Closed Greenhorn (Kallian)

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

The Wilderness of Cyphrus is an endless sea of tall grass that rolls just like the oceans themselves. Geysers kiss the sky with their steamy breath, and mysterious craters create microworlds all their own. But above all danger lives here in the tall grass in the form of fierce wild creatures; elegant serpents that swim through the land like whales through the ocean and fierce packs of glassbeaks that hunt in packs which are only kept at bay by fires. Traverse it carefully, with a guide if possible, for those that venture alone endanger themselves in countless ways.

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Colt on May 22nd, 2013, 1:15 am

Image
34th of spring
neither morning nor afternoon

The sun hung proudly in the sky, washing the plains with heat and light. While it was not the savage beating that summer would surely bring, it was nevertheless hot, in its own way—certainly enough that too much clothing would make one uncomfortable. Still, if sweat was drawn, the tickle of the wind would soon enough cool it down, leaving the Sea of Grass in a limbo of warm and cold.

It was for this reason that he had deigned to leave off his tunic—the Drykas people were well aware of the risks of heatstroke, and while it may have been a bit early to make a habit of going about shirtless, his conception of social norms had always been a bit blurred, even on the rare occasion that he decided to care. He had little need for reputation or modesty—his company was that of beasts, and what need did they have for such things? Well, he wasn’t quite sure what Slither preferred to be classified as, but the Dhani still didn’t seem to care.

He moved briskly through the savannah, stealth forsaken for speed. He was still within easy distance from Endrykas, even on foot, and he had no intention of wandering far; hunting was sporadic so close to the settlement, but winter’s pox had felled a great many hunters—too many hunters—and the surrounding areas were left less foraged than they should have been. Animals were growing braver in their excursions, venturing closer to the city than they would have normally, and it made him nervous. If too much prey wandered unchecked, they would inevitably draw in predators. And that, he knew, would not bode well for his weakened people.

A disturbance in the foliage drew his gaze. The grass had been parted by a creature’s passage; solitary, it would seem, but very large. He angled in its direction, scanning the ground with a practiced eye in an attempt to glean the nature of the beast. Cloven hoofprints, delicate and sharp, supporting a relatively heavy body—a gemsbok, he decided, or perhaps a small kudu. Since it was not under the protection of a herd, he assumed it a bachelor buck, a young male on his first or second year alone. Not the ultimate prize, but either one of them would sport a fine hide and an equally fine pair of horns. The trail wasn’t too old; he’d wager half an hour, at the most.

He considered calling for Akaidras, but then decided against it. He loved the stallion dearly, but when it came to actually riding then their comfortable friendship was thrown into tensed assumptions and miscommunications. He was not used to being a rider and the strider was not used to being a mount, so he would probably be more successful if he did this alone. He reached to touch the javelins at his back, toying with each in turn to see that they were there and in order, and then returned his attention to the trail; he would need to move briskly if he wished to gain ground.

Until his step was halted; a flock of rooks began to chatter wildly in alarm not far away. Something was coming his way.
Image
“Pavi” | Grassland Sign | “Common” | “Tukant” | Nura
User avatar
Colt
Miss Communication
 
Posts: 1368
Words: 943625
Joined roleplay: August 8th, 2011, 6:38 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
Advocate (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Kallian Windrunner on May 22nd, 2013, 8:05 pm

“Shyke!”

Kallian set off at a brisk run, doing her best to hold up her bow and fire off an arrow, all the while aiming at the flock of rooks. The birds were thrashing about, fluttering away from each other. She let the arrow fly, but swore again as she saw it pass harmlessly through the group of birds. Allyria danced ahead, stomping her hooves and whinnying as if in a fit of laughter.

“Quiet,” she grunted, beckoning the horse to her. The strider approached at a quick trot and Kallian fluidly hoisted herself up to rest on the yvas. “It’s all your fault, with the neighing and the running. Now I don’t have lunch.”

The horse grunted, seemingly in reply.

She tapped the sides of her companion and they set off in a short-lived gallop. Allyria slowed at about fifteen yards and Kallian dropped from her back to scoop up the misfired arrow. Sighing, she jumped and threw a leg over the strider’s back before looking out across the Sea.

