The Dangers of Flower Picking [Caoin]

[Nidassasyae]

Fall 23

The day had dawned bright and crisp, painting the Sea of Grass a rich gold as Syna graced the sky. The long days of Cyphrus grew longer and chillier as winter approached. To humans, this would mean dawning a cloak. But to a Kelvic from the northern wastes, it was a welcome sign that the Great Cold was on its way.

The grass rustled as the leopard prowled forwards, her head moving from side to side as if searching for something. The feline Kelvic’s mouth opened, trying to catch a scent. She growled in disappointment, her sandpapery voice cursing colourfully in the feline language. There was no scent, no tracks, no trace of her Bondmate here.

She could spend her entire life searching this petching Sea of Grass, and not find what she was looking for.

Give up, Nida, A voice in the back of her mind whispered. He left you. He doesn’t want to be found. You won’t find him.

The Kelvic blinked, trying not to react to the voice’s words.

Besides, it chuckled, and the sound it made might have been compared to the skirl of fangs on metal. You’re going the wrong way.

Without a second thought, Nida immediately spun about and plunged through the tall grass. The plants shook furiously as she sprinted through them, making a tiny ripple in the extensive Sea. The Kelvic’s mind demanded that she find her Bondmate. After all, that was her duty.

She pushed herself to her limit, sprinting as fast as her body could go. Nida could feel the beat of her paws against the ground, pushing up and off the grass as she thundered by. Her legs strained, trying to carry her as far as she could go before they simply gave out. A burning pain in her abdomen reminded her of her injury, crying out for her to stop.

There were no landmarks here in the Sea. There was nothing she could use to judge how far she’d ran, or where she should stop. Her legs suddenly refused to push her any farther, and she dropped down onto the dirt, skidding for a small distance before grinding to a stop. Nida could feel the ragged rise and fall of her chest, the protestations of her legs, and the throbbing pain in her stomach.

Idiot! I lied! Now what will you do, useless and spent? The voice shrieked, clearly unhappy at the sudden change of events.

The Leopard did not answer, her mind was too focused on inventorying her various scrapes and bruises. Satisfied that there was nothing major, she was content to lie there for a few more moments to catch her breath. For all the endless monotony, the Sea really was beautiful, though Nida personally thought it could use some snow and ice. Her breath rattling in her chest, the Kelvic gazed at a patch of flowers a few meters away. They looked familiar, like something her Vantha friend Nehsmay would have picked. Her- er- Herebs? No… the word was Herbs. Yes, that was what Nehsmay had called them.

[Caoin]

MizNo Challenge: Word of the DayDate: November 06, 2011
Word: Junket
Definition:

• A trip, usually by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.
• A sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
• A pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing
• To go on a junket.
• To entertain; feast; regale.

Post was written on the sixth, but posted on the seventh.

The wild fires that had devastated Endrykas had left many of the livestock dead or injured, and the Drykas people had suffered just as many wounds. In the days that had followed, many had worked together to help with the recovery of the wounded and the rebuilding of the property that had been lost. Some families had been hit harder than others and had needed support from the surrounding community, being a people with such close ties and strong bonds; many had stepped up to help their neighbors. The Silverstriders had been no exception. Their family had not been hit as hard in the fires and so they had offered their skills and supplies where they could. With the number of burns that had been received, the supplies of aloe vera that was used to help treat and soothe them had been almost depleted, including her own family’s supply. With this knowledge in mind, and desiring some time to herself for a little relaxation, Caoin had taken Liath out into the Sea that morning for a little junket to gather more aloe vera; at her side were Sealgaire and Bree, her quarni wolfhound pair.

The young Drykas woman had been working her way through the grass searching for the aloe since sunrise. She’d managed to locate and collect a few stalks of aloe along the way, and stored them in her bag, along with a few other useful plants. She didn’t have the proper equipment to be gathering herbs, so she’d been carefully cutting items with her dagger, or breaking them off by hand. Caoin was on her knees, bent over a large grouping of aloe plants, her hands working carefully with her dagger to cut away some of the aloe. Liath was grazing contentedly on the grass nearby and Sealgaire and Bree leisurely lounging next to him when the small group was suddenly surprised by a rather large feline that charged from the grasses and collapsed in front of them. The group, animals and human alike, seemed stunned by the sudden appearance of the large cat. They were so stunned in fact, that none of them could do anything except simply stare at her for a few moments.

