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Post by The Mammoth on Nov 2, 2008 6:10:12 GMT -5
The jungle, thick with its stench of humidity and rotting foliage, was one that had seen no man for years. The torment and horrors of Varamen, so recently raised and then defeated, were obviously nothing compared to the unknown horrors that lied outside the towering gates of the city-state. None, not even those with nothing else to lose, ventured outside the gate in five years. Those few before that who had decided to chance fate, leave behind the horrible mess that was Varamen, and venture outward, never returned. Whether it be because they never wanted to return to that hellhole that they left, or whether they were dead, nobody knew. Among the silence of the trees, standing, holding his blade, stood a figure draped in a tattered leather jacket, his t-shirt thick with caked on mud. His jeans were beaten, battered, and blood stained along them near the knees. His face was thick with a beard that had gone unkempt for a long time. His hair was dirty and long, and a beaten old hat lay at his feet. He looked up from the ground and his blood red eyes glared into the darkness of the forest floor. The sun shone so little through the trees that it was almost eternal night... No doubt hundreds of miles from Varamen, Galius looked around, seeing nothing but more trees.
He left his hat behind, it was so filthy and tattered that there was little reason in him carrying it anymore. One of his two swords was chipped and damaged, the other was on its way. His bow was cracked and the string was broken, frayed from use. Galius wondered if anything existed beyond the hundreds of years old walls that he had left. Perhaps Varamen was all that was left...
Before long a giant eagle landed at his feet, holding a rabbit in each of its claws. It began eating one while it left the other on the ground. Galius knelt down and picked it up, skinning it and eating the meat raw. Once he was finished he wiped the blood off on his jeans and sheathed his blade. He looked up at the massive eagle, nearly 3 feet tall with a wingspan of at least 12 feet.
"Thank you, Typhon." He said. The eagle brought its head up almost as if to relish the the acquisition of thanks. Once the two had finished the meal, the eagle took off toward the sky leaving view through the thick treetops. Galius then rose to his feet and began walking again. He assumed that eventually he would reach the end of this forest, and once he did, he wondered if it would be for the best.
For hours, he traveled through the brush and trees, cutting down what was in his way, seeing little life beyond the occasional small critter. All he had seen in the way of animals was the massive bird that he had become friends with. The bird was injured by some unknown creature, but the massive bite marks along the chest of the eagle were signs that something had attacked it, and whatever it was was something big. Galius helped the eagle recover, and it has been his only ally and friend to keep him sane though the travel into the wilderness. Galius continued moving, the forest getting lighter as he continued. He wondered if he was coming near the end of it. Such a long trek it was for him to escape Varamen, and no wonder none had returned, such a trip would either kill a man, or leave him never wanting to make it again...
Another day of travel had passed, and Galius' eyes were sagging, the man was no doubt exhausted. But he came upon a clearing. Once he was free from the trees, he could see the horizon over a long plains, and the sunset, beautiful beyond anything he'd ever seen in Varamen, was a welcome sight. A smile broke his face, and he sat down against the tree, the eagle Typhon landing by his side. He had found the end of the massive forest, and it had been worth it to him if this was all he saw. Galius closed his eyes and slept while his friend, the massive bird, watched over him.
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 3, 2008 16:19:25 GMT -5
The wind carried, strangely, the soft tune of a well-kept lute through several miles of void, which could be traced back to a blinded young woman whom had rested momentarily under a tree, a small, purple mist floating near her but never actually coming that near. She had not been here long, but Nalti knew that it was already becoming dark, as the air chilled around her and the insects started to quiet down. She needed to find shelter soon, as even for one as well-protected as she was, there were things in these parts that were... unsavory, at best. Usually worse than that, and it wasn’t just the creatures either.
A trickle of rain started, then a spit, and soon it was going steady. Yes, she needed shelter for the night, but around here… was that even possible? The mist that had been floating nearby vanished, then reappeared, wrapped around her arm and somehow tugging at her sleeve. The girl, without a hint that this was abnormal or out-of-place, nodded, then ceased her playing and rose as quickly as she could, using the tree as support. Birds chirped cheerfully at the drizzle, for it had not rained much as of late, but that didn’t ease Nalti’s worry one bit. In fact, it made her ever more urgent to seek shelter.
