Re: Viking Au V2

[melodiousmysteries]

The next morning
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Mira stood before her people and the newcomers, trying to gauge the tension before she spoke. "We have discussed the best course of action when it comes to the issue of the creature, and we have decided it will be best to hold our position here. This place has always been safe from bears in the past and have no reason to believe it won't continue to be safe going forward." She told the small crowd, pausing to let everyone settle. "Having said that, anyone that would like to leave and continue on is welcome to once you are back on your feet if that is what you chose to do."

Sliet and Worji both looked on in confusion. How could she just leave people outside of the clan to the wrath of the creature?

Sedri stood between the two picking at his nails and playing little attention.

[Deathcap]

Pel listened to Mira in solemn understanding, rubbing her arms in the cold spring morning - what else could she be expected to do? It was kind enough that there was a place for the survivors. Yet, she knew this wasn't the end of things. They could at least warn the nearest clan, and then go home. Then it wouldn't be their problem.
She made her way up to Worji and Sliet, hesitantly. "I want to go, to warn them still. There is no honor in hiding here." She voiced quietly.

Raven watched his three friends in discussion, taking a deep breath and listening quietly.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet listened to pel without looking away from her mother. "I'm with you." She replied quickly. She understood why her mother had come to this conclusion. She also understood that she wasn't going to sit on her hands for this one.

Worji listened to his sister worriedly, looking her over. "You two can't be serious. Didn't you say it was crazy dangerous out there? I think your friend mentioned some of them that eat their enemies." He fretted, turning to pel, remembering some of the stories from the night before.

[Deathcap]

Pel looked to Worji at his protest, and rubbed her arm in discomfort. "I can't hide here while people die to a monster. We saw this bear. Once before. Maybe the gods sent it. Maybe it's just some monster. Maybe we can't kill it, but what honor do we have if we hide like prey?" She reasoned.

Dalian, who had sidled up to the group, listened before speaking up. "It's not a normal beast. It was over three men tall. It had claws like iron. It - It swallowed some whole." He added. Unavyre, normally one to dismiss his exaggerations, nodded alongside him in confirmation. "I agree with Pel. Maybe... Maybe if we get others, we can hunt it."

Raven listened quietly to his friends. He couldn't let them go alone, not after he'd left them once.
"I'll go too." He added finally, a chill running through him despite the warm spring air as he recalled the night the night Agnar had died. The body vanishing in the snow storm, something lurking between the trees. "If we go as a group, we stand a better chance of being heard. We'll need weapons and provisions, but it's clear now, we can follow the stars to the nearest clan. " He added, considering.

[Deathcap]

SKIP

As they left the dappled light of the wooded foothills, weighted down with supplies and swords, with only the sun and stars to guide them, Raven shivered, gazing out over the endless sea of whispering grassland. There was something haunting about the empty, windblown plains, and the great shadows of clouds that rolled slowly over the land. He thumbed the pommel of his short sword, and lead the way south, towards the Puresnow's lands.

Pel, despite the grave mission, found a new determination in her step as they travelled out into the plains, set heartily on their goal. They would be able to do something that mattered after a long winter huddled down in the forest.
Unavyre walked with caution, eyes always looking back, and Pel reached over to squeeze his hand, pitying him for what he had seen, and knowing the other hadn't ever strayed so far from home.

Dalian trucked along with his own opinions about their direction, and it wasn't long before he and Raven were bickering, Dalian clearly trying to be friendly and antagonistic at once, while Raven remained cold and unwavering in his certainty of their direction.

When they settled under the stars at dusk, Raven worked at getting a fire going with what he could find, and asked Unavyre to find them water, never meeting his eyes.

Pel patrolled restlessly before sorting through their rations and glancing up to Worji with an encouraging half smile. "Tired of us yet?" She asked softly, passing him a root and a knife to begin cutting for the soup.

Dalian patted the grass down around the camp and threw down the bedrolls, before grabbing an apple, setting it down beside him, and going about laying his gear down. When he reached out for the apple again, his hand grasped at air, and he looked over to find his meal missing.

Pel let out a sudden shout as Dalian's pack hit her in the shoulders. "Don't start, I'm still mad at you." She spat.

"Is that why you took my apple then? Give it back."

Pel looked him up and down. "I didn't touch anything of yours.

"It was there a second ago. I'm not stupid."

Pel raised her eyebrows at him with a look of disbelief. "Ask Unavyre. I didn't take your stupid apple."

Unavyre, coming back with a pot of water, blinked. "Huh? A-Ask Raven."

"This isn't funny. I'm hungry." Dal spat. He pushed himself up, annoyed, and turned to look for Raven, only to see two reflective eyes in the dusky light.

[melodiousmysteries]

Worji stood up stiffly to glare at Dal for bumping Pel, Keeping silent but clearly ready to throw down.

"Nobody wants your stupid apple Dal." Sliet growled from where she was emptying her own pack.

The girl watched the group closely, crouched as low as she could. It wasn't often such opportunities presented themselves and she intended to have more than scraps tonight.

