In the Forest of Silence (for Cleverfox)

[Arenor]

Only a half-elf would follow a dangerous person into the forest of silence. Humans called it that. To other elves, it was 'auralost,' a land without the grace of the spirits. Both men and elves shunned the eerie depths of the woods, despite the quiet beauty to found there. But Solen hadn't ever feared it. When he found signs that his target had entered the bounds of this forest, he considered using the legend as an excuse not to pursue him. Even his brother and their associates would understand, if grudgingly, and they'd be grateful for the information he could already offer them about their target's movements. But that meant Solen had to turn his back on this fascinating man, perhaps never lay eyes on him again. Meanwhile, his brother would sell the information to assassins or anyone with a grudge against him. Such was their work. For years, Solen had worked for their guild as an excellent tracker and spy, albeit a passive one and from a distance. His half-elven looks were far too distinctive for him to be useful otherwise.

Despite his reservations, Solen entered the forest on foot. He soon disappeared into the blot of pine trees and was enveloped into the silence. Perhaps a horse would've been a faster method to follow Orion's trail, but as a half elf, he did far better with his feet to the ground and his senses focused on the world around him. Soon, he found signs of his target's passing and began to trail him again. But his thoughts were distracted with images of the man himself, a strange creature with eyes of liquid silver and the build and demeanor of a stern god. Following him these past few weeks, he'd begun to feel attracted to the aura of danger around Orion, as if he himself were a moth drawn to a fire on a starless night.

Solen paused at a small brook to determine which direction Orion had followed, to the left or right. He put his palms to the ground and listened to the humming of the cool autumn ground against his skin. Yes, someone had walked here, recently. He nearly rose to his feet and continued on, but a twig snapped in the silence. The half-elf narrowed his eyes and peered into the shadows. Was someone there? Excitement raced beneath his concentration. Part of him very much wanted to meet Orion in person, regardless of any personal danger to himself.

Crouching there, tensed up, Solen still looked more elf than man. His features were all upswept and chiseled, his ears tapered and pointed upwards like elvenkind. Even in the dark, his eyes flashed gold and green like leaves in the sun. But his skin was a very human earth tone, so was his simple brown hair, cut at the nape of his neck. He had the slender body of an elf but not their impressive height; he was a little shorter than most human males. He'd always considered that an asset to his speed. A spy had to escape quickly. But right now, he didn't want to run away at all.

[CleverFox]

Being the epitome of a predator Orion was more accustomed to being the one doing the tracking but it was not unheard of for some fool to decide that he would make a good target and to attempt to pursue him. Usually he ended up toying with them as a cat would toy with a mouse before finally moving in for the kill, that was just the sort of predatory nature that he was possessed of. Being one of the few truly ancient creatures Orion had learned most of the tricks that people employed in that span of time and being pursued might have seemed like a fun game were he the type that actually enjoyed fun and games. As it were it was merely a joke and one that wasn't very amusing at that. Aware that someone was following him, though he gave them credit for being stealthier than most, Orion made his way into what the humans had dubbed the 'Forest of Silence', the blond male snorting to himself when he thought about the name and the silly rumors that went along with it. It seemed like a good enough place to duck into and could prove an interesting test for his pursuer, regarding whether or not they would actually follow him where so few dared to travel.

There were a limited number of beings that would enter the forest and as he continued on it seemed that his current pursuer could be counted among that elite group...of fools. Orion didn't really have more respect for the one that was tracking him because they decided to enter the forest but it did give him some rather useful information about them, the main thing being that they were most likely not human. He hadn't yet managed to catch the person's scent or else he would have been able to confirm that with certainty however he was already ninety-nine percent certain that was the case, all that was left was to identify the who and the what.

