The sky is clear as crystal overhead, a radiant blue unspoiled by cloud or anything else. Sunlight streams through the forest canopy, tinging everything with a hint of pale green.
Here a small clearing opens, barely large enough to drive a wagon through. The trees link close overhead to shelter the ground from the brilliant rays of the sun. A little stream bubbles into a pool near the center, it's rocky bottom speaking of the higher and rocky land from which the water flows.
Zilvar pushes his way through the wall of vegetation that shelters this clearing. As he looks around, his breath steams faintly in the cool morning air. "I think we can stop here and fill up those water bottles, Kibra."
Kibra nods, stopping to pull some leaves out of her hair.."Sounds good to me."
Zilvar shrugs his shoulders and lets his traveling pack slide down into one hand. "Now lets see if I can remember how you opened this thing."
Kibra shrugs her pack off, setting it next to yours.
Zilvar kneels down and focuses his attention on the packs, a moment later all but yanking two water bottles from them. "Ugh! There...Shouldn't have been that hard. Probably missed a strap."
Kibra chuckles, watching you. "It's not difficult, really." She slips her vest off, dropping it on top of her pack. "Whew. It's warm today."
Zilvar rocks back on his heels and looks up at you with a smile. "I'll take your word for it." He chuckles softly when you pull your vest off. "I didn't think it was all that warm, but I'll take your word for it."
Zilvar offers you one of the bottles.
Kibra smiles, taking the bottle. "I'm cold adapted..I have fairly thick fur." She sips the water, sighing in relief.
Zilvar sets his bottle to the side and leans down to bury his muzzle in the pool. When he comes up for air he shakes his head, "Adapted for cold, I'm not. Fairly used to it...well, that's different."
Zilvar brings his hands up to squeegee the water out of his face.
Kibra smiles, nodding. "I prefer warmer weather, but I can stand the cold." She unties her hair, shaking it loose. She pours some water over her face.
Zilvar watches and smiles. "This, I think, is the weather of my choice. Cool in the mornings, to shock the mind awake. Warmer during the day, to allow the body and the fingers to work without hamper, and cooling in the evening, to draw one to fa..hearth and home."
Zilvar looks down and starts to stash his water bottle back in his pack.
Kibra flicks an ear and nods. "If one has a home.." She finishes her water and refills it from the stream.
Zilvar nods slowly. "Indeed. If one has a home."
Kibra takes a brush from her pack and brushes through her hair.
Zilvar lets out a slow breath and looks back up. He sees you and smiles. "Do not care to look the part of the lost jungle maiden, with leaves in your tresses and branches in your fur?"
Kibra blushes, pausing in mid brushstroke. "I guess not..I suppose it's just silly vanity, really."
Zilvar shakes his head and smiles crookedly, "I doubt it. No more so than the vanity which leads me to look rough and tumble."
Kibra chuckles softly. "Ah, the handsome rugged look, hmm?"
Zilvar lets his eyebrows rise, "Handsome? Well, that's not what I'd planned, but if you say so..."
Kibra smiles, quickly braiding her hair. "I do."
Zilvar leans forward and absently starts to open up the pack he was carrying. "Well, I would definitely be remiss if I didn't return the compliment. You are quite lovely...even with leaves in your hair.
Kibra laughs softly, stowing the brush away. "I was not fishing for a compliment, but thank you."
Zilvar grabs one of the food packages from his bag and starts to seal it back up. "I know you weren't. But it still had to be said.
Kibra sweeps a bow.."Thank you." She sits down next to the stream, removing her sandals and rolling up her pant legs. She sticks her feet in the water, sighing happily.
Zilvar chuckles softly. He tilts his head to the side and looks at your feet. "Surely those sandles aren't the best forest walking gear."
Kibra hmms, shaking her head. She flexes her toes in the water.."No..they aren't. My feet hurt a bit."
Zilvar mphs. "We should have asked if they had any boots while Thorian and his crew were feeling so generous."
Kibra kicks her feet in the water.."I did not with to push his generosity."
Zilvar smiles a bit. "I think we already had. He didn't really look all that happy."
Kibra shakes her head.."No..no, he wasn't..it's a very alien concept to some on my world, that a person would not wish to return there."
Zilvar nods. "I can understand that, I think. It seemed strange to me that I had no desire to return to my world when I first found myself elsewhere.
Kibra nods, wiggling her toes at some tiny swimming creatures. "I find myself at home wherever I have a bond with a place or the people. I'm just a traveler, I guess.."
