sigelphoenix (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigelphoenix) wrote2008-05-13 10:56 pm
sigelphoenix) wrote2008-05-13 10:56 pm
[Warmakers] Into the Clear
Title: Into the Clear
Characters: Sae, Reika, Gunnar, Khag
Warmakers Adventure: 24
Word Count: ~4100
Summary: The Great Hunt and its aftermath, through Sae's eyes.
Notes: The title of the fic is from "Steer" by Missy Higgins, which I think of as Sae's image song for the last part of the Warmakers campaign. This fic represents the last big chunk of the character development that I wanted to happen for Sae. We'll see what comes out of the last two adventures, of course, but this is the last piece of her narrative that I have planned.
They hear the Great Beast even before they see its gargantuan form. Thundering footsteps shake the ground beneath the Guardians' feet in steady beats like drums of war.
Sae feels her heartbeat pulse in response, a strong, rhythmic pounding that sends power flowing through her very veins. Then the Beast itself looms into view, an impossibly large creature bristling with claws and spikes, every one the size of a human or khar. The hulking, snuffling animal betrays no intelligence in its dull eyes; its gaze locks onto the sight of the hunters with the single-minded hunger of a dumb animal. But it doesn't need a brain, at least in order to kill, because each of its limbs is as big around as a bus, and its jaws look powerful enough to shear through tree trunks. Those jaws gnash at the air, giving glimpses of the wickedly long teeth that crowd its mouth.
As the creature crests the horizon, and their motley party closes in on it, adrenaline pushes Sae forward in a burst of recklessly eager speed. She hears her sister's indignant yell as she runs out of reach just before Reika finishes casting a spell on her, and can't bring herself to feel sorry.
Still, Sae holds herself from rushing headlong into the Great Beast's massive claws. Remembering Reika's carefully crafted plan, she activates her sister's spelled cellphone and throws a wall of invisible force beneath the Great Beast, cutting it off from a burrowing escape.
And it will be an escape, she thinks, a predatory grin curving her mouth. It will be running away from them.
Her teammates follow quickly behind - the other Guardians, as well as Khag and the Great Hunter. They continue to trap it in place with more invisible walls, and then attack with arrows, guns, magic - except for Gunnar, who charges directly at the beast and picks it up by the tail, somehow swinging the building-sized creature around in the air and then hurling it away, till it lands like a prize several meters away from Sae's feet.
She has never been more attracted to him than she is at this moment.
Sae doesn't have time to dwell on the thought, however, because the enraged beast lashes out at her, its massive claws catching her and yanking her into its invisible cage. She twists and writhes, trying to use her superior maneuverability and flexibility to sneak her way out of its unbreakable hold. But this is not like wrestling with Gunnar, or even a hamatula - she might as well try to wriggle out of a coffin, for all the good it does her. The Great Beast flicks its wrist towards its head, tossing Sae headfirst into its waiting mouth.
Only the speed of her reflexes saves her from being skewered on fangs as tall as her own body, as she dodges into the empty space between two teeth and shoves her electrified scimitar into the roof of its mouth to keep its jaws from closing around her. Energy crackles from her blade into its unprotected flesh, and the Great Beast gives a gurgling grunt that echoes in the cave of its mouth.
With her right hand scimitar, Sae hacks into its tongue, trying to sever it and make the creature bleed into unconsciousness. And bleed it does - viscous red blood sprays out over her body, mixing with that which the Beast has spilled from Sae herself. But she does not feel disgust, or even the pain of her wounds - instead, she feels only power, the energy that flows through her body and fuels her in the hunt.
Not evil power. Not Hashimoto power. As her muscles work and her weapons strike, Sae knows once and for all that this is her power, which allows her to use her body in all, and only, the ways she wants to. For her duty, for her protection, or for her pleasure. But never, never for what anyone else would force her to do.
She knows this, as assuredly as she knows the feel of her weapon's hilt in her hand. Voices of her loved ones echo in her head, resonating with and reinforcing the knowledge: Her father telling her that she can choose how she uses her powers. Gunnar instructing her on using the strength of her own will in battle. Reika telling her, over and over, that it doesn't matter where they came from, and that they can decide who they are. They are not new words, or ones that Sae has never considered before; but she understands them to the full extent for the first time, without fear to act as an obstacle to comprehension. She owns her body. Whatever happens to it, whatever outside influences alter or taint it, it is hers.
