Quest Falling Prey (Zach)

Zach Grasswind goes to the Unforgiving's edge for a hunt.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy roleplay forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

The vast mountain range of Kalea is home of secret valleys, dead-end canyons, and passes that lead to places long forgotten or yet to be discovered.

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Vanguard on October 4th, 2018, 10:44 pm

Image
Falling Prey


The near complete darkness drove the hunter to try and “see” with his other senses more. Feeling the ground beneath his feet as he walked made the steps louder than they would have been. The noise of it echoed throughout the cave for what seemed to be miles as he heard it fade into a distance. The bioluminescent moss thinned without completely vanishing, allowing its faint green glow to continue to radiate upon the Misty Fox, making it Zach’s beacon of navigation. The little creature stayed a few human paces of the hunter and seemed undisturbed by the utter darkness it led them into.

Time’s passage was difficult to measure without resorting to performing a mental count. Yet for over thirty chimes the odd pairing ventured through the cave. The path had moments of deviation, weaving to the left or right yet always the slight decline continued. Until at last there was something up head that could be seen. A cyan light illuminated the caver floor at the end of their path where it opened to a massive chamber. Before Zach reached the opening, he would hear what sounded like a waterfall in the distance.

The cavern was spherical in shape with a large pool of water resting at the bottom. The bioluminescent moss was in abundance along the cave walls. An opening in the ceiling allowed for an inlet of water to fall until it turned more into a mist before touching the pool’s surface. A trace amount of light came in with the waterfall and reflected off the pool. The Misty Fox kept on forward and lapped its tongue at the water for a considerable drink. Should Zach also move forward he would be able to note the floor’s change in coloration as he approached the water’s edge. The stone surfaces were even smoother in the last three paces to the pool than the rest of the cavern.

When the fox was done it perked it’s head up and gazed around the area. With the additional light there were at least two passages visible from their position. The furry being studied both for a chime each, ears shifting all the while. When it finally moved again, it seemed to have chosen the path on the left. Without a glance to its companion, it moved along after climbing back up to a more level surface of the cavern. Their path went through spaces between pillars of rock that connected the floor to the ceiling that were wider around than any tree Zach had ever witnessed.

The weight of his arm on his dislocated shoulder was painful. Even with careful movements to not stimulate the injury, the unusual pull on the ligaments would cause discomfort. Not enough to be debilitating, but even a young healthy hunter had their limits on pain tolerance. There was more light than before to see and even a few standalone surfaces he could grip to assist in a second attempt at relocating his shoulder.

At the mouth of the passage the fox had chosen the light began to dim again. At the base a small stream of water only inches wide trickled down from the passage before making its way to join the larger body of water. The fox paused and its ears and head both rose as it looked further into the darkness a head of them. Short, high pitched squeaks emanated from its throat as it abruptly turned around and back tracked on their path. The Misty Fox was attempting to run but stumbled when muscle memory tried to utilize the fourth leg it no longer had. It cried out in pain which echoed over the sound of falling water.

A deep guttural growl came from the passage just ahead of them. If the hunter were to strain his hearing, the sound of heavy footfalls would be heard. And they would be approaching.

Rolls to Make :
Medicine greater than 55 to relocate shoulder.
Running greater than 40... or else.
User avatar
Vanguard
Testing Your Mettle
 
Posts: 51
Words: 27537
Joined roleplay: August 31st, 2018, 1:39 am
Race: Staff account
Office

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Zach Grasswind on November 11th, 2018, 4:25 pm

Image
It was odd being in near-complete darkness for so long. In Endrykas the sky was so big and the stars so bright that the night there was lighter than this cave in the mountain. The hunter kept his eyes trained on the little form that was the Misty Fox as he went, its white fur reflecting the faint light emanating from the bio-luminescent plants that lined the walls of their passage. He didn't bother to look at the ground beneath him lest he loose the creature to the darkness ahead, trusting his feet to tread safely after it. The scraping sounds he made echoed around them, but he knew that if he stopped 'feeling' the ground he would trip, and with only one good arm that was not an appealing notion.

He had no idea how long they walked for, and honestly Zach didn't stop to consider it. The urgent nature of their situation kept adrenaline flowing through him, keeping the worst of the pain away and allowing him to keep up with the fox's trotting pace. The only thing he was aware of was the fact that even after all this time, they were still heading down. In any other situation that fact might be a worry, but considering they had started somewhere near the top of a mountain the Drykas figured it was one of the few good things they had going. At least when - if - they finally made it out, they would be nearer to the forest and the city than the cold mountain peaks.

Eventually Zach became aware of another noise in the distance, and if he squinted past the fox he was sure that it was getting a little lighter. After a short while he was able to discern that the noise was water, and a surge of hope ran through his chest. Surely if there was water - running water by the sound of it - then there would be an entry point for it somewhere.

The odd pair found themselves in a cave, and Zach paused to take it in while the fox moved over to the water ahead with little hesitation. The hunters eyes filled with the sight of a small waterfall cascading from the ceiling above, falling into a beautifully clear pool of water. Slower now, Zach moved over to where the Misty Fox was lapping at the water. It looked clean enough, he knew from somewhere in the back of his mind that mountain snow and water was clean, so he crouched near the edge and cupped his hands into the pool to drink a little from.

After a few mouthfuls he stood, and swept his gaze over the rest of the cave. The little canine appeared to be studying a couple of passages very carefully. Zach peered at them too, wondering how one was meant to choose between them. While he was squinting down the passage to the right to see if he could see anything at the end, the fox suddenly moved off to the left. Without hesitation, Zach followed it. Clearly it could hear or smell something he couldn't that lead it to believe this one would be the better choice.

The passage they now wound their way through was unlike anything the Drykas had ever seen in drawings, let alone with his own eyes. The floor and ceiling were connected with great pillars of stone that almost looked like they had melted into place many, many years ago. As they went, a frown started to wind itself over Zach's brow, eventually turning into a grimace. Their short respite at the water pool had allowed some of the adrenaline to fade and sharp pains were creeping back into his shoulder to sit over the ache that he had been trying to ignore.

His eyes darted from wall to wall, and he noticed a particularly upright ledge of stone that looked like it could work for a second attempt at putting his shoulder back. He still had no idea what he was doing, but clearly the slow method he had tried earlier hadn't done anything at all. He could feel the direction his shoulder had gone, so he knew which way he needed to push it to get it back into place. He placed his bow by his feet, and in an attempt born of desperation more than anything else, hit his shoulder against the ledge.

