In the first instant, he had merely assumed that that particularly loud rustle of shrubbery was more of this damnable forest's trickery. In the next instant, the blued steel of the sword had vanished from its harness, the latter tumbling away into the nearby foliage from the forceful swing that had extricated its occupant.
The Xaela held the lengthy weapon horizontally, parallel to his body and close to his abdomen. The confined spaces of the forest would make wide swings impractical; one hand was held close to the top of the main grip just beneath the crossguard, and the other hand held firmly onto the blunted, leather-wrapped section of the blade just above it, his stance resembling that of one who was wielding a short spear. The shimmering viridian of his eyes had narrowed so as to focus his vision amongst the shadows that leapt to and fro from every leaf and branch, and the honed edge of the Au Ra's armament practically sang in the air with anticipation.
If the ebony scales of Kasrjin's horns could have twitched, they would have. The jolts made by the vegetation--and the barely audible yowl that accompanied it--was far too vehement to have been an act of the wind or a small animal, not unless a gale had arrived without warning or the rodents had grown to unusual sizes. There was someone, or something else present. Another of the masked assailants? A wild beast? He stepped lightly, leaning on the heels of his feet as opposed to the toe. The Xaela's eye twitched slightly with every crunch from a dried leaf or every snap from an errant twig. Every other step, Kasrjin paused briefly, attempting to focus on his hearing in order to hone in on the source of his discomfort.
An idle boot instinctively kicked a clump of dirt onto the tiny fire, whose embers flickered in protest at its treatment and gradually began to die. Kasrjin's steps were still full of wary trepidation, and he slowly twisted and turned to examine his surroundings. Once again, the forest's untamed denizens had ceased their chatter and fallen into a hushed silence. Whoever had deigned to make the disturbance had not revealed themselves. Therefore, the Au Ra reasoned, they either remained hidden or had fled. The former was far more likely unless the unwelcome presence flew on silent wings, and his cautious advance had begun to take him further down the slope. The Xaela's head swiveled above and below him. What he'd once written off as featureless greenery became an ominous and menacing setting wherein occupied the most fearsome opponent that any mortal could face: the unknown.
A flash of colour caught Kasrjin's eye, and his cautious steps became long strides to better clarify the image that appeared before him. A hardened, stern expression, ready for blood and battle, melted into an apprehensive frown comprised of equal parts bafflement and suspicion. The ready stance of his weapon weakened somewhat, and the Au Ra's movement had ceased its descent of the slope so jarringly that meandering streaks marred the dirt.
It was said that the limited nature of mortals provided an equally limited perspective, and as such they could not possibly imagine the unknown, for obvious reasons. Even so, Kasrjin had a few preconceived notions as to the accoutrements of the unknown, notions that were handily dashed by the sight of the outlandish bundle of pink and gilded accessories that was nearly prostrate further ways down the slope. The colours and slight form contrasted heavily with his own heavy, muscular frame lined with white fur and wild, rough leather, and marred with stains of maroon.
His sword was still held at the ready, but the memory of combat with the masked warriors was still fresh on the Xaela's mind. Avoiding more disputes of that nature would be the most advantageous course of action, and this new individual did not hold a similar appearance to those who had attacked him earlier. And yet, there was the possibility that the denizens of this wood had intended for this to happen.
The sword tensed in the air.
With luck, that idea was untrue.
The Xaela held the lengthy weapon horizontally, parallel to his body and close to his abdomen. The confined spaces of the forest would make wide swings impractical; one hand was held close to the top of the main grip just beneath the crossguard, and the other hand held firmly onto the blunted, leather-wrapped section of the blade just above it, his stance resembling that of one who was wielding a short spear. The shimmering viridian of his eyes had narrowed so as to focus his vision amongst the shadows that leapt to and fro from every leaf and branch, and the honed edge of the Au Ra's armament practically sang in the air with anticipation.
If the ebony scales of Kasrjin's horns could have twitched, they would have. The jolts made by the vegetation--and the barely audible yowl that accompanied it--was far too vehement to have been an act of the wind or a small animal, not unless a gale had arrived without warning or the rodents had grown to unusual sizes. There was someone, or something else present. Another of the masked assailants? A wild beast? He stepped lightly, leaning on the heels of his feet as opposed to the toe. The Xaela's eye twitched slightly with every crunch from a dried leaf or every snap from an errant twig. Every other step, Kasrjin paused briefly, attempting to focus on his hearing in order to hone in on the source of his discomfort.
An idle boot instinctively kicked a clump of dirt onto the tiny fire, whose embers flickered in protest at its treatment and gradually began to die. Kasrjin's steps were still full of wary trepidation, and he slowly twisted and turned to examine his surroundings. Once again, the forest's untamed denizens had ceased their chatter and fallen into a hushed silence. Whoever had deigned to make the disturbance had not revealed themselves. Therefore, the Au Ra reasoned, they either remained hidden or had fled. The former was far more likely unless the unwelcome presence flew on silent wings, and his cautious advance had begun to take him further down the slope. The Xaela's head swiveled above and below him. What he'd once written off as featureless greenery became an ominous and menacing setting wherein occupied the most fearsome opponent that any mortal could face: the unknown.
A flash of colour caught Kasrjin's eye, and his cautious steps became long strides to better clarify the image that appeared before him. A hardened, stern expression, ready for blood and battle, melted into an apprehensive frown comprised of equal parts bafflement and suspicion. The ready stance of his weapon weakened somewhat, and the Au Ra's movement had ceased its descent of the slope so jarringly that meandering streaks marred the dirt.
It was said that the limited nature of mortals provided an equally limited perspective, and as such they could not possibly imagine the unknown, for obvious reasons. Even so, Kasrjin had a few preconceived notions as to the accoutrements of the unknown, notions that were handily dashed by the sight of the outlandish bundle of pink and gilded accessories that was nearly prostrate further ways down the slope. The colours and slight form contrasted heavily with his own heavy, muscular frame lined with white fur and wild, rough leather, and marred with stains of maroon.
His sword was still held at the ready, but the memory of combat with the masked warriors was still fresh on the Xaela's mind. Avoiding more disputes of that nature would be the most advantageous course of action, and this new individual did not hold a similar appearance to those who had attacked him earlier. And yet, there was the possibility that the denizens of this wood had intended for this to happen.
The sword tensed in the air.
With luck, that idea was untrue.
