Private Tales New Places, New Faces

[Neveah]

She managed to stumble her way to the washroom. Without too much incident besides bruising her shin on a chair or two on the way. Her way back was perhaps a teeny bit less wobbly. Grabbing a water from another table, she downed it. Digging in her pocket, she pulled out some coin and slapped them on the table in front of Lok.

"Thanks for the assist back there. It's on me."

Her hand reached out and would rest on his shoulder.

"Enjoy the city." She wobbled and then pushed off him to turn and strut out of the bar.

More like wobble out of the bar.

 

[Kir]

Kir sat there for a minute or two, taking in a deep breath and gently pinching the bridge of his nose.

He was going to have to chase her again on one of those damned things. His legs were already killing him from the last time. "They should lock this girl up."

The Neusian said with a grimace, pushing himself off the table and letting out another deep sigh. There was nothing to be done about it really. He had been hired to do a job and it paid far too well to actually make a little bit of a run turn him away.

Still shaking his head, Kir stepped out into the street.

His perch far above the heads and shoulders of...well pretty much everyone, he was able to spot Neveah fairly easily on the crowd. It also helped that she was stumbling all over the damned place. Taking a breath, Kir moved forward.

He stuck through the shadows, ducking under awnings, blending to the corners. Keeping out of sight as he followed her.

 

[Neveah]

She found another bathroom on the way and felt much better, ducking into a shaded alleyway. She glanced around to make sure there was no one following her. She didn't see anyone in particular who had noticed her. Still feeling a little giddy from the alcohol, she stumbled and swayed behind a closed clothing stall and slid down to the ground, her back against the wall.

With her knees propped up, she rested her forehead against them and closed her eyes.

A quick nap wouldn't hurt anyone.

 

[Kir]

Kir kept his distance the entire time.

He was being paid to babysit, and that was what he would do. As Neveah sank down against the wall the Giant of a man found one to lean against. His shoulders rolled slightly, settling into place as he waited for the girl to wake up and run off again.

She was a quick one, and in the first few days of doing this he'd learned that taking an eye off her was almost always a mistake. "See how long it takes."

Kir mused to himself, eyes flickering towards the sky.

 

[Neveah]

And it didn't take long.

She napped for about forty-five minutes. And she woke feeling much better - sans a minor headache. Rubbing at her face she stood and stretched like a cat. The alleyway was still empty. The shade of the cart she'd hid against still closed. Giving one final peak, she stepped back into the shadows.

There was a shift and soft pop as the air shimmered around her.

One moment she was there and the next a red-feathered peregrine falcon flapped through the air, making its way higher to lift over the buildings of the city.

 

[Kir]

There was that goddamn trick again.

His eyes narrowed as he followed the path of the bird, watching it quickly for a heading and then bursting out into a sprint. There was a slight gasp in the crowd that he rushed through, some people breaking away, others letting out a curse as he sprinted past them.

Kir was used to moving fast. Back home he had pushed himself hard, to the edge of death. He'd run across the nation and nearly half-way back.

Neveah was fast, with her little tricks, but he had his own. The armor that adorned him blanked quietly as he rushed, his gaze flickering upward every now and again to track the bird which soared through the air. Sweat beaded on his brow, but he ignored it as he sprinted as fast as he could.

Fucking royals He cursed in his head as he chased after the Princess.

 

[Neveah]

She loved this part.

Nothing between her and the ground. Just animalistic instincts. The draft and lift of the air and wind. Catching an updraft and then the West wind, she broke free from the city's walls. The Savannah shrubs, grasses, and plains stretched before her. The huts of the Gryph tribe she was headed toward growing in the distance.

Wings forever shifting to glide along the wind as it changed. She circled and dove just for the fun of it. And of course, keeping an eye on the sky for any bigger predators. She didn't think it would be very comfortable to be eaten from the sky by one of the legendary condors that patrolled the area.

 

[Kir]

Running.

More running.

More running. By the time Neveah began to dive Kir felt as though he were ready to just grab her out of the air and throw her into a small cell. The whole trip felt like a march, some disastrous thing that he was forced to take part in.

His legs began to ache, his lungs hurt, and he felt as though he were just about ready to shift.

It would most certainly have made things easier. The beast within would have delighted in chasing the hawk, but it also would have found joy in eating her. Best to stay in his true form, best to keep pace even if he was beginning to tire.

He rushed quickly, his gaze flickering up into the sky to follow Neveeah's pace even as she descended towards the ground.

