Completed Monsters in the Dark (Oryani, Arundel)

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

Nate was not comfortable out here. They were too open - too exposed. When he was in the forest he never liked being exposed, it meant every predator for miles could smell him. He listened in stony silence as the woman insisted that branding was stupid. While he couldn't disagree with her on principle, he shook his head. She wasn't getting it. "Slaves don't become free. Slaves were beaten. Tortured. Worked until skin slides from bone. Then they are left in a pit to die. And then they buy a new slave."

That was how the man from Sunberth had described his life. The acrid stench of sweat and blood and human shyke, slaves beaten regularly to keep them under control, to keep them obedient, the screams every night... he'd seen the marks on the man's back, not just from the whips but the tools they'd used. The clamps, the drills. Brutal torture, every day, intended to shatter a man's spirit and bend him to the master's will.

"Unless they're female slaves. Then..." Nate didn't finish. He didn't want to. Didn't want to think about it, or he'd lose control and really attack this woman, and damn the consequences. He'd hoped Kat and Lea would not be treated like that, or he'd really go berserk. But the fear always nagged at his mind, and he did not like it one bit.

The only comfort he really had was that these Drykas didn't seem to have the facilities to do torture of that nature. And he hadn't heard any of the screams of agony the man from Sunberth had described, so perhaps they didn't do that to their slaves. Or maybe they did, somewhere out of the way, where others could not see or hear. He didn't know.

And she kept insisting she wasn't an enemy. She was wrong. And the more she insisted she wasn't, the more he believed she was. His hatred was still sitting in his stomach and he made sure to feed it. He thought of how they were captured, what they planned to do to his sisters... the more he thought about it the colder the hatred got. Good. He would need it; it was the only thing keeping him going, besides love of his sisters.

And then she mentioned that breaking was "stupid". Nate suspected she simply didn't understand; the language barrier perhaps too great for him to get his meaning across. He certainly did not want it, but slaves had no choices. That was part of the definition. Instead, he just continued to glare at her icily. Well, in any case, it didn't matter.

Whether she understood or not was irrelevant. At the moment what was relevant was that they were in the middle of petching nowhere, and he still had no which was was what. He watched the Drykas woman cautiously, as she went to her horse, leading it over to the fire and had it sit. She handed him her blanket and he accepted wordlessly. It was pointless to give him this; unless she took first watch, whoever was sleeping should be the one to have the blanket.

She then leaned back against the flanks of her horse and asked him a question in her native language. Which, of course, Nate did not understand, so he shook his head. "Oh that's brilliant," he snorted. "Yeah, like I'm gonna understand anything you say now. Well, since you've apparently given up on communication, I guess the conversation's over."

Frowning into the fire, Nate closed his eyes and breathed a bit. He preferred silence anyway, it was calming, especially after a day like this. And really, the silence meant that he'd have a chance to go over this disaster of a day. He'd really thought he could hunt out here. It seemed so reasonable at the time. He'd been hunting for years, just because the venue changed didn't mean the techniques did. Or so he thought.

But he'd underestimated how difficult it was to navigate the Sea of Grass. In the woods he knew where to look for clues to give him directions. Out here, he had no idea. He had to learn from scratch. Lovely. And of course, it would require him to improve on the one thing he knew he could not do. Navigate. His sisters were right, he got lost walking in a straight line. And everything in this gods-forsaken grass plain looked the same!

Nate sighed as he grabbed a nearby stick and poked the fire, putting a few more twigs on it to keep it going. Fire was both a good and bad thing here, since it scared away some animals and drew in others. Not for the first time Nate missed the tall trees of Syliras, where he could attempt to clamber up and be safe in the welcoming branches. Only a precious few animals could climb, and most did not live that close to the city.

That was when he heard it. A rustle in the bushes behind him. Nate reacted instantly, grabbing his short bow and whirling around, arrow already nocked and drawn to his bicep, left eye closed and right eye scanning the tall grass. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to hit anything in the dark, but he would be damned if he would let some beast eat him without the heftiest fight he'd ever given.

A tick passed. Then two.

A rabbit scurried out of the brush, terrified black eyes barely a glint in the moonlight, before it dashed for the safety of the tall grasses on the other side. Nate's body shook with relief. Just a rabbit. He remembered his first time hunting the little petchers. For harmless hopping rodents, they were fast. Nate didn't bother wasting an arrow trying to hit it, he knew he'd miss anyway. Releasing the string, he breathed out a sigh of relief and returned the arrow to the quiver.

For a moment, just a tick, he was back to his old self again, hunting the forests of Syliras, trying to get food for his sisters, so focused on the task sometimes he forgot where he was. Throwing his head back, he laughed, and it was aenuine, not the short sarcastic barks he'd been using so far but a full bellied, real laugh. Calming down, he shrugged and sat back down at the fire. He was actually smiling at Oryani before it was clear that he suddenly realized where he was. The smile quickly died.

