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[Mayra]

62nd of Spring, 515AV
12th Bell, Noon

It was hard not to be in awe at the grasslands. Although Mayra had just spent a good third of the season traversing the wide open plains, now that she had stopped it was just as breathtaking. There was not particular comfort she attached to the cold Kalean caves, and yet she found the plains made her uneasy. Did her Chaktawe blood relatives live like this... but in the desert? It was hard to imagine.

This clutter of tents and animals was hard to imagine, but here she was. To say tents would be an under-estimate though. Some of the structures mounted in the center of the city were so magnificent, she couldn't very easily place a name to them. The bright colors that signified something Mayra hadn't quite grasped yet, were clearly made of some tough fabric, but upon entrance the wooden beams and decorative tapestries and permanent looking furniture made her feel as if she had just walked into an actual building. The half-Zith had grown so used to the change of civilized society and the confusion that accompanied it, that she tried to simple learn to accept reality, in whatever form it may take.

And yet as the sun reached it's apex in the sky, Mayra found herself wandering towards the edge of the city. A path had been worn into the grass, weaving between the various campfires and tents. Each of which seemed to have staked a certain amount of land, yet no markers said so. It was something unspoken that Mayra knew she could not see, but knew she should respect. Unlike Alvadas, this nomadic city was well spaced apart. It scared her a bit, to be so out in the open, and yet it was comforting that she walked a path worn by feet and hooves, and the fact that she was never out of sight of at least two camps of tents. But as the camps grew less and less dense, Mayra slowed her walk. For a second she simply stopped in the path that was growing thinner and thinner. To her back was a small and modest camp. A mere three tents pitched around a fire made up one of these invisible-boundary properties. A small collection of frighteningly odd herbavores grazed nearby and the rest was simply open plains, until the next collection of tents of course, which was much further off.

As she stood there, the wind whipping her hair across her face and forcing the occasional shiver from her, despite the late spring warmth, Mayra evaluated what she was doing for the first time. She was talking a walk, that much was obvious, but to what point? She wasn't very fond of the foreign language or the noise that was in the central of the city, where her tent was poorly pitched. She was half-scared to death by a pair of horses, unbridled and unridden, that raced through the town as if they owned it. The two beasts had ran, or galloped, or whatever horses did, a mere three feet from her campfire as she attempted to warm her breakfast. It was as if the damn beasts owned the city!

On top of that, she wasn't very fond of the suspicious looks she received from the people. She wasn't complete Chaktawe, and she knew that these horse-people were aware of that. But she was starting to get a feeling that even though most could not place a finger on her Zith heritage, thanks to her eyes, if they were to come to that conclusion, they wouldn't be particularly happy with her. Much to her relief, not many had learned it. She assumed the Kalean Ziths were far different from the Cyphrus Ziths, and the prominent characteristics of her Chaktawe ancestry probably helped on that front. But if any of the Endrykas people... what were they called? Drykas? If these Drykas looked to closely for too long, Mayra was sure they would have no issue finding her other half.

A growl erupted from behind her, and Mayra jumped. Immediately, her hand flew to her hip, and the dagger was pulled from its sheath. As she turned to confront the distant sound, likely only carried to her ears by the wind, her knees bent and her thighs tensed. She had not one clue on how she would actually defend herself, but if she needed to, at least she was prepared.

But nothing was there. Black orbs scraped the grasslands behind the small encampment of tents, and she found nothing. Of course the strange and bare wilderness would not dissapoint her for a few ticks. In an instant, she watched a large cat trot into her view. The cat was fast, very fast. It was clear the animal was not running any where near its full speed, but its leisure trot was fast enough as it was. Without noticing her, which Mayra concluded was because she was down wind, the spotted cat turned back towards where it had come from, waiting for something. Her vision was obstructed by the tents, but this action only forced Mayra into a lower crouch. Her heart was beating fast now, fear of this animal turning her knuckled white as she gripped her dagger. She had left her new weapons at home, although she was sure they would do her no good. At least she had an idea of how to use this metal weapon. The larger swords would be wasted on her until she was able to practice them.

Mayra barely had time to straighten up when she caught sight of the flash of red hair finally forced her to put her dagger away. She wasn't quite sure whether the woman would be a threat, but Mayra had learned that with this city's opinion on Zith, it is best to appear benevolent.

