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Post by starrea on Jan 18, 2020 17:22:09 GMT
Six days ago, Kiona was the second eldest of five sisters, all of whom were princesses of the Grovakha Empire.
Five days ago, Kiona was the only survivor of the slaughter of the royal family and was forced to flee for her life.
The Grovakha Empire, located north of nearly all other kingdoms, rarely interacted with the other lands. They were mistrustful people who valued their privacy above all else. The other kingdoms respected their boundaries, mostly because most of their territory was covered with deep snow throughout the year and temperatures well below freezing.
They were also a heavily superstitious people. People with superhuman abilities were heavily hunted and executed, their bodies often strung up as a warning to others.
Six days ago, the people had learned that there was a beast in the form of a princess being protected by the royal family.
Five days ago, they launched a rebellion and stormed the castle. They executed her family, one by one, by slitting their throats and letting them bleed out on the floor. They didn’t know which princess was the monster, so they tried to execute them all. Kiona didn’t remember what happened next. When she awoke, she was naked and covered in blood - none of it hers. Kiona has never seen so much blood in entire life. She knew they would come after her again. She didn’t have time to grieve. So she ran.
Four days ago, she learned just how hard it was to survive. She was inadequately dressed for sustained exposure to the biting cold and deep snow. The only thing worse than the cold was the hunger and she wanted to slow down and stop, but she knew that if she did, she wouldn’t get back up.
Three days ago, she washed the blood off of her. The water was cold and made her skin numb, but she couldn’t stand to see her red-stained skin any longer.
Two days ago, she finally found some berries and truffles. She was nearly delirious with hunger, only having been fueled by adrenaline and fear up until this point.
Yesterday, she crossed the river that marked the boundary of their kingdom. While she still wasn’t safe, wouldn’t ever be safe, she felt her exhausted body sag with relief. She wouldn’t be hunted as ruthlessly outside the borders of her kingdom.
Today, she realized that she needed to find some sort of civilization. She couldn’t survive in the wilderness. It would be a risk to show her face so close to the border, but she didn’t have a choice.
Right now, all she could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other. Her body was weak and everywhere hurt and if she didn’t constantly focus on moving forward, she was sure she could collapse and not get back up. She tripped through the tree line, holding her hand up to block the sun as her eyes tried to adjust.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 21, 2020 22:37:55 GMT
Trys has been following tracks for some time now. The ranger lived in her own in the great wilderness bordering the lands of the Empire from which Kiona was fleeing, accustomed the cold harsh lands to the north, as well as the more temperate lands of Alynthia in the south. The ranger roamed where she pleased, holding allegiance to no ruler, preferring not to interact with people as much as she could help it. Not that Trys was unfriendly or socially inept. In fact, she shared many meals with others passing through, and went into villages and towns as she travelled. Her permanent home, However, was a cozy cabin she had built herself. It was tucked into the forest of the northlands, but was close enough to Alynthia that ranging within their lands was also possible. Several days ago, her puma had caught the scent of blood on the wind.
It wasn’t like Trys to turn away those in need of assistance. Word of the massacre of the royal family had not yet reached her, as it was recent and she hadn’t been to town for several weeks. So she had mounted her horse, a phantom white gelding, and set off with Aloy, her puma as her guide. It wasn’t long before the ranger, clad in furs and hand crafted leather fit for the northern climate, spotted Kiona. She watched for a few moments from the cover of trees, her keen eyes trying to determine who this woman was. It was easy to see she seemed lost, and therefor not a threat. Trys pushed a lock of red hair from her face, tucking it into her fur lined hood. Her red hair was like a beacon in the green and the snow of the northern landscape, but she tried to hide it as much as possible while hunting or tracking.
“Who do we have here, Aloy?” Trys murmured, before giving the signal for her companion to remain hidden. Trys nudged her horse forward as Kiona crosses the border. “You there! Are you lost?” She called to Kiona, standing up in her stirrups to see better.
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Post by starrea on Jan 22, 2020 0:47:42 GMT
A voice cut through the haze in Kiona’s mind, and at first she thought she had imagined it. She looked around sluggishly, almost missing the figure on horseback entirely. The sunlight reflected off the snow and without the shade of the trees, it was blinding. As her eyes continued to adjust, a figure on horseback slowly materialized and she suddenly realized that she wasn’t imagining it. There was really someone there.
