The soft light of the honey-dipped sunrise rippled over calm ocean waters. The breeze this morning didn't seem to be in a hurry and played listlessly over the sand, humming through the patches of grass in harmony with the lapping waves. What a beautiful way to start the day, Periwinkle thought. The orange hues reflecting off the water made her think of the fire back home - not too far away, never too far away.
She squatted down next to the inlet where the ocean began to move inland, where she had submerged her new batch of freshly weaved fabric. A quick wash here, another quick rinse further inland on the way home, and it would be ready for further working. In truth, she didn't need to come all the way to the ocean to wash it, but... She liked it here, even if it wasn't necessarily always calm. Peri had seen her fair share of suspicious looking crafts floating in with the dusk or dawn. Her deft hands manipulated the fabric back and forth in the clear water, and she hummed a soft tune under her breath, pulling the fabric out only to squeeze the seawater from it.
Her pale skin was awash in the early morning light, and the yellow tones lent the soft, periwinkle blue scales along her face and neck an opalescent glow. Peri's dark hair was pulled high and back, the tail of it fell forward over her right shoulder. The fabric she had wrapped herself in dipped into the water where she knelt down, and when she looked into the water she could see her own reflection, warped by the ripples she was making, and she smiled.
Well, this had turned out to be a pretty good batch, she thought, and held the swathe of fabric up in front of her, letting the sun shine through to inspect for any flaws. Not bad at all. Her ears twitched happily with satisfaction. Periwinkle continued to hum a tune to herself as she piled the damp fabric into the weaved basket beside her, the day becoming brighter as she went.
{ The Character } (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=19738.0)
The sun had risen, it was time to move.
From out of a hole in the base of a sand dune peeked a small creature, with the appearance of a bipedal fox. He sleepily blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the light of the morning. His kind were nocturnal by nature, but this individual was actively fighting that instinct. After all, he had a goal that could only be accomplished during the daytime. A few minutes were spent convincing himself to leave his hole in the sand before the fox emerged and ventured through the grassy dunes. He stopped only as he made it to the edge of the open beach. Despite the objective he had set for himself, there was something that was much more necessary that took priority. A quiet, yet audible groan emanated from the creature's stomach, griping about the days that had gone by without proper nourishment.
Not very far away, a flock of grey and white seabirds were huddled together in a tight flock. The idea of taking just one as prey triggered another groan from within the fox. This would not be an easy catch, and he knew that. Being completely unarmed as he was put the little hunter at a great disadvantage, especially against a beast that could fly away at the first sign of danger. He needed all the prowess and patience he could muster, or risk starvation. The hunter readied himself, positioning himself in the ideal location to start stalking his prey. Sneaking up on the seabirds with the absence of any decent cover whatsoever was utterly impossible. He would have to move slowly and calmly, in order to close as much distance as he could between him and his quarry before they began fleeing. Once the fox had taken the time to prepare himself mentally, he started down the beach.
Patience was not easy for a hungry creature. The fox crept in closer and closer to the flock, having to stay still at the slightest hint of the birds' caution to his presence. He made progress very slowly, with the hunt becoming harder and more unnerving for him the more he neared. At a certain point, the birds started slowly walking away from the direction of their stalker. The flock were aware of his intentions, and made sure he would not enter within a certain radius of them. There was little choice for the hunting fox now. He started after the birds on all fours, rapidly increasing his pace as he went for them, hoping that he had gotten close enough. The birds also quickened their speed, attempting to match their predator's on foot. By the time the fox was in a full bolt, feathered wings were completely outstretched. He closed in and leaped high into the air as they took flight, attempting to snatch the closest of the seabirds.
Unfortunately, it was just too much distance...
The fox missed merely by an inch or so, plummeting empty-pawed into the wet sandy earth below. All he could do now was lay defeated, watching as his quarry flew over the horizon and out of sight. As if cued to make matters worse, a large wave of salt water crashed down on the failed hunter and swept him up from his place in the sand. It did not take him very far, depositing him just further away from the sea. The fox creature was flat on his back, staring up at the clouds that rolled by as his insides complained once again. His fur and clothing were thoroughly drenched and coated in salt and sand, and his will was further damaged by this addition to the failures of acquiring food.
He continued to lay on the sand, unwilling to move. The fox took a moment to think of his native desert home, and how much easier it was to survive there...
There, almost finished. Periwinkle wrung out the last bundle of fabric into the water below. It was so nice, perhaps she'd dye it later on. After the amount of threads and weaves and stitches she'd run her fingers over, Peri knew how to spot some good work, even if it were her own. Perhaps a red, a nice deep red. That would suit it nicely. There were a couple girls in the tribe bound to come into season soon, and then, oh fire! Wee babes. How Peri loved to wrap them up tightly, cozily in a soft, warm fabric – their first taste of the flame's own warmth made by her very own hands.
As she folded the fabric into smaller and smaller halves over her arm, somewhere behind her was the cacophony of sea birds taking flight. Well, if the hungry were up then that meant it was time to head home. The fabric hit the rest of the pile in her basket with a wet thump, and she heaved it on her hip with sturdy arms.
That was when her ears flicked at the hushed sound of something being carried up onto the shore. Peri turned to investigate, curiosity bettering her, but unfortunately the wet, heavy sand got the better of her balance. In one ungraceful movement she managed to steady herself, but her basket of fabric didn't fare quite so kindly. She fumbled it out of her arms and flatly, heavily, messily upside down onto – what? A fox? Peri's face wrinkled.
Why was there a fox laying on the beach?
"Sorry, little critter. Didn't see you there... Laying there...," she hurried out.
Well, what a mess. Now she'd definitely be stopping upriver to rinse her fabric out. A little bit of salt was one thing, but sand? That was just too much.
She stooped down and started to gather it all up again, peeling a swathe away from the creature's face, grimacing at the slow, wettish sucking sound it made. There was probably fur stuck in it now, too. Never mind the rinse, it was going to be a full-on wash. She managed to get it all back into the basket, but now it was really more of a knot than nice folded piles, she thought with a sigh.
