Shrouded Road(Kaja)

[Exodus Scythewing]

Summer, 511 The sun was setting The sky was still blue, as it had not yet touched the horizon, but the gentle breeze and slight clouds promised a grand display to come. The wind was constant, and the grass wove and swayed as if it was dancing. Through the grass ran a road, wide and well-trodden, and next to it was a massive stone slab jutting from the ground. It was the slab that caused the traveling Zith to quicken his step. It had been about three days since the last megalith, and though the road had been easy to follow he felt a small bit of tension ease. The plains had been beautiful for the first few days of his journey, but they had soon after began to grate at his nerves. With grass stretching beyond his gaze without change, he had been unable to suppress the feeling that no matter how far he walked he was getting absolutely nowhere. The fact that he couldn’t read a lick of his own blasted map did nothing to help him, either. The megaliths were beacons, beautiful reminders that his feet still worked and that he was making progress, even if he didn’t know where to. Feeling a smile pull at one of the corners of his mouth, he hurried to the base. He sighed with relief as he sat down, life returning his numbed legs. He had packed a good deal for the road, and though it meant that he traveled semi-safely it had also denied him flight. His feet, not used to such exertion, had been exhausted on the first day, but it was becoming easier to ignore the pain. The young man fished through the mass of odds and ends attached to his backpack and unhitched bag covered in brown and gray fungus, tugging some off and devouring it. Though it was practically tasteless, he felt a small wave of nostalgia as he chewed. It wasn’t much, but it was a little taste of home. As he thought back to the years in Xy, he found himself wondering if he would ever be able to taste human flesh again. He understood that such was frowned upon in the world at large and had refused to hunt any of the other travelers on the road, but he still wished. Lifting his gaze to the sky, which was beginning to turn orange, the Zith found himself looking forward to the lovely night that was being hinted at. It would be nice to fly above the grasslands, but he wasn’t quite sure if flying would activate the fable Web that covered it. Well, if it did and riders appeared, there wouldn’t be much they could do against a flying foe. Truly, he found his spirits rising, optimism showing it’s welcome face for the first in a long time.

[Kaja]

Season of Summer Day 3, 511 AV

It was just before nightfall, and the young Kelvic was trying to hunt for her supper. She looked skinny, a bit battered from her long trek on the road from Sylaris. It had been long, and she had been chased, attacked, and sometimes half starved, and dehydrated at times in the areas that had not a lot of food and water. However she was still moving, her beast was a hardy one, moving was their nature, running their freedom. She was learning that without a pack, or traveling mates to be with things were tougher though. The game she could catch was only small ones, and staying safe with no other guards to guard your back dangerous. Even so, she had to move on, had to make it to the goal, or in her case die trying. She hoped she would eventually get to Endrykus, find the moving city and at least if not accepted get strong for a while before having to move on again.

She loved this time of day the sun was going down, and the sky burned an orange color. The young Dynakuva Painted Desert Dog looked up into the sky and gave a slight whimpery sound of excitement, though there was no one to hear it but her and that saddened her. Though at that moment she had not the time to really get to sad about her pack mates, or Sylaris as a small creature came into sights. Despite her tired state she ran after it swiftly and accurately, soon she had over taken it and bit down on it with her strong jaws snapping its neck in one strike. She was dragging it in her mouth when she saw the dark form standing near a megalith. Her eyes widened and she didn’t know what to do. Her pack mentality wanted her to run to the stranger as it had been forever since she had seen anyone, but she had become a bit wary of others, and that also tugged at her. This figure might be nice, or might chase her off, plus what if they stole her food? She was so hungry and she didn’t want anyone stealing her hard won meal.

She crept forward in a cautious fashion she had never seen a beast quite like it. What was it and was it going to hurt her? Kaja was still dragging her meal in her mouth and it was so tempting she decided to eat some of it now. She could eat Elven pounds of flesh in an hour if she wanted to. However this was nowhere near that so she could technically eat it in two bites. She ate half of it and carried the rest. Maybe she could offer the other half as food to the other creature as an offering of peace? She thought if one more person ran her off she would die of loneliness. All she wanted was just someone to be with, cuddle up with, pretend was a pack mate for just a few hours or even a day. She moved slowly takeing a submissive stance, body low to the ground, tail tucked under her legs just in case the other winged shadowy form understood such tactics. Once she was close enough she gave a muffled yip, lay on the ground and put her prized meal as small as it was on the ground and nudged it over to the other with her nose. She couldn’t help herself while she still held her tail low it wagged back and forth in a friendly fashion.