Instead she watched, safe for the moment, in her down-wind position. The girl seemed to be playing with the cat. This intrigued her as she watched the flitting figures, enough that Mayra found her feet carrying her forward, hands stuffed in her pockets casually. She has had a fair amount of experience with mountain cats, that this grassland feline was beyond interesting for her. Back in Kalea, to play with the hunting animals so casually... well, it was a death sentence. There was some sort of bond here, like everything in this tent-palace, that Mayra didn't understand... And oh, how she wanted to.

"Hello." The words bubbled from her lips before they had a chance to form in her thoughts. Thinking quick, Mayra raised one hand in the greeting that she had learned from Alvadas. She didn't think to imagine how odd it was that she was all the way out here, or the danger of alerting the cat to her presence. Her interest was on the fiery-haired woman now, and she wanted to get her attention. Thinking through things wasn't exactly Mayra's specialty.

OOCSorry if I took a little liberty with your character, assuming she was playing with Banti, I'll change it if you would like me to. Also, I promise my posts aren't usually this long and boring. Its her first thread in Endrykas, I had to establish her view on it, or lack of. She knows almost nothing about the city or the Drykas xD

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Naiya]

Naiya tossed the next scrap of meat further, and Banti dashed across the grasses towards it, scooping it up quickly before turning to face her once more. "Here, to me" she signed to the cat once again, a piece of meat a tool for bribery tucked away in her hand. The morsels had turned into quite a useful tool in their training, serving to inspire the cat far more than a pat on the back or a scratch behind the ears. So much so, that she had taken to wearing a small pouch of the treats on her belt in case the situation arose that they were needed. The idea for the treats, perhaps the most vital of the things she had learned in their training, had come from a man at the Hunter's Allegiance when she had stopped in to see about perhaps purchasing a herding dog.

The cat came bounding back at Naiya's signal, a sign of the long day of practicing this particular behavior. She offered the cat a scratch between the ears before proffering the dried meat bit. Banti took the offering, biting the morsel from her open palm. Naiya had learned quickly that like a horse, the cat would bite fingers that got too close to teeth, although she hadn't decided if that was a bite of accident or one of intention.

She saw no need to invite a second experience of being bitten. Not when her cat had such large sharp teeth.

He goal now that they seemed to have an understanding of being called, and even, hopefully, of the sign for such a thing, Naiya wanted Banti to learn to "stay". She said the word out loud, and signed it for the cat before standing in front of the cat and tossing the meat over her shoulder as far as she could.

It only took Banti a second to dodge around Naiya's legs, as she went racing off in search of the meat where it had fallen in the grasses outside of the edges of the nearby tents.

A trickle of laughter brushed past her lips, she would need a leash for that one. Obviously standing in the way was not nearly enough of a deterrent.

She followed the cat out into the grass, playfully shoving the patiently waiting cat when she was close enough to reach. Banti stumbled a side step, turned, and reared back onto her hind feet, pushing against the shoulders of the woman with her front feet.

Naiya allowed herself to fall to the grass, feigning hurt at the cat who now stood on her chest. Unperturbed, Banti licked at her face, her rough tongue marking a path of lingering feeling on her cheek.

"You beast." Naiya murmured, her tone betraying how quickly her affection for the cat had grown.

"Hello." An unfamiliar voice called, startling both the girl and her cat. For her part, Banti tensed, a soft, wildly unexpected snarl ripping past bared teeth. A fear response, or perhaps a protective one. Naiya pushed the cat, who moved slowly off the chest of the Drykas so that she could stand up to find the new arrival.

It was a woman, hand raised in what looked similar to a general greeting. She had dark hair, and black eyes that marked her as a Chaktawe. Naiya returned the greeting, placing her other hand on to the cat's head, hopefully calming the riled creature.

Meantally she made the switch to common, something that was becoming easier the more frequently she used the language.

"Hello, sorry for her," she gestured towards Banti with her free hand, half signing an apology to accompany it, "We did not expect to find people out here."

[Mayra]

Friendly. Was Mayra initial observation of the red-haired woman. She was not used to this. Residents of the bustling city of Alvadas preferred to ignore the strange-eyes and zith-resembling woman. But those people were more used to the mountain breed of monster, and less interested in others. There was no hope for kindness in Kenash, where she was looked down upon for not being filthy rich. Civilization was confusing. In Endrykas, even though it had been but a day, Mayra found she was greatly ignored. People didn't choose to speak to her, but they weren't avoiding her either. The horse-people had a streak of wild that was obvious within their culture, and Mayra liked it, so it was not hard for her to return this woman's friendliness with a flash of a smile.

