Thar Shaddin

When Kaevad kneeled in front of her, she didn’t quite know what to expect. Maybe a lecture on how she should go back to the life she knew because the woods were not a place for a young and inexperienced girl such as herself. Maybe that she should learn to keep her self-pity to herself. Yet when he started rubbing her shoulders and none of his words even came close to being accusations, she looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. He was so kind, so sweet to her.

For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms or for him to scoop her up and hug her tightly. When was the last time her parents had even considered hugging her? When had they even last hugged themselves? For real, not the show they put on before other people. Intimacy was something Soneya longed for with every fibre of her body, yet she was completely inexperienced at it and didn’t know what to do with it if it came her way, other than the odd hug she gave people when she felt it would help them through their pain. But that was different. Because it didn’t concern her own self.

She believed Kaevad when he said he wanted to show her the world and there was nothing she would agree to more fiercely than that. Alas, things were more complicated than that. A headache was starting to build up again as conflicting emotions were warring inside of her and she didn’t know what to do.
When Kaevad suggested she would see him again no matter what her decision would be, it somewhat eased the strain this moment put on her and she finally tore her eyes away to look at the ground, nodding slightly as she did so.

“I’m not so sure, Kaevad. I think maybe Rhyn would rather keep you as a pet as the other way around,” she attempted to joke, smiling at the woman. “You don’t need to hold back on the liver on my account,” she assured her. “My grandfather loved eating it, so I’m used to it, unlike a lot of humans it seems.” She was glad that even though Rhyn didn’t say much, she didn’t seem opposed to keeping Soneya around. It was a wonderful reassurance, one she appreciated more than she could say, if she knew how to express it.

Reaching out for one of Kaevad’s hands on her shoulders, she lightly squeezed it, hoping the gesture would be enough to express her thanks because she started feeling like she was repeating herself over and over again like a broken record.
“Now I’m really starting to be hungry though,” she muttered, twisting her face into a smile, even if it came out a little forced still. “Any piece around with a bone I could hold on to?”

Rhyn snorted at the idea of taking on the mantle of 'pet'. But her hand moved up to touch the leather collar around her neck. The citrine stone and leather was well hidden within her plush fur. It did seem similar to those collars people put on their pets. She wrinkled her nose, even as Soneya joked about her keeping Kaevad for a pet rather than the other way around, and urged her to go for the liver despite her presence.

The cat didn't hesitate, moving for the slab of meat and using her knives to sear the outside swiftly near the hotter part of the fire. She pointed out several pieces of meat that still had bones attached. The ribs were easy enough for such endeavors, and then turned her attention to the liver. If it was overcooked, she wouldn't like the texture and would end up throwing it away. Not even the slightest piece should be wasted.

When the outside was browned but the piece was still dripping with juice, Rhyn used claws to pick the piece away, neatly pulling a piece off at a time so that she was eating without making a mess. it was easy to see that the liver was still mostly raw. She spoke between bites. "Anybody who believed you to have a snow leopard pet would be a fool.. Not that lowlanders know much of mountain cats... But I doubt Marn would be happy to have me inside its walls..." There was a strain of her own insecurity. She didn't like cities much.

Shr said something about eating, which Kaevad agreed she should, but first... First he gave in the the strong need to just hug her. Rolling forward a bit, Kaevad hugged her as tight as he dared, holding her still he answered Rhyn. "Its called exotic pets, Rhyn... Most lowlanders admire others for having such things." He moved back to kiss Soneya on the forehead before getting up, passing her a rib before he moved to go back to his seat.

Soneya was more than happy to wrap her arms around Kaevad when he suddenly leaned forward to hug her. It made her smile and feel all warm inside, washing away any nervousness she might have felt or even bad feelings.
Taking the rib from him with a thank you as he settled back into his place, she looked at Rhyn with her head cocked to the side. “They really are quite fond of exotic pets. I’ve never quite seen the appeal in it though, apart from having a pet that looks unique and very cool but I’ve always been a firm believer in letting them in their natural habitat where they belong. It would however be an easy way of getting you into the city. If the guards believe that you are an actual snow leopard and not a shifter, they might not even bother with trying to convince you to register with the magi, which in turn we could only benefit from. The less we have to do with guards or magi, the better.”

