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Novelest_Ninjagirl
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


Sionn has caught Elona pulling out her scales. What do?
Plead that Elona not do it anymore.
11% [ 1 ]
Take drastic measures and say that if she's doing that then he'll cut off his own tail.
0% [ 0 ]
Insist they find some other way of making money.
11% [ 1 ]
Turn and run into the forest, determined to do something else that would make money.
11% [ 1 ]
Quietly walk over and care for her wounds, and calmly give his opinion that she shouldn't do that.
66% [ 6 ]
Total Votes : 9
Who Voted: Adryrn, Andolyn, kkdestiny, Lilith, ModelP, Novelest_Ninjagirl, Sapphire_Rayne, Seraphi, Wellspring



Chapter Fourteen


Sionn had no idea how to wake her up. Did humans wake up differently to foxes? But wait, she’s not human. And I’m not strictly a fox. Nonetheless, that line of thought gave him an idea. The kits were always pulling on his ears when they wanted to play, and it was always a startlingly abrupt end to his slumber. Sliding his hands down to grasp her ears, he hesitated. His fingers, almost acting against his accord, ran over the curves of her ears before pulling sharply. There was a pang in his heart at the thought of hurting her, but aside from a soft cry, she didn’t react. She certainly didn’t wake up as he’d hoped she would. Moving his hands away to pull at his own ears, Sionn suppressed his frustration.

He must not have done so very well, because he poked a finger into her back. It wasn’t a forceful jab, but still, Sionn knew they had to have hurt. If nothing else, her small gasps confirmed it. Flexing his hands into and out of fists to calm himself down, Sionn tried to focus on Elona. No matter how frustrated he might be with himself for suggesting this fooled-hardy plan, she still needed to be woken up. She began to sob softly in her sleep, and something in Sionn broke. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Sionn lifted her slightly so that she was facing him, her legs folded beneath her. He began to shake, closing his eyes against the image, detesting himself for it. Being woken so frightfully from what must be a dastardly dream was no kindness, but surely it was the lesser of the evils presented?

“Sionn…”

Her voice was soft, broken, and it came out seemingly unbidden. The fact that she, locked deep within her mind, called out for him sent a shock down his body. His hands stiffened, losing their grip on her. She fell forward, her face smacking into his. Sionn felt the sting of her teeth against his lip, gasping in pain at the taste of his blood. Seconds later the actual pain came, but Sionn was already more focused on Elona, leaning forward on him at an awkward angle. Her bag, still strapped to her side, gaped open, and Sionn glanced inside. He recognized the canteen, having seen many hunters, and Elona herself, use it. Glancing up at the sky for another idea, any idea, Sionn reached out and grabbed it. Uncapping it was easier than he expected, and with a quick motion, he turned it over onto Elona’s face.

The first thing he noticed was her muscles stiffening instantly, pulling her into a kneeling position where she supported her own weight. Relief slumped his shoulders even as worry and shame flooded his expression. Her eyes opened, and Sionn held his breath. Would she be mad? Though he’d thought himself confident in their companionship, a tiny voice whispered that she’d surely turn him away now. Dropping the canteen, Sionn reached out and grabbed her, desperate suddenly to have her in his arms at least once more. Nothing felt more right than her face against his shoulder, and Sionn closed his eyes, savouring it. He allowed himself relief that she really had woken up, but it was short lived.

“Sionn?” Her voice was so different than when she’d called out to him, now soft and faintly confused.

“You weren't waking up. I'm so, so sorry! I'm sorry I made you sleep, I’m sorry you had to go through that, I'm sorry I had to splash you!” The explanation burst from his lips, and he squeezed his eyes shut against whatever might come next.

Her little broken chuckle was a surprise, but before Sionn could shift to see her expression, her arms had wrapped around him. He could feel her quivering in his hold, so Sionn squeezed tighter, pulling her even closer. His hand, already resting on her back, moved in soothing motions over it’s expanse. He wasn’t sure if he’d seen someone do that, or if he was going off of some sort of instinct, but it seemed to work. Slowly, she stopped shaking, and Sionn let out the breath he had been holding.

His shoulders, tensed in fear earlier, slumped down now, and he just held her. I don’t know what happened in that nightmare of hers, He mused selfishly to himself, but I’m going to hold on until she pushes me away. Her face was pressed into his chest, the water that had been on her face seeping through his clothes. No chill reached him, though, because her warmth was right there. Even as he closed his eyes again to savour it, Sionn felt Elona nuzzle him. Eyes popping back open instantly, Sionn stilled. His heart began to beat rapidly, and Sionn swallowed. It was strange how just the little nudging of her nose into his flesh could make his heart run away with him, and Sionn knew it, so he tried to remain as normal as possible.

It didn’t help, though, and Elona pulled away. Biting the inside of his lip against the despondent whimper that tried to slip out, Sionn merely stared. Elona had a vivid flush going over the tops of her cheeks. Sionn wished he could tell by looking if it were merely embarrassment or… Turning his head towards the fire, Sionn battled with himself. I’m going to scare her off. Not because I’m an animal, but because I’m a man. Ah, is this what humans call irony? Opening his mouth to make some sort of attempt at humor, Sionn was interrupted by Elona.

“I'm going to go find the river to refill the canteen.” Her hand darted out to grab it, and Sionn realized he must have dropped it when he hugged her. “Wh-why don't you stay here and keep the fire going?”

He’d opened his mouth to answer, but her long legs had already carried her out of earshot. Huffing to himself, Sionn braced his chin on an upturned knee and stared at the fire. She’d taught him to start it, but trying to recall how to keep it going was proving difficult. Ah! Hazily, Sionn recollected seeing hunters add more bits of wood to the fires. Pushing to his feet and glancing around, Sionn began gathering bits of wood and twigs from around the campsite. No doubt he should have done this before forcing Elona into her nap, but-

While she was never far from his thoughts, thinking about her directly caused a fissure of concern to run up his spine. She’d been gone a while. How far was the river? Lowering the bunch of sticks still in his arms, Sionn lifted his chin and angled his ear towards where he’d thought the river was. Holding his breath to provide greater clarity to the sounds, Sionn figured the river couldn’t be all that far away. Dropping the sticks next to the fire, Sionn forced himself to sit down and push one stick into it. She hasn’t really been gone all that long. I just miss her so it seems longer, that’s all. While absolutely plausible, it did little to reassure him. Tapping his fingers against his leg, Sionn fed another stick to the fire. I’ll wait five sticks. Then I’ll put the fire out and go look for her.

Buoyed by his plan, Sionn sat up a little straighter. Slipping the first stick into the fire, Sionn glanced over his shoulder the direction where she’d come from. Maybe she’ll come walking out any moment, praise me for my fire-keeping skills, and sit next to me. A second stick followed the first. Briefly, shamefully, Sionn imagined her petting his head and ears again like the day they’d met. Sighing wistfully, he let himself relax into the daydream. Using the third stick, Sionn poked at the fire until it settled, letting go of the stick before it was engulfed. As he picked up the fourth stick, unease returned, banishing the loveliness of his mental meanderings. It went into the fire, and Sionn pushed to his feet. That’s good enough. I’d already put sticks into the fire when I decided to wait, right? Even as he justified it to himself, Sionn used his feet to sweep dirt onto the fire like he’d seen Elona do.

Sionn started off in the direction Elona had gone, before following his ears to find the river. With the night pressing in, only the faint glimmer of the moon emerging through the treetops, Sionn almost felt like a fox again. His breathing quieted, and he found himself glancing around to spot any prey. His hunting skills were limited, and he was rather terrible at following a scent or a set of tracks, but fighting. Fighting he was good at. If he could sneak up on some animal scampering home, he might surprise Elona with some food! Even as he tried not to worry about her vanishing, the sheer possibility of providing for her filled him with pride.

He was carefully stepping through the woods, still aimed in the direction of the river, when Sionn heard the stifled gasp. It was a minor distance away, and sounded faintly like a wounded animal. Speeding up as best as stealth could allow, Sionn noticed the brush begin to thin as they approached the riverbed. Maybe Elona already found something to eat, and she’s- His thought broke off as he peered around a tree. A beam of moonlight fell down from over the river, resting gently against Elona’s leg. Even as that was all that he could look at, he knew it was hers. The vivid green-blue skin was marred by a scattering of bloody crescent moons. For a second, rage filled him. Someone had hurt her? He would hurt them! Only, as quick as the rage went through him, he witnessed Elona plucking her own scale.

The rage went out of him with a breath, a gasp of astonishment. Still hidden, he watched as blood, a vivid red made only more vibrant by the skin it oozed from, formed the very same curved mark. She dropped the scale into her bag, and Sionn felt his remaining breath be kicked out of his lungs. Why was she keeping them? Was it some sick game? A thrill hunt? He knew of humans, many who had gone into the forest, who sought out danger for the excitement. Elona wasn’t one of them, though. Sionn knew that as steadfastly as he knew that water was wet. As she rested her hand at her side, Sionn spoke, no longer able to just watch.