Pulling the thin, lacy silk closer to her body and squishing the hat a bit more on her head, the young lady took solid grip of the oak cane that she used to move around with. It not only helped Nalti keep her balance, but it was hard enough to whack something that got too close; Nalti could deliver quite a surprising blow if she had to, even given her underweight condition. For now, she just made sure that there weren’t any serious surprises in front of her as she followed the purplish cloud’s tugging, moving steadily forward.
After a few minutes, wood met wood, and Nalti reached out to feel what was in front of her. The mist began tugging her gently in another direction as she asserted that the thing before her was possible shelter. She soon followed the beaconing of the thing, sensing nothing from inside except perhaps a spider or two, and they’d be more frightened of her than she of them, should they meet by happenstance and carelessness. She moved over to a corner, with minimal assistance, and sat down. Soaking wet she was, but grateful to be out of the rain, which had upgraded to downpour by the time she made it to the small log cabin.
The violet cloud separated from her, floating into the middle of the room before settling down; abruptly and rather violently, the thing erupted in flame, until a perfectly-sized flame sat on the floor without any logs or anything of the sort to fuel it. Most people would have jumped back at the sight, but Nalti was blind, of course, so she saw none of it, only feeling the comforting heat and the light which helped to illuminate the room, as well as scare off any shadow critters that hated such light. But it also made the house light up like a Christmas tree, making it visible from quite some distance…
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 3, 2008 18:02:54 GMT -5
Cross was a bit unnerved with the agitation of the creatures of the jungle. They seemed to have become more hostile, even towards him which was something of a problem because that meant he either had to leave the forest or kill everything that attacked him. The latter method would either make the forest devoid of life, which probably wasn't such a bad thing or he would be killed trying to do so.
Besides he had lost the peace he had found in this dangerous place. Something was stirring the creatures but he didn't know what it was. Just a few days ago, one of the large eagles were attacked by one of the more lethal creatures. The fight ended quickly leaving the creature running back into the shadows. This was when he first saw the man who went on to help the eagle recover. Surprisingly, this man made it through the forest pretty much unharmed.
Cross had been resting on a tree close to the far edge of the forest, thinking whether it was probably best to leave the forest now. It wouldn't matter to anyone if he stayed or left. Just as he had decided on the issue he heard a stream of music following to his resting place atop the tall tree. He jumped through the trees as though he was gliding across them. He reached the edge pretty soon, just as it began to rain. He saw the girl heading towards the old cabin near the edge. He didn't follow immediately. But seeing the amount of light that escaped through the windows, cracks and doors, it was impossible to miss, even by all the creatures of the forest.
He had no choice but to try and convince the girl to put the fire out or she would be a lot of trouble as the sky grew darker. He walked quietly towards the cabin, using the last remaining light to looked around at the forest to see deep red eyes staring at the cabin. He was about to enter but then he knocked first before turning the handle to enter the cabin. "I am not here to harm you...", he said clearly before he even laid eyes on the occupant.
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 6, 2008 21:04:16 GMT -5
Nalti turned her head, cocking it slightly to the side in an innocent sort of way as she sensed a greenish, harmless aura nearby, the voice confirming its gender and race fairly quickly. At the entrance of the man, Izuket immediately flared up, swallowing the flames that its body had been producing and turning extremely dark, quickly placing itself between the two as a dark cloud of malice. Two red eyes glared out at the intruder, prepared to tear him apart before the voice of its 'master' called out "Calm down Izuket. He's jus' comin' in here outta t' rain like we was."
The silent being flipped its eyes through the void of its existence to stare at Nalti, confusion and bewilderment in its 'eyes'. "Oh hush up, will ya? He ain't meanin' nothin' at all. Now calm down or I'll put ya back in that 'place'. Don't want that now, do ya?"
Seemingly much like a scolded puppy, the ethereal being slunk back, turning back into the small purplish cloud once more before igniting into a smaller flame with hung closer to the girl, one which was a fraction of its previous size, disdain seething from its every bit of surface. Obviously, it didn't like being treated that way, but its choices were limited. The girl's face now eerily turned towards the exact placement of the stranger whom entered, asking "Of course ya don't. Don't mind me at all... jus' another person stragglin' through this area. This be your home or sumthin'?"
