It was another dry desert day in Essyrn. The bazaar was bustling with activity, as many foreign traders from the North had journeyed in through an illustriously large caravan, drawing the attention of all local merchant prince and princesses alike. Ne'friss was no exception. With her business doing well, her wealth ever growing, greedy eyes were kept upon her. She was unwed, well-to-do, an heiress of an massive and ever expanding empire of trade, a trade in which stretched all across the entire country of Essyrni, from the tropical rein forests of the south, to the grass lands bordering the other countries to the North. She even had connections as far north as Connloath, bringing in a wealth of trade across the entire continent. And she knew how to flaunt herself, reveling in the praise and success of her father's business and enjoying every moment in the lime light.
Jealousy was a wicked tool. And those eyes that watched her, kept gold in their hands, passing it on to men in dark places, playing this scenario like a game. They wanted Ne'friss's empire, her wealth, and they were to acquire it by having her killed. Or taken away, whatever worked best. The slave market could have use for her, a virgin of exquisite beauty.. and with her gone and no heir, it meant the men closest at her side, cousins and other merchants that linked and helped hold up her empire, to profit from such a scheme. And being that she was well naive (though not totally stupid) she had no idea of the jealousy from her cousin, a cousin that had been asking to marry her for some time, or the elder merchants that had once been 'close' friends of her father.
So when it happened, it was a shock to them all. Ne'friss's slaves let out a scream, spilling pots when the men in dark robes came in. Ne'friss had just finished bathing for the day, her body artist, Ne'fala, was just putting on the finishing touches to the black scroll work that was laced across her skin, swirling over the base coat of gold paint that kissed her flesh. So when the commotion was going on inside her own room, she turned her head to stare briskly over her shoulder, her brows furrowing irritably while the beads in her hair clattered together before settling over her painted shoulder.
"Ne' fala, go see what the fuss is about! All of that screaming is making me angry," Ne'friss chuffed.
The woman bowed, but when she went to move, she gasped and dropped the black paint jar on the floor, spilling it at her feet. The very motion irritating Ne'friss as she whirled around to give her a slap, only to find her arm being snatched by a man in dark robes. She gasped in alarm and struck out with her other hand, fighting her way free, to her weapons, to her sais, only to get out a few quick cuts to the men before she was surrounded and her world going to black.
At times she would awaken, finding her body bound in ropes, a gag in her mouth, stifling her breath as she'd looked around desperately. She could hear the creaking of wood. How long had she been out? And more importantly, where was she? Sunlight barely made it to her room where she was in the bowels of a large ship, coming in through rotted and splintered openings in the side.
Salt. She could smell the sea, something she had only ever encountered when she was younger on a long journey with her father. The ocean? Was that where she was? Panicked, she struggled against the ropes but it was to no avail, and this had gone on for days, weeks almost- the time passing endlessly. Occasionally a servant would come by, giving her food and water, but never unbinding her and only doing this once a day. Her mind was going, but her pride was still intact, so when she could speak, she was cursing in both Essyrian and Common tongue.
But it was to no avail.
Then one night, the boat was rocking, thunder booming outside. It did little to scare or make her ill, only sought to frustrate her as she couldn't see, couldn't breath... but then the ship lurched suddenly, there was a crack, a smash, and the sounds of the ocean devouring all around them pounding at her ears. It only took a few moments for the ocean wave to smash and tear the ship apart, sending men, women, cargo alike splintering out into the darkness of the raging storm-
and she was wet, her ears deaf to the storm brewing all around. She was drowning. She was going to die, but then she was whisked away, just as her mind began to fade, her body washing up on a beachy shore at the tail end of the storm.
And she lay silent and still, black hair a mess about the white sandy beaches she lay upon. The gag had come loose from around her mouth, the beads still a mess in her hair, beads still hanging around her body, having gathered sea weed and other muck during the storm. And the paint had all but washed away from her naked flesh, the scattered drapery of beads being hte only thing keeping her modest as the morning sun broke out from the storm clouds off in the distance and rained down upon her like silver and gold.
The port of Ainu wasn't too far away, and the Essyrian merchant princess would have no idea she was in the Island Nation of Yoreiq, thousands of miles from her desert home in the south.
Kaneo leapt from the branch he had been waiting on for prey, his wings snapping out to their full span, carrying him to another tree. He had been hunting, but he had already speared several small jungle mammals, which hung at his waist, and he had spied something more interesting in the distance.
The mast of a ship, spearing up through the ocean northeast of Ainu like a shattered rib through the chest of a fallen warrior. Kaneo had noticed the storm last night, obviously, but had not though much of it. However, a shipwreck - this was an interesting find. Maybe he and some of his friends could go explore it...
As Kaneo closed in on the now not-so-distant shore, leaping between the trees, he noticed something on the beach - a person, near-naked, black hair fanning out in stark contrast to the pale sand. Curious and concerned, he propelled himself from his tree into full flight, swooping down to the beach and landing a few metres away from the mass scattered seaweed and beads surrounding what he now recognised as a girl, about the same age as himself.
Despite all the scatterings from the demolished ship that had washed up on shore, it seemed like any other peaceful day on the islands. The sun was now shining, birds were singing, and the gulls were hoovering over head, collecting in groups over the beaches and searching the splinters of wood on shore for potential food. One particular gull was hopping about in the sands, just a few feet away from Ne'friss as it cocked it's head to one side and spied a lump of sea weed tangled about her foot.
