Just Another Adventure [Emiryal]

[Capricorn]

The werecat trod down the path, her heavy paws thudding on the dirt path as the dust settled onto her fur. She payed the filth no heed, instead focusing on the task at hand- entering Teirm. The werecat had tread the road from Dras-Leona to this lonesome port city, sleeping thrice on her journey. The werecat had not opted to take a horse, as that would be far more difficult to deal with than either an unnaturally short woman or a large cat entering the city without raising suspicions.

Nira raised her head as the city finally came into sight, pausing for a moment to stare at the impressive defenses around it. The werecat stopped for only a moment, her paws moving once more soon after the pause. This wasn't exactly a mission for the Varden. Nira had merely been curious about this city, and really, would the Varden mind if a single werecat wandered off and returned with knowledge about a city which they planned to lay siege to? It didn't matter anyways- the werecat was a free spirit. She went and did as she pleased, with nobody to rule over her.

The cat spotted an opportunity to enter the city, as she approached. A man was riding atop a walking horse, his saddlebags filled to the brim with what appeared to be fine cloth- he must be a merchant. Nira quickened her pace, hoping to catch the man as he entered the city. Soon enough, as the merchant finished conversing with the guard, the werecat managed to catch up. As the gate opened, Nira managed to slip in, but it was too late. The guard spotted the feline entering, and he immediately took a step towards her.

"Cat!"

Nira snapped her head around to look at the man. He was moving towards the werecat, perhaps to grab her. She remained silent and sprinted around a nearby building. The guard soon gave up, staying at his post rather than pursuing a simple cat. Nira glanced backwards to make sure that he had really given up, and emerged out of the alley into the streets of Teirm. Pleased with herself, the feline wandered through the streets, darting around the people carrying goods through the street. One woman screamed at the sight of the massive cat, dropping her basket and breaking a glass jar within.

Nira moved through the streets to the docks, stopping once she reached them. The werecat walked onto the wooden docks, sitting and allowing the salty breeze to move through her fur. The feline licked her right forepaw, running it over her head to clean herself and look rather inconspicuous. But would a large cat be so hard to notice? Nira decided to simply wait in hopes that there would be something interesting to hear. The werecat wasn't waiting for anything in particular, although she certainly hoped that something interesting would happen soon.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

Terim, it was a nice enough place with a good view of the ocean and plenty of merchants. Not to mention quite a bit of interesting things seemed to go on in the busy port. Sure the Varden was a war but this place held more interest. Syaoran Li had been perched near the gate entrance when Nira entered. He stood up to get a better view of the comotion but did not interfere. It was obvious to him that Nira wasn't just a large overgrown cat. She was one of his own kind but unlike him probably wasn't cursed.

The white cat shuttered at the thought and pushed it away. That had been the worst time of his life and he would never be able to recover from it. What that shade had done to him was not right. He lost sight of Nira as she darted away from the guards. It wouldn't be hard to find her right Who could miss such a large cat after all?

Syaoran watched the gates for a moment longer wondering if the werecat was alone or if someone else of interest would come through the gates, but none did. So he stretched and set off to find Nira. He transformed back into his human form and put on some clothes he had stashed away in an ally. Finding Nira proved quite difficult as he didn't hear anything about her from those in town. All he heard was about some rich merchant with fine silks that had just arrived.

After searching the market he gave up and headed for the docks hoping to get some fish for a meal. In his human form he looked like a young boy and his cat form was small as well. It didn't matter though. He pulled out a bag of coins a woman had given him out of pity thinking he was an orphan. It would buy more than enough fish for dinner. He pocketed the coins and headed out onto the pier when a large cat caught his attention. He smiled recognizing the werecat who had been at the gate.

He walked over to her hoping she wouldn't run. As he approached he made sure not to call anything demeaning like 'here kitty kitty' he hated that himself when people tried to get him to come in cat form. "Evening, it's not often I see one of my own here. What brings you to Terim?" he asked.

[Capricorn]

Nira finished cleaning the fur around her head. The werecat set her paw onto the ground, and turned her head to clean her shoulder. It was only after a few strokes that she heard a voice. Instantly, the feline turned her head and fixed the person who had spoken in her gaze. Nira tilted her head, and inspected the person. He appeared to be a young boy, although the werecat was sure that he wasn't.

