Coming into Town(OPEN)

[Nayeli]

( TASIA ANNA )

I watched as Niko headed over to the deer, I followed slowly until I felt something in the air, something not pleasant. I was open to all nature, within the forest, I knew everything. I turned slowly, looking around, eyes narrowed slightly. It did not feel right, something was wrong. For years I had felt many minds, knowing which ones were troubled and which ones were harmless. Even the wolves and the lions, they were harmless, easy to understand and befriends with a gentle touch. I looked towards the deer, seeing Niko going past them and then knelling down, picking strawberries I was sure. I focus on the other thins I was feeling, hoping sooner or later, I would figure out what it was. I looked around for a moment and soon, there he was, walking back with the bag full of berries. ”Try one. It’s been many years, but I think they’re as sweet and juicy as I remember them being.” I smiled, picking one from the bag and biting it, smiling bigger. ”Me and you are gonna be good friends.”

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I turned my head, hearing something and pulling my bow and arrow, stringing the bow with the arrow and looking into the forest. I tried to figure out the feeling in my mind, but as I reached out, it pushed back with ease, but it was dark and terrible. ”Niko… We got problems.”[/color] As I moved back slightly, the large bear burst from the bushes, looking ragged and his eyes pure black, his mouth foaming at the corners. I glanced back, the deer gone and I looked back at the bear. I knew inside, elves were not suppose to kill, but this thing was either going to die now… Or kill others.
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[Elloria]

As Tasia bit into the berry, her smile as broad as his own, Niko plucked one from the bag for himself. Carefully plucking the leaves from it, he popped it into his mouth whole. His eyes closed lazily with delight, remembered and experienced, as the sweet juice assaulted his taste buds. No, they hadn’t changed in the slightest. He’d never found strawberries that tasted quite so delicious. Not elsewhere in DuWeldenvarden, not in Ilirea - nowhere in all of Alagaesia. Perhaps his attachment to Josk biased him. Perhaps his brother was simply that good with coaxing life through magic. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps Josk still visited this meadow. That these berries were the product of years spent cultivating them - lest something so precious to their childhood be lost forever. His eyes flared open and looked down at the bag, his brow furrowed slightly. Distantly, he heard Tasia say that they would surely be good friends. “Yes,” he murmured distractedly. “I imagine we will be.”

His head snapped up a moment before Tasia said, “Niko...we got problems.” With his mind open still, he had felt the sudden focus upon him and Tasia by some dark presence. The moment he felt it, he distanced himself from Tasia by several feet. He instantly squatted as a large grizzly burst from the tree line. The berry-filled pouch fell from his grip as he slipped his dagger from its sheath, his eyes never leaving the bear. Its fur was ragged - missing in some places - and its eyes were an unfathomable black, the color of rage incomprehensible and unreasoning. Foam was gathered at the corners of its mouth, thick yet stringy as it dripped down. He felt no patrols nearby, otherwise he was certain they would have already dealt with it. There was no time to try healing it - it seemed too far gone for that in any case. Much as he did not want to have to kill it, a sizable part of him was thrilled by the challenge it posed him. He could feel Tasia’s hesitation, her own desire to avoid harming this being. It was against elven creed, but could they allow it to continue suffering? Allow it to give that suffering to others?

He stared into its eyes, as if challenging it to strike first. It obliged him with a loud snarl. As it neared him, every muscle in his legs tensed. Timing would be everything. Wait for the right moment...Now! His legs uncoiled beneath him, catapulting him high into the air. There was a slight rush of air as the bear barreled by mere inches beneath him. Suspended for a moment, he slipped his pack from his back. His knees bent slightly as he landed and dropped the pack to the earth, before he straightened and spun about. The dagger gleamed as he leapt at the turning bear, clutching the surprisingly loose folds of flesh near its neck tightly between his free hand. Feet planted firmly against its back, he drew its head to one side - baring the neck so that he could slice the blade deep. It struck true, sliding easily into the flesh to sever the spinal cord and nearly decapitate the bear. As soon as the vertebrae separated, the rabid beast collapsed into a twitching heap. Niko shuddered and wrenched the dagger out as he felt its life flee from it. He withdrew behind the usual barriers of his mind, stepping away from the carcass and trying desperately to block out the fear and pain of its death. He stood staring at it, his mind blanking out.

[Nayeli]

( TASIA ANNA )

The berry was very good, beyond what I could have thought a wild berry could be like, but I wondered if it had been tampered with, possible by Niko or his brother he had talked some about. As I said something about us being friends, which I had a feeling we would, I could not wait to get to Ilirea. ”Yes,” I looked at him for a moment, smiling as he mumbled. ”I imagine we will be.” I was about to continue when I heard the felt the strange feeling hitting my mind and then the large bear came out. I had put a arrow on my string, but I wanted to help it, however, I did not think it could be helped. I pulled the arrow back, ready to hit it right in it’s check, if it would move, but soon I saw it running towards Niko.