The pain was blinding for a few seconds, but Zach wasn't even spared the time to check properly if brute-force had worked as high pitched squeaking echoed around him. As he hurriedly retrieved his bow, the Drykas glanced round to see the Misty Fox moving back in his direction. It sounded panicked, and Zach quickly moved back over to the main part of the path. Clearly something ahead had frightened it and as the fox drew nearer he joined it to move back the way they had come.

As the little creature yelped in pain he spun to see it stumble. Zach slung his bow onto his back, adrenaline once again starting to creep through his blood, and darted over to the fox. If it would let him, he would scoop the canine up with his good arm, and then return to hurrying them back along the passage. If there was enough light around - and anyone to see - it would have been clear when all remaining colour drained from the hunters face. The growl that echoed behind them was enough to almost make Zach squeak in fear too. It was not sound he recognised, but he definitely didn't want to stick around to find out what it was.

ooc :
Apologies for my delay - especially after I said I would be able to write! I hope I've done okay, I feel like it's not quite right, but I'm going with it!
User avatar
Zach Grasswind
What’s a tree?
 
Posts: 198
Words: 193110
Joined roleplay: August 9th, 2018, 12:56 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Mizahar Grader (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Vanguard on December 4th, 2018, 10:54 pm

Image
Falling Prey




Usually, it was a mixture of sensations. The sudden release after building up so much tension that caused cartilage to shift out of position for a split-tick before shifting right back to where it belonged. Causing the pop sound to occur from the joints. These instances normally generated pleasant relief. When Zach struck his shoulder against the rock, he did not feel any such sensations. Different forms of pain compounded on each other to near debilitating quantities. Discomfort from the impact, the sudden shift of the joint moving back into place, and the strain on muscles and ligaments during the transition. The shoulder was back in position now, though it would forever be susceptible to future dislocations.

Survival was a basic instinct for every creature, and the Misty Fox was acting completely upon that instinct when it had turned to run. Caves were not a natural habitat for the white-furred canine, and the dangers of them came in forms it was not used to. The danger from the passage that it had initially chosen resembled one that it was familiar with. Though it was worse. When the human cradled the beast in its one good arm, it looked up at him with a cringed neck and ears pinned as far back as they could. Its smaller form trembled in the Drykas’ hold.

A massive form slowly lurched from the opening of the passage. Nasal grunts of a deep base quality as the creature emerged to the larger cavern. Hickory shaded fur covered the animal lumbering out on all four thick limbs. A bear, dire in size lifted its head higher as it both saw and smelled the Drykas and the small furry companion in his arms. A deep throated grumble echoed in the cavern as the bear lifted itself up on its hind quarters. Rising up to over ten feet in height, the bear opened its maw to roar at the intruders of its cave. A heavy thump echoed as it crashed back down on its front paws to give chase to the Drykas.

Despite its size, the beast was thick with muscle that propelled it with great speed. In a manner of ticks, it was running at close to full speed. The heavy impacts of its weight on the cave floor could be clearly heard, as well as the scraping of claws on stone as it came. But it was large, and the space between the stalagmites was limited and prevented the bear from running in a straight path. It needed to slow down and weave around the obstructions as it followed the slower, yet far more agile hunter.

The cavern wrapped around the lake in the direction of the other passage. The bio-luminescent moss of the cavern lined the rock to secrete a faint light down the cavern. It sloped downhill and was much narrower than the other routes through the mountain Zach had traversed. It would be difficult to say whether or not the bear could fit through that passage. That was the first option that the hunter and his small companion had. There were also a few rock ledges along the perimeter that a person could climb up. The ascension wouldn’t be completely vertical and from below it did not look as though there was a way out, but it was difficult to see anything properly up there. If he managed to climb high enough and fast enough, he would be out of the bear’s reach. No surfaces looked capable of being utilized by the large mammal to follow him up either. That was their second option.

A final course of action was also available, though it was considerably more dangerous. There was the passage that the bear had emerged from as well. If Zach were capable of getting past the land predator, or able to kill it with his bow, they could attempt to explore that avenue of escape. While there was also the passage that they had come from, it seemed like the last resort to want to venture back to the dead end that they had come from. The Misty Fox quaked in Zach’s hold as the hunter decided what it was that he was going to do.


Rolls to Make :
[u]The Options[/i]
  1. Narrow Passage: Running
  2. Climbing Ledges: Climbing
  3. Engaging the Bear: Weapon Rolls and Acrobatic Rolls
  4. Getting past the Bear: Tactics and Running
Perform the rolls in Discord Chat for only 1 option.
User avatar
Vanguard
Testing Your Mettle
 
Posts: 51
Words: 27537
Joined roleplay: August 31st, 2018, 1:39 am
Race: Staff account
Office

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Zach Grasswind on May 5th, 2019, 11:50 am

Image
Zach’s body was practically vibrating from the quivering of the little fox. Its fear was palpable, ears flat against its skull, whining sounds emanating from its mouth. No amount of whining though could drown out the sounds of whatever was coming after the odd pair. A deep, guttural grumbling echoed off the cave walls, and the shuffling steps of something very, very large spurred the Drykas to move all the faster. The fox peered up at Zach, fear in its eyes, and he clutched the furry creature closer to his chest.

The grumbling grew louder, and a pause in the sound of the beast moving allowed Zach to throw a glance over his shoulder. It was brief, for there was absolutely no way he was going to stop running, but it was all he needed. It was all the hunter could do to stop himself whining along with the fox.
The beast was massive, larger than any one creature he had ever seen before. Thick russet fur covered its hulking form, and it lumbered forward on paws that Zach was willing to bet were as big as his head. He had no idea what the beast was, nothing similar roamed over the grasslands of his home. No doubt it was one of the predators he had been warned about, but nobody had told him they would be this big!

Zach’s brief glance was too quick to allow him to watch the bear raise itself up on hind legs, and that was probably a good thing, for the Drykas may well have fallen over in shock at the beats full size. He did however, hear the impact of it landing back on its front feet, and he was sure he felt a rumbling through the earth beneath him too. He could hear the creature taking up pursuit of them, and forced himself to run faster, thankful that it was his shoulder he had injured and not his legs.

As he weaved round the last of the stalagmites and burst into the cavern that contained the beautiful water pool Zach paused, his breath coming hard and fast. The obstacles in the tunnel had thankfully slowed the enormous bear enough to give him a few seconds to plan what would come next. His eyes first fell on the second tunnel, the one they had chosen not to enter before. It was much narrower than the previous tunnels the pair had traversed to get here, and the one that the bear was currently making its way down.

