Danger on the Road to Wind Reach!

[Ven]

Day 50, Spring 511

Ven silently laid still and aware of his surroundings,frightened that the beasts might have picked up his scent. It had been nearly two hours since he and his master were attacked by the wolves, and he nearly died too. His left fore leg was bleeding from the bite the wolf gave him, before he transformed and fled the scene.

Only two things told him to continue forward, his masters shouts to run and his fear of being torn limb from limb. It was because his masters quick attempt to hitting the wolf biting his arm, giving him the chance as all three wolves turned on them. He was scared enough to transform into his original form, and run without feeling the pain his limb feels now. Not much blood has been lost, but if he didn't find help he would eventually bleed out soon. This meant he had to move onward.

Cautiously, he started limping out of his hiding spot. Checking the area to ensure he was safe, still fearful of the predators lurking nearby. Steadily, he limped to the direction he ran from. To see if his master was alive, which to him appeared very unlikely. His eyes felt glassy as he fought back the tears, his fear and his pain...both were unreal to him. It won't be long....I'll see if master is still OK soon..

Still limping toward the spot where they were attacked he thought he heard a noise, footsteps maybe. He paused, hoping that it was someone familiar. Master? he thought, is that you?

[Ronin]

Ronin was out, enjoying his favorite pastime, hunting. It was a rainy day, and a bad one for a recreational walk through the woods. However, for hunting, it was fantastic. The ability to walk around without have to worry about one's scent was a rare opportunity, and one not to be squandered. Ronin had to work today, but he had been able to move his schedule so that he didn't have to start until lunch time. That way, he had the morning to go hunting and get in some rest and relaxation. Ronin knew no better way to blow off steam than to come out and fill some poor innocent creatures full of arrows. Of course, he did see it that way. He saw hunting as a pure a noteworthy act of providing food for himself, and hopefully, someday for the rest of Wind Reach. In addition to covering Ronin's scent, the rain also left a lot of mud, which made tracking much easier. In that thick mud that covered the forest floor, Ronin noticed tracks that he identified as belonging to a wolf; a group of wolves, actually. In addition to tracks, he saw blood. Ronin figured it belonged to just some animal they had killed for food, but he wanted nothing to do with a pack of wolves. He quickly began heading in the opposite direction from where the tracks lead. Ronin noticed that he seemed to be walking back toward the road, and though he didn't have the sun to go by, he figured his time for hunting was almost finished. It was a disappointingly unsuccessful hunt for such a great day. As Ronin reached the road he saw something he never would have expected. There in the middle of the road were the shredded remains of what looked like a traveling merchant. His pack of wares lay a few yards from the eviscerated body, and a bloody trail lead off in the direction from which Ronin had come. Ronin moved closer and saw enough to tell that the man was obviously dead. There was nothing he could do for him, and Ronin wasn't about to drag him all the way back to the city. His attention was once again drawn to the backpack on the ground. It seemed that the man had been traveling alone, a foolish idea if you were not armed, so there was no one else to lay claim to the man's possessions. It seemed a waste to let them sit on the forest floor and rot, and Ronin figured that he might as well profit from them. Just as Ronin was about to start rifling through the man's bad, he heard a noise come from the woods. It sounded like a voice, but Ronin couldn't be sure. He drew his bow and took an arrow from his quiver. He stayed in a crouch while he pulled back the string to his cheek. Ronin heard a few steps and he knew exactly where this visitor was coming from. He took aim and waited for the person, or creature, to walk out into the open. He remained perfectly silent as he waited, hoping to catch whatever was coming by surprise.

[Ven]

Ven slowly shape shifted into his human form, his arm was covered in blood from the bite. He walked through the bushes slowly, he was now close to reaching his master. "Master please please be safe...."

He could feel his head growing foggy, his body light and weightless. He has lost enough blood to black out now, but he can't give up. He walks through several bushes until he comes across a few overgrown shrubs, with the scene of horror in sight. A red headed man stood ready to shoot him where he stood, as his master lay dead on the ground. Then and there did the whole world around him suddenly turn dark and still...

"Ma....ma....." His heart grew heavy and his mind empty, before he could react he fell to the ground. There was a thunk he felt but the world was spinning, and fading.

He felt himself shaping back into the fox form he took, but it was no use. Whoever the man was now has the opportunity to kill him. If I'm to die, then I'll be joining master then... the thoughts trailed through his mind, as he fell into his unconscious state.