[Exodus Scythewing]

A stone rolled and the Zith went on edge. His head whipped around and he saw a creature coming towards him. A wolf? A dog? No, it was something in between, or maybe something completely different. He rolled onto all fours, crouching over his possessions, tensed to defend them. Wait. It came towards him slowly, head lowered and something recently alive in its mouth. He knew those signals well enough from hunting, but was still wary of the canine’s friendliness. He crept forward and carefully brushed the small mound of flesh with his fingers, then moved his gaze back to the dog. “Are you lost, little one?” he said in Zithanese. The wild dog might be able to pick of a few of the sounds, larger than the human range at least, but the Zith had gone so long without someone to talk to that he neither knew or cared if it understood him. He sighed and returned to his sitting position against the megalith. “You’re thinner than I am,” he said, reaching into his pack against better judgment. “Here.” He tossed a strip of dried meat then retrieved another for himself. He suddenly felt that between his desire for nostalgia and his speech to a dog, he seemed to be willingly walking towards insanity. He had a stable sense of safety about the dog, his instincts telling him that she was not going to attack him when he slept. "Where are you from?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "Did you lose your pack? Or are your kind loners?" Listen to yourself, you're talking to a dog. It probably can't even hear half of what you're saying. So what was he supposed to talk to it in? Common? Yes. Fine. "Exodus," he said. It wasn't really much, and he didn't really have any idea what the word meant, but it was his 'dark' word, his personal word.

[Kaja]

Kaja watched as he moved just as cautiously toward her. He looked at the meal she had brought then back at her. She nudged it more toward him as if to try to convey it was for him, her 'offering' to him to be a friend. When he opened his mouth a sound emanated it from it and some of the noise hurt her ears not much, but it caused her to cock her head from side to side, sit up, trying to figure out what he was doing. Her eyes looked at him sharply but curiously, light hazel round eyes. They were kind, playful, and friendly eyes. They had some intelligence in them, but right now she had no clue what he was saying, if he was saying anything. If he were well it was in some kind of language she had never heard before.

Sniffing what he tossed her, she gobbled what he tossed at her and seeing he had food of his own and she was so very hungry herself she didn't take long to gobble the rest of her meal she had caught in one bite. She eyed the winged thing? Person? She still couldn't make out what type of creature he was. He looked much like a man but he had wings on him and was much furrier. Maybe he was a bat person? She had a limited thought process in her dog form only simple things came into her head. Run, fight, what's that, investigate, try to figure it out best she could, and if she couldn't well then she just moved on. Which was what she did, right into play mode. It was becoming obvious to her that there might be a communication problem so she fixed that.

She figured he was nothing to be afraid of, or wary of. Even though his sounds seemed odd they didn't seem threatening, nor did his stance seem threatening to her, as he lounged against his pillar as he sat. So she got up after she ate and bounced on her front feet, going into a play bow and then bouncing some more. It had been so long since she had played with anyone. However he finally said a word that she semi knew. 'Exodus' That was a weird word to say, and although in a rudimentary way she understood the word in her dog form to contemplate context, reasoning, and the why like she might have in her human form where she had more complex thoughts then in her dog form she didn't care.

She saw the jerky in his hand and went for it playfully jumping at it and tugged at it. She broke off a piece of it but it had been a large piece so there were still some in his hand too, and some hanging out of her mouth. He could see she didn't do it to eat his food as she ran away from him. She stood a few feet away from him and looked at him his food still dangling in her mouth. Then ran toward him but past him trying to get him to understand it was a game. When he eventually chased after her she employed tactics like letting him get just close enough to her and then taking off running again, or running very fast as her breed good get up to 37-45 mph she would do something silly like run right between his legs.

She was having fun. So far he hadn’t been able to catch her, but she was tiring out faster then she would like. It had been all the traveling before, lack of good sleep, and the fact that she also hadn’t been eating properly. So she lay down to rest some in-between, almost allowing him to catch her before jumping up and moving in a short burst away from him. However, at one point she didn’t move fast enough and he did end up catching her. She did a playfully yip at him as if to say you got me, and cuddled her head into his hand that had moved to grab her.