The hunter’s eyes next fell on a series of ledges climbing round the outside of the cave. While they were definitely something he would have been able to scale under usual circumstances, the speed with which he would have to climb them might be out of his reach at the present time. Having only one good arm, and also having to bring the fox with him would seriously slow him down, and Zach wasn’t sure he would make it before the beast caught up to them.

Engaging the bear didn’t even cross his mind, and nor did venturing back down the tunnel they had just emerged from. While he was certainly not a bad shot, the same issues remained - he only had one decent arm, and that creature was massively bigger and stronger than anything he had ever faced before.

All these thoughts coursed through Zach’s mind in mere seconds, and he was off again before he had properly slowed down, tearing across the cave to the second passageway. The Misty Fox was still quivering where it was tucked up to his chest, though the faint whining had stopped. He made it to the entrance of the tunnel before the beast had entered the cave, and he hoped that would buy him some extra seconds as it tried to locate where they had gone.

The Drykas was forced to slow his pace slightly due to the narrowness of the passageway, though he still managed to keep up a decent speed. It sloped downhill, much steeper than any others they had been through, and Zach tried to think of it again as a good sign. Down meant closer to the forest and the city. The odd, luminous moss lined the walls here too, just enough for him to see where he was going, his gaze flicking from the ground to the winding passage ahead.

He thought the passage would be too narrow for the bear to fit through - or at least narrow enough that it was unable to move at any sort of speed. Even if he thought that was the case, he didn’t want to risk it being untrue and so on he pushed. His heart hammered in his chest next to the fluttering beat of his companions, feet pounding along the path below.
Zach prayed that there was light at the end of this particular tunnel. All he could do now was run like his life depended on it - for it did.
User avatar
Zach Grasswind
What’s a tree?
 
Posts: 198
Words: 193110
Joined roleplay: August 9th, 2018, 12:56 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Mizahar Grader (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Luminescence on August 4th, 2019, 1:56 am

Image

The bear lumbered into the cavern; no longer impeded in the tunnel, it let out another roar that practically seemed to shake the walls of the cave before it bounded heavily but quickly around the pool, chasing the form of Zach as it vanished into the other tunnel.

The bear slowed slightly as it approached the other tunnel, sensing how narrow it was, but forged onward anyway. It managed to get partway into the tunnel, nostrils flaring at the scent of hunter, fox, and blood, but its broad shoulders blocked it from getting very far in. The bear lunged forward to no avail, and another angry snarl followed Zach as he sprinted down through the narrow tunnel; the sound of fur sliding over stone echoed behind him, followed by the scraping of claws on stone as the bear pawed angrily at the entrance to the tunnel, backing out with some effort.

It seemed that, at least for the moment, he and the fox were safe. At least from the bear; there was no telling what awaited them at the end of the tunnel. The small white creature still trembled in his arms, ears pinned flat against its head and white fur bushier than ever. More snarls and roars echoed behind Zach, but the further along he went, the fainter they became.

Underground was not the hunter's area of expertise; the winding tunnel turned this way and that, doing its best to disorient him and cause him to lose his sense of direction. Gradually, the downwards slope evened out until the floor of the tunnel was mostly flat. The moss along the walls seemed to be growing more and more sparsely, dimming what little light Zach had to see by; but if he squinted hard enough, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light ahead. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the air seemed just slightly fresher as well, the barest hint of a breeze brushing through his hair.

The light grew brighter and brighter until it became clear that no, it wasn't simply a trick of the mind; Zach would find himself coming to the end of the tunnel, which opened up into a valley. The opening wasn't quite at ground level, a solid ten to fifteen feet up the slope of the side of the valley; but the incline was not overly steep, and it was grassy, which would make the descent much safer provided he took his time and was careful.

The fox, for its part, suddenly squirmed in Zach's arms, wriggling itself free and leaping down. The angle of the dirt combined with its injury and inability to balance itself properly on three legs, however, resulted in a yip as its good legs gave out beneath it, sending it rolling down to the floor of the valley and skidding to a halt, its white fur covered in loose dirt. It lay still for a moment before sitting up, holding what remained of its injured leg close to its chest as it gave a weak shake to brush off the dirt on its coat; it was only partially successful.

Now that the immediate danger had passed and it was no longer running on adrenaline, the misty fox looked worse for wear. Blood was still oozing from the stump of its leg, the fur along the limb and even on its chest and belly liberally smeared with the substance. Zach's shirt was also stained with the animal's blood, the fabric sticking to his skin where it was slowly drying. The fox still trembled faintly, struggling to even hold itself in a sitting position; it was in pain, and it had lost a lot of blood.

The fox blinked tiredly at Zach, and for just a second, it seemed as if its eyes flashed with a light of their own; but then it was gone. Zach had been out for bells by then. Even through the mist and clouds, it wasn't difficult to tell that the faint light of Syna was almost directly overhead; it was at least noon, if not later. There was also no telling where exactly he was, with the twists and turns of the cave and its tunnels. He was lost in the Unforgiving, and the fox he had gone through so much effort to save was sitting not far from him, clearly slowly dying as it continued to ooze blood from its amputated limb.

There was no telling how long it would take for him to find his way back to the city; if he wanted to make it back before dark, he would need to start moving soon. However, it was clear from the looks of it that the fox likely wouldn't survive that long, at least not without immediate medical attention. Not to mention, even with Gerard's offer of dried meat earlier, both Zach and the fox were exhausted and beginning to get hungry.

The floor of the valley seemed slightly more alive than the peaks of the Unforgiving; while it was still eerily quiet, much more so than usual, the occasional bird soared by overhead, and the mist was thinner. Not far away, the grass rustled slightly, the telltale sign of a small animal shuffling around. The fox sat still, eyes not moving from Zach, though its ears angled briefly towards the rustling noise.

Zach had plenty of options; what he did not have was plenty of time. If he wanted to save the fox and be back in Lhavit before darkness descended upon the Unforgiving, making it even more impossible to see and bringing with it even more dangerous predators, he needed to figure out what he was going to do and act fast.

