[The Bronze Wood] Nudist Cat? (Sturlin)

[Fherasoone]

SPRING 34'th 510 AV

Out in the market, Fhera looked over the many wares of the shops. Each thing seemed more grand if not more strange then the next. One shop then caught her eye, "The Elegant Weave". Curious, she stepped inside, marveling at the many items within, eyes caught in a trance by the many dresses, making her take several steps forward before brushing against something incredibly soft. The feeling made her jump a bit, but as she noticed the fur cloak, she calmed once more, feeling it again with her fingers. It was thick, and looked incredibly warm, which the thought of made her smile heavily. With a quick motion she grabbed it, throwing it over herself in an everlasting joy before catching the eye of beautiful dark haired woman who closed in immediately. After a short exchange of words, Fhera reached under the fur cloak into her robes, grabbing a small handful of coin out of her belongings. It was expensive, costing her sixty five gold mizas, but she couldn't help herself. After her purchase, she stepped out, feeling snug under her new cloak with no concern over the bright sun.

Back out in the street, she suddenly saw one more thing that caught her eye, faster then even the fur cloak she donned now. A small pink blot out in the middle of the street, moving across in a slight haste. Curious over what it was, she rushed, closing in on the strange creature. Suddenly, it turned around with a curious nature similar to hers, meowing. What Fhera saw was a strange skinned creature, wrinkles covering large sections of the body with beautiful large eye shining towards her. Slowly, she approached the creature, kneeling down and petting it over the head. A slight purr rumbled from the beast, making it rub against her hand which in turn made her smile. Fhera had never seen a cat like this, and her curiosity peaked suddenly with wonder as to where this cat came from. Within that second the cat started running, charging towards the gate. Fhera however, was still locked in on the cat, watching it run, making her chase it immediately.

Her eyes remained focused on the cat, the cobblestone below slowly shifting, turning from solid brick, to hard wood, brick once more, a dirt path, and then rough grounds. Most people would have noticed this by now, however, she was too focused, her great interest in the furless cat keeping her mind pinned to it. The rough grounds soon became rooted, colorful which is what broke Fhera out of her chase. Quickly she looked around, beautiful tall trees standing tall, far above her. She turned around, looking to see where she was, but saw no sight of the town from before. Sudddenly, a strange noise broke the silence, making the girl jump in concern. She looked left and right, trying to figure things out but then the strange noise bellowed once more, causing her great concern. There she caught sight of the cat she had been chasing, and began running for it, almost as though the cat would save her. The cat ran as well, giving her a chase before finally, a large root caught her foot, tripping her, and with her new cloak getting in the way, stopping her from catching herself, she fell, another thick root hitting into her neck. On the ground, she gasped, hanging onto her neck with a sudden fear falling over her, barely catching her breath. The cat disappeared, and the noise sounded a third time, making her crawl towards the nearby tree, still trying hard to breath, a strange pain in her throat each time she exhaled.

She could not call out for help, her throat aching too greatly to make any noise, and she was frightened any other noise she would make would upset whatever creature was nearby. Instead, she curled in on herself, hiding partially under her fur cloak, still shaking in a great deal of fear, and still trying hard to breath which became harder as she curled up. She had no god, yet still she prayed, praying hard for someone, anyone to just save her.

[Sturlin]

Mr. Pickles had decided to bring home another companion for his master, apparently. The days since his recovery had been marked by solitude and foul temper. Of course he would not take his temper out on the cat, but perhaps the cat had tired of the moodiness. As the girl fell the cat continued to scamper into the darkness.

Sturlin had been searching for Mr. Pickles for the better part of an hour. They had been working together to check the snares near Syliras when the cat disappeared. These snares were not particularly profitable, but he had been using them as a supplement for his main work. As he moved through the underbrush he heard someone thundering through the woods nearby.

His first reaction was likely to be a lethal one. The memory of the beast which attacked him was still fresh in his mind. The sound of someone running through the Bronze Woods reminded him of his battle at once. After a moment of dark surprise he regained his senses. It was not a monster which had made that noise. Most animals were far superior at stealth to the men and women of the area. Perhaps he had another visitor.