For a good long while, it's beady eyes stared at the seaweed before it hopped forward a few paces and gave a peck, plucking the seaweed but also nipping Ne'friss's toe. That was enough to prod the unconscious merchant princess awake as Ne'friss let out a shrill cry, scaring all the gulls away. Breath caught in her throat, she began to choke and expel sand and salt waters from her mouth onto the beaches as her hands clutched into the white sands. And just as she had finally caught her breath, a lazy wave came rolling in, spilling across the sands and carrying a light layer of foam across her, that lapped at her folded legs.
Blinking, Ne'friss stared down, only then noticing the sands around her were not the raw color of the Moraki desert, and certainly this salty smelling water was not from an oasis. She turned her head around, peering over her shoulder while beads from her hair and meager clothing clattering about as her dark eyes searched into the world around her. And all she could see was an endless stretch of beach and waves, an ocean holding an eternal amount of water against the sky.
As the girl sputtered into wakefulness, pulling herself upright in a panic and staring out to sea, Kaneo took another step towards her.
"Hello?" he called in the Yoreiqi language. "Are you alright?"
Ne'friss hadn't noticed the Yoreiqi boy and turned around with a start. His words grated on her nerves, sounded garbled and foreign as her face twisted in irritation. She bared her teeth, breathing out a hiss, and a curse in her own language before her wits returned to her and she realized she must not be any where near her home, and perhaps this stranger spoke common.
"Where am I? What is this place?" she demanded. Her eyes darted around suspiciously, her lips in a tight frown. Though as she moved to rise off the ground, her legs, weak from her tumble in the ocean, failed her as she let out a noise and began to fall over back towards the sands. She hadn't realized her legs were still bound. Though it was ironic the ropes on her wrists had come free during the storm, having been torn apart in the middle, leaving just coils around her wrists.
"Where?" Kaneo replied in Common. "We in Yoreiq. Here. How...how you..." He struggled with the unfamiliar tongue, and eventually gave up and broke into Yoreiqi. "How did you get here? Were you on that ship that was wrecked last night? What happened?" He extended a hand to help the foreigner up, as she seemed weak and tired, unable to stand on her own. However, he then noticed the bonds on her legs. Kaneo drew his knife from his belt, and crouched, preparing to cut the ropes.
His tongue was crude. Obviously common was not his native language, but at least he knew some of it. Though where the hell was Yoreiq? Some peculiar town? Perhaps on the ocean. Had she gone so far north as Serendipity? But Serenians knew common.. this tongue was well... different.
Her face twisted irritably again as he started prattling off in his native tongue. Then he drew near her, and she hissed, baring her teeth and slapped his hands away. A common boy was not allowed to touch her! Not without her permission! Though as she struck out, she lost her balance again and fell onto her sides in the sands.
At first she had to wonder if her legs were broken, or worse. And her head was pounding, her vision a bit dizzy as she held a hand against her temple in a failed attempt to get the world to stop spinning.
And despite the woman having awoken, the gull from earlier drew curiously nearer. There was so much sea weed tangled about in the bead work of her 'clothes', that it was grower bolder, one hop at a time. So by the time it reached her when she collapsed onto her side, it noticed the juicy seaweed that was jutting out between coils of beads on her back, laying near her upper thigh.
It waited a moment, beady eyes upon it before it struck forward, grabbed the seaweed, nipping at her skin (again) as Ne'friss sat up with another cry. And the bird flew off, his second banditry of seaweed in tow.
Oh! How she already hated this dreadful place!
Kaneo leapt back a step at the girl's hiss, but caught his balance and calmed himself. She obviously didn't know Yoreiqi, so he would try common again. He cleared his mind. "Sorry. You in Yoreiq. Island, south and west from Le'raana. I name Kaneo. Understand?"
Ne'friss lifted her face towards him, a scowl of irritation twisting her features again.
"An Island!?" At first she couldn't comprehend it, but then things started coming back to her-
the men in black.. the creaking of the ship... the smell of the sea... then how it all went to black... she began to piece it back together and turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes resting upon the wood and debris.
She had been taken on a ship. This ship had sunk. Who knows where it was destined. But now she was here. Where ever here was. Even when the boy had told her, the words meant little to her. She gave a hot sigh through her nose, brows dipping even lower as she tried to push herself to at least sit up. It seems her legs were useless, but she hadn't come to realize they were still bound until her eyes landed upon the rope. Leaning forward, she tried to untie it, but gave up after a few frustrating minutes. The knots were soaked and bound far too tightly for her to undo the knot, and the rope had become so tight around her ankles they were sinking into her skin and there was no wiggle room to slip it off. So after a few minutes, she gave up, sighing irritably and slammed her hands angrily into the sands.
Kaneo watched the girl struggling for a few minutes, before speaking up again. "Rope. I help?" He eagerly proffered his knife, making it clear that he wished to cut her bonds, rather than her.
At his words she lifted her head suddenly and blinked. Ne'friss seemed to go cross-eyed a moment as her green eyes examined the knife, then she growled and threw her chest out, and held her head up high.
"Yes!" she demanded. "Cut the rope! I want it off my legs now!"
He didn't fully understand the girl's Common, but the general meaning was clear. He knelt down in front of her, and carefully severed the rope. Standing again, sheathing his knife, Kaneo extended a hand to the girl.
Ne'friss was elated when the ropes were cut, taking the man's hand as she pulled herself up to stand, only to find her legs were numb from being bound and gave out beneath her. Gasping, she fell against him, arms catching around his awkwardly so she wouldn't fall.
The girl was clearly very weak - Kaneo didn't blame her, he would be too if he'd just been tossed out of a ship and into the fury of the ocean. As she pulled herself up, only to fall against him, he took her by the hands and helped her to steady herself.
"You...alright? You hurt?" He asked in faltering Common.
