Completed The Cold Jungle (Kaie)

[Inoadar]

The trees served Inoadar well, as did the suddenly two dimensional vision of the creature. As it lunged without depth perception to slam its snout into uncaring tree trunks, it's claws wreaked terrible vengeance on the bark of these offenders. Inoadar tucked himself into wooded shadows, bursting forth unexpectedly to bring the beast around to make another half-blind, off-target snap at thin air.

One time, the tree he used as an obstacle failed to measure up and its branches slapped him to the ground as the beast flattened it. The creature snapped at it and tore at it with its claws to clear the space, knowing his tormentor was beneath it somewhere. The grazing slashes were largely reduced by the mail shirt, but the shirt itself was rent in several places and bloody from lacerations to Inoadar's chest and leg.

Inoadar was pinned, and if the creature had known how hard it was for the human to breathe, it might have simply sat there and waited for telltale gasping and movement. But it dragged the tree angrily to expose the flattened spot. Inoadar had just enough wit to grab hold of the branches and let himself be pulled along to an open space.

The creature then leaped back and began madly assaulting the bushes that had lain beneath the tree. The noise gave Inoadar a chance to slip free and lurch painfully to his feet, staggering for the underbrush once again. He was no longer interested in drawing the creature's attention. By now, either Kaie had done as he'd instructed, or left him to die.

The monster heard, or perhaps, smelled him and tried to whirl around, instinctively using its wings as balancing tools. For the tenth or twelfth time, they caught in the tightly meshed branches of the thick forest, and the beast went mad with frustration, ripping bark, branch and needles to ruin in a cloud of murderous, howling frenzy.

Inoadar found a shallow gully, overgrown with brush, and dove in, laying still and hoping the overpowering forest aromas of torn trees and overturned topsoil would cover the smell of his blood. The creature stormed by in a fury, heedless of such details and left a wake of woody carnage back in the direction of its carcass feast.

[Kaie]

Run. Faster. And don't you dare petching look back!

Kaie whipped from the scene and retreated into the shadows of the forest. Away from the growls and taunting of a foolish Ravokian with a death wish. To safety. She did not run. There was little need. The Balicani was more than preoccupied with a meal and an unruly appetizer to play with. It was best to keep her wits about her, weapon at the ready, waiting for another one of Ravok's unfriendly wildlife to spring at her. Oh, but how the previous scene did haunt her. She could hear it. That stomping and shrieking of a furious, overgrown lizard. The piercing snap of another failed catch, its jaws snagging emptily on one another. And though Tyrell was beginning to prove troublesome to the Myrian's ways, she cursed herself for leaving him to his fate. Though blind and mad, she wasn't sure she could leave a man to the murderous jaws of a Balicani. Even some of the lesser men deserved to meet Dira in a kinder way.

Kaie grit her teeth and turned suddenly, feet already pushing off against the earth and back toward whence she came. It was all against her better judgement, this return. Yet as she sprinted through the forest, feet navigating carefully over the undergrowth, everything was beginning to settle. Though perilous, the choice felt right. Unsafe, but right.

When she did finally come to view, Tyrell was mid-dive into a natural trench camouflaged by the brush and plants about it. Almost certain the one-eyed beast would catch sight of him, she picked up her speed. All she could do was hope she had the chance to distract the monster before it stumbled upon him. Just when she had her sword raised, jaw dropping to let out an ear piercing war whoop, the Balicani careened out of the way. Away from Tyrell.

Petch. Lucky that thing's vision sucks.

The Myrian slipped behind the trunk of a tree not too far from Tyrell's own hiding spot. When she did peer around to see if they were clear, her eyes settled on the monster. The fresh blood appearing on the sides of its twisted mouth was enough to bring a sadistic grin to her face. The deed was done. But what now?

[Inoadar]

Inoadar laid absolutely still. He knew that no lack of movement would be sufficient to dispel his scent, if it was detectable over the freshly exposed evergreen trunks and the ruined and uprooted shrubs. He himself certainly couldn't smell anything over the sap and mulch aroma permeating the area.

