Flashback Need a Lift? [Razkar]

[Tinnok]

Need A Lift?
1st of Summer, 512 A.V.
Owehlai Falls

She smelled her hands which seemed to still stink from the filth in the caverns of the Dhani nest that she had returned to at the end of her service. The clan wasn't exactly welcome to see her. At least not at first. An abomination and the herald of the demise of more than a few of their ranks. Tinnok still took pride in that moment, that final battle where everything had been pressing upon them, tired and bloody...yet they had still overcome their adversaries.

No, they hadn't looked upon the half breed witch fondly, but as she tended to the land and soil, felt the trees thrum back to life as the corruption of the land was cleaned away by her hands. She knew they were grateful...if too prideful to give such thanks to her. But she swore she could still smell that Dhani filth coating her body no matter how many times she washed her hands or bathed...

Tinnok sighed heavily and looked up at the great expanse that awaited her. The true monsoons of Summer had not begun, but it didn't mean she wasn't already soaked to her core from the rivers and basins she had had to cross to get to the bottom of the winding muddy slope that would take her to the falls.

Tinnok was a creature of great faith. Myri was her Queen, Caiyha her mother, and she liked to think of Makutsi as a sort of sibling, a wild entity born from the waters. Tinnok loved the rain, no matter how long or hard it fell, something about it gave her pleasure in childhood memories that were usually fraught with sadness and despair, and she liked to think that Makutsi was another gentle hand that pulled the child up, just as Caiyha had. Without her faith and love of her Goddesses, Tinnok truly did not know where she would be...and most likely it would be dead.

She glanced around, whistling to herself a tune that she heard from the wood creepers that blended in so well with their trees. She enjoyed mimicking the sounds of nature, that were so much more poignant than most noises that came from Myrian throats, and so she whistled the strange song that no bird would ever claim as theirs, waiting for her companion to join her.

She heard a rustling in the trees, one eyebrow cocked, for the shape and weight sounded much lighter than the individual she was expecting. And that was when a particular canine leapt out of the brush, covered from head to toe in mud, pink tongue lolling and dashed for Tinnok, lunging upon her body and knocking her prone.

The witch groaned, mud sliding over her body, and shoved away the slavering canine. She was about to scold the dog, but as their connection via Nura kicked in she could see the female Deepwood's dog was excited because she had caught a small pheasant, a good explanation of why her breath was particularly foul. The excitement and pure joy afforded from such a simple act radiated through Tinnok, and any anger, even humorous, subsided. Instead she pinched the dog's ears and began rolling around on the ground with her until in the middle of the small clearing lay two mud covered entities, growling, wrestling, and snapping at each other like wild animals.

[Razkar]

He didn't even want to be around his fang these days. The peace that he found there in the past was... hells, it wasn't even there anymore. His fang, that is. Only Zuran and Oxil were left from that band of damn kids that had formed up in the Training Yard three years ago. The rest were transfers or new recruits who looked up at Razkar like some vengeful god of war, male or not.

That wasn't the way he saw himself. He barely saw himself at all.

Oxil called something out to him as he left the Barracks but he didn't turn around to reply. The fang-mate decided not to push the matter. Ever since coming back from that disastrous sortie in Spring, Razkar had just been... hollow. Eight left. Two returned. Oxil knew his friend enough to see that the male blamed himself for Rehkuna and Erama, though even a child could understand that dying was what warrior's were second best at.

Try telling that to him, though.

He marched double-quick through the avenues of Taloba, message from a carrier pigeon burned into his head. People moved out of his way instinctively, but Razkar knew it was not just because of his appearance, his aura of violence waiting to be unleashed.

They were still fearful. That pained him. The Children of Myri should never be afraid... but they were. And he understood why.

So much taken from us, and for no cause. An enemy we could fight, understand enough to engage and defeat, that's one thing. But when the world itself turns on you...

The somber mood followed him without relent as stone cobbles turned to featureless jungle. The city authorities (meaning, the Council) had decreed that parties of no less than four should even attempt traversing the resurgent Jungle, but Razkar had liberally interpreted that edict as applying to civilians. As a warrior of the army of Taloba, he was exempt... and besides, this meeting was for him and his...

Yes. She was a friend. She would not have done what he had if she wasn't.

