Closed [The Bronze Woods] Cat and Mouse [Mrya]

[Ixion]

Cat and Mouse Date: Spring 39, 514 Location: The Bronze Woods Ixion, at the tender age of nineteen, was no stranger to the magical wonders of the adult world. Indeed, the secrets of merry making slowly revealed themselves to the young man as he ventured through his life. Four years ago, he was introduced to the ever swaying emotions of song. It's a "magic" that perfectly places each tone of a bell and every whistle of a flute to create a melody capable of driving a man to tears or sending a woman to arms. For Ixion, this meant his refusal to leave his bed for a week as one song caused his emotions to stack upon emotion until it simply collapsed upon him. Two years ago, he unlocked the mysteries of alcohol. Actually, scratch that. Ixion is such a terrible drinker that he'll sip anything that lands in his glass to the point of passing out. As a drunk, the only mystery he has unraveled is to drink a cup of water for each glass of wine as a way to prevent hang overs. In fact, he probably caused more mysteries during his drunken blackouts than he ever solved while sober. Lastly, at this very moment, Ixion is discovering the hidden allures of a woman. The rough texture of her grooved skin, the earthy scent of her thick leafy hair, and the flat, broad features of her entire body. Each of these traits were very apparent to him as he held this woman tightly within his arms. No doubt, he was progressing in maturi--. Oh, wait... None of that describes a woman at all. In fact, it was a much better description of a tree. "Carmen!" the startled man yells as he realizes how far his dreaming had led him astray. Shocked awake, Ixion lunges his head forward as to wipe the horrid nightmare away. Whack!Snap! His head connects with the thick branch in front of him causing it to snap and lose its hold to the parent tree. Entering a sudden daze, his body goes numb as the world flies by him. He could do nothing about his rapid descent downwards. The only action he could perform was to observe the next few seconds slowly count down. As Ixion fell, many aspects of his current situation dawned upon him. First, he was no longer enjoying a merry beverage within The Rearing Stallion. Second, he was somehow sleeping upside down while tightly clinging onto the tree branch he hit his head on. How he ever climbed that three story tree is another story all together. Third, it became apparent that he was in a forest. Out of the corner of his eye, he could barely make out what seemed to be the stone walls of Syliras. Fourth, there was no doubt the impending fall was going to send him into a world of hurt. "AHHHHHHHhhhhh..." groaned the man as a sharp pain rose through his body as he made contact with the ground. To add injury to injury, the branch he assaulted took its chance at revenge by landing right on his gut. Turning on his side, Ixion cringed at the painful series of events. Luckily for him, the soil was softer than he expected, and his Myrian body was sturdier than it looked. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he slowly took a mental note of his body's condition. He could feel where future bruises would appear, but it seems that nothing was broken or sprained. In fact, the fall seemed to have waken up his previously stunned limps. Carefully, he stood up and patted off the muck off his clothes. He was rather dirty, and he smelt like the nature around him along with a slight tinge of wine. At least, he still had a firm grip on his wits and senses. Now that he was personally situated. He still had one more problem. The only hint he had about his location was the glimpse of Syliras' walls he spotted during his fall. Knowing that there's no time like the present, Ixion had to come up with a plan to get himself out of this predicament. The present had other plans for him though as he began observing his surroundings. The sudden sound of swaying leaves caused him to jump, and he quickly turned to face the disturbance. A group of shrubbery shook in front of him as an unknown force acted upon it. Frightened at any possible beast that may be lurking within, Ixion picked up and grasped the vengeful stick laying at his feet. Holding the branch in a defensive position, he was ready to face the hidden creature. "Come out, come out whatever you are." he nervously spoke.

[Myra River]

It was times like these Myra wondered why she even got a pet to begin with. Why couldn't she have gotten a dog (they smell), or a bird (too noisy, too much like a prey animal, surely would be eaten), or even a cat (she knew three of those creatures already and frankly that was enough for her thank you)? Oh, that's why. She loved the little guy, she really did. How could someone not fall in love with a foot long ball of fur who's only goal in life is to play and play and play? When Myra got him she expected him to act like a perpetual kitten; at least that's what the man at the market told her.

