Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Cayenne on July 10th, 2011, 9:27 pm

This thread is closed. Siiri, Miharu, Mihai, please.

While it starts in Taloba, the majority of it will take place in the Wilds.

53rd of Summer, 511 AV


It was early in the day, the sun just barely up. Despite the thick clouds overhead, beams of Syna's light made it through the city, lighting it up and giving hope despite the torrential showers that freakishly, there might just be a dry day, because the rain coming down now was hardly more than a light shower. They were more than halfway through the rainy season in Falyndar. The basin had flooded - and on a daily basis, the rain was almost oppressive. Almost. But despite that rain, the jungle flourished. The Myrians weren't cooped up - they never were, because children that tried to hide in doors would soon find themselves carted outside by their parents and deposited in the rain to play. Riamm clung to the head and hair of their bonded child, their waterproof fur acting to allow the little ones to see more than three feet in front of them. True warriors never allowed anything to block their eyes and ears, of course, and that meant getting used to heavy rain obscuring their vision and working through it. Some sections of Taloba were muddy pits, one corner of the training yards in particular, and the littlest children had to be rescued from it, because contrary to their expectations, it was a lot harder to swim in mud than it was in water.

The big stone bathing pools often used for the Tskanna were flooded with children playing in the water. They were kept full, easily, by the sheer amount of rain that came down from above, and no matter how much of it the Tskannas used for drinking, there was always plenty of it. There was always encouragement to be out in this - whether they were playing or working - for it was one of the gifts the Goddess of Water brought them. Perhaps a little too enthusiastically, but it was a gift nonetheless. Any child who complained about it was often reminded of the fact that there were places where there was no rain and almost no water. Did they want to go live there, in that horrible dryness? No? Then go play in the water and praise Makutsi for the wild rains that came.

Siiri & Miharu


Siiri was learning just why breaking a limb, be it arm or leg, wasn't a barrel of laughs. The original break hadn't hurt that much - she had taken far worse - but it was the tedium of being careful with it while it healed. It gave her a new perspective and far more respect for those who had broken something and had to sit and deal with the healing process. This was her busy season. This was the season in which her family had to go out there with other crocodile hunters and thin the numbers and keep the beasts far away from preying too much. Floating stomachs, they were. Dangerous floating stomachs.

And she was stuck in the city.

Oh, she wasn't inactive - in fact, she had seemed to have been assigned to teaching younger children, with whom she could use one hand far easier in basic techniques and such, and practicing her own weapons. She had plenty f time to practice, too. Not only did Siiri have work to do in this shyke, Miharu had been put to work as well, and she was in charge of the mud pit. That meant she had to keep an eye on it through the rain, and rescue children that had gotten stuck there. She was getting used to it - but no doubt that Miharu, like her bondmate, wished for the rain to be over with already, because really, wasn't this enough water for the season? Maybe some of it should go to those dry places, because the jungle couldn't possibly hold any more.

They had just finished their morning meal when Siiri heard the bloodbeak's squawk. The only bloodbeak in the barracks was Iami's menacing pet, and that meant that the officer and chief armorer of the Myrian army was in the dining hall. "How's the arm doing?" Iami clapped Siiri's good shoulder and Miharu's as well before dropping her voice. "The Goddess-Queen wants to see you and Miharu. Said it's important, so I'd hurry up and get moving."

Mihai

Raiiiiiiiiiiiiin. So much raiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin. This was his first summer in Falyndar, and it was shocking just how much water there was. And it didn't stop. When he'd asked Her about it, she'd only laughed and told him to have fun and practice swimming, and that was when he'd cut her off by shaking out his fur. That had evolved to the Tigress pinning him to the ground with one massive paw and threatening to crush every bone in his body unless he showed more respect to the Goddess-Queen. Then she had climbed off, and just Looked at him, teeth bared, every time he so much as made a move to get up until Myri told him he could.

But in all seriousness, he had actually been taken out hunting in it, and had been shocked at just how strange and different it was - hunting by sight and smell was almost impossible. It became a strategic game of instinct and thinking and being intelligent, because if you didn't think, you came home empty handed. And while no one starved in Taloba, there was a certain amount of 'what do you MEAN you couldn't find anything?!' in some glances.

