[Beyond the Walls] [Mature] My forest.

[Varthakh]

27th Cylus 717

Being sat at home was the most useless thing he could imagine doing with his time. Fridgar growled, thumping his head on the table in anguish. Why was he sat at home? He could be out beating people up in Ilaren's name. Fridgar groaned very audibly, only to have his dissatisfaction fall upon deaf ears, or no ears at all. Wherever Rey'na was, he hoped she was having fun. "FUCK IT!" he roared, standing up from the table after a bit and a half of silence had passed. He'd decided to work out. But how? He'd already achieved the peak of his form. Perhaps go for a run? No, running took forever to do.

He eyed the floor before throwing himself at it with his hands stretched out in a feeble attempt to do a hand stand. The enormous Lothar crashed to the floor, hard. Okay, that didn't work. He got up and tried again, lowering a bit more gently this time around only to crumple into a ball of bear at the end, falling into himself. The Lothar was losing his patience, snarling a little. Why couldn't he do a simple handstand? He was surely strong enough? His black eyes fell to a wall free of furniture - Perfect. He pushed himself up once more and approached the wall. He lowered his head and put it to the corner between the floor and the wall along with his hands. Using his feet, he kicked himself up and pulled in with his core, straightening his body against the wall upside down. Now came the tricky part, he had to press up on his hands to extend into a full hand stand.

Carefully, he pressed into his hands into a slow full extension. He'd done it. He was hand standing against the wall. His body fell to the floor with his victory and a heavy thump that shook the entire cabin, then the boredom set in once more. He lay face flat on the floor before screaming and thumping his fists into the floor, why couldn't he escape this boring Cylus morning? Peeling his face from the floor, he echoed the bear's sense of smell and took a deep inhale. Surely, there'd be something to do in the area? The Lothar’s eyes shot open as he picked up on a scent. His hands flew out to his sides and pressed, he pulled out his legs under him and extended in an explosive movement before ripping the door open and sprinting for the smell.

What the hell was making that smell? It pissed him off beyond words. Why the fuck was it so damn close to the house? Hell, even in the woods? It needed to disappear. The scent burned his nostrils, spurring on his aggression. It needed to be destroyed, fire oughta do the trick. But first, an angry Lothar. He'd reached his destination, he put his back to a tree, looking in on the source with Eagle and Ryon vision, all three of his echoes consumed. He saw...

► Show Spoiler

Fridgar's mutation makes him super territorial and inclined to savagery, he is there for pissed to have found someone so close to the cabin he calls home.

if you're reading this - Feel free to be that person! I will not harm your PC if you don't want to be harmed ;p But a bear or were-bear might leap out and, more than likely chase you away. Good luck!

[Mikhael]

... a very handsome man holding a bunch of rocks.
---
Having spent most of Cylus cooped up in the city of Andaris, Mikhael was desperate for fresh air. Casually making his way out of the city was easy enough. When nobody knew who you were, nobody was going to go looking for you. Still, leaving the crowds for a more open area felt like quite a culture shock. The late teen felt more comfortable in a crowd, letting himself people watch and blend in among the various faces. Now, with only the foliage as company, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

The dark haired man was only wearing a loose coat to fight against the elements. Chattering his teeth, Mikhael would put his hands in his pockets as he walked through the trees, his mind racing without the distraction of mindless chatter. He was here for his final test, something he had seen many fail before... and he wasn't close to being ready. Gritting his teeth, he'd shake his head and continue on. He had come out here for a purpose that required utmost privacy, and he wasn't ready to risk losing his mind to something as small as the woods.

Once he made it to a comfortable length from the city, he would begin picking up small rocks and carrying them in his coat. It had been a while since he had attempted to make a shrine to Sintra. Though he could easily make one in his small abode, the fear of surprise visitors was always in his mind. So, what better place to put it than in the middle of the woods? Those who found it would never know it was him, and he'd always have a place to pray. After about fifteen minutes, he'd have a good handful, letting out a sigh of content.
---
"That should be good." He said to himself, his mind trying to push itself onto only thoughts of the shrine. From the Lothar's position, he would have a good look at the man's backside. A blade covered in red, tattered cloth would be the most notable feature, the loose seams blowing in the wind. It would faintly smell of blood, though it was mostly covered up by Mikhael's musky scent.

