For a Lunch (Kendall)

[Cathan]

Again the wolf hesitated when Kendall got to his feet, canine eyes observing the young man warily, before Cathan padded along behind him. Without obligations which could have required his attention, there was little reason not to follow. Indeed, coming with his new found acquaintance harbored the opportunity for company, something he had missed more than he wanted to admit even to himself.

The streets were not lively, but from time to time they would meet people and the kelvic kept close to the walls, slinking through shadows whenever possible. For an animal his size, Cathan moved with the quiet grace of the born predator and only occasionally one would hear the scratching of his claws on the hard cobble stone of the street. Few people seemed to notice him, the others keeping away, the way they would have kept away from a rabid dog. It were those moments when he tried to catch up with Kendall, his shoulder almost brushing against the young man's leg, as if to prove to himself and all others that he wasn't roaming the streets alone for a change.

The night air started to fill with the scent of fresh bread and pastries and Cathan realized how hungry he truly was. Although usually preferring meat, raw and bloody if at all possible, he knew baked goods could be just as filling. It was missing the satisfaction of a real hunt, of crushing some smaller creatures throat, feeling its last convulsions before tearing into the still warm body, but in the last season he had learned to lower his expectations. To live with less. Although he had the money to buy food, the idea to give money for something nature should have provided him for free more than just a little odd. He had been to bars and taverns before, even to a bakery, but most of them time the thought didn't even occur to him.

When Kendall sat down to tell him he couldn't follow along into the shop, the assertion was met with disbelieve and a certain reluctance. Already the kelvic wanted to turn, ready to search his luck elsewhere when the young man reached for his stomach, the sound coming from it causing Cathan to stop in his tracks. He understood hunger. Hunger could drive even the most meager dog to become a dangerous beast and it was common practice to starve the participants of the dog fights as the kelvic knew just too well. Instead of turning the wolf looked up to Kendall for a very long moment, thoughtful, considering. Suddenly Cathan moved forward, nabbing the young man's sleeve between his fangs. It was a unexpected movement, but the wolf was surprisingly gently as he started to pull, slow first but soon with a little more vigor should Kendall not realize the kelvic wanted him to follow.

When the young man decided to follow him along Cathan would turn around, leading the way through little used alleys, away from the harbor and its smells. Their destination was a small garden, a backyard, which belonged to a run down little house no one had been living at in recent years. It composed of merely three trees, all of them crooked and dead. Bushes grew wild and large among them and it was doubtful they had seen a trim in years.

Silently the kelvic would run ahead, to vanish behind the scrub. Maybe Kendall would see the flickering lights when Cathan shifted form, turning from wolf to human, until the young man was able to make out the contours of a tall male figure standing in the shadow of the trees. One, two steps Cathan strolled forward, stopping before he actually left the half dark. Although changed, his eyes continued to shimmer in a irritating color reminding of burnished gold.

"I am afraid I don't have a lot food to offer, but for the two of us it should be plenty still. If you are hungry I would be glad to share." Talking, Cathan's voice was deep and dark, sometimes not unlike a soft growling.

"My name is Cathan. Or... it was, at some point anyway."

[Kendall Saarinen]

A wave of fear washed over Kendall as the wolf bit down on his sleeve. "What did I do to it? Petch! This thing is going to kill me!" The wolf pulled him forward but he did not seem like he as trying to hurt him. It did not take a lot of convincing to make Kendall follow the canine. There was simply no where else he needed to be anyway. This was the most action the man had seen in a while and he was not going to ditch the strange wolf just because he could. "Don't worry, I'm following." He was not sure what help the simple sentence would do for the wolf. The wolf led Kendall to an abandoned home and found that it had stopped in the garden. He looked around and took in his surroundings. The garden, although a bit overgrown due to its abandonment, was quite spectacular. Kendall had always held a bit of wonder for Caiyha and her creations. "Why did you bring me here? It is beautiful but…" The wolf had dissapered into the bushes before Kendall could finish his thought. With nothing else to do Kendall stared off into the distance and daydreamed. "Mom! Look at the doggie! Can we please get one!" "No dear, you know how your father is about animals." "Pleeeease mom, I'll hide it! I just want a puppy to play with and be my friend!" "I'm sorry Kenni, your father would kill us both if we had a dog running through the house." "Dad, ruins everything…" A pair of golden eyes looked out at Kendall from the bushes shocking him out of his daydream. He felt the temperature of his body rise as he prepared to release his Res. Before he jumped to such carless measures the man spoke. Was this the wolf? "So you were a Kelvic? I was right?" Kendall, dumbfounded walked forward slowly. He did not want to startle the man. "I am Kendall Saarinen…, eh, no relation." He had started to put the "No Relation" into his greetings after one too many questions about his connections to the Saarinen family. "It is nice to meet you Cathan. You can save your food. I'm sure you need it more than I. Trust me, I am used to starving myself. It is always better to have money at hand then a full stomach. At least it seems that way at times." Kendall tried to think of words to say to the canine man. "Well… what brings you to Zeltiva? Do you need some clothes? I hate to admit it but I have snuck into my… a house a few occasions to get some clothing." He was referring to his family's home. Although he hated to admit it, he was wearing his older brother's clothing. Besides, who better to break into a house than one to knew the workings of it?