"Just a rabbit," he explained, though he was sure it wasn't necessary. Truthfully, he'd expected an arrow in his back the moment it was turned, but he suspected maybe the woman just didn't want to waste a shot at him when there was an unknown danger lurking. He didn't know. And Nate cursed himself for that moment of weakness. For a tick there, he had lost his hate. And it had felt good. It wasn't supposed to feel good. It could not happen again.

[Oryani]

Oryani barely understood Nathan's descriptions, but overall... they sounded stupid. Hurt slaves? Waste them? Where was the logic in that? It was all incredibly silly in her mind. Instead, she decided to ignore the rest of his statements, tiring of translating Common. She also stayed quiet when he complained about her Pavi, but that part of the conversation ended quickly.

She detected a motion, small but fast, from behind Nathan and grabbed her bow. However, she stopped almost as soon as she'd started, realizing that the creature was much too small to hurt them. From the motions and the speed, it was probably just a game creature... a hare? A pheasant? Something like that. It humored her that the man reacted so quickly, his skills were impressive, for a Syliran. Probably better than herself... but she wasn't about to admit that. While he stared intently at the grasses, the Chatakwe kept an eye on Nathan, wondering what he would do next. Soon enough, the creature scampered out of the grass, before dashing away again. Only then did the man relax, informing her that it was just a rabbit.

"I know." she said bluntly, reverting to Common for simplicity reasons. "I feel it run before you hear. I feel... ehh" she raised her hands, trying to make running and moving motions. He would be able to notice the small black dots that enabled this sense on her palms when she continued "Walk, run, jump. Size." she shrugged, hoping she'd gotten the message across. It wasn't like her motion sense was a secret, and it would be good for Nathan to know, if they were to work together over the night.

While her left hand drifted awkwardly to scratch the back of her neck, Oryani kept the other resting on her bow. The surprise had made her realize how off guard she was... and she was determined not to make that mistake again. She shifted positions, moving onto her knees and knocking an arrow into the string. She wanted to be prepared for anything that would come... but this was tiring.

"Soon... one watch, one sleep. Sleep or watch?" she was basically asking him if he wanted to take first watch or not... since they would have to get some kind of sleep over the evening, and this was the safest way possible. However, it did require a lot of trust... and though she knew she wasn't going to shoot him in the back, she wasn't so sure about Nathan. He would have reasons, and logical ones. However, his comment about 'enemies working together' made her understand that he knew just as well as she did that they would have to work together for this evening, or both of them would die.

x
x

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

The woman did not seem to be particularly surprised by the information, as Nate had predicted. In fact, she claimed to know, holding up her hand and indicating that she could feel the animal walk, and run, and... size? He did notice small black dots on her hands, the purpose of which he had no idea, but it really didn't matter. If it was true that she could feel such things, he could see how that would be a useful skill to have for a hunter, if indeed that was her role in the tent city.

Then she shifted position, nocking an arrow to her bow, which made Nate instantly tense, ready for a fight. But she didn't seem to be nocking it to shoot one at him, just to be ready it seemed. Still, the very act set him on edge, and he gritted his teeth and tried to keep calm. It was important to keep calm. He shivered as a cold wind swept in from his left, buffeting him and causing the small fire to crackle and smoke.

Though Nate was not unused to cold climates, he was not well-prepared for it at the moment, and he drew his cloak around him a bit tighter. It was looking to be a long, miserable, cold night out in the wilderness. The woman indicated that she wanted to take shifts, and Nate set his jaw and stared evenly at her. The grim reality was that if the did not take shifts, then eventually one or more likely both of them would nod off, and that would be extremely bad.

If Nate had been in the forests of Sylria, he'd want to climb a tree, and attempt to craft a crude shelter of sorts in the branches. Sure, there were still large predatory cats capable of climbing trees, and if one of them got him while he slept, that was just too bad, but he'd be safe from a large number of predators that couldn't climb, like wolves, and bears, and certain other species of cats. It would be the only circumstance where he'd be willing to chance sleeping out in the wilderness, and even then there was the possibility of death anyway.

The practical, logical side of Nate begged him to sleep first. And there really were several excellent points in favor of doing it. Her demonstrated ability to somehow feel approaching enemies meant she'd be just as capable at night as during the day, at least in terms of detecting danger. While Nate was not stupid or unobservant, the darkness would greatly hinder his ability to see a roving beast until it was likely too late, not least of which he didn't even know what sorts of creatures lived in these plains. And many animals had padded paws, or were otherwise skilled at staying silent until the moment they attacked.

It was also the case that if she'd wanted to back-shoot him, she could already have done so. In fact, she could've done it as the very first action she took, long before he even knew she was there. She had no reason to speak to him at all if assassination was her goal, and in a survival situation, murdering a potential ally was foolhardy in the extreme.

And he was tired. He'd spent many fruitless bells out here, hunting but not catching anything, and then wandering around trying to find his way back. Getting even a few bells of sleep would do wonders for his ability to concentrate, his ability to use his weapons effectively should he have to. Nate knew first-hand that a tired mind often committed many mistakes, and out here a mistake could well be lethal.

