Chasing the New Girl (Flashback/Solo)

[Massacre]

Chasing The New Girl Timestamp: Spring 48, 496 AV Location: Sea of Grass, along the Middle Suvan Sea The tribe was on the move again, but things were better than usual. Their numbers were up for a change; three Zith recently joined the tribe. Two males and the most gorgeous female Massacre had ever seen. Massacre was in his prime now, a fierce hunter and warrior of the tribe. Arri, his mate, had already birthed two children by him though one recently died during a glassbeak attack. She was currently pregnant with a third, but this new female was truly a beauty the likes of which he had never seen. She had fine fur almost a shade of purple, a shapely figure and long black claws that almost looked polished. She and the other two Zith were survivors from an Akalak hunting party. The thought of the race of tall blue men enraged Massacre. Who were they do hunt and kill the Zith? And for what? Just to prove they were men!? Sure, the Zith hunted the Akalak from time to time. They even had a similar rite which occasionally ended up with them hunting an Akalak. But even then the Akalak was used for food. The Akalak hunted Zith out of nothing other than hatred and for sport. They did not even eat the Zith they killed, leaving the bodies to rot and taking claws as trophies. A year ago Massacre might not have noticed the difference between hunting for food and hunting for sport. But he was older now, more mature. He loved to kill, it was true, and relished in the act of taking life. The difference between him and the Akalak and all the other races out there was that when he killed, even though he took pleasure in it, it was for food. Always, they feasted on the kill. Massacre wanted to teach the Akalak a lesson. He wanted to track down the hunting party and destroy them then send their bones, picked clean, back to Riverfall so the Akalak would know not to mess with the Zith. But the Elders disagreed. They said that it would only make matters worse, and they should move north before the hunters found them too. It was cowardly, but Massacre could not refuse them and so North they went. As it was, Massacre did not fret too much. There was a new female in camp and he spent his time trying to impress her, much to the ire of Arri who considered him exclusively hers. The tribe set up camp on the beach of the Middle Suvan Sea, a few miles north of the Mirror Watchtower which was shining green for spring. The new female, who called her self Night, was standing near the water staring out over the waves. She didn't seem interested in any of the males, but that didn't stop Massacre. Gliding down he landed next to her, staring out at the waves as well. After a moment, he spoke up. "What are you looking at?" The Zithanese rolled off his tongue in deep bass notes, which he deepened to make himself sound all the more manly. "The waves," was her response. "What's in the waves?" The female sighed and shook her head, turning and looking at Massacre. "I just like them. They are beautiful." Massacre frowned. Waves were waves, as far as he was concerned. What was beautiful was the female in front of him. Massacre wanted nothing more than to take her then and there, but she raised a hand to stop him before he even finished the thought. "No. You won't have me either. My heart belongs to another." Turning, she looked back out at sea. Massacre shook his head, confused, and took a step toward Night. "Where is this other? He is clearly not one of the ones who came with you, and the rest of your tribe is dead. Why hold on to something that isn't there." Night sighed and spread her wings, preparing to fly away. Before she went, she left him with these parting words: "He is not a Zith."

[Massacre]

Timestamp: Spring 50, 496 AV He is not a Zith. "What is wrong, Massacre," Arri asked, rubbing his thigh as she laid next to him on the sand. Massacre did not answer immediately. He is not a Zith. The words plagued him, tormented him. How could Night be more attracted to some.. Human or whatever it was more than he? How could any Zith find a land crawler attractive beyond more than a physically sense? Sure he had taken human females before, but only for his own pleasure. Never out of love. How could she love anything but a Zith!? "Massacre, something is wrong. I know it. Don't you want me? Or is it because I am with child?" Arri's hand rubbed further up his thigh to his groin, exciting the Zith even when he wasn't in the mood. Sighing, Massacre rolled on top of his lover and gave her what she wanted. For him it was just going through the motions. It wasn't that he was unattracted to Arri, he was just distracted. Night was new, beautiful, exotic, and now she had an added level of mystery. He is not a Zith. Then what was he!? Massacre had to know. Even as he gave himself to Arri he began plotting ways to win Night's affection. He would find a way to win her, and if he had to hunt down whatever being she was enamored with and prove he was the better mate then so be it. Massacre let out a sigh as he finished and slumped over Arri's sweaty form. She was breathing heavily beneath him, her fur meshing with his, and finally he noticed her. His passions ignited for real this time, they went again and though his mind occasionally drifted to Night, he was able to enjoy the moment. But when they were finally done, it was right back to plotting how he might figure out who it was Night loved. Perhaps the other males she had arrived with would know something.