“E-Elona?”

She lifted her head and their eyes met, and Sionn was surprised to see the fear and shame in Elona’s. Not only because of the emotions themselves, but because her eyes were normally so guarded he had to fight to see into them. Her mouth was open, like she was going to defend herself, but no words came. Part of him wanted to rage, wanted to demand to know why she’d hurt herself so. A smarter, calmer part urged him forward. His feet sank into the looser dirt of the riverbank, leaving behind boot-prints as he slowly, carefully walked towards her. Her mouth closed now, but opened right back up.

“Sionn, I-”

“Elona,” Sionn’s voice was calmer than he’d expected it to be, and very soft. He rested his hand on her knee, before looking in her pack with his other hand. “I don’t think you should be doing this.”

Ah-ha! Sionn found what he’d been looking for, a handkerchief, and pulled it out. Without waiting for permission, Sionn dipped a corner of it into the river. His hand still on her knee, Sionn began to clean up the bloody marks. As he washed them away, rinsing the handkerchief as it needed it, Sionn noticed the scars. While it broke his heart a little more to know this had occurred before, Sionn merely kept bathing her wounds. It was only when the bleeding had stopped that Sionn stopped, and raised his eyes to again meet hers.

Her expression was inscrutable, with one of her hands reaching up to cover her mouth, but tears were welling out and drifting down her face. Reaching out, Sionn wiped one away with his thumb. She let out a soft hiccup of gasp, and turned her face towards his hand.

“Elona?” His tone was questioning, but Sionn was careful to keep it from being demanding. He wanted to know why, had to know why, but the quickest way to ensure he wouldn’t would be to force her. His love needed a gentle, patient hand.

“Sionn…” Her voice was resigned, and just a little broken. Inwardly, Sionn vowed she would never again have to say his name in such a voice, but his expression- for once- betrayed nothing. “Without my bow, I can’t hunt. Which means no income. So, I have to support us like this for the time being.”

That he hadn’t expected. The air wooshed out of him like he’d taken a boot to the ribs. His hand dropped from her face to the sand, suddenly supporting his weight. It was his fault, all over again. All his. Staring blankly at the marks on her legs, Sionn felt all the shame he’d seen in Elona’s eyes earlier wash over him.

“Don’t.” Elona’s hands reached out and grabbed his face, tilting it to force him to meet her eyes. “Don’t you dare slide into that self pity. This isn’t your fault, Sionn. It wasn’t before, it isn’t now. If at any point I wasn’t prepared to take care of you, I would have turned you away.”

“But that isn’t right-”

“Sionn-”

“I want to be the one who takes care of you!

Sionn felt tears threaten at the corner of his eyes, and had his head still not been in her grip, he would have turned away. Instead, he was forced to watch as surprise colored her expression, her beautifully full lips forming a soft ‘o’. And then she laughed. That hurt, that bit him down to his soul. His family never believed in him, but now to hear the disbelief from her, the one his soul and heart screamed for, that was the final blow.

“Sionn,” Her voice was filled with a sort of warmth, and Sionn watched her lean forward and kiss his forehead. “You do.”

“What?” He scoffed, and somehow, began to argue against himself. “I don’t. I don’t catch you food, I don’t build a den for you, I don’t-”

“I don’t need someone who’ll catch food for me, and I know how to make my own camp.” Sionn frowned, wondering where she was going with this. “But someone who worries that I haven’t slept, pushes me to seek out what I am, someone who washes blood off of me… I’ve never had someone like that, Sionn. And I’d do anything, everything, to protect you because of it.”

It wasn’t a love confession, but it was far closer than Sionn had thought they were to one, and he felt his heart bloom. She needs me. The me that I am already, not the one I tried so hard to be for my family. It was a hard thing to swallow, that support might not be the black and white matter it is to the foxes in his family, but staring into Elona’s eyes, Sionn was willing to take a risk for it. His heart beat, and his body urged him to do something, except…

Except he had no idea how humans wooed. Sure, he knew it was a complicated thing. Vaguely he recalled something about flowers. He’d seen humans hold hands, but so many had done that, he didn’t know if it was a romantic thing. That was a word he’d heard womenfolk fluttering about- ‘romantic’. What was romance? They were heading to another town, right? Well that’s that. While we’re there, I’m going to figure out how a human romances. Perhaps it was still going too quickly for Elona, but Sionn couldn’t help himself. There was something here, it wasn’t just him, and he couldn’t let it die out.

Finally catching up to the situation at hand, Sionn blurted out,
“Well, okay, but don’t do that anymore.” His eyes flickered to the bag of scales. “We’ll hunt rabbits, figure something else out. I’d rather starve than have you go through more of that.”

“Okay.” Elona smiled at him now, and let go of his head. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Good. So, tonight we-or maybe just I- sleep, tomorrow we hunt. Any idea’s for how?”

~~*~~~*~~~*~~



DP is this: What are their hunting attempts? As a reminder, they have a dagger and a set of throwing knives between them.

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Last edited by Novelest_Ninjagirl on Sun Jan 31, 2016 3:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awww Yis new chapter, and a sweet one too. ^^
for the DP What I would do with that is try to make some sort of snare trap and lots of them. Maybe Sionn can sniff out places animals frequent and Elona can ready a snare trap there once the Traps are set they can actually hunt and use the snares as backups in case things don't go well. With the traps aim for Small game Rabbits and the like. and for the other stuff go big or go home things like deer. Wound and track. hit it with a throwing knife (thrown by elona) then track it by the blood it drops (A collaboration between the two.) That's about all I can offer Survival tips wize.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like the suggestions! but Sionn outright said in this chapter that he's crap at tracking. XD
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

YAY ROMANCING!!! Learn, Sionn! Learn all the things!!

This chapter was feelsy and precious, and I loved it. Him washing her wounds... Her affirming him. It was just wonderful. VERY well done.

For the DP, I'll be obvious and say that they use the throwing knives. If she prefers a bow, Elona is evidently better with long-range hunting. Throwing knives are longer range than a dagger. Let's do that.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


Dang it! I thought I had responded. XD

I love your writing - your character development is awesome. It really really is! I look forward to more. Keep it up! It's very enjoyable.

Also, I think the DP should be throwing knives. Elona does seem to be better with long range, and, more importantly, I love throwing knives sooo... Wink

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sionn is an adorable fluff bucket, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.

I love the development of their relationship. It may seem quick on Sionn's part, but it is still a delicate and heartwarming process, and it makes me smile.

So, the dp...Sionn may be crap at tracking, but he is, by nature, a fox, so he must be able to at least tell where animals would be hiding (and Elona can help, too, haha). I say once they find a suitable area Sionn flushes the animals out and Elona uses the knives to take them out. Their best bet might be birds, not only do they provide meat, but they have feathers too and they can be beautiful and sold like Elona's scales (so say, they take down a male pheasant, those are some pretty greens and coppers, and the tails are nice too). Also, if they stumble across any nests, they can collect the eggs and sell them (like quail eggs are considered a delicacy for some people - not sure about this world, but just maybe, lol XD).
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The paragraph of Sionn daydreaming by the fire was super cute XD. I'm also enjoying how the possibility of Elona abandoning him keeps cropping up and haunting him (and how it seems clear that that's pretty much his own insecurity causing it, probably regardless of what Elona does). As for the DP, it seems fairly obvious that they'll have to use at least the throwing knives (doesn't seem to be much stopping them from using the dagger as well, if it turns out to be convenient). Since Sionn is crap at tracking and Elona's an experienced hunter, I can see Elona finding the prey and leaving most of the actual killing to Sionn (or both of them killing).
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Huzzah for catching up!

Alright, some sweetness ensued while I wasn't looking and now they have a hunting spree to attend. Firstly, only a few typos.

Chapter Eleven:

Quote:
In a natural, almost absent minded gesture, Eloan continued to stroke the top of the fox’s head.


Chapter Twelve:

Quote:
This focus was why he knew, down to an instant, when he plan had failed.


Chapter Fourteen:

Quote:
““I'm going to go find the river to refill the canteen.”


Quote:
Her mouth was open, light she was going to defend herself, but no words came.


I'll let you figure it out. Wink

As for the hunting. every comment and suggestion regarding it is valid and yes, throwing knives seem to be the best option. Alas, there are a few ways to skin a cat so to say. I would suggest a snare trap, but a good snare trap would require no overwatch. Just set it up and anything that gets caught is done.

But, that can go both ways. If Sionn can make a snare trap, then he could do it by himself while Elona goes hunting game. He also has instinctive knowledge of where animals have their dens, as someone said. So my suggestion is to divide the chores and split up. Gaining ground and gaining time all in one shot.

Kudos for the splendid writing progression, character development and soaring quality! Have fun writing! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you! Chapter eleven is about when I started getting too impatient to let Sapph give it a read through before posting to if, and you can definitely see the increase in typos from it.

