Kingdoms of aitris

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Ari purred quietly, rather content with their situation and rested his head on her chest, enjoying the soft rise and fall of her breathing and the soothing sound of her heartbeat. His purr deepened, eyes drifting shut. "my fur retains body heat, you would be colder. In this form, however im quite warm to the touch" One eye cracked open, looking up at her with a sort of lazy interest.

"Yes i was. Rather unfair, dont you think? And i have no family. They abandoned me as soon as i was old enough to be weaned off mothers milk. I was too human looking for them. And my friends are the alley cats, they have enough to do to feed themselves, their mates and their kittens. I would not ask for their help. Normally i would of hunted, but i stumbled into a bad area where even the frogs and marsh birds are scarce. I tried for a long time, but only managed to find a scrawny had dead chick, i would of collapsed from hunger if i had not stolen that meat. And most certainly of died." Shuddering, but not from cold, he snuggled closer, nestling his head against her neck, the constant purr faded before coming back louder than ever. "but enough of that, pet. We have bigger things to worry about then the past"
 
Her heart hurt hearing his story, reminding her of her own youth spent alone and on the streets, desperate for food. She drew one of her arms around him and squeezed slightly for comfort, "I know what that's like, to be without anyone who cares, struggling for survival day-in and day-out, not sure how many more you have left inside you, before you just give up..." her eyes shone with a film of tears. "It's not an easy life, but there can be good to come out of it, things can change., just look at me for proof of that!" she said, before suddenly remembering that at the moment she wasn't much to look at, being an escaped prisoner with feet covered in mud. "Uh, I mean today's not my best day, obviously, but usually it's pretty good. I even get to wear proper shoes" she said jokingly, wiggling her toes a little as she did. "I'll find you a home when we get back to mine, promise" she spoke kindly, tightening her hug on him again and resting her head upon his.

She laid there for a bit more before speaking again, trying to articulate in her mind what it was she wanted to say, before actually saying it. "So, listen... Thank you, for helping me. I know you have your own reasons for doing it and it wasn't out of the charity of your heart" she said, shooting him a glance, "But I'm still grateful that you did, I don't think I could've stood that place for long, living like that... The stench was unbearable, wasn't it?" she smiled, feeling comfortable enough to make little jokes with him now, but meaning what she had said. She knew she wouldn't have lasted in such conditions, she'd have probably frozen to death after a few nights. She felt she owed him her life, and what better way to repay then giving him one of his own, one he enjoyed. And with that she closed her eyes, a warm smile upon her lips.
 
Ari opened his eyes for a moment, listening to her speak then closed then, happy to be there, held and not pushed away, for the first time... Ever. "thank you." He closed his eyes and slept, stretched out next to her, purring almost the entire day. He dreamt that night of a big house, in a warm dry area with a master who loved him. He was well fed, clean and had plenty of time to sleep and play. When it got cold the master would sit in their chair by the fire, ari curled up on their lap or on the stones sleeping while they read or smoked. He was woken by the fading light, the dream had ended much too soon in his opinion, but he reminded himself he was going to find it for real. He propped himself up and looked down at Reva for a moment.

"wake up, and eat something" he growled poking her chest, eyes glimmering playfully. "The suns about to set, and im gonna try and hunt. I smell something nearby" with that he backed out of their root cave, pushing the branches aside and vanished into the swamps, fading away like a ghost. A faint shriek filled the air, and soon he was back, clutching something small and furry. Blood stained his hands and lips and he crouched down on a dryish rock to eat his prize. It was a small, half starved river pig. They usually only grew to be the size of a rabbit, but this one was small for its kind. Whatever, it would work. Humming a song he let his claws grow and began tearing off the skin over the belly. With a happy growl he dug into the raw meat, it would be the best meal heed had in months. Being so close to the jungle, prey was a bit more abundant, and there were more things that weren't frogs.

Before he knew it he had eaten everything but the head, intestines, bones and hide. Chuckling to himself he looked up at Reva, grinning with his bloodstained face. He let the pig fall to the ground, knowing there would be something else hungry enough to eat it and crept towards her leaving red streaks on the leaves. "done eating? Well that doesn't matter, its time to go." the sun was almost completely down, and it was very dim, soon it would be pitch black.
 
Reva was quite a grouchy person upon being waked, particularly when being prodded and poked. She swatted her hand across in a limp attempt to knock his hand away, before finally relenting and opening her eyes. She felt the absence of warmth quite strongly once he left their little nest, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing her arms to try and get back some heat. She carefully left the root cave after a little while, stretching her muscles after being cooped up for so long, doing a few exercises to get the blood pumping in her veins again, wake herself up.

She stopped once she heard the shriek not too far away, readying herself in case something was coming. But her mind was put at ease as soon as she saw Ari emerge from amongst the trees, carrying something she wasn't familiar with. Seeing him devour it made her stomach squirm a little, she looked away and took some breaths, before going to her pack and taking a bit of the bread to satiate her own hunger.

She looked around and had to admit that without a guide, she would've got lost in this place. Paths leading all over the place, tress blocking every line of sight, it was alien to her, having spent her life living only in her own kingdom. She looked back at Ari, having finished with his meal, feeling a quiet sense of reassurance that he was here. She retrieved the pack and slung it on her back again, before following in her companion's footsteps, deeper into the swamp.
 
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Ari washed his hands in a cleanish pool of water, hissing continuously until they dried and began walking, not bothering to wash the blood off his face. He liked the smell of it. he trotted ahead of her, sticking his head in random holes and sniffing around until it grew dark. Their journey continued like this for a long while. A total of four days to be exact, but finally Ari paused, crouched on a rock and stared ahead. The land had steadily grown drier, and the trees wilder. They had left the swamps behind long ago, and found themselves in an alien world full of huge trees, giant snakes and small steams. Before them sat a river, it was almost midnight and Ari looked pissed.

"how do you suppose we cross that without getting wet? I dont do water" he hissed glaring accusingly at the river, that marked the border between Dith and Eda. "i propose we sleep. Naps always help me think" He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the best looking shelter, which was a small space (though bigger than their root cave) in a long fallen, rotting log. Yawning he lay stretched out against one of the rotting sides and was almost immediately asleep. His dreams were not sweet, witch was unusual for him. He always had the best dreams of hunting and a better life. But now nightmares about drowning and huge screaming monsters haunted him.