Still, the creature tromped and stomped down the foliage wherever it went, hissing and snarling in rage. And it was working its way closer. Inoadar could tell that the ground around him was not dense enough to support the weight of the creature even if it wasn't stomping on the ground with each step. It was not so much that the weight of the creature would be so unbearable. But if it noticed any texture but soil as it stepped on him, it would be all over.

He raised his head slowly and cautiously making every effort NOT to jiggle the bushes covering his hiding place. The Balicani was working its way laterally away from him, but Inoadar could tell by the clump of trees it was approaching, that it would be coming back his way shortly. And it looked like it would be getting very close this time.

Inoadar gouged some dirt loose with his elbows and fingers and rolled himself in it. He dug beneath himself and rolled further, trying to disguise himself in dirt. He suddenly realized there was no noise from the Balicani's last location. He knew that his feet were uncovered, but he thought the bushes were a little bit thicker where they were. The creature hissed a roar and started coming back his way.

Suddenly something broke out of the newly loosened dirt and ran across Inoadar's legs, shaking the bushes. Inoadar's hopes sank. He could just picture the beast's fanged maw opening in anticipation of a bloody feast of his gore and flesh. He was about to jump up and make a hopeless run for it, when the beast suddenly lunged away, snapping at something moving quickly across the open space.

The Balicani roared after it, getting tangled in undergrowth and eventually shredding it in fury. 'A Rabbit!' Inoadar marveled, 'My life has just been saved by a rabbit!'

The monster bounded away, venting its frustration at the sky. Inoadar continued to lay perfectly still for an additional chime. By then the sounds of the creature were coming back from the direction of the carcass of his ex-horse, Handy. A surge of vengeful satisfaction ripped through his soul, and he slowly pulled himself up from the gully. His back and knees revolted against the crouch he wanted to use to approach the scene. Bloody mud coated half his skin and clothes, and he felt either weak or numb in every bone, sinew and surface of his body. The pain would come later.

For now he just wanted to SEE this monster eating the poisoned carcass of his horse. Then slow, meticulous vengeance would be his.

[Kaie]

Tyrell had lucked out in all aspects of the situation. Though a bit wounded, the beasts furious tromping yielded no further injury on his end. Nothing broken but fallen branched turned to chippings and imprinted earth. Caiyha had surely been watching over the two of them in the woods this day. Yet for how long could she protect them from the wrath of the territorial nature of the Balicani? It was a shame they hadn't just left when they had the chance.

Vengeance is the most addictive drug...That I can understand, Tyrell.

Kaie remained hard pressed to the tree with her sword grasped tightly at her side. She peered over where she had seen the man dive into the brush. What she had once only identified as a bit of exposed flesh was gone. It actually took her a some silent scanning to finally spot the dirtied figure she could only label as Tyrell.

Camouflage. That works...As long as it quits its blind stomping...

The Myrian woman then flickered her eyes in the direction of the feasting monster. She could hear the moist, ripping sound of bloodied tissue being torn and shredded by malicious jaws. The carcass hardly moved under the passed claws that dug into its torso to hold it in place. If only it knew the meal would be its last...

With the beast preoccupied by its bloody snack, Kaie made a break for Tyrell's position. Masking the sound her feet made when coming in contact with the ground wasn't easy. It was an art she had not yet perfected. However, as the Myrian darted from her hiding spot the moment the Balicani dipped its head down once more, the sensory overload of the carcass made her a trivial piece of background noise. Within several paces she was crouched low beside where she believed he laid. Crouched and positioned behind the thickest of bushes and brambles, Kaie eyed the beast to ensure she had indeed crossed safely. To her satisfaction, it seemed to be paying her no mind.

"Did what you asked. Now we run?" She asked in a quiet whisper, eyes never leaving the Balicani's backside. Paranoia had her convinced the moment she assumed safety would be the second all turned for the worst.