[Kaja]

Kaja watched as he moved just as cautiously toward her. He looked at the meal she had brought then back at her. She nudged it more toward him as if to try to convey it was for him, her 'offering' to him to be a friend. When he opened his mouth a sound emanated it from it and some of the noise hurt her ears not much, but it caused her to cock her head from side to side, sit up, trying to figure out what he was doing. Her eyes looked at him sharply but curiously, light hazel round eyes. They were kind, playful, and friendly eyes. They had some intelligence in them, but right now she had no clue what he was saying, if he was saying anything. If he were well it was in some kind of language she had never heard before.

Sniffing what he tossed her, she gobbled what he tossed at her and seeing he had food of his own and she was so very hungry herself she didn't take long to gobble the rest of her meal she had caught in one bite. She eyed the winged thing? Person? She still couldn't make out what type of creature he was. He looked much like a man but he had wings on him and was much furrier. Maybe he was a bat person? She had a limited thought process in her dog form only simple things came into her head. Run, fight, what's that, investigate, try to figure it out best she could, and if she couldn't well then she just moved on. Which was what she did, right into play mode. It was becoming obvious to her that there might be a communication problem so she fixed that.

She figured he was nothing to be afraid of, or wary of. Even though his sounds seemed odd they didn't seem threatening, nor did his stance seem threatening to her, as he lounged against his pillar as he sat. So she got up after she ate and bounced on her front feet, going into a play bow and then bouncing some more. It had been so long since she had played with anyone. However he finally said a word that she semi knew. 'Exodus' That was a weird word to say, and although in a rudimentary way she understood the word in her dog form to contemplate context, reasoning, and the why like she might have in her human form where she had more complex thoughts then in her dog form she didn't care.

She saw the jerky in his hand and went for it playfully jumping at it and tugged at it. She broke off a piece of it but it had been a large piece so there were still some in his hand too, and some hanging out of her mouth. He could see she didn't do it to eat his food as she ran away from him. She stood a few feet away from him and looked at him his food still dangling in her mouth. Then ran toward him but past him trying to get him to understand it was a game. When he eventually chased after her she employed tactics like letting him get just close enough to her and then taking off running again, or running very fast as her breed could get up to 37-45 mph she would do something silly like run right between his legs.

She was having fun. So far he hadn’t been able to catch her, but she was tiring out faster then she would like. It had been all the traveling before, lack of good sleep, and the fact that she also hadn’t been eating properly. So she lay down to rest some in-between, almost allowing him to catch her before jumping up and moving in a short burst away from him. However, at one point she didn’t move fast enough and he did end up catching her. She did a playfully yip at him as if to say you got me, and cuddled her head into his hand that had moved to grab her.

[Exodus Scythewing]

He sighed and gnawed on his over-tough meat. The grasslands were very dry, and for some reason his food had taken that as a signal to become rock-hard, a decision that he did not agree with. Making little progress, he soon took a small break from the exhausting activity and dropped his arm. Almost immediately the strip of meat was gone. Staring in wonder at his empty hand, the Zith’s mind took a few moments to process why exactly his meal had opted to cease to exist before his reason kicked in and told him that such a thing was simply impossible. He cast his gaze around and it fell on the dog, which yipped as soon as it saw him and bounded off. “Why, you little bastich!” he said as he surged into a sprint, combining his usual male and female terms, as he didn’t know exactly which the dog was. It barked around its mouthful and he streaked towards it, arms outstretched to tackle it into submission, when it decided to perform another lovely demonstration of disappearing and that left him tumbling into the ground. Snarling, he clawed onto all fours and chased her again, and was left with an almost exact result. “Ungrateful little… see if I ever share my food with an animal again…” He pursued her again and again and she continued to elude him until the air was choked with the dust upturned from the dark man’s wild skidding around his prey. Every now and then the dog would sit and rest, but whenever he thought he had it the creature would turn tail and pull another trick. Then, suddenly, he remembered that there were two limbs protruding from his back that enabled him to achieve lift. Pelting towards the dog once again, he opened his wings fully and left the ground, rising roughly twenty feet before pulling them in and descending sharply. He tackled the canine with such force that it sent both of them rolling. The Zith’s will completely departed him, and he lay in the dirt, staring at the red sky, desiring nothing but a long rest. He couldn’t even remember what he had been chasing the dog for. Something slimy fell onto his face. Oh, that’s what it was. He delicately picked up the once-jerky, now slick with slobber, and decided that he didn’t really want it anymore. The dog’s tail wagged and tilted its head, obviously proud of its gift. “Why, thank you,” he said, voice dripping in sarcasm. It barked and shoved its head into his hand, twisting his wrist in a way that he was sure it wasn’t supposed to twist. “Exodus,” he said in common, exasperated.

