Mirror, mirror, show me ... (Loren)

[Kilviria]

Mirror, mirror, show me …
75th of Summer, 510 AV

Despite being a native of Avanthal, Kilviria found herself spending less and less time inside the walls of the icestone city.

In the short seasons since the end of her previous life, she had become a fresh air addict more and more. She avoided the warm rooms they had shared, avoided the blankets that were still imprinted with his shape and had gotten herself a new set of clothing that didn’t carry his smell. She loathed being surrounded by the ghost of his presence. So she escaped outside.

A polar bear was on the top of the food chain and a dire-sized even more so. Feeling nothing and fearing nothing, Kilviria roamed the white, glittering plains she so loved. Out here she could appreciate nature without thinking about its cruelty that took him away from her.

Her strolls got more and more extensive. After a while she saw the outskirts of the large Talderian Forest again. That place inhabited creatures like that which had taken him from her side.

While approaching the trees slowly, she tried to make up her mind about how she felt. Of course, she couldn’t blame the forest for what had happened to her. Caiyha was like that: Who was too weak to survive would aid the others in surviving. Instead, what she felt a dislike for was the giant forest cat that had cowardly attacked her from the back and used her confusion to get right to her weakest point.

Too bad Kilviria had missed the change to make the cat pay back.

However, she also knew that carrying out her sadness and anger on an animal was nothing but stupid. So she started roaming the wilderness and hoping that the problem of confusion and loneliness would solve itself one day.

If it didn’t, the vantha would save it for her. They’d find her a new bondmate, a guy suited for riding a polar bear and bonding with a human-shaped animal that had lost its dearest companion. He’d fill the hole. But was that really the way it should be?

Never before had Kilviria given room to doubt, and it probably had something to do with her unusual condition, but she couldn’t push it aside as easily as before. It was what confused her most: the question of what to do next and how the future would be.

She had to admit that she felt slightly unnatural, asking such questions while at the same time placing her paws in the thinning blanket of snow and leaving big prints. Morwen knew she was only a kelvic, a predator at heart. And as a kelvic, she would do what she enjoyed most: hunting and filling her stomach.

Having made up her mind for the time being, she continued approaching the forest and soon found herself in the middle of its green and wet embrace. Being such a big creature, she found moving between the tree trunks quite difficult. Her pace slowed down significantly. She didn’t care though.

The massive polar bear continued, its white fur shimmering through the shadow of the forest. It looked like a typical animal – for Taldera, anyway – despite the detail that gave away its identity: a slim silver chain around its neck with a small ivory pendant shaped like a bear’s head.

[Loren]

