RP:Two Cats in the Snow

Synopsis: Zahrani spots a hulking, almost-prehistoric looking 3-eyed feline on the periphery of the settlement that was built around the old Sage Forest fortress. She goes into the forest on her own to try and understand the creature better.

Intro (courtesy of Gilwen): The forest that made up Southern Sage was gone; the decaying trees and other natural foilage around the fort had been cleared, though meters away. Hollowed tree trunks still stood stubbornly, but yet held no life to continue the fight, and the shrubbery that had once decorated the woods with beautiful shades of green and an array of flowers, was now nothing more than malevolent brambles. A blanket of snow covered most of the area, but the curse couldn’t be hidden. Despite all, however, the Elves who had fought to retake Sage remained, and had constructed a simple and small settlement that surrounded the reclaimed Fort. All were bundled up against the cold, but having spent years in the frozen tundra of Frostmaw, the current weather wasn’t something that kept them indoors. Children ran around, throwing snowballs, or building snowmen, and adults moved along the pathways between the houses and milled around the merchant stalls where fresh foods, furs, and general goods were on sale by a variety of people across Lithrydel who had agreed to provide their services to the people of Sage. Amongst the elves were also regular humans, and halflings, witches who had fled from the abusive Monarchy in Larket, and came in search of refuge. And there, to keep the peace, were armed and armored soldiers, dressed in thick, protective leathers, with swords and bows at their backs. Outside the main gate of the Fort, four sentinels stood watch, not to ban people from entering -because many came and went freely-, but to offer aid and protection if needed. A hooded and cloaked figure standing at about 5'11", a black tail swishing behind them, walked the center pathway, watching the resilient community that had sprung up here in the face of extraordinary crisis.

Orikahn watches from amid the dead woods, spying on the settlement from beneath his snowy white cloak. Though he stands white-upon-white amid the snow, the elves are creatures of keen senses, and they've spotted him already. "Zahrani, there," one of the guards beckons the feline paladin over, and he points grimly. "See that there, that shape behind the drift?" Whether Zahrani sees or not, the elven guard goes on. "That one there is a monster," his lip curls in obvious contempt, "and too often, he comes with the snows." The other guard pipes up. "The coward will run if he sees us coming, but make no mistake, that beast is a menace. There's a belt of sculls he wears, and half of them are ours." A curious child has overheard. Noticing her, the first guard shoos her along. "Go build your snowmen, before the monster gobbles you up! Boo!" The little girl needs no second warning, and though the guards laugh as she runs back to her playmates, it's an uneasy sort of laughter.

Zahrani feels the wind pick up, the scent of the unknown creature reaching her nose at around the same time the elven guard comes up to her. A black panther snout could be seen beneath the hood, along with a cyan-colored eye, as she turns towards Orikahn. She listens intently to the elven guard, her nostrils appearing to expand and contract curiously as she takes in the scent of the hulking Orikahn. The feline woman says nothing to the guard, except, "I'm going to check the outskirts to see if any of the curse has diminished. I won't be far." She stalks away from the fort, tail swishing beneath her cloak, before disappearing into a thicket of trees.

Orikahn watches the new shape leave the fort, and in no time, he has stalked off likewise, vanishing beyond the guard's field of view. It likely comes as no surprise when Zahrani finds him waiting just beyond the thicket, perhaps ten yards out. From this close, she can see his aberrant stare watching her, three eyes gleaming like phosphorous beneath the shadow of his hood. He's a sabertooth, and even amid winter's sense-dulling chill, the paladin may catch the smell of old blood drifting her way. If her eyes are keen, she will see it matted around his muzzle. Orikahn watches her from the lip of a small, frozen brook, peering over the bank at her. Is it because he does not trust her? His own nares flare, and bit by bit, one paw over another, the massive creature crawls into view and stands, his breath coming in frosty gouts of steam. Silently, he regards her, his great busy tail swishing to and fro.

Zahrani removes her hood, revealing a black panther face that contrasts sharply with her blue eyes. A braid of long black hair starts from the back of her head and rests on her left shoulder. Her pupils dilate slightly as she sees the other feline tower at almost 1-1/2 feet above her own height. The scent of blood reaches her nostrils; the male had been hunting. She looks to the third eye on Orikahn's head with mild curiosity. For those who could sense magic, the panther's divine aura seems to play across her black, velvety fur and whiskers with a subtle amber light, like the refractions one would see above a pool of water. Her heartbeat increases a couple beats; but it wasn't a preylike fear that she felt. It was a combination of curiosity and exhilaration. Regardless of the stories the elven guard told, she seems almost thrilled to meet such a unique member of her kind.

Orikahn pulls back his hood, following Zahrani's lead. His own head is a big, broad thing, and his fur is black striped with coffee brown. Without the weight of the cowl, Orikahn's fuzzy ears are free to stand pert, curiously pointed at the paladin. The sabertooth sweeps Zahrani up and down with his eyes. "The elves would have killed me if I drew near," the strange, hulking feline breaks the silence at last, speaking in a rich, rough bass. Though he speaks softly, it carries easily to where Zahrani stands. "They know I am here, but I don't think they will come, not unless you brought them with you." At the very though, his eyes make a quick sweep of the bare, dead branches overhead, confirming the two are alone.