[Kaja]

The young Kelvic was a bit surprised as in order to catch her he flew into the air. He looked very graceful in the sky. While she watched him in the air wondering what he might be up to, he then closed his wings and started a decent. She thought he looked rather beautiful in a dark sort of way the way his body shone in the failing light, however he was finally upon her. He came down on her rather roughly but nothing she couldn't handle. However she sat down, her fun seemed to melt away as she realized it hadn't been received quite as she had intended. She hung her had and crawled away a bit. She was beginning to wonder in her simple mind if this word Exodus to this person wasn't a bad thing. She went away from him, lying down, and put her head on her paws. She wasn't sure if she should run off, or transform so she could explain herself. As it was, in her current form she couldn't think very complicated thoughts.

She lifted her head and yipped a bit, even whined too. It was her way of communicating remorse, though she was unsure if it would be accepted. Finally she decided that maybe transforming would be a better thing, at least then she would be able to think a bit more clearly. Before the creature's eyes she transformed into a young woman of about five foot ten inches, rather curvy, with long dark hair and eyes the same color as the creature she had been. "Forgive me..." She muttered in Common. "I was only playing with you. Is Exodus your name? Or some other meaning to you?" She asked. She thought that this dark creature with the wings would do well with such a name, though maybe not because of its more foreboding definition, but because he was physically so dark looking. She smiled at him as she sat up not at all upset that she was very much unclad of any clothes in his presence.

Call it her youth, and probably her naiveté, but she was not afraid at all of him attacking her, or doing anything unsavory to her. Though it could be that for her it was just common occurrence when she transformed she was always nude it really was how she preferred to be. Though because of where she was born, and the fact that clothes were preferred there she wore clothes. Simple really, nothing that was to elaborate mostly made by her from her kills, though right now she had none with her. "Do you understand me at all?" She asked moving closer to him, feeling bad about his spoiled food from her impertinent behavior.

[Exodus Scythewing]

The Zith sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. No, he was not going to allow himself to be guilted. He did the best he could to avoid looking into her eyes as he returned to the megalith and started rooting around for firewood. Though he would much prefer to travel at night, his restricted flight ability while carrying his equipment made him easy prey for the Glassbeaks that roamed among the tall stalks, and so was required to remain stationary and tend a fire to keep them at bay. He quickly made a small pile directly in front of the megalith and was then subject to a series of misadventures as he fumbled around in his pack for his flint and steel. Growling as he found it, annoyed at life on the particular day, he burned himself multiple times before he managed to light an ember strong enough to catch. He blew on it and nearly put the accursed thing out, then forced himself into gentleness and coaxed it to life. He squatted between the small flame and the stone slab, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. The dog yipped and he snorted back. “You are going to be eaten by the Glassbeaks out there,” he said in Zithanese, turning back to the blaze. “Do you plan on stealing the fire, too?” “Forgive me…” And his body went into paralysis… “… I was only playing with you. Is Exodus your name? Or some other meaning to you?” The only word he recognized was ‘exodus’, and it partially broke his frozen state. He turned to look at the speaker. In the dog’s place was a woman, about half a foot shorter than he was. Her hair was dark and long, but her eyes were familiar. He had heard of these creatures when in Xy, of spirits that were caught between the animal world and the civilized one. “Do you understand me at all?” she asked, moving closer. As soon as she took her first step the Zith’s wings flared. “Exodus,” he said before switching languages, “Are you flesh, spirit? Why have you come here? You toy with the eye and mind, and I do not wish to incite you. If you ask things of me, I will give you what it is in my power to give, but I simply desire safe passage.” He didn’t know if she understood him. Were spirits bound by language? If they were or not, he sincerely hoped that taking the jerky back hadn’t irritated her. He didn’t wish to face a spirit of any kind, animal or not.

[Kaja]

The young Kelvic watched her head popping up as he made a fire. She had just been hiding from said huge fearsome beasts, and was why she looked as she did bruised, cut, and such. The only thing saving her from death was her training in running, and her speed to get away from them. She had, had supplies when she started but since had managed to lose everything. Bright hazel eyes watched his every move as he worked on building a fire. At first he looked flustered, as he couldn't find the tools to start the fire in his bag, when he finally found it her eyes focused on the way he made the fire. She had noticed that he had already at some point gathered pine needles. She knew enough about fires, but not been formally trained to know that the pine needles he placed in the middle right now was tinder. He then stuck three or four kindling twigs in the ground in the form of a teepee above the pine needle tinder. She watched in slight fascination in her dog form not quite having changed yet into her human form. She sat up as he then layered more kindling of little twigs on the downwind side of his teepee shaped woodpile.

