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Terrin & Ava
Terrin walked out of a small, natural cave that he spent the night in; his boots were getting muddy from the recent rain swept landscape. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the birds, wind and Terrin’s stomach growling; grabbing his daggers Terrin walked off to check his small snares that he set the night before. As one might expect due to the rain no animals were unfortunate enough to become Terrin’s meal just yet. In a disappointed state he walked off into the nearby woods to look for something to forage for or to quickly hunt.
Ava winced as she awoke from her slumber, the early morning sun shining through her window and hitting her in the face. She let out a yawn along with a stretch before she got out of bed, getting dressed and then exited out of her home that was high in the tree tops; it was much higher than where her kind usually made them, but she liked it for the safety it provided. She descended from from the tree where her home was, going to a nearby pond that had some fresh water and splashed it on her face once she was on the ground, the cool, refreshing water perked her up and made her feel much more awake now.
Alright, now to find something to eat, she thought to herself as her stomach began to growl. She took a look around her current surroundings, but was unable to really find anything eat and began searching else where in the forest. She finally managed to come across some berries she could eat after about ten minutes of searching. Finally, something to eat, she thought to herself once more, picking as many berries as her hands could hold and then climbed a nearby tree, resting against the trunk as one of her legs lightly swung back and forth as it dangled from the branch she was sitting on whilst she ate her sweet breakfast.
Slowly stalking in the underbrush Terrin hunted. He closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings, but all they brought were sounds of the birds still. How long have I been in this country now? he idly thought as he tried to count the years while listening to the wind Going on 90 some odd years no- his thought was interrupted by a rustling to the northwest. Terrin ducked down lower and began the real hunt, with his daggers in his hands ready to strike at any moment.
He was coming up near a clearing as he saw some elven woman picking berries from a bush on the other side. Of course it wasn’t an animal making that noise he chastised himself But maybe she may be of help to me, lead me to food. But she may not eat meat due to her only getting berries. Hmm...how to approach her, I could keep my hood on but elves never really liked the look of humans, I guess showing my ears would be the best bet for a diplomatic approach… during Terrin’s long planning phase the woman already gathered her bounty and climbed a nearby tree. Well here goes nothing I guess, I don’t think I’ve spoken to someone in a few months, not to mention someone so beautiful
Terrin lowered his hood, sheathed his weapons and walked forward with his hands in the air to show no harm. He put on the best smile he could and spoke in what he hoped was a chipper manner, ”Hello there fair elf! I was wondering if you know this area better than I! I’ve only been through this specific area shortly in the cave back that way” Terrin points to the southwest, ”I was staying there to ward off the rain, and I was trying to find any real source of food. All I could find were these roots so far, seems like the rain drove the animals into hiding. I was hoping you could help me.”
Ava continued to enjoy the sweet breakfast that was the assortment of berries in her hand, they were always her favorite of her vegetarian diet. She watched the sun continue to rise in the early morning, enjoying the gentle breeze that was brushing past her, unaware of the man that was just below her, scrounging around in the grass. She jumped when the man spoke to her, catching her off guard which made her lose her balance from where she was sitting; her unfinished breakfast and herself beginning to fall to the ground.
Terrin was still a good 30 meters away from the tree as the elf woman fell. Damn! It’s too far away to get to in time! was all he could think so he began to summon the power of the winds under the frail girl. Fortunately since she was so light he didn’t have to use too much power to slow her falling down as she drifted slowly to the ground. After she landed safely Terrin walked up to her and asked, ”Are you okay? I know you may be confused but I’m just glad you didn’t hit the ground. he said in a gentle tone with a natural smile. He introduced himself with a bow, ”I’m Terrin, Terrin...La’asdrassil” he spoke his last name with some obvious contempt. ”Whom might you be?” he asked the strange elf girl.
Ava saw the ground quickly approaching and she closed her eyes, using her arms to brace herself for the inevitable impact. Although when she didn’t hit the ground, she opened her eyes, seeing that she was floating just a few inches above the ground and then gently touched down onto it. She blinked a few times before looking to the man that began speaking to her,“Um...yeah, I’m fine.” She responded fairly quietly as she started to get up, dusting off some dirt and damp grass that stuck to her.
“I’m...Ava, Ava Chaelamin, thank you for saving me.” She responded shyly as she stared at the ground, holding one of her arms out of nervousness. Ava tended to have difficulties with meeting new people, once she knew someone she could converse with them without a problem, but with first meeting them, she felt a tad awkward and it was sometimes difficult for her to get her words out, but she tried her best nonetheless. “Um...what was that power you used to save me?” She couldn’t help but ask, figuring it was just some form of magic, but she was still curious.
Hmm, this is Muratti, no zeal for the bastard king here Terrin reasoned with himself. ”It will be easier to show you I guess,” as Terrin takes off his cloak and then takes off his shirt. He turns to Ava to show her his soturi mark, a pair of feathery wings across his shoulders. ”Please don't be afraid, I'm a Soturi, an air Soturi to be exact. Which is why you're safe now, I didn't want you to get hurt because of me. I'm not sure how the people of Muratti treat my kind, Soturi that is, not Half-elf. I know full well my kind are not liked around here.” he finishes with downtrodden eyes.
