In the Reaches with You [Jaiun]

[Riley LaRose]

JaiunVery terrifying snowflakes~

Fall 18th, 511 AV, Noon

Riley crouched low in the snow, her ears pinned back and her pupils dilated fully, dominating silver-green irises as they fixated on the white birds scrounging for morsels in the white ocean. Her body was taut, her tail stiffened but for the tip, which flicked left and right restlessly.

A loud growl rumbled through Riley's stomach and she tensed altogether. Two birds lifted off and flapped into the boughs of the trees at Riley's back, making their squawking noises as they settled in on the branches.

Riley's tail twitched again.

Her rear lifted and her body wiggled. Such a "childish" instinct driven into her. Real leopards didn't make stupid motions with their bodies. House cats did. Riley was, in all intents and purposes, a leopard trapped as a house cat. She was trained, conditioned, and tutored in all she should be. Her Master wanted to know when she was about to pounce on her prey. He had wanted a pet, and so he had her trained as such. A domesticated leopard. At least she had her true instincts deep inside her soul, sewn in where they couldn't be found and removed.

She used them now, doing the creeping movement forward most cats, big and small, were found of. The birds rustled their feathers and one looked up, right at Riley.

A terrified sound erupted from the bird's beak and immediately the flock was in motion. Riley followed soon after, lunging and snapping at the birds, swiping her large paw at a few of the slower ones still horking down whatever grub or fruit that grew up so far north. One bird went sprawling after her hit, fluttering around in a panicked frenzy as it fought to get upright and away from the cat that hopped onto it, pinning it to the ground, and biting at its head to kill it quickly.

Riley didn't like to make anything suffer, or fear. She hated it. She understood it. The bird didn't die easy, however, and yet it didn't have the energy to fight as its lifeblood stained the pure snow. The other birds fought more than enough, though. Riley found it necessary to pick up her still heaving prey and retreat to a safe distance in the tree line. She could hear the angry screams as she got out of their area of expertise. They knew their domains, it seemed, as a bird would find it difficult to get airborne again after attacking her under the snow-laden boughs of trees.

Riley dropped her bird and looked down at it. Blood no longer flowed, but seeped. It was dead.

The death caused a twinge of guilt within Riley, deep inside her soul and mind, and she ignored the bird for now to allow its soul to leave as she tended to her wounds. Those birds were little devils, and their beaks were as tough as their tiny claws. The Kelvic was glad she had at least made off with one, even if it was a slow one.

Now she turned back to her bird, nosing it gently as birds squawked in the trees. She began to eat, listening to the noises around her for the predators. She knew that she could go as the bird did.

[Jaiun]

So peaceful. So cold. So...good. Winter is indeed a blessing, Jaiun thought happily as he strolled through the woods, the frigid air like soothing touches on his fur. I can't wait to see what the Reaches are like when it is winter. So why is Jaiun in the Northern Reaches, one might ask? That's a good question. To be honest, Jaiun wasn't sure. Because he had nothing better to do? Well, that might be a part of it. But as for the rest of the reason, Jaiun didn't know why he had felt compelled to walk the Reaches this morning, nor did he care; he was simply enjoying the day. The squawk of a bird interrupted his tranquility, piercing the woodsy atmosphere like a knife through butter. Ears perked up, nose drifted into the air to see if it could ascertain the cause of the deathly cry. A predator hunting, no doubt...but what to be exact? Jaiun's inquisitve nature got the best of him, and, before he knew it, he was racing off towards the sound of the noise. As he passed snow-painted trees and rocks, he had to wonder- what type of predator hunted small birds in the Northern Reaches. Not a local one, that was to be sure. As Jaiun burst onto the scene, he managed to see the bird's death...at the hands of a feline cat like that Jaiun had never seen before. It's pelt was a tawny color with large, dark ellipses on it; Jaiun had never seen such an animal before, yet, he had the strangest feeling of having met the creature before. Unprepared for the creature and knowing it, Jaiun gave a soft grunt out of his muzzle, as to show the beast he was there and interested in what the creature was doing.

[Riley LaRose]

Riley's ears pointed forward at the sound of an approaching creature. She listened to heavy paws crunch through pristine snow and her tail waved in agitation. She wondered what was coming. Another predator? Most likely. Was she in someone's territory?

