Journey's Path

[Jaegar]

Jaegar came pacing through the woods of unfamiliar land, looking for a place to rest, Tika strutting confidently at his side. He gave the Grey fox a pat on the head as she rushed in front of him, and he smiled fondly at her. They had had a long journey and it had been a while since he had rested in the same place for a few days. Noticing the tears in his boots, he figured now was as good of time as any to mend his gear and collect supplies.

Dropping to a crawl, he made a clicking sound to bring Tika to a halt, and then remained silent, listening for any signs of nearby wildlife. He thought he could feel the rustle of a rabbit, but decided to ignore it - shelter was far more important at this time in the late afternoon. Rising from a crouch, Jaegar made his way through the thick forest, looking for a place to camp for a few days. The sun has started to sink as evening approached, when he saw signs of an old path that seemed to be going westward into a clearing. Cautiously making his way through the trees, Jaegar spotted what looked to be a low-lying cliff overlooking a cave-like hollow in the face of the hillside.

He didn't sense any bears or wolves inside as he approached, and he felt that this might be an appropriate place to stop for a few days, or maybe even longer. Jaegar motioned to Tika to explore the deeper part of the cave, while he looked around for signs of habitation. It seemed to be abandoned from the year before, scratches on the cave walls indicating that a new set of bear cubs might have been born here in recent years. Carcasses and dried hide littered the floor, and Jaegar felt that he could make this his home for a while with very little effort.

Tika returned contented with a mouse in her mouth, and went to lie in the sun with her snack before dinner. Jaegar rolled his eyes at her and said, "You always find a way to think of your stomach before your safety, you fool of a fox". Jaegar admitted to himself that he was also hungry and felt out around him for a predatory animal that might be willing to aid him.

Normally, Jaegar would not seek the help of the wild, but tonight he felt that he could not move no more in search of food, and his supplies were all exhausted. He sensed a falcon nearby, and gave it a light pull with his mind, a way of asking it to come to him willingly. Although he had the ability to bend an animals will to his nature, he felt that this was repulsive and should be avoided at all cost. Very few animals had ever refused him, merely being curious as to what drew them closer and not minding the tasks he set for them. As the falcon landed on the overhang, it looked Jaegar up and down, as if deciding if he was worthy enough in a way that only a bird can manage. The bird must have decided that he was alright, because she took flight and came to land on his arm without hesitation. He pictured in his mind the picture of a rabbit, and sent her off - confident that she would return with a worthy prize. Jaegar started to make preparations for his fire when he heard a noise around him, and turned to see what it was - he hadn't sensed it, so it was no animal.

[Swaizzo]

Swaizzo had been hiking through the thick foliage for what seemed like an eternity. Really, it had probably been around an hour or so, but he was not accustomed to hauling his behind through the winding paths of Ember forest. Sebastian, his gryphon delivery partner and preferred mode of transportation, had decided to take some time off over the last few days and Swaizzo had been left to do the dirty work on foot.

Slung over his shoulder was a weather-worn leather satchel that held a sizable package; his latest cargo that was supposed to be delivered... somewhere in the general vicinity. He glared down at the old compass that was notorious for giving him trouble. His fist clenched around the scuffed glass face, its needle spinning around wildly. “Worthless piece of junk...” Swaizzo muttered, and against his better judgement shoved the compass back into his pocket.

He let his head fall back and sighed. “Who’s bright idea was it to send us out into the middle of the woods, anyways?” He said to himself irritably. The faster he could find the delivery spot, the faster he could find his way out the forest before evening set in (he hoped), and put his sore feet up on his desk at home. He was disturbed out of his sulking by the sight of a falcon soaring overhead through the treetops swishing in the breeze. His eyes followed its languid flight before it descend just a few yards ahead of him into a clearing. Swaizzo took a few steps towards the spot and peered over a clump of foliage, and was surprised to see that the bird had found it’s perch on the arm of a very unusual-looking man. His eyes widened at the sight of him, curiosity brewing in his brain. His attire was like nothing Swaizzo had ever seen on any of the residents in Abastecimiento, and truthfully he found his rough-cut appearance intimidating. He stood there watching through the leaves for a long moment before realizing the stranger might turn and spot his intrusion, but before he could attempt to slink away silently, the frayed strap of his satchel gave way and let his heavy cargo drop to the forest floor with a loud thud. "Shoot," Swaizzo hissed impulsively, and bent over to claw clumsily at the muddied package, making quite a ruckus in the leaves and branches as he did so.