And so it is with surprise, but no fear, that she feels her body begin to transform.
A surge of power makes her muscles bunch and tense, sharpens her eyesight, and sucks a clean rush of air into her lungs. Sae feels herself take on the full embodiment of the predator and all its aspects: strength, precision, devastation. Fur ripples over the skin of her entire body and claws burst from the tips of her fingers, and it looks almost as if she has become a khar herself - except that she is entirely her own form, a unique predator who announces herself with a growling, shrieking battle cry that echoes between the Great Beast's jaws like the yowl of a mountain lion amid desert canyons.
As if in return, she hears Gunnar's roar and feels the creature heave and shudder under his assault - sees Nariko's arrows fly unerringly into its body - hears the crackle and explosion of Kyoko's magical lightning strike its carapace. She attacks with renewed ferocity, tearing into it from the inside, under such total focus that she barely notices magical energy healing her shredded body, or hands grabbing her legs and newly sprouted tail. Only when she suddenly finds herself floating in the air beneath Reika does she realize that her sister has teleported her out of the Great Beast's mouth, and is now lowering her to the ground at a safe distance away from it.
Reika, blessedly, does not complain about the mixture of human and beast blood that smears onto her when she holds her sister. Neither does she protest when Sae drops lightly to the ground and immediately returns to dealing with her prey.
There is only one target in Sae's sight, and she runs towards it, her feline, predatory, joyful body twisting in the deadly elegance of her blade dance.
Skill and savagery both guide her scimitars as she closes in for the kill, ignoring the Great Beast's swinging claws or the way that its flesh knits together after every strike. She does not even let herself get distracted by the sight of Gunnar getting caught by a sweep of its claws and dragged towards its hungry mouth. These things matter to her only insofar as they incite her to attack faster, her swords making bright, bloody flashes in the sunlight as she brings the creature down.
Devastated by the combined strength of the Guardians' attack, the creature cannot withstand Sae's blades for long, and it gives a final shudder before slumping, unconscious, to the ground.
Khag comes forward to meet her and the other Guardians as they stand triumphant over the Great Beast's unconscious form, and the admiration in his expression is clear. His eyes move over her altered body with some surprise, but mostly approval, and Sae stands firm beneath his gaze, shoulders back and chin raised proudly.
***
The khar celebrate the Guardians' victory with an exuberant feast, and, strangely enough, Sae finds herself enjoying one of the things she usually hates the most: a crowd of strangers trying to talk to her. Even though the khar are obviously fascinated by the other Guardians as well, she doesn't try to shove off her share of the crowd onto Reika or Ichiro. The khar who approach her are hunters themselves, and instead of shrinking from their attention, she basks in their praises for this "tiny, mighty hunter."
She is even comfortable enough to try talking, though mostly just with Khag, the one familiar face among the sea of khar celebrants. He expresses great interest in her fighting techniques, and Sae, flattered, offers to teach him.
"If you would teach me, I would be grateful to learn." There is obvious deference in his tone, even though he looms an entire meter taller than her, and his arms are as big around as her legs. "I was very impressed by your prowess against the Great Beast." Khag hesitates a moment, an unreadable expression on his face, then adds, "I enjoyed being able to share the hunt with you."
Sae frowns a little, unable to discern the meaning of Khag's expression or his words. Khar faces are different enough from human faces that she isn't sure how to read them. At a loss, she settles for nodding and thanking him.
Khag makes a "hmm" sound in his throat and makes way for other khar to approach. Sae doesn't think he is displeased, though, as he nods respectfully to her before leaving. At least, she hopes that's the case.
***
Part of the post-hunt celebration involves liquor, and most of the Guardians are eager to participate. Sae raises an eyebrow in surprise at Miya, who takes the proferred drink with a serious look on her face, her mouth set in a determined line. But Sae, too, wants to take a shot at khar alcohol, so she she just shrugs and raises her glass to toast with the other girl.
The first drink sends a pleasant flash of heat down her throat and chest without making her want to cough like dwarven liquor does. So she raises her glass for the next round.