Small whimpers escaped him for the rest of the night, a tear even ran down his cheek. Finally he woke with a gasp and pushed himself into the smallest space he could find. An area barely big enough to fit him near what was once the top of the tree. He breathed heavily, and somehow managed to twist around, his eyes glowing eerily in the semi darkness and he hissed at Reva, as if he didn't recognize her.
 
Reva felt a wave of fear rush over her, as they approached the river before them. She could see slight glimpses of it whenever the moonlight would find a break through the canopy of leaves above them, but for the most part she was blind to how wide it was or how far it flowed, only the intense sound within her ears, of it rushing past let her know how fast the current was. She took a few steps back and wondered how far in either direction they'd have to travel, in order to get around this obstacle.

She was taken by surprise with the speed at which Ari grabbed her hand and pulled her through the darkness, towards what she imagined would be another cramped space, and sure enough she had guessed right. She found it amusing how quickly he seemed to have fallen asleep, she herself had only been laying there for a few minutes, not even close to slumber. The roar of the river was too loud for her, her fearful mind too vivid. She slowly edged out of the log and carefully made her way closer to the water, staying close to the ground, not trusting her eyesight in the blackness that engulfed her sight.

Once she was as close as she dared get, she sat against a tree, propping her back to the moist trunk. It felt uncomfortable, but maybe that was the point, it would mean she wouldn't grow complacent, but remain aware. There were cries and screeches and all kinds of noises emanating from the jungle they were now in, the noises seemed to be coming from above her, across the river, behind her. Yet no matter where she looked, she could see no source for the disturbances, she half wished she was a werecat too, allow her to see what was hiding in the night.

She sighed and slumped further back, having spent more than a few hours in that position, fidgeting and feeling incredibly sore all the while, she finally felt her fear of the river had become a part of her, it no longer controlled her. Now she'd be ready for whatever plan they came up with, even if it cost her her sleep for the night. She pulled herself to her feet and slouched back to the log where Ari lay, finding it a little easier to see now that the morning light was starting to slowly peek through the trees.

She crawled back in and collapsed, exhausted and unable to move anymore, until she realised that the tiny whimpers she could hear, weren't coming from outside, but from Ari. She went to reach out and cup his cheek with her hand in an effort to calm him down, when suddenly he awoke and retreated from her, hissing at her. She recoiled and withdrew her hand, not letting her eyes off of him. "Ari...?" she softly asked "Are you okay? It's me, Reva". She was trying to remain calm, but felt her hand instinctively reach for the hilt of her sword, preparing for what might happen. "I don't want to hurt you...", her words in defiance of what her body was doing, preparing for. "Please, remember me" she pleaded, feeling her grip tighten on her weapon, afraid she'd have to attack her only company and guide out here in the middle of nowhere, not something she was relishing the idea of, but accepting the possibility that she might have to. "Ari...?"
 
For a long moment Ari stayed, frozen as if made of stone but finally he relaxed and crawled closer purring nervously. "Reva..." he sighed practically crawling onto her lap and wrapping his arms around her. His head rested against her chest and he closed his eyes as his breathing slowed and his heartbeat calmed. After a long time he was finally calm, but didn't move, he wasn't ready to face the river. While he could swim, he feared deep water more then he feared anything else. The discomfort, and hatred he had for the shallow swamp water was nothing like this, that was more mud-like then watery. This was a burning, all consuming fear like nothing he had experienced before. But eventually he found his bravery, and his purr deepened.

"lets go" his voice was somehow different from before, just a tiny bit higher from his fear. He held her hand tightly, as if he believed that would save him from an almost certain doom. Forcing himself not to shake he led her outside, but kept a safe distance from the banks. It was daylight now, he had not slept for very long and it was possible to see the other side. Not as big as he had feared, but still really freaking big. The water stretched out before them, choppy and an angry gray color. He sniffed the air and listened, hoping for a meow, or yowl in the distance. But all he heard were birds and alien screams.

"lets go this way" he started walking south, knowing from the stories of those who came this way that north was a treacherous series of rapids and falls. But south, eventually the water calmed and it would be safe to cross via boat. "If we go far enough we should find a fisherman, or even a ferryman who would be willing to bring us across. We would have to pay the ferryman, but i have no gold. Not even a few copper coins. However, i have other ways of paying. He gave an unconvincing grin as he pulled her farther from shore, to the top of a shallow slope. The river was clearly in view, yet far enough away that Ari could pretend it wasn't.

And so they walked, for hours and hours the rest of the day and into the night. They paused to rest for a while, curled up in the ferns before continuing on. Finally they came across a small cabin in an area of felled trees. By the water was a dock, and a small yet sturdy looking boat. Based on its flat, wide design it was a ferry not a fisherman's boat. It was just past dawn now, and he was exhausted. "Lets go break down his door why dont we?" he didnt actually want to break down the door, but still. Pushing off the hood of his cloak he walked up to the house and banged on the door "little pig, little pig let me in!" his voice rang loudly through the air, and a loud thump and muffled 'ow' came from inside the house.
 
Reva found it difficult to suppress a chuckle at Ari's little declaration while knocking on the door, in his own way. She was surprised to hear someone inside though, she couldn't imagine who would choose to live out here all by themselves, or who would trek all the way out here to use the ferry.

"I'm coming, hold on!! came a booming voice from inside, along with a lot of thudding and rustling noises. Finally the door swung open and they found themselves greeted by a giant of a man, hunched over in his own little house, so as not to put his head through the roof. "You want the ferry service?" asked the man, wearing an incredibly grumpy expression on his face, "That'll be... I don't know. A silver?" he asked, rather than stated. "You don't know how much your own service is?" Reva asked, baffled by the notion. "Hmph, maybe it's 5 silvers now!" the giant boomed, stepping forward and out of his little hut, allowing his body to reach it's full height. He looked rather intimidating, towering above them, his neck almost completely arched forwards to keep them in his gaze.