"Well," Peri stood, jutted out her hip and repositioned the basket on it with a firm grip. "If you're quite alright I'll be carrying on. Sorry about the cloth... Not that it got you any wetter by the look of it."
The fox creature's gaze was fixed upwards, his mind lost somewhere between the sky above and his own thoughts. Being stuck within this trance, he did not even notice that someone was approaching.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
The fox could do little but let out a quick yelp in surprise. Without warning and seemingly out of nowhere, he was buried under several pieces of soft cloth. Contemplating his sheer amount of misfortune with dread, the fox creature moved to free himself from the pile. He did so only to see a scaled figure assisting this.
He was immediately rendered awestruck by the sight, as well as somewhat fearful. This was definitely no human. Despite its dangerous appearance however, the being seemed more interested with collecting the pieces of cloth that had fallen. Once it had retrieved every piece, it spoke in the human tongue, and turned to leave.
The immediate worry that the fox had of becoming prey himself subsided then. He almost cursed himself for letting himself become so unwary and vulnerable. Whatever this being was, it was intelligent and passive. The fox creature's insides groaned once again, telling him of the opportunity that was now present. He decided to seize the opportunity he saw to get something to eat.
The fox lifted himself off the wet sand and grabbed at the clothing worn by the stranger. He tugged only enough to once again redirect its attention back towards himself. The fox had only learned so much of the human's language in his time away from home, but he knew enough to understand and convey basic ideas. His own language was much more basic, consisting of animalistic barks, growls, and other sounds. This was present in his heavy accent, as he put some effort into making the human words sound as they should.
"Food..? Food..? Hungry, Food?" he pleaded softly with the being.
There was desperation in the fox creature's eyes as he pointed to his mouth to further express his request.
Peri hadn't been planning on adopting a pet when she'd set out for the beach this morning, and those intentions hadn't changed. Yet, here she was, looking down at this little creature begging her for food and pulling at her clothing like a toddler. It didn't look all too scrawny, it must know how to fend for itself somewhat. But, really, what use was a creature that couldn't feed itself? Peri sighed and let her basket slide from her hip. It landed in the sand beside her, and she crossed her arms, huffing at the little thing.
"What do you think I am? Your mother?" She rolled her eyes slightly as it gestured at its mouth. For fire's sake, if she'd been any other Kulshedra. "Fine, fine, look here.."
Peri turned and walked over to a pile of medium-sized rocks and shells scattered on the seashore. She reached down and with a quick movement from one hand and a deft snatch with the other, she overturned a briny rock and snatched up one of the crabs that tried to scuttle away from underneath.
"It's the ocean! Literally crawling with food," she mused under her breath.
She returned to the fox creature and held out the squirming crab. The look of it there in her hand reminded Peri that she herself was starting to get a bit nippish. She eyed the animal in front of her... Just how intelligent did a creature need to be before she decided she couldn't take it back to her tribe to server for dinner?
"There. Food," she started to pack up her things once again.
The day was brightening quickly, she'd be expected back home soon enough to carry on with the her work. Peri's experience with races outside her own tribe was limited, and she wasn't running out to try and expand her horizons. The little thing reminded her just a bit of a small child, and Fire knows she loves children, but... Only if they are Kulshedra children. This... This just seemed like responsibility without reward for tribe or fire. Still, she couldn't help but feel a twinge sorry for it.
"Now, if you get hungry again, look under the rocks, got it? Rocks. Rocks equal crabs."
Once the stranger's voice had shown some annoyance, the fox creature instinctually backed down. He looked up with eyes widened and ears flat against his head, cautious in the case he had angered her.
Mild fear faded into curiousity as the stranger walked off. Her attention had turned inexplicably to a pile of wet green stones. The fox followed at a safe distance, attempting to see what had so suddenly drawn this one's attention. With some deft movements, she held a tiny creature in her hand. The fox observed it as it writhed in her grasp. It reminded him of the scorpions found in the sands back home, only larger and without a toxic stinger. Never before had he seen such a thing.
This creature was revealed to be food by the scaled being, offered to assist the failed hunter. He took it in his paws with some hesitation, and looked up.
"T-Than kyu..." he said somewhat shakily.
Wasting no time at all, the fox dug his sharp teeth into the armored exterior of the creature, ending its struggling. It was exactly like eating scorpion, only it tasted more like the seawater that still soaked the fox's fur. He ate quickly, taking no time to savor the first real meal he had in three days. The fox creature only paused to listen to his benefactor.
"Rok... Krab?" he repeated in his unique accent.
That second word was unfamiliar. Could that be what that thing he was eating was called? The fox held up his new and half-eaten meal in the direction of the stranger, inquisitivly asking,
"Issa... Krab?"
Peri sighed and turned her gaze upriver and watched the ribbon of water trail off inland. She wondered what kind of delicious food they were serving back at the tribe for the morning meal. Ah well, if she got too hungry on her way she could always gather herself a few river berries or, if she were lucky, she could snatch up a little fish. Her blue eyes shone at the prospect when her daydream was interrupted by the little fox attempting to thank her for the crab.
"Don't worry about thanking me, you'd be better off spending your time learning to catch them yourself. Or fish, there are lots of those around with all this water," She paused as it continued on with its speculation in stilted language.
"Yes, that's a crab." She pointed at the half-eaten crustacean. "Crab." Fire, why was she bothering? Peri shook her head and her dark hair swayed softly across her neck. Scaled ears drooped slightly.
"I'm sorry, but I have to get going, little one," she gestured at the basket with her free clawed hand, and then looked off toward the direction of home. "I have to go home."
She looked back at the little fox creature.
"Maybe you should head home, too. You can show all your friends how to find crabs under the rocks," she smiled, taking a few tentative steps away from the small thing. "Uh... Maybe I'll see you around the ocean?"
The fox shook his head, and looked back up with sad eyes.
"No... Home issa... far..."
"M-moraki..."
It took some time before the fox realized the distance between the stranger and himself and was growing. Slowly, he moved in to close it. He moved cautiously, almost as if he expected retaliation of some sort.
"You home, issa... Serenis?" he inquired.
"I go?"
