Private Tales By Fang and Claw

[Nelianne Sundrose]

Nel had been drifting through the hills without purpose when she stumbled across a trader and his wagon in the middle of the woods. The man was distraught, unlucky enough to have gotten lost trying to take a shortcut, and unlucky again that one of his horses had suffered a sprain trying to cross a river along said shortcut. With her magicks, the horse's leg was mended, and with her knowledge gained from recent wanderings, Nel was able to guide him back to the main road.

His gratitude saw him offer Nel a ride to the nearest settlement, where he might offload some of his wares and thereby repay her properly. With nothing else on her agenda, she accepted.

However, the trader's misfortune would continue. During their descent, it began to rain. The rain grew into a storm, and that storm sent a wave of loosened rock rushing down onto their position. There was precious little room on the narrow path to maneuver a wagon, and Nel did not have the power to divert so much violent mass. Not anymore.

Night had fallen by the time she managed to free herself from the collapse. Perhaps she could've unburied herself sooner, but her efforts were hindered by the fact that the rockslide had broken several of her bones and torn one of her arms clean out of its socket. The breaks she fixed, but the arm she could only leave for lost in the rubble, same as the poor trader and his horse. She continued on towards civilization alone, an image of the man's map held in her mind.

That was two days ago. Nel had hoped, initially, that she might be preyed upon by bandits or some other stripe of villain. A replacement for her arm would have to come from somewhere.

But the trek to Pallenham proved distressingly peaceful. As she came to the village's gates, the solitary guard on duty gave her empty left sleeve a pitying look before pointing her to the tavern as she'd asked.

Now she sat at a corner table, lost in thought over an untouched mug of ale. Not that Nel could drink it, but the bartender had looked like he was going to have words for her if she kept on taking up space in his establishment without buying something. It was close to sundown; locals had been filing in over the past hour, and the room was thick with the scent of stew and booze.

"... thought I was a goner for sure," a snatch of conversation came from nearby. "Could count every fang in its mouth; came this close to being its dinner!"

Nel glanced over at the neighboring table in time to see a dark-bearded man pinch his fingers together, an inch between them, and squint dramatically. His friend, blonde-haired and grinning, roared a laugh.

"Well the beast wouldn't of gotten that close if you'd managed to land a shot. Your eyesight going in your old age, Gregor?"

"My eyes're fine, and I ain't that old yet!" Gregor lifted his chin. "Stupid cat kept... disappearing. It was like trying to shoot at fog."

"Not blind or old, then. Just drunk off your arse again."

He chuckled as Gregor shoved him. "Shut it, Simon. I know what I saw. Wasn't no ordinary panther that ate my goat, alright! You ever seen whips growing out of a panther?"

"Excuse me," Nel said, and the two fellows turned to find her standing at their table. "Could you tell me where you saw that beast?"

"Uh," said Gregor. His eyes went from her feet to her head, taking her measure. The lack of weapons or armor. One sleeve tied shut and hanging limp. Old mud still clinging to her cloak. "Why's that now? You ain't thinking of looking for it yourself?"

"I am."

"I wouldn't, lady," said Simon. He took a long, noisy sip, his eyes never leaving her, before he slammed his mug down. "Folks' animals been getting dragged into the woods these past few weeks. Maybe a panther, or maybe something worse. If I were you, I'd stay clear. Try not to lose my other arm, yeah?"

Gregor kicked him under the table.

Raisanu

 

[Raisanu]

The merriment of a tavern—as well as the occasional bar brawl—always lifted the griffari's spirits. Better yet, the gossip and tales that flowed freely from lips loosened by alcohol got coin in the hunter's purse. All Raisanu had to do was listen. Her tufted ears swiveled and her long, feathered tail twitched. She lifted up her mug and tilted it into her open beak. It was the closest thing to sipping her stiff beak could manage, and she had to be careful not to spill.

Her ears stood straight and still when she caught fragments of a sentence. Something about a big cat that a man couldn't land a shot on. Raisanu turned her head around and hopped off her stool, leaving her mug at the bar. An assortment of metal and reinforced glass containers, all small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, jostled at her belt. The hunter made for the table, wings flicking to shoo others who strayed too close to her away. When she arrived, she glanced at where the woman's arm used to be, but her bright green eyes quickly shifted to look at each of them in turn.

