A Slice of Terror… With Bunnies on the Side (Treachery)

by **Sayana** on January 29th, 2015, 2:53 am

65th of Winter 514 AV - Sacred Arch Hotsprings

Sayana’s stomach churned with worry as she quickened her pace along the snowy trail. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. She had been so careful. And then a whimsical night of fire and passion left her in the state she was in now. Snow crunched under her feet with every step and as the path twisted and turned she fought to keep the city walls within sight. The last thing she wanted was to get lost on her desperate mission.

She first considered the possibility when her tri-seasonal bleeding was delayed a couple days. But surely patterns could change a little now and then and maybe she had simply forgotten how Leth had shown himself those many days ago. Uncertainty had taken its hold then, but now after nearly eight days, it was fear that gripped her. She vividly remembered how she had held the girl’s hand while her friend screamed out in pain as she went through labour. Sayana had never known a fiercer grip, nor more determination from her friend. However, there had been some “complication” as the midwife had explained it. And while the baby had survived, Sayana’s friend did not. The Eypharian had been young, too young when this had happened. But it had changed her life.

Sayana spotted a bare patch of forest floor but then cursed inwardly when it yielded nothing but dead pine needles and dirt. Of course, she didn’t expect to find much in the dense woods. Even though the forest was filled with life compared to Eyktol, there wasn’t much in the way of plants with all the snow and most plants needed Syna’s light which was shaded quite well by the trees. She carried on following the game trail, or more likely a trail made or maintained by the Syliran knights.

The forest thinned a little and she was able to make out the comforting walls of the city in the distance. A few small bunches of white flowers with drooping heads lined the path and Sayana looked at them with disdain. False hope. She was indeed looking for a white flower but not one that looked like that. She had seen several on her trek so far, usually growing where the snow was thin and mostly melted, and at first she had been excited until she realized that they hardly matched the description she had. She paused as the trail split into two and after a moment she decided to take the one that kept her closer to the city walls.

This was not the first time she had faced this dilemma. To risk the dangers of child-birth and to raise a child without a father, or to risk poisoning oneself in order to produce a stillborn and potentially bare a child anyways. She had chosen the latter and had managed to survive it. But that was with the help of a skilled midwife. In fact, the one who had helped her friend those many years ago. Now she was on her own with only a vague memory of the midwife’s description to help her.

The Eypharian pulled her coat more tightly about her as a faint dusting of snow fell from the snowy treetops. Her high and low arms were cramped under the grey woollen coat, but at least they were warm, while her mids were free to move and flex within the single set of sleeves that the coat had. As she walked she repeated the description of the flower quietly in her head, determined not to forget it.

The northern flower grows where no one knows.
Its stem tall, white flowers small, and flat as glass it does sprawl
Take its seed, that’s all you need, grind it well and plead
For your baby is no more, be gone you filthy whore

She grimaced at the last line. It was probably some frustrated midwife who first composed the verse and the warning stuck as a reminder to those who practiced the sensual arts. The trail seemed to go on and on, hardly changing and Sayana started to wonder if she’d be able to get back in time for her evening performance at the Stallion. But she had left a good chunk of time and it wouldn’t matter all that much if she was a little late – apart from Kevith telling her off.

The soft babble of water caught her ear and she stopped to look around trying to find its source. It took her a couple chimes since she wasn’t used to these strange forests but she managed to spot the rippling surface of water amongst the white snow. Surely she was close, and shouldn’t water lead to more water? That wasn’t always true in Eyktol, but it was a good a guess as any, and she started making her way through the brush following the spring. At some points she had to force branches out of the way, but some of the banks were quite clear along the flowing water. A couple scraps of greenery tried to fight the snow but with little success and the Eypharian paid little attention to it.