Zilvar rocks back and settles down to relax. "I haven't found myself at home yet. I thought I had, for a time, but it turned out that I was wrong."
Kibra nods, looking into the water. "Perhaps someday you will."
Zilvar halfsmiles. "Perhaps. The way I keep getting tossed from place to place might even give me a chance."
Kibra nods, falling silent.
Zilvar pads over and settles down beside you, his back to the pool. "And what about you? Would you move on if you found someplace you could call home?"
Kibra says, "From here, you mean? I don't know. You took some risks, fighting for me to stay here..I'm not sure I'd just up and leave without a good reason.""
Zilvar arches his eyebrows. "What risks? I wasn't ever in any danger from that fight."
Kibra chuckles softly. "You seem awfully sure of yourself."
Zilvar grins lopsidedly. "Of course I am. Fighting is one of the few things I am exceptional at.
Kibra raises an eyebrow. "Well, then, I suppose my thanks wouldn't mean very much."
Zilvar shakes his head, "No..your thanks would mean a great deal to me."
Kibra puts a warm hand on your arm.."Thank you, Zilvar."
Zilvar reaches up and covers your hand with his. "You are welcome, Kibra."
Zilvar smiles a little bit. "I wasn't really ready to see you leave yet, anyway."
Kibra looks up, smiling a bit. "You weren't?"
Zilvar grins, "Of course not...Who else was going to show me how to use these packs?"
Kibra laughs softly, but her eyes darken a bit. She looks away, pulling her feet out of the water and rubbing them a bit. "Who else."
Zilvar moves his hand to your shoulder. "I make bad jokes, sometimes, I know. But I didn't think I was consistently that bad. I would have fought that fight, and a hundred, or a thousand more if that is what it took to make them listen to what you wanted."
Kibra's shoulder is tense and stiff under your hand. "Thank you, Zilvar. I appreciate your concern over me very much."
Zilvar draws his hand back and watches you quietly, somewhat at a loss for words.
Kibra continues to rub her feet, eyes absently looking out over the stream.
Zilvar reaches up and scrubs at his face for a second, "Kibra...I'm sorry. For what, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sorry that it hurt you. I never wanted to do that."
Kibra blinks a bit. "Uh..ok..I wasn't so much hurt as not knowing what to say. Sometimes it seems we have different paths, and I just don't know what to say to that."
Zilvar relaxes a bit. "You seem to find some real bombshells when you don't know what to say. I hope I never actually get you mad at me."
Kibra opens her mouth, then closes it again. She blinks a few times.
Zilvar rolls over and dips his muzzle into the water again for a drink.
Kibra watches you for a moment, then shakes her head. "You are a mystery to me, Zilvar."
Zilvar lifts his head a bit and drips, "I am? Howso?"
Kibra shrugs. "I guess I just don't understand your motivations sometimes."
Zilvar shakes his head and leans back, twisting to look at you. "OK. I guess that's fair. But I hate to be a mystery, at least...I hate to be a mystery that I don't perpetuate. What don't you understand?"
Kibra smiles, shaking her head. "It's ok. I don't have to understand everything." She lies back, putting her hands under her head.
Zilvar chuckles softly and shakes his head. "That wasn't very nice. Now you've piqued my curiosity and I'm going to lie awake at nights wondering what questions you might have about me."
Kibra wiggles her toes a bit. "All right. Your biological reading were very unusual. Why?"
Zilvar resists the urge to tickle your toes. "Well, I'd have to know what you meant by 'unusual', but to venture a guess at what you might have seen... It'd be because I was made to fight. And win."
Kibra blinks, her eyes a bit shocked. "You were..constructed?"
Zilvar shakes his head. "No..not constructed. Grown. Engineered, I suppose, would be a better term. At least, the body was."
Kibra flicks an ear, trying to understand.."And your soul?"
Zilvar shrugs, "My consciousness, and memories, and everything else that made me who I am were transferred after the body finished growing. I don't remember anything from the procedure. Just going to sleep one day and waking up feeling really strange the next."
Kibra nods slowly. "Why was this done?"
Zilvar chews on his upper lip. "Do you want the long version, or the short one?
Kibra shakes her head.."You don't have to tell me at all."
Zilvar smiles softly. "The short version then. My people were at war, and losing. Sometime during the war, a machine was found to accomplish what was done to me. It was, I assume, something left over from when my people actually knew how to make things work. I did a good deed, saving the life of a warlord during an ambush, and was granted the opportunity to become a Commander. Which was the fancy name for this."
