Longing for her touch...

[SexKitten]

It was raining. I muttered some inaudible curses under my breath as I wiped the hair out of my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. The run that had gotten me somehow lost in the forest had been mostly a blur of fear and sore feet. This had turned to anger with the rain... and the mud it created. A dramatic sigh escaped my lips as I stopped for a moment to examine my unrecognizable shoes. I combed my hair back with my sharp nails before throwing the shoes off my feet in frustration. One clunked into a tree while the other sunk into some brush. The mud squished through my toes. Ew. I tiptoed through the mud until my feet met with a bit of dry ground that had been protected by some huge oak tree. The tree was truly beautiful. Like she had been... and then it hit me. I had left my life. I had left my love. I had no where, nobody, nothing. But it was all too much to think about right now. My knees buckled and I collapsed by the tree, a few drops of rain falling from the leaves above, coxing me into a deep sleep.

[Corvus MacCallum]

Rain...one of lifes beautiful complications...well for many it was a minor annoyance, that which prevents clothing drying, bringer of flus and colds, but when stalking a wild boar with tusks strong enough to split a tree the rain was just something to get in the way of all those other sounds you had to make sure of. Was a filthy little squealer and quite an annoyance, this forest was almost bog-land with its many mud-traps and uneven ground, which made pursuit of this breathing pork delight a tad trickier than it should have been by all rights. Then again Cor had also decided to hunt fully equiped for once and the rattling of the fangs in his pack weren`t useful for stealthy approaches...there it was, grazing and snorting but looking up every few heart-beats at the sound of anything unwatery, nose working a mile a minute..wouldn't help you,wild dogs are too common in this forest.

Got ya...

Growling Corvus lept from the bush he had practically nested in and ripped the hue Slammer sword from his back,with one swing he severed many rain drops along with every vein and artery in that boars neck,its helping fall with a sick splash into a puddle of mostly mud,grinning at his prize the Highlander made short work of cleaning his blade on the boar head,ripping the tusks out as well and depositing them in his pack before hefting up the carcass,would need a dry spot in order to set up a fire. His nose working as something non feral caught his attention...there was scents of perfume...faint and old but there, mixed with that,the females natural scent, seemed very rushed. Slinging the boars body onto his back Cor picked slowly through the mire and muck to follow this scent, coming across almost filled prints, very uneven, must have taken off in confusion. With a grumble the Wolf-hybrid brushed the drenched hair spikes from his sight and continued pushing on, it didn't take long to catch up, despite how far this creature must have run it certainly wasn't one for the wilds.

Catching sight of the diminuative sleeping form the Highlander checked her out at a distance, eyes working on every bit of the surroundings, no traps...no visible weapons, run-away then rather than some prisoner or warrior. Deciding to take advantage of any welcoming dry patch he made his way to where the girl slept, slumping the boar carcass nearby to dry off and give him time to put together a spit,his hefty sword and pack dumped at the base of a tree near her, then off went the buckler and deciding to share survival with something so frail removed a rough blanket he sometimes used for hammocks,placing it over her without too much care,really it was just to cover her.

Scrabbling at the tree he started picking out branches and tearing them free,making sure only to pick from the wet-sides,they would be harder to light but wouldn`t ruin the patch they had,claws slicing through the bark as he brought himself down, assembling a simple camp-fire, would at least dry out his fur for tonight...then in the morning, make use of more wood, cook the boar and head on...though that meat did seem tempting...well should still be warm right?...

Checking on the lass he looked back to the boar, his claws working at the tough hide before removing one of those juicy shoulders,tearing at it like the beast he was...rather tasty, this thing must have been rather fit.

[SexKitten]

My other senses started working before my eyesight returned to me. There was the smell of carnage, the crackling of fire, and the warmth of a rough blanket. Not to mention the soggy clothes and aching body. My eyes slowly opened as a tired moan escaped my lips. I brought my hands to my face to try to rub the sleep out of it. I looked over to see a man tearing into a hunk of dead, bloody boar. So I screamed. Would have also leapt to my feet, but my legs weren't currently working. Instead I pulled my limbs towards me as I met the wild gaze of this new... uh, person. A breeze blew by, managing to move my slowly drying hair. Pushing a few strands out of my face with a shaky hand, I asked, "W-who... are you?"