“Let’s keep going.”

A frustration set in. Her stomach grumbled and her family awaited her return with a bag full of animals. Her brothers were out hunting as well, though well across the plains on the other end of Endrykas. She would have gone with them as per usual, but she was in a mood; their fight in the morning still caused her blood to boil. So here she was hunting alone.

Kallian continued on her way, watching the Sea closely atop Allyria. Trained eyes found movement in the grasses ahead. It was slight, aware. Something saw her.

Curious, she tapped the sides of her strider and they approached.
User avatar
Kallian Windrunner
Warrior of the Diamond Clan
 
Posts: 69
Words: 27928
Joined roleplay: May 10th, 2013, 2:33 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Colt on May 23rd, 2013, 10:39 pm

Image
The rumble of large footsteps immediately set him on edge. He narrowed his eyes, straining his ears to pick out the sound. One set of feet. Hoofbeats. A Drykas? Something else? He briefly weighed the risk of assumption; if it was a large antelope or other such beast, to simply wait and see could be dangerous. But should it be a Drykas, what good would it do to hide?

The decision was made almost before he’d thought about it; to err on the side of caution was always best, and so he hastily drew a javelin and sank into the grass. It hovered by his shoulder, poised to throw as blood and adrenaline rushed through his ears. His breath halted for a single, pure moment, held in suspension by animalistic anticipation of the need to fight or the need to flee.

The grass parted before the horse and rider like a curtain, twisting wildly in the dust that the beast’s hooves had torn into the air. Proud, powerful, hide shimmering under the sun, but it was the rider that he felt more interested in; female, it appeared, face full with youth and unembittered. She bore no Clan colors, but he did not spend a great deal of effort trying to find them—the bow in her hands was much more concerning. He gripped his own weapon tightly, on edge but unwilling to let it fly; this was one of his own.

She scanned the land with curiosity, and he realized with a jolt that she had seen him; if not his hiding spot, then his movement towards it.

His lip curled in irritation; true, it was not as dangerous as he’d imagined, but he still should have been more aware; had it been a rhinoceros or something similar, he would have turned out much worse for wear.

He returned the javelin to his quiver, deciding that she was not a threat. She hefted a bow, yes, but it was not drawn and there was no arrow nocked, so he assumed that she was not out to harm him. He did not rise from the grass, but neither did he attempt to be sneaky about his actions; she had seen his previous motions, and it would be no stretch of the imagination to assume that she was now fully aware of him, but he cared little—he had a hunt waiting.

Not even sparing the woman a greeting, he turned back to the trail and began to follow its path. He did not wish to delay any farther.
Image
Last edited by Colt on May 29th, 2013, 4:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
“Pavi” | Grassland Sign | “Common” | “Tukant” | Nura
User avatar
Colt
Miss Communication
 
Posts: 1368
Words: 943625
Joined roleplay: August 8th, 2011, 6:38 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
Advocate (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Kallian Windrunner on May 29th, 2013, 4:42 am

Kallian spotted the man and immediately felt a flutter bite her stomach. He was tall with dark hair, shirtless and tanned underneath the warm sun; her eyes looked for windmarks, but found none. She opened her mouth to call out to him and extend a greeting, but he promptly turned his back to her and set out for the trail. A look of confusion swept over her face.

“He saw me, right?” she asked Allyria, as if expecting a response. When none came, she threw a leg over her horse and plopped to the ground with a brief thump. She ran a hand over her strider’s neck and lovingly caressed her face before following the man.

Her Windrunner legs, long and lean, took off in pursuit, interested as to why this strange man without windmarks was out alone. It was strange for a Drykas not to greet another, especially out in the grass; she could not fathom his reasoning for purposefully ignoring her. It set her on edge and inflamed her curiosity.

He was much taller than her and she easily saw his frame ahead of her. Her gait slowed as she advanced, not wanting to alarm him. Though what she did next was probably not the best approach.

“Hey,” she called. “Hey!

