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Unlike his younger companion, Pahh blended in with the shadowed world he stalked. He felt it might have been stalking, though he was fairly new to the entire idea of stalking. Oh to be sure, he'd chased his own share of friends and friends to be through the woods on those nights of which a particular chase was expected, but such chases were undertaken in a manner so as to be heard. One wished to be caught or to catch one's quarry. Such were games, not hunts. He really had never been a hunter, hadn't meant to be a hunter, wasn't created for hunting.
Despite it all, he was, that night, hunting. He sighed and pulled his hair back behind his ears, tucking it back into the tie which had been pulled on when he'd snagged on a bit of brush. All the while, he silently cursed his companion.
It had been a beautiful day, ripe with promise, when he'd stood in court. At his side, looking rather resplendent and handsome, Izuriel managed to break the vision he made by fiddling with a miniature tear in the hem of his shirting. What had no doubt begun as a small thread loose was gathering up shape, or loss of shape. Neither of them were the type to enjoy the court so much, both wanting to be doing other things. Yet, Izuriel was often better at staying quiet. They had not known one another for very long, as Izuriel had been newly come to the court and Pahh was the type to remain in his archives instead of coming into the sunlit courts. Yet Pahh was observant and Izuriel had, the times they had run into one another, always managed to contain himself better than he was at that time.
It was the thread which did it, however. Pahh's attention wavered. Words were called and Pahh stepped forward, his tome under his arm, intending to introduce his newest findings.
The Lady lifted her brow in shock at him. Pahh cleared his throat, reached to lift up his tome, and found that the thread had caught on the binding. Beside him, looking much worse for wear, the young Izuriel seemed surprised and delighted to be drawn along.
Still, despite the looks all about, none were more surprised than Pahh to find that he had, inadvertently of course, volunteered them both. Pahh was not entirely certain that he had understood all of the directions given after that initial shock, other than they were to (yes, both of them!) go out toward the mountains at the sun-side, and discover what sort of creature was wreaking havoc with the towns there. Oh yes, the Lady had laughed in certainty, no better than an adventurer and a man of knowledge. The pair of them would, together, make a far more able seeker than one alone.
Pahh could not see his way toward caring much for the difficulty he'd gotten himself into once again with his inattention. And thus, he was stalking - as directed - as quietly as he knew how to, through forests in order to find a creature he feared because he really hadn't the foggiest idea of what it could be, nor did he have any books or tomes to look into.
His tail lashing against his legs, he hunkered low at a bellow from the vale before them - across the depths of a river cut valley. He brought his hand to his eyes and squinted into the growing shadows. The bellow had not sounded overly dangerous - a forest stag or a small boar perhaps. He should have used the silly stone to ask Izuriel for the boy had a better knowledge of sights and sounds. Pahh knew words, names, descriptions. He quickly fumbled through his mental catalogue in an attempt to place the sound when from behind him, an answering bellow broke out, almost over his head.
He broke into a sudden run to the side, even as something large rushed down the hillside, breaking brush and trees on the way down the shallow grade. Pahh tucked his wings in close to his body and dove in against a large tree, staring wildly about him in an attempt to decide what to do next.