Peri slowed her steps and looked back at the fox. How he had survived this long, she really would never know. It didn't seem young, just helpless. Her tribe prided itself on survival, on the way it thrived, one might say. Her role for the tribe, for the Fire, was nothing special and she certainly wasn't trained in physical combat, but she - and everyone she knew - could fend for herself. It was just something you learned. This helplessness, this needing, was completely foreign to her. It made Peri uncomfortable.
"Well, I suppose... More like around Serenis," Peri adjusted the basket, sliding it over to her other hip. This thing wasn't getting any lighter, that was for sure. "Where do you sleep?"
Peri peered up and down the long Serenis shore. There wasn't anyone she could see, just the sounds of the waves brushing along the shore and the feel of warm morning sun on her back. She rolled her shoulders, stretching them a little, and looked up the shore again. Not even a soul around who might know better what to do with a lost little kid... little fox.
Her tail began to sway slowly back and forth as she tried to figure out what to do, send this little thing away with its half-eaten crab or... Just carry on her way and let it do what it will. Ugh, why couldn't this be like a crowded beach so she could send the tiny fox off to a friendly-looking mom and tell it to say it was lost?
The sun rose brilliantly over the horizon, a little too early for Kara's tastes but it didn't matter since she was already finishing up her makeshift sail board. "Alrighty, now just to add the sail." She propped up her ex lover's expertly woven sail onto the slim mast. "Now just wait for the sun to peak just a liiiitle mooore.... GO!" She sprinted onto the water, the wind catching the sail perfectly. She gained an intense amount of speed, flying off waves to obscene and dangerous heights, but she landed perfectly everytime. The ocean was her second home, the ocean was just so free. She whipped off another wave, the droplets of water reflecting perfectly off the sun.
About two hours in and way further up shore than she wanted to be. She rolled onto the shore with the waves and laid the sail board onto the sand. She removed her hakama and skinny dipped back into the ocean. While swimming she found a kulshedra with a basket about to leave an... ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE LITLE FOX CREATURE ALL BY ITSELF. Kara's hakama's were too far away, she unbandaged her breasts and made makeshift underwear. She swam as fast as she could, once she got close enough, she dove into the water and pushed off the ocean-floor sending her flying into the air. She landed just behind the kitten. She picked the cuddly creature and hugged it against her breasts. Aftee realizing how rude she was, she forgot to introduce herself. "Hello! My name is Kara! Sorry I love adorable little fuzzballs like him! Whats his name?"
It'd been a while since Kellayenasifarel had been in the wild.
For good reason, too. He'd been traveling the world looking for his sister, a Kulshedra as unique as himself, black onyx scales, long black hair. Cat orange eyes. Sadly, his searches had ended in nothing and he'd settled for a while in Thanatos. Learning the culture there away from his own.
So, on a morning stroll when he left his room for the day to check the market to find something fresh from the water he simply... Wandered away. To connect with nature again. His own tribe was from farther north than here, in the mountain range between Serendipity and Connlaoth and his own dealings with Serenians were slim to none. So far, they seemed kind enough. The lack of total surprise at him led him to believe maybe a tribe lived nearby. Which was interesting - maybe he'd sniff them out later.
Of course, he found something else first.
It was a mother on a morning search for berries with her two adorable children.
Unfortunately, it was a mother bear and one look at Kel and she was angry.
"Good morning," He said, eyes wide and backing up. He was dark and tall and that made him an enemy. Or at least something worthy of being afraid of and potentially attacking, which she looked just about ready to do. "Shit," He hissed out, mouth opening to show his teeth, he snarled once at the bear which, in hindsight wasn't the best of his ideas because Kel had never seen a bear drop down to all fours and go so quickly.
Being civilized had made him mushy - though not so mushy he couldn't run away from a bear. Unfortunately that led him right into a group of people. A naked lady, a tiny fox-cat-dog and ... "Run!" He hollered, waving an arm in front of him because he could hear the bear behind him breaking branches and nope, he was moving too fast and they weren't quick enough to move.
It was racism that had Kel curl an arm around the blue Kulshedra girl's waist before he hefted her over his shoulder and started to move again, the bear intent on her mark - which was his black scaley ass - no doubt his tail made an inciting chew toy. Quietly, Peri would be able to hear under his breath, Kel chanting something that sounded like 'go away, go away, go away.' The last thing he wanted to do was kill a mother.
The fox tilted his head, confused by the nature of the question. With hesitation, his free paw raised up to point towards the dunes. His temporary shelter, a now-empty hole in the sand, was still there among them.
"Need... go Serenis. You show?"
He asked this, without trying even a little to hide his desperation. His mind was transfixed on finding Cerenis, with no reason yet revealed. With very little knowledge of this environment, he was uncertain how long he would be able to last without a proper guide.
The fox creature's large ears whipped backwards as something burst out from the water. He spun around, watching in terror as something flew through the air towards the two of them. Before even given a chance to flee, the fox was swiftly scooped up off the ground. He squirmed in the tight grip of the mysterious newcomer, too panicked from the shock of sudden movements to think clearly. Instinct took over as he bit down, digging his sharp teeth deep into the first piece of soft flesh he could get his mouth around.
This little thing slept on the beach?! Seriously, how was it still alive? For flame's sake, she was actually starting to feel sorry for it, wasn't she? Peri sighed and gave the fox a half-grin. Well, she did happen to know where Cerenis was. And, she could use an excuse to go pick up some more buttons.
She was just about to open her mouth to tell him that yes, she could at least take him to Cerenis where, hopefully, some other kind soul would take him up in her stead. But, she didn't get that far. A gleaming, naked body shot out of the sea and landed directly behind the fox. Instinctively, Peri grabbed her basket firmly in both hands and held it up in front of her face, shielding herself from the pellets of seawater that were propelled from the ocean along with said body.
She let the basket drop slightly, enough to peer over the edge at this abrupt newcomer.
"Well, I don't know... I just know he wants to get to Cere-"
Was that? Oh.... Fire...
It seemed her basket had been doomed from the moment she set out that morning. Peri squeaked audibly as she was scooped up by an onyx Kulshedra. Her hair fell into her face and she bounced roughly on his shoulder.