She inhaled the air, seeking out scents of perhaps a wolf pack or one of the bears that lived this far north. Of course, not many lived near trees but Riley couldn't allow herself to be certain of this. Just imagining death by polar bear was something that made her squirm. She couldn't smell anything, and as she had come this way there were no scratches along the bark of the tree trunks. Maybe it was something different? She was unsure. All she was certain of what that she was currently standing over her kill with angry, tittering birds just beyond the trees and something big and most likely unpleasant lumbering her way. Not once did she consider it was a member of the Ice Watch.

The beast soon emerged from the trees and looked at Riley from eyes that tweaked some form of recognition. She didn't understand it, though. There was only one of these creatures, these massive Polar Bears that she knew, and he was in Avanthal probably doing something important for the Winter Goddess and the Ice Watch.

His grunt caused her to pin her ears back slightly. She was smaller than him and probably couldn't even hurt him if he chose to attack her for her bird. She doubted he could climb trees, but maybe his paws could knock one over with a well-aimed swipe.

She wondered what he was doing, or trying to say, when he grunted. Was it Polar Bear speech for "hello"? It was truly a disadvantage to be a cat at this point, and not because one lacked the muscle a bear could boast at youth. It was the language Riley now wanted. How easy it would be to speak to the bear and figure out what he was trying to say. She could make an attempt, though. Grunts didn't really sound so intimidating when not followed by roars and fangs. She'd just need to protect her kill from him.

Lowering her head, Riley closed her jaws around the bird,s body and moved it a few feet or so back from the bear, nearer a tree that she could climb if she required a quick escape, before she lowered the body and looked back up at the bear. She was as ready as she would ever be to try and speak with a bear. Her agitation would be visible, however, in the way that her tail swished and her ears remained somewhat pinned. Now she'd make a grunting noise like the bear, although it would come out questionably. Grunting wasn't something she normally did.

It was as though she were saying "hello" in cat-speak.

[Jaiun]

Jaiun cocked his head, amused by the response he got from the cat. It seemed to try to grunt back, or something along those lines. Quite interesting, in fact, the result. However, it did tell Jaiun one crucial thing; this was no ordinary animal. Unless he was severely mistaken in the ways of wild beasts, smaller predators didn't respond to bigger predators with a grunt. Usually, it was turning tail and leaving. Most Kelvics, being what they were, would do so do, but if this was a Kelvic who was familiar with the Icewatch... A burst of light, and a boy stood there. Jaiun didn't like shifting into his human form, but it would be the only way to communicate with the supposed Kelvic, if he could coax it out of it's true form and into human flesh. That was, if it even was a Kelvic. He wasn't the savviest man when it came to Kelvics and their behaviors, even being one himself- Jaiun could be way off base on this, and if he did, the result might not be pretty. He was starting to regret shifting into his weaker form, but it was too late to change back. No, the bear would just have to keep calm and press onward. Jaiun gave the cat a slightly feral smile, trying to make the least-threatening gestures possible. "Hey, there, friend," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "If you are Kelvic, I'd prefer you shift into human form so we can speak. What are you doing way out here?"

[Riley LaRose]

Riley started in shock when the bear shifted in a kaleidoscope of bright colours that rivaled those of most Kelvic back home. He changed into someone Riley knew, and her ears flattened fully in surprise. She had half a mind to turn tail and bolt so she wouldn't need to face this, to face that person she had met in the Red Diamond and who had watched her humiliate herself drinking hot chocolate.

And she had no clothes. Nothing to hide the scars from the abuse. Her hair wasn't long enough to cover her full body and hide it from observant eyes. He was trying to coax her into her Human form and she was terrified that he would see the shameful marks from her past. He wouldn't see the worst, no, but he would see bad enough if he caught sight of her back and limbs good enough.

Now he addressed her, speaking loudly as he gestured peace with a feral expression. Mixed signals? She wasn't wild, so she couldn't tell.

His nudity didn't bother her so much, although he was a stranger and she was a prude enough to feel as though she'd flush if fur didn't cover her skin. She was used to it. All Kelvic had to be naked at multiple points in their lives. He had nice muscle structure though.

While instinct from her bestial side told her to attack the weak intruder, she forced it down and stuffed it away to where it could sulk and dream of hunting bigger prey than birds, rabbits, and the occasional small rodent.

With a deep sigh and a resolve to purchase a harness or something to carry clothes, she shifted. With a flash of neon and white she was crouched in the snow as low as she could go without getting on to all fours, one hand tangled in her hair to hold it down on the right side of her face as she did her best to hide her scars. She gave him, Jaiun, a faint smile of nervousness and uncertainty, before trying with a nonchalant tone in her reply.

