Completed A Jaunt Through the City of Bones (Nightly)

[Tinnok]

She chuckled at what she could only assume was the closest thing the Kelvic might come to complimenting her, comfortably weaving her way through the crowds as she thought of it...

When she suddenly realized she had lost him.

Turning around, golden orbs searched the crowds, seeing a crouched pale figure in among the throng of people. She jogged towards him, watching his posture on all fours, the Myrians moving around him like...well a feral animal.

"Nightly..." She crouched down beside him, looking at his wide yellow eyes, a hand gently leaning down to curl around his shoulder. She wasn't sure if he would accept any sort of comfort, but she sat down upon the dirt as if they had all the time in the world anyway.

"You can transform if you like, and I can carry the pic, and your bag. I'm sorry...this is a lot." To a creature raised in the dank and underpopulated caverns of Zinrah, surely. She wondered if he understood any of it, and found it strange her patience seemed to hold out for him this long. But he was still infantile, in more ways than one.

She pressed a strand of his hair behind one ear, giving him what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

"Put that Kelvic on a leash, female." A voice murmured as it passed.

Tinnok flew upwards and grabbed a shorter female by the shoulder. Shoving her roughly. "You mind your own business, wench."

The female spun at the insult and sent a fist flying toward the half breed's face, who nimbly dodged, her legs spinning to twirl to the side, grabbing the female by the waist and hurling her bodily into the throng of onlookers.

Suddenly Tinnok found herself in the middle of a full out fight, a ring forming around the two Myrian females and the cringing Kelvic.

And she had wanted to blend in...Wonderfully done.

[Nightly]

He had slunk in on himself after he had been unable to spot Tinnok; his shoulders were hunched and his head hung between them. He was close to abandoning the food and just grabbing his bag and running when Tinnok was just there beside him again. Miserably he looked at her as he was touched; hardly even reacting to it. He didn’t like it here.

He gave a whine, as if he were a dog. So much noise, that and the smell; he couldn’t pick which was worse. He smelled old and new blood, rot and burning things. He smelled the dye used in leather the spices in food. He heard the panic sound of animals for sale and could smell their fear. He understood why Tinnok had not wanted to take the piglet here.

Then the people, they made noise as they walked, just moving sent many into a clatter of jewels that was like bones rattling or even the high pitch ping of metal. He closed his eyes as a strand of the oddly long fur was moved away from his eyes. He saw her smile but didn’t even try to return it. More people flowed around them, then a female snipped about a leash.

That was something he knew about, leashes and collars. He had one on in the caves to keep him as a cat; it took till recently for the leather to rot away so he could shift. It was lucky, since he had started to choke from it. When Tinnok got up and pushed her away, Nightly’s head snapped up as the unknown one tried to strike out but missed.

People were gathering around and Nightly found himself in a wall of people. Shivering he looked around, trying to find a way out. More smells, cheers; they wanted Tinnok to fight. Realizing this he shifted and let bag and pig drop. Getting up he roared, his head twisting angrily as he moved to stand beside Tinnok. The fur all along his back was up, and his ears turned back. One wrong move toward either of them, and he would happily kill them all.

Somewhere he knew the chance of that was very tiny; but for the most part he was scared and now angry. The woman wanted him with a leash, let’s see she try and put one on him; or try to hit Tinnok again. He roared again, daring them to step a foot closer; all the while his side was pressed against Tinnoks leg quiet heavily so he could feel when she moved.

(( I tried looking up a roar for you, but people are idgits and used a mountain lion call on the two I could find. This is a growl, their roar sound a lot like this but a whole lot louder and in one long burst, or a short burst. They don't scream, but they don't make quick bark like roars as a lion does either. ))

[Tinnok]

They did want a fight, that much was clear. Eager dark eyes watched the two lithe females circle each other like...well, jaguars.

Tinnok sized her up from beneath the shadows of the hood, a ridiculous fashion move in the hot jungle. Her hair was tight against her head, and splayed out in a myriad of dreadlocks that appeared like spears jutting out from the back of her neck. She wore a bit of cloth around her waist that tinkled with bones as her hips shifted on the packed earth, and even less upon her chest, one arm entirely covered with a tribal tattoo explaining her exploits in whatever clan she hailed from.

When nightly snarled she stopped, hesitating, and Tinnok glanced down at the dark feline, eyes traveling slowly back up to her opponent, who seemed to be realizing this fight was going to be 2 versus 1, and not in her favor.

