Where Things Fly and Crawl(Hyacinth)

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden didn’t hesitate as his sword was quickly brought forward, piercing the tip through the man’s chest, aiming for his heart. Jaeden’s other hand, still gripping his bow, brought the shaft of the bow to a quick rest along the wrist of the man’s weapon arm, blocking any death thrashes he may have come at Jaeden with as Jaeden continued to thrust the blade through the man, pushing it entirely through the man’s body before a quick jerking motion down was given, cutting through rib, flesh and organ as he locked eyes with the man once more. “Don’t worry, your issues are solved now.” Jaeden said before adding the final quip, “You’re a loud individual, you know that?”

Jaeden then pulled his sword free from the bald man, pushing his body off to the side as he looked to Fortunado, giving a quick tout whistle again as his horse came galloping towards him. “Come on Red,” Jaeden said as he sheathed his sword and grabbed the fox by the scruff of it’s neck, picking her up. “Let’s go someplace a little less crowded before you lick my face and cuddle.”

Jaeden then slung his sword over his shoulder, grabbing Fortunado’s saddle with his hand while cradling the fox in his arm as he quickly climbed into his saddle, giving a quick glance around for others nearby. A light kick to Fortunado’s sides were given as the Nightwalker went galloping at full speed into the thick of the forest as Jaeden leaned forward, slipping the fox between his chest and the saddle, gripping the reins and saddle horn tightly as Fortunado weaved between trees and jumped fallen logs, putting distance between them the clearing as quickly as possible. Jaeden gave a slight tug on the reins, veering off to the right and then continued to ride.

He continued to ride, and ride hard, for close to ten chimes, taking several turns and random directions to throw off any trackers that my have been following them after discovering the first hunter dead, if only to buy them all a few chimes worth of time. Finally Jaeden slowed Fortunado down, bringing him to a stop as a wince from more hard riding had left his rear feeling sore. Something he hoped he would grow used to soon. “Stay nearby buddy,” Jaeden then said to Fortunado, giving the horse a light slap on the rear. “I’ll whistle for you, just don’t get shot.”

Jaeden then began walking as Fortunado began roaming the area, disappearing into thick foliage as he came to a seated position along the ground, looking around for followers for a moment before his gaze fell down to the fox once more. “Okay Red,” Jaeden said idly as his fingers fell down to her collar, fumbling with the buckle as he began removing it, “let’s see if my suspicions are correct.”

[Kelpie]

