Above and Beyond [open]

[Aras|Ofelia]

"You wanna explore with me a bit?"

"Why not?" Aras said unthinkingly, before he realized that there wasn't much more than an hour's worth of daylight remained. Temperatures dropped unexpectedly quickly after sunset - but, he assured himself, that didn't really matter. He might not like the cold, but the Lammergeier's natural habitat was in the tall mountains of Eurasia. And Kayla had her snow leopard, so he didn't have to worry about her.

...Still, getting lost in the mountains, especially after dark, was a rather stupid thing to do by human standards. Was he really that desperate for company? Aras couldn't quite explain it, but in Kayla's presence, he could easily forget what he'd been meaning to forget. He knew if he was left to himself, he'd be immersed in his brooding thoughts again. Besides, his nearly constant sullen mood was beginning to irritate both his Talisman and himself.

While he'd been considering her proposal, Kayla had nearly vanished behind the trees, fleeting glimpses of her golden hair flashing between the branches. Slowing to a walk once he came up beside her, he wondered if she had any particular destination in mind, or if she planned to wander aimlessly for the next hour or so. Not that he had a preference for one possibility over the other.

"How familiar are you with the mountains?" he asked. Kayla didn't seem the type to lose her way.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla let her hands stick out at her sides, touching and stroking the leaves of passing trees. This was her home, her scene, her 'special' place. She was always found in the mountains when she was not working, or finishing up the last of school. She kept walking, up and up following a path that almost wasn't there. Her feet hoped from one rock to the next, her body not getting tired or out of breath. She closed her shirt closer around her body as the wind tried to rip through it, to chill her to the bones. But she fought back the cold, by picking up the pace a little.

The rocks began to grow wet, from the small trickling of a stream nearby, perfect for the moss. Of course, Kayla was not slowly down by the slick rocks, and when her foot slid to the side, tossing her body into the air, gravity taking over. She let out a small squeal, flinging her arms out to try to stop her fall. But nothing was there to grab onto. Of course, she was a bit clumsy in her human form, but thank god for the leopard who had padded feet that just stuck to everything.
At the last second she caught herself, wiggling left and right to keep the new footing. She looked at Aras out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to turn her head, fear of falling again. A smile crept to her face, and then slowly morphed into a laugh.

That doesn't always happen.
She said still trying not to laugh any harder.
She took a few more steps following the path. When he asked about her knowing the mountains she gave him a smile over her shoulder.
I practically live out here. However, I have never really gone much higher then the ledge. But the thrill and urge was too great to pass up. Why? You worried?
She mocked him slightly, flicking her eyebrow, teasing him to follow her further into the wilderness.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Kayla walked with her arms flung wide, like a small child intent on touching everything within reach. Aras walked slightly behind. The path - so raw and unmarked that it could barely be called a path - was too narrow to walk side-by-side when she had her arms spread.

The rocks on which they walked were becoming smooth and polished, throwing back the evening light, from the water seeping over their surface. The soles of his boots losing their grip on the stones, Aras stepped carefully, working to keep his balance.

His head snapped up at the sound of a sharp squeal, and he nearly lost his own footing as he reached out to try to grab a hold of Kayla. Thankfully, she didn't need his help--not that he would have gotten to her in time, anyway.

Before he could speak, she had descended into laughter. "That doesn't always happen," she giggled.

"I should hope not." He shook his head, smiling lightly, when Kayla asked if he was worried. "Not exactly." About other things, yes, but he hadn't asked because he was worried about her losing her way. But now that she'd mentioned that she wasn't exactly familiar with wherever they were headed, he was. Just slightly.

"So you don't know where you're going. Or is that not really an issue?"