 

[Neveah]

As she came closer the air shimmered and there was another soft - pop. Her falcon form was replaced by her human form as her boots hit the dusty and dirt-packed earth. If any around the small tribe saw, non seemed surprised by this. The hearth mother, Ka'tari, was already walking toward her. She knew who the princess was and gave the girl no special treatment.

"Neveah. You're late." Lips pressed into a thin line on her wrinkled, tan face.

Neveah gave a low bow and the customary hand-gestures. "I am sorry. I-,"

Ka'tari help up a gnarled hand. "No. You will clean the stalls after the ride tonight and for the next five days."

Nev sighed and solemnly nodded. She knew better than to question or cross the orders of the hearth mother. Especially the one from this tribe. Most said she was the most feared in the land.

"Now go on girl. Get saddled up." Ka'tari watched Neveah scurry to her mount and turned, knowing full well who followed the princess and she intended to have a word with Kir.

 

[Kir]

Kir slowed his pace as he drew closer to the tribe.

He knew better than to try to walk among them. There was a danger there that he would rather not have to face if he could help it. As he came to a stop the Neusian let out a long and ragged breath his chest rising and falling slowly.

"I need to do more cardio." He said to himself quietly.

With a flop Kir sat himself down within the brush.

It would be a few minute yet before Neveah managed to gather herself up and actually fully mount up. It was a valuable amount of rest that he could get. Of course he knew nothing of the woman intent on talking to him, so he simply laid himself back against the tree.

He knew that in a matter of minutes he'd be running again.

 

[Neveah]

Ka'tari strode across the short distance that separated her and the bodyguard. Of course, she'd known all these months. Since he started. She could smell him. She could sense him. And it was her job to know who or what came close to the tribe.

She wasn't the most feared hearth-mother for no reason.

She had a leatherskin pouch and threw it at the man's feet. "There be easier ways to do what you're doing, son." Weathered hands fell to her hips as her wise eyes surveyed him. "Perhaps you two could work together as a team instead of ye chasing after her shadow. Hmmm?"

Ka'tari knew all.

 

[Kir]

Kir looked up as soon as he heard the woman approach. For a brief moment he considered his options. Running. Attacking. Simply staying put. He could do them all, but really only one of them would give him any real benefit.

His lips thinned, and ultimately he decided to simply stay put.

After a few moments the woman approached him, carrying herself with the weight of a Queen. He looked up at her as she began to speak, his lips thinning as the Leather pouch landed in front of him. He glanced at it for a moment, letting out a sigh. "Well."

The mercenary said as he uncorked the waterskin.

He sniffed it first, mostly to ensure there wasn't anything else within it. His nose was better than...well pretty much anyone else's. One of the upsides of the curse that clung to his soul.

"It might be better, but then she'd ask questions." Kir said as he took a sip. "And I can't really have that."

 

[Neveah]

"It is your decision as it's my job to know who comes near my tribe. I will warn you, boy. She might find out soon enough. Take care of her. Take care of yourself."

Giving him one last unsettling and mystic-all-knowing-tribal woman stare, she turned to go.

Meanwhile across camp, Neveah was saddling up her gryph. It was a massive cat creature that had wings. Hers was fluffy-maned lion named Humra. She and a group of two other riders from the tribe were going to investigate a spot in the canyon. Rumor had it there was more evidence of the darkness.

If the rumors were true...she shivered to think about what that could mean.

"Hey Nev, hope you can keep up this time," Bung'agee teased the princess, mounting onto his cheetah-looking winged gryph. He had dark skin and even darker hair.

"Wasn't me that got caught on the last canyon pass was it?" She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out as Bung'agee as she saddled on her own Gryph.

The leader raised their fist and gave orders to launch. Neveah leaned forward in her saddle as her Humra spread his wings and with a coil of muscles, they launched into the air.

 

[Kir]

"I appreciate the tip." Kir commented, not too insensitively.

In truth he knew that the odd woman was probably right.

Shadowing someone for this long was like asking to get caught. It was an eventuality that Neveah would eventually spot him. He had told as much to her parents, pointing out that they would be better off hiring two or three people for this duty.

For some reason they had denied that. "Mayb-"

Before he could say another word the woman turned, and then seemed to disappear into the thin lines of the forest.

A frown touched his features for a brief moment, and he shook his head. Fucking southerners.

Kir thought to himself with the shake of his head. Eyes flickered towards the camp, and then the skies above them. He saw the flicker of shapes, the flapping of wings, and he let out a long and tired sigh.

More running.

His head shook, and then he took off in a sprint through the forest.