At last the babbling increased in sound and the spring opened up into a pool lined with rocks. It was surprisingly beautiful. The water with the smooth rocks and a line of greenery around the edges with snow creating yet another circle around that. It was almost like an oasis within the cold barren climate. Rumor had told her of its location and rumor had also told her of its warmth. To confirm, Sayana took off one of her gloves and carefully bent down to test the water. A bright smile crossed her face as she was delighted by the warmth. There were even some yellow flowers struggling to survive on the edges of the pool. A sudden darting white shape announced the presence of a rabbit.

Sayana began actively scanning the area for white flowers. There were a few more of those “false hopes” with their drooping heads. Near the base of a rock there were some even smaller ones struggling to survive but nothing with tall stems or flowers flat as glass… After several chimes of searching she sat down heavily onto one of the boulders. With her head in her mid hands she let out a slow breath. What was she doing? She had tempted fate and now she must face it. In the solitude of the warm springs she let a cold tear fall down her cheek.

OOC :

by **Treachery** on January 29th, 2015, 5:33 am

Crouched in the snow, the Zith waited. His flightless wings awkwardly wrapped around his form, protruded out an obvious self tailored hole in the back of his shirt as he focused on the soft noise of paws on snow. The thick snowy blanket had initially been a hindrance highlighting his large frame and dark fur to any possible prey but having now half buried in snow, a single delicious rabbit was calmly hopping closer. Warmed snow began to seep into his trousers and down into his boots as Treachery tilted his head slightly, pony tail falling off his shoulder as he did, to follow the sound of his prey. It was close, very close. Shifting uncomfortably under the weight, the zith felt the white lumpp under his knee shift suddenly.

Confused as to what had happened, he peered down into the hollow made by his body. Re adjusting his position, Treachery brought his head back up only to find an incredibly fluffy white rabbit looking directly at him.The rabbit stared at him. The Zith stared back. Neither of them dared move. Treachery held his breath as flakes of snow began to flutter down around them. Two long ears gently flattened against the bunny's back as it's body slowly coiled up to bolt. The Zith adjust his position as smoothly as he could, wings concealing his legs as they repositioned themselves. He couldn't spook his prey yet. Relaxing his leg muscles, the predator prepared to lunge. He had this. Or he would have if a stray snowflake hadn't decided to land on his nose at that moment, the resulting temperature change causing the fierce some beast to sneeze loudly.

Ah! What? No! In an explosion of snow, Treachery took off in pursuit. Ha ha, did such a fragile creature really think it could escape him? He was going to rip that fur ball into the shreds with his claws, paint works of art in it's blood as he indulge in it's warm guts. Oh, the adrenaline would flavour the meat so nicely as he snapped his feeble prey's neck and broke it's fluffy eared head away from it's body. It just destroy and kill such a pitiful weak thing. Eat and kill it. Kill it. Kill. Lost to his blood lust, the Zith charged blindly after the rabbit wings folded in tightly to his back. So focused on his hunt, Treachery only realised too late that he had run out of forest.

“AAAAaaarggggggrghhrhrhghhghr~!!”

Careering forward, the partial spreading of his wings only just prevented him from tumbling face first into the pool. Claws dipping the water, the main emotion on the zith's brain immediately switched to curiosity. The pool was warm? Even on the hottest of days in the Sea of Grass the pools were never hot like this. But even then it was the middle of winter, this pool should have been ice cold. A paw trailed through the water just to make sure he wasn't losing his mind. Nope, definitely warm, how odd. Pondering, a soft noise jerked Treachery's head up on reflex. Red iris locked onto the person wrapped in the warmth of a grey cloak as the zith slowly raised himself to stand. He wasn't alone.

by **Sayana** on January 29th, 2015, 8:41 pm

With another slow breath, Sayana wiped away the emotion from her face. She’d find a way to get through. This was only one place to look for the elusive flower. She might also ask the healers in town or… or maybe Devi might know what to do. She glanced around the warm pool of water hoping that she might have missed something but it didn’t yield any new results.

