Completed [Bronze Woods] Wrought with Worry II

[Altaira Readva]

Bird Speak | Common | Vani | Others

Unable to help herself as her hands kept finding the buttons to her shirt and the lacing of her skirts, Altaira spent the larger part of her uncoordinated bolt biting her tongue and scolding herself. If she could have made it down to her underclothes, then perhaps a shift would be- Uldr have me before I abandon anyone.

She kept her gaze flitting between the ground and the horizon, refusing to allow herself the agony of even the shortest glance to the wide skies and tree tops above, making the sudden rush of air and piercing cry from above all the more surprising. Her heart stopped for a moment, chest caving as a jolt shot through her body and she almost fell, barely managing to catch herself in time to grasp the gist of what was said and continue her dash. She didn’t need to check or survey the scene behind; the expression taking to Oriah’s features an indication enough for any.

‘Keep going,’ Her chests and legs burned, pushing herself to run faster and finding herself to fail quite miserably in the matter. Even as a bird she was nowhere near the quickest, she’d have to pay special care to condition her human if she wished to make any further excursion to the Woods. Oriah skidded and collapsed no further than Altaira herself could manage, the kelvic woman slowing down quite the great deal before Oriah’s resting place.

The question rung hollow for a moment, her chest heaving and mind a whirl. She'd run too hard, and she was still some meters from joining the Benshira on the ground. Tremors struck her form, and it took coaxing before she could compose and comprehend what had been asked of her. “We," It hurt to speak, spluttering as she too cleared her throat. She was worn and tired. She just wanted to find someplace warm and safe. "We should probably thank…” She couldn't shed her voice's hoarseness, words a muddle as she spoke with quick, pounding breaths. When was the last time she’d run? And who was their little savior in the skies? Bird, or kelvic?

Probably kelvic. No bird of such size would likely involve himself in the affairs of those that took home on the ground, lest there was some great advantage to be had on his end. “You,” She frowned, summing up the determination to follow through with both her staggering steps and broken sentence. “Know him?” She knew that she should have cared more for the answer, curiosity and worry peaking not yet enough to match her relief and aching body.

She made it less than a step further than Oriah, before a portion of slushy ground proved to still bear ice, and her knees buckled beneath her. Altaira managed a single strong huff to signify her giving in, hands hitting the earth as she twisted her body awkwardly to face the Benshira, noting shortly the look of the woman’s eyes and how heavy her own breath. "We still need," she cut herself off and returned her gaze to the path that they’d run through, the wake of their escape noted with ease in the tearing of the ground and the snapping of branches and twigs. “If you…” The entire day was off, and her gaze shot to the sky as she sought sight of the hulking feathered beast. She knew people who often went to the woods, some to gather and forage, others to train. None of them ever seemed to have such rotten luck.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah Amuel The lynx's breath was felt on Noah's tail feathers as the Kelvic flew low, tricking the beast into thinking he had a chance at catching the giant bird. However, Noah felt that the beast actually did have a chance at catching him if he wasn't careful. His wings burned as he weaved through the trunks of trees and barely flew over tangles of brambles that the beast surged through with little effort. Faster! Noah urged himself. He could go no faster, the lynx was bearing down on him and the canopy above was too thick for him to fit his frame through. He was trapped in the thicket with the very animal he lured away from the women and now it pursued him with vengeance in its thoughts. Noah took a swift left around a thick truck and the cracking of twigs behind him told that the lynx hadn't been shaken, not yet -- if at all. His mind was almost in a panic, all that seemed to be around were trees and the clearing that he sought had seemingly vanished in the overgrowth. He was the one in need of a hero now and that hero was no where to be found. I have to get out of here! he thought, referencing the density of the woods he was in. Ahead there was a tree that split off into two mid-growth. That was where he was to make his escape. He beat his wings in a fury and took a quick turn upwards, skimming along the trunk until it split. The lynx pounced up the tree below him but Noah was out of reach now. The Kelvic approached the canopy quickly but before impact tucked in his wings and glided through the small opening allowed in the branches. He appeared on the other side unscathed and opened his wings in a great flush of air. He cried out in both triumph and joy before rising fast into the sky, beating his wings the entire way. All that he needed to do now was find the women. Finding the girls wasn't that hard. They stuck out against the forest floor and once Noah spotted them from a ways away he angled his descent towards them. When he was sure they could hear him he cried out in greeting. As he flew closer he suddenly grew nervous. If he was to shift now he'd be stark naked. It wasn't the nakedness that concerned him it was the audience, two pretty women upon closer inspection. Granted they had been through the seventh level of hell, first impressions meant a lot to him. There was no reason to be ashamed or abash about his body however, he learned that from his older brothers who took the opportunity to show off their ability to shift any chance they got, be they naked or not. Noah came to them now and shifted meters from the ground. He landed on his bare feet and his pale skin felt the instant chill of the winter air. The wind played with the dark brown strands atop his head, a dark brown that peppered his arms, chest, abdomen, thighs, and shins. His eyes transformed from the golden of an eagle to the intense light blue of his own and his chest heaved up and down, breathing deeply to refuel his achy and tired muscles. "Are you," he spoke, taking a breath and swallowing hard. "All right?" he continued, swallowing hard again to soothe his burning throat. His voice was trying to be gentle despite his breathing. He was also fighting the feeling of nervousness that stirred in his belly and he was nude but not yet cold, his muscles still burned and his heart still pumped rapidly.

