A Talk of Time (Kyra)

[Aello]

Timestamp: Spring 5, 513 AV The fire crackled each time it spit thin tendrils of smoke into the night sky; embers which shone like a firefly's behind before sputtering out. Aello sat by its side, her pure blade resting against her knee. Her left hand circling the hilt; cradling it delicately as she drew a strip of cloth over the metal. Wiping dirt from it, a thin crust of blood that had settled after having butchered a rabbit. She moved it from hilt to point over and over again, as shadows danced across her face and the heat of the fire warmed her pale skin. Her chest rising and falling softly as her nostrils flared against the scent of smoke. It was early in the night, yet. But even so her companions slumbered, their bodies slumped beside her pack. She shook her head lightly, tousling her chestnut colored mane. To her, some things never did change.

[Kyra]

Kyra headed through the forest of the wild lands. The forest at night was completely different than in the day, almost as if it were another form all together. The beauty of the day was replaced with a equal, but haunting beauty of pale shades at night. The birds would chirp loudly throughout the day while the night was for the owls and other animals that slumbered during the day. The young kelvic was also a creature of the night, but in dealing with so many humans, she had also become used to the day.

"I don't remember the travel taking so long. Or..perhaps I went a different direction, I am not so sure now." she wondered to herself as she continued on.

She was tired now, after bells of walking while carrying all of her belongings on her back. Her escape from Ravok had been quick, and she was still dressed in the man's clothing that she had stolen before fleeing the city. Kyra knew that she would have to rest again soon, and make camp as she had the day before. Finally she stopped and searched around when she reached an area that wasn't completely open nor cluttered with bushes.

"I suppose this will have to do for the night."

Again she glanced around, making sure that there were no predators near by and also looking for kindling for the fire that she would have to make. Without removing her backpack, Kyra wandered a bit further in search of what she needed, which also included a night's snack. She paused suddenly, when the aroma of smoke wafted into her nose.

There was a fire burning near-by, possibly from a campsite. She was curious if it was still being used, if it was in fact a campsite, and if the people or persons there had any food on them. It was possible, and as she had learned some people were overly nice and were more than happy to share and chat with anyone they met, no matter their background or race. Human's were interesting in that way, she thought and if the camp belonged to one of that kind, she might share their camp for the night.

Kyra moved forward in search of the fire and found a familiar sight, almost identical to one she had saw the last time she had been in the forest. There was Aello along with her companions as if they hadn't moved an inch since that day. Kyra stood for a moment, even glancing around her to see if they were in the exact same area. "Hello again Aello, I thought I might find you brooding over a fire." She offered the huntress a smile as she moved closer and removed her backpack to set it down beside her feet.

"Do you sleep on the ground? I prefer the trees myself."

[Aello]

Aello glanced up to find the Kelvic stalking through the trees, her feet padding softly against the ground, as the smoke of her fire veiled the details of of woman's lithe form. Even so, her muddied irises settled on a glint of gold, as her lips curled into a delicate smile, and hands paused momentarily from their work. "Hello Kyra," the huntress called as she turned back to her blade, her hands falling in an upward sweep to wipe the grime away from the soft silver metal. Aello shook her head softly, tousling her chestnut colored mane. "Trees do not serve when you lack claws; the ability to cling, lending only into a series of tumbles when one drifts into a land where they are left unawares." Her smile faltered as she drew the cloth over her dagger once more, and then slipped the blade back into its sheath, before tossing the cloth lazily onto the top of her bag. Looking up, she soon realized that Kyra's form seemed gaunter; perhaps more haunted than when last they had met. Troubled lines crossed the edge of her eyes as she whispered, "so tell me Kelvic, how many years have passed since you were born? Since we last met? To age a face so young?" Or perhaps it's merely the smoke; greying a face left otherwise pale and innocent...

[Kyra]

Kyra stepped a bit closer to the fire then sat down to enjoy the warmth as she watched Aello from across the pit. It made things easier for her, not having to search for kindling and build her own fire by coming there, and if Aello didn't mind, perhaps she would stay the night and enjoy the warmth a bit longer. The young kelvic stretched out, and leaned back on her arms and crossed her legs at her ankles.

"Then perhaps Aello, you should get claws."