 

[Neveah]

After some time, their mounts growling and roaring as they went, tails twitching in the wind, they neared the south rim of the canyon. It broke up the land in a vast, wide, winding pit. Colors popped of clay, reds, and oranges depending on the time of day. The canyon was as beautiful as it was deadly.

"We'll have to get lower for a good pass!" She yelled in the wind.

Bung'agee nodded and they banked right, making a wide slow circle. Descending just a little. "I think I see something!" He yelled and pointed.

Neveah shifted her weight to her toes in the stirrups, her knees hugging against the fur and muscles of the gryph. "I see it too." And it wasn't good. The webs of the Skorpius that normally took up one side of the canyon had...spread. It's white-thick and sticky structure along new rock outcrops and trees. It was getting dangerously close to the other canyon wall.

"We have to report this back as soon as possible," Neveah called, her mouth going dry. Bung'agee nodded then shifted and pointed again. "Is that a baby gryph?"

Neveah's frown deepened as she saw it. A gryph cub, meowing an a web-strewn outcropping. It looked like one of its paws was stuck in the web. With a shift in his body, Bung'agee aimed his mount downward. "It'll die if we don't get to it," he yelled.

Nev knew he was right. And gryphs were hard to find. They had to be protected. But something felt off about this. She couldn't put her finger on it but it felt...wrong.

 

[Kir]

Kir ran.

Then Ran more.

Following those of the sky was as exhausting as the edge of life itself. He could feel the strain within his lungs, his muscles, every little bit of his body.

He pushed himself to the very edge. To the very point of exhaustion.

In the back of his head he could hear the calling. The press of the beast inside. It offered him stamina, energy, power. Anything that would keep him going. It whispered of life beyond life. Of Strength that he was missing out on.

It would have been so much easier to follow the girl as a beast. So much simpler to seek his query as the creature that lurked within.

He wouldn't have attacked her. He would still keep her safe. He would have just done it as a beast, not as a man. It was a bargain that even Kir found tempting. A suggestion that he nearly took up as he ran and ran after Neveah and her tribe.

It was only as they slowed that he pushed the voice away, that he dragged his thought to normality.

His pace slowed, and the voice in his head offered reason.

Kir came to a slow trot as those above him began to peer down, his pace slowing as Neveah and her companions considered their options.

 

[Neveah]

If Nev had seen Kir, she would've pulled up her mount and circled down to him. Because he had no good reason for being out here. For running after them. But unfortunately for him, she was too focused on the trapped, baby gryph. Too focused on her fellow wingmate.

When Bung'agee dove, she dove too. They disappeared beneath the lip of the canyon. They'd have to go fast. "I've got your six!" Her eyes were on the shadows. They'd always hated the sun. They stuck to the dark - the shadows. Problem was, the sun was already getting low in the sky. The shadows across the canyon were stretching.

As they neared the gryph cub, Neveah saw the movement too late. The warning stuck in the back of her throat as the webbing shot out around Bung'agee's gryph. He and his ride were brought to the ledge. A dark moving shape caught the corner of her golden eyes. Her gryph twisted in air, webbing just going over her head. Something sticky hit around her waist and she was suddenly tugged off her mount.

Falling.

 

[Kir]

Shit fuck shit. Kir thought to himself as he watched the girl dive, cutting through the trees and underbrush as quickly as he could move. Another curse quickly echoed out as he watched the scene unfold, his lips thinning.

He had been lucky enough so far in keeping her safe, but this? This was utterly fucked. He let out another dozen curses, and then broke from a run into a sprint.

Kir rushed forward, as he moved his skin began to stretch. Fingers dug into plates of armor, dragging them away. Nails turned to claws, teeth grew, and hair began to rip it's fair through his flesh. A growl of pain escaped him, and as he moved forward he became not the man he had been, but a monster.

He broke out of the forest and into the clearing, a bear, of black fur and standing taller than a small giant.

The Werebear didn't hesitate for a single second, darting on all fours into the clearing and leaping into the air.

His arms extended, finger slashing through the webbing in one quick cut. Then he reached out and grabbed the girl, pulling her against his side as the two of them tumbled onto the ground.

 

[Neveah]

A yell left her throat as a monster she’d never seen before came at her. There was nothing she could do as she fell. Just watch as her death approached. As the webbing pulled her down and the giant bear monster extended its claws….

The end didn’t come. No sharp teeth or claws shredded into her flesh. Instead, she was wrapped up in very warm fur even as she felt them tumble and hit the rocky wide ledge. The expanse of the canyon dropping forward and on the sides. A tall, rocky wall of the canyon behind them. Boxing them in. It would be a long climb up to get out. Flying would be ideal but her gryph was above them. Circling and trying to find a way back down.


