The Lost Bow of the Drykas (Sea of Grass) 16.W.509

[Hex]

37th of Winter - Middle Cyphrus, South-West of Din

21 days passed as the three travelers chased the winding, turning passage through the grasses. The zith led them playfully up towards the north for 5 days until a sudden switch of direction forced them to follow him south east in the opposite direction. Hex's ability to detect the position of the zith was up for question several times as they rode in circles and criss-crossed through dangerous glass beak territory. Although the zith had stopped bleeding, it's scent was memorized by Hex, who recognized it as a toxic stench that was easily recognizable against the pleasant smells of the natural environment. She reassured her companions that the zith was manipulating them rather than her sensory systems being faulty.

By the 33rd of Winter, Hex proclaimed that the scent location hadn't moved for over a day. He's exhausted she thought, gripping the fabric of her cloak in her fists excitedly. As the following days drew them closer to the centre of Cyphrus, alarm signals went off inside Hex as more and more scent locations perked up. "There's a large group of them, so many of them..." her voice trailed off with an uneasy tone. The image of razor sharp jaws gnawing on flesh rippled through her mind and she shook herself to disrupt the fear that began to build up inside her gut.

On the early evening of the 37th of Winter, a hesitation fell over Hex when she spotted the large rock that came into view just over the hill they climbed. Like a corpse crawling with maggots, the Din colony of Zith lay just below, about half a days walk away from where the three Drykas observed. "We should camp here for the night" Hex blurted out, her stomach in knots as she looked out to the horizon in envy of the sun, who retreated below as if running from the claws and teeth of the nocturnal beasts. "I don't know how long we can stay out here without being noticed, but we should head closer during the day. If they are night creatures, the sun will give us an advantage." She avoided looking the the other two in the face as they dismounted their steeds for fear of transferring her own worries to those who didn't need it.

An anomaly in the hill below them served as a good cover from being seen. They had noticed the speck of a recess in the hill from far away and approached it, hoping a family of raptors wasn't lurking inside. Although not large enough to be a cave, the space was large enough to fit their tents, the horses, and a fire. As they descended back down the hill to the small cave, Hex touched the stone walls, still hot from the burning sun that had just folded itself beneath a blanket of stars that wrenched the twilight away towards the heavens.

Tents were pitched, kindling gathered, horses fed, and bedrolls uncurled as the trio settled in for the night. The fire was tended to carefully so as to not let out visible smoke and a variety of dried and salted meats and nuts were consumed after the arduous journey.

Two small creatures were skinned and cooked, their every bodily part used, nothing wasted. Growing up in the desert ensured that whatever food source became available was used thoroughly. Through her culture she was specifically taught of how to skin and dry hide as well as clean the carcass for cooking and salting. Hex was by no means a master by personal experience but she had watched her elders perform hide and meat preservation on a near daily basis. Immediately after skinning and securing the hide onto a large rock, she tore away the vital organs she knew were valuable, stuffing them into vials with a gelly like liquid that was used for preserving the organ mush for later medicinal use. The meat was difficult to cut at first with such a small hunting knife, but with careful examination of the pattern in the meat, she began more efficiently finding the areas between bone and flesh. Her results weren't perfect, but giving up simply did not cross her mind, this was her survival - giving up meant death.

As if signaled to by the sun's last wink on the earth's surface, screeches and cries bellowed out over the hill from the valley below. The sound of zith hurling themselves through the air at each other reverberated through their chests, shaking them to the core with awareness of a dangerous, mutual enemy. As they carried on with their tasks, the trio were silent, even the horses. They seemed to all listen to the cries, sighing in relief when they never appeared to get closer to them. They were clearly out of ear shot but they spoke quietly to each other anyhow, with one ear on the zith sounds and the other ear inside the cave. The hot temperature of southern Cyphrus pushed Hex out of the cave for some air, she would not sleep in any of the tents that night as she far enjoyed the smooth dirt and sand on the ground. With her extrasensory systems, she regarded herself as a guard dog of sorts, but mumbled to herself that she would need to get a real guard dog if she ever wanted to have a deep sleep again. The next thing closest to sleep was her meditation, which she would frequently exercise to remain awake and aware while she rests her body. It really was the only way to sleep without running oneself into illness.

[Kayiri]

Despite the sheer difficulty and random directions the journey would take, Kayiri never doubted Hex's navigational abilities. He trusted her with his life, despite having just met her, and he would follow her to the ends of the Earth if she desired it. It was odd for anyone, even Kayiri, to understand why he felt such a burning loyalty to his new companion. If asked, Kayiri would probably answer with a shrug of his shoulders and four words: It's what feels right.