Her hands, covered by her gauntlet windmarks, tightened: one around her bow, the other into a fist. Long hair blew softly in the wind, though small, tight braids hung down with white thread tying them in place. Garbed in a loose linen shirt, leather pants, and soft leather boots, Kallian could feel the strict heat of the sun and the cool relief of the wind; however, at this point of time, she could only focus on her anticipation.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” she asked loudly. His lack of windmarks meant he was not a complete, full-fledged Drykas. She remembered how she was coddled by her brothers when she lacked her own marks; perhaps that had been their way of showing her unequal status at the time. However, that was all she knew. This man, unmarked and alone, was strange.
User avatar
Kallian Windrunner
Warrior of the Diamond Clan
 
Posts: 69
Words: 27928
Joined roleplay: May 10th, 2013, 2:33 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Colt on May 29th, 2013, 4:43 pm

Image
Grass rustled and snapped as she landed heavily upon the earth with a thump that he could feel through his feet. Great Caiyha, was she going to follow him?

After a moment’s silence, the foliage once again began to shake and shout at her passing. She was moving quickly, no thought given to the nature of her stride. He knew what came next; she would catch up to him, and then he would be assaulted with the same barrage of questions that he had no answers for. He attempted to speed up without looking like he was speeding up, but his attempts were fruitless.

“Hey!” She was much closer. “Hey!”

He heard the crashing acutely and cringed slightly, but there was not much he could do aside from flat-out running away—and he knew from experience that that was a terrible mistake to make when one was being pursued.

She slowed when she reached him, but her voice compensated.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” she said with more than enough volume for him to hear.

He huffed in annoyance and straightened suddenly. He spun on his heel to face her, making no attempt to mask his opinions of what she was doing—signed them, even—and put a decisive finger to his lips.

Irritation. Trying to concentrate. Can’t go, irritation, more irritation. “Shh,” he demanded. Then, just in case she hadn’t caught his meaning, he reinforced it in Sign once again; be quiet.

To answer her question, he turned and pointed at the trail in the grass--though, to one who knew nothing of tracking, it could seem little more than a simply curtain of grass.
Image
“Pavi” | Grassland Sign | “Common” | “Tukant” | Nura
User avatar
Colt
Miss Communication
 
Posts: 1368
Words: 943625
Joined roleplay: August 8th, 2011, 6:38 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
Advocate (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Kallian Windrunner on May 31st, 2013, 1:47 am

When he turned toward her, her eyes widened as she took in his features, which had seemed so dull with the earlier distance. His face, though handsome, was rough and weathered; his jaw was lined with a dark shadow of stubble. He was much taller than her, and stronger; however, this man had no windmarks. A prime example of a Drykas without his tattoos? Strange. Very, very strange.

His face was full of annoyance and he shushed her with such vigorous signing that she felt a flare of guilt shoot through her gut. Color flooded her cheeks with shame, yet the feeling was short lived. The strange man pointed to a trail in the grass, a parting made by some sort of large animal.

Kallian did not have much experience when it came to hunting, as she typically played the part of the killer. Her brothers typically shushed her with a finger to their lips, ushering her to follow behind them. They told her to place her feet in their footprints as a means to keep quiet, to only shoot when they signed. She was a valuable warrior against human or humanoid targets, yes, but her skills were lacking regarding animals. Hence her more frequent hunts.

So this strange man had ignored her to keep quiet… or to lose her in the grass so she would not follow. Annoyance crept across and twisted her lips into a frown. Her left hand clutched her bow, but the other rose to sign, somewhat angrily.

Past, annoyance, ignore, greeting, reason. “You didn’t have to ignore me,” she whispered, voice low.

Kallian realized he had signed can’t go. Her frown lengthened and her fingers waved fervently once more. Will go, help, big animal. She held up her bow for a moment before pointing at him with her signing hand. Her fingers calmed and became more fluid, serene and friendly. “You don’t have any marks… are you Drykas?” Confuse, unsure, explanation.
User avatar
Kallian Windrunner
Warrior of the Diamond Clan
 
Posts: 69
Words: 27928
Joined roleplay: May 10th, 2013, 2:33 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Colt on May 31st, 2013, 2:46 am

Image
Her eyes roamed his face in scrutiny, then flickered to where he had indicated. A ghost of regret passed over her body, but it was gone in a flash; annoyance quickly took its place, and both her speech and sign were jagged with anger.