She lay back down again as he continued laying her head on her paws, but still paying close attention learning from watching, or trying to. She would have to try what she saw, providing she remembered it for later. He then on the upwind side left space all the way to the center to the tender. She could only think that doing that would leave the tender, and kindling on the downwind side to more air making it ignite and start the fire easier. As he did his work he spoke to her she supposed in more of that ultra sound language of his. She still couldn't make heads or tails of it. She wished she had tried to learn more languages besides just Common. However, she had been an impetuous young dog, and hadn't paid much attention to her training in language. Now, it was becoming apparent what her parents had told her about being out on her own and knowing bits and pieces of others languages. It was something on retrospect that she would always slightly going to be remorseful of. However, once she got to her destination she would indeed rectify that. She would learn other languages, or at least put more effort into it.

While she couldn't understand his speech, she could semi-understand his actions so at the moment she continued to learn from his fire building skills. He then continued to stack larger type twigs around leaving spaces for air to go through to then up to his smaller fuelwood pieces. He then struck his flint and stone, it took a few tries, but he then had a spark catch to his tinder, and he blew on it, at first almost too hard. She watched as it almost sputtered out, but then he was gentle about it and it grew, catching his kindling, and then the fuelwood. It was fascinating for her to watch the blue, orange, and red fire grow in size and strength.

It was after this that she became frustrated and transformed into her human form. However, once again this seemed to have a more negative affect rather then positive, as her current companion backed away even more and his wings seemed to flex in a manner she wasn't sure of as she approached him. She backed off, and then motioned her hands in a way that meant hopefully that she meant no harm. She then pointed to herself and said, "Kaja." Hoping he would at least understand that, that was her name. I mean how could one make a friend if one didn't even share their name right? She then pointed at him and in a questioning tone asked, "Exodus?" Trying to ask again in more simple way if that was his name. As he kept repeating it, maybe it was the only thing he knew in common was his name.

She then moved toward the fire, around him, sitting down next to it. It felt good, she had been cold once she transformed, the human skin was so much less warmer then the fur of her dog form. She patted the spot next to her. She wished she could make him understand how upset she was by obviously offending him with her playful nature from before. She thought for a moment, but couldn't at the moment think of anything. Instead she pointed at the fire, and said, "Fire, warm." She then smiled bobbed her head slightly, and closed her eyes in a pleased fashion. She hoped he would get that she was pleased and thanking him for making it. She knew it was more for him, then her, but still she had to make up for her poor behavior from before, and maybe starting off on the wrong foot with him. She felt bad coming in with nothing, but that was her MO most times, even if she did have things on the road she normally ended up losing it upon transforming, and hunting or something. It had to do with her weakened mind for the past few years. She couldn't remember what happened much in her past. Sure she had a few memories come back over the last year, but still some of her short-term memory was weak too. It made for moving about and keeping her belongings hard, so for now she had nothing.

[Exodus Scythewing]

“Kaja,” she said, pointing to herself. She then pointed to him. “Exodus?” It sounded like a question. He nodded, not sure what else to do. She slowly approached and he tensed, but she merely sat down near the fire. She stared into the blaze, and he did too, but kept an eye on her from his peripherals. When she moved he was immediately alert. She pointed to the flame. “Fire, warm,” she said. He blinked. “Fire, warm,” he repeated. He drew out the syllables more than usual. Whenever he said things in Common they were usually short and clipped, but speaking slowly allowed his voice to be heard in detail, but drawn out they were much different. His voice was deep and smooth, like black marble. It resounded in his ears and made his chest vibrate, and he immediately took a liking to it. “Fire, warm. Exodus.” He didn’t know what he was saying, but did not care, amazed at the sound of his voice. He continued speaking, saying every Common word he knew, just to hear himself do it. “Exodus, scythe. Sycamore, ocean, introspective. Please. Saddle, gangly. Cloud cover.” He continued for quite some time, delighted at his new discovery. Eventually his mind returned to the present, and his gaze turned to the dog spirit. “Fire? Warm?” he asked, pointing to the fire.