&& . if you want to get OUT { a l i v e } ``

[Hayden Lane Donovan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true] hayden Damn them all the hell. Perhaps her language was a bit colorful for some people's tastes, but she was a soldier, born, bred and trained. So, no, she was not going to curb her tongue, particularly when it wasn't her tongue doing the talking. It's not like she'd said it out loud or anything. The stone clashed violently against the tree bark and she growled softly under her breath. Yes, she was still pissed about being used. But she could hide that. Normally. This was not normally. This was the stupid "Ohtar", who she was supposedly a part of now(not that she wanted to be) just up and ditching her. Yeah. They'd just wandered off to train, something that would probably relieve stress and allow her to keep pretending everything was alright, and had anyone bothered to inform the poor little newbie? No. Well, they'd informed the new elves. But she was not an elf. Not one of them. Not one of any group really, because she sure as hell wasn't about to associate with humans anymore. Muttering a long string of curses, she swiped up a cloth and took to rubbing down Zane, vigorously enough that even he side stepped to keep his balance, and he was a particularly sturdy equine. It had taken her whole strength and weight pushed at a singular point (the tip of her thumb) against his side to even make him think about shoving over one day when he'd stepped on her foot with a defiant snort as if to prove a point. He had, of course. Now, however, he simply wrapped that beautiful black and white head around and rammed it against her arm, nearly knocking her off balance with his force and snapping her out of her haze of anger. She grumbled one last word before she sighed and threw the cloth away, forehead resting against her stallion's neck, head burrowed in the thick mane that was currently unbraided. it sufficiently muffled her voice enough that her words were incomprehensible anyway, and he just huffed, shaking his head a moment. His thoughts? "Women."

[Nielle Vanwa]

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[atrb=background, i114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/Sabaku_Kuro/middle.jpg] Had God but a strand of mercy he might have taken her with him. Had her slaughtered at her family’s side and not left her on her own. Alone. What a statement, how could one feel alone when they were backed by an entire people willing to die at your very word, and yet here the queen stood in her city, full of her people and yet utterly alone. Perhaps the town just felt empty with the Ohtar out training that must be it. After al they’d be back soon. Perhaps she would wait for them in their clearing to congratulate them on a job well done. An appearance from the bereth might boost army moral. She wandered towards the clearing. It was a noble deed welcoming her armies back from training certainly, yet she was but a shadow of herself. The people knew, though some refused to believe. Her rule would not last too much longer alone. The Kallo and Maethan could only keep her inline for so long after all before she started ordering open attacks on the King’s castle and breaking the whole land into war. The Ohtar clearing wasn’t empty. The foul portrait of a human and its beast stood within the clearing. She was tempted to shift into her primal form and attack, before she recalled, this was her human lazing about, snuggling it’s pathetic excuse for an animal. Deeming that this human, while awful, was in no way going to move against her, the bereth walked further into the clearing. She held her head high; she was above this pathetic being. Pathetic, yet useful in a sickening way. ”Human.” A single would had never left a more foul taste on her tongue. Them. They were the reason she was alone, they had released the demons onto her family. This girl had aided the demons in slaying her family and her people and here she was in her clearing, one of her Ohtar and commanded by the Maethan. ”The Ohtar are training. You find yourself among their ranks, and yet I find you here. Why?” Her voice was steady and held authority to it. The Maethan might think this human had valuble skills but she was just...just... Nielle didn’t want to think of what she was right now. The fact was, this girl...Hayden Lane Donovan, was useful to them. She was strong and she could probably take out several of the Ohtar. She may be human, but at least she had the sense to choose the right side in this war. At least she was here now. The truth of what the queen thought about her though masked underneath everything was like stone and unchanged. She is not one of us. Humans betrayed us, we are no longer such fools.