"What are you doing!?" Peri shook her head trying to see from underneath her thick dark hair, still barely clinging to her basket. It took only a moment to see what was behind her. Peri's face and ears dropped. Instinctively, she hurled the wet, heavy basket of fabric at the bear's head. It wasn't a direct hit, but it was enough to throw the creature off.
"Haha!" Peri threw her arms in the air in victory, or more straight out since she was horizontal over the strange Kulshedra's shoulder. She then used those same scaly arms to prop herself up and look over her own shoulder at the Kulshedra. She'd never seen a colour like his before.
Kara noticed the little fox attempted to bite her. "Awww, im sorry little guy I didn't mean to hurt you!" Without even realizing she was knocked into the air by another kulshedra who had a bear chasing after it. She grabbed the fox and placed him on her head when they landed. "Promise me you'll stay up there for a bit? Ill take you to Serenis." Kara was a great listener. "Buuuut first..."
Kara chased down the bear that looked to be catching up to the others. She leapt in front of the bear and looked puzzled for a moment.. Wait a minute... glowing red eyes? How? And more importantly why? Kara kicked the bear in the jaw just to test something. It was knocked unconscious, the glowing red eyes completely disappeared. Kara heaved a sigh of relief thank goodness, but something more may be happening, but ill need more proof first. She looked up to the fox who was
thankfully still clinging to her head. She brought Urgos out of her, planted it into the sand, leaned back and sent herself rocketing in the air once more. She found the onyx kulshedra that rammed into them earlier he was still running away. Kara readjusted herself mid-air and landed gracefully in front of him. She put one arm out in front breathe and wait... the kulsehdra rammed right into Kara's arm. With movements faster than the eye could see, the onyx male was lying on the ground, while the other was clearly standing. Kara even remembered to bring the basket full of fabric for her.
"The bear is fine nothing to worry about anymore, now who are you and why did you bring a bear to us?!" Looking at the onyx kulshedra lying on the ground.
The cry of joy and the lightend load caught Kel by surprise and he stumbled a bit to look behind himself. There was the dazed bear, the basket and all that fabric on the ground. Onyx paused with Peri over his shoulder before he stooped fleeing, this time to watch the spectacle.
Did that naked girl just punch the bear?
Damn. Onyx was at a loss to do, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in surprise. Yeah. Nope. Sure hungry mama bears were dangerous but someone who could punch bears without a care? What kind of monster did that? He didn't notice The Bear Puncher disappear but he was glancing over his shoulder while he tried to sneak away.
The downside of having such dainty feet and walking into tiny human shaped walls was that once the balance was gone, Kel was on the ground. Luckily, an unseen force rescued Peri from his shoulder and he gave her a quizzical look to see her standing. That was just spooky.
"What kind of beast are you?" He barked back, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. Did this girl push him? Tsk. No manners. Onyx looked to the bear before turning his orange glare back to the topless girl. It was easy enough to go to the mama and drag her back into the bush by her foot, which is what he did after shaking off the fall. Apparently the bear was fine. Good.
"Maybe we should gather BabyBlue's fabric and carry on," he nodded to the kulshedra girl and gave a weird look to the naked girl again while he shuffled around and picked up the fabric that had exploded from the basket when Peri hit the bear. "We can clean it again and I'll make us some food." He smilrd at Peri, "Sorry to cause you trouble."
Kara was slightly annoyed at the fact that this kulshedra called her a beast when he was the one that brought the bear in the first place. "I'm the beast? Last thing I recalled, you were the one that brought it here, also the bear wasn't normal. Last time I checked bear's eyes didnt glow a bright red, unless they're from the labyrinth. I dont want you to thank me or any of that crap. I just was trying to help! Especially considering you literally snagged this poor woman along with you! If there wasn't a bear chasing you I could've assumed you were out to take her somewhere far away from her tribe!"
Kara cared for the kulshedra girl, she knew this was a harmless act of coincidence, but she was not to be insulted upon when she wasnt the person to cause this bit of trouble. She helped gather the rest of the fabric lying around. "And I never got any of your names!"
This day had gone from quiet to beyond hectic in what seemed like mere seconds.
The fox was latched onto the woman's head, digging in claws as a frightened cat would. He was stiff as stone, frozen in fear of all that was going on around him. He looked back at the bear, its huge furred mass laying flat on the sandy earth. This was another creature the fox creature had never encountered before, and the fact that it was so close without his knowledge terrified him to his core
Once the excitement had died down, he was able to regain his composure.
No longer restrained, the fox leaped down from the shoulders of the woman who had grabbed him. With the speed of a natural desert-dweller, he bolted through the sand to the cover of the distant dunes. He did not intend to leave his chance to find Cerenis behind, but whole situation was somewhat traumatic. He just needed some time alone to breathe, and to recuperate.
It wasn't clear how Peri ended up standing on her two feet, but here she was. Her shoulders dropped when she saw her fabric strewn about the ground. What even was going on today? There was this strange, abrasive woman who jumped out of the ocean, an onyx kulshedra being chased by a bear, and now her stuff was everywhere. She sighed and leaned down to start gathering it back up, her ear flicking over to the other kulshedra when he spoke.
"It's fine, I guess. The sand should come out... Eventually."
Now that the bear was gone, it seemed as though the group had a moment to breathe, she turned to the strange woman with the fox on her head.
"Red eyes? What are you on about? The bear was just pissed off, probably got too close to its baby or something."
Peri plopped the rest of the fabric into her basket with a nice wet plopping sound and stood up, letting it rest at her feet. Some people just had such a high opinion of themselves. Well, now she was really hungry.
"Hey, where'd the little fox run off to?" She gave the crazy woman a sidelong glance. "Probably scared him off with your antics," she smirked.
Her gaze turned back to the onyx kulshedra on the beach. She was more than intrigued, she'd never seen such a colour on another kulshedra, and he certainly hadn't come from her own tribe. Was he... Alone? How else would he have ended up here, on the beach with this motley crew? Her eyes were fixed on him as she spoke.
