BAAAAROOOOOMM! BAAAAROOOOM!
The mighty blasts of the horns sounded again as Bahar ran through the forest, her numb and bloody feet crunching upon the snow with each step, though she could not feel them, making it feel almost as though she were flying through the air. She did not know where she was going, and she did not care, she just needed to run, to get away.
It only took a few moments for her to hear the sounds of galloping behind her.... Was it the hunters? She dared not look behind her, but kept running, as fast as her weakened body would allow.
A large horse flanked her, cutting off her route of escape as those wolves caught up, whimpering and looking uneasy as they surrounded them. Bahar slid to a stop, plopping down into the snow, watching as the horse lowered itself as though it wanted her to climb up upon it. Was it?... Could it be that same wolf woman, now in the form of a horse?
BAAAAROOOOOOMMM!
Deciding it didn't really matter, Bahar got herself up and climbed upon the horse's back, wrapping her hands in the long hair of its mane. "Go!"
[IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Moderator: Community Team
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Qyanna
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
As soon as Bahar was safely on her back, Qyanna rose up and took off through the forest. The wolves ran ahead, faster through the dense forest than her bulkier horse shape. It didn't matter, she knew as well as them where safety lay. As she galloped through the woods, twining her way between the trees and leaping over fallen branches, the sound of the horns slowly began to get quieter. Even on horses, the hunters wouldn't be able to move as quickly as Qyanna and the wolves. They had lived in these forests for years, they knew all the ins and outs of the trees and rocks that made them up. Qyanna could have made this run blindfolded, in almost any form.
Around the trees, over the ditch, across the stream, behind the boulders, then up the small hidden trail along the edge of a cliff. At last they reached the well-camouflaged cave, where the rest of the wolves were already huddled inside. The hunters horns were far off in the distance, but regardless, they had never found her here. Qyanna couldn't fit through the cave entrance as a horse, so she knelt down gently to let Bahar off before she shifted.
Around the trees, over the ditch, across the stream, behind the boulders, then up the small hidden trail along the edge of a cliff. At last they reached the well-camouflaged cave, where the rest of the wolves were already huddled inside. The hunters horns were far off in the distance, but regardless, they had never found her here. Qyanna couldn't fit through the cave entrance as a horse, so she knelt down gently to let Bahar off before she shifted.
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Bahar_Vahra
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Bahar slide off of the horses back and watched as she transformed back into human form, marveling at the ease of her changes, thinking many a spellcaster would love for their transmutations to be so fluid and easy. "Are you a witch?" she inquired, moving into the safety and shelter of the cave, remaining wary of the wolves that shared the space.
Huddled on the ground, Bahar extended her hands outward towards the cave opening, weaving a glamour in her mind, "Vara'hun neshet niago vos'ches'tin.." The air rippled at the opening before appearing to turn into solid rock, sending them in pitch darkness though the cold wind still blew in freely...
"U'lan pho'lun.." casting a glimmer, a spell of the same family as a glamour, a lavender ball of fire formed on the ground, giving them light but unfortunately lacking any heat.
Huddled on the ground, Bahar extended her hands outward towards the cave opening, weaving a glamour in her mind, "Vara'hun neshet niago vos'ches'tin.." The air rippled at the opening before appearing to turn into solid rock, sending them in pitch darkness though the cold wind still blew in freely...
"U'lan pho'lun.." casting a glimmer, a spell of the same family as a glamour, a lavender ball of fire formed on the ground, giving them light but unfortunately lacking any heat.
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Qyanna
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Qyanna's bones creaked as she shrunk back down to her usual form, once again lacking any clothing. She followed Bahar into the cave, wincing as her bare feet touched the icy stone floor, and made her way to a far corner of the cave. Rummaging through a pile of furs, she pulled out two larger and thicker ones and handed one to Bahar before wrapping the other around herself and settling down amidst the wolves. They crawled closer to her, warming her legs and sides with their body heat and dense fur. She smiled, feeling at home, and looked up at Bahar. "A witch? What is that?" she asked, feeling once again as if this woman were speaking a different language.