The bald brute spluttered blood over his chin and shirt when Jaeden administered the kill shot. He grasped at the air in his final moments, crawling at nothing in particular as if to regain balance and his yelps of pain echoed amongst the trees surrounding them. But soon his eyes curled back in his head and he collapsed on the foliage-ridden ground with a loud thud, even causing the earth to tremble for a fraction of a chime. The fox barked in surprise when Jaeden picked her up, but she did not struggle. Her legs kicked and flailed when they sped off on Fortunado without a second thought. ---------------------------------- Throughout the encounter the boys at the caravan site were busy haggling over the recount of kills and the arrows the contestants brought back. Brok was mingling near the corner of the clearing, watching with keen eyes and listening with equally keen ears at the surroundings, and mulling over the interesting individual he met earlier. Jaeden, a self righteous man he seemed, so bent on the gods and their wills that Brok smirked to himself. He went about collecting several of the arrows littered about the ground, a habit of his, if you will, but one distinct sound caught his attention and forced him to a pause. Not ten chimes after Jaeden had fled on Fortunado with the fox, Brok came upon the body of the bald man. He shook his head as if the sudden death was unfortunate, but he promptly crouched down beside the pale corpse and inspected it closely. The bow and arrows distributed by the caravan were nearby, thus Brok suspected this man to be a contestant. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, inspected the wounds and deemed it to be a homicide. “No such animal makes that kind of a mark…” He brooded thoughtfully to himself. The tracks of a horse caught his attention next, leading away from the clearing and further into the wilderness. A smile cracked his chapped lips. Once he returned to the caravan, he tipped his hat and motioned to two of the boys, beckoning them closer. “It seems we have more than just animals to hunt now, boys. We got ourselves a man hunt. Get your swords and bows and let’s get on with it. Jarred, Hamel, stay with the caravan, Isen and Kai will come with me.” With the necessary preparations already made, the three hunters set out into the woods, bent on a confrontation that will most likely end in a death. ------------------------ Once Jaeden arrived to the temporary sanctuary, the fox wagged her tail happily and nudged his hand enthusiastically. She stood still as he worked on the collar, and once she was free of the burden of it, she hopped off his lap and jumped several feet away. Instead of a gangly fox, there now stood a woman of small stature, with straight auburn hair and olive skin. She was exotic in appearance alone, for her almond shaped eyes glowed amber and her teeth bore canines too long for a normal human. But not a moment later and Jaeden found himself flat on the ground with said woman on top of him in a tight embrace. “Thank you so much! I thought I was going to die.” She nuzzled his neck affectionately, then looked into his eyes in all seriousness. “But you can’t leave now, we have to save the rest. Please, we must go back and help the others..” She stood then, gazing out at the trees, the horizon beyond, and shivered in the slight breeze. "I can fight well, I distracted that man for you did I not? But if you give me a sword, anything, I can fight with that too." Further out in the Wildlands, the three hunters were closing in on their location.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden looked down to the collar for a moment after removing it as the Fox jumped off his lap. He gave a slight scoff to the crude device before tossing it aside and looking back then. His gaze only shifted to surprise as the nude woman now leapt on top of him, forcing him to the ground and started nuzzling his neck. “Ghaaahaaa.” Jaeden exhaled slightly as her nude frame rubbed along his body, threatening a response in places Jaeden often responded in such situations. His head leaned upward as he stared past the Kelvic’s head, seeing the smooth curvy skin of her bare rear as a lecherous smile crossed his features, his hand slowly reaching out to it as the perv nature of Jaeden began to kick in. His hand stopped then, due in part to both Ranuri reacting to the Kelvic’s sudden desires for help, and her own serious look given to Jaeden’s eyes.

His head slowly thumped down to the ground, letting out an exhale as Ranuri took over, filling him with the urge to help, to free the others. “The clouds sure are nice.” Jaeden said idly, observing a few that were passing by for a moment before slowly sitting up, sliding the woman off of him. “Don’t be so silly. Of course I was going to help in freeing the others.”

Jaeden then slowly stood up, slipping his back pack off for a moment as he tried keeping his gaze from lingering over the Kelvic’s nude body for the moment. “What’s your name?” Jaeden asked idly as his hand began rooting around inside his pouch.

Shortly after, Jaeden pulled out a spare brown tunic from his pack, holding it out idly to the woman as he kept his gaze a little upward. “Ahem. Nudity has a time and place, unfortunately right now, it would only tend to distract me.” Jaeden then commented, waiting for her to accept it and slip it on.

Jaeden then took quick inventory of his stock. He currently had ten arrows left. He would have to make any shots he had count as he looked back to the Kelvic, slowly reaching behind his waist to pull out a dagger and offer it to her. “Alrighty, keep that nose of yours sharp. You’ll be able to smell them coming long before I’ll notice the sounds.” Jaeden said as he began pulling some of the foliage from the ground and sticking it around his clothing for camouflage. “By now they've likely found the guy that was killed and will be tracking us down. Keep in mind, that dagger is only to defend yourself. Do not go on the offensive against these men. Their numbers will most likely outnumber us and they’ll likely be able to put an arrow into you before you even reach them if they’re any good.”

[Kelpie]