“No!” She screamed. If her gryph came down it would fall into the same trap as them. She’d try to wiggle her way free from the beast that had…saved her. Was it okay? There wasn’t time to try and figure it out. Her concern was getting to her feet even as she heard the giant, black scorpion monsters skittering closer to them. The scorpious.

A scream ripped through the air as a giant stinger came down to impale the entrapped gryph and rider.

“NO!!!!!” She pushed off fur and staggered toward them.

 

[Kir]

The beast allowed Neveah to fall from it's claws, letting it's grasp go of her as the girl half scrambled forward and let out an ear curdling scream.

He turned his head, looking at her with twitching ears for a brief moment.

No words escaped his jowled throat of course, nothing but a low sad whine. The werebear stared at Neveah, and then the creatures who were still lurking and skittering closer. A sadness entered it's eyes, and then slowly it stepped forward.

Clawed hands reached around the girl.

There was no waiting for her suggestion, no waiting for her word.

Before she could once again pull herself free the beast scooped her up and off the ground. With one quick motion the Werebear threw her over it's shoulder and then broke out into a sprint. Quick, almost impossible bounding leaps took it forward, jumping out and onto the cliff-side.

Claws dug into the stone, carrying them in long leaps towards the top.

 

[Neveah]

She'd taken a step forward. Then another. Her hand resting on the hilt of her short-sword when claws scooped her up from behind. "No," she growled. Panic growing in her throat. "NO!"

This creature was taking her away.

Her fists curled and pounded against fur and skin. She saw her friend's face slacken. She saw the twitching movements of his gryph mount. Hot tears were already burning her eyes and she cried out, her voice raw rage.

Panice and sadness.

"Release me!"

She kicked and twisted even as they leapt over the abyss. As hot tears burned down her cheeks. She needed to shift. She needed to...

But usually she could only shift once a day. Sometimes twice. But that's all the energy she had. Red-streaked hair whipped across her face as her friend's body was left behind them. The baby gryph screamed as it was left alone. On that clifftop.

Her fists continued to pound against the creature that held her.

 

[Kir]

The beast continued to climb.

Neveah's fists pressed, pounded, struck as hard as they could into fur and muscle, but it didn't matter. Even buried deep within the creatures mind Kir knew, understood. This was not a fight that they could win, this was not a battle they wanted to take.

Claws dug into the cliffside, pulling, dragging with every leap. The creatures below flung their webs, throwing what they could to try and capture their prey. Each time they fell short, latching onto the stone wall just as the beast jumped away.

He crawled, climbed, bounded upward.

Then finally his arm curled inward as they reached the top of the cliff.

Both of them tumbled end over end as they came crashing down onto the cliffside, soft grasslands being their own saviors from the cutting rocks as they rolled end over end. A low growling roar escaping from the werebears throat.

Below the sound of the creatures screeches could be heard, the desperate cries silenced not soon after.

 

[Neveah]

She rolled and kicked free. Ignoring the burns of cuts along her skin from the rocks that had dug past her clothing and found their mark. Dust plumed into the air as she got to her feet. She ignored the bear-creature behind her as she began moving back toward the canyon's edge they'd just made it on top.

The air began shimmering around her.

She had to change. She needed to change. If she could just concentrate long enough she could change into a bird and fly down there. Do something. Her ears ignored what she wasn't hearing. Their screams silenced. She could only hear her pounding heart in her chest as she reached for her magic even though it felt small and far off, like reaching down a long, dark and empty well.

 

[Kir]

Before Neveah could fly off, before she could change again, she would feel a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't." The word was strong.

It carried the authority of a King, though Kir was no such thing. He carried no title, no lofty name, but he knew well enough what would happen if she went down there. He stood in no clothes at all, his armor having been left behind and his clothes torn apart.

Yet modesty had long ago left him. "You'll die with them."

The Werebear said plainly, sparing no truth. Offering only the words that he had.

"Live now." He told her. "Fight another day."

Things he had been told more than once.

 

[Neveah]

What little concentration she was mustering up, broke. The princess whipped around. Eyes connected with a familiar face. Then widened.

"You," she breathed, hands curling into fists at her sides. Her breath was coming rapidly now. The shock of what just happened and the adrenaline still coursing through her system.

"What the hell is happening? What...why are you here?!"

She was angry. Marching forward, her palms extended, going to shove him in his bare chest even though he was a good deal taller than her.