[Massacre]

Timestamp: Spring 51, 496 AV This is how you do it," Massacre said as he withdrew a long arrow from his quiver. A year had passed since he had gotten his bow and he was certainly no expert with it, but time after time he had proven it's usefulness on the hunts. Finally, the elders had asked him to give lessons to some of the youths, as well as the two new males who had come to the tribes. Massacre was happy to do it. It would give him a chance to get to know the newcomers, and perhaps extract some useful information about Night. Neither of them had taken names in the human tongues and so Massacre referred to them by their Zith names which had no translation to any common language. "Place the arrow against the string like this and hold the bow here." Massacre demonstrated what he was saying by nocking his own arrow. "When you hear a clicking sound you'll know the arrow is in place. Make sure it is perfectly level. If it's not it will fly wrong. When you are ready pull back the string like this." Massacre pulled on the string with two fingers, one above the arrow and one below. He felt the string bite into his fingertips, but they were calloused now and used to the pain. He pulled the string all the way back and aimed at the target, a tree several yards away. "Sight down the arrow, close one eye. Line up your shot, and release." Massacre let go of the string and the arrow sprung forward, flying away from Massacre and imbedding itself in the tree. It did not hit exactly where he had been aiming for, but his students had no way of knowing that. "Now, all of you try it." Massacre watched the youths, and specifically he watched the two newcomers. None of them had ever used a bow before, and several he had to correct. "No, not like that, the arrow will just fall off." "No, no, no. You're just going to put out your eye that way." "Close one eye, not both!" One of the newcomers was having some trouble and Massacre moved over to help him, adjusting his hand position and stance. "You need to hold in the middle. Otherwise, not so bad. Have you ever used one of these before? Did your tribe have archers?" The Zith shook his head as he made adjustments according to Massacre's directions. "Really? None? What about Night? She seems to know a bit about human things." The Zith snorted and shot the bow. His arrow missed the tree, but it came close to a hit. "Night could care less for human's," the Zith muttered before nocking another arrow and trying again.

[Massacre]

Timestamp: Spring 52, 496 AV She didn't like humans, so that couldn't have been what her love was. What then? It was driving Massacre mad, and Arri was starting to pick up on it. She would often notice as he cast glances at the other female, Night, and she was becoming jealous. Arri tried first to keep Massacre interested in her, but she was growing larger with child and it was hard to compete for physical attraction. Massacre seemed loyal enough to her, but the new female was a distraction for him and she knew it would be a problem if she didn't deal with it soon. But perhaps it was merely as it was with the human female. Perhaps he merely needed to have his way with her and be done with it. "I see how you look at her," she said to him one night, "Why do you not just have her and be done with it, so you may return your attentions to me?" Her forwardness startled Massacre almost as much as what she said. She would let him have her? Never before had she said anything like that to him, but then again Massacre had rarely shown interest in other females. Once again Arri proved how well she understood her mate. That was all Massacre wanted, Night's physical attentions. Emotionally, he was tied to Arri in ways he couldn't even comprehend. Massacre was not a romantic, he doubted any Zith really was, but some part of him loved Arri and having her blessing meant the world to him. Not that it mattered. Night had no interest in Massacre. "She has no interest in me. In any Zith. She says her heart belongs to another, not a Zith, or even a human." Arri's eyes lit up in understanding, and she nodded. Now she understood. Massacre was prime stock. Sure, Cairn was the strongest warrior and hunter of the tribe, but he was getting old. Massacre was in his prime, on his way to becoming the strongest. What female wouldn't want him? His pride was wounded, and Arri understood. As his mate, it was her job to fix that. "Calm yourself, my love. She is a fool, and she will come to see you soon enough."