[Jaegar]

Jaegar turned sharply about as the falcon left him, scanning the forest until his eyes rested upon a figure making a lot of noise. He stared at it for a moment, sensing no immediate threat and watched it with calm eyes. Suddenly, Tika took a dash towards the figure from behind Jaegar and he watched as she happily trotted up to the stranger.

Jaegar couldn't help but raise his brows in surprise at the friendliness being displayed by his long-time friend. Often, Tika was his cautious companion, always ready to take flight at any sign of danger, unless otherwise directed by Jaegar himself. As he focused his eyes to reflected the fading sunlight through the trees, Jaegar saw a very strange looking creature. He seemed unusually thin, and was furry all over, much like a red fox - he even had a tail. It was almost like a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place; was it kinship that Tika felt towards this fox-like man? Or was it a general feeling of ease that drew her closer to this oddity.

Swallowing his own uneasiness, he attempted to sound confident yet nonthreatening, "I see you there, friend. Were you following me? What business have you here?" His voice to his own ears sounded gruff. He realized suddenly that he had had very little use for speech when in the company of the wild, and speaking with the intent of being answered was a strange phenomenon to him in recent years. It was not that he hadn't spoke, it was just that he had had few opportunities that required it.

Watching for any sudden movements that might be signs of aggression, Jaegar waited for the stranger or Tika to make the first move. He trusted Tika's instincts which often seemed sharper than his own, however, she seemed to be waiting for something as well. Permission to approach? She waited just inside the clearing, sniffing the air, and making whining noises that she only made while in play. Whoever this man was, he seemed to be somewhat of a marvel to Tika, and therefore worth the effort of conversation.

[Swaizzo]

Swaizzo bolted upright when he heard the fox near his spot in the bush. He stared over at the little creature as it started to whine and fidget by its apparent keeper, his fingers wrapped around the useless satchel as he held it close. He stood stiffly for a few seconds before his eyes darted to the man who had just addressed him. The low, gruff voice that filled the clearing caused the fur on Swaizzo’s neck to bristle up. His first instinct was to sprint back into the trees the way he had come, but the realization that he had no need to defend himself at the moment dashed the thought from his mind. His curiosity returned in that instant, and his woes about being lost in the forest were forgotten.

“Eh... Who, me?” He asked sheepishly and pointed to himself, as if there was anyone else around in the middle of the woods at sunset. He stepped over the foliage and into the clearing warily, “I didn’t mean to interrupt... I’m just here to deliver something is all,” he explained, holding his frayed satchel containing the package out as proof of his excuse. He placed it on the ground then, and bent down onto one knee to get a closer look at the stranger's fox companion. She was a graceful-looking creature, and while he examined her furry form with a cocked head, it did not occur to him that he shared various features with the animal (well, minus the grace part). The thing was, while Swaizzo was quite literally the only one of his kind on the island, it never seemed to register in his head just how different he looked from the rest of the islanders. In his mind, he was as average as any old human walking down the street in the city.

“I’m Swaizzo, by the way,” He said and returned his gaze to the stranger, a smile beginning to grow on his lips, “I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a guy with your sense of fashion around here before,” he laughed and nodded at the skins draped over the man's shoulders, “Or such a knack for handling the wildlife.” He looked up towards the reddening sky then and scanned the area before asking, “Where did your feathered friend get to, anyways?”

[Jaegar]

Jaegar shrugged at the mention of his clothing, knowing that he probably looked outlandish, but that this stranger was just as much an oddity as himself.

"To be honest, I have no idea where he went exactly, more that I know he will have dinner when he returns for myself and Tika here." Jaegar made a motion towards the grey fox who had taken to circling this Swaizzo as he called himself. Jaegar did some quick thinking as he stared at this seemingly genial creature, as he really wasn't sure what to make of him. It would look as though he was good-natured enough, and not completely human, which made him automatically more acceptable in Jaegar's opinion.

Jaegar turned back to the fire, fully exposing his back purposefully testing to see how much he could trust this newcomer. In his experience, most things happened when your back was turned and when you least expected it. It wasn't often that he came accross anyone in such a manner, though Tika seemed to trust him for now, and that would do.