"I'd like to know, too," Raisanu interjected, ruffling her wings. "Sounds like you got a displacer beast on your hands. Nasty things, as you found out. Is there a bounty on it?" Her eyes seemed to light up with barely-contained excitement, a hunt playing out in her mind already. She tapped the hilt of a long dagger at her hip. She may have had claws, but steel was harder than her talons—some of which had been filed down anyway—and had the extra benefit of a serrated edge. And she was itching to carve out some beast's hide and net a bag of gold for it.

Nelianne Sundrose

 

[Nelianne Sundrose]

As one, Nel, Gregor, and Simon all turned to regard the new arrival at the table. The men's faces wore differing degrees of surprise and suspicion, but Nel's look was only appraising.

A displacer beast. Yes, she and the eagle-woman had reached the same conclusion from the tale told. She seemed to be a hunter or fighter of some stripe; the way she carried herself spoke of a familiar confidence afforded by martial prowess, and her movements had been deliberate as to draw eyes to the weapon sheathed at her hip. Not to mention, most folks tended to think twice before asking after a bounty so enthusiastically.

Nel straightened. With muscles that no longer existed, her illusory face pulled her mouth into a sharp smile.

Gregor's eyes darted between them like a little fish between river reeds. No doubt he was wondering what ill moon-omen had drawn not one, but two suicidal adventurers to his tavern table tonight. ""Sure, the village chief put up a bounty," he said slowly. "Don't remember the amount, but I think it was something like..."

"Close to three weeks' wages for him and me," Simon added. He was still frowning behind his cup. "You're serious, ain'tcha? About going after it?"

"I am," Nel repeated, and her smile became amicable as she addressed the eagle-woman. "And I wouldn't say no to combining our strength if you'd like. I'm less interested in the bounty and more in the beast itself."

Was that a suspicious thing to say? Nel truly had little interest in coin if that was the eagle-woman's main motivation. All she wanted was to get something back into her empty shoulder socket.

Gregor's eyebrows were flat with concern. "I mean, if you really can stop our animals getting killed anymore, then I won't stop you from trying." He gestured off to the side. "There's a waterfall north of the village. Can't miss it; you'll hear it as long as you keep following the trail. The pond there ain't bad for fishing. That's where I saw the cat."

Raisanu

 

[Raisanu]

Raisanu's ears pricked at the confirmation of the bounty. Good enough for her. That'd feed her for a good bit of time and allow her to restock on potions and maintain her equipment. The hunter turned her head to look the one-armed woman in the eye, tilting her head slightly and turning her ears back and forth at the offer and her lack of interest in the coin offered.

She turned back to the pair of men at the table and nodded. "Thanks for the information. Yes, I'll be going after this beast. Catching and killing monsters is what I do for a living." Her chest puffed with pride. She turned to the woman again with a flick of her tail, the potions and weapons at her hip swaying with the motion.

"I wouldn't mind," she answered the woman, who was certainly a curiosity to the griffari. She seemed confident as well judging from her smile. "I'm Raisanu. I assume you've got some tricks up your sleeve yourself. The rest of my supplies are at the inn, though. Won't take long. We can meet back up there if that works for you. I'll be bringing a trap along and another weapon. The trap… probably won't work since displacer beasts tend to use their tentacles to grab food, so stepping into it isn't likely. We can hope, though."

Raisanu paused and squinted a moment as she racked her brains. "Is there anything you need to get for yourself as well before we set off?"

Nelianne Sundrose

 

[Nelianne Sundrose]

A career monster hunter, then. For a moment, Nel considered a scenario in which she was the bounty, a fat purse promised to whoever could prove that they'd made Nel's death more permanent. She wouldn't like to kill someone who was only trying to do their job, of course, who might be convinced they were only ridding the realm of another evil. But, when push came to shove...