Reva took a quick survey of her surroundings, making sure she knew the battleground, prepared for things to escalate at any moment. "Sir, we've been travelling for days through a swamp, we really need to get to the other side. But we do not have 5 silvers to pay for a ferry ride across a short river. No-one does..." she coldly explained "I am a captain of the guard, trying to get back to Balith. I would appreciate if you could offer us some assistance in this regard, you will be compensated once I return there if you wish." she finished. The man's eyes had gone wild, he was suddenly looking all around, eyeing up unseen dangers, almost frantically searching for something neither of them could see. "Sir...?" Reva softly spoke, unsure what to make of his behaviour.

"You're a... You're a guard captain, huh." he stated, rather than asked. "So you don't have any more guards with you then?" his eyes still scanning all around. Reva's hand rose up and came to rest on the hilt of her sword, "No, just us" she flatly said, accepting what was to come. In an instant the giant of a man hurled his entire weight towards her, she pushed Ari to her left, while she spun to the right, avoiding the hulking mass that attempted to flatten her.

Once she had settled and the man had stopped his rush, she drew her sword and started studying him, waiting for his body to betray what he was going to do next. They circled each other, waiting for an opening. Reva briefly averted her gaze, making sure she wasn't about to trip over anything, and that's when he made his move, digging his feet into the ground and kicking off, leaping through the air towards her. A flash of fear showed in her eyes as she turned her gaze back to him, seeing this tree of a man flying through the air. She instinctively rolled to the side, letting out a single slash with her sword once she was back on her feet, spraying blood in an arc on the ground. The giant hit the ground with an almighty thud, before beginning to roll around in agony, his chest marked with a deep cut now.

Reva carefully rose up, making sure there were no other threats to her or Ari, before returning her gaze to the howling giant. "Now..." Reva asked "How much was it to get across?"
 
Ari watched with a rather amused expression as the man spoke. So he was that kind of person, eh? Easy to death with. His grin only spread as Reva drew her sword. He had chosen nicely, of course. A cat always knew how to take care of themselves. His head tilted and he purred as the man rolled around on the ground. "not so much of a little pig now, are we?" He grinned wide, baring his little teeth his eyes glowing in the way that they did when he was having fun. He didn't spare Reva a second glance and he crouched a safe distance away.

"one silver? Five silvers? Neither works. But i suppose i can pay you in another way" he purred running fingers through his messy hair. "I can convince that panther whos terrorizing your pigs to leave you alone" he jerked his head to a pig pen, with a fence that looked like it had been broken a dozen times. Long, deep claw marks scored the wood and all the twenty or so pigs bore some sort of scar, cut or oozing wound. To him the area reeked of meat, and the wild furious stench of the big cat. "If your wondering how i know about him? Well i can smell things. And i know things about cats. Ill get her to hunt elsewhere. Or perhaps youd like another method of payment?" He had slowly been creepy forward and poked the mans arm with one claw, a small smile curling up his face "if, you know your into that kind of thing." This man most certainly looked like he wasnt, but you never knew. He remembered the last man... He had been tough, the bane of his town. But a few sweet words, and a night in the mans bed. The man was a rich man, at least by this countries standards. And he had cared for Ari until a knife found itself in his chest. How upset he had been...

Nevermind that. "if we cant come to an agreement... Well my little friend here will make sure you never know the pleasure of a woman or man again"
 
As they sat upon the little ferry, being carted across the large river that cut the jungle in two, the giant at the helm, scratching his chest, a look of anguish on his face, Reva couldn't help but smile at the events that had led up to this moment.

She hadn't expected Ari to attempt to barter with the man for passage, she felt a little ashamed that her only thought had been to force the man to take them across. Still, Ari had impressed her, it had taken them less than an hour to track down the panther he had spoke of, she had just stayed back and let him do the talking, or whatever it was he did, she was still a little unsure about that point. The man had obviously not been thrilled to see them return, likely hoping that the panther had dealt with them, but he at least agreed to hold up his end of the bargain, between the curses whispered under his breath anyway.

They had sat for awhile on the shore, waiting for the giant to get the ferry ready, as well as treat his wound. It was funny to her where she found herself, so far from home and what she was used to. And yet instead of fear, now she felt comfortable, happy even, to have someone alongside her who didn't treat her as a superior, but more an equal. She had thought about asking him some questions, but felt it would've been almost rude to break the tranquility of that moment, so they sat, the only sounds were that of the river rushing past, and a large man's occasional yelps of pain and frustration, drifting from off to the side somewhere.

Now here they were, almost across this natural barrier to the jungle's heart, she stood up and made her way to the head of the boat, eager to step foot on land again. The man didn't leave them much time to get off the ferry, before pulling away and returning to his little shack upon the other side, curses for them both still emanating from him, though mostly drowned out by the water. Reva chuckled and turned to Ari "Well, I guess we made our first friend. Come on, let's get going" she laughed and started heading past the trees before them.

They hadn't been walking for long, before she heard a faint noise coming from her left. She thought had imagined it at first, but as they kept walking, it became more clear. It wasn't a sound she had heard the jungle produce so far, this sounded more... human. She finally came to a stop so she could hear the noise without her footsteps getting in the way, and then as clear as anything, she heard a scream. Someone was in trouble, and without even a second thought she turned to Ari "We need to help them, come on!, before darting off in the direction of the screams, her instincts taking over.
 
Ari had watched the ferryman with faint amusement after he convinced the panther to leave, he was clearly upset. On the boat, however he clung to the old warped wood, eyes squeezed shut and his hair sticking up in obvious fear. He hated boats.. Almost as much as he hated swimming. But a necessary evil. One they came ashore he leapt off the boat and immediately hugged the closest tree for several minutes before letting Reva drag him further into the jungle.

Thats when he heard the screams, long before she did. He wanted nothing to do with it, and hoped she didnt hear the sound. But they seemed to be getting closer. When she stopped, her head tilted very slightly as she listened he groaned. "dammit Reva! Ignore it!" he yelled running after her when she took off, curse her and whatever witch birthed her. They didnt have time to go off saving people. Something about that scream sounded off..