"Leave the cat out of this, female, this is between you and I."

Tinnok snorted. "If you want to leash him, you're welcome to try, wench, but this fight is because of your loud mouth, not because of me."

She drew her dagger and laid it across her chest. "Leave now and we won't tear you to bits in the street." The hood was ruining her attempt at intimidation she knew. No one in Taloba covered their face, and it made her appear the stranger, giving the shorter female a better stance. Even if her and nightly did rip her apart it was likely that they would be killed in the streets as vengeance. But the female couldn't know she was bluffing...which meant trying her eye trick again.

This time it happened faster, but Tinnok could already feel the drain of it upon her body. She summoned the center of her being, focusing this time on the female's gaze as a focal point. She felt the pinch between her eyes as her djed pooled up behind her skull, and felt a searing heat as her eyes transformed.

Tinnok pulled down her hood, revealing the tightly knitted braids upon her head, and what she hoped...were dark eyes. If the female fought her, she might not have the energy to fight back. This had to be ended now.

She took a step forward, flipping her dagger aimlessly in her hand, pommel spinning in her palm.

"Just came to the city to trade, female. Just go, smart talk to your males, not to me."

Her tone had changed from threatening to logical. After all, they were both the superior gender in the city, why fight amongst each other?

She saw her contemplating the choice, both hands hovering over twin hand axes splayed on either hip. The crowd became silent murmurs, and Tinnok placed a hand upon Nightly's back as a silent reminder of what the female would have to face if she was to fight them.

"Petch it, female, get on with it, but keep your eyes open, I'll be looking for a fair fight someday."

Groans and complaints issued throughout the crowd, but slowly it dispersed. No sooner had she turned than Tinnok threw her hood over her head and fell to her knees beside Nightly, partially otu of relief...partially out of weariness. The pinched feeling subsided, but a gnawing hunger in her stomach revealed that those two quick bouts of morphing were quickly sapping up all of her strength.

She scratched the jaguar behind the ears, and rose slowly, with the peccary over one shoulder, and Nightly's bag over the other.

"That was close, huh?" She glanced down, frowning. He still looked miserable, but there was nothing for it. He was going to have to get used to a city one way or another. She began walking as she spoke, heading for the square.

"C'mon. We can sell your pig and buy you a treat, then find somewhere quiet to sit down. I need some food too."

[Nightly]

He was watching the female, his muscles shifting and moving as he changed his stance minutely at every tiny move the human made. As Tinnok gave the female an offer to leave; Nightly hissed. The sound was long and drown out, much like a snakes. He would happily kill her, and then eat her around her pack. Then he would see if these heckling creatures were so quick to circle around them.

Nightly sneezed and looked up as Tinnok moved; again she looked different. He was forced to move when she stepped forward. He moved from before her to simply be at her side, long tail lashing back and forth. He rumbled happily as he was touched; only waiting to kill the human because he didn’t know what would happen.

So many around, they might run or they might gang up on him. That he did not think would be good, he didn’t understand enough of anything with these humans. The few he killed he must have been lucky, none made themselves have claws. He huffed as the one left, something of fair; but gave a start when Tinnok dropped beside him.

He watched her change back, not for the first time wondering if he could do that. He chuffed and gratefully head-butted her leg as she stood having once more petted him. In his opinion there was never enough pets. He gave a small bob of his head, his eyes flicking to check and be sure they humans were not watching them.

Many were, but none seemed hostile as the female form before. He grabbed up the fallen pants and hurriedly followed her, unwilling to get separated again. He too was hungry, and he wondered what the pig would sell for. Maybe something else to eat; then again he could eat the pig but he really didn’t want to. The beast seemed strange to eat; it smelled a great deal like a human in his opinion.

Now and then a sound would cause him to growl, pushing closer to Tinnok. It was easier to be like this, more noise and smells; but he didn’t see much of it. The glittering and odd looking humans, at some point he wondered if they lost themselves. Looking as nothing and something at the same time, it had to be confusing. He wanted to ask Tinnok if she was ever confused, but it meant shifting; and without those clothes.

All the humans here wore bottom things; why he did not know. Not all of them seemed to cover the area he was told the hide would cover. He gave a small start at the site of some strange animal with a long tongue. As he watched a human cub through a stick and it went and got it, then brought it back. Was the creature mind addled?

[Tinnok]

Whatever Nightly's feelings on the matter of the bustling city and its occupants, he at the very least, seemed willing to go with her.