The stray thought evaporated when the eagle-woman turned to Nel. She nodded, and was quietly relieved her new partner didn't offer to shake hands. The glamour of healthy, ordinary flesh that Nel wove around herself did not hold up well under physical scrutiny.

"Nice to meet you, Raisanu. My name is Nel. And yes, I have my own tricks. I know that... this," Nel tilted her chin at her empty sleeve with a soft laugh, "doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, but rest assured I have plenty of magic left in me."

She held out her hand. Threads of pale, tawny light danced above her palm in demonstration, before a clench of her fist dismissed the magic.

"You want to chase after the beast right away, then?" Beyond the windows, evening had almost fully descended. Only a strip of darkened gold remained of the fading day. Doubtless it would be completely dark by the time they reached the waterfall that the men had spoken of. "If you're confident in your ability to track this thing at night, I'll follow your lead."

"You're both crazy," said Simon, but he raised his mug in a toast anyway. "Good huntin' out there."

Gregor nodded. "Aye, we'll be cheerin' you on."

Nel flashed a smile that showed her teeth. "Thanks, gentlemen." To Raisanu, "I'm set; I travel light anyway. I'll meet you at the north gate instead, if that's alright?"

Raisanu

 

[Raisanu]

Raisanu looked out the window. Her ears flicked in surprise, then she laughed.

"Ah, lost track of the time," she chirped. "Well, if you're up for starting now, I'm no stranger to hunting at night. They're most active then, so it would be much easier to lure, at least. Staying in the trees would be important because of the relative ease of an ambush. I'm also a light sleeper, and my hearing's pretty good." She pointed at her fluffy ears for emphasis. "Even a displacer beast is bound to make some noise getting up a tree. I could help you up, too."

Despite the air of confidence, Raisanu crossed her arms, flattened her ears against her head, and tapped her paw a couple times against the wooden floor. The padding on her feline feet dampened the sound, but it would've been drowned out by the raucous drinkers anyway.

"Of course, it's also harder to fight at night, unless you can make us a good light."

The hunter raised her ears again, turning to the two men.

"Crazy's how I make my living, I guess," she responded to the two of them with a chuckle. "Much appreciated!"

 

[Nelianne Sundrose]

The offer to help Nel get up that hypothetical tree was appreciated. Nel wasn't sure if she could actually climb one even with both her arms intact. In the old days, sure; she had been a soldier, after all, with all the physical conditioning that came along with such a career. Now, with an emaciated body? Questionable.

"Darkvision," Nel said simply, waving her hand vaguely at her eyes. An apparent boon of undeath. "Won't be an issue for me, but I can definitely provide some magical lighting.

"Sounds like we're settled, then." Nel grinned. "See you out front, partner."

They reconvened at the north gate as agreed. As Nel had said, she traveled light. Not even an additional pack or bag could be found on her shoulders, and only the small pouch on her belt confirmed that she carried any money. There was little need to keep food when Nel neither needed to eat nor was able to digest. And why bother with even a sleeping bag when she could walk from one sunrise to the next with no effect on her mental acuity?

It did make the days bleed together in a disorienting way if she kept up for too long, so Nel at least tried to nap here and there.

The guard on duty, looking like he was ready for a nap himself, was given a brief explanation of where the two were headed. He voiced similar words of luck as the two men back at the tavern. Then, Nel and Raisanu set out.

For her part, Nel would remain quiet. She did not call up a light yet, not before Raisanu asked. She mostly focused on listening for that waterfall, for the noise of rushing water would signal when they'd need to slip off the trail and into the woods, where lurked their prey.

Curiosity did get the better of her once: "I hope this isn't offensive, but could you tell me about your people? Never saw any of your kind where I grew up."

 

[Raisanu]

Raisanu arrived at the gate carrying a crossbow and a few bags of supplies in addition to everything that she'd already carried with her in the tavern. The hunter didn't anticipate the crossbow being particularly useful against a displacer beast, but one never knew. So many things meant the difference between life and death in the wilds… which was why she was surprised to see her companion really did mean it when she said she traveled light. The surprise was enough to make Raisanu tilt her head to the side in puzzlement.