So many of you guys are suggesting snare trap, that I'm going to have to research what that even is. Whoops! XD

Anyway, 24 hour heads up for any who are still interested in commenting before I poll!

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poll is up! Sorry it took longer than expected- my cough returned with a vengeance.

I'm not sure how long I'll leave it up for, but there's a minimum of 24 hours.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 3:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry it took so long to get this up guys, been pretty sick and lost the rhythm. Glad to be back, though!


Chapter Fifteen


The warmth of his hand on her knee was almost as soothing as the chilled sweeps of the damp handkerchief. Elona remained still, sure any motion would dislodge him. Discouraging him was the last thing on her mind, even as the sweetness of the gesture made tears spring to her eyes. His touch was so gentle, so caring. Elona had been wounded before, had vigorously scrubbed as quickly as she could to get her scaled over skin clean and covered. That was nothing like the sensations she felt now. Her shoulders, stiffened with fright over Sionn’s possible reactions, slumped. He was caring for her. She’d slowly begun to accept that he, her friend, cared about her. She even knew she cared about him, and as such protected him, and was going to provide for him. Never had it occurred to her that someone caring about her meant they would look after her, or worry about her wounds.

Elona’s hand, pressed into the bank for balance, lifted to cover her mouth. Her lips were trembling with a rush of emotion, and Elona didn’t want Sionn to see it. It was a moot point, though, because the moment he lifted his gaze to hers, Elona felt the tears that had been building spill over. Silently, they slid down her face. I matter to someone. What am I going to do? There was a pressure to that, a responsibility. Before, when fading off the face of the earth would cause no pain, her every action was solely made with herself in mind. Now, suddenly, the prospect of properly caring for herself- as she was beginning to accept she hadn’t been- was an enormous weight. As Sionn lifted his hand up to her cheek, gently wiping away a tear, Elona felt the emotion bubble up in a hiccup. An enormous weight, She thought as she turned her head into the contact. But a worthwhile one.

“Elona?” His voice was as soft as the gentle touch of his hand.

“Sionn…” Some part of Elona still wished he didn’t have to know, but it didn’t seem right to withhold her motivations. “Without my bow, I can’t hunt. Which means no income. So, I have to support us like this for the time being.”

Easily hearing the soft whoosh as he let out a startled breath, Elona watched as his hand dropped to the sand. It was no trouble to follow his gaze either, as it dropped back to her leg. At first, his eyes held only pain, but then a sort of bleakness seemed to seep the vivid color from them. Alarmed to see the vivid amber turning such a blank brown, Elona reached out quickly.

“Don’t.” The word slipped from her mouth scant seconds before her hands unbidden, snagged his face and turned it towards her own. “Don’t you dare slide into that self pity. This isn’t your fault, Sionn. It wasn’t before, it isn’t now. If at any point I wasn’t prepared to take care of you, I would have turned you away.”

Even as she spoke, Elona realized the truth of her words. Before, when Sionn had all but pleaded to accompany her into the forest, she hadn’t believed his boasts of his hunting skills. It was when he’d stopped trying to persuade her, and had appeared to diminish right before her, that he’d first struck a spot in her heart. He’d looked so resigned to rejection, so ready to be shoved aside. At that moment, remembering how often she’d felt the same, Elona had accepted. Then, she’d thought she’d be escorting him for merely a day, but she’d still felt the buzz of protection that shot through her like lightning now.

“But that isn’t right-”

“Sionn-”

“I want to be the one who takes care of you!” Sionn interrupted her, as if he couldn’t bear to hear another word.

The vigor drained from Elona, and for a moment she just stared at Sionn. It took a mere instant for Elona to recall so many times that, in retrospect, he had been caring for her. Despite that, Sionn thought he wasn’t? Sionn had single handedly managed to remind her to value herself, had proven to her that others could come to value her as well, and yet he didn’t think he was taking care of her? The ridiculousness of the situation caused a soft giggle, but it was quickly followed with words Elona could only hope would convey things she was only starting to realize herself.

“Sionn,” Elona was surprised her voice could sound so… loving. Surprised or not, though, she didn’t fight it. In fact, she followed it into an impulsive kiss on Sionn’s forehead. “You do.”

“What?” Sionn scoffed, and began babbling denials. “I don’t. I don’t catch you food, I don’t build a den for you, I don’t-”

“I don’t need someone who’ll catch food for me, and I know how to make my own camp.” Elona continued, trying not to let Sionn’s confused frown deter her. “But someone who worries that I haven’t slept, pushes me to seek out what I am, someone who washes blood off of me… I’ve never had someone like that, Sionn. And I’d do anything, everything, to protect you because of it.”

Sionn went quiet, plainly lost in thought. Elona managed to keep quiet by biting into the side of her tongue, never once breaking eye contact. The vivacious spark she was already so used to seeing in Sionn returned, lighting up his face. His expression still serious, he appeared to have come to some sort of conclusion. Much as she wanted to press for it, Elona held back. She’d selfishly dragged more out of him than intended already. No need to pressure him for yet more.

“Well, okay, but don’t do that anymore.” His meaningful glance towards the bag of scales was enough of an explanation. “We’ll hunt rabbits, figure something else out. I’d rather starve than have you go through more of that.”

“Okay.” Smiling, Elona finally loosened her grip on his head, and pulled her hands away. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Good. So, tonight we-or maybe just I- sleep, tomorrow we hunt. Any idea’s for how?”

“... Maybe. I know you were boasting, but how good are you at hunting?”

“Ah…” Sionn’s voice faded off, and he glanced away, looking rather embarrassed. “I’m… not very good at tracking. I’m good at taking the prey down, and somewhat at catching it if it’s not too quick for me, but-”

“That’s alright, I’m proficient at tracking. I can’t throw knives at what I can’t see, though.”

Elona was beginning to have an inkling of an idea for how they could hunt. Rabbit pelts and the such would sell for very little, but at least it would keep them fed for now. Glancing at her still exposed limb, Elona reached for her pushed up pant leg, sliding it back down. Elona picked up the small bag of scales, tying it shut and slipping it back into her pack. It was an easy way out, and as long as she didn’t do it often enough that it aroused suspicions, it was quick money. Good things came to those who exerted effort though, didn’t they? Elona couldn’t imagine what effort she’d gone through to earn Sionn’s companionship, but she knew she would do her best not to abuse the gift.

Though Elona was braced for Sionn to question her on her decision to keep the scales, he said nothing. For a moment, Elona didn’t look at him. His gaze would reveal his opinion on the matter, and if it was fervent enough, it might alter hers. They couldn’t afford that. She’d agreed not to pluck more, but that didn’t mean they didn’t need the buffer provided by the ones she’d already plucked. It was only when she’d pulled her boot back on, and pushed her feet, that Elona dared look at Sionn.

He was still kneeling on the riverbank, his knees making deep depressions into the damp, loosely-packed dirt. He looked up at her, the moon shining down onto his face, and for not the first time Elona found herself unable to look away. In the beginning it was only his eyes, the deep amber color unlike any other that she’d seen, but now it was his whole face. His features, slightly delicate at first glance, had a hidden strength. His chin had only slightly more point than a gentle curve, jaw wasn’t immensely defined, but if she followed their solid lines it took her to his strong cheekbones. The cheekbones that supported his gentle smile, that were framed by the very eyes that initially drew her in. The features might be more delicate than expected of a man, but the force in which they held her gaze was not.

“Elona?” His voice, sweetly eager, seemed to have lost what remained of the tension from earlier. “What do you tell the people you sell the scales to?”

“What?” Elona blinked, surprised. With how vehemently he’d been protesting, the return of his curiosity was startling. “I tell them I found them diving in the rivers. There’s still a good deal of mythos surrounding them, especially the ones closer to the mountains.”

“Really? Like what?”

Elona extended a hand to him, ready to pull him to his feet, and though Sionn took it, his gaze never left her face. How to explain it all, though? Elona had herself gleaned only a little of the lore surrounding the region, and it all boiled down to races, creatures, that didn’t exist. Fanciful things like dragons and magic, which only fooled children. That, and whoever it was who actually purchased her scales at the market. Surely someone must, since the market’s suppliers was more than happy to purchase them from her.

“I’m not really the one to ask. It’s just a bunch of fairy tales, and I only really know enough to sell the scales.”

“Fairy tales?” Sionn frowned, even as they began to walk back towards camp. Elona watched him, unable to take her eyes away from his thoughtful expression. “Like, the stories humans use to teach their kids lessons?”

“Animalkith do it as well. Does your family-”

“No, our lessons are plainly stated.” Sionn interrupted, releasing her hand- which Elona only just realized he’d still held- and looping his own behind himself. “Stay away from those in human shape, even family. Share with the clan. Transform only when necessary, but be sure-”

Sionn stopped, swallowing nervously, and Elona waved her hand, trying to urge him to finish. “But be sure…?”