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 7, 2008 0:45:39 GMT -5
Cross was more than a little shocked as he saw the thin, blind girl sitting by a fire without any fuel. He barely controlled himself from revealing the dagger whips as the 'fire' changed to take form of a demon or some sort. He wondered if she was more of a danger than the beasts that were no doubt beginning to approach this place by now.
He stood at the door and listened quietly to the girl trying to convince the demon not to attack him. It seemed she took him for a normal human. It was probably due to the fact that she couldn't see him or the feature that distinguished him from humans. The demon could which was probably why it was trying to resist her orders to stand down. She did convince it eventually.
She seemed to have good hearing and knew his location in the room. "Actually I am not bothered by the rain. No, this is not my home. I just came to warn you that your... fire has drawn the attention of quite a crowd of beasts from the forest." He had been wrong to assume that she was defenseless. Of course, otherwise she wouldn't have survived for a moment in the forest. But she looked, sick or at least physically weak. He asked out of concern, "Are you alright? You look like you haven't eaten in a long time..."
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 7, 2008 8:11:32 GMT -5
She was just about to ignore him when the subject of her current condition came up. Her attention immediately straightened from a bored, downwards-looking glance, and had she open eyes, they would have sparkled in a puppy-dogish way. She was just about to ask when she stopped herself, realizing what he would most likely say. "Well... um... I'm quite alright!" she stated in a shaky voice, obviously covering up the truth that she was starving. It was made even more unconvincing when a small bit of drool slid down her cheek, which Nalti quickly wiped away as soon as she realized it was there.
Still, even she knew it was a poor defense, and soon broke down saying "OK, maybe I'mma bit hungry..." Nalti didn't hunt, and the demon refused too; besides, how would a blind girl hunt very well, let alone skin or pluck the animal and cook it without killing herself? She couldn't read animals unless their emotions went to extremes, and that would only happen after she made some sort of noise or attacked them, both of which worked against the goal of stealth. The girl also hated begging, as she didn't want to stoop to that level of living, being forced to rely upon some random passing person to provide her with necessities.
But... she was famished, and someone was concerned about her. After personally debating with herself, she finally started crying, blubbering through her tears "I dun wanna be a burden, I really dun't want t' be... but for t' love of all that's livin', I'm so hungry..."
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 7, 2008 9:17:30 GMT -5
Cross noticed her attention shifting at the question. She wouldn't have to answer him, he already knew it. He ignored her first answer. He hadn't been around people so he was no good at reading people or tell when they were lying, but here she was making it very obvious. In fact, his question might as well had been rhetorical. Her voice and a moment later, the drool gave her away.
Though he waited as she changed her stance after a few seconds. Before he could reply, she started crying, the bottom of the cloth on her eyes getting wet pretty soon. He actually felt something that he hadn't felt, ever before or since he could remember. He didn't feel pity but sadness that the world had been so cruel to her. She had lived in the forest, for so long, and starving everyday. No one deserved a death like this. This was torture.
He took a step forward as his hand reached into a small pouch tied around his waist. The constant flares from the small flame hovering near the girl became more pronounced as he approached the crying girl. He didn't take his eyes off the demon till he reached the girl. He took out a small fruit that would at least occupy the girl's palm fully. He gently reached for the girl's hand and placed it in her hand. "Here, I don't carry meat, it attracts the beasts. But we will have plenty for you to eat very soon. Oh, and don't swallow the big seed in the middle, it will make you vomit everything out."
He stepped back a couple of steps and his eyes turned towards the demon again. Was it haunting her or was it a companion? He wasn't sure from the short 'argument' they seemed to have had before. He could now hear the large ones sniffing the molded wood of the cabin outside. He was glad at the moment. He had a reason to exist for the moment. The girl would need him around at least till he arranged some edible meat for her, that is after killing these beasts that were about to attack them.