[Oriah]

It required every ounce of her will for Oriah to push herself back onto her feet. Her lungs rebelled, her stomach churned, her muscles screamed in protest. Every breath felt like liquid fire made all the more potent by the icy air around them. It was painful, and it was hard. But, if the lynx was nearby, or if the eagle had been hurt, or a thousand other things that could have gone wrong, she needed to be ready to act.

What she hadn't expected was to get an eyeful of a pale, young man wearing naught be the skin he was born in.

Kelvics. When were they ever going to fail to surprise her?

It made sense now why the once eagle now human had seemed to be communicating with them so keenly, and why he had chosen to save them from the lynx. He was a clever one, to have distracted such a wily predator. And to have lost it, too, from the looks of it. Oriah kept her gaze focused on his face, more for her sake than his. Kelvics were notoriously unabashed by their nudity. Altaira, who was just as winded as the Benshira, was one such example.

For a moment, all was silent, save for the dissonance of their panting, each clambering over one other at different rhythms and volumes. It was the pale, young man before them who seemed to recover the quickest. Straight away he asked if they were alright, his blue eyes intense with concern and the dying rush of adrenaline.

"Y...Yes. We're alright," Oriah responded, still struggling to soothe the fire in her lungs. "Thank you...for saving us. I don't know what p...possessed you to dive in like that but we owe you our lives."

With as toothy a grin as she could muster, the Benshira held out a hand in way of greeting. Her chest was still heaving and her face a bit contorted in pained breathing but the gratitude was written clear across her features.

"My name is Oriah Azari, and this is my friend Altaira. What is yours?"

Remembering that he was stark naked, the girl unshouldered her pack and dug around in it. "You must be freezing! A shame I didn't bring an extra coat..."

She turned around and looked at Altaira, a ring of amusement in her tone. "Did you happen to bring any spare clothes?"

[Altaira Readva]

Bird Speak | Common | Vani | Others | oocSorry for my lateness!

Oriah pulled herself to her feet long before Altaira could muster the strength, her own words hanging in the air as their kelvic rescuer made his appearance. Had the Benshira not been the first to react, quick in thought and action as she always was, the kelvic herself would have likely gawked at him for a good chime as she tried to quite figure if there was much of a link between his animal and human forms, no doubt not quite trusting him altogether had she not witnessed the change.