Kyra smiled, still leaning back on her arms as she lightly rocked her feet back and forth while staring at the huntress. She could still remember the last time that they crossed blades. They hadn't been trying to kill each other, but it had been a fun twist to an otherwise boring night. She still had her ideas about the woman being a forest witch although Aello claimed that she wasn't, but Kyra wasn't convinced just yet.

The woman's next question catch her by surprise, no one save for her mom's friend's ever cared to ask how old she was, or anything else personal about herself. She glanced upward and brought a finger to rest against her lip as she thought back to the past years. "By now I should think it was two years...and a half, almost three really. " She smiled a bit bright then, a knowing look rising in her eyes as she recalled the correct answer.

"And what about you, how old are you Aello?"

[Aello]

The huntress chuckled. "About ten times your age then," she replied simply, "although, I appear the younger." Her irises sparkled in the light of the fire as a curious grin crossed her lips. "It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the bodies of your kind mature; even though your minds do not," Aello whispered, as her smile widened. "You strike your observers as one of the naive." She went on before she paused, "it would make sense, I'd suppose, in that the Kelvic are but shifting creatures; lent more to the devotion to their own instincts than common sense." Again, the Treaver fell silent a moment as she listened to the crackling of the fire. "Or so it has been said." The huntress ran her hands over her knees, wiping the grime that had gathered there from her work in the woods. "Does it trouble you Kyra, knowing that soon this form will diminish and you will find yourself at middle age? And then, within another two, so very old?"

[Kyra]

Kyra blinked twice and tilted her head at the huntress's strange words. "You appear younger?" She stayed silent for a few ticks observing the woman's features, her dried skin and the lines in her face around her eyes and cheeks. She had also noticed the rough skin on her hands and fingers that was likely from a lifetime of fighting and being in the woods. Her long hair fell across her shoulders in waves, but the ends were clearly frayed. "I met a woman when I was much younger, she looked a lot like you, but her smile wasn't as creepy."

The young kelvic arched a brow at the woman's next words. She had been so sure that Kyra was a kelvic, and for a time, she had wondered if the women had some kind of power that told her things, or maybe she actually knew Kyra from her past. But it appeared now that she had been wrong, after hearing the woman speak more she realized that she knew nothing about her. Then it hit her, the same meanings of words spoken before by different lips.

"Are you so sure about that?" she asked as a smile slowly rose in her full lips. "If that is what you think of my kind...of me, then you are very mistaken." The girl rose to her knees then, planting her hands firmly onto the ground as she started to crawl towards Aello. "You say that our minds don't mature? What do you know of my mind? You say that we act on instinct rather than common sense. What do you know of my instincts, what do you know of me?"

She continued to move closer, slender shoulders rolling with the movements of her arms, and hips twisted and shifted with each movement of her thighs. "You say that I am kelvic, but you do not know what I am, and yet you sit there facing the unknown as if there was no danger in it." She paused then, as her hands settled onto either side of the woman's thighs, and her face was only an inch away from hers. Kyra stared with unblinking eyes into the gaze of the huntress. "Perhaps it is not I, who's mind hasn't matured."

The girl moved backwards then, settling back onto the ground a few feet away from Aello. She arched her back and planted her arms behind her as she stretched her legs out and crossed them. A smile rose upon her lips again and Kyra looked to the woman's reaction before she continued. More strange questions came from the woman and Kyra was taken aback again by her words. "I can not see the future. I do not know what will happen, but I guess when I'm much older I would look more like you."

[Aello]

Aello said nothing, even as the Kelvic placed her hands on her legs. Nor did she move. Her stomach remained taut, and flat, caught on an exhalation, and her dark eyes had settled on the gold. Treaver's starry moat smiling, although the rest had sunk into shadow. "I wouldn't be so sure," she said simply as the girl's form receded. Sulking back to her section of the fire. Growling as it spit sparks towards the sky. "I'd say you were some sort of cat, given how you move... your eyes..." Her voice trailed off as smoke circled her feet hungry, then rose to meet the stars. Casting deep grey lines against her already hardened features, before it withered away into nothingness. "They're the only young thing about you Kyra. The rest of you is so very old." Aello offered the girl a weak smile as Lily yawned and soon rose, rubbing at her eyes with tiny clay hands before blinking a few times, as though to rid herself of Nysel's sandy crystals, or perhaps a blinding haze. It wasn't long before she ambled over to Aello and set herself down by her knee. "What were you two talking about Aello?" the pycon inquired. "Aging," the huntress replied simply. "Why?" she asked. "Because the races mature at different rates, and it's of interest," the Treaver said simply. "In a fashion." She paused a moment, "we were just talking about who looked older," and inwardly she chuckled, "don't you think Kyra looks to be the elder Lily?" The pycon blinked, something she rarely bothered to do, and soon, looked up at her mistress, before glancing across the fire at Kyra. From left to right, back and forth, over and over again, before she settled her gaze upon Aello's muddied irises. "I don't know, you both look pretty darn old to me."