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Post by The Mammoth on Nov 7, 2008 23:54:41 GMT -5
Galius was awakened by the massive eagle, Typhon, that was flapping its wings as if in an attempt to wake him. The eagle had flapped its wings and taken off toward the forest again, seemingly after the few roars that Galius could now hear. Galius assumed that the eager creature was now looking to help whoever they were after as he had helped the eagle. Galius rose to his feet as the rain that had rolled in continued to pour down. He pulled one blade and slowly began walking toward the woods where his friend had flown off. Before long he could see a gathering of massive creatures, most of which were catlike beasts. Galius fingered his bow, remembering that the string was broken, and clutched his unbroken blade. He watched from the shadows as a man emerged from the building.
Galius watched carefully as his eagle circled above the cat-beasts as they began moving in on the building and on the man. Galius watched, a grin breaking his face. This was the first sign of any human life he'd seen outside Varamen. Something told him that this man, or whatever he was, was strong enough to take them. Yet, something inside him wanted to see the man fall to the creatures...
Galius stood and watched, his blade in his hand....
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 8, 2008 23:45:54 GMT -5
She gratefully took the item, sniffing it tentatively before taking a huge bite out of what she deduced to be a fruit of some kind, given the texture and general taste of it. But it wasn't like the ones she'd picked up off the side of the road before that were all shriveled and somewhat nasty-tasting; this was one of those that she would get yelled at for picking, and must have cost quite a bit of money to get. Or did he steal it, like she would if she could see them more easily?
In the end, it didn't matter to her; she devoured the fruit, being mindful of the seed the man had told her about. Once she was finished, Nalti spat the seed out in her hands, storing it away for later. Maybe there'd be a nice place to put the plant along the road-
Growls from outside finally caught her attention, and she looked up from her self-consciousness; red and yellow auras surrounded the building, some sorts of creatures were outside sniffing about. Had this been what the man was talking about? Now Nalti wish she'd've listened better... Reacting to her fear, as well as the immediate threats outside, the fire went out and Izuket slipped out through one of the walls Nalti was leaning on, a sizable crack making this more easily possible. Moments later, hisses and a few death-cries could be heard from outside, as well as underbrush being thrown about violently...
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 9, 2008 4:10:51 GMT -5
He watched her eat the fruit and a satisfaction settling in within himself as he did so. The fruit was from a particular tree in the forest. There weren't many but he came across an odd one here and there, usually in places that were not very accessible to normal people, even by the forest's standards.
But the growls soon drew his attention and he could tell that they had surrounded the cabin. He took off his cloak and threw it to a side and almost whispered to the girl, his eyes set on the loose door, "Stay here..." He closed the door behind him as he emerged from the cabin a moment later. He looked around and found himself being watched by at least a dozen creatures of various kinds.
He looked up slowly to make sure there were none on the roof and saw a giant eagle circling above. He didn't think too much about it since he was only searching for threats at the moment, and it wasn't one. A deep purring growl confirmed that there were some towards the back of the cabin as well, waiting.
Suddenly he heard cries and hissing noises and looked to find a demonic form going at it on some of the creatures. He was right about how the girl had managed to survive in the forest. But the beasts driven by hunger didn't have the same thought process to slow them down. A large, agile cat like creature pounced on Cross and slammed him through the rotten wood of the cabin door and on his back inside the cabin right in front of where the door once stood.
But before the cat could recover and try to sink its razor sharp teeth in its prey's skin, its head disappeared in a bloody mess, perforated from the two sides by the dagger ends of the whips. The whips seemed to have emerged from the floor. As his back was pinned down to the floor, the whips had taken a 'detour' through the floor and earth below it and out from the sides within a fraction of a second. He threw the body from on top of him and saw more of the beasts flowing into the cabin through the broken door.
He scrambled to his feat and moved to take a place in front of the girl. But before he could face the attack, he was thrown to a side by a giant gorilla like creature crashing through the side of building. Cross hit the opposite wall and managed to stay on his feat. He looked towards the girl and found that she was blocked from sight by a portion of the wooden wall falling almost on top of her. "Stay there, don't move...", he said quickly.
He just wished there was no more of these carnivorous gorillas around right now. One was more than enough. The other beasts actually hesitated because they were his prey as well on occasion, when the gorilla couldn't find an easier prey. Cross took advantage of the time and took a more grounded stance and positioned himself for a strike. There was literally no side walls of the cabin left anymore. Only the one with the girl next to it and the one opposite to it.