Ne'friss looked up at him, her eyes burning with rage (and embarrassment). So when she tried to pull herself away from him, she simply fell back against the man with an audible 'ooomf'! Her mind was still rattled over the idea, but as she held onto him she growled, "I am fine! My legs just seem weak!" She obviously did not look injured! She felt no wounds, however, her legs becoming useless was a bit worrisome, which only caused her more irritation. She was fiercely independent, so the idea this stranger was necessary for her to simply stand grated on her nerves to no end.
As Kaneo steadied himself in order to support the girl, his wings flared out behind him, reminding him that she had none. "You...not wings," he pointed out. "Ainu very distance. Slow. And, you walk no." Kaneo frowned, trying to think of how he would get this girl to someone who spoke Common fluently, and ideally a ship home.
The moment the wings came out, she finally realized he was not fully human (or if he were, he were some strange breed indeed) as she let out a gasp, pushed herself out of his arms and fell back over onto her bottom in the sands. Her green eye remained wide as she looked at him, as if having just seen a ghost.
"You.. you have wings!?"
A look of confusion crossed Kaneo's face as the foreigner fell back in surprise. "Wings? Yes...I wings. You tribe no?" He turned around to show them to her, stretching the stony grey and turquoise pinions out to their full, impressive span of about twenty feet.
For a moment, all Ne'friss could do was stare. Despite being throttled about in the ocean, being totally out of her element, to see the wings, so intricate and beautiful upon his back, took her mind away from her current predicament (at least for that moment). And though they were something she had never seen, she could tell they were powerful, a wide wing span that made the wings of the vultures from the desert seem small and weak in comparison.
It took her a moment to realize what question he asked, and she hadn't realized she had been smiling as her face twisted at the question.
"Tribe? No," she said indignantly, moving to lean up on her hands (though she still couldn't stand, her legs began to tingle and return with feeling- a tingling that tickled at first, but soon began to hurt.) "I am a princess. A merchant princess from Essyrn."
You know, Essyrn.. the most powerful nation in the world! Clearly this island dweller must be aware of that great empire. But then again, she had never heard of such a small island before, so perhaps these people were more primitive? It was hard to tell, and she took a moment just then to take in his clothing, his tattoes, his skin and hair, all of it. He was handsome enough (she supposed), the wings adding to some charm. But weren't these humanoid creatures peculiar? His common (how broken it was) grated on her nerves, so any handsomeness on him was easily lost if he were to speak again.
This was going to be a long day, she just knew it.
Kaneo turned at the girl's words, pulling his wings back in partly. "Essyrn? I...I friend talk Essyrn. He at Ainu." He paused, considering the journey that undoubtedly lay ahead. "I name Kaneo. You name?"
Yes, any charm he held was lost greatly at his horrible sounding common. She rolled her eyes a bit, staring off incredulously towards the ocean before she sighed.
"You can call me Ne'friss," she said with a sniff. "And this.. er.. friend of yours. You said he's at Ainu? Where is Ainu?" For all she knew Ainu was another island all together.
"Ainu...Ainu is port of Yoreiq. East from here. Half day flight." Kaneo walked towards her. "Ne'friss..." He attempted the traditional Yoreiqi greeting of a nose bump - surely the foreigner would at least know of this.
Half a day? Flight? As if she had wings! She was about to retort, explain to him they MUST get there faster, when suddenly he was repeating her name and moving forward. She reared back, his nose nearly bumping her as she gave a cry of alarm and struck out, slapping his cheek, but instead of being able to hit him, when she had reared back, she lost her balance, and ended up falling onto her back in the sand.
Dizzily, she rubbed at her eyes, staring up at the cloudless sky above her, feeling herself succumbing to either a fever, or some sort of dizzy spell, she was not sure which as her eyes grew heavy and began to close, the world around her beginning to fade to white.
Kaneo leapt backwards at her outburst, his wings reflexively lifting him a few feet off the ground before landing. Confusion crossed his face - obviously Ne'friss did not know the customs of the Yoreiqi. He supposed he should have expected this...
As Kaneo deliberated over his next action, he noticed the girl sinking to the ground, all of her energy apparently having been exerted. Concerned, he stepped towards her, reaching out a hand, as she sank to the ground, unconscious. Kaneo knelt next to her, checking for breath - Ne'friss was alive. This at least was good, considering what she had been through this morning, but Kaneo had no idea how he was going to get this girl to Ainu. He was beginning to grow hungry - spirits knew how long it had been since she had eaten - but he could not leave Ne'friss alone on the beach.
Kaneo turned the girl onto her back, and rested her head against the root of a tree at the edge of the jungle. As he deftly prepared to cook the animals he had killed on the morning's hunt - he had no other choice, under the circumstances - he was able to look properly at Ne'friss, and noticed that whilst she still looked strange and foreign to him, the girl was stunningly beautiful. Perhaps later, when she was stronger and more awake...
No! Kaneo chided himself for these thoughts - his responsibility at the moment was ensuring that Ne'friss survived and reached Ainu safely, and he was not going to take advantage of her stressed, weakened mind. Shaking his head, the hunter returned to preparing food, and gathering water from a nearby jungle stream that ran into the ocean.
She awoke to the smells of cooking meat and the crackle of a fire. Scrunching her face, she stretched and yawned while rubbing at her eyes. Her head was still pounding (she was dehydrated after all, and famished), so as she rose and the smells continued to entice her, she felt her stomach growl before she opened her green eyes. They instantly fell upon the meat that was cooking and she felt her mouth salivating over the prospect of food. And as she moved to rise from where she had been laying, she paused when she noticed the young man tending to the fire and meats.
As Kaneo spit-roasted the food he had gathered, he heard Ne'friss awaken behind him. As she got up, he turned, and smiled. He had had time to practice his Common whilst she was out cold.
