Hunting the Hunter

[niobe]

Niobe had fled directly from the Seelie court and into the Mist, her almond eyes darting from side to side as she scanned trees, bushes and the ground for signs of whatever or whomever had killed that ram. Once inside the Mists her range of vision lessened, but her tracking skills were perhaps the finest in the land. She would find whatever was responsible for scaring the ram into the confines of the Seelie court, though in the back of her mind Niobe just knew that there was some sort of connection between this and the creatures of the sky.

[Skylla]

A trail of blood guided Niobe's way. The floor was painted, the ram must have run a long way before it bled out and fell due to weakness. There were no signs of the hunters.

[niobe]

Niobe continued to follow the trail faithfully, though her eyes strayed every which way to watch her surroundings. By the the hood of her cape had fallen back, exposing her wrapped head. Niobe briefly wished Naga was with her. She good use the komodo dragon's keen sense of smell. However it was still too cold for the beast, who was currently nestled somewhere within the warmth of the Seelie court.

[Skylla]

Eventually the path of blood gave way to a path of footprints. What looked like a large boot had recently trudged through the snow, seemingly in pursuit of the ram. However, there was still no sign of anything but empty woods.

[niobe]

Niobe dropped down briefly to examine the boot prints, her cloak sweeping out behind her. The size implied that whoever had made the print was male though she did not rule out the possibility of a female. She had seen many a goblin garlanger female standing at an intimidating eight feet tall. Niobe lifted her head to scan the woods but found nothing. Even her ears failed her. The only option she had was to continue forward.

[Skylla]

Niobe walked, her journey taking her far into the woods, no path to guide her but the spilled blood and the footprints. Eventually, the set of footprints gave away to two sets, and soon after, many sets. Whoever had been hunting the ram had been traveling in a group, thus in addition to being armed, they were not alone. The aura of the situation was tense. Niobe suddenly felt the eerie feeling that she was being watched.

[niobe]

The moment Niobe came across the diverging footprints her body stooped low, crouching over the snow as her fingers lightly played with the two rows of hiltless throwing knives secured about her right thigh. As a precaution she loosened one from its position and drew it into her gloved hand. As her skin prickled with the sensation of many eyes, Niobe instantly knew she was not alone. Her eyes scanned the area rapidly, missing nothing yet spotting nothing of interest. By now the garlanger was beginning to formulate an hypothesis, purely speculation, yet not unfounded. She would maintained an unbiased view towards the footsteps before her, though the inkling in the back of her mind poked and prodded around, seeking ancient memories in an attempt to clarify the situation. As Niobe proceeded forward she unclasped her cloak and left it, revealing her black-clad body armed to the teeth with throwing weapons and two sai sheather at her hips. Was she attempting to send a message? Quite possibly so.

[Skylla]

"So heavily armed, creature," The voice that spoke cutting the silence sharply. At first glance the woman appeared to be a sidhe, her flesh was a purplish-pink and her eyes swirled with the tricolor of oranges and gold. She eyed the faerie, a wicked smirk carved into her thin lips. A barbed whip was wrapped around her waist, worn like a belt. However, as the creature neared Niobe, it became apparent that she was no sidhe.

Her tongue was forked and her flesh appeared to flicker with the flames of a burning fire. Instead of sidhe light, her aura seemed to burn.

[niobe]

As the mists parted to reveal the woman, Niobe shifted into a more stable, somewhat relaxed looking stance. However, on the inside her muscles were coiled, ready for quick movement as she stood poised on her toes. Niobe immediately came to the conclusion that the woman before her was no faerie, or at least none of the strains Niobe knew of. Over thousands of years had passed since Niobe's birth, and though she had liberally explored Alanor as much as possible, hindered only by her inability to access the Unseelie court, never had she seen someone like this woman.

Words ran through her head, choice questions arising. Still, her muteness kept her from speaking aloud. Though she carried with her a writing utensil and paper, should the necessity to communicate come around, Niobe was not about to drop her guard to retrieve them. As a naturally passive creature, Niobe wished no bloodshed, but she knew well enough that her thoughts on fighting were not equally shared. For now she would remain still while contemplating whether or not to act upon the woman before her.

(ooc haha, realizing now that Niobe being mute = sucky -.-)

[Skylla]

She peered at the faerie that remained silent. A curious smile crept into her features. The fact that Niobe did not recognize who or what this woman was was a testament to the faerie arrogance. She had been here for ages, her people; the faerie simply chose to forget about them, simply content with believing they were gone and if they weren’t that they weren't an issue.

The woman moved closer, listening to for the voice of the faerie that never came. She frowned, “Not the talkative type?” She chuckled, “You’re one of the few faerie who I have encountered who don’t love to hear themselves talk.” She eyed up the woman’s garlanger features and nodded intuitively. “The Sluagh blood courses through your, but from your ventures into the Mists I suppose you’re not a slave for the sidhe as most garlangers are.”

[niobe]

Sluagh. The name struck Niobe hard. Of all her years spent in Alanor she had heard whisperings, seen shadows....but the lack of activity on the Sluagh part, and Niobe's inclination to remain hidden had kept her from actually confirming their existance. The fact that one now stood before her was somewhat of a shock, but not an unwelcome one. Though Niobe knew of the name, she knew very little, if anything at all, of the history surrounding them.

Niobe's natural curiosity was beginning to swell, but she maintained her composure. Her right hand lightly tensed over the sai at her hip as the woman moved closer, though Niobe sincerely had no desire to even use the weapon. Finally, after a few moments of thinking it through, Niobe moved slowly, raising her left arm to gesture towards her throat, followed by a short shake of her head. This was not only her attempt to clarify her reason of silence, but also, in her mind, it was a gesture of good will.

"...I suppose you’re not a slave for the sidhe as most garlangers are." For the most part, that was true. Niobe considered herself a free spirit, not bound by her loyalty to the faerie of pure blood, but rather bound to her court. Despite the constant prejudice her peers faced, Niobe's somewhat kind soul harbored no ill-will towards the Sidhe and Nimbus fae. Rather, she attempted to elevate the position of her peers through her own work, and that motivation was what had led her into the Mists.

[Skylla]

The woman nodded in understanding, the faerie was a mute. How unfortunate, she thought, to be cursed (in the eyes of the faerie, at least) with the wings of a nightflyer and at the same time having the voice stolen from your mouth, it was a sad scenario. If the woman held any sort of compassion, she would have wept for the faerie or at least sighed, but instead she simply continued on with her words, knowing she would get no response.

“I suppose you don’t disagree. Well, I am Nocticula, friend to the Sluagh and their progeny, and any humbly minded faerie for that matter.” She chuckled as she uttered the last bit. She ran a hand through her hair, the fiery aura around her flickering violently with each motion.

“I have a favor to ask.” She then said.

[niobe]

Niobe watched, her gaze unwavering as Nocticula introduced herself. While Niobe was pleased to see that the other had understood her gesture, her wariness did not subside. There was a ferocity to Nocticula that Niobe could not decipher and it washed over her, inwardly causing her to twinge. Niobe allowed the woman's words to wash over her, her expression remaining blank even as she mentioned a favor. After a few moments, Niobe gave a slight cant of her head, neither a nod nor a shake, just an indication that she was willing to hear Nocticula out.

[Skylla]

Nocticula smiled, and reached into a satchel that hung from her waist. From it, she produced a glowing orb. The orb seemed to be created from pure energy, swirling with colors, some recognizeable and others unable to be conceived. It emanated light but was not so bright that it was blinding. She held it up, extending her arm so that Niobe could examine it with her sight, but if she chose, by touching it.

"Tell others of our meeting, the sidhe and nimbus who are not so wrapped up in politics they are blind to the real workings of this world, and all of the garlangers. It is a simple request, tell them I offer knowledge...and power. Simply by agreeing to do this, you may have this" She extended the golf ball sized orb even further towards Niobe. "A magical light to serve you. It will never extinquish and will gift you with the ability to see through sidhe glamour as long as you hold it."

[niobe]

Niobe hadn't gotten along as well as she had these past thousands of years by being foolish. She was a cautious faerie, and when faced with a glowing orb of unknown origins, Niobe was a bit hesitant to accept. The favor was easy enough, though the second part...the mention of power... The Sidhe and Nimbus already had an enormous amount of power at their fingertips. The Garlanger? Those that did not would perhaps flock to this woman under the promise of power. Did Niobe really want to help incite a rebellion? Or was this another way to help bring her people better into the light? To help elleviate the prejudice that plagued the courts?

Nocticula's offer was enticing. The glowing orb before her offered an advantage no garlanger besides Lycanthrope could lay claim to. The aid it could offer her, and thus the court, in the future, was notable. Still, Niobe was facing a dilemma. In carrying out this request Niobe knew not the future reprucussions of her own words. Niobe was also quite sure that the favor asked did not have their Queen in mind.

Their Queen....Had the Queen been lying to them all this time? Did she know of these Sluagh? Surely she must, and if she did the fact that she kept their existence from the other faerie severely troubled Niobe. Nocticula's words....had these Sluagh been forced to live like this? Had Niobe been so blind to see that there were creatures even worse off than she?

After what seemed like forever, Niobe reached a hand out to take the orb from Nocticula, thus giving her answer. There was no hesitation in her movement, nor did she spare another look at the orb. She tucked it away quickly and glanced back to Nocticula, her eyes revealing nothing. She would keep her word, Nocticula could count on that.