The Moon is but a Star [Eridanus]

[Screech]

Fall 18th, 511 AV, Midnight

Screech's nose wrinkled as the scent of human filth surounded her and choked at her senses. She detested the refuse that littered the streets and the foul carcasses abandoned outside the city. Wasteful, worthless, pointless. She wasn't a scavenger of human waste. She wasn't a huntress of dead bodies. What could be learned from a corpse except what death tasted like?

Her wings tucked into her form, curling around her body securely to create a familiar lumpy cloak. Black eyes glittered like Eyktoli beetles from a dark face. She could have been an exotic slave human from Ahnatep for all these other humans knew if it wasn't for her teeth, her fur, and when she spread them, her wings. Her form was an enviable one in all admittable honesty. The slaves didn't have that advantage.

Screech shook back her dark hair and eyed the pitiful establishments around her with an aura of disdain. Her claws clicked together as she clenched her hands, the sight of small human children peering out of windows with stern faced adults making her stomach yearn.

She was always hungry.

Her head turned from them as she dismissed the thought of devouring human children. She didn't want her plan to be ruined before she succeeded in her designs. She wanted to complete her study.

Her eyes lit upon an unearthly figure as she looked from the building with the children. White hair crowned with beautiful black horns adorned the head of the distant figure. People gaped openly, some with dark intent stated plainly in their greedy eyes. A beautiful creatre like this was not known among the Zith of Eyktol.

It would be perfect to gather information about it before it lost its life to the human scavengers. His horns would look pretty mounted on a wall, after all.

She darted into the street after the human, her mind focused with a killer's intent as she pursued the human... creature... in his endeavours.She opened her wings and sent herself into her natural territory for a brief chime before alighting on a rooftop. From here she watched the creature, finding him easy with his snowy hair. SHe stalked him now from this natural cvantage point, her claws clicking on the roof with every step, audible in the silence of the streets they had come into.

What was he doing now? Screech considered the creature as she followed, wondering if she should go down and bring him somewhere private to study him or continue observing him.

[Eridanus]

It was midnight, and the Ethaefal was strolling. The city was still alive, but not featuring a bustling nightlife, but alive in the sense that whatever activity it had in the day was now shifted to the shadows. In that sense the streets seemed unnaturally empty, but he knew that there were people still going awake and going about implementing various nefarious deeds in the dark alleys and in underground rooms. For him, his usual slumming area seemed to be taken up by a group of hobos, and he did not like company, especially in a place like this. Still, a celestial being like himself was not at the full mercy of mortals and a few hours, or few days lack of sleep bothered him little. Thus, he decided to roam the area in search of a new abandoned building that the citizenry had forgotten about so that he could use it as his safe abode to rest come the next day. As he roamed, his eyes ever alert for the possibility of a random mugging or slaving as was common, he also maintained his focus on the many dilapidated buildings that passed by as he walked, assessing their suitability for this temporary haven. He was confident, however, of not being accosted by the typical desperate robber by virtue of deterrence in the form of his dual long swords slung together on his back. Still, after a while he began to get the feeling of being watched. Now, being watched in a city like this is of course, a common thing. His choice to stay in the streets, instead of skulking in the shadows as most criminals would do, combined with the weaponry he kept strapped and his ethereal beauty would definitely draw attention. Still, this made staying in the streets a great idea, for at least he would be able to notice an attack and prepare himself appropriately. However, this feeling was... different. He likened it to being scryed by his enemy - a powerful Nuit wizard - a couple of decades back. It was that same kind of feeling. He glanced around him, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still not letting his guard down, he began to hurry, increasing the length of his steps and his pacing, heading towards the area where he knew a daily night bazaar would be held. It was black market operation, as per normal, but at least there were more people there. These people were as lawless as any criminal would be, but at least they would be there with the intent of procuring goods instead of putting a knife through a random civilian. Eridanus decided to take the path through the series abandoned warehouses. It was a more dangerous, but shorter path instead of the long detour if he followed the streets. And now that there were lesser people watching him, his muscles began to tense and his heart began to pump faster as he approached the boundaries. Without pausing, the Ethaefal jogged into a steady and manageable pace, his experience in free-running taking over. He vaulted over an obstructing crate effortlessly, and continued his sped-up travel towards the night market.