[Varthakh]

...Some ....Some!! Some person!? Messing about with a bunch of rocks!? In his forest!!? No. No buddy, you're not. With that, he quickened his ether, stirring it to a point that it flowed on a momentum of its own before initiating the transformation. What form could have been more suited for this situation that the bear? Maybe the were-bear, but the bear worked just as well. He rapidly grew in height and width behind the tree, standing at a staggering ten feet tall before dropping onto his front paws, over a ton of raw bear muscle and packed fat.

He stepped out from behind the tree, approaching the intruder from behind very slowly, quietly. A low growl filled the atmosphere of the woods as it approached the human, this would be over soon. Should the human turn around in the pitch-black woodlands, he will see a pair of shining eyes approaching, standing at chest height. The shining was of course, a tell-tale sign of his echo, it provided the night vision he wielded. Whether the human had turned around or not, Fridgar would rise his paw and roar for all the forest to hear, declaring this a fight to the death before dropping his full weight into the man with a heavy claw. He could smell it, clear as day. The blood on his weapon, a fighter? He'd like to see the scrawny man ever try to pierce his thick hide. Of course, he'd leave himself vulnerable to the beast’s massive strength by closing that gap.

Unfortunately, the beast failed to realise that roaring would alert the man before him, almost definitely giving him the chance to move out of the way. With one massive swipe of his paw, the man's stones found themselves cast in all directions, his shrine destroyed. At the man's dodge of his imminent death, he roared once more before breaking into a full charge, still not seeming to understand the mechanics of a sneak attack requiring the absence of roaring. If the male had any source of light whatsoever, he'd notice the necklace made of bone around his neck and the colourful pelt on his back.

Should the man dodge his charge, he'd skid and slide across the snow in a frantic effort to stop himself before charging once more, keeping up this crazed frenzy of charges until the male ran or succumbed to fatigue. The bear showed no signs of letting up on this attack, despite its massive form. Little to the human's knowledge, the bear was echoing the endurance of the horse. The human would have to be smart to escape the bear's fury, dodging and weaving through trees and such.

[Mikhael]

Kneeling down, Mikhael would begin to form his shrine, most of the rocks still tucked in one arm while the other carefully began to construct the structure. He couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness as the hairs on his neck began to rise. Though he didn't consciously know of the Lothar's presence, his current thoughts and general atmosphere put him on edge. However, this was also a downside, as he was too consumed in doubt to notice what was going on until it was too late.

When the low growl finally hit his ears, the man would turn around just in time to face the bear's roar. Startled, he would have barely enough time to sidestep the massive paw. A small frown would form as he glanced at the scattered rocks. "This isn-" His attempt at a quip would be interrupted by another roar, forcing him to take this seriously. Though he could not see well in the lack of light, Fridgar's large form and constant noise made it a little easier to predict where he was going.

Dodging the second charge, Mikhael's hand would raise and rest just above the hilt of his sword. He'd hesitate for a second before bringing his hand down to his side once more. Whether it was due to knowing the blade wouldn't pierce the skin or another reason was up in the air. "I've never seen a bear with glowing eyes before."He would think to himself, trying to reason a way to get out of this alive. Beginning to run, he'd do his best to run under branches and through tangles of leaves, hoping to slow down the bear with annoyance.

However, these branches were also smacking the man in the face. After only a few minutes, he would try and come up with something else. Pausing at the base of a tree, Mikhael would squint up and try to make out the defined shape. His gaze would finally land on the lowest branch he could reach. He had never climbed a tree before, nor did he know if bears could climb trees, but it was worth a shot. Jumping up, his hands would wrap around the branch and he'd attempt to pull himself up, hopefully making it. Then, he wobbly tried to make his way up a few more branches, with only the light of the stars and the bear's eyes guiding his way.

[Varthakh]

Whoever this human was, they were slippery. Side-stepping his swipes and dodging his charges. By the immortals, why couldn't he just hold still? He eventually got the right idea and took to fleeing, or trying to. Fridgar had to be sure he left the woods, as such, he pursued. He'd have slowed down a notch, but the human was crafty, ducking under branches and such and jumping through foliage that inevitably slowed him down. He tackled every obstacle, matting his coat with splintered wood and thorns from the bushes.