Her eyes still flitted between the woman, who was relaxed and not at all shocked by her presence, although Mayra knew she was venturing further than was normal for visitors. Yet the woman's cat seemed wary, which was only expected from the predator. "He's beautiful." She complimented the cat, ignoring the comment of her unusual presence. Mayra was in complete awe at the feline's tameness as it was. How had she achieved such a mellow relationship with the animal? Mayra had only known the strict breeding and control of animals from the Zith, so this was a new experience to her. "He is... calm." She spoke her observation, turning back to the woman and stuffing her hands back in her pockets. Her velvety voice almost phrased it as a question. Why? was the obvious follow-up query, but the half-blood did not speak it, searching for another question to ask instead. She didn't want to ask this stranger too many, it would seem odd. But she was far too curious to let this strange scene go without an interruption.

"What do you train him for? Guarding? Hunting?" She removed one of her hands again, motioning towards the spotted predator with as little movement as possible. She had seen enough to assume the cat was calm with his owner, but she was not so sure about his attitude towards strangers. The fact that she had approached so closely without his claws at her throat was also incredibly interesting. Who knew that such viscous predators could be... benevolent? She moved the hand to her face to remove the hair from it, before crossing her arms against the wind as she listened to the woman's answer.

"Oh, and I am Mayra." The half-Chaktawe offered as the woman finished, ignoring her words or questions for a brief moment should their be one. After half a tick, the uncivilized woman remembered to offer her hand to the red-haired horse-person, as a friendly greeting that she had learned in Kenash. She didn't see the point of it, or liked it very much. She wasn't fond of touching strangers, but it was the civilized way, so she would conform.

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Naiya]

Peace, calm She signed for the cat, hoping to further reassure the creature. It seemed to work, that or perhaps it was the gentle distraction of Naiya's hand combing through her fur that soother her. Either way she was glad for the change in her attitude.

The other, the stranger, she had more to say than just hello. She complimented Banti, and said she was calm, although she called her a boy, she did not think Banti was terribly upset but the mistake.

"Thank you." She responded, the other woman's tone of voice implying more than a statement. "She is shy, I think, her sister is less calm. This one, her name is Banti she has taken to me." That was likely a good answer to the woman's unvoiced question.

Her motions, and her hands, while more still than a Drykas, seemed to be communicative, not grassland sign exactly, but communicative all the same. She was looking for an explanation still, the woman's curiosity about the cat at her side struck Naiya as odd. Perhaps there was an explanation.

"Banti is smart, but I do not train her much. I do not know how. So I am teaching her to listen, to follow, to do." Banti sniffed at the woman as her hand moved, not necessarily a motion of acceptance, but surely a sign of interest. It did not really surprise Naiya, the cat had ignored her for quite a while before deciding to be her companion. Naiya did not think it likely that she would take such a liking to many people.

"Do you have hunting cat too?" She asked, feeling as though perhaps that was the root of the stranger's curiosity.

[Mayra]

"Banti." MAyra murmured to herself, eyes following the cat. She had to remind herself to look away, that feline's were not fond of eye contact. So she settled on watching the woman's face. As far as she was aware, humans didn't mind so much, at least not as much as a cat. Mayra could hear the woman's thick accent now. The foreign way that the woman talked, paired with what Mayra assumed to be a basic understanding of the common language, the half-breed had to pause for a few seconds after the redhead's words to digest what she had said. Mayra had only spent a day in the company of the horse-people so far and she had quickly learned two things. Most of them were comfortable with ignoring her, and their language had less words than motions in it. It had taken her quite a while to figure out that the people were actually talking with their hands. So to see the slender hands of this crimson-haired stranger hopping and bouncing about the air in front of her as she talked was less unsettling.

But this distracted Mayra from her thick accent as she watched the woman's hands. It was like she was emphasizing certain words, but Mayra failed to recognize the meaning in them. "What?" She looked back up to the cat-trainer's face. Understanding the question just a second too late. "No, I've never owned animals." Mayra fell a little awkward leaving her hands in her pockets, and realized she was focusing on this woman's hands too much. She was interested in the cat, but she had gotten distracted. A trait that unfortunately was not uncommon in most of the half-Zith's interactions. She paused for a second, prepared to simply leave it at that, but she suddenly realized that she would need to elaborate.