"Are - are you alright? You want meat?" He slid one of the kaote - small, squirrel-like mammals - that was now cooked off of the spit, and offered it to her. As she took the meat, Kaneo leapt skywards, wings beating down behind him in one powerful stroke, and snatched a coconut from a tree. As he landed, he split the shell in two with one clean blow from his knife, pouring away the milk. He then filled the two impromptu cups from the stream, and handed one to Ne'friss.
Ne'friss blinked simply at his question, but when the meat was offered to her, she snatched it up, ignoring all manners and began to devour it furiously, grease and juices from the meat slicking her fingers and lips. Though when he suddenly took flight, her eyes went wide as she stared at him in awe, a piece of the meat having fallen from her mouth in a plop upon the grasses and sands. She licked at her lips, stared down at the coconut and watched how he managed to split the peculiar ball in half and poured a drink from it. It looked like some sort of milk.
When he offered her some, she stared at it warily before taking it in hand and lookign it over. But she was do thirsty, it didn't take long for her to drink it down. though the flavor was different, it wasn't entirely unwelcomed, just not expected as she nearly choked over it.
She pounded a hand lightly to her chest, controlled her fit of coughing, before tossing her head back and guzzling the rest down. And no sooner was that disposed of did she reached for out to snatch at any more meat that was present. She needed food. She was starving, and she was used to just getting whatever she wanted.
Kaneo watched the girl devouring the food with gusto as he chewed on his own kaote fillet - she was obviously starving hungry, and needed the food, however if he was going to get more, he would need Ne'friss to be more independent so he could leave her alone as he flew off in search of prey, or indeed other winged Yoreiqi to help him.
Kaneo certainly couldn't carry the girl whilst in flight, but maybe with the help of one other willing Yoreiqi, he could. Indeed, if he could find another islander, they might speak Essyrni, or at least better Common than he did. In the half-hour or so that Ne'friss had slept for, whilst the meat had been cooking over the small fire he had made, Kaneo had been able to sit down and practice the basic Common he had been taught as a boy, by the hunter to whom he had been apprenticed.
Ne'friss was stuffing her face until she just about had her fill, when she slowed down and paused to observe.. the winged boy was just watching her. Cautiously, her eyes took him in, from the hair ontop of his head, to the color of his skin and tattoos, to the type of colorful clothing he wore, then to his wings. Those she stared at skeptically. They were unique to say the least, and added a sort of exoticness to the young man that intrigued her, so she tossed her head back and asked, "Do all your people have wings?"
If so, perhaps she could find herself a servant lover while here on this island, where ever it was Yoreiq was. Having a child born with wings would certainly make her more popular and become even more famous for it. And to think.. if she had a servant as such, all the better! A servant who was handsome, hands down. And this food- it was different. She had meat before but this was unique, as was the strange milk. Perhaps this kidnapping was a blessing in disguise. She could broaden her empire by taking in trade from an island such as this. Especially for servants and slaves and whatever other exotic treasures it might hold.
Kaneo turned at the girl's question, and replied, "All Yoreiqi have wings? Not all. Many, though. Also, sorry for bad Common. I not - I do not speak it often." He looked off eastwards, into the jungle. "We need go to Ainu. It is very far. We will be slow."
Ne'friss lifted her head, listening to him speak clearly.
"So you say this place is an island?" she spoke, looking back to the ocean, then over to the jungle where he indicated Ainu was, a place he thought she ought to go. She set her jaw, thinking it over then nodded her head.
"If you feel that is the best location for me to be, so be it." She eyed him up, then turned away with a proud sniff. "Let us be off to Ainu then." There was no sense in being here, even still, she took a moment to stare back at the ocean. It was beautiful, especially the way the sun crested over the storm clouds off int he distance, and how the skies sparkled on the water's surface. So much water.. and it appeared to move, as if alive. It was definitely a place to behold.
Drawing a hand to her chest, she realized her beaded clothing was all in a tangle, and gasped when she realized so were the beads in her hair, so as she stood there, she began to work at untangling them, and plucked off any seaweed she found along the way, and a few clumps were uncomfortably wedged into the back half of her dress, forcing her to reach in awkward angles to get them as she grunted and pried the seaweed free.
"It is the four hour from walehaowe," Kaneo informed her, intending to make an estimate of how long it would take them to walk to Ainu through the dense, predator-filled jungle - he did not know the Common word for lightbirth, the start of the day. However, as he turned back to Ne'friss, he noticed that she was having trouble with seaweed getting stuck in her strange, foreign clothing. Taking a step forward, he asked "I help, Ne'friss?"
Startled by the man's close proximity, Ne'friss took a step back. Blinking, she took in his words and her face scrunched in question.
"Help?"
Help with what?
She didn't realize she still had globs of tangled sea weed all over her back, or some unflattering pieces of debris in her hair. She was ever alert, tense, and still wasn't sure what to make of this islander. He seemed friendly enough, but then again, she had to be cautious. This was not her home, and she had (somehow) survived a ship wreck.
Kaneo realised that the girl had not noticed the variety of debris that had become entangled in her hair and clothes, and tried to point this out to her.
"Your - your..." Not knowing the Common word, he pointed to her hair and dress. "Sea plants. Stuck - I help?"
Sea plants? Ne'friss's brow furrowed at the question, but when her eyes followed his,s he noticed more of the gunky seaweed, though when she tried to reach them, she could not. So with a huff,s he turned her back to Kaneo and stated. "Yes," and pointed right at him. "YOU help!" This short, choppy dialogue was SO irritating, but she had little choice, so as she kept her back to Kaneo, she lifted up her hair, only to grimace as she realized how much gritty sands were now in it and seaweed as well. She'd need a bath after this was all said and done.