With a heave of his arms he strung Kardeg's bow and nocked an arrow. Moving carefully and scanning the area as he did so, he followed the noise. Eventually it stopped, as though the person or creature he was following had halted abruptly. When he came upon Fherasoone his expression changed from curiosity to concern. A child was hurt.

Walking forward he spoke in his deep voice, "What has happened here, child?" Though he tried to force his face into some semblance of welcome, it was still a frightening visage. The scars on the left side of his face appeared deeper in the shadows of the forest. Mr. Pickles meowed from a nearby tree branch.

[Fherasoone]

The girl shook under her fur cloak, unsure what was going on until suddenly, someone was coming forward. A loud voice seemd to boom in her head, which made her jump a little and then crawl further under her cloak, "What has happened here, child?" spoke the man, who had paused nearby. She was still shaking but slowly started coming out from under the cloak, then looking up at the man. At first, she was a frightened, her face quickly showing this fear, but then she noticed the bow at his side, which helped her feel less fearful. This scarred man may have been scary looking, but if he wanted to kill her, he could easily have done it from afar.

Slowly she got up, smiling, quickly warming up to the man, her bright cat-like eyes lighting up from the sunlight shining through the tree leaves above. Then she opened her mouth as if to speak, but suddenly shot down, grabbing her throat in pain after a slight sound was made, quickly showing the agony of it through her body with a heavy shudder, eyes closed trying to recollect herself. She wasn't sure what was going on, but as she tried speaking, her neck felt the strange pain. Slowly once more, she looked up at the man, her eyes now showing sadness as she shook her head.

She wasn't able to communicate with the man with her normal ways, so instead, she got up, shaking off the leaves from her cloths, then bowed with a smile. Perhaps the only way to provide a friendly greeting on her own behalf for now.

[Sturlin]

She seemed timid enough. His caution still led him to inspect her for weapons. No matter how ludicrous it sounded, she could be dangerous. As she failed to speak he let her struggle without moving forward to help. The hunter responded to her bow with a polite nod.

Whatever she was doing out here, she did not belong. Perhaps her parents had lost her. There were not many slavers around the area, not this close to Sylira. It was unlikely that she was a refugee. She did not look as though she had been traveling long and she appeared to be well cared for. That cloak was certainly expensive. Looking it over from afar, he made his decision.

If she could not speak, then he was not going to waste his time trying to communicate with her. She would be coming with him for the evening, and then he would decide what to do with her. "Little girl, this is not a safe place to wander. You will come with me." His voice did not sound rude, nor did it sound compassionate. He was merely informing her of how it was to be.

As the cat slunk down out of the branches he gave it a scritch behind the ears. "So this is what you have been up to, Mr. Pickles." After he had greeted his friend he straightened his back and began leading the way toward his camp. As he passed her he offered her his good hand.

[Fherasoone]

She wasn't sure what was going on, however, she knew that it was true. Wherever she was, she shouldn't have been. Suddenly something familiar showed up. The cat that she had followed out here. This frustrated her a little, but she did not show that, knowing it was her own fault for having followed the creature. That also answered a few questions of hers as well. Who owned the cat, where did it come from. The man suddenly spoke again, "So this is what you have been up to, Mr. Pickles." he ended up saying, which made her a little sad as well. The cat had a name already. Though it was a strange name, she thought it was also kind of a cool name, wondering why he decided that name for him.

As she pondered this however, she noticed the man suddenly move, passing her just barely before holding out his hand. This show of kindness immediately hit her nature, her strong nature to bond to others. Slowly, she raised her hand, about to grab hold of his, but then pulled it back. Her urge once more striking as she then got up, rushing towards the stranger, and embracing him only so well as she could from that angle. Though it was probably a bit of a shock, it was also quickly apparent that she meant no harm, her smile widening again.

[Sturlin]

When her arms wrapped around him his good hand went toward his dagger and the other prepared to fill her head with a granite spike. The moment was over as soon as it had begun. She was not attacking him after all. The child was hugging him. He hugged her back for a moment and then he pushed her away.

