[Bronze Wood] Hunting for Answers {closed Avi and Terminus}

[Terminus Norin]

TS: 63rd day winter

Location:Bronze Wood

Status:Closed(Terminus and Avi)



Terminus had been looking forward to this for the last few days. He was to meet Avi for a hunting lesson. It was a welcome change from the morose mood he seemed to have allowed himself to sink into over Nya's initiation. He knew that she had forgiven him and encouraged him, however the memories of what he had done to Sura still infected him. He had spent much of the past two days in his tent away from the city reflecting on his promise to Nya to make the initiation his own. But today he was clean and in good spirits as he awaited Avi's arrival.

He sat by a small fire that he had made, but one that was too small for the time of year as his mark from Ivak kept heim truly warm. The crisp, cold air surrounded him as he nibbled on some small game that had happened into a crude trap he had made. He did think to save the guts for Avi in case she was hungry though and he suspected the avian Kelvic would be. He was still a little scared by what seemed to be happening when he was around her, there was a pull, something about those ever chaningeyes that attracted him. He knew she was young..perhaps even by her race's standards but seemed so wise sometimes.

he was a bit nervous as this was the first experience with a female alone he had had since his afternoon with Nya when they first met. He wondered if being out for two days like he had would offend Avi's sense of smell. he had cleaned up but still it didnt make for the cleansing of a good hot bath.
stop this you are behaving like a boy on his first date. Avi is simply coming to teach you to hunt. Its not like shes chosen to bond with you or anything
He had wondered if Avi was who Nya had in mind for him from the start. At this he shook his head and started watching for Avi to arrive.

[Avi]

Avi had spent the previous night alternatively flying and resting. She liked the nighttime best for flying, but you had to rest sometime, especially if you were going to be busy the next day. And busy the young Kelvic planned to be. Hunting was important, after all. She loved to hunt - for food, for hides. Everything she hunted for she found a way to use in every possible way. Meat, bones, feathers, hide... Life in Avanthal taught her that if you were creative enough, everything had some sort of use. Waste not, want not.

But today, she was looking forward to hunting with Terminus. At the Festival, he had joined her hunt. He hadn't questioned it, he hadn't gotten in her way, he hadn't tried to stop her. He simply accepted it and came along with her. Avi couldn't exactly express in words, as much as she was learning how best to as a storyteller, just how important that had been to her. Avi was a predator - hunting was what she was made to do. She was looking forward to spending time alone with him - there hadn't been much of a chance at the festival. She blinked blearily, looking into the sky above the trees before moving along the limb of the tree. The sun was two steps over the horizon, if she was reading that, and that meant that she was possibly late.

She launched herself into the sky, spreading her massive wings and flapping them to gain some altitude, the morning sun catching her pearlescent feathers as she started towards the agreed-upon meeting spot. She spotted the tiny tendrils of smoke, though, and was there before too long. Above Terminus, something very large and black blocked out the sun as it flew above the tree line. And, quite frankly, it was huge. Its feathers were jet black, and its feet were similarly enormous, each of the toes topped with talons that looked like they could go through one side and out the other of a normal person.

It might have just been passing by, but then it circled around, and dove straight towards the ground at him. When he saw the angle, though, he realized it seemed to be aiming for the other side of the fire. At the last moment, it trimmed its wings and slowed sharply, the wind that came from its wings easily blowing out his small fire. And then the enormous bird was gone, and crouched on the forest floor was a familiar young woman, her great, thick black hair sweeping around her and covering her. Bright blue-green eyes gleamed as she beamed at him. "Good morning!" Avi greeted him happily, an ear-to-ear grin on her face. She hoped she hadn't spooked him.

Well, not too much...

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus had been absently staring into the fire and alternating with watching both the sky and the ground. He wanted to spot Avi no matter what form she took and he was nervous despite his thoughts. He would soon get his wish to see her wild form though.