Savouring the rib, she remained quiet for a bit, all the while considering ways on how to navigate the city of Marn to her place encountering as little guards as possible.
“Would you mind coming to Marn with me? I mean, just to get some of my stuff. I can’t really do anything with just these clothes.” The question came out very hesitantly but more because she wasn’t quite sure she was doing the right thing by asking them to come along rather than because she was actually planning on abandoning her life like she had known it and running off into the wild.

Rhyn grunted. Exotic pets. Right. Idiotic people, if you ask me.

She savored another piece of still bloody meat and sighed in contentment for the moment, listening to those around her. Her ears perked as Soneya asked them to come with her back into Marn. Tail twitching nervously, she didn't answer, her ears lowering as she focused in on her meal, waiting for Kaevad to give an answer.

If Soneya truly wanted to come live out here with them, that was okay, she supposed, but it would require more than just one set of clothing. But she didn't really want to go into Marn... She didn't really like her human form. It was ugly, hairless and smooth.

He was chewing on a slab of meat himself when she asked the question. Cocking and eyebrow he looked to Rhyn as she looked to him, and noted her uneasiness. He thought a moment before turning back to Soneya, contemplating. "I'll take you into Marn, though I think Rhyn should stay behind and perhaps store the meat... perhaps hunt for more for drying and smoking for rations, should we need it later... if she doesn't mind of course." He looked back to wink at her. It didn't take a social genius to realize she didn't want to go. He looked back to Soneya after Rhyn's response.

"That being taken care of, I'll... shift fully human. Be right back." He murmured, eyes darkening slightly before standing with a groan. He slid outside, a piece of tough meat in hand. Biting it gently, he shifted, gritting his teeth against the pain as wings, claws and horns shrank into flesh, muscle and bone, leaving him as human as he could be. Transformation done, he staggered and leaned heavily against a tree, panting. No more shifting for awhile if he could help it...

Immediately Soneya felt like she had overstepped the line again as she noticed Rhyn’s apparent discomfort. She didn’t like causing others pain or worry, it wasn’t her way. She was the one always looking after others and this was fairly new and uncomfortable for her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to.. well.. it was just a suggestion. There’s no need to..” She broke off, not even sure what she had wanted to say herself, so she wrapped the fur back around her in an attempt to hide. It was a movement for a little girl and she was well aware of it but she didn’t know what else to do because just quickly bidding them farewell and running off would simply not do. Plus, she didn’t want to either.

The look in Kaevad’s eyes when he disappeared to shift back to fully human wasn’t what she had intended either. It would hurt him, a lot, and again she didn’t want to be the reason for it, but here she was even asking him to do it. What on earth was wrong with her?
However, there was no point in lingering about for ages either. They had eaten and neither of the other two seemed to be made for sticking in the same place for all too long, so she decided that it would be better to just up and go now. And if Rhyn really wasn’t against what Kaevad had suggested, then she would see her again soon anyways. As soon as she and Kaevad were back from Marn, which would hopefully be soon.

“I guess, I’ll, well, we will be off to Marn then. We won’t take long. As little time as possible. So, I’ll see you soon, right?” After casting Rhyn one last look, Soneya put Kaevad’s fur back into place before heading out of the cave in search of the man.

Rhyn sighed with relief as Kaevad saved her from having to outright refuse to walk into the city. She nodded. "Yes, I will fix meat for saving. She grinned awkwardly, her tail waving at the girl. "I will see you when you return, for sure. We'll have rations."

The woman continued eating, standing as she started looking how to set things up to smoke the meat.

He'd just caught his breath when he heard the lass move towards him. Pushing himself upright and facing her with an easy smile, he almost missed her sad eyes. Almost. He stopped, frowning, before reaching forward to cup her cheek, only to hesitate and stop short. That was a tad personal, even if she did return his embraces. Instead he gripped her shoulder gently and pulled her to him, giving her a quick one-armed hug.

"Don't worry so much, Soneya. Life is too short for you to worry." He kissed the top of her head without thinking before releasing her and moving easily towards Marn, singing an old tune in an ancient language, his baritone voice carrying easily through the woods.