“Be sure to fit in.”

Sionn interjected, perhaps a little too quickly. Elona didn’t push. With how much he’d divulged to her already, she could only assume if it was something he wasn’t comfortable sharing, it was important. A rush of what could only be envy coursed through her, and Elona glanced away, unsettled with herself. Was she envious of his sense of family? Or was she envious that there was still so much they knew of Sionn that she might never? Shaking it off, Elona stopped next to the dirt-covered remains of the fire.

“Alright, Sionn. Get some rest.” Shooting him what she hoped was an encouraging smile, Elona knelt down to begin restoring the fire. “We’ll likely have to get up early to hunt.”

“So you’ve figured out a plan?”

“I believe so, yes.”

Though he initially hesitated, Sionn did in fact lay down to sleep. He kept his back to the fire, and curled into a ball. He didn’t appear upset, it seemed like that was just how he was comfortable. Though Elona would have loved to offer her lap to him again, she needed to do a full inventory of her throwing knives, and she needed to review her map. They’d be best if they hunted in a northern path, so that it still took them towards Kelthmar. Thinking of the large trade city and the path that would take them there, Elona tensed. They should be safe from the greatest of the threats if they were where she thought, and could avoid the meat of the western side of the forest. Elona didn’t like to dwell on that, though. The longer she thought of it, the more her heart felt like she should be doing something-

Shaking her head, Elona pushed away those thoughts. She was no hero. Without her bow, she wasn’t a hunter. Hell, she wasn’t even ‘Elona’. Not really. ‘Elona’ wasn’t anything, or anyone rather. Just a misheard word she’d stumbled on, and claimed. Odd, but it’d been quite some time since she’d thought of that. Glancing over at Sionn, Elona found herself wondering how the foxes decided on names. It wasn’t something to dwell on now. They had a minimum three day trip ahead of them, if Elona’s curiosity stuck with her, she’d have plenty of chances to ask. Glancing back at the fire, Elona waited for the night to pass.


~~*~~~*~~~*~~


“You want me to… what?”

“Flush the animals out.” It seemed straightforward, Elona didn’t understand the confusion. “I’ll track down an area where smaller animals seem likely to be, approach silently from one direction, and you approach from the other direction loudly, to direct them towards me.”

Sionn was still seated on the ground, his tail wrapped around himself, as he stared up at Elona. His expression was impossible to read, but if Elona had to wager a guess, she’d pin it down as ‘searching’. What was he searching for, though? She’d been standing, but dropped into a crouch next to him, resting her weight on the balls of her feet. Her eyes level with his, she stared into his and he peered into hers.

“Sionn, what’s wrong?”

“I… Your plan makes sense.” Sionn agreed, but his tone didn’t seem to match the feeling of his words. “It’s just…”

“What? If there’s something wrong, we can come up with something-”

“It’d make a lot of sense for me to do it as a fox.” Sionn broke in, his voice quick and hesitant all at once. “That’s all. And I was trying to figure out if you’d intended it that way.”

“Oh.” The implications sank in, and Elona shook her head, reaching out to place her hands on his shoulders. “Of course not, Sionn. You’ve given me every indication that this is the form you prefer. I’d never expect you to change. Especially not for something as basic as hunting.”

This time, when Sionn looked up at her and stared deeply into her eyes, Elona made a concentrated effort not to mask them. It didn’t come naturally to her to be open, and even as she relaxed around Sionn, often her unguarded moments took her by surprise. Still, if it was what Sionn needed in the moment, it’s what she would do. She stayed like that, crouching down, her balance only preserved by the hands she rested on his shoulders, until he gave a firm nod. Smiling, Elona started to pull away, glad that he believed her.

“I’d rather you not be there when I… shift.”

Elona’s hands were already off his shoulders, so when his words made her lurch, she fell backwards with a loud ‘thump’. Reaching back to rub the ache forming from her hips contact with the earth, Elona gaped at him. But I just- didn’t he see- I tried so hard to make it so he could see how honest I was being, and he didn’t believe me? Some measure of her confusion must have come through in her expression, because Sionn chuckled at her, and reached out to help her back to her feet.

“It’s because you don’t expect it, that I’m okay with it.” Sionn chewed on his lip a moment, before adding, “But clothes don’t… change with me. So I’d rather you weren’t there.”

“Oh!” That was a shock. Sionn hadn’t really expressed any sort of modesty to this point, and Elona had assumed he lacked it. He was an animal, or at least had been for the majority of his life it seemed, so it had made sense. “Of course. Should I stay here, or…?”

“That’ll work. I’ll lead you back to where my clothes are as a fox. I won’t be able to talk, since in that form I am just a fox.”

“That’s okay, I’ll know it’s you. You could never be just a fox.”

The grateful smile Sionn gave her almost distracted Elona from the lingering reluctance in his eyes. She opened her mouth to object, to reassure him her plan would work just as well with him lumbering around in human form, but he turned away, walking towards where the meadow slipped into trees. Falling silent, Elona turned back towards the dirt-mound that had been their fire. He seemed conflicted, but Elona didn’t know for sure. How exactly did he feel about his fox form?

Almost like it had happened years ago, the memory of how Sionn had announced so confidently to her that he was a fox, and wasn’t she in luck, drifted back to her. With everything that had gone on, Elona couldn’t even remember the exact number of days ago that had been. As she waited for Sionn, Elona let her mind wander through her memories of the past few days in no particular order. Enjoying lunch with Sionn, nearly wailing on him with a fire poker, swimming frantically towards him, that moment where she’d had to drop him into the water when she’d solved the riddle. So many different emotions swept through those memories, and yet, looking back on them there was a warmth unfolding in her chest.

Elona felt something brush her leg, but she was so lost in her thoughts that it didn’t register for a moment. Shaking her head just as there was the sensation of something butting against her, Elona glanced down. Standing next to her was, undeniably, a fox. He was much better fed, as his ribs weren’t visible, and his fur looked to have a bit more luster, but there was no denying the resemblance to that fox that had approached her at the fire the previous winter. This was Sionn. Any doubts she’d had had long since faded, but now she was face to face with definite proof that he truly was not only a fox, but the one she’d met. Those amber eyes, arresting even in this face, were proof enough.


~~*~~~*~~~*~~



Alrighty guys, the dp is: How does Elona react to Sionn’s fox form?
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First, I just want to say I've eagerly awaited this chapter and am happy that you and it are back Noni. I deeply enjoyed the chapter. Would like to know more about those Fairy tales unless they've already been mentioned and I didn't notice them >.> for the DP I personally squee at the cuteness and then pet the cute fox but I feel at this moment Elona would have a little more self control than me. Possibly, Letting Sionn know that if at any moment he feels uncomfortable that the plan works just as well with two humans rather than with a human and a fox. Dunno what emotion that would be but I feel thats what would be going on in her head right now. and after the (hopefully successful) hunt she gets a bit nostalgic and more attached to him.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad to hear it! And no need to limit yourselves to suggesting emotions. reaction does have action right in it. ^^

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So many things 8D. First off, though--WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE MEAT OF THE WESTERN FOREST o___________o. Are the animals there all poisoned somehow but living through it? Is it contaminated? If so, why and by what? (It occurred to me as I started typing that by "meat" you could've just meant the "bulk of" but I hope not because contamination interests me XD.)

I think my favorite part of this chapter was Elona's reactions to watching Sionn decide to do a thing he wasn't totally comfortable with doing for both of their sakes but I feel like more Elona's than his? ('Cause part of the reason they're hunting together is so Elona doesn't sell her scales.) It's satisfying to see her on the other side of one of those situations after how much Sionn's worried about her. Also really liked that Sionn asked what Elona told her buyers 'cause it seemed like such an obvious question, yet it hadn't occurred to me, so it was a neat surprise. And the passage where Elona was realizing that mattering to someone was a weighty responsibility and going over that in her mind was also cool to read because it seemed to show/emphasize that the things that make her sell her scales/not take good care of herself haven't magically gone away just because someone loves her---she still has to deal with them, she just has more motivation to do so with Sionn around.

As for the DP--it seems like she's already reacted by recognizing him and accepting that recognition? Although I guess she hasn't reacted in a way Sionn can see so she should probably do something Sionn will recognize as acknowledgment that he's still him. Probably shouldn't like pet him or something like that because that might come off like she sees him differently in animal form. Maybe she should talk to him or something like she would if he was in human form (though not something that requires a verbal answer--"You ready?" or something like that.)
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad to see a new chapter, Noni! And might I say what an awesome job you did.

There were a lot of things I really liked, first and foremost being Elona's recognition of how much she cares for Sionn (which is to say a lot lol), and how that affection is reflected in her actions towards him and how she observes him. She seems to be gradually taking more and more notice of him, and that's really telling considering how she was much more aloof when they first met (in his human form anyway).

