muscles tensed, his sense of alertness perked. Something was bothering him, scratching at the back of his head. He was being watched. Though he could not find the source of his pursuer he could in fact feel that life force closing in on him. The wind swirled around his body making the blades of grass that circled him mix effortlessly with the airs undisputed demand. The feeling of being just within grasp had him on edge. His hand as if on impulse moved quickly to the spot by his side. The muscle memory effect of pulling the scimitar free from its enclosure was something he had long ago perfected. His heartbeat drummed to the beat of fear, he was not use to this cat and mouse game. He did not conform well to the thought of possibly being the prey this time around. The fear crept into his body, his whole senses affected by it. Something was out there, it was close, and only getting closer. Turning back to the dark spot he spotted earlier he began to sprint. He knew this would draw out his pursuer, he knew this would be the only way he could fight the foe on some what equal terms. It held the element of surprise, and with that it clutched certain victory. Within three steps he was lunged on from behind. His pack the interceptor of the claws, but his body the grounds. He heard the growl of a feline, possibly a panther. The sound of ripping cloth was apparent to him as it began biting and clawing the pack, thinking it had acquired its prey fully. The weight of the struggle was unbearable, he turned letting the creatures weight mix with his packs, it was just enough to knock it off balance and leave if questioning what had just happened. The straps came loose with the motion, freeing Leon from the clutches of death if only for a moment. Leon rolled free of the sight, his blade steady in hand. The wind picked up ever so slightly sending a chorus of sounds disguising his small maneuver. His thoughts and fears were in fact correct as he struggled to gain sight of the black being before him. A pair of emerald eyes stared defiantly at him, the color low to the earth. It was in position for a pounce. Tressa had done this to him several times in the past, although playing she unknowingly would be the one that saved his lift this day. As the form flashed past his pack, its claws and fangs bared ready to take him out for good. Leon sunk down driving his blade hard upwards connecting with solid flesh. He was the victor as the black form landed with a heavy thud. Without taking any extra time to see what he had done, he reached for his pack and moved as fast as he could towards the wooded area. His heart beating with the strain it took to carry him forward, his blade saturated in the blood of his fallen adversary. He was fearful, fearful of what other manner of creatures awaited his corpse to consume, but as he touched the lone tree, he was glad he wouldn’t have to find out. His mind did not question the sensible logic of why the tree was here in. The troubles of the cold had long since eluded him, as sweat and tiredness began to take over. His breathing struggling to keep up for his need for oxygen left him leaning against the rooted structure panting. Looking up for the first time he spotted the eyes of another gazing upon him. The shock left him speechless, his blade still clung to his person, now being gripped tighter than ever.

[Eldon Sunkiss]

Eldon remained low, crouch and underneath the tall dried grass. They reached up, clawing harmlessly against his tanned skin, the sunkissed brown flesh of his body as his dark brown eyes scanned desperately into the darkened horizon. He heard nothing but the soft whispers of the wind and the shifting of grass dancing in those gusts. The canines, however, were watching diligently and accurately. By watching the dogs, Eldon could know where he was being watched from, yet oddly enough, the dogs seemed to calm down, though remained watchful. They no longer growled or looked ready to tear something to shreds, but something was still there. When a voice rang out from the darkness, Eldon felt his chest, his stomach, his arms and back, all tense up, then instantly relax. A voice, perfect Pavi, meant a friend was there, or at least an unknown ally. "You're never alone in this world. It is only too dangerous to assume so." Eldon smirked as he stood tall again, still trying to make out a better description of the woman. In the darkness, she was little more than a shadowy figure with a voice. Eldon turn around suddenly and hurled another ax. The weapon soared through the air, biting at the wind and whistling as the current was cleaved in two. The ax buried itself in the decaying wood of the lone tree once again. "How does a Drykas intrude on Drykas lands anyway? Semele gave this to our people to walk about, or ride, freely as we please. I don't see how you could be a strange here." Eldon looked at the ax, then down several feet where a man sat in silence. He hadn't even noticed that his dogs were watching him, more closely now than they had watched the girl. The canine Guardians knew Drykas by scent, they were familiar with commands in Pavi, but this man was new, humanoid, but still new. He was neither an immediate threat to them, but they wouldn't dare trust him. Eldon lifted his other ax, ready to embed it into Leon's skull if he dared strike out at himself or the dogs. Then, sadly in a language Leon didn't understand, Eldon spoke in perfect Pavi to the man. "Don't you dare make a move stranger. I can tell by your appearance you aren't Drykas. I suggest you drop that weapon of yours or you'll be nothing more than a frigid corpse before Syna has a chance to warm your bones." It would have been logical for Eldon to consider that this man knew nothing of Pavi, and Eldon himself knew only a very small amount of Common. The most important thing was that Eldon could kill this man, right now, and never would he lose sleep over it. After losing his father, it would almost feel like an acceptable action to kill him just to be certain he wasn't a danger to the Drykas. Sure as hell though, live or dead, Eldon was going to bring Leon back to Endrykas. He wasn't about to let a trespasser walk the plains without answering to the Drykas.