[Massacre]

Timestamp: Spring 54, 496 AV Massacre knelt next to a set of tracks. They were humanoid, boots so he knew it was not from a Zith, and they were dangerously close to the rocky alcove the tribe had temporarily chosen as it's home. There were no hoofprints, so he doubted the tracks belonged to the Drykas. Which left Akalak as the next most likely thing. They were probably out hunting Zith.. which was not a good thing. Alert, Massacre's eyes darted about the darkness. Akalak could see in the night just as he could, so the shadows would not conceal him. But Massacre did not see any Akalak around, only grass and the beach in the distance. Either they had moved on, or they were hiding somewhere in preparation for an attack. They would probably strike at midday, when most of the tribe was sleeping. Massacre spread his wings and quickly returned to the tribe, landing and shouting for the elders the moment he arrived. "I found tracks! An Akalak hunting party, I think. They might still be nearby, preparing an attack!" The elders sent him back out, along with Cairn, to scout the area and search for the men. Massacre and the other warrior took to the sky, flying ever expanding arcs around area. They even went so far as to fly out over the Suvan once or twice. but there were no ships to be seen and Massacre doubted the Akalak were hiding under the water. The Akalak were nowhere to be seen, and after a few hours both Zith were getting tired of the search. Clearly the hunting party had moved on, and both Massacre and Cairn agreed it was time to return. When they came back what they saw made both their hearts skip a beat. ~~~ Meanwhile... Arri wanted to find out what the deal was with this female Massacre was so interested in. True, she didn't have any wish for Massacre to actually sleep with her, but she knew her mate all to well and if he didn't get it out of his system early he never would. Arri wandered about the area, trying to spot the Zith, but she could not find her. Finally she starred asking around. "Have you seen Night?" Most of the Zith had not, but finally she was pointed south. Night had gone that way just a few chimes earlier. And so Arri winged it south and soon enough she spotted the beautiful female talking to someone in a small stand of trees. Arri landed nearby and began to approach, but when she heard the voices she froze. She didn't understand the words much, but she recognized the language easily. Tukant. Hidden by the branches, Arri had not seen the Akalak from above, but now she could see him clearly. This was the "other" that had been mentioned! This was the one her heart belonged to!! But no... What she saw was no lovers quarrel. Coin was exchanged and Night slipped it into a pouch at her waist. As the Zith turned Arri ducked behind a tree, and watched as Night flew away. Not toward camp, but away from it all. Moments later the Akalak's moved out, twelve in all, in the direction of the tribe. As soon as the coast was clear Arri raced back to the tribe. She passed the Akalak easily, who were trying to be stealthy and on foot, but still they had made good time and were nearly arrived. Arri landed shouting for everyone to prepare for battle. She ran to the elders and tried to warn them, but just as she reached them an arrow pierced her from behind. It was all the warning the elders needed, that any of them needed. As Arri sunk to her knees the entire tribe sprung into action, and the battle ensued. ~~~ It was a slaughter. Massacre watched as a young Zith tried to fly away and was shot out of the air. More Zith bodies laid scattered about, some pierced by arrow and some cut by lakan. Akalak bodies were there as well, and still the Zith outnumbered the murderous Akalak, but these were skilled warriors and the tribe's two best had been away from camp. Cairn and Massacre dove to the ground and immediately joined the fray.

[Massacre]

