Things Aren't Always What They Seem (Closed)

[Aello]

Winter 49, 511 AV Aello's back rested against the gentle curve of a tree. Its limbs stretched skyward for what seemed to be several feet more than all those which surrounded it. The branches twisted, winding themselves around each other as they reached for their brethren, the fluffy white clouds which they seemed to be begging for rain. They ended in tiny knobs, bits of blistered bark which hid the pale wood from the harsh winter air. On occasion, the tree's end held but a single, crumpled, curling brown leaf. Large portions of its center having been flaked away by the wind, giving the impression that a hungry caterpillar had gotten to it long ago. But for the most part, the tree was barren. Its bark growing smooth from the strength of the wind. From the lack of creatures nestling against its side in their never-ending search for both shelter and warmth. The only two the tree sheltered were Aello and her sparrow Yune, who was perched on her left index finger. The rest of the girl's fingers had been curled into her palm, much as her arm had been bent at the elbow, and brought closer to her. So that the bird was held out from her form, but only a few inches from her face. Her right hand was raised, turned so that her palm faced her. Turned so that the back of her index and middle fingers ran from the top of her bird's head, to the middle of her back. Over and over again, the young spiritist would repeat this motion, serving to calm her companion, and strengthen the bond between them. It's all too easy to forget how soft her feathers are, Aello thought, as her sparrow chirped merrily, if somewhat quietly for her. All too easy to forget a great many things, like the way to get back home. We have no home. You made sure of that. No, we did. Aello pulled her fingers away from Yune, and returned them to her side, causing the sparrow to chirp in frustration. "Quiet," Aello whispered. "You don't want to bring them down on us now, do you?" Yune fanned her wings and glared at Aello with her beady little eyes. The young spiritist merely raised a single brow, causing the bird to shake her head and put her wings back down on her back. "That's what I thought," Aello muttered, as she slowly eased herself onto her feet, and looked around. It was the same as it had always been, for nearly a full season now. Trees, trees, and more trees in every which direction. The girl sighed. A part of her missed civilization. OOCThe stuff in bold and italics are the different portions of Aello's brain speaking.

[Verilian]

The forest was oddly silent, Aello noticed, and in fact it had been for some time. It wasn't that there was no life to be found, for Aello had seen many critters scurry away into the underbrush as she passed, and even the occasional bird fluttering through the trees. Yet none of them made a sound. No birds sung their merry songs, nor wolves howled in the distance, nor squirrels chittered in the trees. The only sound was the gentle whispering of the wind through the trees. Yune's chirp and Aello's whispers were the first sounds she had heard in bells, and a chill breeze swept through the trees carrying their voices away. Normally silence signified the presence of predators, but Aello was an experienced huntress and knew that to be only one sign. Yune was not alert, and beyond that Aello could spot a rabbit munching peacefully on a shoot of grass that dared to push its way through the fine layer of snow that coated the forest floor. If predators were about the rabbit wouldn't have been so brave as to venture out of its hole for a snack. It was by Morwen's grace alone that it was not snowing at that exact moment, allowing Aello to even attempt to seek warmth beneath the shelter of the tree, but the spiritist knew better. The snow would come, and if she didn't find shelter or warmth soon she would be left out in the cold when night came. Aello had seen plenty of wood lying about beneath the trees if she wanted to start a fire. The rabbit still had not taken notice of her either, so she could attempt to catch it for a meal. Or Aello could soldier on through the cold with nowhere to go. It really made no difference to the world around her, for things would go on as they always had no matter what Aello did. One could truly feel their insignificance in such a place as the wilds, where the world cared not what happened around it. Night was only a few bells away, and snow would fall soon. It would do Aello no good to sit and do nothing. OOCSorry, this is kind of a lame post. I kinda hinted at some things, but really there wasn't much I could do. The nature of your enemy is reactive, you must actually do something to get a response.

