[Nothern Wilds] In Fight and Flight (Lyalya/Open)

[Roka]

Spring 22nd 512AV

Within the dense mouth of the forest outside of Sunberth, Roka had found time to practice. A few days had passed since the Crimson Edge practice and he had much to learn, but that was not his reason for being there. No, the day was long and he needed to pass the time. His head was filled with conflict on most days and he found this day no different. He had tried to escape encountering anyone today. He was becoming too close and in his cycle of destructive behavior he would withdraw for a few days.

He stood before an expanse of tall and knotted trees; their bark was already becoming indented and wounded. He had been marking several "X"s upon their trunks as target and flinging his blade at his marks. He wasn't fully focused upon his actions and missed more than not, simply tossing his weapon in the general direction and then walking leisurely to fetch it.

It would appear to most as if he was simply passing upon first glance, but another foible that they would find was he was in practice bare of his shirt and with his pants unbuttoned and loose. He found it more comfortable this way because it felt less restrained, yet he knew if someone was to stumble upon him it would be a tense meeting had he been bare of all clothing.

He was growing bored with his repetition and intended to soon transform and make a run in hunt of something to stalk. Not of hunger but of needed distraction. He tossed his blade a final throw and landed it in the center of one of his marks, but only a frustrated sigh left him, for he was only wasting time.

[Lyalya]

Lyalya gently manuevered around the branches and overgrown bushes. Her body was flexibly and toned, making her movement look more like a dance than a trudge. This, the chaotic mess of trees and wildlife, was home. It was true that her tent was set up back near camp, but she had traveled and survived in woods such as these for years. It was all too familiar for her.

She had no reason to be wandering around, she just needed the break. Lyalya wasn't stupid enough to wonder around unarmed though, her gauntlet was securely strapped to her back. Thieves and cruel barbarians would always choose the least convenient moment to pop in and say hey. Lyalya was always ready for the worse, so she appreciated the good more then the average folk.

As she walked around she began to hear noises like steel hitting wood. Being the curious woman she was, she followed. Standing alone was a barely dressed guy. She wasn't sure wether or not to walk away and let him be or ignore his near nudity. As a thrill-seeker, she choose the second. With a confident walk, she approached him, trying not to stare where she shouldn't. "Nice blade."

[Shadowfang]

There was very little wind today, which was both a blessing and a curse. The lack of wind made flying almost effortless, but the stagnant air only made Shadowfang hot. Being covered in fur had its disadvantages. He wished he had opted to take off the torn up jacket he had taken from a particularly excited Zith hater and modified to accommodate his wings but, on the other hand, he had no place to store it. Then again, as ripped up as it was, he doubted that anyone would want to steal it.

Shik. Thuk!

The distant sound of a thrown blade hitting something hard reached Shadowfang’s sensitive ears. Intrigued, he began to glide toward the area where he thought the sound had come from. It came again, slightly to the left and a little closer than he had at first thought. After flying for a while longer he winged down, branches tugging at his wings as he broke through the canopy. Bending his knees to absorb the shock of his landing, he folded his wings behind him and slowly crept forward. He would walk the rest of the way. The sound came again, leading Shadowfang further through the forest.

Shadowfang stopped as soon as he smelled sweat. The series of sounds had stopped by then, so he followed the smell. Leaning against a wide tree, he slowly worked his way around it until he peeked around at whatever was on the other side. Two people, humans by the looks of them, were confronting each other. One was a nearly naked male. The other, a female. Shadowfang thought about revealing his presence to the pair, but decided against it. It was best to avoid anything that could lead to unnecessary confrontation. As this though crossed his mind, he took another step forward and stumbled over a loose rock, making a fair amount of noise and scraping his face against the tree in the process. Shyke.

[Roka]

Roka had heard footsteps approaching, but he had thought they were further than they were just by the way they seemed to sound like they were gliding over the soft fresh ground. He paid them little mind, and kneeled down to tuck his shirt beside the trees base, weapon still tangled loosely in his fingers by the hilt.