[Xerxes]

Xerxes accepted the man’s cordiality at face value, offering a coy smile in return. She observed with unabashed curiosity his movements as he hurled one of the axes, muscles tensing, rippling fluidly with the motion upon release. She was preparing to ask of his name when she, too, caught sight of the stranger, her eyes having subconsciously trailed down the length of the decrepit tree before lighting upon the intruder.

Though her fellow Drykas’ words were a bit harsh, they were quite necessary. At least, that’s how Xerxes felt in regards to the situation. Here was a strange person, one who was very clearly not a Drykas himself, roaming around their lands in the dead of night. That in and of itself was enough to warrant suspicion, and as a result, Xerxes found herself nocking another arrow to her bow. At his mistress’ command, Oura padded off to the left side of the tree, Xerxes to the right albeit a bit further of a distance than her animal companion, so that they had effectively flanked the man.

She was quite unused to dealing with these kinds of situations, so she simply held her position with the arrow drawn, waiting for any signs of action on Eldon’s part so that she could follow his lead if need be. ‘Quite an interesting night this is turning out to be,’ she thought with mild amusement.

[Leon]

Caught between heartbeats, a sound emerged from the darkness. A whistle that was coming fast in his direction. His animal instincts took over leaving him to scramble for cover, his head ducking downward in a protective motion. The sound of splitting wood was like an explosion to his ears. The reverberation leaving a curious sensation crawling along his spinal column. Eyes narrowed he turned his focus to the stranger he was sure initiated the assault. Attention forward he gradually took in all the other figures that lay within the foliage before him. A woman lay among them. The stare of the stranger’s met his. An emotional confutation quickly erupted as the quiet confused look turned to that of hostility. Another axe rose from the man’s side. He had been lucky to avoid the first one. He was positive that his luck would not be enough to spare him this time. A voice broke the silence leaving with it an era of uncertainty. The words unlike anything he had ever heard before. A look of bewilderment over took him as he fumbled to understand the parade of words flowing from the strangers lips. His tone emulated the action his eyes portrayed. It felt like he had stumbled into something he shouldn’t have. The way the man was looking at him made him feel like he was nothing more than a pathetic dot. A dot that would soon be rid and life would continue as normal. The sad truth hit home he was in fact not worth the axe it took to strike him down. Tressa had given him meaning, she had gave him something to leave behind in this world. Now…what was he. “This damn night.” He muttered underneath his breath. His mind raced over the events that lead up to this moment. His eyes averted to the female who had finally taken notice of him. He watched her take an arrow and place it against the fine string of her bow. The battle with range was not an option for him. Truth being told a fight period was completely against his favour. The feline moved in sequence with the woman’s. Their paces slow, yet in each step he knew his chances of fleeting were diminished. His heart beat refused to surrender however as it drummed out a melody that threatened to burst from his chest. Tension and hostility held thick to the air like morning fog. The unbearable feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him. Being trapped left him clinging to his sword, clutching it in defiance to the odds. His knuckles white from the strain of holding his blade’s hilt tightly. He was already defeated, they had him out flanked and out matched. Surrender was the only way he would make it out alive. He knew that Leon’s left hand reached up slowly, he had to get upon his feet again that was for certain. Glancing up he noticed the axe’s