A sudden urgency crashed over and she nearly tripped over herself as she struggled through the snow towards the stranger. “Yes, please help me. I’ve been lost for awhile and please help me.” Her voice cracked with desperation. Her accent was a dead giveaway as to which kingdom she came from, but there was nothing she could do to hide the way she spoke. She didn’t realize she had started to cry until she felt them stream down her cheeks.
Kiona hadn’t allowed herself to focus on anything other than survival for the past five days. She hadn’t even allowed herself to think about dying, even though she rationalized that it was a very real possibility. She had taken all of those negative, messy emotions and thoughts and shoved them down a dark hole in the back of her mind.
But now someone was here, someone real, someone who could save her. And that brought up a rush of emotions and once they started, Kiona doubted they would stop.
She needed to stay focused. One foot in front of the other - she coached herself. She had never felt so weak, had never been this hungry, had never been this tired. Just putting one foot in front of the other felt nearly impossible. But she had to, because she was a survivor.
She tripped, pain exploding in her knees and hands as she crashed to the ground. The snow protected her skin from breaking and bleeding but her bones ached. She crawled forward, towards the stranger. She was a survivor.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 22, 2020 18:38:51 GMT
Trys was already swinging down from her horse when Kiona collapsed. Her accent did betray her, but it didn’t matter to Trys. Kiona would be safe with her, and it was a miracle she hadn’t fallen into the wrong hands. Trys trudged forward and hauled Kiona to a standing position. The woman was weak, probably delirious from lack of food and water. Who was she, and why was she here? Her clothes gave away that she was of some status. It that it mattered to the ranger. She wouldn’t be asking for anything in return for her assistance.
“Take it easy, hun. My name is Trys. You got one?” She guided Kiona towards her horse, who waited patiently. They weren’t too far from her cabin, but it would be faster going if Kiona could get herself on the mount. “I’m going to need you to get up on my horse, okay? I have a cabin nearby. I can get you warmed up, and food and water.”
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Post by starrea on Jan 23, 2020 0:25:14 GMT
Strong hands hauled her up to her feet and she struggled to situate her feet under herself. She swayed a little, but with the help of the stranger, she allowed herself to be led towards the horse. Her words were an answer to her prayers and sent of relief crashing over her. The adrenaline that had kept her alive for the past five days was already beginning to ebb away at the thought of food, water, and shelter.
Her brain sluggishly processed the task of getting on the horse. With her waning adrenaline, her body felt even worse than it had five minutes ago. She reached up and tried to grip the mane of the horse but her fingers were too numb and refused to comply. It took her a minute or so of flexing them before they curled around the horse’s mane. She lifted one foot into the stirrup and with the help of the kind stranger, she ungracefully dragged herself up onto the horse. She didn’t sit up. She couldn’t. The act of getting on the horse had drained her of any energy she had left.
The stranger mentioned her name but Kiona didn’t retain it. At this point, she was fading out of consciousness. “Ki...” She trailed off, remembering that it might not be a good idea to hand out her name, “ki. It’s Kiki.”
And then she passed out.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 23, 2020 20:48:42 GMT
“Hang on then, Kiki.” Trys grabbed the reigns and began to lead her horse home, and Aloy followed them like a shadow through the trees. It wasn’t long before the cabin appeared in the distance, and Trys picked up the pace. When they arrived, she hauled Kiona down from the saddle, not very worried about being overly gentle. The girl was in rough shape already.
Trys helped her into her home, draping her on a leather and bone sofa she had crafted herself. It was padded with animal pelt blankets, which would help warm the princess. “Are you being followed?” Trys asked as she began a fire in the hearth, heating up the cauldron of leftover stew from the night before. She poured Kiona a goblet of water from the pail she had drawn from her well, offering it to her curiously.
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Post by starrea on Jan 23, 2020 21:22:23 GMT
The trip back to the house was a blur. Kiona tried to stay conscious but the motion of the horse and the pounding in her head didn’t allow it for long. Whenever she did open her eyes, everything around was blurry and unfocused and it caused her head to hurt more so she stopped trying. She had no more energy to try.
Kiona came to when she felt hands pull her down off of the horse. The stranger took most of her weight and helped her walk towards the house. Her steps were slow and sluggish and the stranger had to more or less drag her.
The first thing Kiona felt was the heat. The warmth was a welcome relief to the cold, biting winds outside, especially now that it was getting darker and the temperatures were dropping. She dropped to the floor and worked on curling and uncurling her fingers.
