The Enemy of My Enemy [Talon]

[Senara]

4th of Frost, 120 AoSxx

Senara was rigid. Not in fear, but in wait. If the stone was the same as she thought it was, then this should be an easy out to get back to her cave after this. Should this be a trick, though, should the approaching hand come to strike down just like-

She flinched. His face flashed through her mind and a tiny tremble took hold of her muscles. But then nothing- silence, calm. She stilled. The Avialaes hand upon her forehead was as warm as the sun, no matter the calluses of war that marred him as much as the wilderness had marred her. And like the blood flowing through her veins she felt each vessel in her pulse with warmth. It extended from his hand and gently closed the scrapes and cuts given to her by the kenboku before receding back into the stone. When it was over, she could feel the weight of her body finally taking hold of her legs. She staggered briefly, but found her footing easily and watched with wary eyes as the man moved to the bloodied trophy in front of them.

‘Perhaps, bird-man.’

It was confirmed, the man was just weird. He had no reason to heal her, but he did not seem to care to fight, either. It was an odd decision made but through the stench of his own pride and sweat could smell a hint of his respect for her. Perhaps it was that, a simple hunter to hunter show of appreciation. An odd, humanoid thing to do.

She turned then to the creature and began slowly munching on the back leg where she’d already made a hole in the flesh. Thigh, her favorite. Fatty, but still with grand muscle, it was some of the more tender, gamey sections of an animal and as such she always ate at it first. All the while she kept her gaze locked on the Avialae, watching his every move as if one of them may give away the reasoning behind his strange actions. It was not normal for her to entertain another hunter, but him... there were only two creatures in the world that she had come to fear; dragons, and humanoids. Especially ones from the city, and he wreaked of it. As if he’d bathed in the hot kilns of their production and rolled around in the streets, just to taunt her.

As she ripped at the kenboku's thigh muscle the sound of tearing meat filled the silence between them. If she could speak, what would she say?

Right, she could speak. But that was long past her.

[Talon]

The Enemy of My Enemy

4 Frost 120 Steel

Witnessing the wolf’s reaction to his touch was a curious experience. Talon thought of it as he knelt before the corpse of the kenboku. He reached into the shaft of his boot withdrawing a dagger in order to begin the work of skinning the hide of the creature. He was not a tanner or an expert leatherworker by any stretch of the imagination but he did not need to be. For the work that he had in mind all he needed was the properties of the hide, not the hide itself. Still, the perfectionist in him demanded that he perform the task with a methodical diligence. He glanced up to see the wolf staring at him as it chewed into the thigh muscle of the animal they had worked to take down. His gaze peered at the light of its aura. There was curiosity present, even if it was buried beneath the abundance of caution that suffused the aura. The wolf was wary but Talon suspected it went beyond mere instincts. There was something there, buried beneath the surface but it seemed that the wolf was just as confused about it as Talon was. That made discerning the truth of the matter more difficult and he saw no reason to pry further.

The silence between them stretched on. Talon got the distinct impression that the wolf was mulling over something. He could not have imagine what. He was not a mind reader like his brother Rien. The aura was not so informative that it did more than just lend him insight to what an individual was feeling and perhaps gleaned something about their intentions. Beyond that, all he could gather was information that might be found in an informational textbook. He could discern that there were specks of dirt in the wolf’s fur. He could discern that the dirt contained various minerals, some of which he was familiar with because of his association with his family’s mining company. More than that however, Talon did not know.

He continued the quiet and bloody work of skinning the portion of the kenboku that interested him. When the work was finished, Talon used the snow to clean off the hide. He took the edge of his knife and scraped away portions of meat that still clung to the skin. Following that he rolled the skin up much like one would a scroll then deposited it into an empty pouch that he’d brought with him specifically for it. As he rose to his feet he regarded the wolf one more time. He did not know why nor what moved him to do so, but Talon reached into his pouch and withdrew the piece of illumite. There were, as with most dawnstone, holes in the crystal. He looked from the stone to the wolf. Rubbing a thumb over the stone, Talon reached up and took the leather strand that he used to tie back his hair. He shook his hair out, allowing it to fall down to his shoulders. He looped the strand through one of the holes on the stone and formed a makeshift necklace. It certainly would not fit around the wolf’s neck but it could be wrapped around a paw.

Talon knelt and hung the stone from one of the kenboku’s antlers. He grasped it between his fingers before looking to the wolf.

“For you, if you want it.” He said no more as he took a few steps back, eyes remaining on the wolf as it continued to eat. He raised a hand offering the great beast a salute.

“Until we meet again, wolf. Hunt well.” With that, Talon spread his wings and leapt into the air. He ascended until he was above the trees then turned back toward Kalzasi. A bath sounded good for that evening. A bath and perhaps a massage from his bondmate.