But the angry, paranoid side of his mind fought back. She is the enemy, it shouted. She cannot be trusted, it screeched. As soon as your eyes close, she will be at your throat with her scimitar! She's just waiting for you to let down your guard, it said. Remember why you came out alone, it reminded him. Ah yes, why he came out alone. Because he knew he probably could have asked for someone to go with him, if only to provide direction. Considering his status there, they'd probably be more than happy to provide a guide, to keep a close eye on him.

But the fact remained that he could not stay awake forever. Even if he took first watch, eventually he'd have to wake her to watch over him as he slept. Or else he'd nod off, and both of them would be asleep, and they'd both die for certain. In that case, a tired Nate versus a fresh Drykas woman just woken up... he did not really favor those chances. Nate hated to do this. Because he didn't trust this woman. But what choice did he have? The grim reality was, this was the only real option available to him.

"I will sleep first," Nate replied, his voice carefully neutral. It was perhaps one of the most difficult things he ever had to do. Even as he laid down on the gravelly ground, lightly pulling the blanket up, he had difficulty actually closing his eyes. He was completely convinced that if he did so, he'd be closing them for the last time. He could already hear the sound of her removing her scimitar from its place, her footsteps as she padded over with it, ready to strike his head off in one clean swoop as soon as his eyes shut...

It was imagined, of course. But in Nate's mind, it was all-too-real. And although exhaustion eventually stole consciousness from him despite himself, nightmares danced in his head, taunting him of how he'd been unable to prevent the capture of his sisters. How he'd failed them, yet again.

[Oryani]

Oryani waited patiently for Nathan to come up with a decision... it didn't matter either way for her. If he for some odd reason planned on shooting her while she slept... he would have plenty chance either way. Heck, he could even pretend to be asleep and hit her while her back was turned anyways. It was illogical to think that which way round meant anything... because it honestly didn't. Despite this, his answer surprised her. She'd expected him to want to sleep last... but it was his choice, and the man probably had reasons.

Nodding silently, she let him take the blanket, before pushing herself up to stand. The scimitar lay useless on the ground... her bow was her real weapon now. With an arrow knocked and ready, she felt much more prepared, and all her senses were on alert. She added another thick log to the fire, watching it burn for a moment, before wandering around it in a circle. She was careful to avoid Nathan, as to not disturb his sleep, and instead kept an even watch on everything. The pacing was more to keep herself awake than anything else... as her eyelids were already heavy and yawns kept hitting her. Stifling one, she eyed the grass suspiciously. Though she would probably feel something before hearing or seeing it, it felt comforting to watch everything possible.

The fire cast an eerie glow around their tiny camp, it's orange light creating flickering shadows on the tall grass. Oryani forced herself to ignore these, ignore the worthless shadows and pay attention for anything that might turn up. She remembered once, it was just a silly memory, but an unknowing man had asked about her eyes. He'd thought they were for seeing in the dark, the silly Drykas... but... gods, how useful that would be now. Still, she should be thankful for the extra sense she had anyways... it had become an incredibly valuable part of her.

She straightened suddenly, staring at a spot of the grasses intently. There was something… biggish… but not to big… moving in a kind of circle just inside her senses. Cursing mentally, she shuffled over to Nathan, trying not to act as if anything strange had happened. No fear… no fear… animals could smell that, from what she’d heard. Just… calm. They could deal with this. Kneeling in front of the prone man, she touched his shoulder, before shaking him gently. ”Nathan, wake up. Something is coming.” She didn’t bother with Common, since the meaning wasn’t exactly important. Instead, she stuck to Pavi, knowing that the tone would wake him. Once the man was up and moving, she pointed to his bow, then at the general area where the creature was silently. ”Animal there. Big…ish.” she told him in a whisper, before turning in the general direction herself. Khal was standing close to the pair, ears perked and ready for a fight. Just in case, the Chatakwe grabbed a few extra arrows from her quiver and shoved them in the ground. The scimitar took a similar place, though… with her hands full… it would basically be useless.

Soon enough, their attacker made themselves seen, causing a quiet rustle in the grasses. Right after, a pair of glinting eyes appeared, staring at the ‘prey’ intently. Now that she had a somewhat view of the creature, Oryani drew her arrow, pointing in the general direction… right between the eyes. They were average height, meaning that if she wanted to hit anything… it would be better if the arrow was a little down. But they were so close that she didn’t adjust for height, and instead the Chatakwe simple loosed, and the arrow landed beside the right eye… before skimming off. Skulls were hard to pierce, meaning that if you wanted to hit the head… you had to go below it. Khal reared and whinnied, informing the creature that they knew its location.