His ears pricked as he heard a crash in the foliage, the barking sound of breath expelled, leaves and twigs scattered around. Razkar broke into a run, weapons drawn. Wolves had been more common here after the Storm, drawn into a strange environment by stranger impulses, and if she had been-

He broke the treeline and after seeing what was unfolding, rolled his eyes.

The half-breed and her adopted canine were... well, at this point, pretty indistinguishable. Mud and grime covered them both in equal measure, and only when they paused and a tail wagged in curious anticipation did Razkar finally see one from the other.

That and the flash of slitted yellow eyes. That would always set her apart, for good or (more often) ill.

The male sheathed his weapons and sighed. But she could see that there was some humor in his apparent exasperation. She was grateful for that, in a way, just as he was ignorant of it: there had been little humor in him for too long. He looked over at Tinnok and shook his head, one eyebrow cocked.

"Want me to give you ladies some more private time? I would hate for you to think of me as a voyeur..."

[Tinnok]

She wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed or not as the canine and the half breed separated. She hadn't named the dog, and neither of them seemed to mind this arrangement. So as she wiped muck from her eyes and stood, watching the curl of a smile approach his lips and smirked.

"No male can turn down beautiful women mud wrestling." She rubbed the Deepwood dog's head affectionately. "Or at least one beautiful female." The abomination knew of how her appearance repulsed her fellows, and did not consider herself an attractive being...even if in form her body was just as lithe and muscled as her full blooded counterparts.

The canine gave a little yip, and Tinnok glanced down at herself, assessing the damages. She grunted a bit to herself. At the very least the mud would keep her cool on her walk.

And then her eyes traveled to Razkar, taking him in for the first time in a little while. His ink seemed unchanged, his stance, confident for a Myrian male, was nearly the same...his gaze...she couldn't translate, at least not yet, but time would tell. Tinnok ran fingers through wet and dirty hair, yellow eyes quite vibrant and lively, despite the traumatic events of the past season.

"They say the journey up the Falls is one that can be extremely difficult, you ready for it?" It was an unnecessary question. At this point the two warriors knew the other one more than a little. Their strengths and weaknesses had been brought to bear. It didn't mean she wasn't going to prod him, however...especially now.

Her good mood was infected with a somber vein then. Her memory hung with the echoes of conversations held with Ayatah, and the half breed felt like a strange in between sometimes...Ayatah was her childhood friend, but Razkar held the same kind of trust and honor in the half breed's eyes as the half Eypharian whom she had had come to care for so deeply. It was a strange series of events...she had heard her friend's side, and was curious about his.

But Myrians, even abominations mixed with Myrian blood, were not individuals to so casually bring up such a touchy subject. And so instead Tinnok began her trek up the slick slopes that would lead them to the falls. Strange pathways were made from roots and rocks to provide cliff ledges and winding trails...a test of endurance and coordination was in order.

[Razkar]

Razkar coudn't help the minute frown when she counted herself as less beautiful than the dirt-splattered beast sitting next to her, tongue lolling out her mouth with that inane bliss that canines the world possess in abundance. He never understood why she had that opinion of herself. Well, no, he did, and it all went back to her muddied blood, but... it rankled him.

One day, she will get over that. Problem is, everyone else won't.

The male sighed and dispelled those thoughts, as they would profit him nothing. Surprisingly enough, from what he had seen and heard, Tinnok had been handling the madness of the last season better than he. Then again, he mood had not changed much either way. She was still stoic, suspicious, watchful... and yet he had come home to Ayatah more than once and found both half-breeds laughing over some chore of perhaps a mug of palm wine, turning bright eyes as he walked through the door.

One pair brown and round; the other yellow and slitted.

"They say the journey up the Falls is one that can be extremely difficult, you ready for it?"

Razkar snorted softly and folded his arms, playing up the affront to his masculinity. His pierced jaw jutted out pugnaciously and his voice dripped with playful scorn.

"We'll see who carries whom to the top, shall we? When we get there, you can ask the Goddess of Rains for some lenience."

Her response was muffled, muttered, profane and impressively inventive. Razkar knew he liked her for a reason. Then they started their climb, and the Falls were surely no joke. They were not quite a sheer face - "slopes" was an accurate description - but they were mired in more debris than Razkar had seen before. Not just rocky outcrops made more slick and perilous by shifting rock falls and thick patches of moss, but thick roots that tripped or barred the way. Fallen trees that had got jammed on their tumble, waiting the slightest pressure to go falling downward once again and sweeping anything in their path down with them.