The voice that spoke out to him had caught him by surprise and he turned crouched with his dagger raised. Any misperceived meaning of her statement completely dodged him; he already had enough time decoding sarcasm or any other word plays of the Common language.

Her face looked familiar though, and he recalled seeing her among the faces of the Crimson Edge training session. Another test, as he had recalled a certain member mentioning it. She had no weapon drawn so he cautiously drew his gaze away to continue tucking his shirt into place, but decided against the removal of his pant now seeing as he would not transform in front of another.

Roka tossed his dagger into the dirt, the blade piercing the surface in a clean puncture and standing resolute. He stood and hooked his pants together. "You have a fine weapon there yourself." he responded with a brow raised. He looked her over, and inwardly sighed. It seemed most women he came across of late were all a unique breed, strong and beautiful breed. What he wouldn't give to encounter a dull looking female that would not become so distracting, even in thinking it he knew not all of him felt that way.

Before any introductions could be made a smell that had been inching in on them made itself known with the crunching and tumbling sound of meat banging against the residents of the forest. Roka's eyes shifted toward the sound, eyes narrow, "Who's there?" He growled, unsettled by the fact that someone was close enough to be viewing them unnoticed.

[Lyalya]

Lyalya smiled at him, her eyes playful, but at his call to another being she became confused. She had heard or seen no one else, but then again she hadn't been looking. Sometimes she let things sneak up on her, Lyalya didn't mind the thrills of a close escape. She looked back at the man shouting towards the trees and guessed at him poor job of dressing himself. A Kelvic no doubt. That race had little respect towards the idea of modesty, living a good portion of their lives completely nude.

Was there truly a third person for her to make a companion out of today? She never minded a bit of compelling conversation. Although she had little liking towards sneaks. If everyone was just straight-forward and blunt she would be so much happier. But sadly, that wasn't the way things were.

[Shadowfang]

He was caught. His stumble had alerted at least one of the others to his presence. Briefly, he wondered if he should fly away. He decided against it. It would be useless to run and he might as well learn who exactly these people were anyway. He cringed, rubbing his face where it had struck the tree; it already felt bruised. Yes, he would meet the humans head on and hope that they would not be very aggressive towards the Zith. He rose to his full height and, keeping a hand on the hilt of his dagger, walked around the tree, revealing himself to the humans.

Now that he had an unobstructed view of the two, he recognized them both vaguely. They had both been present at the Crimson Edge’s training session several days back, though he had not had much contact with either. He stood in silence and simply stared at the others, eyes moving from one to the other. The male may have been surprised or angry to see him but either way; Shadowfang thought that he would be uncomfortable. The woman looked strong – about as strong as either Shadowfang or Roka – and was unreadable to Shadowfang. He did not bother trying, anyway, and simply stood unspeaking and unmoving, waiting to see how they would react to his appearance.

[Roka]

Roka felt uneasy, the emergence of a Zith face, he had no qualm with this particular one, and had seen his face before. The Crimson Edge had been full of a variety of races, from Kelvic, to Zith, to Symestrian, they seemed none discriminative. Any use would be made use of.

Still he wasn't very fond of the creatures, maybe it was their hulking wings that unnerved him, he couldn't say for sure. He leaned down, eyes still watching at the Zith's feet, to detect any movements, and pulled his blade from the dirt. He tucked it into the strap at his thigh but let his fingers linger there cautiously.

How ironic, that he found himself with company no matter where he went. He wanted nothing to do with a fight or any ill will. Though what he did expect for them he wasn't sure. A Zith, a Human and Kelvic, it was an odd cluster of people to wander together under the trees.

"What were you doing slinking about the trees?" his tone towards the Zith was sharp, though he had not forgotten about the woman, he felt less wary of her attendance. He could be erroneous in his assumptions however.