The entered the gates and he got by the guards easily, simply shrugged when they asked where his clothes were. Leather pants had been all he ever required, and simply said he was too warm to wear a shirt. Walking by the muttering guards, he smirked at Soneya before muttering to her: "They're just jealous that I draw the eyes of the ladies."

Soneya was relieved to have an easy Kaevad by her side all the way to Marn. He really didn’t seem like he had a care in the world, or at least that’s how he pretended to appear at that moment in time. It not only made for a comfortable walk but it also made it easy to pass by the guards.

“Haha, yes, I’m sure that’s exactly it,” Soneya grinned, feeling less shy around him after the walk into town. Plus, they had to appear as though they were not complete strangers, otherwise they would draw even more attention than his shirtless state already did. “Do you want me to fetch you a shirt while we’re here? At least so you can cover yourself up a little until we’re out of Marn again? Not that you would need to cover yourself but... I mean, for the la, I mean the guards.. You know.” Realising what she had just said, she desperately tried to save face but somehow she merely managed to turn scarlet once again and clamping her lips shut to avoid embarrassing herself even further.

“We won’t have to go much further. But I’m not sure if my parents will be at home or not. I’m hoping they’re already out for work so we don’t have to deal with them. Because honestly, I wouldn’t know what to tell them. Neither about my whereabouts, nor about you and definitely not about our plans.” The thought brought an uneasy feeling back to her stomach and her head began to throb again somewhere in the back, not quite a headache yet but definitely warning her to take it easy.

It really wasn't long until the house already came in to view and it looked empty. At least there were no lights burning anywhere and most curtains were half-way drawn, indicating that nobody was home. Soneya inserted her key into the look and quietly opened the door, holding it for Kaevad so he could make his way in before she simply stood and listened for a moment. Everything seemed quiet. Good. At least they weren't home, though it also made Soneya feel a pang of sadness that her parents hadn't even stayed home to see if she would come back. Come to think of it, not even the guards at the gates had seemed aware that she had been missing, thus her parents hadn't even alerted anyone.

"Just as well, I guess," she muttered more to herself than to Kaevad. "Let's get my stuff and get out of here."

Rhyn sighed lightly once the other two were gone from the cave. She enjoyed the company, but it was almost a relief to be by herself again, surrounded by the silence. It was in this silence that she moved around, setting up a rack over the fire, high, so that the meat would smoke and cook into jerky. She cooked more of it slowly over the coals to one side. The wood she used to set things up she made sure was damp so that it wouldn't burn easy.

After things were set up, the snowleopard sat at the front of the cave, munching delicately on the still raw heart of the deer she had killed, and staring out over the clearing. After a little while, she took note of the birds that were in the branches, and a squirrel that busied itself digging. It shot glances at her from across the clearing, its tail jerking sharply. She stared back at it with pale eyes, chewing slowly. Her own tail moved, swaying its tip gently. It wasn't long before she was starting to fall into a meditation, as she often had in the high reaches.

He was saddened by the seeming lack of care Soneya's parents had for her. He followed her through her house, holding anything she handed to him, hefting it easily. "I shall be fine without a shirt... u-unless you'd rather I wore one." He blushed slightly, looking up and away from her, appalled he'd stuttered like a child. He cleared his throat, moving away slightly for a moment to gather his wits.

It didn't take long to gather what she needed, Kaevad either pointing out she wouldn't need silly things or suggesting others. All through the process, he watched her sad eyes and simply wanted to comfort her. This couldn't be easy for her... When she moved to pass him again, he simply reached out and held her again, sighing. "You don't have to leave Soneya. You CAN stay. I would love to have you with us, but I can't ask you to leave if it is against your wishes."

He was still holding her when footsteps sounded in the hallway, causing him to straiten and look into the eyes of one very shocked and appalled woman and a very seemingly angry man. "Oh Changers... the messes I walk into..." Kaevad murmured to himself.

"What in Theogios's name are you doing to me daughter heathen!?!" Kaevad's eyes darkened at the name. So his voice was cool as he responded. "Comforting her, it is what friends do, is it not?" He moved to move away from her, intending on shaking the man's hand, though he could sense the hostile air. He vaguely wondered if THIS was what his little Soneya had been raised in. The thought angered him.

