all you have is your fire

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

The frustration, the vexation, the weakness curled and stored within her, permitted to leave and vanquish into the surroundings, left her all the more scalded and irritated. She dashed away the remainder of her tears on her cheeks, and leaned back, granting one last sniffle before adjusting herself. Strong. Stalwart. Brave. Potent. Mighty. That’s what she was supposed to be, and her jaw locked, her chin lifted, defiantly in its place, a nod given and granted to him; thankful for his efforts in comfort and sanctity while she became a mess. “Sorry,” she murmured, for she was; apologetic that she’d fizzled and funneled and fell apart into something she didn’t wish, yearn, or crave to be.

His question, before she could even get a word out, was answered with a rumble of her stomach – all their haphazard play and swimming rambling into an entangled appetite. As Fangorn hissed and grumbled his desire for food (the Hels never let him get very close), the youth nodded her head again. “Yes. Do we want to go hunt?” A sort of feral smile worked its way back upon her features.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

“Don’t be sorry.” He hums to her, leaning back from the hug to give her space and let her recover the best she can while he figures out what to do next. Food is a good idea, unsure of whether or not she’s starving. But with the exertion of his shift and taking her through the waters, he could certainly go for replenishing some of that energy.

Her stomach rumbles and he chuckles low and deep to that, watching her as she nods and agrees. “Of course, how else would we get it?” He winks to her, moving to stand and brush off the sand from his knees while Haai approaches to bump her head against Melita’s side before focusing on trying to play with Fangorn. Sunjata slips the pearls into a pocket before looking up to the Hels and back to the sandy beach around them. “What do you want to hunt?” A raise of his brow to that.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Breathing in deep, soaking in the sea-salt breeze, she gained back her composure, her strength, her accord. Fearful of letting it slip again, she rose from the dunes, brushing herself off as best she could, before wandering back to her pile of things. An air of mischief beheld her for a second, striving to return to some aspects of normalcy. Perhaps it wasn’t a grand notion to think vehemence, violence, and stalking animals was a customary position she found herself within – but it was comfortable, known, and imbedded, infused, in her bones. “Maybe some Hels?” The girl dipped down to grab her bag, and with it came her quiver, placed back along her shoulders. She might be able to snag some from mid-air, given the range, and then again, they might also be ablaze by the time she was done with them. Fangorn took this opportunity to grumble and mockingly roar at Haai, instigating some other feral game while the humans were busy.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

His gaze flickers upward toward the Hels and Sunjata looks back toward Melita with a wolfish grin. “Hm, I have an idea.” Already his body is beginning to try and shift and contort, but he keeps it to his shoulders alone at the moment. “I’ll distract them and you can work on your aim?” A brow raises, sure in her ability to not hit him with those sharp points of the arrow. And at the very least, it gets him some time to get back at the birds in the sky that had constantly chosen to circle and scavenge.

Haai, meanwhile, is more than pleased to indulge in this game of tag – a smoky growl given back toward Fangorn while Sunjata fully shifts and takes to the sky, targeting one of the Hels to annoy and bring closer toward the copper haired girl.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

“You think I need to work on my aim?” A ruffian, impish smile flickered back after an aggravated huff – a challenge, defiance, a hint of arrogance and confidence in her abilities. He likely hadn’t meant it as an insult, but she took it as a goading, provoking maneuver, instantly conforming away from her broken, whittled shell, lifting her chin, her jaw, into a seditious spread. The sentiment of primordial movements came over her, a mocking draw of a bow brought forth the one contained in her bracelet, instantly in her heads, notching the arrow immediately, half-tempted to point it towards him for the comment. A portion of her was ready and eager in her irreverence to simply say she didn’t require his aid at all, and then another contortions simply yearned to take whatever he was willing to give.

Her eyes went to the skies, the bow following her movements, gaze tracking one in particular as she pulled back the taut string – and then let the fiery abyss fly.

