Characters:
Lylliann
Sayur
"AH~!" Sayur screamed as he suddenly felt himself soar through the air. "What have you done, Lyllian?! We are dead." After he said it, it felt almost real, "Oh gods... we're dead. Dead. Dead. Dead." he shook his head, feeling like he was going to throw up.
What are you talking about? Lylliann looked down at him, then, she remembered she could speak. "You are not dead, neither am I. In fact, this is the most alive I have ever felt since I was taken. We can go anywhere, do anything!" She gurgled happily.
"Heaven's name, we are refugees now, don't you get it?!" he shouted up to her. "Tremane will stop at nothing until our heads are on a pike! WE. ARE. DEAD."
She snorted, "He has no idea where we will go, he may look for me, but he has no idea what YOU truly look like. You said there were Himmels outside of his kingdom, perhaps they would shelter us, if we find them."
"What what WHAT?! I'm not shifting into a wild beast!" he refused, becoming a bit nervous on how high they actually were. He really had no idea given his blindness, but he sure as hell knew it was out of arrow's reach. "We can find some sort of village to take shelter in before word hears of my apparent treason. By the way, what did you do?! Why was I convicted of having an affair with you?!"
"
I didn't do anything. From what I heard, apparently some servant saw us talking last night and assumed we were somehow doing something wrong. I don't really know. What I do know, I'm pretty sure I just saved you from death." She gave him a little shake, "So be grateful." Lylliann soared through the night air with ease, happy, but realizing more then Sayur realized. It was a strange thought to a predator that she would be hunted, but Himmels were known for adaption.
As the echos became harder and harder to hear, Sayur got nervous, "H-how high are we?" he asked with a timid voice. Up here, he was completely blind. There were no vibrations and no sound other then wind and Lylliann's heartbeat.
A rumble sounded from near his head where her neck met her chest. Quiet laughter. "Quite high. You shouldn't worry Sayur, this is my world, my castle, and I know how to act in
my element." Lylliann adjusted him in her arms, keeping him warm against the chill of the night air. If he was paying attention he would have noticed that they were going down.
"Where are we? Are we a good distance away from the palace? No doubt he already have people on our tail." he said nervously. "Is there a town here?"
She paused, "No town." Then Lylliann added, "If I walk into a town around here, I doubt they would remain quiet about it, not to mention you do not have any money, so you would not find a place to stay nor food to eat."
"No doubt one of the buttons on my petticoat can afford us a room an a dinner with how poor some of these peasants are." he reminded.
Lylliann growled, "No. You will not stay at a village. If we do, and Tremane finds out, he will know the direction we went. I do not want to risk that."
Sayur didn't like where this was headed and he feared there was nothing he could do about it. "Where are we supposed to stay for the night? What are we to eat?! I specifically skipped lunch knowing I would have a grand buffet to pick from!" He was like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I will kill something, and then I will go steal some fire for you." She responded, knowing he would want to cook his meal. The wind whispered by them in the air, and ever so slowly Sayur could hear crickets, and the fluttering of bat wings.
"I have to
cook my own food? I hate everything about my life right now..." Sayur muttered, pulling his legs up from the open space below him. He was truly pathetic out of his comfort zone in the palace halls. "Can we land now?"
"You don't want to be put down amidst some wolves now, do you?" Lylliann asked, a little annoyed at how whinny he was being.
Sayur grumbled as he was carried over a mass of land, completely oblivious to the space around him. Up here, he
really felt blind. He stayed quiet for a while, thinking abut how nothing was going to be the same again. Everything he had worked for was gone in an instant. Sayur could never return to the kingdom, yet alone the palace. His belongings were no doubt being burned at this very second.
Finally, Lylliann dropped onto a branch, holding steady before slipping to the ground next to a large tree. "Careful," She warned, as she put him down. She did not want him to trip over something and hurt himself. "I can put you up in the tree, where you'll be safe while I hunt."
"Me? Sit up in a tree? Utterly preposterous..
." he said, tilting his chin up and crossing his arms stubbornly. Sayur's ears perked up, taking in his perimeter.