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[Hayden Lane Donovan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true] hayden Hayden looked up, bold enough to show no submission in any way. Instead, she stood up so as to not feel quite so looked down upon. The was a defiant look in her eyes, as if daring the queen(as she still thought of her in human terms, rather than elven terms), to kick her out of the clearing. Maybe she would have been better on her own, a part of nothing. To be among them and to be included are two different things, and you know it just as well as I do. The funny thing was, for all her defenses, she didn't look particularly defensive. Just strong-willed, pig-headed. That was the thing. She was good at hiding how she felt, to others and sometimes even to herself. It was good, in some ways. She could pretend, she could lie, she could fit in no matter where she went if she tried. And now, faced with Nielle, she could appear relaxed, uninjured emotionally even though her heart ached with every beat. But the queen didn't know of the betrayal Hayden had faced, and she didn't need to know. Just like she didn't need to know the human was expecting the same damn thing to happen again, the whole reason someone who was so good, so efficient, at fighting and killing simply didn't want to anymore. She was a soldier at heart, yes, but not for anyone else. A rogue assassin, a mercenary playing by her own rules, that she could probably manage. But when it came to taking orders, even though she'd been conditioned to not hesitate or question, she did. And she had a feeling the queen wouldn't like that when she found out.

[Sivantthon Maésial]

Sivan sat silently on the forest floor his grey-green eyes scanning every tree and path around him. The sun was high and dappled the leaf-litter with sunlight, creating a patchy blanket of soft shadows. He laid his hand on his bow drawing up his other to grasp the nock and fletching of an arrow. The soft feathers of the fletching tickled his exposed fingers and softened the wood to their touch. He placed the nock against the taught string of his bow pulling the string as the stag he was stalking came into view. It hadn't noticed him so he shifted his weight slightly to gain a better angle, and just his luck he leaned on a twig which, in the silence, was deafening. The stag whipped it's head around to stare straight into Sivan's eyes then darted away.

"Shit." He swiftly got to his feet holstering his bow and arrow and yanking his dagger from it's sheath. He dashed after the stag with deadly speed. The stag popped in and out of view for milliseconds, disorienting which direction it was going in. 'I can't follow it like this.' He sheathed his dagger, now unusable, and jumped headfirst. Halfway through his jump he morphed, changing into his lithe Hyena form. It was easier to run distance in this form, he was far more agile and could catch up to the stag much faster.

The stag quickly came into view, it was so close he could practically feel the heat coming off it's straining muscles. And that's when he was distracted by the two female figures in the nearby clearing. He turned his head to get a better look, and failed to dodge the bush he was barreling towards, getting a face full of twigs and leaves instead.

He struggled free of the bush just in time to watch his stag bounce away over a grassy knoll. He scowled, or as best he could as a hyena, and turned his attention back to the two women in the clearing.

Normally Sivan would have taken this opportunity to have rather provocative thoughts but not this time. This time he was almost downright disgusted of what he saw. A human, or rather this new human who supposedly 'defected' from her side and joined the Ohtar here. What was her name? Hayden Lane something-or-other. He didn't care really. But what really put him over the edge is who she was standing with. Bereth Nielle.

Sivan thought to himself 'Why would the Bereth, such a high lady as she, stoop to the level of talking to the human?' He thought the last word with an air of poison. Disgusted about it, but wanting to know more, Sivan padded closer to the clearing. He pressed through the thick nettles that lined this part and stalked into the clearing, taking a few with him. He padded towards the Bereth, taking all measures to avoid Hayden and giving that 'beast' she rides around on a wide girth.

"Bereth." He said in greeting, his voice coming out in a low hyena esque growl rather than his usual lighter relaxed voice. He glanced over at Hayden, giving her a once over and said, "Human." Also in greeting but heavily laced with the same poisonous air as before.

[Nielle Vanwa]