[Deathcap]

Pel glanced at Worji as he stood up. "It's okay." She assured softly. Dal was an idiot, but she didn't want them to fight. "I can handle Dal, help me peel potatoes."

"You're all so rude to..." Dal trailed off as he watched the eyes uncertainly, was that an animal? He blinked and hissed in a whisper. "There's something in the grass."

Unavyre looked over, but didn't see anything. "It's probably just a rabbit."

"Do they steal apples?" Dal asked, still in a whisper, then jumped when Raven walked past quietly with arms full of grass for the fire. "Did you lose something already?"

"Stop giving me a hard time! Something stole my food." He spat, but gave up, turning around to sit near the fire, but looking over his shoulder every now and then, knowing he was right.

Raven stoked the fire, and once they had a steady flame going, Unavyre roasted potatoes and some dried rabbit and passed around bowls to the rest of the camp.

Dal clutched his bowl of soup closely, looking around as if it might be snatched from him again.

Raven set his to his side and mulled over the map, calculating how many more days it would take them.

Pel ate hers quickly, wolfing it down with little reservations after the long day's trek, relaxing a bit into Worji's side as she set her mostly empty bowl down by her feet and drank in the warmth of the fire.

Unavyre ate away once everyone else had gotten some, sitting it beside him and taking absent minded spoon-fulls as he rubbed his sore legs.

The heavy pot of stew sat between Sliet and Raven, with a few portions left.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet watched Dal fidjet, eating her own stew slowly. She wasn't entirely taking joy in his paranoia, but it was entertaining.


The cat crept upcarfully, assessing her options. The smaller man with the dark hair seemed focused on whatever he was looking at, and seemed less dangerous than the others, comparatively. She crept carefully, taking her time to move as quietly as possible. She reached a hand into the light to gently lift the bowl at his side, making no sudden movements as she tried to melt back into the shadows.

[Deathcap]

Raven caught movement to his side and turned, eyes round with surprise as he saw what looked like a scruffy young girl clutching the bowl of stew. Questions raced through his mind but he had no chance to ask them before Dalian caught her by the scruff of her ratty clothes.


"Aha, there you are!" He exclaimed, both furious and triumphant.
"Do you know what happens to little thieves who steal a man's supper? He demanded, voice dangerous as he pulled her into the firelight.

Unavyre looked up in surprise. A thief? Alone? All the way out here? Where had she been hiding? He stood up anxiously and scanned the land around them, but didn't see any other shadows or firelight.

Pel sat up a bit from Worji, more surprised that Dal had been right than at the thief stalking their camp. She stood, walking over, but was sure that Dalian was just trying to scare her - theft wasn't taken lightly - but she looked hungry and desperate and small.

[melodiousmysteries]

The girl froze, meeting eyes with the dark haired man. She cried out as she was lifted into the air, reaching up to try and scratch at the hand holding her and striking out where she could with her feet.

Sliet looked up from her seat by the fire, watching calmly and more confused than anything. Where did that kid come from?

Worji watched more tensely, ready to tackle Dal to the ground if he hurt the kid at all. She looked so little.

[Deathcap]

"Damn it! Little bastard!" Dal cursed as she scratched his arm sharply as she struggled, giving her a little shake as he tried to disentangle himself without letting her go free.

Raven glanced to Dalian "Put her down Dal, she's just a baby. We can spare a bowl of stew." He snapped.

"A thieving one, she'd lose her hand or worse for that." Unavyre muttered.

Dal dropped the girl to her feet but kept a hold of her.  "Well thats a bit much? Isn't it?" He whispered over his shoulder to Una. He was trying to frighten the kid out of stealing their things, not injure her.
"I'm gonna let you go. Run, and you're mincemeat, got it?" He growled, before dropping her in front of Raven and nursing his bleeding arm.

Raven stood back a bit and knelt to be a bit less imposing."Easy, we're not going to hurt you." He told her, before glancing over to the bowl of stew and taking it, placing it in her little, dirty, oddly clawed hands. "Do you want to come sit by the fire? Its getting cold."

[melodiousmysteries]

The girl grew very still when she was set down. She took the bowl, looking the man over skeptically.  She glanced around the the bunch nervously, weighing her options before nodding stiffly to the smallest man.

Worji looked over at Unavyre, horrifjed, trying to gauge if he was serious or not.

[Deathcap]

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Dalian grumbled.

"Let her eat first. She must be starving." Pel growled finally. "Come here." She directed the girl, laying out her bedroll on the grass near the fire for the girl and sitting at the edge of it. "Sit and eat. No one will harm you, I promise." She told her firmly, and passed one of their bread rations to her, and sat cross legged at one end of the roll with her, tearing into her own hunk of bread.

Raven glanced over at Pel with the child, confident that she would be alright, and gathered up a cloak, a waterskin, and some other things and brought them over to Pel. "I'm going to have a look around." He told Sliet as he walked by, intent on making sure there wasn't anyone else waiting in the grass.

Dalian puffed in annoyance, following the group over to the fire and sitting down, cursing and trying to clean the scratch with water. "I'm likely going to die of an infection now." He muttered to no one in particular. "Who knows where she's been. Or if there's more out there."

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