Suddenly it stopped, he saw Reva looking around, trying to find the source of the sound. The scent of her fear, the anxiety she felt for the unknown victim was heavy in the air. Along with something else. He hissed glancing around nervously "Reva.. We have to get out of here now!"

The last words had barely come out of his mouth when hundreds of tiny, furry, vaguely humanoid shaped creatures appeared in the trees and bushes around them. They where surrounded. Slowly the things crept closer and he exhaled slowly. "Their monkeys... I smell blood on them.. Human blood" his eyes where wide with fear as he slowly crept towards Reva, he took her hand and squeezed. That was comforting. Suddenly, without warning the tiny monkeys screamed and attacked. "RUN!" He tugged on her arm and took off. The monkeys covered him, biting, scratching. He brushed them off, his companions hand was ripped from his. He couldn't see. He could only run. "REVA!!" he screamed. Crap.. Oh crap.. His foot caught on something, then he was falling, rolling hitting trees and rocks. The monkeys where screaming, being crushed by his rolling body. He hit something, hard the breath was knocked out of him then all was dark.

It was hours before he awoke, Dark and eerily silent. Stretched out in the ferns, something was pressing against the bare skin of his back. What happened to his cloak? "Reva?" he reached out for her, but she wasn't there. He couldn't smell her, only the weird alien scent of the jungle around him. "Reva!" he jumped to his feet and winced, he hurt all over. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting. A steep hill, covered in trees and undergrowth rose up before him, and a long strip running down seemed vaguely trampled, and several dead monkeys covered it. It came back to him, the screams. The attack. Reva... He lost her.. His guide, protector, and almost friend. "Crap.." He muttered walking over to one of the monkeys and shredding its pelt off with his teeth. He ate it, and a couple more. It was cold. But the taste of blood warmed him, and woke him up. With one last suspicious glance around he melted into the darkness, following his own scent trail as he went to look for his companion.
 
Reva awoke at the foot a giant tree, she was caked in mud, with her limbs tangled up in the roots and vines that snaked along the ground. She looked around and saw the large slope she must have tumbled down into her current predicament, she sighed in disbelief at what had happened. Her head was pounding, but she carefully untangled herself and got to her feet, only then realising that she was by herself. She eyes darted around, looking for any sign of Ari, but finding no signs of him anywhere. She almost called out for him, but was cautious about drawing those things back to her, so decided she'd look around quietly for now.

This place was a natural maze, trees everywhere, the ground covered in so much plant life that she couldn't even see her own feet. She swore each time she tripped over the strangling vines grabbing at her, trying to pull her down to their level. She couldn't see any sign of Ari, or anything living other than the plants for that matter. Even the sounds of birds had stopped in this part of the jungle, as if nature itself was afraid of making a noise in this place. Reva felt unsettled here, felt a creeping sensation in her very soul, something here was wrong, was not meant to be. She felt afraid without Ari beside her.

She had been looking for awhile now, before her stomach let out a grumble at not having been fed for quite some time. She went to reach instinctively into her pack, only at that moment noticing that it was no longer there "Great, lost that as well" she exclaimed in an exasperated tone. She missed having Ari beside her, he seemed quite adept at catching food himself, something she had had no experience with in her life. "Well, guess I better start..." she sighed, scanning around for anything to eat, in this dead and quiet place.
 
Ari prowled silently through the jungle. In some ways it was like the marshes he grew up in, thick unforgiving and so easy to get lost in. But it was very much unlike his old home, it was too green and bright. Such strange noises and smells. He was confused, lost in this maze. Even his sense of smell was off, choked by the trees and undergrowth. It wasnt long before he realized that he may never find Reva. That he may wander in this cursed land for the rest of his days.

He was vulnerable, scared, and wanted to change but something told him he would be seen as prey in his other form. After hours of wandering he found what appeared to be the place they had been separated. Where her scent veered off from his. He tried to follow her trail, but lost it quickly. He had not imprinted her unique smell into his brain, he could not pick it out among the various others. It was drowned out by the overwhelming stench of monkey. Whimpering softly to himself he set off into what seemed like a likely direction to run.

"Oh Reva.." he sighed as he walked, this undergrowth was too thick. "where could you be?" the further he walked, the more he realized that it was eerily quiet in this jungle. All he heard was the creak of the branches in the wind, and the occasional raspy singing of bugs. There were no birds, no frogs, no screams of jungle cats. Just silence. It was freaking him out, the monkeys must of scared off everything in this area. He could smell them, everywhere and nowhere at once.

So he walked in silence for hours and hours. The sun rose, casting a murky greenish light upon him. And it had begun to set again. Sounds finally returned, the constant hum of life. Birds, the calls of strange creatures echoing through the trees. Thats when he began to smell humans. Maybe a village was nearby. Perhaps they could help him. But it was late, and he was exhausted. The smells of people where faint, and clung loosely to a small path, made by some huge animal passing through. They must of passed by days ago. He would follow them... After he rested. After some searching in the undergrowth near the path he found a hollow tree stump. Much too small for this form. Yawning he stripped off his pants, the only possession he had, and changed. Making a nest of ferns and his clothes inside the rotting wood.
 
The air was dense, a light fog enveloping the trees. Reva sat perched behind some ferns, eyeing her prey just a few feet ahead of her, grooming itself. It had taken her more time than she cared to admit to find anything to track, but finally she had a meal in front of her, she just had to reach out and grab it. She slowly leaned closer, getting ready to pounce as soon as she felt it couldn't possibly escape, it was only a foot away... When suddenly her foot slipped on some of the wet leaves, causing her to lose her balance for only a second. But it was long enough to alert the creature by the rustling of the leaves and give it time to bound off, out of her reach for good.

"Damn it!" she shouted, kicking the fern and feeling her face go red with the frustration boiling up inside her. She hadn't eaten for so long now, she felt weak and more than a little dizzy, the heat pounding her doing no favours to her mood or constitution. She leaned back and forth with her hands placed upon her hips, hopped around a little to try and limber up a bit, shake off the hunger and anger that resided within. Once she felt she had a little more energy and her temper cooled, she continued her walk onward, hoping to stumble upon another trail, another chance at food.

