[Western Hills] Gallops and Drunkards (Stigandr & Kalila)

[Stigandr]

The horse before him backed away slowly, saying they meant no harm, and the soft whine of the dog showed a different side to the predator than he was expecting. The world around him felt dead suddenly. He realized there was no comfort from the breeze, no feeling of freedom from standing on the grass. The birds nearby were silent, most likely in response to something else, or to the situation at hand. It was unsettling and only add to his tension. Both beings in the distance watched, and one of them stopped partway from sitting down and began to move towards his direction slowly. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he had been trained to wait and see what happens, to stay and fight if needed. His dark brown eyes were wide, scanning the area around him, his head turning to cover the small bit that he could not see naturally in his horse form. His right ear twitched around, listening in a different direction while his left ear stay focused forward on the human, a female, approaching him. She spoke softly, giving the tone of a friend, or at least someone not an enemy. But the words triggered memories from a past life that was not distant at all:"...own you...", "I wont hurt you". Words his previous master had said, all a reminder of his enslavement or a lie to get him to calm down before he was beaten for a mistake. His legs began to stamp again, causing him to backpedal away from the woman a few feet, casting a glance to his clothes. She had noticed them, and a look had come across her face. Could she know? A mistake on my part leaving them out! he chastised himself. What should I do? he questioned. He could run, and have to buy new clothes with money he barely had and had little concept of really handling. He could shift and see what happens, but the human form was so weak and frail, so slow vulnerable. He decided to stay a horse that way he could attack if needed or run if he felt he was almost overpowered. Shaking his head and tossing his mane several times, Stigandr stood still and stared back at the woman. Slowly he took a few steps forward towards her then stopped and waited.

[Andalusia]

"Shh, it's okay," Andalusia cooed as the horse let out a few more distressed stomps on the ground. "You two aren't normally ones to befriend other animals, what's gotten into you?" she turned to the other two creatures, who seemed to cower behind her in response. The horse didn't look or seem different, compared to how her previous encounter with another Kelvic, Roka. He had unusually dark fur and golden eyes -- such characteristics were never familiar to her when it came to foxes. It must be just another ordinary horse, though the clothes abandoned definitely need to be retrieved.

She felt it to be a bad idea to approach the horse anymore, seeing as it may attack. Any sudden movements may anger or scare the horse into running off, or even hurting her and the others. "Dante, the clothes, retrieve them please," she turned to her Luvanor with a small smile. She sounded more like she was requesting it of the dog, and not commanding it, her tone more of a conversationalist, and not of a master. He replied with a happy yip and ran off to collect the clothing. If it were indeed abandoned, she may be able to sew up the pieces of cloth to make herself some new things to wear.

Another companion may be nice, though this wild creature looked untrained, she couldn't ride it. She could, however, lead it to her camp and feed it something nice than the stale field grass. after all, and this horse was bound to get butchered for meat if she left it in the fields to continue its galloping and grazing. The horse calmed down and approached her a little more. She maintained her outstretched arms and open palms, and gave the horse another reassuring nod and warm smile. "Just a little closer," she murmured softly.

[Stigandr]

The woman called to the predator, Dante it was called, telling him to retrieve the clothes. She did not know he was a Kelvic. She had not made the connection. What to do? I need those clothes but I cannot change again without it hurting me drastically. His mind race wildly, his eyes darting to the predator as it took off towards his clothes. Before thinking, he back legs pushed him forward into a full gallop, stopping over the clothes before the predator made it there, facing the dog straight on, ready to attack with his front hooves, though it seemed he would not need to with what he had seen of this dog. It seemed...calmer...docile. Something he was not used to since most dogs saw him as food. He kept his eyes trained on the dog, though he could still see the other equine and the closest woman with his wide field of vision. It would seem he had no choice in the matter, he had to shift to show them these were his clothes. He would change again if he had to, especially if his life depended on it. He could always forage a bit for food and at least try to find something substantial. He looked to the dog and backed up several feet, a sudden swirl of bright ribbons of light and dark fog enveloping him, instantly dissipating with a full-grown man standing 5'11" and completely naked. Immediately he looked to the dog, making eye contact and not breaking it as he spoke to the woman, "These clothes are mine. Who are you? Why do you have a predator with you running free? Why does he not attack?" His voice was a hard, partly deep tone. The wind blew gently still, causing goosebumps to ripple his lightly tanned skin, the sudden lack of fur making him cold compared to how he had been.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila had watched the exchange with growing concern, not exactly sure what was going on between them. She though that Andalusia was calming down the strange horse, but she wasn't sure it was working. It seemed even more agitated galloping over to the pile of clothes that they had seen earlier. But before her very eyes, the horse disappeared in a swirl of color and before them stood a naked man....and she now understood his reactions. He was a Kelvic, more animal than man, and was only protecting himself. She understood his actions, because on a primal level she was an animal as well. She did not know how to help the situation they were in, but she approached them hesitantly, not knowing what she was going to do.