[Aello]

I wonder why it hasn't noticed us yet, Aello thought as she tilted her head slightly to the side, allowing her long brown hair to cascade over the length of her shoulders, and settle in the middle of her back. It isn't as though we are hiding from it. The girl shrugged as Yune flew onto her left shoulder, taking up her usual perch. Aello didn't bother watching her sparrow move, instead she kept her eyes on the rabbit. She wasn't particularly hungry, but she felt as though Nex may be. Or at least he would be soon, considering she hadn't seen him for a bit, which to her, meant that he was out stretching his legs and burning energy. Even if he came back and told her he wasn't, Aello may as well get hungry soon. It was getting to be rather late. Deciding it best to simply kill the rabbit, so that when either of them got hungry later, they didn't have to go looking, Aello eased herself onto her feet. She stretched out her arms and legs, keeping the rabbit in her sight at all times, just in case it noticed her and made a run for it. Aello was surprised when it didn't. Not that it mattered, it made her life a heck of a lot easier. After she had stretched herself out, Aello pulled her things off the ground. She held her bow's grip tightly in her left hand, and fished a raven-feather fletched arrow out of her quiver. After turning her bow on its side, so that it ran from left to right across her body, Aello delicately laced the arrow onto the serving. When she heard a click, Aello knew the nock had taken. She hugged the arrow with the three middle fingers of her right hand and began raising her bow. The aurist took a half step forward, allowing her left foot to lead. It was about a foot in front of the right. She began to ease the bowstring back, as she closed her left eye. Aello could feel the string digging into her flesh, could see it growing red. She could hear it creaking softly as she pulled it past her right ear, and guided the tip of her arrow over the rabbit's center. Close to the heart. Aello took one last deep breath, in through the nose, and out through the mouth, before letting go of the bowstring. Instantly, the arrow shot forth, soaring through the air in a relatively straight line. The string was sent into a series of rapid vibrations, which seemed to buzz as the arrow dipped in flight. The rabbit's eyes grew wide as the arrow neared. The girl could feel her heart hammering faster as it took notice, and tried to run. But it was too late. The arrow lodged itself in the rabbit's middle, spilling blood everywhere. Staining the creature's fur; causing it to matt. Blood pooled beneath the downed creature's body. The feathers which lined Aello's arrow shivered at the sight of death. Chirp, chirp, Chirp! Yune chimed in. Aello couldn't tell if it was congratulatory, or meant to be ominous. A sort of funeral song for the deceased. Aello forced herself not to think about it. Not to decide. Within a few seconds, she was walking forward. Almost mechanically, towards her kill. When she had reached it, Aello dropped her bow, and knelt beside the fallen animal. She placed her left hand around the arrow. Letting the shaft jut out from between the gentle curve her pointer finger and thumb produced. With her right hand, she twisted the arrow away from the rabbit, causing even more blood to spill. Thinking little of it, Aello wiped the arrow off on the ground before putting it back in her quiver. "Thank you Dira," she whispered, as she picked her bow back up, and then reached for the rabbit. She clutched its back foot, and lifted it free of the earth. Within moments, Aello was back on her feet, glancing around the area. Looking for Nex, or perhaps, something or someone else to present themselves to her. OOCV, if killing it was bad, or supposed to be more difficult than this, pm me and I can tweak. Also, I figured I'd post again. Erm... since it's reacting to Aello... apparently. I am not sure if Nex is going to pop in next post, or after another few, I really need to talk to him.

[Nex Paciscor]

Through the quiet wood Nex prowled along, his paws scabbing at the dirt as he loped along. When chances to be out and about in the woods where few Nex knew to savor any opportunity, and so he was as he milled about mindlessly in the forest, looking for nothing in particular but enjoying his time none the less. Sometimes it was nice to just play out in the woods instead of constantly hunting or working on some other task, and since he'd already checked his little section of the woods for predators he felt safe enough running around as he wished, his legs not yet tiring as they constantly carried him forward in a wide circle. His first feet were always the first to go forward quickly followed behind by his back legs, the extra effort stretching his legs more and allowing him to clear a farther distance than he would have normally.

It was an invigorating exercise to be sure, one that he could do for many more bells, but hunger gnawed at him from within, and he had a growing desire to see Aello. It had only been more than a few bells since last he'd seen her, and yet he desired her company all the same for her presence on this little excursion into the woods would make the experience all the more enjoyable. Yes, by her side he'd have it no other way.

With a dip of his shoulders he turned to lope after where he had last seen her, hoping that she'd still be there or at least close enough for him to catch scent of her. If all else failed, he could try to hear any movements that sounded remotely human and chase after that, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that. While he could hear much better than he smelled, it would mean she had moved much farther and it could take some time trying to find her.