Suddenly and without warning, the sun was blacked out by an enormous form flying above the tree line. It looked very much like a jet black eagle, but of enormous proportions large enough to ride. The creatures claws looked as it they could spear a man through easily. But to him the creature was also graceful and noble, with a unique beauty all its own. He was however nervous and on guard in case this was not Avi.

It appeared that the great bird was just passing by when it circled back around and dove straight toward him. He started a bit and jumped back off his log he had been sitting on to give himself room to defend if need be. It was then that he saw it was not aiming at him but at the other side of the fire. You silly man he thought to himself as he realized this was Avi in her wild form. The image of beauty and grace he had seen in her at first only deepened as he recognized the exotic Kelvic he had met two days ago in the great bird that was swooping in to land now.

The great eagle trimmed its wings at the last minute and slowed down, blowing out his small fire with her wings. He wasn't to upset as the fire was more for show as his Gnosis kept him warm in most cold climates. Suddenly she was gone and the human Avi was there before him crouched on the forest floor. It wasn't till she had appeared before him in human form that he recalled she was unclothed, fortunately her hair covered her form. He however did not look away until she would move the hair aside or begin to dress. His smile was genuine and warm as he cared a great deal for the young Kelvic.

Good Morning to you as well Avi. he said, Your arrival was a treat for me, as well as a start. I want you to know I find your wild form very beautiful and graceful I just didn't know it was you at first. he motioned to the pile of still warm guts from his breakfast Have you eaten yet? If you want, feel free to eat the guts from my meal. I actually saved them for you and I think they are still warm. he hoped she would see this as the gift he intended even if she had already eaten. It was strange how he was already thinking of giving gifts to her. He wondered if it would always be like this with him regarding her.

He did however this time offer no other signs of affection, allowing her to teach him how to be affectionate to her. He did not want a repeat of the Festival in which he felt lucky to have his fingers still on his hand. She was a wild animal in fact, even if she was born to and raised by humans . He had to remember that when dealing with her. But he also wanted to express affection toward her so in the course of this day he would ask if she did not show him. He thought that there would be many lessons this day and he still little realized how important or intimate a hunt was to Avi. This too he would learn in time.

As they relaxed for a little while,finishing breakfast he smiled affectionately at her. [b] I'm looking forward to learning to hunt today. As you can see I sometimes take time out in the wood so being able to hunt would help me as I can only hope game enters my clumsy traps otherwise[\b] he did not add that this felt more intimate to him than normally it would, he figured Avi probably sensed it.

[Avi]

Avi grinned at him, her eyes a bright gold with pleasure at the comment. Many found her most natural shape frightening - between the big beak, the enormous wings, and feet that were meant for gripping and tearing. "Thank you. I'm glad you think so - not many feel the same," she slipped off her backpack, the straps ridiculously long as she put it in front of her, and opened it, searching through for her clothing. She pulled out some black cotton clothing, pants and a vest, by the looks of it, same as she had worn at the Festival. Terminus could see some of the contents of the bag - Avi seemed to keep most of her possessions in it, including fur-lined clothing - before she folded the flap over again and did up the buckle. Her spear was laid in front of her, resting on the leather bag, having been taken from its holding space But she was from the upper reaches of Taldera, after all, and the climate there was exceedingly different from the climate here.

"Thankies!" she beamed at the offering of food. "As soon as I'm dressed. I'm starving," the beam turned into a grin. When wasn't she? The Kelvic probably had a bottomless pit for a stomach. "I'm sorry I'm late," she stood up at last, pulling on her trousers first, and then did up the vest, gathering up her shiny black hair, and pulling it over to her back. Time was a bit unusual to her to pay any attention to when she was on her own. Didn't know... didn't care. Her parents had taught her that much. There were times when she had no idea what day it was, or if it was the 30th or the 50th of the season, or thereabouts. She was from a land that didn't change much no matter what the season. Avanthal and the north were locked in snow and ice all year. Seasons and time didn't matter. But she knew time and days mattered to normal people, so she was at least making an effort here for Terminus. He had said the fiftieth day, so the fiftieth day it was.