Tinnok wove her way painstakingly through the crowds of Myrian bodies, traffic thickening as they made their way toward the trading hub that was the shopping square for the city of bones. Soon the gradual murmur of conversation grew to a peak as buyers and sellers screamed over the heads of the crowd.

Luckily, Tinnok knew where she was going. She had been selling her pelts and bones for over a season now, and knew who to go to to get the best deals. First she wanted this peccary off of her shoulder, and headed to a butchering station. They didn't pay as much for the whole thing, but it saved the hunter the trouble of cutting, skinning, and parceling out a creature, and Tinnok couldn't blame the jaguar for not wanting to bother with the smelly pig.

Her hood remained up as she approached a blood soaked female chopping at a deer carcass with a butcher's knife. Tinnok threw the peccary carcass onto an empty slot of table, and the female paused in her work to look up at the poorly disguised half breed.

"Pigs aren't fetching much this season." She said, clearly unimpressed.

Tinnok spun the beast around so she could see the tusks jutting out of its mouth.

"Not even a nice fat male, like this one?"

The woman merely grunted and continued on with her deer. After a few ticks of silence Tinnok realized she was going to wait for Tinnok to make the asking price. The half breed was shoddy at bartering at the best of times, and didn't know the first thing about how much a peccary, even a nice male specimen should go for on the market. She didn't want to be ripped off, but if she went too high on the price she might have to lug him to another stand...

"How's 7 bikka to you?"

A slender eyebrow raised, though Tinnok wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

"Five for that one, and only because the tusks are in good shape."

Tinnok decided to hold her ground. She ran a hand over the coat. "He's got a nice white strip, the pelt will be worth more as well."

"The tusks sell, not the pelt."

"A Leather worker will still like the color..."

The woman made an impatient noise and Tinnok could tell she was losing the sale. "6 bikka is all I ask, he's a good looking thing, you'll make plenty more."

The female stooped down with the innards of the deer, depositing them into a bucket, when she rose she threw six bone coins at Tinnok. "Stop bugging me, shadows and get out of here."

The half breed grinned and scratched Nightly behind the ear, showing him the coins as she walked toward the food section of the stalls, not far from where they were.

"These are bikkas, obviously you can't eat them, but they allow us to trade with people for food, give them bits of bone, we get a meal." She glanced up. "These one's are yours, so i'll let you decide how we spend em."

She led the panther toward the food. Ripe fruit and meats and fish of all kinds were laid out for the passerby to see. Most Myrians could hunt, but the convenience of the trading stalls wasn't lost on the savage culture, and there was money to be made here just like in any other city. Tinnok kept an eye on the Kelvic, watching to see what stalls caught his interest.

[Nightly]

Why did they have to yell! Slinking low to the ground, he glanced here and there as they kept moving through the city. A few times he caught site of someone truly interesting; or a person that was fat and seemed to waddle. That made him surprised; he wondered what they would taste like. He did not stray from Tinnoks side however. It was both scary and interesting; and he was relieved when they stopped.

Sitting back he peered at the new human, liking her better than all the other ones about. He sat down calmly and listened, he would learn this trade thing if he had to risk his tail to do it. With a flick of his ears he looked at the pig, tusks were important, antlers were to. Such strange things humans were after. You could eat neither, but maybe that’s what their claws came from.

As a number came, then more were passed back and forth. Seeing the intestines of the deer he made a low rumbling growl. He would have gone closer to it and snagged the contents if not for Tinnoks sudden petting snapping him out of it. Looking at the coins, he mentally hummed. He had many of those in the bag she held, so this was what they traded for to get other stuff with?

Hastily he stood and followed her, giving a last glance at the bucket; he wondered what the woman would do with it. Suddenly he was surrounded by food, eyes widening which looked quiet odd on a jaguar; he looked up at Tinnok then back to the food before he moved toward them. Lots of what he saw he didn’t know what it was, but it was the fish that caught his attention.

He liked fish, but the only ones he got to eat were the ones he stole from birds; birds included most often. He had not yet learned to fish. He could swim, but fishing was rather hard. He inched closer to the stall; but when another woman came around and glared at him, he hissed and moved back to Tinnoks side. He hadn’t even done anything, what was their problem?

There were a lot of fish, and they all smelled good; all but the blue one. It died a long while ago; he wouldn’t even be so foolish as to eat that fish should he have found it. Old fish, bad stomach. He bit Tinnoks lower clothing and tugged her to where the fish were. He wanted one of those. He let go and abruptly shifted. “How do you trade the little things for the fish?” he wanted to see. Glancing down at himself he took a deep calming breath and moved to try and put back on the pants he had been carrying.