"Get the plants off of me now."
For once, the meaning of the girl's Common was clear, and as she turned her back on Kaneo, he stepped within reach of her, and began to remove the various pieces of seaweed that had become entangled in her beads and hair. Ne'friss' skin was warm - abnormally warm, even for someone who had spent the last few hours in Yoreiq. Kaneo furrowed his brow - perhaps she had a fever, or something similar.
He was no medicine man - he did not know even the most basic of blood magics - so if Ne'friss was ill, this was all the more reason for them to get to Ainu quickly. As he removed the last piece of seaweed, he turned her around by the shoulder and looked at her, worried.
"Are you alright? Your skin...hot."
When Ne'friss was turned around, even the simple action made her dizzy and she held onto his shoulder for support. But at his words, her face scrunched at the question.
"What are you talking about?" she righted herself, keeping her chin up proudly. "I am fine!"
Though she DID have a fever, she wasn't about to admit that to this... this islander.
Ne'friss asserted that she was unharmed, but Kaneo knew better. Not about to argue with the girl, however, he shrugged, causing his wings to flare out backwards slightly, and turned towards the jungle, still supporting her.
"We will walk now. Ready?"
Ne'friss was relieved when he didn't press the issue, and took in the way his wings reacted to his body. It was an attractive feature, these wings, and something she would have to question later. So when he asked if she was ready, she simply nodded her head.
"As ready as I'll ever be. My legs are sore, but I should manage," she said, though her voice was still laced with some irritation, she was anxious to get moving. The sooner they got to 'Ainu', the better.
Kaneo took his knife in his free hand, and together they walked into the jungle. Within minutes, the light from the sun was almost completely gone, mottled shadows crisscrossing the undergrowth through which the two trekked. At the movement of a large shadow off to the left, Ne'friss started, but Kaneo reassured her.
"Predators. Large animals. Too bright now for danger. At night, we camp in tree. Safe. I will carry you, branch to branch. You are light enough." For now, however, they kept walking.
OOC: Hey, just an fyi- don't presume actions on my characters (or reactions) X3
Since Ne'friss is my character, please let me control if she gets startled :3
For now I'll just go with it <3
And woo, we made it to three pages!
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Ne'friss was nearly blinded by how densely the trees rose up around them, acting as a blinding canopy of the sun. Though as her eyes adjusted, she was amazed at all of the flora and fauna growing here. But at the sudden movement of a shadow, and the haze of the fever she was sporting, she found herself gasping and pressing nearer to Kaneo. But then at his words, she peered up at him. This place reminded her of the Jungles int he South of Essyrn. Was she in the jungles, or some form of islands nearby? Though if that were the case, this young man should have been well versed in Essyrn. So her brief moment of hope left her int he same, fleeting instant as she sighed. They hadn't gone far and she was already getting exhausted, her skin on fire as it began to sweat. But she was too out of it to complain and simply followed, her legs moving though her eyes growing too heavy to concentrate.
"What.. what sort of large animals?" she asked, curious if there might be lions or tigers here, like in Essyrn. If so, she recalled her father warning her about how dangerous they were, and she felt fear prickle at her skin. Without a caravan to protect her, she felt vulnerable. She never went anywhere without her maids, or without her armed guard. So it was hard to swallow it was just her and Kaneo now trekking through this unknown terrain.
Though as she pressed on, her ears picked up tot he sounds of a nearby stream and water fall.
"W-water.." She turned to Kaneo. "Can we stop there for a rest and drink?" she felt dirty, the salt waters from the ocean still sticking to her skin, the paint (or what remained of it,) was caked to her unconfortably as well, and she still felt the sticky residue of the sea plants on her skin.
OOC: sorry, won't happen again.
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"Water? Yes, alright," Kaneo said, leading her to a nearby stream - the same one, indeed, from which he had got water earlier. As he took some water in half of a coconut shell and offered it to Ne'friss, he sat, looking off into the jungle, and answered her earlier question. "Yoreiq animals? Many, different. Most only when night. I...I not know Common names. Heotal. Ourass. Very dangerous." Kaneo looked back to Ne'friss. "Ready for continue?"
OOC: It's ok! No worries, it happens~ and thanks :3
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Ne'friss was thankful for the water, ignoring the shell used for a cup as she'd take her own hands to the water, scoop the water desperately to her lips and then after taking a few frantic drinks, she began to splash water against her face in order to cool herself off. Her skin was still on fire, and it wasn't long before she was splashing the water all over her body as she leaned over in the shallow waters, knees sinking into the rocks there as she stared down at her reflection, now morphed by the moving waters. The kohl beneath her eyes were such a mess. It was bleeding down from her eyes, as if she had shed black tears. She moved her fingers to rub it away, leaving just a light ring beneath her eyes before working at the grit and gunk in her hair.
The water wasn't too deep, she would have preferred a river, but this would have to do, so as she worked at her hair, she turned to Kaneo at his question.
She supposed she was clean enough and moved to wipe the dribbling waters off of her chin. She simply nodded. They had to get to Ainu, she supposed, so little else could be done here.
Kaneo smiled slightly, glad to be moving again - although he would have much preferred to be flying. He set off upstream, staying closer to the stream this time in case Ne'friss needed another drink. The Yoreiqi surveyed the trees around him and ahead on their path - they would need somewhere to hide from the beasts come nightfall, and the sun was already on its way down.
Ne'friss was already tired. She was used to being carried about when traveling and found a nearby tree to lean against.
"How much farther is this.. Ainu?" she asked, frowning and closing her eyes as she tiredly leaned against the tree.
"Ainu? I do not exactly. Half day flight." Kaneo replied. "You need help?"