OOC :
Sorry this took me so long, Zach. I'm trying my best to get this moving towards being wrapped up since you've been waiting on this for so long between Vanguard and myself. If you want to try and go after the small animal, roll for hunting; anything medical to try and save the fox will be a medicine check. You can roll land navigation to try and figure out more accurately where you are, or if you want to try and start climbing out of the valley, roll climbing. Let me know what you decide and your results and I'll tell you the outcome. :)
User avatar
Luminescence
Allow me to light the way
 
Posts: 612
Words: 717627
Joined roleplay: January 13th, 2018, 2:05 pm
Location: Lhavit, the Diamond of Kalea
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Medals: 2
Featured Contributor (1) Artist (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Zach Grasswind on August 20th, 2019, 5:29 pm

Image
The tunnel was bordering on claustrophobic for one so used to open grasslands, but the hunter barely noticed, so intent was he on escape. He moved as quickly as he could without tripping, bashing his injured shoulder on the walls or dropping the little fluffy creature shivering against his chest. He could hear the anger of the beast behind them, the terrifying roars echoing down the passageway towards them. Beneath those roars was another sound, one he found instilled much more fear in him. The scraping.

The beast was trying its damndest to claw its way into the tunnel behind them, and while Zach was sure it was far too large to successfully follow them through, at this point with how his luck was going, he wouldn’t put anything past it. Not once did the Drykas break his stride to look behind or listen more carefully. He just kept pushing forwards, one foot after the other in a reckless sprint. More of the bone-shaking roars bounced off the walls, but this time they were quieter, traveling from much further away. The beast couldn’t follow.

The terror that had been sitting in Zach stomach hesitantly started to ebb away. Their immediate danger seemed to have passed. If he had stopped right there in the passage, the hunter might have collapsed to the ground in laughter, or even tears. But he knew that his journey, and the Misty Fox’s, was not yet over, and so he pressed onwards. Zach allowed his pace to slow just a fraction, so a fast jog. If – when – he made it out of this darned mountain he would still need to get all the way back to the city. For that he needed energy, and no more injuries.

Zach glanced down at the little animal in his arms. Beneath the fluff, it was so small, and though it was trembling there was still that glint of determination in its eyes. He noticed its nose twitching as if it could smell something ahead. The hunter returned his gaze to the passage before them, squinting at what looked like a faint shimmer. It was a different sort of light than what the, now sparse, moss was giving off. He could feel cool air wind through his hair, just the faintest hint at a breeze, but he felt it nonetheless. Was that the end? He didn’t let himself think it until the unmistakable view of the outside was visible through the exit of the tunnel.

Before he had a chance to examine where they were, the fox forced its way out of his arms. Too late, Zach moved to catch it before it hit the ground, knowing that it was just asking for more injury. He hurried after the animal as quickly as he could, half-sliding down the grassy slope over to where the animal had landed, relieved to see it struggle to its feet again. Its poor mangled leg was still oozing blood, the once pristine white fur stained and darkened with it. As the fox met his gaze, its eyes suddenly seemed to flicker oddly, as if someone had lit a candle behind them. Zach’s brow furrowed and he blinked, but the light was gone. He must have imagined it.

Before kneeling to see what he could do for the fox, the Drykas cast his eyes over their immediate area. They appeared to be at the bottom of a grassy valley. From that he could discern that they were much lower than where they had started, as there was very little exposed rock around, so in theory they were closer to the forests that bordered the city, though how close he had no idea. As he turned to look back at the fox, he felt something shift on his back – his bow. Zach reached back and carefully eased his bow and quiver over his head. Miraculously the weapon was still intact and undamaged, save for a scratch on one arm. He had lost the majority of his arrows though, which was annoying, and his small pack was also somehow still attached to the quiver. It was dripping water from the bottom, so he assumed that one impact or another had burst his waterskin.

Zach dropped everything carefully onto the ground and opened up his pack. He carried basic supplies with him when he went out – a strip of bandages, a small knife, some trap wire, water and some food. Now that they had stopped moving, pain was creeping back in, and he was also hungry. Rifling through his pack he confirmed that yes, his waterskin had leaked almost dry. He pulled out some dried meat – much the same as the hunter had offered him earlier, and stuffed some into his mouth. The bruised apple he would save for when he got thirsty. As he moved to offer some meat to the fox, a rustling caught both of their attentions, though the creature didn’t once move its eyes from Zach.

The hunter was in no state to draw his bow with any sort of accuracy, just as the fox was in no state to catch whatever it was either. As much as something fresh to eat would likely help the duo, the chance of either of them succeeding was slim to none. The dried meat was placed near the fox, and Zach them turned back to retrieve the damp bandages from his pack. He knew little about medicine, but he was going to try his hardest to do something about the fox’s injury. They hadn’t gone through all this just to have it die on the side of the mountain.

From his years hunting on the plains, and the array of injuries that went with it, he had received medical help a few times for wounds. Nothing on the scale of a missing limb, but that little knowledge would have to suffice. He remembered that limbs actively bleeding had always been raised, so if the fox would let him, he would scoop it onto his lap and turn it over so that it was lying on its back, injured limb in the air. He knew that what he was about to do would likely hurt the animal, and so, prepared for retaliation, he gathered a bandage and wrapped it over the bleeding stump, applying as much pressure as he dared.

If the fox allowed him to, he would keep holding the wound for a handful of chimes, maybe ten in total. The Drykas knew that they needed to move again soon if they had any chance of reaching the city by nightfall, but he couldn’t let the Misty Fox bleed out on the way down. He could feel the sense of urgency bearing down on him, and sooner than he would have liked, he slowly let the pressure go from the wound. The bleeding had definitely eased, which sent relief coursing through the hunter, but they still had to make it the entire way back with the wound.

He cast his mind back again, trying to remember what had happened to people with more serious wounds. He recalled a time when someone had received a large, gaping gash on their arm on a hunt. Being away from the Pavilions, they had resorted to tying a leather strap tightly around the arm, above the wound. Zach remembered that it had seemed to stop the bleeding, though the man had had trouble with the arm ever since. He looked down at the fox’s leg again. The animal didn’t really have anything useable left to have trouble with, so the hunter hoped that it would work.

Still cradling the fox in his lap, he tied two of the bandages together to make one long enough to tie, and then wrapped it around the animal’s leg, above where the limb had been lost. He tied it as tightly as he dared, murmuring nonsense at the fox to try and keep it calm, tell it that he was helping. He also tied the first bandage in place over the wound itself, to keep it from being jostled further. He would have ideally cleaned it out, but with no water to hand, it would have to wait till they could find a clean-looking source.

