Zul'Zae'ju'Jin
the Hugger Troll
"This is just brilliant! We could be nice and snug in that tavern. All warm and comfortable. Food. Ale. A bunk to fall into. But hark! No! Here we are in this deluge traipsing after gods know what!"
The figure continued pulling a trench coat tighter around himself as horse and rider picked their way through the dense forest that they had headed into. Rain fell heavily all around them, falling in droplets from where it had collected on leaves and grown too heavy for the leaf to support. The rider shivered as one such droplet found the small space between the collar of his coat and his neck.
"See! You could be all warm and snuggled up on covers, not getting rained on and making me shift my perch!"
The complaints seemed to stem wholly from the owl that rode upon one shoulder as the bird ruffled its feathers irritably and held tighter to the man's shoulder with sharp talons.
"Is it any wonder you were cursed to be what you are now?" the man returned eventually, his voice husky and low but the owl heard him anyway, responding with irritated hoots drawing a chuckle from the man. The man seemed to be in no rush letting the seventeen and half hands horse pick its way through the leaf litter and churned roots of the trees that surrounded the travelling pair.
"Always complaining about everything, you make me regret saving your feathered butt sometimes," he muttered with amusement which earned him another hooted snort of derision.
"That witch has no sense of humour! Not my fault she was cranky as that mule!" the bird huffed before something caught both their attention. "You hear that, long ears?" the owl asked drawing a glance from the man before he nodded.
"I heard," he replied before he steered his dapple grey destrier towards the source of the sound which had crackled through the trees. As they drew nearer and nearer the horse grew more testy and tried to go a different route several times and the man eventually gave up trying to correct her course. The owl alighted and flew into the trees as he dismounted, landing with a wet thud into the ground. He looped the reins over the mare's head and tied them loosely to a branch before he turned and carried on with a wary stride.
The sound of steel broke the crackling as the sword was free from its scabbard. He advanced with a wary posture and the owl returned to his shoulder. "I see nothing, put the sword away."
The man had no cause to doubt her world. Owls had exception nocturnal vision but he kept his sword where it was drawn in one hand, fingers flexing expertly around the hilt. Just because the bright orange eyes of his cursed companion had not picked up whatever was causing this disturbance didn't mean the culprit wasn't nearby hidden by some means, magical or otherwise.
He sniffed the air but could not gain any sort of tell that told him what or who was causing this. The air was thick with crackles now, leaves lifting and frolicking waywardly as the disturbed air caught and played with them. He shook his head, he disliked this. Something was happening but he couldn't tell what as he slowly crept further and further along and he finally reached a small clearing in the heart of the forest.
"Peculiar, I must say,"
"Must you? Always stating the obvious, silly bird,"
"Pfft, your eyes suck!"
"Only for now."
He sighed as he advanced stopping only when he had reached the centre of the clearing and he turned slowly peering around them. He knew his feathered companion, a bird he had saved a while back and now owed him her life, was doing the same. Despite their differing attitudes and mannerisms, they had become close friends. Only she knew what he truly was and he was intent on keeping it that way. He would be cast from knighthood if anyone else found out.
The air snapped and crackled around him sounding like someone was cracking a whip about his ears. It was loud and painful and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. In fact, it was getting worse. "Lucifer, we should get of here," the owl cautioned and he was slow to nod in return. He was about to make a swift return to his waiting mare when the air thundered about them. His grip tightened around the hilt of his long-sword as he was suddenly thrown to the ground. He was further dismayed when he learned he could not rise. A frightened hoot made him turn his head painfully towards his feathered friend. The owl was in the same problem, her wings extended and flattened around her large body with the tips of her flight feathers reaching out ahead of her face.
He could not move his jaw to speak. Whatever was causing this had them squarely where it wanted them or it seemed that way to the Knight. With a sound that sounded like the earth opening up in a giant crack, he saw nothing more. The air sharpened, his could feel every hair stand on end but he could see only total darkness. He heard the hoots of his companion as he felt himself being lifted by the collar of his coat as if he were nothing more than a kitten that had wandered too far from its mother. He felt talons pinch into his shoulder and he grimaced as they held on too tightly in the bird's fear of losing him again.
The forest disappeared entirely in the black void they were enveloped in before without further grace or ceremony being dropped from a decent height. He landed in a heap of flesh and metal, groaning at the impact. It was enough to have killed a mortal man but this Knight was anything but. The fall and the impact however had still hurt and it hurt a lot, his nerves felt as thought they were on fire.
With effort he rolled to his back and stared upwards at a dark sky, completely open and not even a single tree to disrupt his view. This was strange. his vision felt hazy and he knew he was probably close to passing out with no idea that the culprit wasn't that far from him now.
"Bird?" he croaked, his voice breaking halfway through. At first there was silence and that worried him immensely. However, after a few more moments that seemed far too long to be acceptable, the owl hooted and climbed atop his chest using her beak and talons in weak movements before she collapsed.
"I'm still here..." she returned before her big orange eyes closed and he lowered his head back on a hard surface. He turned his head, the floor was as black as onyx and that confused him for he knew no road or floor that offered such darkness. He heard movement and he reached for his sword that was usually by his side. It was absent from its scabbard and he frowned knowing just how vulnerable he was. A face stood above him and he frowned at it, raising his head which supported a good length of chocolate brown hair and a groomed goatee before he groaned in pain again and knew nothing more as he lost consciousness. He had not been aware of where he was nor of his hand that moved protectively over the owl lying prone over his chest.