Ne'friss kept her eyes closed. Her skin felt hot, and was sticky with sweat from travel. She simply nodded her head.
"I feel exhausted. I am not used to all of this walking. Normally my servants carry me when I need to travel far distances," she explained through a sigh. Then she peered over at him warily. "How would you plan to help?" She studied him, he seemed strong enough. "Perhaps if you were to simply carry me we could continue, but I do not think I could go another minute on foot."
"I support...if need to rest, I carry in me arms, to tree. We rest early, now?" The sun was beginning to set, and they would not lose too much time if they were to make camp now.
Ne'friss blinked at all of his garbled common speak. But she got the gist of it.
"Yes, resting now would be good,"s he said in a patronizing tone.
"Alright," replied Kaneo, and looked around for a suitable tree. He found one a little way off of their path, to the right, with a wide branch quite high up, and a hollow where it joined the trunk. He would need to make sure Ne'friss did not fall out during the night, but otherwise this was perfect. Kaneo put an arm round Ne'friss' shoulder to support her, and they walked over to the tree.
Kaneo looked up at the branch of the massive jungle tree, then back to Ne'friss. "I carry you in arms; we fly. Ready?"
Ne'friss took in what he said, then looked up at the tree, then back at Kaneo.
"Are you sure it's safe for you to fly me up there?" It would hurt, after all, if she fell from it.
"Yes," he replied to the girl's concern. "Some Yoreiqi...no wings. I have do before."
Ne'friss cringed, still uncertain about this. That, and the fact she was still easily irritated by his stupid accent. So she said nothing, huffing once and looking away.
But after a time, she finally turned to him impatiently and said, "Well, what are we waiting for? I thought you were going to fly me somewhere?" You know, like int the tree tops?
"Yes. Fly," Kaneo responded, slightly irritated by her impatience and imperious, condescending air. "I take you in arms, like child. Fly to branch - sleep." He stepped towards her, and moved to pick up Ne'friss in his strong, tanned arms.
Ne'friss wasn't liking his attitude, and glared at him defiantly before he suddenly scooped her up into his arms. Then, with her arms wrapped around him, she had to ask the question again, growing impatient.
"I thought you said fly, doesn't that mean you ought to be using your wings?" Really, what were they standing around for? If they were to go into the tree, they should just be done with it already!
OOC: lol, poor Kaneo.
Kaneo looked down at her, somewhat annoyed by now. Looking up again into the tree, he snapped out his wings, crouched slightly, and leapt into the air. He beat them once more, straining against gravity, and that carried the pair of them to the branch. Kaneo landed, breathing heavily, but still had the strength to set Ne'friss down gently in the hollow where the branch met the tree. He sat down on the edge of the branch, recovering from the exertion of the brief flight.
Ne'friss gave a yelp as they suddenly became airborne. She clung onto Kaneo, her heart racing within her chest. Once her legs were on solid ground, she turned to him suddenly and out of instinct, gave him a slap. Naturally, the poor Yoreiqi did not deserve it, but it was the first thing she thought to do, and well, while he was carrying her, his hands had slipped underneath the meager bead work that fell in loose drapery about her body, barely covering her,a nd really only giving Kaneo he chance to hold onto her against her bare skin. But still! Men were not to touch her in such an intimate way, and so she simply reacted as such, even when he had done so to help her. But it was evident in her eyes that even she was startled by her own reaction as she reared back, eyes wide and stumbled against the tree's trunk, which she had to clutch onto in order not to fall.
OOC: Lol hope it's ok she slapped him- if not, I can adjust my post X3 just creating more fun conflict :D
OOC: it's fine :p
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Kaneo reeled at the blow, staggering back slightly. What had he done wrong? All the Yoreiqi had done was pick up Ne'friss, and fly her to the branch. He had even set her down as gently as possible, tired out from the exertion of lifting the weight of two with the wings of one.
"S-sorry?" he said. "Why hit?"
Ne'friss's eyes burned, as did her cheeks (though her cheeks more with embarrassment) while her eyes brewed with a subtle rage. She knew he wasn't really guilty, but it was the principle of the thing as she threw her shoulders back and jutted out her chin.
"Because you were careless and touched my flesh."
And it was only when she realized as she threw her shoulders back her chest had jutted out,a nd was completely exposed. He would have been able to see everything; that was, until she realized it with a light gasped and then a growl as her fingers worked deftly to untangle the bead work necklaces and smoothed then back over her body, keeping her more modest, but still showing outlines of what was underneath, so it would be easy to piece into one's imagination what she had just hidden from view. Either way, she looked back over at him arrogantly with a sneer.
"Men are not allowed to touch," she said simply, while glaring at him. Even on accident. SHe was only for looking at, after all! And she rather liked it that way. So the fact he had actually gotten a chance to get under her beads, i thad her in a most peculiarly awkward and irate mood.
OOC: lol - she needs to get better clothing XD
"I-I no understand," Kaneo said in confusion. To a Yoreiqi, nothing he had done was at all out of line - in fact, he was confused as to why she was wearing such strange, concealing clothing, let alone why she was so angry at it partially coming off. As she struggled with it, Kaneo, thinking (completely logically for an islander) that she was trying to get it off, stepped forwards and reached out a hand to help her.
Ne'friss gasped when Kaneo stepped forward to assist, but instead of helping her adjust the beads so she was actually made modest, she found he was actually beginning to take them off!
"AYA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" she roared in Essyrni, slapping his hand and rearing away. Her hands now clutched onto her beaded clothing, forcing the beads to clatter together as her eyes flared with rage.
"Didn't I just tell you NOT to touch me!?" she hissed in common.