As he looked over the Settlement of Din, a grimace came over his face, and he adjusted himself in the saddle. He didn't like the very air around this place. The recess was clear, thanks be to the Gods, but Kayiri would not calm even though her knew they were invisible from below. His eyes rarely focused on one person or object for long, darting, looking, searching, watching.

After much argument, he finally consented to lighting a fire, which only made him more wary of the area around him, his hand hardly ever leaving the hilt of his sword. He ate voraciously, however, as if preparing himself for strife in the future. When the screams were heard, he was glad his hand had been there, as the sword was out within the second, a defensive stance assumed, his eyes searching for nearby enemies.

Nothing. A false alarm. "Screw me, I'm going to end up killing myself with worry," Kayiri complained, sitting in the corner and pulling his knees up to his head, resting his chin on them, his sword a few inches to his left. When Hex went outside, presumably to sleep, as it was standard with her, he followed, settling down in a sitting position next to her.

"Hex, you can sleep properly tonight," he spoke softly, a reassuring smile on his face as he watched her. "I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, so I may as well make myself useful and keep watch," he clasped her shoulder in a friendly gesture for a short minute, not letting her fight back to his volunteering, and turned back towards the direction of Din, a renewed energy on his face as he scanned the area slowly and carefully.

After a full minute, he sighed, his posture relaxing, as he spoke to Hex softly, his voice betraying more emotion than he wished. "I know we just met, but, it means a lot to me that you would come all this way just to help me find a bow," his voice was appreciative and kind, yet there was something else, something that couldn't be named deeper below the surface. "Most people I know would just tell me to go do it myself, for it would prove my strength, but you offered to come along to find it. That means a lot to me, more than you know, and I haven't thanked you for it until now... So... Thank you." He smiled kindly.

[Dachua]

Dachua watched Hex’s tracking method closely. Multiple times, Kayiri was forced to turn Serenity’s head on the Chaktawe’s whim. When they passed through glassbeak territory, Dachua kept his eyes on the horizon. It did not take long for frustration to set in, but still they traveled. Kayiri looked content merely to follow Hex’s lead, but Dachua had always been one to lead. As his anxiety grew, the initial rapture Hex had held him in, faded. Twenty one days passed before Hex located their quarry. Din was fairly unremarkable, simply a large boulder ringed nestled in the center of a ring of hills. The hill the trio camped in was the largest of the hills, which did not say much. Much of Cyphrus was flat, but some of the larger craters were rimmed with something resembling hills. They shared a simple meal, and waited for night to fall. When Syna dipped below the horizon, a piercing shriek greeted Leth and his moon. That first cry sent a shock through the group, and more followed. Deep unease filled their humble cave. Blackmoon shook out her long main, but both Striders remained admirably still. Dachua listened to the Zith on the hunt, and felt his pulse quicken. The fire did little to warm him; he retired to his bedroll. Sleep fell neither quickly, nor deeply. His dreams were filled with leaping glassbeaks, and bat-like shapes swooping from the sky, claws gleaming dully with blood. With a gasp, Dachua awoke. He could feel the cold sweat on his chest, but, thankfully, the cries had stopped. The dawn light did not shine into their cave, so his tent was still dark, but he dressed by feel. Properly kitted, Dachua parted the flaps of his tent. The brighter exterior outlined Hex and Kayiri at the mouth of their cave. Silently, he joined them, laying his sheathed sword across his lap. He fixated his eyes on the horizon. “How will so few of us find a bow amongst so many?”

 

[Vanator]

The first creeping fingers of dawn reached into the shallow overhang concealing Vanator and Backlash. The light penetrated the man's lidded eyes enough to stir him from his semiconsious state. The night had been long and the sleep restless. He was too near to the colony, the sounds of their presence disturbingly close.

Days had passed since he left the pavilions, where he had convinced his father to locate Dachua, Kayiri and Hex through webbing. Vanator was only an adept at the practice, and once given a general direction from his Ankal father, the man could only hope that he could get close enough to the trio to locate them with his own meager skill. Somewhere along the journey , it had become clear where the Zith hunters were heading, Din. That realization did not deter Vanator, though it probably should have. The colony of Din was well known for its human hunting, and sizable population.

It was a selfish endeavor, he knew, to seek to kill a Zith. It was irrational, serving no other purpose that to satiate some primal urge for vengeance. It would not bring Tamar back, would not make memories of her more sweet, would earn him no accolades from her. She was gone.

