Open A walk through town, (Open Thread.)

[Zurenai Avarachi]

Zurenai Avarachi (Oh I see that is what has taken this so long, How unfortunate.) Zurenai growls happily at the challenge and lunges after you at a quick pace, his long muscular legs bounding, running directly behind you, not wanting to get lost, but begins to pick up pace and runs side by side with you, sprinting down the woods, ducking and dodging trees quickly, eyes gleaming in happiness. "My, she sure is fast and energetic. What a wild woman. I love it." He thinks to himself, happy to have her by his side. "Hell maybe I should stick with her, I don't get welcomed anywhere else. She is quite kind that I have noticed and she can help me if I am to survive here."

[Tinnok]

Unluckily for the half breed, she had only two legs whereas the feline had four. He charged onwards, seeming to keep her in sight as she ran so as not to lose where she was going.

Though she was more familiar with the territory, and her feet hammered against the ground with no need of stealth, Tinnok found herself drawing behind, never able to fully match the panther's speed. He still seemed to be in a playful mood, and Tinnok wondered if all Kelvic were so easy to trust. Even her first meeting with Alva had been considerably more friendly than any Myrian who had seen her for what she was. Perhaps it was that animals had no need of blood, and neither did Kelvics, either way the witch found it curious as she sprinted through the wilds towards her home.

"Oy, Kelvic, we're here!" Not that she had any need. A wall of vines blocked the way, but it seemed her new companion had already stumbled through them into the tiny clearing that held Tinnok's hut.

A dark pit for making fires stood to one side, and a strange construction that seemed to be formed more from the surrounding tree and encroaching vines than any actual man made building jutted out, two small windows and a strangely crooked door marking the little hovel that Tinnok called home.

They were greeted by Dog, and the Iganu Deepwoods dog was barking furiously as she caught the stench of a predatorial cat in her clearing.

Tinnok sprinted over, tackling the canine and making sure that she knew the cat was friendly. Flashes of the cat's throat ripped out and blood spilling on the ground were sent from the dog's mind into her own, but Tinnok forced back her own more peaceful thoughts, more of commands than suggestions. The panther was a guest after all, and she couldn't have either of them bloodying the other one up.

In the end Dog sat rigid, her lips pulled back slightly in a silent snarl, but she did not approach nor bark at the large cat, merely stood like a stature near the entrance to the hovel.

Tinnok sat herself down by the fire pit, a bead of sweat falling down the small of her back, hair loose around her face. What a strange day this was turning out to be. She beckoned for Zurenai to join her, patting the ground beside her.

"Do you prefer one form to the other?" She asked curiously. It seemed to her that the panther form would be stronger, faster, yet there were so many specific things the human form could do that the animal could not...speaking for one, seemed to be a big one.

She didn't mind if he stayed in cat form, however, Tinnok enjoyed silence as much as speech.

[Zurenai Avarachi]

Zurenai Avarachi Zurenai hisses and growls as he hears the dog bark and lowers down into a pounce, then upon seeing the dog he shakes his head lowering his gaze so as to not provoke the animal and looks up hearing Tinnok struggle to control it and considers trying to help but assumes he will probably just cause a larger problem. He follows her to the pit and drops his bag, transforming human as she asks him what form he prefers and he simply shrugs, "I enjoy both forms, I like to hunt in that of my Jaguar form and speak in my Human form", he kneels over and gently brushes the hair out of your face and suddenly remembers clothing. He takes his bag and his clothing, dressing, "I guess I would prefer my Jaguar body though. I don't have to worry about clothing. I apologize if that shamed you in any way. I simply dislike clothing." He sighs and sits with her, at least a foot apart and looks at her, "Thank you for taking me here. I quite enjoy it." He smiles and looks around, then back at Tinnok.

[Tinnok]

Tinnok nodded. The cat spoke a succinct logic, that she had seen in other creatures as well. "Clothing is a strange necessity its true." She smirked at his apologies. "You are lucky, most Myrians don't care for clothing either, we would walk around naked if we could to combat the heat, but it seems that some clothes are necessary to get by."

She contemplated what it would be like to so easily shift between forms, the usefulness of such an ability. As a creature more in tune with animals than most, Tinnok envied the Kelvic's natural born talents, and sat admiring his muscled frame for a moment before shaking her head a little.

"Ach, here I am staring. Such a rude hostess. Would you care for something to eat? I am sure I have some dried meats in the hut, perhaps a leftover fowl from yesterdays hunt."