At the very least, Fangorn and Haii occupied themselves. The gourd roamed towards the griffin, intending to rush in a flurry of pretend, stalking maneuvers.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

A bright chuckle leaves his throat at her comment, the smile that crosses her face almost like a challenge. “Oh, I don’t. That’s why I’m going up there.” He teases her back with a wink, shifting a small amount in step to move and let his skin become blue feathers – taking to the sky in his macaw form to go and harass and pick off a Hel and guide it toward the fiery haired girl.

And she’s quick on the draw, he notes, prompting and squawking as the arrow careens toward the Hels before him – the flame strong and swift, watching with dark eyes as the arrow pierces the Hel and it careens toward the sands beneath where Melita and the companions are. He begins to dive after it, catching the attention of another Hel as he pulls upward, squawking toward that one now to get Melita’s attention to aim for the next.

Meanwhile, Haai lets Fangorn stalk her, waiting until the last moment before flopping over as if the gourd had won.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

A series of flames and cinders was all it took – a potent, powerful smirk in her destruction – as the Hel immediately descended. She’d grant him the space in his macaw, blue interludes to snag it, while another bird moved into her sights. She followed its abrupt, quirky movements with her bow, used to the notions of prey maneuvering in uncanny, enigmatic ways, a notion of protection for themselves against hunters like her. A breath loomed within her chest, and then she drew again, the string tight, taut, and rigid in her calloused palms, before releasing it all over again, a pattern of predatory, finely-honed maneuvers.

Fangorn was delighted in the game all the while, a triumphant grumble and roar as Haii dramatically flopped to the ground, proclaiming his victory (not truly founded in reality, when he was not built for any kind of speed). After the success though, the gourd quickly went over and prodded, intending to start it all over again.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

Somehow, this time the aim falters a small amount. It’s close, not quite fully there, but as Melita fires the arrow it zooms past the Hel, close enough to single feathers on its way up, before it changes trajectory a bit closer down toward them. Sunjata does his best to keep the hel on track, squawking a quiet sound as the creature flies toward him again and he begins to duck a small amount, giving Melita another chance.

Haai gives a yip of excitement and a whine of woe when she’s ‘slain’, flopping over and panting a small amount in a messy tangle of iridescent feathers and sand. But Fangorn is there, prodding again, and she hops up with a play now granted to the gourd, to begin the chase again.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

It was probably wise, and safe, that Sunjata couldn't say anything about the inaccuracy. She emitted a grumbling snort when her arrow missed, a sneer running rampant across her mouth; if she’d had hackles, they would’ve been raised things, a howl in crimson, wolfish displays. Instead of doing anything else in the muddling fumes of frustration, she narrowed her eyes, grabbing hold of another arrow along her back while Sunjata seemed to try and keep the bird around the same place. Notching, breathing, on a sharp inhale, she drew back the string, everything inherent, everything a nuance of comfort, of familiarity, of power. Now she just had to ensure precision again. On an exhale, she released, the bow pinpointed, the arrow straight and sure.

Fangorn for his tactics and measures, hissed at the griffin, and then continued to implore. Slower, lacking any legs or arms to help with movement, the gourd’s range was a leap and a bound across the sand, glancing back to see if Haai was following, before continuing to escalate the amusement, leaving massive pumpkin prints in dampened sand.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

There’s a hint of pride hidden beneath the attuned as he dives around the Hel to keep it distracted, to keep it close while Melita readies another arrow into her bow. If she were attuned, she’d likely feel the spark of it trailing down – but alas, she isn’t. All he can do is squawk and croon things in Korofi down toward her that would sound like absolute gibberish given anyone else who might listen in. But the arrow is soaring through the air again, aimed for the Hel it had missed once before. And while this one doesn’t strike nearly as well as the first one had, it does lodge directly into the birds wing. And down and down it goes, careening toward the ground in a puff of feathers and sand.