Each time one of the khar pours a new drink, it is stronger than the last, and after a few rounds they express surprise at the Guardians who still request refills of their glasses. "You are a powerful hunter," one tells her as he pours. "But you are very small."
She decides to take that as a compliment.
The alcohol isn't sliding down as smoothly now; it lodges in her throat like something solid before she swallows. She thinks that's Rex passed out in the corner, his half-filled glass still clutched in one hand. But she is feeling very, very happy right now, clinking glasses in toast with random khar and feeling the buzz from the alcohol relax her sore muscles. So she shakes off the wooziness and drains the rest of her drink, gasping and grinning at the burn.
The khar cheer on the drinking Guardians - at least, those who are still standing. Gunnar is still up, looking curiously at his drink but seeming unfazed, and she smiles at him. Reika is also there, but she has no glass in her hand, and instead moves among her teammates, putting her hands on their shoulders to steady them when they start to sway. More of them are down, now - Sae watches as Kyoko yells something unintelligible at the unconscious form of Sister Branwigh, then slumps forward on top of the nun. Even many of the khar have succumbed to the strength of the liquor.
At this point, the sounds around her are unusually loud, and everything seems to be moving slowly. Sae looks contemplatively at the table in front of her, then narrowly misses tipping face-first into it, and she realizes that she's the one moving slowly. However, it takes a while for her to complete this thought, and lots of things happen while she thinks. She blinks once, and then finds herself sitting up; blinks again, and then is suddenly no longer seated, but being carried by Gunnar. The third time she blinks, Reika is touching her forehead and her fingers are very warm and gentle, and then it's a long time before she opens her eyes again.
When she does, everything is quiet and dark. Gunnar is putting her down on a bed, so they must be in her room now. Movements are no longer strangely slow in her vision, and she realizes that Reika must have used some sort of magic on her to purge the alcohol. She still doesn't feel quite up to being conscious, though, and watches drowsily as Gunnar pulls off her shoes and lays a blanket over her. She wants to ask him to stay, but can't summon the energy to speak. The last thing she remembers is feeling his lips, warm upon her forehead.
***
By the time she wakes up again and looks around, this time feeling normal, Gunnar is gone and she is alone in her room. She's actually relieved at that fact, because it means she won't need to worry about her promise to him right now. Without the alcohol making her sluggish, every nerve in her body feels sensitive and reactive, still primed with the adrenaline from the hunt. The remnants of alcohol still in her system no longer induce vertigo, just make her warm and excitable. She wants nothing more right now than to share that excitement in her body with Gunnar, and it's just as well that he is not here to test her self-control.
Still, she feels a pang of disappointment. The exertion and pain of the battle against the Great Beast were exactly what she wanted out of the hunt, but she somehow feels that a piece is missing without pleasurable exertion - particularly with one who shared the hunt with her - to make the sport complete.
The thought makes a few things fall into place, and she suddenly understands what Khag's expression meant. Her cheeks become hot and flushed in the darkness.
A year ago, she would have found attentions from khar bizarre, and even frightening, but now she feels flattered and only embarrassed. Khag is a worthy predator, and from what she can tell the khar have a culture that makes her comfortable even though it's an alien planet. The fact that they're unusually large and fur-covered cat people isn't really important.
Maybe, if things were different, she would have welcomed Khag's attention. Certainly he's more interesting to her than any of the boys she knew in school. But she doesn't know if he has the gentleness Gunnar does, or the devotion. And things like that are also important for her, regardless of how much she respects Khag's prowess.
He might have those things. And, under different circumstances, Sae might have wanted to find out. But in these circumstances she is already happy, and she's just fine not knowing.
The thought of Gunnar calls up the earlier heat in her body. Sae stretches out on her bed, luxuriating in the feel of her limbs stretching against soft bedsheets, and lets her relaxed body soak up the pleasurable sensations. Sprawling out on her back, she trails her right hand down her torso and between her legs. She feels only slightly abashed at her actions; strongest in her mind are ease and enjoyment, and she simply savors the feelings her body experiences.
Even so, she keeps quiet, biting her lip to silence any sounds that would betray her to anyone close enough to hear. Only at the end, when she brings herself to release, does any noise escape her - a whispered moan of Gunnar's name.
