Hunting, Interrupted

[Aiyana Ottano]

Timestamp: Summer 12, 515AD

Aiyana padded forwards, the cool night air ghosting across her fur like a witch's breath. Her tufted ears were stood erect, but there was no sound save for the faint caroling of crickets. Branches and leaves crunched and crackled beneath her paws. Aiyana had spent her first few days exploring Sylira, hunting out a home, the local taverns and somewhere she might find a job.

Now, though, her eyes glittered with relief. The hustle and bustle of the city, while the perfect environment to not attract attention, made her weary. She wasn't much for company. She had been, once upon a time, but not anymore. If she could, she would go her entire life without ever speaking to another being.

The quiet solitude of the Mithryn outpost blanketed her. The curfew had long passed and the residents were already curled up in the sanctity of each other's arms. The stone walls of the outpost towered over her and she eyed them wearily as she slunk by; everything here was fortified and hemmed in. It had only been a few days since her arrival, but Aiyana already felt the looming walls of Sylira closing in around her, hemming her in too.

But she wouldn't think of that now.

No, now she simply needed to explore. She much preferred to find her own prey, hares and rabbits, if she could. Perhaps she would even find a cave, or the crook of a tree, where she could sleep when her home in the city became too suffocating.

It wasn't long before her nose caught the scent of a lone rabbit. Her stomach uttered a long groan.

She slipped in and out of the trees, silent as a phantom. Hunting came easily to her as a Lynx. Tiny paw prints, little groves in the dirt which would be discernible to the human eye, told her where she needed to go. Squatting, she slowed to a crawl and inched forwards.

There, just ahead of her, was a rabbit.

It was bobbing about, nose and ears twitching as it hopped across the ground. Aiyana circled around it from a distance, careful not to approach from downwind so the creature could not catch her scent. She needed to be as close as possible if she wanted to eat tonight. Aiyana was powerful, but she could only sprint for a few metres at best. Like most feline species, she lacked stamina.

Crouching on her hind legs, she prepared to take chase. She leapt forward just as a small woman tottered from the behind a tree, a basket full of plants tucked under an arm. The rabbit started and fled.

Aiyana growled in frustration.

[Aiyana Ottano]

Her silvery eyes met the woman's brown ones, which bulged out from behind black glasses like those of a bugs.

"Forgive me, Kelvic, I did not know you were hunting here."

Aiyana cocked her head and peered at the woman. Most people could tell she was Kelvic in her human form due to her reflective, feline eyes, but seldom, if ever, did people recognise her Kelvic nature when in her Lynx form. She looked the same as every other of her kind, after all.

The woman nodded, as though she understood what Aiyana was thinking. The unruly blonde curls framing her face bobbed in the darkness. "It's the eyes that give you away, dear. There is too much sadness in them for you to be a simple Lynx."

Another surprise. Lynx were uncommon in Mizahar and few knew her kind.

But it was the words that really got to her, flooding through her veins like an icy poison. There is too much sadness in them- the words bounced around her skull as thoughts of her old bondmate swept through her mind. She felt the familiar swell of longing inside her soul. Not just for her old bond-mate either, but simply for any form of companionship. Her heart compelled her to move closer to the woman and offer her assistance with whatever she was doing, but she pushed the thought away.

Aiyana had learnt the hard way not to trust.

The woman eyed her curiously. "Come, I haven't seen you around so I assume you must be new here. It was my fault you lost your prey, so it's only fair I show you the best places to go looking. Tavern dinners won't always suit a Kelvic like yourself, dear."

Aiyana hesitated. She did not know this strange woman, and nor did she have any desire to. On the other hand, she really was hungry, but she didn't have enough energy to trek for miles in search of food for the night. More than that, Aiyana was aware of the curfew at the outpost, but here was this woman blatantly ignoring it. The only people likely to be outside the walls at this hour were those up to no good.

The woman must have noticed her hesitation, however, for next she was saying: "Don't worry, dear. I'm no brigand. My name is Cecilia Whitvine. I'm a Biologist and there are certain plants that do better when harvested at night."

Another growled echoed deep within Aiyana's stomach, which had her making up her mind. She could follow this woman, Cecelia, from a safe distance. Aiyana knew she could overpower her if it turned out she was lying, although Aiyana doubted that. There was something reassuring in that musical voice and the blonde mess of hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

Finally, she nodded. Stepping forwards, she transformed into her human form. The bitter night air swept around her and for a moment she stood trembling beneath the moonlight.

"Cover yourself with this, my girl. We wouldn't want you catching a cold."

Cecelia draped a thick, woolen cloak across her shoulders. Aiyana nestled deep into it, before following after the queer woman as she slipped away into the shadows of the night.

[Aiyana Ottano]

For little over an hour, they walked in a sort of quiet companionship. Aiyana walked quietly a few metres behind, while Cecelia marched ahead of her, whistling to herself. They seldom spoke and it seemed that like Aiyana, Cecelelia was a woman of few words, a fact which had Aiyana sighing in relief. She was glad she had someone to guide her; even with her keen senses, it would be easy to get lost for days in the vast expanse of hill tops and trees.

The moon was almost at its zenith and its silvery glow oozed down, bathing the hills in a queer, silvery glow. Aiyana was beginning to grow impatient when suddenly Cecelia ground to a halt with an excited squeal. Her eyes were bright and excited. She fell to her knees, producing a small dagger from beneath her cloak, beginning to hack away at the dirt.