The sudden pounding of feet and snapping of twigs startled her from her thoughts. It was distant but coming fast. By the time she had got to her feet the dark shape had burst from the foliage. Its deafening animalistic scream caused her to jump back with a yelp of her own. Instincts kicked in and in a tick she had her dagger in her hand.

It had come, the cursed thing had found her. There was no mistaking the dark wings and the twisted face of the hairy monster. A bit of snow and cloth attempted to hide his features but she knew it was the Zith of her nightmares she now faced. It had only taken half a tick to recognize the beast and it now crouched by the pool ready to pounce. This was the opportunity she needed, and probably the only one she’d get.

She gripped her dagger tightly in her mid right, gauged the distance, and gave a powerful yet desperate throw of her blade. Her muscle memory sent the dagger straight into her enemy’s chest… had he been standing. Instead it soared past him spinning as it went and… Plop!

Sayana’s heart sank faster than the blade as it plummeted to the bottom of the pool. She stood paralyzed for a couple of ticks completely open to attack. Her dagger, her treasured blade. It was gone, lost and now the creature had come for her. “No!” She cried out in anguish and started reaching for her smaller knife with her left. Her right hand, and her high and low hands too for that matter, were balling into fists ready to fight however she could and she was already beginning to shrug off her coat despite the cold. She’d need everything she had to face this Zith.

OOCFeel free to take her when she's paralyzed in shock. I just wrote more in case Treach didn't respond instantly.

by **Treachery** on February 12th, 2015, 3:16 am

The Zith wasn't quite ready for what happened. One tick the stranger in the cloak was still and tense. The next, a limb flashed into view and something had whizzed past his ears. Unprepared for the sudden sound, Treachery instinctively dropped flat to the ground. His wings spread out naturally as they dropped. A soft growl tumbled out his throat before he could stop it. This one had just thrown something at him! Eyes narrowing, the squire got ready to move. He knew well enough that some people killed any Zith they could find on sight, apparently even in Syliras. Whatever had happened to this person, whatever had made them despise his kind so much, he did not care. This Zith had only one thought running through his head and that was not becoming a fur coat today.

It was only dully noted that their projectile had went Plop! behind him as he kept his eyes fixed on what the other was going to do. As he mind focused in on the figure in the cloak, something dawned on the Zith. They didn't have the right shape, at least not for the standard humans he had known. The head area was fine but the moment the cloak's outline reached the shoulders something seemed off. Squinting at his aggressor confused, their, well now more obviously, her yell startled Treachery for the second time in as many chimes.

This time, however, he reacted. The woman was trying to reach for something, a weapon no doubt. He could not let her get it. Springing up from the ground, Treachery closed the distance between them in a few strides. Clawed fingers made a grab at her wrist to prevent her causing him any harm as the other hand went for where he assume her upper arm to be, the position hopefully pinning her in place. There was definitely something weird about this woman. Even the scent coming off her smelt odd, almost flowery with a definite hint of fear and something he couldn't put his finger on. Inhaling again, Treachery still couldn't place the aroma, furrowing his brow at it's foreignness.

OOCSorry for being such a slow poster. Have fun giving Treach a good scare since I doubt Sayana's actual upper arm is going to be where he's aiming for.

by **Sayana** on February 13th, 2015, 10:50 pm

The Zith came fast, too fast. It was hardly a moment after her anguished cry that Sayana found herself face to face to the monster. She inhaled sharply as a clawed hand grabbed hold of her mid left wrist. She had just barely managed to finger the handle of the knife, but now it was not worth it… at least not with that hand. Instead she twisted her hand in his grip to grab his wrist tightly. She tried to give him a hard yank to make him unbalanced but by the next moment he also had a firm hold on her mid right arm.

“You petching Zith!” Sayana spat at him as she made to grab hold of his other hand as well, this time with her captured right mid. Her coat had only been designed for two arms and was already making maneuvering difficult, but she now pulled it wide open with her two lows. The sudden cold air chilled her skin. She aimed an awkward hooked punch for the beast’s face with her high right. Awkward due to the constraints of the coat and from lack of practice.

