A part of the night II

[D'Varrus Tomva]

73rd of Spring, 522 AV

Zayne held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I was actually going to give them away. I haven’t really needed them for a while so I was just waiting to see if anyone would be interested in using them. Seems I didn’t have to wait long.” The man said with a wry smile. “Last we talked I remember sparring came up, but I’m afraid the center isn’t open just yet. If you come back later though..”

“Actually, I was hoping you could tell me about this.” D’Varrus said, tracking back to the book, picking it up and bringing it back over to hand to Zayne. The man got a curious expression on his face as he took the book from D’Varrus, and inspected it briefly. Or at least tried to, only the book wouldn’t open for him either and the old man stayed conspicuously absent. He tapped on the image on its front, and it sounded like a nail on glass.

“Curious, where did you find it?” Zayne asked, handing the book back.

“Out near the bungalows. There was a man inside that.. Portal talking. I don’t know where he’s gone.” D’Varrus said confused, studying the book for a moment before looking up at Zayne.

“Well its seems you’ve found yourself a magical book. One that is particularly adamant about keeping its secrets. You might have more luck asking Matthias about it if you’re interested, or Duncan. He’s keeps to himself over by the Community pools and knows a good deal about magic, even more than me I think.” Zayne said with a slight smile. As the man stepped out into the moonlight, D’Varrus noticed he was looking a little wan, and recalled the bell along with the particulars of this man’s curse.

“Okay, I can do that. Thank you for your time, and I’m sorry if I woke you up. I.. Oh yeah these hand wraps.” D’Varrus said remembering himself as he moved to take them off again, but Zayne pushed his hands down.

“Keep them. Like I said, I was planning on giving them away anyways, and I think a guard of Syka could put them to good use. Anyways you didn’t interrupt anything, I was just getting things ready for our sunrise yoga session. You’re more than welcome stick around and join if you want.”

“Thanks, but I should continue my patrol until the night is through, then I have to report to Buraga, but I’ll check it out sometime, and try to come back later for a spar. Thank you again.” D’Varrus said, forgetting if he had said thank you in the first place. Zayne just smiled and nodded.

“I’ll see you then. Stay safe D’Varrus” Zayne said as D’Varrus turned around to head back to his Overwater Rancho with the wraps and book in tow. He would store these away before continuing on with the rest of his patrol. In the morning it looked like he had a lot to talk about with Buraga, and perhaps see about meeting with this Duncan person. Yes, there certainly was plenty to discuss on that account.

WC - 519

[D'Varrus Tomva]

He rushed back to put the book away but kept the marital wraps on. Although he wasn’t sure why at first, they just felt right to wear in this form and he wouldn’t mind spending some time getting used to them. Besides the sun was on its way up soon, and changing back into his jaguar form would unnecessarily drain him. No, for now he would remain as he was, two legged and appropriately dressed for the environment. Wearing a long pair of pants, and long sleeved shirt, he felt more or less prepared for anything he might bump against on the beach. It was awkward wearing boots but he was getting used to it to the point that he actually didn’t mind it all that much. With the book safely tucked a way, and strangely silent, D’Varrus left his Rancho to walk back along the Bungalow path in hopes that he might run into however owned that book. He didn’t but he did run into something decidedly more startling. A giant greenish brown snake with a spotted pattern to its scales.

At first he had almost mistaken it for an Ixam so large was its head before he registered the rest of it which noticeably lacked any discernible legs. He supposed this must be one of those jungle dangers that Buraga had advised him to look out for, but now that he saw one he wasn’t exactly sure what was expected of him in this situation. Probably kill it, but that was easier said than accomplished. The snake was currently mostly obscured by the foliage that fringed one of the Bungalows with only a quarter of it visible. At least he hoped what he was seeing was a quarter of it. To make matters more difficult the snake was well aware of his presence and seemed to be studying him carefully as its tongue flicked out occasionally to sample the air. D’Varrus didn’t like the look of those black glassy eyes one bit and stalked well around what he considered to be its range. It was hard to tell exactly how far the snake could reach when he didn’t have much experience with the creatures so he added a couple of extra feet to be careful. He was ready to defend himself if need be, but he didn’t want to put himself in harms way unnecessarily about a potentially unpredictable foe.

While he was figuring just what to do, the decision to act was made for him as he heard someone jogging up the cobblestone path. “Wait, there’s a snake.” D’Varrus called out, cupping his hands to his mouth as the figure came into view. It was Buraga, and D’Varrus felt some of the tension go out of him at the sight of the man. Buraga already had a long bow half way off his back, and was stringing it as the words left D’Varrus’ mouth.

“Stand back, that looks like a anaconda. I’m going to try to shoot it.” Buraga said as he notched an arrow.

WC - 508

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Taking a brief moment to sight the creature down, he released just as it started to slither back into the bush. The arrow struck it just behind its head, piercing through its neck. The creature made a weird noise that was a cross between a hiss and a gasp as suddenly its body started flopping about as if it was trying the throw the arrow off with its thrashing. Perhaps that was what it had been trying to do, or maybe this way just a last impulse as everything faded for the anaconda. Whatever it was, D’Varrus watched it intently, ready to step in until finally it stopped moving when Buraga closed the distance and put his foot on the back of the creatures neck. Then with a long knife with a toothed edge to it, he finished it off quickly by driving the point up into the back of the creature’s skull.

“You have to be careful with large constrictors like this. They could very well be Dhani. There is a nest of them deep in the Falyndar jungle. They don’t often come this far, but when they do you can bet they come hungry.” Buraga said as he stood up from the kill.

“What makes a Dhani different from a regular snake?” D’Varrus asked walking up so he stood alongside Buraga.

Wiping off his knife, he gave D’Varrus a curious look before finally sheathing the blade.