"... Where did you come from?"
"Good thing I wasn't going to thank you," Kel smirked at the woman, ear twitching to listen for the bear. The little babies found her in the bushes and he glanced over his shoulder before his attention was grabbed by the little fox creature.
"Thanatos," he said off handedly to BabyBlue before he started after the little creature. Poor thing. "Hey," Kel started, following the scent to the sand away from the interesting pair of women. "Little guy?" Kel pat his the pockets of his pants and the front and made a delighted trill. It was a piece of jerky. Probably left over from a snack.
Little guy wouldn't mind right?
"Little guy? You hungry? I'm sorry about the bear. She's gone now. Napping with her babies. You need help? We gotta clean BabyBlue's cloth again but after that we can get you some help."
The fox creature kept moving, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps shifting the sands. He darted back into his hastily dug burrow for safety. Although it was already half-filled in by fallen sand, it was still deep enough to hide within. Deep enough to make him feel safe.
Once he was as far inside as possible, he turned to monitor the entrance. The fox did not predict this. He never suspected that he would need further use of this burrow, and regretted not making it more secure. The hiding fox kept silent as the newcomer's voice called out on the surface.
Kara kneeled down next to the onyx kulshedra. "Mind if I give it a go?" She chuckled. "Hey little bud, you said you needed to go to Cerenis right? Is that where you need to go? I can take you there! But right now if you're hungry take the jerky please!" Kara looked at the kulshedra once more smiling.
"Ill do my best to get him out, but before I do." Kara stood and turned towards Peri. "The bear wasn't just pissed off there was more to it, it had the EXACT eyes of what I fought in the labyrinth I wish I was joking!"
Kara knelt back down again and resumed her attempts to convince the fox creature to come out. A thought popped in her mind.
"Hey little buddy, you like swords by any chance?"
Apparently, the little fox had run away to hide. Peri couldn't blame him, this had gone from a relatively harmless conversation between two strangers to a runaway mama bear and a crazy woman from the ocean who was convinced the bear was possessed. She had the feeling one more person kneeling in front of the fox's little hollow wouldn't help to coax him out, so she hung back behind the other two. Poor thing was timid enough. It would be a surprise if it came out to the crazy lady, but who was to say. Stranger things had happened.
Peri's ears perked up at jerky, and her stomach rumbled. She looked down and patted at it, soon. Soon she would eat. She shifted the basket in the sand with her foot and plopped down beside it, gazing out across the ocean.
"Well, I don't know what you think you saw, it sure looked like a normal bear to me, but if it makes you feel better then okay – it was a special pissed off bear," Peri leaned back against the little hill of sand behind her, hands resting behind her head to prop it up.
"I wonder what our little fox friend needs in Cerenis? He doesn't seem the type to want to wander into a bustling human town willingly."
Her eyes wandered over to the onyx Kulshedra, his black scales gleamed in the morning sun. She couldn't help herself but to stare, it was just so unusual. Peri's stomach interrupted her musing when it grumbled deeply again.
"Shhhhh!" She chided, glaring down at her tummy.
The fox creature eventually calmed, even with the strangers waiting just outside the shelter's entrance. Once his head was clear, he caught a familiar scent. It was food, but not just any food. This had a meaty scent as well of one like smoke. The creature searched his memories. A few moments passed before he was able to recall. Humans cooked meat in this strange way, and carried it around for long periods of time without it rotting.
Thoughts flashed to his first companion. The fox saw a scene unfold before him, clearly as if the memory was projected it in front of his eyes. He saw her, offering some of this meat to him back in the Moraki desert. Eyes teared a bit as he remembered it's taste...
Next thing the fox knew, his head was outside the hole in the sand dune, paw reaching out for the piece of jerkey in the stranger's black-scaled hand.
Swords.
Swords?
Kel gave the topless girl a look of confusion before he looked back at the fox thing. Hero complex maybe? He'd met someone like it once. If there was a problem to solve, he was the one that was going to solve it.
As the little fox-kid took the jerky, his ear flicked and he looked to BabyBlue. "It appears everyone is hungry this morning," he chuckled, giving a small smile to the fuzzy ... child? It was tiny. And adorable. Cute enough to want to keep as a pet.
The topless woman's comment about a labyrinth just made him flick his ears, "Who's keeping bears in a labyrinth? Where?" He didn't move from his spot, he kept his voice low. Kel didn't want to frighten the fluffy kid ahain, "the Fell? Under Ketra? Maybe theres a natural labyrinth in the Thunderblacks? Can't think of why bears would be in there." Kel pondered for a moment, ears flicking with his thoughts.
Kara stood and cracked some parts of her body. "The Labyrinth of Davaathia, it's on an island 20 minutes off from the port of Ainu in Yoreiq. But thinking about it now, there's no way a bear could leave the labyrinth anyways. The eye thing must've been a reflection from the sun probably." Kara sighed a little. it's been so long since that journey. I miss Kiron, Taiga, and Rima the most. I just was just hoping another would pop up soon. The forge hasn't been that busy anyway.
Kel was a very handsome kulshedra, and Peri was absolutely beautiful. No, they probably don't roll that way. She remembered the fox's intention on getting to Cerenis, Kara knelt back down and spoke in a soft and welcoming voice: "Hey bud, why do you want to go to Cerenis so bad? We can take you there if you want, plenty of food to eat. Heck I'll even treat everyone to a buffet how's that sound?" Kara smiled at the little fox happily eating the jerky.
Biting into the piece of cured meat reminded the fox how hungry he still was. He tore at it, hastily consuming the food he was offered. His attention was drawn once again by the mention of Cerenis.
"W-wry... gah, Seh'enees?" he asked.
His cheeks were full to the point his already accented voice could hardly form words. He took a hard swallow, and continued.
I go... Serenis. F-friend..."
The fox then placed the remaining bit of jerky between his teeth, holding it there as he climbed out more from his burrow.
The sun was in full view now, and Peri closed her eyes against its brightness so she could bask in the warmth for a moment. Well, at least they'd all found something to rally over with their little fox friend.