Massacre's wings sliced through the air as he dove, headed straight for an Akalak who was sighting his bow at another Zith. At the last second the warrior sensed him and turned, letting loose his arrow and catching Massacre in the thigh. Gritting his teeth, Massacre ignored the pain, and smashed into the Akalak with claws swiping a frenzy. Both went to the ground and tumbled together before each broke away and got back to their feet. Massacre grimaced at the pain the arrow caused, but he had had worse. The wound could be dealt with later. The Akalak tossed aside his bow and pulled out his lakan, the blade glinting in the moonlight. Massacre flexed his claws and awaited the attack. He was at a disadvantage with the arrow in his thigh. He wouldn't be as quick, and he would have to stay on the defensive. Elsewhere Cairn had joined the fray, and Massacre was sure he was teaching the Akalak exactly why people feared the Zith so much, but Massacre had his own lessons to teach. The Akalak attacked and Massacre dodged, barely avoiding the blow, but the pain in his leg caused him to stagger. The Akalak saw his weakness and strick again, tearing a bloody gash across Massacre's right arm. The Zith hissed in pain and swiped back with his claws. He could feel his anger rising. How had the Akalak found them? How had they snuck past Cairn and himself even as they were out on patrol? The warrior slashed at Massacre again and he staggered out of the way just in time. Massacre lunged and cut the Akalak with his claws, drawing his own gash across the warriors chest. The Akalak may have drawn first blood, but Massacre intended to draw the last. The battle raged around him, but to Massacre he saw only the warrior in front of him. Massacre was wounded, and he had to focus. He knew he could not use his wings, some other Akalak would simply shoot him out of the sky. He had to beat the Akalak on the ground. The warrior lunged for him and Massacre twisted away, growling at the pain in his thigh. He lashed out with his claws as he twisted, catching the Akalak in the arm. His second hit, but neither were enough to hinder the talk warrior. Massacre needed to hit him hard and take him down quickly. He just needed an opening, but each time he tried the warrior seemed to anticipate his moves. Massacre could find no hole in the Akalak's defenses. It was infuriating.

[Massacre]

The Akalak continued to defend against him, and worse, inflicted several minor wounds on Massacre. He was to quick, and seemed to know every move Massacre was going to make. The Zith was getting desperate, he was losing his edge. He was losing his control. On pure impulse Massacre attacked instead of dodged when the Akalak struck at him again. It caught the warrior off guard and though Massacre received a cut in his arm he delivered an even more brutal blow to the Akalak's midsection. The blood that poured from the Akalak's wound ignited something in Massacre, and he let go of all reason and thought. Rarely did he completely give in to instinct, but Massacre allowed the blood sight to overtake him. Bestial instinct fueled him now and he attacked with wild abandon. The Akalak was hard pressed to defend, and as Massacre attacked somewhere deep inside he noticed something. A weakness. The beast picked up on that too and suddenly his attacks became more and more chaotic, only it was planned chaos. He would make one move then suddenly at the last second change direction and strike with a different attack. An overhand swipe suddenly transformed into a kick. A blow to the right suddenly reversed direction as Massacre twirled and slashed the Akalak from the left. Anything he could do to deceive his opponent. It was exhausting but it was working. The Akalak could no longer predict his every move, because even Massacre didn't know what he was going to do next. More and more cuts appeared on the Akalak and soon his wounds outnumbered Massacre's own. His leg still ached, but Massacre ignored it. The pain was temporary, the wound would eventually heal. It wasn't important in that moment. Only the Akalak, his lakan, and Massacre's claws mattered. Suddenly the akalak went on the offensive, pressing Massacre back step by step. Whatever skill or power he had to predict Massacre's attacks was no longer working, the Akalak's only hope was to kill the Zith before it killed him. With each step he was forced back Massacre gritted against the pain in his leg, but he would not relent. No filthy land crawling Akalak was going to take his life. Letting out an enraged growl Massacre switched back to his own offensive and ducked under the next swipe of the Akalak's lakan, punching out and striking the Akalak in the same place Massacre had wounded him earlier. The warrior wheezed on pain as the air was forced from his lungs and Massacre followed through with an open handed, claws ridgid, uppercut-like maneuver slashing the Akalak from his belly and up to his throat. The sound of the Akalak's lakan clattering to the ground snapped Massacre out of his bloody reverie and he immediately turned to survey the area. The Akalak's numbers were thinning and they were beginning to retreat. Many Zith had been lost as well, however. Nearby Massacre witnessed something he never thought he'd see. Cairn, bloodied and battered, sunk to his knees. Massacre's eyes widened in shock and as the Akalak standing before the veteran Zith rose his lakan for the final blow Massacre scrambled for the bow the Akalak he had been fighting discarded. Snatching it up off the ground he pulled an arrow from the dead Akalak's quiver. Quickly he set the arrow and pulled back the string. He could feel the tension vibrating up and down the string as he sighted down the shaft. The bow was very similar to his own, though a little bit heavier, but Massacre didn't need it to be perfect. As the Akalak's lakan came down, stabbing Cairn in the heart, Massacre let go of the string and the arrow exploded forth. He knew he was to late, but at least he could take satisfaction in the sight of the arrow piercing the Akalak from behind. As soon as the warrior fell Massacre rushed to his tribe mate's side but Cairn was already dead.