[Lyalya]

Lyalya watched the winged blue man emerge from the trees, his face speculative and cautious. Out of all the races in Mizahar, the Zith were of the most distinctive. You couldn't miss their strong, hulking wings or vicious, predatorial nature. Wherever they went, the creatures evoked panic and fear. But Lyalya felt herself drawn to them, what could be more adventurous than someone who had no mercy, no hesitation?

However, the other man on the ground seemed threatened by the Zith, even though they had all trained together at the Crimson Edge. As he asked the Zith why he was sneaking about, Lyalya couldn't help a small chuckle. She would love to climb onto his back and let him fly her around. She had never flown before.

"I'm sure he heard you practicing, just as I had. He just took a less direct approach," she mused. Both of the men seemed a little surprised at her comment but she just rolled her eyes. She walked deeper into the small clearing, letting the sun light up her watery blue eyes and sand-colored hair. "You fight well, Zith," she referred to the training session, "Are you as skilled unarmed?"

Lyalya highly doubted he had ever been approached in such a way. She knew she was blunt and straightforward. Growing up, her mother had tried to domesticate her, telling her to shush and watch her tongue. But she had never seen a point in that, if she had a question she would ask it. If she desired something, she would pursue it. If she felt a certain way, she would share it. It made many people uncomfortable around her but a few discovered she never lied. Actually, she was extremely trustworthy and loyal.

The Zith hesitated before answering, Lyalya looking into his eyes unwaveringly as she waited. HEr gaze was like the deepest bits of the ocean, the water folk singing you down into their watery depths.

[Shadowfang]

The man's gaze was cautious, angry, cold. His voice was sharp and hostile. Saying that he was hateful might be too much but it was close enough. His feeling did not have much affect on Shadowfang. He had been dealing with looks and words like these for a long time. Shadowfang simply stood silently in response to the man's question, not wanting to answer it, trying to come up with a more believeable answer than "I was curious." To his surprise, he did not have to. The blue-eyed woman had spoken for him, almost as if she was coming to his defense.

He raised an eyebrow at this interjection. To be honest, he was thankful. Not only had she saved him from having to answer black-hair's question, she had essentially gotten his reason for arriving spot on. She began speaking again, to Shadowfang this time, complimenting him on his fighting skill. Then, she directed a question of her own at him.

Shadowfang took a small step back as she approached him. This was strange. It threw him off. This woman was either fearless or foolish to draw so close and speak to him as if they were having a normal conversation. For some reason, Shadowfang began to get nervous. His dull red eyes looked into hers. Her own eyes both pierced and enveloped his in equal parts. He had never been in such a situation as people tended to stay away from him. He hesitated, glancing back to the male a couple of times. He did not have a clue how to react to the woman's question. He decided on the easiest course of action. He nodded. Once.

His face was locked in a serious expression, though it may have betrayed some of his out-of-place nervousness. His fight or flight instinct was hammering at his mind, begging to surface. Why did he feel like this? He was supposed to be the predator, not her.

[Roka]

Roka would have chuckled at her blunt remark, if not for a pang of distrust. He was rather obvious he supposed, it was not his intention, but his discovery had occurred even still. The last thing he had expected to find was a sharp-tongued woman and a…quiet Zith?

Her continued transpiring with the Zith did nothing to calm his spirit, but the Zith's reaction was something unexpected. He seemed wary of her, more than she of him definitely. He watched as he backed away from her very minute movements. Was he simply thrown by her direct approach or was he just an oddity in himself?

He watched him back away, his eyes darting nervously from the woman to him. Roka would never unnecessarily engage in combat, if the Zith was worried about being outnumbered, that wouldn't be the case. The sight brought a softened hint of a smile to his face, and his fingered loosened at his side.

"I think your unnerving him." he spoke to Lyalya with a bit of a chuckle to his tone, as he kept his eyes on Shadowfang. He didn’t seem quite as threatening when being huddled into a corner like this. His amusement was peaked.