She watched with wide eyes as Bahar, speaking in a strange tongue, made a rock appear across the opening of the cave, then created a ball of purple fire on the ground before her. The light from the ball threw the cave into a glow of lavender. Qyanna blinked spots from her eyes as the brightness invaded her vision. She was used to seeing in the dark, and this eerie light made her uncomfortable. "Wha-what is it?" she asked, reaching out a hand tentatively toward the fire.
She watched with wide eyes as Bahar, speaking in a strange tongue, made a rock appear across the opening of the cave, then created a ball of purple fire on the ground before her. The light from the ball threw the cave into a glow of lavender. Qyanna blinked spots from her eyes as the brightness invaded her vision. She was used to seeing in the dark, and this eerie light made her uncomfortable. "Wha-what is it?" she asked, reaching out a hand tentatively toward the fire.
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Bahar_Vahra
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Handing Bahar a musky animal fur, the strange shapeshifting woman asked, "A witch? What is that?"
Bahar accepted the fur gratefully, wrapping it around herself, glad of the warmth it would offer. She had never been to such a cold land before. The dry flat lands and sprawling deserts of her native Steppes never felt snow, though she had seen the distant white capped mountains to the north, and had always wondered why they were white. Now she could guess... they were likely cold and unpleasant, much like this land...
"A witch?" Bahar questioned the strange woman's inquiry. How could someone who could change form not know what a witch was? "Maybe you have a different name for it... You must be a witch..." Then second guessing her own assumption she added, "Or maybe an elf?... Some Elves have magic too..."
Seeing the strange woman starring at the lavender fire and extending her hands towards it the woman asked, "Wha-what is it?"
Bahar laughed lightly and swiped her own hands through the rippling heat less flames saying, "It's okay. It wont burn you.. It's a light spell. A glimmer. Made of light. They can take many forms..." Manipulating the glimmer, the lavender fire transformed into a solid cube, though still gave off the same amount of illumination. Then Bahar raised the cube up unto the air until it floated at the caves ceiling, transforming it into a sphere.
Pointing at the cave entrance which looked like a solid rocky wall because of the other spell, Bahar explained, "And that one's a glamour.. It's not made of light, but is still an illusion. It needs to be fixed to a person or an object."
Bahar accepted the fur gratefully, wrapping it around herself, glad of the warmth it would offer. She had never been to such a cold land before. The dry flat lands and sprawling deserts of her native Steppes never felt snow, though she had seen the distant white capped mountains to the north, and had always wondered why they were white. Now she could guess... they were likely cold and unpleasant, much like this land...
"A witch?" Bahar questioned the strange woman's inquiry. How could someone who could change form not know what a witch was? "Maybe you have a different name for it... You must be a witch..." Then second guessing her own assumption she added, "Or maybe an elf?... Some Elves have magic too..."
Seeing the strange woman starring at the lavender fire and extending her hands towards it the woman asked, "Wha-what is it?"
Bahar laughed lightly and swiped her own hands through the rippling heat less flames saying, "It's okay. It wont burn you.. It's a light spell. A glimmer. Made of light. They can take many forms..." Manipulating the glimmer, the lavender fire transformed into a solid cube, though still gave off the same amount of illumination. Then Bahar raised the cube up unto the air until it floated at the caves ceiling, transforming it into a sphere.
Pointing at the cave entrance which looked like a solid rocky wall because of the other spell, Bahar explained, "And that one's a glamour.. It's not made of light, but is still an illusion. It needs to be fixed to a person or an object."
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Qyanna
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Bahar waved her hand across the purple fire, explaining that it wouldn't hurt her, so Qyanna eagerly ran her fingers through the flames, too. It was not hot at all, surprisingly. But there was a strange tingling sensation pulsing through it, that made her hand itch. She pulled her arm back and rubbed her fingers, inspecting them for damage. They looked perfectly normal. "What a strange device. Is this magic, then? Are you a witch?" she asked, beginning to understand this odd woman somewhat. "If that's what it is, then I'm no witch. I can't do anything like that."
Qyanna's face lit with recognition as Bahar mentioned elves. "Oh, elves! I've seen them. They live in the forest, too. They don't like outsiders, much, though. They saw me once, in wolf form, but they just bowed and ran away." She shrugged under the heavy fur, hoisting it back up on her shoulders as it began to slide off. "I don't know why, maybe they thought I was a god or something," she grinned, her dark eyes glistening in the lavender light.