handle was the only thing he could grasp. Using it with might stir a little more trouble than he wanted at the moment, but it was a risk he would take. He decided to go ahead and use it, hoisting himself upwards to a standing position. His weight had been too much at the last moment and the axe managed to pull free from its rotten prison. Anticipation held him as he brought the axe forward looking it over with envy. Then without any care for it he lobbed it into the air its blade side ways as it sailed. His breathing slower now collectively prepared his consciousness for an attack. His words probably unfamiliar to the pair were the median of his actions. “I’m not sure what you want of me. But I do not understand you at all.” The blade landed not far from the man, the tall foliage the interceptor of most the force, leaving grass bent under the weight of metal. “Lets not try to hit me with that one, I don’t know if I can dodge two of them tonight.” His words seemingly lost in the cool breeze. The woman was more of a threat in his eyes. Regardless of his fear of her he felt that the aggressor before him was much more of a serious conformational threat. Maybe it was his demeanour or the way he stared at him. Whatever it was it left him hoping another axe did not come soaring at his person. He was still unsure why he was being attacked; the thought of him wandering in the night had never crossed his mind as strange. That fact eluded him because he had grown overly accustom to it. “My name is Leon…?” His hand moving slowly to his chest and then extending out to the man’s Behind his words was a fear. He knew his chances of surviving this encounter were slim to none if he managed to provoke them further. He only wished he could understand what the man was saying. His eyes drifted upwards, his sword falling down to his side. He knew he had no hope of facing off, there was no point. And slowly he left the blood soaked blade slide into his scabbard.

[Eldon Sunkiss]

OOCSorry for my late response. I've been braindead Eldon felt his arm lift above his head, the axe was being drawn back to fly deep into Leon's skull to bury itself into the Chaktawe's brains. It was the man standing up, grabbing the axe, and looking it over that made Eldon nervous, yet he did nothing violent, and even casually returned it via tossing it towards Eldon. He snatched the weapon out of the air and looked Leon over inquisitively. The blade, freshly caked in blood as it was, made him nervous, but nevertheless, the stranger disarmed himself by putting his saber to sleep. Eldon realized he had been holding his breath for a while now, and managed to exhale slowly. He was relieved. He placed both the aerodynamic axes of his into the loopholes at his side and reached outwards to greet the man with a firm handshake, the way most humans did greet each other. Eldon wasn't aware his new acquaintance wasn't human. "I Eldon. No good Common. Pavi good." Eldon grinned, admitting his Common Tongue was rather horrid, he then looked over to the Drykas girl he met only moments ago. Either he didn't get her name yet, or in this strange moment of anxiety, he had forgotten it already. Eldon was cool like that. "I don't think he knows Pavi, but he seems passive enough. Do you know common by any chance?" Eldon took a step back from Leon to get another good look at him. Besides his crazy eyes, there was nothing Eldon could really find about this man that looked well out of place. He could almost pass off for a Drykas if his tanned skin was a different tint, more of a sun-touched gold rather than a sand-stained tan, but nevertheless, he was peaceful at the moment. "Come, Endrykas near. Be safe near Endrykas." Eldon decided there wasn't much of a reason to be hostile, not while he had four dogs ready to tear the stranger apart and another Drykas and her odd pet also watching Leon like a hawk. If Leon did something stupid, there was no chance of survival. Eldon turned and started walking back towards the Drykas city, expecting the two others to likewise follow.