She didn’t want to take many items in the end, only her cloak and the bits and pieces her grandfather left her, including a bow and arrows, which she barely knew how to use, but practice made perfect, right?
When Kaevad stepped up to her, she merely shook her head a little. “Don’t feel bad. I’m not sad because I am leaving this place. I’m sad because my parents don’t give a damn about me.” Soneya replied, though grateful for the brief moment of comfort he tried to provide her with. And she wasn’t particularly inclined to delve too deeply into her family background, it was not all too pretty after all.

Of course, the not caring parents had to walk in right at that moment, when Kaevad had his arm around her. What terribly bad timing! Immediately, Soneya’s cheeks were flushed and she was hesitating between anger that they would appear and immediately be rude, or sad that the situation they imagined this to be was more important to them than the fact that she had just reappeared after a day of not returning home.

“This is Kaevad. He’s a friend, so there really is no need to be rude to him,” Soneya said, forcing herself to keep her voice calm rather than spitting it out like she really wanted to. Her parents had never been all too fond of strangers but they had at least always known how to keep their manners. This was different and really not the way they had even raised her. Could they sense his magic?! Was that why they were acting like this? Or was it because he was male and had his arm around her when they had burst in?

Either way, she wanted out of this situation as quickly as possible but she didn’t quite know how. She was due to be at work right this moment and here she was at home. So lying it would have to be. Never easy for her. “I have the day off work, unexpectedly, and I will spend it with Kaevad. We’ll go for a walk and when he drops me off later, I expect you to be a little more polite.”

“You are going nowhere young lady until you have explained your whereabouts last night? Did you spend it with this scoundrel? What did you do with her?” Soneya’s father glared at Kaevad and his intentions were clearly not friendly.

"I did nothing." Kaevad's response was short, clipped and calm. "The fact you insult me despite keeping your daughter safe and dry from the storm last night, is quite amusing though, I shall admit." He wanted, so badly, to allow his eyes to go yellow, but he was pained as it was, and very tired. And to be frank, he didn't have the patience for this nonsense. "Now listen here, child. You daughter is in no safer hands than my own. If you refuse to believe me, feel free to attempt to stop me. Come Soneya." His voice immediately warmed and gentled when addressing the young woman. "I believe Rhyn may be curious as to how long we have been away." And so he moved to leave, only to be stopped by a hand on his chest.

Kaevad looked down at the shorter male, his eyes questioning. "You will not leave with my daughter, bastard." He hissed. Kaevad's eyes flashed. He breathed in deep, counted to 10, and released his breath before grabbing the man's wrist and pulling him to the side with little effort. "I will leave, and your daughter will follow if she so chooses. Should you act against her will, I'll simply come back and carry her out myself." And with that began to move back towards the door.

Soneya was shocked. It was the simplest way to put it and she didn’t even notice her mother having come to stand beside her, probably to restrain her, while Kaevad and her father almost started fighting in the hallway of the house. It was a good thing that they had gathered all her necessary things already since they were so abruptly leaving now. It would have been a shame to forget something vital and have no means to actually be able to use it.

She desperately wanted to tell her father to knock it off and she wanted to assure Kaevad that everything was alright but not a single sound crossed her lips, not even a croak as she opened her mouth. Her mother was already trying to push her out of the way and back into her room but she refused to obey.

As soon as Kaevad looked at her, she reached out for him, for his arm, his hand, anything she could grab a hold of so she could follow him out. Her parents obviously hadn’t swallowed the whole back-by-tonight lie and they were probably thinking that he was either kidnapping her or had completely turned her head into a lovesick haze. That still didn’t explain the behaviour however. Not completely at least. But Soneya didn’t care.

“I’m going with him,” she finally managed to say. She tried to make it sound like an absolutely certain decision but her wobbly voice betrayed her. Her father’s possible reaction scared her and for a brief moment, she feared that he would call for the guards to arrest Kaevad, or even both of them. Her mother was frowning at Soneya, but she didn’t try to hold her back anymore, nor did she say a word, but it was obvious that she was backing her father. Something about Kaevad’s attitude however seemed to stall her father and he didn’t try to force his hand on him again. The look on his face spoke volumes however.

As soon as they were out the door, Soneya urged Kaevad to move quickly. “I fear this isn’t over yet. We should get out of sight and out of the city as quickly as possible!”