OOCSorry for the delay! Holidays had me pretty locked down for a little bit!

[Inoadar]

Inoadar looked up and started to make an effort to climb out of the gully. Pain erupted everywhere. Bruises, gashes, wrenched joints and gods knew what else did a cruel dance on nerve endings throughout his body. He grit his teeth and shuddered as he dragged himself out of the brush.

"I couldn't run if...my...my...life..." he started to laugh, chuckles intermixing with gasps of pain, "...my life depended on it." blood speckled his lips as his laughs turned to coughs. He got to his feet, rejecting her help. "Thank you, but no...I'm not running..." One eye was swollen nearly shut and the other shone with lethal purpose. "Not until that thing is a petching TROPHY!"

He took a few staggering steps toward the sound of tearing, slurping and swallowing. A grin of pure malice spread across his face as the sounds became disrupted by gurgles and hacking hisses. He ignored any warnings the woman may have sent his way as he took a deep, tormented breath. "WHAT'S THE MATTER, YOU SCALY SHYKE? SOMETHING NOT SITTING WELL IN YOUR PETCHING GUT?" he yelled at the Balicani.

There was a part of his twisted sense of humor that was imagining Kaie standing gape-mouthed behind him in disbelief. But he didn't care whether she was or not. If she had the courage to stay put, she would have the pleasure of watching the unfolding spectacle.

The creature tried to spin in fury at its remembered antagonist, and got its foot caught clumsily on nothing at all. It teetered sideways, snarling in empty threat. It managed to get its uncooperative foot under it, only to overcompensate and fall on its other side, waving its feet aimlessly. A shudder ran its length and it tried to roar but an odd sort of croak gurgled out of its mouth. It managed to get its feet beneath it again and it tried to stand.

Inoadar could now see that he hadn't actually hurt the thing's eyeball, but had torn its eyelid. Now, however, both eyelids fluttered and its head quivered as it compacted its neck in pain. It convulsed and tried to roar, but blood bubbled among its teeth and the sound gurgled into a sort of hissing whimper.

Inoadar held nothing but his dagger as he stepped past it. It did manage to make a clumsy kick with a clawed foot that he was unable to dodge completely and he found himself on his face warding off twitching swipes of its tail. Inoadar finally got an actual hold on the tail, and the creature found that it lacked the strength to pull it free. Inoadar slid himself in the direction the tail pulled him and then let go to drop himself on one of the back legs.

The monster kicked its other leg at him and he grabbed it. Pain erupted with the contact but he managed to maintain control of the two limbs. The Balicani clearly wanted to reach him with its front claws, but painful muscle spasms wracked its torso every time it tried. Inoadar shouted to Kaie. "COME HERE, GIRL! IT'S POISONED...IT'S WEAK...AND I'M GONNA CUT IT OPEN! I'M GONNA MOUNT ITS DAMN WINGS ON MY WALL!"

[Kaie]

He was a petching fool. An understandably so, but wildly dancing the line bordering suicidal. By the breaks in his breath and the grit of his teeth when he maneuvered his limbs, Kaie was very aware of his painful condition. He had danced with a Syliras serpent for petch sake. Unless he was some impossibly skilled warrior of legendary proportion, there was no way either could've possibly believed his antics would've left him completely unharmed. Tyrell had made himself clear. The beast had wronged him and he was making a point to put it down in the only way he knew how. Even if she had wanted to, the Myrian woman hadn't a prayer in dragging him from the scene. Not yet anyways.

For the love of Myri...What is he doing now?

Before she knew it he was fronting toward the overgrown reptile, screaming taunts and obscenities at it. The monster was completely deaf to the foreshadowing of its fate that laid in the vengeful man's words. There was no point in trying to shut him up anyways. Word was already out and his location was found out by then. Besides, if he was right about his fatal concoctions, the scaly bastard was about to drop dead any second. Might as well stay to watch the show, though she wasn't quite sure if that was Tyrell or the demise of the beast.

