The exploits of a would-be hero... (Alkor/Kashik)

[Alkor Korinado]

Timestamp: 11th Day of Spring, 510 AV
Location: On the road through the Sea of Grass
Time of Day: Sunset
Tag: Kashik

He'd come a long way from home now. It was quiet and he was thoughtful, but he knew to be more cautious. Lions were probably not the worst possible thing he could run into out here. Best to stick to the road, right?

Alkor rubbed his hands together out of habit; he wasn't at all cold and this was nothing like home, though even the concept of home was foreign to him now. He'd left his horse near his campfire, some ways to the north, though he'd gotten so lost he doubted he'd find his way back. Or if he did find his way, he doubted whether the horse would be alive or any of his things would still be there.

No matter, though, he did have that little bit of money on his person and the clothes on his back. His feet were starting to hurt though and he was feeling the lack of sleep wearing away at him. He smelled the grasslands all around him, the strange scents all assaulting his thoughts at once, blurring everything until he didn't seem to notice himself stumbling forward and scraping his knee.

Dang it!

The pain coursed through his body and revitalized him, curing the need for sleep and replacing it with mind numbing pain. His world was fire; Alkor felt only the need to live now, though even that was falling below the desire to eat. The last thing he needed was to become dinner for something else on an empty stomach.

Ugh... where the heck am I? What is this place? Why am I so lost?!

He fell on his rump, closing his eyes and clasping his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth. He never wanted to go home, he never wanted to belong. All Alkor ever wanted was to be free. And even in this self-imposed exile, he was at the mercy of the vast and unknown world.

What would uncle Valkuri do...?

Whenever Alkor found himself in a mess, he always seemed to ask himself what his uncle would do. The man had left him with little wisdom, as he had died when Alkor was very young, but he had heard stories. Stories that Alkor drew his inspiration from. And Alkor was always inspired to live a life of his own. This was Alkor's story, and it wasn't over yet. No matter how close it felt to the epilogue.

[Kashik]

So I go back and forth forever All my thoughts they come in pairs Oh I will, I won't, I doubt, I don't, I'm not surprised but I never feel quite prepared "What the petch are you doing?" The woman's voice broke through his little wallowing panic attack, though the small sounds of her approach hadn't - but then, she was born in this very grass, bled and loved on these plains, and both she and her Strider had spent their entire lives knowing how to travel across the Sea. She stood only a few feet away, a dark cloak wrapped around her shoulders and a hood obscuring any view of her face, one hand on her horse's neck as she stared at him. "You're going to get bloody eaten if you just lay down in the middle of nowhere like that. How did you even get out here?"

[Alkor Korinado]

There was a voice there, he was sure of it. His eyes moved up lightning-quick to see where it came from, shifting uncontrollably from one color to the next before stabilizing. He hadn't realized it was happening and he was hoping it hadn't, but he didn't have time to react. She was stealthy, at least he thought it was a she, and that made her dangerous.

Like everyone else.

Uhhhh... I'm just passing through... I don't really know how I got here. I was just walking along.

Lies. Alkor was so notorious for lying to people. He knew how he got here: he was being stupid and transient. And now he was regretting it.

I'd ask you how you got here, but it seems like you belong here so that'd be a waste of breath. Least I figure so, anyway.

He looked around for a means of escape, of creating distance... but his body was so weak. She'd [probably run him down or worse if he tried running, and if he tried to fight... he knew he'd lose anyway, since she looked at least capable and he was at a huge disadvantage. He grew up hardy, he was always steadfast... but going without food and drink for so long now had taken it's toll.

Cursing himself, Alkor flew from one thought to the next, so disoriented that his normal routine was lost on him. He had to compromise to be nice to her in hopes that she would help. Of course, Alkor knew what it meant to rely on people. He figured he would probably die here, but he threw the dice anyway

So... uh... yeah, I'm pretty much alone and lost. Far from home in a place I know nothing about. Wandered away from camp and haven't seen my horse or belongings in days. That about sums it up.

