Taltos

[Neve Luna]

The sound of rushing water seemed hazy in the background as she lay in the potent flowers near the edge of the forest. Ever since she was little, her fear of leaving on one of the many bridges the Jade Transition had and never coming back made her nearly live in the beautiful valley. It wasn't stories that she heard, it wasn't the unnatural metal splitting the world in half, nor was it the scary creations that roamed her beautiful Mother - it was the fear that her home, and everything she loved in it, would disappear and be gone forever once she left it.

Closing her eyes, the vision of the stars disappeared and all the sounds around her became sharp; the crickers sang their songs, the gallow dogs howled in the distance, and the wind hummed softly as it rolled over trees, grass, and stone. In the far distance, the softened vibrations of a giant trolf walking slowly to an unknown destination could be both felt and heard by her feline senses, and somewhere in the forest hunting, Neve could hear her familiar hunting.

Although the potent pollon from the flowers invaded her senses, Neve didn't fear the world nor the many things that had happened to her - all she felt was calm bliss and the breath of Mother's breath under the stars.

[Devyn Astratos]

Wait, wait!! The voice in Devyn's head cried excitedly. His eyes lifted skyward, scanning the air above him until he spotted the familiar falcon. You're reaching the Jade Transition, Devyn...It's the end of the Great Forest. You cross one of those bridges and all this is over.

The young man's black eyes returned to the path in front of him. A myriad of beautiful emerald-colored bridges branched out before him, forming somewhat of a maze of exits. Glancing behind him, there was a slight tinge of regret; not because of himself, but because he knew just how much Allain loved the forest.

"I...Do you want to stay Allain?" Devyn asked the question out loud. It was a thing he did sometimes. He doesn't talk to people very much, so occasionally he'll talk to Allain out loud as a way to not get rusty with language.

I'm not letting you leave the forest without me! That came without hesitation. No, the hesitation didn't come till after. And Devyn sensed it.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, his voice now rising a bit with worry.

There's someone in the grass up ahead of you. Allain had flown ahead with her trademark speed to scout around and caught sight of a female figure lying in the brush. She's a Vai'aja. That means she probably knows you're here by now as well.

Devyn touched the scar on his face. "The one who gave me this...he was - '

A Vai'aja as well, but that means nothing, Devyn. They're not all the same.

Thinking rationally, he knew she was right. But it didn't change the fact that for a moment, he felt that...feeling coming back. And he didn't like it. "You are right. I have to calm down."

[Neve Luna]

It wasn't long before the ripples in the wind made its way to the Vai'aja, making her draw her dagger as she jumped to her feet. Scanning the Valley, the moonlight gave her pupils in her Tiger lily eyes a feral reflection as she used her feline vision to scan the areas with even the slightest light.

With breath as silent as death and muscles ready to react to anything, Neve's eyes stopped on a figure at the edge of the Great Forest; his face showed a split second of fear before he regained his composure, but she wasn't sure why, until she saw his eyes looking in her direction. Strange, he seems as if he's scared of the possibility of what he might find... Her soft voice echoed in her own head before she continued to scan his alien features, but try as she might, his rough exterior made the leopard inside her curious.

[Devyn Astratos]

Devyn's body tensed when he saw her leap to her feet. The glint of metal he spotted in her hand also gave him pause, but he wasn't stupid. Of course she'd be armed. She was a fair distance away, but who knew how fast she was?

"Allain, what do I do?" This came out as a whisper, though the volume wasn't necessary. The falcon would hear him anyway.

Go talk to her. You need to talk to people. I'll be watching over you in case anything happens.

It struck him that his star-white skin would make it impossible to hide right now even if he wanted to. He took a deep breath and started over to the female. "What should I say?" He asked himself under his breath. He cleared his throat. "I'm - I'm not going to hurt you." This he said out loud, loud enough that she would be able to hear him from where she was.

[Neve Luna]

Every word he spoke didn't escape her ears but she stayed quiet, observing the man as he made his cautious steps toward her, stepping on every dried leaf and stick in his path. Although he was afraid, Neve couldn't think of a single reason why he would be afraid of her; her exterior was elegant, almost royal like, and everywhere she went outside of the forest, she was faced with enemy or possible threats.

