While collecting firewood, Orion deals with something unexpected...
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While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.
It felt like it had been a season of travelling already. The mild winters of Syliras were disappearing as they made their way north into colder climate. How many miles had they gone? Orion couldn't be sure. It must have been millions. Ever thankful for his new mount, Vera, the trip had been much easier with her support. He wouldn't have been able to make it without his new mostly faithful steed.
As Syna began to disappear from the sky, Orion's favorite part of the day would begin. Not night, but camp. No more moving. Just rest. Unfortunately, they didn't have the firewood needed for their evening meal. Even more unfortunately, it was Orion's turn to do it. As everyone else set up their tents, Orion, muttering the whole time, began to walk away from their camp area, searching for variously sized pieces of wood. Sticks, small logs, anything which could be used. Hopefully it would burn slow enough that he'd not have to return, but rarely would things shine on him that way.
After a few bells of wandering away from the campsite, Orion stopped and removed his back to adjust it's contents. He'd taken to strapping extra equipment on the outside, because there was no way he'd be taken by a wolf or something without a fight. A small crossbow hung off the left side, with his staff strapped across the back. Normally strapped to his horse, whenever Orion was out on foot, he kept himself armed. These woods were too scary to be without a way to defend yourself. He placed his hand on the hilt of his dagger, eyes scanning the woods around him.
Something was unnerving the blue eyed man. The puny dagger wouldn't offer him any protection, and he was probably just paranoid, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Pulling his pack back on, he tightened the straps and began walking again. There wasn't enough good firewood here, so he'd have to walk a little further into the timber.
"Gods, be good. I hope there's nothing out there..." With a deep breath, he stepped forth.
As if on cue, a half-dozen mice and rabbits skittered past the doctor, though the cause of their flight wasn't anything supernatural. Just a rattlesnake in the underbrush. Whether or not Orion saw it, the serpent regarded him for a half-chime before slithering off into the deeper part of the wood.
Leth was shining his brightest that night, leaving the forest slightly more illuminated than usual, as well as leaving the world a curious bleached color. Orion didn't encounter anything special venturing further into the wood. A brown owl hooting indignantly as he trod on its hunting ground, a couple foxes, and a curious furry horned creature that scampered away from him before he could get a good look at it.
Fifteen chimes passed, and a gentle burbling sound alerted Orion that he was nearing a stream. That wasn't the only sound among the trees, however. Though it was faint, and the doctor would have to strain his ears to be certain, the sound of singing. A woman, to be precise. While it would be difficult to pinpoint where exactly she was, the sound of her voice was almost certainly coming from the direction of the river.
I'm sorry. Did Orion just see a....Jackalope? I expect an appropriate lore. lol
Orion took a few quick steps back as the woodland creatures scampered past him. "Shyke," he said under his breath, his heart having jumped into his throat. No luck, whatsoever. What the petch am I doing here? Gathering himself, the doctor ventured forth once again. Why couldn't Clyde just keep a constant flame going? Wouldn't that be easier? Sending a doctor out into the woods alone just didn't seem like the best call.
He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. It seemed an unusual number of animals watching him, but perhaps they were not used to seeing a humanoid of any sort. He was stranger to them as they were alien to him. There would be no shortage of strange creatures, it would appear. Some were more disturbing than others. "Were those..horns?" It was quite an unnerving sight, causing him to rest his hand on his dagger.
His worry was soon covered by the soothing sound of running water. He'd yet to find enough suitable wood, but at least he could refresh himself. He licked his lips in anticipation, but stopped dead in his tracks when his ears first picked up a..song? "Who would be...?" He trailed off, his face wearing a puzzled look, washed over in a luminescent white thanks to Leth's light. He knew he shouldn't search for strange things in the wood. He should have gone away from it. He should have forgot about it.
Sometimes men were dumb.
He walked towards where he heard the water, planning to follow its path to search for the source of the voice. With a deep breath, the doctor stepped forth from the cover of the trees to the more exposed area immediately around the flowing water. He crouched slightly, trying to minimize his silhouette, though being quiet wasn't a particularly easy thing for Orion. The snapping of twigs were somewhat masked by the water, though their faint echo could be heard. Squinting in the darkness, he scanned for anything which seemed out of place.
As it turned out, it was a woman. To be precise, a voluptuous, completely naked woman kneeling over the water, wringing out long locks of dark brown hair. Her body was gleaming white, a color that was quickly shifting to a soft amber as Syna dipped beneath the horizon, and she was singing. At first, she didn't seem to notice her observer. She stood up without paying any mind behind her, though her behind was certainly worth paying mind to. She languidly combed her fingers through her hair, letting it cascade onto her shoulders, and the extremely observant (or paranoid) might have suspected she was putting on a show. They might also have noticed that, while she appeared to have been bathing, her clothes were nowhere in sight.
The song faded, and the woman turned around around with a twist of her hip and a cross of her ankles. Her front was certainly as easy on the eyes as her back, and a playful smile danced on her lips. Her eyes were a vibrant green, and they were locked on Orion's. If the poor lad hadn't completely left his mind in a ditch, he might have noticed that there was a certain predatory gleam to them. As if he was a rabbit she was sizing up. Of course, there were quite a few things other than her eyes that warranted... Ahem, examination.
"What's this?" a light, lilting voice inquired, as swaying hips and softly falling feet bringing its owner closer to Orion. "A traveler looking for water? Or a Syliran scout? Or maybe," a husky giggle fell from the woman's lips, "A peeping Tom?"
If Orion didn't move away, he'd be within arm's reach by then. A slender hand would reach out to brush a baby smooth finger against the harsh stubble of his jaw, as the woman asked, "Tell me, who has had the fortune of spying me?"
Oh would the gods truly smile on him so? In the middle of the woods, a woman like this? His dry spell had gone on long enough, so there she stood. He'd had little luck in the past season, so here she was, dropped on his metaphorical doorstep. His eyes gave no false pretenses about his desires. Burning with lust, an almost wicked smirk covered the doctor's face. Her assets were impressive. Some of the most impressive Orion'd had the pleasure to view. She was far from shy about it, and he did indeed have the impression she was showing off. More than one woman had done a similar thing once they realized the amount of money the doctor had in his possession. There's no way this woman would be after that, though, would she? Out this far in the woods?
As she turned, Orion gave no hint of fear at her approach. For all his smoothness in the bars of Syliras, he had no tact. His vision was fixed, but while she tried to meet his eyes, the doctor's were focused elsewhere. "Impressive. Confusing, but impressive," he said, voice cool, collected, and calm. "I'm looking for firewood, actually. An unintentional peeping tom, drawn by your divine voice, my beautiful songstress. Add in the fact that you're so comfortable in the flesh, why, I would almost think someone was playing a joke on me."
Orion didn't move, instead, a relaxation falling over him as her smooth fingers contacted his face. It was a feeling he missed, a feeling he craved. Who was this woman? "Orion. I do count myself lucky. To find someone in such a..compromising situation...So what's your game?" The doctor had been burned by beautiful women in the past, so some skepticism was expected. Nothing was ever this easy. But with a little push, he might convince himself it was.
by Orion Michaels on December 15th, 2012, 11:54 pm 
lol