“Arms arms arms! I’ll show you what my petching arms can do!” This time she attempted to pull him inwards with her mid arms while at the same time punching outwards at stomach level with both her lows. A punch from her low hands would not be half as strong as one from her dominant mid hands, but if she kept her punches coming maybe she’d manage to get the upper hand.

For the moment, she had forgotten about her knives and instead found her memories spewing to the surface lighting the intense rage she now felt. What by all the gods was a zith doing so close to Syliras? It was not him. Thank Syna it was not. By now that was obvious, even if her first instinct had been to kill him. Still, as she grappled with the creature she struggled to figure out why he had come and what he had to do with her.

by **Treachery** on February 15th, 2015, 5:20 am

It was the moment before his claws closed around the woman's other arm that Treachery realised he had made a mistake. Twisting under his hold like a snake, the woman latched on to his wrist with surprising strength. A harsh yank had him stumbling feet crossing over each other as he fought to remain upright and in control of the situation. No, no, this wasn't right. He had to get in charge, ease the woman's nerves and stop her panicking. After all she was probably a citizen of Syliras, his new colony, a part of his new family, some one he should protect. With this in mind, he bared his teeth as he strained to hold her still, or at least prevent her from hurting either him or herself.

The former of the two failed as the female's sudden shout left his ears ringing, as the loud noise hurtled around the delicate membranes. Distracted by the pain, the zith only noticed that she had gotten hold of his other arm as he stumbled back wards. Oh great. His wings spread slightly to give him more balance as his opponents cloak suddenly flung it self open. The woman's other other arm's fist came flying out to smash itself into his face. Or at least it would have if his wing hadn't instinctively moved into it's path, a nasty area of purple spreading out under the fur. A quick back flap threw the offensive limb back to it's owner as the zith wracked his brain on how to construct a sentence in Common. Failing at that he simply decided that something was better than nothing as the many armed woman screamed once again into his ears.

“Calm. Ca,Calm! Calm! Cal-oomph!”

A quick tug towards herself combined with another fist appear from under that cloak cut the Zith mid-word. His stomach ached from the blow but it wasn't as hard as it could have been, only leaving him a bit breathless. Another strike came from a fifth hand to his gut again. How many arms did this woman need!? Allowing a deep growl to rumble out his chest, the Zith's lips curled back as he hissed at his attacker. His boot took a quick step forward to try to pin the arm between their bodies and prevent his belly from taking any more thumps. His wings quickly enveloped them both to constrain the female's hostile movements further.

by **Sayana** on February 15th, 2015, 7:36 pm

Her first attempted punch was unsuccessful as the beast deflected the blow with its wing. Her hand felt jarred from the impact but it could have been worse. And then the cursed creature tried speaking.

“Calm. Ca,Calm! Calm! Cal-oomph!”

Triumph lit Sayana’s eyes at the impact of her fists to the beast’s stomach. Calm down? Calm down so I can become his slave without putting up a fight? But then the Zith gave an angry snarl and Sayana realized that it had only been a momentary lapse, a feint to distract her. The next moment the beast had closed the gap between them. Sayana felt his warm fur pressed up against her and then darkness covered them both.

Every inch of her body wanted to scream. All of Syna’s light had been cast out leaving her in the darkness of a nightmare. She struggled against his grip. She needed to get away. Anything and everything to get away. She could feel his claws digging painfully into two arms. At this rate she’d end up ripping gashes into her arms… But I did this once, I can do it again. It took all her focus and willpower to suppress the rising panic that she felt. She forced her tense and struggling arms to relax against the Zith’s grip. The monster hadn’t yet bitten off her head so maybe she’d have just enough time to…

The Eypharian forced calm breaths into her as she kept her panic at bay despite the overwhelming darkness. Moving only through touch she took a step forwards and attempted to wrap her low right arm firmly around the Zith’s waist. At the same time she drew her knife with her low left, and by the next moment she had tried to bring that arm around the creature too… except that the flat of the blade pressed against the Zith’s lower back.