Dressed, though, and her hair settled over her back, she settled beside him to start on breakfast. "That's good," she nodded. "If you want to be outside the cities, you need to learn to hunt, because if you don't hunt, others will hunt you, and you'd make a good snack. Both of us would," she added as a sobering afterthought. On the ground... Avi was in trouble, even with her beak and talons. Sure, she was learning to handle her spear, but she didn't know just how much of a fight Terminus could put up. "But we will hunt, and we will hunt even though breakfast has been had. Desperation means you make bad choices, sometimes," she thought about how best to explain it to him. "You could follow a bad trail, or overrun it, or hunt something you shouldn't." She thought about what she had observed about the local wildlife. Specifically, that there weren't so many caribou as there were up north.

"Suppose you're hungry, yes? So hungry you're ready to gnaw on a belt just for the sens... sensation of eating. The first you find is a forest caribou, but a cow, and she has a little calf with her," she paused to pop the liver in her mouth, chewing blissfully for a moment before swallowing it. "And you're so hungry you kill her, leaving the calf. No good," she shook her head. "Cows taste good, but so do bulls, and you only need one bull for many cows. But we're so hungry, we kill the one who sustains and carries life. And now the calf, too, will die, because it cannot defend itself. But if we had just waited, and looked for another, we may have found a bull." Avi grinned a bit. "Is a big waste. No good. Around here, there are few caribou. Up north, so many moose and caribou. But here... not so many. But plenty of other game, so we hunt them instead. Use everything." It seemed almost strange to hear a predator being picky about what she was hunting, but to her, it made sense - she wanted to make sure there would be more prey for her to eat in the future.

"How have you been since the Festival? What have you been up to?" her eyes turned a bright blue with curiosity and interest. She genuinely wanted to know what he did, how his days turned out. Avi found it went beyond normal curiosity, something she certainly wasn't used to, but.... didn't quite mind. She didn't know if that should have alarmed or worried her, or if it was just natural. With her food finished, and fingers licked clean, Avi pulled her hair over a shoulder again, head tilted, and began to comb it through with her fingers, her eyes on him. Soon she'd start to braid it, and secure it so that it wouldn't be in the way while they hunted.

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus noted the bright gold color of her eyes as he complimented her natural form. So gold means pleasure. I'm glad she's pleased.. He couldn't help but smile at her as she genuinely thanked him for the compliment. He could see how people would be afraid of her bird form, after all she was huge and a predator. He wasn't as intimidated for several reasons, one he had already seen Nya's cat and two Nya had warned him Avi was large.

He noted the fur lined clothing in her bag alongside the cooler clothing for the warmer winters here in Syliras. It brought back home to him that she was from Avanthal and used to much colder climates. He thought that maybe one day he would go there with her and let her show him where she was from. Oddly enough he thought he'd like to do that.


I thought you might be hungry. I will have to remember to always save my unusable parts when you are coming to visit. he chuckled as it did seem the young Kelvic had a bottomless pit for a stomach. He figured that came with being a predator as large as she was,it also explained why she kept such a slim figure in human form. He was finding Kelvics to be fascinating beings and Avi to particularly hold his attention.

At her comment about being late he said actually you were on time in some ways. I had just finished breakfast so the guts were still warm and I wasn't yet ready to go. I'm simply glad you are here

He watched as she began eating her breakfast and listened to her speak about hunting. I cannot hunt,but I can defend myself. If I need to I can swing a sword. He patted the longsword by his side as he was competent at it but not skilled by any means. He nodded when she mentioned hunting even though they wouldn't be hungry. He also agreed desperation made for bad choices.

Aye, i can see your point. If you are too hungry you would make mistakes trying to fill your belly. But you also wouldn't want to hunt with a full belly either as you would waste your kill.

