Post by Shay Mistwolf on Aug 29, 2009 16:16:03 GMT -8
Aleshika, a Caturefouxian native, wandered along the road that wound itself through the thick forest, carrying a single headed ax over one shoulder.
Aleshika was a strong, tall, girl of 18 with blazing red hair and deep hazel eyes. She wore a worn, threadbare shirt with a leather vest over it and strong leather pants as well as boots.
Aleshika was the daughter of Hjeal Uukiou, the owner of the local timber trade grounds, and like mos in her family, had spent a day working out in the trees. She stood out in the mostly all men group returning home at the dusk hour.
As they joked and laughed, Aleshika glanced from side to side, scanning the forest for signs of bandits. Like most of the timber grounds in Caturefoux, her fathers had multiple paths leading to a from it, and despite Aleshika's warnings, had a schedule of what path to take what day. Something, she did not know what did not feel right to her. Something was off, she could sense it. She frowned and played with her ax handle.
"Hey, whats cookin'? I haven't seen you so jumpy in a long time." a voice in her ear said. Aleshika turned her head to look at Tristan. The mage-turned-pine martin was sitting on her shoulder, giving her a quizzical look with his big green eyes.
Aleshika had found Tristan three years back on one of her trips with her father to to capital to watch how he bartered a price for his wood. while wandering down a street, she had entered a shop and heard shouting and barking from the back. She had pushed past the shopkeeper (Which was not hard, as her muscles where built from swinging the ax all day) and rushed into the back courtyard. There she could see the helpless, terrified Tristan hung in a wicker cage, set just beyond the reach of three, infuriated dogs. All the while he was yelling for help and begging for mercy of the human that held him prisoner. Though alittle put off by seeing a talking pine martin, the pure unrestrained terror in his voice was enough for Aleshika to send the dogs flying and terrifying the shopkeeper into giving him to her. He had been terrified of dogs ever since.
"I dunno, Tristan, somethin' dont't feel right." Aleshika said. Tristan sniffed the air and twiddled with a grass string tied around his neck.
"Hmm, your right, i dont smell any animals. I think we should go and..." There was a yell from the front of the group as a blue-jay fletched arrow caught the front worker in the shoulder.
"AMBUSH!" someone cried, as the worker fell, wounded but surprised. Well of course it isn't, dolt! Aleshika thought to herself, her ax instantly in both hands. Most of the other workers followed her example, while Tristan clung tightly to the rough seam on the shoulder of her vest.
As usual the bandits came in a wave after the arrow. They where the typical type, all in rags and no form. As they drew roughly made swords, crude spears and sickles, Aleshika charged them with a roar that a pradeground officer would only dream of having.
"EEEP! DEMON!" she heard one of them yell. She inwardly cursed and thanked her red hair. In Caturefoux red was an unlucky, demonic color, and having red hair was taken as a sign that either you where a demon in disguise or that you where possesed.
In some situations, like these, it was a blessing, and in most others it was a curse. She hit the front line, some of the workers at her back, instantly causing a dent in the group, her ax swinging, staining the blade red.
In a few short moments the cowardly bandits retreated back into the woods, leaving their dead and wounded, and the workers cheered in victory. Aleshika glanced at them, well at least no one was dead, a few wounds, but nothing more. She suddenly realized that Tristan was no longer on her shoulder.
"Tristan!" she called, looking around frantically.
"I'm over here!" She heard him squeak and saw him trapped under a unconscious bandit. She callously rolled the bandit off him and pick him up.
"Oh! I'm sooo sorry, are you alright?!" She asked him.
"Yeah, think so." he said, shaking his head "You made me jump! Charging like that!" Aleshika smiled sheepishly then looked at the bandit. He was about the same age as her, and as far as looks go, wasn't that bad. He had dirty blond hair and was almost as tall as her. on one side of his head blood was trickling from a wound that was an imprint of the nameplate on the bottom of her ax handle.
"Hey, Kaje!" She called to one of the workers "come and pick him up!" Kaje, a giant (even to Aleshika) burly worker walked over and looked down at the worker.
"Why?" he asked in his slow quizzical manner.
"So we can interrogate him and find out which of those flea-ridden bandit gangs tried to rob us!" Aleshika said and then walked off to see how the arrow-stricken worker was doing. Kaje looked after her and shrugged. He picked up the unconscious bandit and then trudged after Aleshika.