Gingerly, he set the fox back on the ground, hoping that he had done a good enough job to keep it alive till someone more knowledgeable could help. He hastily repacked his meagre supplies, munching another strip of meat and offering another to the fox. He scanned the area again, gleaning nothing new to tell him where they were. Perhaps if he could get out of the valley it might help. That seemed to be their only way forward, and so he slung everything onto his back once more, ignoring the deep ache in his shoulder as best he could.

Zach cautiously approached the side of the valley, assessing how one would climb out of it. His choices seemed to be climb up or walk along in the hope that it levelled out. He decided to try and climb, since it would offer him a quicker vantage point to assess where they were. He would have to climb with only one good arm, but then that would leave him unable to carry the fox. Zach was unsure if the little animal would be able make it up on its own either. Since the hunter’s quiver was now practically empty, perhaps the animal could sit on top of it, near his shoulders. Hopefully it would still be able to balance with its three legs. He would try and coax the fox up, though he wouldn’t stop it if it wanted to go on its own. From there, the Drykas would begin to try and wind his way up the valley, balancing as best he was able to, gripping onto anything he could with his one hand. It felt steeper than it looked, and the grass was rather slick. Goodness only knew if he would make it to the top.

Rolls :
For reference.
Medicine (for the fox): 91
Climbing: 16
Navigation: 31
User avatar
Zach Grasswind
What’s a tree?
 
Posts: 198
Words: 193110
Joined roleplay: August 9th, 2018, 12:56 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Mizahar Grader (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Luminescence on August 29th, 2019, 12:15 am

Image

The fox eyed Zach, partially curious and partially wary but entirely exhausted, as the hunter slung his bow and pack off of his shoulders, rifling through his bag. The small animal's nose twitched, stretching its head forward and sniffing as Zach pulled out the dry strips of meat.

The fox watched as Zach set the jerky down near it; when the hunter resumed his search through his bag and didn't attempt to take the food back, the white-furred creature quickly reached out and snatched a piece in its jaws. Securing the jerky with its good paw, it gnawed at the leathery substance, tugging until it broke a piece off and then chewing noisily before gulping down the food and tearing off another bite.

The fox was silent as it ate the dried meat, making quick work of it despite the chewy texture. Its eyes, once bright and now slightly glazed from pain and blood loss, still remained trained on Zach. Swallowing its last bite of jerky, the misty fox made a sharp yip when Zach moved it onto his lap; but while the small, furry body beneath the hunter's hands tensed, it did not try to squirm away or bite him.

It did bare its teeth when Zach flipped it carefully onto its back, tail pressed flat along its stomach and a small growl emitting from its throat, but it stayed lying on his lap. Either the animal was too exhausted to try and fight back, or it had learned to trust Zach. Some sort of combination of the two seemed most likely.

That, however, was not enough to stop its reaction when Zach squeezed the bleeding stump of its leg. It twitched when the bandage was wrapped around it, but once Zach began applying pressure, the fox began to squirm; a high-pitched whining left it as it reacted on reflex. Unable to escape, it instead reared its head up and clamping its jaws down on Zach's hand.

The sharp teeth of the fox dug into his flesh, drawing blood; it hurt, certainly, but wasn't necessarily enough to make the hunter draw away provided he kept his focus and remained concentrated on the task at hand. When Zach didn't let up and the immediate pain of having pressure applied to its wound subsided, the fox gradually released Zach's hand, its mouth stained with fresh blood from the hunter as it withdrew as much as it could.

Gradually, the bleeding slowed further, though the bandages were quickly becoming soaked through with the fox's blood. There was another sharp yip of protest when Zach tied the makeshift tourniquet uncomfortably tight around the fox's injured leg, and it flinched back against him with bared and bloody fangs, but didn't bite him again.

Whether he remembered seeing a tourniquet used in more detail than he realized or through sheer dumb luck (though it was very likely the second), Zach secured the strip of bandages tightly enough and in the correct spot to finally successfully stem the bleeding from the fox's stump entirely. With its three paws back on the ground, the fox hobbled back a step, sniffing gingerly at the bloody bandage wrapped around its wound, letting out a small chirping sound; one could almost imagine it was a sound of approval.

The fox gladly accepted the second strip of meat, this time wolfing down the whole thing in a few bites and barely chewing it, swallowing audibly. The food combined with a few moments of rest and Zach stopping the bleeding seemed to have given it a little bit of energy back.

The fox watched as Zach approached the sloping side of the valley, ignoring his efforts to try and coax it up to perch on his bag and shoulders. Instead, it hobbled a few steps forward and simply watched as the hunter attempted to scale the incline.

It did not go well. Zach managed to make it a few feet before the loose dirt beneath his boots gave way, and the slick grass offered little to no purchase, sending him tumbling back down to the floor of the valley. Subsequent attempts would yield the same results, and trying much more only served to risk injuring him or the fox further.

After watching Zach struggle with the slope for a few moments, though it felt like ages to both hunter and fox alike, the misty fox let out a shrill bark to catch Zach's attention, and began hobbling along the floor of the valley. It looked back, eyes shining again for a moment, to check if the Drykas was following before it continued.

The mist made telling his location difficult, but with the time he had taken to bandage the fox's wounds and to attempt climbing out of the valley, Zach would notice that the sun had continued to edge along the sky, inching towards the other side of the valley, setting in the west. The fox continued to hobble along, nearly blending into the mist, in a vaguely southern direction. Judging by the mountains rising to the north, it was a safe bet that the creature was heading back in the general direction of the city, and with any luck, the slope of the valleys walls would become more gentle and easier to climb the further they went.

That was, of course, provided that Zach decided to follow the fox. He could stay and continue attempting to climb his way out of the valley all day if he so chose; but the threat of darkness and the pain in his shoulder were strong indicators to reconsider that idea.

If he chose to follow the fox, Zach would notice that, strangely enough, it almost seemed to know where it was going. Indeed, within a bell of walking they came to a portion of the valley where the slope leveled out a fair amount, and generous outcroppings of rocks offered hand and foot holds to make climbing easier. The fox sat back on its haunches, almost looking smug as it turned to look at Zach, making a small yip. However, when it made to stand, it swayed and then stumbled, legs giving out and dropping it onto the grass.

Even with the bleeding stopped, the fox was weak, and the walk down the length of the valley had sapped most of its remaining strength. It would be up to Zach to get them up and out of the valley, and once there, to find their way back to the city.

This time around, the fox scrambled up and nestled itself down onto the top of Zach's pack without issue before the hunter attempted the climb. It was much easier, and though there were a few slips and stumbles, he would find he could make it to the top on his first try without any serious issues.