”I didn't mean to bother you so, I was just hoping for a bit of help in a strange place. But it looks like I needed to help instead.” he laughs slightly at the end trying to bring the mood back, he himself being nervous. He's never been good at conversing with people due to being a half breed, but he is trying his best to put on a smile for her.
Ava was a bit taken aback when he began to partially disrobe, though when he explained himself and the mention of being a Soturi, she glanced at her right arm that had a bit of cloth tied around it, thinking about her own mark that laid underneath it before returning her attention to Terrin. ”Oh, well I’m not like that, I usually try getting along with everyone I meet.” She responded with a small smile; he seemed to be okay for the most part, at least to her.
“I was just surprised, I didn’t expect anyone to be out here, should’ve kept a better grip on that branch I was relaxing on,” she added with a small chuckle then said, “so what exactly was it that you needed help with? I don’t know how useful I may be, but I should try to repay you somehow for saving me from that fall.”
”You...aren't the least bit interested in me being a Soturi?” Terrin asked with an extremely puzzled expression while putting his shirt and cloak back on. With such an unnatural reaction it is best to stay cautious. ”Well, like I said before, I'm new to this section of Muratti and had to spend the night in a cave. I'm famished and I believe the creatures of the woods have retreated due to the downpour last night so I was hoping if you knew any quick sources of food around here. I'm on a mission to find someone and dawdling serves no purpose.” he explains in a businesslike manner.
“Well not really, I don’t tend to judge people on stuff like that, pretty strange I know,” she responded with a slight chuckle. Since Ava lived alone and in slight isolation from the rest of her kind, she didn’t pick up a lot their negative views they had of various other races, so naturally, she tended to be friendly to everyone she came across for the most part, well when her shyness wasn’t getting in the way at least. ”Well there’s various assortment of berries nearby that I could show you, they’re pretty tasty, although I didn’t get to really finish them.” Ava added with a small chuckle once more as she glanced at the small berries that were sprawled on the ground. I wonder who he’s looking for, Ava thought to herself as she returned her attention to Terrin, though she kept her question to herself, finding it would be rude to get into a person’s business that she just met.
The true problem Terrin had with the situation was the lack of surprise with a sudden Soturi showing up before her. The thought rubbed Terrin the wrong way, I should be extremely careful from now on. He performed a deep bow and motioned ahead of him, ”Please Mrs. Chaelamin be my guide in these unknown lands then. My skill comes in hunting, not the foraging sort; I've only found a few edible roots before my incident with you. So I beseech thee for your assistance.” he punctuated his sentence with a large grin. I should keep her ahead of me, just in case she tries to lead me into a trap was Terrin’s last thought, completely cynical of the world he grew up in.
“Oh, I’m not married and you can just call me Ava,” she responded with a small smile and then added, “I’m sorry I can’t help you with your hunting, I tend to live off only fruits and vegetables; I believe all life is sacred, so I try to prevent harming the wildlife in the forest or anyone else for that matter.” Then Ava began leading him to the area where there were trees and bushes that had various berries and other small fruits growing from them. ”Well here we are, pick whatever you like,” she spoke to Terrin once more as she moved past some of the bushes, one of them snagging on the cloth around her arm and pulling it off, revealing her Soturi mark, though she was unaware of it.
Terrin walked behind Ava, ever vigilant in case of trouble. ”I wish I could think in such a way, but half my life was spent growing up in Lampea with the humans so I've grown accustomed to their diet; my musculature may be lean but I still need meat to sustain it. But perhaps one day or so in a lifestyle such as yours couldn't hurt. he speculated while he began picking some berries at random.
He heard a small tearing sound and found some cloth that looked to belong to Ava’s garment. ”Hey Ava, it looks like your sleeve torn a bit, it looks like a simple mend if you needed he-” he stopped short after seeing her small mark. ”Oh, I see. You're the same as me then.” He began in a more cheerful tone as you could hear him speak more calmly. ”I was so untrusting of you in the beginning, even though you did not know I must still apologize for my rudeness, he apologized with a deep bow. ”So, what element can you control if you don't mind my asking?”
”It’s not a lifestyle for many, but I could never bring myself to kill any of the animals here, even for my own survival, they all look so sweet and peaceful and they make the world a much better place; sappy I know.” She gently chuckled at her words, knowing that they were idealistic and perhaps a bit naive, but she didn’t care.
Ava looked a bit surprised when he mentioned that the bit of cloth she had tied around her arm came off, looking down, she saw that her mark was now revealed; a streak of crimson went across her face as she quickly put her arm behind her back to keep the symbol hidden. “Oh, that’s n-nothing, just a tattoo.” She stammered with a nervous chuckle, hoping that he would believe her lie and not press further on it; she never liked the mark on her arm, it always seemed to cause trouble for her and others that had been unfortunate enough to see it, it’s was one of the reasons she chose partial isolation of herself, so that way no one would get in trouble because of her.