But today, though, the sun was shining, the rain was light, and Mihai knew without at doubt that She wanted him right then in the palace. He knew it to the core of his being, and one did not keep Her waiting.
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Siiri on July 11th, 2011, 2:57 am

"...the kids were already howling," Siiri chuckled, retelling the events at the training yards the previous day to Miharu as she picked up her bamboo plate with her good hand to deposit to the kitchen. One of the other soldiers unlucky enough to be disciplined and be given kitchen duty would collect it later, along with the other plates and utensils, to be washed. Even warriors had to know how to do domestic chores after all. "And you know what the little tyke said? 'Boys have pen-'"

A loud squawk interrupted Siiri's story, the bird's cry heralding the presence of its owner, Iami the armorer. Seconds later, the Snapping Jaws warrior felt the older Myrian's gnarled hand upon her shoulder, drawing her and Miharu close to share words with them..

"Arm's healing just fine. Tingu promised to hit it with a hammer if I jarred it again though. No rigorous training for me," Siiri replied with a sheepish grin. The herbalist seemed quite serious when she delivered her threat and she did not dare test that one if she would carry it out or not.

"The Goddess-Queen...?" she repeated when Iami finally relayed the purpose of her visit, echoing the words silently as she wondered the reason for the summons. A slight frown creased her brow, a familiar expression that either signaled her ire or indicated that she was thinking. Myri must know of her injury, otherwise she would have asked for a more able warrior if the purpose of her call was to send the person out for a mission. Or the matter might be directly related to her and Miharu. Whatever it was, it was not her place to question, only to obey and answer the call.

Siiri shared a brief glance with her bondmate before thanking Iami for delivering the message. "Let's go," she told the ever-pale Kelvic. The prompting was unnecessary, as the wolf girl was sure to detect the sense of urgency radiating from her. They hurried out the mess hall and made their way to the temple, running through the light rain the sky peppered them with. Siiri arrived at the temple doors with her clothes clinging to her skin. In fact, she had to squeeze off the excess water from them before entering the sacred building.
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Miharu Mindi on August 8th, 2011, 10:04 pm

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Miharu had had enough of rain. She'd had enough of rain, and mud, so much mud that half the time she wanted to drown herself in it. But that wasn't really her way, so she just ended up snappish. And if she shook the children a little when she fished them out of the slop, well, maybe they'd be less likely to go too deep the next time.

It had been a hard adjustment for her, this rainy season. Siiri was her shining spot in the wet, thick darkness. But if she couldn't see her bondmate, couldn't directly feel the love the Myrian woman had for her home, the misery crept in and it was hard to shake. But she loved Siiri, would do anything for her, and so she closed her teeth over her tongue and dealt with it.

She'd been bracing herself for another day of it - how many more days of this could there possibly be? - when Iami's hand fell on her shoulder and snapped her out of her reverie. She blinked up at the woman, unsure what she meant. "The goddess queen?"" she murmured, unsure what that meant. Was there some sort of ceremony they were expected to join? Or had they done something wrong?

She followed Siiri, though, ever faithful, all the way to the temple. She had never been inside, had never even approached it before, and didn't understand what it might mean. And so she just stepped up to the door of it, water still streaming from honey-blonde hair to soak through her sari. "Are we in trouble?" she finally murmured, peering through the doorway into the temple beyond. Truth be told she didn't even mind if she was, because it meant she was out of the mudpits today. There couldn't be much worse than that.
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And teeth sinking into heart
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Mihai on August 11th, 2011, 5:32 am

The rain didn't bother him as much in his human form, he found. Naked skin dried faster than his thick fur, but he was starting to wonder about the efficacy of such pale clothes in the rain, the unbleached linen of his vest and sarong mostly transparent now. The hem of the sarong was dark with mud, something he couldn't help even though it was rolled up higher than normal, and his feet had ceded their native color to that of the omnipresent mud.