[Cathan]

Changing form had been instant, yet it felt strange. It had been almost half a a season since he had last worn his human skin and balancing his weight on just two legs was an experience on its own. A sailor back in the docks after months on sea might have felt similar, but that was a comparison beyond the kelvic, who felt most comfortable in the woods of the north. He had never come closer to a ship than seeing one in the harbor.

"I never run out of food. When I don't have any, I hunt."

Of the sudden flood of questions, Cathan picked the one easiest to answer. "So... I don't mind sharing." An amused smile played around his lips when he imagined going hungry for longer than a day or two. He was not a great hunter, but he was not a picky eater either and food was nothing he had ever worried about. About enough other things, but never food. Intently the kelvic watch the young men stepping closer, not moving though. Seemingly relaxed the shapeshifter remained in the shadow, maybe not considering the other man a threat.

"You are right though, I am a kelvic." The words came over his lips a little more sharply than he had intended and Cathan avoided to look into Kendall's eyes in the process. Kelvic. Less than human. That's how many saw his kind and he was tired of having people ask what he was, rather than who he was. But then, he didn't think that was what Kendall had meant to imply. Curiously he looked over to the the man, who wasn't afraid to talk with an animal which could have easily bitten him. "I do have some clothes, don't worry."

Until recently he had thought about them. Why did he have to forget about it? Maybe it was the reason why he didn't get along with most humans after all. Crouching beside one of the bushes, Cathan drew out a backpack buried below a thin layer of dirt and foliage. Awkwardly the kelvic started to dress. "There was a man I had to talk to here," he continued slowly, pulling a simple linen shirt over his head. He didn't particular feel like talking about his past but having listened to Kendall for so long, he found the man deserved at least that. "I left Silyras last summer, together with my o-... another man who wanted to sell some good here. Bandits killed him on the way. Found his family deserved to know what happened to him."

Not that the meeting had went all to well, but that was nothing Cathan wanted to talk about. "Guess I got stuck here." Done dressing Cathan picked up his backpack stepping out into the pale moonlight. He was a tall, yet lean man with even features and hair of an hard to define color. Brindled like a wolf's coat was the best way to describe it. His clothing was cheap but hardly worn and it seemed the kelvic had made an effort to look properly dressed.

"How about you? You steal clothing, but you don't strike me a thief." Closing the distance between them, the kelvic had stopped before Kendall. "Do you live in this city?"

[Kendall Saarinen]

Although Kendall felt bad taking the food from Cathan he took it with a forced smile. "Thank you Cathan. It is very generous for you too share. If there is anything I could do for you just let me know." He then began to search for stick to start a small fire. Although Cathan could eat raw meat Kendall could not. As he gathered the sticks he recalled his father teaching him how to start a fire. He knew how to start one without reimency but he never did it without magic. It was a waste of time when one's body could create the fire itself. Once the sticks were set up in a tent shape he held his hand out and watched as a small orb or Res floated from his palm. He closed his eyes and felt the res ignite above his palm. He opened his eyes and looked at the fire dancing over his hand. He tilted his hand down and watched as the fire danced over to the pile of stick. "I hope you do not mind the fire. I need to cook the meat." After a few chimes the fire was the size of Kendall's liking and he positioned the meat over the fire. He looked up at Cathan who was now fully dressed and motioned for him to join him by the fire. "I'm sorry you have been alone. It is hard. I know I can barely take it myself." He missed is family more than he could even imagine. He missed Kay'lan even more though. He was going to marry him when he was still a girl but now that would never happen. Everyday his heart yearned for the Vantha man but he knew he would never be with him again. Kay'lan was searching for a brunette girl with green eyes who he would never see again. Little did he know that Kendall was that girl. Cathan's question surprised Kendall a bit and he felt a blush cross his face. He was not sure how much to tell this man. It was very tempting to tell him everything now that he had someone who would listen. He decided against it though. It was too risky. "Yes, I live here. I have been wanting to leave though. Zeltiva is my home town and I love it but I think it is time for me to move on." He looked down at the fire and smiled. He had grown to love fire. It was the only thing he seemed to have lately. "If you ever feel like moving on let me know. I would love to have a friend to leave with."