Peri smiled as the little fox emerged from his hideout, mouth full to the brim of jerky. She couldn't fault him, Peri would have taken smoked jerky over crab any day. She stood and made her way over, stretching her arms out abover her head along the way, and came to a stop not too far behind the onyx Kulshedra.
"Your friend lives in Cerenis?"
Perry flicked at a few of the sea shells stuck in the sand with her clawed toes, then turned her attention back to fox, a soft smile warming her face.
"What's your name?" She asked. "I'm Peri." She indicated herself with one hand and then pointed back to the little fox. "You?"
Maybe if they at least knew his name they could find this friend he spoke of.
Another flashback was triggered by the Peri's movements. Tears started to well in the creature's eyes as his mouth gaped, meat dropping from it. This was not the first time he had seen this pantomime. It was reminiscent of a meeting in the desert so long ago...
The sound of the food hitting the sand below was enough to snap the fox from his momentary stupor. He blinked his glassy eyes and bent down to retrieve what he had lost. Now back to normal, he put his free paw to his chest, and said.
"Ei'napt rreah'tya ap Eihmo'tei"
These words spoken in his bestial-sounding native tongue echoed in the fox's head. He had heard his past self speak these exact words simultaneously with himself now.
"Issa... Eihmo'tei."
"Issaeihmo'tei," Kel repeated, looking to Peri for a moment before he looked to the little fox thing. Poor kid. "You made him cry," he said in a softly acccusing voice over his shoulder to the blue girl. Periwinkle. Only name he could think of for blue.
"I have been named Kellayenasifarel by the Thanati natives or Onyx by my own, i have no preference" Kel intercepted the bit of dropped jerky, brushing the sand off and making sure it was clean before he handed it back. "Nice to meet you Peri. Issa..Eih?" The lanuguage it had spoken was foreign and Kel moved to sit on his knees to get to his pocket again.
Only a few pieces left. He handed a second one to IssaEih and pressed one to Peri's blue hand - he'd heard her stomach. "And you? What are your names?" He smiled at the topless woman, making a pointed look at her bared breasts when he'd asked for names. His time with humans had changed his sense of humour somewhat.
Kara smiled finally getting to know everyone. "Name's Kara, I'm usually at my forge in Arca, but it wasn't busy yesterday or the day before so I figured I get up early for some windsurfing today. Then this whole happened. Also, just a heads up, if it were anyone else but me, somebody would probably slap you for looking at their breasts. Let me go grab my hakama real quick."
Kara ran back to her wind-sail picking it up from the sand. She ran back into the water and caught a decent wave. She gained a lot of speed, finding her hakama once more. She got off, unbandaged her makeshift underwear and put it back around her breasts. She placed her red hakama back on and sailed back to the group.
"Baaack!"
She landed on the sand in front the group, faceplanting right in front the little fox. "Ready to go to Cerenis?" She smiled with sand all over her face.
Well, the little fox had a name after all. She smiled and gestured toward the beach, moving herself away from the entrance to his little hideaway. If he trusted them enough to come out, maybe they could start on their way to Cerenis. Despite Kara's abrasive nature and the outright enigma she thought of as Kel, she was glad they had come along. She felt far more confident dealing with the lost creature - Issa Eihmo'tei - with other people around.
Her ears perked up when Kel mentioned his name, his name that came from the Thanati natives. Had he been exiled? It would explain how he ended up here, a strange Kulshedra by the ocean. Although - Someone could say the same thing of Periwinkle herself.
Peri scoffed at Kel.
"I did not!" She laughed. "Maybe the jerky was just so good it brought him to tears," Peri took the piece of jerky gratefully and grinned at Kel before biting into it. Delicious.
"Mmm, thanks," she said between mouthfuls. "I'm Periwinkle, or just Peri."
She gave a simple friendly wave to Kara as she introduced herself, too busy chewing on the jerky to actual give out greetings. ... And, then continued waving as Kara ran off down the beach.
"So, shall we - " Peri saw Kara's incoming body out of the corner of her eye and hopped to side, out of the way of her landing face first in the sand.
"Ready to go to Cerenis?"
"Yeah! What she said," swallowing the last of the jerky.
She started to back away from the cave slowly, bending down slightly so she could look in Issa's eyes and beckoned him with her hands like she was trying to pull him out with an imaginary line.
"Come on, maybe Kel'll give you more jerky," she glanced over at him. "You do have more jerky, right?"
"No... name, Eihmo'tei." the fox corrected (or at least tried to).
"Ee-moh-tay"
He slinked out more, watching expectantly as his jerky was brushed off. As soon as he was able, he quickly snatched the meat from Kel's hand before biting into it.
"Ehmo'tuh..." he corrected again, somewhat annoyed with mouth full.
Once the second piece was offered, Eihmo'tei popped the remainder of the first into his mouth and took it. He paused as Kara ran off, large ears perking up to track her. It was a little disconcerting to the fox creature how spontaneous and erratic this woman seemed to be. She seemed harmless enough, but his instincts still made him wary of everything larger than himself. He went back to eating.
Once she came back, it seemed she was ready to.
"Reddy go Serenis!" he responded eagerly, finally climbing completely out of the hole in the sand.
Kara stood and shook off any sand from her body. She clapped lightly and spoke with a very happy voice: "Yay! Lets get a move on then bud- I mean Eihmo'tei. Yes, said it right the first time! Hop on to my shoulder."
The little fox scurried up Kara's shoulder like any normal cat. He then sat behind her neck with his feet resting just above her breasts. "You're so cute! And fluffy!" Kara cheered happily. "Kel, Peri, either of you guys want to take the lead to Cerenis? Can't remember how to get there from here."
Kara was so excited to have a little companion after being so alone for a while. It was comforting for her, and she didn't want to ruin the moment by focusing on where to go. She remembered that Eihmo'tei was still afraid of many things, Kara did her best to comfort him and make sure not to make any rash decisions while carrying him. Eihmo'tei... Didn't he say he was from the desert? What the hell is he doing all the way up here? Well considering my past I wouldnt be surprised with anything at this point. Hey bud, if you want to stay with me, I can help you conquer your fears if you want. Ill show you whatever you want to know.