He broke into the clearing, his target just ahead of him at the foot of a tree. No. No no no no no. The Bear could tell exactly what the man was thinking in that moment and broke back into a sprint toward him, cloud after cloud of white frozen air escaped his lungs in frantic breaths as he pushed the bear's endurance to its limit. He had to get to the human, quickly, effectively, IMMEDIATELY. Before his eyes, the human jumped, grabbing hold of a low hanging branch. and scrambling to pull himself up. He still had time, no way was that human getting away from him. Pieces of wood, leaf and thorns all fell from his shaggy coat as he bombed it at this tree. Finally there, he leaped with his jaws wide open in an attempt for the humans foot as he pulled himself up.

Catching nothing but air, he fell to the snowy floor, tumbling in a mess of tooth, claw and fur now with added snow. After half a bit, he'd roll over onto his front and press up on his paws once more, the human had gotten away. A low growl of irritation rumbled through the air around the beast as it looked up to the human that had perched itself on one of the higher branches of the tree. Fridgar approached, standing up against the tree and leaning his paws into the bark. A few test swipes confirmed that he couldn't reach the human. He'd calmed down significantly, they'd run far from Rey'na’s log cabin.

The beast growled at the human from below, snapping its jaws in threat. Flecks of slobber lined its bared teeth. To the human's relief, no blood had been shed this trial, this was reflected in the creature's powerful jaws. Almost glaring, the creature stepped back, dropping to his front paws. He circled the tree once or twice, grunting occasionally. What had driven him to so recklessly pursue this meaningless man? He'd surely need a bath when he got home. Done with his circling, he stepped in front of the man and stood up on his hind legs. The beast's left paw touched a spot on its upper chest which made it jolt suddenly, almost painful in appearance. It's shape immediately began to change, shrinking down to the shape of a particularly tall humanoid, it's eyes the only things showing in the dark except for its outline.

"Whatchya doing in my forest, two legs?" Came a deep voice from the figure, its eyes still resting solely on the male in the tree. "Don't you know it isn't safe out here?" He took another deep inhale, taking in all of the scents in the area. Despite addressing the human by the form he'd presumably taken, his tone came mocking.

[Varthakh]

Unfortunately, it appeared as though the man in the trees had fallen asleep on him. Fallen asleep, or fainted with pure terror at seeing a man turn from a bear. He'd come to this realisation by the lack of response from the branches above. With a groan, Fridgar would roll his head back on his neck and brush any loose thorns from his form. "That's what I thought." he snorted heavily a cloud of frozen air before turning on the spot and making his way back to the cabin. He'd have needed to keep a nose on the man, in case he woke up and tried getting close to his cabin once more. The Lothar's stomach growled in the darkness, maybe it was time that he went and found something to eat?

► Show Spoiler

@Mikhael: Where'd you go man?

@Reviewer: So this thread got abandoned, I only just checked on it to see that it was more than a month since I last posted. I've done a wrap up post and would appreciate not getting points deducted for abandoning the thread Also, I was playing Fridgar to his skill level at the time, I'd also appreciate that these points were usable for Arcana

[Pegasus]

Pending review by me

[Pegasus]

Fridgar

Points!:

Story: 4/5
Collaboration: 5/ 5
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Acrobatics: Hand stands are hard
Detection: Sounds and smells in a forest
Psychology: Having a tantrum can be very fun.
Unarmed Combat: Flurries of attacks

Loot:

NA

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

NA

Magic:

These points may be used for arcana

MIkhael

Points!:

Story: 2/5 (thread abandoned)
Collaboration: 3/ 5 (2 posts)
Structure: 0/ 5 (thread abandoned)

Knowledge:

Climbing: Not as hard as it first looks?
Detection: Hearing noises in the forest.
Endurance: Enduring the cold
Unarmed Combat: Dodging

Loot:

NA

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

+1 Sintra

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

Story Such a shame the thread got abandoned - it was shaping up to be great fun! Mikhael, I gave you the maximum allowed in this circumstance, Fridgar, I docked one point for story because it was obviously cut so short. I understand there was nothing you could do about it, but maybe you could have extended your final post to include some small details / encounter etc? Other than that, it was great - such a shame to have ended!
Structure All good!

Please do PM me if you think I've missed anything or you have any questions!