Ice Skates and Horseshoes [Kaitanu]

by **Kyo** on January 8th, 2016, 3:28 am

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7th of Winter, 515 AV
midday

Kyo had been running as a coyote when he found the man. He was north of the city, his mind blank as he ran and his legs mechanical, searching for his dogs. He was tired and his body ached and he felt oddly sluggish, like a snake in the cold. His mood was low: he didn't think his Brother and Sister had been here, there was no fresh scent. That meant he would have to spend the energy to go look for them someplace else, something he didn't want to do.

He took a few more running steps and there came, instead of dog, the fresh, dilute scent of blood and human on the winter-rain-wet air.

Something inside his closed-off mind roused itself, just a little. He turned his nose into the low, blustering wind, tracking.

He found the man quickly, skidding on four legs across a swath of ice. The man was Drykas, dressed in heavy browns and greens splattered in mud and slush. He lay with his eyes creaked slightly open, eyelids fluttering and pupils rolling. There was blood on the ground under his head. When the coyote sniffed at his face, pawing at his shoulder, he moved feebly, as if waking slowly up.

The coyote shifted in a blur of light and sparkles that coalesced with the pounding rain.

---

The walk back to Endrykas had been long and slow and cold-wet-miserable, and the coyote-man was tired. First he headed towards the pavilion, hair plastered to his human head from the rain, unclothed body slick and covered in goosebumps. He was hoping to find Dravite or Pearl, but he was stopped on the way by concerned passerby, and with some help they trundled the head-injured man to a doctor-place called the River Flower. Pearl was there, to Kyo's muted relief, and he gladly handed the man over to her care, remembering a time when he himself had been head-hurt and Pearl had known how to help him. He lingered for a few minutes, watching as the others inspected and poked and prodded and tended, and then a creeping suspicion overtook him. Kyo slipped from the tent and headed quickly home.

At the Blackwaters' he found his clothes and pulled them on with stiff fingers, the cloth sticking to his soaked skin. Shivering, teeth chattering, he sniffed out Kaitanu, tracking him down much as he had tracked the hurt man, and explained the fear nagging at him as best he could. "I find a man outside the city, head-hurt, ice," he said, "I fear there are more. I don't know if I can help anyone more by just me. Will you come with me, look, help?" Please help, worry, he signed, fingers still stiff from the cold.

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They were out of the city and Kyo was trotting through the rain, blinking it out of his eyes. His unease had dulled and he had gone back to that nothing-feeling now that Kaitanu was here with him. If they found someone else hurt on the ice, Kaitanu would be strong enough to carry the person back to the city.

Kyo led them back to where he had found the man, the small amount of blood all but washed away. Then he motioned for them to begin looking.

---

They had searched as long as it took, skirting the edges of the ice plains, but there was no sign of anyone else. The rain made it hard to smell and even see sometimes, acting almost like a fog when it really drummed down, but the coyote-man was confident that if there had been anyone else in the area one of the shifters would have noticed. Kyo breathed out a sigh as they came to a halt, back near where they had started.

"Sorry," he said, turning to Kaitanu, rubbing a hand through his dripping hair, "I was fear'd there was someone-another out here, but looks like no." Still, it was a relief, happy you help, sorry friend that he spelled out. "Want to go home?"

No sooner had he turned to take a step back towards the city that his foot hit a patch of ice --had that been there before? was the rain starting to freeze?-- and his foot went right out from underneath him. There was a moment when he flapped his arms like a bird trying to stay upright, accidentally clipping Kaitanu on the jaw with one hand, and then he spilled to the ground.

"Sorry," he said, panting, as he tried to get up on his feet and his legs slid from underneath him, leather shoes unable to grab traction, "Sorry, sorry! I-- I can--" He wanted to say that he could help Kaitanu, wanting to check to see if he was alright, but then one of his frozen hands slipped and he flopped helpless onto the ice, rolling to his back. "Oh great," he said.

OOCI hope it's okay that Kyo accidentally smacked Kai. I just remembered one of the thingies this season (uh uh, I can't remember what they're called, um events? challenges?) is to slap another PC. But if you don't like it I can always change it.
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"Speaking in Common"
"And in Vani{descriptors}"
"And in Tukant [implications, descriptors]"
"And in Pavi" grassland sign

by **Kaitanu** on January 14th, 2016, 11:35 am

OOCLove it! Anyway, it’s not like it’ll really hurt Kai XD

With white-red fingers and frost-pink cheeks, Kaitanu showed the effects of cold more than he actually felt them. He was of hardier stock than he seemed. A nip in the air wasn’t enough to slow down his work around camp, nor at the Guided Horse. However, he couldn’t help missing the warmth of summer, for all its sunburns and biting insects. Winter brought more need for food and night-shivers. It brought danger to the body that didn’t exist during warm months.