[Ronin]

Ronin was shocked to see the naked man step out from the woods. So much so, that he almost let go of his bowstring. What a tragic ending that would be for the poor man. Ronin lowered his bow shortly before facing an even greater shock. As the strange man fell to the ground, he also shifted into the form of a wolf. Ronin had heard of Kelvics, he even knew there were a couple in Wind Reach, but he had never actually met one. He was relieved that the naked man was no longer naked, well, at least for the most part. Ronin approached the, now small, creature and noticed that it's leg was bleeding badly. He knew little of first aid, but he remembered what Vala had done when they were attacked by the bear. Ronin tore a strip of cloth from the fox's dead master and brought it back to the injured Kelvic. He knelt beside him and tired the small strip around it's leg, pulling it tight enough to slow the bleeding. Ronin decided that he would have to take the creature, or man, or whatever it was, back to Wind Reach to receive actual medical attention. Ronin collected everything salvageable from the dead man, including a bag in which he packed all the loot. If this Kelvic ever woke up, the goods would belong to him, but otherwise, Ronin was looking forward to some free stuff. He through the pack over his shoulder and returned to the injured fox. Ronin wasn't exactly sure how to carry him though. Usually, he would carry a dead fox by the tail, but this wasn't any normal fox. Ronin decided that he would carry it by the scuff of it's neck. Doing so, he carried the creature the entire way to Wind Reach. Once there, he took the fox to a healer. The healer was confused why someone would bring an injured fox to them, but once Ronin explained the situation, the man agree to do his best to treat the wound.

[Ven]

Ven felt too tired to wake up, remembering the nightmare that he had of his master dying before him made him shiver often until his eyes were finally ajar. Seeing a room that wasn't any familiar to him at all, he noticed that he was still in his original fox form and his leg had been bandaged.

....Where is this place?.. He looked around, blinking his eyes until they were finally clear of the grogginess that cloaked them. Seeing a red haired man before him, he sort of squinted his eyes but then realized who it was: the man who was by his master's body!

Quickly he tried to stand on all fours, fur ruffled and raised as he was ready to growl and bounce before the red head would notice. However in his haste he only managed to clumsily hit the floor and whine from the pain that shot through his leg.

[Ronin]

Ronin turned just in time to see the fox falling on the floor in a failed feat of acrobatics. He couldn't help but laugh. The creature might appear human in one form, but it definitely didn't seem to have the intelligence of a sentient being. Ronin picked it up once again by the scuff of it's neck and placed it back on the table on which it had been laying. Apparently, the healer had heard the noise of Ven hitting the flow, because he entered the room just as Ronin was setting down the fox. Ronin motioned the man over to have a look, and the doctor began his examination. He had already treated the leg wound, but he was trying to make sure that was all that was wrong with the creature. Ronin whispered something to the doctor and the man proceeded to ask Ven to change into his human form. That is, if he had one and could understand common. The doctor was beginning to think that Ronin was just a lunatic who had brought him a fox that he had shot in the woods. After all, Ronin did have a bow and hunting gear on him when he came in. If Ven was to revert to his human form, the healer would be rather surprised. Both at the fact that he actually a Kelvic, and also that he was completely naked. However, Ronin would be prepared. He was already searching though the bag he had taken off the dead merchant, looking for a set of clothes that would fit Ven. In any case, Ven was safe. The doctor had done enough to treat the wound and would do it again if Ven tore the bandages in his change to his human form. Ronin wasn't sure what to think about the situation. He certainly didn't want a pet, but he also wasn't sure if this creature could take care of itself. Ronin already had his bird, which he barely had enough time for, so he couldn't really take on another pet. At best, he might be able to find a place for it to live for now, while he looked for someone to take him in.

[Ven]

Ven glanced over to the clothes Ronin had ready, probably going to throw them. He also noticed the skeptical look the good doctor was giving him as well, as if it would've been too good to be true. However much he wanted to disobey the doc to make the hunter look crazy he knew he would be better off, he limped to the edge of the table then sat down. The most awkwardest of situations....why me? He looked around, to see if anyone else was watching or if anyone might be coming through the door. No one seemed to be around besides the two in front, and the doctor seemed to be losing his patience.

Ven and the hunter both knew that he'd be naked when he would shift into his human form, and it made him feel completely awkward of the whole situation. I'm trusting the hunter to do what I hope he's going to do, if he fails then I swear I'll beat him with his own bow..... The thought of what the embarrassing scene would become if it were to happen nearly made his blood boil, as he tried not to glare at the hunter.

In a few moments his body quickly stretched and changed before them, until he finally took on his human form. Sitting on the edge of the table he was on was no longer a fox but a boy, who looked sixteen...and awkwardly in his birthday suit.The bandage on his left forearm was a lot tighter, probably about ready to snap. The doctor, terribly astonished by both the transformation and the inevitable birthday suit to follow, nearly jumped back. Covering his eyes as Ven covered his private, and shut his eyes too.