The kelvic smiled contentedly when Jaeden spoke of helping her fellow kin. “Yes… They don’t deserve this horror. It’s treacherous, what they do to us. It just… makes me so angry and sad..” She paused then, clenching her fists into a tight ball, knuckles paling from the pressure. And then she glanced up at his question, tilting her head, eyeing him. “I don’t have a name. Is that strange? So many humans roam the land with a title… but here I am with nothing to call myself.” She blinked at the tunic, but promptly took it. There was an inherited habit in her to thoroughly feel things that felt nice to the touch, and such the tunic was given a considerable amount of attention before she slipped it on. “I’m sorry, I suppose I should keep that in mind. I promise I won’t take it off.” Then the dagger, the fox woman nodded at his words, listening with her undivided attention at his words. She would fight for this man if it meant she would regain her freedom. And if she died in the heat of the battle, at least she would be content with having struggled til the very end. “What will you do then?” She asked, gripping the hilt and giving it a few swings for good measure. “You can’t possibly fight them off by yourself. I could draw them in somehow, and we could pick them off?” The scent of the hunters caught her nose quite clearly, and at once the kelvic whipped her head around in alarm. The rustle of foliage and the crackling of twigs resounded from the deep woods. They were coming. “They were quicker than I thought..” She murmured quietly, and moved so she stood beside Jaeden. “They come from the east--” Not a chime after she spoke an arrow pierced the air and landed directly in the trunk of the tree behind the woman. She froze in utter shock, her amber eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Biting down the sudden urge to yelp in surprise, she ducked down, a hand on the soil, with the dagger held close to her chest. Out from the shadows emerged the three hunters, with Brok in the center, and the younger ones side by side behind him. Brok held a smug look on his face as he tapped the sword he held in his weathered hands, “Well well, if it isn’t the young chap from earlier! Who would have guessed you would have been a murderer.” The other two chuckled, holding their bows aloft and aimed squarely at Jaedan and the kelvic. “Did ye think ye could get away with it, boy? Ye can’t outrun professionals. And here we have a lady! What’s this now, getting fresh out in the wilderness too?” A chuckle. “I suppose we will get something out of this after all…” The kelvic growled deep in her throat at Brok, which elicited a surprised expression from the said hunter and then an outright burst of laughter. “And a feisty one too, excellent excellent. Well then, shall we get on with it? Or should I bring you back to the camp for a public execution? I may be darn cruel sometimes but I still got some honor left in me.”

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly nodded to the Kelvic as he pulled his sword free, pouring water from his water skin along the blade to wash away the blood that still clung to the blade. “Well, you think of a name for yourself then. Until you do, I’ll keep calling you Red.” Jaeden said when she replied about her name.

He then looked up towards the east when she mentioned they were coming, not a moment later the arrow sunk into the tree, vibrating lightly as it came to it’s sudden halt. “Wow, I hope they were aiming for me, otherwise Caiyha’s gonna be a little pissed.” Jaeden remarked under his breath as he let his blade rest along his shoulders looking to Brok and the other two approaching. He gave a slow rub to his face as Brok began speaking, looking somewhat unconcerned at the moment, despite feeling the odds were against him. “Well, can’t really call it murder when the other guy attacks first, but I digress. I sort of expected you guys about five chimes ago.”

Jaeden then looked down to Red, raising his leg slightly as he began dragging his fingers along the back of his boot, where the Achillies Tendon was located, in a mock motion of itching a scratch shifting his gaze to the knife she had hidden below the foliage. His motions were a faint signal for what she could do to help him out, one that he had hoped she would pick up on. When his hands then slid along the quiver of arrows as if brushing off something from his hand, the second part of the signal had come as he looked back to the Brok and the hunters. He had essentially been telling her where and who to take the knife to. In reality, it wasn’t a huge stretch for her to pick up on, considering the bite she had given the bald man back at the clearing.

Jaeden’s hand fell to his hip then, looking between the three as Brok mentioned dragging him back to camp for execution. At that moment, he decided to go to the well once again as he tilted his head slightly, looking past the three. He then let his eyes widen slightly, increasing his rate of breathing as he mocked nervousness. “Uh, yeah. It’ll be sort of hard to drag us back to camp with a Puma about to pounce on you.” Jaeden commented

Again, whether they looked or not, Jaeden sprung forward with both feet, covering the couple of meter’s distance between them. His sword, already resting on his shoulder was swung in a wide arch at all three of them, hoping his blade would find flesh to debilitate or possibly kill at least one of them.