[Corvus MacCallum]

At the scream his ears couldn't help but hurt, cringing slightly as he tried to continue chewing, wincing as his tongue grazed one of his fangs...he was 'this' close to biting it and that was never pleasant, glancing to the now woken catgirl he decided to have a crack at communication.

"Kervish.."

Blinking he took a moment to chew further and swallow,wiping the blood from his lips using a rag, also applying it to his hands.

"Corvus...found you conked out here so figured I`d stay to keep an eye on how you were...plus wasn't in the mood to squish my way through all that muck"

Raising a hand he scratched at the messy mane, some of the hair-spikes managing to rise back up into the air, his other poking at the fire, would probably need restocking in another minute or two..such a pain keeping these things going. Considering the kind of creature he was with figured it couldn't hurt to be a bit more free, that fluffy wolf tail uncurling from its disguise as a bit of a kill, wagging slowly behind him, stretching out with it slightly along with his feet, showing off the furry, clawed extremities from his baggy trousers.

"No need to worry lass, I took this thing down before I found ya...isn't too bad either, all up for offering a few cooked chunks if you fancy, though I`d like to have a name before carving it up heheh"

[Raelyse]

The prince of Myrusia was seldom miserable. He lived in the lap of luxury with dozens of attendants feeding his every whim. This time though, he most definitely was not.

Even the narcissistic prince was regretting his decision as he trudged along the muddy road, the effort he had put into his previously flawless hair now ruined. It had been his decision to come here, wherever here was. Raelyse, like so many in his position had grown weary and bored of the repetitive and monotonous life that he led as leader of the Grander's Order. His clan had reached a particularly stagnant period in their history. They were merely biding their time, waiting for things to happen. Raelyse had never been like that, of course. The prince was as impatient as he was narcissistic. And judging by the length, volume and tone of the curse that erupted from his throat once the first drop of rain landed on his silver hair, he was quite impatient.

After sneaking away from his underlings, the prince had taken the first boat that left the nearest dock. He had no idea where, but the thrill of escape and the promise of adventure wherever he was going had lasted for a long time, even until he set foot on his newest destination. The signs were in a text he had no clue how to even begin to read. Luckily, he managed to gesticulate that he wanted to move from the dock down the road to the next nearest town, which looked to be infinitely more exciting than the one he was in now. All ships, pubs, sailors and drunkards, much below the usual clique that the prince fond himself in the company of.

Unfortunately, they were all out of horses but it was a simple trek that would not take long, even for someone as slow a walker as Raelyse with his leg impediment. Besides, the wind was pleasant and since he realized that he knew no one here, he might as well give it a go. No one's opinion mattered in this little island anyway.

How the prince regretted that decision as soon as the first drop of rain seemed to invite what seemed like millions more to fall from the heavens and all over Raelyse. He thought about running, but immediately dismissed that thought for his clothes, hair and mood were instantly ruined and running would only tire him.

He continued to walk miserably, swearing underneath his breath for only himself to hear, for the longest minute in his life when he saw a tree ahead, a rather large one with dense foliage that seemed to function as some sort of shelter. It was only when he got within a handful of feet that he heard voices and saw the figures that were hidden beneath the shadows of the tree.

He cursed loudly but his mood immediately brightened when he noticed who he had for company in this tree's shelter.

"I hate this weather," the prince said in his patronizing tone. "It fills my path with circus animals and my nostrils with raw meat on unbrushed mouths."

He showed particular disdain to the humanoid stuffing his face with what appeared to be the corpse of a pig. Wrenching his face in disgust, he turned to the other one.

As he moved his wet silver hair from his face, his eyes bore into her before a smirk formed across his handsome face.

