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[Video/Action] Arrival- Hunt #1
[Genessia]
It’s probably not at all surprising to see someone new stumble out of the Bay, given the influx of newcomers in recent weeks. The cape is a little worse for wear, just as the scales of the sleek leather armor below are covered in mud, and blood, and deep, angry marks from what surely must have been a blade.
He’s alone, and the pack of wolves he had been running with hadn’t woken up with him in that strange pod.
Sore and doing his best to hide his weary stumbling, despite the strange healing, Kieran makes his way further into the city, looking for a seat at the very least, or someone to explain what the hell is going on.
[VIDEO/Commons]
A man appears onscreen, freshly showered and in a simple dark blue shirt, the lone two buttons near the top unbuttoned at his throat and a towel still atop his head where he tiredly shakes away the remaining water.
“I appreciate the hospitality and the lodging, but the other cities…Can someone tell me of them? I’ve been told the other areas might be more similar to my Court, and I’d like to start looking for my own accommodations, if I’m to be here as long as they’ve suggested.” He shrugs, looking more at the divice he’s speaking to than the actual camera itself. What a strange little caster… “The illusion was informative, but I’d like to hear from those who live in the areas themselves.” He smiles courteously, though the look in his eyes says its a controlled, practiced motion. “Alternatively, if anyone knows of a particularly good tavern or of an area in which to hunt, I would also be grateful.”
[Everglade/Fayren]
Much later in the afternoon, hedging toward dusk, one might spot a rather large wolf prowling the area, tending to its own business, but keen eyed and curious nonetheless. Something about it seems… off. It’s too graceful, too focused on things that couldn’t possibly be prey… and by the way the silver in its eyes seems to swirl and disappear into dark inky shadow as its attention shifts, it certainly can’t just be an animal.
It’s probably not at all surprising to see someone new stumble out of the Bay, given the influx of newcomers in recent weeks. The cape is a little worse for wear, just as the scales of the sleek leather armor below are covered in mud, and blood, and deep, angry marks from what surely must have been a blade.
He’s alone, and the pack of wolves he had been running with hadn’t woken up with him in that strange pod.
Sore and doing his best to hide his weary stumbling, despite the strange healing, Kieran makes his way further into the city, looking for a seat at the very least, or someone to explain what the hell is going on.
[VIDEO/Commons]
A man appears onscreen, freshly showered and in a simple dark blue shirt, the lone two buttons near the top unbuttoned at his throat and a towel still atop his head where he tiredly shakes away the remaining water.
“I appreciate the hospitality and the lodging, but the other cities…Can someone tell me of them? I’ve been told the other areas might be more similar to my Court, and I’d like to start looking for my own accommodations, if I’m to be here as long as they’ve suggested.” He shrugs, looking more at the divice he’s speaking to than the actual camera itself. What a strange little caster… “The illusion was informative, but I’d like to hear from those who live in the areas themselves.” He smiles courteously, though the look in his eyes says its a controlled, practiced motion. “Alternatively, if anyone knows of a particularly good tavern or of an area in which to hunt, I would also be grateful.”
[Everglade/Fayren]
Much later in the afternoon, hedging toward dusk, one might spot a rather large wolf prowling the area, tending to its own business, but keen eyed and curious nonetheless. Something about it seems… off. It’s too graceful, too focused on things that couldn’t possibly be prey… and by the way the silver in its eyes seems to swirl and disappear into dark inky shadow as its attention shifts, it certainly can’t just be an animal.
[Action: Everglade!]
There was a black mare standing over a body with her muzzle splattered with blood as she tore more flesh from the poor soul she managed to catch. The mare herself was pure black with a mane and tail that seemed to be constantly wet and from the look of her.. She was not in the greatest shape. It wasn't hard to count her ribs or see her hip bones, a sure sign the mare had been starved for some time.
Though right now, she was feasting and pausing as she caught the scent of another predator and stopped, her ears back and head down in an aggressive stance. This horse was definitely not prey.]
<3
Poor bastard. The daemon tossed up a quick prayer to whatever gods the person might have served, then moved to go on his way, until he realized the mare had trained her eyes on him.
He paused then, silver light swirling in night-dark eyes before he casually took a seat, just to watch it a little longer. It was probably best that he take note of whatever creatures lived in this area. While he didn't at all seem concerned for his own well-being, this town- Everglade, they had called it- was certainly the most gruesome.]
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Though, at some point, she had to shift...so with her ears trained on him, she reluctantly shifted to her human form, still working on consuming the parts she couldn't get to in her true form.
Now instead of a black mare covered in blood, he now got to see a very naked woman with black hair and pale skin devouring flesh while keeping her attention on him.]
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He stared, even as she went back to her meal. Female shifters weren't common in his world, and this one... He wouldn't dare interrupt her meal with her looking like that, lest there be even less of them in existence. But her existence...
He hesitated, then slowly padded forward, every step carefully placed and his eyes trained on her, even as a lilting voice reached for her.]
Shall I hunt you down some cutlery?
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If Li had to, she'd shift back to her other form to kick his ass before devouring him. She didn't care if he was a wolf or not. Even a Kelpie on her own was still nothing to laugh at.
Though, hearing him speak to her... that brought along an edge of curiosity to her wariness.]
Why? My hands are just as good as my teeth for tearing into flesh.
[And as long as he didn't try to take away her hard earned meal, he wouldn't have to find out the hard way how true it was.]
Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want.
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Better, I'm sure, [he huffed in a laugh, coming to a slow halt in front of her. For a moment, he just appraised her with those strange, shining eyes, then slowly turned to smoke that stretched and flowed. When it faded away onto the breeze, a man stood before her, the same wolfy grin across his face as he half bowed at the waist in 'greeting'.]
I'm sorry to interrupt your meal. I was just surprised to find another shifter so quickly in this... land. [A shake of his head at the last word. Is that what this was called?]
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...You're in The Everglade right now. It's one of the five regions that make up this place. And for the fucking record, I'm not a shifter. I'm a kelpie. We're Sidhe.
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Ahh, so you're fae? [he noted with a nod. At least 'kelpie' rang a bell.] I'm afraid I've never met one of your kind, before. Not... like this, anyway. [In the heat of battle, on some field he'd rather not remember? Perhaps, but he hardly suspected she'd like to know those details.]
...Right. Everglade. That was the one... I think I might have preferred 'Fayren' to this, if I'm honest. [It certainly felt more like home.]
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You could say that. [He was catching quicker than most at least] You've met others of my kind? Where?
[That caught her attention immediately. After all, she was the last in her world... ]
I can say the same. Fayren's more home. This is just where I hunt since it's a place for monsters. A human going missing doesn't raise too much of a suspicion as long as it's not happening too frequently.
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Home, [he shrugged, as if it were obvious enough.] I've worked with many fae in my years, though I've never properly met a kelpie until now. [A dip of his head, and a hand to his heart.] It's an honor.
[He nodded, though his smile faded.] Yes... That's truly the written law of this area? [That one in particular had stuck out to him enough for it to stick.] I do hope they deserved it...
[Something told him it...might not really matter, here.]
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Give me one good reason to accept an offer from a male I've never met before.
[She snarled at him briefly before reigning in her temper and taking another chunk out of her meal.]
I see. Then, I'm still the only one here. Well that fucking sucks. Last at home and the only one in this fucking place. [She huffs softly and then chews on another piece of meat before swallowing. By the time she finishes with this corpse, it will be nothing but picked clean bones considering how voracious her appetite currently is.]
...Yeah, honor my ass. Just be glad I don't have a reason to eat you yet.
[Yes, she thinks with her stomach currently. Get over it.]
Whether they did or not doesn't matter. They won't be missed. I wouldn't say it's a written law. More like, just don't be an idiot and get caught. Besides, I'm not going to accept fucking handouts of fake meat from Torchwood when I'm fully capable of hunting on my own.
I refuse to let them domesticate me like some farm horse.
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[outwardly, the snarl didn’t seem to phase him, but he did raise a brow. Hm… Interesting.
He frowned. Last at home? Surely that couldn’t be the case, though he was quickly understanding that being the only one here might be entirely true. If it were somehow true…
He considered her again, choosing not to pry…too much.] You really don’t like men, do you? [Just try me, his eyes seemed to gleam. An instinctive challenge, but one that faded quickly. He was tired, and fighting didn’t seem all that interesting at the moment. Maybe in a day or two.
His gaze drifted back to the mangled remains of the body.] Torchwood?
[A spark of something deeper. She wouldn’t be tamed… He had once thought that way. Perhaps here he could again.]
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I eat men. Why would I be friends with my prey unless the prey in question was useful to me.
[She glanced up at him again, still guarded and on edge.]
Either you're food, someone to fight or someone I'm not willing to eat.
[She means friend. Honest. ]
Or, you're a potential mate. Maybe. Don't hold your breath. I'm not even healthy enough to foal this spring because of that fucking curse.