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[atrb=background, i114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/Sabaku_Kuro/middle.jpg] This human was rather bold. Perhaps though, that wasn’t a bad thing. Nielle had known soldiers to cower at their master’s feet; this one had some fight in her. True, she was still human, but perhaps this one was different. She did not submit, her stature was much more powerful looking than the bereth’s. A bereth for many years alongside her husband, and never had she seen this kind of boldness. ”My...such stubbornness.” She remarked under her breath. To be among them and to be included are two different things, and you know it just as well as I do. The human spoke true. The other elves would never accept her. She was simply not their kind, and yet she was not with her own either. ”You are out of place aren’t you. We cannot forgive the massacre your people brought onto us. True you are not your people, but deer do not run only from wolves whom they have seen hunting before. What we assume of one we must assume of all. Yet born to wolves, and you are not one. So what are you? I have asked myself this from the day you came to us. You have been admitted into the Ohtar, you are part of them and yet not. You find yourself in quite a conundrum. What are you? Who are you? Who is Hayden Lane Donovan?” Ever since the death of her husband, the bereth’s words had taken on a certain flavour. Never spoken bluntly and always left the ears that the words fell upon wondering. She would’ve continued with her speech however a hyena soon entered. Someone she recognized, a friend. One of her closest, one of the Kallo. ”Welcome Brother. I trust you know of Hayden the wolf who runs with deer.” She said. This hyena was Sivantthon. She knew him well. He was someone she could trust. ”The Ohtar have gone out to train, and they leave our new recruit here. What do you make of it Sivantthon? She may be human and that we may not forget, but she is more. She is Ohtar, they should not have left her.” The queen was rather displeased with the way the new recruit was being treated. The girl, Hayden, would no doubt notice that the hyena was not fond of her. This was no way to be welcoming to someone...someone from the humans. Their enemy had joined them. If indeed there was ever a wolf who ran with deer, should the deer not be grateful for the wolf’s protection? Hayden may know things they needed. She was stronger than them physically and could likely help them. ”...Wolf.” she addressed the human as instead of the word human, instead of the name that braded her as such. ”Raaka...” She used the elvish word for the beast. ”A wolf who runs with deer will never become a deer, but it may become part of the herd. Hayden is human, it disgraces you to take that name. Raaka. Do you debate us in calling you such? I don’t doubt you would, you have a certain fire about you. Will you accept the title sister, or do you prefer your human tags?” A human among elves, not something Nielle ever saw herself supporting, and yet, she liked this one. Raaka, a wolf among the deer.

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[Hayden Lane Donovan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true] hayden For a moment, the confidence faltered. She had asked who, and what, she was. Although Hayden believed that what you were couldn't never fully change, who you were was a completely different story. And, to be quite honest, she didn't have a damn clue who she was. The way the queen worded the question, using her name instead, made her even more unsure. After all, there'd been many identities. Mary, a sweet, kind noble with a jealous side. Kara, a violent, half-crazed villager. Then there was Logan, the identity she had claimed upon birth. The one she wasn't sure she even knew anymore. But as for who Hayden was? Well, that was the thing. She didn't quite know yet. And, for a moment, her sister's voice rang in her ears. Fake it 'til you make it. She didn't let the sad smile reach any part of her face. Instead, she simply answered as the hyena entered. That's one question I wish I could answer. There was a tad bit of loathing in those words, though not aimed at Nielle. No, she was just hating herself. For being stupid enough to allow herself to be used and not even notice. They would have thrown her in as a sacrificial lamb someday, given the chance, and she knew it. She had to concentrate to stop her hand from clenching into a fist. She hardly acknowledged the Kallo, the noble. She did glance at him but no more. She wasn't sure where she stood on the idea of nobles, not sure if any of them had played a part in her betrayal. She knew she shouldn't carry it over to the elves; they were different, they might not have done the same to her as her own kin had. But she still couldn't bring herself to trust them; she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone. The queen continued on and Hayden listened. She was still dutiful deep inside; she knew how to follow orders, and how to do so shockingly well, considering how boldly she stood up to authority figures. Raaka. Another name. She let the queen finish first, at least, before she shrugged, not caring. A name was nothing more than an identifier. She didn't meet either set of eyes with her next comment, something strange for what they had seen of her thus far, and probably something they would pick up on. Call me what you want. I've gone by too many names to care anymore.