***
The next morning, the weight of the world returns to Sae. Luckily, it doesn't come in the form of a hangover. She probably has her sister to thank for that.
But Khag and the other khar are no longer in the exuberant mood of last night's celebration, and are organizing communication with other nations to discuss the proposal of helping the Guardians in the battle against the devils. As for the Guardians themselves, Reika is overseeing diplomatic relations, Gunnar is making tactical plans, and Nariko and Kyoko are discussing the possibility of contacting Gaia M-Tor.
These are all necessary tasks for the war. If they receive support from the khar, Sae will be happy.
But she wishes, just for a moment, that yesterday could have lasted longer.
***
That night, Sae lies sleepless in her bed. She feels restless, even though she and Gunnar got their usual training session in that morning, in the fresh air of an unoccupied field - though they quickly attracted a throng of khar spectators. She spent the rest of the day idle and bored, since all the important tasks called upon the skills of the other Guardians rather than hers. Sae's major part in the diplomatic overtures is pretty much over.
Since they're stuck on M-Tor for at least a couple of weeks while decisions are being made, maybe she'll ask Khag about the athletic competitions they heard about on the radio, back when they first arrived on the planet. It would give her a good outlet for her energy. And besides, testing her abilities against the khar could contribute to the readiness of both parties for the war.
For now, Sae slips out of her room and into the dark, clear night. The streets are mostly empty, but a few khar are mingling about when she emerges, and some who recognize her nod or wave. She nods back. Popularity is strange, but this is a kind that pleases her.
She continues on until the buildings thin out and she reaches a stretch of grassland that's unoccupied for as far as she can see. A wide plain rolls out in front of her, a perfect setting for solitude.
Sae closes her eyes and breathes in - holds the breath - and then slowly exhales, using the time it takes to release the air to take stock of each limb, each muscle group of her body. When she opens her eyes again, she surveys the silent scene around her, an open canvas gilded in the light of the naked moon.
Then she attempts, with full consciousness and control, to change her body.
The shift is surprisingly easy. By the time she takes another breath, a sensation that she recognizes from yesterday's hunt courses through her body. She doesn't know whether to describe it as a stretching, or a ... rippling, as bones and skin subtly rearrange themselves.
The vision before her changes - or maybe that's just Sae's eyes. The world looks sharper, the lambent moonlight now revealing more of the night scenery to her sight. She looks down at her hands, where the claws extend from sheathes in her fingertips, and can easily see their curving edge in the semi-darkness. She keeps the claws extended as she runs a hand over her arm, feeling the silky fur - the coating is lighter than she remembers, but then again she was distracted the first time. It feels almost like down, and she thinks with a touch of mischievousness that she might like someone to pet it. That thought makes a smile curve her mouth, and she can feel her elongated fangs pressing against her lips.
Her balance is a little strange, because she feels the urge to stand on her toes - so she takes off her boots and tries standing tip-toe in the grass. It's a bit hard to stay steady, but the tail that waves out over the hem of her pants helps with that. The tail feels a little cramped, though, folded up against her back by the confinement of her jeans.
Sae takes a thoughtful look around her. She really is isolated, and there aren't any trees to block her view of the surroundings. Her keen eyes and ears should catch anyone who tries to approach unannounced.
She shrugs and unzips her jeans. She wants to see what this form feels like, so she might as well get the full effect. The rest of her clothes come off as well, and she tucks them, along with her weapons, against a nearby rock.
Sae stands nude, appraising herself. She has done this more than once before. This time, there is no mirror - but this time, she doesn't feel like she needs to see her body from the outside. She can feel it herself.
She circles the field at a prowl, experimenting with the movement of her new body. This form is not fully comfortable - yet. The different shape and carriage of her body is still awkward, and she's still not used to the enhanced senses. She feels like she could use them better - see in the darkness, smell like a predator - with practice. And she can practice. She could get used to this.
"You turned into a catgirl," Reika said to her after the hunt. And it's true, Sae thinks, laughing softly to herself.
But it could be worse. At least she doesn't run on all four limbs.
The smile on Sae's lips dies as she hears a rustling noise behind her, and she whirls around. Deprived of her scimitars, she brings her claws up, ready to strike.
A khar stands a few meters behind her, arms held away from its body in a non-aggressive position. With her enhanced vision, she recognizes who it is. "Khag?"