She rose slowly and headed towards the small house, rifling inside and giving Dog a stern look to make sure she wouldn't try anything with the half breed's back turned.

"So what brought you to Taloba, anyway? It isn't the most hospitable place to strangers." Not even to some that live their whole lives here. She thought to herself bitterly, rummaging around. She found a few fruits, though she assumed a jaguar wouldn't want those, and took out a hung ground fowl she had caught the previous day, bringing it out and taking a seat by her new companion, slowly plucking the feathers from its body for meal preparation, golden eyes on Zurenai as she waited for his tale.

[Zurenai Avarachi]

Zurenai Avarachi Zurenai looks at her, surprised that she feels the same way about clothing and a faint smile breaks his lips. He thinks to himself So.. Maybe I will manage to fit in here... I just have to lay low for a bit longer... Maybe then he will escape being confronted by a challenge and he may even be able to reside here permanently... None the less, it will be a lot of work.. Though if I can pull it off.... He shakes his head, escaping his thoughts and nods, saying. "I am glad to meet someone with similar views as myself. I truly hate wearing clothing but where I was born and raised it was sadly a neccesity otherwise I would be jailed." He smirks, a smirk showing a rebellious attitude ad continues "I had been jailed at least 7 times before I left that wretched town." He catches her eying his body as he has yet to pull on his shirt, his deeper scars exposed on his muscled stomach and chest, though his muscle is more lean than it is thick and bulky, no doubt because of his animal like speed and grace. He smirks, "Hey now, don't stare, you will make me blush." His eyes brighten as she mentions food and nods, "I was getting a bit hungry. I just didn't want to be rude. Thank you for your offer and I will gladly eat whatever you prepare. Though I have yet to eat fowl... What is it?" He watches her move away and turns to watch her, seeing how the dog reacts under her eye and can't help but snicker, actually wanting to confront and befriend the beast but not sure if the dog would allow him to so he sits still and waits for Tinnok to return. He jumps as he hears her speak and moves quickly to catch what it is she was saying, "Nothing but fate brought me here I guess... I am just simply running from my past is all..." He watches her hoping that was enough and sighs seeing her curious eyes, "I guess you want a full story..? That cannot be helped I suppose. I do at least owe you that for allowing me to see your home and feeding me.... Well... It is a long story... I hope you have time... "

[Tinnok]

Feather by feather (which the half breed collected in a small bag to the side) Tinnok plucked the bird as she listened to the Kelvic speak. He was strangely eloquent, and it was comforting to speak with a stranger in her own tongue, that was for certain. She smirked at his joke, but then again couldn't imagine a creature like he could have had any shortage of females staring at the lithe body, nor have any true problems with it. Contemplating his offer for a tale, her bird, and the un lit fire in quick succession before grinning up at Zurenai.

"Well this bird will take a bit to prepare and cook, so I think I have time."

The half breed smiled, and set the bird aside for a moment, leaning into the ashes of the fire and scooping them up with her hands. Not until she found a dull warmth from her previous fire did she stop, and began collecting small brush and leaves to act as kindling for a larger flame. Perhaps the Kelvic wouldn't need meat cooked, but she most certainly did.

Though her attention was focused upon a few tasks, her eyes flitted to the feline every now and then, making sure he knew she was listening. Though a content native of Falyndar and not eager to leave, the tales of the lands far to the north were a constant source of fascination to the half breed.

[Zurenai Avarachi]

Zurenai Avarachi Zurenai sighs and nods watching you with a careful eye before finally appealing, "Persistent aren't ya..." He smiles and thinks to himself, Oh how did I fall into this trap... Surely I can get out... But is that the wise thing to do... Would she hold it against me if I decided against it.. Yes she surely would... I did say I would tell her... and I do owe her for helping me... Alas though... Ah... I owe her, I will tell her my tale and in turn she may tell me hers... even if she doesn't... He breaks his thought and looks at you and nods. "So... I was born in Taldera and I was always a relatively quiet one, I like to stick with my self, Ya know? Though an ally is good to have every once in a while... " He breaks off his wording and takes a breath, obviously nervous, having not had to ever talk about his past without spinning a lie and he is struggling to take out the false parts as best he can before starting once more. "So in Taldera, I was a pet.. for a young girl named... named... " He sighs and holds his head, already struggling with the many names he has made for her and then remembers a conversation with Hrisi and nods. "Her name was Sylra... She was a human so naturally she had no respect for me... Her parents sold me off and a kind woman name Hrisi Avarachi adopted me to stop someone from buying me and hurting me... She was compassionate... kind... really all I ever wanted, but I found myself bonding to her... stronger then my previous bond... I loved her.. with all my heart I did... So when she married her Husband told her to sever our bond and send me away..." Zurenai clenches his jaw and stares at the ground, obviously struggling with emotion, his eyes dark and takes a long ragged breath, staring at the ground, no longer wishing to meet your eyes for fear of his eyes showing weakness. He continues, "When she did it was like dying.... With all my scars I have yet to feel a pain quite like that... So... I left... I ran for quite some time.. taking only what I needed and the one heirloom she left me, I ran and ran and perhaps I am still running... Who knows... Since that day I haven't stopped running... Sure I will stop, sleep, eat, drink, brawl... the like... but I will not settle... not until I find something I can call home.. or someone... Yes... Many women have tried to bed me... I have denied each and every one of them. I am in the greatest sense. A nobody. I choose to hide from existence.. The only times I show up is when I find someone worth visiting or when I wish to brawl.." He concludes his story, meeting your eyes, the sadness gone, replaced with a fierce quality of rebellion. He lowers his gaze, letting you know he is concluding his story there and he sighs, watching you work and eventually asks, " Would you like some assitance? "