”It is a little too late to guard it now I'm afraid. But it makes me happy to find one of my own here, it puts me at ease so to speak,” he smiles gently, “Please do not feel ashamed of your mark, it means you are special, the world needs people like us or we wouldn't exist at all. At least that's what I tell myself.” he returns her laughter with his own.
Terrin grabs Ava’s hand and motions to the Soturi mark, ”I know a mark such as this has probably left you isolated and lonely, I know that feeling not only from my own mark, but due to my birth. I will always be ostracized so I guess I was more able to accept my position, but for someone normal to be shoved off from their kind must have been very difficult. But just know there are people like me out there, people like you bearing this mark of the gods, wielding its power and suffering the burdens all the same. So please do not try to lie to me.” Ava’s hand is released as well as her cloth given back to her.
Ava hastily grabbed her cloth back from Terrin, tying it back around her forearm, “I’ve never liked this mark, it’s been like a curse, all it’s done is take away everyone I’ve ever cared about, like my parents and I wish it would just go away.” She looked at her now concealed mark with a little more disdain. She thought back to when her mark was first seen and how her parents were taken away as a result of it, it caused a bit of distress on her face as she gripped at the covered mark on her arm; one of her biggest regrets being her parents being taken away from her because of it.
”I've lost my family as well Ava, though my mark had nothing to do with it. I was an only child to a man who left my mother alone in the city; that bastard is out here somewhere in Muratti. I stayed by my mother's side until she passed away, after I settled the small amount of things that we owned I set out to find him, to ask him why would he do this and possibly for revenge. he spat out the word revenge with such anger that be began to tremble.
”I don't know why I have these powers, but I intend to use them well, to not become someone like my father, like the King of Lampea. Those are dogs that should be put down, for doing what they did to families just like yours. Terrin locks eyes with Ava and speaks with conviction, ”There are people like you all around, you're not alone, at least not as much as you might think. Just look now, you found me.
Ava perked her head up when Terrin spoke, a look of slight surprise when he mentioned his past as well as revenge, hearing the anger in his voice, “I see, so you’ve been through some hardships as well, I know it really isn’t my place to say, but I don’t think revenge is the right thing to do, I mean it won’t change what’s happened, all it will do is hurt a new set of people and a vicious cycle like that will never end.”
There was a brief moment of silence from Ava before she finally spoke up, ”I know what it’s like to have anger like yours; when I was younger, some soldiers saw me using my Soturi powers as well as my mark, they chased me all the way back home. My parents tried to hide me, but the soldiers were going to search for me anyways, my parents told me to run whilst they held them off; they ended up being captured and imprisoned. For the longest time I was so angry all I wanted to do was make them pay, but someone taught me that anger and revenge would just create more anger and revenge, so instead I chose for peace with everyone, to try and break a cycle like that, all I really want now is to find my parents and free them from their imprisonment.” She gave a small smile as she finished her sentence, knowing how naive her words sounded, especially with how young she was, well young for her kind anyways.
”Seeing the world in such a rosy way is a refreshing sight. I know I'm still young but I like to see the world for what it is,” he sighed deeply, ”But please keep your innocence, don't give up what you have. Terrin examines his surroundings more carefully, mostly to break eye contact, ”If you're still looking for your parents I can help you, you're no fighter that's for sure and if you go up against the King’s decree you better know how to wield a blade to get your point across; when it comes to Soturi he only knows the language of violence.” Terrin holds his hand out to Ava and makes one request, ”If you want things to change, you need to throw every ounce of your soul into the change. If you're ready to turn your life upside down for your ideals, if it is worth fighting for then take my hand. Terrin gives Ava a hard look down to her very soul, seeking change.
Ava was surprised that he was offering to help find her parents, she did want to look for them, but she hadn’t been thinking about finding them that morning and it felt sudden to her. Finding my parents? I could finally look for them? She thought to herself, a gentle smile appearing on her face at the idea of being reunited with her mother and father. She noticed the deep stare he was giving her, almost as if it was hitting her very core and she slowly reached out, placing her hand in his, ”I don’t know if I can bring myself to harm another person, but I’ll do what I can and in return try to help you find who you’re looking for.” She spoke with determination; whilst she wanted this, she couldn’t idly throw her ideals out in the blink of an eye, it just wasn’t who she was, though who knows how she will change along the way.
Terrin smiled when she placed her frail hand in his as he gently pulled her along. ”The first step in your journey should be getting used to being around people again, if your parents were captured they will be held in a large city or put to work somewhere, either way you need to learn to be around people without fear of your mark being shown.” He looks back to give her a reassuring look, ”You’ll change Ava, and I’m certain we will get your parents back, or at least do their sacrifice a service.” Terrin looked ahead as he took Ava to the near town of Ossilon.