The cat didn’t seem to notice them, sitting off to her right, her gaze focused in front of her. Her breathing was ragged and she was injured. She smelled of blood to the animals. Had Liath not been so loyal to his bonded, and so well trained, the strider might have spooked and simply left Caoin there, but as it was, he managed to remain calm and in place with a simple visual cue from woman. The dogs were a different story, as both finally assessed the situation and jumped to their feet, low growls rising up from the chests as their lips curled back. Caoin too was cautious and wary of the large animal, even if it was injured, especially since it was injured. An injured beast could be far more dangerous than a healthy one, mostly because they were so unpredictable.

“Bree… Sealgaire, heel” Caoin spoke to the dogs as she rose to her feet, her free hand dropping down to pat her left side in a visual cue. The animals moved slowly to their master’s side, lips still curled in a growl. Their human master stood with her dagger in one hand, ready to use it should the beast indicate that it was going to get back up. However, Caoin didn’t issue a command to attack to her dogs and she did not attack herself, nor did she attempt to retreat. Something in the back of her mind was nagging her.

The cat in front of her was not one that was native to the Sea of Grass, she had lived in Cyphrus all of her life and this animal was not built for the climate of Cyphrus. She hadn’t seen anything like it in any of the books she had studied or any of the lessons her father had given her. What was it doing there in the Sea? To Caoin it appeared as if the animal’s wounds had been tended to at least once, which meant that it possibly belonged to some human. The Drykas wasn’t taking a chance though and she stood, ready to defend herself as she waited for the cat to make its next move.

MizNo Word Count732

[Nidassasyae]

The Kelvic’s head whipped around, distracted from her tired thoughts by the sound of growling. Her eyes alighted on the human, horse, and pair of hounds.

Idiot! While you were lying there, enjoying a roll in the grass, you let a two-legger and her animals simply sit there! You should have seen them! Do something! The voice exclaimed frantically. But now it was not directing any cutting remarks towards Nida, it was just being petching annoying.

Nida sat there for a long moment, carefully observing the human. It was obviously female, and seemed to be gathering plants. Its hands clutched a dagger, and Nida’s gaze stopped on the weapon for a brief second, scrutinizing it, before moving on with her examination. The human was not muscled, but lean and quick. She would be an interesting opponent, or a rather stringy meal. The human smelled of horses and dogs. A good sign, perhaps she wasn’t as stupid as humans usually were, since she was often around animals.

Her gaze merely flicked over the horse, sparing it a brief half of a second. She didn’t consider it a threat. However, the two dogs that snarled at their mistress’ side were not so harmless. Their stances were threatening, before they were forced to return to their human’s side. Still, they bared their teeth at her, warning her. This human was theirs, and she had better be aware of that. They would fight for their mistress, defending her with their lives if need be.

Nida blinked and recoiled suddenly, reminded a little too much of her own experiences with loyalty. Her will betrayed her, reminding her of her own Bondmate, making her yearn for someone that she could defend with her own life. For that moment, she envied those tiny canines their position, that they had someone to protect. For that moment, the huge dire leopard would have given anything to be one of them.

But then that moment passed, and she was once again in the present situation. The human didn’t appear to want to attack just yet, waiting for her to move. Was it a challenge, or was she just gauging her reaction? If they wanted a fight, they would have it. Before, Nida would fight to defend her man. Now, she would simply fight for the pleasure of the kill and the blood. If they truly wanted a fight, Nida was more than happy to oblige.

But they didn’t. They just stood there, the animals gathered around their mistress. What loyalty this puny human must command, to have her life defended by these creatures! She was too much like the Frostfawn Vantha that Nida knew, and she felt the urge to fight slowly die down.

Her form began to dissolve into tiny points of light, as if reflected by some unseen jewel. Soon, there was nothing left of the huge leopard but millions of twinkling lights. They buzzed about purposefully, reforming themselves into a much smaller form. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Now, before the Drykas sat a young woman. She was stark naked, with only her long and tangled hair to provide her with any sort of covering. The girl didn’t appear uncomfortable with her nudity, and simply crossed her arms over her chest impatiently.