"I....I am ssorry we dissturbed you,"she called out to the man, her hands hanging losely by her side to show she meant no harm. "my friend and I came here to enjoy the wildss, we did not know that you would be here. Perhapss, if you would like, you can share our picnic?" Her voice was smooth and gentle, no evident threat in her tone and her movements slow so not to startle him. "If you do not wissh to join uss....at leasst accept our ssinceresst apologiess for sstartling you." She did not know if her words with do any good at all, but she felt compelled to speak, hoping to at least calm him down.

[Andalusia]

Before she could even react, the horse galloped off after Dante, who was trotting quickly over to the pile of clothes. "N-No! Don't! Dante!" she shouted, almost desperately. But her knees locked in fear and almost gave in to the ground. She ran over to her dog, but saw that the horse merely raced past the Luvanor to defend the clothing. "Did his master own the clothes, perhaps?" she wondered, as she slowed to a jog, hoping that the horse would not trample on her dog, "or maybe... I was right, and those are his?" Dante barked in surprise as the horse went over to guard the clothes, neighing for him to stay away. The canine consented, taking slow steps backward, his eyes meeting with the wild horse. Howlite turned to Kalila, who had now began to make her way to the others. The horse gladly accompanied the Dhani towards them, although he stood a little far away from her.

"Dante..." Andalusia called out, slowing to a walking pace. But before she could reach the pair, a swirling mass of twinkling lights began to swirl and eat up the image of the horse, and sunk back down into nothingness to reveal a man. "Oh," was all she could say with a tinge of a blush, as a man stood before her, completely stark naked. It wasn't too surprising, no, not after seeing it for the first time, but she hadn't expected it too much. She took timid steps towards Dante, who was now sitting down and staring at the man. It was like he'd expected it all along.

She burned underneath the sun, her skin feeling blistered underneath the heat, when it was once soothing. The wind that blew against her face now felt like the biting cold of winter, freezing her as she broke into a sweat in nervousness. She stared at the man's face as he kept his eyes locked onto her dog. He looked rather rough, as if he'd experienced a lot of ordeals, and had just been out of a tough time, but he was rather handsome, as well. "These clothes are mine. Who are you? Why do you have a predator with you running free? Why does he not attack?" he said rather gruffly. It made Andalusia shiver a little bit, as no one has ever spoken to her in such a way, as if she were a threat. To intimidate, yes, she'd been treated as such, but not like this. "I'm... I'm Andalusia," she mumbled, her voice softened by her reluctance to interact. She could hear the stomping of hooves and the familiar steps of Kalila approach them. "I-I'm very sorry, I didn't... I didn't know," she breathed in, composing herself. "That, that isn't exactly a predator. It's, It's a dog. My friend, my... my best friend, Dante. He won't hurt anybody, unless they hurt me," she nodded, an unconscious smile forming on her lips as her eyes trailed down to Dante, who turned to look at her as she mentioned his name. "He's no predator," she giggled, and the dog slumped to the ground and rolled over his back, his paws reaching out for the stranger.

"I....I am ssorry we dissturbed you," she heard Kalila from behind her. That lisp has become very familiar and endearing to the girl, although she would never admit to it. It's people, who were more animal than human, that really struck her the most as great companions, rather than other races. They seemed more understanding, and they were never judgmental. She admired them. She turned around to see the Dhani standing alongside Howlite, although the latter looked quite uncomfortable. The horse was trying its best to befriend Kalila, knowing that her master trusted her. Kalila stood, quite covered up, a little ways from them. "My friend and I came here to enjoy the wildss, we did not know that you would be here. Perhapss, if you would like, you can share our picnic?" the Dhani added, as Andalusia turned to look at the man once more, "If you do not wissh to join uss....at leasst accept our ssinceresst apologiess for sstartling you."

Yet again, without meaning to, a grin found its way onto Andalusia's lips as she faced the man. "Kalila, always having a way with words," she mused to herself. The wind had lost its bite, and the sun had lost its fire. Now, they were again met with the delightful mix of soothing warmth and tickling coldness. Comfort had returned. "Please, j-join us, let me make up for trying to.. to steal your clothes," she chuckled as she spoke the last of her sentence. He may not notice it, but it took a lot of courage for her to even say such a thing with confidence.