The whips retracted behind him and then shot out to penetrate the thick hide of the gorilla. Even with the power, the daggers stopped somewhere inside the massive body. Thinking quickly and before the gorilla could lift its attacker up and smash him around like he had gone through once before, Cross took a step across and launched the body across the room at the cats. The massive body unhooked itself from the dagger ends and slammed into a couple of beasts and took them along as it smashed through the opposite wall.
This still left three cats inside who took advantage of the bad stance Cross was in at the moment and launched themselves at him. As he was thrown back, Cross' eyes went wide as he moved one of the whips away from his side which was about to behead the girl behind him. He was on his back again and this time there were three of them. If they got through him, they were not going to spare the girl.
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 10, 2008 6:15:46 GMT -5
*carnivorous gorilla.... i'm sorry, but that just sounds funny >w<*
Noises were going off everywhere, and it was really frightening Nalti, who could see only red auras in front of her, though who's they were she didn't know. She tried to keep herself from screaming, and in doing so reached for her lute to help. While playing a quick, rapturous tune in a low tone, the demon Izuket quickly took a physical shape, looking somewhat like a dire spider with four legs missing, an extra leg growing out the back in the manner of a scorpion's, and the head of some toothy creature. Each of its feet looked like spears fitted over the rod-like legs as it stomped into the earth, standing almost a full head higher than the girl when she stood.
This new beast let out a screech akin to nails on a chalkboard, quickly gathering the cats' attention momentarily before it rushed them, pinning one of their heads into the ground close to the Cross man as the others scattered to take better fighting position, hissing in protest to the death of their comrade. If the man planned to do anything, now was a perfect time for him to do so...
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 10, 2008 8:15:53 GMT -5
* Its supposed to be It just came to me and I ran with it. * Cross had to put up an arm to shield his face and chest from the cats trying to rip it apart. But then, on instinct, the whip came forward in a similar arc to protect his hand from a beast that tried to bite on it. It ended up with the spikes on the whip digging into its mouth. The following tackle from the spider like demon slid the beast's jaw over the spikes and ripped it open. Cross climbed to his feat and glanced back at the girl who seemed to be playing some kind of stick that gave out a tune. As the remaining two beasts jumped, the two whips lashed out towards them. In the end, only half of their bloody bodies made it to Cross feat, the back halves having being cut off. Cross breathed a little easy but his eyes widen as he heard then saw the carnivorous gorilla charge through the remaining wall he had thrown it through. The roof couldn't very well stand on one wall and came crashing down on top of the gorilla as well as Cross and the girl. Cross stepped back and planted his hands on the wall behind the girl, over her head. the two whips retracted back into his body as the wood and the material from the roof fell on Cross, pushing him closer into the girl due to the weight on his back. Finally the wooden beam came to a rest on the floor and then everything was quiet. He realized that she probably couldn't maneuver out of the rubble alone. He shifted his body and once he was sure that the rubble top of him was secure in place due to the beam, he moved away to the right, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling it in his direction slowly. Within a minute the whips blasted out of the rubble and broke open a big enough hole for them to climb out. Cross helped the girl out as he climbed out himself. The rubble shifted behind him probably due to the hole they had created.
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Post by The Mammoth on Nov 10, 2008 16:12:21 GMT -5
Galius watched intently as the battle insued. The creature that he had identified as another form of demon had taken a material form, unlike the almost non-existent cloud it had been previously. The man fighting had an interesting weapon in the form of some type of whip combo off off his arms. Galius took note of the man's fighting style, should it ever come in handy. Once the fight was seemingly over, and the gorilla had been apparently dealt with, a cat fell from the sky and landed on its back, making a loud crack as it slammed against the ground. Typhon, the giant eagle, had taken one with his claws, and broken its back in the air. Galius looked up and shook his head at the creature, not wanting his observation spot given up. It seemed to understand, and continued to circle around above the two in the rubble.