[Kashik]

The woman grunted, and threw back the hood of her cloak to reveal that she wasn't much past girlhood, and there was a fierce frown on her face. "That was you?" she said sternly, stepping forward to grab a handful of his shirt and drag him to his feet. "You left a fire burning in the middle of the Sea of petching Grass? Do you know what damage you could have done?" she hissed, shaking him a little. "Pah! Damnable foreigners. You've no respect for anything," she said, releasing him suddenly. "Gods. Could have burned everything for miles and miles! You're lucky I found it when I did." Sparkling eyes looked him up and down a moment, before she finally sighed, and the anger bled out of her again just as quickly. "You look half-starved. Come on. Can you walk? If not, you can ride Hiloha."

[Alkor Korinado]

She could probably tell by looking at his face that it was more a lack of knowledge of the terrain than a lack of respect, what with that emaciated drawl that colored his features for all of a moment before he snapped back to reality. In the Frozen Tundra, there was no such thing as grass, and fire was a precious commodity, available only to those who knew how to come by it and in places where the raw materials necessary were in supply. The fact that he'd learned how to make one in the first place came solely from his uncle telling him about his travels through the world.

Alkor vaguely recalled something about a Sea of Grass or something, or at least when he heard her say it he thought it was familiar. He felt like he should apologize, but then, she was probably not the one to apologize to if he might have terrorized the ecosystem. At least he knew not to do that again. And it was probably a good idea to mark his trail if he decided to wander off again... and now he knew she probably knew where his things were. He'd sort that out later.

He noted that she was caught up in the moment, but she calmed down and seemed charitable moments later. He doubted that she was schizophrenic or bipolar, so it left him to gamble between an ulterior motive and a genuinely Samaritan personality. He had to place his hopes in the latter.

I can walk, thanks... though I'm pretty weak right now to be honest. Had a run in with some nasty catbeasts after accidentally killing one of their young... all I know is that I'm definitely out of place here. Nothing feels safe.

He was legitimately shaken, albeit more by circumstance than by her near violent reproach. For a moment he adjusted his shirt and considered his situation before deciding on a course of action.

I guess I should just say thanks and shut up.

[Kashik]

She snorted again, and murmured something to her horse, which got a snort out of him, but he clomped over to them anyway. "No point walking, you'll probably just fall over. Here, up you go," she said, taking him firmly by the arm and pulling him forward. She practically picked him up and threw him onto the horse's back, some magical combination of no-nonsense attitude and careful rearrangement of his limbs while he was too confused to stop her. There was no saddle on the horse, only a blanket for him to sit on and a yvas for him to hang onto. "There," she said, showing him where to hold on. "Now, just be careful not to kick him and try not to fall off," she chuckled. And then she took off across the grasses, cloak billowing out behind her. She disappeared into the utter darkness of night within moments, but her laughter echoed back. Her stallion seemed to know exactly where she was, though, and took off in a trot after her. It only took half a bell to get to the camp she'd set up, hidden underneath an outcropping of basalt rock that jutted out of the plains, leaving enough room under it for them to take shelter. Waiting there was a tent and a cold firepit, two pairs of saddlebags, and his own horse dozing where she'd tied him to the rocks. "Think you can manage to get another fire going?" she drawled, panting as she grinned over her shoulder at him. "You'll get some food in your belly sooner if you do."

[Alkor Korinado]

Alkor watched in a daze as everything seemed to happen outside his control. It was more like a nightmare than anything else. He hated not being in command of his own destiny, and even more than that he hated being at the mercy of someone else. Especially someone he didn't know. She was too nice for a stranger, and that put him on guard despite the fact that his guard was pretty meager to begin with.

When he found himself in the camp finally, he took in a deep breath, then exhaled. He needed some time to think, to clear his head and to figure a way out of his situation.

But she had other plans.

Looks like you already answered one of my questions. At any rate...