[Tinnok]

At first Tinnok listened with polite interest. She crackled and crunched the kindling together, rubbing it into the cherry red coals that sat beneath the grey and decayed remains of the fire, and watched as small wisps of smoke began curling up from the pit. She slowly stacked small twigs and leaves in a tent over the wisp, both to keep it protected from the wind, and let it smolder a bit longer before eventually igniting, leaving a trail of relatively dry and crisp leaves for the embers to catch upon.

Job done she leaned back and continued plucking the bird, but paused as Zurenai's tale brought him to a strange part of it. Tinnok's brow knitted in confusion mingled with interest as he continued, and her hands stopped moving, ears and eyes focused solely on the story teller in question.

When the Kelvic finished Tinnok sat with the bird clutched tightly in her hands, half plucked, quite enraged. "Is that what all barbarians are like?" She asked almost rhetorically.

Her head darted up. "Do males truly command such power where you come from, to control their females thusly? It is her choice, and marriage should have no sway in such a bond. They are two different things!"

She rose and shook her head, pacing with the bird's neck clutched in one hand. "It sounds as if you have been treated no better than some pet, when you are a fierce predator. You should command respect and fear, not lust from women." She glanced over reflectively, her rant broken by her admiration of the male form, something all Myrian women could drink in free of shame in Taloba.

"Perhaps Taloba is right for you then. To be in a jungle where you can be free, search out a new bond." She paused, realizing he had asked her a question, and stared at the limp bird in her grasp, rather embarrassed.

"Ah...no, I do not require any assistance...thank you."

The half breed sat back down, watching as small tendrils of flame began to curl up from the smoking wood in the fire pit. She continued plucking the bird. When she spoke she did not make eye contact, but instead focused on finishing with what would soon be their meal.

"Among Myrians you will not be seen as a pet unless you show weakness, will not ever go without respect unless you do not prove worthy of carrying it. We have great respect for the short lived creatures that are your kind. Perhaps it is because you seem closer to nature, more wild than simple barbaric humans who seem only to want material wealth and empty power." She shrugged. "It matters not what I think, only what you do, Kelvic."

She smirked and began slicing off strips of the bird flesh, sticking them on skewers and posing them atop the flames. More quietly..."A sad tale, but one with merit..."

[Zurenai Avarachi]

Zurenai Avarachi Zurenai smiles lightly as she curses the name and he nods, "Yes, that is how things are in the other world. They are all controlled by the male of the house..They don't even allow challenges of dominance there." He scowls shaking head. He smirks and shakes his head, "She should have fought it but she let me be thrown away.. Her husband was a fool. A weak fat fool. I wish my owner would have allowed me to break that mans neck." A growl rises in his throat slightly but shakes it off. He nods, " I thank you for siding with me... but I do not wish to live alone for all of my life... I do wish to bed a woman and make her mine one day... Just not yet... I am far to concerned and guided with other things to do so now... Unless I stay here I will not choose a woman.. but I think I should stay... He blushes a light pink as you stare at his body again and looks down. " Stop it.. You keep making me blush... As much as I enjoy your stare.. His blush fades and a smile creeps into his lips. Zurenai nods once more in agreement. "Perhaps I will stay here... seek out a bond as you say and become familiar with the landscape.. I do enjoy it here... I really do.." He stares at the forest in longing and then shakes head and meets your eyes once more. His eyes widen as you describe how the living is here and he nods. "I will stay.. and I would like to stay with you... Is that allowed..? No one has ever respected me since I lost my bond mate.. no one... I am constantly taunted about being a cat... I have accumulated many scars on my journeys here and even more back at home. Even they were cruel." He lowers his gaze, looking at the scars on his arms and realizes how ugly his scars must be to the Myrian and he sighs. He looks up at her and his eyes are serious, "Would you tell me your story perhaps..? If you do not I do understand but I wish to understand you... seeing as you know me better then most now.." He scoots closer to her, now maybe 3 inches apart and watches her reaction.