I, like Adryrn, want to know about the meat of the western forest - what lurks there, why is it so important to avoid, will some unfortunate turn of event have them traveling there? (my brain says "how dare you even suggest that" but my heart is like "yassss they must go, the dramaaaa" XD). And, like ModelP, I want to know some of them fairy tales, girl. Hopefully we'll come to learn them, or at least the one involving why Elona's scales are so valuable, in time - whether by Elona telling us or by Sionn finding out someway else.

I also like the little tidbit you threw in about Elona not actually being Elona's true name. I'm sure this has something to do with who/what she is, and her lack of memories in regards to that, and now I am even more curious as to Elona's origins.

For the DP...while I would want to squeeze the life out of the adorable little muffin that is Sionn in fox form, I don't think that's quite to Elona's character, so instead I'm going to build on ModelP's suggestion and say that she gives him a reassuring smile before doling out instructions for how they'll go about the hunt. I think keeping a semblance of normalcy, like Sionn is important to her regardless of form, will help Sionn be more comfortable as well.
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So that's three suggestions so far! I'd like to wait for a few more posts before putting the poll up, but we'll see! I'm gonna go ahead and put a tentative 24 hour notice 'til the poll goes up!
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poll is live, people! Since it's so few options, probably only going to leave it up for two or three days. Vote quick!
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SQUEE!!!

I'm late. I know. Apologies. I loved this, though. For the DP, I would agree with everyone and say that she carries on as normal to prevent Sionn from feeling more uncomfortable. Great chapter, Noni!
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Closing the poll in a few hours, comment while you can!
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 12:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How does Elona react to Sionn’s fox form?
Reassure him that the plan doesn't require him to be in fox form if it leaves him uncomfortable.
16% [ 1 ]
Talk to him the same as she would were he in human form.
66% [ 4 ]
Maintain a semblance of normalcy, and begin discussing the hunt.
16% [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 6
Who Voted: Adryrn, AliceRose, Andolyn, kkdestiny, ModelP, Seraphi



Chapter Sixteen



“That’s okay, I’ll know it’s you. You could never be just a fox.”

Covered by the trees, Sionn stopped to let the words roll around in his brain. Was he just a fox? He certainly wasn’t human, and even though he’d once wanted so badly to be, Sionn thought being not-human, not-fox wouldn’t be so bad with Elona by his side. Still, there was no denying a surge of equal parts nerves and exhilaration. It’d been quite some time since he’d shifted into a fox form, breaking the rule he’d nearly blurted out to Elona. Transform only when necessary, but be sure to transform often enough. By waiting so long, he was about to subject himself to quite a bit of pain and effort.

Leaning against a tree for a moment, Sionn reached down to pull off his boots, and the socks beneath. Instantly spreading his toes out, Sionn stretched his legs. Their ability could only be described as some form of magic, as even they couldn’t fully explain how it worked. Sionn removed the rest of his clothing without ceremony, folding them and placing them neatly on the ground, partially hidden by a bush. No need to dare someone else to happen across them. Crouching down, standing naked in the woods, Sionn swallowed, and braced his hands against the ground. He didn’t have to adopt this posture to transform, but it sure would help ease the transition.

Closing his eyes, Sionn pictured his fox-self clearly, feeling a rush of fire in his veins where there would usually be a gentle heat. Gasping out, Sionn winced, already feeling the pain of his decisions. Digging his fingers into the dirt, the underbrush biting at his palm, Sionn focused on his paws. What would normally take an instant, would occur all in a rush, was happening limb by limb. Gasping out, and dropping his head to the ground, Sionn panted. He couldn’t stop, even as the agony washed over him. He had to picture one form or the other, being caught too long in transition could kill him. Red fur, white, black, covering his slim body- focus- whiskers, don’t forget the whiskers, his nose, his face. Arms and legs, all slim, with well-defined bones lined in sleek muscle.

For a moment, all Sionn could muster the energy to do was lay there on the forest floor, struggling for consciousness. His exertion left him slipping towards unconsciousness, but Elona was waiting. Thinking of her, picturing her as she waited by the fire, gave Sionn the strength to open his eyes. The forest was different, now. The lush greens and lovely forestry had been lost, his fox eyes unable to fully process them. It was odd, considering Elona’s comment that he had the same eyes, that they remained the same in appearance when he saw so much less like this. Unless it was dark, then he could see almost endlessly.

Pushing himself up, and staggering only slightly, Sionn trudged back towards the camp. The further he walked, the more energy he seemed to regain. Blissfully, it seemed he’d chosen to transform just in time. Much longer and… Sionn didn’t wish to think on it. Spotting Elona, Sionn felt happiness bloom inside him, and he sped up. She was staring slightly blankly into distance, so Sionn gently rubbed against her leg. She didn’t seem to immediately react, so with rather more force, Sionn headbutted her leg. She blinked, snapping out of whatever trance she was in, and her gaze downturned to look at him.

For a split second, Sionn was back in the past, sitting at her feet as the snow fell softly around them. He had stared adoringly up at her then, and he likely was now, as well.

Holding his breath, Sionn waited. Even though he couldn’t currently see the lovely pale green of her eyes, he pictured it perfectly as he waited for her reaction. What would she do? What did he want her to do? Though it’d always been imperative to appear as if he was any other fox, Sionn hoped she could easily see through it. At the same time, when he remembered the way she’d caressed his head, Sionn longed for more of that contact. Which do I want her to see? The man, or the fox?

“Welcome back, Sionn. Lead the way.”

Her smile wasn’t any different than usual. Warm and gentle, almost as if she wasn’t used to the sensation of it, and paired with completely direct eye contact. Does she see the man? Sionn tipped his head in a nodding gesture, and turned back the way he’d come. As Elona followed behind him. Sionn again pondered what he wanted her to see. The man or the fox? They found his clothes quickly enough, with Sionn nudging the bushes aside with his muzzle.

~~*~~~*~~~*~~


Listening closely, Sionn glanced around him. Elona had led him to an area that seemed- from her observations- to get a lot of traffic from smaller animals. Silently moving forward, Sionn felt the shift of ground under his paws. With a sharp motion, Sionn turned his head towards the source of a pattering sound. Leaning forward, Sionn spotted a flicker of motion. Almost smugly, and extremely proud of himself, Sionn leapt forward, crashing through the brush now. A rabbit burst out of the bush, streaking off in zigzags. Had his face been able to do it, he would have smirked. That was the direction Elona was hidden in. The slight whistle of a knife was easy for his ears to pick up, but the rabbit, unfortunately for it, didn’t react quickly enough. In an instant, it slumped to the ground, the glint of a small dagger sticking out of it’s still form.

A few rabbits, one much easier transformation, and some cooking later, and Sionn was eating some cooked rabbit chunks off a stick. Elona had dressed the rabbits, done something to help preserve the pelts, and wrapped them in a large piece of cloth that had thankfully survived the river. Seems like she mostly just lost food, and some trinkets. Sionn felt a momentary stab of guilt, but shook his head and ate more rabbit. Elona was next to him, eating off of one stick while holding another in her other hand, rotating it to cook them evenly.

“This is nice.” Sionn murmured, staring unabashedly up at her. “Thanks for cooking.”

“I suppose you didn’t used to get cooked food often, huh?”

“Nope. Though, we are warned when we’re young that our human form seems to require it more than our fox one.”

“Hmm. I wonder how much your insides change, then.”

The conversation gradually drifted away from the topic of Sionn’s form, and turned to lighter matters. They discussed what had worked in the hunt, what hadn’t, and what their options were for the next day. They had hunted in a northern, to north-east direction, heading towards where the star had been on the map. According to Elona, if they hunted each morning, ate their fill, and nibbled on the leftovers and berries throughout the day, they should arrive at Kelthmar. The name sounded vaguely familiar, he’d likely heard it on humans lips as they traveled, but Sionn wasn’t sure what to expect.

“So what’s Kelthmar like?”

“It-...” Elona broke off and rubbed the back of her neck, plainly struggling with something. “It’s not… I wouldn’t-...” She sighed deeply, and Sionn leaned back a little as she riveted an intense gaze on him. “It’s dangerous. Especially… Especially for you. There’s a high population of Animalkith, and as such, there’s a large number of people there who prey on them. While in Kelthmar, even just as we get near there, you need to stay very close to me.”

“Oh.” Sionn glanced towards the fire, conflicted. On one account, here she was protecting him again. On the other, Sionn already knew first hand the prejudice faced by Animalkith, and just because he secretly could actually turn into a fox didn’t mean he’d be spared. Wait. “Won’t you be- I mean-”

“Some of the places that I used to stay or trade at will turn me away because I’m in the company of an Animalkith,” Elona stated, more or less correctly guessing what he’d been trying to say. “But… Well, I shouldn’t have been using those places anyway.”