[Massacre]

The rest of the Akalak's were retreating. Perhaps they hadn't realized just how many Zith were actually present, or perhaps this was only a first strike. Massacre couldn't tell at that moment how many had died on either side. Neither did he care. He had to find Arri. He had to make sure Arri was okay. Massacre flew over the scene of the battle. His leg hurt even more now that the fight was over but still he had more important things on his mind. Where was Arri? She should have found him now that the battle was over! Massacre circled once and did not see her, but on the second pass he found her. Even though she was face down on the ground he recognized her, and as his eyes widened in horror he dove for the ground. Collapsing to his knees next to Arri he gently turned her, careful of the arrow lodged in her back directly between her wings. She was still breathing and his heart skipped a beat when her eyes fluttered open. "M.. Massacre? Massacre, it was her.." Massacre wiped the tears from his eyes, blinking away the droplets and looking at Arri with confusion. He had never felt a pain so horrible, the arrow in his leg was nothing to him now. It was a miracle she was still alive, but what was she talking about? Who was she talking about? "Arri, be quiet.. you.. you'll hurt yourself." A smile spread on Arri's lips. Never had she thought to see Massacre cry. So few Zith ever shed tears, though Arri had seen many human slaves do it during her time in Xy, and it always seemed strange to her. But now she understood, and the fact that Massacre would shed a tear for her touched her to the core. "No.. It was her. Night.." "Night? Arri, no, I don't care about her. She is nothing to me.." Arri shook her head, seeing his misunderstanding. "No.. Night.. She, she led them here." Massacre shook his head in confusion. What was she saying? That they were betrayed.. by one of their own? Why would any Zith turn them over, and to Akalaks of all things? "What are you talking about, Arri?" "I.. followed her. Saw her talking to Akalak.. she.. she told them where we were. For coin!" Arri coughed and sputtered up blood. Massacre put a finger to her lips when she had calmed, knowing all to well that she needed to rest. But it didn't matter, the coughing and spasms started again. She jerked painfully, the arrow hitting a nerve as it shift due to her coughing. More blood came up and Massacre pulled her tight to chest, his wings wrapping around them in an embrace. With one last violent shake Arri died in his arms, and after a long while he finally kissed the top of her head then laid her gently down on her side. When he looked up he saw the tribe had gathered around him. There were five left, two children and three adults, one a woman, though they were barely old enough to be considered so. They were all looking to him, and suddenly Massacre realized he was the eldest among them. Massacre was the new elder.. leader of the tribe.

[Massacre]

Over the next several bells Massacre and the tribe buried the bodies of their fallen under mounds of rocks, shells, and sand. Massacre removed the arrow from his thigh and bandaged it using cloth torn from one of the dead Akalak's clothing, but other than that Massacre commanded the bodies be left untouched. After a while one of the children, who had been out gathering shells, reported having spotted the Akalaks lingering not too far away. And they had a Zith with them, chained to the ground. It was Night. At first Massacre wanted to storm the Akalak's and take the traitorous Zith from them by force, but he realized that would never work. No matter his anger, his rage, he was the elder now and he had to think about the tribe. It was a strange shift of mindset for him, witching from passionate hunter to logically thinking leader. But.. perhaps he could still have his revenge. The others in the tribe surely wanted it as much as he. Massacre had an idea. "Claw!" He shouted for the next eldest of the remaining Zith, two years younger than Massacre. "Take that Akalak. Cut him up. Take off his limbs and head. When your done, wait here for me and send the others away." "But where are you going?" "Just wait here," Massacre said as he flew away. It didn't take the Zith long to locate the Akalak's. Massacre knew what he was doing was suicidal, but they had dealt with Night. Perhaps they would deal with him. Only four Akalak remained, but they were all in better condition than the remaining Zith from Massacre's tribe. To attack them would have been folly, and Massacre himself was still injured as well. This had to work. Massacre landed just outside their camp and immediately folded his wings down submissively. The four Akalak all jumped to their feet and aimed their bows at him, but Massacre held up his hands as he had seen humans do to one another before in a gesture of peace. As he approached his eyes never left the chained Zith, hatred flaring wihin him. One of the Akalak pulled back on the string, ready to fire, but the apparent leader among them reached out and pushed the arrow down. He had seen the look in Massacre's eyes, and he was curious. "What do you want, Zith?" He asked in Tukant. Massacre's gaze shifted to the leader. He spoke a little of the Akalak language, words he picked up from various slaves back when the tribe had been large enough to maintain them, and though he didn't quite know exactly what the Akalak had said he understood the meaning. Massacre pointed at Arri and the Akalak laughed. "And why would we give her to you." Massacre shook his head. "No. No give.." He pointed at Arri again, then with his hands made a motion of handing the Akalak something and accepting something back in return. They all stared at the Zith until one of them spoke up, "I think he wants to make a trade." "Yes! Trade." The leader of the Akalak's frowned and glanced at Arri, then back to Massacre. "And what do you have to trade." Massacre watched the chained Zith, who was avoiding his gaze. Did she understand what the were saying? Did she know that soon she would be in Massacre's claws? Massacre looked back to the leader. "Dead. Zith, for your dead." The Akalaks were caught off guard by that. Several of them drew back their bowstrings as if to shoot Massacre then and there, but once more the leader calmed them. "You will let us take them?" Massacre nodded. Frowning, the Akalak thought things over. Finally, he nodded and handed Massacre a key. "Very well. Take her and we will take our dead." Massacre took the key and held up a finger. "One bell. Then we gone." The Akalak nodded again, "One bell."