But deep within the man's soul festered an unquenched rage at his wife's violent death. Vanator had craved revenge when Tamar was killed, blind with grief and fury. While his katana-wielding sister Akela was eager to accompany him on such a blood hunt, their younger sister, Kavala, pleaded with them to abandon it. In the end, reason won the day and he buried his hatred. He wished Akela's deadly sword arm was with him now.

Vanator loaded his Strider and carefully lead Backlash up the hill where he had located his three companions. To the man climbing the hill, the light of the dawning sun seemed to cleanse the sky of the foulness left by the vile creatures who traveled overhead throughout the deep night.

Cresting a rise, he spotted a cave opening. Retrieving his sighting lens from a pouch at his side, Vanator raised it to his eye and peered at the rocky opening. There they were, the tall, lean Kayiri, the stoic Dachua and between them the small form of the dark-haired Hex.

Closing the distance to the cave quickly, Vanator approached the party. He nodded to them, his eyes meeting each of theirs. "I told you I would come, and here I am." He then stretched forth his had to greet the three of them. The gravity of their work here, and the great peril in which they had placed themselves, made any trivial greeting appear trite.

[Sparrow]

Sparrow twiddled the bone ponderously around his talons, watching the female before him with a bemused expression. She slunk over to his prone form, her slender wings unfurling behind her. Sparrow smirked as he allowed his eyes to travel over her lithe figure. A perfect female specimen, if there ever was one. He wouldn't have let her lay a claw on him otherwise. Sparrow sat up as the female drew close to his face, her breath hot against his cheek.

"That was fun," she said with a seductive lilt in her voice that carried promises of more fun to come. "You ready for another round?"

Sparrow chuckled and brushed her throat gently with his talon. She drew in a sharp breath as a small nick was opened up on her skin, drawing out a rivulet of blood. He ran his tongue up the side of her neck, lapping up the fluid like milk. She tasted delicious.

"Actually, I think I'm in the mood for a snack."

She closed her eyes as he ravaged her neck, her pulse quickening. She opened her mouth to let out a moan, but all that came out was a choked gurgle as Sparrow's fangs sunk into the tender flesh of her throat. The female writhed in his arms, causing more delicious liquid to flood into Sparrow's mouth. She scraped at Sparrow's back in panic, drawing blood, but Sparrow remained latched onto her neck, unphased. Her struggles suddenly ceased as a taloned hand lanced through her side, driving past her ribs and piercing her heart.

Sparrow lifted his head, licking his lips. The female's head lolled back, eyes blank and lifeless. Sparrow ripped his arm free with a satisfying squelch and rose to his feet, letting her limp form crumple. The Zith closed his eyes, sighing in ecstacy.

He could feel the gore that encrusted his arms and face, sticking in his fur.It felt absolutely wonderful. He had never understood the taboo stuck upon cannibalism. Sparrow had wined and dined on almost every race alive on the planet, so why should his own receive any special treament. Sparrow didn't discriminate.

He stooped over and picked up the Drykas' bow, giving it a coating of the blood still dripping from his arm. He stepped over the corpse and staggered to the mouth of the cave, still slightly pleasure-drunk. They were close, he knew it. The Drykas and his bitch had picked up a few friends as they tailed him with a determination that surprised Sparrow. But unfortunately, they were still heavily outnumbered.

Din was a large settlement by Zith standards. If the motley crew of horse people dared to mount an all out assault, they would be dead for sure. But undoubtedly, they wouldn't go down without a fight. A grin spread across Sparrow's blood splattered face. It was going to be a good night.

He dove into the night, spreading his wings.



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if anyone's wondering why I suddenly switched to third person, I'm not allowed to do first Hmm, feels weird to RP again after such a long time.

[Kayiri]

"Hex can smell him," Kayiri responded quickly to Dachua, rising to his feet as he heard the soft patter of footsteps. His sword was at the ready before he could even process what direction the footsteps were coming from. As Vanator emerged from the trees, he visibly relaxed, dropping the sword with a resounding thump. His hand eagerly grasped his in a friendly way, a smile crossing his face.

"It is good you have come," he spoke, his smile still not fading. "We face overwhelming odds here, I fear. We may have to sneak in. Brute force is not an option," Kayiri spoke, his voice hushed, his eyes still scanning the skies. "None of us have gotten a good look, or any form of scouting, but I'm guessing there's at least a hundred Zith, simply by the flight that took off not too long ago. There's no telling how many are there right now, and I, for one, am not a sneaky person," he moved his hands down his chest, pretty much showing, 'Hey, I'm six foot plus and fairly muscled, I can't hide too well.'