But the sheer angle was the real nightmare, and after hundreds, thousands of years in the rain and weather, it had smoothed much of the slope down to the point there were barely any handholds.

Half the fun, though, isn't it?

Razkar grunted at his own hubris and kept low, all four limbs on the ground at once, three of them planted at all times before the fourth quested anywhere new. Each time he moved, it was to a place he knew was secure. The fall down - well, slide down - would not kill either of them (probably), but he had better things to do that be in the infirmary for weeks.

Still too much to do out there.

At that thought he turned to Tinnok. To his utter lack of surprise, she was ahead of him, lithe and limber body hauling herself up and around obstacles with a speed that made it all look easy. he grumbled something physically impossble about her and then spoke louder.

"Have you named that mutt yet?" He said, jerking his head back where they had come, though the dog was undoubtedly following them on some hidden canine-friendly trail. Razkar knew she always hated to leave Tinnok. "Thought your fang would have had her for dinner by now..."

[Tinnok]

The mud was scraped off of her hands and feet soon enough as the witch began her climb. She tried not to look up too often, for there seemed to be no end to the massive slope that was before them. She had heard of Myrians dying during the monsoon's in their attempts to reach Makutsi... she wondered if the Goddess rewarded such bravery...or folly. If it was Myri she suspected their Queen would have no sympathy for wasting their lives so foolishly, but Tinnok liked to think the Rain Goddess was a more sympathetic soul, even out here in the unforgiving jungle.

She heard grunts behind her, not realizing how focused she had been upon the climb, glanced downward for a moment, towards the empty space that once contained the dog had been. She paused for but a moment, breath already rising too quickly in her chest for her own liking. "I merely call her dog. Not very inventive...but neither she nor I mind."

She smirked, an expression which faded as rapidly as it came with the mention of her fang. Much like Razkar she had lost them...half at Zinrah the day the storm hit...then the rest within the cave....Ioxera. A pang of regret flooded through her, but the half breed squashed it. Those dying words that freed her from the hate she had for her Fang Leader meant nothing upon her return to Taloba with her broken comrade. They meant nothing when she had to report to her betters that she, the abomination, was the only one left alive, and they had no choice to believe her story....they meant nothing when she was forced as a temporary fang member for the rest of Spring with a group of louts nearly worse than the last.

But a series of images had gotten her through those last horrendous days, and they were the screams of Chinra crying out as the Dhani priestess cut into her flesh, and the bloodied mangled corpses of those that had taunted and beat her during her service. She grimaced, but she found no shame in her bitter joy, it was what Myri's Army had solidified the snake into, and if she was to be forged into such cold steel, she would rather embrace it than push away.

So she did not respond. She would have murdered her fang mates before they ever touched the dog, and perhaps somewhere deep down...when they had lived, they all knew it. She knew Chinra had wished to cook the dog up as the ultimate backhanded slap to the abomination...but it was too late for that now.

But this climb would be too long, too arduous to remain silent, pent up within her cloudy smog of thoughts, so Tinnok slowed. He was a strong massive male, and it took him little effort to keep up with her, his expression pensive and blank. As they continued, nearly level with each other, she spoke once more. "And what of you? You have served Myri as honorably and well as any mother could wish," she smiled again, this one reflective, thinking of her own sire and her opinion of her daughter. "Will you stay on and serve our Queen in the ranks till your dying breath? Or are there other sights to see for the Shorn Skull?"

Fingers, already slick with moisture slipped on a trunk, and the opposite hand fastened upon a jutting branch swiftly, body sliding backwards several feet with a start. She bit her lip at the embarrassment, and continued heaving herself forward with new found determination.

[Razkar]

Razkar opened his mouth to reply when there was a minor outrage of falling rocks and sliding skin from next to him. His head snapped around and saw Tinnok slipping, falling-

-lashing out and hanging on with her teeth gritted and sheer Myrian determination writ large over her features.

The ghost of a smile flitted over his face and he knew she did not need his help. Not that she'd accept it, anyway. Tinnok had been raised hard, abused and scorned at every step for her tainted blood. Everything she had, everything she was, she had built and earned by the dirt off her own hands. Now that he had a moment to think about it, Razkar decided he would not insult her by offering to help.

He shook his head. In many ways, she was more Myrian than the Myrians. She had much more to prove, after all.