Just ahead of him he heard the faint twang of a bow, and his heart immediately started to race as he pounded forward through the brush, com ing out the other side to see the woman picking up a recently killed rabbit. His golden eyes focused on Aello, Nex slowly walked towards her, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he panted loudly trying to catch his breath. When he was right beside her he dropped down on his belly, and rested his head on his paws. He'd found her, and now all was well.

[Verilian]

The forest was deathly quiet, too quiet, and yet there was a peacefulness to it as well. Aello's kill was clean, and the rabbit didn't suffer. Nex joined her as well, and surely he would note the silence too. But things seemed to be fine, the birds were still flitting about the trees playfully, and nothing seemed to be alarmed. It was just silent. Aello would not stand there forever, presumably, and eventually she would move. Perhaps back to her tree? It seemed a good enough shelter from the snow, and Aello still had to clean and cook her kill. When she finally settled and began to work, it would be a few chimes before Aello noticed something rather odd. There, not far away, was a rabbit munching on the same stalk of grass as the one before, taking no notice of Aello at all. In fact, the rabbit looked exactly like the one she had in her hands, so much so that one might have said it was the very same rabbit had the not known better. Like the rabbit before, this rabbit did not notice Aello or the wolf sitting next to her. It was oblivious to the very real threat that was almost right next to it, and that in itself was very odd. What sort of rabbit would ignore the presence of a human, and even more so that of a wolf? Aello could ignore the rabbit, or she could do something about it. But Nex might distract her, for while Aello noted the rabbit the wolf's keen senses would pick up on something else. He was being watched, they were being watched. Nex could almost smell the tension in the air. Should he look about, should either of them, they would see eyes upon them. The birds in the trees, the fox in the bushes, everything was looking at them. Nothing was moving, just looking. Everything except for the little white rabbit which continued to chew on it's stalk of grass. Silence, all around them. The wind was no more, and the only sound was their breathing. Nex could hear the rabbit chewing, but nothing else. Silence, and eyes upon them. And nothing happened, nothing would happen. Not until Aello or Nex did something, and then what happened would only be a result of what they did. All eyes were upon them, all but the little delicious rabbit happily eating his grass, and they were all waiting. OOCThis thread is going to be kinda odd, and the buildup is gonna be a little slow, but I promise it will get more exciting. As I said before, the nature of this enemy is reactive to what you do. The further in we get, the more you do, the more will happen. The effects of your actions are cumulative, and things will pick up, I promise.

[Aello]

Aello's brow furrowed as she glanced at the rabbit she had killed, and then the live one, which unlike all the other animals in the forest, was ignoring her and Nex. Her grip tightened around her bow as she cast a sidelong glance at Nex. Something seemed wrong. Her muscles tensed, rippling beneath her flesh, as her magic roared to life. Instantly, Aello's surroundings lit up in an array of red and green. Mist which wound together as it pulsed and flowed. Like the beating of one's heart, the flow of the sea. Ripples across a calm surface. The auras seemed to pulsate and ripple together, before breaking off into separate entities which did one or the other, before blending together in one big whirl. It was the life of the forest, brightening up the woman's day. "Nex," Aello whispered. "Something seems very, very wrong here. The forest shouldn't be acting like this. It shouldn't be staring, and so very silent. It should be running from us." Aello paused, as she glared at the flickering mist. The light, scrutinizing it much as she had studied the strange glowing moss in that cursed cave. "Because none of those birds are Alenias... or Yune..." Aello's voice trailed off for a long time, as she dropped the rabbit on the ground and reached for an arrow, plucking a raven feather fletched one from her quiver. Gingerly, she laced it onto the serving of her bow, and simply stared at the animals. Trying to look past their auras. Even as her brain began to whisper. This isn't as it seems. It isn't what you have grown to know and depend on. It isn't a true forest, yet it is a true forest. The animals are the same. Confused, Aello was just about to call her magic back to her when it kept on whispering. They don't like change. They want to stay as they are. Undisturbed. That only made Aello's head ache all the more. Why would a forest want to be altered? Made into something less? Something else? Why would an animal wish to die, when they could simply go on living? Enjoying the simple things in life? Whatever that may be for them. Aello shook her head, and closed her eyes. Her hair splayed across her face, as she tried to clear it. What sort of forest had thoughts? An agenda? A desire for something more than whatever they needed to sustain their existence? Perhaps Aello had simply lost it once and for all. But, before she could truly convince herself, and make it all go away, the magic whispered a single word. Reactionary. "Maybe we should just get out of here. This is beyond a little creepy," Aello whispered, as she opened her eyes, and stared out at the beady little peepers of several animals, trying to determine which area contained the least, as her magic was snuffed out. OOCPM me if this seems out of line. I tried to keep it cryptic and to the lore, but I am not so sure I did a good job.