Haai remains in place a bit longer, long canine legs making it easy to catch up to the gourd – but where is the fun in that? Instead, the griffin watches as the gourd begins to bounce and leap along the wet sand, body low to the ground as if she’s stalking Fangorn despite being within plain sight. A few jumps and hops here and there with a howl of excitement bring her closer to catching up. And near the end, she ends with her head near Fangorn’s stem, pressing forward to ‘boop’ the gourd.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

She could hear the squawking, but understood nothing established from it – a shrug of her shoulders, an arch of her brow, and then total incomprehension. Otherwise, she watched the arrow hit its target this time, still not grand, not great, but better than before, and that could count for something. The bird was felled, careening towards the sand, one more collected. “Do you want anymore?” Capable, hopefully, of taking them apart, rendering them incomprehensible, battered, and burnt, by the time the embers of her arrow segmented and pierced.

The gourd, enticed and inveigled by the play, continuing leaping and bounding, stretching out his vines to grab hold of nearby rocks as Haai booped them. A conspiring growl echoed through the beast’s enigmatic face, before casting themselves near rocks and dunes again, as if hiding (but difficult to do – out there on mostly open sands).

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

“No.” Squawks the macaw as he lands, talons dragging up sand beside the Hel she’d felled, an amused gleam in his eye as he shifts back into himself to reach for a knife in his boot and reach down to the bird still struggling, slipping it around for the final kill to take it out of its misery of a flaming, pained wing. Collecting them, he jogs over to Melita with a small tilt of his head, amusement lingering in his face. “Shall we start a fire?” A raise of his brow, prepared to work on prepping the hels to cook.

Haai doesn’t take into consideration the vines that extend from the gourd – not as Fangorn is using them to latch onto. When Haai’s nose bumps into the stem of the gourd, she howls a quietly pleased sound despite the conspiratory growl that leaves Fangorn. And then, then the gourd is off again, in some sort of hide and seek game that Haai twirls toward – aiming to try and spot the gourd wherever he’s gone.

but you know i would

SuNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

No resounded, and she rolled her eyes, tucking the bow back into its bracelet. “I suppose," was in a singsong measure, followed by an impish wrinkle to her nose. Starting a fire was something she could do, and she hollered over to her gourd, who was hiding amongst some rocks for whatever reason. “Fangorn, find us some sticks!” There should’ve been some dried ones nearby, while she dug a little hole in the dunes, collecting a few rocks here and there to put underneath.

The gourd readily applied himself, a guilty look sent Haai’s way that the game was soon over once he leapt from behind the stones, rustling back and forth, grabbing hold of age-old driftwood that had long since been left to its own devices. Tucking them within his fangs, he made his way back to Melita, whom patted and scratched his head for his efforts. “Good job,” and then she took hold of them, placing them along the hole, and snagged at one of her arrows. The tip instantly became ignited, and instead of utilizing flint or some other element, she corresponded and applied the one she already had, dipping the pointed, serrated edges towards the sticks, waiting for them to ignite.

to be the sun

MELITA

i try to keep it in line, maybe i'm just not the one

As Fangorn disbands the game, Sunjata offers the same quiet command to Haai despite the whine he receives. Assuring the griffin that there’s time to play later, he moves to where they plan on having their lunch, settling among the sands to clean the birds and prepare them to be cooked. The griffin joins the gourd, moving to collect sticks in slightly slobbery jaws, focusing on bigger ones that Fangorn might not be able to grab on his own.

Sunjata, meanwhile, works on defeathering the birds, gaze lifting up when she reaches for the sticks Fangorn has brought, pausing as he settles back in the sands as the fire begins to be made. Haai drops a few more sticks nearby as Fangorn receives his praise and Sunjata works to finish defeathering one of the Hels before moving onto the next one. “Fire arrows, huh? How long have you had those?” He asks, because the last time he’d seen her and practiced archery with her, she’d used blunt tipped ones to not impale him.

but you know i would

SuNJATA