Altaira herself couldn’t help but find it rather strange when there were little similarities between one’s forms, when they were disjointed and disparate, with little to tie them as the same being. The man’s hair, at least, seemed to carry the same tones and colour as the bulk of his feathers, the pigment of his eyes far from the gold they once were, but not quite so much different in their piercing and stunning look; bright, alert and eager.

Oriah was well into the ways of thank-yous and introductions when she summoned the will to stand, hands quick in their work of fastening her own clothing as the man’s lack thereof reminded her of how far she’d undressed, nodding with tired smile as she heard her own name mentioned.

She diligently tried not to appear so uncertain a she rolled her shoulders and looked the other kelvic over. What did possess him to render aid? She pressed her lips as the woman’s following words caught her off guard, not quite dropping the thought of the man’s reasoning as she dived into her pack, wasn’t she watching as she packed it?

A sigh left her as she shook her head. “No clothes,” There was an uncertain rising in her tone as spoke, before her hands found her neck and her look of bewilderment deepened, breaking as her gazed followed back to the path they’d thundered through, memory of cutting her cloak loose jolting. “Sorry. I’ll be sure to pack some in case of animal attack and unlikely rescue next time around,” There was a blatant jest to her words, before she shrugged off her jacket and placed it carefully upon her pack, the crisp cold air on her skin and snowy setting doing much in the ways of bringing up memories of home.

She didn’t pay much mind to the two as she unloosed her blouse and took off the longer of her two shirts, adding it to her jack before putting her blouse on once more, offering the two to the kelvic with a shrug. “You’re welcome to either or both should you like, I’ve nothing longer lest you wish my chemise or a skirt.” Her gaze shot southward as she tried to figure his length of torso in light of the length of offered shirt, the man not seeming to have much at all in terms of height on her, before her gaze flitted to Oriah, almost giggling as she noted how high the Benshira’s gaze hovered. “Should cover you well enough, for modesty’s sake.”

[Noah Amuel]

Noah Amuel Noah had at first put up a hand to decline the clothing that the woman dubbed Altaira had offered him but then he remembered the cold on his skin and his hand went from declining to receiving. "T--thank you," he said, polite and quiet. "I have my own clothing not too far from here... I usually hide it before I go on a hunt." He possessed an awkward smile and the tinged red of blush though, taking note of her words and where the her eyes went as she handed him her clothing. There wasn't much difference in their height -- he being on the shorter side -- so the flicker of her eyes was noticed. The fleeting of Altaira's eyes almost made him forget what Oriah had asked, his name. "Noah," he finally said, shrugging on the the blouse and then the jacket. "Amuel," he finished, adding his surname as Oriah did. Although the adrenaline of the fight moments earlier was leaving him, it was replaced by the a warmer nervous feeling. Caused by Altaira and Oriah's presence around him and the lack of trousers on his body. He cleared his throat lightly and continued talking to the best of his ability. "You don't have to thank me," he said, slightly smiling to Oriah. He didn't take to tightening the blouse. He just let it on his body loosely, wrapping the jacket around his torso tightly as he could. He shifted his gaze from the two women to the path they had ran from. "What were you doing out here, so deep in the Woods?" he asked, looking back to them -- most notably Oriah, keeping his eyes, gentle in this light, on her's. "I don't think there are Kelvic brave enough to venture that far, granted they wouldn't know a dire was in there even if they did. Also granted most Kelvic could outrun that thing. It's bizarre behavior for humans, is all I'm saying." Noah paused, looking a bit quizzical. He much wanted his own clothing now, especially his pants. Noah trailed off in his thoughts, looking to the sky. It was much easier to see where he was from up there but he was sure he put his clothing on the outskirts of the woods. Not too close to the road that it'd be seen by would be robbers but close enough that he didn't have to risk fighting off an animal to retrieve his small-clothes. He took a step towards the road, foot landing in powdery snow. "Could we walk?" he asked after the girls had had their say on his comments.