The falcon returned with a large rabbit in his talons, and he dropped it gingerly onto the ground at Jeagar's feet. Though he was more than willing to share this find, the bird seemed disinterested and took off once more for the west disappearing from view. He gave a sort of wave in that general direction and then turned back to Swaizzo.

"My name is Jaegar, and I have just arrived here in this forest today. You said you are looking to deliver a package. Does this person live around here or are you lost? Am I trespassing upon any unnatural borders of ownership?" As Jaegar spoke, he broke the neck of the rabbit and began to prepare the meat for a stew. The scraps would most likely go to Tika, she preferred those over anything else he could cook her.

[Swaizzo]

Swaizzo's head followed the gray fox as she trotted about him with an amused grin. "Tika, huh?" He said as he rose to his feet, "That's a neat name..." When the falcon descended back into the clearing to make its own delivery, he moved closer to where it had offered Jaegar its find and peered over at the rabbit, pressing a finger to his lip curiously. He cringed slightly at the snap of its bones in the feral man’s hands. Although Swaizzo was animal-like in appearance, his habits were rather human. Living life in the center of the bustling island capital, he was much more accustomed to making visits to butcher shops for his meats rather then rooting around in the woods for his own.

He straightened up suddenly when Jaegar reminded him of his reason for traipsing around the woods in the first place. “Oh, yeah!” Swaizzo yelped and dashed to his satchel to drag its heavy contents back over to where Jaegar was preparing his meal. “Well, I am actually a bit lost...” He admitted, scratching his cheek and looking away shyly. “I’m not used to coming down to these parts by myself. I run a deliver service with a good friend of mine, and he normally takes care of the transport when it comes to locations like these.” He looked down distractedly at the arm band he wore bearing the delivery service’s feather insignia. “He’s actually a bit of an odd creature himself, you’d probably like him alot,” he laughed.

He took a seat next to Jaegar and began to watch him intently, oblivious to the fact that he might be intruding on what was supposed to have been an evening spent alone. It was beginning to darken in the forest around them and Swaizzo was already hopelessly lost, he didn’t feel like making a mess of things further by stumbling around in the dark all night and ending up at the bottom of a cliff somewhere. Instead of focusing on his screw-up, he decided to press on chatting with the new-comer to Lamiere.

“So, where did you learn to train wild animals like Tika so well?” he asked, nodding towards Jaegar's fox companion.

[Jaegar]

Jaegar continued his preparations, looking up at Swaizzo as he told of himself and his business here in the forest. "I tend to like odd creatures," was all he said in reply to the mention of his business partner. He had just started the fire and finished chopping up the pieces of rabbit with his bow-knife when he began looking through his pack for the small bags of herbs he kept on him at all times for eating as well as healing purposes. He unstrapped his cast-iron pot from his pack sitting next to the fire, and set the pot atop the fire. Pulling out his waterbag, he added the remaining contents of the skin into the pot, placing the meat and herbs inside as well. Jaegar felt that this was going to be an excellent meal, if he had the patience to wait until the meat actually stewed.

As Swaizzo sat next to him, Jaegar tensed slightly, trying to guage this newcomer's next move. Trust was not something that he knew well and felt as though he was betraying his instincts every moment. At the mention of Tika, Jaegar narrowed his eyes. So here it is,he thought, he is trying to find out about me, what is he after!. Although outwardly calm, he felt as though his heart was going to start beating out of his chest. This was a mistake, I should never have let him so close, he might be after something!

Glancing to his side, he watched Tika looking at both of them with interest, and decided this was not so. He was being irrational, a product of being alone and wary for so long. Jaegar told himself over and over, allow Tika to judge, allow her to tell what is right from wrong.

Jeagar swallowed audibly, and let out a smooth breath. "I have a way with animals, they do not fear me, and they seem to act more competant in my presence. Let us just say that I have skill with them, and they with me. I do not wish to talk of this further, my friend, let me keep my secrets and I will not press you for yours."

To not end on such a dour note, Jaegar piped up, in the most cheerful and unnatural tone he could have mustered, "How about some dinner, I have little to offer you, though I offer it freely. The hour is late and the sun sets quickly, darkness will be here soon."