Kibra nods, sighing softly.
Zilvar crosses his legs. "After spending a year or two relearning how to live, they sent me out to fight. That's pretty much the story.
Kibra says, "I'm sorry, Zilvar."
Zilvar smiles a little, "Sorry? For what?"
Kibra says, "For what happened to you."
Kibra smiles and wiggles her toes again. "That explains much..thank you."
Zilvar chuckles softly. "You are welcome. But you don't have to be sorry. I certainly don't complain often. Oh..I admit I haven't been swimming in a while, but I suppose I can live without that."
Kibra tilts her head.."You can't swim?"
Zilvar shakes his head. "Too dense. Sink like a rock...or a bar of iron."
Kibra ahs and nods.."That's too bad."
Zilvar smiles softly. "I never was a great swimmer. I spent most of my time gasping for breath."
Kibra nods, splashing her feet in the water a bit. "I love to swim."
Zilvar looks you up and down. "You have the body for it. You probably swim like a fish."
Kibra chuckles, blushing a bit. "Thank you."
Zilvar blinks a few times and blushes himself, "Oh! That's...ack. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."
Kibra chuckles.."That's all right."
Zilvar grins and rubs his nose. "Well..Anyway, you do look like someone who'd swim really well."
Kibra chuckles.."I'm a fairly good swimmer."
Zilvar grins a little wider. "I'd believe it." He leans back a little, "Were there any other mysteries you'd like cleared up?"
Kibra smiles, shaking her head.."Not right now."
Zilvar nods, "Well, if you do get any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. Like I said, I don't like being a mystery."
Kibra nods, wiggling her toes some more.
Zilvar can't resist. He reaches out and tickles your toes.
Kibra laughs and wiggles her toes.
Zilvar chuckles and continues to tickle your feet!
Kibra acks and rolls away.
Zilvar smiles and lets you escape the tickle-torture.
Kibra smiles a bit and sits up, brushing grass from her hair.
Zilvar chuckles softly. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist."
Kibra nods, slipping her sandals on.."I know."
Zilvar tilts his head to the side, "You know? That I couldn't resist? Or that I'm sorry?"
Kibra smiles, shrugging.."That you couldn't resist, I think."
Zilvar stands up, smiling. "And how did you know that?"
Kibra looks up at you.."Just a guess.
Kibra smiles.."Just a guess."
Zilvar stretches and then looks back at you, grinning. "Either you're a good guesser, or you're better at reading me than you want to let on."
Kibra chuckles.."I'm not that good at reading you. You are very unreadable."
Zilvar acks and throws his hands up in obviously mock despair. "Ahh, me...I have become yet another mystery! I am growing old and inscrutable! Oh dear...oh dear..."
Zilvar winks
Kibra smiles and winks in return.
Zilvar chuckles, "Well, I shall have to struggle to be less opaque, then.
Zilvar offers you his hand, "Are we ready to continue on, or do you want to rest a little longer?"
Kibra stands without taking your hand. "I think I am ready."
Zilvar watches you, hand still half-extended. A moment later he nods and picks up both packs, offering one to you. "Well, I'm guessing we should be off, then. It's probably quite a ways to the coast...and hopefully people.
Zilvar hesitates for a moment. "Oh..wait a minute. How are we going to understand them?"
Zilvar looks at you, "I've gotten so used to magic doing all the work that it slipped my mind."
Kibra takes on of the packs. "There is probably a translator in one of these packs."
Zilvar mms and nods. "That's a bit of relief."
Kibra sighs softly as she shoulders her pack.
Zilvar turns to look at you. "What? Something wrong?
Kibra shakes her head. "No. Let's go."
Zilvar stops, "No..something's eating you, I definitely heard a heartfelt sigh."
Kibra frowns. "I just wish I could stay in one place longer than I do." She shrugs. "As I said, it is nothing."
Zilvar smiles softly and looks around. "Well, it's not quite what you meant, I think, but we can set up camp here for a few days. There should be ample hunting, and plenty of water."
Kibra shakes her head.."No, let's just go."
Zilvar nods slowly and steps into the forest, breaking a trail for you to follow. A few steps in, he starts to whistle something tuneless and off-key.
Kibra looks around the clearing, pausing for a long moment.
Zilvar's ears perk back and he slows down a little.
Kibra reluctantly begins to follow.
Zilvar almost stops, but shakes his head and moves on through the forest. He murmurs to himself, "Can't very well make her believe that I trusted her judgment if I'm constantly asking if she's sure."
Kibra follows slowly.