When he got to the temple, someone gave him a towel for his feet and he tried to rinse the worst of the brown out of the hem of his clothes. It felt strange to come in this form when She understood his feline communication as clearly as human speech. Normally he was more comfortable in fur, and anyway, the Tigress was there to be leered at.

It was exciting, though, to feel that pull. He assumed it was the bond between them, and that gave him some comfort like he truly belonged. It might just have been a goddess thing, but he tried not to think about that. Tried also not to think about the mere mortals She foisted him off upon from time to time. He shook his head to rid it of such thoughts, and continued on into Her presence.[/indent]
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Cayenne on August 28th, 2011, 4:36 pm

When Siiri and Miharu got to the temple, they found Myri, her own linen garments still damp from the rain in a discussion with four people. Well, three people, and one ghost, to be more accurate. All of the living, though, were people that Siiri recognized as those that were on the Council of Nine, and all of them instrumental to the city. Rahi of the Tiger Eyed, with her red-brown hair tied back in a long, ropey braid, still dripping wet from the rain, was standing there, arms folded, her solid back to Siiri as she listened, head angled, and her entire posture was one akin to anger. She was easy to pick out - Siiri had had more than her share of run-ins with the woman.

The other two were Bina of the Red Orchid, the High Priestess of Taloba, and Szarri of the Slitted Throat, the Oracle. Bina was the younger of the two, but imposing, her face streaked with a mixture of blood and plants and paint and dye, her long dark hair braided with shells and teeth and bone and fangs. Her robe looked like she had been struck by a tiger, with deep, ragged slits through it showing the tattoo of a blossoming, blood-red orchid, gleaming against her skin over her heart. On her head rested a large crocodile skull, the upper jaw extending down over her forehead like a visor, the wicked teeth protruding. Szarri was no less fearsome than the High Priestess. A blackened tattoo seemed to slice the skin of her neck, imitating the slitted throat for which her family clan was named. Her tattoos and decorations told their own story. Her reddish hair was in one long braid, and the last half of it looked like it had been dipped in blood. It very well might have been.

Stranger still was the fact that they were using the ceremonial altar, the enormous slab in which living sacrifices had their hearts ripped out or their throats cut on, as a table, and Siiri and Miharu realized as one that they were discussing something on a map. It could only be a map judging by the sheer size of the woven, water-treated canvas cloth. Neither of them recognized the ghost, a Myrian scout, by the looks of her attire. She bore no tiger tattoos on her arm, which told Siiri that she hadn’t earned her tiger, and her clan tattoo wasn’t visible, which meant it was somewhere under her leathers or on her front - her back was to the door. She was pointing out something on the map, which seemed to be the focus of the discussion.

Mihai beat Siiri and Miharu there by moments - the youngster was still toweling off when the Myrian warrior and her Kelvic bondmate came in. They, too, were offered towels. Myri looked up, though when Siiri and Miharu came in, and greeted the three of them with a nod before straightening from where she had been leaning over the altar, looking at the map upside down, as it faced Rahi and the ghost beside her. That seemed to be some silent cue, and Rahi and the ghost turned, and the Priestess and the Oracle, who had flanked the sides of the altar, also watching, though now Szarri had placed a hand on the heavy-looking gemstone in the crook of the staff that she carried. The Goddess-Queen was as grim as the three had ever seen her, and Mihai, with his close relationship to her, could tell that she was livid. She didn’t show it, but he could feel it. Most disappointing was the fact that the Tigress was not in residence here - she must have been back at the palace, but, well, he could go purr at her later and strut his stuff.

Although the two Kelvics were both dripping wet from the rain, which impeded their sense of smell, neither could mistake the faint connection. Mihai might have recognized it first, since it was what had led him all the way to Falyndar, after all. Miharu, though, might pick up some notes that were the same between her own scent and this strange, pale boy’s. And they shared some physical similarities, though she’d never laid eyes on him before. But there would have to be more time to ruminate on it later, as the Goddess-Queen addressed them then. “I’ve asked for the three of you because I have something for you to do. Broken arm or not, Siiri of the Snapping Jaws, I need you to go meet up with Eena by the Kivuk Swamp. You know which way to go. Miharu goes where Siiri goes, as always, and this time, Mihai, you will go with them.” Eena of the Swooping Talons was already out. Apparently, a message had been sent.