[Cathan]

Cathan shook his head when the other man asked if he would mind him lighting a fire, but he flinched back from the licking flames for a moment still. The wolf feared the dancing red and the heat, event though the man knew there was nothing to worry about. The kelvic had little use for fire, but he knew humans preferred their food cooked. They also liked the actual meat better than the innards, with a few exceptions. Cooking was nothing he fully understood. He ate everything of his kill beside fur and skeleton and even some bones he liked to crack for the marrow while many hunters he knew gave the pieces they deemed unfit to be eaten by themselves to their dogs or threw it away completely. Even some of the best pieces. The fat which helped one to get over winter, the heart and lung which offered additional energy. Despite the obvious waste Cathan liked to watch others cook. They seemed to put so much zest in it, spicing it, arranging it on a plate just so it also looked nice for the short time before they would eat it. In a way it was fascinating.

The meat Cathan had cut for Kendall from his reserves was lean and covered a thin crust of salt, the kelvic tried to rub off before handing it to the young man along with his waterskin. "Cook it if you like, I am afraid I don't have any other ingredients to offer."

Golden eyes shinning in the flame's light looked from Kendall to the fire he had set up. The young man had not used flint and steel, instead merely holding his hand over the wood he wanted to incinerate. Cathan had felt nothing of it, yet he knew it could only have been magic. The thought made his skin prickle just a little. His old masters had always steered clear of those versed in the arcane arts and not just one of them had been afraid of those dabbling with them. Cathan had never seen something similar himself. In his experience mages rarely made an appearance at dog fights or if they did, they didn't use their powers.

"What do you call this... magic?," the kelvic showed his palm, fingers lightly spread, mimicking the motion the other man had made earlier, watching him curiously. "I have never seen something like that." Sitting down beside the fire Cathan started to chew on his own piece of meat, only slightly better behaved than usual due to Kendall's presence. Instead of wolfing down entire piece he actually took small bites, chewing before swallowing.

"Being alone is hard," he continued then, agreeing with what the young man had said. "I can understand why wolves prefer to run in packs." Alone company would have been welcome to Cathan and the prospect of talking to someone even more so. Looking up from his meal he tilt his head to the side. "I thought of leaving for the north at some point. I prefer to hunt in woods I am familiar with. Not sure... if that's the direction you want to go, but if so I would be glad for a travel companion." Also for a friend, but that was still a to big word to use for the kelvic and one he had rarely enough applied to people he came to know. In fact he barely needed one hand to count them.

[Kendall Saarinen]

In the heat of the fire Kendall felt at home again. It was not the same kind of homey feeling that he got when he had been at his own house but it was a more connected feeling. Kendall found it almost amusing the way the kelvic man watched the fire. It looked as though an animal was watching the fire and in truth, there was. "Do not worry. You have done enough. I can live with some unseasoned meat." He smiled a bit to himself and held the meat over the fire. "The fire? This is called reimancy. It comes in four forms, fire, air, water, and earth. I can do fire but with some practice I could do more." He thought about what he would want to do next. He thought about water. It would be interesting to have fire and water although it might get a bit counterproductive in a fight. He had been thinking about earth. That would be interesting. If he could figure out earth then he could use the para-element lava. "I've heard the art of reimancy is somewhat common. I'm sure that is because I have been living in a port town though." The kelvic man's words hit home when he spoke of being alone. Until he had met Cathan Kendall had barely spoken to anyone since is accident. He knew how hard it was to be alone. "I imagine being in a pack would be a wonderful thing. I am not an animal but I can imagine it it quite like a family. Have you been in on Cathan?" Kendall was unsure of whether Cathan would have been a part of one. Did kelvics form packs togather? He recalled a kelvic he had known a long time ago. He was a slave of his father's friend. He recalled always feeling bad for the poor girl. She was small and often looked a bit scared. When he had seen her in her animal form he often marveled at the fact that she was exactly the same in both forms personality-wise. She was a lemur named Lana. Kendall always snuck her treats and other nice things when they saw each other. The thought of travel had crossed Kendall's mind. He needed to get out of the seaside town. He was glad to hear Cathan was willing to travel with him. "Yeah, I would like that a lot. I have not seen anything past the borders of Zeltiva. Where are you thinking of heading?" When he asked that question he began to wonder about it himself. "Where do I want to go is a more important question." He thought about the cities he had heard of and the places his father had told tales about. Ravok was the first place that came to mind. It was a dark city, north-east of Zeltiva. When he was younger he had always wanted to vist the city. Everyone raved about the Syliran Knights but he could not help but wonder about Ebonstryfe. The army of Ravok sounded so interesting but at the same time, a bit risky to deal with. "What about Ravok? I know it sounds a little bad but it is a new place. We can stop in Syliras on the way there." He was not sure if his new friend would want to go to Ravok. If he didn't they would go somewhere else. Kendall was done with having neatly made plans. Obviously those did not work out so well at times.