She was certainly no tracker, the jungle never got any easier to navigate, any signs that something may have passed this way before her, buried by the foliage, the smells, and her exhaustion. Everything here looked the same to her, same trees, same bushes. She had no idea if she was still making progress, or if she had simply been going in circles the whole time, completely unaware of her changes in direction. "Enough..." she muttered, giving in to the tiredness that gripped her bones and slumping down on the ground. She glanced around and noticed a little recess among the roots of a nearby tree, then crawled on her hands and knees over to it, falling flat on her face once she was inside, unable to move anymore today. The coolness of the mud hit her cheek and instantly put her out, dead to the world around her, to the almost indiscernible breeze passing through the tree tops high above, to the insects that burrowed underground below her, to the monkey that made it's way towards her, teeth glistening in the light.
 
After his rest in the rotten Stump Ari found himself wandering down the faded track, shoulders hunched and head down. How would he ever find Reva in this mess? He walked and walked, his mind traveling to the worst possible scenarios of what had happened to her. Was she lost? Hurt? Dead? did the monkeys eat her? he felt panic well up in his gut and quickly pushed it away by digging long nails into his arm. The pain calmed him. There, he was thinking straight now. What did it matter? He was just using her, he would find someone else in this god forsaken jungle. He picked his pace up to a light jog, knowing it would distract him.

Finally the scent of human grew strong and he found himself in a small clearing, where a couple trees must of been knocked down at some point. There was a pen filled with strange creatures, some similar to horses, others had large cow like udders and there where some birds too, with their ankles tied to the fence posts. He was confused. Where were the people? He slid to the ground and closed his eyes. It was hopeless. He wouldnt find anyone here. He wouldnt find Reva.. If she wasnt already dead she would probably die soon. Suddenly he heard gentle footsteps and a voice.

"Is it dead? Mio, go touch it, no not with your hand, use your spear, the flat end you idiot, the flat end!" the voice sounded strange, with an accent he had never heard before. He sensed rather then saw something, the spear coming for his back and flipped around, his hand closing around the intricately carved wood. His golden eyes burned as they met the shocked, brown eyed gaze of a young boy who must be no more then 12 or 13 years. Suddenly the child was pushed aside and replaced by an older man, with the same eyes. The man stared, and started, he spoke something in a strange language and fell to his knees bowing.

Ari stood and looked around in confusion, dozens of men, women and children surrounded him, all where on the ground bowing, and speaking the same word over and over again. "Whats going on?" he asked in confusion. While he always believed he should be worshiped this was just weird.

The man spoke the word again, then seeing Ari's confusion spoke in the common tounge. "The Panther, you have the eyes of the great king of cats. The gods have sent you to us. They must have, why else would you be here?" he stood slowly and reached out to touch Ari's arm with a feverish look in his eyes. "Tell us, what do you need? You are our test, sent from above and we will pass or fail. Pass and we will be granted many years of plenty, fail and we will surely die. Tell us... tell us" the whole tribe took up the feverish chant and Ari slowly smiled. He could use them.

"I have lost my guardian. A worthy human chosen to walk my footsteps and guard me from evil. You must help me find her, or i will surely loose my powers"
 
"OW!" Reva screamed, snapping wide awake, twisting her body around to see what was causing her leg such pain. A little creature, a mass of bones held together by very loose and pale grey skin, had sunk it's teeth into her right leg and seemed determined not to let go. She tried grabbing it in an attempt to throw it away, but it's grip held fast and caused her to let out a whimper of pain. She could feel it chewing her flesh, trying to eat her while she was still alive, the feeling was so intense, tears started flooding her eyes. She felt around her waist, unable to see anything anymore, feeling herself about to pass out from the pain. Her fingers grazed the sword that hung at her belt and she immediately wrapped her hand around the hilt and in one quick stroke, yanked it from her belt and sliced at the creature. It shrieked and leapt back away from her, hissing and snarling at it's attacker.

Reva tried to stand up and face the monkey she found herself up against, but her legs immediately buckled under her weight and brought her back down to the mud with a cry of agony escaping from her. She had no time to assess the wound, she had to focus on the threat before her. She dragged her legs behind her, making sure nothing was in her way when she had to start swinging again. The monkey was hopping side-to-side, clearly very agitated that it's food had fought back. That's when she noticed that she must have hit it harder than either of them had realised, blood was flowing freely from it's back, drenching the ground in little bloody pools. It's hissing had died down, it's legs seemed a little shaky and unstable, but it still never let it eyes off of Reva. She figured she'd just play the waiting game, hoping it would bleed to death before she herself did, but clearly it sensed what was happening as well, and suddenly charged at her, leaping through the air towards her face with it's teeth as sharp as knives, a terrible scream filling the air. Reva instinctively ducked close to the ground, sticking her sword in front of her and turning her face towards the ground in order to shield it.

She stayed in that position for a good minute, struggling not to give into the exhaustion that swept through her body, but finding her eyelids impossibly difficult to keep open. Everything was just so quiet, so peaceful, seemed like a good time to get some rest. Until the burning sensation in her calf picked up and overtook her need for sleep, it was then she came to and felt just how heavy her arms were. She lifted her head up and looked in front of her, the body of a monkey impaled upon her sword, still being held out before her. It took her few more moments to remember what had happened, and the predicament she was in.

She let her arms go limp and dropped the sword in the mud, along with the carcass that now adorned it, then twisted around so she was sitting on the mucky ground, her legs stretched out. The wound was a lot bigger than she had thought, a clear chunk missing from her calf, covered in grass and mud, even some little insects crawled around it. She brushed them off as best she could, wincing from the pain whenever she made contact with the bloody wound. She tore off her left sleeve of her top, what there was anyway, and gingerly wrapped it around her leg, trying to keep it tight enough to stop the blood from flowing so freely out of her.

She looked around and saw that it was only getting darker, but in this much agony, she would never get any rest now. She dragged her legs around and used her left one to kick the monkey's body off her sword, while she held the weapon firmly with her right arm. She then used the sword as a makeshift crutch to help get on to her feet and standing once again, then slid the sword back into her belt and limped onwards into the night.
 