Once at the top, however, further navigation became nearly impossible as the mist thickened further and trees closed in on them, blocking out what little sun there was. It could just be his imagination, but Zach would find that indeed the forest around him did look somewhat familiar; however, it was impossible to say if he had actually been there, and if so, from which direction he had come.

The fox seemed to sense the impending hopelessness of their endeavour to find their way back to the city, and to safety. With a small trilling sound, it seemed to come to a decision as it slunk down off Zach's shoulder, half-falling, half-clambering down his chest and hitting the ground with a thud. It pushed itself back to its paws, grasping the hem of Zach's pants in its teeth and tugging, scraping at the ground with its good paw in an attempt to get the hunter to drop down to its level.

If Zach crouched down, the fox would leap up onto his thighs, pushing at his chest with its head until he fell or sat back onto his behind in the dirt. Satisfied, the fox propped itself up on his chest with its good paw, standing on Zach's lap in order to make eye contact. There was no imagining it this time; a starburst pattern of yellow around the fox's pupils lit up gently as the fox gazed directly into Zach's eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened, but then Zach would feel the pulse of djed as the fox pushed it through its own gaze and into Zach's, following the line of intense eye contact between the two. There was no telling what exactly was happening, or what the fox was doing; the djed was probing at Zach's eyes, sinking into them. He had the chance to either reject the fox's gaze, breaking eye contact and the stream of djed connecting them, or to accept it and whatever consequences followed.

If he chose to accept, he would feel the djed settle into his own vision, flowing through his body. There was a dangerous moment where his vision skewed for a moment, refracting as if he was looking through a kaleidoscope, and his eyes burned; but a tick later it was back to normal, and then the fox was blinking, breaking its stare.

If Zach had deigned to accept whatever the fox had done to him, the world that would greet him when he looked away was not the same one he had seen mere moments ago; or it felt like mere moments, but must have been at least a bell, judging by the darkened state of the forest. Colourful streams of light, glowing gently, wove through the forest. They seemed to almost be paths of sorts, though they were inconsistent; some faded quickly and were weaker than others, and almost all of them had breaks and jumps in them, but there was no denying their existence. All various colours, weaving through the trees and underbrush around Zach and the fox, each subtly unique.

A soft blue light glowed around the fox, the same colour of light streaming from where it had just been sitting on Zach's lap, following it to where it had moved a few feet away. It watched with keen eyes as Zach examined the new world around him; he would find that with some concentration, he could turn the strange new vision off, and if he could see himself in a mirror, he would see that his blue eyes now held starbursts of vivid yellow around their pupils.

If Zach looked down at himself and back at where he had just climbed up the side of the valley, he would find a particular coloured path tracing back the steps he had taken, mingling with the blue light that followed the fox, leading up to and finally stopping just where he sat. More importantly, if he paid attention and looked around himself, he would see the same colour that followed him weaving through the trees several feet away in a path that was evidently separate from the one he had just made.

It was less vibrant, with larger gaps in it than the more recent one, not necessarily easy to follow; but it was there, a stark signal that he had indeed been there before. One side wound further and deeper into the forest, back up towards the mountains, while the other followed the ever so slight downwards slope of the land, presumably leading back to the city.

The fox sat, exhaustion evident in the lines of its body, watching Zach with its glowing eyes, waiting patiently for him to take it all in. It was allowing him time to come to his conclusions and make a decision, but the occasional twitch of its tail tip gave away its impatience; night was fast approaching, and somewhere in the distance, what was hopefully only a bird gave a loud, shrill screech that echoed through the misty forest of the mountains.

OOC :
If you could make me either a WS or land navigation roll (your pick), I'll let you know how the attempted trek back goes. :)
User avatar
Luminescence
Allow me to light the way
 
Posts: 612
Words: 717627
Joined roleplay: January 13th, 2018, 2:05 pm
Location: Lhavit, the Diamond of Kalea
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Medals: 2
Featured Contributor (1) Artist (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Zach Grasswind on September 9th, 2019, 3:00 pm

Image


A curse reflexively slipped from between Zach’s lips as the needle-like teeth of the Misty Fox sunk into his hand. It took everything the hunter had not to whip his hand away and to keep the pressure on the animals wound. His brow furrowed as he concentrated on keeping hold of the fox, and his mouth twisted into a grimace at the pain lancing through his hand. Eventually he felt the animals jaw unclamp and his hand throbbed at several puncture points.

Once the Misty Fox was back on its feet, Zach watched it to see what happened. The noise it made sounded positive, especially when compared to the whining and growling of moments ago. It appeared to have perked up a little, and he hoped it was because his makeshift medical aid had been successful. In any case, it didn’t seem like the bandage was dripping, which suggested to him it had worked.

Zach next tended to his hand as the animal gulped down another piece of meat. The cuts were bleeding, but not too profusely, so it seemed nothing important had been punctured. He had nothing to wash the wounds out with at the moment, so he simply wound another bandage around his hand and tied it tightly.

His injured hand was on the same side as his injured shoulder, so it didn’t affect his climbing all that much as the hunter tried not to use either. His skill however, affected his climbing a lot. Having grown up in a flat landscape, climbing was not something he had done a lot of before and it was evident now. The damp grass and loose stones made it impossible for his feet to find purchase, and after slipping and falling a few times, the pain in his shoulder had intensified significantly.

A bark from behind drew his attention and Zach gave up his attempts to scale the valley and turned to look at the Fox. As soon as he did so, the animal turned and walked away pausing just once to look back at the hunter. Its eyes shone again, that candle-like light and Zach was certain he hadn’t imagined it this time. In any case, it was a clear indication that the animal was expecting him to follow, and so he did, stepping after it into the mist.

The Drykas had no idea which direction they were headed in, but the Fox didn’t break its stride for what felt like an age. The mist was gradually thickening, and with not much else to think about, Zach wondered how the Fox knew where it was going. Perhaps it didn’t and it was guessing like him. Either way, when the little canine suddenly stopped, the hunter could tell with one look around that this part of the valley was much shallower. He glanced curiously at the fox as it barked again, then blanched and quickly ran to it when it fell to the grass.

He hurriedly helped it up onto his back, wishing that there was more he could do for it. Zach determined that if they made it out, he was never coming back near the mountains again unless he knew how to deal with injuries.
Carefully, so as not to jostle to fox and keep from slipping too much, Zach climbed his way out of the valley. The large rocks and lesser incline offered as easy a route as they could have hoped for, and even with only one good arm he made it to the top.