"Follow me then." Clearing his throat gruffly he nocked his arrow once again and led the way. "Stay close to myself or Mr. Pickles. We will look after you for now." Looking toward her every few minutes so that she did not wander off, he spent the rest of his time ensuring that they were not being followed. The last thing he needed was another giant bird showing up to gobble up a child, let alone himself.

Her sprint through the forest had carried her far, but it was still a long walk back to his camp. On several occasions he paused, raising a hand for her to do so as well, and listened to his surroundings before continuing onward. Some might say that he had become overcautious. He would say that he had learned prudence.

[Fherasoone]

She was happy when the man returned the hug, and was content even after she was pushed away. As she was told to follow, she did, still wearing the usual smile across her face. She was a little tired from her previous chase, her legs not used to moving like that still, but she continued, not wanting to fall behind. She felt like she was just going to fall over, but as the man turned his head in question to see if she was still there, she would immediately perk up and smile, not showing any signs of struggle.

She was also motioned to pause for a moment every once in a while, which she used the time to catch her breath before the two of them were on the move again. She had heard nothing in the forest now, the noises from before disappearing, leaving only a few minor creatures singing their tunes in the distance. For the longest time she continued following the man, her eyes often caught interest in the colors around them, but then focused once more on the path ahead of them.

[Sturlin]

It took the better half of the day to reach camp. Camp was a sheltered glen in the forest with a fire pit in the center, a horse tethered to one side, and a tent pitched on the other side. It was tidy, well kept, and well stocked with dry firewood. As he walked into the camp he removed his pack and sat on a log next to the fire, where he always did. Mr. Pickles curled up next to him.

"Sit wherever you like. Are you hungry?" He pulled a pot from his saddlebags, which were resting next to the log as well, and filled it with water from a skin. When he sat that next to him he stood to fill the pit with tinder and twigs. As he waited for her answer he prepared a fire for them. Perhaps she would find his cooking more to her liking than he did.

[Fherasoone]

It looked like a lot of time had passed away during their travel. As they made it to the camp, she was astonished, looking in multiple directions, trying to get a feel for her surroundings. As the man went into the campsite to find his seating he spoke, once more his voice making her jump a little, "Sit wherever you like. Are you hungry?" The question made her think for a moment. She did not like the idea of taking away someone elses food, and quickly shook her head. In all honesty though, she was hungry and tired, having not eaten for quiet a bit of time.

Slowly, she made her way closer towards the center of the campsite, eyeing the man gently, not wanting to do anything to annoy him. With a quick thought, she reached up to her throat, rubbing it gently, then opening her mouth. It was slightly painful to do, but she was able to speak a little, her soft voice quaking from such said pain, "M-...My name's..." she paused, the pain being obvious, "Fhera...Th-..." she then stopped abruptly, grasping her throat once more. She had not fully recovered but in the least she was able to get her name out for the person who was being so kind to her.

Because of that fact alone, she smiled again, as she had throughout their walk. With that, she walked once more, getting a few feet from him before taking a seat on the ground, not wanting to do anything to upset him, but also not wanting to sit far away alone. Her hands grasped the fur cloak around her, pulling it tight to her form. Stitch is going to have a fit with her for not coming home after shopping.

[Sturlin]

Once the fire was warming the glen the hunter pulled some deer jerky from his supplies and tossed it over into her lap. Taking a piece for himself he chewed it in silence as he went about his chores. Something to keep them busy until he had time to cook some food.

He took the pot of water and hung it over the fire carefully. Once he had done this he searched through his saddle bags for some leaves he had scavenged from the forest. Knowing which plants are poisonous and which are edible is not the same as knowing which taste good, but he had been testing them off and on for several days and had found a plant which made passable tea.

The leaves he set next to him on the log, and then he looked toward her. She was a slight thing, unimpressive. He would even go so far as to consider her scrawny. Her frailty reminded him of someone else. A shadow passed over his eyes as he remembered an explosion, long ago.

"Fhera it is then. You have already met Mr. Pickles." He gestured to his lazy cat and then turned back toward the flames. "Do not try to speak yet, this tea should help soothe your throat. Then you can tell me exactly what it is you are doing out here."