PM to join A Case of Mistaken Identity - Pt One

[Redd]

Redd had turned the moment that the man’s spear had been driven deep into the white wolf’s flank. Her ears pressed back against her head and a soft whine was issued. She understood that it was survival of the fittest, but if they hadn’t of been where they had been, then the wolves wouldn’t have died. The man had begun to approach her once he had slit the male wolf’s throat, but she watched with her single eye that he stopped to place his spear upon the ground. More strange words came from the man and he did some strange gestures with his hands. Anguish filled the wolf and she lifted her nose to the snowy clouds above. It was then that she howled, she howled with the sadness that clouded within. Not only that, but it was a howl of mourning for the loss of the pair of wolves. The young wolf hadn’t sought them out to kill them, but she didn’t really have a choice, she had to defend herself.

Slowly, her howl died down and she looked to the light snow covered grass. A growl rose within the wolf then as she realized that she had something to say to the ignorant human. A pale red light surrounded the red wolf, obscuring her from the view of the male. However, when the pale light began to fade, the wolf was gone, replaced with a pale naked woman. All of her scars were clear as day to the man that stood before her, but she didn’t flinch as she glared at him with her single hazel eye. Her body was littered with small, thin, silvery scars from her fights with other animals. A set of scars marked her right ankle like a rose bush and three more angry scars traversed down the left side of her ribcage. These were from when she had defended a different human against wolves that had been of her own pack. Ones that she had considered to be brothers and sisters.

Then, there upon the back of her left hand, was a black half sun, tattooed there for all to see. Her mark of slavery and that particular hand was pointed at the man that was crouched before her. “You! This is all your fault!” The woman moved towards the man and she placed her hands upon her hips as she continued to glare at him. “If you hadn’t of attacked me, then they might not have heard us. Don’t you listen?” She was so tempted to growl at the man, but at that point in time, her voice was practically growling at him. The kelvic was angry beyond words and it shook her to her core. Humans believed that they could just simply come along and disrupt things, capture them and collar them, attack them and to kill them without being provoked. What right did they have that suggested that they could just simply do such things?

She moved her gaze to the white wolf that laid upon his side, his beautiful golden eyes glazed over with death. However, she should have realized that the man before her was a hunter by nature, which meant that he hunted predators as well as the grass eaters for food. Plus winter was still on its way, no matter if it had only just lightly snowed. “I’m sorry,” She said softly and lifted her right hand to rub at the back of her neck and she remembered the teeth that had grazed there. Her hand moved away from her neck and she saw a bit of blood smeared upon her palm, well, at least it’s not all that serious. Redd thought to herself, but then again, serious to her was losing an eye. A sigh fell upon her lips and she brushed her brindled red hair back over her shoulder as she looked to the man. At least he wasn’t trying to kill her anymore. “My name is Redd.”

[Erikal]

Erikal could empathize with One-eye's sorrow. Her howls echoed in his heart. He too felt loss for the great wolf whom he had delivered to the spirit realm. He would honor him and take Caiyha's offering of meat and hide. That was how the web of life worked. Had the great wolf been victorious today, he would expect no less from him where he was concerned. Nothing was ever wasted or done out of spite in the grasslands. It was a necessity of survival. A harsh existence perhaps, but one his people had done for years out of memory.

When Erikal was nearly about to stand and get on with the business of skinning the animals and curing the meat over a smoky fire, he was astonished to see a shimmering red light quite suddenly swallow up the wolf. And in the very next breath, a redheaded human woman appeared in her place. The Drykas just gaped for what probably seemed like an age. He thought her beautiful, even scarred as she was. Living with nature did not lend itself to a pampered lifestyle. And he could tell by the various scars that One-eye had truly lived.

All Erikal could think was that he was in the presence of Caiyha. That she had sought him out in the form of this odd wolf. He felt as if he was living one of the spiritual tales he had often listened to as a child; she had changed form to communicate with him. To offer some message of importance to his life. Or even perhaps to warn him of something potentially disastrous. The tall male Drykas was nearly certain of it. "Caiyha! You honor me," he gasped and prostrated before the fuming female, pressing his forehead to the snow-tinged grass in reverence.

Something wasn't quite right, he realized. Caiyha wasn't offering him profound advice. She was yelling at him! And One-eye was not speaking in his tongue, but common. That too was strange. Erikal raised his gaze to her, a confused look blooming across his brow. His grasp of the language was not excellent. But he could pick out many of her vehemently uttered words. His fault. Should not attack. Should listen. She had strode nearer, offering the warrior-hunter closer inspection of her scarred figure. He absently wondered if maybe he were dreaming. Or the great white wolf had killed him and this was some sort of weird hallucination before he passed on to the spirit realm.