“Well? Are your dogs going to kill me?”

[Caoin]

The cat’s attention turned to Caoin and her small group as their presence was finally noticed. The large feline remained where she had fallen, only her head moving around so that she could see her company. This movement started a stare off that seemed to go on forever as the big cat examined the four of them, beginning with Caoin and ending with the two dogs at her side. As the cat examined them, Caoin was doing some sizing up of her own. It was a particularly large wild cat, not the kind of creature that her dagger would be very effective against. The wolfhounds were large dogs, but even in her injured state, the cat could likely still take them. If it came down to it, the best option would clearly be to retreat. But any attempts to make any sort of first move, and any ideas of retreat were put on hold when the standoff finally ended in a most unexpected manner.

Caoin’s jaw dropped as the ginormous cat dissolved into pin pricks of light that rearranged themselves to leave the Drykas staring at a naked woman. “Well, not exactly what I was expecting to find,” she commented mostly to herself as she eyed the woman. Caoin had heard of her kind before, but she had never actually seen a Kelvic. At least, Caoin was pretty sure that the catwoman was a Kelvic. She knew very little of the race, only a bit about their light show method of changing shape, and that they were supposed to be closer to animals than humans in behavior. As the surprise of seeing the large cat change shape was wearing off, the woman spoke, drawing Caoin’s attention back to the current situation. She motioned for Sealgaire and Bree to back down and shook her head, “Not unless I tell them to or you make the first attack,” was her simple response to the woman’s question. The dogs, seemingly less interested in a woman than they were a large predator, and less agitated since their mistress had calmed down, had no qualms with backing down. The two sat back on their haunches, panting softly as they turned their attention to other things.

The Drykas woman wiped the blade of her dagger on her blouse before sliding it back into the scabbard. Shifting her weight so that it rested mostly on her left leg, she looked the woman over once again. “You look like you’re wounded. Are your wounds open? Are you bleeding?” Not exactly the sort of questions you would expect someone to ask after seeing an animal change into a human before their eyes for the very first time… but, this was the Sea of Grass, and Caoin had more pressing concerns than being curious. If the woman had opened fresh wounds and was bleeding, she was more likely to attract real predators, and Caoin didn’t particularly feel like having to fend off glassbeaks when she was out to pick flowers. Not to mention that if she had opened any wounds, they would need to be tended to again. Curiosity could wait to be addressed at a more appropriate time, in a more suitable location.

MizNo Word Count534

[Nidassasyae]

OOCI am so sorry for the ultra late and very short reply! Life's been super hectic lately. And there wasn't very much for me to write about except more of Nida's whining

Nida tilted her head to one side, momentarily confused by the foreign syllables that came from the stranger's mouth. The Kelvic watched as the stranger shook her head and motioned to her dogs to back down. Nida guessed that this was the answer to her question and let herself relax a bit more. The strange female didn't seem that threatening, now that her hounds had been called off. Still, this was a human. Who knew if she was the type who could be trusted?

Absentmindedly, the Kelvic ran her fingertips over the puckered and stitched skin on her stomach. The wound still caused her pain and was protesting at the strain she'd put it through, but thankfully it hadn't reopened. She let the strange language wash over her again, not bothering to try and decipher the unknown words. The last Drykas she'd met had thankfully spoken Common, but Nida couldn't expect all of them to have to. There were precious little strangers in their city after all, and little need to learn other languages.

"Do you speak Common, human?" She asked, for once not making the word 'human' into an insult. Nida didn't relish the idea of fighting the stranger, if only for understanding what that would do to the hounds. She considered shifting and simply leaving, hyperaware of the protective and adoring looks the dogs frequently cast towards their mistress. It hurt to watch.

Was that what she'd looked like? It would have seemed silly and humiliating to anyone but a Kelvic. The hunger, the need for the Bond seized her again. She gritted her teeth against it.

I have a bondmate, she noted wearily.

Not since he left you. Now you're alone, cackled the voice.

As she waited for an answer - hopefully in the common tongue - Nida licked at a scrape on the palm of her right hand and tried to ignore the voice.