By the time the stranger gave her the goblet, Kiona had enough control over her fingers to grab it. She raised it to her lips and greedily drank the liquid so quickly that it dribbled down her chin. She didn’t care. She put it down, the water having given her new life. She needed more. She needed food.
By now, her numb skin was burning as it warmed up. She had always hated this part of warming up and she flexed her fingers and toes uncomfortably as she waited for it to pass. She looked at the stranger, truly looking at her for the first time.
Her question made her pause. She didn’t think she had been followed, but she knew they would hunt for her. And she didn’t exactly know how to cover her trail. She just hoped they would end their hunt for her at the border. She shook her head, “I don’t think so,”. She didn’t ask how the stranger knew she was running from something.
“Do you have any food?” She hated to appear rude, especially since the stranger seemed so kind, but she needed to eat.
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Post by Val on Jan 24, 2020 4:10:15 GMT
The howl of a dog pierced through the whipping winter winds, alerting Ike to the path of his target. His grey stallion crossed a small creek, heavy hooves crushing the thin layers of ice that had begun to develop. He spotted his bloodhound waiting at the edge of a thick forest and he grunted in annoyance, realizing that the princess had officially crossed the border out of Grovakha. He glanced over his shoulder, observing the skies of their homeland as they darkened with the impending storm. Even if he found the girl soon, he would have to wait out the blizzard before he returned home.
Giving his horse a firm kick, he took off through the tree line, entering southern territory for the first time in his life. Hot on the heels of his scent hound, he knew that they were getting close. He hadn't thought that the petulant princess would have made it this far under such conditions, but he supposed it made for a more interesting hunt. Finally, the dog skidded to a stop and circled a patch of disturbed snow, alerting it's master. Ike jerked his horse to a stop and dismounted in one swift movement, landing in the spot that the two women had recently met. He shoved his dog out of the way with a weathered hand and knelt, scanning the ground with stony grey eyes before his gaze slowly drifted toward the path that they had followed.
In moments, he was back on the horse, charging down the path that they had taken without hesitation. It wasn't long before the enticing smell of smoke reached his nose, followed by the sight of a cabin up ahead. Rather than attempting a silent ambush, Ike rushed into the clearing that surrounded the cabin and reared his horse, causing the creature to neigh loudly. The bloodhound joined the raucous intrusion, barking and howling as it paced the yard. He armed himself with a heavy crossbow and eyed the door. Let them panic.
Ike didn't practice caution. He didn't accept fear. He believed in fate; that the plan for his life was already set in stone. When the Gods were ready to to take him, he would accept death with open arms. And so, he lived by a code of instinct and impulse.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 24, 2020 5:05:10 GMT
As Kiona began to regain some life, Trys felt relieved. “Venison stew,” she offered the woman a bowl of the reheated food, pushing her hood back from her face. Her red curls fell from her hood, framing her face. “You’ll be safe here, Kiki. Can I ask what you’re running from?” She inquired, but was interrupted by the sounds of the horse outside. Cursing, she peered out the window to see a figure outside. She looked back at Kiona, her eyes narrowing. “Stay here, and be quiet.”
Trys pulled her hood up again and grabbed her bow, a large, sturdy thing, and her arrows. She stepped outside her cabin and closed the door, facing Ike. “Can I help you, traveller?” She called.
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Post by starrea on Jan 24, 2020 5:35:07 GMT
The smell of the stew had her mouth watering and Kiona’s eyes followed the stew as the stranger ladled it into a bowl. It was all she could do to patiently wait for it to be handed to her but once it was in her hands, she worked fast on gulping it down. The relief of something in stomach was almost immediate - both pain and fatigue started to dissipate. Within a minute or so she had all but licked the bowl clean.
The stranger’s question brought her out of her eating frenzy. She chewed her lip nervously as she tried to think of what to say. She hadn’t prepared a story, hadn’t even thought she would make it far enough that she would need one.
She was saved by the sound a whinny. It took a few seconds for the fear to settle back in as the gears in her mind slowly turned. They were in the middle of nowhere and still close to the border. They weren’t just coming for her, they were here. Suddenly, the food in her stomach felt heavy and unsettled and she had the urge to vomit.