He listened to her telling him about hunting caribou and how killing a cow with calf and leaving the calf was wasteful. He made the leap of logic and said.

Yes and killing a cow would also cut down the breeding population and therefore cause the available herds for hunting to shrink or even disappear.Since you need less bulls you would want to hunt a bull .


He smiled as she asked how he had been since the festival and what he had been up to.

Well I spent a day or so teaching Nya some of my magic. I also went on a mission for my god. And for a few days I have been camping out here in the wood contemplating things that have gone wrong and how to make them right. he sighed softly and rose to his feet

I find that doing that tends to clear my mind and helps me focus. And right now I need focus. I have a great quest to undertake and you should know of it. Especially if you are to be my friend. Or more

[Avi]

She took in the sword, nodding. That was good. Weapons were always good. Sometimes you could bluff with them. "I am no expert with my spear," Avi had to admit quietly, stroking the weapon with her fingertips. "But if you act like you are, people will believe you, the world being what it is," she grinned at him, popping the still-warm heart in her mouth and giving it a quick chew before swallowing it down.

Avi nodded. "Hunting takes energy," she grinned at him. "I have to walk to fly... You have to walk or ride. By the time you finally catch something, and clean it, and prepare it, and cook it, you're hungry all over again," she was cheerful. "But nothing I catch ever goes to waste, ever. Skin, feathers,"--Avi ate other birds...?--"hides, organs, meat. All can be used, somehow. Wasting things... is not any good," she shook her head. "In Avanthal, sometimes, it's hard to make things grow, you see. So the blubber, that is, the thick fat that comes from seals, or walruses, or even whales, that becomes oil, and it burns well. You can make tools out of the bones, or give them to the dogs, or carve them. We're good at that," her eyes, by now, as she spoke of her homeland had settled into a warm, deep amber, almost reddish-orange in hue.

"Exactly," she was pleased he'd picked it up, her eyes brightening, going more towards the spectrum of orange-gold than the deeper colour they had been as she sorted through the organs before taking up the kidneys. "One bull serves many cows. But if there's a healthy population... as long as it's not a nursing mother, than you can kill what you need." That was why there was predators, after all. Without predators, well, they'd all die from starvation. But with smaller populations, it was best to take care. And there were always things like rabbits. Admittedly if Avi wanted to feel full from rabbit, she usually needed a dozen of them. But that was okay - rabbit fur was so nice to work with, and rabbits, well... bred like rabbits.

Magic. Nya was learning magic? That was good. Avi... had to admit she wasn't too worried about learning it herself. Sure, it was powerful, but she was pretty sure it wasn't without its drawbacks. "Did Nya's magic go well? What god do you worship? What quest do you have to take?" Avi leaned forward, intent and deeply interested, her eyes turning green as her curiosity and attention was piqued, especially now that she had finished the food. This potential bond-mate really was a bottomless pit when it came to eating. No wonder she didn't waste anything. She was busy EATING it.

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus was glad that Avi understood his not being more than competent with his sword, he had spent more if his time learning Reimancy than any other skill. sometimes being expert or having mastered one skill was better than being competent in many. He smiled back at her being perfectly at ease with her and he said

Now I agree about that. If you act like you know what you are doing with a weapon, you generally don't have to use it.

He nodded as she spoke of Hunting requiring energy. It was a fact that as she said, by the time you caught something and had it prepared, you were generally hungry again, not to mention tired and dirty. Being from the frozen north and being a predator he could see Avi's point of using everything and wasting nothing. he could see that they had to make use of what they had with limited resources. Even as plentiful as Syliras could be, there still could be limits to its bounty so be careful. It did not surprise him that Avi might eat other birds, she did seem to be hungry a lot and if other game was scarce he could see her eating whatever was plentiful.

He also could see that as she talked about her home her eyes turned a warm,deep amber. He presumed that was her wistful color as he was sure she missed her home. He would have to prepare to go with her to Avanthal..perhaps when the seasons turned depending on what came of his interactions with the Triad. he also noticed that her eyes became gold when he seemed to understand her reference to not killing the females when less males were needed. He would eventually figure out this eye color thing since it was linked to her emotions.