[Tinnok]

The slow sizzling of meats punctuated the Kelvic's words as Tinnok continued to de-feather the bird and slice chunks of meat away from its flesh. The fat of some other creature was rubbed along the meat to keep it from burning, giving the white strips of flesh a glossy look over the growing, crackling flames.

At the Kelvic's embarassment, Tinnok laughed. "Why be like that, cat? You have a fine form worth admiring. Form your story it would seem that many females have taken after your body, my eyes cannot be anything new." She saw him shift as if hiding his scars and she frowned. "Marks that tell the story of your life are nothing to be shamed of either. All Myrians carry as many scars as tattoos, it tells of our failures and victories in equal measure."

She shook her head when considering a world in which male's ruled over females. It seemed so preposterous and backwards to even the half breed, who had still been able to scare many males into deference, even if was not the same easy command a pure blood would have. Would they try to cull her if she went into a barbarian city? Make her abide by the way of males? Petching unlikely they'd succeed. Tinnok snorted and sat back, thoughtful.

When she heard his question, Tinnok shrugged. "I have no qualms with a Kelvic staying here. I am not often here as I must travel the jungles in service of my Mother.." She paused. "Caiyha, the Goddess of Flora and Fauna...if you have heard of her." She found it strange to contemplate that the Kelvic had not, but after all he was a stranger.

And then the question of a story. He slid closer, and Tinnok glanced at him. Strange that this creature was a full grown man, yet also looked so much like a child in the way he sought a story in return. Tinnok offered him one of the sticks of meat.

"I think you'll find my tale much like yours, little respect to be found."

She rubbed her hair, bits of it falling out from her tight braids and leaned back on both hands.

"I am a monster to my people. Dhani are feared and hated beings, one of the only things keeping Myrians from claiming the jungle as entirely theirs, if anyone can do such a thing in the company of Gods."

"It is not unheard of for a Dhani male to rape a Myrian woman, after all they are stonger creatures than us, and it takes many Myrians to fell a single snake, but it is quite rare that the mother of such a union wouldn't kill her child in the womb, or cull it after it was born...." Tinnok trailed off, eyes glazing over slightly. She preferred to stop there, but it was clear that the Kelvic had not been comfortable telling his story...there was no reason she should find comfort in telling hers.

"I do not know why I was not killed...I am sure it wasn't my mother's choice, for she has made me regret my birth from the earliest of days. When I was young I rarely left our patch of jungle, and was never allowed in the city. If other clans came over I was hidden or covered in dirt to hide my scales and never allowed to show my eyes. I was still trained as any Myrian child, and I like to think that my clan...well...at least they didn't want to outright kill me...I tried to prove of use. The first time I entered the city..." She shuddered at the memory. "Well...it seemed the older I got the less of a reason others had to murder me, and so when I came of age I joined the military, served my time, and during it I was blessed by that whom I consider my true mother...Caiyha."

She twisted to show Zurenai the intricate mark upon her left arm of a Strangler Fig tree. Embedded in its twining roots were luscious plants, birds, monkeys, and a tiger sat at the base of it. If he watched he could see the leaves of the tree shift in a non existent breeze, and the creatures move ever so slowly. Tinnok smiled. "Her gift allows me to commune with the plants and creatures of the jungle, and in return for this gift I look after them. This mark has saved my life more than once, for it is a great evil amongst Myrians to kill one marked by Caiyha, she who gave us Tskanna, and who holds our Jungles above most other places on Mizahar."

Tinnok rose slowly, still speaking even as she walked away.

"So that is the long and short of my tale. I now live here amongst the creatures that have never seen me for my blood, but for my actions, and I am content." She disappeared within her hut, and returned with a bottle of red liquid. It was a leftover bottle from Aya, a sweet liquor that her clan enjoyed making. Tinnok drizzled some upon the cooking bird and sat back down next to Zurenai, taking a long swig, then offering him the bottle. "It seems we have both suffered in our own ways, no?"