Deciding that he had humored them enough Orion abruptly shifted from his human form, his body growing sleek as he leapt forward, taking the form of a huge snow leopard. In his feline form he was larger than the actual animal would be and much more deadly, Orion stalking along near silently across the earthen path that was well padded with moss and other such natural insulators which helped to muffle the sounds of his steps. A tail that was as long as the rest of his body swished behind him as Orion crept up on the person that seemed to be stalking him, or attempting to. The prey had once again become the predator, Orion's mercurial silver eyes shining as he focused on a creature that was neither human nor preternatural creature but instead seemingly an odd mixture of the two. That was a tiny bit intriguing to Orion and probably what caused him to change his mind about immediately killing his stalker. Poised for the attack Orion crept up behind the would be hunter, muscles tensed and ready to strike, Orion only waiting a few seconds before he suddenly pounced.

[Arenor]

At first nothing answered his human senses or his elven ones. Silence wrapped around him and the still trees like a living force, as if the lack of sound harbored its own dangers. Perhaps his senses were trying to tell him something. A creature poised behind him in the shadows, ready to strike, although he couldn't quite sense it. The hairs pricked at the back of his neck in warning. He half rose to his feet and glanced wildly around, just in time to see jarringly familiar eyes set in the face of a hunting cat. There was no time to run. Just as he glimpsed it, the creature leapt at him.

"By Aura's light--" The epithet was an indrawn breath as he pulled a pair of hunting knives from his belt. He scrambled backward hoping to escape its pounce. He wielded the two blades as if he could use them, but he hadn't as much practice as most hunters, just some natural ability from his elven side. He didn't have time, only a precious few seconds. But in that time he managed to wonder if he'd offended the forest of silence with his boldness, his disregard for its legend. Now it would consume him. He hesitated in a defensive position, unwilling to act to destroy this creature, hoping to frighten it off instead. He didn't wish to take a life unless he had to.

And where had he seen those eyes before?

[CleverFox]

If he had been in his human form then he definitely would have laughed in the face of the little halfling when he ended up pulling out a pair of hunting knives but then failed to actually follow through and use them. Since he wasn't capable of that in his feline form he just sort of stared at the unknown young man, looking at him after halting his pounce and cutting it just shy of pouncing on him. His long tail lashed back and forth as he stared at the boy, trying to figure out what he was going to do and the look in his mercurial eyes practically dared the youth to make a move. It was as though he wanted to see what he was capable of, there was no fear in the eyes or the body posture of the feline, the snow leopard flicking his right ear in an almost casual manner as his tail continued to swish back and forth behind him.

Just as he was incapable of laughing in this form he was also unable to speak and so he couldn't ask just what it was that the youth was planning to do but there was an undeniable look of questioning in his eyes, those strange orbs that looked like liquid mercury. That was pretty much the only feature of his that stayed the same regardless of his form, those eyes that everyone found so offsetting and the reason why many people actually came to the mistaken conclusion that he was blind.

Continuing to stare Orion took a step toward the halfling, trying to provoke him into making a move since at this point Orion was just basically trying to size him up. He had a low opinion of most but this youth did have at least one thing going for him in that he'd had the guts to follow the feline into the forest, all the rumors notwithstanding, so Orion was willing to take the time and put forth the effort to see just what the kid was made of.

[Arenor]

Solen hadn't expected the creature to hesitate longer than a heartbeat. Instead, it eyed him, every line of its body a subtle challenge. Stalemate. He was reluctant to attack, to hunt and kill on this cursed ground. Perhaps a pure human could have done it, but his elven blood recoiled against the idea. Worse, this animal might in fact be the embodiment of a spirit. Something about its size didn't square with the snow leopards Solen had seen before. Its burning eyes were far different than the usual gold and gray. If its sight were impaired, that might explain its reluctance to attack. But it seemed focused on him. No, making the first move was out of the question.

What if he called upon the grace inherent in his blood? His preternatural gifts could be used to manipulate places or creatures. Full elves worked such powers to heal the land or each other, communing with their subject to the depths of their being. Solen, a half blood, couldn't dream to approach that level of skill. But he could open his senses to speak and listen beyond the human concepts of those words. If this hunting cat really was a simple animal, he ought to be able to sway it somewhat. Persuade it to depart in peace.