[Raesilian Katar Yvirren]

Raesilian Katar Yvirren

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The thrill of the hunt was what Raesil lived for. She thrived in combat and was a woman made for action. She did not handle free time well, but she could not be constantly in battle. Physical limitations aside, she had other responsibilities to be mindful of, and it was those duties that had brought her back to the ruins. Much of her typical restlessness had been expended on her latest expedition, but the tigress’ energy was far from spend, so when she happened to cross paths with a stag, Raesil quickly gave chase. Normally Raesil would have stalked her prey and approached quietly. Her reputation typically painted her as an extremely impatient woman, but that was with people. This was with prey and another matter entirely. Raesil always got her mark, and to that end she would be infinitely patient. Having accidentally happened across the creature, however, Raesil had instantly spooked it. The poor creature had seemed to already be on the run from something when it had spotted Raesil, and either it thought the tigress was the more dangerous predator (which was almost certainly true), or it was no longer being pursued, for it immediately turned and fled the opposite direction.

The stag was swift and small, but not faster than the tigress. Large paws dug into the earth before leaping forward. Raesil sank her claws into the back of the stag and pulled it down beneath her. Once caught, the creature was easily pinned and its neck snapped. Lying on her belly, Raesil slid herself beneath her kill. It would make a nice dinner later. First, however, she needed to check in on the Ohtar. Originally Raesil had intended to make an appearance at their training session, but she had assumed that she’d arrived too late to do so. Instead she opted to head to the Clearing and get a report from an Astandos regarding the progress of the new recruits in particular.

The sound of voices made Raesil think that her assumption had been correct. The Ohtar had already returned. She shrugged off the stag, intending to pick it back up later and continued to the edge of the tree line. The sight that greeted her, however, was not what she had expected. The Clearing was mostly deserted rather than occupied. Green eyes flickered between the three, having caught the very end of the conversation, but she seemed to have missed the important part. The Bereth was Raesil’s primary concern, however, and she thought that the woman looked better than when last Raesil had seen her. That observation was only mildly comforting, however, since the Maethan was certain that the Bereth would go to great lengths to conceal her pain and sorrow.

Sivantthon was unfamiliar to Raesil in his animal form, but she knew the Kallo by face and name. Although, currently unable to identify him, Raesil certainly didn’t consider him a threat, so she turned her full attention to the girl. It wasn’t hard to figure out who she was. Raesil had approved the admittance of the human into the Ohtar, but she had yet to meet her in person. Raesil thought she had an idea of why the girl was here when she knew the Ohtar were training. That would need to be another conversation she would have to have with the Astandos. Raesil herself was far from a trusting individual, but she was curious about the girl, and when it came down to it, she was valuable. When trying to gain trust and loosen tongues, honey tastes sweeter than vinegar, and she had tasted the latter if she was intentionally being left behind.

“Pardon my interruption, Bereth.” Still in her animal form, Raesil gave a respectful bow before slowly stepping further into the Clearing to address the human. “Shall I inquire as to the reason you are here while the other Ohtar are not, Girl, or shall I simply start guessing and you can tell me when I’m close?” The tigress slowly shifted back into her elven form as she spoke, and there was a knowing look in her eyes as she looked at the human. Raesil held no strong hatred for humans in general, and even less for this girl in particular. Distrust, perhaps, but not hate, and her neutrality was plain on her face and in her voice, after all, Raesil rarely hid how she felt.[/center]

[Sivantthon Maésial]

Sivan's ears twitched as the leaves of a nearby bush rustled and parted. A graceful, and powerful, tigress stepped through the throng of leaves. It was the Maethan. He had met her on occasion before but did not have the time to get to know her thoroughly. Her name was Raesilian, to is knowledge, and she was a formidable opponent. She shifted back into her elvish form and she fit the form of any poem perfectly. "Every rose had it's thorns.", and she did. She was beautiful, and he was no fool to the beauty of women, but she was deadly.
Sivan pulled his attention back to the human, Hayden. She continued to act nonchalant and spiteful, but he knew the words of the Bereth struck some note within her mind. As unstable as the Bereth was she was still deadly with words. But Sivan had to wonder, if the Bereth was so unrelenting of her trust to the human so far as to make an analogy of wolves and deer, did she really know the risks of having the human here?

He shifted back into his human form, glad to stretch himself out on two feet, so that he was at more of an eye level to the Bereth. He needed her words to penetrate to the sane part of her mind that had to be in there, though crumbling as it was.