He nodded as she spoke of being able to take what you need from a healthy population
That would make sense. It the heard is plentiful and healthy then you would be doing them a favor by taking. Can't have them overpopulating and destroying available food supplies.

He had to chuckle as her eyes turned green with what had to be curiosity as she asked about the Magic training and his quest and his god. Now would be the moment of truth. If she were the one to bond with him, then she would be able to accept and try and understand who he served and what he had to do.

Teaching Nya Reimancy was a bit of a challenge. There is a ritual that has to be done and she didn't take too well to it. But we have passed that and shes doing very well, she's a bright girl and a quick learner. I understand that shes going to try and get Abashai to learn it as well

He sighed and the next seemed like an enormous burden that he had to lift. He knew that Nya had accepted him and his quest and so had Abashai. But telling Avi was a bit like telling Sura, if she rejected him it would be like that all over again. He decided to tell her anyway.

My god is Ivak the god of volcanoes and fire. It was he who began the Valterrain and nearly destroyed the world. I believe he has calmed since then and follow him willingly, He has even marked me as his own. I am on a great quest to rid Syliras of Rhysol's influence and eventually free Ivak from his prison.

He continued so that she would know everything

Avi, everyone close to me is in danger. I am part of what was called a Triad. This is a group of three people set aside by Ivak for special purposes. Unfortunately since my mission involves reducing Rhysol's influence, his agents are after me, seeking to kill me and my other two cohorts. If you choose to be close to me..even as a friend they may use you to get to me. That could mean capture, torture and even death.

His blue eyes focused on her ever changing ones.

Now that you know. Are you really sure you want to be close to me? If so then lets spend this day together, not only hunting, but getting to know each other. I truly would like to know you better.

He felt much better now that she knew it all. Now whatever her answer he knew it would be what she wanted and that was worth the risk of rejection.

[Avi]

OOCI'm so sorry I didn't get this up last night. My internet died on me, and I couldn't get it to go.

Avi listened carefully about Nya's initiation, her eyes rather wide, still a bright, shining green. "What kind of ritual? How does it go? Does it take a long time?" She certainly wasn't interested in having it performed on her... but she was interested in finding out how it went. The more you knew, after all. The more you knew. Magic may have been a powerful tool, but magic could just as easily go bad. Avi would rather trust her own abilities and know her own limitations, rather than risk all of which could go wrong when one played with the powers that were. She may have loved a challenge, and she may have liked to roll the dice, but a smart gambler knew when to hold and when to fold. It wasn't something she could ever see herself practicing.

As he spoke about Ivak, Avi found herself moving closer until she had settled on her knees beside him, her fingers still combing through her thick hair. If she had a sense of the personal bubble, she didn't seem to keen on minding it. This, possibly, went into what Nya had said about her - that he needed a firm hand. Right now, she was seeing just how close she could get to him before he either backed up or said something. Her eyes took in every detail from being so lose to him - line of skin, his hair, his eyes, the build of his nose and cheeks and jaw, and it was almost a dare. Would he look away from her? Would he back down? Her hands left the hair unbraided, as if forgotten for now, her palms on her knees as she listened carefully. Ivak! Fire! Her eyes, which had gone down to a normal size since asking about the magic ritual, had widened once again, the greens wavering with a bit of gold and brown. Interest, hesitation, concern, fear? Hard to know. Hard to know. She didn't give much away but for those eyes of hers, though her head was tilted, as if she was trying to work through all of this, judging by the look that was on her face. "Your firedancing... that is a prayer to Ivak, yes?" that connected from the festival that they had met at.