He looked around; surely she knew how to make a fire? There was so much dry grass around here, there was probably some naturally occurring fire not far from here... and there were the two rocks he'd originally started the fire with on the ground near the cold pit, which seemed obvious.

Though he couldn't tell whether or not she was kidding. She'd chastised him for it before, and he wasn't rightly in the mood to deal with that again right now. Trust issues really were a bugger. He was thinking too much.

If you don't grab me again, I'd be glad to commit ecological genocide for you. Anything for a pretty girl with such persuasive qualities.

He couldn't tell, in his current frame of mind, whether all of that advance had been sarcasm, whether it had been his mind not thinking it through or whether she was just attractive. Or some halfwit combination of the three, in which case he was probably better off dead.

Alkor eyed her for a moment, his eyes flashing a brilliant violet color for all of a moment as he sidled over to her and knelt down, feeling the dirt with his hands. He'd learned that trick on icy plains, but he figured that it would work just as well, if not better in grasslands, where the land actually felt alive. He could "feel" the warmth of the earth beneath his hand, and in contrast, he felt the cold of the point at which he'd killed off much of the vegetation. He almost felt regretful.

Though this wasn't the time for that. He forced himself to keep a stoic face and looked up at her with a thoughtful glance, smiling though his thought process was morbid.

Lots of people like me die here, don't they?

[Kashik]

"Har-har," she drawled sarcastically, giggling as she rolled her eyes. "In the firepit, vagik," she said, pointing to the circle of stones she'd set up around his original campfire site. As he got off the Strider, she stepped up behind him and went about pulling his tack off and airing it out. She dumped her own saddlebags next to his and pulled out a brush and went about grooming the stallion. "And yes, many die here. Several a day, in fact. For some reason you all assume there's some road that goes through the Sea, and that it's safe and happy and never a danger to be found," she snorted. Shadowed eyes glanced over at him again and again, partially to keep an eye on him in case he tried anything funny, and partially because he was so curious. She couldn't tell if his eyes were changing or if it was a trick of the night, but she'd never seen anything like it before. "And just what are you doing in our outlands?" she murmured, giving the horse a final brush before tossing the tool back over with her things. Then she dug through her things and started pulling out bread, dried meat, and a bag full of blackberries.

[Alkor Korinado]

He stared blankly at her for a moment as she moved, raising an eyebrow as she spoke. After it passed, he shook his head and picked up the flint and began striking it intently.

Fair enough. There's no such thing as a safe place, only being careful. And I tend not to do that, if only because I don't feel like it.

Shrugging, he got a spark and nodded to himself, ripping a few blades of grass from the ground and uttering something under his breath, letting out a long sigh to mask it. Tossing the vegetation into a heap in the firepit, he watched as the dry grass started to kindle gently.

At least I'm honest about it. You'd be surprised how rare that is. Guess I'm a softy for people who save my life. Who knew?

He dodged the question rather skillfully; how did someone answer a question even they didn't know the answer to, anyway? Why was he here? With a step back as the small embers flared up into a small inferno, he turned toward her and took a deep breath.

After careful consideration, he actually decided to give her the most honest answer he could. It was courtesy, after all, and since he'd just lit the fire, whatever was going to be attracted to it would kill him if she decided to abandon him now.

I actually don't even know myself. I just ran away one day and I've been on the road ever since. I never stay one place too long. Unless I get lost, then I leave eventually. Once I'm rested, I figure I'll... erm... I guess I'll just keep wandering.

[Kashik]

She snorted, and padded over to the fire and plopped down beside it, tossing a waterskin to him and laying the food out on a scrap of cloth. "Well that's stupid," she giggled, popping a berry into her mouth and motioning for him to start in on the food. "Not the wandering part, the running for no reason part. If you wander, it should be because you love to wander. I mean, what do you do?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice. She didn't understand that some people could live without purpose or responsibility, had never encountered anyone like that and didn't quite comprehend it.