Lylliann pulled back her neck, "Really? You can fend off a hungry hunter then?" She snorted and pushed him gently with a claw, which was probably not that gentle to him. "You couldn't fend off a rabbit."
"HEY!" Sayur shot back at her, the fur on his ears standing up in pure rage. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. "I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you! I would be at the party, with my job, my title and my wealth! What do I have out here? NOTHING! I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a emotional, baby crazy female!"
Being that she was in her real form, she was not that timid. In fact, quite opposite of that, "And if it weren't for your KING, I would still be in my home, with my family, and YOU would still be in your self-made prison. So don't blame me, blame your precious Uncle who happened to try to kill you tonight." Lylliann snarled. "I kept you from dying you little priss. And now I'm going to keep you alive, so be a little grateful helpless whelp." With that said, the Himmel turned on her tail and began to walk off.
"I would rather have died in the palace by Tremane's hands then be out in the woods with you!" Sayur shouted, kicking dirt up at her as Lylliann walked off.
In an instant she had turned and bowled him over onto the dirt, hackles raised and mouth completely open at his throat. Would you rather me do the honors right now? I could leave you, leave you to die here by Tremane's eventual hands? Or I could break that collar and let you wander blind? Lylliann snarled and feinted, even when she knew he couldn't see. Choose now, or shall I go hunt for myself and bring you some food?
Sayur froze up a bit. He seemed to have forgotten that this female was indeed as wild as they come. Swallowing slowly, he lowered his ears and pulled back, away from the jaws that hovered around his throat.
She pulled back her head, but left one claw still on his chest, That's what I thought. Lylliann pulled away completely, then gently picked him up and placed him onto a bough high enough up and close to the main part of the tree. Now, stay here, and stay quiet, I will be back soon.
Sayur didn't say anything as she left into the wilderness. He listened to her steps until they faded away to nothing. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he closed his eyes tightly as if wishing to wake up from this nightmare. With a light sniffle, Sayur wiped his eyes and nervously listened to the small creatures scurry about on the forest floor.
A half hour passes, and Lylliann had still not come back. Then off in the distance he should have felt something with his empathy, something that grunted as it walked. It sniffed around, then clawed at the tree, growling.
Sayur grew silent and shook in horror. It was probably that damn perfume he had lathered with before the ball. Clinging onto the trunk of the tree for dear life, he started to feel around for more branches to climb with. He had absolutely no defense on him and he hadn't heard or smelled Lylliann yet.
Standing on its back legs, the bear roared, clawing at the air. It was hungry, but Sayur was too high. Circling the tree, it clawed at the dirt. With a feminine yowled, Lylliann dropped on it, backhanding it easily. The bear flew back and into another tree, snapping its back. She snorted and left the stick which was burning with fire on the ground. "Are you alright?" Lylliann asked quietly, genuinely concerned.
It took a moment, but Sayur finally snapped out of it. "Uhm- yea.... peachy." He eased down the tree a bit. "What took you so damn long!?"
Her ears fell against her neck in anger. "I wasn't gone longer then part of an hour." She padded to the bear and dragged it over by its throat, gutting it, and carving out some meat. Lylliann squinted at the fire, then up at the tree. Stiffening her legs and locking the joints, Lylliann swung her tail and slammed it into the tree a few times. Dead wood fell from the branches. A few fell onto the already burning stick, but she kicked a few on as well. "Here," She took the steak and held it with a claw in front of his face, "Your dinner."
Sayur sniffed a bit and hesitantly reached forward. The sound of her gutting the animal alone suddenly made his appetite vanish.
Tilting her head, Lylliann withdrew the steak, "You can't eat it raw." Sitting on her rump and curling her spine, Lylliann took a stick and stabbed the meat, setting it up on an angle above the fire. "That's better." No doubt he could smell the meat beginning to cook.
"Yes, I-....suppose so."Sayur couldn't see the fire, but he could surely hear the sticks cracking and feel the heat as he stepped closer. Sitting down in silence, he waited for the meat to cook. The two of them had just fought and Sayur felt a bit bad about it. Unfortunately, it wasn't in his nature to apologize.