[Kelpie]

Red watched Jaeden closely as he motioned for her to do exactly what he was implying. To go for the kill. She could do this if she set her mind to it. It was in her nature, to hunt, to be quick and agile and to steal or lunge at what she could. Her amber eyes darted from one large man to the next, calculating, deciding on which one would be the easiest to topple over with a swift swipe of her dagger. But the voice of Brok broke her concentration for a fraction of a chime. “You think a silly trick like that is going to fool us, boy?” He chuckled. But alas, the two brutes behind him had indeed fallen for the cheap coy, and Red took the first opportunity to react. She propelled herself forward on agile legs, leaving grass and soil flying in her wake. Gripping the dagger tightly, the man was caught unawares as she swerved swiftly behind him, slid low to the ground and sunk the blade deep into the root of the boots he wore. It was deep enough to tear through the leather and cause a deep incision in his flesh, making him howl in agony and collapse to the floor in a heap. Meanwhile Brok had face palmed in annoyance until he easily sidestepped away from Jaedan, however his partner was caught in the swipe of the blade, with contact ripping apart his chest cavity in a fraction of a chime. “Boy, ye got a lot of guts,” came Brok’s growl as the other hunter stumbled and spluttered blood. He kicked at Jaeden’s exposed legs, forcing him to his knees from the lack of guard he had ended up in after the initial strike. But Brok was merciless, and immediately he had thrust with his sword and penetrated Jaeden’s stomach. Red had noticed the attack on Jaeden and immediately rushed to his aid, but the lack of any careful planning resulted in her tackling him from behind, wrapping her arms around his wrinkled neck and tightening as hard as she could. Brok, momentarily shocked, coughed and attempted to regain his breath, but with each passing moment, he had turned and struck Red viciously in the stomach, forcing her to loosen her hold on him and crumple to the ground. “Savage little whore you are,” growled Brok, who then shoved Jaedan aside, grasped a handful of Red’s thick auburn hair and lifted her up. She hissed and clawed at his hands, but he held fast, backhanding her just as viciously as he had struck her before. “You got a pet now, boy?” He barked, chuckling then looked over at his colleague who lay on the ground, whimpering at his torn ligaments. “Get up you useless whelp.” Jaeden had managed to fell one of the hunters in the momentary lapse of victory, but now Red was being threatened, drawing attention away from him and onto her. A potential opening, however, the other hunter had clawed his way up to his feet, limping and oozing fresh crimson liquid.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden remained on his knees, gritting his teeth in pain as the searing pain of the wound in his gut brought back haunting reminders of another occasion, with a different Kelvic. “Get up!” His mind shouted at him as he brow knotted up and his eyes narrowed.

His gaze fell along Brok as he struck Red the first time, causing her to lose her strangle hold over him. “Get up!” His mind repeated as his leg twitched, his left hand gripping his wound to prevent the flow of blood.

His face contorted again, seeing Brok now strike Red with his sword. Strike her again. A slow exhale was almost hissed silently as he looked at Brok now. “Get up you petch! You’ve gotten a gut wound before. You know the pain, it’s nothing compared to what they’ll do to her, just like they did with Helena.” Jaeden’s own mind screamed at him now.

Brok slowly turned his head away from Jaeden to look to the fallen hunter with him as he began getting back to his feet. Jaeden’s own feet, in that instant, dug into the ground, pushing him forward. His sword, still gripped tightly in his right hand, moved upward and was thrust forward at the old hunter in his moment of distraction. A slash of his sword would be to risky, as Red, still gripped by Brok, might get hit as with if Jaeden’s sword missed or cut to cleanly. His thrust made no attempt to be merciful, or to cause lingering pain. It aimed for Brok’s heart, looking to end any extended conflict immediately. At the same time, Jaeden’s left hand reached out, grasping at Brok’s shoulder. Should his thrust miss, he hoped to at least throw Brok off balance as he shoved Brok with the whole of his strength, towards the other, already injured hunter.

[Kelpie]