As soon as the original introductions were done, he slumped down to a seated position, returning to his painfully vigilant watch. He was right when he had said he would find no sleep that night, it could be seen in the way he sat, the way he breathed... Everything about him was on edge.

"So... does anyone have any idea what this place looks like, and what we can do?" he asked, rising to his feet once again, moving to a clear patch of dirt. He grabbed a stick, hoping someone knew how to make half decent maps in the bloody dirt. Sure, he had done it in boredom, but he had no idea how to do it in reality. He looked at the treeline one more time, feeling a pang of worry. What if he couldn't find his bow in the Zith settlement? Worse yet, what if he would be the cause of one of their deaths? They were following him, a big, sword-swinging, emotional imbecile on a quest to find a damned shortbow. Such a noble cause to die for... He sighed deeply, the all too common frown decorating his face again.

[Hex]

The sun's preemptive dawn threatened the weakening haze of the night's presence, urging it back towards the underworld below the horizon. A stretch of pink glossed over the clouds and slowly began to expose the cave's entry between the thick, tree-like brush that guarded it. Light knew no bounds and imposed itself everywhere it could touch, illuminating colour and details previously unseen in the darkness. As the axe-wielding Drykas Vanator appeared before them, Hex stumbled from the cave entrance wearily towards the back where she stored her cloak and bag of possessions. She felt fear encircle their fellowship as questions of ability and ambush were only subtly hinted at.

Could they face a hundred zith single handedly? No. But there were other ways of accomplishing the same goal, Hex was confident in her faith of nature and her faith in life. Hex leaned her shaking hands against the wall of rock that lined the cave to steady them and collect herself emotionally. A chant of hope flowed from her lips, strung together by a spiritual energy that Hex often used to guide her in difficult situations. The looming rock vibrated with an evil energy that disturbed her, planting a noxious seed that would surely twist her insides and her mind. She prayed for a way in, a way to cross the treacherous plains without being seen.

In vigilance, Hex grunted and slapped the rock face with her palms, desperate for a way out. When her hands sent off a vibration, it would often reverberate back, sending information about the environment back to her through her extrasensory systems. A strange thing happened then, as if the Gods themselves had opened up the heavens and blessed her with the ability to lead these men towards the infected rock undetected. Initially, she expected the rock to be solidly placed against the hill's earthy body, but upon sending a vibration through the rock, she was puzzled when the reverberation did not return immediately - something that would happen only if there were nothing beyond the rock for the vibration to bounce back from. Holding her breath, she read the vibrations and shook her head in confusion before striking the rock again. She was still slightly uncertain about the nature of the mysterious vibration absorbing rock, but was set straight when a tiny breeze breached between two of the rocks and brushed her face delicately. If she hadn't held her breath, she may not have even felt it.

There were some mysteries of the grasslands that continued to amaze her, and what comforted her was the aura of the tunnel - similar to the aura of the men she traveled with. It was a Drykas made tunnel, or at one point it was. She prayed the zith didn't know of it, and thought curiously if there were other tunnels similar to that one in the grasslands.

"Hurry! There is a tunnel! Help me move the rock, we must find a way in!" Although her voice shook with excitement and agitation, it never rose over a hushed whisper as she regarded the men by clutching their arms and nodding towards her discovery.

[Tarot]

The very air around Din smelled like death and rotten meat. It did not take any specially developed sense to feel it up one's nostril, sickeningly sweet and acrid at the same time. The grass was particularly lush and thriving from the sheer amount of blood and fertilizing substances being spilled over the years. Din was a subterranean complex of caves in which the Zith coexisted with whatever slaves could survive long enough to arrive here. The amount of them who lasted a season here could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and they all had special talents that even the brutal wild Zith of Din found useful. The rest were just food and toys. Sometimes they were let loose in the caves with the illusion of an escape at hand, only for them to be hunted for sport and devoured on the spot.

These were the Zith, more animalistic than most animals. The creatures themselves did not live very long in Din, either. Only as long as someone stronger decided they were better off dead. You could get killed because your fellow was in the mood for shedding the first blood within reach. Indeed, coming this far to recover a bow would be viewed as sheer folly by most, except the Drykas.

The tunnel that Hex discovered was one long abandoned and half-collapsed. Architecture was not too popular with the Zith, and this particular passage had fallen into disuse after a partial cave-in. The place was dark and stale, not to mention potentially unstable. There was barely enough room for two people to slip through the opening. Hopefully it would broaden after a while.