Aleshika was a strong, tall, girl of 18 with blazing red hair and deep hazel eyes. She wore a worn, threadbare shirt with a leather vest over it and strong leather pants as well as boots.
Aleshika was the daughter of Hjeal Uukiou, the owner of the local timber trade grounds, and like mos in her family, had spent a day working out in the trees. She stood out in the mostly all men group returning home at the dusk hour.
As they joked and laughed, Aleshika glanced from side to side, scanning the forest for signs of bandits. Like most of the timber grounds in Caturefoux, her fathers had multiple paths leading to a from it, and despite Aleshika's warnings, had a schedule of what path to take what day. Something, she did not know what did not feel right to her. Something was off, she could sense it. She frowned and played with her ax handle.
"Hey, whats cookin'? I haven't seen you so jumpy in a long time." a voice in her ear said. Aleshika turned her head to look at Tristan. The mage-turned-pine martin was sitting on her shoulder, giving her a quizzical look with his big green eyes.
Aleshika had found Tristan three years back on one of her trips with her father to to capital to watch how he bartered a price for his wood. while wandering down a street, she had entered a shop and heard shouting and barking from the back. She had pushed past the shopkeeper (Which was not hard, as her muscles where built from swinging the ax all day) and rushed into the back courtyard. There she could see the helpless, terrified Tristan hung in a wicker cage, set just beyond the reach of three, infuriated dogs. All the while he was yelling for help and begging for mercy of the human that held him prisoner. Though alittle put off by seeing a talking pine martin, the pure unrestrained terror in his voice was enough for Aleshika to send the dogs flying and terrifying the shopkeeper into giving him to her. He had been terrified of dogs ever since.
"I dunno, Tristan, somethin' dont't feel right." Aleshika said. Tristan sniffed the air and twiddled with a grass string tied around his neck.
"Hmm, your right, i dont smell any animals. I think we should go and..." There was a yell from the front of the group as a blue-jay fletched arrow caught the front worker in the shoulder.
"AMBUSH!" someone cried, as the worker fell, wounded but surprised. Well of course it isn't, dolt! Aleshika thought to herself, her ax instantly in both hands. Most of the other workers followed her example, while Tristan clung tightly to the rough seam on the shoulder of her vest.
As usual the bandits came in a wave after the arrow. They where the typical type, all in rags and no form. As they drew roughly made swords, crude spears and sickles, Aleshika charged them with a roar that a pradeground officer would only dream of having.
"EEEP! DEMON!" she heard one of them yell. She inwardly cursed and thanked her red hair. In Caturefoux red was an unlucky, demonic color, and having red hair was taken as a sign that either you where a demon in disguise or that you where possesed.
In some situations, like these, it was a blessing, and in most others it was a curse. She hit the front line, some of the workers at her back, instantly causing a dent in the group, her ax swinging, staining the blade red.
In a few short moments the cowardly bandits retreated back into the woods, leaving their dead and wounded, and the workers cheered in victory. Aleshika glanced at them, well at least no one was dead, a few wounds, but nothing more. She suddenly realized that Tristan was no longer on her shoulder.
"Tristan!" she called, looking around frantically.
"I'm over here!" She heard him squeak and saw him trapped under a unconscious bandit. She callously rolled the bandit off him and pick him up.
"Oh! I'm sooo sorry, are you alright?!" She asked him.
"Yeah, think so." he said, shaking his head "You made me jump! Charging like that!" Aleshika smiled sheepishly then looked at the bandit. He was about the same age as her, and as far as looks go, wasn't that bad. He had dirty blond hair and was almost as tall as her. on one side of his head blood was trickling from a wound that was an imprint of the nameplate on the bottom of her ax handle.
"Hey, Kaje!" She called to one of the workers "come and pick him up!" Kaje, a giant (even to Aleshika) burly worker walked over and looked down at the worker.
"Why?" he asked in his slow quizzical manner.
"So we can interrogate him and find out which of those flea-ridden bandit gangs tried to rob us!" Aleshika said and then walked off to see how the arrow-stricken worker was doing. Kaje looked after her and shrugged. He picked up the unconscious bandit and then trudged after Aleshika.