[SexKitten]

I giggled, my fear leaving me. This wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Though rather scary at first, with the blood and whatnot, he seemed quite nice. "Hi," I quietly began. "I'm Tryphena." I pushed my hair out of my face again, feeling rather self-concious all of a sudden under his steady gaze, but at the same time finding some comfort in it. "Thank you very much for watching over me, Corvus." I smiled and glanced at the corpse that lay beside him. "I hate to ask for more, but.. do you ever cook your meat? I'm not much for it raw...." Giggling again, I flashed the best smile I could. Then I felt another gaze on me....

[Corvus MacCallum]

He couldn't help it, that tone of voice, the willing parting of her name, seeing those tense shoulders lower, he smiled, thankfully fangs were clean. His chipper demeanour then turned its attention to the small camp-fire, sweeping his tail across the ground to nudge some branches he had pulled off earlier into range of his grip,snapping and bunging them on. Reaching to the carcass which thankfully just didn't have time to smell bad and began carving through it with his claws, glancing to them, then at the girl.

"Me hands are clean enough heh...all I handled was this thing and as for the meat, well can fix it up sure I just don`t really need it done, strong constitution"

Friendly banter sure but to be honest most of it was just to fill in time as he spent trying to recall how she pronounced her name.. he wasn't fantastic with names, scents and sounds yes, names...kinda tricky, took him five years before he could pronounce his dads name right...then again his dad was called Casaganathline...its a mouthful even if your mute.

Tryphine...Tripin..Tryphene..yea thats it,yea okay,got it,secure...huh?

There was something that smelt worryingly fine nearby...mix of salty air, pipe smoke...harbour, pub...but this smelt far more expensive than some traveller...maybe the lass escaped from this?...nah anyone that could afford such a lovely critter would have many servants to send, not to mention most nobles wouldn`t have a clue on travel and certainly wouldn't step out alone..oh well so long as its distance is kept he wasn't too worried, best sleep with one eye open.

"You don`t really look the wilds type lass, take a wrong turn or stumble off a path?"

Rushed escape, confusion, exhaustion...not something you`d easily tell a stranger so best to play dumb on her circumstances till she gets a bit more comfortable. The Highlander reaching into his pack and pulling free a small portable spit he had made from finely cleaned and maintained branches,pulling into the boar he managed to get a good lump of its firm back meat, gave him a bit of a twang at the back of his mind though...was alright carving it up when she wasn't aware but well its certainly worrying surely to see a guy pull a boar apart with such casualness, hopefully it wouldn`t be off-putting. Impaling the meat in a good way to keep it cooking evenly he placed it over the small fire.

"Won't cook quick but the smoke always helps bring out flavour"

Very attractive girl but had to wonder, was it merely shallow beauty or was there a bit of a mind behind her, would be a short walk to get back onto the beaten track, fair old trek to the next village, she could handle it but then what..

Don't

Oh come on

Well it was hardly a mental battle of epic proportions, he had the mental resources but he couldn't just leave a lass in any form of distress, not like he had any direction to go in anyway...he could tell her in the morning that he was looking to keep her company.

[Raelyse]

A smirk that quickly formed into a frown when the two in front of him did not immediately acknowledge him. Raelyse was used to be a show stopper, drawing more eyes to him when he entered a room than a bride on her wedding day. The prince walked forward, stifling the vomit down his throat from the disgusting smell of a recently dead, uncooked animal. The sight of the bloody animal was even worse, though the half human creature feeding on it made his stomach turn even more. Every brief, rude glance he made in his direction made him regret that choice, for every time he spied that less than handsome face and the blood that covered his hands and the area below his face.

His frustration did not last long because his last side look told him all that he needed to know about this warrior. He was no match for Raelyse and that thought alone gave the prince the temptation to draw his sword from his cane sheath and cut the boy down where he stood. He resisted though, because he did always enjoy it when these things happened slowly, he enjoyed it when he could wait until the exact last moment before getting his satisfaction. And how Raelyse got satisfaction whenever he destroyed something ugly.

The creature that the prince had his eyes on though, was far from that. She had cute features, an adorable nose and soft red eyes that stole his attention. Raelyse would be a blatant liar if he said that this was a rare occurrence. The prince saw things that he liked often and when that happened, it was not often that he did not get it.