Kaie simply ran a hand down her face and shook her head in amusement. The moment the creature made its turn toward Tyrell, she made precautionary steps away from the madman. She exited toward the far left back from whence she had come when she had poisoned the carcass. This tactic, she believed, would give her the option to engage the monster if it decided to attack Tyrell or simply get out of the way and escape. Either way, it seemed to be a win-win for her.

To both their satisfactions, the Balicani was was clumsier than Kaie had been blackout at any bar. It swayed and snapped its jaws, growling and stutter stepping like a drunken wench after spotting her man flirting with another woman. It stumbled and crumpled before returning to its feet again to continue its worthless ambush. Wild to its end it was with the gurgle of its dying cry, blood spilling the corners of its jaw that bubbled up from the throat. It wasn't until it made a go with a claw that Kaie finally intervened again.

"Watch it!" The Myrian woman warned him all too late, but charged back toward the beast and man anyways out of her own stupidity. Tyrell was caught by it but had seemed to evade most of the threat. Having approaching from its weak side, its claws only splayed for her ally to worry about, Kaie decided to make her own did. Ironically enough he had demanded she did so not a moment after skated around a weak flap of wings to dig her gladius into its flesh.

The metal did not sink easy. Its hide was not that of soft fur and scales like her usual quarry. Instead she was rivaled with scales. The downward force and pressure focused in a single area allowed her gladius to sink through its armor. Blood flowed up around her weapon promptly. A cry and a fruitless flap of wings was her only response. There was little fight left in the Balicani to keep the sword from drilling down through the area between its throat and shoulders. Even less was there to prevent her from attacking again. The next was sunken down into the area just below the shoulder bones and above the wings. Naturally, she had wanted to go for the throat and end it all in one final stream of blood shed. Something told her that Tyrell had more violent ends in mind for the beast. Something made her believe he wanted this Balicani to suffer first. Kaie would not get between the man and his revenge.

"You were strong and powerful in your fight, brother, but now you must too fall prey to another and feed the lesser creatures of Caiyha's realm. Die well," She murmured between her next punishing hacks at its flesh in her own tongue, speaking only to herself and the dying animal. Though this animal was not like the one she had hunted back as a child, she did remember the words a half breed had once spoken to her about the kill. It was information she had tried to obey in her life. Old habits die hard.

[Inoadar]

Claws battered him weakly, the mail torn in many places but still functional enough to prevent anything more than slashes and jabs. The creature shuddered with every jab of Inoadar's dagger, targeting the unarmored belly where it was only thick furry hide, and not scales. Several times the beast's trembling movements spoke of desperation, but it was unable to coordinate its poisoned body enough to even get its feet beneath it.

Inoadar was relentless, the stamina to continue his maiming borne of madness and tears, both evident in his screams of hate. Dagger plunges finally connecting like dots on a page, he roared in a final wail of vengeance as he ripped the dagger nearly the full length of the Balicani's torso, falling on his back exhausted, as gurgling spouts of steam and gore stained the scene. He was covered in blood, half of it his own, as he regained his breath.

He rolled, moaning, from side to side, muttering about "Handy" and "failed", the rest incoherent babbling. He lay in a delirious stupor for a few moments and began shuddering himself. A sudden panic crossed his features and he crawled back to the carcass of his horse, dry heaves and agonized convulsions interrupting his progress. He rifled clumsily through his pack and pulled out a pair of vials, guzzling their contents as fast as he could.

Then he lay there, the spasms slowing and finally stopping. He looked up to see Kaie staring at him from across the body of the Balicani. It may have been his imagination, but he'd have sworn there was a look of disturbed loathing in her eyes. "Did it give my horse any better chance?" he shouted. "Did it give it a quick death? NO! It ripped its..." he gagged and his voice cracked as tears began glistening on his cheeks again. "It ripped its guts open and started eating it ALIVE! Don't feel SORRY for the petching thing!"