She puffed out her cheeks. For her, it wasn't such a difficult decision - she genuinely liked Terminus, and thought highly of him. She had had those defensive instincts about him, and she hadn't taken his fingers off when he'd touched her when she hadn't wanted him. That counted for something, didn't it? But something that touched her, and that she really appreciated was the fact that he was telling her now - that he respected her enough to give her all of the facts right then, so that she could make an informed decision, and consider everything. She grinned, suddenly, and her eyes brightened from the green to a startling amber-gold before settling down to ruby, standing out from her skin and hair. She leaned forward, then, moving her hands from her own legs to his, until her forehead almost touched his, ruby meeting blue, searching, studying, as the grin faded, only to be replaced by a smile. "Life... without danger... would be very, very dull," she breathed, still as a statue.

And then she was sitting back on her own knees, her weight off of him. "I want to know you better," she told him quietly, the smile still on her face, her eyes almost twinkling with either pleasure or mischief, the trickster god only knew. She shifted her position a little, so that instead of the way she had been on her knees facing his side, he was now facing hers. "Do you know how to braid?" she tilted her head towards him. The last time he had touched her head, she'd almost taken his fingers off. But now, apparently, she was ready to teach him, and to learn from him what he would like as well. She used her fingers to make divide her shiny black hair into three distinct parts. "It's easy," she told him, now having the sections between her fingers. "Like this. One side over, then the other. It's okay to pull a little, it doesn't bother me. It's too heavy, too thick..." she showed him the movements, and settled to let him try, if he so wanted to.

"How did you become part of the Triad?" she wanted to know, then. She would learn everything about him, given enough time, as far as she was concerned, but time was something Kelvics always had in short supply, which was one of the reasons Avi was so focused on the here and now. There was never any time like the present to start.

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus was a little hesitant to tell Avi what he had to do to Nya to teach her Reimancy as it was not pleasant. In fact that was part of what he was working on out here in the snow, a friendlier, kinder ritual. He answered her as honestly as he always did though.

The magic I do requires making your body make a substance called Res. The only way your body can learn to make it is if someone puts their own Res into you. It is not a pleasant thing, you have to make cuts on the person's body for the Res to go into and then you have to force your Res into their body. It's a very dominant and forceful ritual as I learned it and Nya took badly to it even with a lot of warning by me about what would happen. I am out here not only to meet you, but to find a gentler way to gift Res. I won't rest easy till i find one, I refuse to put anyone else through what Nya and I had to go through.

He smiled softly and the look on his face showed that he regretted what he had had to do. It also showed a determination to do as he had said. He knew the first Reimancer did not have anyone to perform the ritual, therefore it had to be possible to perform the ritual without the dominating forcing of Res into someone.

As he spoke of Ivak and his mission, she moved closer to him settling beside him on her knees. He had a very small personal bubble and Nya had been this close to him when they picnicked in the grove. He could tell that there would be times he would have to get her to back off. However this was not one of them, right now he *wanted* her close to him so he did not flinch or back away but continued on.

She began taking in the details of him and he still seemed not to mind. He knew from his previous encounter with her that her eyes were one of her strongest assets so he figured she was getting to know him in a manner of speaking. he did not look away from her but rather kept his eyes on her talking easily as if this was normal. The odd thing about it was that it *felt* normal even though he had never had anyone in so close nor studying him so thoroughly . It was at that moment that he felt something tug at the edge of his conscious mind. But at this time he put it aside and waited to see what happened next. He smiled as she obviously made the connection that few made.

Yes, my firedancing is a form of prayer to Ivak. I learned it from my mother who was taught by her family and so on through many generations. We believe the practice goes back to Eyktol shortly after humans began to inhabit it after the Valterrain. I am what is called an Azenth or one of the marked of Ivak.

Now she closed the gap between them, her eyes going to a starling amber-gold then settling to ruby. She made direct eye contact with him at this time, so close that she almost touched his forehead with hers. Their eyes met and again he felt something pull, he simply looked back into her eyes and let her study him. His mouth quirked in a slight grin as the thought of kissing her crossed his mind then he pushed the thought away. She breathed an answer he had hoped she would give remaining still as a statue. His own response was but a breath, hardly daring to break the moment.