He reached up and kept moving, getting a thick hold on a patch of vine and pulling himself up as he talked.

"When the damage from the Storm is undone or mended, I can think about that. Until then, I do what I must as a warrior of the Goddess-Queen." Part of him warned that she might consider that a backhanded insult, seeing as she was nearing the end of her service. But it was small and lost in the wordless fog that his late thoughts had become. "It doesn't matter."

That gave her pause. There was not real sense of duty in his words, the stoic desire of a soldier to do his duty. There was something darker there, a...nihilism. Fatalism. Rage or grief had burned so deep in him that all else had been burned away, and when those fiery twins were spent, nothing was left to replace them. He served his Goddess-Queen, his people, his fang and he would slaughter whatever enemy he was pointed at. But other than that...

Razkar kept moving, his own thoughts unburdened. He reached the end of the vine and saw a nice outcrop of rock that-

-broke away under his hand, wet mud under it finally reveling itself-

-sending him falling back, shoulder thudding against the ground, grunt forced from his lips-

-as his other hand snapped out and gripped the vine had had just scaled, palm burning as it slid down his tightening hand, feet poised to strike the ground-

-and he stopped. Only just halting himself from a long and very painful rolling fall to the forest floor below them. The male looked down at Tinnok and only annoyance shone in his eyes, not pain. Mainly because he wasn't looking down anymore; he was looking up.

Some memory stirred. It seemed like so long ago, but in the span of the world it was pretty recent. A pair of younger Myrians, full of testosterone and holy duty and barely-bridled desire for combat, climbing down a tree side by side. Then the male gave a cocky grin and challenged the female to a race to the bottom.

She had smiled at him.

Across time and wounds, Razkar looked up at her again. Something like his old self snapped back to the forefront of his eyes and he flexed the taut, hard muscles in his shoulders and arms. His legs would be taking the brunt of it, though, and he bent them back as he spoke.

"First to the top? We'll see if you're still capable-"

The last word was strained as he straightened his legs fast and hard and started pulling himself upward, hand over hand, legs pumping and eating up the slick ground. Footholds were getting more sparse as they reached the top, but at this speed, it perhaps wouldn't matter.

He grunted out the words as he spoke, concentrating more on the grinding pains in his hands than his diction.

"What about you? You said something about going back to the cave, didn't you? Think that's wise, going-" he grunted and the words became lost, feet failing him and knees scraping down a rock, but he rolled with the motion and dug his toes into another outcrop. Damn, another five feet lost! "-petch... going to dig up the past? You should just block it up..."

Steel gave Razkar's word weight. Whatever happened in that cave, it had to be sealed off from the rest of the world until it cracked and exploded beyond the stars. The decades, perhaps centuries of rituals and blood-soaked deaths had permeated every rock and stone with evil. It had even wounded and twisted the jungle above it.

He sighed. But that's why she was going back, wasn't it? Marked by Caiyha, after all...

[Tinnok]

His words would have been nearly noble if they hadn't sounded so hollow. Serving the Goddess Queen indeed...his duty. It had been hers... Her body still tingled with the idea of her release from the ranks, the dead pan eyes and stoic expressions that barely stopped to thank her for those three...long years of service. Yes, he could continue his duty long after he was done. But that was not something the witch could abide by.

Still his manners...she wished to inquire, but then she saw that flame that lit his eyes. Somewhere between excitement and competition, the enjoyment one got from a worthy adversary mixed with the subtle vein of friendship was held in his dark gaze. And then he was surging forward, not stopping to give Tinnok room to respond.

But this race was different from the tree. She had been foolish and willful in that moment, luck being half the reason she won. Superior agility would only do so much for her on the slippery slopes, especially when matched up against the brute strength the Eagle was bringing to bear upon the slick incline they faced.

But these details only made her work harder. She was perplexed as to why he even bothered speaking after a certain point. To fill one's lungs with air to talk seemed an utterly excessive act when every heave of pained arms and each lungful of air squeezed through her in an exerted wheeze. He wanted to forget the horrors that happened to him there, and she wished to fix them. After all she hadn't truly cared for her fangmates as he did. She had suffered in her own way, and still woke sweating in the night to see Rekhuna's face twisted in disgust...but it still wasn't the same as getting your heart ripped out...especially Erama, the tattooed one. Who the previous night she had goaded into anger by slapping Razkar's shoulder. The act brought a small smile to her lips. Strange she had nearly held more affection for the inked warrior than any of her own fang...and she hadn't even the barest inkling of the woman. But the Eagle had...