The mists were thicker up here, and any hope of being able to see which direction the city was in left the Drykas in an exhale of breath. But the trees were before him and that was something he could latch on to. Zach never thought he would be so overjoyed to see trees. As wonderful as he found the sight however, he was still no closer to understanding where they were aside from off the mountain.

As if sensing his hesitation, the Fox started to slide its way from Zach’s shoulder. It started to bite at his trousers, frantically pulling and scraping. Worried, he dropped to his knees with a frown, but before he could try anything to console or check the animal, it clambered onto his lap, butting its head into his chest. Though the fox was small, it had surprising strength, and Zach was balanced quite precariously on the balls of his feet. With a thud, he sat back on the ground, confused as the little canine stood itself up to his eye level.

As their eyes met, the lights shone behind those of the Fox once again. Zach knew he hadn’t imagined it before, but the reality was stranger than he could have realised. It’s pupils were ringed with a sunburst of yellow and they drew the hunter in. Zach’s own eyes prickled as they stared at each other, and he could feel… something linking their gaze though he couldn’t see anything in front of him aside from the yellow sunburst that now filled his vision.

Human instinct tried to get him to tear his gaze away, to close his eyes or just blink. But he couldn’t, he found he didn’t want to. The Fox knew something, it had a plan, it was helping. The prickling intensified and it suddenly felt like Zach’s eyes were burning from within. He felt something shifting in his body, his blood hummed and still his eyes burned. His vision fractured, the fox and the trees beyond it scattering into hundreds of pieces like broken glass, and just as Zach thought he was going to faint the Fox blinked.

Zach gasped in a breath, clapping his hands over his eyes. His cheeks were wet with tears and his eyes felt like they had been filled with sand. Slowly, terrified he would be blind, the Drykas removed his hands from his face. The world he looked out upon was the same, but also different to the one he had seen before.

There was colour everywhere, unnatural colour that had no business being in a forest. It wove like ribbons across the ground, behind trees and into the gloom out of sight. Some were vivid, some were faint and most of them were broken in places. Each ribbon was a different colour. Zach didn’t know that so many different colours existed.

He blinked several times, overwhelmed and confused, but the ribbons didn’t disappear. They didn’t seem to be moving either, just hanging where they were, glowing softly. Zach glanced down at the Fox, realising it was no longer sat on his lap. The animal was glowing, a soft blue shimmering around it, and he realised that there appeared to a bundle of the same blue ribbon-light in his lap that was connected to the Fox.

With an odd, strangled noise of confusion, Zach rubbed at his eyes with his hands. Still the ribbons hung in the air. He scrunched his eyes shut and tried to will the colours away. Sure enough, when he opened them again, the forest was ‘normal’ again. The evening had drawn even closer, and it was dark between the trees. He looked at the Fox again, no trace of the blue glow surrounding it now. Curiously, Zach shut his eyes briefly, and imagined the colours weaving between the trees, wondering if he could see them again.

And see them he did. They were exactly as before, softly glowing and heading in every direction. Slowly, Zach pushed himself to his feet, and as he did so inadvertently looked down at himself. Much like the Fox, Zach was glowing, but it was not with blue. Instead a pale golden light surrounded him, not dissimilar from the first rays of a morning sun. Turning on the spot, the golden light extended from his body in a ribbon that snaked back down into the valley he had just climbed out of. It wove around another ribbon that was the same blue as the Fox’s light, and after frowning at it for a few moments, Zach’s eyes widened.

He took a few steps back from where he was standing, watching the golden ribbon as he did so. The light extended and the hunter realised he was leaving a trail. He spun, eyes roaming over all the colours that wove between the trees. They were all trails, left behind by other things. Zach’s gaze landed on a stream of light that appeared to be the same colour as the one streaming from him currently. He stepped over to it, bringing his vibrant trail with him. Side-by-side, it was clear that they were indeed the same colour, however the one that he had just found was paler, as if some of the colour had leaked away. It headed off in two directions, one end leading back to the mountains, and one following the slope down and away.

Zach’s heart stuttered with relief as he realised that the ribbon of light, his ribbon of light led back to the city. It had to - for that was where he had come from. He could have cheered but he didn’t, for they still had to actually make the journey. The Fox was tired, every line of its little body making that evident, and Zach moved over and gently scooped it up with his good arm. He wondered if the Fox had been following the light ribbons the entire time. It must have been. And then it had become too tired and had given Zach the ability to do so for them instead. He couldn’t think of another explanation.

A shriek echoing off the mountains caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. The Drykas didn’t know bird calls, and he hoped it had been one of them. He set his gaze on the pale golden line weaving gently down the slope and set off after it, the Fox cradled in his arms. The light of the ribbon faded out occasionally, sometimes for a long enough stretch that Zach wondered if he had gone in completely the wrong direction. The hunter let himself sink into his tracking mind, focusing only on the ground below his feet and the ribbon of light before him. He didn’t stop to let himself marvel at all the other colours threading their way around the valley. The weight of the Fox in his arms served as a reminder of the task at hand, one that he was single-mindedly determined not to fail at. He would get them back if it was the last thing he did.

ooc :
Rolls for reference:
Land Navigation: 100
(A surprising fluke! About time Zach had some luck)
User avatar
Zach Grasswind
What’s a tree?
 
Posts: 198
Words: 193110
Joined roleplay: August 9th, 2018, 12:56 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Mizahar Grader (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Luminescence on September 23rd, 2019, 10:20 pm

Image
It did not take Zach long to make the connection between the ribbons of coloured light, or to notice his own trail from earlier, faint but unmistakable. Surely there was some sort of God watching over him that day, or perhaps the little fox was much smarter than any normal fox Zach had met, for the chances of him stumbling back onto his own path even with his newfound ability should have been zero to none.

But there he was, with all sorts of new colours taking up his vision, and an intangible but visible trail to safety. Perhaps he would never know the complete truth, but indeed, it seemed the misty fox had been using its ability to lead them to safety, keeping an eye on their trails. The issue, of course, was now reaching the promised finish line without further injury.

The fox made a tired yip as Zach picked it up, nestling down into the crook of his elbow, seeming almost satisfied with the hunter. It had done what it could, and now the rest was up to him.

The trail of gentle golden light certainly made it easier, but whether it was a God or something else, something was on Zach's side; the trek back was easy, perhaps even easier than his original hike out, despite his injuries and exhaustion and the fox pressed against his side, curled up in the crook of his good arm. The sun quickly sank below the horizon as Zach made his way back towards where he could only assume the city was.

