RP:The Light In Me Sees the Light In You
Summary: Futsuka is hot on the trail of her niece Karasu, but when all the clues lead her to Lake Frysta, the feline encounters someone she never could have imagined.
Lake Frysta
After venturing for some time down the path, you finally reach a large clearing as the secretive mountain path opens up to reveal a hidden lake among the frosty hills. Mostly frozen over, the sizable lake surface is spotted by a sparse number of ice fishing huts. It becomes rather apparent that the ice must be of considerable thickness to support these giant-scale fishing shanties; the largest among them lined along the northern wall by various designs of fishing poles which appear to be for sale. To the west, a semi-solid water fall spills over low cliffs, capped with a thin layer of glistening ice.
Futsuka is tracking something in Frostmaw, though she does not yet know how cold this trail is. The scent she follows still lingers on the frigid air of Frostmaw's late spring, drifting between coniferous trees and snow banks to lead the feline here of all places: Lake Frysta. If not for her drably colored traveling cloak that whips behind her furiously in the wind, the albino would be nearly invisible in the stark white of the north as she stalks around the frozen edge. Futsuka's scarlet eyes take in the surroundings slowly, her delicate fingers idly tugging at the sting of her Yumi longbow. "She is not here," the feline scout says to herself, her voice soft enough to be drowned out by the sound of the wind. To make matters worse the trail ended here, indicating that either her mark had traveled using magical means or had fallen into the lake and froze to death. Futsuka hopes with all her heart that it wasn't the ladder. Cautiously, the ranger tests the ice before walking onto the surface, bright red eyes searching through the translucent barrier for any signs of her niece. Futsuka was certain she had come out this way and she would search until she found evidence of this fact.
Tsuola ;; Attentive as ever with the arrival of more and more new visitors to the area, Tsuola is surprised to see yet another figure in the snow. Curious as she is and as she is wont to do, she quietly falls in line just behind the cloaked figure, keeping herself at a slight distance when she notices a bow. An archer, the dryad muses, with a small smile. Her steps are light in the snow, leaving the faintest indentations to indicate her presence, but her black feet come to a halt when the ranger steps onto the ice. She knows sneaking up on people isn't the greatest way to announce oneself, but mischief is in her nature at times, and Tsuola speaks up, allowing for her voice to carry on the chilled wind. “Who is not here, traveler?”
Futsuka indeed does not like being snuck up on, so when she hears the voice of the dryad ring out across the frozen plain she spins on the ice to turn to meet her. When the feline's scarlet eyes fall upon what looks to be a specter lurking behind her, her thoughts return to the haunted wasteland farther west. Futsuka's tiny, button nose sniffs the air, trying to detect the scent of undead but she senses nothing of the sort. If this woman was a truly a ghost she didn't have the scent of 'bad-juju' like the other undead had. This spirit, if that's what she was, was clearly not malevolent. "My niece," informs the ranger, her little hands still tightly clinging to her weapon. "She is around my height, but shorter, with hair the color of lavenders." The feline dare not step any closer to Tsuola, fearing this was some sort of trap. "She has a terrible habit of getting mixed up in things she should not." Scarlet eyes return to the ice, imagining Karasu's frozen corpse sinking to the bottom of Frysta. "Like coming here for whatever reason..."
Tsuola remains in place when the feline whips around. A niece? Out here of all places? The dryad frowns at the ranger's explanation, but her expression gradually changes to one of familiarity at the description. “You mean Kitty, yes? That is what she called herself when I met her yesterday.” A few steps are taken forward onto the ice, while her hand extends to point at the hut she had gone into. “She was, at first, more like one of the wile cats you might find in the forest. Looking for something for a friend that was taken away.” A pause, in which she reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair away that the wind blew out of place. “I helped, though I do not think she required my help. Very swift, your niece is.” Tsuola gives an affirmative nod. “Very clever. I believe she found what she needed, and her...I believe her real face appeared in that window there. I did not see her again after that. Maybe she is gone now.”