[Cathan]

"I don't know much about magic," the kelvic admitted as he watched the other man eat. "You might be the first magi I ever met." At least Kendall was the first one who had showed his power to him. The demonstration had left him a little uncomfortable, the way all fire made the beast side of his nature shake in anxiety. Still, Cathan also was aware that if the other man had wanted to hurt him, he would have done so already. "Hunters might not have much use for it I would imagine."

The idea of pack made him think of the lone wolf kelvic he had met in summer. She had assured him their kind could live alone in groups, without humans. He was not yet sure what to think about it. His eyes found the other man. "In a pack with others of my ilk? No." Cathan shook his head. "My first... owner had a pack of hunting dogs and I used to sleep in their kennel when I was young." The kelvic laughed. "There were times I believed to be one of them. I deemed myself quite smart compared to what I thought to be my siblings."

He had been able to assume the form of the master and back then his abilities had made him proud. It was strange to remember now, like a far away dream. "Dogs are good company. They demand little of one and they have a clearer sense of loyalty than most men. They are honest creatures with simple dreams and cravings. They fear the stick and still come back after a beating, seeking a kind word or piece of sausage." It had been an easy life without regrets, a dog's life. "People like dogs the way they fear wolves."

On the question where he wanted to head the man shrugged. "North." His memories of home were vague, the direction in which it lay was not. "I miss the woods and the cold. Life as a hunter is hard, but it is not the worst I have ever lived." Eyes fixed onto the flames the man fell silent. When he spoke again his voice was distant. "The further you get north the less woods you will find. At some point you come to wander endless plains of ice and snow, so bright you can't stare at it for long without going blind. Most animal's coats will be white as bleached bone and you hunt by ear and nose rather than sight."

Cathan looked up, golden eyes finding the other man. "The area around Ravok is not bad for hunting," he said slowly. In his hands he turned the remains of his meat. "It is no good place for my kind. I have been there once. Briefly." The kelvic tried to summon memories of the place, but in his mind events turned to schemes, shadows. Fighting rings and blood. "However, when I really want to head further north at some point there is no way avoiding the city on the lake. Preparations are paramount for survival." The kelvic watched the man before him for a long moment and one could almost see the tall man mulling over the idea. Finally he took a sip from his water skin. "I will come with you to Ravok. You might have to tell people you would be my... owner." His eyes narrowed for just the blink of a heart beat. "I trust you to remember that it is only a scheme. I have no desire to spend the rest of my days in a mine."

A moment longer he watched Kendall, but then he smirked. "But I trust you in that regard. Let's go to Ravok together."