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla had caught her step fully now, and was now taking great care on where and how fast she put her foot down. The climb grew steeper, spiraling around the mountain and soon a small window broke open between the trees. She paused and looked out over the valley.
Beautiful. And no, I don't think that is an issue. We follow a path up, we follow the same path down.
She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head towards Aras, eying him up and down still trying to figure out what to think of him. As she turned her head to look at him, she saw from the corner of her eye a dark spot. She twisted her waist and looked behind her, seeing a cave that seemed to be hidden behind the tree branches. She walked over to it slowly, wondering that if this was a home for anything, she would not want to piss it off. She raised her arm and hesitantly pushed the branches out of the way, surprised to see that the opening was just a little taller then she was, and wide enough to be able to just slip inside sideways. She smiled, her eyes twinkling in the fading light, the sound of distant thunder announcing its arrival.
Aras, look at this.
She turned and wiggled her way in, thoroughly shock to see how big it was inside. It could have easily fit eight people with enough room to be comfortable. The walls were a bit damp, but the ground was soft and warm from the days heat.
This....is....so cool! Its like our own little hide-away.

[Aras|Ofelia]

"We follow a path up, we follow the same path down."

A charming sort of logic, endearing in its simplicity. Catching Kayla staring at him out of the corner of her eye, Aras was about to give her a rather cheeky grin when she twisted around a veered off the path. She called his attention to a narrow opening in the mountainside, then slipped inside without another word.

Ignoring the vulture's immediate complaints about dark, enclosed spaces - again? its expression articulated wordlessly - he followed Kayla, though he had to stoop slightly in order to enter.

It was a cozy space they'd discovered, a bit dank but oddly warm, even in the chill of autumn. He laid a hand on the thick mat of moss near the entrance, running his fingertips over the delicate texture. As far as he could see, Kayla was accurate in her description of their 'own little hideaway'; the cave appeared uninhabited but for a few insects creeping along its walls.

"Let's hope someone else hasn't already laid claim to it," he said with a bemused smile. Having to deal with the cave's possessive, irate inhabitants would not be his idea of a relaxing time.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla let out a laugh at his comment.
Scarred of bears, cougars and other sorts of big 'monsters'?
She teased while exploring the cave, wandering to its back. There was a small ledge, almost like someone took some tools and dug it out, like a bed indented into the wall. She ran her fingers over it, mostly smooth but with some small bumps. She looked up at the wall, and could barely see some figures. She allowed her eyes to become the blue of the leopards, and then she saw the cave markings. Done in dark red paint, the figures of the men hunting their animals for food, the women caring for the children and cooking. Her eyes widened.
Aras. Look. I think this cave used to be in use.
Her fingers caressed the markings as she turned towards Aras. Her eyes were still blue in the ever growing dark.

She wandered away form the wall, allowing him to look in peace while she looked at the other walls. There were a few more smaller designs, but nothing like the mural over the 'bed'. Outside she could hear the wind picking up as the thundering clouds moved closer. She hesitated, wondering if there was a storm coming, and that maybe they should head back. But of course she was took interested in the cave that she shrugged it off. She stepped on something, kicking it to the side. She bent down, feeling the floor for it. She picked it up and turned it over in her head. A small, half broken arrow head lay in her palm. She walked over to Aras and put it in his hand, giving him a smile.
How cool is this?
She loved history and what it leaves behind, this was something she will treasure for always. She might even bring some things up here and camp in the cave some night.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Aras grinned when Kayla teased. "Not exactly. But it wouldn't be much fun if we were interrupted, would it?" Her earlier words had imparted a sense of intimacy to their current adventure, if it could be called such; it would almost be a shame if someone else joined them now.

Eyes still adjusting to the darkness, he did not at first understand why Kayla believed the cave had been in use. Walking over to where she stood, he thought for a moment her irises flashed blue at him--weren't they supposed to be brown-gold? Brushing it off as a trick of the dimming light, Aras leaned forward to examine the indistinct markings. If he squinted, he could barely make out what looked like crude depictions of primitive hunter-gatherers. Men armed with spears, preparing to ambush a caribou; a soaring golden eagle; women, skinning and tanning hides; a mountain lion, fangs bared, defending her kittens. It was no Altamira, nor was it as impressive as the carvings of the vast temple beneath the Shaman Ruins, but the modest lines of the drawings held their own appeal. This wasn't the work of great artists, like those who embellished the Ruins; this was the work of simple people who wanted to preserve their lifestyle in the stone walls of their home.

