Aknoby

Aknoby

Werewolf
Weaver
Character Profile
Profile
Artemisios was fully equipped for the journey, with his axe, bow and arrows, and a backpack with provisions for when he couldn't hunt.

Cutting through the forest until he reached the road again, before the noise, he caught the scent of a village, mostly humans, and continued walking unhurriedly, passing a few travelers, mostly merchants, controlling his excitement at being weeks away from his village, he moves on.

He looks at people's faces, he took a deep breath, unaccustomed to not being in a group, his werewolf instincts wanting him to talk to anyone to be part of a pack or something like that, but he controlled himself, remembering the advice of those who had been adventurers about not being a scary stranger. Non-lycans are more closed off when it comes to talking to others, but of course there are exceptions.
n.
 
Ailuros stepped lightly along the edge of the road, ears twitching and tail flicking as she observed the lone traveler. Her keen eyes took in his gear, his posture, and the rhythm of his movement. After a moment, she offered a slight, careful nod.

“You seem far from home,” she said, her voice low and even, carrying a hint of warmth beneath the caution. “The outskirts can be tricky if you’re not familiar with them. If you’d like, I can point you in the right direction—or help you avoid paths that tend to give… trouble.”

A subtle gleam of curiosity passed in her gaze, and she shifted lightly on her feet, ready to move silently if needed—but willing to stay if he welcomed the guidance.

@Aknoby
 
The young man looks at the beastkin, her scent reaching his nostrils even before he sees her. Even in human form, his senses are more acute than normal. She speaks to him and smiles friendly.



‘Yes, I'm far away. I have no problem fending for myself in nature, but company on a journey is always welcome.’



He gestures.



‘I'm following the road. I heard that if I follow this path, I'll reach a city in a few days. Am I on the right track?’

@Ailuros
 
If any paths were prone to trouble, it was surely the one that the mage and her pet had taken. When they had first come across a trio of bandits deliriously drunk from sweet and heady maple mushroom mead, Aysel had guessed it to be a sign that there was nothing to fear. When they had come across a merchant with large horses and only an extra man or two to protect him, she had also thought it meant that the road was safe for everyone, even those who weren't like her and her mentor.

Aysel hated being wrong, especially when it had her chasing off wild boars the size of donkeys and dealing with red-footed eagles that refused to leave the duo alone. The wildlife seemed to bristle at Aysel and Maria, no matter what they did, and just as Aysel had considered that maybe the creatures around here hated werewolves and she were the cause of all their misery, Maria held up an amulet that she had stolen from the drunken bastards that seemed to put all wildlife in a foul mood.

It did not affect Aysel, who was always in a bad mood no matter the circumstances.

They were still days away from the city, which meant they had to endure a few more days of that pesky amulet. Maria was set on selling it. The curse about it would most likely fetch a high price from either a scholar or a wealthy woman who wanted her cheating husband miserable on his way to his mistress in the next town over.

"I can smell others up ahead," Aysel told Maria as a fresh breeze blew against her pale face. "I think it's more animals."
 
Ailuros’s ears twitched slightly at the scents carried on the breeze, tail flicking once in subtle acknowledgment. She gave a slight nod to the young man, her gaze sharp but not unkind.

“You’re on the right track for the city,” she said, voice low and even. “The road is generally safe, but it can be unpredictable—especially for travelers unfamiliar with the area. Bandits, wildlife, and… odd magic can make even a simple path troublesome.”

Her eyes flicked briefly toward the mage and her companion in the distance, noting the unusual aura around them. “If you stick close to the edges, keep a careful watch, and move deliberately, you should reach the city without trouble. I can guide you part of the way if you like—better to have someone watching your back than none at all.”

She tilted her head slightly, letting her natural curiosity show for just a moment, but her stance remained relaxed. “The woods have a way of testing travelers. It seems you’ve already met a few of its challenges.”
 
He listens attentively to the cat-woman, nodding slowly.