"But I'm not god, nor a witch, I suppose. I don't know what I am, at least not in human terms. The animals all say I'm one of them. They say my human form is only a shell, but inside I am really a wild beast." She shrugged again, frowning a little as she remembered how her family had reacted when they had first learned what she was. She had been just five or so at the time, and she had gone outside to play with her friends. Her friends, of course, being the farm animals. There weren't many other animals in the village besides the livestock; too many humans around for the taste of most creatures. But the pigs and the sheep were always very nice. They told her funny stories all day long. The problem with having livestock as friends, however, was that one day they would just disappear, and then the butcher would have good business for a few days. Qyanna always had trouble eating meat on those days. Her parents never understood how their child could be so finicky as to not like meat! But to her it tasted like murder.
She shifted in her seat, curling her legs up to her chest and hugging them tight. "I didn't learn to shift until I was about five. Until then I was just a quirky child who talked to animals a lot. But then one day I was outside the village a bit, and a wolf came out of the woods to see me. I wasn't scared at all, I just thought he was a new friend to play with. He came over and sniffed me all over, and then he asked me why I had chosen this silly, pink, weak form when I was clearly a wolf inside. I laughed, and said I had always been this way. He said the gods must have played a trick on me, to trap me in this form. He said I should try to escape it and regain my true form. I told him I didn't know how, so he told me to look deep inside his eyes and see if I could remember what it was like to be a wolf." Qyanna's eyes glazed over as she remembered the feeling of falling out of herself and into the wolf's mind. She didn't even understand how it had happened, but suddenly one moment she blinked and when she opened her eyes she saw out of his eyes instead of her own. The wolf breathed deeply and she smelled all the scents with him. The world looked strange through his eyes; it was all grey, but somehow clearer than she had ever seen it before. And the smells! The wolf could pick up the scent of pigs from clear across the village. Not only could he smell more and farther, but he could easily sift through each of the individual smells and identify them. Through his ears she heard the howling call of his pack, asking where their brother had gone. The sound pulled at her heart and mind, insisting that she was a sister of the pack as well. She jerked away from the wolf's mind and found herself back in her own body. Except that it wasn't her body at all. It was a wolf.
"I-I did it. I don't really know how, but I changed into a wolf. The wolf was so happy, and he asked me to come back with him to join the pack. I still remembered enough of who I was at that point that I thought I shouldn't run off into the woods without permission, so I hurried back to my house to ask my parents. It was hard, running as a wolf, at first. I wasn't used to the movement, and I was very clumsy. But as I ran on it got easier. By then I was in the village, and of course they were all terrified to see a wolf running through town! They didn't know it was me, how could they? They screamed and hid in their houses, and some of the men went to get weapons to hurt me. I didn't understand what was happening, so I just ran on faster to my parents so they could protect me." Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the looks on her parents' faces when they saw her. They looked at her as if she were a monster they wanted to kill. Something inside her heart had died that day, the day she realized her family's love was conditional. "As soon as I saw my parents I lost hold of the wolf form and changed back. But they still didn't recognize me as their daughter." She shook her head, her raven-colored waves whipping across her face. "They chased me out of the house and locked the door. Then the other villagers came, with their pitchforks and torches and bows an arrows, calling me a demon." Clinging to the fur, she drew it even tighter around herself. "I didn't know what to do except run. The wolf form took hold of me without me even realizing it, and I ran and ran until my feet were numb and I couldn't move anymore. I would have died out there that night, lost and alone in the woods, except the pack of wolves came and found me. They told me not to be sad, and that they were my family now. They took care of me and I've been with them ever since." She dropped a hand to the wolf beside her to stroke his fur. He sighed and nudged her leg with his nose, telling her to stop feeling sorry for herself when it was all ancient history. Qyanna smiled at that. "You're right, Scout. It doesn't matter now.
She looked back across the purple flames at the woman she had just bared her heart to. It felt weird, talking about her past with another human. Somehow it seemed so much more personal than when she spoke to the animals. "Eventually I learned I could take other forms, too, when I met other animals in the forest. So, what does that make me then? I don't know what to call it."