You may see more danger than you want before this is over. But it's good to know you aren't leaving.

Then the moment ended and she was back on her knees beside him. He was kind of disappointed that he hadn't kissed her, but now she was asking him if he knew how to braid . He of course did not as he kept his hair short, however he did want to learn since this was a way he could be affectionate toward her without getting a finger taken off. It was clear now that she *wanted * him to touch and to be affectionate and was willing to teach him how.

As she showed him how, he proved a quick study and soon was braiding the long,silky,black locks and relaxing, just letting things take their natural course. He noted the texture of her hair and the features of her face using his eyes to take her in. It was nice having her this close to him and at that moment he decided to allow whatever was to come to happen. If they were meant to bond, then he was sure that was what he wanted. If not then he still wanted her around as his friend.

I became part of the Triad by being approached by the man who was recreating it. I met with him and we talked and I decided then that this was what Ivak was calling me to do. At this time he did not mention Glav or ascension as he wasn't sure how far down that road he would be going

One thing I am sure of is that I will be asked to free Ivak before this is over and I hope he is calmed after 500 years or we will be starting over again.


He paused for a while and simply enjoyed being with her and braiding her hair.

[Avi]

The magic interested her, if only because it was connected to Terminus, and now to Nya as well, and maybe Abashai in the future. But one thing she would not do, however, was offer herself as a test subject. Even if the ritual was as easy as just snoozing and letting him do all the work. Magic was not something to play with. But she would learn about it, and try to figure out overgiving and when to shove him around to make him stop using it. Nya had mentioned doing too much of it, and it had made her eyes red with blood. Maybe this was the same? She would not allow Terminus to get to that state.

Or worse.

She would well hit him if it came to that to make him knock it off. Avi knew from some limited experience back at home that some people did too much, and the consequences could be disastrous. So she would just have to learn about that. Still, she nodded. She'd probably get more of a lesson about this sort of thing as their time together wore on. Clearly, the harsh intensity of the ritual required to begin reimancy was having an impact on him. He seemed almost a little down about it, if one asked Avi her opinion. Therefore, distractions were sorely needed. She had an opinion on everything, usually, and Terminus was one of those topics where she did.

"Don't worry," she touched his hand. "I'm not going anywhere." And she wasn't, either. There was still... some things she had to decide on before she decided whether or not she was going to bond with him. But there would be the time for those, Avi knew, and the proper place. But one way or another... she was closer now to bonding to someone than she had ever been in her life. Every part of her inside felt it. And as much as Kelvics wanted to serve someone, and needed to serve someone... Avi was picky. Avi was very, very picky. When she bonded, she wanted it to be right the first time - to stay with them for the entirety of her lifespan. Nya had found the one who was right for her, and Avi, well, Avi wanted to, too.

She was pleased with how fast he picked up braiding her hair, and watched his hands until she was certain he had it, and then let her own hands go to her lap, and her eyes went to his face as she listened to him talk about the Triad and Ivak. She enjoyed having her hair brushed and braided, and her approval and enjoyment showed on her face as she relaxed and let him practice. "I hope so too," she told him honestly, unable to keep from grinning a little, her eyes a contented ruby. "Because there is much growing still yet to do. But hopefully, things will be different. Maybe he has changed."

By the time he'd finished braiding her hair, Avi had pulled out a leather cord from her pack, and tied and wound it around the end of the braid to keep it firmly fastened, and she wiggled her toes on the forest floor, enjoying the feel beneath them before pulling one of her pairs of leather boots from her backpack, the ones that were not lined with fur, and pulling them on with some regret on her face. She seemed to rather like the feeling of her feet being free, regardless of the chill in the air and the frozen ground. At last, though, she stood up picking up her long spear in the processs, and offered him a hand up. "Are we ready to hunt now?"