[Nex Paciscor]

Thick drool seeped from his jaws as he watched Aello clean the rabbit, the wolf's stomach growling as he watched the food so tantalizingly close. Her commanding presence kept him in check, for indeed it was her kill, though for how long that control would last depended on how close she let the morsel in her grip sway. Why did she spend so much time playing with the flesh, rabbits already had so little to gnaw on as it was? It was a silent question quickly forgotten when he noticed another rabbit just across from them, its munching the sole thing he could hear in the odd quietness that was the woods.

Abruptly he rose from where he lay, his head twisting about as he looked around, spying the slight forms of birds in the trees, and other eyes in the brush around them as well. He snapped at the air instinctually, and let out a low growl, not liking at all that he hadn't heard the snap of the bird's wings though they where obviously now looming above him. The woods had a strange feeling about them all of a sudden, a quality that scratched at his mind, and prompted him to curl his lips up into a snarl. It didn't feel right, things where not natural. The spirit entity, Caiyha he'd learned of so long ago strangely came to mind, though of this place he was not sure she'd care to tread. Things where some how not so natural here, for some reason out of place and yet they weren't.

The near constant nibbling of the rabbit drew him to glare over at it, a burst of movement he launched himself at the creature, sinking his jaws into it's soft fur, and rending his long fangs into it's tender flesh. The woman Caiyha would like this he figured, the wood must have strong prey, not feeble, that was the way of things. Padding back over to Aello with his prize in hand, he continued to stare out into the darkness, and as he dropped the dead creature on the ground his muscles tensed to spring again. If only something in reach would show itself.

[Verilian]

The moment Nex turned his back two more rabbits hopped out from the trees, identical to the two that were now dead, and began munching on the tiny blade of grass that just refused to go away. Were they even chewing? Were they eating at all? The grass didn't seem to be disappearing. These were thoughts that a kelvic might have, for he didn't know the things that Aello knew. True, Nex realized something was wrong, but not to the extent that Aello did. Aello's mind was correct. Reactionary. Two rabbits dead, two to replace them. But that only replaced the loss of the rabbits. What of those that killed them? And then the birds stopped watching, and though the forest was silent and the two rabbits remained, there was little else that seemed out of the ordinary. Nex could once again hear the quiet flutter of wings as the birds that refused to song flew about, and things even smelled normal. Whatever strange moment had occurred, it seemed the forest didn't care anymore. Still, one could not forget that moment, and it was hard to let it go. Snow began to fall, at first in tiny flakes that melted instantly upon the flesh, but it gradually picked up and thickened, and before long the ground was covered in a soft white carpet. The birds seemed to retreat from the snow, not out of alarm, but rather to shelter themselves from the cold. If one looked close enough they could still see the birds huddled together under the safety and shelter of leaves and thick branches. Aello and Nex would need shelter soon as well, unless they wished to freeze to death. The rabbits were nearly invisible against the white snow, but eventually their stalk of grass was covered and even they retreated to hidden burrows somewhere in the forest. Travel was going to be difficult as well. At its current rate the snow would soon be knee deep, and the sun would soon set causing the temperature to drop. Aello and Nex had no choice but to try to seek shelter. And so they were forced to move on, shielding their eyes as the wind picked up whipping the snow about and stinging their faces. Nex might have had a better time of it, being protected by fur and naturally equipped to withstand such things, but it was miserable for both of them nonetheless. Darkness had fallen before one of them finally spotted it, a dark square outline against the night sky. An unnatural shape in a place of nature. It could only mean one thing. Man made. They approached because they had no choice, they had to escape the cold that was growing colder without the sun. The square turned out to be a small cottage, old and abandoned but still in well enough condition to provide shelter. The door was stuck but a hard shove was all it took to open it. The only furniture inside was an old wooden table, but there were no convenient beds or happy hosts to feed them a warm meal and make all right. There was a hearth, and on a few small holes in the ceiling that allowed snow to fall inside. But all in all it was a good shelter, something to survive the night.

