Something Green }{ open; have fun C:

[Sori]

A shriek of pain catapulted from Sori’s beak, echoing with anger and an edge of fear. Whatever foolish hunter had taken aim at her would be sorry for they had just lost an arrow and a prize for their wall. With a heave of snowy wings, Sori ascended, catching a thermal and cradling it tenderly as if it was a child. She used the power of the current to her advantage and glided forward at a speed that was pleasantly efficient. Though, it didn’t take long for her wound to make itself known once more.

Hissing, Sori glanced down at the wooden shaft protruding from her side. The fletching danced in the air, persuaded to life by the glorious rush of air that allowed Sori the luxury of soaring. She knew she had put several good kilometers between her and the hunter, but fear tinted her eyes and her thoughts. It would take more than an arrow to down her, but Sori’s thoughts were more human than any other gryphon; her childhood had seen to that.

Pain radiated from the injury, hot and needle sharp so it distracted and clouded the mind. A displeased growl rumbled from Sori’s breast as she tilted her wings, wheeling around and lower to survey the ground. She would need somewhere to land if she wanted to pull the damned thing out. Spotting a small clearing, Sori descended into the wooded area, her landing marred by a slight stumble. She shook her disconcertion off, instinctively preferring the open skies to this claustrophobic world. But the feeling of unease clung to her like spider web, thin but always managing to make its presence known.

Golden tail lashing, Sori turned in a quick circle, her feathered head raised to test the air. She smelled the heady, mineral-rich spore of the earth, foliage and trees, the sharp smell of crushed plants and beneath everything the smell of earthen decay. To her knowledge, no threat was present, unless the rustling of squirrels and various other small creatures was actually them concocting an army to defeat her; but Sori found that unlikely.

With a stretch of will and magic, Sori’s gryphon form melted away, her frame shrinking and reconfiguring while muscles found new homes. Within seconds, Sori stood in the middle of Selkia Forest, a young woman dressed in loose pants and a bloody shirt. Her length of hair was pulled back from her freckle-kissed face in a long tail that started a crisp and snowy white before darkening into a tarnished gold hue.

A hand fluttered to the wooden arrow protruding from her side, a tired sigh slipping from her lips as she eyed it. Releasing the shaft, Sori scanned the small area she had landed in, her observatory goal to find moss. But, of course, as Luck and Fate would have it, Sori saw not a single patch of the spongy non-vascular plant. Emitting a groan, she wandered to the edge of her haven, eying the thick trees and dark underbrush.

Taking a grounding breath, Sori padded forward, her eyes searching ravenously. She would need the moss if she wanted to pull the arrow from her side. She couldn’t just go around Selki Forest with an open wound. There were beasts within this ancient place that would smell it and come running, hoping for a free meal. But Sori’s worried thoughts were disrupted as pain once again flashed through her torso and caused her to pause and catch her breath. Once she regained her composure, Sori continued her search, though, with an new urgency.

[Shaher]

Shaher glided lazily through the ope skies, the soft wind brushing against his face as the currents drove under neath his wings, keeping him in flight as he scanned the ground beneath him as it roared past in a blur of earthen colors. His latest escapade had landed several dozen guards charging his way, who knew such trinkets had such value?
He sniffed the air once more, able to catch the scents of many creatures caught on the wind. He halted his flight suddenly as the taste of blood entered his senses, his vision began to tinge with red as ideas formed in his mind. He sniffed once more to direct him towards the source of the crimson water of life and drove himself in a dive, drawing his weapon as he sped towards the ground. his prey to be found somewhere amongst these trees.

He pulled up from his dive into flight once more just above the tree line, his senses guiding him as he scanned the ground hungrily through the canopy of trees. He came to a stop in a small clearing, the scent having lead him to an arrow. Just ahead he heard a slight stumble and the breaking of wood. Shaher charged forward, leaping through the brush, slicing the foliage to shreds before landing once more and spinning in an arc to face the bleeder. He raised his weapon to cut them down but stopped as he noticed her. He had not expected a sole human let alone a female. His attack faltered as his blood lust tried to take over, but his moral decency, however skewed, prevented him from dealing the blow.

He sighed and lowered his sword angrily, sheathing it once more and turning his face in disgust, furious at his own weakness.
"I've come this far, it would be such a waste to let this one die" he thought, his eyes refocusing as he brought himself out of a mindful trance.
"Pardon my abrupt entrance human but the scent of your blood brought me here. How, may I ask, did you come to receive such a wound?" he asked, maintaining his composure as his sickeningly polite voice churned the contents of his stomach, causing deep unrest.