The figure continued pulling a trench coat tighter around himself as horse and rider picked their way through the dense forest that they had headed into. Rain fell heavily all around them, falling in droplets from where it had collected on leaves and grown too heavy for the leaf to support. The rider shivered as one such droplet found the small space between the collar of his coat and his neck.
"See! You could be all warm and snuggled up on covers, not getting rained on and making me shift my perch!"
The complaints seemed to stem wholly from the owl that rode upon one shoulder as the bird ruffled its feathers irritably and held tighter to the man's shoulder with sharp talons.
"Is it any wonder you were cursed to be what you are now?" the man returned eventually, his voice husky and low but the owl heard him anyway, responding with irritated hoots drawing a chuckle from the man. The man seemed to be in no rush letting the seventeen and half hands horse pick its way through the leaf litter and churned roots of the trees that surrounded the travelling pair.
"Always complaining about everything, you make me regret saving your feathered butt sometimes," he muttered with amusement which earned him another hooted snort of derision.
"That witch has no sense of humour! Not my fault she was cranky as that mule!" the bird huffed before something caught both their attention. "You hear that, long ears?" the owl asked drawing a glance from the man before he nodded.
"I heard," he replied before he steered his dapple grey destrier towards the source of the sound which had crackled through the trees. As they drew nearer and nearer the horse grew more testy and tried to go a different route several times and the man eventually gave up trying to correct her course. The owl alighted and flew into the trees as he dismounted, landing with a wet thud into the ground. He looped the reins over the mare's head and tied them loosely to a branch before he turned and carried on with a wary stride.
The sound of steel broke the crackling as the sword was free from its scabbard. He advanced with a wary posture and the owl returned to his shoulder. "I see nothing, put the sword away."
The man had no cause to doubt her world. Owls had exception nocturnal vision but he kept his sword where it was drawn in one hand, fingers flexing expertly around the hilt. Just because the bright orange eyes of his cursed companion had not picked up whatever was causing this disturbance didn't mean the culprit wasn't nearby hidden by some means, magical or otherwise.
He sniffed the air but could not gain any sort of tell that told him what or who was causing this. The air was thick with crackles now, leaves lifting and frolicking waywardly as the disturbed air caught and played with them. He shook his head, he disliked this. Something was happening but he couldn't tell what as he slowly crept further and further along and he finally reached a small clearing in the heart of the forest.
"Peculiar, I must say,"
"Must you? Always stating the obvious, silly bird,"
"Pfft, your eyes suck!"
"Only for now."
He sighed as he advanced stopping only when he had reached the centre of the clearing and he turned slowly peering around them. He knew his feathered companion, a bird he had saved a while back and now owed him her life, was doing the same. Despite their differing attitudes and mannerisms, they had become close friends. Only she knew what he truly was and he was intent on keeping it that way. He would be cast from knighthood if anyone else found out.
The air snapped and crackled around him sounding like someone was cracking a whip about his ears. It was loud and painful and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. In fact, it was getting worse. "Lucifer, we should get of here," the owl cautioned and he was slow to nod in return. He was about to make a swift return to his waiting mare when the air thundered about them. His grip tightened around the hilt of his long-sword as he was suddenly thrown to the ground. He was further dismayed when he learned he could not rise. A frightened hoot made him turn his head painfully towards his feathered friend. The owl was in the same problem, her wings extended and flattened around her large body with the tips of her flight feathers reaching out ahead of her face.
He could not move his jaw to speak. Whatever was causing this had them squarely where it wanted them or it seemed that way to the Knight. With a sound that sounded like the earth opening up in a giant crack, he saw nothing more. The air sharpened, his could feel every hair stand on end but he could see only total darkness. He heard the hoots of his companion as he felt himself being lifted by the collar of his coat as if he were nothing more than a kitten that had wandered too far from its mother. He felt talons pinch into his shoulder and he grimaced as they held on too tightly in the bird's fear of losing him again.
The forest disappeared entirely in the black void they were enveloped in before without further grace or ceremony being dropped from a decent height. He landed in a heap of flesh and metal, groaning at the impact. It was enough to have killed a mortal man but this Knight was anything but. The fall and the impact however had still hurt and it hurt a lot, his nerves felt as thought they were on fire.
With effort he rolled to his back and stared upwards at a dark sky, completely open and not even a single tree to disrupt his view. This was strange. his vision felt hazy and he knew he was probably close to passing out with no idea that the culprit wasn't that far from him now.
"Bird?" he croaked, his voice breaking halfway through. At first there was silence and that worried him immensely. However, after a few more moments that seemed far too long to be acceptable, the owl hooted and climbed atop his chest using her beak and talons in weak movements before she collapsed.
"I'm still here..." she returned before her big orange eyes closed and he lowered his head back on a hard surface. He turned his head, the floor was as black as onyx and that confused him for he knew no road or floor that offered such darkness. He heard movement and he reached for his sword that was usually by his side. It was absent from its scabbard and he frowned knowing just how vulnerable he was. A face stood above him and he frowned at it, raising his head which supported a good length of chocolate brown hair and a groomed goatee before he groaned in pain again and knew nothing more as he lost consciousness. He had not been aware of where he was nor of his hand that moved protectively over the owl lying prone over his chest.