Qyanna's face lit with recognition as Bahar mentioned elves. "Oh, elves! I've seen them. They live in the forest, too. They don't like outsiders, much, though. They saw me once, in wolf form, but they just bowed and ran away." She shrugged under the heavy fur, hoisting it back up on her shoulders as it began to slide off. "I don't know why, maybe they thought I was a god or something," she grinned, her dark eyes glistening in the lavender light.
"But I'm not god, nor a witch, I suppose. I don't know what I am, at least not in human terms. The animals all say I'm one of them. They say my human form is only a shell, but inside I am really a wild beast." She shrugged again, frowning a little as she remembered how her family had reacted when they had first learned what she was. She had been just five or so at the time, and she had gone outside to play with her friends. Her friends, of course, being the farm animals. There weren't many other animals in the village besides the livestock; too many humans around for the taste of most creatures. But the pigs and the sheep were always very nice. They told her funny stories all day long. The problem with having livestock as friends, however, was that one day they would just disappear, and then the butcher would have good business for a few days. Qyanna always had trouble eating meat on those days. Her parents never understood how their child could be so finicky as to not like meat! But to her it tasted like murder.
She shifted in her seat, curling her legs up to her chest and hugging them tight. "I didn't learn to shift until I was about five. Until then I was just a quirky child who talked to animals a lot. But then one day I was outside the village a bit, and a wolf came out of the woods to see me. I wasn't scared at all, I just thought he was a new friend to play with. He came over and sniffed me all over, and then he asked me why I had chosen this silly, pink, weak form when I was clearly a wolf inside. I laughed, and said I had always been this way. He said the gods must have played a trick on me, to trap me in this form. He said I should try to escape it and regain my true form. I told him I didn't know how, so he told me to look deep inside his eyes and see if I could remember what it was like to be a wolf." Qyanna's eyes glazed over as she remembered the feeling of falling out of herself and into the wolf's mind. She didn't even understand how it had happened, but suddenly one moment she blinked and when she opened her eyes she saw out of his eyes instead of her own. The wolf breathed deeply and she smelled all the scents with him. The world looked strange through his eyes; it was all grey, but somehow clearer than she had ever seen it before. And the smells! The wolf could pick up the scent of pigs from clear across the village. Not only could he smell more and farther, but he could easily sift through each of the individual smells and identify them. Through his ears she heard the howling call of his pack, asking where their brother had gone. The sound pulled at her heart and mind, insisting that she was a sister of the pack as well. She jerked away from the wolf's mind and found herself back in her own body. Except that it wasn't her body at all. It was a wolf.
"I-I did it. I don't really know how, but I changed into a wolf. The wolf was so happy, and he asked me to come back with him to join the pack. I still remembered enough of who I was at that point that I thought I shouldn't run off into the woods without permission, so I hurried back to my house to ask my parents. It was hard, running as a wolf, at first. I wasn't used to the movement, and I was very clumsy. But as I ran on it got easier. By then I was in the village, and of course they were all terrified to see a wolf running through town! They didn't know it was me, how could they? They screamed and hid in their houses, and some of the men went to get weapons to hurt me. I didn't understand what was happening, so I just ran on faster to my parents so they could protect me." Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the looks on her parents' faces when they saw her. They looked at her as if she were a monster they wanted to kill. Something inside her heart had died that day, the day she realized her family's love was conditional. "As soon as I saw my parents I lost hold of the wolf form and changed back. But they still didn't recognize me as their daughter." She shook her head, her raven-colored waves whipping across her face. "They chased me out of the house and locked the door. Then the other villagers came, with their pitchforks and torches and bows an arrows, calling me a demon." Clinging to the fur, she drew it even tighter around herself. "I didn't know what to do except run. The wolf form took hold of me without me even realizing it, and I ran and ran until my feet were numb and I couldn't move anymore. I would have died out there that night, lost and alone in the woods, except the pack of wolves came and found me. They told me not to be sad, and that they were my family now. They took care of me and I've been with them ever since." She dropped a hand to the wolf beside her to stroke his fur. He sighed and nudged her leg with his nose, telling her to stop feeling sorry for herself when it was all ancient history. Qyanna smiled at that. "You're right, Scout. It doesn't matter now.
She looked back across the purple flames at the woman she had just bared her heart to. It felt weird, talking about her past with another human. Somehow it seemed so much more personal than when she spoke to the animals. "Eventually I learned I could take other forms, too, when I met other animals in the forest. So, what does that make me then? I don't know what to call it."