Tag Pink

[Sori]

Apparently her senses were more dulled than she had realized, for Sori watched rather numbly as a brute of a man whirled about her, sword raised. She hadn't even smelled him and the only real indication she had had of his presence was the cacaphony of broken branches. Instinctively, Sori dropped into a defensive crouch, her weight placed mainly upon the back foot. The swift movement induced another flash of stabbing pain along her torso and she winced; though her eyes never moved from the man's frame.

Surprise quickly followed as the man lowered his sword, seeming to find reluctance in depriving her of her head. Sori stood hesitantly, wary of the man and his sudden polite inquiry. She retreated a step or two, flicking a pale strand of hair behind her ear before actually giving thought to a response.

"A hunter kindly gave me this injury," Sori replied stiffly. "Now, if you don't mind, I was trying to find some moss; unless you are going to refer back to your previous agenda and attempt to relieve me of this world." She paused then, her nose crinkling as she finally got a whiff of the man. He smelled of smoke and blood and unrest. "Either way, I would prefer to not bleed to death by this ridiculous arrow shaft in my side."

Tag God

[Shaher]

Shaher rolled his eyes, of all the bewildering creatures on this planet to run into, he had to run into a beast-woman, or worse. A vegetarian.
"Moss?" he asked with somewhat hesitancy. "That sounds...interesting." he said, fighting hard to contain the smirk spreading across his face.
"No doubt this one will assault me for killing blades of grass." he thought to himself, his wry smile growing more pronounced.
"I am no scientist but I am certain moss is of the less-desirable variety of wild foods, perhaps a nice fern would be to your liking." he continued, aware that undoubtedly this woman would not eat it but he was hardly one to let a good mockery go to waste. Truth be told he hadn't any clue as to what one could do with moss when there was an arrow protruding from the side, tearing a hole in the flesh and leaving a gaping hole for blood to flow freely.
Upon further thought, the idea of moss combined with wounds puzzled him. His brow furrowed in thought as he contemplated the combination and opened his mouth to ask why exactly she needed moss of all things, but thought better of it and clamped his jaw shut once more.

He made to step forward, the intricately carved goblet within his belt falling to the ground and hitting a rock, the distinct metal sound reverberating across the clearing. He thought on the object for a second before he remembered his reason for passing this way, the goblet having belonged to an important figure in the nearby town, Shaher finding it to his liking after accidentally crashing through the mans window and landing on their dining table. He left it to lie there as he continued forward, intent on examining the wound, curiosity overwhelming his normal apprehensive distaste for humans.

Tag Sori

[Sori]

At the remark, indignation budded and bloomed within the young woman. Sori’s mouth puckered into a displeased frown, almost as if she was suckling upon something particularly sour. Moss! As if she would taint her palate with the spongy and unappetizing plant! But what whisked Sori’s ire away was the stride toward her. The man’s presence was disconcerting and in her injured state, precautions had to be taken.

Sori retreated backward, casting a glare over her shoulder as she ran into a tree trunk; though, of course, it did nothing to persuade the tree to move out of her way. Gaze flickering back to the stranger, Sori made a movement as if to wrap her arms around her middle but paused half-way, recalling the arrow in her side. Some habits were just hard to break, even when injured.

“For your information, I do not eat moss or ferns. If you enjoy such vegetation, well, be my guest and have at it, but do not make assumptions,” Sori bit out, having to halt her verbal defenses as pain once more rocketed through her side. She exhaled a shaky breath, grounding herself before returning her attention to the man before her. “The moss is to stop the bleeding when I pull it out. It stanches the flow better than cloth and is certainly cleaner. Milfoil or clover would help too but I doubt I’ll find any in this forest,” she continued, rambling a bit as her thoughts got the better of her. “…Either way, are you just going to stand here and hold me? What’s the plan,” Sori inquired, amber eyes flickering to the goblet upon the ground.

Tag Shaher

[Shaher]

Shaher chuckled darkly. He knew that deep within him he could not allow himself to kill this woman, but it did not stop him enjoying her pain. The smell of blood tainted the fresh air.
"Plan? Do I look like the type of person who plans? I'm only here because of the blood. Do you taste it, the delicate aroma wafting across the currents, its sweet texture creating an aura of death on all that it touches? It's truly beautiful." Shaher said, his eyes closed as his senses got the better of him.
"With that being said..." he began, his eyes opening slowly and a dark grin crossing his face, "It occurs to me that you cannot live forever. So I will do you a favor. I will find you this moss of yours, but keep in mind I will require payment for my services. Fear not, your body has become so entwined with the scent of pain that I can easily track your movements should you try to flee, so listen carefully." Shaher said, now turning to face the goblet once more.
"I recently...encountered a collection of valuables. I had little time, lets say, to acquire anything of immediate value. And the local authorities are on high alert for my presence. If I save your life, you will return to this wealthy place and bring me back an item. Accept and I will find you this moss. Decline...I will kill you myself." Shaher finished with a satisfied smile.
There was no way she could decline, which meant that soon he would have a jewel the size of his fist in his possession.