“Move your wings,” the Eypharian said quietly but clearly, the threat obvious in her tone. Panic rose inside her once more. Right now she thought she had the upper hand but what if he knocked them both off balance, or managed to fly away and dive down at her from the sky? “I will NOT be your slave. Not for you, not for any of your friends.” The intense anger was clear in her voice and she unintentionally pressed the flat of her blade harder against him.

OOCLet me know if I assumed too much with the success of her tactic and I’ll happily fix it.

by **Treachery** on February 17th, 2015, 12:26 am

The Zith's eyes instantly thanked the newly formed darkness he had created although his aggressor didn't apparently share the notion. A fearful mix of sweat and adrenaline lingered on her skin, the scent was intoxicating. Struggling within his claws the Zith mentally battled down his hunting urges. No! This woman was from his new colony, she wasn't prey. She was not prey. But she was damn well acting like some. Growling, Treachery pressed his forehead gently against the top of her head given that she was shorter than him. The gesture was familiar. Something from his past colony maybe? Who cared.

Slowly the tension in the body he held lessened, whither it was down to him or not the zith didn't really need to know. As the female relaxed so did he, claws loosening off to a softer hold. It was then she came closer to him wrapping one of the arms that had been punching him around his waist. So many arms. He had counted five so far, what an odd human. Or was she human? Able to see far better in the dark then his counterpart, Treachery let go of her upper arm all together to stroke a loose bit of her hair. His claws had only just touched the bit of hair when the woman's second arm curled around his back, jabbing the flat of the blade against his shirt.

Suddenly very aware of the dull pressure against his spine, the Zith carefully listened to her words. The sudden switch from terrified prey to owning all the grace of a deadly huntress caught him off guard but her assumption that he was here to enslave her only baffled him. When had he said that? Was that what had made her so scared of Zith to start with? Regardless of which, Treachery drew his wings back. A confused look plastered on his face as he follow her orders, flinching as the knife dug harder into his back.

His forehead left its comfortable position on her head as he straightened up, crimson eyes squinting at the invasive light. Out of habit, the Zith took the time to give his wings a quick unrushed flaps, being cautious to move his left one in slower more fluid motions than the other before folding them back against his back. He could perceive the female's hands against the lower areas of his wings, her knuckles delicately brushing against the silky fur. Letting go of her wrist with his other hand, Treachery tried to form an explanation in his head before explain it to the woman in a calm if slightly confused manner.

“No. You misunderstood. I not here for slave. I here for rabbits. You, We from same colony, city. I from Syliras. You same, yes? Then we have same family. .... So you take blade away now, please? It....hurt.”

OOCSurprisingly, and not too surprisingly, listening to Studio Ghibli movie soundtracks is a helps me write for Treach. Not sure what that says about the way I write him.

by **Sayana** on February 17th, 2015, 2:03 pm

The Zith had relaxed its hold on her right arm and as she moved her knife into place it… stroked her hair. Repulsion mixed with something else squirmed inside her stomach and she quickly brushed back her hair with a high hand as if trying to remove the stain. However, she didn’t lose concentration as she demanded the beast move its wings.

As the creature’s wings opened and let in the beautiful light Sayana let out a trembling breath. There was light. Thank Syna for the light. Even though now she could see the Zith’s hideous form more clearly as it lifted its head, anything was better than being within the confines of the menacing shadow. Deep inside, Sayana was somewhat surprised that the Zith had obeyed her. Even with her blade pressed against him, somehow she thought it was impossible for such a creature to listen and respond. Her eyes looked up to meet his piercing and fearsome red ones. She clenched involuntarily yet still noticed a peculiar expression on the creature’s face.