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Bahar_Vahra
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Bahar listened to the story of how Qyanna came to know her abilities and the hardships that those formative times had wrought, though from the sounds of it, the woman felt quite at home in her life as a shape changing creature. When Qyanna questioned what Bahar thought she could be, Bahar did not know, having never heard of creatures who could change at will. "I am not sure... you do not give off any energy like other spellcasters do. Though your abilities are certainly magical in nature. What kind ... is what fascinates me..."
Pondering further she mused, "You were born to human parents, correct?... And your parents clearly did not share in your gift, and nor did mine, yet we were both blessed with arcane powers from somewhere.."
Bahar shivered, wrapping the musky furs more tightly around herself, wishing she could conjure up a fire that actually produced warmth, rather than illusions of light. Looking around the dank and cold cave she inquired of the shapeshifter, "Is this where you live?... do you not have a real home?" Not that Bahar had had a any form of a real home over the last five years she had spent traveling west from her native lands of the Unamiza Steppes. She had barely seen a settlement in all that time either. Just small homesteadings, military garrisons, bandit camps.. all of which posed a unique danger in their own way. But now Bahar was tired of traveling. She wanted to find a home. A populated place, like the fabled cities, where she could melt away in their numbers and live uninhibited by those who would wish to harm her.
"What land are we in right now? .. Do you know?... Are their any cities in this region?"
Pondering further she mused, "You were born to human parents, correct?... And your parents clearly did not share in your gift, and nor did mine, yet we were both blessed with arcane powers from somewhere.."
Bahar shivered, wrapping the musky furs more tightly around herself, wishing she could conjure up a fire that actually produced warmth, rather than illusions of light. Looking around the dank and cold cave she inquired of the shapeshifter, "Is this where you live?... do you not have a real home?" Not that Bahar had had a any form of a real home over the last five years she had spent traveling west from her native lands of the Unamiza Steppes. She had barely seen a settlement in all that time either. Just small homesteadings, military garrisons, bandit camps.. all of which posed a unique danger in their own way. But now Bahar was tired of traveling. She wanted to find a home. A populated place, like the fabled cities, where she could melt away in their numbers and live uninhibited by those who would wish to harm her.
"What land are we in right now? .. Do you know?... Are their any cities in this region?"
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Arduwan
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
A lonely elk was busy eating the few sprites of grass that not yet completely was covered under the snow and seemed totally unaware that it was being watched. Arduwan grinned. This had turned out to be his lucky day. He had only been able to catch, kill and skin a few rabbits and a fox and had almost lost hope when, on his way to camp, he came accross the elk tracks.
It was the biggest elk he had ever encountered. With enormous antlers that reached for the sky. That would certainly fetch a nice price...he thought as he grabbed an Arrow from his quiver and readied his bow. In the distance he could hear wolves howling.
The elk raised it's head, still chewing, towards the sound of the wolves. Arduwan could see the clouds that formed in the air as the animal exhaled.
He aimed and held his breath. "Amin harmuva onalle e' cormamin"
The blessing he had learned from his kin adressed to the High Lady, said when killing an animal.
It was now or never. His fingers ready to release the arrow...
BAAAAROOOOOMM!
A massive blast from a hunting horn sounded through the air. The elk sprinted away as fast as it could right as Arduwan fired his arrow, missing the elk completely. he cursed turning towards the sound and wondered what idiotic creature would use horns to announce a hunt and so chase away all the wildlife. Probably humans...They always seemed to lack a certain subtlety, making noises and being loud when silence was key.
Arduwan was part human but he always considered himself more like an elf. Though he didn't look like one. He had all the looks of a human but with the gifts of his elven kin. He was light footed, could climb trees and rocks with ease and had a keen hearing and eyesight.
BAAAAROOOOOMM! BAAAAROOOOM!
More horns sounded and it seemed like a big hunting party was moving through the forest. He was getting curious about what they were hunting...or was it a who?
He knew that his prey already had been long gone by now and he decided to go and check out the hunting group. Quickly he climbed a tree and jumped or climbed from branch to branch making his way over.
It was indeed a large group of men, armed with spears and bows. Arduwan counted at least 20 wild looking men. One of them, he spotted, had knelt down looking at something. A tracker no doubt.