"Ye, ferrets", he said with a gap-toothed smile and a surly wink when she inquired about the strange oblong creature chittering in the cage, "Cunning as hell and like a babe all the while. Looks like a kitten donnit?" She agreed, not needed anymore information and happily spent the 2 gold Mizas, excited for her new found friend. Look at his tiny little feet and sparkling black eyes! So adorable. So harmless. Or something like that. Thinking back on it now she supposed a guy missing that many teeth from his mouth had probably a reason to deserve it. She contemplated finding the guy knocking a few out herself.

Anger welled up in her and she spat on the ground. A kitten would never have tore her bed apart while she was asleep, dammit. Not like she actually slept on the bed, it was more for guests when they spent the night as she preferred to take her naps in front of the hearth, but when you wake up to bits of bed-fluff strewn about the room and even tucked around your bottom as well, how she slept through that she had no idea, it would be enough to infuriate anyone. She couldn't find him at first, which was probably for the best as she was tromping around the room in a rage that would be enough to frighten a Zith swear to gods. But as she simmered down a lump UNDERNEATH the bed covering itself told her exactly where the little fetcher was hiding. Milo had been sleeping contently, oblivious or just ignoring her she couldn't tell, in a large pile of the bedding tucked in the far corner of the cover. With a quick snatch she had seized him by the scruff of his filthy neck and gave him a hearty shake, his terrified little beady eyes pleaded back at her. It was so hard to stay angry at him.

It HAD been awhile since she brought him out on a hunting trip with her. Or even outside just to play for that matter. The ferret was probably getting restless and she could sympathize with that, living within a tiny stone box would be cause enough for her to be driven to destroy things. So Myra gave him one more last chance. There had been a few before this one. Flea brain. The worst part about it was the whole time on the trek to the Bronze Woods he was still on one making her walk extremely difficult and annoying as she was jerked every time he leaped at the bars of the cage. She resisted the urge to toss the whole thing.

Now they were in a small clearing a good bit away from the beginning of the Bronze Woods. Though she didn't dare go to far in because her pet had no leash. Milo was digging in a pile of leaves, for what she had no clue. "Milo! Come here little buddy.", the Kelvic cooed at him. His brown head poked up from the hole he had been making and he scampered over to her. Lovingly she reached her hand out in an attempt to rub his head but he war danced away, dooking the whole time. A laugh rumbled out of her as he ran back to his spot and continued digging.

With him occupied she took a moment to herself. It was mid spring and summer was just starting to show itself. Although she was in human form now she could hear a commotion a good bit away from her. Predatory instinct set in as she tensed up, straining to hear what was going on. The noises ceased and all was quiet.... Too quiet. Hold on. She whipped her head back to where Milo had been, curls bouncing around her head in a frenzy. He was gone! I look away for 2 minutes and the mongoose runs off! Panic began to set in. Owls or other animals could see him as prey, which he was, and scoop him up. What if he had already been eaten? With an inhuman snarl she began to strip down, grumbling obscenities the entire time until she stood naked as the day she was born. She'd be back for her clothing later and tossed it on top of his cage.

Myra changed.

With her sense of hearing heightened she was now capable of finding him. She heard the familiar dookings to her left accompanied by the sounds of leaves rustling and she knew he was still on the move. Heaving herself forward, her claws digging into the ground to give her traction, she raced off to find her beloved ferret. The chase had begun, a chase she was sick and tired of. Why haven't I just shelled out the Miza's for a leash and collar already? He couldn't had gotten very far, but the idea of him being eaten by anyone but herself angered her. The woods were dark but she could navigate just fine as she made a break into the underbrush where she was sure he had gone. After only moments of pursuit she found him snuffling happily beneath a holly bush. "Don't ever leave me again!" she yowled, startling him. He jumped about two feet into the air and soared through the bush, obviously terrified. Myra sighed and padded after him, he couldn't get too far now that she knew which direction he was headed. And his stink made him easy to track in any case. It was only a matter of time before she caught him and took his furry butt straight home.