The woods were bathed in the warm oranges of the setting sun, the last of the dying sunlight streaming through gaps between the branches and leaves as they swayed gently in the occasional breeze. The incessant buzzing of cicadas filled what otherwise would've been silence, and other insects flitted around the pair as they traveled. Raisanu's ears flicked occasionally if a fly wandered too close, and her feathered tiger tail swatted away greedy mosquitos.

The griffari's ears perked as Nel directed a question toward her. The hunter shook her head and chirped.

"Not at all!" Raisanu replied. "Griffari aren't that common. My clan lives in the Taagi Baara Steppes. We're hunters; that's how I learned. We don't typically sell our services as hunters, though. It's more for ourselves, because the land isn't good for farming or foraging. My clan pretty much keeps to themselves."

One of the griffari's wings pushed aside a branch, and she tilted her head slightly as a question came to her.

"What's your interest in this displacer beast, anyway, if not for the bounty? Need it for a spell or a potion?"

 

[Nelianne Sundrose]

Nel nodded as Raisanu shared a little of her people. Taagi Baara. Nel did remember seeing the name written down somewhere, likely scrawled across the map of a previous traveling companion. A place out to the east, wasn't it, on the other side of the strait? That region had been called something else in the days of Amastacia, unimportant if only because Amastacia's people had kept to the borders of their own little kingdom. Perhaps Nel would journey to the Steppes at some point, too, now that she had the whole of time before her.

Nel's nodding slowed to a stop as Raisanu raised a question of her own. If she'd still had a jaw she might've chewed her lip a little out of nervousness, but as it was, Nel's glamoured face remained perfectly smooth, perfectly calm. She may have hesitated a beat or two too long before answering, however.

"... More the former. I haven't decided yet. But yes, you're right--the bones of magical beasts like our quarry make valuable reagents for spellwork." This part wasn't a lie, at least. Fresh bone was the premier reagent. Amastacian mages loved it like noblemen loved wine. "An opportunity to lay my hands--ah, hand?--on this kind of material is one I can't pass up, even if I'm not yet sure what I'll eventually use it for."

She climbed over a protruding root as she answered. The day drew ever closer to evening, the breeze biting even at her cold cheeks, and shadows slowly turning the ground black. When Nel tilted her head, she caught the warble of water in the distance. She gestured to Raisanu, and they followed the noise through the undergrowth.

The pond's surface gleamed dark with the final rays of sunset, water foaming where it dropped from a cliff some twelve feet above them. The rock was sheer; Nel did not see an easy way to climb up without walking around the cliff itself. The water's shores were more mud than dirt, as well. Nel had to tread slowly so as not to slip. She briefly entertained the idea of borrowing a stick for a cane, before deciding her only arm would best be saved for casting magic.

Still the forest sang its songs. If danger stalked the two of them, even the insects had not realized yet.

"It's gotten pretty dark. Shall I call up a light for you?" Nel raised her ready hand.

 

[Raisanu]

Raisanu nodded at her companion's explanation. Sometimes she couldn't help but feel a little envious of the magically gifted. The sky was the limit with magic, and she wouldn't have had to buy portal keys if she could use magic herself. But then, magic was also risky from what she heard. Raisanu's feathers blew gently in the breeze, and she turned her head to scope out the area surrounding the waterfall. Her ears swiveled back and forth, but it was difficult to hear anything over the waterfall, chirping crickets, and the cicadas' buzzing, although it started to die down slightly. She then stood straight and craned her neck, her large eyes searching for signs of

"Hm, yeah, that'd be good," the hunter answered. "I'll put this trap down near the water." She let a bag slip from her shoulders onto a dry patch of grass, then crouched down to pull out a metal bear trap. The iron showed flecks of rust and chipping in some places, no doubt having met the paws of many unfortunate beasts, but its menacing, pointed teeth still promised to sink deeply into unwary prey.

"Once I get this set, I'll be moving farther back and climbing up one of the trees. I can try to help you up, too. I'll be keeping an eye out for some small game so we can use it as bait. Then we wait for it to come to the water and hope it steps into the trap."

Nelianne Sundrose