"She's been 'ere alright..." The man said. "...Tracks are fresh...That witch can't be far."
A large bearded man with long greasy hairs walked up to him. "Good." He turned towards the others. "300 silver coins for the one who takes her head!"
The other wild men roared in delight, all wanting the reward.
BAAAAROOOOOOMMM!
The wild ones ran like mad men through the forest, the tracker leading them.
Arduwan waited till the last of them was out of sight before he jumped out of the tree landing lightly on the ground. He walked over towards the tracks, felt the earth and sniffed the air. A faint but pleasant scent filled his nostrils."Definately a female human..." He smelled something else too in the air and his eyes caught a new set of tracks or rather multiple tracks that disturbed him more then the ones left by the wild onesDirewolves...a whole pack of them and they seemed to follow the woman's tracks too.
He cursed again and followed them. The thought of saving a human female and maybe kill some direwolves in the process made him run even faster. He had to find her before those brutes or the wolves got to her.
Suddenly he heard shouting and he hid behind a fallen tree Hoping he wasn't too late he peeked to see what all the commotion was about. He could see the tracker kneeling down again, the leader of the group walking up and down, cursing loudly.
"What do you mean you lost her?! You said you were the best tracker around but now i'm starting to think you tricked me."
"I...I am the best...It's just...I only see wolf tracks leadin' away from 'ere in all kind of directions. Me best guess is they got 'er before us..."
The large man grabbed the tracker by his tunic and lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"Then where is the body...?where is the blood...?" He threw the man back making him fly through the air only to hit the ground several yards away.
"You think i'm a fool? Find her! Now!"
The tracker crawled back up, grunting as he did and looked at the tracks again.
"I...think these are the one..." He said with a shaky voice.
"You think or you know?" The leader stood over him.
"I know for sure. These are the one." It was a poor attempt of sounding certain but the group followed his directions.
"You better be or it's your head we take home."
Quietly Arduwan crawled from behind the tree and took a look at the tracks. The tracker had been right...that is at first sight. But with a closer look Arduwan could faintly see the female footprint in the mud leading away though they were covered by paws. Bigger paws than the rest. "It looks like the animals outsmarted the humans. No surprises there." he said softly and followed the tracks. He chuckled as he realized the wild ones were going the wrong way. Suddenly he stopped. The pawprints had changed into hooves! What sorcery was this? Could the woman really be a witch?
He remembered a story, a legend about a shapeshifter living in these Woods. A woman who could change herself in whatever animal she wanted. He shivered asking himself what he got himself into. But he had to know so he kept following them till he came to what seemed like a rocky formation. Dead end....
It was the biggest elk he had ever encountered. With enormous antlers that reached for the sky. That would certainly fetch a nice price...he thought as he grabbed an Arrow from his quiver and readied his bow. In the distance he could hear wolves howling.
The elk raised it's head, still chewing, towards the sound of the wolves. Arduwan could see the clouds that formed in the air as the animal exhaled.
He aimed and held his breath. "Amin harmuva onalle e' cormamin"
The blessing he had learned from his kin adressed to the High Lady, said when killing an animal.
It was now or never. His fingers ready to release the arrow...
BAAAAROOOOOMM!
A massive blast from a hunting horn sounded through the air. The elk sprinted away as fast as it could right as Arduwan fired his arrow, missing the elk completely. he cursed turning towards the sound and wondered what idiotic creature would use horns to announce a hunt and so chase away all the wildlife. Probably humans...They always seemed to lack a certain subtlety, making noises and being loud when silence was key.
Arduwan was part human but he always considered himself more like an elf. Though he didn't look like one. He had all the looks of a human but with the gifts of his elven kin. He was light footed, could climb trees and rocks with ease and had a keen hearing and eyesight.
BAAAAROOOOOMM! BAAAAROOOOM!
More horns sounded and it seemed like a big hunting party was moving through the forest. He was getting curious about what they were hunting...or was it a who?
He knew that his prey already had been long gone by now and he decided to go and check out the hunting group. Quickly he climbed a tree and jumped or climbed from branch to branch making his way over.
It was indeed a large group of men, armed with spears and bows. Arduwan counted at least 20 wild looking men. One of them, he spotted, had knelt down looking at something. A tracker no doubt.