Despite the darkness that quickly descended on the forest, the softly glowing ribbons of light gave Zach just enough to see by; if he walked closely enough beside his own old trail, it would illuminate the ground through the mist just enough that he could see any sticks or rocks or treacherous, ankle-breaking holes in the ground and avoid them, if he was careful. There were still a few moments where Zach had trouble with his footing, but any trip-ups were minor, and he managed to correct himself before falling just about every time.

And so the hunter made his way painstakingly slowly, but overall safely, back through the woods. Another screech sounded in the distance; this one seemed slightly closer, and perhaps it was just Zach's imagination, but this time, the sound seemed to be accompanied by the heavy flap of wings. Still, the forest around him was still and silent, nothing breaking the dense wall of fog, and what Zach could see of the sky remained open and clear. Still, the sounds were encouragement to hurry back as fast as he dared.

Just when the bells were stretching on, enough to perhaps make the hunter question himself and wonder if he really was going in the right direction, the Gates to the city came into view quite suddenly, looming up and out of the mist, towering over Zach. To a stranger to the city, the sight would be a foreboding one. To Zach in that moment, it was perhaps the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He had made it back to the city in, more or less, one piece. He was home, and more importantly, he was safe; as was the fox. But now it was a matter of seeking medical help in time.

The Shinya at the gates seemed alarmed by the state he was in, and ushered him quickly into the city. "And what's that you got there?" The guard asked, somewhat surprised as he peered down at the little fox curled up in Zach's arm. The fox bared its teeth with a quiet hiss.

"A misty fox? And missing a leg too, poor thing," the guard cooed slightly. "Piramba's usually the one to take care of animals, but it looks like the little one's barely hanging on, so you might as well take him with you. Doctor Amaryllis won't be pleased to be turned into an impromptu veterinarian, but if you ask nicely I'm sure she has someone on staff who knows a bit about animals and can help patch him up. It looks urgent, so I'd hurry if I were you. Do you need an escort, or are you alright to get there yourself? Directions?"

The Shinya looked expectantly at Zach, clearly ready to help in whatever manner the hunter deemed best. The other Shinya standing guard kept his distance, keeping one hand on an arrow in his quiver as he squinted upwards, scanning the sky through the mist for any unwelcome guests that had followed Zach back. Another distance shriek sounded, but it was further away than both previous times. Whatever it was, it seemed to be heading away from the city, but it was still enough for the two guards to exchange uneasy glances.

"Best to keep out of the woods for a bit, perhaps," the other guard finally spoke, as Zach deliberated his options and made his decision, the little fox bristling in his arms.
User avatar
Luminescence
Allow me to light the way
 
Posts: 612
Words: 717627
Joined roleplay: January 13th, 2018, 2:05 pm
Location: Lhavit, the Diamond of Kalea
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Medals: 2
Featured Contributor (1) Artist (1)

Falling Prey (Zach)

Postby Zach Grasswind on September 24th, 2019, 11:23 am

Image
Anxious thoughts tried their best to make themselves known to the hunter, but Zach ignored them. He only had time to focus on walking. The sky was darkening rapidly now and neither of them were in any fit state to handle more trouble.

He didn't even let himself think about the ribbons of light he could see, outside of following the golden one he had discerned belonged to himself. He knew it had to be magic, for there was simply no other explanation, but he knew next to nothing about magic. And if Zach stopped to try and figure it out he was sure that his mind would start reeling and shut down.

And so he ignored every single shining colour he could see, only the golden light filling his vision and gently illuminating the ground he walked on as the night continued to draw in. The fox had nestled itself comfortably into the crook of his arm and one might be mistaken for thinking it tame and docile. The hunter knew better though, the puncture wounds in his hand still throbbing. The little animal was just tired, and miraculously seemed to have chosen to trust him completely.

Soon enough it was nighttime proper, and as hard as he tried to ignore them, Zach's nerves were jangling. There were creatures that lurked out here in the dark, the carnivores and those... monsters he had heard stories of. He desperately wanted to break into a run, to get back as quickly as possible but he couldn't. He was tired, all his pains settling over him now, and he could barely see where be was going.

A screech from somewhere behind sounded once more and the hunter knew that as much as he wanted it to be, it did not come from a bird. No birds made noises like that. He paused in a step, clutching the fox until he was certain that there was nothing else accompanying them. And then he pressed on, faster now though still painfully slowly, his feet slipping on stones and uneven ground.

When a huge shape loomed out of the mists before them, Zach's heartbeat thundered in his chest for a moment before he realised it was the city gates. The gates! He could have wept. They had made it back, they were finally safe, though not quite out of trouble just yet.

Zach couldn't quite read the expression on the Shinya's face until he realised what he must look like. Probably filthy, his clothing ripped, covered in cuts and blood and clutching a wild animal. He wondered if they might kick him right back out into the trees, relief coursing through him when they did just the opposite.

A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth at the little hiss from the fox. It's spirit still seemed to be strong which was encouraging.
He listened attentively to the Shinya before responding. "I can get us there. Tenten isn't it?" The hunter could feel the fox's body humming with tension at the Shinya and figured it would be best to go alone, despite his helpfulness.

Zach shot a glance back at the other Shinya near the gates. "Yes, I think so. It's doesn't feel right out there." He remembered the ominous feeling of eyes watching. "There's something unpleasant hanging around..." He roughly shook his head before thanking the Shinya for his directions and headed off in search of the clinic.

When he finally made it there, Zach's legs were almost ready to give out. He was tired, hungry and in a lot of pain, and he practically fell through the door. He held tight to the fox, knowing in his gut that it would put up a fight if anyone else tried to take it from him.

The Drykas spoke to the first person he saw, not caring if they were a patient or staff, pleading in his voice and eyes bright with pain. "We need some help. My shoulder and..." He trailed off as he tried to adjust his hold a little so that the bloody bandage wrapped round the Misty Fox's leg could be seen.
"I know you're not an animal doctor but I won't leave it alone and I can't go much further." It was quite obvious that there was a lot more than a shoulder injury to deal with, but he was just so tired that he didn't have the energy to elaborate much further. Unless someone ushered him elsewhere Zach was about ready to sink to the floor where he stood.
User avatar
Zach Grasswind
What’s a tree?
 
Posts: 198
Words: 193110
Joined roleplay: August 9th, 2018, 12:56 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Mizahar Grader (1)

PreviousNext

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests