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Log: Hunters and Priestess, Predators All

Page history last edited by Tsangun 15 years, 5 months ago

Hanako stalks through a dense forest within the Hundred Kingdoms like a ghost, having had to move on once again, with the latest ebb of the region's political stability, or lack thereof. Most of what few possessions she has are stowed away in the makeshift shelter she's created and hidden within the deepest part of the wilderness, leaving her with little more than her silken dress, quiver, and powerbow, as she goes out looking...for the other necessity of life. Preferably, something tasty.

 

Narys is out for the same thing, sustance. At the moment he is not really easy to be seen. There is a gold and black hawk flying through the air, moving from tree to tree at the moment. He finds a likely spot and flies down to the ground and shimmers shifting to his natural form. He runs a hand through his black and gold feathers, and adjusts his gear. He slips his Orichalcum Powerbow off his shoulder, slips an arrow onto the string and has two other arrows held in the hand holding the bow. He glances around and checks the ground for signs of travel.

 

In stark contrast to the two trained hunters, the Holder of the Key wanders through the wilderness as though it were an alien landscape, its foreigness was part of its charm for her, however, and she moved slowly and patiently, working her way back to the road. She had a long ways to travel today, and had little care for leaving tracks or travelling lightly.

 

Hanako does have a habit of occasionally glancing skyward, if only due to years of experience, living in the same places where Strix, Ichneumon hunters, and giant spiders, amongst others, tend to lurk above, quietly. She notes the gloriously coloured hawk, blinking once as she does, but as it descends some distance away, out of sight due to the various living obstructions in the way, she pays it little more mind, turning her attention back to what she's doing...having picked up the tracks of a rather large wild boar, and moving to follow them, while attempting to avoid leaving any sign of her own passage...

 

Narys has found two sets of tracks, a large wild boar, and the Holder of the Key's. He shakes his head for a moment and considers which to follow. He starts out after the boar, but they are moving in the same general direction.

Indeed it is, that boar may soon emerge in a certain Holder of the Key's path...

 

Xyrika has a long history of not noticing things that perhaps it would be better if she did notice. This boar proves to be yet another one of them. Suddenly, there is a grunting and snarling from the brush, and there was a beast, larger than she was in her path. Her first reaction was to freeze, then draw her knife, and let out a sigh. "Why now?" she half-moaned aloud, more in annoyance than in fear.

 

From the denser undergrowth, forty-five degrees from the direction of the boar's emergence, a pair of arrows spring outward in rapid succession, tipped with frog-crotch heads, glittering razor sharp in the moment before they tear into the beast's flank, just as it moves to charge the pale girl...

 

Narys had moved a little faster at some of the sounds and then blinks a bit and two more arrow come from behind Xyrika, broad heads and sinking deep, there is tremendous power behind the shots, probably easily wounding the creature, which lets out a wailing squeal and then collapses, "Stay back, they play tricks sometimes." he calls out in Riverspeak.

 

Xyrika looks around her, disturbed by the thought of unseen observers. "Tricks like sprouting arrows, or tricks like appearing out of nowhere from the woods?"

 

Whoever fired the first volley isn't revealing themselves quite so openly, at least just yet...but their arrows are clearly quite different than the bird-man's, hand carved, and fletched with feathers from a bird only found three hundred miles south...

 

Narys comes out of the woods, revealing his half-birdlike appearance. "No they play dead and then get up." he cocks his head to the side, "Give it a moment to make sure that is truly dead." he shakes his head a bit, "I did not mean to startle you, I was hunting the boar."

 

Xyrika bows to the bird-man deeply, putting her little knife away. "I apologize for my harsh words, I am indebted to you. I am Xyrika, High Priestess of the Temple of the Unopened Gate." She seems oblivious to the notion that there could be two hunters here.

 

Hanako watches from within her foliage-camoflauged vantage point, already having crept some distance away from where she fired her shots, observing silently, for the time being. The man looks rather dangerous, though he speaks pleasently enough...and the girl, she has an...odd appearance, though she knows that may not necessarily be all that it appears on the surface...

 

Narys cocks his head to the side, "A pleasure to meet you High Priestess, I am Narys, Son of the Huntress." he says though some or rather most probably won't recognize the reference. He smiles a bit, "No if I hadn't been hunting it, you might not have startled it."

 

Xyrika says, "Ah, of course, I will be sure to thank your divine mother for your timely arrival." She bows again. "You live alone in the wilderness, Master Narys?"

 

Hanako, for the moment at least, continues to hang back and watch...and listen.

 

Narys nods, "I am sure she will like the thanks, her followers always look for prayers, even the few that seem to want to pray to me." he shakes his head a bit, "I live to the east in a retreat, but I travel all over this area, here, Nexus, Greyfalls, anywhere there is a challenge, anywhere there is a hunt."

 

Xyrika smiles, and tilts her head slightly. "What does the hunt bring you that you seek it with such fervor?"

 

Hanako is, suddenly, in the small clearing, standing atop the boar's slowly-cooling carcass, and pulling out the first two arrows to sink into it. While the two were speaking, she slipped into view, though her subtle movements don't attract attention, she *is* still rather exposed there.

 

Narys smiles and nods, "My mother's favor, and it is my life, the thrill and joy of the hunt. It completes me, like little else, and can be a solitary pursuit since not many like my company." he shakes his head and then glances towards the woman on the corpse.

 

Xyrika blinks as Narys looks at the girl pulling arrows from the fallen beast. She hadn't noticed her until the bird-man had drawn attention to her. Fascinating. "So, you hunt because it is what you are, master Narys?" A smile began to play across her lips. Her eyes were on the other girl.

 

Hanako is, indeed, closer to a girl than a woman in form...but, from the way she plants her moccasin-covered foot on the neck of the beast, at least as large as she is, and rips the wickedly curved arrows free with one hand, showering her lovely skirt in blood and gore without her passive expression changing even in the slightest, then calmly wipes the arrowheads on the boar's hide, before slipping them into her quiver, powerbow held loosely but readily at her side, it again at least as tall as she is, she can easily seem a fair bit older. She turns her crimson gaze upward to the other two once she's completed her task, long, glossy black hair swaying slightly as she does...and nods. "...it is yours." That quiet comment seeming to be directed toward Narys.

 

Narys nods, "it is the way I was trained, and it is something that I love doing." he shakes his head a bit, "Now there are a couple hunts I would like to succeed on but always are slightly beyond my grasp." he looks over at the other hunter and smiles, "I can share if you need some of the meat, your arrows took it first." he says and shakes his head abit, feathers rustling.

 

Xyrika let the essence flows of the world enter her and fill her as she stared at the raven-haired huntress. Who was she? Why is she here? Why does she seem significant?

 

Xyrika bows to the mysterious girl before her as well. "I thank you also, for your timely intercession, Miss."

 

You paged Xyrika with 'The oddness might seem vaguely familiar, though, if she's ever examined a second circle or larger demon, or other creature outside fate, with the charm...'.

 

Xyrika pages: She has.

 

Xyrika pages: Is she not a part of fate?

 

You paged Xyrika with 'Well, while she doesn't have the other alien qualities so abundant in such beings, there is one quality that seems familiar to them, that abstract representation of being not quite so connected to the rest of Creation as normal beings are...'.

 

Xyrika pages: FASCINATING. Here, I'll roll.

 

(Judge) Xyrika rolls Perception + Occult: [ 4 4 5 6 6 <10> <10> ]

    Resulting in 4 successes.

 

Xyrika pages: I think that's enough to notice that quality, with essence sight, hm? :)

 

Hanako studies the two silently, for a moment...then takes a step back, away from them, and placing the boar between herself and the other two. "...I can find something else." Another pause, then, another nod, to the other girl. "...you're welcome. ...I was just hunting it, too." Then half-turns, apparently ready to leave. "...goodbye."

 

You paged Xyrika with 'Well. That's certainly enough to notice that quality then. Even so, there's a different tinge to it, that of a mortal being, born within Creation, rather than of an immigrant from alien realms...and yet, not part of Fate, not part of Destiny? Like nothing else she's EVER seen before.'.

 

Xyrika pages: Fascinating. :)

 

Narys cocks his head to the side, "I can share as I said," he says and then smiles at Xyrika and then looks over at Hanako, "You do not have to go, I am Narys." he says and bows a bit.

 

Xyrika smiles at the quiet, strange girl. "Yes, please stay a while longer, miss. Courtesy forbids me from letting someone who helped save my life from simply leaving unknown and unthanked."

 

Hanako pauses at this, glancing back again...and, after a moment's silence, seemingly spent considering just what to say, she shakes her head again, just a bit. "...I...don't like to...be with others. I...don't want anything. I need to go." Another step backward, her hand tightening its grip on her powerbow, just a bit...before lifting her free hand, and pressing it to her chest. "...Hanako." Her accent is definitely that of the peasentry of the Hundred Kingdoms, though with a faint edge of that of the Realm, as well...

 

The priestess' large brass-yellow eyes suddenly seem to come into focus on the girl. "How lonely you must be. Or perhaps not. But then, you have been rejected, haven't you?" She pauses a moment. "Perhaps I can help..."

 

Narys bows, "A pleasure to meet you Hanako." he says and cocks his head to the side, "I can understand not wanting to be with others, it is often why I go hunting alone." he says, "Alone, I don't get the looks."

 

Hanako glances toward Narys, at his comment...and nods, just a bit, wordless agreement, understanding, to a degree. Then her blood-coloured gaze turns to meet the Holder of the Key's own inhuman eyes, suddenly seeming as deep as Kimberry's darkest depths, and she speaks again. "I yet live. I will keep living." And at that, she does turn her back on the other girl, moving to walk toward the underbrush at the edge of the clearing. "I do not need your help..."

 

Xyrika smiles. "Then I bid you enjoy your solitude, miss. Should you grow tired of it, seek out the Temple of the Unopened Gate, in the State of Ruby Waters. But you deserve better than an animal's life." She turned to Narys. "Though I do not believe you suffer as that one does, the same offer goes for you. I have taught my followers to respect what they do not understand, not fear it."

 

Narys nods and shakes his head a bit, he watches Hanako head to the underbrush, intrigued. He nods, "I might come upon it, in my travels and hunts." he smiles, "New things are good too."

 

Xyrika says, "I do not seek to cage a free bird, sir. I merely offer a place where you might feel welcome." She bows again. "That girl... there was something very strange about her, beyond her mannerisms. Did you sense it as well?"

 

Hanako says nothing else...though she does hear Xyrika's words. And almost seems to melt back into the forest, disappearing from view...and moving away with a mixture of speed and stealth, endeavouring to leave no tracks behind herself, sticking to paths that can't be clearly seen from the sky.

 

Narys shrugs, "Probably not what you did, but she is intriging, a hunter simialr to myself, I shall have to track her down again." he looks at her, "I will have to visit I am sure."

 

Xyrika bows to Narys, her eyes soft again. "I look forward to your visit." She looks to where Hanako disappeared again. "I think you and she have much more in common than she and I, certainly. I wish you luck in befriending her... I believe that would be a fine arrangement for you both." Her smile is encouraging.

 

Hanako moves through the forest, expression more tumultuous than it'd been earlier...her usual calmly passive look having slipped, just a bit, to a distinct frown as she slips between trees and undergrowth, past animals without disturbing them, back toward her temporary home...

 

Narys nods and smiles, "Time will tell, if it is meant to be it would be, if not, even friends we will not be." he shakes his head a bit, "Are you alright finding your way back to the road? Your tracks were a bit aimless."

 

Xyrika says, "I will be all right, but I appreciate your offer, thank you, master Narys."

 

Narys nods, "Take care of yourself then." he says and gathers his arrows and starts to skin the boar.

 

Xyrika bows one final time. "You as well, Son of the Huntress," and begins to make her way back to the road.

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