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall should have known Cathan would not have known a lot about magic. From what he had heard Kelvics did not know much about magic or even Gods for that matter. "Well I hope I left a good impression. I'm sure my magic is not that exciting." He looked at Cathan who seemed a big scared of the fire. It should have occurred to him that the kelvic would have been scared of the fire. He might have looked human but he was truly an animal at his most basic form. The thoughts of pack life were interesting to Kendall. It was so much like his family and yet, it was different. They all worked together but would they have kicked Cathan out if they knew he was Kelvic? He recalled how he always pined over others dogs. He had always found them to be such interesting creatures. They wanted to hard to please and they would do anything to do it. It was interesting to see a canine kelvic. They were man's best friend and at the same time they were partially man themselves. "I agree. My father never let us have a dog. He said they were too dirty but I always found them beautiful. How could an animal that works so hard to please be looked down upon?" It was really happening. The plans to move on were coming into sight. He was really going to leave Zeltiva. "Well you can count on me as a travel companion. Anywhere is better than here." He marveled at Cathan's words. There was a whole world out there that Cathan had seen. Maybe not the whole world but it was more than Kendall saw in his twenty-one years. "Don't worry about Ravok… I'll protect you." He knew the words sounded a bit odd. He did not want the Kelvic to worry. He had heard of the slave trade in Ravok and he knew Cathan would be safer if people thought Cathan was his slave. He would never dream of enslaving Cathan. He could never do such a thing. He could put on a show to protect his new friend though. "I am ready to head out whenever you are." The winter was coming and he knew it would be harder to travel then. "It will be hard but I am sure we can do it." The hope could have been a little strange but Kendall wanted to believe that he could move on. He needed to see something new, even if it killed him.

[Cathan]

"I found it rather... fascinating," Cathan said slowly, licking salt from his fingers. Fire had always made him nervous. Magic on the other hand he had not known till Kendall's demonstration and he was not sure yet if he found the sight exciting or frightening. Or both. In neither case he wanted to admit it to the other man however. He looked down his hands. "Zeltiva is not a bad city. But a change is due for me I feel."

Zeltiva was not the worst place the kelvic had ever been to. People had done him no harm. The streets of the port city had never come to taste his blood and when there had been conflict it had been reaction to Cathan's own deeds. Not that the man realized. He rarely came to question people's motivation, only Kendall's he found himself strangely curious about.

The shapeshifter knew few enough people who traveled just for the joy of it, and many of those insisting on such affections were scammers or robbers or worse. After a while those always needed to move on to find new prey for their games, sites where no one knew their faces. Cathan could not imagine his newest acquaintance had similar issues. He could not claim to smell lies the way some people thought dogs could. What he was good picking up however was the nervousness and trembling found with liars not versed in their art. Kendall though was calm. The young man looked honest. And honesty was a word the wolf rarely came to apply on people he barely knew. Maybe it were only the friendly words, but in this moment the kelvic did trust the other man.

"I believe I should head back later and pay for the pottery I broke," he suddenly heared himself say. "But beside that I could leave at the end of fall, begin of winter."

The idea to be protected let Cathan smirk. He was tempted to denote his own capability as fighter, to point out he was probably better suited to have an eye on Kendall than the other way around, yet he hesitated. Magic was an unknown quantity in his equation, one the kelvic wasn't quite able to fathom. There were the subject of slavery too, one he had brought up himself no less. Together they could make a good pack. Or a good travel group rather, Cathan corrected himself absently.

In the end he tilt his head to the side, a gesture of agreement. "I am sure we will do fine," the shapeshifter smirked.

The kelvic reached out a hand to seal their settlement with a handshake. He had seen man and woman do it all the time when they had come to an agreement. I this moment the situation seemed to call for it.

"I am looking forward to the travel."

[Kendall Saarinen]

It was a relief to hear Kendall had not scared the man. It was last thing Kendall wanted to do. There had been too much tumult lately. It was nice to just have a calm and peaceful conversation with someone for a change. "I'm glad you enjoyed the show then. Not many people take so kindly to my art." He recalled a few times when the scars on his hands had earned him a quick boot out the door. Not everyone was comfortable with magic. Even Kendall's own father had sworn against it with his life claiming "It was the work of chaos". Some scholars were just immensely closed minded. When one focused their mind so intently on one subject at times it closed them off from other schools of thought. That is why Kendall loved his poetry and literature. Anything could happen with the stroke of a writer's pen. With a nod Kendall showed his sympathy for the Kelvics problem. He was not sure if the man felt genuine guilt for the broken pottery or if he simply just wanted to get angry Zeltivans off of his back. Kendall knew the full blunt of the anger the citizens could dish out on what they thought were evil-doers. Maybe they were quick to judge. Too much fresh sea air in their lungs perhaps? "It is good you are going to pay them back. We Zeltivans seem to know how to keep a grudge." He chuckled at the comment. Since his accident he barely seen himself as a Zeltivan. The city had made sure he as not to feel welcome. The thoughts of leaving lifted Kendall's spirits a bit. He was finally going to leave this town. He would not longer have to duck behind barrels or into alleys when he saw someone in his family come around a turn. "I look forward to traveling with you as well Cathan. It will be good to see the world past the edges of Zeltiva." A new time was dawning for Kendall. He could feel it.