[Stigandr]

Several things seemed to have happened at once; the woman closest to him shouted to the dog as Stigandr had taken off towards his clothes, cutting off the dog’s path towards them, the other woman in the distance started making her way towards the group with the horse coming as well, the dog stopped harmlessly to the woman’s calls and sat down as calm as can be and Stigandr has shifted forms into human. It all seemed to have taken several minutes but only passed in a handful of seconds. The wind blew cold against his sweaty skin as he stood over his clothes, watching the dog. It was looking at him calmly, but it did not seem to threaten him, or have any intention of harming him. That did not ease the Kelvic at all, just made him even more suspicious of the dog. The woman’s response was heard slightly to Stigandr at first, her name registering somewhere and her apology not getting through at all, as his mind was fully engaged with watching the dog, trying to figure out this beast. That is when he heard her, but it took a moment for the words to register, “He is not a predator? A friend?” he spoke the words softly to himself, thinking out loud as he commonly did as a human. How could a dog, a predator, be a friend and not a predator? All of the dogs he had seen in his life had been vicious predators who could take down almost anything they wanted, or were guard dogs that would attack others on site. They would never roll over and expose their stomachs as this one did. What kind of predator was this? About this time, the other woman was close enough to speak, he voice coming out in a strange way to Stigandr. Her “s” sounds were dragged out in a way that he had never heard before. It caused his eyes to look from the dog to her, watching her curiously. He started to ask her why they had come out here when it was not safe, but then again, why did he come out here when it was not safe? To enjoy the freedom and the openness, to feel the sun and wind on his skin at one time, instead of feeling stifled by the mass of bodies in the city. They probably felt the same way, though it seemed odd for two humans to be outside to escape the closeness of the city. Most humans seemed okay with cramped conditions. Stigandr looked to the horse then back to the predator. Nothing seemed threatening to him. It was strange. Maybe he was just confused. Should he trust them and eat with them, or should he leave and hope he has the strength to shift and fight as a horse. The wind blew against his back, the cool air dancing over his shoulders and around his torso, sending a shock through his body that got his heart racing again. Shaking his head and looking around again at the group of four, Stigandr nodded, “I will join you for now. Keep the dog away from me. I trust him least of all.” Grabbing his clothes, Stigandr slipped on his pants only, just to avoid upsetting the women, knowing that being naked caused problems for humans quite frequently. With the warm on his shoulder, Stigandr moved out wide around the dog, walking towards where he had originally seen the group coming from, his steps steady and graceful for a human, giving credit to his Kelvic form.

[Andalusia]

"I am never going to get used to the sight..." Andalusia sighed to herself, turning around and pausing to rake her fingers through her hair. She'll have to expect that there must be quite a lot of Kelvics out there, considering she'd just met three. Were the central to Sunberth? Now she was curious. But, now was not the time to interrogate the man, as he was obviously feeling a little threatened.

Dante watched the man put on his trousers, whimpering as he maneuvered away from him. He yipped at Andalusia, who whispered for him to go spend some time with Howlite up along the higher hills. The canine consented, and the two creatures raced up the hills began chasing one another in circles, later on resting next to each other. Howlite grazed upon the delicious green grass, while Dante lay huddled close to her feet. Andalusia glanced at them from time to time as the trio made their way to return to their picnic spot, another unconscious smile forming on her face. "Inseparable," she muttered under her breath. It comforted her to know that they were always around, and so very close.

The trees in the forest towered over them, with leaves so thick that it were as if they were all attacked. Long, cylindrical tree barks so closely knit that when viewed from the outside, the spaces in between appeared dark and shadowy. The forest floor was riddled with bushes, some of wild flowers, others of wild berries, all in different shapes and sizes. Dried leaves, pebbles, fallen twigs and branches littered the area. It sounded quite messy, but it was home for Andalusia. For the others, it may look intimidating, dark, and evil, but she could almost see the sunlight as it flooded through the open portions of the trees. She could almost feel the wind twist, turn and bend around the maze of plants and shrubs, tickling her skin, cooling her face. She saw life, comfort, and familiarity in the forest.

She sat down in that particular shaded area, eyeing Kalila's bundle of assorted foods and treats, and her waterskin, still warm and steaming hot. She'd abandoned the meal when she'd gone down to approach the two a while ago. She ushered the other two to come take a seat alongside of her. She wanted things to be casual, to soothe the mood, and ease the man. "Wh-What have you got in there, Kalila?" she spoke cordially, gesturing over to the delicious little heap of food. When all you have for meals are roasted rabbits and squirrels, a little change in choice is drool-worthy.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila picked up the few things she had brought with her and followed Andalusia over to the shaded spot, making sure her moments were slow and steady so she would not startle their skittish companion. He seemed a bit odd, much more in touch with his animal side than most Kelvics she had met, and he seemed a bit harsh around the edges, as if he held a grudge. Kalila was not one to be unfriendly to anyone and made sure that she had enough for them all to share, pulling out a log of bread and some cheese along with a few apples for the three of them. It wasn't much, but it was good fare along with the warm tea that she had.

