PM to join Slipping Through the Cracks (Ireth)

[Kalina]

21st Fall, 513AV "...And then stupid Master and I don't like..." A young girl, appearing to be no older than about seven or eight, stalks her way through the fallen branches, dying leaves, and growing grass under her feet. Having been born a little over a year ago and, prior to a season ago, having never been outside the walls of the Kelvic Research Institute, the falling of leaves from the tree was something she had never known, nor understood. In a different situation, the young girl might have asked her owner what they were falling for. Or maybe gone to the other female in the group, and the youngest besides. Though Kalina was vaguely aware of the final member, Clyde's, knowledge base, she still wasn't sure of him, and had yet to really approach him. But Kalina would not be approaching any of them, having yelled and hissed and screamed because of she-couldn't-even-remember-what. All she knew was that she was tired and upset and ran away. "Don't want to. Not going back." She insists, her hand clutching at a dusty green strip of cloth, the end of which was dragging along the ground. The cloth had been filthy enough when Marcus had bought her from the KRI, but now that it had differed through around sixty days of travelling, the thing was barely recognisable. Kalina knew what it was though; its smell was distinct to her, and it reminded her of her pervious cage which, in such a vast expanse of wilderness, was a comforting concept to the one year old. It was this fear that would also eventually be the driving force towards leading her back to Marcus; he had become that same comfort. The girl's chatoyance was the only physical characteristic that gave her away as something less than human, and her moss green eyes were dilated, and red rimmed from crying. The sobs had stopped, but the tears were still tricking down her cheeks, though the intervals between tears were getting longer. The Kelvic was also still muttering to herself; it was not audible, and most of it was nonsensical, as the young creature did not have a sufficient enough vocabulary. Growls of frustration were common at such instances. But the Kelvic stops, and blinks, clearing her blurry vision. To her surprise, in front of her lay a series of wagons and tents. Tents that she knew did not belong to her owner or his companions, so she had not just walked in a circle to wind up back. No people were visible at this site, prompting Kalina's inquisitive side to nudge the more cautious side. Slow steps towards the tents start slow, but her speed soon picks up until she is there, and she begins to explore.

[Ireth Telemnar]

Ireth threw herself down in a huff against the wheel of the tailor's wagon that she was traveling alongside. The old man gave her a soft smile as he hitched his oxen to a nearby tree to rest and graze. He knew she was tired, remembering back to how miserable he had been when he'd first made this trip. But now he made it often enough that it was just the way he lived. It's all he knew.

Ripping her left boot off, Ireth mumbled curses as she massaged her ankle. Her lip curled as her fingers slid over that massive blister that had begun to haunt her. After a while of paining herself, she sat back and closed her eyes, breathing in the deeply rich scent of the forest that they were passing through.

x

OOCSorry for the long wait and for such a small postie! Just come on in and we'll see what sort of trouble we can cause

[Kalina]

Despite appearing to being no more than an eight or nine year old girl in an oversized dress, Kalina was swift on her feet, and agile. Though not making any particular effort to go unnoticed, she was light on her feet and the sounds she was making, though not silent, were quiet enough to go unnoticed by others, particularly under the sounds that the rest of the caravan was making. To her, though, a Kelvic who had grown up in the Kelvic Research Institute, and a girl who still had yet to learn much about privacy and property, she found nothing wrong with her actions, of effectively snooping around the personal belongings of those in this new travelling party. Because there was a magician in her own travelling group, her Master had made it explicitly clear that Kalina was not to touch anything that's he didn't know belonged to her or Marcus, obviously. For the most part, Kalina obeyed this command, but that was only because she understood why the rule had been put into place; it was for her safety and the safety of everyone else, even if she could not abstractly comprehend what was dangerous about stuff that wasn't hers. Here, however, no such rule was being enforced on the little girl, and she obscenely continues to examine random objects by using her usual methods; by looking, sniffing and, very occasionally, licking said objects, in order to discover what they were, if she didn't already know. The girl also found herself to be hungry, as she would normally be fed around this time, or would head out to hunt, she had left in a dress, though, and didn't want to morph and rip or lose the dress when hunting for prey. In her search of the new caravan, however, Kalina had already stumbled across something that she knew was food, but food that she wouldn't not eat, like those cattails her Master had introduced her to. Icky vegetables. Assuming that there was likely to be some form of meats for her, the girl continues her search, using her nose to guide herself. OOCAre they moving or not? XD I tried to make my post so it works either way - up to you!