"Come out come out where ever you are" came a male voice on the other side of the bush. Huh? She pushed through and found herself face to face with a disheveled man holding a branch in front of him like a sword. The stench of wine filled her nose. Milo ran straight for him in his terror and bumbled into the man's legs complete with a somersault ending with the ferret laying in a squeaking heap at his feet. The chase was now over. She looked from the man to the ferret and back again. Milo had gotten up and was doing the same, looking from her to the man but jumping where he stood obviously not sure where to go. Unsure of what was going on herself she lunged for her baby in an effort to save him from whoever this was and attempted to scoop him up by his scruff. Her jaws closed on air at the man's feet as Milo leaped at the same time landing on his usual spot right between her ears. Rearing back from the offensively stanced man an angry roar escaped her lips and Milo clung for dear life to her forehead, "Why can't you just stay put!" This wasn't a pretty sight to see.

Besides Milo there was still this man to be dealt with. He had challenged her. The call had been rather meek, yes, but when she's greeted by a stick being held as a weapon there are two choices to be made: turn around and leave the stinking wine-man with a story of ferrets and lions to tell or stay and fight like he's clearly asking for. She had never been one to back down from confrontation, ferret or not. Lips peeling back into a growl she hunkered down preparing to pounce. Milo left her head and took off, she didn't see where to but she'd find him later, if he wants to go get eaten so be it. She was sick of his shenanigans at this point anyway. This lioness had HIS mess to handle.

[Ixion]

A serious look plastered itself on Ixion's face. Eyes on his target, he had his full concentration set on the bush in front of him. His senses strained to be able to figure out a single clue as to what could be hiding in the overgrowth. The makeshift weapon in his right hand was extended parallel to the ground as a way to to create distance between himself and any possible attacker. He was ready for anything. At least, he thought he was. It didn't even take a second for that facade to be broken as a ball of fuzz darted out from the shrubbery. Surprised by his tiny assailant, Ixion took a small, panicked jump sideways to avoid its straightforward path across the ground. He attempted a few desperate swings with his stick as it drew close, but the speed of the animal outpaced his stokes. The serious air he had was reduced to nothing and replaced by a frantic panicking. Continuing on it's uninterrupted path, the small animal tumbled and stopped right by his foot. Noticing its sudden stop, Ixion took a moment to stop swinging. He instead took a closer look at the narrow, fuzzy animal before him. "A rat?" he mumbled to himself with a happy sigh. "Gosh, that's such a relief." With a hearty laugh, Ixion ignored the rodent as he berated himself for being frightened by such a small threat. He took a moment to retrace the rat's steps. To think this small creature darted across the ground from that bush was such a rush to him. As his gaze moved along the ground, his laughter suddenly stopped as he stared once again at the bush. In front of him stood a large feline that was longer than a man and no doubt fiercer than one too. Hoping that it was just a trick of the light, he looked back down at the rodent. The little black beads it had for eyes were staring directly at the bush and by extension, the feline. "Darn, it seems like I'm not the only one that's hallucinating." he complained. Without a chance to look back up, the huge feline closed the distance between Ixion and herself. Shocked by the sudden change in spacing, Ixion took a few clumsy steps backwards. He almost tripped over his own feet once or twice before planting them firmly into the ground. Taking a moment to refocus his attention on the predator, he noticed how it had just barely managed to miss biting the rodent. Instead of becoming prey, the rat was able to successfully leap upon the big cat's ears. It would have been an amusing display if it weren't for the gut wrenching roar the beast had bellowed into the air. This animal was hunting, and he knew that once that rat was finished he would be next. Realizing this, he reaffirmed his grip upon the stick in his hand. Flight and fight instincts began filling his mind. There was no way he could run as noted by the almost instant gap closing speed the feline had. As for fighting, Ixion had been in a few tavern brawls, but his misses against the smaller threat did not make him very confident. There was only one thing he could, and it was the best thing he could do. He would fake it, and it would be the best faking of his career. Backing down was not an option. Preparing for battle, Ixion bent his knees and held his stick aloft. He held a position similar to his defensive stance against the bush earlier. There were noticeable differences in his form though. His front was less open as he tilted the right side of his body towards his attacker. This was done to conceal his left hand, so that he could slide it underneath his chainmail shirt. The hand wrapped itself around the pommel of the dagger hidden against his lower back. This blade held his hopes with it as he finished his hurried battle preparation. With a reliable weapon in hand, it was time to show this cat what he could do. The feline's face showed a snarl as it noticed him getting back into his defensive stance. The rodent trotted off as the feline too prepared itself to pounce at any moment. Breathing in an air of false confidence, Ixion put on his best fighter's persona. May his acting skills finally be useful for something! "Hail, fair... Um. Cheetah! Er... Leopard! No, that's not right." he attempted his taunts. "Jaguar! Prepare yourself! You'll soon be facing the most dreaded, most skillful, and most dashing swordsman to ever grace Syliras." Silently, he prayed to Ionu that this crazy bluff would work into his favor.