Fortunately, Lylliann didn't have much use for apologies. She did however, have use for the bear. She turned swiftly and pounced on it, devouring everything, including the head in a matter of moments. She licked her chops, happy.
Sayur was still waiting for his steak to cook, listing closely to it as he sat. Unfortunately Sayur was always a planner and when things were shifted out of whack like this, it made him extremely nervous about his future. Slowly, he rolled his thumb over a golden button on his suit cuff, focusing on the inscriptions.
Figuring he was missing his 'civilization', Lylliann snatched a rather large leaf from a nearby bush and plucked the steak from the fire with a claw. She placed it in the green barrier and leaned over to hand it to him. "If it makes you feel better, polar bear did taste rather delicious because of the high fat content. This should be rather tasty." Lylliann purred.
"Thank you." he said meekly, sniffing to see what she did. Lifting his hands, he reached up and took it from her. Setting it down on his lap, Sayur slowly moved his hands in, not sure how else he was to eat a whole steak with no forks. Ripping a chunk off, he brought it to his mouth and took a bite. As he did so, this fingers shook. Even though they were near a fire, it was still very cold for someone so ill prepared.
Lylliann silently stood and stretched out her spine, efficiently making herself a few feet longer due to her snakelike bone structure. Curling around the fire, the Himmel moved her neck so that it braced his much smaller form, making a perfect circle around the fire and trapping the heat nicely.
After Sayur forced down a few bites, he lifted his ears a bit. Not really having much of an appetite, he said, "I suppose you got what you want." Sayur's eyes seemed to stare at the fire even though nothing was coming through to him.
"By complete accident." Lylliann replied after a moment, getting comfortable. "I am happy you are with me, for better or for worse. And it is unfortunate that this is the complete opposite of what you wanted."
"To be honest, I would've have minded to set you free. But it was my job..." Sayur explained. "And I most definitely wouldn't of had to be out here." He took a few more bites of his steak. It definitely would've been better with some sauce and pepper. "I hate nature."
She didn't reply, not knowing how to respond to that. This was her life, nature in any form, it didn't have to be in the snow and ice.
Moving his meat aside, Sayur clung his coat tightly around himself for warmth. Still with his back to Lylliann, he laid down and curled up into a ball. Sayur was still in complete shock that the evening played out how it did.
Lylliann took in a few lungfuls of air, holding her breath for a moment before letting it out in a content sigh. She tightened her coils before her ears fell over her eyes. Sleep took the Himmel, but she could be up in a seconds notice if need be.
Sayur stayed up for a long while after that, unable to be put to ease in a place like this. They were so out in the open, he could sense it. Sayur missed the four walls around him and his king sized bed. Closing his eyes, he listened to the crackling of the fire and fell asleep after nearly 40 minutes.
Dawn lit up the forest they were in, and Lylliann yawned. The air was so crisp and fresh. Curiously, the Himmel glanced down at Sayur, then to his glinting collar. She pondered how mad he would be if she took it off, then what he would look like in Himmel form. Lylliann's haunches shivered.
Sayur had eventually fallen asleep curled up in a ball. Being out in nature like this scared the hell out of him but he eventually found rest in his dreams. Lucky for him, Sayur was unable to see how completely ruined his coat had become.
Lylliann nudged him, wanting to get an early start. She could feel his fear, and wondered why it was so because she felt, what was there to fear? She would protect him, he should know this. Squinting, Lylliann glared at his collar. One claw flicked out and sliced through the collar. Pesky thing.
Almost instantly, he shifted into his Himmel form, tearing clean out of his suit and pants. This strain of his clothing woke him up immediately, but it was too late to do anything. His skin changed from a peach to a salmon color at his neck and shoulders that faded to a purple blue down to his hips and tail. This gave his body somewhat of an oil, iridescent look to it. His sunflower yellow hair extended down his long, Himmel neck. Spatters of it also crept up from his paws, to his legs. He was larger then Lylliann by far but barely knew how to move in this form. Sayur was unable to see himself, but knew what had happened. Immediately, he rolled onto his feet and faced her, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" he roared, knowing that the collar was completely broken.