Futsuka seems to perk up a bit at the mention of 'Kitty', her alabaster ears twitching to gather all the information Tsuola provided. Scarlet eyes follow to where the dryad pointed and the feline slowly made her way over to explore the hut. "She was here yesterday?" Futsuka must have just missed her. Exploring the old fishing hut, the ranger knelt close to the ground, touching the spots that Karasu left foot and paw prints. What this ghostly woman was saying was true. Standing up, the albino feline tries to piece together what happened here, walking in circles around the frozen lake. Karasu was in cat form for a while, there was a conversation, she was picked up. Over by the edge a frost giant sat in a large chair. There was a whole pile of weapons here, Futsuka could tell. Her nose wrinkles, sensing the arcane magic that stained the place the pile used to be and her pale tail flicks in agitation. "Playing with fire again, are you?" she asks her niece who was not here to answer. Now the feline was officially annoyed. Turning back around to face Tsuola, Futsuka gives her the friendliest smile she can muster. "Thank you. The Swiftclaw tribe long prided themselves on our speed and our cunning... Well, while there was still a tribe to be proud of. Karasu and I are the last two... And with her being sterile and I... unwilling to procreate, our tribe will die with us." Futsuka has no idea she just spoke 'Kitty's' real name. Finding Tsuola to be an agreeable sort, Futsuka approaches, her wariness melting away like the snowflakes that dot her white lases. "You helped my family when you did not have to, so you have gained my favor. Is there anything that Futsuka Swiftclaw can do for you?"
Tsuola remained standing in place while Futsuka went to investigate, hoping quietly that she found what she needed. When the feline returns, she offers a smile with hope that the other's smile meant that her niece was in fact okay. Gone from this lake by some means, but okay. “Karasu,” she repeats the name, in effort to commit it to memory, along with the name of the one standing before her. “Futsuka.” Futsuka's offer nearly blindsides her. Anything? There was not much that the dryad particularly wanted, apart from... “A means to see the world beyond the mountains,” Tsuola asks, albeit with a somewhat sheepish tone. Her request sounds foolish, she knows, but when you have been rooted to one place for ages, what more could one possibly want than to see the rest of the world? “I have been bound to this place for so very long, Futsuka Swiftclaw,” the dryad explains. “I hope to one day see what the land south of here is like. Could you tell me? What stories do you have? What are the people like? Your family, perhaps? The forests. Anything will suffice. I cannot ask for anything grand.”
Futsuka rubs her hands together, the bitter cold starting to get to her. "You want stories?" Normally people asked the feline to run from one end of Lithrydel to the other, taking ships from Cenril to Rynvale or whatever other vales there were out there. She had seen vast forests and harsh deserts, had wandered to the edge of the world in search for herself, for who she truly was, and the behest of the healer's guild that she worked tirelessly to join. "I have many stories to tell, but none of them very long." The feline beckoned for the dryad to join her in the fishing hut as she removed her backpack, fishing for her flint and steel to light a fire to warm herself. Luckily, heat would travel up, not melting the ice at all while she built herself a small reprieve from the cold. "I suppose I should start with the story of Lithrydel's geography." Sparks fly as she scrapes her steel against a stick of flint. "You know Frostmaw, the land you are bond to, and the surrounding mountains of Xalious that hide it. That's where my tribe lived, the Swiftclaws. The Xalious mountains kept my tribe safe for generations before the mage's moved in and build their tower. With their machinations they drove us to extinction, but things were once peaceful. Throughout the mountains south of here you can find beautiful waterfalls and rock formations tucked away from the common eye. Vast chasms split open to reveal the Sage Forest below, an endless blanket of green that stretches out for as far as I can see. But not all places are as inviting as the Xalious Mountains and the Sage Forest. There are plenty places more harsh, like Venturil and Vailkrin, or perhaps the Nameless Desert in which very few things can survive." With the fire lit, Futsuka finds some dried meat in her bag and offers the ghostly woman a piece. She had no idea if she even needed food but it would be rude not to offer.