[Ronin]

Ronin was worried by Ven's hesitance to change forms. He had no idea what he would say if he was left standing there like a fool. The healer would probably refuse to see Ronin again, which would spell fierce trouble for him considering all the trouble he was alway getting into. The only consolation Ronin would get out of the situation was that he would have a reason to beat the crap out of the fox who had cut his hunting trip short and would cost him the loot from the body Ronin had found. It got to the point, while he was standing there, that Ronin wished he had shot the fox in the woods and made off with the bag full of goods on his own. Ronin was not usually this violent towards people, but he wasn't really sure if this thing was a person, after all, it had spent most of it's time in it's fox form. Who was to say that what Ronin saw in the woods of the boy becoming a fox was real. Maybe he had some bad vegetables with breakfast, and it was a hallucination. Ronin wasn't sure what had caused this strange train of though, but it was quickly stopped as the fox turned back into a boy, stark naked. Ronin quickly tossed him the clothes and averted his gaze. The bandage on the boy's arm burst off of him and the wound began to bleed again. As soon as the boy was dressed, the doctor began treating it. "You got a name, fox-boy?" Ronin asked in common. He assumed that the fox had been with the traveler and thus, wouldn't speak Nari. "Was the dead guy in the road a friend of yours? It looked like wolves got him. It is a wonder you are alive." Ronin was rather insensitive to the boy's loss, assuming that they were just traveling together and not understanding the complex relationship between Kelvics and their masters. The healer began an examination of the boy for other wounds, thoroughly surprised that the fox had actually changed into a boy.

[Ven]

It had angered him that the Red head had insensitively asked about his masters death and his bare survival, however he kept cool and answered the question while doing his best to hide his emotions.

"My name is Ven....and I am a Kelvic." He looked up to the good doc fixing his arm, "That was my master until....." He froze there, nearly losing the fight against his emotions. Anger and sorrow lingered in his hear as the only one who took him in was now but a memory, and what the last sight was before he fell unconscious was the red head standing next to the body; no doubt going to loot his valuables....

"Sorry.... I'm still a bit..." He couldn't continue as the image of his master being torn to shreds haunted his mind. The one person that he centered his whole world around, the one who took him in and taught him what Ven now knows of human society is gone...everything that Ven had is gone now. He was once again alone, lost and master-less. "Don't worry... I'll be okay."

"Your under a good amount of stress, I advise you to take it easy for a while." The doctor ordered, Ven could only look up at him confused. Surely no matter how hard it was to fight them back, the tears were surely visible in his eyes.

"He was the only one who took care of me after my parents left me....I have no one else now..." He noticed that there were other red heads outside, and the doc had red hair as well. That's when it finally hit him, he remembered where he was going. The one place he and his master were going to go, the home of the Inarta and glass workers. "This is Wind Reach isn't it?"

[Ronin]

Ronin was quite pleased with himself when Ven changed forms. He had gotten a chance to prove a stuck up healer wrong, and he had proven that he wasn't going crazy. Ronin was fairly apathetic as it applied to the Kelvic's loss. He was already going to be late for all his other plans that day, and spending his time with a healer and a fox-boy was not something he enjoyed. Once the satisfaction of being right wore off, he waited impatiently for the visit to be over. He didn't even pay attention to what Ven was saying about his master, assuming it was something directed at the doctor. He did, however, catch what he said about Wind Reach. "Off course it is? Where else do you think you would be. It's not like there are any other cities inside of mountains around here." Ronin might have seemed rude, but he found Ven's question rather preposterous. Ronin had lost loved ones, and he should have been more sympathetic, but the circumstances of their meeting had biased him against Ven. "I assume this stuff belongs to you." He said as he motioned to the bag of stuff he had taken off the dead body. "There is a bag of coins in there with which you can pay the doctor." He tossed the pack to the boy begrudgingly, wishing he could keep the goods for himself. "I think we are done here." Ronin said as he walked to the door and held it open for Ven. "Pay the man, and we'll be on our way." Once the matter of payment had been settled, Ronin lead the way down the stone halls. For a long portion of the trip he was silent, simply nodding in acknowledgement to anything Ven said, but as they approached the common rooms he spoke up. "I will find you an empty room to sleep in, but it is against the rules so if you get caught in there, you will have to run. Also, you will have to steel or hunt for your food. That is, unless you choose to get a job. In that case, you will be inserted into the caste system as a Dek, the lowest caste. If you want a job you should talk to the Valintar. I can show you to his office tomorrow." Ronin said the whole lot of commands, instructions, and suggesting without pausing or letting the boy get a word in edgewise. Now that he was done speaking, though, he stopped walking and waited for a response.