Zahrani forms a reassuring smile on her face, taking a couple steps closer in a non-threatening manner. Her body is still wrapped in her cloak, concealing the athletic, androgynous form beneath. Her voice is closer to a high tenor, with that same feline roughness, "With a reputation such as yours, I doubt many would be eager to hunt you. They're as eager to keep their distance from you, as you are of them. As for me...I only fight if I absolutely must." As long as the larger man doesn't try to harm her or her charges, she would likely not raise her hand against him in aggression.

Orikahn gives his big, stripy tail another broad swish, and reaches to tug aside the hem of his white, woolly hide cloak, revealing the arctic wolf furs he wears beneath and the garland of clean, dry skulls. The trained eye can confirm what the guards have warned; most of them are elven. "We do not hunt our own," Orikahn recites, and sure enough, there is no feline trophy upon him. He lets the cloak fall back shut. "I am Orikahn," again, his nares flare eagerly, and he takes a step closer, leaning one side to another as he studies Zahrani from various angles. If she lets him, he'll come within arm's length. "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you here before?"

Zahrani unfastens her own cloak, allowing it to hand loosely about her shoulders. She wears a sleeveless fitted shirt, lined with fur to protect her from the cold, along with well-insulated pants and boots. A lot of humans and elves have mistaken her for a man until she or someone else says otherwise. The only outwardly-feminine feature she has is the slightly wider hips than one would see on a male. Every other contour of her form is defined by trained, well-defined muscle. In public places, like taverns, she finds herself getting attention from both men and women, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She crosses her arms and she studies the skulls with neutral face. A headhunter. At the large sabertooth's questions, she responds, "I am Zahrani, a paladin of Cyris. I have not seen you before either. I very rarely stay in one place for more than a few days, but I'm usually in the southern half of Lithrydel." Her nares also flare with curiosity at the canid fur. She allows him to come within arm's length, closing the distance with another step. "I would guess that you usually keep to the north. Does winter bring you this far south very often?"

Orikahn narrows all three eyes at her mention of being a paladin, but the look is fleeting. "You guess correctly," he confirms, "more with every passing year. Is that your winter coat?" One can easily tell that Orikahn's fur is much thicker than his panther counterpart's. By his tone (and smirk) she might guess he doubts how well she'd fare in the arctic. "A lucky thing I came to haunt the sylvan woods today, or I might never have come across you." Orikahn's head bobs in a single, simple nod. "When you are done here, we should meet again. You mainland felines are rare things or," his nose wrinkles, "slovenly gutter things, where you are common. I like you. You are no guttersnipe." He rubs his face on the inside of his arm, brushing away some of the frost that has accumulated on his muzzle a whiskers, ice from his condensed breath. "Just don't come back smelling like me, or your friends might not be very friendly anymore."

Zahrani tilts her head slightly at the male's comments. She has a helluva poker face. It would likely be an accurate assessment that Zahrani would be highly uncomfortable in Frostmaw this year. "My winter coat is just starting to grow in. I was wandering the desert for much of last year." That was not a fun winter coat, and her body is trying to compensate by delaying slightly. She's not as quick to judge others for adapting to their environment. As lazy as felines could be, they were also among the most resilient races when times were lean. To Orikahn's comment about 'smelling like him,' she shrugs and offers a wry grin, "I'll just tell them I chased you away for a bit, if they do manage to smell you on me in this weather." Even if Orikahn were to come back, they would likely interpret it as a beast not learning its lesson. "If my travels take me north, where would I seek you out?"

Orikahn tilts his head to the side at the mention of a desert. Well, it would explain her thin exterior! "Good plan. Good juju." He knocks the knuckles of his own two fists together in approval. "There is a tavern. They have the rum to make my grog." She may or may not have caught a whiff of it on his breath already. "You will find me there eventually. If you are tired of waiting and," he raises his brows, regarding her svelt pelt once more, "if you have your coat on, you can find me sooner in the western wilds, in the tall pines there." He looks up, as though expecting to see evergreen boughs, but he's disappointed to see dead, bare branches instead, and more than merely dead with winter. A blast of disapproval sounds from his nose. "I'll be climbing back up the mountain soon." Indeed, he's starting to turn already, but he hesitates, reluctant to leave just yet. His three eyes connect with hers. "Zahrani, paladin of Cyris."

Zahrani nods, "Then I hope to see you again in the coming days." She also turns towards the death that surrounded them, before looking down and brushing the snow from a patch of earth with her boot. The leaves and brambles appear unnaturally blackened with dark power, which appears to recoil and hiss when faced with her aura. "It is also my hope that new life will return to this wood by springtime. That's mainly why I am here." She looks back up at the sabertooth, her own azure eyes locking steadily on his, "Walk softly, Orikahn."

Orikahn lingers for the span of several heartbeats. The wind picks up. Kahn lifts his hood, turns, steps, breaks the snowy crust with a soft crunch. Soon, he gains speed. In a moment, there is nothing left of him but his footprints.

Zahrani watches the creature leave. She checks her own scent for good measure, finding no trace of Orikahn. She refastens her cloak, putting up her own hood and checking other areas of the forest before heading back. There was still much work to do for this place to be restored.