Nasty wretched things, but already he had odd looks and a number of glares. The fish woman was glaring hard at him and he snapped his teeth. “What is wrong with them? Do I have something odd on me; do I not look like they do?” He finally managed to get one of his legs through a hole, what hole he didn’t know or care as he fought with the other leg. He did manage it, and it was pure luck that it was on right.

(( Nightly will be so sad when Tinnok is suddenly gone. XD ))

[Tinnok]

She watched his yellow eyes widen, damp nose scenting the air. The half breed enjoyed fish as well, since she was horrible at catching them herself, and it was rare she ever ate any.

When a city was full of Tskanna and Myrian Tigers, something like a jaguar didn't attract too much attention as long as it wasn't mauling, but Tinnok could see the wary looks on the faces of the vendors they passed, just daring Nightly to try to take some of their fish.

He got a few more looks as he shifted, the sight not uncommon in a city where Kelvic sat among one of the few respected races, but still not wholly common place either. As he spoke, TInnok couldn't help but smile, holding back a chuckle as he struggled to dress himself.

"You look fine, just a little pale I suppose." She held her tanned arm next to his pale one to show him the difference in tone, then grinned up at the rather bewildered looking stall owner, a squat male with a face covered in tattoos.

"How much for these?"

She gestured to some nice looking rainbow trout laid out in the middle of the display, avoiding the blue tuna, which hadn't looked all that good to her either.

"1 Bikka apiece."

Tinnok gestured to two smaller fish. "How about one bikka for these two, they're rather small." Whether out of agreement, or just to get the two strange looking individuals away from his stall, the man just grabbed her bone coin, wrapping the fish in leaves of rubber. Tinnok handed Nightly the slightly bigger of the two, figuring he would eat it raw, and stowed her own away with the cooked deer from the night previous. She didn't mind raw fish, but didn't want to chow down on it in the middle of the Trading Square either.

"Why don't we go somewhere away from all the noise, aye? I can sell my antlers later."

She watched the Kelvic's eyes, still lost and confused in all the noise and crowds, and grabbed his hand in hers. She told herself it was just so she didn't lose him again in the crowd, an innocent enough reason, and led him through the throngs, down the dusty streets, keeping her face down until the people dispersed somewhat, and a few trees grew along the road.

She led them to Durak's Tavern, a strangely coincidental arrival since she had met the other Kelvic here...but now found herself taking an entirely different one to the same place.

The half breed dropped Nightly's hand at the entrance and stepped through into the dimly lit bar, taking a seat in the back in a small booth where she lay her things down.

She left Nightly for a moment, grabbing two tall wooden cups of water to bring back to their seat, collapsing in her chair with a sigh of weariness. "I feel like a nap." She smiled and took a long sip of the water, taking out her own trout to lie on the table, as well as sliding the five other bikka towards Nightly. "Here, those are yours."

She took otu a dagger and started cutting away at her meal, picking up bits of meat with the tip of her knife and eating them neatly between long draughts of water. Slowly the dizzy sensation that had been with her ever since picking a fight with that female seemed to fade, even if the exhaustion did not, and golden eyes watched the Kelvic with interest.

"So, Taloba not to your liking then?"

[Nightly]

He looked at each of their arms, he really was pale. He was sure as a cat he was so much darker than this, but his skin was white almost. Tinnok was a copper color reminding him of a brown snake he had once seen. He supposed that matched, as she was a snake; or half as she said. Looking around, he suddenly realized nearly everyone was dark skinned; the few places he could see that didn’t have ink covering it.

Moving his attention back to the dealing, he listened as attentively as he could. Again, Tinnok said another thing, but unlike the woman the man took it without remark and seemed in a hurry to be done with the whole thing. He took the fish, and wondered why it was in a leaf, Tinnok had done the same with the meat she had cut.

“Yes,” he said slowly then jolted as his hand was grabbed. He moved his fingers a bit, then closed them over Tinnoks as he followed placidly enough as they moved through people and places. He relaxed a bit, as the people thinned out around them. Then they came to one of the caves, and his hand was let go. Confused he brought it to his eyes and flexed his fingers.