Kaneo, now completely bewildered, stepped back, using his wings to balance on the thinner part of the branch. The Essyrni culture must have been very different from his own...he guessed it was probably a good idea to respect the girl's culture, and leave her outlandish, concealing garb alone.
"Sorry," he said. "I - I not right know Essyrn culture. Sorry."
Ne'friss narrowed her gaze sharply at the boy, raising up her chin in arrogance, even through the boy's apology. His horrible common was also still grating on her nerves. She wondered if she'd ever get used to it. Probably not.
"Yes, Essyrni culture shows respect. Besides," she said, with a wave of her hand. "I'm a merchant princess." The title came out almost like a hiss. "Men are to look at me, but never to touch. Only I can say when one is allowed." Really, how barbaric was this island nation of people anyway?
Kaneo didn't really understand what Ne'friss was saying, but he got the gist - he was not to touch her. He nodded, shrugged, and then leapt to a higher, thinner branch, gathering sticks and leaves to make a shelter. After a few minutes, he flew down, and began to build a small teepee, big enough for the two of them, at the base of the branch. There was an opening just large enough for Kaneo to crawl through with his wings, outside of which he left his knife and bag with the remaining fruit and nuts in it. He covered the floor of the shelter with a dexterously-crafted mat of large leaves.
While Kaneo worked, Ne'friss was soon growing bored as she idly plucked away any dirt or smudges on her beaded clothing. She wasn't about to lift a finger to help (not that she would be able to anyways, nor was it in her personality to do so) so she simply yawned and leaned back into the tree, until her eyes grew heavy and she had suddenly fallen asleep.
By the time the shelter was finished, Kaneo noticed that Ne'friss was asleep. Gently, being careful not to wake her up, he moved the girl into the shelter and laid her down, leaving enough room for him to sleep. Kaneo left the shelter for a while, and circled the tree for a while, silhouetted against the setting sun. When it finally began to get dark, and he heard the sounds of the night predators beginning to awaken, he landed again. The Yoreiqi returned to the shelter, and curled up next to Ne'friss, being careful not to touch the beautiful princess. As he fell asleep, the last thing Kaneo saw was the final vestiges of the setting sun accenting her beauteous features.
They might have been in the tropics, but at night, it had gotten dreadfully cold. Ne'friss hadn't truly awoken, but just enough to find herself snuggling in against Kaneo, where her body settled back into a sigh once she was enjoying his body heat against her own. Then back off to sleep she went, only awakened once by the sudden hooting howl of a night time creature. She sat up in alarm, her head smacking off of Kaneo as she winced in pain and rubbed at her head, swearing in Essyrni.
"What was that!?"
Kaneo awoke abruptly to find Ne'friss much closer than when he had fallen asleep, but angry, asking him about something. The cry of the heotal came again, and he informed her,
"Was heotal. No danger. He only hunt on floor." Kaneo smiled reassuringly in the dark, and tried to go back to sleep.
Ne'friss looked around, startled by the cry again as she leaned in closer towards Kaneo.
"Yes, but what is heotal?" she asked angrily. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. How could this man just go back to sleep when something that made such a dreadful noise was a foot!?
Kaneo opened his eyes again, surprised by the question.
"Heotal...large beast. Knife hands, knife mouth. Very fast. Eat meat. But he only on floor, and only at night - eyes hurt with sun. Sometime we fly, laugh him. He no danger."
As Kaneo explained, it didn't help Ne'friss feel much better.
"So you're saying some creature with sharp hands and mouth is lurking and we shouldn't worry about it?" Well, to be fair, Kaneohad given her fair warning about why they were sleeping in trees. But she couldn't help herself but worry as she sat there, drawing her knees against her belly as she stared down at the darkness below the trees. And when the howl came again, followed by another monstrous hiss, she found herself clinging onto Kaneo's arm.
"Can't you... you make these creatures go away so we can sleep?" She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to sleep through the night knowing those things were out there.
Kaneo frowned.
"No...sorry. Need fire, shouts, more wing people. Alone, I only bring more beasts." He looked back at her. "Will be fine. No worry. Sleep?" Despite her earlier demands, Ne'friss was now clinging onto his arm, so Kaneo laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and smiled, lit by the faint moonlight as Ne'friss looked out, worried, over the jungle.
Ne'friss continued to frown. Kaneo's words did not comfort her.
"Then if we're stuck like this," she began, scooting herself closer to him so her skin sealed against his side. "Then you have to stay close and protect me." It wasn't a question, rather an order, and she didn't even bother to glance his way as she cast her green eyes warily out into the darkness of the jungle, her heart still beating fast.
Kaneo, recognising the word protect if nothing else, in his tired state, put an arm round Ne'friss's shoulder reassuringly.
"Alright," he said, "but we need sleep for next day journey, no?" He drew back into the dark of the shelter, away from the opening. "My knife close - we fine," Kaneo assured her.
Ne'friss wasn't quite as reassured as he was, but his confidence was at least a little comforting. Sighing, she shook her head, the beads rattling in her hair.
"And just what would a knife do against a beast?" she asked, finally turning to look at him.
"I fly - down, stab, up, down, stab, up, down, stab, up," he told her. "Now we sleep?" Truth be told, Kaneo was getting tired, and just wanted to sleep - he was actually a lot less confident than he said, and kept the knowledge of certain beasts from Ne'friss to avoid scaring her needlessly. Like the ones that could climb.
Ne'friss blinked as he explained. She wasn't stupid. She didn't need all of the directions he was spitting out at her as she narrowed her gaze.
"Perhaps you ought to stay awake and be on watch." she siad, pushing him with her arm. "Just to make sure none of them decide to grow wings and come up here and snack on us." She said, tearing her eyes away from him only whens he heard another hiss inside the tree, but for all she knew, it might have just been the wind. Ugh, her heart was beating a million miles a minute, and despite herself, she was clinging onto Kaneo's arm again.