75th of Summer, 510 AV Even though it had been almost seven months since Fiarra passed on, Loren's family and Fiarra's family were still at odds. Her death created an uneasy tension; a dark silence. Neither family spoke to one another. The animosity espoused by the families made life in Avanthal untenable for Loren. "Father, I must leave this place," Loren spat at Nomantar. "Where will you go, Loren?" "I do not know!" Loren was pensive, pacing and felt the emptiness inside. "All I know is that Morwen is telling me to leave Avanthal and find a new way in life. I need to get away from you, from Mother and especially Fiarra's parents. They would sooner see me hung from a pine bough than strolling past their lodge." Nomantar's grim appearance reflected his concern for his son but knew the young man was a capable hunter and could survive in the forest. "Wait here, Loren." Nomantar stood up from the table he was sitting at and walked into an adjoining room. In a few moment, he returned with the most beautiful hand crafted compound bow Loren had ever seen. "Take this bow, I think you can make better use with it than I." Loren readily accepted the gift with a smile on his face. It was bound in leather and skillfully stitched; the symmetry, utter perfection. Loren eyed the weapon up and down. He held it in his left hand, arm extended to feel the weight. "This is comfortable," he spoke while inspecting the weapon. "I think I might actually hit something with this," he smiled at his father. "Thank you, father," Loren took a few steps forward and gave his mentor a big hug. "You take care of that bow and that bow will take care of you." Nomantar wasn't excited about his son leaving, but felt it necessary to support him regardless of his decision. He knew his wife would not be so easy going about this news. She will scream her head off when he tells her. "I suggest you allow me to break this news to your mother. When do you think you will leave?" "Father, there is no time like the present." "May Morwen look after you, son. When you feel you are ready, please return home." "Aye, I will at that." Loren turned and walked out the door. He returned to his cottage, picked up his pack, retrieved his spear and headed off into the forest. He traveled south by south east. He was aware of the Jamourans to the south. He recalled listening to friends of his father tell stories about the great beasts who possessed a world class intelligence matched by no man. It had always been Loren's desire to meet a Jamoura and listen to one speak. An old hunter had even taught Loren a few of the Jamouran grunts, snorts and short howls and what they meant in the common tongue. The thought of an adventure excited Loren but the reality of his surroundings did not pass him. He was wearing his winter camouflage and grasped his spear. The compound bow his father handed him was safely strapped to his back. He had some small pieces of tack to chew on, which became his lunch on the move as he continued to head south. By mid afternoon he was in the heart of the great Talderan Forest weaving his way past the large trees. Their trunks appeared massive to him. More than once he looked up to admire their majesty. They stood firm as great sentinels standing at attention in formation, protecting the Vanthans from some unseen enemy. When Loren was in the forest, all his senses came alive. He could smell more acutely and see with greater detail. His hearing seemed to intensify as well. He heard every snap of a broken twig; the sound of the wind passing a hollow tree or an animal moving about. This last sound triggered Loren's attention and he froze in his tracks. Loren hunched over slightly and grasped the spear in both hands. He sniffed the air and knew some great predator was nearby. He listened for sounds. He could hear what sounded like a tongue licking fur. He focused on the direction the sound came from and stared while adjusting to the depths of the wood. He moved his head to see around a tree and slowly caught sight of a large cat; a mountain lion that was indeed licking its fur. He slowly walked backwards in his tracks. The cat was making so much noise of its own and had not caught Loren's scent yet. After all, Loren was walking into the wind. Loren painstakingly backed away from the big cat and began a circuitous route to the west away from where the cat was taking its bath. Within time he felt comfortable that he had avoided a perilous encounter and it was acceptable to speed up his pace. As the sun was beginning to drop towards the horizon, Loren thought it was about time to set up a suitable lodging. With his gloved hands, he dug down into the snow. He burrowed down at an angle until he had created a small cavern large enough for himself. Once the burrow was complete, he found some dried wood and tinder. After dragging everything back to his new hovel, he shoved a length of wood into the snow starting from inside his sleeping quarters. Next he dug down into the snow at the other end of where the piece of wood was and built a makeshift fire pit. Then he pulled the length of wood out of the hole. Inside the fire pit he built a fire using the tinder and then the kindling. Once the smaller pieces were burning, he added a few larger pieces to the fire until he was able to get the fatter pieces burning. Finally, the sun had dropped and evening was upon him. Loren crawled into his burrow, placed a piece of canvas covered by his winter camouflage over the opening. He dug another hole to allow the smoke to pass out of his sleeping quarters. He had a blanket inside his pack he used to keep warm with while he lay on pine boughs so he wasn't directly on the snow. The heat from the fire pit traveled up the hole he built into his sleeping quarters. It was only a distance of about six feet, but far enough to not be directly in his sleeping area. The temperature inside the burrow never rose above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but was still at least 50 to 60 degrees warmer than the night air outside his small home. Tomorrow would be a new day.

[Kilviria]

What a human accomplished in a day, a polar bear could do in a couple of bells if it so desired. Kilviria had made it her goal to arrive at the forest before Syna set. Now she was slightly exhausted and unsure about her next move.

It was curiosity, but also a dark memory that caused her to shift within a flash of light and let her gaze follow the giant trees reaching for the sky. Having decided just as quickly as animals do, the naked blonde started walking further into the forest. Every tree was regarded with an inspecting stare.

The necklace now dangled between her pale breasts down to her belly. She didn’t mind the cold; thanks to Morwen’s blessing she would not be bothered by it either.

Eventually she found a tree that was to her liking, even after circling it and looking for branches near the ground. She had never climbed a tree before – how, with Avanthal being surrounded by tundra? The weak twigs the vantha grew were by no means suited for such.

So, after settling for a tree, Kilviria grabbed the lowest branch and pushed her body up. Her muscles were well-toned, despite her slender looks. Using her physical strength and flexibility, Kilviria pulled herself up branch by branch, sometimes even using small bumps in the bark to maneuver herself higher.

Eventually she had reached a rather comfortable spot several feet above ground. She figured she could relax here and raised her gaze to take a look at the view.

It was amazing.