There was guilt in her eyes, and that surprised Sionn. Her expression wasn’t too far off from when he’d asked her if she thought she was ruthless. Distant and misty, with a sheen of guilt and sadness. Resting a hand on her shoulder, Sionn leaned forward, thrusting his head into her field of vision.

“Hey. Don’t worry about it. You were just trying to survive as best you could. It’s not on you if they were-”

Sionn broke off, unsure of what word he was looking for. He didn’t have to finish, though, because Elona lightly touched her hand to the top of his, and gave him a weak but grateful smile. Flickering a glance at her hands, Sionn noticed she had discarded an apparently emptied stick. Surprised that she’d finished eating already, Sionn returned his eyes to her face. Instantly, he noticed her fatigued expression. She looks tired again. Sionn ignored the touch of worry, trying to pretend he wasn’t hoping she was going to try to sleep that night. Still, if she had a nightmare again, that wouldn’t really help things. Reaching out, Sionn lightly rubbed his thumb over the purple marks forming under her eyes.

“Are you going to try and sleep tonight?”


~~*~~~*~~~*~~



DP: How does Elona pass the night? Does she try to sleep? Stay up? Wander around the camp? Watch Sionn like a creeper? The options are endless!

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another top notch chapter, Noni!

Holy bejeezus, Sionn, transform more! As charming as he is in human form, there are many pros to being able to shift back and forth. And being in pain each time won't do. So, yes, more romps as a fox XD Loved that detail, btw, that he can't just transform willy nilly, that there is a price to pay should he remain human too long.

For the dp...I say since Sionn did so well to go out of his comfort zone and transform for Elona's sake, that Elona should try to get at least a little shut eye for Sionn's. Sure, it didn't turn out to great last time, but things might go differently this time around.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

... I am so happy you saved Sionn's perspective for after Elona's. I love how it emphasizes how much Elona is totally unaware of about Sionn's ability to transform without you ever having to explicitly mention it. The description of the transformation itself was also fun to read. I also liked how Sionn seemed kind of fuzzy and distant while they were eating. He still noticed some details (like how Elona was tired), but he wasn't tracking everything as closely as usual and his consciousness seemed to jump from thing to thing instead of paying attention to as many details in the moment as he usually does (or at least the narrative does). (Not sure if any of that was intentional, but if it wasn't, it still worked well.)

As for the DP, Elona knows she should take better care of herself for Sionn's sake if not her own, so I think it would make sense for her to at least try to sleep.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent chapter, Noni! Firstly, I should really once again thank you for introducing my to this site (and for persistently messaging me after you told me about it until I checked it out- reasons not to tell me to do things when it's late night/earlier morning here lol)

Okay, now that all that's been said, here's my thoughts on this chapter. I really love Sionn, and this chapter just added to that. Knowing more about his transformations was really cool, and I like how there's still things Elona doesn't really know about his transformations. As for Elona, I think that maybe she should at least attempt sleep, but if she can't maybe she just spends the night in thought
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So far everyone seems to mostly be agreeing. Anyone wanna put up any alternate ideas before I begin work on the next chapter?
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Love the new chapter. I liked getting the new details on Sionn's transformation. I also liked Elona's ignorance of it, but I don't think it will stay. She's a hunter. She's going to have noticed the marks on the ground from him digging his fingers into the dirt and such. She may not ask right now, but I think the fact it was a struggle will become apparent.

Anyway, for the DP, I agree with everyone. I say she tries to sleep for him.
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since everyone agreed, I went ahead and wrote the next chapter! Sure hope there isn't any objections.

Chapter Seventeen


She was bundled tightly against something, water streaming over her as they swam quickly. Her head was bowed, her vision obscured, but streams of light burst and faded into view in an assortment of colors. Below them, caught only out of flickers of her eyes, was a spiderweb of glowing turquoise lines along the seafloor. Panic gripped her body, and she cried out, wanting, craving, the deeper waters and the protective cocoon of darkness. Where were they going? Why were they being pursued? Turning so quickly that her head snapped with the motion, Elona got a very brief impression of large bodies moving as fluidly through the water as the slimmer, long one that clutched her like a precious jewel.

Her head was pushed back into the squish of flesh, Elona helpless to resist. The water wasn’t hugging her the same way it did below, and Elona felt desperately lonely as the pressure lightened, feeling as if the water that still kissed her skin had rolled away completely. Light, true light, began to burn against her eyes, and Elona squeezed them shut. There was another desperate turn, this one forcing Elona even closer to the body, and tremors began to overtake her. Something was wrong, gravely, gravely wrong. The figure that held her murmured something, but Elona’s blood was rushing through her ears far too loudly to hear, and then suddenly even the figure wasn’t hugging her. The arm that still supported her dipped lower, before launching her upwards. She broke through the water-


Sitting up with a tortured gasp, Elona dragged a hand over her eyes, trying to delay the inevitable. Sionn, with his damnably astute fox ears, would be rising and checking on her. She had seconds, mere moments, to compose herself. The past two nights had gone much the same, since Elona had agreed to attempt sleep. It was dangerous, but she attempted it only when Sionn also slept. It cut into her heart to know that while she fought in her dreams Sionn worried for her and fretted. Moving her hand away, Elona gave a weak smile to Sionn, who was in fact kneeling near her.

“Elona?”

“More of the same,” Giving what she hoped was an encouraging smile, Elona sat up the rest of way. “I’ll be alright. Get some more rest.”

He frowned, but Elona didn’t let it bother her. She reached forward and pat the top of his head gently, and Sionn got the hint, laying back down. They had slept curled around the dying embers of the fire, which had now cooled. Though it was still early autumn, there was the scent of frost on the air as the sun began to rise. I must have slept longer than I supposed. Not daring to hope in the validity of her recently adopted practice of forcing herself to sleep through as much of the nightmare as she could muster, Elona pushed to her feet and began to stretch. She sat on a large log she had dragged nearby for such a purpose the previous night, and allowed herself time to ponder.

They were just inside the edge of the forest, and the south-western section of the trade city Kelthmar was a half a day's walk from where they rested. They had managed to avoid the lurking threats of the forest, at the least, but the more obvious ones of the city might endanger Sionn, and to a lesser degree herself, even greater. Elona was lost in thought, staring deep into the trees in the direction of the town, when she felt fingers brushing through her hair. Jumping, Elona glanced behind her,. She wasn’t as surprised as she’d expected to be when she saw Sionn, his hand still aloft. He gave a sheepish and slightly sleepy smile, and Elona merely waited to see if he’d explain.

“I wish you didn’t have to dye your hair over again.”

Truth be told, Elona disliked it as well. The muted brown color didn’t seem to suit her, but when she had discovered a packet of dye that had mercifully been spared the wrath of the water not once but twice, Elona hadn’t hesitated to use it. Her hair could pass for a shade of black only at night, and without her cloak to cover it, it would draw entirely too much notice in it’s natural shade of deep blue. Humans did not have blue hair, it instantly marked her as ‘other’. In Kelthmar, other was a dangerous thing to be labeled. She would draw enough notice, with Sionn by her side, to endanger them both. To humans, I am other, and dangerous. To Animalkith, I am human, and dangerous. It’s only to Sionn that I’m not some sort of monster.

“It’s safer.”

“To look human?”

“To fit a label. With navy hair I’m not human enough to be accepted into their circles, but without something more… significant, I’m not considered an Animalkith, either.” Elona paused, hesitant. She had put this off long enough, however, and Sionn needed to be ready for Kelthmar. “Sionn, about Kelthmar…”

“You already said it was dangerous to Animalkith, and to stay close,” Sionn’s bright smile bit into Elona, and she felt a fresh wave of guilt. Why had she only told him part of the truth?

“Being close to me isn’t likely to… to keep you completely safe, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“If… If people assume we are together, there will be…” Elona struggled for the right words, before coming to the conclusion that easing Sionn into this wasn’t going to help. “Kelthmar is not an advanced place in terms of mixed couples. Many humans and Animalkith alike have been treated quite terribly for little more than who they love.” Sionn’s eyes widened, and Elona rushed on, “It’s not a common reaction, just slightly more prevalent in Kelthmar than in other regions.”

Sionn sat up, grabbing onto his boots, and tilted his head at Elona. There was a strange urgency in his motion, like he was trying to restrain himself. Though his head was still much lower than hers with the way they were seated, Elona could make out some spark of liveliness in his eyes. He tapped his fingers against his boots for a moment, plainly searching for words, and Elona remained quiet.

“Then, to prevent those, uh… misconceptions,” Sionn began, reaching up to brush at his mouth, “What do humans do to be… a couple? To express love?”

Elona froze, unsure. She had forgotten how little he might actually know of human society, especially with his impressive grasp on speaking. How long did he say he had been in human society before running into me again? Besides, how was she supposed to fully describe it? She knew a few of the more technical aspects, such as kissing and dancing, but Elona couldn’t fathom how a human might show love. Besides, their best bet would be to avoid as much of a connection as possible while keeping Sionn safe and near her.

