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Two Wild Children (SilverDragonsBlood)

Started by Kalak8538, February 28, 2018, 01:24:03 PM

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Kalak8538

Plants shook as a shadow moved between them. It was on a hunt, moving with purpose towards its target.

The hunt was taken more from curiosity than hunger. This creature knew not what is was even after. It had never picked up a scent like this before. Prints left behind were familiar in shape to its own, but would mysteriously give way to that of a large cat. Perhaps it was not the only one to be tracking this down this mysterious thing?

It slowed as the scent became stronger and stronger. Stripes moved cautiously onward through the underbrush. The creature stayed low to the ground, patiently advancing. It paused only when it came within eye shot of the being it had tracked. The mystery had been revealed finally, but the sight was more captivating than was expected. It sat and watched curiously from the cover of thick plant life.

Celegwen

Iago flicked his tail impatiently, heading resting on his paws. He was large, often underestimating his size, so finding places to bask in the sun wasn't exactly the easiest for him in the dense forest.

As he laid in what probably seemed like an extremely uncomfortable position, Bakara sat nearby with her knife in hand and freshly killed hare half on her lap. She was skinning the animal for dinner, but was itching to move and do something.

A scent wafted towards them, drawing Iago's attention enough for him to raise his head. They exchanged a look, then Bakara placed the knife and the hare on the ground. She crouched on all fours, swiftly shifting into the form of a cougar. Iago stood, walking slightly behind her, as they approached the brush to investigate the new scent.

Kalak8538

Before its eyes, the one that the creature was tracking had taken a new form. It watched as two large wildcats now approached him. Curiosity had led to a dangerous situation it seemed...

The boy had to do something. The tiger pelt draped over his body did well to make him seem larger than he was, but it would not protect him from overconfident predators. He ran on both hands and feet. At this point, stealth was no longer an option. Nor could he successfully flee. The boy knew very well that he could not escape two such predators on foot. He had to be smarter.

A quick glance would warn of a running tiger, for the striped pelt draped like a cloak over the boy was all that could be seen as he dashed on all fours through the plant life. His target was a narrow tree, not very far away. In all his time in this jungle, he was an excellent judge of the local flora. The target tree was young, sturdy enough to hold him and thin enough to slow the climb for anything larger. From up there, he could deal with his pursuers one at a time.

With the speed of the wildcat whose pelt he wore, the boy flew up the smooth bark of the tree and took position in the thickest branches.

Celegwen

The sight of a tiger was one that Bakara wasn't exactly comfortable with. That being said, the large wildcat fled when the cougars started advancing... That was unusual. Not to mention, it was smaller than most tigers the girl had come across.

Bakara and Iago trotted forward, and she stopped when she saw the tiger scale the tree. Watching, she realized that it wasn't a tiger at all. Was that a boy?

The girl stopped, simply looking in the direction of the boy. She had lost sight of him in the thick branches, but he was human, so approaching as a cougar probably wasn't the brightest idea. Motioning for Iago to stay where he was, the cougar shifted into her human form, furrowing her brows and stepping forward cautiously to see the boy crouching atop a branch. Bakara raised her arms, showing that she wasn't carrying any weapons.

Kalak8538

The boy held his ground up in the branches of the young tree, ready at a moment's notice to defend himself against anything that would come close. He snarled and huffed, exposing his teeth in a bestial manner.

The transformation caught the wild boy's attention. Before his eyes, one of the wildcats had somehow changed its very being into that of another. The resulting creature seemed far less threatening as a result. Still the child remained wary, continuing his attempt at a fearsome primal facade. This thing was in charge of the other cougar, and he was not completely sure if he could trust that...

He remained on his perch, observing this creature's advances.

Celegwen

The girl observed the feral boy's mannerisms, more animal than human. She had come to the jungle when she was eight, but this boy seemed like he had been in the wild his entire life. Had he ever even seen another human?

"Who are you?" Bakara asked, tilting her head curiously to the right. "I'm Bakara."

She waited a moment, hoping for some kind of response, but aware that she probably wasn't going to get one.

Kalak8538

The boy stood his ground, or rather, his tree. From his belt, he drew a bone dagger. Filed to a curving point, it compensated for his own lack of claws.

The strange creature began making sounds. These sounds were more complicated than the typical animal's, and were clearly not understood by the feral child. He responded only by bearing his teeth and huffing in an equally aggressive and defensive fashion.

Celegwen

He can't speak, the girl thought to herself, seeing his display of aggression.

Glancing over at Iago, the girl lowered to her knees, hands in the air. If she couldn't communicate with him in human language, maybe animal-like signs would get through to him. Bakara laid on her side, then eventually rolled onto her back, looking up in the tree for some kind of reaction.

Kalak8538

The display did little but confuse the boy in the tree. He did cease his huffing however, and merely looked down silently at the stranger who was rolling about at the base of his tree. By the look on his face, it was clear that he was trying to understand the movements of the creature below.

Celegwen

Bakara huffed once, rolling over to sit up. She frowned, trying to figure out how to communicate with the boy in the tree. "Get the hare," the girl silently commanded, looking at Iago.

The cougar grumbled, but he trotted away. The girl looked into the tree again, making sure to stay where she was and not frighten the boy any further. Iago returned almost as soon as he had left with the hare and her knife in his mouth. He dropped both of them and laid beside her lazily.

With a smirk, Bakara put the knife aside and took the mostly skinned hare in her hand, lifting it slightly, trying to wordlessly ask if he wanted food.

Kalak8538

The boy shifted his weight upon seeing the mass of meat. He remained on his branch, but took a more comfortable position. His attention was on the hare being presented. It was clear he wanted it. Still, he was slow to trust this creature.

The boy was more relaxed now, and much more silent. His gaze still rose to meet that of the one offering the food before going back down. It even fell to meet the cougars, showing his caution of the large cat that was the creature's apparent companion.

Celegwen

The girl watched him carefully, trying to decipher his signals. Bakara understood animals, so she was familiar with the wild natures of different animals, but she had never encountered a wild human before. It was fascinating to watch the intelligent process in a human who seemed to never have been civilized. She could only wonder what the boy thought of her.

Following his rapidly shifting gaze, the girl smiled with a breathy chuckle. "He's scared," she told Iago. "Go back to the camp."

The cougar, who had just settled again, gave her a momentary glare, before raising himself and trudging back towards the place where she had been skinning the hare. Once he had left, Bakara turned her attention back to the boy in the tree. She sat down a few paces away from the base of the trunk and looked up, again extending the hare to him. "Would you like some?" She asked in the most soothing voice she could, adding a feline purr for what she hoped provided a familiar effect.

Kalak8538

Quite some time had passed by. The boy waited to see where the cougar had gone, anticipating its return somewhere else. He only began to stir when it was apparent that it had left.

The scent of the raw meat tugged at the boy's nostrils. His body followed it reluctantly.
He cleared the branch in an almost feline manner, securing his place with his feet while reaching down with his hands. When the boy was as close to the earth as he could manage, he dropped down, landing on all four extremities.

He slunk across the forest floor, close to the ground as he neared his destination. Movement slowed as he neared the skinned rodent in the woman's hand. Each step was cautious and deliberate. With each twitch of her muscle or gentle movement, he bared his teeth once more and huffed in an attempt to discourage any act of aggression toward him.

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