He did have more jerky.
Kel just smiled at Periwinkle before he turned his head. A gentle eye roll to Kara's comment about slapping him for looking at her breasts - they were right there and they moved, more of a distraction than because he wanted to look at them. He was silently thankful when the girl finally left, he smiled when the little guy corrected him to just Eihmo'tei, but nodded anyway. Sure. Issa Eihmo'tei. S'what he said.
For a moment he had thought the girl left for good, though the sound of someone coming caught him off guard and he leaned away from where she face planted. Mmm, sand. Good breakfast. Then he recalled her earlier words and he just frowned, "From Arca? In a day? All the way from Arca?" The look her gave her was of disbelief but sure okay, why not. Wasn't going to touch that.
Apparently she could get here from Arca in a day but getting to Cerenis was pushing it.
Kel stood up, wiping the sand from his pants and wiggling his feet to get what wasn't clinging to him off. "Maybe you sh--" Kel stopped and watched her put Eihmo'tei on her shoulders, "Now you're more top heavy. Make sure your not-shirt doesn't fall off or you'll be giving a free show to everyone. You know, they've invented shirts," He looked at her bandages before plucking at his own loose white shirt. At least Peri had an excuse for weird clothing - she was from a tribe that lived in the forest.
A gentle sigh and he looked at the sky for a moment before mentally tracking where it had been when he'd left the town. Where the sun had come up. "Well, if you'll follow me," His tail gave a wave while he walked through the sand. Wide steps for his balance as he made his way back to grassy land. "We'll wash those on our way back?" He nodded to Peri off handedly about his fabric, "Unless you just want to go home. Which is fine. If you don't though I can get you breakfast. You've been to Cerenis before right? I imagine with your tribe so close to here you'll have more dealings with humans than mine did." His own tribe had been remote. Locked high in the mountains with nothing to help them with survival.
A polite smile to Eihmo'tei and Kara and he wiped his feet off on the grass and sighed, "Seriously though, why don't you wear... Regular people clothing if you're from Arca?" there was a pause, "And where in the Fire is that guy from? Why doesn't he speak common?"
The little fox looked quite spritely as he hopped onto Kara's shoulders. A completely different creature than the one she'd met at sunrise this morning. A little bit of jerky and a whole caravan to take him to Cerenis and he was a happy critter. Periwinkle smiled.
"You look ready, Eihmo'tei."
Her eyes shifted to Kel as he made his way awkwardly over to the more stable grass. Breakfast? That did sound tempting. The jerky would tide her over, but she was still hungry. A clawed hand drifted absentmindedly to rest over her stomach as she looked in the direction of Cerenis, and then back at her basket of sullied fabric. And, then back to Kel.
Peri grabbed her basket and hefted it up into the branches of a nearby spindly beach tree.
"These can wait. Breakfast sounds great," with her basket secured she made her way over to stand next to Kel and smiled. "Cerenis is where I get all my buttons, I know the way."
With that she twirled the fabric over her shoulders up and around her neck into a scarf and started off toward the seaside town, moving slowly so the rest of their group could follow.
"So..." she looked to Kel. "Where's your tribe, then?"
Eihmo'tei settled in place atop the woman's shoulders. He watched curiously as Kel tugged at the fabric he wore. The fox mirrored this gesture, tugging at his own crude woven tunic. The words were strange to him. He did not understand them. There was still much of the common tongue unknown to the fox-creature, and the confusion was clear on his face.
The puzzled look was broken by the other scaled being. There was one word she spoke that the fox knew, and it excited him.
"Reddy!" he said happily with a wide grin.
And like that, they were moving. As the group left the sands of the beach for more stable earth, the black-scaled man began asking questions. There were two questions in particular that were directed to the fox riding Kara's shoulders. Eihmo'tei understood only some of the words, but did his best to guess the nature of the inquiries.
"M-Me, issa come... issa from... Moraki. Speek common..." he said hesitantly, patting his chest with an open paw.
I knew he was from the desert! Kara smiled as she spoke: "Yay! We're desert siblings! Im from Essyrn I lived just a couple miles away from the Moraki! It's where I got my permanent tan skin-tone!"
Remembering Kel's comment on her clothing: "Well it's mainly for two reasons, one, public nudity wasn't nescessarily looked down upon at least when I waa growing up. I came to Arca looking for work, I'm a master blacksmith give me anything sword, shield, armor, you name it and I'll fix it right up and a no break, chip, or crack guarantee for at least 30 days. Thats not even to sell myself, that's quite literally a fact. No piece of armor, weapon, or anything has come back to me broken in under 30 days. As far the clothing goes, my forge is very hot so light clothing is a go to for me. I would love to get rid of these breasts though, they get in the way a lot more often than I would like."
Kara happily walked along with Eihmo'tei riding on her shoulders. The little fox really grew on her, if only she could teach him how to fight.
Permanent....?
Kel lifted an eyebrow and looked to Peri. Sure why not. The girl was strange. He just listened to the girl talk and more and more her words filtered into one ear and got stuck in the fluff in the middle. 30 days? Was thirty days important? At the mention of her breasts he looked at them again and pursed his lips. "You know there are flesh sculptors in Thanatos that would do away with those, as it is, you're in Serendipity. Wear clothing or people are going to stare at your tits and maybe even try to do more." He started off again, walking in the general direction of Cerenis.
He snorted to the little fox thing, "You really don't speak common. That's okay, I don't speak essyrni. Yet." He smirked and rubbed his ear, stride quick and long, "Aren't you a little young to be a master of anything?" He asked again, looking at Kara, "Don't really look buff enough to be a blacksmith."
Oh really now? Who does this guy think he is? Best to avoid conflict but jeez he's questioning everything I do. Whelp lemme show him. Kara stopped for a moment, taking Eihmo'tei off her shoulders "This'll only be for a second desert buddy. Now Kel was it? I think I need to show you something." Kara placed a hand on her stomach, molten lava appeared around her hand as she reached in herself, in her inner forge. She grabbed Glub-glub a gigantic two-handed black double-head great axe from within herself and planted it in the ground. The axe was twice her size and weighed about 500 pounds.