“Mostly through touching,” Elona decided on, since it was the simplest and broadest way to encapsulate it, “Holding hands would be one example of something we shouldn’t do.”

“Oh.” Sionn looked disappointed, his ears drooping, and Elona felt a small warmth go through her. He enjoys holding my hand. Surely he must, to look that disappointed that he now could not. Shaking off that foolish line of thought, Elona returned her gaze to the North.

“Are you ready to go to Kelthmar?”


~~*~~~*~~~*~~



Kelthmar was one of the oldest cities in this region, and was appropriately large. The passage of time, it’s position near the Knyduhl River, and the proximity to the trading route out of the Pyetres Mountain Range had given it everything it needed to thrive. That was how Elona had heard it described, but there was no truly defining the city. The Wyder River, the south-flowing river that Sionn had fallen into, branched out from the west-flowing Knyduhl one in such a way as to perfectly divide the city into three parts. Divide truly is the word for it. Elona thought to herself as they approached. Though formally one city, any who spent more than an hour within it’s borders learned the separate names, and lived by them.

Three sections, three lines clearly drawn. To the North of Knyduhl River was Northern Kelthmar, home to the merchants and their guilds, who got fat off the labor they couldn’t see, and enjoyed little more than leisure. Elona had never stepped foot there, not only did she have no purpose, extensive paperwork was required to cross the bridge over Knyduhl from South-Eastern Kelthmar. Elona lacked even a name. Though many locals boasted that there were no such restrictions to the South-Eastern region, there was one unspoken one, and that was to be a human. That wasn’t strictly true. The docks that lined the river always sought cheap labor. The inns and markets, however, set up because of and thriving due to the passage of trade through the mountains to the east, turned away ‘Beastials’. Elona had occasionally stayed at those inns, traded in those markets. No longer. Elona thought firmly, before she glanced to her side, checking on Sionn.

As she continued reviewing what she knew of the city with herself, they were walking through the light brush of the plains surrounding Kelthmar. The hilly nature of the area made travel difficult, except among the most frequently traveled paths. They’d come out of the forest a little farther west than she had expected, so while the edge of the city, built of stone and wood, lay on the horizon, they had to walk east first, find the path, and then arrive at the city in a normal manner. Though it suffered a lack of upkeep in some areas, there was still a modest wall surrounding the whole of Kelthmar, under order of the King of… Elona’s mind failed her. Though individual cities, especially one focused on trade, were pertinent to her, knowing the name of the country she resided in meant little. Shaking her head, Elona decided to focus on what she did know.

“Elona?”

South-Western Kelthmar was divided from South-Eastern by the Wyder River, and that was where they were heading. That was where the majority of the docks, and it’s workers, were located. The Knyduhl River flowed west directly down to Lunula Bay, and Kelthmar thrived on shipping the traded goods from across the mountains down to the ocean, where boats could take them yet farther. The easiest way to make a profit, though, was through the backs of Animalkith. Generally stronger or more suited to labor than humans, they could do more with less pay. Any pay, however, was a boon in this region, and Animalkith poured in every day, hoping to eke out a livelihood on the docks.

“Elona.”

There were dangers, however. Gritting her teeth, and unconsciously stepping closer to Sionn, Elona glanced around her. At any moment, they could-

“Elona.” Sionn sidestepped directly in front of her, and Elona drew to an abrupt stop.

His expression was bemused, but his arms were crossed in a way that showed he was making some sort of a stand.

“Sionn?”

“I called your name three times, you know. And all you did was continue to glare, at the ground, at the horizon, at the ground, and then back to the horizon. What’s got such a sour look on your face?”

“Kelthmar.”

“We’re almost there?”

Sionn pivoted, spinning to look behind him. Despite all her warnings, he seemed excited. Even as she felt the worried throbbing of her pulse, Elona smiled wistfully at him. She’d been excited, too, when she’d traveled to Kelthmar. She hadn’t been able to show it, the grouchy old man would have squelched any positive inclination long before they’d arrived. Nothing more than a debt to be repaid, he’d said. No time to dally, Beast, he’d insisted when she’d stopped in awe. She could understand some measure of his actions, now. Though he’d dressed her as a human, he’d never trusted she could pass as one.

“Elona?” Elona jumped when she felt the brush of Sionn’s hand near her eyes, despite the touch being even gentler than his voice. When had he turned around? “You look near tears. What’s wrong?”

“Ah- Just… just memories.” One day she’d tell him of how she’d earned hunting lessons from a grouchy old man, but for now, she just pushed it away, leaning away from Sionn’s touch. “Let’s go.”

Thankfully, Sionn didn’t push.


~~*~~~*~~~*~~



The wall was the height of several men, crafted in a mix of stone and clay that withstood the storm of time, even if it’s appearance wasn’t weathering it quite so well. The overreaching gate, manned by bored looking guards, was wide enough to allow several people through at once, and Elona and Sionn were a small part of the stream of people flowing inward. It was no larger than anything she’d seen in her earliest memories, but Elona’s feet had stilled when she’d first encountered it. That was why when Sionn stopped, his mouth opening slightly in shock, Elona didn’t immediately prod him along. She stopped as well, letting the flow of people rustle around them, until he’d stared his full. It was a quiet moment, despite the bustling noise of hushed conversations occurring all around them. Finally, Sionn lowered his eyes back to hers, gave a small smile, and began to walk again.

The urge to grab his hand had grown within her at some point, yet another alarming reminder of how much Sionn had begun to mean to her, but for the sake of both of their safety, Elona kept her hands slack and at her side. They passed through the gate with no problem, following the crowd until it reached the first of many town squares. Motioning to Sionn, Elona gestured him to the side. A small measure of the crowd, humans merely passing through to go onto the better, nicer parts of town, continued on, even as all around them Animalkith of all kind dispersed.

This was one of the more precious of neighborhoods in South-Western Kelthmar, as money was more likely to be spent after a long journey the moment the scent of food and drink was on the air. Past this, the cobblestone road beneath them would quickly fade to muck and dirt roads, the homes getting smaller and shabbier. Gritting her teeth, Elona felt a rush of guilt. Though she liked to believe she wasn’t as indifferent to the Animalkith as the humans, there was no denying she had been little better, rushing to South-Eastern Kelthmar the moment she had food in her belly.

When did I grow to be so introspective? Shaking her head and focusing on the task at hand, Elona tapped her fingers on her leg nervously. There was no rushing straight on to where the temple’s map had led them. Not only was it located in Northern Kelthmar, they were both fatigued from travel, hungry, and ill prepared for whatever it might bring. They had many things they needed to do, but where to start?


~~*~~~*~~~*~~


Obvious DP is obvious. Where do they start, now that they are in the city of Kelthmar?

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I feel like there's a teeny, faint trace of snark in some of Elona' interactions with/thoughts regarding Sionn now ("damnably astute fox ears", one-word answer after not acknowledging him trying to get her attention three times) that I don't recall being there before, and I love it XD. It gives me a subtle impression that Elona is measurably (though slightly) more comfortable around Sionn now, and therefore a bit more open (probably without even noticing it). I also liked how Sionn voiced his opinion on Elona's hair---I interpreted it as him being more open, too, in his own way.

As for the DP, I think they should focus on finding food or shelter and take whichever opportunity they see for either of those things comes first. Ideally, they'd find an affordable inn that has food, but then again, no need to make things too easy >D.
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No objections from me, this chapter was awesome!

Elona and Sionn's relationship is staggeringly sweet, and I love every moment of it. The little things, like Elona's comment on his ears and Sionn's comment on her hair, definitely show how close they've grown in the short time they've known each other.

I also really like your explanation of the city. It was concise and easy to understand, and said in a way where the basics are laid out with room for the imagination to fill in the nitty-gritty details. And the tidbits we get from Elona's past/her first visit there were a nice addition as well.

For the DP...it's been mentioned several times by both Elona and Sionn, so I think the best course of action would be to restock the items they lost in the river first. If they should, for some reason, need to exit Kelthmar quickly, it would be best to be prepared.
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can I just say how awesome this story is? In particular, I love the writing style. It's simplistic but detailed at the same time. It reads easily and I know exactly what everything looks like from it. Pretty cool. =D One minor suggestion though - perhaps mentioning smell more often would help with the immersion a little bit more. What does the city smell like? Let us know and we'll be even more sure of the environment.

As for the DP, I agree with Seraphi. Restock is good.

Keep up the good work!

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So, as I am behind I normally would write what I felt paragraph by paragraph for the chapters, but I'm on my phone so that isn't going to happen. I will say however that I feel for Elona and those nightmares. It's not great to try and rest only to lose it due to the terrors of the mind. Your description of the city was awesome, as I find they usually are, but Wellspring has a point on that smell thing. It'd take it to the next level for sure. Oh, and I like that Elona sees that Sionn is excited and let's him be, since she remembers feeling that way when she first saw it.