Nira observed the person, her eyes looking over his features. She finally decided to give an answer, although it was not in words. If he did not have any mental barriers, the female werecat's message would be heard clearly in his head. I have come to Teirm, for what better is there to do? Nira paused for a moment. Indeed, it is rare for a werecat to find another of our kin while wandering cities within the empire.

The werecat turned her head away from the person, reigning disinterest. She continued grooming her fur, cleaning the grime off of her right shoulder. Some of the fur was torn, and there was a small layer of grayish mud sticking to her usually soft pelt. Nira lifted up her head and glanced up once more. And by what name am I to address you by?

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

Syaoran smiled when she spoke to him before closing the distance between them. He had been hanging back to not startle her. "Exactly the answer I'd expect," he said seeming amused. It had been a while since he'd been around his own kind. Instead he had spent most of his time in his human form and had picked up on their manner of speaking and manners. He indeed did have mental barriers in place but feeling her mind he allowed her to speak to him. "I am Syaoran Li," he said. "What might your name be?"

Seeing a few men glance over at him he feigned interest in tossing a few rocks into the water. Besides petting Nira anything else might look weird, especially talking to her. He picked up a particularly flat stone and flung it just so sending it skipping across the water 3 times before it sank. "Teirm certainly is an interesting place to be. Quite a bit of interest happens around here."

[Capricorn]

Nira moved her tongue to her flanks and the fur over her ribcage. It was also covered in a thin coat of mud, which came off of the fur easily. The werecat continued cleaning herself as Syaoran spoke to her, lowering her own mental barriers. She was confident that she'd be able to put them up at the lightest brush of a hostile mind, and that a fellow Werecat would be trustworthy enough.

You may call me Nira, but if you seek my name, you must search elsewhere. Nira replied smoothly, her message clearly well-rehearsed. She'd clearly conveyed it several times before, through both thought and words. The feline was amused with herself, having said that to a fellow werecat, and did not care much about his reaction. The werecat glanced up as she heard a sound, and noted that Syaoran was skipping a stone. Slightly confused, she glanced around at the other people. Of course it would look strange if a boy spoke to a cat, especially about being the same race.

Nira nodded in response to Syaoran's other message. I do hear much about this city. It's true that a ship was stolen by villagers from Carvahall who crossed over the Spine, is it not? I hear that there is much piracy, as well. Does Galbatorix continue to have a hold over this trading city? Most of the Werecat's statements were examples of what she knew of the city, rather than actual questions.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

Syaoran smiled hearing her reply. "You really haven't spent that much time around humans have you," he said sounding amused. Her reply seemed so typical of what a werecat might say. "I haven't spent much time with my own kind in a long time, I'm more accustomed to humans," he said. "it's why I settled on a name, humans have some peculiar ways but they are quite nice once you get used to it."

He scooped up a few more stones and slowly tossed them into the water one by one, unless it was a flat one that he would skip across the water. "From what I hear yes on both. I don't know any details about it though. I prefer to look into the less known facts that are more interesting than well known rumors," he said. "How did you get so dirty?" he asked noticing the mud she was cleaning off her.

[Capricorn]

Nira allowed a few large chunks of mud to fall off one of her shoulders, and it fell into the water below. She took a step back, noting how close she was to the edge, and continued both replying to Syaoran and cleaning herself. I was raised in the Beor Mountains and Ellesmera- I did not grow up around humans, and even now the moments that I meet them are fleeting. And those that I do meet either do not know that I am more than a cat, or are the Varden, so I do not believe that I interact with them in the same way you do, anyways.

The werecat used her tail to flick some dirt off of the dock, doing it quickly so as to make it seem to be a natural behavior rather than an intelligent decision. Yes, some small rumors are good to know, as well. Perhaps a lord's son who vanishes later turns up as a commander of the Varden. Perhaps the murder of a wealthy merchant is actually the work of Galbatorix. Maybe that madman found raving on the streets had a run-in with a Shade. There is so much that can start from small rumors.

Nira lay down and turned over onto her back, exposing the thick fur to the sun for a fleeting moment before rolling onto her other side. Hardly a spec of dirt had some off. Perhaps allowing herself to be cleaned off by a current within the ocean would be more effective, but then the werecat's fur would be heavy, so it would be difficult to run.