Taking steps forward to make himself more prominent in the eyes of both of the people before him; though his posture clearly showed that he much preferred one to the other. He moved slowly though, keeping eye contact with the girl as she began to notice him more and more. He turned his body so that he stood in between the scavenger boy and the girl, so that her attention would probably shift to him.

"Hello, my dear," he said, his lips parting to reveal his glimmering white teeth. "Did the rain drive you into the arms of a savage? Do you need rescuing? Because... I am a prince."

He said the last part with so much conviction that for a moment, Raelyse felt like a stereotypical knight prince in shining armor. It was almost enough to make him laugh out loud.

[SexKitten]

((Screw first person, I'm switching to third. Haha!))

She shook the being-watched-feeling from her mind and continued talking with Corvus. He was cute in that kind of fluffy, cuddly way, but she figured he probably wouldn't appreciate that. While he continued on with some nice filler conversation, she wondered why he had such a contemplative look on his face. And the little twitchy thing he did with his nose just added to the flufful persona. Not to mention, that smoked meat was smelling very good to her worn body. She took in a deep breath, savoring the taste on her tongue, so it took her quite a bit to realize he had asked a question about where she had come from. Yet she was still confused about the whole situation she had gotten into herself and an answer failed to fully form.

"Uhm..."

And in stepped this.. uh, guy. With some suave line. She looked at him warily before answering, "I don't need a prince. I already have a princess... well, had...." She glanced away.

This was confusing. It was still difficult to think about that. Or anything not related to this exact moment in time. She distracted her self with the sweet sent of roasting meat.

[Corvus MacCallum]

For the love of Fenris hairy left testicle...urgh!

He really struggled fighting his reaction to retch..immature yes but damn..that was just far too..whats the word..pathetic?...yes pathetic a line. Must have thought a volcano would freeze around him since he was so cool...Corvus really disliked these kind of people, in with a winning line, flashing a grin and then expecting sucess, no effort involved..not to mention if not for his rather speedy location travel this nob...le...wouldn`t have the faintest whiff of the real world on him..all those silks, soaps..perfumes..urgh. A man should smell like the enviroments and opponents hes tussled through, he should be able to smell like hes done SOMETHING...though Cor did wash it was in natural streams but he at least smelled like he was in nature.

Princess...well she did look something like a slave...though certainly of a higher bearing than most, hmm..wonder why she would leave, dosen't seem the type to get lost in her more animalistic si-iiiiheettt...

He had gotten lost in brief ponderance and had taken his eyes off the meat, it wasn't blackening or such but it was important to keep an eye on your cooking for safety reasons, though at least he had continued turning the spit, checking it over he lifted up the spit and took out a rather thick rag from his pack. Shredded material yes but clean and should keep the heat from burning those soft little fingers, rising up and stepping past the fop he kneeled down on his haunches, offering the reasonably wrapped meat to the indeed very attractive feline..still there was an oddness to that scent, didn`t exactly smell like most women, ah well.

"Fraid I haven`t got anything green to go with it but if we head off tomorrow should reach a town where we can gather up some stuff in the markets.."

His tail was wagging side to side slowly, pondering on if he should say 'if you`ll have me' to finish it off, but then thats a little close in time to the fops offer and he was bound to throw some form of temper tantrum, spoilt royalty..on the bright-side now being this close to the feline he was also in arms reach of that huge sword jutting from the ground. With a soft flumph of impact he plopped down beside Tryphena, he had torn the cooked meat in two, with her getting the much larger part, he just felt like having something to nibble on and she might not have appreciated that heh..

[Karuka]

'Twould ha' been ay nice i' th' weather ha' given jus' a wee bit o' warnin', thought Karuka as she blew on her hands to try and warm them.

The deluge had started suddenly, soaking the bouncy dark-red hair to the scalp and very quickly plastering the now-grey and tattered linen tunic and capris to the honey-brown skin. To get the canvas out would have meant the certain drenching of her wool cloak, something she certainly wasn't willing to risk.