As for the DP, I'm not offering anything new to the board. I agree on restocking supplies. Then maybe find somewhere to eat?
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poll is live, people! Probably only going to keep it up for a few days, ideally I'll be closing it on the 26th, 27th. Vote quickly!
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just going to start by apologizing for how long this took. Life's taken lots of turns, I hit like four different levels of writers block, and I couldn't get it to do what I wanted. Finally, I triumphed.


Chapter Eighteen



The first scent to hit Sionn was refuse and baking bread in equal measure. The air wasn’t clear and fresh like in the forest, the very breeze held the faint musty undertone he’d picked up from humans, and a menagerie of diluted animal scents. Sionn could only be happy for the small mercy that it began as a soft impression of a scent on the breeze, increasing in strength as they approached the city. When the scents tried to push in on him, close him in with their intensity, he drew on lessons of his youth.

One of the few abilities he’s managed to successfully learn from his parents was how to isolate the scents from each other. Sorting through them individually, filing away what the source of each one might be, would keep his head from spinning. As he began to adjust, and focus came to him, it was Elona’s undeniable, indescribable, scent that wafted towards him like a knife through butter. Nonetheless, he found himself scrambling for a way to put words to it. It was fresh, clear and sparkling on a level the forest couldn’t match.

Filtering through the other odors, Sionn began to notice the undercurrents. He could tell the baking bread was coming from a building not too far to his east, and the refuse was coming from far north. As the cavalcade of smells associated with a city as large as this threatened to make his head spin, Sionn blocked out all three he’d identified- even Elona’s, as loathe as he was to ignore any aspect of her. Relying on his eyes to follow after her, Sionn began to pick out the scent of separate kinds of Animalkith all around him.

Their scents were unique to themselves, but underneath them all, an undercurrent of the animal the humans would claim they had kinship with. Are they wrong? If Foxkith can hear as a fox does, can smell as a fox does, is it wrong to say they are of the fox? Even as Sionn debated that, he sorted it aside, sifted through the musty scent of the rising dirt, and realized- Elona had veered to the left, ducking into an alleyway. Coming to a stop where he’d been left, Sionn tilted his head. What is she doing? They had been heading towards a building marked by the scent of smoke and metal, the sounds of a hammer to stone, but now she was stopped, and bending down.

For a moment, Sionn’s heart lurched into his throat, as he leapt to the conclusion that Elona had been hurt, but no sooner had he had the thought that he realized what Elona was doing- or rather, who she was talking to. There, ducked against the wall, hiding in the shadows as much as might be possible, was a small child, a Deerkith, Sionn would guess. She had the curved, narrow ears of one, flicking back and forth between Elona and Sionn. [/i]She might even have one of those little poof-ball tails, but it wouldn’t be visible.[/i] Bewildered to why Elona had singled out this child that was plainly trying to fade away, Sionn returned his gaze to her.

Elona had lowered herself into a kneeling position, with one knee hovering just above the mildly grimey ground, and her hand resting on the other. The nurturing kindness in her eyes, softened by her very faint smile, did not surprise Sionn, but it nonetheless stole away his breath and stiffened his spine. Helpless to do anything more than just watch, Sionn drank in the sights.

“Hello.” Elona murmured, softly, and Sionn was struck by how soothingly soft it sounded. While it was reminiscent of the way her voice had gone around him, there was a lilt to it he hadn’t yet heard. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to play a small game with me? It’s a tradition of mine, but I cannot find a willing partner.”

“Wh-what is the game?” The Deer-child’s voice was soft, careful. She had learned caution, whether it be through life or a mentor, and Sionn felt no small measure of relief.

“It’s simple,” Elona lifted the hand she’d rested on her knee, and twirled a coin dramatically through her fingers. “I flip a coin, and you call heads or tails. That’s all. No tricks, and we don’t even need to travel for it.”

“Wh-why?” The girl’s eyes had leveled on the silvery coin, and Sionn realized that it must be a substantial amount of money to the girl, from the way she’d gone rigid, and leaned slightly away from the wall. Some inkling of what Elona must be planning began to occur to Sionn as she answered.

“Just a custom of mine, that’s all.”

The Deer-Childs reaction struck Sionn as odd. Her mouth opened slightly, and she looked awed, almost. While Sionn truly believed that Elona could have hung the moon and personally polished the stars every night, what reason did this small child have to look at her the same? Seeking answers, as unlikely as receiving them might be, Sionn turned his head back towards Elona as the Deer-child answered.

“Okay.” The strength in her voice had grown a small measure, but she nodded her acceptance as well. Elona’s smile was full of pride, and with a small nod, she flipped the coin. Sionn, even with his fox ears twitching, nearly missed it when the girl murmured, “Heads,” But he did not miss it when Elona, with a decisive movement of her thumb, sent the coin flipping into the air, and caught it deftly on the top of her hand, resting her other hand on the top of it quickly. Sionn and the Deer-Child alike must have held their breath, and Elona lifted her hand slowly, drawing out the moment.

“Oh! Look at that, it’s heads!”

Sionn peered closer at the coin. The side that glinted up to them had an imprint of the sails of a ship, great fluttering triangles layered against one another. That had been one of the aspects of human and Animalkith culture none of his family could come understand, why take shiny bits of metal, and warp them into discs, why even go to the further effort of imprinting images onto them, claiming them as a particular kind of shiny metal disc. Then, to use and hoard these shiny discs in exchange for all else they might need, instead of simply seeking it out on their own? Sionn still couldn’t understand the reasoning behind it, but he had- through necessity- wrapped his mind around the logistics of it.

“It is heads!” The girl spoke with genuine excitement in her voice, a giggle of joy lurking just behind it, masked by a remaining thread of caution. “I called it!”

“That means you win.” Elona declared, reached out to gently take the girls hand and place the silver coin into it. “And this is your prize.”

The girl just stared, open-mouthed, at the coin, before flicking her eyes up to Elona. All the caution and fear had been wiped from her face, and now she was staring at her with no small measure of adoration. Sionn tilted his head, confused at the shift, even with the coin involved, but he had no chance to ask questions. The girl let out an excited yelp, gave Elona a quick hug, and then ran off into the crowd. Sionn stood there for a moment, silent, before glancing back over at Elona. She looked confused, and was touching the part of her shoulder where she’d been hugged.

“Elona?”

“That’s never happened before.” She murmured, still blankly peering at the place where the girl had been.

“You’ve done this before?”

Sionn watched as Elona pushed to her feet and turned towards him, an answer ready on her lips, but a small shriek distracted them both. Sionn’s head shot up, his ears already turning towards the sound, and his body moved to match it. Part of the way down the road, a human man dressed in travellers clothes had grabbed the girl by the wrist and was holding her aloft. Her tiny hand was fisted, presumably around the coin that Elona had given her. Sionn leaned forward, trying to make out what the traveller was saying.

“Little thief! How’d a Beastial like you get ahold of this kinda coin?!”

Sionn stiffened, his head whipping around to Elona. What do we do?

~~*~~~*~~~*~~



You heard him, folks. The DP for this long awaited, muchly writer-blocked chapter: What do they do?

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Andolyn
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go save the girl, of course! Set the record straight.

Great chapter. <3 I'm glad to see this continuing.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like how you not only payed a lot of attention to the sensory overload Sionn's experiencing from the smells, but also mentioned how he copes with it. (Also, "deer-child"/dear child amuses me XD.) As for what they should do, I would say it's up to Elona to go set the traveler straight on why the kid has that much money since she passes as human (if I recall correctly?) and probably has a better idea of how to talk to people in that city than Sionn. If I were Sionn, I would wait to see what Elona does and follow her leave (and probably pester her/try to persuade her to help if she decides to do nothing for some reason.)
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First of all, I'm glad you've gotten out of the clutches of writer's block! We all know that struggle.

I agree with Adryrn on the sensory overloading Sionn gets and how he deals with it! I find it fascinating! Though, we know I find just about everything that has to do with Sionn fascinating.

And can we talk about how sad it is that the Deer child has to be so cautious?! And how amazed she gets at Elona's trick? And I just adore how excited she got!

I say that Elona and Sionn should help the girl! Elona should probably go in first for good measure...
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a heads up that you've got 24 hours left to comment! What should they do!
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Defend, defeeeeend~

Looking human, it shouldn't be too much to clear away the situation and make him shut up by explaining the gift. maybe.....if things get too bad..threaten the guy into peacefulness
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 3:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm hmm. I agree with the suggestion, diplomacy before carnage! And if worse comes tomworst, the guards will interfere. But don't strike the first blow.

Surprise! It's me. Life's got better so I was able to return for a while. ^_^
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Cyberworm!

Welcome back, but the City's pretty much a ghost town these days ...

Although I check it every week, just in case.

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 4:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can see that, and it's a bit sad to see it. But tehere's always hope. no? _)
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