"I used to care for hunting animals, for my father. He hunted with them in the Kalean mountains." She explained, her eyes flitting back down towards the spotted cat. Maybe she could learn what breed this was. "I've not seen any like her before," Mayra made sure the use the correct gender this time. "This is a...?" She offered the woman to fill in the blank before asking one more question.

"What is... " Mayra hesitated for a moment. She wanted to excuse herself for asking the question, which could come across as rude to some, but held her tongue for that part. Would it seem rude to ask an animal's purpose. Was this tent city prone to collecting animals for nothing more than show? It was a new concept to her, pets, that she learned of in Kenash. Small dogs that served no purpose but to sit in a wealthy noble's purse had confused her at first. If it was common practice and she was unaware, Mayra was sure to feel stupid, but she continued with the question anyway. "What is 'Banti's' use then?"

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Naiya]

The woman seemed to expect something from Naiya that she wasn't giving. It was odd, and rather uncomfortable for the Drykas. She didn't quite know how to act, or exactly what it was the woman wanted.

She felt strained, false despite her best intentions. She didn't however, know how to fix it, nor could she ignore the stranger in favor of her cat, for she wasn't so brave as that, and there was always the possibility in her mind that she might attack her. Past experience had told her time and time again that not all people were kind.

"She is a Drykas Hunting Cat." Her answer was simple, informative, although it took her a moment to find the words in the common tongue. Her next question was more difficult to answer.

What was Banti's purpose? Perhaps she meant what skills did the cat possess? It seemed an odd question. She was a cat, did they need more purpose than that? "She is hunter, and guard." She informed the woman. After a moment's hesitance, she reformed her answer. "She will be hunter and guard. Now she is companion. We still need to train."

Naiya upturned her hands helpless. She could no more figure out the woman than she could train her companion.

"We are learning together, I learn to teach her, and she learns what I can tell her. I am learning more hunting, tracking, and Banti comes with me. We learn together."

[Mayra]

"A companion?" The concept was so foreign to Mayra that she had to release a laugh at the absurdity of it. How could an animal become a companion? They had their uses and that was it. Slaves and other humanoids could serve as companions, not animals, what could they offer? Forcing her lips to drop the amusement, slightly afraid she may offend the stranger. Mayra tried to appear less unsure of the concept, pulling her hands from her pockets, she now turned to the cat.

"What commands does she know? Does she respond to a 'come' signal?" Mayra didn't seem to be focusing on the red-haired woman now, content with focusing her attention on the animal of the conversation. Mayra was beginning to loosen up now, the brief play she had on playing as polite at vanished and Mayra was eager to interact with the spotted animal along with her owner. The half-Chaktawe had always been rather intrusive, and this scenario was no exception. This woman had already proven herself valuable to the curious half-breed, and now Mayra tried to give something in return. Manners and politeness were even more foreign to the half-Zith than the thought of such a useful animal as anything more than a companion. She turned to the cat. She measured her motions carefully now, ensuring she was not hesitant but also steadying her mood to not be aggressive. Complete neutrality and concentration was the safest way to go about dangerous predators. Before speaking, Mayra opened her palm to the woman. Long, thin digits relaxed in an extended, expecting, position. "You've brought treats for her, yes?"

Again, Mayra had trouble voicing her intentions out loud, but this time the half-breed managed to catch the slip-up and complete her request from the woman. Socialization was not exactly a strong point of hers. The guttural and velvety voice that laced each of Mayra's words softened to a hopeful tone. A child-like curiosity and excitement twinkled in the utter darkness of her eyes. "May I use one?" A pause. "I would like to show you something."

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Naiya]

The woman laughed at her, and Naiya shrank back, bemused by the woman. What was funny about that?

She did not explain, the amusement leaving her lips after a moment when she returned her attention to the cat. "Commands? Naiya repeated the unfamiliar word. She did know the second part, and she nodded hesitantly. "We have worked on 'come', but not in common, in Pavi, and in sign." She shaped the words with her hands, but then shook her head.

"It is still very new for her, I think she will not always do." She explained, then with offering in the shape of her hands she extended a willingness to show her the work.