"She's been 'ere alright..." The man said. "...Tracks are fresh...That witch can't be far."
A large bearded man with long greasy hairs walked up to him. "Good." He turned towards the others. "300 silver coins for the one who takes her head!"
The other wild men roared in delight, all wanting the reward.
BAAAAROOOOOOMMM!
The wild ones ran like mad men through the forest, the tracker leading them.
Arduwan waited till the last of them was out of sight before he jumped out of the tree landing lightly on the ground. He walked over towards the tracks, felt the earth and sniffed the air. A faint but pleasant scent filled his nostrils."Definately a female human..." He smelled something else too in the air and his eyes caught a new set of tracks or rather multiple tracks that disturbed him more then the ones left by the wild onesDirewolves...a whole pack of them and they seemed to follow the woman's tracks too.
He cursed again and followed them. The thought of saving a human female and maybe kill some direwolves in the process made him run even faster. He had to find her before those brutes or the wolves got to her.
Suddenly he heard shouting and he hid behind a fallen tree Hoping he wasn't too late he peeked to see what all the commotion was about. He could see the tracker kneeling down again, the leader of the group walking up and down, cursing loudly.
"What do you mean you lost her?! You said you were the best tracker around but now i'm starting to think you tricked me."
"I...I am the best...It's just...I only see wolf tracks leadin' away from 'ere in all kind of directions. Me best guess is they got 'er before us..."
The large man grabbed the tracker by his tunic and lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"Then where is the body...?where is the blood...?" He threw the man back making him fly through the air only to hit the ground several yards away.
"You think i'm a fool? Find her! Now!"
The tracker crawled back up, grunting as he did and looked at the tracks again.
"I...think these are the one..." He said with a shaky voice.
"You think or you know?" The leader stood over him.
"I know for sure. These are the one." It was a poor attempt of sounding certain but the group followed his directions.
"You better be or it's your head we take home."
Quietly Arduwan crawled from behind the tree and took a look at the tracks. The tracker had been right...that is at first sight. But with a closer look Arduwan could faintly see the female footprint in the mud leading away though they were covered by paws. Bigger paws than the rest. "It looks like the animals outsmarted the humans. No surprises there." he said softly and followed the tracks. He chuckled as he realized the wild ones were going the wrong way. Suddenly he stopped. The pawprints had changed into hooves! What sorcery was this? Could the woman really be a witch?
He remembered a story, a legend about a shapeshifter living in these Woods. A woman who could change herself in whatever animal she wanted. He shivered asking himself what he got himself into. But he had to know so he kept following them till he came to what seemed like a rocky formation. Dead end....
-
Qyanna
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
Qyanna shrugged again as Bahar pondered the source of her abilities. It didn't really matter to her what she was or why. Humans had so many silly names for things, without really understanding the nature of them. All her animal friends were much wiser in that regard; they spoke in ideas, not words, conveying meanings and images to explain themselves. "Maybe they weren't really our parents, then. It would explain why mine abandoned me when they found out what I am." She looked a bit hopeful at this thought, that maybe her real family might be out there somewhere, and might love her no matter what form she took. Then she looked around at the wolves surrounding them in the cave and shook her head at herself. These were her real family; blood didn't matter, only love and loyalty. And these wolves had protected her for years, where her so-called family had thrown her out. She scratched Scout behind his ear with a smile. "What about your parents? Why are you out running through the forest alone? Did your family throw you out, too, when they found out you can make purple fire?"
Bahar looked around at the cave, shivering under the fur. "Is this where you live?... do you not have a real home?" she asked.
Qyanna gave a crooked smile at the strange woman. "What is a 'real home'?" she asked, somewhat facetiously. "My home is with my family, the wolves, the birds, the horses," she waved a hand at the cave entrance. "They don't understand this 'home'. They go wherever the food is." She lifted one shoulder with a half-smile. "We stay in this cave sometimes, other times in others. A hunt can last a few days, and take us far away. Every few years we go to a new forest with more game."
She grinned again and laughed a little when Bahar asked about cities. "Wolves don't usually go near cities. Humans are dangerous. And they don't know the meanings of human borders, so I don't pay any attention to it." She paused to listen to the fading horns outside. "Those hunters came from somewhere, so there must be some place nearby."