[Ireth Telemnar]

"How much farther, old father? How much farther to Nyka? Surely... Surely not long?" Stretching her legs out, Ireth carefully rested her left leg upon her right one so that the blister didn't touch the ground. Wriggling her toes, a little breeze swept through the trees and tickled her foot. As the caravan took its rest and her elderly friend went about his business, Ireth brought her arms up behind her head and relaxed, thinking some.

There were things on her mind that were obvious: the distance to their destination, the division of her rations so that she had enough to last the entire journey and then some, and what to do about that angry blister. And then, in the darker reaches of her consciousness, was that ridiculous niggling feeling that there was something in Nyka. Something that was going to change her life, in some form or fashion. She tried not to think about it too hard, because in all honesty she was a little afraid of what it was she was going to find. Perhaps it was going to be something wonderful, but then again, perhaps not.

Ireth wasn't going to kid herself though. She was very much at peace here, at this moment. The sun shining down, that little breeze blowing.... She was happy. The trees creaked with the wind, creating a song only as old as time itself. Her tailor friend passed by, telling her that he was going off to visit one of their fellow travelers. Ireth nodded and watched as he went, his gait revealing no wear from travel. Then again, he did this so often that he was probably either always worn from travel and nobody knew or had overcome the weariness.

Alone, Ireth watched clouds race by. They were light, white, fluffy things that reminded her of baby animals. Maybe bunnies, or owlets...

A twig snapped and Ireth sat up fast. Her eyes scanned the forest line. She saw nothing, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything there. Just the other night, a wolf took someone's calf. There'd been nothing but bones left when they'd come across the carcass. Being the naive Ravokian that she was, Ireth called out "Who.... Who's there?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear a response or not.

x

[Kalina]

It quickly becomes clear that Kali was not going to find any food she would actually want to eat, and for a few chimes she is disappointed, huffing irritably and by muttering to herself about the fact that there is nothing here to satiate her hunger. Moss green eyes are barely visible as her slit-like pupils enlarge as a sign of her desire. She could smell it, but she just couldn't find it. Kalina's head whips around at the sound of someone calling out and. In an instant, panic ripples through her small frame. It was not that she was particularly frightened, no, the girl loved nothing more than meeting new people, especially after the scene she had left behind in her own encampment. But... If this woman finds her... and she gets angry... and she tells Master... then Kalina would be in even more trouble than she already is. Maybe I should just hunt... the feline Kelvic wonders to herself, maybe it's out there... maybe I'll be able to catch a deer. The thought of deer was particularly enticing, as something she had not yet been able to catch, she wanted it, and she wanted it badly. Turning to leave, she considers which way to head out in order to find the best prey. Having spent the past few days hunting in this general area, she has a vague idea of where she might find the prey she was looking for. But something on the ground moves, mere feet away from where the little Kelvic girl is standing. She freezes, predator instincts taking over her childlike demeanour, and her head slowly turns to stare straight at the spot she had seen movement from. A feral growl, somewhat similar to one she might make in her ocelot form, leaves the girl's lips. After a few moments pass, she spots more movement, and finally catches sight of something akin to her usual prey of rats. With no more thought she pounces on her target. She remains in her human form, however, and she isn't used to hunting in such a form, and definitely not in a dress. She trips and stumbles, her elbow and knee connecting with wood before she falls the the ground proper. Kalina cries out as she hits the ground, in surprise, rather than in pain; she might have a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, but she had suffered through worse.