I walked from Dras-Leona to Teirm, Nira said to Syaoran. It had rained shortly before I began my trip, so the roads were muddy. It also rained on the second day, rendering useless the cleaning I had done.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

Syaoran listened as she spoke and for a while abandoned tossing rocks into the water at least until someone got suspicious or paid to much attention to him. "I've only been to those places a few times in my life, but no you probably don't interact with humans they way I do," he said. More often than not he had gotten into a habit of speaking to humans and even acting like them. Part of that reason was due to his curse and his fear. Unlike most werecats he could get stuck in human form unable to change back. At the thought he wrapped his hand around the bird pendant that hung around his neck.

"You have traveled quite a ways then, and it has been rainy as of late," he commented. "Speaking of rumors however small have you heard of me, among our kind I'm sometimes called cursed. A shade once tortured me, cursing me by an attempt to trap me in my human form forever, it partially worked," he said. He wasn't sure if she knew the rumor or not but it explained why he conversed with humans so freely. If he did get trapped in human form he would have to live as one of them and he needed to have the knowledge to do it.

[Capricorn]

The werecat found that it would be simpler to perfect the clean fur and then finish up later. She licked her paw once more and ran it over the gray fur on her head. She turned her ears at the sound of a nearby sword clattering to the ground on the docks nearby before returning them to normal and replying to Syaoran. Humans simply bore me. Elven and Dwarven culture is much more intense and complex. With Galbatorix, human culture has lost most of its luster- not that it ever interested me much anyways.

Nira flickered her tail in surprise as she perceived the other Werecat's words. A curse? That was certainly a bit different. It partially worked? She noted that she herself would hardly give away anything like that, but Syaoran seemed to be offering an explanation as to why he acted like a human at times. Being a naturally curious creature, Nira decided to inquire further. Well, that certainly is atypical. Please elaborate on this curse and how it came to be.

((Sorry it took so long, I've been busy.))

[Emiryal ♕]

Syaoran Li | Werecat | neutral

(no problem, I can relate.)

Syaoran hesitated at her words, it appeared to be a topic he didn't enjoy discussing. He hadn't actually told her the true weakness he had because of the curse and he wasn't sure he wanted to. If she told anyone else or word got out it would risk him. He tried to ignore the bird pendant that hung around his neck so as to make no hints towards it about it's true nature. "Years ago my mother told me never to wander into Empire lands, I lived in Surda. But I did anyways and I was caught by a shade...I don't know what he wanted with me but he tormented and tortured me. Then one day he tricked me into my human form and he proceeded to bind me into it to prevent me from changing. At first it seemed to work, I got stuck in human form until I realized there was a single way around it and using that I can transform freely. If that way ever gets taken form me I become trapped in human form. Humans might be boring but I don't have much choice," he said having spoken aloud, a rather human like trait rather than using his mind. He did though keep his voice low enough not to be overheard.

[Capricorn]

Nira flicked her ears, as if amused by Syaoran's hesitation. He was very humanlike, especially as he spoke of his curse aloud. Speaking aloud was one thing, but he was speaking aloud about something which ought to be personal and an uncomfortable subject. That amused Nira, but she couldn't really blame him- he did have a point about the possibility of him being stuck in human form.

That's a shame, having your shapeshifting ability altered like that. It's great that's there's a way around that- I could hardly imagine my shapeshifting being bound like that. It really is my only way to enter a city under the control of the Empire, because I look like an elf and have the accent of a dwarf.

Nira allowed her tail to sweep over the deck, as if uninterested in her surroundings. She raised her head to the air, and caught the scent of fish. Clearly there was a merchant nearby selling it. Now, I'm famished. Do you feel like stealing a fish or two to share?

[Emiryal ♕]

Syaoran Li | Werecat | neutral

Syaoran nodded at her comment. It was a shame to have his ability altered like that. And being a werecat that ability made up a lot of who you were. So having that taken was like destroying who he was. He chuckled and his sorrowful look appeared more pleasant at her mention of her accent and look. "I can't say I can relate to that one," he said. He pulled his somewhat longer blonde hair away from his ear. His ear looked completely human, there was nothing in his features to suggest he was anything but human, even his accent was correct. "Most people just think I'm a street rat orphan, which I suppose is true in some ways," he said. He glanced over in the direction she was looking, while in human form his sense of smell was not strong enough to detect that but he knew there were merchants generally in that direction. "Sure, they often catch more than they need this time of year anyways," he said.