Aiyana edged closer, eyeing the small plant skeptically. It was a dull coloured, woody vine with thorns as sharp as her claws. She knew next to nothing about the properties of plants, but it was difficult to imagine how such an insignificant little shrub could turn into anything useful.

Hunger gnawed at her belly stronger than ever. She had transformed twice tonight and, as always, it had left her feeling drained of energy. Aiyana watched Cecelia dig a moment longer, before stepping closer, her bare feet digging into the earth.

"This is it!" She breathed. "I thought I'd never find it." She held the small plant up to the moonlight, as though it were a trophy.

"What is it?"

They were the first words Aiyana had spoken to the woman, and Cecelia started and whipped her neck around as though she had forgotten her travelling companion completely.

"This is Uncaria tomentosa." She announced.

If Celecia was put out by the blank expression Aiyana wore, she didn't show it. She continued, unperturbed.

"In the common tongue it is known as Cat's Claw. I've been searching for a specimen for a while. It's a rare little plant disregarded by most, but combined with other plants its healing properties can be potent, particularly for stiff and aching limbs."

For stiff and aching limbs- perhaps the plant might be useful to her, after all. In her Lynx form, after several hours of tracking and stalking prey, her muscles more than often ached terribly and were sometimes so stiff she had to spend the whole of the following day recovering. Anything that could alleviate that would be welcome.

"Could you show me how to use it? Not now, but one day, perhaps, if you're not terribly busy?"

Aiyana kept her eyes trained on the floor and shuffled nervously from foot to foot. She wondered how speaking had ever come easily to her as a child. Now each word had to be wrenched from her, and often snagged embarrassingly in her throat.

"Of course, dear, on one condition."

Aiyana waited.

"If you tell me your name."

A ghost of a smile flitted across Aiyana's face and it felt as though a crack were appearing in dry earth; it had been so long since she had smiled.

"Aiyana. My name is Aiyana."

[Aiyana Ottano]

"Well, Aiyana, you must be hungry by now. A little further on and you'll reach the edge of the Syliran fields. We circled around, so we're almost back at the outpost now."

She pointed forwards and Aiyana could make out a few lights bobbing amid the fields, presumably belonging to the night guards.

"The fields are filled with all kind of crop. Rabbits and birds are always lingering around, trying to pinch our food. The guards shouldn't bother you. You'll be doing them a favour, killing some of the animals."

"Thank you, Cecelia."

"It's no worry, dear. You kept anything lurking out there away form me tonight. Must be the smell of the Lynx on you. You come and find me if you want to learn more about the properties of the Cat's Claw."

Aiyana nodded. "I will." And for once, she meant it. She felt more at ease around the quirky Biologist than had had felt around another being in months. Cecelia, unlike most, did not pressure her into talking, leaving her to simply be. She would search out this woman again. Perhaps she could help Cecelia without becoming too attached to her. Regardless, it certainly wouldn't hurt to learn a little about the local fauna. When prey was scarce and funds low, she was sometimes forced to eat plants, but Aiyana had made herself sick on more than one occasion.

"I'll be off then. Goodbye, Aiyana."

"Goodbye, Cecelia." She responded softly.

Aiyana watched her companion leave with wistful eyes, feeling the loss of the other human at once. With a weary sigh, she transformed into her animal counterpart and began to circle the fields. Somewhere, a crow was screaming.

Completely still, she listened intently. The faint scratch of paws on the ground could be heard from somewhere to her left. She prowled quietly over to the source of the noise. A large rodent of some kind was flitting in and out the corn rows. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. By now, the hunger was nagging persistently at her belly and she was beginning to feel weak. One more transformation and much longer without something to eat would leave her ill.

She crouched low on her front legs and stalked forwards until she was only a few metres from the animal. With a powerful push from her hind legs, she leapt high in the air, lips peeled back into a snarl. The rodent squealed and made to dart away, but Aiyana slammed down her giant paw onto its tail and dragged it towards her.

In a single bite, she crushed its neck in her powerful jaws. The bones crunched against her teeth and the fresh, warm blood stained her fur as she felt the life seep out of it. She shook it from side to side before tossing it to the ground, where she eagerly ripped a chunk of flesh from its stomach. The skin was warm and soft nd Aiyana savored every bite. The dry, seasoned meat ate by humans paled in comparison to the juicy succulence of a fresh kill.

As Aiyana ate, she sent a silent thanks to Cecelia. She never would have thought to check the field for prey herself, believing it too close to civilization to make an apt hunting ground, but Cecelia had been right.

Now, Aiyana had somewhere to hunt when the city became too much and she had found a woman that she could perhaps even do the odd job for, which would hopefully be enough to fulfill her Kelvic desire to serve and forget the pain of losing her bondmate for a while. Yes, it would be enough. It would have to be.

[Sayana]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.

 

Aiyana

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Hi Aiyana, it looks like your ledger needs to be updated to include Summer 515 Seasonal expenses. These expenses are typically 135 gm (common) or 45 gm (poor) for the season. Additionally, your CS needs to have a green checkmark before I can grade this thread. So be sure to make the adjustments suggested on your CS. Once these have been addressed, PM me and I'll grade this thread.

Your Grader,

Sayana

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