"I do not have much, but what I do have I am more than willing to sshare with friendss,"she said softly, reaching up to remove her wrap and let her hair tumble down. There was a nice breeze and she sighed as it ruffled through her hair, feeling a bit better as she sat with her companions. "I also have tea in the waterskin, something that I think you both will enjoy. It is made with rose petals, honey, and cinnamon....supposedly providing spiritual healing, if you believe that sort of thing." She chuckled a bit and smiled, trying to keep things friendly. She then realized that she hadnt introduced herself to the strange man and she turned her golden eyes to him, an apologetic smile on her face. "I am terribly ssorry, I did not introduce mysself. My name iss Kalila and it iss a pleassure to meet you....even if we did sstart off on the wrong foot."

[Stigandr]

In an odd turn of events, the dog and horse took off running and appearing to...play. Stigandr was as confused as ever by this, still unable to grasp the concept of a dog not being a predator if it was not Kelvic, and even then they could be dangerous. Stigandr continued to watch, mesmerized in a sense as they watch the two animals run around, acting like there was no reason they could not be friends. Looking away from the pair, Stigandr realized he had fallen behind, and started walking towards them, then jogging slowly, unable to resist the urge to run, even as a human. As his feet carried him forward, the grass feeling cool and soft under his feet, he felt a hole envelope his foot, causing him to trip and fly forward towards the ground. He managed to get his hands out in time to break most of the fall, but still ended up with grass stains on his hands and arms, a small cut on his forearm from what he guessed was a partially buried rock or stick. It bled a little bit but was not a major concern, so he kept on running until her caught up with them, not feeling any embarrassment over what happened, mainly due to the fact embarrassment was a foreign concept to the Kelvic. Reaching the pair of ladies, Stigandr stopped and stood for a moment, taking in the beauty of the trees and forest, the scents of the bushes and vegetation and berries filling his nose and making him hungry and happy at the same time. Reaching out to a nearby bush, Stigandr plucked a handful of berries off of it and ate them, sitting down with his knees bent up and his forearms resting on them. The shade was amazing, to be hidden from the heat of the sun, especially since this human skin would burn in a way he did not burn as a horse. It was a horrible feeling, so painful and itchy. As they sat, Sahashkalila pulled out a loaf of bread, some cheese and lastly apples, a special treat that Stigandr absolutely loved. The smell of them always reminded him of his childhood before traveling, when his mom would sometimes have an apple waiting for him when he came home from running around that day, especially if he had been well-behaved over the past few days. Even now, the apples brought those memories back, including the scent of his house and his mother, both being dear to him and something he missed completely. For a few moments, sadness overtook the Kelvic, the loss of his connection to his mother still a painful one. Shaking his head, his hair flying about, he came back to the present, realizing Sahashkalila had bee talking to him. She was introducing herself as ‘Kalila’. It was an interesting name he had never heard before, or anything similar to it. But that was not important. He realized that, in his musings, she had spoken and said something else that he completely missed. He ran through his mind, recalling what he had heard partly, ”I have never had…tea…before. I drink water mostly, not caring for other drinks.” He looked to the waterskin, then back around, feeling uncomfortable around four new creatures he did not trust, and one he felt was a threat, even though it was off playing with the other horse. Slowly the wind began to stir again, carrying leaves off the ground and across the grass, the sound of the wind winding through the trees and over the grass something akin to a beautiful song. He was just beginning to relax, leaning back slightly when a thought registered somewhere in his mind, something was different about Sahashkalila. She spoke differently than other humans. He 's' sound dragged out, similar to a few people who he had seen when traveling his first time. He had not talked to them at the time, but was told they were an aggressive snake people who could change into a snake similar to how he became a horse. This caused him to sit up straight and look at her, leaning back a bit, "Who...what are you?"? His eyes were wide in the fashion of a horse who perceived a threat, even if it was fully unsure of what it was.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila immediately knew what was going on as soon as he spoke and her heart sank as his trust in them dropped once again. Specifically her. She folded her hands in her lap, keeping her gaze on him as a sad smile appeared on her face, that feeling of rejection starting to settle in the pit of her stomach. It was always the same.

"I...I do not mean to deceive you,"she began softly, not wanting to startle him anymore than she already had. "I am not a Kelvic but....I do change jusst ass you. I am Dhani...a ssnake." She paused for a moment, looking down at the food she had placed out for them as her hands fiddled together in her lap. She did not know what else to tell him, nor did she know how Andalusia would handle this situation, and she felt awful for messing up their peaceful outing.

"I am ssorry....I didnt mean to sstartle you. Perhapss....perhapss I sshould jusst go home..."she trailed off, moving to put the wrap around her head once again.