Kiona scrambled to her feet, frantically looking around for something - anything - to defend herself with. She had never used a weapon, but then again, she had never had to fight for her life. She grabbed a knife off of a table, scrambling towards the back of the cabin. The only chance she had of getting away was if she could make it to the horse. But she had been mostly unconscious when she had come in and she couldn’t see where the horse was from out the back door. She wanted to scream in frustration but she bit her tongue instead.
Instead of running outside, she locked the back door from the inside slammed some furniture up against it. She crouched down low, slipping into a low cabinet and slowly shutting the door behind her.
Fear nearly paralyzed her, enough to the point that she didn’t even feel the strain of forcing herself into a tiny space. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the knife, her body tensed and cooked and ready to strike.
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Post by Val on Jan 25, 2020 5:22:52 GMT
Ike watched Trys emerge from the cabin, quickly sizing up the stranger and her weapon of choice. He rested the crossbow on his knee to appear less threatening and stilled his horse, quickly scanning the area to make sure his target wasn't making a run for it. His dog was still pacing in front of the cabin, confirming that the princess was inside.
"You are harboring a dangerous fugitive from the land of Grovakha. Hand her over to me at once, and I shall be on my way," he demanded, voice deep and gravelly. He had no qualms with the innocent. Rather, it was his duty to protect them by exterminating the dangerous seeds. But if the woman were to refuse his request, he would have no choice but to subdue her so that he may fulfill his mission. As the wind whipped his thick golden hair across his face, he was reminded of the impending storm and wondered if perhaps this cabin was a godsend for him to wait out the storm with his bounty.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 26, 2020 21:20:53 GMT
"I don't know what you're talking about. I think your mutt got turned around, the wind blowing the way it is. Their scent could be scattered for miles in this weather," Trys answered calmly, though she knew that that probably wouldn't fool him. As the bloodhound paced in front of the house, Aloy, her puma, emerged from behind the house, ears drawn back, hissing at the bloodhound. It seemed like little contest who would win in a fight between the two animal. The keen ranger eyed the crossbow on his knee, his horse, his figure. He was strong, but she had fought off others like him before. "There's a storm rolling in, bounty hunter. If you aren't on your way soon, I fear it will swallow you both." She suggested, all of her muscles tense with anticipation and the thrill of a potential fight. She hoped Kiona had hidden herself well. "I'm afraid my cabin is only large enough for myself and my pet."
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Post by Val on Jan 27, 2020 1:56:11 GMT
Ike narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on her when she made it clear that she wasn't going to cooperate. It wouldn't be the first time a wannabe hero made the mistake of defending a witch. The bloodhound whipped around to face the puma, the fur along his spine sticking straight up. He began barking erratically, slobber flying from his muzzle, effectively drawing Ike's attention to the unexpected predator. He impulsively drew up his cross bow and took aim at the beast, "Hound! Heel!" he yelled over the commotion. Hound, named rather unimaginatively in Ike's attempt to not become attached to the animal, hesitated before retreating behind his master.
Ike swiftly dismounted his horse, showing her he had no fear- puma, storm, or not. He would fulfill his mission or die trying. "Do not risk your livelihood to protect a stranger. One way or another, she will be caught. If I fail, more shall take my place. They will kill you," he warned her, giving her one last chance to back down.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 27, 2020 2:21:52 GMT
Trys smiled back at Ike as he dismounted, her hazel eyes alight with the challenge. All she had to do was incapacitate him. He was a big blonde brute, but Trys was light and fast. And she didn’t like killing, but if she could take him captive, she would. She dropped her bow in favour of a more short range weapon- a double ended sword. She twirled it expertly as the wind howled, blowing her hood back from her face, her red hair spilling out.
“Come on then, bounty hunter, if you’re so confident. Take your best shot,” she challenged and waited for him to come at her. Aloy growler and circled, ready to keep Hound at bay and to join the fray if need be.
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Post by Val on Jan 27, 2020 2:39:31 GMT
"Women..." Ike grunted disapprovingly. Clearly she was enjoying this, but that would change. He would subdue her, tie her up, take his prize, and get the hell out of there. He returned the cross bow to its place upon his horse's pack and retrieved a heavy, jagged looking battle axe. He faced her, spitting into the snow before he moved toward her without warning. He was an imposing figure and she was about to learn just how hard he could hit. Hefting the deadly weapon over his shoulder, he swung the axe downward at her, his yell intermingling with the howl of the wind. Hound remained focused on Aloy, looking torn between tucking tail and running or taking on the formidable cat out of pure curiosity.
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