There was a slight flutter of wings and Sayana gripped his waist hard with her low right arm that was already wrapped about him. “Don’t you dare fly away. Or I’ll shove this deep inside of you.” Whether he changed his mind due to her words or on his own accord, the wings stopped their movement and folded up behind his back. She relaxed slightly, particularly when he let go of her wrist but still was on her guard for any slight movement that might mean an attack or a retreat.

Then the creature spoke, as if in an explanation. Sayana listened intently, skeptically, trying to weed out any lies or ruse that he may be attempting. “No, I will not. Unless you want this at your throat. I want you to answer my questions.” The Eypharian replied coldly. However, she did lessen the pressure of her blade against his back.

“Why are you in Syliras? I live in Syliras. Are you hunting here? Killing travelers and people in caravans?” She inhaled sharply as a vivid scene from her memories surfaced. Blood and gore spewed around an empty caravan. The creature tearing flesh from one of the bodies. A simple yet nauseating question, ‘You want some?’ She shook her head to clear the memories.

“And where’s my dagger? Your friend took it. He stole it from me. Stole it after he petching raped me. Do you know what it’s like to be taken again and again, bound and unwilling, every night? Do you want to find out?”

Oh to see a zith suffer the way she had. Watch him squirm beneath her grasp. For once she seemed in control of the situation. There had been the occasional small triumph with the other zith, a moment’s rest, a night of peace, a distraction for the zith’s curious nature, but nothing like the control she had right now. A sadistic nature rose inside her. She looked into his eyes, challenging, daring him to look away. And with a high hand she ran her fingers down the silky grey fur of his chest.

“You know,” she whispered. “If I don’t kill you, the Syliran knights will.”

OOCAnd now I've learned that Sayana can creep me out... in multiple ways.

by **Treachery** on February 19th, 2015, 1:45 am

The brief mention of flying caused Treachery's head to droop slightly; like he was going to fly away. Not being able to was the entire reason he was here to start with, the entire reason they had... It didn't matter. Even if he had been able to take to the air , the woman's grip would have kept him grounded. His explanation hadn't calmed things down either, in fact it had only seemed to make the female more agitated. Threats were shot at the Zith viciously in between questions although the pressure of the blade against his back did ease up a little.

Coiling back, Treachery resisted the urge to hiss she got up in his face with her accusations. The fur along his neck slowly began to rise as the volley of questions continued. Was this woman insane? He had already explained that they were from the same colony, had he not? 'Friend'? What the rabbit skins was a 'friend'? The foreign word made no sense to the Zith although he felt as if he had heard it before on his travels. Impatient with the insane woman's flood of words, Treachery's voice came out a dark rumble as his free hand jerked a claw at the pools.

“You dagger in water, where you try throw at m -”

The next word she said however was a word he knew and it didn't take long to put two and two together. His expression dropped immediately, his wings lowering slightly as well. This woman, whom ever she was, had seen the worst of his kind. No wonder she hated him. Glaring up at him with angry burning in her eyes, all of Treachery's annoyance had faded away leaving him to feel nothing but pity for the 'human'. She may as well have been snarling like one of him own at him, but she was still scary, weak and needing protection. Despite her frightened grip on his wrist, Treachery gently stroked her forearm with his claws. He felt he need to comfort her in some way, despite her obvious hatred of him.

The soft hand on his chest and the comment about the knights murdering him though made all movement cease. A deep inhale and then a sigh as his resumed his stroking; never once breaking eye contact with the woman. The knights weren't going to harm him. But she probably wouldn't believe him. Heck, things could pretty nasty if she killed him and the knights discovered it. Probably not but the possibility was there. With another sigh Treachery shook his head, his pony swishing across his back with each motion.

“No, they won't. They may kill you but no me. I no understand what happen to you but I think it was bad. Sorry for that but kill me won't make that no happen. So, please. Let me go.”

Closed A Slice of Terror… With Bunnies on the Side (Treachery)