Taking a deep breath, Solen cleared his mind and defocused his senses. The surroundings held a sudden clarity, the shadowed trees, the root and leaf-strewn dirt beneath his boots, even the danger holding its poise just in front of him. The leopard stood out against the setting, its form sharp and its pale fur aglow with swirling light. It seemed not to belong to the backdrop of the forest. Even so, he reached out to it with his voice, casting a pale attempt at manipulation.

"Hear me. I mean you no harm. I am not your prey, and you are not mine. I won't kill a creature such as you unless I must. Go in peace and I shall leave your territory."

But, he wasn't counting on his calm words as much as he seemed to be. As he spoke, he shifted his right leg back a step. Both left and right hands faced their knives outward, the right one back, held low and ready to arc in a vicious stab. If the creature leapt at him after this, he meant to aim a strike at its chest, while the closer hand would go for the throat or face. Perhaps only his human blood allowed such cold-blooded preparations while he spoke so gently, but he had no plans to die in the forest of silence, spirit enemy or no spirit enemy.

[CleverFox]

Attacking was what had been on his mind when he had approached the halfling that had been attempting to stalk him as he stalked the pathetic creatures that so often became his prey and yet there was something that halted his movements before he actually finished that deadly motion. Still even as he stood there, staring at the being that was neither of pure human nor pure elven descent but rather a desecration and a combination of the two. Not that Orion really deemed either of those races worthy of his time, his muscles were tense and coiled as though ready to strike. There was some invisible thread that was staying his deadly claws but for how long that would last was really anyone's guess at this point.

Orion was actually amused when the halfling decided to attempt to use his powers to manipulate him, that being his obvious attention based on his posture and his actions nevermind the words that he was directing toward him. Once again Orion would have laughed in his face were he capable of such actions in his current feline form but since he wasn't he merely flicked his ear forward while his long tail lashed behind him. The subtle movements that the halfling were making drew the feline's attention however and Orion noticed that he was poising himself to strike even as he spoke calmly about not being his prey and what not.

Deciding that this game had been prolonged long enough Orion let out a feline hiss before his lithe form was suddenly surrounded by what appeared to be extremely dense fog. It took several long moments for that fog to clear and once it had the snow leopard was gone, replaced by a tall and equally lithe man with white blond hair and the same mercurial eyes which almost seemed to swirl as the storm tossed seas. "So you truly are foolish enough to think that you stand a chance in all of this," Orion said, speaking in a low and oddly musical tone, his voice containing a lilting and musical quality that was a throwback of his ancestry.

Being one of the last truly ancient ones Orion haled from a place that was now simply legend and thought to never have existed in the first place, the legendary lost continent of Atlantis. Not that such things were important nor did Orion really like his heritage so it was a non issue. What was truly of importance in this moment was finding out just what it was that this halfling was seeking now that the fool had followed him into a forest that was rumored to be cursed and the bringer of death for all who dared to enter.

Whether this rumor would prove true for the halfling was something that was yet to be determined.

[Arenor]

A fog rose as if drawn from the bones of the forest. It shrouded his attacker in a wall of white, possibly revealing the leopard's true form. Many spirits manifested as mist, as fog, alluring poison to strike its enemies dead. Solen took one step back, then another. He wouldn't dare turn his back on such a spirit. No one could outrun the air itself. He kept his eyes fixed on the expanding force, his knives almost forgotten against his palms. His mind went blank except for a simple elven charm, the first one he'd learned as a child.

"River and stone, wood and ward, protect me."

But then the mist solidified into the unmistakable form of his target, Orion. Solen's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened, an unusual change from his subdued expression. His hands tensed around the knife hilts although for some reason he didn't wish to harm this dangerous...enemy? Emotions flashed through him in a confused tangle of wary curiosity and excitement. But most of all he was surprised.

"You're a shifter!"