[Oriah]

Oriah watched Noah as Noah watched them, struck by the open and eager curiosity with which Kelvics always seemed to greet others. Perhaps, she wondered, it was an avian quality. Perhaps not. Would a bear Kelvic act differently? Or wolf? Or...lynx? She shuddered a little at that last possibility. Just a mere thought and her senses began tingling with paranoia. Shaking the feeling off, she took a breath and refocused her attentions once more on her companions.

The Benshira was grateful Altaira had any clothes to spare at all. She would have offered something of her own herself, had she not been as cold intolerant as she was. When Noah asked what had brought them so deep in the woods, blouse hanging loosely over his pale frame, Oriah had to jog her memory a bit. Their feverish marathon through the forest had left her more than a little addled from exhaustion.

"We were looking for some plants," she explained, "There are many people in the city right now suffering from sickness and not enough medicine to go around."

Oriah tilted her head towards her friend. "Altaira is the specialist though; I'm just here to help however I can."

"I suppose it is a bit bizarre for us to be out here on our own," she added, "But people are very desperate back in the city. There was a man this morning...what was his name again?"

She looked to Altaira, hoping the Kelvic could fill in the rest of the story. The Benshira's mind was already clouding with worry over their vulnerability in such a location and began devoting more of its attentions to the tree lines rather than conversation. After a while, it seemed Noah more or less felt the same and suggested they walk. Oriah looked at his bare feet with concern. She hoped he had some plan in mind, because he would have to shift before his feet became afflicted with frostburn.

As they walked, exchanging more words along the way, she alternated between scanning the trees and the ground. They still needed to find some herbs, or else return home empty handed to the doomed faces of dozens.

[Altaira Readva]

Bird Speak | Common | Vani | Others

"Did he just take me for a human?" she thought out loud, words clipped and quiet, incredulous of the fellow kelvic's accusation. 'Or does he merely speak of and to Oriah?' She used to understand her own kind better than any other, but seasons past in a cage of a city, with many a human and several other races being the bulk of which she spoke to, it seemed that she was losing her touch with even they.

Confusion came and passed from her features, quite unsure of whether or not there was any use in voicing the thought as either an interrogative or a declarative, instead slacking her firm form and listening as Oriah gave the explanation due.

'Specialist,' Altaira thought, unable to prevent the mental scoff that soon followed, 'I've much to know and learn yet.' Even still, she could scarcely fail to throw a small smile at the Benshira, a certain little glow of pride hitting her. It wasn't often that one with a mind as simple and easily muddled as her own gained any claim or appraisal in any kind of field that required great thoughts, and soon the little grin shifted into a rather fixed upturning of her lips, so much so that when she herself was called to speak, her words sounds off as she worked around the ache that soon pinched in her cheeks.

"No name given, I don't think. I have the suspicion that it was fault of his own that they left the seeking of medical attention so late, he was..." the word escaped her as her attention was called to the near distance, her form freezing for the short half tick it took for her to quite realise that it was little more than a shifting zephyr. "Uneasy, he was guilty and frantic."

The scenery was shifting quite rapidly, she noted, unwilling to leave the quest undertaken on pause for any unneeded moment, striving to scan and search any region or area that she felt could bear fruit. "If it wasn't for Oriah arriving as she did, I doubt the Mistress would have allowed me to seek a herb or two to render aid. The rules regarding our stock are strict. We can not over harvest our own plants, nor sell any on hold and awaiting pick up. We had none available to give."

She gave several, slow, nods to herself, confirming her own words as she continued the talk, before a thought hit her and her head snapped towards Noah. "Have you seen anything?" The question rang hollow for a moment, before the kelvic pushed herself to further explain. "Any large sections of thawing plants or shrubs, or some form a tree or stone structure that could... block or hinder the weather?" When it came to plants less hardy, their greatest chance was somewhere covered. In hindsight, she supposed that she'd have been better off beginning the search in kelvic form, even with the host of little problems that would have ensured.