[Kyra]

Kyra shrugged her shoulders and just watched the woman. She hadn't expected her to agree with her, human's were always so sure of themselves as if there was no possibility that they could be wrong. But the huntress was talking to her, or at least at her, and so the girl spoke back. She had to admit however, that the unyielding aurora of certainty was a useful tool to possess. It seemed to do well in convincing others for one reason or another.

"Do you like my eyes....and the way that I move?" the girl asked simply as she stared at the woman and lightly swayed her feet side to side. Since she was very young, she had been given compliments for her eyes, hair, her unique look, and even about the way she moved. By now she was used to hearing such things from people, but she was also interested to learn why a person thought so.

The young kelvic started to giggle as Aello continued. Apparently she thought that the girl was an old cat living out her ninth life cycle. She didn't have a clue as to why the huntress thought what she did, but Kyra had never met anyone who died from natural causes so suddenly and just because they were old. "I don't mean to sound rude Aello, but I think your time in the forest has mushed your brain, you're not making sense."

Smiling, the kelvic just shook her head and watched the woman more. Humans were so interesting to her, and they not only said, but did the strangest things. It was a wonder what the woman would say, or do next. Then Lily awoke and stole both women's attention for a few ticks. Kyra waved daintily towards the tiny pycon then turned her attention back to the huntress. "You know Aello, if you're so concerned with looking younger, you can buy makeup in the city. I'm sure it's enough to cover those dark lines around your eyes and mouth."

[Aello]

Aello shook her head lightly, "if you say so Kyra," she said simply, as her lips parted to release a sigh and her head came to a halt. She supposed it made sense for the Kelvic to deny everything. Being what she was, and humans what they were. Taking advantage of a race which wasn't always the best at governing themselves. It wasn't in the least bit concerning, the way she moved, the way she talked. Although, it was beginning to grate, and cause the Treaver a small sense of wariness. "It matters little," Aello whispered, "when the forest has become your home." The huntress fell silent then, as she always did when deep within her own thoughts. "Would you call this place your home Kyra?" Aello asked after a time, "or do you belong behind the walls of some far city?" The huntress paused, "where it is easier to count the passing of time, and mark the fleeting nature of beauty before an icy mirror?" Here, all we have is the water to serve...

[Kyra]

Kyra thought over the woman's words for a few ticks before attempting a response. She used to have love for a city, back when she was but a kitten and knew nothing of the world outside of the protected circle that her mother had encased her in. It was puzzling of how much she had learned in a short time, how her thoughts and feelings had changed so much that those who had once known her might have found it difficult to recognize her now from the girl she used to be. "I have no home..I don't suppose I belong anywhere...not anymore."

The young kelvic had become some what harden and desensitized to the world around her. Even after being thrown into a harsh life and then being returned to one of more common, she hadn't exactly felt the same as she had when she was with her mother. From that point, when the one human died who had shown her that it was ok to smile again, Kyra's mind seemed to guard and fight off notions of trust, friendship, and human's that weren't completely mad. Although she learned that some were less so over time.

"I survive the best way that I can. It doesn't matter if I'm in the city, or living alone brooding in the forest. Perhaps I will live a full life, or wither away in the next year or two as you seem to think. I will do what I must."

Kyra laid flat on her back then, her gaze lifting to search the night's sky. She would become overwhelmed sometimes, thinking of the endless possibilities that the world held, and also the probability that she won't even achieve half of them, if she even knew what she wanted next. Or if she should want more..

"Illusions.." the girl suddenly said in a whisper, before lifted up to look upon the huntress again. "Aello? Is that why you stay in the forest, so that you don't have to watch yourself grow older? It won't matter how young or old you appear Aello..everybody dies.." As the words left her mouth, Kyra realized that Aello only looked a few years younger than her mother, and she had to wonder just how much time the human had left.