[Myra River]

Clearly the lioness was at the advantage here. His ungainly back-step away from her and pungent stench told her that he must have consumed at least a few drinks. Or bathed in them. She wasn't shy to the allure of alcohol either and knew that drunkenness could certainly either add to a fight or make you unable to even participate. To her he seemed somewhere in the middle. Not to mention anyone with hunting knowledge wouldn't come to the forest acting in this manner. He looked out of place in that aspect with no visible weapon except for a tree limb, surely a hunter wouldn't make taunts only armed with that. She saw no bow or sword around.

The Bronze Woods held little threat in the way of monsters but any number of bandits, thieves, or ill-willed beast could be lurking around just waiting to take advantage of soft saps such as himself. You don't go making half-assed threats in the woods at night. Luckily she was a Kelvic with morals and not some mindless man or creature, surely he would have been dead by now. A bear wouldn't stop to think before simply just attacking him. Her mindset was merely to scare this man, not to injure or maim, and perhaps have an interesting story to tell Faela. It was now Myra's job to help him realise his bad decision.

His battle cry was interesting, to say the least. She listened to him talk with uncertainty. Did he just call me a jaguar? Annoyance picked at her mind. It was dark, she knew that, but by the gods he had to at least know what a lion was. The boasts didn't fall on deaf ears though, perhaps he wasn't as stupid as he seemed. His posture now told her he had been in at least a couple scraps and he HAD called himself a swordsman. This might end up in a real fight. Up to this point she had never been in a fight against another human. Big cat instincts kicked in. Black now covered most of the gold within her eyes making her vision modestly clearer. She could feel her whole body begin to quiver as her fur stood on edge with excitement.

Her eyes flickered away from him and she took in her surroundings for the first time. The base of a rather large tree stood in the path behind the man. The tops of their heads were covered by a canopy of branches, very little star light was able to get through. The ground was made an obstacle course of sorts by the roots the tree produced out of its bottom. Any navigation around the man was going to be difficult as she knew she'd have to avoid tripping over them. Other than the roots though the ground was mostly bare with only a few sprigs of grass strewn here or there.

The lioness dug her back feet more firmly into the ground. By taking most of the weight off of her front paws and redistributing it behind her she knew this would giver her the momentum she needed to propel her upward at the angle she wished. Shifting her front feet and wiggling her body slightly she readied herself for the lunge. Her tail twitched. This was going to have to be quick, each moment she spent amusing herself with this man was a moment "the rat", she liked that name, could potentially be lost.

Releasing all the power she had stored in her hind legs she took a leap at the man, careful to aim her paws back and claws upward so as not to wound him. Her goal was to knock him over and perhaps pin him down. Though if he managed to side step or maneuver away from her pounce she was ready with a swing of her right paw to step upon his chest in a second attempt to bowl him over. If she could get him on the ground this would be over quickly.

[Ixion]