Turning back to the grimacing female, he waited her answer with a smug grin.

Tag Sori

{OOC: Needed a way to maintain my evil but apparently I'm not allowed to kill you. }

[Sori]

Such gall! It wasn't that Sori was opposed to stealing, in fact, that was her usual method of obtaining coin, but that he would stoop to such a level... Then again, Sori didn't even know the man, let alone his average level of misdeed. But there was something about the proposal that gave Sori reason to hesitate. He threatened to kill her, but he had had a much better oppurtunity to do so earlier in their encounter. What had stopped him? She was certain it hadn't been pity or any sort of compassion... A man who spouted love-letter prose to the life-giving crimson within every creature's veins was sure to lack in both.

Studying the man, Sori weighed her options and the vague bluff she had thrown together. Would this man kill her? He certainly seemed eager enough to fulfill such a proposition. A plus would be that Sori didn't have to find teh plant herself and expend the extra energy. Continuing to mull it over, Sori slid to the ground. She leaned against the tree behind her, settling comfortably into the spongy forest floor. The arrow shaft shifted and Sori swallowed a pained hiss, silently cursing the meddling hunter who had taken aim at her.

Sori glanced up at the man, offering a shrug and an agreeable smile. "Get me a rabbit or something like that to eat and you've got a deal," she quipped. "Nothing smaller," Sori elaborated as something of a precaution. She didn't doubt he would go out of his way to find loop-holes, so she attempted to prevent his returning with moss and a mouse or something equally miniscule. "It wouldn't hurt to tell me your name either," Sori added almost as an after thought, a somewhat teasing smile now quirking her lips.

Tag Shaher

~Ooc: Haha, I see the difficulty. But don't mind me, it's all fine and dandy. Evil is as evil does. c:~

[Shaher]

Shaher gave the girl a crooked smile and nodded his head slightly.
"Whats in a name girl? Odds are we shan't cross paths again and a name to a face like mine is often dangerous in the wrong hands. But you may go as far as to call me Shaher." he continued, unfolding his wings to their full length, stretching the joints with loud cracks, wincing slightly as the cracks echoed softly off the foliage.
He rolled his neck slowly, bending his knees and with barely a sound, suddenly burst into the sky and came to a halt, floating softly above the small clearing where the woman sat.
"Try not to die girl, it would be such a waste..." he said cryptically, flashing her a jagged smile before gliding swiftly across the canopy of tree's, his nasal senses straining to detect a mossy substance.

It took him almost half an hour, but as the sun began to turn a deep amber, beginning its descent behind the western ranges. He found the moss not to far from a river, not to mention the desired meat of the girl. Shaher sighed as he descended, though he wished dearly for the giant crystalline gem it did him little to serve as a delivery boy for an insolent woman slowly bleeding to death.
The deer feeding on the moss heard the wind shift and made to bound into the cover of the woodlands, but Shaher managed to get a firm grip on the beasts neck, plunging his sword into the beasts torso with his free hand and tossing the writhing carcass to the ground as he casually maneuvered around the moss, deciding how best to transport the substance.
With a shrug, Shaher draped the now twitching corpse across his shoulders, sheathed his weapon and heaved a large rock covered in moss from the ground. With a slight struggle, he returned to the air and took a deep breath, sensing the girls aroma, guiding himself towards it as he began the journey back towards the clearing.

Sori

[Sori]

A chuckle sifted from Sori’s lips at the comment, gaze taking to flicker across the small clearing. Her death would be a waste? She doubted that, but shoved the bitterness from her mind. If she constantly turned back to the past, she would have no room for the future. With a grounding breath, Sori shut her eyes, relying upon her ears and her nose to pick up any signs of danger. Her nose told her there was some sort of water source a little ways off and she was tempted to go to it, for she was parched. But Sori recalled her newest companion- Shaher- and figured he wouldn’t be pleased to find her somewhere other than the spot she currently occupied.

A few more moments went by and the sky turned amber, the golden dappling upon the forest floor darkening as shadows lengthened and the sun began its daily descent. Sori forced her eyes open and sighed, using the tree trunk behind her to help bring her to her feet. It took a moment for the girl to steady but once stable, Sori strode carefully forward, following her nose.