"First Son of House Novalys"

[Senara]

4th of Frost, 120 AoSxx

She could feel the energy in the air. The shift of the Avialaes commanding, destructive power that of creation and curiosity as he began to artfully slice in the skin of the beast. It was messy, sure, and though his knife was sharp enough not to pull at the skin blood rushed out and spurted across the snow. To Senara, as she watched the display of him taking his reward, she wondered if he would have put such delicate care into slicing her own skin if she'd been the target. She scoffed at the thought. Not like he'd have the chance to, and if he ever did decide to take her on, she wouldn't allow herself to be left unmarred enough to be useful. Not that she would let herself lose, but, it was a middle finger to his desires, perhaps.

Her eyes finally left the mans form as she focused on the task at hand- eating. Her teeth sunk into ripped flesh as she ate her fill. Savoring every hot chunk and swallowing it down with satisfied grunts before flicking her cold eyes back up to him with a curiosity sitting behind them. What in Ransera was he doing? She stared at him. His hair flowed down as if the wind itself was assisting in it falling perfectly into place around his shoulders. She chuffed once more and let out an amused grunt. But the curiosity continued, eyes following his hand movements. And when he finally placed the makeshift necklace on the antler, her once curious eyes turned suspicious.

Senara took a step back.

And then, he was off. Leaving the wolf in the silence of the mountains with his words lingering in the air around her. She had watched him fly off, felt the impressive span of his wings send wind and a flurry of soft snow swirling around her.

'Meet again?....why?' She questioned. 'Do you intend to track me with this thing? I have seen many like you try...'

Senara stared at the necklace with a new hatred. She approached it, her feet treading carefully in the snow around the beast as she licked the blood from her muzzle and sniffed the air around the stone. He had clearly healed her with it before, but... who's to say that the stone which so brightly glimmered in the sunlight didn't have other properties, or that the leather itself was not meant to track her? No. She would leave it. For whatever sorry soul or greedy hands to find in the wilderness. She would not be made a fool.

And with that thought in mind turned back to the carcass before her and continued her meal.

[Senara]

4th of Frost Brianne gritted her teeth. Her horse panted below her, stationed at the top of a hill looking down the enchanting display of three predators out for blood. Part of her wished she hadn't also been on the hunt for the beast, if only so her trip had not been wasted. But there was still majesty in what was being created and destroyed that day. And so with wonder, she simply watched from her concealed shadow in the trees.

And then, it was over. The Avialae took off, and though she was a tad too far away to see his face, there was no denying those wings. A smirk pulled to her lips.

"Well then, you've sure grown up." She chided to herself, pulling on the reigns of her steed and beginning to make her way down the hill once the wolf had taken it's leave as well.

When she finally got to the bottom and approached the carcass, hopping off her horse with a grunt to her leg, she sighed. A beautiful creature, or what was once a beautiful creature, laid before her in a mess of blood and snow. Wolves always did eat like pigs, kept themselves clean but whatever they touched ended up worse for ware. But, that didn't mean parts of it could not be taken with her. The antlers alone would sell for a high price, especially to collectors.

As she approached them, the glint of stone caught her eye. With a raised brow she extended her hands and picked up the leather strand to examine it. Smooth, with tiny holes, the gem glistened and warmed her fingers as illumite often did.
"Now why did ya go and leave this here, kiddo?" She questioned, turning it over in her palm. Even as a child he'd never been one to do things without reason, but leaving such a pricey gem there wasn't something she had the willpower for. And so she slipped it into a satchel on her hip pack, thinking to herself why, of all the things he could do, disposing of a dragonshard on a corpse was one of them. With a sigh that said 'whatever, you have your reasons', she turned to her horse, grabbed a hand saw from a sack on it's rump, and began the daunting process of removing antler from skull. Only an hour later she had all pieces collected and tied to her back like a harness, hopped back on her horse, and treaded down the mountain.

Though, she'd be back. That wolf was not ordinary, it had stolen and marred her kill, and she didn't plan on letting it go so easily.

~fin~

[Mirage]

Senara

Lores
Knowledge: Kenboku
Knowledge: Golden Stones Heal You
Hunting: Remember a Past Scent
Unarmed Combat: Breaking Limbs
Unarmed Combat: Only fight one opponent at once for better odds
Unarmed Combat: The enemy of my enemy is my comrade
Unarmed Combat: Remove Spikes and Spines of other Predators
Unarmed Combat: Fighting with a partner
Unarmed Combat: Keep your opponent from getting away by injuring all of their legs
Survival: Honoring Deals to Stay Alive
Survival: Allowing someone to heal you
Acrobatics: Leaping Through Open Spaces
Acrobatics: Swivel Quickly to Face your Opponent


Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 8

Talon

Lores
Semblance: Discerning Intelligence
Semblance: Tracking through the snow
Semblance: Tracking through the aetheric echo of a target
Semblance: Peering through camouflage
Kinetics: Using seeming to anchor oneself to withstand a charging beast
Kinetics: Snapping a barrier into place to prevent escape
Blades: Aerial side-slash
Blades: Targeting hamstrings to hinder movement
Blades: Using the flat of the blade to stop a beast’s charge
Negotiation: Exchanging safety for a hearty meal
Intimidation: Using a commanding tone to coerce compliance

Loot: +1 Kenboku Hide
Injuries: N/A

Points 8, can be used for Semblance or Kinetics

Comments: I leave the description of the injuries to you both.