“You didn’t have to ignore me,” she said in a whisper underscored with an irritated demand for explanation.

He huffed, allowing a heartbeat-long flash of his teeth as a silence fell between them. He let out a silent, relieved breath, imagining the sudden quiet wrap around him like a cloak. He said nothing in response, nor did he give her any more signs; he knew well enough that she, like every human he had come across, would soon try and drive the silence away as if it were some terrifying monster looming above.

Still, the signs she gave him were rather surprising—her, come with him?

He didn’t immediately discard the idea, and the more he toyed with it the more it seemed like it would be at least a bit useful. He couldn’t hope to process an antelope on his own, and the idea of dragging it all the way back to the city was by no means an attractive one. He made a grumbling sound in the depths of his chest, the sound of half-hearted contemplation. Still…

Undecided, he informed her.

Her signs changed, abandoning their emotional jerkiness and taking on a more flowing air.

“You don’t have any marks… are you Drykas?” her posture pleaded gently for a reason that justified his lack of Windmarks.

Yes, he gestured, adding a nod to drive the point farther. He offered nothing else in answer to her question, and gave no indication that he had any plans of doing so in the future; Windmarks were a part of the culture that he was undeniably entangled with, but also of the deafening chaos which he could not seem to stand. No marks, it was true, but it was also true that, despite their absence, he had earned them by Drykas law—his bonded strider was indisputable proof of that. The entire matter was an abstract one, one he couldn’t fully explain to himself, much less a stranger. Right now, he was hunting, and he didn’t need to worry about such things.

He shifted as his mind eventually wandered to a conclusion. His brown-green eyes locked with hers, piercing, searching, examining the determination and curiosity writ within her gaze. If the eyes truly were doorways to the soul, then it might seem as if he was attempting to read hers.

But to him, his fierce stare bore another meaning. The Drykas were a proud people, a people that were not afraid to look one another in the face—yet another reason he did not spend a great deal of time among them. He was a beast forged from wind and earth and stone, not the fluttering canvas of a family pavilion. His company was that of beasts, and it was their company that her treasured above all else—and to a beast, from a beast, such a stare meant only two things: the heated invitation to rut, or the daring declaration of challenge.

Did she think it wise to follow him farther?

Deciding, bad idea, danger, enemies, much unknown...

Then she would reap what she sowed.

… then come, challenge.

There was hardly a moment’s pause between the simple request and his return to his trek. He did not move slowly or even spare another glance to the young woman; he had a job to do, and if she wanted to accompany him she would have to keep up.
Image
“Pavi” | Grassland Sign | “Common” | “Tukant” | Nura
User avatar
Colt
Miss Communication
 
Posts: 1368
Words: 943625
Joined roleplay: August 8th, 2011, 6:38 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
Advocate (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Kallian Windrunner on May 31st, 2013, 3:21 am

Kallian felt another spark of annoyance. He avoided answering her and failed to give any sort of explanation regarding his lack of a socially appropriate greeting; instead, he allowed silence to fall between them before moving on to the other topic at hand.

When questioned gently about his ethnicity, he signed yes and nodded. She had expected as much from him due to his sign fluency; he appeared to be a native speaker based on his precise and natural movements.

It was interesting, though. Kallian looked over him again. It was not unheard of for a man his age to be without windmarks, but it did not seem common, at least among her clan. He did not pursue the topic further, however, and left her without an explanation. Her mind, curious, blew through possible explanations: perhaps this man had not been chosen, perhaps he was an exile. Viable conclusions. If he was indeed hostile, he would have killed her long before she had seen him. It was clear he meant her no harm.

His eyes locked with hers and Kallian felt another flare shoot through her stomach. However, this emotion was not fear, nor was it anxiety or shame. No, she felt the warm heat of excitement. Her eyes, blue-green underneath the sun, mirrored his gaze and she stood her ground. She read his look and felt her lips curve into a smile. It was the stare she gave to others at camp unwilling to face her in combat, the stare her brothers gave to her suitors.

It was a challenge.