But no. It was far too real. The dead wolves still lay upon the snowy-grasses, eyes unseeing. Then he realized his mistake. This was not some divine visitation. One-eye was a creature of the wilds, much like any animal, but also unlike any animal. Erikal saw the woman's face soften as the anger drifted pass like the wind after a storm. She apologized and honored him with her name - Redd.

Erikal, feeling slightly foolish, swiftly rose to his full height. His mouth worked silently and his brows knit together in concentration as he attempted to communicate to her in the common language. "I-I... thought you....Caiyha," he explained. "I am...sorry also. I hear your heart for....departed wolf spirit," said Erikal. He followed her gaze to the fallen animal and offered another sign of respect and cherish memory.

The Drykas placed his hand on her shoulder. "I see you Redd. I owe you for....today. I am Erikal," he said haltingly in the difficult language. Pronouncing every word slowly so as not to botch it. He removed his hand and nodded to the fallen animals. "I must...tend to things. Birds and animals will notice," he informed with a wave of his hand to indicate the environment all around them. "I will....return."

The warrior-hunter strode away, moving back the way he had come, following the lip of the basin to a place where the descent was easiest and made his way back to Korvas. The strider had actually made it part of the way to where he was. He wondered if the brave animal could sense the trouble he had been in. Man and horse came together. Erikal hugged the massive steed and slid his fingers through the horse's dark brown mane. Korvas let out a happy snort and swished his tail energetically. "I missed you too."

Sometime later Erikal rejoined Redd and introduced her to his strider. For Korvas's part, he appeared unimpressed by the naked scarred woman before him. Eyeing her only a tick or two before munching on some nearby tufts of grass. The Drykas chuckled heartily. "He likes you...I think," he said. Erikal then went about the task of skinning the wolves. Later he produced a flint and steel from the yvas bags as well as some dry tinder he had brought along for just this situation. While it wasn't impossible to find dry tinder in the moist and snowy conditions, it was a lot less hassle if one had some already on hand. After finding some suitable kindling sticks on a few sparse shrubs and trees, Erikal went about digging a pit and building a fire.

Half a bell later a fire blazed merrily. It crackled whilst flames danced over the pile of wood. He placed much of the wolf meat on a spit and bridged it over the fire between two rocks , occasionally turning it or changing its position to better cook it. If Erikal understood that Redd may not wish to indulge in such a feast, it did not show on his face. His attention shifted from the fire to her. "Will you eat? There is much food," he said. His blue-gray eyes studied her, still having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that this woman and the red wolf were the very same being.

"What....are you?" he asked, not knowing the best way to phrase the question. He turned his attention back to the fire, feeding the blaze with a few twigs he had off to the side. Erikal hoped he hadn't offended Redd to ask the question. He simply was very curious to understand her.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Redd

Experience

• Observation: 5
• Tracking: 2
• Hunting: 2
• Logic: 3
• Running: 1
• Intimidation: 3
• Endurance: 3
• Brawling: 1
• Rhetoric: 1
• Socialisation: 1
• Teaching: 1

Lore

• Redd: Never alone with a shadow
• Endrykas: Can be cold in fall
• Wolves sound different to dogs
• Drykas: Usually travel on horseback
• Drykas: Are never too far from their horses
• Intimidation as a means of communication
• An attack on a Drykas man
• Observation: An abnormal wolf gait
• Killing your own
• Protecting the Drykas
• Erikal: Needs to learn to listen

Erikal

Experience

• Observation: 5
• Hunting: 1
• Tracking: 1
• Riding, Horse: 1
• Horsemanship: 1
• Intimidation: 2
• Weapon, Spear: 3
• Logic: 3
• Bodybuilding: 2
• Endurance: 2
• Rhetoric: 1
• Acrobatics: 1
• Socialisation: 1
• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 1
• Cooking: 1

Lore

• Erikal: The Dreamer
• Riding: Getting on and off the horse
• Horsemanship: Teaching a horse to wait
• Tracking: Easier in snow
• A intimidating war-cry
• Weapon, Spear: A might thrust
• Wolves hunt in packs
• Logic: Never sneak up on a lone wolf
• Erikal: Attacked by a one eyed red wolf
• Caiyha: Goddess of flora and fauna
• Erikal: Fighting wolves
• Redd: One-eye
• Redd: Changes forms
• Redd: Not Caiyha
• Redd: Beautiful

Penalties

Erikal: Back will be sore for the next five days
Erikal: Spear is covered in bite marks and may need mending


Notes

What a fun meet and greet, I found it quite funny that he thought her Ciayha. Redd, at one point you said, "but they were not English words." Common please, English means nothing in Mizahar. Erikal , I assume you were gunning for points in tanning? Skinning falls under ‘wilderness survival’ rather than tanning. Enjoy the rewards you two, well earned.