Kara smirked with an almost evil-like grin: "No I am not too young, masters can even be as young as 16 depending on the field, I forged Glub-glub myself, it's built to withstand any blow and destroy anything that comes in it's way. Try to pick him up. I dare you."
Eihmo'tei held his tongue at the mention of Essyrn. Much time had passed since he had last been there, but the memory of it somewhat soured his good mood.
"Speek Common!" he protested further. "No speek Essyrn too..."
He did not know Essyrn even had its own tongue. Before he could further reflect on this, the fox was taken down and placed on the earth once again. This perplexed Eihmo'tei, who had assumed they would move much farther before stopping. He watched Kara with intrigue. This gave way to confusion, and then horror. The sight of lava, as well as a large item beginning to emerge from her terrified the fox. Instinct once again took over, sending Eihmo'tei swiftly fleeing into the grass.
Peri turned back around when she realized none of the group were really following and nodded along with Kel as he informed Kara about Serendipity's customs.
"He's right, all the humans I've seen around here wear clothing to cover themselves."
The fabric of her scarf partially obscured the lower portion of her face, but it was still clear that her eyes widened and her ears flicked back at the sight of a giant hole that appeared in Kara and the unnecessarily large weapon which emerged from it. Stallers! She thought. This wasn't helping them get to Cerenis at all, unless the giant axe could fly, and as far as she could tell Kel was just goading Kara on.
Out of the corner of her eye, Peri saw Eihmo'tei dart off into the grass at the sight of Kara's showboating and frowned half-imperceptibly from behind her scarf. If the thing were twice Kara's size, no wonder it intimidated the tiny fox.
"Awww, you scared him off again, poor guy. Was it really necessary to do that?" Peri frowned at Kara and walked over to where Eihmo'tei was hiding in the tall grass. "I don't think she was gonna use it on you, don't worry."
Peri held out her hand to the little fox.
"You can walk with me if you want," Peri turned her eyes back to Kara and Kel, brow arched. "Shall we carry on if you're done there?"
Eihmo'tei emerged cautiously from the tall grass. His horrified gaze was locked on the towering weapon in Kara's possession. It would take much time before he felt comfortable being within twenty or thirty feet of it, mostly out of fear that it would fall on him.
"No... normal?"
However amusing it may have seemed, this was a legitimate question that the fox asked. There were many mysterious things that Eihmotei had seen on his journies. Each time, he had found himself taken completely off guard by them while others remained unfazed. So many things were commonly known by these larger creatures that were beyond his comprehension. Was this one of those things, or were the others just as surprised by it as he was?
Kara had completely forgotten about Eihmo'Tei on her shoulder, she could have only imagined how he felt when she brought out Glub-glub. She pulled herself off to the side and put Glub-glub back inside her inner forge. She made her way back to the group as she spoke: "Trust me, Ill dress appropriately, I mean the bandages should be fine, at best I'll just get a LOT of looks from the men of the town."
She made her way over to where Eihmo'tei scurried off and knelt down to the ground holding out a hand: "I'm sorry bud, I didn't mean to scare you like that, if you want to ride with Peri for the time being I understand." Kara really regretted what she had done to the little guy.
That was...
Well.
Pulling a blade out of your lady-forge was pretty disgusting and Kel recoiled at the sight. The rest of what she said turned into white noise while he just stared in mild horror. What an odd woman. "At best," Kel scoffed, "At best you'll get asked how much you charge." He rolled his eyes and started to walk again, avoiding the direction the bear had come from.
"Cerenis is this way," He said, glancing at the rodent, "The more time you worry about who the rat is going to ride on the longer it'll take for us to get it to it's den."
"Ha," Peri laughed, kneeled down near the little fox. "No. No, definitely not normal."
Peri turned to glance at Kara as she stood up. Despite the fact that the Kulshedra were a nomadic people her tribe had always orbited around the town of Cerenis out of convenience for trade, so she wasn't unfamiliar with the culture of the town and the people who resided there. And, with that came the knowledge of how they carried themselves and... How they dressed. She gave Kara a look up and down.
"I have to agree with Kel," she said, straight-faced. "That is not typical attire for Cerenis."
There was no degradation or mocking behind Peri's voice, she just wanted this woman to be prepared for the inevitable propositions.
She turned to the direction Kel had started to walk in, and looked over her shoulder back at Eihmo'Tei, a half-smile showed a bit of her teeth. If they didn't get moving soon, Peri was likely to starve to death, but as long as no one decided to pull any more random things out of their bodies it shouldn't be too long for them to reach the seaside town. She gave the faintest lick of her lips as she conjured up the smell of roasting fish in her mind.
"Well, let's go then!" Peri strode off after Kel. "I'm still hungry, that old jerky'll only hold me for so long. We should be able to make good time from here."
Eihmo'tei followed as the others began to walk, electing to use his own legs for the time being. He took a wary glance at Kara as he started off. This was only the fox's nature. He did not doubt the friendship she had shown him, yet she had proven very unpredictable in the short amount of time in which he knew her. Eihmo'tei had to be cautious, or risk accidental injury from the reckless woman. Especially with her access to even greater sized metal.
The fox looked forward once more, seeing the two scaled people moving much faster than he was on only two legs. He dropped down to all fours, moving quickly to catch up to Peri. Once there, he was able to comfortably match her stride. There was something Kel had said that puzzled him...
"Whassa... Rat?" he asked the woman.
Kara was beyond puzzled, she had lived in Arca for the last 10 years of her life. She would visit the beach at least once every weekend during the summer months. People knew who she was was and the things she did. The comment o her attire bothered her a little more than it should've. As well as the fact she couldn't remember where Cerenis is, even she's been there an uncountable number of times. THIS? Is not normal? Well of course it isnt! Normal is boring, weird is awesome! They wouldn't know though... oh well.
Kara noticed she was lagging behind a tad, she decided to stay that way for a bit. Her actions seemed to be scaring everyone, so being a little reserved would probably be better for the time being. Although... she still couldn't figure out why she doesn't remember how to get to Cerenis.