Back at camp, the home fire was burning high and bright against the dull sky. While Kaitanu set meat out on the drying rack, under the protection of tall, outspreading tree-branches, he was helping to keep an eye on the children. In spite of their gamboling about they were more susceptible to the cold than the adults, and also more likely to jump in mud puddles and get wet. Not that adults were immune, as Kyo’s anxious appearance proved. Kaitanu saw worry in his expression and features which, for a moment, made the pale man’s heart sink. Thankfully, Kyo spoke of a stranger having trouble, and not of one of the Blackwater clan. Lately, Kaitanu was feeling more and more particular concern for them than he had ever felt for anyone. In spite of wanting to help Kyo, he would not step beyond the boundaries of the camp until the children were with Yuki, and she gave “permission” for him to leave. It was a habit of old, but one that now sprang from a different place than blind obedience. He could not bear to leave without someone knowing where he was going. Why, the pale man couldn't say.

Outside the camp Kaitanu noticed, not for the first time, that peculiar intensifying of weather which seemed almost beyond natural bounds. The light drip drip of the rain turned into a heavy shower which no amount of clothing could keep out entirely. Kaitanu often wondered how this could be, but never too much to figure out what was truly going on. After all, he could neither see nor feel the strands of djed connecting the Drykas to their world and one another. Even if he could, it would not have occurred to him that the web itself could form close protection against the weather. Out here, somewhat away from the tents and the city itself, was the full fury of nature to be felt. Soon the hood of his cloak was sticking to his head, and he was squinting his large eyes to keep them from being flooded. If anyone else had fallen he wasn’t sure he’d be able to spot them through the grey, shifting curtain.

For all the sloshing in mud and rain, however, Kaitanu didn’t really mind. He’d been out in worse, and anyway, he was with a friend trying to help others. In spite of being chilled to the bone, Kaitanu felt again that strange warmth in his chest, like a still-burning ember in the pit of a dying fire. It spurred him on through the wet and cold, and made it impossible for him to feel like he’d wasted his time coming out there. No one else needed their assistance. The two kelvics had trudged about for a good half hour around the outskirts of the city without finding another soul. In spite of this and the rain, Kaitanu's half-closed eyes were smiling at Kyo, even if his mouth didn’t know how.

“There is no need to apologize.” He bowed his drenched head, then looked back up and signed happy help. Kaitanu still wasn’t used to having anyone say “sorry” to him, as though he mattered, but he had ceased to be startled by it.

Shading his eyes, he looked up at the clouds then, noting the way the rain had slowed to a drizzle. A lighter break in the uniform grey announced a lull, but it seemed somehow colder than before. Drawing his hands inside his sleeves, the kelvic breathed for a moment or two. He would not freeze, though, and neither would Kyo. Their natures made them strong against what normal humans found difficult to deal with. Still, it would be nice to get back and dry themselves beside the home fire. Kaitanu could still just see it from here through the widening gaps between raindrops.

Almost as he thought this, Kyo suggested out loud that they return. Looking around again, Kaitanu’s answer was abruptly slapped out of him, the blow causing him to stagger back. Instinctively he rolled into the fall and lay still, fearing attack, or that Kyo had become angry for some reason. However, that turned out to not be the case at all. Kaitanu looked up to see his companion scrabbling at the ground, only to topple over once more. In spite of himself, Kaitanu felt a bubble of amusement replace the instinctive fear of a moment ago. The coyote-man, drenched and breathing in silver puffs, lay on the muddy ice like an upturned turtle. His expression was one of annoyance, not injury.

Still, as he staggered up, Kaitanu couldn’t help asking, “Are you alright?”

Carefully, not sure where the ice was under all that slush, he made his way toward Kyo with the intention of helping him up. Under his boots Kaitanu could feel the distinct slip of slushy ice, and so tried to find better footing. Planting his weight where he thought the ground was a bit more solid, he held out a white hand to the coyote-man. Unfortunately, the moment Kaitanu had to shift in order to pull Kyo upward, he caught a puddle of slush and went almost head over heels back onto the ground. There was a loud thump, then a silence. But if Kyo thought Kaitanu had been hurt the horse-kelvic didn’t leave him with that impression for long.

“I am afraid we may have to crawl back to camp.” Kaitanu remarked calmly. Once more he sat up, then, taking his own advice, crawled over to Kyo and looked down at him. If the coyote-man was observant he would see an odd sort of glimmer in Kaitanu’s strange eyes, while his features remained more or less in their default, placid state.