Kayla was holding something out to him, and he automatically reached out to take it in his hand. A battered arrowhead. He admired the artifact, though it was chipped and broken; it reminded him of the ones he saw in Native American museums when he was a kid.

"So someone has laid claim to it," he said in a joking, I-told-you-so manner, ignoring the fact that the inhabitants had probably been dead for a few hundred or thousand years.

The vulture muttered something, and Aras lifted his head to look outside. Low branches lashed against the entrance, thunder rumbled nearby, and the ground began to darken with raindrops. Night was falling rapidly, and a storm had sneaked up on them almost without warning. Damn. How were they to get back?

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla walked in a small circle, still admiring the drawings on the cave when a clap of thunder striked outside. She jumped, nearly grabbing onto Aras's sleeve. She gave an awkward smile as she thought she was being silly, scared of thunder and all. She took a few slow steps to the entrance of the cave and looked outside. The sun and sunk under the blankets of the earth and the moon had risen. Dark storm clouds drifted over head, wind snatching at her clothes and hair. She stuck her hand out of the cave and felt the big fat rain drops of a thunder storm. She turned to Aras.
I'm afraid I got us into some trouble. I um, have no food or light with me. But I think if I go hunting before it gets worse I could catch something. If you can make a fire? And then gut whatever I bring back? I think we could make something, if not a good meal some light and warmth.
She gave him a 'I feel stupid, and I'm sorry grin'. She didn't wait for him to answer, but phased into her snow leopard, trotted out of the cave and into the night, disappearing.

Her eyes widened in the dark, taking everything in. Her ears twitched back and forth, a satellite for prey. Her paws padded over the ground which was slowly becoming damp and wet with rain. She tried to soften her steps so as to not make any noise, but she was in a rush to find something to eat, for the both of them. Not that she had to be really quiet...the storm hid her movements well.

She continued onward, her fur getting soaked, almost to the skin, but not yet. She had maybe half an hour before she started to catch a chill. Her body sank to the ground and she saw movement in the bushes 20 feet in front of her. Her thick bushy tail flicked left and right. She stalked closer, 15 feet....10 feet.
She pounced.
She caught the hare just as it went to dive into its burrow. Her teeth sinking in, driving out the life. She put it down and went to the opening of the hole. She sniffed and began to dig, hoping she would find maybe its mate. But the hare had been living alone. She picked up the animal by its neck and trotted back the way she came.

The rain as now coming down in sheets, stinging her eyes. But she plowed on. Her fur now soaked to the skin made her shake and shiver. She saw the dark hole in the distance when a clash of lightening burst over head. She ran towards it, diving in and landing on the floor cave.
She dropped the hare on the dirt ground and turned into her human form. She sat on the ground and pulled her knees to her chest, shivering fiercely.
I think that will last both of us tonight.
Her hair dripped water, making puddles and her clothes were so wet that they sagged off her body. She had to keep pulling them back on, hoping, preying for warmth.

[Aras|Ofelia]

"Kayla, wait--" But she was gone, black-tipped tail vanished beyond the cave's entrance.

Aras peered outside but, as expected, saw no sign of the snow leopard. A flash of lightning, a crack of thunder; the wind whipped a spray of raindrops in his face. At this rate, Kayla would be waterlogged in a matter of minutes. He knew she meant well, but running off like that had been rather shortsighted and rash.

Well, no use in sitting around aimlessly and waiting for her to come back; he could do something useful with the time. After a moment's consideration, he took off his jacket and tossed it to the back of the cave before dashing off into the storm.

By the time Aras had gathered enough - or what he estimated as enough - dead twigs and branches to last them the night, his hair and clothing were plastered to his skin. Kayla still had not returned. If his teeth were chattering now, he couldn't imagine the state in which she'd arrive. It was easy to catch a cold during a spring shower; staying outside during a thunderstorm at this time of year was flirting with hypothermia.