[Screech]

Black eyes observed the movements the strange, alluring creature swayed with. He seemed to have fun in his stroll, content to think to himself in his mortal reckonings. Screech didn’t know what he was thinking, but she wished she did. She wondered if his thoughts were focused on little things, like food or income, or deep things like mates and colonies. Maybe his mind was above or below what she considered his thoughts lingered on. It would make sense if he thought of even lesser things than she could imagine. Men with horns had to have some relation to animals.

His gait seemed to shift, subtle and gently. Screech would have missed it completely had her attention not been entirely upon him. A few times she had stumbled in her observation, stepping wrongly and clicking her claws on a slat in a rooftop. It would seem like he heard her, yet he didn’t whip around to face her or address her. Interesting.

The creature then looked around, his eyes skittering along at his level and completely unwary that his stalker was above him. Facing forward, he plowed through the streets at a much quicker pace and Screech was hard-pressed to keep up, considering the benefits of flight in order to catch up to the being. However, she knew that the sound of her wings would alert him to her presence above and she had to be wary of alerting her prey to such a thing. He could scamper out of sight where she’d have to land and follow, becoming weaker in comparison.

Then the horned one began to jog and Screech hissed, growled, and squeaked curses at him in her native tongue, hurrying her pace and loping along on all fours, claws clacking as hands and feet caught on the rooftop and propelled her forth. She couldn’t risk losing him, she wouldn’t allow it to happen. Screech didn’t know where the male was going and she couldn’t risk losing him in the crowds of whatever humans lingered during the night hours. So she did as her name dictated and sent out a hunting screech, increasing her pace and rising to two legs to run faster, not caring if she made louder sounds on the rooftop. Her wings half-spread to keep her balance and her eyes narrowed.

She wouldn’t allow him to escape.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus ran in a straight line, choosing to keep his reserves of energy for a burst of speed for later, for his instincts told him that he might need it. Instead, he kept up a comfortable pace, gaining seconds in distance between him and any possible stalkers should they choose to detour or avoid the obstacles that he simply crossed. As he ran, he heard an unearthly screech, and that was when his mortal instincts of survival fully awoken in him, adrenaline beginning to fill him as his body naturally reacted to what it considered a possible threat to his continued, and living, existence. He was not fully sure that it was directed at him, for it could be random cry from an animal, but he knew that this cry was far from natural compared to the native fauna, if there were any at all. He partly considered the villainous scum of the city to be one of the native fauna anyway. The Ethaefal did not slow down when he reached a cross-junction instead speeding up even more, and he chose to enter a maze-like street. He had used this path before while on one of his tasks and he was aware of the winding street and half-built and abandoned buildings that were constructed and positioned as if the architect was trying to make a visitor as confused as he could. He rounded a stretch when he was within a certain depth in the maze, preventing himself from slowing down by using his hand to support his body as he half leapt and half spun in the air. Turning right at an alley, he passed by several forked paths in the narrow corridor and pressed straight on, bringing him to where he was before he entered the maze-like street. He turned left this time, having made the detour in an attempt to shake off any possible pursuers and he slowed down to a more manageable pace, hoping that it was only his paranoia and imagination that he was being chased. If not, he was hoping that his attempt to side-rail his pursuer would be successful. Nevertheless, he did not take chances and so continued his jogging towards the night market instead of fully slowing down, glancing back every now and then as well as trying to listen out for any more unnatural sounds that would give more information about his predicament.

[Screech]

Screech chuckled, amused and frustrated, the only thought trailing her mind was 'look at him run'. In an attempt to keep up, she threw herself bodily into the air, beating at it roughly to gain altitude, and sought him out. Like a rat in a maze, he scurried down alleys, streets, and in dizzying circles she found herself lost in. She wasn't build to contend with a prey that wormed himself every which way in order to conceal himself.