‘Odd magic? That could be a problem, but I'm used to everything else.’

He smiles and continues listening.

‘Yes, company is always welcome, and I have no problem with the woods; it's something I'm very used to.’

He looks at the sorceress but can't hear what she's saying, so he crosses his arms curiously, waiting for her to come closer.

@Ailuros @Aysel
 
"It's weird that we're staying so far behind."

"It isn't." The mage said as she continued to stride forward, looking ahead as if there weren't travelers walking in the same direction as they were.

"They looked at us!" Aysel hissed. "They think we're weird."

"Who cares?"

"I do, me. I care."

"Well, that's your problem, not mine." The Cazadore was right. It was Aysel's problem, and though she pouted and fretted about how she was perceived, Maria paid little attention to her. Aysel blamed it all on the large cat up ahead. Or maybe it was the young man. It had to be both -- both had her alert and anxious from what would come if Maria thought to pick up the pace.

She tried to distract herself by looking at the road, counting rocks and pebbles, always trying to land on an odd number instead of an even number. It wasn't working as much as reciting the tenets that Maria had told her made a good cazadore. That might have been because there were only seven, so no matter what, the end was predictably odd.
 
Ailuros’s ears twitched, catching fragments of conversation behind them before the words reached her properly. She could smell them now too—one human, faintly metallic and perfumed; the other, something else, something sharp-edged and restless beneath the skin.

She didn’t reach for her blade, but her hand brushed the hilt out of habit as she turned slightly to face the road behind.

“Odd magic,” she murmured again to Artemisios, eyes narrowing just enough to show she meant it. “It tends to draw the kind of attention most travelers don’t want. And not just from bandits.”

Her tail flicked once before settling. The mage and her companion were closing the distance, the younger one glancing up more than once. Ailuros met her eyes for only a moment—steady, neutral, but watchful.

“Looks like we won’t be short on company after all,” she said softly, a hint of dry humor in her tone. Then, to the young man beside her, “Stay near the road’s left edge. The right side dips into thorns—and that’s not where you want to fall if trouble starts.”

She didn’t wait for agreement, but began pacing forward again, slow and deliberate, the kind of gait that could turn to a sprint or a fight in a breath’s time if needed.
 
Roki was some ways up the road. Butt planted on the gravel, back hunched over, elbow pressed to thigh as he sat, all purple flame for hair and thinking.

"I could have sworn I took the right turn to get back to the Monastery," he said aloud. Pouting his lips, and letting his tusks hang out from one side more than the other. "Or was I supposed to go east?" he went on thinking. Raised a brow. "Hey , are those people?" he said, chest lifting with a sense of excitement. Popped right up onto his feet, hand waiving in the air. "Hello!" he called out. all stars in his eyes.

He loved meeting new people!

Even when he was out lost in the woods. If not especially then.
 
The ‘human’ looked curiously in Roki's direction, smiled, and walked slowly towards him, accompanied by the others, as expected.

"Hello, who are you?’

Artemisios, still smiling, asked the man with flaming hair.

‘My name is Artemisios, and I am a traveller.’

@Ailuros @Aysel @Roki
 
"Great, there's even more people." Aysel whined. "What are they all doing?"

"We'll find out soon enough," her mentor said, still as unbothered as ever.

"I don't want to find out, I want them gone."

"What has gotten you so anxious?"

Aysel was quiet. This was a good question, one she still didn't have an answer for. She thought about telling her Mentor that she wanted to be comforted, and though she started to look towards Maria's direction with big puppy dog eyes, she knew Maria had never fallen for them before, even back when Aysel was little and cute and could charm any adult with a single look.

"I guess I don't like all the smells." Aysel admitted after her long pause. "Something is familiar, but not. It makes me wonder if that stupid cursed necklace is bringing something ferocious towards us. Or maybe we're arriving towards it instead. I don't know, but it feels like bad news." Maria gave her a sidelong look. The metamorphosis of the calm, serene, practically unbothered look was frightening to behold. The cocky grin, the maniacal glint in her eyes, even the Cazadore's posture changed as if Maria had become another person entirely.