A pomegranate red mouth let out a sigh, and a slender hand rubbed over the chakra she had gotten when she was two, before briefly sliding down over sun-and-sky eyes.

Then the smooth brown hands clasped together and the drenched maiden grinned.

"Well, when 'tis cold an' wet an' there's nothin' t' do abou' i', then y' migh' as well ha' fun wi' i'."

So off she went, doing cartwheels in the mud, letting her satchel keep its own way, and finally she stood, panting, in the rain, letting the large drops rinse her clean, save for the clay on her feet.

Tis ay a miracle, she reflected, tha' th' rain here an' th' rain back home ha' so similar a purpose...wi' ou' i', wi' ou' water, there isnae any life t' be had.

She rubbed over her hands and arms, and legs a little, helping the rain clean her of the sticky dirt and clay mixture, and then started walking again.

'Tis a pity th' boys dinna want t' come wi' me. I hope they're nae gettin' into trouble...ay, tha' would be verra verra bad indeed.

She stopped as she smelled something she hadn't noticed before. Smoke? T' ha' smoke means t' ha' fire...an' maybe th' owner o' i' will be so kind as t' let me sit i' th' warmth, jus until th' rain stops.

The right hand removed a polished lode-stone pendulum from around the slender neck and let it swing, following it toward the fire.

Around that fire were three beings, two of which caused an instant clap of delight.

"'Tis a wee dog man an' a wee cat girl! Oh...I'm sorry. 'Tis jus' tha'...since comin' here I've seen many a wonderful creature, an' if mi clann knew abou' i'...well, they dinna."

She looked around a bit, trying to decide who it was that the fire rightfully belonged to. The silver haired dandy in the fancy do-dads? No, he didn't have any marks on his hands or clothes...he looked like he'd never done a decent day's work in his life.

The wee cat girl's? No...her arm muscles would not have held up well under that.

The wee dog man's? Aye, he had the muscle for it...the boar was his, too, no doubt, so she addressed him, more than any of the others.

"Hallo. I'm Karuka, recently come o'er from Irelan', an' I would be very much grateful t'y' if y'd let me share yer fire for a wee bi', until th' rain dies down."

[Raelyse]

Raelyse had thought about inquiring deeper into the girl's past in an attempt to fake interest but after a while he realized that it was not worth the attempt, the man was scarcely human and the female apparently seemed to enjoy digging her face in raw meat than actually engage in conversation with someone of the prince's pedigree. No matter, the prince thought to himself. The rain would end soon.

That was until he turned his attention to the thundering fall of water, no more than a few feet away on the areas uncovered by the tree. A quick glance in the area surrounding revealed to the prince that there was little other cover in the area, he could not even see another tree on the horizon. He swore softly to himself before moving away from the meat. It stung his nostrils painfully.

Shaking his head slightly from side to side, the prince turned just in time to spy a figure arrive to share in the cover provided by this imposing tree. She spoke in a peculiar accent that almost seemed to twist Tradespeak into something almost understandable. Raelyse found that he only managed to understand, even then just barely, when he concentrated.

The prince of Myrusia sighed, his eyes drifting from the dead animal to the new red-haired lass.

The rain could not end too soon.

[SexKitten]

She dug her teeth into the roast and ripped off another chunk as she watched the men under the tree with her, also observing the seemingly ever increasing rain. She sighed and took another bite at the meat as she tried to figure out what she was going to do, what she even wanted to do. Having never left her home before, she wasn't aware of how to travel anywhere that was.. well.. outside.. so Corvus' offer of not only a market, but green food was very tempting.

She was going to ask about this when a girl appeared, joining the shelter of the tree that seemed rather popular today. She was.. perky.. in more ways than one. Even though Corvus was the one addressed, the cat girl couldn't help but give this new comer a once over in spite of herself. She wiped of her mouth and gestured to the area by the fire. "Feel free to join us, Ma'am!"