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The man bowed again "I am Atmaer, the chief of this Village. We will find your friend. But first we must feast and make an offering to the gods" she threw his arms into the air, a reverent look in his eyes and screamed, a strange high pitched sound, clearly an imitation of a panther. The rest of the village leapt to their feet and screamed as well, their voiced lower, and edged with an almost monkey like undertone. Then as one the people began swarming up the trees, dissapearing into the thick canopy. Ari smiled and let Atmaer lead him to the thickest tree and began to climb. His claws came out and he pulled himself up with ease.

When Ari broke through the lower canopy he found himself climbing through a small hole onto a platform. All around him where a series of platforms, rope bridges, and thick boughs tied together to allow easy passage. There where a series of small huts, with little holes leading inside, no doors or windows. A very simple place, yet he immediately loved it. He let the chief lead him along to one of the biggest and nicest huts. Inside was a simple bed of dried leaves and cured hides, a couple of baskets and a wooden bowl of water. Here he was left and told to rest, he would be fetched when it was time to feast.

After a while a young lad came, the same one who had tried to poke him with the spear. "Mio?" he asked the child, who flinched and nodded, handing him an intricate loincloth/skirt made of leaves, bones and furs, with a belt of claws pointing out and down. Ari took the contraption and smiled , running his hands over the object. It looked amazing. He let the boy help him out of his ragged pants and into the skirt which fit after some adjusting of the leaves. The child then produced two cuffs of bones and fur that slid to just under his armpits, and a neck piece of the same materials. He was being dressed like a god. Satisfied the boy bowed and scurried away.

As Ari waited he realized that no one had asked his name, they saw him as the panther-god in a human skin, and that was it. The human shells name didn't matter... How strange. He sighed and closed his eyes, immediately an image of Reva laying cold and torn in the jungle came to him. He whimpered, "oh Reva... Ill come for you soon. But i cant do this alone... They know the Jungle and i need their help to find you. Just hang in there. I'm coming"

Finally Mio came, wearing a simplified version of Ari's attire, made only of leaves and furs, with smaller bones on his neck piece and no cuffs. He was lead to the largest platform where an alter of sorts had been placed and the villagers stood all around dressed in the same things as Mio, though he noticed the older men where dressed more intricately, but none as nicely as Ari, and no one wore anything to cover their chests. The women simply had long hair, intricately braided with small feathers and bones, pushed over their shoulders to cover their breasts to some extent. This must be what they wore to important tribal events.

Ari was deposited behind the alter, his hands placed on either side of a wide, intricately carved bone bowl. The chief stood to one side, and who was apparently some important religious shaman of sorts on the other. He watched and listened as the tribe was lead through a ceremony in the native tongue, very few of them spoke the common tongue. From what he had seen only Mio, Atmaer and the Shamon, named kikoa, could understand him. After a very long and surprisingly interesting ceremony one by one the members of the tribe offered him something. The items where all small and simple, wooden carvings only an inch or two tall, the best cut from a kill, a bracelet of what looked suspiciously like monkey teeth, an amulet made of copper, and most interesting of all, a live pigmy monkey from none other then the Chief himself. The offerings where all placed in the bowl, but the chief handed him the monkey and looked expectantly at him. Ari sniffed the tiny beat, and realized it was the same breed that had attacked him and that the tribe had clearly drugged it to keep it tame.

Immediately he knew what he had to do. Banish the enemy of the village. He hissed, baring his teeth and sunk them into the monkeys tiny neck. It died quickly and the shaman took the monkey, producing a ceremonial bone knife. The monkeys heart was cut out and the blood sprinkled on the alter, and into the bowl. Fascinated Ari watched as the heart was placed on the very top of the pile and the contents where set on fire and burned. He breathed in the scent of smoke and watched, in a few short minutes his offerings where reduced to ash, and the monkey was impaled on a branch hanging directly over him.

Then it was time to feast, bowls of fruit and coco beans where passed around, tightly woven baskets filled with water and a sweet, yet burning concoction of juice and something else where set all around. Huge chunks of meat passed from hand to hand. No one took individual servings, you where handed something and ate as much as you wanted before passing it on. Ari was presented with what looked like a liver and was allowed to eat it all. Which he did. But mostly he ate what everyone else was, they all shared like one big family and he loved it.

When the last of the food was eaten, the juice gone and the women and children sent to bed all the men sat in a circle to discuss their search. For some strange reason Mio was among them, sitting right next to Atmaer. Maybe the kid was some sort of chief in training or something. After listening to a long discussion that he couldn't understand he watched as the hunting parties set out. He was told that they would comb the jungle and look for any signs of his guardian. If they where meant to find her they would Till then Ari had to sit tight, hoping they remembered to use her name if they found her.
 
Reva had been limping on for about an hour through the dense vegetation that surrounded her, encased her, in it's oppressive sameness. Everywhere she looked, nothing looked clearly identifiable, just more trees, more leaves, more mud... She couldn't tell whether she simply hadn't moved very far from where she was attacked - due to the very slow pace she was moving at - or if instead this jungle was truly made up of completely identical looking trees. She swore she even noticed the same little nook she had collapsed in, though there were no bodies of monkeys lying around anywhere. "What am I doing here...?" she aimlessly asked herself, thinking back to her days patrolling the kingdom, the sun cooking her in her armour, but happy that she had her soldiers, her friends beside her. Then to her time with Ari, the mischievous form shifting man, who had been her only friend in this strange part of the world. She felt a deep longing inside, to have him back beside her. The briefest smile touched her lips at these thoughts, before her eyes refocused and she found herself back in this never-ending tropical hell.

It was then she heard a new sound coming from the side of her, something different from what she had heard before emanating from this place, the sound of footfall. She dragged herself over to the closest tree, clambering up a little grassy bank in the process, and positioned herself behind the tree, away from whoever approached. They were close enough for her to spy them now, three men, not much in the way of clothing between them, spears in hands. "Hunters..." she whispered to herself, too delirious to acknowledge no-one was standing next to her to hear her. "The one on the left seems the most inexperienced, the way he holds his weapon is sloppy, he's complacent, not used to combat" she carried on, informing her imaginary team of her findings "The one in front isn't the leader, he's there because he's eager to prove himself, wants to be first if something happens, show he's tough.". The one on the right is the only real threat, the way he holds himself, always aware of his surroundings, hands firmly gripped on the spear... He's the leader of this group, he's the one who's truly seen the jungle, lived in it, ready for it...". Her words trailed off, her eyes focused only on that older man on the right, her hand carefully reaching for the hilt of her sword, so as not to alert them with any sudden movements.