"Well, wouldn't that be fun." Aysel's lips pressed even harder into a thin line, dark brows furrowing over her gray eyes. She didn't need to say that it would not be fun whatsoever.
 
Roki laughed. Ran a hand through his hair. Just hair. Though its color was a wild blaze of plum. "Hey! Nice to meet you, Artemisios!" he said, loud and boisterous as he so often was. Blink blinked at the lynx faced person, not so far behind the kindly young man. "Um," he looked further down the road, and saw the other two.

Distant. Measured. Like they expected trouble.

Cleared his throat. Eyes back to Artemisios and his Lynx companion. Straightened up, cleared his throat. Grabbed the edges of his red colored robe, and snap-snapped them against his chest. "I'm Roki!" he announced. For everyone, even the other two in the back, to hear. Gave a little stomp of his foot for emphasis. "Squire of Anatheaum!" he grinned. Eyes all crescent moons as his tusks flared out.

Felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand on edge. Eyes wide. He looked about as a cold wind blew. "Woah," he said, and stared into the forest a moment. Back to the other two. "You guys uh... going somewhere?"
 
Ailuros’s ears angled toward the voice before her head turned. The sound was bright and young—too bold to be a threat, too warm to be anything but genuine. Her tail gave a single, amused flick as she took in the sight of the tusked youth straightening his robe and calling to them with all the confidence of someone who had never yet learned to be afraid of the world.


The werewolf beside her was already smiling, and Ailuros allowed herself the faintest curve of one corner of her mouth.


“A squire?” she echoed, studying Roki for a heartbeat before inclining her head in polite greeting. “You wear your title proudly. I am Ailuros of the Wildclaw.” Her tone was calm, her cadence deliberate—measured enough to anchor the sudden energy he brought to the road.


When the cold wind brushed through the trees, she glanced toward the forest, fur lifting slightly along her shoulders. “Strange,” she murmured. “The woods go still like that only when something listens back.”


Her gaze returned to Roki, then to Artemisios, and finally to the pair approaching from behind. “Seems this road has grown popular today,” she added lightly, though her hand rested near the hilt at her belt. “Perhaps the city’s luck is drawing us together—or warning us not to travel alone.”
 
The werewolf, still in human form, keeps smiling as he listens to the others.

“We're going to the next town.”

He thinks about what Ailuros said.

“I hope it's luck!”

He chuckles softly.

“Well, I guess we're all townmates until then, at least, right?”
 
"Ailuros," Roki repeated. The way in which she had said the name, drawing some of the fire out of him. As if a cool breeze had stolen some of his heat. Not enough to douse it out. But just enough to temper. His smile, stubborn and bright thing that it was, flared up at her cool gaze. "Well, it's a pleasure and a priviledge to meet one of the Wildclaw," he said with a nod. Hadn't really heard of them, but, well, now he had. "Woah," he said, all quick moodshift as he dart his head a bit closer to the whiskered woman. "Your eyes are different colors," he said all hush of wonder at how they gleamed.

Her attention shift. And he blinked. Looked about. "Somethings, listening?" he asked. Looked to the branches. Listened for birdsong.

Not a cheep or a peep. But the distant warning call of a raven alerting its pair.

A shiver ran down Roki's spine.

Artemisios adds on where they are going, and his hopes for how the coin of fate would land upon the table they now shared. Roki nods.

"Aye, can't argue with that," he looks to the others down the road. Puts a splayed hand to his mouth. "Hey!" shouts out at them as he gets all up on the tips of his toes and waves a hand in the air. "We should all travel together!" lands on his heels and grins as he nods.

Yeah. Thump a hand against his flexed arm. All, congratulations and triumph.

For or of what, well, even he didn't quite know. Didn't really stop to think about it then and there though.
 
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