With his exterior seeming stolid, she could sense he wasn't a threat to her, so when he spoke his words of solace, she relaxed and placed her dagger back in the sheath. "I know." Her voice was soft but she didn't lack confidence as her eyes continued to scan the very different features of the man that seemed almost Godly.

As soon as Neve spoke, she could sense Dy'tre stop in his feast and listen - waiting - for her beckoning.

[Devyn Astratos]

He didn't even know he was holding his breath until he saw her sheathe her dagger, and felt the breath escape his lips. It was relief. Now that he wasn't on alert and he'd gotten a bit closer, he took the occasion to really look at her. He had seen Vai'aja before, but none had looked like her. His black eyes flicked up and down her body, taking in the features she had. There was a word for how she looked, but Devyn couldn't remember what it was. It wasn't a word he'd ever used before.

When he reached her, he tentatively put out his hand. Not because he was still afraid, but because he wasn't sure if that was the correct greeting for this situation.

Your name, Devyn! She's not a mind reader, I don't think! Allain hissed in his head.

"Right, right. Sorry. My name is Devyn Astratos."

[Neve Luna]

It never occurred to Neve that the man was inexperienced in anything until he placed his hand awkwardly in front of her in what she assumed was a greeting. Smiling politely, Neve bowed toward his hand and let her eyes connect to his, "Neve, or Snow Moon, which ever you prefer." The silver moon above them gave her silver hair a shimmer every time her head moved in the slightest way, and the silver bands around her arms, wrists, neck, and fingers proved without word or acknowledgment that she was a Warrior of the Great Forest.

Deep in the back of her mind, Dy'tre let out a low rumble to warn her that he was near if he was needed and she smiled softly to herself before looking into the dark eyes of Devyn. "You're obviously not a Half-man, Dead BReather, Undine, and certainly not a Vai'aja, so what exactly are you if I may ask?" Her curiosity rolled off of her almost naturally as she tried to think of a way to make a quick decision if the man was friend or foe.

[Devyn Astratos]

No one had ever actually asked him what he was before. It had been so long since he learned the name of his own race that he had to think for a second about what he was called. "I'm a Crotyre." Devyn replied, the word feeling strange on his own tongue. "The experiment of the gods from what I'm told." He retracted his hand, assuming he'd chosen the wrong greeting for the situation. He bowed toward her as well.

The word you're looking for is 'pretty', by the way. Came the voice in his head.

"That's right, pretty." Devyn said out loud, a smile of realization on his face. "You're very pretty, Neve. Um...Snow Moon." He didn't want to offend her, but he didn't know which name she preferred.

[Neve Luna]

A soft laugh came from Neve, along with a visible blush, when he called her pretty. "Thank you, Devyn. And you can call me whichever you like best. Neve Luna is Snow Moon in my language. Some people find it very hard to say Neve Luna, so they call me Snow Moon, or just Neve for short. Vai'aja are born with names, or given names by their familiar. Mine was given to me by my familiar since I was born under the full moon of the winter; it would also help that my hair is very white, as well as my skin, as snow." Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she played with the words and all the possibilities as to why her name was chosen by her familiar.

"My friends also call me Tiger Lily, but it's a playful reference to my eyes, and also the mimic of them saying I should have chosen the DNA of a Tiger instead of a Snow Leopard because of my personality - if that gives you any insight." Her laughter escaped her lips once again.

Suddenly, she realized she may be speaking too much and she blushed again - her pale skin darkening a little under the moonlight.

[Devyn Astratos]

Devyn looked down at his hand. Well, to be honest - he was looking at his skin. She had friends that joked with her about her color and her eyes...His color and eyes caused his village to massacre each other. He did not understand people at all. But he understood familiars; they were the most loyal of beings. Lifting his hand to the air, Allain landed on his index finger's perch within seconds. "This is Allain. She's my familiar, though she didn't give me my name." This made Devyn think for a while. "I've had my name since I was created. I think it was with me while I slept."