Once the ordeal with the gorilla had ended and the two climbed up from the wreckage, Galius put away his blade. He observed the girl that had come up from the wreck, she seemed blind, and he assumed the demon had to be of her creation or control. The man obviously was defending her. The house was too rickity to have been their home, so he assumed they were either traveling together, or had just met. But he figured the way the man defended her that they were family or something of the sort.
He could see the girls head moving as if she could see, but it was obvious she could not. Galius remembered that Karsten could "see" via auras of creatures and demons, and he wondered if this girl was the same way. If she could see that, Galius' hiding spot would be mute...
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Post by Da Pwny on Nov 11, 2008 7:38:59 GMT -5
It wasn't just the rubble behind them- something was still moving beneath the pile. Well... there had been something there; the demon creature had vanished when the roof fell on top of it and most of the rest of everything, leaving behind the purplish cloud which sifted through the ceiling's remains with ease. It quickly fled to Nalti's side as soon as it noticed her, resting on her shoulder like a parrot of some kind, although it did not take that form.
Nalti brushed herself off, tending most to the silk that covered those peasant clothes she wore. She still held tightly to the man's hand, as it was her only guidance for the moment, Izuket currently taking a break. She also carefully slung the instrument she had back where it had been before. It wasn't until she looked up from what she'd been doing that her eyes caught sight of something in the distance a good long ways from where they were. Her mind might be playing tricks on her, but then again, from a distance blue auras were difficult to discern from background. But she just had to ask; "Hey, that some friend of yers back there? He seems t' be interested in what's goin' on down here." Then again, seeing a young woman with a demon for a pet and a man with whip-blades coming out from under his cloak would catch anyone's attention if they were in the immediate area...
*note: last sentence is just a reference. she doesn't actually see the whip-blade-dragontail-thingies, although she does have a somewhat limited ability to follow fresh "emotional tracks" left behind briefly (no more than an hour or so) from where someone/something has been or touched*
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Post by knightc3 on Nov 11, 2008 8:25:55 GMT -5
Once they were both out, Cross looked around to check if there were any more lurking around. the area. Everything was quiet for the moment but Cross quickly turned around as he heard a loud crack and saw a cat coming to rest on top of the pile. He looked up and saw the eagle circling. It seemed the eagle had decided to help them. Was it the same eagle that the man had helped heal. That meant he wouldn't be too far away either. Cross had released his grip on the young woman's hand but now looked down to see that she was still holding on to his tightly. He didn't want to seem unfriendly so took hold of hers again. As the woman spoke, he looked in her direction to see a wisp resting on her shoulder. As soon as she finished his sentence, he looked around in the direction she was looking. He didn't see anything but now that he believed someone was there, he could just make out some small movements. He watched the spot for a moment longer before looking away. It was probably same man who kept the eagle's company. Cross turned around and led the woman to a stone a bit further away from the unstable rubble and spoke as he helped her sit, "Sit down here. I will get you the meat I promised." He paused as he looked up at the sky then back at her and added, "It won't be raining for a while it seems so I can build a fire." He knew the demon had 'built' the fire before but he wasn't sure if he could ask for the same again or even if she could get it to do it again. Cross took the stones from the rubble and built a fireplace. The wood around was all wet but the pieces from inside the house were dry. He used them to setup a fire and embedded two tall pieces on each side. He would place the meat over these to cook it. He moved away to climb on top of the rubble and started pulling the crumpled body of the cat away to the solid ground to work on. He sat down on the edge of the pile of rubble as the blades emerged again from his back. As he held the big cat in front, the blades got to work at blurry speeds. Earlier he had been too close to the woman during the fight to have allowed for the speed he would have liked in his strikes. He was worried a wrong movement could hurt her. Now that the cuts and work required was more detailed and on a small scale he could work at speed. As he skinned the animal and then started cutting out unnecessary parts. He threw the useless pieces in a pile to his side and looked up at the eagle again. He stopped for a moment on his work at this point and motioned it to come down if it wanted with his hand and then at the pile to his side. It deserved the meat from its kill. He wondered if its master would be interested in some cooked meat as well. He looked down at the woman as the blades resumed their work on cutting the usable meat into pieces. "What's your name?" ((Just to point out that Cross hasn't started the fire yet even though the wood is all there ))
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