A strain of real pleasure escaped into his voice. As a child, he'd often begged stories from traveling adventurers, and his favorites were of shape-shifters. They were a powerful species with great sorcery and the ability to take on other forms. Given their rarity, he'd never expected to see one in his lifetime. Even a half-elven lifetime. Moreover, he'd been following this man for weeks and had never guessed!

The spark faded from Solen's eyes as he considered the man's words (and tried to shake off the effect of his melodic voice.) It seemed this would be the first and last time he encountered a shape shifter.

"Do you intend to kill me? I've done nothing to harm you."

He made his voice gentle and level with its usual subdued tones. There was little fear in his words or posture, although it lurked beneath his demeanor. He didn't wish to die. But he also felt a strange longing twined around his wariness. Every part of Orion bespoke danger, the lines of his chiseled limbs, the liquid eyes and cold elegance of his speech. Even so, Solen was drawn to him as if bespelled. His beauty was breathtakingly cruel. It took a great deal of control not to show his fascination. Although his eyes slowly filled with a strange light. He'd never been drawn to anyone before, human, elf, or otherwise. Nineteen was rather young by elven standards even if he had aged more like a human thus far. He'd always watched from afar with amusement as his guild-mates went off with tavern women or even each other. But he'd never understood their attraction.

Now, he almost did, even if he hadn't expected such complexity. If he had to die, at least someone like Orion would kill him. It was almost comforting. He waited for the shifter's decision silently and with a stillness worthy of the forest that surrounded them.

[CleverFox]

Orion was well aware that even in the lands from which the normal haled where preternatural beings were a commonplace occurrence, that most had never been so fortunate, or unfortunate as the case may prove to be, to encounter one of his kind. They were a rare breed after all and most had been hunted the same as the very animals whose forms they could take, Orion on the other hand had become a hunter rather than the hunted. And it never failed to amuse him how surprised people could prove to be when he showed his true form to them, especially if he underwent the shift right before their very eyes, not that anyone that had seen that sight remained alive to tell the tale. Now clad in dark clothes and with a cloak made of finest velvet and silk Orion gazed at the surprised halfling as he asked his question about being a shifter.

"Your powers of observation are truly amazing," Orion said in a voice that was decidedly patronizing, his swirling silver eyes still focused on the unnamed one that had decided it was a good idea to follow him into a cursed forest. Whether the curse proved to be true in the case of the boy was something that would remain to be seen, Orion sizing him up as his gaze swept the boy's body from top to bottom. It was difficult to tell his age seeing as looks could be infinitely deceiving, Orion himself living proof of that with the body of a man in his mid twenties and the mind of a man that had lived countless lifetimes back to back.

The question of whether he intended to kill the halfling as well as the proclamation that he had done nothing wrong actually served to gain the laughter that Orion had been practically longing to issue since he had came upon the kid and which his leopard form had prevented. However the sound was cold and without a single trace of true amusement, more a mocking gesture than anything else.

"I have yet to decide what to do with you but I see no real reason to keep you around," Orion told him, his words matter of fact and his voice containing that oddly musical, lilting quality. That had been a trademark of his kind and yet was all but gone now, an accent that was never really heard seeing as even the handful of shifters that remained had learned to mask their voices and hide their heritage. Unlike Orion who chose to flaunt it as though daring anyone to take issue or try to hunt him the same way that his kin had been hunted and killed. "Perhaps you can give me a reason to not slit your throat where you stand," Orion said, his voice taunting and almost patronizing.

Truthfully he didn't see even the slightest chance that this halfling would be able to give him a reason not to make short work of him, the fact that he claimed to have done nothing to harm him a moot point. "Harm me no but you were tracking me, to what point and purpose I can only guess," Orion added as a sort of afterthought since he realized that he hadn't exactly responded to that part of the halfling's foolish words as to why he should not be killed.

Not that Orion really needed a reason, he proclaimed himself to be a coldblooded and heartless killer so a reason was a mere formality when dealing with someone. Already the boy had seen something that no one else had lived to recount so it seemed the likelihood that he would meet his fate was high and yet...there was something about this kid that did serve to pique the leopard shifter's interest. Perhaps it was the fact that he had not yet turned tail and tried to run away or perhaps it was something else.