[Noah Amuel]

Noah listened as they walked, his feet growing colder and colder by the step and he was losing feeling in them. They were bare against the thin snow. Snow that could be so beautiful yet so deadly; it was a fact he knew. He couldn't stand it much longer or damage was sure to come to his soles. Those thoughts detracted him from the conversation but when Altaira spoke his attention renewed. The man they spoke of Noah had no context for, no name and no face to match a name even if it was given. He only listened and understood what he could. They were looking for plants from his understanding, herbs more like as Altaira hinted of a mistress -- whoever that was. Noah nodded as she spoke yet he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Altaira had said something that Noah had missed earlier, something maybe he shouldn't have missed. There was something about Altaira that was amiss but he couldn't decide if it was bad or good. If it was bad, it certainly wasn't visible from the outside where few flaws could be seen no matter how good the eye. Suddenly Altaira turned to him in a flash. It took him off guard and he jumped slightly, careening his head back to dodge a blow should their be one. Had she felt him staring? He had been for a long time, or so it felt. Then her question came, a question that he couldn't understand for a moment so he looked at her with curious blue eyes. After a brief moment she explained and Noah knew that she wanted an honest answer. He looked thoughtful as he attempted to recall his view from up above in the time before the lynx's attack. Nothing had stood out to him that was green or even yellow -- barely clinging on to life. Everything now had been either white, gray, black, or brown. Dead or dying if it... or they were fortunate enough to have the latter. He started to shake his head but then an idea came to him like a candle unexpectedly lit in a pitch of black. "I'll look for you," he suggested in hopefully subtle haste. This allowed him to escape from the cold in his human form, a cold that seemed to gnaw at his waist down slowly and he would hopefully spot his clothing from up high again. It was much easier to see landmarks from up there. Without waiting for Altaira's answer he began to strip, shrugging off the jacket and pulling the blouse over his head. He handed -- almost threw -- the clothes to Altaira and broke into a jog before shifting and taking for the skies. He beat his wings against the calm air, rising through the trees and eventually into the sky directly above the women. He circled, looking for both his clothing and anything that could protect the fragile herbs that the girls sought. Speech | Thoughts | Fratavan | Eagle

[Oriah]

As Noah took off into the skies once more, Oriah tightened her own coat around her frame and gave a wry smile in Altaira's direction. She wondered if the eagle Kelvic had any idea their third companion was a Kelvic as well. Could they sense such things? Likely not, as neither made any mention of it. She would have to ask them later, when they weren't freezing their bits off.

They had already been wandering around too long, the Benshira was certain. It would take them a few more bells to trek back to the city and Stormhold Salvs, where the desperate man was probably still waiting. Granted, all their running had brought them much closer than before, but it did them no good to return with empty hands.

Oriah sighed, eyes ceaselessly searching for something--anything--that resembled plant life sprouting from the snow speckled ground. "I hope we find something soon," she confessed with uncharacteristic moroseness. "I can't imagine how crushed that man would be if we went back with nothing but frayed nerves and frost bite to show for."

No sooner had she spoken these words than the tell tale snuff snuff of something much larger and furrier could be heard up ahead. She stopped dead in her tracks and tugged on Altaira's sleeve. Barren branches clicked and snapped against one another as the lumbering brown bear from before stepped into the clearing, sniffing the ground before its giant paws. It was still quite a distance away--Oriah could barely make out the features of its face as it continued its presumed search for food--so they were in no immediate danger. But, she wondered in silence, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the bear picked up their scent. Then they were really done for.

Fortunately for them, at that moment the brown bear seemed to have smelled something to its liking. It began digging furiously with its front paws, churning up lumps of snow and dirt. Were it any other situation, they might have found it humorous to see a bear digging so passionately, but having just recently encountered a very, very hungry lynx, it was more nerve wracking than anything else.

Oriah wondered if Noah could outsmart a large, brown bear rife with hunger after so many days of hibernation as well. Then she imagined it making one powerful swipe at the eagle before eating him whole, and hoped to all the gods the Kelvic was keeping his distance.