[Xerxes]

She watched the entire confrontation with nothing short of blatant curiosity. Tensing briefly as the strange man reached for the axe buried within the tree, she was glad that she resisted the sudden urge to let loose the arrow from her grasp, as the man simply returned the weapon to its original owner before sheathing his own blade. Xerxes was quite relieved at the gradual dissipation of tension in the atmosphere. If the unknown’s actions, as well as the other Drykas’ reaction were anything to go by, the stranger was no threat to either of them, nor the rest of their people. At least, for the moment he wasn’t. “My common is choppy, at best,” she responded a bit sheepishly as she, too, returned her weapons to their respective homes. Oura, upon seeing his mistress become more passive, heaved a rather audible yawn before returning to her side, the tip of his tail flickering dismissively at the male as he passed him. “I’m afraid I won’t be much use in terms of serving as a translator." For a moment, she continued to observe their encroacher-turned-guest before offering a tentative smile in his direction as the other Drykas openly invited him back to the city. “Come,” she added as further encouragement, her own common heavy with accent, before taking off after her brethren, casting the occasional glance back to ensure that their newly acquired charge was indeed following them. She giggled softly as Oura nudged the palm of her hand with the tip of his nose, cooing soft words of nothing in particular as she scratched the crown of his head. “What a night this is turning out to be,” she stated once she’d pulled level with Eldon. “I’m Xerxes, by the way. I don’t think I’ve yet to properly introduce myself, nor have I caught your name.”

[Leon]

The tense atmosphere reached its breaking point as the man stowed his weapons at his side. He managed once again to avoid death. Some stranger of poetic insanity must have been behind the events this evening. The stars his normal protector felt more like the eyes of some masked assailant controlling his destiny from afar. His eyes wandered upwards casting the chill of the world into the lights above. The wind spoke its soft tune to his trained ears, while the darkness blanketed almost all else around him. The distance that he held between the stranger rapidly declined as the stranger made ground towards him. The sudden sound brought his attention back to the pair, but mostly the man who loomed but a few meters from his person. The movement of an unexpected hand left him flinching. The strangers hand rested expectantly in the air, his own greeting it questioningly unsure of its true intentions. The meeting was firm, the kind of good natured friend to friend meeting he had been accustom to back home. It was meant to test one’s strength and respect for another or so that was how it was for his tribe. "I Eldon. No good Common. Pavi good” The words were horribly unorganized, sounding more like a child’s rather than a man’s. He understood what it meant. This Eldon was apparently not accustomed to his dialect. Language barriers were amongst the hardest things for him to over come. A sword and his tongue were the only ways of communication he possessed. Eldon took notice of the girl again speaking in the tongue he was unable to understand. For now he had to trust that he was not being lured into a trap. This had all the makings of such a travesty but with their numbers he was helpless to even hope to oppose their wishes. Eldon’s attention shifted once again to him as he looked him over. He felt naked beneath the inspection of those eyes. “My common is choppy, at best” Leon’s gaze followed the cat where it rested heavily upon its mistress. Her words were not as bad as her counterparts. He had high hopes that her common was a little better, but as good as his night was lucky she spoke any at all. His attention was abruptly drawn to a flickering tail, as the women’s feline passed deviously before him. Tressa loved to walk in such a manner. “Come, Endrykas near. Be safe near Endrykas” He cleared his throat, letting the knot that had been building up sink further down into his stomach. To say that he was nervous about this was an understatement. He could kindly decline their offer and be about his way, but where would that leave him. He knew what the grass held for him, more walking with no real hope of actually finding shelter. With them however uncertainty reined supreme. “I’m afraid I won’t be much use in terms of serving as a translator” Well that blew all that chance out of the water, he thought meaningfully to himself. He was too lost in his thoughts of how he was going to communicated with them that he didn’t even notice they had begun to move. The female glanced back and let out a very encouraging sound. “Come” Her words thick with an accent jarred him from his thoughts. It had given him the much needed encouragement to take the first step in following the pair. His paced picked up as he attempted to catch up. They were before him a few paces the girl giggling and speaking that language he couldn’t understand. Though he could not understand the dialect one word struck out over the soft tune of the wind. “Xerxes” He trailed behind them letting them talk to one another, he had made enough intrusions as it was, one more was not going to help.