The animal – she could now see it was a cat – slunk forward, teeth bared in a hiss. They could see it more easily now, not exactly as large as Night Lions could get, but certainly a pain to take down. Wincing slightly, for wasting an arrow and a chance, Oryani grabbed another, knocking it while taking a step or two back. She drew back to her ear, and, when the cat paused in its movements, fired. This one was aimed for a leg, since she could actually see those now, and luckily enough it hit spot on target. The arrow sunk deep into the creature’s upper leg, having hit softer flesh, and caused the cat to roar in pain. She hoped that Nathan hit some more important things, since she wasn’t doing so well. Taking another few steps, she also grabbed the two remaining arrows and her scimitar, shuffling them backwards with her foot. Though she tried to keep an eye on the lion, she also paid attention to any movements behind her… though she was a little distracted.

x
x

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

Nate had slept fitfully, his head too full of angry thoughts to really get a very good night's sleep. But some sleep was still better than no sleep, and eventually his nightmares gave way to inky, dreamlessness, which was much more comforting and relaxing. But despite the warm comfort of sleep, Nate was still aware, and he jolted awake when he heard the Drykas woman say something in her tongue. It wasn't what she said, it was how she said it. Danger. And then she spoke her halting Common, letting him know something large-ish was coming their way.

He was half-surprised he was still alive. As he sprang to his feet the first thing he grabbed was his Kukri. In reality he was far more skilled with his short bow, but the truth was that in such low light, the likelihood he would hit anything of value was low, and a melee weapon would be much more valuable in the close-quarters fighting he was likely to be thrown into. But, the woman had already fired an arrow into the brush, and it seemingly bounced off of something. Nate decided that abandoning a weapon just because it might not be as useful was foolhardy and grabbed his bow and quiver as well.

He quickly slung the quiver over his shoulder onto his back and in one smooth motion retrieved an arrow from it, nocked it, and drew the bow back. After years of practice in the Syliran wood, he was skilled enough to draw the bow to his bicep rather than all the way to his shoulder; it was not a very good idea to overdraw a short bow. Especially a composite recurve like he was using. But unlike the Drykas woman he was very careful about aiming. Having not stayed up like she had, his head was clear, and he knew that he'd only get a shot or two in before the beast, which had come closer to the fire and revealed itself to be some sort of large cat, decided to lunge at one of them.

The simple fact was, Nate really didn't want to fight the creature at all. In the forest, the best way to defeat a predator was to not attract its attention to begin with. And if you had, the best way to defeat them was to scare them off somehow. Loud noises, waving your arms, using fire. All those were good ways to ward off predators and discourage them from attacking, because the truth was that alone, he'd not stand a chance if the predator actually decided he was a good meal, and he knew it.

Not to mention, even if he and the Drykas woman had managed to defeat and kill this creature they would need to snuff their fire and move immediately. The smell of blood was certain to attract all the wrong sorts of attention. At least in the Syliran wilderness, a fresh kill was an open invitation to every predator for miles, which was why Nate had learned to skin kills quickly and never in range of his campsite. Growling slightly, his fingers released the arrow, and it shot straight and true and struck the beast in the shoulder of its foreleg, just inches from the cat's neck where he'd been aiming.

He cursed. This was worse, and the cat merely turned its glinting black eyes to Nate now, snarling and angry. It reminded him of the buck he'd hunted what seemed ages ago, that had taken three arrows and kept running blithely like nothing had happened. Except unlike the deer, this cat was not going to run away. Nate decided to circle behind the fire, reasoning that the animal would want to avoid leaping over the fire to get at him, which would give him precious ticks with which to maneuver.

Eying the cat cautiously, Nate drew another arrow, but he was fairly certain this would be the last one he would get to fire. With four arrows fired he was absolutely certain the cat must pounce; no animal he'd ever dealt with would stalk and circle forever. It was clear the cat was cautious of their weapons, but the pain of a fourth arrow would be certain to convince it to attack.

So he had to make this last shot count, but Nate was uncertain where to aim for. A kill shot would be ideal, but the only location he could think of would be either between the eyes, which would be an impossible shot for him to make, or in the neck, where he'd already missed once before. Not for the first time, Nate wished his studies of herbs and medicine included the study of poisons; a poisoned arrow would be amazingly helpful in situations like this.

Deciding that he'd try for the neck again, it being a bigger target to aim for than the eyes, Nate nocked the arrow and drew it back while lifting the bow, once again in one smooth motion. He closed his left eye as he circled away from the cat around the fire, his right eye locked on the target, the muscular neck of the cat, just underneath is powerful jaws. If he could hit it there, he might cause enough damage to simply scare it away; at least that was Nate's fervent hope. Taking a breath though the nose, Nate let the breath whoosh out his mouth as he released the second arrow, and it flew across the span, through the fire, right toward the animal's neck... and struck it in the pectoral region instead. Well, shyke.

It wasn't that Nate expected to hit; it was dark, he wasn't that fantastic a shot to begin with, and this was close quarters and he barely had ticks to aim. But excuses didn't save lives, and thoroughly convinced his bow was now worthless, Nate tossed it aside and reached into his belt for his kukri. His instincts were proven correct when the beast lunged to the side, trying to do an awkward pounce around the fire, but Nate's instincts were sharp now that he'd had his rest and he threw himself to the side, wincing a bit as he felt the dirt on the ground scrape against his forearm. The cat, in the meantime, had readjusted itself, and was preparing for a second lunge. Except this time, Nate was on the ground, on his side, and there was no fire between him and the predator wanting to eat him.