Moving her neck down, Lylliann looked up at him with her silver eyes, not timid, but merely curious. "You felt fear, yes? This was why you couldn't sleep, afraid of the King's soldiers. Now you shouldn't be afraid of this land, or anything for that matter. You are free. Besides, a Himmel should be in Himmel form." She said this all offhandedly, and truthfully. Being how she was, the Himmel was unable to lie, even if she felt biased on the matter.
"You've turned me into my hideous birth form!" he growled, barring his teeth now. Sayur couldn't help but feel severely insecure in this form. "I don't want to be a disgusting, naked, wild animal! It's primitive and vile!" The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. This stupid female kept fucking up his life, maybe it would be best if she was gone? "This is what you had planned all along, isn't it?!"
Her head perked up at that, still unafraid of him, "No, I never planned anything." Her response was both innocent and truthful.
"LIAR!" he tensed up, his large ears bowing down. Sayur sensed that she was telling the truth, but he chose not to believe it. He needed someone to blame for this whole mess and he could come to no other conclusion but to blame Lylliann. "I should've listened to my father about you Himmel females! But no- when I turned my back for a moment and you fuck everything up about my life and who I am!"
"I was in the same situation when you and the King took me away from my home." Lylliann's lip twitched, but unlike him she refused to become angry. "My life was torn to shreds, and all you did was make me adapt. I received no pity from you. You are being a whinny whelp, and I say big deal. Adapt." Lylliann nearly spat the last word out.
"Why you insolent little-" With that, he charged at her. Sayur headbutted himself into Lylliann's chest. Normally, he wouldn't dare strike a woman, but this was an exception. She needed to learn her place.
Lylliann was not prepared for an attack, and let out a little "Oomph!" when his attack hit. A moment later however, she disappeared, and reappeared a little ways behind him. "You're going to have to hit harder then that if you are going to defend yourself," She informed him, unhurt.
Sayur got back to his feet but refused to face her. His ears lowered, flickering back to listen to her movements. A low growling came from his throat. Again, she had made a complete fool of him. "I'm so done with this." he muttered, storming off in a random direction, clueless to where he was.
Watching him go, Lylliann worried a little about him getting himself caught, or hurt. Shaking that thought away, she melted into the darkness behind her in the forest, disappearing. She would continue to follow him in the air, out of range. No matter where he went, she would follow and guard him, even if it was to guard him from himself.
Sayur pressed on through the forest by himself. He kept his ears perked up, listening closely to his surroundings. It was really the only way to navigate out here. Every so often, Sayur would sniff the air for predators just in case. All he had to do was find the palace and grovel for his life. Uncle Tremane would certainly understand, wouldn't he? He whimpered a bit, tucking his tail in, who was he kidding? He was going to die out here for sure.
The day came and went, and as dusk set in the scent of humanoids and the signs of a village were apparent.
"Finally..." Sayur exhaled, smelling the human village growing nearer. He slowed his pace when he could hear people walking on the ground. There was no way his warrant made it all the way out here over night. Entering the village now, he didn't even have fingers to cross.
A sentry stood on lazy watch at the wall, too bored to notice the rather large creature in front of him till he was almost upon him. "H-hold!!" The poor man was just a lowly chimera humanoid, completely not expecting such a large beast to walk in. "You're b-breaking the l-l-law!"
"I accidentally lost my grip and tumbled down some rocks on my travels. My collar was smashed to pieces." Sayur explained, locking his large ears on him. He would not tell this peasant the truth, just in case word did spread way out here.
"We don't h-have any ext-extras!" The guard yelled, bringing his pike shakily, pointing it at Sayur. By now some village people were alerted to some disturbance and a soldier past the wall yelled for reinforcements.
Sayur didn't have to tap into his feelings to tell this guy was freaked out. Why shouldn't he be? He was a Himmel for crying out loud! With a sigh, he sat himself down and waited for a moment. "Well that sure is useless." he muttered before addressing the guard once more, "What village is this if I may inquire?"
Stumble!