…Miharu?

…Mihai?

She eyed the young man then, and he knew from that one glance that she wasn’t looking to foist him off on someone else. This was something she genuinely wanted him to do, and she expected him to come back to her in one piece and preferably with all his limbs still attached. “Kalahe was killed while investigating the swamp. She came back here to inform us so that the disturbance could be taken care of.” She glanced at the ghost. “Tell them what happened so that they know what to expect.”

“My name is Kalahe of the Poisoned Arrow,” the ghost began. “I died two days ago at the Kivuk Swamp, to the north of here.” Siiri knew it - it was a day’s travel in good weather, not counting on the rain. “And I was killed by a group. A human male who used some kind of magic, leeching, I think... led it, and with him he had a Dhani, a Konti, and another pair of humans.” That made five. It wasn’t uncommon for Myrians to be suspicious or particular about magic, largely because almost none of them actually used such things. Know about it, but don’t practice it. Being forewarned was being forearmed. “They seemed to be setting up camp, of sorts, at the swamp. I did not stay longer. I went looking for someone to report it to so that it could be dealt with. I didn’t find the rest of my fang on the way here.” Only an idiot would set up camp at the Kivuk in the rainy season. There were more predators there than you could shake a stick at in it, but... all the more reason, wasn’t there, if it was something often avoided?

“Any questions?” Myri looked at them, from one to the next.
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Siiri on August 29th, 2011, 12:15 am

Siiri knew the moment she saw the gathering around the sacrificial table that the reason they were called to the temple for was something big. While it was not unusual for Myri to summon one of her people to Her side - any Myrian could speak to their Goddess-Queen freely after all, like one would their own mother - but it was strange to find some of the Council present as well. Had the whole Council of Nine been present, Siiri would have thought she was to face another Trial again.

But no, the presence of a ghost and the way everyone was postured around the table... the warrior in Siiri immediately recognized a war council of sorts when she saw it. The spirit's presence made her uneasy - not that she was afraid of the dead or anything, and this one seemed to be one of her people, but to have one's soul linger in the mortal world, it spoke of unfinished business, something Siiri hoped never to have before she passed on. It spoke of failure, to a certain extent. Such beings also filled her with sadness and just a little bit of jealousy: her Aunt Shara did not stay with her as a spirit after all. But looking at Myri, she realized this one may have well been summoned by the Goddess-Queen.

The towel offered to her was taken with a whispered thanks, and then promptly forgotten as she struggled to offer her Goddess and the Elders the salute required from her station. Her ruined right arm throbbed with pain even as she lifted it, and bending it at the elbow still sent jolts of agony racing up to her shoulder, but she'd be damned not to give proper respect. Her shoulder still worked and tht should be enough to execute the move. Only her clenched jaw showed evidence of her discomfort as Siiri thumped right fist to left breast. It was only when she had completed the salute did she allow herself the use of her left hand to set her broken arm back into its sling.

As the Goddess-Queen spoke of what she wanted from them, a slight frown form upon the Snapping Jaws' brow. Had Eena been the one to specifically request for her? Siiri knew her superior had temporarily discharged her from duty, she had been there when the woman had said so. Did this mean Eena needed her still, despite her broken arm? But no, Myri had said clearly that it was She who wanted them to meet with Siiri's fang commander in the Kivuk Swamp. And they were to be accompanied by some...boy?

Mihai.

Siiri's piercing emerald eyes leveled upon the gangly youth, noting his features. He was deyhan all right, with his pale skin and strange-colored eyes. His body was not even properly filled out! But he's not bald, so he's certainly not a slave. A plaything then? Whose, Siiri could only imagine. Her nose wrinkled at the idea of him tagging along with her and Miharu. He was an unknown, something she never liked to work with, but she wasn't about to say no to the Goddess-Queen. Nobody did. Still, he was a boy.