“I forget sometimes that there are people that may have not experience their kind before. The Dhani are a race of people, like kelvics or humans. Only they are born a snake and eventually after several years they obtain what they call their second form which they call their dhani form which is a cross between a snake and a human. At around a century they learn how to look completely like a human and that’s when the real trouble starts in my opinion as it gets a lot harder to tell them apart which means they can infiltrate settlements like ours to cause trouble.” Buraga said.

D’Varrus nodded slowly. “Do you think that is who is behind the curses?” D’Varrus asked.

Buraga shook his head. “No I-” The man knelt slightly clutching the back of his knee. “Why is it everytime you mention curses this- nevermind. Its crossed my mind, but I think its has more to do with whoever came on the Veronica.”

“The children you mean?” D’Varrus asked.

“Yeah, the general consensus is something might have been sneaked into the settlement with them if one of them isn’t outright responsible for what has been happening.” Buraga said, rubbing the underside of his chin. “But nevermind that for now. We ought to get this snake back to the settlement. This is a fare bit of meat, and we’ve got a few excellent cooks who can use this. Help me with the tail.”

D’Varrus did as asked, though finding the tail mean cautiously swatting through the brush. He decided to use the old, beaten up short sword he’d came away from the wreckage with to cut at the bush until he found himself near the end of the long snake.

WC - 529

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Then wrapping his arms around its thick body, he pulled up at the same time as Buraga and they started to carry it back to the settlement. They chatted about his night amiably along the way, and D’Varrus decided to save mention of his book for another day. He was feeling a little tired and hungry after the days events and he wanted to see Duncan about that book before he brought it to Buraga’s attention. So they continued on back towards the Inn with the snake in tow, D’Varrus’ stomach growling along the way.

“How early do you think you can be awake in the afternoon?” Buraga asked as the sun was started to come up more over the horizon. As the day brightened, D’Varrus found himself turning away from the sun slightly as his eyes adjusted to the rays slanting in over the island that sat in the bay.

“If I go to bed early, mid afternoon, early maybe if you really need me.” D’Varrus reasoned. He liked his sleep, and after all the running he had done and dragging this heavy petching snake around he could use a good sleep after an equally satisfying meal.

“Mid afternoon would be fine. I figure you can drop by Zaynes and we can double up on your practice. I’d like to get you acquainted with a weapon as soon as possible if that’s alright with you.” Buraga said as they continued down the beach.

“That’s fine. I’m ready for whatever.” D’Varrus said. They ended up dragging the snake all the way to the front of the Inn where they left it to be sniffed at by the resident Ixam while Buraga went inside. Meanwhile D’Varrus loitered outside somewhat awkwardly, stepping away from any Ixam that ventured near to give him a good sniff. He hadn’t yet gotten comfortable with their presence and he felt that the feelings were mutual on their account. It was probably only because he was seen about with other Sykan’s so often that they hadn’t flat out taken offense to his presence though that was only guess work. He really couldn’t tell what was on their minds, their features were so alien to him. Almost as alien as their smell which was finally reminiscent of some of the strange leathers he had smelled aboard the cog he was on before this.

Buraga quickly emerged with a small platter of sandwiches handing him a couple before taking a bite out of his. They had thick slices of bacon and mango sandwiched between to pieces of fresh bread. D'Varrus took a couple of them gratefully.

"It'll be a few bells before the snake is cooked up properly. Go ahead and get some rest and I'll save you some of the meat for when you wake up. Meet me around the commons or I'll find you." Buraga said and D'Varrus gave a short nod.

"I'll do that. See you." D'Varrus said as he took his sandwiches back up the beach, eating on them quickly as he headed back home.


WC - 510

[D'Varrus Tomva]

Before he did that however, he decided to check around the Overwater Ranchos for any outward signs of activity. Even with a sandwich in him, he didn’t feel quite up to par for transforming just yet so he stayed in his human form while he did so. Stalking along the fringe of jungle, he studied the sand on the beach, looking for tracks and finding quite a few. There were the obvious footprints that had likely been made by him and Buraga earlier. Then there were also this smaller prints, roughly oval in shape that dug out small divots in the sand. He followed these for a bit until he got a clear print, well clear enough at least for it was merely a toe in the sand that looked a lot like it came from his paw.

It must have been made in his earlier jaunts too and fro across the beach, something he would try to keep in mind about for the future. Apparently there were other jaguars in this jungle so he would have to mind where he made his prints if he was going to track any of the activity from his jungle cousins. Just another thing he would have to be cognizant of going forward. Continuing on up the beach he found a few other strange tracks.

Something with long fingers and toes had strayed into the sand briefly before running back into the jungle. In the same breath he saw what looked to be cloven prints though he couldn’t be certain as they were made in sand, and this ground obscured some of the finer details. He suspected they might be easier to follow in the jungle when he was in full possession of his senses, although he recalled the several warnings he had received already in that regard.

Not under any circumstance was he to venture in the jungle alone which meant he had better find someone to teach him quickly. Matthias and Buraga had already given him several names to follow up on, so D’Varrus would set aside the time to do so once he got acquainted with his new schedule. He supposed he ought to get to sleep earlier in the morning so he could have most of the afternoon to pursue such interactions before it came time to patrol.

D’Varrus reasoned about that quietly as he looked into the jungle. Through the trees and foliage he could see the shape of one of the bungalows there, seeming almost like a natural part of the environment there. He still had questions for whoever the book he had found belonged to, but he was too tired to pursue that now. After the day he’d had, D’Varrus was looking forward to curling up on top of his bed and falling into a deep sleep. Which was good because he wasn’t far from his Overwater Rancho that he found himself walking to now. Gratefully he slaked his thirst with a skin of water before crawling into his bed with ideas of what that afternoon would bring.

WC - 512