Like a Fish out of Water|Beastlands

[Kender Bard]

A young man, garbed in the rustic colors of a forest in autumn, creeps about the area, bow in hand with arrow nocked. He was skirting a lot closer to Seere's borders than he would have usually liked, but there'd been so little activity in the outer perimeter of the woods lately. It's not that he wanted to run into trouble, but something, anything would do!

So, Tharam the self-appointed border patroller, continued to creep along, looking for some hot blooded Beleg or an ignorant outsider to blunder into his jurisdiction...

[Toyoll]

Not far, Sloan sat on his rock, surveying the horizon from the edge of the wood. His rugged face calm, like a resting storm.

Piercing liver-chestnut eyes gazed out from grizzled locks of hair, a livid scar ran down from his right temple to his chin. Sloan's legs were that of an elk, making him look much like a satyr. His proud antlers in their autumn prime arced over his head. Twelve tines rose to the sky, marking him as a royal*.

He devoured the rest of his meal, some fruit and a simple array of vegetables, and rose from his perch. The elk affinity slung his pack over his shoulder and got onto the barely visible dirt road that wound it's way crazily through the bush. Hooves thumping dully on the compact earth, Sloan resumed his travels.

((*Royal is a term used to describe an animal with twelve spikes, or tines, on it's antlers. An elk doesn't get twelve tines until he or she(yes she) is in their prime.))

[Kender Bard]

Tharam caught movement in his peripheral vision. Lowering his bow, he crept after, trying to remain silent. He'd been sure to train in an area without danger as best as he could at being silent, but he was still wary of his skills when it came to dealing with the Beasts. Once he caught sight of Sloan, Tharam tried to keep pace with the elk type. He wasn't sure which clan this one was from - probably not Beleg, so he wouldn't be a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out just in case someone felt like 'venison' tonight. Now the hard part was just keeping the other man from noticing him.

[Toyoll]

Sloan froze still as stone, not even blinking, he looked like a part of the landscape, just as organic and natural as the rocks and trees around him. Carefully, he glanced about, sniffed loudly a couple of times, pausing to contemplate what he scented. The elk grumbled and kept walking.

Being an elk, he did not have an amazing sense of smell, he was upwind and remained oblivious to his follower. But Sloan's instincts made him edgy. There was something wrong and he couldn't put his finger on it. His sense of smell may not be as sharp as the wolf's, but the elk's instincts is sharp enough to spear one. Sloan scratched at the base of his antlers, shooing away the flies, straining his ears to hear.

[Kender Bard]

Still creeping after, Tharam blessed his luck that he hadn't been noticed yet.

Off to the distance, not too far away for the cheetah affinity, the Beleg clanner sights Sloan, not noticing Tharam at this point, and prepares to make use of her abnormal (for some Beasts) speed. After waiting a few heartbeats for the right conditions, she runs out to pounce on Sloan.

[Toyoll]

Sloan grunted in surprise, the former Beleg champion tossed his head and reached over his back. His thick, powerful hands clamped down firmly on her fore-arm and a handful of clothes, he flipped the attacking cheetah affinity over his shoulder and threw her to the ground, some feet away from him.

Sloan took a fighting stance, head lowered, sharp antlers between him and his opponent and his hard, heavy hooves pawed the ground aggressively creating small ruts in the earth. This is how Sloan liked to face his adversaries, head to head. The elk bellowed, powerful and dangerous, his otherwise handsome human face was contorted in an almost predatory snarl.

Sloan ignored the sharp daggers of pain from the wounds the cheetah has left on his body. He reached up and rested his hands were his thick neck met his strong shoulders and activated his beast sign. He became slightly more animalistic in appearance, fur and hair bristled, muscles quivered, his ears grew into those of an elk's and adrenaline was pumped into his veins. He awaited his foe's next move...

[Kender Bard]

Tharam was under the mistaken impression that Sloan was most likely from Poldora or a strong Seere. Though he wasn't inclined to help the Poldorans, he couldn't be sure which clan the Elk was from. The way the Cheetah attacked, though, he had little doubt that she was of Beleg. Those were attacks to kill, like a true predator. Lifting up his bow, he took sight.