Her lack of focus on her climbing, mind seething with memories, put her a good few yards behind her opponent, even with back tracking, and suddenly the half breed was reminded of the race. She growled, deciding not to lose more ground by replying, and attempted to quicken her pace. When her bare feet found solid purchase on a root she would try to leap upward, and paid close attention to where her hands went, to try to avoid unnecessary slips. It was not a fool proof plan, however, not when competition factored into the equation, and as her hand grasped a branch, a massive thorn impaled her flesh, causing the abomination to gasp in pain, retracting her hand in a flash only to lose her only point of stability. Her feet slipped from under her, and belly down she began plummeting down the hill. Unable to see where she was going, Tinnok, rolled herself over, hands out, grimace upon her face.

Branches slapped her face, and she felt rocks and sticks pummel her skin where welts would surely follow. Finally her body snapped as one arm then the other fastened upon a long branch, the sudden loss of movement reverberating throughout her being. Slowly, and almost reluctantly she looked at the massive amount of space lost up towards the Eagle. From where she was hanging she could see his expression turn from one of potential concern, to abject glee. There was no hope of her winning their little race now.

But it was no reason to give up. Tinnok heaved herself upwards and took a more measure pace up the falls...no reason to rush herself now anyway...

An arm slick with mud was the first sight that Razkar would see from his triumphant perch upon the top of the Falls. It was followed by a foot, then the rest of the half breed, as her panting form appeared over the rise. Collapsing next to him, Tinnok took in the vast spray of water that lay before them, creating a faint roar. If they walked closer they would be sure to get the comforting spray of water hitting itself at terminal velocity.

For now, however, the half breed was simply content to sit. She said nothing of her defeat, merely a look that suggested a tie breaker was in order the next time they met. And once her breath was caught, it was time to address his inquiry. "I believe the land can be cleansed, return to what it was, and if it means I have to clean every pile of shit out of there...so be it. Balance will be restored there, and I will be the one to do it." Her tone was deadly serious, but her lip twitched a bit. "Since, some overbearing male thought fit to order me to return to Taloba with him."

[Razkar]

He scrambled over the edge of the Falls and the second the tension left his arms, the pain began again. Adrenaline was still churning around his system, veins and muscles throbbing and growling at him to keep doing something, damnit! But Razkar knew his limitations, and could feel the flow of blood already pumping out of scrapes and wounds. He allowed himself to collapse on the cool, wet grass, propped up on his elbows and gulping down mouthfuls of steamy air.

Rustling. Cursing. Closer. He looked up and a tanned... no, make that brown arm reached up and Tinnok dragged herself over the lip of the Fall with it. He held up both hands, each with a finger raised.

"Looks like we're even, Wolf. Tide breaker should be interesting. Could have at least made it interesting..."

She replied with a gesture that was both crude, physically painful and blasphemous to eleven gods with only three fingers. Razkar couldn't help the ragged laugh, because you really had to appreciate someone that quick-thinking.

She settled next to him in the spray wafting off the wall of crashing water before she answered.

"I believe the land can be cleansed, return to what it was, and if it means I have to clean every pile of shit out of there...so be it. Balance will be restored there, and I will be the one to do it."

He nodded slowly, grudgingly seeing the logic in her actions. Caiyha and her beloved Jungle were as much mother to the Myrians as the Goddess-Queen. More so, perhaps, since it was there long before Myri was even born. To have it sullied and stained in such a manner... it would anger that elemental goddess, and such things were never wise.

The male raised a wry eyebrow at her last words, turning to her, noting the ugly crimson marks on her legs. They'd have to do something about them.

"Since, some overbearing male thought fit to order me to return to Taloba with him."

"You will be The One, huh? Sounds like you're giving yourself a mission." He shook his head, but eventually shrugged. "Petch... you know more than me about the Jungle Goddess. And don't moan about that." He said, laying his head back down, his ears pricking faintly. "You did have time on your service left, so you can thank me for that-"

A crash to their right and a rabidly happy mess of muddy fur - save for the ping tongue lolly ecstatically out of a broad mouth - crashed from the foliage and hurled itself at them. Razkar's hands came up too late and his face was soon coated in slobber.