Tsuola didn't mind the length of the story told. She was thrilled. Excitedly, she followed Futsuka into the hut. Uncertain of where to place herself within the hut, she ultimately decides to seat herself on the floor, near the doorway, in effort to shield out some of the cold from creeping in, and also to keep cold, as heat did not suit her much. Her gaze hardly strays from the feline, listening with such rapt attention that she takes a longer than necessary to notice the dried meat offered to her. She dismisses the offer with a small wave, instead leaning forward to listen to Futsuka with her hands loosely clasped in her lap. “Forgive me, I do not eat flesh. What is the Sage Forest like, Futsuka Swiftclaw? Or your home, Xalious? And the harsh places, Venturil and Vailkrin?” Really, she wanted to know about all of them, but the forest was most intriguing. Asking about Futsuka's home seemed to be the most polite place to ask about first, and the harsher regions brought Frostmaw to mind. “I have so many things to ask, but only one story is enough for now.” A black hand reaches up to muffle her laughter. “I can ask too many questions at once sometimes.”
Futsuka brings the meat back to take a bite, slowly chewing on the morsel. "That is noble," the feline says, "Not eating flesh. I only do it because I must or I too would avoid it. Killing animals is something I take no pleasure doing." The feline shows little manors, talking with her mouth full like this. After a moment she swallows, thinking about what area she would describe next. "I do not mind the questions. It is rare that I get to talk about the things I have seen, even rarer that I want to talk at all." The feline gives the dryad a cheeky smile before continuing her story. "The Sage Forest is a lovely place. The elves that live there have taken much effort to preserve the woods, leaving a place for the deer and wild boar to roam. Birds of every size and color flock there at all times of the year, their songs adding a placid tune to the relaxing aura of Kelay. There is a popular tavern there but I never venture inside. My place is in the trees and brush, with the deer and the birds." Futsuka takes another bite of her meat. "But not all forests are as relaxing. Through the dark portal the land of Vailkrin lies, and to the east of it the Dark Forest ominously grows uncontested." The feline gulps her meat down, a chill tracing down her spine that was not from the cold at all. "Vampires and worse things live there, preying on the living races of Lithrydel. Feral lycans, with fangs and claws to aid them in sating their bloodlust. And more recently the Unseelie fey, the Hag of Black Pond, lurks there, territorial and vicious." Futsuka adds a charred log to her fire. "I avoid the Forest of Abyssal Darkness as much as I can. That place is 'Bad Juju'."
Tsuola rests her chin in her hands while she listens to Futsuka's explanation of the lands beyond the mountains, and smiles brightly. She has asked any traveler she comes across the same sorts of questions, soaking in their descriptions with absolute wonder. The dryad pays no mind to the feline's manners, as she is caught up with attempting to imagine the places being described, the sounds, the colors. It must be so brilliant compared to stark white, grey, and shadow she is accustomed to. “Even the places that sound terrifying sound fascinating,” she murmurs while she listens. Her head tilts a bit at the strange phrase. “ 'Bad Juju'?” Tsuola asks. “Are there creatures there like there are here? Beasts?” Maybe they had different sorts of giants. “Which is your favorite place to go?”
Futsuka nods her head, "Yes, 'Bad Juju'. Magic- evil magic. Arcane and unnatural, not like the druids." She finishes up the piece of meat she held, taking a long time to think about what her very favorite place to visit was. "Now that, my friend, is a difficult question to answer. Xalious is my home, I will always hold that place close to me in my heart, but wandering through the hills I only find sorrow. My family is gone and the land changed. Xalious isn't the same place it is in my memories." A melancholy mood sets upon her as she hugs her knees against her body. "A new feline tribe lives in Cenril, but that is a human city with too many strangers lurking in the shadows, and Rynvale, with sparkling beaches and misty mountains, is too far away for me to visit often." Futsuka's red eyes flicker up to Tsuola and a tiny smile breaks the sorrowful mood surrounding her. "I suppose my favorite place to travel is Frostmaw. Everything here looks pure and beautiful. You can wander the evergreen groves and never see another soul. Even the wolves and drakes, as dangerous as they are, stick to themselves unless provoked. I feel a deep kinship with this land and those bound to it."