Rolling so that he was on his back, Nate scrambled backward on his elbows and knees, his right hand holding the kukri pointed at the cat as he struggled to rise. If the cat pounced on him now, the curved knife would be his only means of defense. He just hoped it would be enough.

[Oryani]

While Nathan took the full force of the cat's attack, Oryani tried to get one last shot in, drawing and aiming an arrow at it's neck. Of course, the bold missed, but she at least landed a decent shot in it's shoulder. However, the cat was moving by then, pouncing at her companion, and the Chatakwe realized she'd have to do something... otherwise he was basically screwed. Dropping her bow and grabbing her scimitar from the ground, she strode forward, knowing that the creature was too intent on it's prey to notice her... probably.

As it prepared to pounce, she reached the back, and before it moved, swung her scimitar down like she'd been taught to hit bluntly at it's hindquarters, trying to use all her body strength. It wasn't the best spot to hit, but she didn't know that, and the blade bounced back from the hard bone... but not before it gained the lion's attention. Snarling, it turned, spotting the unseen attacker. It turned, attempting to snap at the Chatakwe's legs... but she was prepared for that. She'd positioned herself for a side blow, legs apart, and blade already horizontal. When it turned, she smashed the weapon into it's face, twisting as it did so. There was a satisfying crunch and yowl, and the cat backed up into Nathan, wanting to get away from the pain. Oryani also backed away, though it was more a half stumble, half walk. Her tired legs were getting the best of her, and she toppled backwards, falling hard on her backside.

She quickly scrambled up again, sort of ready to fight, but by then... it was dead. Nathan, had finished it off. Sighing in relief, she relaxed, before staring at all the blood... on everything. Her sword was covered in it. The Drykas gazed blankly at it in shock, not realizing how much blood a simple strike could do... that had been messy... wow. Bows were much cleaner in that sense. Blood... that would draw animals. Great. She attempted to wipe the blade on a bed of grass, successfully getting off some of the blood... but it didn't really work. Instead, she sighed, heading over to Khal to lean against him. "We must move" she commented in Common, gesturing to the bloody mess. "Blood. Smell. Animals" she sighed, irritated, before kicking down their fire regretfully. They needed to put it out, and avoid a grass fire. "Water" she added, pointing in the general direction of the river. She went there herself, filling her waterskin several times and dumping it on the coals. Only when it truly seemed out did she straighten and groan.

"That no fun" she commented irritably, resting heavily on her Strider. "I tired. I ride. We find new camp..." She gathered the rest of her things, tying them to the Yvas or storing them in the bags. The Chatakwe then pulled herself awkwardly onto the Yvas, before setting the stallion off at a walk in the general direction of Endrykas... from what she remembered. "Follow" she told Nathan, constantly checking to see that the man was following her... she didn't want to loose him again.

After maybe 10 chimes of a quiet walking pace, Oryani stopped, sliding from the Yvas with a groan. "Tired..." she said again, pulling the blanket out sleepily. "You watch" she ordered, before wrapping herself up in the wool's warm embrace. That fight had tired her... she was exhausted. Within moments... the Chatakwe was in deep sleep, though would wake at a single touch if needed.

x
x

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

The cat had backed Nate up against the trunk of the tree, and he really didn't have very many options left to him. He could try to stand, but that would give the damned lion time to pounce. He could roll, but the lion would simply pounce to the side and that would accomplish nothing. Really, his best option was to try to intercept the lion's pounce with his kukri, try to slice into the creature when it leaped onto him and try to ram the blade into its throat or neck. But that was all theory. This was reality, and the reality was, Nate was terrified. Because he knew he wouldn't have the skill to smoothly and calmly stab like that.

The sound of metal against bone rang out across the plains as the Drykas woman's scimitar struck the rump of the lion, which snarled in response, whirling around to face its new attacker. This gave Nate a moment to breathe, and more importantly to stand up. On his back, he was little better than fresh meat, but on his feet he might be able to do some damage. At the very least he'd be much more mobile. Blood was streaming down the lion's body already and Nate swore under his breath. Even if they did scare off the lion at this point, they'd still have to leave their campsite.

The woman had already entered some form of stance that Nate did not recognize. It didn't matter; the lion had turned to face her and that meant that he had an opportunity to attack. Looking for a good place to strike, Nate missed the action of the Drykas woman until he heard her weapon clang against the face of the cat, followed by its angry yowl. The act caused it to back into him as it shook its head from being stunned by the action. Nate decided to simply jump onto its back, one of the weaker areas of the beast where the claws and teeth could not reach, and started stabbing with the kukri repeatedly. Over and over, into the side, the neck, and the sternum.

The cat bucked wildly as the metal intruded upon its flesh, the sickeningly sweet smell of its blood filling Nate's nostrils as the warm stickiness spurt out onto the tall grass. The roars of the lion echoed and reverberated and Nate held on for dear life, stabbing over and over, until the sounds faded into whimpers and then silent gurgles. The struggles went to short spasms then to faded shudders, before the large body of the lion finally went still. The woman seemed to have fallen onto her back in the meantime, but by the time she got up, the lion was no longer moving, and Nate had picked himself up, the blood beginning to pool beneath the slain beast.