"Stop." said the elder man of the tracking party, kneeling down to examine the ground. "There's nothing there, let's move on, we're wasting time" said the burly man at the front, puffing up his chest to appear more authoritative. "You still have much to learn." answered the older man, "Tracking is not about speed, it's about awareness. Not bumbling around hoping you stumble upon what you seek, it's searching it out, finding the hints that have been left behind in your quarry's wake." he held up his hand, blood staining the tips of his fingers. "Someone's been through here, maybe even who we seek." "Oh come on, that's probably just blood from something one of those monkey's killed and dragged off to eat, there's nothing to prove that's human's blood" said the puffed up man in the front again, tired of not being listened to and eager to keep moving. "As I said" replied the older man, "You still have much to learn... If one of those creatures had killed something here, there would be a lot more blood. If something had been attacked here by one, there would be a trail of blood of where it had been dragged off. Do you see any of that here? No, because this blood was left by something else, not to mention the human footprints in that mud over there" he motioned to the foot of the grass bank Reva had climbed up to get behind the tree she now had her back pressed against, her heart beating wildly. "Ah, you could have just said that!" the other man said angrily, feeling foolish for not seeing them. The third man just laughed casually, as if he didn't have a care in the world, as they all made their way over to her hiding place.

Her eyes were firmly shut, breathing erratic. She had heard enough, she would not be prey for these cannibals, she would show them what it meant to cross blades with her. The moment she heard one of them place a foot on the grass bank, she spun out from behind the tree, and in the same motion, swung her sword in the neck of the wide-eyed, burly man who had dared to go first. She felt her blade hit bone and immediately put all of her weight behind her shoulder, to barge him towards the other two men who stood behind him, releasing the blade in a cloud of crimson from it's temporary home and readying it for the next two. The man lay writhing on the ground clutching his neck, the blood spraying from the fatal wound. Unable to do anything for him, the elder man planted his foot in the ground, getting ready to drive the spear into this wild-eyed, crazy woman before him. The third man looked over to see what the elder was doing and tried to copy his stance, but his hands were shaking too badly, his weapon falling out of his sweaty grip, tumbling to the floor. Reva took this opportunity to go for the only threat that remained, she drove her feet into the soil, her leg burning with pain, muscles screaming in agony and leapt towards the hunter's left side. The old man lunged his spear forward, but given the angle he had to adjust to, only succeeded in grazing her back. She hit the dirt and rolled immediately, her sword arm instantly flicking to the side and slicing the man across his belly, before standing up once more, ready to strike again. But the old man knew he had already lost, he dropped his spear and fell to his knees, clutching his wound and feeling the warm trickle of his life leaving him, flowing freely through his fingers. He looked before him and saw his ward dead on the ground, his hands still at his throat. Then to his right and the terrified boy on the ground, seemingly frozen in fear, staring at the killer of his two friends. "Run...!" said the old man weakly, not wanting to see the boy die too. "Run home...! Tell..." he said with his last breath, before tumbling to the side, his final words unfinished.

The boy hadn't heard a thing, his entire focus was on the demon woman before him, clad in the blood of his friends, blade still in hand, now pointing towards him. Her eyes never seemed to blink, but stared ceaselessly into his very soul as she made her way towards him "P-p-p-please!?" he stammered, his limbs visibly shaking "J-j-j-just let me go... I w-w-won't tell a-a-anyone!" his heart was pounding against his chest, feeling his death fast approaching. The woman never said a word as she lifted her sword with both hands, turning to the side slightly as if getting ready to deliver a powerful swing to his frail frame. Just then a shriek came from the canopies above, clearly the monkeys had caught a taste in the air of the blood that now stained the ground in this place. The noise caused the woman to turn and address a possible new threat, and before he even knew what he was doing, the boy had gotten to his feet and ran back towards the village as fast as he could.

"Damn it..." muttered Reva "He got away... We better hope he doesn't have friends, I can't save you all the time Ari!" she said angrily to no-one. "Come on, we need to go before those creatures come back." She trudged off with her invisible Ari, deeper into the jungle. Still in incredible pain at the excursion she had just put it through, but feeling a little less lonely now she felt she had her travelling companion back, even if it was only in her mind.
 
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Ari was relaxing with Mio, Atmear and the shaman, whose name he had already forgotten. All of them where forbidden from joining the hunting parties. Atmear only left the village in times of war or extreme emergencies, Mio went wherever his leader did. And the shaman spent most of his time sitting staring at banana leaves and shaking around bowls of teeth from what Ari could observe. They had been waiting hours talking, Ari was listening to Mio describe everything there was to know about the tribe. Ari learned the basic layout of the jungle, how the tribe found their way and the complex social ladder. He was the son of Atmear and a medicine wife, who was chosen by the shaman and lived her whole life to bear the next chief. When she finally birthed a strong, healthy baby, Mio she was cast away to join another tribe and find a new purpose. Mio had never met her. Yet the child seemed unbothered.

Ari was listening to a long explination about the difference between two obscure species of beetle when a young man, hardly more then a boy came running up yelling about some Demon from the rival tribe killing his hunting party. Eventually Atmear managed to calm the boy and get a full story. They thought they had found Reva, but instead a demon woman in a human skin attacked and killed the leader of his party, one of the strongest warriors in the tribe, along with some other random man. The monkeys had saved him, and he had run as fast as he could.

It was quickly decided that the devil himself, the spirit of the monkey according to Mio, had taken control of a nearby tribe. Their sworn enemies. Before he knew it all the search parties had been called back and the strongest men in the tribe where holding a war council while the shaman did whatever it was he did. Plans where made to wipe the tribe off the face of the earth, they would attack on the panthers moon. Many days from now, until then all search parties where called off and Ari was schooled in the way of war.