[Did she notice the brief challenge in his eyes? Possibly and that did make her slightly curious before it died off.]
Yeah, Torchwood. They're like a company that operates out of Everglade. They make alternate food sources for creatures like me or like vampires and other things.
Sorry, but I'd rather the real thing and handouts are something I'm willing to take.
[Trust her, she's fought hoof and fang against some of the handouts people have tried to give her. Others, not so much. Especially if they improve her living conditions in her cave and she trusts the person giving it to her...which was very rare. ]
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Good point, [he shrugged, nodding. People had to eat, even if her diet could be considered… unfortunate, to some.] I suppose it would make supper… difficult, at best, if you were to open up to them before… opening them up for yourself… [His nose twitched as he surveyed the broken ribs of the human before him.
He tilted his head at her warning, listening more for her sake than his own, but laughed. It was short, but certainly not as lighthearted as he intended it to be; there was something dark coiled below it- heavy and inky.] I’ll keep that in mind. We’ve only just met after all. [Already, darkness had begun to curl around him. While he’d be more than content to stay out of someone else’s bed for a while, he was beginning to feel the weight of her discomfort. Maybe she’d be more comfortable with a shift…]I assure you, I’m not your enemy… [Not Yet.
Torchwood… he would have to keep that in mind, despite not needing it himself, but for now his focus was solely on his transformation. His next words would find their way into her mind, a gentler caress of soothing night and dark as the glittering smoke swept his male form away.]
So you’ve been cursed, too, then?
[In his place, a stallion now paced slowly before her, black as night, powerfully muscled and lethally graceful. He could only hope she would loosen up a bit with something more familiar to talk with.]
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Yet it was the feel of inky darkness against her senses that set her back on edge until she saw just what he shifted into. Li paused to give him her full attention as eyes wandered over the powerful form of the stallion before her. He was as black as her own form, but, well fed and powerful. She hated to admit it but, damn he was attractive like that.
After a few moments, she shifted as well, taking on her natural form, giving him a view of a mare just as dark as he was, though slightly smaller and painfully underfed. It wasn't hard to see her ribs or her hip bones jutting out.
Li snorted faintly at hearing his voice before answering in her own.]
Yeah. Or I was until two wizards broke it not that long ago. A mage and her village killed off most of my herd, foals included before trapping us survivors and then forcing us to remain in our human forms.
[She snorted, stamping her hooves in anger just thinking about it.]
I was stuck for 300 years. Couldn't touch water and couldn't get out of my human form. It was hell on Earth and trying to drive me fucking insane and to suicide. I'm the last of the five that got cursed, the others fell to it.
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He watched as she shifted herself, huffing softly to himself as he subtly noted once more just how underfed she was. It was startlingly obvious in her mare form, and only continued to rub that rawness in his mind.
Wizards… Hm. Maybe once he had figured out the layout of this place, he would hunt them down himself, just to see if there was anything at all they could do for his own.
He doubted it.]
Ah, so you’ve only just been released from it. [Well… That much, at least, was comforting. Maybe given time, she’d return to her full potential. The chances of doing it here so far, in a land without war, seemed reasonable enough to him. He’d wish her well, even if they never crossed paths again.
His gaze darkened as he pawed at the ground, stilling before her again.] I’m sorry for your loss, and all the struggles you’ve been through since. [Regardless of how unfamiliar they were, he sounded more than sincere.] Sending droves of people into insanity, sadly, is a familiar tragedy, I’m afraid. I’m glad you were able to overcome it, and your curse.
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She started to move, the corpse beneath her hooves forgotten as she did her own bit of circling and appraising of him. Despite her underfed appearance, there was still strength in her movements. Li wasn't as weak as she looked and was confidant that with enough feeding, she'd back to her old self in a few months at most.
Eventually, she stopped before him and then moved towards him, seeing if he would back away from her as she spoke. ]
Yeah, within the last within the last month, so not long enough to reverse some of the damage yet.
[She snorted faintly and tossed her head, throwing part of her wet mane to the other side of her neck as frost clung to it. Obviously it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.]
...Thanks. I only survived the fucking hell because I refused to do anything else. I wasn't about to let that bitch win.
[Her hooves stomped the ground as she started moving again, pacing and flicking her tail, sending frost scattering. Li definitely hadn't lost her fire. Not since being free again anyway. There had been moments...