If he had kept his leopard tail then it would even now be lashing behind him as he tried to discern the best course of action with this boy but since he had assumed a wholly human appearance Orion's swirling eyes were the only thing that gave hint to the deep thought that he was now engaging in as he thought about just what course of action he was going to take.

[Arenor]

Solen raised an eyebrow at the patronizing words. He found the scorn endearing somehow, and he couldn't help but wish for a bit of return banter. His lips twitched into a near-smile, then he offered a bow and a grave reply despite his amusement.

"Aren't they? It's an honor to impress a legend such as yourself."

Mid-bow, he remembered his knives, and curled his hands more securely around the rough wooden handles.

Perhaps he was playing with fire, or an element at least as dangerous. But what else could he do? Wait for death? Even if he could accept his fate at the hands of this fascinating creature, that didn't mean he wanted to die. But, his options were limited if he survived, considering that his brother expected him to report on Orion's movements when he returned home. He wouldn't do that. Not if it meant causing harm or death to one of the only shifters left on this world. Even if this one seemed more than capable of defending himself against would-be assassins. He could try to talk his way out of this fate, return home, and simply lie about the shifter's movements and position. That was the best possible solution.

But that meant he'd never see this shifter again. It would be for the best, he thought, since this man appeared to want nothing more than his death, and barely even cared about that. Orion's icy laughter attested to his lack of interest in him. Despite all that, the last thing Solen wanted to do was escape him and return home. It would be like throwing away a precious treasure. Perhaps he could be of help to him, somehow. There must be something Orion wanted that Solen possessed.

Almost without thinking, he glanced back in the direction of the forest entrance. Slats of sunlight crossed his face, highlighting dust and strips of his green tunic and leathers. He frowned as if part of him wished he'd never chosen to cross into the forest. He was trapped here now by both human and elven legends, perhaps doubly affected by the curse instead of not at all. It left one choice really that he was willing to chance. When he spoke, he didn't meet the man's liquid eyes, fearing what might be revealed in his own.

"If you allow me to live, I will give you anything you want of me. My abilities are yours if you wish to use them. Surely, my corpse isn't of any use to you."

[CleverFox]

The fact that this halfling actually had the audacity...and the sheer nerve...to return his words in such a manner caused Orion to tilt his head to the side and once again reevaluate just how it was that he felt about his would be pursuer. Looking at the halfling he tried to size him up and figure out just what it was that he was going to do with this creature, not quite as lowly in his opinion as the mere humans but then again most other preternatural creatures weren't very high up on his list of acceptable inhabitants of the planet either. As solitary in nature as was the feline whose form he was capable of assuming Orion tended to look down on pretty much everyone.

And yet this creature had created an odd spark of interest in him.

Looking at the halfling Orion was actually surprised when he went on to offer up an unusual bargain for his life, offering up his abilities and proclaiming that his corpse would be of no use. "Anything can be of use if you know enough," Orion told him in that same cold and lilting voice, his gaze locking on the other male as he debated that proposition. And as he stared he noticed that there was an oddly attractive quality of the halfling's appearance, Orion getting something of a gleam in his eyes as he reached a hand out to deftly grasp the other's hair.

"Anything I want you say?" Orion questioned as he continued to gaze into the eyes of his would be pursuer turned captive. "What of your body and soul, will you grant me that if I should ask?"

Even as he traveled down that figurative road Orion wasn't sure that he was serious about it but at the same time he was definitely interested to see just what the younger male was going to have to say in response. Would he accept at the possible cost of his dignity or else would he agree and choose to save his life by any means necessary? Those were the two questions that were swirling around in the head of the shifter as Orion kept his gaze focused on his prey.

The lack of sound almost seeming too intense as Orion continued to stare at the other, practically boring into the depths of his soul with the intensity of his odd gaze.