I let the arrow fly, hitting it in it’s rump as it rounded on Niko, who had jumped over him beautifully. I pulled another arrow out, scolding me for myself for the miss. If it had stayed still for a second longer, I would have gotten it straight on. Maybe it was my concentration on trying to get through to it’s mind that caused the major miss, normally I never missed.

I watched as Niko got on the bear’s back and then, it killed the creature. I lowered my bow and walked over to the beast, my mind open to the beast. I had done this before, killed because I had to help. I let my hands run over the bears skin. I could feel the darkness running away and I pushed with as much might as I could against it’s barriers. I soon broke into the barriers and I smiled, seeing the true bear within’. ”You have been hurt greatly.”

[/color] I said softly to the dying creature. I put my hand on the bear’s head and started pulling the rest of the energy from the bear, placing my other hand on my emerald on the bow, transferring the energy. Soon, the bear was lifeless, the body nothing more then a house for the soul that had once been inside. ”Your energy will be use for good my friend.”[/color] I said, standing and looking back at Niko. ”You want some of the energy?”[/color] I said, stepping away, my feet moving gracefully as I put the bow back around my shoulder and fixed the small bag back on my shoulder.
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[Elloria]

Niko slowly tore his gaze from the bear to Tasia. What she asked did not quite register with him. He couldn't remember a time when he had killed. There'd been a few close calls - like the slaver who had owned Mchumba - but as far as actually committing the deed? It was something strange and foreign to him. The analytical part of his mind commended him for acquitting himself well. His old schoolmasters and current trainers would be pleased. The greater part of him just wanted to split completely from the experience. And so he stared at her, his normally bright, silvery eyes a flat and listless grey. Some of the energy? From the bear? What insanity was this? His first kill and she wanted him to use its energy? Well sure, not doing so would be a waste. But the very thought sickened him. He blinked once. “Excuse me a moment,” he murmured as he turned and walked back to the stream. He squatted in the rushes, set his dagger down, tilted his head forward and promptly ejected what little was in his stomach onto the grass. He dry-heaved for a few minutes, his entire body trembling with his need to expel this wretched feeling.

When the feeling finally passed, he plucked up the dagger and shuffled to one side to be clear of the mess. He then followed Tasia’s previous example: he moved to his knees, placed both hands on the ground and dipped his head to drink from the stream. Except he didn’t drink at first, merely sucked in water to wash out his mouth. Once he was satisfied the sour taste of bile had been cleansed from his mouth, he sucked in long draughts of the pure spring water. At last, he leaned back and simply knelt by the river trying to collect his thoughts. His silence was absolute, the barriers of his mind stronger than the star-steel of the Riders’ swords. Slowly, in tiny measures, calm began to enter his mind. He dipped the dagger into the water, letting the natural current wash away the blood. When it was clean at last, he pulled it back out and dried it on his sash before returning it to its sheath. He slowly rose and moved over to his pack. He picked it up with careful deliberation and slung it onto his back. He then went and picked up the smaller bag of berries. Miraculously, it had avoided being crushed and the strawberries were still good. He tossed the bag to Tasia. “Here. I’m not particularly hungry anymore.” He glanced at the bear carcass before darting his eyes away again. “Shall we continue moving?” He turned without waiting for an answer and continued on their original course, albeit at a much slower pace than before.

[Nayeli]

( TASIA ANNA )

I watched him look to me slowly, seeing the shock of killing the bear was taking a hold of him. I had seen it before, the feeling of knowing how the bear felt before death. It was trying to kill us, we had to do it. I looked at the bear, the warm fur under my hand was warm, but it was ragged. It could not be used without it falling out as soon as something was made. I smoothed back the fur slightly, feeling the last of the energy going through it's body. His eyes were dead compared to how they had been and I looked at him, my expression solid. "Excuse me a moment,” I nodded and then, I took the last of the energy, smiling down at the bear. "You are free now brother."

[/color] She said to the bear before she stood and placed the energy in the gem on her crown and some in her bow. She tried to keep them equal.

He had grown sick and she knew the feeling. I first kill had been the same, but it was different then this. A elder wolf had been sick with something and it was in pain. I took the pain the only way I could and it was by slowly taking away his energy until he was numb and then died. I had taking his fur and skin as a gift from the pack for ending the pain and then helped pick the next leader. I had spend many years with the pack and then I had returned home.

I met him as he tossed me the bag of berries. I put it in my own bag. "Here. I’m not particularly hungry anymore.” I nodded, looking back at the dead beast. "We did what we had to... He was in pain, dying slowly."[/color] I said to him, looking at him firmly before he spoke again. "Shall we continue moving?” I nodded to him and waited as he took the first step. She followed, putting her bow back on her back and followed at the same pace. They were still in Du Weldenvarden, it would take until night fall, if not longer to get out.
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