He had no idea if his accusation had any merit or not, his sight swam in a swoon. "My own poison got back in my blood from its wounds, so don't think I'm feeling good or anything!" He didn't have the strength to yell, but there was still an emotional intensity to his words. "I couldn't save Handy, and I'm not letting you save that! Noble petching beast MY ASS!"

He had no idea if Kaie recognized the rationalizing of the self-loathing he felt. But he struggled, trembling, to his feet and slowly made his way back to the beast, pain and shock in his own eyes. Then he drew himself up with a deep trembling breath, and spoke quietly, "I'm going to clean myself up...my wounds...I'm leaving the saddle and tack here...I won't ask you to help me. I'll walk back to the stables by the lake. I'm going to get a new horse and come back...take its wings...a trophy. If it's...some god's will that I...be set on by wolves...so be it."

He started collecting the gear together to make another fire and set water to boil to sterilize his many wounds. He didn't look at Kaie. He felt that she probably wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as she could. He didn't blame her.

[Kaie]

Oddly enough, Kaie found she had little heart to butcher the Balicani in the same manner Tyrell did. The slaughter of the dangerous animal was not the problem. Petch, it had stolen her prey right off her snare! Yet there was something about the overkill that was off putting. The deed was already done. It was poisoned and incapacitated, brutalized by daggers and blades. There was little reason left for Kaie to hack at it and waste her precious energy. It would be so much more efficient had they just cut its throat and be done with it. Then again, it was not her animal companion that had been murdered in the attack. Therefore, she decided, Tyrell had reason to bloody the shyke out of the thing. Not herself.

Kaie stepped back from the beast the moment she watched Tyrell tumble to the ground. It was madness to watch. The man who moaned and tossed from side to side was not the man whose distrust had sent them this way to begin with. He was not the cautious, rational figure that left her wondering whether she should cut his throat and make an escape if she could. He had degenerated into an agonized being whose failure and grief possessed him like an illness. The Myrian found she could only watch him. She swiped a series of blood drops from her cheek, ran her sword along the beasts scales to clean it. And then he was shouting at her.

Several emotions flickered across her features in response to his sudden outburst. First there was confusion, then offense and immense irritation at his accusations. Finally there was a blankness. It was understanding. She knew his mind was not in the right place. So she let him lay there, shouting at her in his mourning. Only when his episode was over did she speak.

"I lied to you before. I have been attacked by your wolves here," Kaie admitted suddenly, stepping toward the trembling man cautiously. Her free hand slipped up to the outside of her cloak and pulled it aside. Beneath the cloth was a vicious injury clearly made by savage fangs. Then she released it and sheathed her gladius before coming within two yards of him. "You won't go back alone. I'll see you to the stable and then I'm gone."

Kaie watched his expression, searching for displeasure or perhaps another angry outburst. If he did choose to attack in blind rage, she'd be somewhat prepared. At least she would've liked to believe that.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar gave her a weak smile and nodded wordlessly. He set to with a rag and hot water, knowing from extensive experience that there was no better time to clean wounds than right away, before they got over-sensitized. It was still an excruciating ordeal, as much from the slow scalding of his hands as the actual scrubbing of deep gashes and shallow slashes. He left the water for her use, offering to do the cleaning if she preferred.

This time, though, in addition to bringing a load of crossbow bolts, he'd also brought bandage material, several yards of cotton torn into strips. They were a grim sight shortly after being applied, with the fresh flow of blood released by the scrubbing. In his haste earlier to pull the poisons from his pack, he'd dumped out his change of clothes and they'd been rolled over by the beast in its agonized throes. It was a draw which set was more bloody, so he didn't bother changing them.

It struck him suddenly to ask this woman her view on something. She seemed more attuned to the outdoors than he, and as much as he had wanted to dishonor the Balicani, he wanted to honor his horse. "I will do you the courtesy of complete honesty. I was, at first, of a mind to leave Handy's poisoned carcass as a lure and trap for wolves hereabouts. Now, I am disgusted that I could consider such a thing. But I don't have the energy to bury him deep enough where they would not probably dig him up anyway. Is it..."proper"...to burn his remains?"