Close quarters combat skills are performed to restrain and incapacitate foes. Sword breaking techniques are utilized to negate attacks and disarm opponents. Brawling moves are used to retaliate and escape danger. A number of combat styles flooded Ixion's mind. With his fighter's persona in place, Ixion's imagination went into overdrive as vivid combat scenarios played like short films within his head. There had to be something he could come up with that would help him in his current situation. In fact, the accumulating combat theory left him with a feeling of invincibility against any human opponent. "Now, what can I use against a jaguar?" he muttered hopelessly to himself as he looked at his opponent. I wonder if its having the same ideas I am." The jaguar had no such thoughts. The beast's gaze was clear as clear as glass. Ixion could see himself reflected in those eyes as the cat stared back at him. With its prey in sight, it created a strong tension towards the ground as it leaned back. Its next action didn't even take a second. The cat thrust forward and was airborne. Its powerful hind legs had given it temporary flight with Ixion as the landing zone. The large feline extended forth its powerful body. Its figure was like a shadowy monster in the dim light. The little light that did shine on the beast reflected off its particularly fearsome teeth and claws. Caught off guard by the preemptive attack, adrenaline pumped through Ixion's veins as his mind entered fight or flight mode. He desperately went against every sane thought in his mind in favor of a more "unique" attack. "FETCH!" he cried out as the stick flew out of his hand towards the incoming beast. Utilizing the stick as a minor distraction, Ixion quickly side stepped out of the jaguar's path. The motion created a very uncomfortable distance between the two of them. With a flourish, he pulled out his hidden dagger and held it in a reverse grip. In one fluid movement, he attempted an attack as he lashed out with a single, quick stroke and jumped back to a safer spot. Unsure if his attack connected, he stuck his right hand into a bag of mizcas. Hidden among the coins were several throwing knives. Pressing his offense, he threw two knives in toward the shadowy cat. The whirling of the blades filled the air as he hoped they would finish the job. "Aha! You must regret crossing paths with me now, foul beast!" he shouted in an attempt to at least scare the jaguar in the case his attacks missed.

[Myra River]

And just like that both of her attacks had failed. She flailed, arms waving wildly, in the air as her claws had nothing to grip on like the lioness had intended. "FETCH!" The man screamed as she was met directly in the left eye with a stick just as she came down hard on to the ground. Obvious to the knife as it missed her by a merely flea's breath thanks to her clumsy landing, if she had completed her tackle or at least executed the leap despite being hit in the face surely it would have stuck straight in to her. Throwing her head back she yowled in pain, blinking in quick succession. Damn that stings. Myra rubbed her face with her paw to get the left over dirt from her eye and squinted at him. With the use of only her right eye things might get a little hectic, she discerned. Though her vision was slightly marred her hearing was not and she heard the jingle of metal coming from the wine-man's pocket. His hand flew out and two projectiles came flying towards her. This couldn't be good. It was obvious to her now that she had misjudged the situation, he had a few tricks it seemed. Still recovering from the stick she wasn't quite fast enough to dodge both knifes, one flew past her and was lost in the bushes while the other found its mark and buried itself in the shoulder flesh of Myra's left side. She cried out yet again as this time she took a wound that bleeds. Because she was able to leap out of the way it didn't get to bury itself too deep into her shoulder, only a couple inches, just enough that it would definitely scar and certainly smart for a couple weeks. It was likely when the adrenaline settled she would have a slight limp until it healed.

Myra barely heard his taunts. Eye injury now forgotten she pulled the knife from her shoulder with her maw, blood oozing out of wound in a warm drip. Myra held the throwing knife in her mouth for a moment and stared far into the man's eyes as she spat the weapon on the the ground. She licked aching gash once, sandpaper tongue inflicting small amounts of added pain. At this point it was uncomfortable to put weight on the left leg, but it was a pain she could manage. A throaty, pure animal growl came from her lips as she peeled her lips back to reveal sharp ivory teeth. Above them a robin tweeted as if in response to the growl. Her tail twitched back and forth, back and forth, as she dug her claws into the ground for a second attack. He held a knife in one had, as she now noted, and her first job was to knock that from his grip.

Lunging for him again, this time with a little more prowess and purpose, she focused on the hand holding the knife. She reared up on her hind legs, both arms outstretched with paws and claws splayed wide, in an attempt to swipe the knife from his clutches. As she did this her feral instincts kicked in and she growled loudly to his face, gnashing her teeth, spittle flying wildly. If she was successful in knocking the knife from his hand she would then continue to use her powerful claws to scratch at the wine-man's torso and, if she was lucky, stupid little face.

All the while Milo hid from the fight in the bushes nearby, jumping and crying out loudly when the knife landed beside him. He heard his furry companion's wail of pain and began to tremble. The ferret ran around in circles in wild panic.