Suddenly the wolves stirred, their ears perking up as they looked toward the cave entrance. Qyanna surged up to a crouch, listening hard. Human ears were so frustratingly deaf! She concentrated hard and changed her ears into large, flappy bat ears. Now she could hear clearly from nearly a mile away. There! She tip-toed forward in her crouch until she reached the cave entrance, now apparently covered by a rock. "There's someone out there," she whispered to Bahar, jerking her head at the entrance. "Can we get through this?" she indicated the rock-illusion.
Bahar looked around at the cave, shivering under the fur. "Is this where you live?... do you not have a real home?" she asked.
Qyanna gave a crooked smile at the strange woman. "What is a 'real home'?" she asked, somewhat facetiously. "My home is with my family, the wolves, the birds, the horses," she waved a hand at the cave entrance. "They don't understand this 'home'. They go wherever the food is." She lifted one shoulder with a half-smile. "We stay in this cave sometimes, other times in others. A hunt can last a few days, and take us far away. Every few years we go to a new forest with more game."
She grinned again and laughed a little when Bahar asked about cities. "Wolves don't usually go near cities. Humans are dangerous. And they don't know the meanings of human borders, so I don't pay any attention to it." She paused to listen to the fading horns outside. "Those hunters came from somewhere, so there must be some place nearby."
Suddenly the wolves stirred, their ears perking up as they looked toward the cave entrance. Qyanna surged up to a crouch, listening hard. Human ears were so frustratingly deaf! She concentrated hard and changed her ears into large, flappy bat ears. Now she could hear clearly from nearly a mile away. There! She tip-toed forward in her crouch until she reached the cave entrance, now apparently covered by a rock. "There's someone out there," she whispered to Bahar, jerking her head at the entrance. "Can we get through this?" she indicated the rock-illusion.
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Bahar_Vahra
Re: [IRP] From over the Eastern Horizon...
A part of Bahar thought it odd that the shapeshifter didn't have, nor apparently wanted a permanent home. Though when one could transform into seemingly any animal at will, the need for home and shelter became less of an necessity.
When Qyanna asked proposed that perhaps the parents they were both born to were not their true parents, Bahar shrugged, "Who knows really.... I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter. I will never see mine again.."
Then the shapeshifter asked why Bahar had run away from home. This was the downside of meeting new people. They wanted to know the things Bahar didn't wish to relive. Instead of telling her the painful story and reopening that deep wound, she just sighed and replied, "That was such a long time ago...."
The shapeshifter moved towards the opening of the cave, her ears extending and changing into hideous protrusions as she seemed to be listening to something. With the fur still wrapped around her, Bahar crawled over to the magically obscured cave entrance, trying to listen for what it was Qyanna was hearing. She had to stare a moment at the odd set of ears the shapeshifter had formed, but once the shock of strangeness passed, she tried to listen yet couldn't hear anything except for the whistling on the wind through the trees.
When Qyanna asked about the glamour, and their ability to pass through it, Bahar replied, "Of course. Just like the purple fire, this rock face is merely an illusion." To prove her point, she extended her hand, passing through the solid looking rock.
When Qyanna asked proposed that perhaps the parents they were both born to were not their true parents, Bahar shrugged, "Who knows really.... I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter. I will never see mine again.."
Then the shapeshifter asked why Bahar had run away from home. This was the downside of meeting new people. They wanted to know the things Bahar didn't wish to relive. Instead of telling her the painful story and reopening that deep wound, she just sighed and replied, "That was such a long time ago...."
The shapeshifter moved towards the opening of the cave, her ears extending and changing into hideous protrusions as she seemed to be listening to something. With the fur still wrapped around her, Bahar crawled over to the magically obscured cave entrance, trying to listen for what it was Qyanna was hearing. She had to stare a moment at the odd set of ears the shapeshifter had formed, but once the shock of strangeness passed, she tried to listen yet couldn't hear anything except for the whistling on the wind through the trees.
When Qyanna asked about the glamour, and their ability to pass through it, Bahar replied, "Of course. Just like the purple fire, this rock face is merely an illusion." To prove her point, she extended her hand, passing through the solid looking rock.
Last edited by Bahar_Vahra on Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.