"We fine," he insisted, "and truth, I tired. No danger. Sleep." Kaneo laid down in the shelter, and tried to close his eyes.
Ne'friss, agitated over her fear, and this man's blatant ignorance towards it, balled her hands into fists and struck him harshly across the shoulder.
"I command you to stay up on watch!" she shouted, so angry her fists began to shake.
Not really feeling the blow, Kaneo sensed her anger nonetheless and acquiesced.
"Alright, I watch." He sat at the entrance to the shelter, looking off into the jungle. The Yoreiqi planned to go to sleep as soon as Ne'friss did, but he wasn't exactly going to tell her that.
Making the most of the time before she fell asleep, he flew up the tree a bit and broke off a branch about three feet long, and an inch in diameter, and tied his bone knife to the tip with a thin vine, making a spear. If he did need to fight - although Kaneo doubted this would be the case - then this would make a better weapon than his knife alone. He sat outside the shelter again, and waited for Ne'friss to sleep.
Ne'friss watched him, unable to sleep now that she was a ball of nerves. So after a time, she crawled over towards the entrance and asked.
"What are you making?" It looked like some sort of crude weapon.
Kaneo looked back at Ne'friss, who had still not fallen asleep, and took a few moments in his tired state to translate her question.
"Spear," he replied, "for protect you. Hope I not will need."
"You want to protect me with a stick?" Ne'friss couldn't help herself as she snorted out a laugh. Shaking her head, she sighed and crawled back inside the hut. "I'll take my chances being protected in here, thank you very much."
And as she settled in, thankful the noises that terrified her from earlier had subsided to a more distant howl than something local, she found her eye lids beginning to droop, becoming heavy with sleep. And she had just about fallen asleep, too tired to realize that a serpent had scaled the tree and was slithering across the exposed skin of her belly.
Kaneo sighed, too tired to argue the effectiveness of his weapon. He sat outside for a while, watching the jungle and its myriad denizens going about their business, before deciding that Ne'friss was probably asleep. He entered the shelter, his eyes having become accustomed to the darkness by then, and went to lie down next to the girl, but froze upon noticing something - a snake, crawling across her. He approached it cautiously, before realising that that particular breed was near-harmless - a bite would hurt, but they were not poisonous.
Gently, being careful not to wake Ne'friss, Kaneo slid his hands under the snake - one near the base of its head, to about being bitten - and gently lifted it up. The creature thrashed about for a time, but he had it securely held, and left the shelter, gliding down to a lower branch where he safely deposited it. Confident now that Ne'friss was safe, Kaneo flew back up to their makeshift tent, and lay down next to Ne'friss in the darkness, falling quickly into slumber.
Ne'friss had slept well into the morning. The sun was high, it's rays poking through the leaves of the trees and fluttering down across the pair in a silent dance. And Ne'friss must have slept with her mouth open, for when she awoke, she felt the back of her throat becoming parched as she made a face and stretched out within the make shift hut. It was only then she realized she had been sleeping beside Kaneo and she sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Then glancing down, she frowned at the way her clothing was tangled- yet again, and crawled outside of the hut and sat upon one of the thicker branches and began to work at fixing her bead-work clothing. She was lucky it even survive the storm,t he precious jewels were worth much; and were also the only bit of clothing she now owned. Even the pieces in her hair had remained, and she lifted a hand and was soon working her fingers through her thick black hair like a comb, pausing every now and again to fuss over the beads there and tightening their hold when they may have come loose.
It was while she was brushing her hair did she glance over at Kaneo, taking this silent and calm moment to study him. His wings were definitely an interesting feature, and she was still interested in acquiring something... of a similar nature of her own. Be it by a servant of his kind, or other means. And she began to wonder if there were more men like him out there.. men with wings. And Kaneo wasn't half bad. He was dedicated, if anything, and handsome,but even still- he seemed a little.... slow. And naturally, Ne'friss was too stubborn to simply accept it was just a cultural difference rather than lack of education and continued on fussing over her hair.
Kaneo woke up, surprised to find that he had slept for longer than Ne'friss. He sat up, and looked over at her arranging her clothes and hair. Her strange clothes confused him - they seemed needlessly complex and restrictive, and the beads could definitely be put to better use. He decided to ask her.
"Your clothes...strange. Why cover all? Why need?" He gestured to his own sparse clothing, consisting only of a loincloth and gauntlets.
Ne'friss felt irritated by his question and turned her nose to the air away from him.
"It's a show of power and wealth," she simply stated, as if everyone ought to know this, but even she was starting to question the method behind her own clothing. "Normally servants attend to me. They make sure the beads drape proper." And with a huff, she rose. She supposed her hair was brushed well enough. "But you... you wear so little. Some Essyrnis do the same. But they are normally slaves."
"Power?" asked Kaneo, confused as to how a garment that could be put to better use as a fishing net showed power. Then, Ne'friss said a word that he had heard once or twice from traders, but never actually understood. "Slafes?" he inquired, clumsily mispronouncing the unknown word.
Ne'friss gave a sneer as she rolled her eyes.
"Slaves," she corrected. "And if you're not careful, you might become one." she said, jabbing a sharp finger against his chest. "Your kind could work well as slaves." And she openly took a moment to appreciate his form. "Well muscled and wild." she said, then turned away to smooth down her garment and gave a fussing fluff of her hair. "So are you going to catch some food for us to eat? I'm starving." Might as well treat him like a slave. He was as simple as one, that was for sure.
OOC: lol she's so mean! Maybe she'll eventually come around >.> but right now, she's such a spoiled brat!