He found himself sparring with many young men of the tribe. It seemed odd that they would train a god to fight, but he learned they believed his spirit was not used to this body and he must learn to hunt with he same prowess as the wild cat. He struggled with the spear, and club and slingshot and pipe-gun the tribe specialized in. But at hand to hand combat he excelled, and when he showed them his claws they decided to leave him be.

When he wasn't sparring, or holding war council with the men he was shown around the jungle, he hunted and climbed. It wasnt long before he got his bearings in this wild place and learned to navigate using moss and stream, by following the little hidden paths among the ferns or running through the treetops with the krosis, the sky men, and practicing dropping upon his prey from above. Ari learned to avoid the monkeys, the mortal enemy of the panther and the tribe, he learned how to find prey and what was easiest to hunt. He learned to follow the song of birds to find fruit, or the howl of the kogi monkey to find the stone-fruit trees.

He grew to enjoy the company of his new friends, especially the man in charge of training new warriors, and all the young boys he spent his days hunting and sparring with. Before long Mio sat him down and pulled out the ceremonial garb he had worn to the feast. They removed many of the bones on the skirt and added bones and teeth from prey Ari himself had caught. Together they completely remade the outfit, and watched as the shaman blessed it, and imbued it with energy which was said to protect the wearer in battle.

A few days ago a message had been sent, a girl who would never marry for her nose and ears where cut off, her tounge split in half like a snakes and her entire body covered in tattoos. There where bone piercings on her lips and her uncovered breasts, the caping holes in her face covered by a strange shaped mask of bone. Her hair was cut like a mans, offering no decency. She wore only a simple skirt of hide and carried a beheaded bird with the message of war written in its blood across her stomach.

She returned a day and a half after she had left, holding the body of a panther cub with tears running down her face. She had been forced to watch as the men dragged the screaming baby into the village and slowly strangled it to death. The cubs blood was smeared across her body, writing a new message. It was on. That night they would fight in the jungle. They would meet in open battle.
 
Each step Reva took sent pain shivering through her body, yet still she trudged silently on, only occasionally breaking the quiet to talk to what she perceived to be Ari. "I'm so hungry, do you think you could catch something for us? Well why not!? You did it just fine before, I don't see why... AHH!" she screamed out, her injured leg twisting awkwardly in the vines it had just been caught in, bringing her crashing down to the cracked earth with a heavy thud.

Her mind was swimming all around, unable to hold on to any one thought before it slipped through her grasp and away into the ether. Her sensations were betraying her, refusing to let her know whether she was dreaming or simply struggling to hold on to consciousness. She imagined seeing people holding her, carrying her. They wore only a little, bare flesh mostly, a strong smell of sweat and blood permeating the air. All blurs and shadows, nothing solid, not until something touched her wound, and then the whole world came into focus, in one sharp, crystallized moment.

Her eyes snapped open, "Son-of-a-b....!" she paused, finding herself laying on a table, surrounded by at least three tribal looking people from what she could tell. She sat up and looked at her leg, the makeshift bandage she had fashioned out of one her sleeves had been removed, and beside it were some primitive tools laid out, as if someone had been preparing to treat it. She carefully cast her gaze around the hut she found herself in, the three people pinned to the walls, trying to keep as much space from her as possible. It was sparsely decorated, nothing more than this table she found herself on, a dirty sleeping mat against one of the circular walls of this dwelling, and a little shelf with a potted plant perched upon it.

"Okay..." she started "Can you understand me?" she queried. None of them spoke a word, but the more portly lady nodded her head in affirmation. "Good, okay then. Where am I?" Reva continued. "I-I-In our village. O-Our hunters saw you attack and kill the other tribe, they followed you for a little while, saw you fall, b-brought you here." the woman spoke, clearly still afraid to get any closer. Reva thought back and started piecing together the dreams she had had, seeing truth in the woman's words. "You mean the cannibals who tracked me?" she asked, concerned that this was simply another tribe of people who wanted her for food. Maybe they had only been examining her leg to make sure she had no infection, before they planned on devouring her. The portly woman looked to the others, a young girl, no older than 12, and a thin, rake of a woman, older than the girl, but younger than the woman who spoke. They all wore fur and leaves covering their entire mid-section, with only their legs and arms exposed. "C-C-Cannibals? We no eat same flesh, no-one in jungle do." she said with a clearly puzzled look upon her face.

Before another word could be said, the little girl ran outside screaming, alerting everyone else in the village to Reva's conscious presence. Her heart began to race, she looked around for any sign of her weapon, getting ready to fight her way out of this place if need be. It was nowhere in sight, she would have to find it quickly. She swung her legs off the side of the table and hopped on to the floor, immediately letting out a cry of pain, as her legs buckled beneath her weight and she came crashing to the ground once again.

"What's going on?" came a rather educated sounding voice from the doorway, "Oh, my. Hilda, help me get this young lady back on the table, will you? We can't leave our guest laying on the floor, wounded as she is." came the voice. Reva felt two sets of hands pick her up and place her gently back upon the table's surface. "There we are, much more comfortable I would imagine, yes?" came the man's voice once more. Reva turned her head around to see who was speaking, it was a tall man wearing rather civilized clothes, a pair of traditional dark trousers, a light green shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, and a faded brown waistcoat complementing the ensemble. A little moustache upon his face that had been twirled up slightly at each end, completed the look of someone who didn't belong. He would look even more fancy, if it wasn't for all the mud smeared over his face and forearms, but the smile we wore put her at ease. "Greetings, Ma'am. I am Henrique, Henri as my friends call me. And what would be your name, if it's not's too presumptuous to ask?" he smiled away, politely waiting for her reply. "Uh... Reva, nice to, uh... meet you." she answered, with no small amount of confusion in her words. "Likewise, my dear, likewise." he smiled broadly, taking a step back. "Well come, come, Hilda. We can't leave her leg like that all day, let's get our guest walking again, shall we." The portly woman hurried over to Reva's wound, and started using those odd tools she had seen earlier to clean the area, before attempting to seal the flesh. "Well I'll leave you two to it, do come find me once you're feeling all better, yes? You and I have much to discuss" he finished, before spinning around and marching out of the door, leaving Reva with a lot more questions than she had when she first awoke.
 
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