Grass, Blood, and New Beginnings.[Merenwen, Ronan Windsong]

[Matthial]

Matthial was oblivious to the kelvics irritability and Ronan's divinations. Instead he was alone, surrounded by the black abyss. "...is there even a shred of humanity left within you?" The voice came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Then, he was awake. Blinking, Matthial realized it was still daylight. Judging by the sun it had only been an hour tops. Scowling, the man drew the cloak over his head. Sleeping during the day had never been his strong suit. If the dreams continued he would be that much more fatigued for tonight. Stifling another yawn the man did his best to think of happy things. Women, beaches, alcohol, Syliras... It wasn't long before the wanderer was out.

[Merenwen]

As Matthial stirred, Merenwen smiled inward to herself. The reaction was cut short, however, by a long-winded growl. It issued itself from the pits of her stomach. The angry noise interrupted her thoughts, and she looked down. She patted her belly tenderly, and plopped down on her back, pondering. Slavers and their bounty had hardly ended up being a successful hunt. She had a sudden, disturbing image of herself gnawing on Matthial's leg, but shook herself from the vision. Again, the growling came. There had to be something in the grasses...

She didn't grapple with the thought long before turning over onto her belly and crawling out into the grass again. She inhaled deeply, and put her nose close to the dirt. She listened for any slight rustle. A feather, a scurrying of feet... If anything was nearby, she was sure her stomach growling would have scared it off.

A burst of light signaled her transformation. She pressed her paws down into the dirt and laid low and quiet. She would not move until she was certain she could find prey, and take it down.

[Ronan]

Matthial stirred, and then seemed to fall back to sleep. Ronan watched the man carefully - it seemed the wandering swordsman brought danger wherever he went. The first time, he had found him injured in the Grasses, and now they were chasing slavers, watching their backs keenly. Ronan looked back down to the ground and laughed softly. He wouldn't have it any other way. Look Darus... there's a little honour left in the Windsong Pavilion yet... Turning back round to Merenwen, he was startled to find the Kelvic missing. He hadn't even heard her move, and that was the most unsettling thing. He rose quietely, careful not to awaken Matthial, and began to follow a trail of compressed soil and disturbed grass. And where has the wild girl gone this time...?

[Matthial]

Matthial continued to sleep. OOCFeel free to skip me for a bit as you guys do your thing.

[Merenwen]

As Merenwen circled through the grasses, creeping low to the ground, pausing only to listen for clues that would ultimately lead her to a meal. She caught the sound of grass rustling near her, and bolted quietly forward to get closer to what could be her prey. There was a tingle under her tongue as she salivated at the thought of sinking her teeth into a hare, or a bird of some sort. Anything would do, at this point. She thought back to her last kill. It had been a pair of fat rodents. One caught, and almost immediately she spotted another, and darted after it, as well. The joy that piled in her chest when she saw that foolish animal scramble all-too-slowly away from her was immeasurable.

Her stomach growled again as she stalked through the grass, driven by what she had come to call her blood lust. There had been instances where she had scrounged and scavenged as a last resort. She had come across a handful of abandoned campsites, where slivers of cooked meat had been left behind, but nothing quite sated her like making a kill did. The thought of the warm blood and flesh being shredded in her teeth made her salivate even more. Again came the scampering of a small animal. Had she been in human form, she would have sneered.

[Ronan]

Ronan snuck away from the gulley, and out into the grasses Merenwen had disappeared into. All of a sudden, he realised why she had disappeared. What did Kelvic like to do? Hunt! That was how they fed - and strangely, how Ronan did to while gambolling in the wilds. He stared out across the tall grass, hoping to spot a Kelvic at work. He was intrigued. Just how would Merenwen catch her prey, how would she track them, lure them into her area, and strike with such ferocity she felled them where they stood? He looked around for a long while, but saw or heard nothing. In the end he gave up, leaving Merenwen to her hunt, and returning to the gully. Besides, he was supposed to be on watch, not Merenwen watch. Matthial was still asleep in the camp, and Ronan returned to his previous position. He wondered if he'd be able to sleep when his turn at watching was over. The fear that had touched him during his divination was still there. Looming. Darkness looming. What was it? What was his mind trying to tell him?

[Merenwen]

There....

Merenwen crouched low as she spotted the tip of a tail scurry past her, just inches from her massive paws. She crept back through the grasses, anticipating the movements of the rodent. As quickly as it had gone one way, she had it flailing back the way it came. Again, she circled it's movement, listening carefully for its desperate breathing, its futile escape patterns...

As the rodent darted past her, she lurched forward with her claws out. There was a loud, pained squeal as Merenwen sank her teeth into the backside of the rodent's neck, ceasing it's life. She shivered with pride as she licked the carcass. As if her belly knew it was just moments away from being sated, it stopped its growling. She picked the rodent up with her teeth and trotted back towards the gully. She paused before breaching the final wall of grass, and opted to lay down and feast out of Ronan's eye, and Matthial's, if he were to wake. If nudity bothered them, she wasn't sure how they would react to seeing her maim an animal.

[Ronan]

Ronan continued his watch, his thoughts ranging from Darus to Khiara. From Siyana to his current - and odd - companions. Suddenly, there was a rustle of grass, and Merewen entered the gully again. She was licking her lips, and wiping her mouth with her arm. His suspicions had been right. She'd gone out to feed. Ronan's stomach suddenly rumbled, and he realised that he had eaten for a long while. He opened his pouch and picked at a small array of nuts he had collected on his forays. They weren't very substantial, but they were food. "And how was the hunt," he finally said, quiet so as not to take Matthial, "catch anything decent?"

[Merenwen]

Merenwen finished her kill, and transformed back to her human form, and came back through the grass. She was trying to be sure she had the blood off her face when Ronan spoke. She paused, and her brow furrowed. She pulled the tunic back over her body and sat down.

"Were you watching me?" She asked, in a slightly offended tone. While his presence didn't borrow her, he had certainly risked scaring off her meal. The thought of losing such a meal irritated her, and nearly made her stomach ache at the thought. She stretched her toes out in front of her, and yawned, feeling relaxed after having finally eaten.

[Ronan]

"Not watching... observing." Merenwen began to stretch contentedly, reminding Ronan of a cat who had just got the cream. "I guess it's been a few hours... I think it's time I went and woke Matthial. Afternoon is approaching fast, and then it will be evening. We'll need to start thinking about moving then, if we want to trail the slavers." He climbed up, sheathing his dagger, and went over to Matthial. He was just about to shake him awake, when he realised the man was talking in his sleep. He tried to listen, and Merenwen watched in interest, but he couldn't make out the swordsman's words. They sounded dark... serious... but other than that, unintelligible. Ronan shook his head with dismay and went to wake Matthial again. It was time to change the watch.