A whole new world unfolded around her. From above, she could see far more than from the ground. Bushes and twigs no longer distracted her vision. She could make out faint paths, trails the larger animals might use frequently as well as nests in the treetops and, of course, the sky. Beyond was green and above was blue. Although Kilviria wasn’t the quickest to adore beauty made by mankind, she could never deny the rough beauty of nature.

Soon, however, she got tired and released a long yawn. The purpose of why she had climbed the tree was actually a very simple one: sleep. She was too far away from Avanthal to make it there before dawn. Not that she minded being outside in the night, but she simply found it more comfortable to sleep rather than walk through the night. Typical for her, she entered the dream realm within a few chimes.

Deep down in her chavi, the colorfully woven fabric that was her subconscious, emotions and happenings stirred and came to the surface. In her dreams, Kilviria experienced the recent loss more detailed and real than she could ever remember, countless times. Once again she searched the empty rooms for a trace from him, inhaled his wonderful smell. But the traces ended and the smell faded in time. There was nothing left. Nothing would remind her of him.

Gasping, she awoke. Didn’t know where she was.

Suddenly the ground under her body vanished and she fell. Twigs scratched against bare skin like fire.

Within a flash of light the dire-sized polar bear landed on its paws. Kilviria sneezed and inspected the surroundings. The impact of her landing had distracted the birds. A sniff indicated that no dangerous smell was near enough to worry her.

Although mist still lingered between the trees near the ground, the sun already warmed the forest with the first rays of the day.

Now, she would have melted snow in her mouth if she had still been in the tundra, but here she had to find a source of flowing water. Following her nose deeper into the forest, Kilviria started her search. At the same time she paid close attention to all the other smells mixing in the fresh air, trying to discern something familiar – something that might make a delicious breakfast.

[Loren]

76th of Summer, 510 AV Any night sleeping on a pile of sticks inside an ice cave is fitful and this one was no different. A memory of a dream about a great white presence blanketed in a warm golden aura stuck with Loren for at least a few moments when he first woke up. Loren couldn't quite understand what it was and dismissed it as he destroyed his temporary lodging. He put his pack back together, piled snow over the fire pit and crushed his small ice cave. Some of the walking the day before was good and some was not so good. Yesterday, he had walked on a fairly worn path, but had to hit the soft snow when he bumped into the mountain lion. The snow he was in at this moment, was deep and soft and it made for slow walking. Loren pulled himself up onto a layer of frozen snow and inched his feet across in order to avoid placing unnecessary force on the fragile layer. The sun's rays stretched out across the horizon and streamed through the trees. Loren pulled some more tack out of a pouch and nibbled on it as he walked. 'Maybe I could have a breakfast of venison this morning?' Loren thought to himself and readied his new bow. After securing his spear to his back pack, he notched an arrow and heightened his senses to the forest. There were no tracks, no smells and nothing to see but snow and trees. He climbed a small hill to the south. As he crested the rise, he noticed an outcropping of rocks down about fifty meters on his right. He slowly made his way to the rocks and leaned into them as he scanned the forest floor spreading out below him. Loren raised his left arm to rest over the top of a large boulder. The fingers of his right hand played with the notch and string. His nostrils flared as he picked up a scent. "Bark! Bark! Bark!" a pack of four dire wolves ran from right to left in front of Loren about a hundred and fifty meters away. Thankfully, unaware of his presence, Loren quietly watched them pass. 'No deer around here. Those wolves would have chased them off.' Loren waited for the wolves to get out of earshot distance knowing their hearing is extremely sensitive. When he felt it was safe, he moved off to the right and down the hill. He passed the wolf tracks in the snow and continued along heading south for a few bells. Surprisingly, the snow had been firm and he was able to maintain his footing without problem. Two bells later, he found himself in the middle of an open field. The winds had picked up harshly and blowing the light snow about in swirls and fits. Loren attempted to pull his hood in close to his head. He focused on the horizon and occasionally looked behind to see if anyone was following. Without warning, his feet fell out from underneath him and Loren felt himself drop about five feet. He collected his thoughts and realized that he was sitting on a "bridge" of snow. His feet were dangling in a cavity below. The surface of the snow was just about armpit level. 'What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into this time?' Loren thought to himself allowing a smile. He placed his bow and notched arrow to his left so that he could extricate himself from this predicament. He could not step on anything and he could not pull himself up with his hands. He attempted to rock back and forth to try to crawl out, but was not finding success. "Bark! Bark! Bark!" the sound of the dire wolves returned to his ears. 'On great,' Loren thought, 'That's all I need.' He picked up his bow and scanned the ground around him. He could see the four wolves a few hundred meters behind him. They had not yet picked up his scent but were wandering around. One had lifted a leg to relieve himself. Loren considered dropping into the cavity below him to get out of sight of the wolves, but then how would he get out? 'I may have to sit and fight.' He pulled out his quiver and laid it on the snow to his left. He twisted his body around to get a good angle on the wolves. It was difficult with the pack on his back and sitting on a tentative firing platform, but he managed. He also readied his spear for when they got close to him. "Hoooooooowl!" a wolf angled his snout to the sky and sang to the heavens. His three comrades did likewise. A chorus of wolf howls serenaded the region. A large black wolf with white eyes and a white chest broke into a sprint toward Loren. "Here we go," Loren spoke aloud. He pulled back on the bow and waited. The large dog bore down on what appeared to be a trapped animal. For the wolfpack, Loren would be an easy kill. The other three chased after their friends when he took off running. They all quickly picked up his scent and knew their hunger would soon be sated. When the pack was within a hundred yards of Loren, he let an arrow loose and quickly retrieved a second, notching it and pulling back. The first arrow hit true to its mark center on the white chest. The mighty beast slid ten yards and came to a stop. Meanwhile, the other three closed another fifty yards. Loren let loose his second arrow, it skimmed off a wolf's head. The wolf stopped and shook his head, but then resumed the charge. Within seconds, Loren would end up becoming a mid morning snack. He grabbed his spear and waited.