Settling down on the cave floor, he felt through the jacket's pockets for a lighter, selected the driest twigs, and attempted to get a small blaze going. He had only begun to coax the meager flicker into an actual fire when the snow leopard re-entered the cave with a noise highly reminiscent of a wet mop slapping the floor. An equally-soggy object dropped to the ground with a slightly quieter plop.

"That was stupid," he chided when Kayla reverted to her human form. She was thoroughly soaked, hair clumped in thick, wet strands, clothes hanging in heavy folds. He didn't have the heart to tell her that food wasn't essential to their survival; they could have easily, if somewhat uncomfortably, lasted the night without a meal. Their main concern was staying warm, a task made considerably more difficult by Kayla's currently-drenched state. "Here." Thankful for his foresight, Aras handed her his jacket.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla didn't say anything to his 'that was stupid' comment. Although she was freezing, she was still proud of herself, she has never hunted in weather like this, let alone have a success. She starred at the fire a moment and scooted closer to it, huddling trying to warm herself. When Aras handed her his jacket she hesitated a moment, opened her mouth as if to speak, but then took it, grateful for the warn dry coat. She wrapped it around her tight, and lifted the collar to her face. It smelled good, she closed her eyes to take another sniff of the coat and Aras's cologne. She looked up suddenly realizing what she was doing was a bit odd. Ii anything it was as if she was his girlfriend, to her, that was a very girlfriend thing to do.

I'm glad you got the fire started. Now you can do this.
She reached over and tossed the limp rabbit to him, it flopped next to him with a dull thud.
I may be able to hunt, kill and eat in talisman form, but I hate it when Im human. The gutting and blood and stuff, that is.
Her words came out in an odd stop and go kind of way for her teeth were now clattering so fast and loud that it made it near impossible to speak for more then a few words before pausing.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Kayla appeared to waver momentarily before taking the jacket and wrapping it around her shivering form. For a second there, she had looked ready to raise an objection. Aras was relieved that she had sense enough not to--not that the past half-hour had been a promising demonstration of her wealth of common sense.

Refocusing his attention on the endeavor at hand - strengthening the feeble flame - he suppressed a shiver. Though not as thoroughly drenched as Kayla, he had nevertheless gotten more than slightly damp from his brief excursion outside the cave. Kayla had his jacket - and she needed it far more than he did - so their best bet was to build up a steady, strong fire that would last the night.

A flaccid flop to his right made him turn his head. The hare, soaked in a diffuse mix of rainwater and blood, lay in a sorry heap near his foot. Aras gave his companion a somewhat amused look when she explained her human distaste for hunting and killing in spite of her predatory Talisman. Some viewed their spirits as almost a part of themselves, while others knew them as separate entities; she was apparently one of the latter.

"I'll take care of it later. Right now, we should concentrate on staying warm." Kayla's teeth were chattering in a worrisome manner, her breath came harsh and shallow, and her words came out jarred and disjointed; she would soon fall victim to hypothermia, if she hadn't already. In its current state, the fire wasn't going to be enough. The solution to their problem was fairly obvious, but the two of them were all but strangers. But he couldn't very well berate her lack of common sense if he himself didn't do the sensible thing in this situation, could he?

He moved next to Kayla, and with a muttered apology, put an arm around her and drew her close. As he continued to feed the fire using his free hand, Aras hoped she understood the necessity of this gesture.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla raised an eye brow when he said he would manage the hare later. She watched him for a moment, as best she could with her eyes going a bit blurry. She knew she was cold, but the thought of hypothermia hasn't hit her yet. She eyed him and his own set of wet hair, she let her own eyes drift down to his jacket. She felt bad taking it, she started to pull it off of her to offer it back to him. As she undid the jacket her eyes happened to fall upon her fingers. Blue. She froze and brought them closer to her face for inspection.
Holy Crap.
She mumbled under her breath. She wiggled her fingers as best she could, they were slow and almost unresponsive.