She very nearly lost him at that moment, as he worried his way into confusing her. Her Zith mind was built to be curious, not to instantly understand, and so figuring out his pattern was a nuisance. She only managed to catch him by staying high in the night sky and looking down for him specifically. Instinct said he'd try and make a break for it, in which he did.

She didn't consider what she'd do next. She acted. Angling her wings and sending her body into one of those exhilerating freefalls, plummeting right at that strange man-beast creature. Her wings flared just before she hit him, slowing her fall so she didn't kill either of them, and she pinned him to the ground on his stomach, her breathing heavy from exertion. She wouldn't be ready if the creature had friends waiting, watching, intending to either capture her and sell her as a slave or kill her. Her attention was on the man and keeping him pinned so he couldn't use those horns on her.

Her claws dug into his shoulders as she crouched over him, her wings half curled around them as she scented him, trying to identify him by that at least. She saved the scent for later but could remember nothing to match it. That was when she decided to speak.

"What are you..?" She growled, pushing down on his shoulders more in case he decided he could throw her off. She could feel the warmth of blood but thought nothing of it currently. It made remembering his scent easier and even if it brought up thoughts of eating him she had to remember that his knowledge would disappear with his little life.

[Eridanus]

The Ethaefal should not have slowed down, for the exact chime that he did was the moment that his pursuer caught up with him, driving her claws into his shoulders quite nastily and slamming him quite violently on the ground, the impact from her weight, combined with her momentum, forcing him quite unwillingly on the pavement. It all happened in a blink of an eye though, and he did not have to react and thus the next thing he knew he was on his stomach, claws digging uncomfortably into his shoulders and a sense of dread lingering in the air. "What are you?", an unearthly voice growled, and he struggled to turn his head around to get a glimpse of his attacker. His mind racing, he tried to piece together the events that had led up to him being caught off-guard and vaguely remembered the sounds of the air being pounded, though following a certain rhythm. Almost like they were wings. Wings! For a moment, he was stunned, for he did not expect to see their kind again, having undergone an experience many many decades ago that he would not care to remember all because of them. There was the feeling of fear and panic, emotions that he was all too familiar with but did not relish feeling, and a growing sense of righteous anger, of burning vengeance, and it helped to balance his mental state and prevent him from developing the mindset of a prey as most creatures would be apt to do especially under such... pressing circumstances. "Release me, slavers!" He roared at the Zith with a tinge of command in his presence, the undertones of his voice reflecting the myriad of emotions he felt as well as the years he had spent under their beck-and-call when he was still a fresh and young Ethaefal, new to the open world outside of Sahova. At the same time, he attempted to struggle in order to push off the winged humanoid, one palm and elbow supporting himself on the ground as he tried to do so, so that he could draw his blades and purge the land of this filth.

[Screech]

"Slavers..?" Screech muttered, her claws digging in as the man below her struggled. He was strong, perhaps stronger than she, and she had to be careful. If he knew of the Zith and had escaped them, that made him a deadly foe. He could kill her easily if he knew enough about her race. She should kill him now, while he was on his stomach beneath her, and save her kin a reasonable amount of grief.

She stayed her hand, however, and suffered for it for he managed to overbalance her and tip her off of him. She lunged away quickly, expecting the slash of his blades across her back or the flash of fire as his horns rammed into her stomach and impaled her. His blood dripped off her claws, alluring and tempting, as she whirled to face him and keep him in her sight.

She couldn't afford to let him kill her or escape. She would hunt him if he ran, and if he killed her she would fail her colony and have no fate in death.

"What are you?" She repeated to him, snarling low in her throat as she crouched, her dark wings spread to make her much more intimidating.