"Bereth, you may believe that it will be good to keep the Girl around for whatever reason. But if you truly believe that she is a wolf, a rakka among deer, then we may be in worse shape than keeping her." She looked to Hayden, his eyes glassed over with concern. "Even the most tame of wolves will still hunger for what they eat. You cannot take the carnivore out of the wolf. It will always be there, itching to flex it's claws and tear at the flesh it so boldly hunted." He backed out of the clearing, to disgusted with the remembering of the human becoming an Ohtar, and thrown into worry and rage with the thought of Hayden being a ticking clock, striking down the hours until the wolf, no, the rakka needs to feed on what it has always hunted. He picked up pace to a run, morphing back into a hyena to gain ground to a new part of the forest. 'The farther I get the happier I'll be.' He thought, just as he passed the corpse of a recently killed deer. He paused and approached the kill, it was the stag he had tracked earlier and it was still warm. His face contorted into an awkward hyena smile, 'That crafty woman.' he nosed the long gashes on the hind quarters of the dead stag, confirming with scent the person he had already assumed to have killed it, Raesilian. 'Damn, I'm getting rusty. Shouldn't have let the thing escape!' he continued his run, deeper into the forest.

[Nielle Vanwa]

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[atrb=background, i114.photobucket.com/albums/n277/Sabaku_Kuro/middle.jpg] This human was a raaka. The raaka faltered when asked what it was, who it was. A response so common among those animals that wear horns and dress themselves in borrowed fur. She confirmed Nielle’s suspicions. She did not know who she was. She had left her kin, for a reason that the bereth could not possibly know, and yet she was curious as to why such a creature, would drop itself into elven ranks. She wished to know, and yet here was not the place for her to ask, nor the time. She said she had many names. Why would one have so many callings, yet another enigma added to Raaka’s puzzle. “You are a leopard who often changes her spots, that can’t much help in knowing who you are or what? However, a leopard is a leopard no matter how you cook it. Though you shall be Raaka to myself, and my people. Inside you will still be Hayden, and what other callings had you.” The bereth offered, somewhat sympathetically. Once she had been Nielle Faroth, a name of a maiden yet to feel love’s keen sting, and here she stood Nielle Vanwa, forever branded with her dead husband’s name. A tiger with sharp green eyes entered the clearing. Raesilian Katar Yvirren. The Maethan. One who had fought valiantly by her side in the uprising, and one who had seen what the bereth had lost, how sudden and painful the string of life can be snipped. Like a carpet pulled from under your feet leaving one to fall into the abyss of sorrow eternally. The Maethan was a good elf though; there was no doubting that, the bereth offered a sad smile to her. “Ah, Raesilian, sister. Good to see you. You know Sivantthon, this is Raaka, our human recruit.” She sounded somewhat joyous with the introductions, her mood had been known to skip these days. She raised her head for a moment at the questioning of the girl, but then again she held her tongue. She knew the Maethan would want the girl to answer this on her own, still, the Ohtar had left her behind, hopefully the Maethan would understand that. Though doubt clouded her, it was brushed away in a moment. She trusted this woman, the Maethan with her life. If no one else. She would be the heir to the throne unless Nielle gave herself to have another child. The hyena became a man before her eyes, and spoke of great truths. Wolves will always hunger for meat. This was truth, and truth can sting. However the bereth would not lose hope with this one. She gave a polite nod as the Kallo left and turned her attention to Raaka. “You have no doubt fought great lengths to be here, the humans would not let you just walk out of their settlement. Wolves were domesticated into dogs, as long as we treat you as equal you have no reason to turn on us sister. Maethan, please have an individual training session with our sister, when you have finished escort her to the willow. I have some errands to run, but if you two wait i’ll meet you there. We can have tea, there is much I wish to ask.” The bereth curtsied and turned away. Walking away from the human and its beast, away from the Maethan. All would be well, for as long as she wished it. With that, she was gone.