[Massacre]

It didn't take long to get where they were going. Massacre had spotted the next the day before, Glassbeaks, but they were far enough away that the Zith didn't have too much to worry about. And being on the beach helped, since Glassbeaks usually stuck to the grass. But today they would not. Massacre flew close enough to Claw to shout out to them. "I'll go first. We get their attention, then lure them back using the parts!" Massacre held up the Akalak leg in his right hand to indicate what he meant. Tucked under his elbow was an arm, and in his left hand was the head. Below was an entire nest of Glassbeak. Massacre didn't bother to count their numbers, though it was around ten. A full pack. Even one or two would have been enough for the weary Akalaks though. Massacre landed a ways away, though far closer than he would usually dare, and began waving his arms and shouting. It didn't take long for the birds to notice them, and lightning quick they started running his way. Massacre quickly spread his wings and took off, dangling the leg below him for the Glassbeaks to see. This only angered the creatures, which was exactly what Massacre wanted, and they chased him all the more. When they were nearly caught up to him Massacre dropped the leg and flew up. One tall glassbeak jumped after him and nearly caught hold of Massacre's leg, but he twisted in the air and just barely avoided it. Several yards ahead Claw swooped down and the process was repeated. In that manner the two Zith lured the Glassbeaks back to the beach. When Massacre spotted the Akalak's in the distance, already at work collecting their dead, all Massacre had left was the akalak's head. Night was nowhere to be seen. Claw dropped his last appendage and the glassbeaks swarmed over it. Massacre dove down, attracting their attention again, and let the head dangle by the hair. As expected the glassbeaks chased after him, and Massacre headed straight for the Akalak's. When the first of them spotted Massacre he shouted, and bows were pointed toward the Zith heading their way. Massacre couldn't help but smile as he saw their eyes widen. He laughed as their bows suddenly shifted away from him, and arrows were launched into the oncoming glassbeak. If the birds hadn't spotted he Akalaks before they were aware of them now, and Massacre's work was done. He just had one last thing to do. Massacre beat his wings hard and as he passed over the group of warriors he dropped the head into their midst. One arrow did come his way, but it was a half-felt attempt and the akalak's attention quickly returned to the glassbeaks. Massacre had to admit that the Akalak put up a good fight. But they were weary, some were injured, and there just weren't enough of them. The Akalak's fell one by one, and the glassbeaks discovered a feast of akalak bodies and buried Zith, enough to feed them for days. Massacre had his revenge, but it was bittersweet. Arri was dead, and nothing would change that. His return to the tribe was met with praise when they found out what he'd done, but Massacre didn't care. The sun was high in the sky, it was irritating his eyes.. Making them water. That's what he told them anyway, and he wanted only to sleep. End