Meanwhile, the Cheetah shook her head, getting her bearings back. She didn't want to get into a fight she might lose but she wanted to bring Sloan down. Growling irritably, she paced around a little, tense, and looking for the opening. When she thought she found it, she sprang, claws extending - and got an arrow in the chest. Her surprise took the force out of her pounce and she left herself critically open to a counter.

[Toyoll]

Sloan seized his chance and swung his sharpened antlers at the cheetah affinity, throwing all his force into it. There was a a terrible sound as antler met bone and the elk tossed the Beleg clanner roughly to the ground.((occ:I'm assuming that I can do this now that I am the moderator of the beastlands. Tell me if I am mistaken.))

Snorting triumphantly, he walked over to the broken cheetah. Sloan lifted a heavy, ivory hoof and brought it down, hard.

[Kender Bard]

((That's fine.))

Tharam winced at that. A bit much, Beast. Figuring he'd lost his position by shooting the arrow, he walks out, slowly, with is bow in hand but in a nonaggressive stance. "Are you okay?"

[Toyoll]

Sloan eyed the man wearily, his body subtly returning to it's original shape. "Who are you?" he snorted gruffly. This small man took down the pouncing cheetah, so obviously, he was aiding him, though he couldn't comprehend why. People with ulterior motives made Sloan nervous. The bull took a few good sniffs, "...What element are you?" he wasn't used to small talk, he found it wasted too much time.

[Kender Bard]

"Water," Tharam said, pulling back his bangs to reveal the symbol on his forehead. "My name is Tharam. I'm, ah, a.. Guardian you could say." He smiled nervously and hoped he wasn't making a mistake here. Well I had to speak with the people at some point, didn't I?

[Toyoll]

"...Guardian? The Beasts need no guardian. We guard ourselves." the elk said in his low rumbling voice, like distant thunder.

Sloan drew himself up to his full stature, antlers making him look even taller. He sneered down at Tharam, "I am Sloan Irontines. Former Beleg champion and new General of Poldora." He liked using his full title, he usually got very satisfying reactions from weaker members of his new clan.

Sloan bent down so that he was eye level with the stranger, "...I don't like you, Tharam Water type. There is a fox behind your eyes. I don't like tricky foxes. What do you want here in the Beastlands, Tharam? What are you doing so far from the River?"

[Kender Bard]

Tharam felt something in him recoil and quell at the intimidating Beast. Then, like a flash of lightning, he saw his older brother towering over him, leering at him, mocking him, and anger welled up inside of him as the image slipped from his mind again. He drew himself up to as full stature as he could, and though he wasn't nearly as tall as Sloan, he tried to at least show some pride. "I wouldn't call it prudent to bully someone who helped to save your life. I'm sure, now, you probably could have taken that cheetah on your own, but I didn't know that when I saw the attack. I am no fox, though, I can assure you. I'm here to help guard the Seere clanners, not your kind, because I've already divined that Poldora and Beleg need no such help. As to what I'm doing here..." Here, his confidence shook a little. "That isn't really your business. Not all Water types are confined to Ronduin, and not all Beasts to the Beastlands, no?"

[Toyoll]

Sloan grinned (which only made him look scarier..) "Perhaps I was wrong, you are not a tricky fox, but maybe a bristly hedgehog." He poked Tharam roughly in the chest then backed off a little. It wasn't an act of hostility, but simply the way Sloan was. Tharam has unintentionally done exactly what he should have: He didn't back down. If he would have given Sloan any doubt that he was afraid, the elk would have more than likely run him through.

"Beasts need no guardians," Sloan said now, "Seere has a Guard. Seere can take care of themselves. You need to take care of yourself. But tell me, Tharam Water type, what do you guard Seere from?"

[Kender Bard]

"I don't know," Tharam mumbled. "Danger I guess. When I first came here, I saw some poachers trying to hunt down a deer affinity and her young son. I don't know if they wanted to kill them or capture them in order to draw more deer, but when nobody came I put my arrows through their throats." Not in time to save the mother though... "It.. Felt good to help someone that way. So, I stuck around and started patrolling the woods. I don't have anywhere else to go, or do." Frowning in thought, he inquired, "What's this guard like?"