[Eridanus]

Eri managed to get the overbearing weight on his back off, and he quickly rolled away in the opposite direction, getting up and easing into a practised unarmed combat pose. The Zith did not seem to be interested in further combat for she merely stood at a distance, spreading her wings in an all too familiar posture that he had seen her kind assume many times in a bid to subconsciously intimidate their opponents. A small part of him began to respond in terror to that pose for that emotional response had been drilled into him in his years of slavery almost a century ago, but his conscious mind forced that part down, reminding himself that he was no longer enslaved, reminding himself that he was now a free man. "What are you?" The Zith snarled again, which told Eri that she had been hunting him with the intention of the Ziths a century ago who only wanted either slave labour or food. For a moment, his rational mind took over the panicked state that screamed at him either to cut down the creature or to run, and he wondered if she was the same as the other Ziths. Perhaps he had been blinded in his hatred for her race, for just as humans could be slavers, not all humans were as vile at the slave merchants in Sunberth. Perhaps he might just be stereotyping after all. He decided to give this Zith a chance and not condemn her just because of her ancestors, though he would not make the mistake of being caught off-guard. Thus, he did not draw his swords, but instead lowered his raised fists slightly, though keeping them partially raised should he need to engage in a scuffle if the creature attacked. "I am a child of the moon, Leth's Son, and I demand you to state your intent and purpose, Zith!" Eri proclaimed to the winged humanoid.

[Screech]

She wondered why he didn’t attack her. He had swords, she had seen them, yet he raised his fists as though he, some human-flesh-creature, could have some hope of defeating her with only knuckles while she had claws. Her fingers clenched in on her palms, blood mingling with her fur, and she raised her own hands. He spoke, and his pretty silk voice proclaimed about the moon and a creature called a Leth. Sometimes, these little human things running around seemed to take her for a stupid creature, but Screechknew better than to believe his words of being a child of some large white star in the sky. How did he expect her to believe this? She should just kill him and try to discover his secrets on her own. Something must be hidden in those horns or in his bones to tell of how he truly received those features. “Don’t lie to me,” she snarled softly, moving slightly to the side and watching if he mirrored her position. She would attack him, and tear him apart, at the first sign of weakness. “A creature cannot be born of the moon. The moon is a star. It is far away.” She didn’t know how to speak so he would understand the botion behind her words. The moon was just a star, larger than the rest but as distant and cold as ever. It had no flesh to birth creatures of organs and limbs. It was a figurehead to the sky, something humans could stare at as her kind took advantage of their distraction. “What is a Leth?” Once again, she stepped, her body tensed and wound to snap and throw herself back on to him.

[Eridanus]

Eri felt burning ache on his back as a result of the wound caused by the zith's claws, but he ignored it resolutely, for these wounds would be the least of his concerns if he did not concentrated on the present. As he watched her, he found himself tuning in to his magical sight, the djed slowly draining into his senses as he saw the creature's aura materializing to his sight. He wanted to make sure that it was really a Zith and not some product of his fevered imagination, and the huge aura that emanated from the body - and wings too - assured him as to the true nature of the creature.

His eyes narrowed when he caught a sliver of the being's intention that was not in her aura before. Somehow, something he said had suddenly induced some sort of hostile desire in her, and he continued to scrutinize the predator, his arms warily up and still not drawing his blades so that he could draw as much information as her before the situation descended into a straight out conflict which he knew would happen as soon as he drew his blades.

She began to circle him, and he followed, carefully mirroring her movements to ensure that he would always be in an optimal full-frontal stance wherever she went.

"I do not lie, zith," for he meant it figuratively. The creature had somehow understood his words as him being borne physically by the moon. It was obviously impossible, and he continued, "Leth is the God of the Moon and I was his chosen before Ivak ravaged the world with grief-filled rage. I am trapped on this mortal plane, bound to mortal rules."

He gave up more information about himself, his race, seeing if it would provoke a different response from her. There was no doubt that she would probably try to enslave or kill him anyway, as were the common response from their kind, but seeing a zith so far away from the usual pack and common hunting grounds must mean that this creature was slightly different from the rest. Eri wanted to see the best in everyone, and that was the only reason he was giving the creature a chance to prove herself in his eyes. He was confident of defending himself, as he had already escaped enslavement decades ago - though he did it with years of planning, negotiations and alliances with other slaves - and he would sooner die than to return to that condition again.

When she stopped and tensed, her body language signifying her possible intent to pounce, Eri tensed as well, preparing to dodge out of the way and draw his blades if need be. This was going to be an interesting confrontation.