"How the fuck does it do that?!"

It took a good deal of whispered words from Tinnok to get Dog to calm down, still panting madly and snuffling around. Razkar finally sat up and scanned the Falls. He found some peace to his thoughts in the endlessly fall cascade. No beginning, no pause, no respite, no discernible ending... as long as the river flowed, the Falls would roar, and the river would fall unto the end of the world.

The male licked his lips, idly petting Dog.

"Have you..." he tried to make his words less hesitant, but failed miserably, so decided to press on "... have you talked to Ayatah?"

She flashed her snake eyes to him. Uncertainty, now. Vulnerability. Something she did not often see on his otherwise stony face. She resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Goddess Above and Dira Beyond, could male and female not coexist without her being caught in their midst?!

[Tinnok]

The thought of pounding water cleaning mud of skin and fur surged through her connection to the canine, and the Deepwoods dog sprinted off, a faint splash ringing out where she hit the water. Tinnok smirked, and raised an eyebrow at the Eagle referring to the dog as "it", but did not bother with a correction.

She assessed the falls once more, vaguely catching sight of a tawny head bobbing up and down in the currents given off by the falls. Feeling mud seeping into scratches and wounds made her want to leap into the soothing water with the canine, but even as her hands pushed herself to rise, his words made her fall back again.

His expression had been closed before, and had suddenly become an unfurled scroll. The half breed turned her yellow gaze to assess, her own mind becoming muddied once more. "Yes..." The word slipped out hesitantly, and for a moment she thought to leave it at that, but his expression suggested a starving Myrian Tiger. He required more, needed more. Tinnok sighed and rubbed some of the peeling brown substance from her forehead. "She is in a lot of pain... pain that even I cannot imagine." This clearly pained and frustrated the abomination. Never before had her and Ayatah failed to share the same experiences. Just because Tinnok's treatment was rougher and more callous, didn't mean that Ayatah had an easier time of it. They had always been able to lament and cajole each other...but this had been slightly different... Tinnok was still unsure about the whole situation, precisely how she felt. It was a strange mixture of jealousy, remorse, and empathy all rolled up into one for her recovering friend.

She rubbed her head, and looked up into his concerned gaze. It was clear that hadn't been enough, but petch it if she was going to be the go between for her two friends. It was ridiculous. She stared at him for a long moment, trying to discern the expressions held within. Surely they would all make Ayatah long to be with him if she could see through Tinnok's eyes, the two would share some soothing words spoken in a lover's whisper and hold each other like there was nothing else in the world around them...

The Half breed stood abruptly and spat upon the ground. Her lips were curled in disgust as she walked as calmly as she could to the side of the large pool that the waterfall fed. Every part of her felt knotted and strange. She stood at the edge, peering over, and put out a silent prayer that he didn't ask her more, didn't push this...she simply couldn't do it. Then her eyes shot open as she heard the Eagle clear his throat.

[Razkar]

"She is in a lot of pain... pain that even I cannot imagine."

The words struck Razkar like a punch; he was surprised not to find a bruise on his chest. He hated himself for having to go through a third person, a friend, a mediator for the Goddess's sake... but he just did not have the words for Ayatah. Even when he woke up next to her in the mornings, saw her lying there fresh and peaceful and sleeping... he could not reach out for her.

If he could not do it with his hand, what hope was there for his mind?

"I..." He began slowly, swallowed and kept going, looking up into yellow slits. "We, I mean... There've been some problems. I hoped that-"

Suddenly she was up in an angry blur of movement, glob of spiteful saliva hawked out onto the wet grass. Razkar actually felt his jaw open in surprise as she stalked away from him to the pool's edge. The air around her crackled with tension and something else she was barely keeping suppressed, and the cost of repressing it was only fueling her anger. The male grimaced and rolled his eyes. Why did he ever think he had even a clue about understanding females? Obviously she didn't want to hear him whining; she had her own problems.

He cleared his throat and rose, walking over to her with his hand out.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I didn't-"

She snatched herself out of his grasp so fast he almost fell forwards. The sheer dismissive tone of her body language touched of something in him, a reminder of earlier, angrier days. He was a warrior, after all. And she had just challenged him.

Like I said: no fucking clue.

Razkar drew himself and his voice came out as a snarl: "What in the hells is wrong with you, female?"