Red twisted and turned in Brok’s grip, growling and hissing all the while, but the older hunter kept his grip firm. He was on the verge of viciously shoving her to the floor to begin an all-out beating until the sudden movement behind him caused his head to whip around. He wasn’t fast enough, the sword might not have caught it’s intended target, but when Brok made to move it had caught him in between the ribs and punctured his lung. He released his grip on Red out of pure shock. Stupid stupid stupid, turning his back on the enemy for not a few chimes would be the end of him. He had not expected the boy to be so strong-willed, to overcome the pain of the wound he inflicted on him and attack with such determination. No sound escaped his lips, only the gruff sounds of the hunter who’s Achilles tendon was sliced open were heard when Jaeden had pushed Brok at him. Red sat there, seething and furious, glaring at the two men struggling and bumbling around on the ground in an effort to get back on their feet. Brok’s movements were slowing from the loss of blood and the agony of a torn lung, and Red could smell it. At once she had scrambled for the dagger she had left near the grass, then rushed towards them, climbing onto the back of Brok’s sturdy form and began to pound the dagger into his flesh. One, two three times, again and again, with blood splattering on her clothes, her hair and her face. She didn’t stop until she felt the hunter’s beating heart come to a standstill, in which cause shouted in rage and spewed cuss words and obscenities to the kelvic. She did not respond, instead she blinked almost absently at him, holding the bloodied dagger in her lap as if weighing the thought of massacring him as well. The pent of emotions were overwhelming her. Being a fox for so long, there was only so many things to express. Now she could truly show them how she felt when they murdered her friends.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden didn’t waste any time as Red leapt onto Brok, stabbing at him repeatedly. With such an outburst of fury, he found that the last remaining hunter alive was distracted, and Jaeden learned early on that when you had such an opening, you took it. It was often the difference between winning and losing a fight. Jaden shuffled his feet forward quickly, his left hand gripping the wound along his stomach. As the last hunter slowly sat up after falling over, Jaeden’s longsword was reared back. With a quick, precise swing, Jaeden’s sword cut deeply through the hunter’s throat.

Jaeden’s attention then finally fell to Red, who sat there with an almost absent expression on her face. Blood spatters covered her hands and front of the shirt Jaeden had given her as she breathed heavily, almost physically and emotionally exhausted. Jaeden dropped his sword to the ground, falling to his knees beside her as he grunted slightly over his wound.

His hand slowly reached out, resting lightly along the side of Red’s face, turning her gaze to meet his own. “It’s okay,” Jaeden said softly, offering a comforting smile. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Jaeden then slowly pulled Red towards him, resting her face along his chest. It was true enough that she deserved to get it out, and the man who did such to her deserved the brutality that she gave him. Still, Jaeden needed her to calm down at the same time. Already wounded, he would need her for the final two hunters that didn’t come with Brok, most likely still with the caravan. He would need her calm, and her head clear. Emotion could be released when danger was no longer present.

[Kelpie]

With the two hunters dead, Red could feel the calm washing over her. They were alone, yes, with corpses lying about them, but they had triumphed, and the relief could finally settle in. When Jaeden spoke tenderly to her, and turned her head to look at him, her eyes were no longer glazed, and they welled up with the gratitude she felt for him. She would not cry, no, she was a fox. She was an animal that held no fear for the human that knelt before her. But indeed she embraced him, tightly, pressing her cheek as close to his warm chest as she could, because it was the first comforting thing she had felt in a while. “No..” She growled, deep in her throat, “No they won’t hurt anyone else.” She smelled the metallic scent of the blood coming from his wound, and she touched it lightly, a crease on her forehead indicating her worry. “He hurt you badly, I’m sorry, I should have reacted sooner.” Then she glanced up, shaky fingers gently caressing the side of his cheek, and she smiled. “But I can tell what you’ll say. We have to fight the rest, because that is what must be done.” She didn’t care then if he protested to her tearing at his shirt. She would wrap the piece of clothing around his abdomen and over his gaping wound to seal it as tight as she could. She was no expert at medicine, but she had seen it be done to countless injured slavers in the course of her life. She stood then, raising her nose up toward the breeze that rustled the foliage donning the trees. The scent of humans was so clear-cut and acute that it made the hair on her neck stand on end. “It’ll be easy returning,” she said, taking several steps to the east. Then a pause, “By now many of my kin will be dead.. The surviving must be avenged. Follow me, human, and make sure you keep up!” With that said she immediately began her long and arduous sprint through the trees, toward the camp that held the remaining two hunters. ------------------ Back at the caravan, Jarred and Hamel sat counting the profit they earned that day and occasionally kicking at the crates holding the remaining animals. They were lounging relatively in peace, but their swords were kept on their persons at all times, with longbows held against the chairs they were sitting on. They were discussing nothing interesting in particular, other than the amount of booze and women they would receive from today’s bounty. Jarred, the far more muscular of the two, glanced up once in a while, scanning their surroundings not for dangers, but for Brok and the two that had left earlier. It had been far too long since they had set off, and suspicion was brewing in him.