“Are you hurt?” His hair, still not frozen over like the puddles, dripped a little onto the other kelvic.

by **Kyo** on January 20th, 2016, 4:38 am

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Kaitanu was alright and Kyo was alright and that was all that mattered.

Well. Except--

Except for the human-damned ice!

Kaitanu tried to help Kyo up and the coyote-man got about halfway to his feet before the other shifter's feet skidded out from beneath him and they both went over again. At Kaitanu's statement --then question-- Kyo gave a couple affirmative grunts, though at the same time he was shaking his head. Yes he was alright and yes they could crawl if they had to, but there was just something about walking on the ice...

He didn't know. Something like that lightness in Kaitanu's usual-dull eyes.

"We try to go, no crawl now. Hold onto me, and I'll hold onto you. Now, now go!" He grasped Kaitanu by the arms and heaved himself up, his feet skating around beneath him and nearly taking them over again. But finally, finally --after much skidding and slopping around-- he was fully upright and balanced, and he thought Kai was too. Now all they had to do was let go of each other --like this-- so they could walk and--

--and his foot slid out forward, and before he knew it his other foot slid under him to catch up, and somehow he was up still while his feet were moving and it wasn't like walking. It wasn't like anything he knew. He was barely going anywhere, he wasn't exactly moving-moving, but he was up. Sort of-- of--

Gliding.

Despite not really doing much it was kind of... wonderful. He tried it again, a little kick-kick glide of smooth motion, not fully picking his feet up from the layers of slush and ice. Yes! He was doing it-- whatever it was. Yes! He was actually moving!

Then the moment passed, his front foot stretched just a little too far ahead again, and he went down in a heap.

"Owch-- Did you see me? I did-- it!" he said, feeling a bit of that lightness he had seen before in Kaitanu. That feeling burned away some of the tiredness in him that he had felt too much all day. Kyo still didn't really know what it was that he had done exactly, other than moving-on-the-ice-but-not-slipping-falling. But he wanted to do it again. "You try?" he asked of his friend, "And I try too!"

And he was back up, scrambling to figure out how to get to his feet, still not good at that part. But once he was on his feet... he was going to do it again.
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"Speaking in Common"
"And in Vani{descriptors}"
"And in Tukant [implications, descriptors]"
"And in Pavi" grassland sign

by **Kaitanu** on January 30th, 2016, 4:56 am

A small light flashed in Kaitanu’s strangely-colored eyes. Memories, clearly-defined for once, played before him like actors on a stage. When they faded again, Kaitanu was left with the impression that he had seen this sort of thing before; walking on ice. Sliding, rather. Left in the wake of these memories was the flavor of a swamp, half-frozen over. Tall buildings there were, too, which cast their reflections over a vast lake. Two different places that had little figures dancing on stiff water as though it was a game. This was familiar.

“Ice skating.” he murmured, before the thought slid out of clarity. Blinking, Kaitanu’s eyes came back to the present, and he watched Kyo’s progress across the frozen patch with that same, strange warmth in his chest as before. The coyote-man was so pleased, in spite of falling. He wanted Kaitanu to see how he did, and to try it as well. He wanted to share. The look of wonder on his face reminded the pale man of Kyanite and Garrison. It was different with someone closer to Kaitanu’s age, though there was a childlike quality to Kyo’s enthusiasm. The horse-man could not do otherwise than step carefully onto the hard patch of ice with his friend. He did not even hesitate. Kaitanu’s dislike of ice in general was not proof against a friendly invitation. Friendly invitation… He could do with more of those; they made him feel so light.

Kaitanu held both arms out at first for balance, also slightly bending at the waist. His boots did not have enough traction to keep him from inching forward on just his own weight. Falling he could do with ease, but how did one “skate”? Something about the shoes, but he couldn’t recall clearly. There had never been time, or a reason to do something like this for its own sake.

“I have seen this before, I think. It is familiar. Dancing on ice…”

The rest of Kaitanu’s words were swallowed as his left foot slid further than he intended. Both legs spread wide apart, and for a moment he wobbled unsteadily, arms flailing to keep his balance. His red-tipped nose nearly met the ice before he was able to pull up and back. In spite of the cold and the wet, and nearly going down face-first, that light feeling didn’t leave him. He was not aware of how ridiculous he looked at the moment, arms and legs flung outward as if to ward off gravity. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had. There was something related to a smile on his face as he looked to see how his friend was getting along.

by **Graham Whipmane** on February 28th, 2016, 2:07 am

Kyo :

Kaitanu :

Comments

It's such a shame you two weren't able to continue this, even those few posts were very interesting!

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