The massive khar nods, not attempting to move any closer. "I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you."
"When did you - why are you here?" she demands, trying to decide whether it would be better for her pride to make a mad dash for her clothes, or pretend she doesn't care.
Khag, wisely, looks straight ahead, which keeps his gaze well above Sae's head. She may be weaponless and naked, but that doesn't prevent her from being angry and dangerous. "I was patrolling, and didn't recognize you in the darkness. Your silhouette does not look like a khar or a human, so I came to investigate. I stopped using stealth when I realized it was you. I just got here when you noticed me," he adds prudently.
"Okay. Um ... what do you want?" she asks. She's willing to believe him, but she's still on edge.
"This ... transformation is new to you, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sae says, relaxing a little as she sees that his gaze remains firmly above her. Though she does cross her arms over her chest and hunch down in the grass.
"You are not yet comfortable with it, then?"
"Not yet," Sae admits. After a pause, she adds, "I didn't know if this would be a good transformation or not. I knew I was changing, but not how or why." She wonders a little at the fact that she's standing outside, naked, in the middle of the night, spilling her feelings to an alien cat-man. Then again, her life has not been normal since she became a Guardian.
"It is a good form. Although I am perhaps biased," Khag admits. "I think you could enjoy it ... and I would like to help."
"Uh, what?" Sae asks, suddenly thinking of last night at the feast. She is, after all, standing outside, naked, in the middle of the night, spilling her feelings to an alien cat-man.
Khag clears his throat. "There are many different pleasures that can be gained from the body," he says circumspectly, "but I am offering just one. A competition, perhaps a race. To help you explore the ability of your new form."
"Right." Sae feels herself blush, and hopes it isn't visible in the moonlight. "I would like that, thank you." She thinks back to her race with Gunnar at the Tampa Bay beach - still one of her fondest memories - and smiles. "It's ... a good way to practice with comrades."
He nods and smiles back. His sharp teeth make the expression a little disturbing, but it's mostly pleasant.
"But I'm going to get my clothes first."
"Of course," Khag agrees quickly, and lets her pass him, making sure not to follow or watch.
Sae pulls her shirt and pants on, but decides to leave her weapons, as well as her shoes. She might as well use these feet the way they're meant.
A smile dances on her lips as she makes her way back to Khag, as anticipation triggers a flow of adrenaline through her body. The grass seems to part for her, welcoming her bare feet as she walks, and then as she and Khag begin to run. The rest of the night follows suit, the wind caressing her limbs in greeting and the dark, open sky receiving her laughter.
Characters: Sae, Reika, Gunnar, Khag
Warmakers Adventure: 24
Word Count: ~4100
Summary: The Great Hunt and its aftermath, through Sae's eyes.
Notes: The title of the fic is from "Steer" by Missy Higgins, which I think of as Sae's image song for the last part of the Warmakers campaign. This fic represents the last big chunk of the character development that I wanted to happen for Sae. We'll see what comes out of the last two adventures, of course, but this is the last piece of her narrative that I have planned.
They hear the Great Beast even before they see its gargantuan form. Thundering footsteps shake the ground beneath the Guardians' feet in steady beats like drums of war.
Sae feels her heartbeat pulse in response, a strong, rhythmic pounding that sends power flowing through her very veins. Then the Beast itself looms into view, an impossibly large creature bristling with claws and spikes, every one the size of a human or khar. The hulking, snuffling animal betrays no intelligence in its dull eyes; its gaze locks onto the sight of the hunters with the single-minded hunger of a dumb animal. But it doesn't need a brain, at least in order to kill, because each of its limbs is as big around as a bus, and its jaws look powerful enough to shear through tree trunks. Those jaws gnash at the air, giving glimpses of the wickedly long teeth that crowd its mouth.
As the creature crests the horizon, and their motley party closes in on it, adrenaline pushes Sae forward in a burst of recklessly eager speed. She hears her sister's indignant yell as she runs out of reach just before Reika finishes casting a spell on her, and can't bring herself to feel sorry.
Still, Sae holds herself from rushing headlong into the Great Beast's massive claws. Remembering Reika's carefully crafted plan, she activates her sister's spelled cellphone and throws a wall of invisible force beneath the Great Beast, cutting it off from a burrowing escape.