[Aello]

"Damn it's nice to be out of that mess," Aello commented with a shudder as she kicked the door shut behind herself and her companion, and instantly dropped her things. She took her first real look around, taking note of the table, and the hearth. Sighing, Aello rolled her shoulders, easing the tension out of her strained muscles. "Away from beady little eyes," Aello muttered as she took another step into the room, and then unfastened her cloak. When the fabric began to tumble down her shoulders, the aurist caught it, and tossed it onto the wooden table with ease. Seconds later, her hands were sliding down the length of her legs, gliding along fabric cooled by the winter wind, fabric dampened by snow flurries. When her hands had neared her knees, the girl balled the fabric in her fists, clutching tightly, she pulled upwards, ripping her dress off her body. Aello trembled, as her daggers twisted as she pulled the fabric away, revealing her flesh for a few moments, as she tossed the dress on the table, and knelt beside her bag. She rummaged around, until she pulled out a green dress, which she slipped into silently, before approaching the table, and putting her cloak back in place. "Much better," Aello muttered, as she straightened her dress out so it would dry a bit faster. "But it's still a bit chilly. We should probably start a fire," Aello went on as she moved to the side of the hearth, only to find nothing in it. Not so much as a bed of ash. Aello sighed. "Or not. The useable firewood is probably soaked by now, or at the very least buried beneath a bed of snow." The girl shook her head lightly as she looked up, and then at the single window on one side of the room. "Perhaps if we simply cover the holes with something, and shelter ourselves from the cold that comes in that window, we'll be alright for the night. Perhaps laying under it, so that the cool air that seeps in passes over us will work," Aello suggested with a small shrug. With a sigh, Aello glanced at the rabbit she had brought in, her stomach still rumbling. "You can have that Nex, without a fire to cook it, there's no way I'll be enjoying it. Dried fruit for me it is then," she muttered, as she eased herself onto her butt, and sat in the lotus position. She stared up at the holes in the ceiling. Watching as snow fluttered in, onto her face. Kissing her cheeks before melting away into oblivion. She had no idea as to what she should do about the holes. OOCI talked to V Nex, he said that window exists. No firewood in the hearth, or chairs though. Oh woe is us. This cottage has the worst accommodations. >.<

[Nex Paciscor]

Nex padded in after Aello, his own catch firmly caught between his fangs. Even as the ever sweet taste of blood stained his tongue, he could sense a shift in the air, something quite different than that of the wood, but perhaps it was produced from coming into walled quarters. It's blank walls, and sparse furnishing reminded him a lot of his old room in Lhavit, though he did not yearn for the sight anymore. His place was with Aello and Alenias now, and as long as he found himself there, he would be content.

Taking quick decisive action he dropped his kill by the hearth, and took his place at Aello's feet, his golden eyes observing the barren walls with anticipation. His master was talented in the martial arts, but yet he still feared for her safety, and would see them both through the night even if it required no sleep from him. For the moment at least, the house was empty enough, and devoid of dangers but in the wilds, no one could ever be too sure with the land magically ravaged as it was. The wolfs nostrils flared as he soaked in the scent of the room, Aello's foremost of them as she extracted herself from her wet clothing, and the metallic odor of the rabbits blood suffusing with the cold winter's air.

Stomach groaning at response to such a smell, Nex craned his head to look up at his master, and ran a thick tongue over his prominent fangs. He would have liked to have brought her what she needed, yet her tone spoke of it as an impossibility and he was yet too tired to go searching for such things himself. Even as he rested there, sleep tugged at his mind, but hunger proved the more prominent and upon Aello's words he made way to his kill, scarfing it down in a crunch of bone and flesh.

A small blood pool being all that was left from his meal, he made stride purposely from the woman, and took up position beside here. She spoke of warmth, perhaps she could find it in his fur.