The woman indicated that they should leave, and Nate wholeheartedly agreed. For once he did not launch into a sarcastic remark, merely nodding as she commented that the blood would attract animals. He figured it would, although he couldn't help muttering, "Couldn't we skin it, at least? It seems a shame to just leave it here..." But then he took a closer look and realized his haphazard stabbing destroyed most of the pelt anyway. With a heavy sigh, he simply shrugged and kicked some more dirt onto the fire pit, which collapsed into the indentation he had dug for it and snuffed quickly.

Just to be certain, the woman retrieved water from a nearby source that Nate was not able to identify and poured it onto the coals. He stopped her once or twice to pour some of it onto the blade of his kukri and indicated she should do the same with her scimitar. Dried blood was not useful for maintaining a healthy edge on a weapon. As she was retrieving more water, Nate studied the carcass of the lion, seeing if there was something, anything that could be salvaged from this disaster of a hunting trip. Was there any part of this creature that could be taken? Something of value... perhaps the claws?

Pulling the arrows from the body, Nate studied them carefully, but he could see the banding and chipping that indicated they could not be reused. Oh well, he didn't expect that they could be but it was worth a try. Nate decided to see if the claws might fetch a price back in Endrykas. Surely there would be some use for them, right? So as the woman was fetching water, he used what tiny amount of light there was to quickly work his kukri into the large paws of the cat, trying to retrieve the claws inside. But he'd never de-clawed a lion before, and after about ten chimes of wiggling the blade to no avail, he gave up. He considered simply lopping off an entire paw, but the smell of blood was already strong and he did not need to be carrying that around with him.

The woman had put out the fire and was packing her things into her saddlebags. Making a small joke about the attack not being fun - hey, he was supposed to be the sarcastic one here! - she mentioned that she was tired and wanted to ride to their new campsite. Nate just nodded. They'd stayed here too long already. Even though he did not have her ability to sense motion, his instincts as a hunter was telling him predators were already circling the kill zone, waiting for an opportune moment to leap in.

Following behind the mounted woman, Nate was completely silent and rather lost in thought. The truth was, he was wondering what he was supposed to do now. It was clear that he could not hunt the wilds around Endrykas the way he could in Syliras. He simply did not know the terrain well enough, didn't know where to look for clues to tell him where he was. And he doubted they'd trust him to be healing their sick and injured... at least not until he "became" one of them, which he still found a laughable and absurd concept. But that left him a quandary of what his purpose was supposed to be. Why were they even letting him live?

After ten chimes of walking, the woman indicated her exhaustion. Nate was not surprised; she hadn't been asleep during the last few bells and then she had to fight in a life-or-death situation. He realized he had a fantastic opportunity now to kill her if he so chose. But he found that he didn't really feel like doing it. Oh, he still distrusted her, and still mostly saw her as an enemy. But like the wolf in the woods, what felt like a lifetime ago, he realized that enemies did not necessarily have to kill each other.

The woman had pulled the blanket up to herself as she asked Nate to keep watch. He nodded, but she'd already closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. The quiet of the night settled onto them once again. Nate decided to stay seated himself. While he could be ready perhaps a tick earlier standing up, it would also tire him out faster, and he needed to conserve his strength. Nonetheless, he made sure to nock an arrow to his bow, just in case another lion decided it wanted to make a meal of them.

As the woman slept, Nate noticed something wrong. Despite her blanket she was curled up in a fetal position, and seemed to be shivering with cold. The air was not particularly cold by Nate's standards (winters in Syliras could get bitterly freezing), but the woman seemed to be more affected by it than normal. And she was coughing softly every few moments, which was not a very good sign. Padding over quietly, he placed a hand over her forehead. The hand-on-forehead was not medically accurate as a test for fever, but it was a good first indicator, and really in their situation he had no other way to check. Her temperature did not appear to be overly high. So why was she coughing?

Nate considered the idea of looking for any sorts of plants that might provide relief for the woman. After all, coughs were not a good sign, and often led into more serious respiratory issues. Although he was not a doctor, as a medic his instinct was to see if there was any way to arrest her cough before it became something worse. But the problem was, there was insufficient light for him to properly identify plants, since color was an important indicator. Not to mention, he was in unfamiliar territory; he was not even certain the same sorts of plants even existed on the plains.

It was a terrible feeling for a medic, knowing there was so precious little he could actually do. There wasn't even a fire, so he could not even warm a cup of water for her to drink. What could he do? Nate got up and paced back and forth, wracking his mind for all the things he knew about coughs. There wasn't much, and what little there was, relied on finding the right plants, and boiling their leaves into a tea. But he didn't have the light to find the plants (if he could even find them), he didn't have the water to boil them in, and he didn't have a gods damned fire to boil the water!