And it will be an escape, she thinks, a predatory grin curving her mouth. It will be running away from them.
Her teammates follow quickly behind - the other Guardians, as well as Khag and the Great Hunter. They continue to trap it in place with more invisible walls, and then attack with arrows, guns, magic - except for Gunnar, who charges directly at the beast and picks it up by the tail, somehow swinging the building-sized creature around in the air and then hurling it away, till it lands like a prize several meters away from Sae's feet.
She has never been more attracted to him than she is at this moment.
Sae doesn't have time to dwell on the thought, however, because the enraged beast lashes out at her, its massive claws catching her and yanking her into its invisible cage. She twists and writhes, trying to use her superior maneuverability and flexibility to sneak her way out of its unbreakable hold. But this is not like wrestling with Gunnar, or even a hamatula - she might as well try to wriggle out of a coffin, for all the good it does her. The Great Beast flicks its wrist towards its head, tossing Sae headfirst into its waiting mouth.
Only the speed of her reflexes saves her from being skewered on fangs as tall as her own body, as she dodges into the empty space between two teeth and shoves her electrified scimitar into the roof of its mouth to keep its jaws from closing around her. Energy crackles from her blade into its unprotected flesh, and the Great Beast gives a gurgling grunt that echoes in the cave of its mouth.
With her right hand scimitar, Sae hacks into its tongue, trying to sever it and make the creature bleed into unconsciousness. And bleed it does - viscous red blood sprays out over her body, mixing with that which the Beast has spilled from Sae herself. But she does not feel disgust, or even the pain of her wounds - instead, she feels only power, the energy that flows through her body and fuels her in the hunt.
Not evil power. Not Hashimoto power. As her muscles work and her weapons strike, Sae knows once and for all that this is her power, which allows her to use her body in all, and only, the ways she wants to. For her duty, for her protection, or for her pleasure. But never, never for what anyone else would force her to do.
She knows this, as assuredly as she knows the feel of her weapon's hilt in her hand. Voices of her loved ones echo in her head, resonating with and reinforcing the knowledge: Her father telling her that she can choose how she uses her powers. Gunnar instructing her on using the strength of her own will in battle. Reika telling her, over and over, that it doesn't matter where they came from, and that they can decide who they are. They are not new words, or ones that Sae has never considered before; but she understands them to the full extent for the first time, without fear to act as an obstacle to comprehension. She owns her body. Whatever happens to it, whatever outside influences alter or taint it, it is hers.
And so it is with surprise, but no fear, that she feels her body begin to transform.
A surge of power makes her muscles bunch and tense, sharpens her eyesight, and sucks a clean rush of air into her lungs. Sae feels herself take on the full embodiment of the predator and all its aspects: strength, precision, devastation. Fur ripples over the skin of her entire body and claws burst from the tips of her fingers, and it looks almost as if she has become a khar herself - except that she is entirely her own form, a unique predator who announces herself with a growling, shrieking battle cry that echoes between the Great Beast's jaws like the yowl of a mountain lion amid desert canyons.
As if in return, she hears Gunnar's roar and feels the creature heave and shudder under his assault - sees Nariko's arrows fly unerringly into its body - hears the crackle and explosion of Kyoko's magical lightning strike its carapace. She attacks with renewed ferocity, tearing into it from the inside, under such total focus that she barely notices magical energy healing her shredded body, or hands grabbing her legs and newly sprouted tail. Only when she suddenly finds herself floating in the air beneath Reika does she realize that her sister has teleported her out of the Great Beast's mouth, and is now lowering her to the ground at a safe distance away from it.
Reika, blessedly, does not complain about the mixture of human and beast blood that smears onto her when she holds her sister. Neither does she protest when Sae drops lightly to the ground and immediately returns to dealing with her prey.
There is only one target in Sae's sight, and she runs towards it, her feline, predatory, joyful body twisting in the deadly elegance of her blade dance.
Skill and savagery both guide her scimitars as she closes in for the kill, ignoring the Great Beast's swinging claws or the way that its flesh knits together after every strike. She does not even let herself get distracted by the sight of Gunnar getting caught by a sweep of its claws and dragged towards its hungry mouth. These things matter to her only insofar as they incite her to attack faster, her swords making bright, bloody flashes in the sunlight as she brings the creature down.