The ghost retold her tale and Siiri's mind began to work on the variables as any tactician would. Hardly an expert on the discipline, the warrior let logic fill in the gaps in the spirit's story. A magic-using human...leader...must be powerful. The Dhani... in human form? But no, Kalahe confirmed its identity so the foul creature must have revealed its true form to its party at some point. The snake-being must serve as muscle then. No, that sounded wrong...that must be the role of the last pair of humans. The Dhani was a guide. Yes, that made more sense.

And the Konti?

Siiri's thoughts drifted to the one Konti she had formed a loose friendship with, if not grudging respect. Satu had revealed a bit about her people during her stay in Taloba, and Siiri had listened intently. No telling when she could use such information to her benefit. It came into use now. She wondered if the fey woman was some sort of slave then, for she was not sure if their kind would associate with the bastard Dhani...Konti were often sought for their divining powers after all, and this group may have exploited her for such use. Siiri decided she would reserve judgment for this Konti, out of respect for her friendship with Satu. But the four would definitely have to be killed. Especially the Dhani. Even if she had to use her teeth to rip it apart, since she could not swing her sword yet.

Caught up in her own dark thoughts, Siiri started when she realized that Myri was looking directly at her. She turned away to cough in her good hand, giving herself time to formulate a proper question.

"I have several, my Queen," she began. "Not to question your judgment, but why send us when there are more capable warriors at your disposal?" Siiri knew for a fact that someone like Kreesha would immediately jump at the chance - even kill, as the joke around the barracks went - to take on a mission such as this. With her broken arm, the warrior felt she could not even compete with someone of Kreesha's caliber. Unless she had already been sent elsewhere. But that still does not take away the fact that there were still more capable warriors out there than her. Unless...Eena's must have been the fang nearest the trespassers. It was just like her to hog all the glory for this.

Or it could be that Myri just had other motives she did not want to reveal at this time, Siiri told herself.

"What would be our orders once we rendezvous with Eena?" she added. If Eena had set out with a full fang, then surely they could easily take care of the group. Unless she didn't. Too many variables.

Turning to the ghost, Siiri asked her last question: "How did you die?"
Apologies to everyone I'm threading with, but it's like the Danaides for me right now.
==/==
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Postby Miharu Mindi on September 17th, 2011, 10:27 pm

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Whatever servant offered Miharu the towel would find themselves soundly ignored as the girl caught scent of something... familiar. Wide golden eyes searched the room as her head swiveled around and her nostrils flared, and she missed most of what the goddess-whatever was saying.

She'd found the source of the scent, and her shoulders tensed as she stared unabashedly at the younger Kelvic that stood just ahead of them. She knew that scent. It was ice and pine, fur and frozen wastes. It was hers and not-hers. She sniffed again, stepping towards him with exact and careful steps as if unsure whether he was dangerous or not, and if she'd been wearing her true-form, her neck-ruff would have been standing on end.

The emotions that poured through the bond to Siiri were distracting to say the least - unformed, swinging wildly from positive to negative to something completely unsure. Another step, and then another, until she could have reached out and touched Mihai, and as she moved closer the resemblance between the two became more marked. His hair was darker, red instead of blonde, and she was taller, more muscled in her human form than the lanky boy. But their faces... nose and pointed chin, high forehead and soft cheekbones, they were the same.

"You smell like my father," she whispered, confusion and wonder clear in her voice.

And then, in what must have seemed incredibly weird to the non-animals in the room, she tilted her head closer and took the final step between them. Nostrils flared again, and she rubbed her face against his as she inhaled his sharp scent, uncaring that they were both still dripping rainwater, or that there was a room full of Very Important People staring at them. Or that her bondmate was, you know, doing what she was supposed to be doing and paying attention. She just rubbed against the strange boy's face again and again, savoring the awful, heavy familiarity of his scent. She had yearned so sharply for home that it often left her unable to breathe, and here was a piece of not just Avanthal but her beloved father. Unable to control herself, overcome by emotion and instinct, her arms twisted around Mihai's neck and she pulled him closer, reveling in his scent and rubbing herself against him happily. "You smell like home!" she growled joyously, giggling as she assaulted him with what must have looked like a rather excessive snuggle.
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And I am dreaming of them with their kill
Tearing it all apart
Blood dripping from their lips
And teeth sinking into heart
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Mihai on September 18th, 2011, 10:11 pm