[Kilviria]

No matter how big of a circle she walked, Kilviria could neither see nor hear nor smell any flooding water source nearby. It all seemed to boil down on her continuing her journey. She hoped that she would eventually come across a mountain stream as she wandered farther away from Avanthal, into a direction that she considered as roughly southwest, based on the position of the morning sun.

As she trotted between the trees, the polar bear female picked up many interesting smells and sounds, some foreign, some not. The massive trees stood in random rows with their crowns reaching so high that Kilviria couldn’t even begin to imagine how it was like to sit up there. Not that she intended to give it a try, no. The sounds of various unknown birds echoed through the woods, as well as the rustling of leaves in the wind or caused by the passage of other creatures she couldn’t perceive. And the smells, the smells were vivid! Soft moisture from the ground and the trees’ barks. A fresh and green smell from the leaves and ferns and all the other plants. Fur and warmth from the occasional squirrel tracks, and more fur from other animals.

Kilviria found herself lost in the variety of impressions the forest threw at her, so lost in fact that she nearly forgot to watch out for potential dangers. A loud howl made her ears twitch.

Her mind immediately switched back to reality. Wolves; they had to be somewhere in close proximity, judging from how the sound echoed in the crystal-clear air. Kilviria automatically ducked down, placed her steps with more care to approach the open field covered in snow that interrupted the forest monotony.

There were the wolves, four of them. Heading towards something that was hidden in a small cavity in the snow.

Watching from the shadow, Kilviria tried to decide what to do. Her nose reported the scent of warm, wet fur, with hunger nearly vibrating in the air. They sensed prey, and they wanted food. True enough, the polar bear was in search for food too, but could she take down four dire-sized wolves on her own?

Suddenly there was another noise. Kilviria’s ears snapped up, not sure whether she had heard what she thought she had heard. A voice? The voice of a human man? It couldn’t be, could it, so far away from any human settlement …

Listening for a little longer, however, proved that the creature trapped in the cavity couldn’t be an animal. Next, one of the wolves, while running towards their prey, stopped and fell. Something coming from the cavity had shot it down!

There was no more doubt now.

Without giving any further thought, Kilviria exited the woods and started a sprint towards the wolves. Her massive paws raised a great amount of snow, and although she wasn’t fast compared to the wolves, they didn’t run away. Instead they gathered together in front of the small hole, showing their teeth and growling at the intruder. If there was really a human trapped behind, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to attack the wolves.

Kilviria didn’t stop. She gave in to her instinct, let out a deep growl of her own and slammed into the first wolf that jumped towards her. It attempted to bite into her furred cheek, but she shook it off and raised a paw for a deadly blow.

But she had underestimated the wolf’s agility. It slipped out from under her paw and joined with its companions near the hole. Apparently they understood pretty quickly that they couldn’t take down a tundra predator of 13’. Instead they concentrated on the cavity again.

Kilviria followed, determined to save whoever was trapped down there. This was too much of a déjà vu – she simply couldn’t let it end like the last similar scene had!