Her eyes widened as the bear stopped digging and began...chewing ...on something. What...was it eating plants? The Benshira watched in utter fascination as the beast began stuffing roots, mushrooms, and whatever else it could find into its shaggy muzzle. It even picked up a few worms and whatnot along the way, not giving a fig for the squirmy parts of its meal and devouring life with ravenous indifference.

After a while, it sniffed the air again, mouth covered in snow and dirt and gods knew what else, then lumbered off in the opposite direction, maneuvering through the woods with surprising grace. Oriah simply stared after it for a while, hardly able to believe their luck. She had been dead certain the bear would much rather eat them over random roots and insects, but the wintry breezes had been blowing in their faces for quite some time, so perhaps it had not smelled them.

She turned to her companion after a chime or so and whispered, "Think we'd have a shot at finding something useful picking up where that bear left off?"

[Altaira Readva]

Bird Speak | Common | Vani | Others

Her clothing was barely back in her hands for half a dozen ticks before she put her jacket on again, the strange feeling of someone else's body heat still warming the lining reminding her of the numerous times in childhood humans would throw an article of clothing her way. She didn't bother taking the effort needed to place the blouse on once more, throwing it inter her backpack as she ensured that she'd lost nothing from the bag along the way.

A sigh of relief left her when she noted that all was in order, though that lifting lifting on her shoulders shortly left as her chest was once more filled with a pulsing anxiety. What Oriah had said was right. The man they'd left would be crushed if they couldn't find something.

Regret hit her in solid waves, memory seeming intent on reminding her that she herself had passed up the opportunity to see what could have been grown elsewhere, and setting up her own private little pots within the store. 'Idiot. I'm an idiot-'

Altaira's thoughts were halted as the ever, keen-eyed Benshira gave a solid tug to her sleeve, the action immediately silencing and freezing the kelvic. Alarm rose in her something shocking, the distance between they and the enemy enough to at least calm quite the portion of her nerves. 'I knew the woods were filled with all manners of beast- but could we not go a half bell without running into some form of trouble?'

Her thoughts were bitter and kept her grounded, fearing that if she let her mind dwell on the danger itself for a chime too long, then she wouldn't be able to fight the instincts that eventually kick in.

Luck seemed to like kicking dirt at them and then uncovered a buried treasure, the brown, furry beast making his slow way up wind. Perhaps he'd smelt something, Altaira wondered, the direction of the breeze and that which the animal took off in in favour of the thought.

Time was given for their possible mauler to go off on his or her little way, and Altaira had fallen into a state so alert and keen, that when low words came once more she almost jumped out of her skin. "Perhaps," she drawled, unsure, not having thought of what such a giant beast could have been after. Ginger, perhaps? The thickness of the surrounding trees seemed well enough to form a natural barrier to the bulk of wind, snow and other elements. It wasn't the kind of plant that could tolerant the cold, if she recalled correctly.

Did such giant creatures munch on herbs? Tolm was another possibility. Worst comes to worst, she figured, they'd at least have a common herb or plant to aid in the soothing of nerves upon returning. That, she thought, was surely better than nothing.

"Let's go, but better to be slow about it," she half asked, nodding as she searched the skies for Noah, walk slow, steady, and cautious. She had no desire to rush to her own death.

Several chimes and they were near enough to the sight, the kelvic herself not willing to devote herself to the checking of what herbs and roots were half dug up and attacked without assurance that the hulking creature hadn't gone his own way. "He didn't go in the way of Noah's clothing, did he?" she asked, satisfied that the breeze hadn't changed and that there was no other enemy in sight.

She left the thought in the air and knelt by the torn earth and examined what had been ravaged, sighing heavily at the scene. The news wasn't bad, but it wasn't too good either. "The beast did a number on the tolm," she said, bitter that she knew what plant had been torn apart, but not what did the tearing. It was a bear, much like a brother and sister of hers, but it was smaller, with key differences in its muzzle and size and the thickness of it's fur.

"I'd rather not try and salvage what is here, I'm not comfortable giving covered in the slobber of an animal to a human with sickness - but if this is here, then there is likely some nearby."