"I come here to hunt birds." She said quietly. A shiver at the cold tickled her spine, but she felt she could deal with it. She was a Kelvic after all!

Her silver-green left eye lifted to appraise his as her fingers clenched her hair restlessly. "What are you doing here? Do you like birds too?"

[Jaiun]

When the cat shifted and revealed the form of someone he remembers- albeit vaguely- Jaiun's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't quite expected it to be...her. The girl from the Red Diamond! That's who she was. The shimmery hair of brown hair he had remembered from before. Yes, she was even wearing it in the same way...over one side, like she was trying to hide something. In the bar, sitting down, it hadn't been so noticeable, but now, crouching like some sort of demon...well, it drew his attention. As did the scars. They were all over her body, like some of the elder Icewatch he knew. They too sported many different marks, with an interesting story for each one. What Jaiun took away from them was that for each mark, the person had survived some close encounter, and whether it be by trickery or strength, it was something to be respected. Some people, like the girl in front of him, were survivors, no mean feat in this strange world. Jaiun was feeling a bit of awe for the Kelvic cat in front of him. Even while thinking all of this about the girl, he couldn't catch her name. Well. That was embarassing. More to stall for time than anything else, Jaiun gave the other Kelvic a lopsided smile and said, "Ah, yes, my bar buddy. Nice to see you without the hot chocolate stain." As the girl went on to explain her presence there. "Hunting birds! That's not proper for a Kelvic of your type." His eyes twinkled with a jocular humor. You should be going for deer, or bigger. That's something that would suit you, I suspect."

[Riley LaRose]

Riley's face flushed as he brought back what was her most embarrassing moment in her life. Hot chocolate was, well... hot. She knew that now. Didn't stop it from being embarrassing.

As he continued on about how she should hunt for bigger prey, she smiled slightly. "My true body is a little under four feet long without my tail, and I'm not that tall. Birds are fun to hunt. They make such cute noises." Her fingers began to obsessively finger comb her hair, never allowing it free for the wind to continue her actions. Such a treacherous thing, the wind. Always trying, trying to betray what she was hiding. "Why are you here? I never expect anyone out of Avanthal. Are you doing something for your Ice Watch?" She yearned to distract his eyes from her scars and her face. She wondered how repulsed he'd be. What would his face say when he say her? She'd need her Auristics to taste what he was feeling.

Revulsion was like a drug. A painful, terrifying, illuminating drug. If he saw her face, she wanted to taste it. One day it would tear her apart, she knew, but currently she feared and expected it. She didn't want it yet she couldn't help but need it. It was one of the few static things in a world that constantly changed.

[Jaiun]

Jaiun smiled. "Nonetheless, I've seen animals smaller than you take down a deer." he said. "Given the way you killed that bird, I have no trouble deciding whether or not you could do the same." Jaiun noticed the flush and the subsequent compulsive combing, but decided not to say something. For Jaiun knew how it felt, to be in a human form. Uncomfortable. Kelvics were first and foremost animals, and in animal's form they belonged. Jaiun, given his occupation, had gradually become more comfortable within a human body, but he never had felt quite comfortable without his claws or fur, his eyes or his nose. It always felt like a part of him was missing, a mental itch that could never be scratched until Jaiun made the change back. But was it the only reason she was uncomfortable? Jaiun's eyebrows jutted down as she quickly made the change to what he was doing out here. Was she trying to hide something? Jaiun couldn't tell. The best option was just to continue on like nothing had happened, and allow what she was truly to feeling to be coaxed out, if it existed at all. "You know, I'm not entirely sure why I'm out here. Just a walk, I guess. My shift ended a while back, and I had a bit of free time, so..." Jaiun shrugged, keeping his eyes locked on Riley to see what she would do. He had to admit, he was curious about this girl. About who, or what, she was. He suddenly realized how little he knew about her - not much, in fact, little more than she had come from the south. That was embarrassing for an officer of Morwen's law. "You know I felt a bit like hunting, like you." Jaiun spoke once more, turning slightly to look around at the forest around him. "Perhaps, between the two of us, we could take some, erm, bigger prey down? It would be more rewarding than chasing birds, to be sure." And allow Jaiun to learn a little more about Riley, as well. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, watching to see what she'd say- and more importantly, what she would do.

[Cheshire]

Character: Jaiun Experience: Running +1, Interrogation +1, Observation +2 Additional Note: Sorry you couldn't finish this thread! PM me with concerns.