***

As for Sparrow, the first night of hunting brought unexpected results. He found tracks that did not look like they belonged to a Zith or a captive slave. They were compatible with a small party on horseback. Before he could follow them, though, he smelled the scent of his fellow Zith approaching him. Three of them landed in quick succession, surrounding him. Sparrow could perceive their barely contained bloodthirst mounting.

"Well, well, well, brother," growled the one in front of him, a big, broad-shouldered one that was slightly older than Sparrow, "the strangest thing happened today. I found my favorite bitch dead and half-eaten. I was heart-broken. And so I ask around and they tell me the two of you had been pretty loud together."

"I am sure you have a perfect explanation for eating my whore, brother." The other two laughed behind the murderous Zith, just waiting for a sign from the leader. "How about we use you as a warmup exercise before we go and hunt down the puny humans who left these tracks?"

OOCI was told you needed moderation, and here I am.

[Kayiri]

Kayiri was still staring at his map when he heard Hex's excited whisper. He turned slowly, almost comparable to a sloth, as he examined her findings. He pursed his lips as he himself tried to pinpoint how she had noticed the tunnel. Nevertheless, Kayiri strode across the distance, stretching his arms, breathing slowly. His hands wrapped around the location she had pinpointed, and pulled.

His muscles shot out under strain as he continued to pull, face red with effort. After a full ten seconds of this, and just a slight budge, he stopped, panting. "Vanator, Dachua, give me some help! This sucker's lodged into the hole deep!" he whispered harshly, returning to his feeble pulling. It began to move more and more as it exited it's age old slot, and soon enough there was a gap just big enough for someone to squeeze through, He backed away, sweating, panting, looking at his work. A triumphant smile came across his face as he rolled his shoulders around a bit, trying to loosen up the freshly used muscles.

Running a hand up past his forehead to get the loose hair out of his face, he spoke once more. "Does anyone mind if I take the honors of going in first?" he drew his sword as he said this, taking great care to keep it out of the light, less the gleaming reveal their position to the hostile Zith overhead. "After all, if it's unstable, I should be the one to die. I'm dragging you all out here after my bow," he then said sarcastically, positioning himself near the entrance.

[Vanator]

Vanator gazed pensively out across the shallow hills, dotted with bare scraggly bushes and trees. A cold, stale wind blew between the knolls. The very landscape seemed to be cursed by the death that the Zith colony wrought. He was on edge, to say the least. They all were. The men silently pondered their next move, one that seemed impossible without exposure to grave danger. The older Drykas had questioned his own motives on the journey to find the Zith hunters. It was a foolish notion, he knew, to seek some form of vengeance from this venture. But when he arrived at Din, heard the vile Zith pass over in the night, smelled the stench of their lair, a long buried memory surfaced. The horrific image of Tamar, her soft flesh torn and bloodied by Zith claws, her body discarded to lay in unnatural contortions, her once brilliant green eyes dull, dark and staring at him unseeing. He had lifted her in his arms, limp and lifeless. Vanator, in vivd horror, remembered the overwhelming cascade of grief and rage. The roar of anger and despair that tore from his throat was so violent his saliva became tinted with his own blood. The recollection enraged him, rent at him still, feeding the irrational lust to shed Zith blood. He spun around when Hex grabbed them, his impatient hands raising the battle ax to the ready. Vanator lowered the weapon at her hushed excitement, following her and Kayiri to her find. As Kayiri muscled open the hidden tunnel's entrance, Vanator conceded and allowed him to take the lead. He insisted on going next, ax in hand. He turned to suggest that Dachua follow Hex to guard the rear when he noted the man was gone. Vanator jogged to the cave's entrance. A cursory scan of the area revealed no indication of where Dachua or his horse had gone. An uneasiness stirred in Vanator's stomach. He dared not call out to the missing man, lest he attract unwanted attention. Nor was it wise to go search for Dachua. Curses, this does no bode well...at all. He returned to Kayiri and Hex, his face a sober mask. "He's gone. We should get moving." He gestured at the tunnel entrance, following Kayiri and looking back to make sure the mystic was following. Enough light bled down to see for a short distance. If the cave proved to be something of interest, they could fetch torches. The cave did indeed come to a disappointing dead end after a few score yards. The passage was blocked by a wall of tumbled rock, most likely from a cave-in. As Kayiri leaned against the rubble in vain, Vanator turned to look down at Hex in the dim shadows. "Blocked, this is all the further this tunnel goes."