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[Hayden Lane Donovan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true] hayden There was almost a growl coming from her throat, animal in nature, almost as if she did, indeed, have an animal side, just like the elves. And, in a way, she did. It was ingrained in her, the assassin side, the side they didn't actually know about. Not that she had ever gone after the elves. She'd been too special for that. She'd assassinated her own, the ones they had wanted out of the way and in such a way that it had "never happened". If I must explained myself at every turn perhaps I would be better off on my own. I figured a common enemy would be enough, but clearly I was wrong. Perhaps she was acting rashly, but, then again, so were they. Had she, personally, shown any signs of hostility against them? No. Not a single second, except when they were hostile first, and even so it was passive hostility. She wasn't about to hurt them. She was more prone to flight rather than fight these days. She smirked at the Bereth's last comments though, her hand resting on the end of the rope that tied Zane up, having been about to pull it. Her head fell back, a world-weary grin splitting her face as she laughed, glancing up at the sky with a shake of her head before she glanced over at the two remaining. Let's just say if they knew I was alive, I wouldn't be. She didn't expand. She didn't want to, and nor would she if asked. Not now. Maybe not ever. She'd been their deep, dark, dirty secret that everyone knew was there, but never acknowledged because they didn't want to admit how sick and twisted it really was. And they really didn't want to remember how she didn't know, had been brainwashed. A weapon. That's all she was. And her chance of getting past that and moving on with her life? Minimal.

[Raesilian Katar Yvirren]

Raesilian Katar Yvirren

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The hyena shifted into the form of a Kallo that Raesilian recognized, and when the Bereth confirmed that he was Sivantthon, Raesil offered him a nod in greeting. He was familiar to her and to an extent so too was the human girl. The Maethan was aware of the girl’s presence in the Ohtar’s ranks, but knew little about her beyond that. She studied the human’s face, trying to gauge her reaction to the name the Bereth had given her instead. It was slightly fitting in a poetic sort of way, but Raesil cared little for allusions and metaphors. They were too indirect especially for what she considered to be an important conversation. Regardless of how he chose to phrase his words, however, it was clear that Sivantthon did not concur with the decision to allow the human’s presence. It wasn’t an unexpected response, but Raesilian was surprised that it didn’t seem to be the Bereth’s attitude as well. She didn’t seem to be openly hostile to the girl, but what she actually thought of her, Raesil couldn’t tell. She decided to take the Bereth’s lack of hostility as a good sign though.

“Of course, Bereth. We will see you then.” The Maethan gave an acknowledging nod to her queen as she bid her farewell then turned to the human girl. “I was not asking to make you defend yourself. I only wanted you to confirm my own suspicion,” she told her with a casual shrug of her shoulders. “But I’ll just go ahead and assume that you were either ordered to stay here or simply left behind. Neither is acceptable, and I will look into it.”

“Now…” Raesilian moved to stand before the girl and looked her over for a moment. “What weapon do you fancy? A blade? A bow? Or would you rather use none?” A slight smirk curved Raesil’s face. She could wield just about anything (although she was significantly better with certain ones), but she’d wait until the girl had chosen her own weapon. Raesil’s first choice, of course, would be her animal form, but that wouldn’t be the best training method for the girl.[/center]

[Hayden Lane Donovan]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400px,true] hayden Hayden didn't quite bluntly ignore the first comment, but she certainly didn't react to it. It didn't really matter if she did or not, she was pretty sure on that one. She did, however, find herself standing that little bit straighter when Raesilian looked her over. It was a habit, stand straight, tall and proud for inspection. When asked about weapon preference, though, she simply shrugged. No preference; weapon choice is a matter of necessity, dependent solely upon which is the most logical and useful in the situation. Skill is not an issue with any weapon. They made sure of that. She added inwardly, bitterly but not bothering to let the Maethan know just how bitter. She held back from opening up to anyone now, another result from the aftermath of her service to the human military. However, she had a feeling she had to choose a weapon anyway and pulled her sword from its sheath, which had been leaning against her saddle(which she rarely used by had anyway). She ran her thumb over the ruby in the hilt. Blood red, with red cloth around the hilt, signifying her as an assassin, not a regular soldier. But, may as well go with something readily available.