Before she could do more than silently offer, the woman was speaking again, sizing up the cat and moving towards her, obvious intent in her posture. Banti looked up at her Drykas, seeming confused by their sudden detour from their play and their route home. Naiya imagined that inquiry was the shape of her body, but that was no more than wishful thinking. She shrugged at the cat, confused, unknown, well meaning the told her, although the cat showed no sign of recognizing the signs. She seemed to take a cue from the emotions of her owner, which were now confused, but not scared or angry, and the cat seemed content to let that be her own response.

When the woman held out a hand to her, she wasn't sure what she wanted, why did she need something from Naiya to show her something.

But after a moment, it clicked that, perhaps, the woman wanted a way to bribe the cat into action as well, for she had once had her own, or trained them anyway.

After what might have been a slightly longer pause than expected, Naiya offered a meat morsel to the woman, and at her nod, placed it in her hand. She could not convince the creature to do anything too strange, so she didn't see a real risk in the situation.

[Mayra]

Mayra could hardly help herself from grinning at the woman. Oh how she missed her father's hunting cats. Taking the treat from the red-haired horse woman, Mayra took a few paces backwards. Her feet glided through the grasses with unusual ease. She wasn't particularly used to the soft earth of the grasslands compared to the hard packed rocky earth of her home.

Once she was far enough away that the cat would have to take more than a few steps to reach her, but still within calling distance, Mayra abruptly turned to the side. The half-Chaktawe looked off at the more dense scattering of tents in the distance before turning her head to the cat, offering a single hand forward with the morsel grasped in the crease between her index and middle finger. It was a non-aggressive stance, but it could also be mistaken for one of disinterest, depending on the animal. The fact that she didn't know what this spotted cat even was, it was simply a shot in the dark. Maybe standing sideways would mean nothing at all the to animal, it was worth the try. Alright, now lets hope this cat will react to you in any way. Mayra took a quick intake of breathe before letting out a sharp whistle to attract the cat's attention. Then Mayra turned slightly, preparing to motion towards the cat.

But she didn't trust this enough. She had no bond with the cat. Clearly it was tamed, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to walk so close to it, but otherwise that cat had no obligation to her. For her to answer the halfbred would be a miracle. Black orbs flicked up to the horse-woman's face quickly before Mayra closed her eyes to concentrate on her djed. Speaking would have been easier, but this woman did not work with her cat on verbal commands, so Mayra would have to push the suggestion out without a word to attach it. But she had the hand signal. Following the woman's earlier example as best she could, she tried to push her djed through her motions. Come. She aimed the suggestion towards the cat. It was a very weak form of hypnotism. Even though it was the one magic she sought, she found she was no good at it. However maybe, paired with a tantalizing treat and a known hand-signal, just maybe the animal would not reject the suggestion.

Common | Tawna | Thoughts | PC/NPC Talking

[Naiya]

Surefooted and masked with a Cheshire like grin, the girl, Mayra, paced seeming to seek something a good distance away. Naiya seemed to watch with far more interest, if not a good bit of wariness to accompany it. Banti had come to attention at the passing of the treat, but returned now to preening.

Naiya shifted in place, her attention moving to their surroundings, checking first out; the grasses seemed calm enough her home, still a ways off, waited in patience for their return. Safe for now from the more obvious dangers of the grass, she glanced next to the city, seeing that all was well in that direction too. It seemed to be, a more peaceful day, one of leisure, perhaps.

Her musings were cut off by a sharp sound, a whistle, unexpected and loud. Both Naiya and Banti whipped to find the source, the strange foreigner was the cause, and once more Banti was attentive, though perhaps not in the intended way. Her ears had flattened, lips raised, not a creature used to surprises such as this.

Something in the woman's positioning seemed to help soothe the cat, at least some, for after a furitive glance around, the treat and the signal given seemed enough to persuade her to go.

She did not move quickly, though. Nothing like when Naiya had called her companion closer. Instead it was a slow walk, more circular as though sizing up the stranger. When she did eventually reach pouncing distance from Mayra, she sat, eyes on the treat and ears swiveled towards Naiya. The pose wasn't quite aggressive, it was far more obviously reluctant, perhaps mildly annoyed. Maybe the cat could understand sign, at least to a point.

Naiya couldn't help the laugh that tickled at her lips, she ducked a bit behind her hair and brought a hand to her lips to hide her growing smile.

It seemed, despite her reluctance, Banti would do quite a bit for a treat. Including making her dislike of the task known.