At first Mihai was so caught up with the rage Myri held in check that his shoulders hitched up. Had he his tail, it would have been lashing, but even in his human form looked tense and ready, not to flee, for he would stand still and let her strike him dead if that were her will, but ready for something terrible to fall upon him. But then she said a magic word instead, that name the nam-šub of some blood shaman. Nostrils flared and filled with that scent that had brought him all the way from the frozen north. It had changed subtly from what he had smelled among those left behind. Grown, bonded, a creature of the jungle now.

His head canted curiously, and then she was up close and there could be no doubt.

"Miharu," he said, his mouth making it different from the way they said it down here. They touched faces, rubbed, shared scents. It was a strange sort of reunion for those who hadn't the animal within.

"He is dead," he informed her mournfully, arms going about her waist. But she already knew that, that fact being what drove her away for him to eventually follow. "My mother too. I came looking for you, but you had gone. I came down here, but could not find you." He pulled back a little. "You are tall."

It was almost accusatory, but then he was still growing. As for their orders, he heard them, but left the details to the broken Myrian as she seemed to have the right questions. He would go and hunt and fight if that was what Myri asked of him. She was the Master now, but he had a sister as well, and that was a strange and wonderful thing. Despite the solitary instincts of the male tiger, he had a Kelvic's needs too.
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Cayenne on October 20th, 2011, 10:10 pm

Myri grinned wryly at the reunion between the two Kelvics, but turned her attention to her sturdy daughter’s questions. It did amuse her, somewhat, to see their reactions, but there was business to take care of. These were her lands, the lands that belonged to her sons and daughters, and there were outsiders encroaching on their territory. It wasn’t nothing Myri couldn’t handle - but she always insisted her people knew how to handle things in the event she wasn’t there, and this was tradition. Had it been an Alvina storming into the mossy jungles, Lhex help them, because no one else could, as Myri herself would deal with them to the full extent of her abilities. But for a passel of trespassers, Myri would send her children and let them get the much-needed exercise that came from it.

“Three can move more quickly than ten, even if two of them are Kelvics,” Myri began. “Mihai will fit in well, and with the rain, Miharu will look more like a very large Chevos than a wolf.” She didn’t have to explain. Nothing required her to answer beyond a ‘because I said so’, but Myri did anyway - because the Goddess wanted Siiri to understand her tactical decisions, so that the young Myrian would grasp it. She knew Siiri would develop to be a shrewd tactician. It just took nurturing and practice. All Fang-leaders would start somewhere. “But their being Kelvic will help you. If they took out Kalahe, they will expect more Myrians. They will not expect wild animals to rip their throats out if they threaten them. Further, if they have an Aurist, the Auras of Miharu and Mihai will be more perplexing. I trust Mihai to you for this, Siiri of the Snapping Jaws, because you have my confidence. But make him pull his weight. He’s been practicing.” She shot a look at the still somewhat scrawny boy. He was filling out yet. Even if he felt humans tasted weird.

“Furthermore, Kreesha of the Morning Bird took her Fang out late last night and headed for the Eastern Docks to refresh and reinforce the Fangs already along the coastline. The Svefra have been overstepping their boundaries, and Misha of the Jagged Blade wanted that dealt with.” Rahi of the Tiger-Eyed interjected smoothly. “There are, of course, other options, but Eena was on patrol nearby. She’s been alerted, and sent back a message asking for you, because you know the Kivuk well and obviously, we all like our Fang with those we are used to working with. Tingu says that your arm isn’t -too- terrible, and I trust you’ve been training with other weapons besides Shara’s Slayer.” Sure, the weapon was Siiri’s, but Rahi remembered when it had been wielded by her aunt.