Sighing, Nate decided to do the only thing he could think of. It would not be much, but she was clearly cold. Taking off his cloak, he wrapped it around the woman's body, hoping the added warmth could maybe help in some way. He was, after all, far more used to cold weather, and if necessary could probably find things to assist in staving off colds or fevers resulting from being out in the chilly morning air for too long. He just hoped the sun would rise soon. They couldn't stay out here for too much longer.

[Oryani]

Oryani's sleep was fitful and restless, and more than once she woke up to darkness, before quickly dropping back into sleep again. Her dreams were full of dark, twisting shadows that made her restless and irritated. And everything was loud. Once, she woke up freezing, and attempted to curl in on herself to keep in all warmth. Her Chatakwe body was not built for sleeping outside on Fall nights. She'd seen a dark form and panicked, but instantly relaxed as it wrapped something warm around her. Was it Khal? No... too light. But still warm... amazingly warm. Her scowl had turned into a quiet smile and she immediately slept again.

When she awoke again, the world was different... a tiny point of light could be seen outside the folds of her blanket and... jacket? It wasn't hers. Frowning at this, she poked her head out of the small cocoon and grinned. The sun was rising to a chilly morning. She could barely feel her fingers, nose and ears, but... that didn't matter. She felt rested. However, the joyful awakening was quickly ruined by a cough. A small light one, but it quickly dissolved into a huge set of painful, racking, coughs. When those finished, her throat burned and her chest pounded. "Petch" she muttered, knowing what was coming. "Not again... not again. I hate being sick. Please be a morning thing, please be a morning thing..." This was all said in Pavi, but the Chatakwe wrapped herself up in all the layers given, attempting to keep the area around her collarbone warm. It helped... just a little. But she was utterly uncomfortable. Though the sleep had helped- she wasn't dead exhausted- it hadn't been a restful one, and she still felt tired. Like she always did when sick.

"Morning" she croaked out, returning to Nathan's language. They seemed to have survived the night... which was incredibly lucky. Her face was split in a rueful, painful grin. Khal trotted over, seeing his companion awake, and nocked the woman over with an easy nudge of his nose. Oryani scrambled up, swearing at the stallion half-heartedly in Pavi, but leaned against his foreleg with tired bones. She hated seeming weak in front of the Syliran man, but honestly... she didn't care anymore. "We go to city now?"

She pushed herself out of the warm wrappings, storing her own blanket before musing about the random jacket. A glance at Nathan told her it was his, and she tossed it to the man weakly. "We go home now..." she finished, resting her forehead exhaustively on Khal's side. "Tea..." she muttered to herself in Pavi, thinking lovingly of the hot drink. It wasn't very common in the tent city, but her family always made her drink it with a cough... it helped enormously. Then she remembered something, and grinned at the thought. "You see Kat!" she told Nathan, a slight tone of excitement entering her exhausted voice. It seemed to give her a little energy as well, enough to pull herself onto the Yvas and avoid stabbing herself on her scimitar.

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[Nathaniel Deveraux]

When the woman awoke, Nate stirred from his position, only a few feet away. He'd alternated standing and sitting throughout the night, the cold Fall air whipping though the plains meant he needed to get in some light exercise just to keep the blood pumping. Giving up his cloak meant he needed alternate ways of staying warm, and exercise usually did the trick nicely, so he would spend a few chimes every bell or so just doing some basic stretches and running in place.

She seemed... ill. She was mumbling something in the native Drykas tongue that Nate couldn't understand, and was holding the blanket and his cloak closer to herself in an effort to stay warm. That meant that she was not used to the cold; even though Nate wasn't exactly comfortable, he could still stay relatively healthy for a few more bells even without his cloak on. If she was this affected then her race, which by her eyes and the small black spots on her hands, was either non-human, or perhaps a different type of human, was more affected by cold than he was.

She'd also had a fairly severe coughing fit, which had Nate very worried. Coughing like that... could not be good. Especially if she was that cold; he was surprised the woman had not come down with a fever yet. Regardless, she needed something that could ease her condition before it got worse. He considered the options available to him as she greeted him good morning. Nate returned her greeting with a nod, and answered her question about returning to Endrykas with, "Yes, that... would be best, I think."

She glanced at him when she looked at his jacket, and tossed it to him. Nate caught it, but he was half-tempted to toss it back. She clearly needed to stay warm, and for the moment he did not. She'd already stored the blanket and had gotten onto the horse, muttering a word in Pavi before grinning at him and telling him he'd get to see Kat. Nate... wasn't sure that was such a good idea, at least not yet. His sister... he wasn't sure how he felt about her lack of feeling the wrongness, with what these Drykas were doing.

Nevertheless, his instincts as a medic were kicking in. "Kat... well, we'll see when we get there," he replied noncommittally. It wasn't happy, it wasn't sad, it just was. All his warring emotions about seeing his sister for the first time since their capture just sort of balanced out, leaving him feeling nothing at all.

"Wait," he called, as he ran up to her. He indicated the blanket she'd stored before. "You need to keep warm, you were coughing a lot last night," he insisted, making wrapping motions with his hands to try to indicate that she should wrap herself with the blanket to try to preserve some body-heat.