His signs warned her of the possible danger, but she replied with a wry grin. The final sign was the invitation she had been expecting, the reason for his stare. The man turned, uncaring to her decision, and set off in pursuit of his prey. Without a moment’s delay, she immediately followed. She was hushed to silence and did not speak another word.

Although his strides were long and powerful, she was able to keep a close distance. The Windrunner’s legs were a blessing to her. Her footsteps were light and quick and she kept to his footprints to lower her own volume further. Her right arm rested close to her side, hand hovering over her quiver.

Kallian would ask for his name later. He had challenged her to keep up and prove herself. For now, all that mattered was the hunt.
User avatar
Kallian Windrunner
Warrior of the Diamond Clan
 
Posts: 69
Words: 27928
Joined roleplay: May 10th, 2013, 2:33 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Colt on May 31st, 2013, 4:28 am

Image
Her pursuit came as no great surprise to him. Her steps were still loud, but not quite as loud as before; he did not turn to see why, but her passage was lighter, more careful. He wasn't really concerned with it, at the moment; they were still quite far from his—no, now it seemed that it was their—quarry.

The trail was not subtle by any stretch of the imagination, and he found following it about as easy as following a road. It gave his mind ample freedom to reflect on exactly why he had come to the conclusion that he just had.

He couldn’t deny the curiosity; he had met many Drykas over the seasons, and he had been impressed by very few. They talked and talked without end, yet still managed to say so little. They boasted of kills and triumphs over great men and creatures, but quailed at the thought of simply being quiet. They voiced their great love for the plains, but would walked within it with such carelessness for what was around them whenever they weren't astride their horses—the horses understood, he knew. They respected it, for sure, but they understood so little of its fine shadows and nuances and little secrets tucked away within the brush. He had come to hold his people in an odd form of contempt, and for that he felt ashamed. He wanted, needed something—or someone, perhaps—to prove him wrong.

The woman may not have known it, but she had become the spokesperson for her people.

He said nothing, but that in itself was its own challenge. He heard her following, but did not give the slightest acknowledgement of her presence. He moved as if she weren’t behind him, with the practiced, almost languid grace of a predator; calm, confident and unhurried. They would find what they were looking for.

The sun reached her zenith, showering the grasslands with not-quite-blazing heat. The full force of her fury would be felt when summer came, but now, in the spring, it was tolerable.

And beneath it, in silence, he continued to move. If she wished to interrupt the wordless journey, then so be it, but it would not be him that spoke first.
Image
“Pavi” | Grassland Sign | “Common” | “Tukant” | Nura
User avatar
Colt
Miss Communication
 
Posts: 1368
Words: 943625
Joined roleplay: August 8th, 2011, 6:38 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Overlored (1)
Advocate (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1)

Greenhorn (Kallian)

Postby Kallian Windrunner on May 31st, 2013, 11:44 pm

Kallian was fine with the silence at first. Hell, she welcomed it. She concentrated on keeping quiet and kept her feet lined up with steps, doing her best to follow silently. This kept her attention for a few minutes, but she eventually felt herself succumb to boredom.

When she hunted alone, she had no problems keeping quiet. She thought about her days, suitors, where she could go, etc., and rarely spoke. Allyria was her companion on these expeditions and heard her small comments, listening but never judging.

Her feelings changed when she hunted with other people, most notably her brothers. While tracking, they chatted and joked and poked fun at each other and only quieted when they drew near to their prey. They bonded with laughter and playful bickering. She had never hunted with someone so… quiet.

Kallian cleared her throat, attempting to draw his attention. He seemed set on following their quarry and essentially ignoring her. She supposed she would have to prove herself before he opened his mouth to not only speak, but to introduce himself. The thought flowed through her mind, but only briefly; she promptly concluded she could not go without some sort of communication.

It would be best to start with names, as it was socially appropriate. What if she needed to call for help?

Well, then I would yell help, she thought.

“Um… my name is Kallian, by the way,” she said, voice low. “Windrunner of the Diamond clan.”
User avatar
Kallian Windrunner
Warrior of the Diamond Clan
 
Posts: 69
Words: 27928
Joined roleplay: May 10th, 2013, 2:33 am
Location: Endrykas
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests