My racing heart and breathing have calmed, but my adrenaline is still high. I'm hoping that me throwing the ribbon and other items on the false trails helped. I'm constantly scanning the area that I can see without moving, in case my movement gives up my position. The swish of leaves are heard after a while, I'm not sure how long exactly, before I am able to see any movement.
I see Calire barely through the thick leaves and branches, about twenty feet away from this tree I'm currently in. Her eyes are scanning, looking for any hint of a trail that I may have left behind. I'm barely breathing, even though my heart is racing. She follows something along the ground to the tree that I was going to climb, but had changed my mind. I know from that point on she was going to have trouble catching a foot print. She looked around the trunk, taking note of the larger stones around the area. She continues on, possibly thinking I hopped from rock to rock to hide my tracks.
I feel like I can breathe again as she walks away, except she stops after only just a few more steps and circles back to the tree, looking up into the branches. She's not at my tree and that's all I care about. I do my best to hardly breathe, I don't move, just watch as she looks around some more.
"Rakara! You've passed!" She shouts out, her voice echoing through the trees. I stay where I am though, knowing I can earn more respect if I can successfully sneak up or startle her. I'm too high to jump down, and I know if I start to crawl down now, the leaves and branches shaking will give my position away.
"Rakara! You passed?!" Calire shouts again. She mutters looking at the ground, "Did she lay such a trail that I misjudged where she is?" She walks away following the trail back through the forest, trying to find where I might be hiding. I may have passed, but I feel like gloating and relaxing for the moment.
I do my best not to snicker as Calire's footsteps fade away, still calling out every now and then for me. When I'm straining to hear her calling for me, I take the limbs covering me from below, and hang them on the limbs so they don't fall. I slowly, climb down, listening the entire time for any movement and scanning for her possibly doubling back.
I finally hit the ground, scan the area again, and take another direction to make my way out of the forest. My plan is to head east from where I am, then turn back to the North and come out by the side of the estate.
After about twenty minutes of walking east, I turn back to the north. After another twenty minutes, I'm hot and sweaty, but amused at how far I must have run. I should be coming up to the break in the trees soon to see the estate.
After another hour, I realize something. I'm lost.
I think about trying to follow my tracks back, but the sun is working it's way down. Even if I make a torch, the light will not be sufficient since I've been practicing at not being tracked. My stomach is growling at me, my mouth is dry, and I'm lost in the woods of the Nether space.
I sit on a boulder, trying to think of how I'm going to be spending the night out here. A sound tickles my ears, making me strain to hear it. The sound is like wind rustling through the trees, but there is no wind around me at the moment.
"It's water!" I exclaim to myself, bouncing up off the rock, heading in the direction of the sound. It was only about a hundred meters from the boulder, and as I approach, I have to slow down and be careful. The area is full of rocks about ten meters from the water and they are all different sizes, from pebbles to boulders larger than me. The water is crashing over rapids in front of me, sending spray all over, making the stones slick as I move closer.
I carefully inch my way to the edge of a large boulder, low enough I can reach the water with out over extending and still high enough that it's dryer than others around me. I drink my fill of the cool water, splashing my face to clean off the sweat and grime from earlier. I make my way back out to the forest, marking my trail this time as I walk along the river a ways.
I look for a better place to access the river and decide to set up my shelter for the night near it. I break small saplings, twisting those that didn't come easily, setting them against large boulder. I grab small leafy limbs, placing them over the saplings, working the branches in between them. I layer the area inside with leaves and pine needles before I set up a small fire ring with the small stones from the river. The sun is turning the sky orange as I run around, gathering dead, dry wood to burn through the night.
I was hoping to go back to the river and drink a few more mouthfuls after I was done collecting wood. As I set down the last armful though, I can still see the light colored stones I set up for a fire ring, and the immediate area about twenty meters around me. The shadows of night are filling up the forest fast though.
Grumbling to myself, I stack the wood and start to try and light a fire.
"Rakara, you can do this. You are an Elemental Catalyst of the Ignis line! Fire is my thing and should come natural!" I hype myself up, as I try to continue to light the sticks in front of me.
It's cool now, with a slight breeze coming from the direction of the river, bringing cooler, moist air with it. I try to pull from the elements around me, getting frustrated when I don't feel anything still.
I scream into the air, "Mother of backyard Elements!" (Curse similar to a mix of Son of a B*tch/Fu*k this S#it.)
I pick up one of the pieces of wood and throw it out into the woods, roaring out my frustration again. I pick up another piece of wood, ready to throw it, when I hear footsteps in the woods.
I keep the longer piece of wood in my hands, yelling, "BAV?! CARTHURE?! AMARA?!" I shout out into the darkness. No voice calls out, so as a far fetched thought I yell out, "SOOTS? IS THAT YOU?"
The foot steps stop, only for a deep, guttural voice and a strange language, to cut through the darkness.
"Who are you?! Show yourselves! I don't understand your language!" I shout, stepping back so my back is to the shelter I made. I quickly think that I can use the saplings as extra weapons if I need to.
The strange language in that deep voice sounds out again, directly in front of me. The soft starlight, outlines an imposing figure, taller than me by at least a meter.
My legs tremble as the voice says slower, the figure moving closer, "Yaoua Noas Soots?"
I repeat what he says in my head and out loud a few times under my breath, "Yaoua Noas Soots? Ya no as Soots? You know a Soots?!" I laugh, understanding now.
"Yes! Soots! I know Soots! I am Rakara. I'm lost." I quickly explain to the giant in front of me, hoping that Soot's has never pissed off whoever this may be.
"Rakara? Loast? Nos Soots?" The figure takes another step closer, but I still step back not knowing if this person is truly friend or foe.
Shakily, my voice squeaking in betrayal, "Yes." I clear my throat, pointing to myself, "I am Rakara. I am lost. I can not find Soots." I motion to my eyes and look around before shrugging, hoping my movements help him understand.
The figure steps closer and I jump back in reflex, knocking over my shelter. The figure lets out a deep huff of annoyance as he crouches down. At least, I believe the figure in front of me is male, they sound male.
Suddenly, a small blast of flames comes shooting out, illuminating quickly, a strong jawed male, with black hair for a moment, before the fire I tried to light, comes to life, blinding me.
As my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness, I hear him say something again. "Wvare Soots?"
I blink rapidly, letting my eyes focus on the male across from me. I'm caught in the sight of a different race, of that I know for sure. His height matches the proportions of his long arms, legs, and torso that's rippling with muscular bulk, even covered in clothes and a cape. His long black hair has curled horns that I almost didn't catch, just barely jutting from the back of his head. His wide, strong jaw comes to a narrowed chin with thin lips and canines poking out over them.
His nose is more human like, except for the black line of scales that go up the middle and out over in a single line across his cheekbones. His eyes are as green as leaves on the trees flecked with gold, with black, cat pupils that reflect so clearly, I can see myself and the fire in them.
"Wvare Soots?" He asks again, looking agitated now, his mouth working my language around his teeth.
"I'm not sure what you are asking. Can you help me find Soots?" I ask timidly, rubbing my arms as they begin to feel the heat of the fire.
The male huffs, rolls his eyes and puts his hand out to me, as if asking for something. I shrug my shoulders not knowing what he's wanting.
"Fthand Wvern." His deep, gruff and guttural voice is demanding now as he lifts his hand, points to me, shakes that hand and puts it in his own. "Rakara Fthand Wvern, Fthind Soots."
"You want me to give you my hand? To go find Soots?" I ask attentively.
He nods, still holding his hand out. I'm trembling inside. A stick will do nothing if he decides to take me away. I slowly reach my hand out, pausing, "You will not hurt me?" I know my terror is on my face as I asked him, but I could not help it. I've never seen a race like this and the language barrier didn't help settle my nerves.
The male shakes his head, takes a finger that's nails are black claws, pointing it at his hand. "Wvern, Rakara."
"Oh, alright." I take a breath and step closer, quickly placing my hand in his without thinking anymore about it. His hand grips mine firmly, and before I know it, his other hand has poked me with his claw, drawing a drop of blood with it.
"Ouch!" I try to yank my hand back as he sticks a long tongue out and licks the drop from my hand. "Hey! What are you doing?!" I yank my hand that he releases now, making me fall back on my rear. I'm scooting back away from him, my body being met with the boulder and saplings of my fallen shelter.
"Wvern Rakara. Noas vnota vurth Yaoua. Wvern Rakara." He repeats this a few times, making my head spin and my breath quicken with a sudden headache.
"Oh.." I groan clutching my head, "What have you done to me?" I scoot back, but the pain in my head is making me nauseas. I turn to the side and start retching, throwing up what was left of the water in my stomach and bile, making my head throb worse.
Suddenly, cool water is being dribble into my mouth, which I use to rinse my mouth and greedily drink, lapping it into my mouth. "Wvern, Rakara. I'm not going to hurt you. The learning takes time, this is normal."
I stop drinking the water and lean back, my headache suddenly gone. "I understood you!"
The male sighs, "Thank goodness, speaking your language is too difficult for me. Rakara, I am Nordrem Amoritatu (Nord-drem Ah-More-re-Ta-too) of the Kingdom of Zohka on Dragosvellier. Who exactly are you Rakara? You are far from the dwelling that Soot's lives in. How did you end up here? Soot's would not leave someone out here overnight like this." He asks me these questions quickly, leaving me standing there, quiet and ashamed of myself.
I meet someone from Dragosvellier, one of the most intelligent races known, being a lost and stupid fool in the woods.