Tsuola nods. Strange magic. Like the kind that shadow man made. She had never heard it referred to as Bad Juju before. She had heard of it and seen it in passing, but did not feel like it fit with the world around her. Her expression turned somewhat forlorn at Futsuka's description of Xalious. She could not imagine her home changing so drastically, and essentially being ripped away from her. The dryad is surprised that she prefers Frostmaw, and grins. “Thank you for saying such. It is beautiful here. It is quiet and peaceful. I would enjoy hearing the sounds and seeing the other places you have told me about one day, however.” It was refreshing to hear a different perspective of Frostmaw than her own. As someone who has never left, it at times could feel boring, perhaps stagnant. Tsuola should learn to appreciate her surroundings a bit more, she presumes. “There is so much that this snow has seen,” she eventually says. “I believe there are secrets that even I do not know about, and I have been here for a very long time I think.”
Futsuka watches as her fire dwindles low, her ears tilting slightly to listen to the dryad speak. The world was an ancient place with many lost secrets, the feline was sure of it. Frostmaw should be no different. After a moment Futsuka rises to her feet and dusts herself off, a new desire to somehow share the outside world with this woman. "You are very wise, I sense. I too have pondered this very same thing. What secrets are hidden under a millennia of ice? Will we ever know?" Futsuka lifts her backpack and hoists it back over her shoulder next to her yumi longbow. "I cannot answer these things, but there is something I -can- do for you." The feline is excited to explain her plan. "I have not the ability to show you these places myself but from each of these places I can bring a piece back- things like colorful silk from the Sage Forest or sea glass from the shores of Rynvale. I shall go to all the places you cannot and bring back gifts for you, if you would like."
Tsuola smiles at Futsuka's sentiment. “We could try to find out, perhaps. But it is hard to move lifetimes of ice and snow, I think.” The dryad is once again left blindsided by yet another offer. Awestruck, really. That someone would offer such a kindness to her, why, her smile brightens considerably. “I would be delighted. Perhaps...Perhaps I can find something for you in return. I am not sure what, but I will find something in Frostmaw for you if I can.” She brings herself to her feet, and dips her head in a low bow. “You are most kind, Futsuka Swiftclaw. I thank you.”
Futsuka blushes sheepishly at the happiness her small gesture brought to Tsuola, and she stutters girlishly at the compliment. "Well, I-" she clears her throat, trying not to let to comment get to her head. "If I want the world to be a more beautiful place to live, I must be the beauty I wish to see in the world. So, you are most welcome, miss... I am not sure what to call you. Either way, I can sense the goodness in your heart. The light in me sees the light in you."
Tsuola ;; “Tsuola,” she answers, with some surprise to herself. She rarely uses her name. Futsuka has presented her with a tremendous gift, however, so it seemed appropriate that she give her real name that oft went unused. Not that it was tremendous itself. She repeats the phrase back to her newfound friend, giving another low bow of her head. “The light in me sees the light in you as well, Futsuka Swifclaw.”
Futsuka can't help but smile the biggest she had in years. "Tsuola." Once last glance down at the dead campfire confirms the feline's suspicion that it was time to go and her smile fades. "Well, my newest friend, I should continue my search for my niece. She is a good kid but she hangs out with a bad crowd. It is tough keeping her out of trouble." The ranger leaves the warmth of the hut, moving past the dryad with a final nod. "I'll return here to visit you soon though. Goodbye." And with that Futsuka was gone, heading back eastward the way she had come. Perhaps Karasu had headed back to Xalious? That was as good a place as any to continue her search.