But, Li had managed with a combination of her pride, anger and grief. Now that she didn't need them? Li was coming to terms with some of it. Like her grief.]
I refuse to let my kind die, not like that. As long as I live, they live.
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He nodded.] I may have to seek out these wizards of yours... How were they able to reverse the spell?
[He wouldn't get his hopes up, but it was worth a shot.
Breathing steady, he watched her, even as she approached with that fire in her eyes. He had no reason to back down. This mare would have to work much harder, should she try to intimidate him. Her determination, though, was admirable.] Of course. Given the way I was told this world might work, who knows? Perhaps it'll send another your way one of these days.
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[She snorted faintly. Li didn't understand all of what Gellert and Albus did, but, she appreciated their dedication and work. It.. saved her life.
Literally.]
Maybe. Or I find a strong male or a good stallion. Whatever works to restart my herd.
[She might have put a little thought into that. But, she also wasn't looking right now and wouldn't be for some time. As for him, as interesting and good looking as he was... looks weren't all she went for. Lithium was a hard mare to impress when she was at full health and even harder to impress while she's like this.]
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[His stomach twisted. Potions. Naturally.
He dipped his head in a nod.]
Either way, I hope the fates favor you.
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[She huffed as she shifted to turn away from him with another toss of her head. There's a flicker of her ears as she thinks about something...And then just goes with the impulse.]
Do you run? As a stallion I mean. It's been awhile since I've had a good run with someone.
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[His own account with them was... substantial to say the least. He shifted his gaze to her.]
I would be a pitiful stallion if I didn't. [He snorted.]
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Then Run with me.
[It wasn't a request. Li was already taking off through the woods whether he followed or not.]
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It wouldn't take him long to catch up with her, hooves thundering with each movement. Darkness swirled and twined about his legs.]
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She shot a glance over her shoulder before she picked up her speed, challenging him.]
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She heard his hoof beats catch up to hers and then kept going, weaving in and out of the trees easily as she kept her course towards a river she knew about. If he could run, could he swim?]
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Naturally. Of course a Kelpie would turn to the water.
He wove after her, not slowing even as the darkness licked at his hooves, then coiled up his legs as he ran. Kieran certainly wouldn't be backing down any time soon, even if he would have to have his wits about him. Despite his abilities, he wasn't foolish enough to think himself clever enough to outsmart a born Kelpie in her natural surroundings.
At least, in this form.]
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The river was quickly coming into view as she kept going, full speed towards it. Whether he was able to keep up with her while in her true element was something she wanted to see for herself. So naturally she was going to test him.
The moment her hooves hit the water, she was rushing into the deeper part of the river until her back was submerged beneath the rushing waves. She glanced back at him as her form shifted a bit more, becoming more suitable for the water before she delved beneath the waves and waited to see just what he might do.
Would he follow her or would he stay on the bank?]
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And much more adorable.
Beaneath the surface, and otter would swish past her, a deep chuckle following after it as he waved a small hand at her.]
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An otter? Li paused to look at him curiously before surging to life and following. Now she was curious as to what he would do as an otter while she was still very much a horse in water.. well, a horse with a fishy back half to support her aquatic form. There were reasons she was so good at swimming as a siren.]
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Ah, so that's how that works...
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The way she moved may not be as quick as his movements but, Li was agile in the water or as agile as she could be with her form before she snorted at him and playfully snapped before diving down towards the bottom of the river bed and settling there. At least she could breathe underwater.
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...well. Cute and fuzzy forms weren't all he had at his disposal.]
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Meanwhile her tail shifted against the rocks and sand at the bottom of the river, curling slightly as her fins shifted like her mane did. For fins that looked tattered and worn, that didn't stop her. There was something both ethereal and beautiful about her settled there and so very, very dangerous. ]
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Kier only floated around her, studying her curiously. This...might be a terrible idea. He might have fallen right into the perfect trap.
Even still, something about her didn't strike her as feral, at least, not in the moment. Ethereal, yes, perhaps even haunting, but... he certainly wasn't afraid of her.
...but then, it never hurt to be cautious. He studied her for a moment longer, then spun himself into that darkness again, emerging this time as an... almost mirror image of her. Bigger of course, and with that same inky shimmer he had donned before, but... not bad for a first try.
...Maybe so long as he stayed still, she might not realize how awkward he might move in an unfamiliar form.
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Very reluctantly she began to move slowlu drifting towards him to check out his newest form curiously. Eventually she shifts to settle against his side and leans against him, testingto see what he might allow as her fins sway in the rivers current.