Before she could answer he continued, "I don't know if wolves would ravage the monster there. I don't really care either. There's no meat on those wings. It's as much a poison trap as Handy, anyway. I AM coming back for those wings, and my saddle and gear. If we burn Handy, we should probably clear the ground around him." he felt weariness surge through him at the thought of that effort, but he knew that any fire would likely DRAW wolves, and if they walked away from it without clearing it, they'd probably start a forest fire.

"Look, I...uhh...want to thank you...for...not leaving me...in that state. I...uhh..." he looked over at the Balicani and after a moment of silence, simply shook his head and said nothing.

[Kaie]

Kaie simply hung back while he cleaned himself, settling for a casual lean against a nearby tree. He was clever to tend to himself right away. At least he wasn't the stubborn kind that cringed and whined like a child every time the rag grazed his skin. With luck, he just avoided a nasty infection. Tyrell was clearly the one who got a bit jostled during the conflict with the Balicani. Kaie on the other hand was almost unscathed. There was little reason for her use the water. She could wait until she returned to her place of stay. With nothing else to do but wait, the Myrian did her best to remain patient.

"Bury horse? Too much work. Not worth it. I would burn him. Myrians honor their fallen upon a funeral pyre. If we do it, I don't see why you can't with your horse," The woman answered on the beat with a shrug of her shoulders. She removed herself from the tree and glanced across toward the ravaged horse carcass. Never did the Myrian have a steed that solely belonged to her. Petch, the one she rode from Syliras to Ravok just days ago was her current employer's possession. The ones in Cyphrus were never a constant. They always changed horses when they good. After the Zith killed the last steed she ever really rode, Kaie had quit wondering about buying one for herself. It was enough to worry about honoring the remains of her father. "I'll help you clear if you want. We can get you back faster with two hands to the stables that way, no?"

Kaie began to walk toward him in the direction of the horse to get to work when he seemed to pause. His words brought her away from her task and her feet rooted in place, curious as to what else he thought to say. It seemed to her that they had covered must of what needed to be done. A thank you wasn't something she had expected. They had an alliance, and a forced one at that. It was all simply for survival and perhaps respect for the first true poisoner she had ever met. There was something practical about Tyrell she never found in anyone else. The new perspective he granted her might've been what kept her around. Self preservation certainly gave her no reason to have stayed rather than make a run. As soon as she realized what he was trying to say, she lifted a hand as if to stop him.

"No. No need to thank. We all reach that point. Someone was there for me during my time. I like the idea of paying it forward since I cannot do anything for the man now. My debt is paid," She said suddenly, shaking her head slowly. The woman glanced over him once more but said nothing further on the subject."Handy was a good horse. We should go honor him as wanted."

It didn't take long for the ground to be cleared about the poisoned body and a proper pyre to be started. They lingered there before the smoking remains for a while, watching them burn. The Myrian did not press Tyrell to leave the moment the fire was set. She saw just from his prior reaction the horse meant something to the man, even if it was only an animal. When he was ready, however, they went on their way. Silence followed their journey for the most part, Tyrell leading the way as Kaie knew little of the place he wished to go. The woman followed along with her situational awareness, waiting for the tell-tale growl or prowling shadow stalking them. Luckily, there was nothing to be found but the skittering of rodents racing for cover in their wake.

Upon reaching the edge of the Stable, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. It seemed Tyrell had forgotten about their deal. He said nothing of their agreement to return to her place of stay. Not a word. Perhaps he had not forgotten but had instead decided to let it go out of mutual respect. Certainly there were plenty of explanations to be made up, but ultimately none were relevant. Kaie had no qualms about the "freedom," and instead went on her way as soon as he made his way toward the building. Though part of her did wish she turned back around, called his name, and told him she found his methods during their initial meeting clever. She'd have to save it for another time. Maybe one day they would meet again in the Ravokian forest or elsewhere in the world someday