Thread: Nevermore: Neither Here Nor There (Haru & Mally)

Straton sat at the bar in the Drunken Goat, nursing his honeyed mead as he at the meal of roasted pork. The man kept to himself and the silvery tattoos that covered his right arm brought a few whispers. Starton ignored them. He was used to such things by now. The markings branded him in a way, as an animorph - a man able to assume the form of a beast, yet not regressing to mere base instinct and keeping his intellect and often their powers of speech. They were viewed in both fear and awe, for any animorph was more than a match for several human men. It was rumored that they drank the blood of men to keep from going feral, reverting to pure beast. It was hogwash of course, but the legends persisted. Besides his gear and his weapons, Straton's prized possession was a crystal amulet - the crystal of the purest blue. It had been given to him by his mother. She was long dead now, but he had fond memories of her. She'd been an animorph as well, and as was their custom he'd never known his father. So of course Straton and his mother had been close. Until the Hunters showed up. Despite having been given all the rights of normal men, since the rule of King Wassom of Errion, animorphs were still sometimes hunted and harvested. His mother had been a victim of such a thing, and Straton had never forgotten. Perhaps he should have sought out the Riders, the men appointed by the King to uphold the laws. But he hadn't. Instead he'd memorized their faces, their scents, from his hiding place beneath the floorboards. He'd never forget them. He'd have his vengeance. Popping another piece of meat into his mouth he only quirked a brow under his dark bangs as one of the local men came in spouting something about a strangely dressed witch. The more and more he'd heard about this in the day or so he'd been here in Bladecreast , Straton had tried to ignore it and yet his curiosity was piqued. He knew what it was like to be persecuted and looked down upon, and his heart went out to this witch. In all of Nevermore there were hardly any beings feared more than the animorphs. Witches fell into that category. ---------- The Lands of Nevermore , founded and discovered eons ago, though by whom was lost in obscurity. Nobody cared any more. Nevermore simply was . Of course, everyone in Nevermore knew that other places, other worlds, existed. It would be foolish to think that Nevermore was the only place that existed in the vast universe. Now and then, travelers from other places would find themselves in Nevermore, and though it was rare for them to stay, it was even more rare for them to survive. Nevermore was a place fraught with danger, and most people from these other worlds did not adapt very well. The talk of a woman in strange clothes and the eagerness of those in Bladecrest to brand her as a witch... Straton was becoming more positive that she was one of these uniue but strange travelers. If that was the case, then he needed to get to her before the cityfolk decided to go and hunter her down. Like hs mother had been. Straton had come to Bladecrest from the south, from the Forest of Wind. The caravan he'd been travelign with had made it here safely to Bladecrest, he'd been paid, and all of the guards, like himself, had gone their separate ways. It had been an easy gig, but it had also filled his pouch with coin. Wiping his hands on his pants he stood and gathered his things, taking one last pull on his mug before leaving behind the silver coin and heading out onto the streets of Bladecrest. Now, those he'd heard idly talkign about the witch hd said she was staying outside the city, which of course only raised their suspicion. Who would brave the wilds over the safety of the city walls? Surely she must be in league with dark powers. Stopping at a vendor on the way out of the city, Straton bought a heavy traveling cloak and slipped it on before moving outside of the city walls. They'd close the gates at dusk, but he hoped to be back before then. ---------- The terrain outside of the city was easily traversible and Straton made good time. Scanning the surroundings, shielding his eyes from the sun, he focused his vision as he looked around. Lifting his nose to the air he breathed deep, nostrils flaring a bit as he searched for any strange scents and there, just a trace of one. With a satisfied smirk Straton followed the smell - a strange combination of some sort of flower and an underlying hint of female. Smelled human to him. Small trees and shrubs dotted the landscape, making for easy cover, though not terribly protective once night settled. He knew he'd have to find her soon. Telltale sounds told him he was close, since for all her attempts to hide, she wasn't able to cover her scent, and he caught sight of some strange movement. Calling out Straton's hand strayed down and slightly behind him to the hilt of his sword. Come on out girl. I won't hurt you. My name is Straton. Straton Skarsgaard. We need to get you to the city not far from here. Bladecrest. It won't be safe to have you stay out here after dark. Come with me and I'll get you food and a warm place to sleep. Waiting for a few moments Straton hoped she would answer.