The light was brighter now, and as they traveled Nate looked around to see if there was anything that could be used to make a tea. Most of the plants here were foreign to him, except for the grass, he didn't recognize a lot of the stems and stalks that waved in the soft morning orange. But one plant stood out, nestled in the tall grass. The bush was a spidery mass that crawled along the ground, the small green leaves oval-shaped, and had a somewhat hairy appearance, and were scattered all over the plant. The small, delicate bluish flowers were gathered in groups at the ends of the stalks, and gave off a light odor reminiscent of lavender. Thyme, the bush was called, Nate was certain of it. They had thyme here?

Dashing over to the bush, Nate examined it more thoroughly. Yes, it was definitely thyme. The small flowers had two stamens coming off the three or four delicate petals, and the smell was definitely stronger now. Thyme was often considered an excellent calming herb, and the distinctive hairy appearance of the leaves, the dense, ground-running nature of the shrub, made it fairly easy to identify. Nate drew his kukri and delicately cut a few handfuls of the herb, making sure to only cut the mature stems with blooming flowers and not the ones with the buds still ready to bloom. He had no wish to destroy the base plant, after all.

Holding up the bundle, Nate walked back to the Drykas woman with it. "Thyme," he explained, indicating his cuttings. "They're pretty good for curing coughs and colds. If we can find another place to build a fire, we can boil it in water and make some tea. It should help you get better..."

He hoped. The truth was, Nate had no idea what was wrong with the woman, and that concerned him greatly. A thyme tea would be a good first step, and it certainly couldn't hurt matters any, but what they really needed was to get back to Endrykas. The healers there, surely, would know what her actual condition was. Not for the first time, Nate wished his knowledge of medicine extended beyond emergency first-aid, and basic herbal cures. But at least he'd do whatever he could to keep her condition from getting worse.

[Oryani]

Oryani almost smirked when Nathan replied about Kat, but couldn’t find the energy. When the man motioned for her to wrap up in a blanket, she complied, suddenly feeling tempted to lie across Khal’s warm neck and fall asleep. However, she needed to keep at least some scraps of dignity, and remained sitting straight, no matter how much she simply wanted to relax. If she did that… she’d probably fall off. Instead, the compromise was a good one, as most of her shivers died down, and her fingers had regained some actual feeling… rather than feeling painfully cold. Sure, it wasn’t cold enough to give you frostbite, but she hated any form of cold… heat was better.

She kept her half-wrapped hands clutched tightly around the grip as she nudged her Strider onwards. Sitting was a new challenge with the blanket, but she clutched the stallion’s chest tightly with her legs in an attempt to stay upright. Once, her covering began to slip, and she nearly toppled from her seat trying to pull the warmth back around her.

She didn’t notice when Nathan ran off in another direction, and it took her a few moments to notice his disappearance. She pulled on Khal’s reigns, stopping the horse, before craning her head to see where the man had gone. He picked some blue-flowered plant before returning, telling her about something called ‘thyme’… whatever that was. She’d seen the plant before, and knew it had a name in her language, but honestly… didn’t care. However, she did recognize one word… ‘tea’. That made her perk up. This plant had something to do with tea… great! It was so tempting to slide down onto the solid ground and make some kind of fire, but… no. They needed to go back to the city. Her tent had a fire, and they could make something there… and she could sleep.

”Pavilion. Fire. Tea there” she told him, regretting the decision despite her reasoning. She shivered once, before pausing awkwardly. Where were they going again… sighing, she stared into the web, instantly spotting the glowing lines. There was one between Nathan and the main city… the line she was following. She kept staring at it, and directed her stallion off to follow it. She lapsed into a kind of… lack of concentration, instincts kicking in to keep her moving forward… or Khal moving forward. Instead, her mind half-slept, daydreaming of warmth and sleep. She was honestly going to spend the rest of the day in her bedroll. Thinking about it… it was sort of humiliating to be in this weak state before Nathan, but… she honestly didn’t care anymore.

About a bell or two later, the pair wandered into the main city. Oryani slipped from her Strider’s back, not trusting herself to direct him through the crowd of tents in this state. She then led them on foot towards her pavilion, still coughing quietly. She hadn’t had another fit like the first one, but… it was coming. She left Khal outside the tent flaps to graze, and moved inside, instructing Nathan to ”Come in.” Once inside, she found a comfortable pile of cushions and sat, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. Luckily, it completely empty… her family seemed to be out doing other things. ”Tea?” she asked, pointing to the small fire pit in the center. It was prepared for making a fire, with flint and steel, tinder, and wood. There was also conveniently a small pot of water nearby.

Oryani shuffled forward to light the fire, piling the wood together in a small pyramid, and setting the tinder inside. She took a small bit for herself, and, striking the flint and steel together until they created a spark, and lit the tinder. She stuck it into the rest of her construction and watched the tiny flames grow. It had been oddly comforting to do something… solid, and inside the tent she’d warmed up quite a lot. It was half depressing and half convenient that the rest of her family was out of the tent, but… that was ok. She’d be able to recover before facing her grandmother with another sickness…

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