After winding this way and that through trees and shrubs, Sori found a trickle of a stream. It wasn’t as big as she had hoped, but it was water and that was enough for her. Sori went to her knees, dipping her cupped hands into the cool liquid and bringing it to her chapped lips. The cool water was refreshing and delightful, temporarily satiating her hunger and hydrating Sori’s wounded body. It was wondrous. Taking a few more handfuls, Sori scooted back to a tree and leaned against its rough trunk. There she would wait for Shaher, though she waited impatiently. Sori had questions, not to mention he was bringing her moss. In her opinion, she needed both plant and answers to survive.

Shaher

[Shaher]

Shaher landed with a thus in the clearing. He dropped the corpse of the deer he was carrying at the girls feet and proceeded to let go of the rock which landed heavily in front of him.
He gave a smile, gesturing at the mangled deer seeped in a pool of its own blood. He attempted to wipe the crimson liquid that had drenched his shoulder plates but it had dried during flight. He scraped an amount of moss off the rock with his sword and pointed the blade at her neck, the tip barely an inch from her skin. The moss draped over the end fell off the blade and landed softly in her lap.
He glanced at the deer, and with a wicked glint in his eyes nodded towards her.
"Enjoy"
He sat down directly across from her, gathering fallen branches against the rock then striking the boulder with his blade, creating sparks. After a few minutes, the sparks caught and flames flickered against the wood.

Tearing a leg from the corpse, he speared it and set it against the fire, the flames reflected against his cold, empty eyes.
He stared at her, the dark starting to settle across the silent expanse of the forest, the wildlife barely stirring in the eerie depths of the woodland.
He vacantly turned the leg in the fire, his eyes fixed on the girl.
"You never did tell me your name despite introductions. Care to tell me now?" he said after a few moments of silence, his voice piercing the night quiet.

Sori

[Sori]

At the sudden entrance, Sori jumped slightly, shooting Shaher a glare before her bright eyes flicked to the deer carcass. Joy and skepticism warred for a moment; the joy of simply having something to eat and the skepticism of having so much to eat. But the joy won-out and Sori grinned rather childishly. But it was short-lived as once more Shaher pointed his sword to her neck. Her amber eyes turned steely, the gaze not softening until he had backed away across to the clearing.

Sori sat there for a moment, calculating how best to remove the arrow from her side. It had turned from a stabbing and jolting pain to a numb throbbing that she found more aggravating than the discomfort she had felt before. Her head snapped up at the question, pale brows shooting upward in surprise until a smirk danced across her lips. “What’s in a name, boy?” Sori inquired, echoing his previous words at him tauntingly. She fingered the spongy plant in her lap for a minute before chuckling and leaning back, relaxing as best she could.

“Sori,” the girl responded. Then, with an almost absent air, Sori grasped the shaft of the arrow and tugged with all of her might. The projectile ripped out of her flesh easier than she had expected, tearing more than she had expected as well. The blood came fast and thick, painting Sori’s hand russet while she stuffed the moss into the gaping hole. It took a moment for the pain to hit her and when it did Sori doubled over, growling into her knees and attempting to not call out.

She tossed the arrow away, not caring for the strip of wood and fletching. Sori took a shaky grounding breath, leaning back against the tree again. She felt the skin stretch and pull and she winced. Where she was once , Sori found a gaping hole and she had to look away from the corpse to keep her stomach down.

Shaher

[Shaher]

With a satisfied grunt, Shaher leaned back against the mossy rock and tore a strip from the now-cooked leg. He looked curiously at Sori, his eyes occasionally fluttering as the wind carried the scent of blood his way. Shaking his head at the smell, he gave a dark laugh as she wrenched the shaft from her side, causing a torrent of blood to erupt from her body, flowing smoothly over her slender hands.
Eying off the beast he had toiled so hard to collect, he gave her a wicked grin.
"Not darlin'?" he chided, his voice dripping with sarcasm, his pleasure coating every syllable with a grim twist.
Without waiting for an answer, he chuckled to himself as he looked away from the wound.
As much as he wanted to feel her pain for himself, he wanted that jewel more.

Shaher looked up, the night was fast approaching and he was unaccustomed to this place. He stood up, shaking the moss of his wings and strode into the woodland, his sword hacking trees to pieces as his quick, powerful stroked shattered wood where it grew. He returned minutes later with an armful of wood, to build up the fire if it was needed later.
On his way back to the rock, he spared a moment to retrieve the goblet he had dropped.
"Rest up girl, tomorrow you take this goblet home. Use your wound as excuse to get in, find my prize and return it to me, thus your debt is paid."he said with an emotionless expression.
Sitting down, he let the wood roll across the ground.Present company accounted for, he predicted a long night.

Tag Sori