Such an odd thing to do. As he looked over his hand he still followed Tinnok, a good thing to be distracted as he would have balked had he realized they were going into the cave. When he finally noticed everything around him again, he blinked owlishly then sat down opposite Tinnoks things and his own bag. His fish he sat on the table, giving the leaf a shake so it flopped out. It really was a pretty animal.

He watched Tinnok sit, wondering what more she had placed on the flat thing they sat at. “Then, why not sleep?” He watched her move the cup and drink; curios he made to glance at the other cup but stopped short to look at the little bone things slid to him. Taking them up he glanced at them, turning them in his hand.

“I have these, in the bag. Lots of them.” He had not said thank you, not understand the need. “Tinnok?” He hesitated, his fingers still playing with the bikka piece. “It is angry; like ants.” He knew what ants were, just one of the few creatures he actually knew the name of. Then it had been important to know since they could eat him alive.

He was distracted from his own question as he caught scent of Tinnoks food. Dropping the bikka he grabbed up his fish; looking it over Nightly suddenly bit right into its head with a crunch. He had good teeth still, of which he was pleased. The bone was harder then he remembered, but not impossible to break.

He paused in his eating suddenly and licked his lips. “Can I do magic, like you can?” He looked back up at her. “Can I change my eyes, or make the flying noisy creatures not be scared?” Would be a lot easier to catch and eat them if he could do that. Also, it would be useful. “What other things is there of magic?” He wanted to know, this skin was weak. Was his other skin just as weak without this magic?

[Tinnok]

Sipping her water, the half breed couldn't help but smile at Nightly's assessment of the city.

"Angry ants...that is far closer to the truth that most descriptions."

She remembered watching thousands of army ants decimate a deer carcass in the wood, and how they viciously swarmed over anything, insect, Myrian, or otherwise to eliminate it from their path. This was not unlike the Myrians themselves either.

She watched him dig into the fish, slowly eating the strips she had carved off of the bone, picking out the fishes eyes and eating those a well, though she didn't make a move for the head as the Kelvic had done.

When Nightly asked his next question, Tinnok frowned a little, thoughtful. She took her time chewing the next bit of fish before her lips parted in an answer.

"I suppose. I have never heard of Kelvics using magic, but I do not see why this would be a problem." She contemplated the figure before her, takin a moment to realize what he meant by flying and noisy. "You could learn to shift as I do I suppose, but not attract those birds, that is the gift of my Gnosis mark from Caiyha. Animals like birds know I will not harm them, that I am a disciple of the Goddess herself."

She shrugged. "I do not know why you would want to morph though, you have human and animal form, which is really all you need. It is what I hope to attain with my magic."

She chewed on some more of the trout, dry but flavorful in her mouth. She wasn't sure whether to show Nightly her reimancy, another magical ability she had obtained, but was far from practiced with. It wasn't as if she could teach him that ability anyway...perhaps it was best not to bring it up.

[Nightly]

Pleased his thought of their kind was confirmed, he bit again into his fish, crunching more bones with snaps. It really was good food. Good enough that he would have to return to the city to get more. He had those little bone things, bikka. Tinnok showed him how to make more. Hides, bones, he could sell these to get more food and he would not need to hunt so much.

He listened to her explain, biting again into the fish. The god thing, whatever they were. No he would not like one of those marks; he was not to be branded. As she questioned why he would want to. Licking his fingers clean he gave a shrug. “I can get bigger teeth, bigger claws. I can change spots to stripes; my roar louder and fiercer. I can make myself not be pale.” He was in the minority with his skin here.

He finished his fish and started licking his other hand clean. When he was sure it was, he picked up the bikka and reached over the table to pluck up his bag. He simply deposited the coins with the rest. He had another question, actually he had many. All of them niggling and poking around in his head, but he had no answers for them.

“There must be a lot of magic, if I can get one; I can get others.” He set his bag beside him, than rested his head on the table. “You said there were things past hunting ad eating; sleeping to.” He looked at her without bothering to move his head. “What are those things? Selling yes, but to do this I must hunt.” What else was there? Magic, that was something but he could see it only helping with the rest.

What’s more, he was starting to wonder if there were other places to be then here. What was past the jungle, did it extend forever? Yesterday he would have said yes, but today he wondered. “Is there places different then here?” He had seen strange animals for sale as food, but he was sure they did not come from here. Tinnok had even said he could get food that did not come from here, but where else was there but here?

Sighing Nightly looked around the room. People here whispered quietly amongst themselves. They seemed to eat and leave; or sit and get food. What more was there?