“Once you meet up with Eena, I want that group of outsiders destroyed. Avenge your sister, and bring their corpses back. If nothing else, the snake will feed the dogs. If they can be captured and contained alive without risking yourself and your companions, do so, and we will sacrifice them here. If you can, find Kalahe’s corpse and bring it back with you.” Finding it was a big if. Gods only knew what the outsiders would do to it. If anything, it could end up in the belly of a crocodile. If either Kelvic was paying attention, they were probably likely glad that they were not counted as ‘outsiders’ here in the Falyndarian capital. Both knew what grisly end awaited those who trespassed into the Myrian domain.

“One of those humans found me, the short orange-haired male,” Kalahe told Siiri when the Goddess and the Spymistress seemed to be done. “I don’t know how he spotted me - I was in the trees and I wasn’t moving, and I was covered in mud. Stayed flat. You know,” she addressed this to Siiri. Siiri did know what she meant. When you watched, you watched from a vantage point, from somewhere you could escape. For a Myrian, the trees were as good a place as any. Unlike other races and cultures, the Myrians learned early, as children, that when you looked around you, you also LOOKED UP. Death didn’t just stay on the ground because you did. It was everywhere. You survived by being alert of what was going on in every direction... as well as above and below you. “In any case, the snake came after me, and we began to fight in the trees. When one of the humans tried to come up, the limb snapped under the weight, and we all went down. The magic-user I mentioned did something, and I felt my energy being sucked out of me. I injured the Dhani and the red-haired human. In any case, you’ll see him, if he’s still alive. He has no eyes, not any more.” Kalahe clenched her fists. “Be the blades of the Goddess. Do what I could not, Siiri of the Snapping Jaws, with your companions. Heed the thirst of the jungle... and sate it with their blood.”
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Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained [Closed]

Postby Siiri on November 8th, 2011, 12:04 am

Siiri listened closely to the Goddess-Queen's words, holding her tongue until Myri had finished giving her orders. So she was to take the boy with her, another Kelvic. And more than just that, he was Miharu's brother! Siiri did not know how to feel about that; she was happy for her bondmate that she found kin, and one seemingly adopted by the Merciless One no less! But he was still a boy. Questions regarding his abilities and his willingness to learn lingered in Siiri's mind as she studied his lanky frame. Miharu had been difficult enough to teach as it was, and Siiri knew the girl did so willingly because of the love the Kelvic had for her. Would this boy have the same discipline as his sibling? Siiri hoped so. By Myri's words, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Rahi's confirmation that it was Eena herself who had requested for her had Siiri frowning. The woman had requested for her specifically because of her familiarity with the swamplands, not because she truly needed her sword arm...even if the the Goddess-Queen and the Spy Mistress expressed their confidence in her martial prowess. Siiri felt she would be made to act as an intel officer and tactician in this assignment than be allowed to do what she enjoyed doing, which was to pit herself in mortal combat against the foes of her people. And this time, a Dhani was involved as well, and when one was, Siiri wanted nothing more than to have Slayer singing in her hands. She tried to flex her injured arm, but it was still stiff and too much exertions applied to it had her wincing from the pain. She hoped it would be better once she had joined up with Eena. Perhaps Tingu has something to dull the sharp sensations that seemed to bore into her very bones whenever she did too much with the limb.

Siiri listened intently to everything that was said - from what she needed to do, as commanded by Myri herself, as well as the slain Kalahe's tale of her run in with the ragtag group of trespassers. The Snapping Jaws warrioress suppressed her discomfort at the ghost's presence, focusing instead on the details it divulged regarding the group of deyhan. It seemed they had a way of detecting that which was hidden, which itself led to Kalahe's demise. An Aurist, as Myri had called it - a magic user. Kalahe had said she had blinded one of them. Siiri hoped it was the magic user himself, and perhaps injury alone was enough to hobble his ability to tap into the arcane. Still, she made a mental note to make sure that this mage went down first. Magicians never fought fair, the bastards.

"I just need to prepare my gear and we can leave within the hour," Siiri intoned. No need to delay the council and the Goddess-Queen longer than necessary. All the pertinent information had already been given to her. Now she just had to act upon it. A Dhani was waiting for her to kill it.

"You will be avenged, sister," she promised the spirit.
Apologies to everyone I'm threading with, but it's like the Danaides for me right now.
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