When Aras had shifted his weight closer to her she didn't yet understand what the action was for. But when she felt his arm around her the sudden warmth from his body was addicting. She reached up with her blue fingers, grabbing his shirt, pulled herself closer to him. Most anyone would have assumed they were lovers if they had seen them, but she didn't care if he thought this was odd. He was warm. And she was cold. She tucked her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. She could feel her body slowly ceasing the rapid shivering.
Thank you.
She whispered to him.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Aras made a faint noise of protest when Kayla suddenly nestled against him, head resting above his heart. He nearly pulled away reflexively and would have if it weren't for the fact that she was in dire need of any source of warmth she could acquire. For that matter, so was he, though he probably wasn't quite as desperate as she. Her fingers were ice; in the fluttering light, her face held an unhealthy pallor. At least he wouldn't have to worry that she'd run off into the storm again, especially not in her current condition.

Gradually, her violent shuddering diminished to a weak shiver, but she continued to cling to him. He responded to her whispered gratitude with an awkward nod that she probably couldn't see anyway, since she still lay curled against him.

For once he felt thankful that they were hidden away in a secluded mountain, because if any passerby would happen to walk in on them now, the situation would be far too easy to misinterpret. He felt the beginnings of a blush creep across his face, and the vulture finally spoke up again. The extra heat will keep her warmer, anyway, it pointed out, cackling. Aras ignored the spirit. His admonitions would only further augment the Lammergeier's amusement.

The wind continued to whip and lash, creating an eerie whistling across the mouth of the cave, peppering the entrance with the occasional spray of raindrops. He hoped the downpour would lift by morning. Then they'd be able to go back to town, where the central heating and steaming mugs of coffee were.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Kayla thought for a moment that she felt him flinch, at what she was not sure. She almost pulled back away form him, afraid of making him feel uncomfortable. But she had to admit, she liked it. The warmth from his body warmed hers, and the sound of his heart beat was calming her down, even enough to fall asleep. But she near pinched herself not to, for that she felt would be more awkward. She eyed the entrance of the cave, and although it was still thundering and lightening out, she thought the rain was coming down a bit softer. Maybe.

Her snow leopard in her body was restless. It wanted out. Out from her body, out of the cave, and out away form his body. But she wanted to stay. They fought for a few minutes; she lost. Well, they compromised. Stay in cave, stay in human form, but drift away form the man. She lifted her head off his chest slowly, unwillingly and pulled her body away from his. She curled her knees to her own chest and searched for something to say.
Do you want to cook that hare now? If you are hungry that is. We don't have to if you're not.
She was happy to see that the shivering had pretty much gone, and some color had returned to her fingers. She was still wet, but not as cold due to the heat from the fire. She rubbed her arms together to generate more heat anyways.
So....why do you like to come out here by yourself? Before you met me anyways...now I bet you won't ever want to come back here.
She tried to give a soft laugh, but failed for she did feel bad about trapping him here.

[Aras|Ofelia]

The shivering ceased after a while, and Kayla eventually pulled away and brought her knees to her chest, conserving the heat from her own body. She'd probably thought the situation was as awkward as he did; now that she'd put a bit of distance between them, it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as before. Under normal circumstances, Aras would have raised objections to such close and prolonged physical contact with someone he'd known only for the better part of a few hours. In fact, if Kayla hadn't been so foolish, that could have been avoided entirely.

He'd forgotten about the hare until she mentioned it again. Hungry or not, they might as well eat; it would provide valuable energy. Luckily, he'd brought a pocketknife. At this point, Aras wasn't sure whether he should curse the misfortune of being stranded in the mountains or laud the fortune of being adequately equipped for the occasion. He began to skin the hare, working carefully. The last thing he needed right now was a bloody laceration across his palm.

"So....why do you like to come out here by yourself? Before you met me anyways...now I bet you won't ever want to come back here."

He chuckled lightly, though he kept his eyes on his task. "It clears my mind, that's all." And it gave him the illusion of severance, he added silently--as if he had no more ties to the unending conflict, the vicious cycle that had raged across centuries. "And my Talisman sometimes nags me to go flying. What about you?"