[Corvus MacCallum]

"Yea exactly lass, I`m Corvus, this is Tryph and...well I`m sure he`d like a song and dance to introduce himself instead of simply stating it...no point turning anyone away from a fire in the middle of a storm, despite personal tastes"

It was clear to anyone that followed his gaze Corvus was musing on the Pompous prince rather than the scruffy accented girl, not that he was being needlessly unpleasant but that display earlier had made the bile rise in his throat, the highlander glanced about for a moment, only comfortable seating spot he was currently on, as was the kitten. Smirking he nudged Tryphena lightly, the universal signal to budge up.

"Lets get her some room,if your hungry feel free to trim what you like off that,I recommend the shoulders and chest for the best meat,rumps a bit fresh heheh"

As he shuffled for a moment to get further comfortable his tail swept out to the side,brushing down along the nekos back and providing both something fluffy to rest against but also something warm. A thought crossing his mind and snickering into himself glancing to the Prince.

"Ere you don't have a willing Herald to play his trumphet and declare your presence, introduce yourself to the lady, proper manners and what not"

[Karuka]

"Ah, 'tis a right big boar y'ha'. 'Twere a righ' beautiful animal when ali', I'd venture a guess. I've a wee bit o' bread an' cheese if any o' y'd like some."

Karuka wrang out her hair before finding a stick and ripping off a little of the pig with her strong, slender fingers, stabbing it through, and then taking a seat between the dog-man and silver-haired pretty man.

"'Tis a right lovely wee fire y' ha' here, Corvus. I knew a Corvus once...he were a nice lad until he got hold o' a wee frog. An' he loved gettin' th' wee froggies an' chasin' th' lasses aroun' wi' 'em. 'Twerenae nice o' him a'tall."

She was shivering, just slightly, now that she was in the warmth to know how cold the rain had been.

"'Twere a fast shower...we'd get those sometimes a' home, an' Caillech ha' mercy on y' if y' were ou' wi'ou' anythin' t' keep y' warm an' dry."

The red-head planted the stick holding her scrap of meat firmly into the ground, letting it roast in the flames, then rubbed her hands hard to clean them of the blood before passing them quickly through the fire and turning to the as-of-yet unidentified human.

"There, see, clean han's. Now, who are y'?" She held out her right hand to shake in greeting.

TRANSLATIONS
"Oh, it's a nice big boar you have there. It was a beautiful animal when living, I'd venture a guess. I have a little bread and cheese, if any of you want some."


"It's a very nice fire you have, Corvus. I knew a Corvus once...he was a nice guy until he got ahold of a frog. And he LOVED getting the little froggies and chasing the girls around with them. It wasn't very nice of him at all."

"That shower started quite suddenly. We'd get those at home sometimes, and Lord have mercy on you if you were caught without something to keep you warm and dry."

"There, see? Clean hands. Now, what's your name?"

[Raelyse]

As the rain poured down, the prince found himself being surrounded by more and more new companions. The girl had walked right by him, never even acknowledging him as she sat with the other two and shared in the disgusting animal. Raelyse sighed, glancing around, even moving his hand from the cover provided by the trees to feel the rain. Still heavy. The prince could hardly believe that he had even entertained coming here, leaving the warm comforts of his many homes to share shelter provided by a tree with a couple of half-breeds and a language confused girl.

It was a few moments after he had been spoken to that the prince realized that words were being directed at him. While he was happy that he was garnering the attention he deserved, Raelyse was slightly angry to realize that one of them mocked him.

"Do not even come close to talking to me, dog," the prince said, confidence returning to his voice when he realized that he had something to preoccupy himself with, at least for now. He shifted his body towards the tree, his blue eyes glaring at the half-breed. He leaned forward on his cane, his fingers elegantly stroking its handle. "I'm only here so my clothes, which are worth at least seven times what you are, aren't ruined further. So please, refrain from speaking to me and let these ladies enjoy the presence of a prince."

He was bored and his sword cane had not been a long sword for long enough these last few days. The thoughts of using his magnificent weapon were interrupted though, when an open palm shot forward into his personal space, outreached and introductory.

He took one glance at the redhead's open palm and scoffed loudly, one eye on either of the half-breeds, waiting for a move.

How he craved to be entertained.