Devastated by the combined strength of the Guardians' attack, the creature cannot withstand Sae's blades for long, and it gives a final shudder before slumping, unconscious, to the ground.
Khag comes forward to meet her and the other Guardians as they stand triumphant over the Great Beast's unconscious form, and the admiration in his expression is clear. His eyes move over her altered body with some surprise, but mostly approval, and Sae stands firm beneath his gaze, shoulders back and chin raised proudly.
***
The khar celebrate the Guardians' victory with an exuberant feast, and, strangely enough, Sae finds herself enjoying one of the things she usually hates the most: a crowd of strangers trying to talk to her. Even though the khar are obviously fascinated by the other Guardians as well, she doesn't try to shove off her share of the crowd onto Reika or Ichiro. The khar who approach her are hunters themselves, and instead of shrinking from their attention, she basks in their praises for this "tiny, mighty hunter."
She is even comfortable enough to try talking, though mostly just with Khag, the one familiar face among the sea of khar celebrants. He expresses great interest in her fighting techniques, and Sae, flattered, offers to teach him.
"If you would teach me, I would be grateful to learn." There is obvious deference in his tone, even though he looms an entire meter taller than her, and his arms are as big around as her legs. "I was very impressed by your prowess against the Great Beast." Khag hesitates a moment, an unreadable expression on his face, then adds, "I enjoyed being able to share the hunt with you."
Sae frowns a little, unable to discern the meaning of Khag's expression or his words. Khar faces are different enough from human faces that she isn't sure how to read them. At a loss, she settles for nodding and thanking him.
Khag makes a "hmm" sound in his throat and makes way for other khar to approach. Sae doesn't think he is displeased, though, as he nods respectfully to her before leaving. At least, she hopes that's the case.
***
Part of the post-hunt celebration involves liquor, and most of the Guardians are eager to participate. Sae raises an eyebrow in surprise at Miya, who takes the proferred drink with a serious look on her face, her mouth set in a determined line. But Sae, too, wants to take a shot at khar alcohol, so she she just shrugs and raises her glass to toast with the other girl.
The first drink sends a pleasant flash of heat down her throat and chest without making her want to cough like dwarven liquor does. So she raises her glass for the next round.
Each time one of the khar pours a new drink, it is stronger than the last, and after a few rounds they express surprise at the Guardians who still request refills of their glasses. "You are a powerful hunter," one tells her as he pours. "But you are very small."
She decides to take that as a compliment.
The alcohol isn't sliding down as smoothly now; it lodges in her throat like something solid before she swallows. She thinks that's Rex passed out in the corner, his half-filled glass still clutched in one hand. But she is feeling very, very happy right now, clinking glasses in toast with random khar and feeling the buzz from the alcohol relax her sore muscles. So she shakes off the wooziness and drains the rest of her drink, gasping and grinning at the burn.
The khar cheer on the drinking Guardians - at least, those who are still standing. Gunnar is still up, looking curiously at his drink but seeming unfazed, and she smiles at him. Reika is also there, but she has no glass in her hand, and instead moves among her teammates, putting her hands on their shoulders to steady them when they start to sway. More of them are down, now - Sae watches as Kyoko yells something unintelligible at the unconscious form of Sister Branwigh, then slumps forward on top of the nun. Even many of the khar have succumbed to the strength of the liquor.
At this point, the sounds around her are unusually loud, and everything seems to be moving slowly. Sae looks contemplatively at the table in front of her, then narrowly misses tipping face-first into it, and she realizes that she's the one moving slowly. However, it takes a while for her to complete this thought, and lots of things happen while she thinks. She blinks once, and then finds herself sitting up; blinks again, and then is suddenly no longer seated, but being carried by Gunnar. The third time she blinks, Reika is touching her forehead and her fingers are very warm and gentle, and then it's a long time before she opens her eyes again.
When she does, everything is quiet and dark. Gunnar is putting her down on a bed, so they must be in her room now. Movements are no longer strangely slow in her vision, and she realizes that Reika must have used some sort of magic on her to purge the alcohol. She still doesn't feel quite up to being conscious, though, and watches drowsily as Gunnar pulls off her shoes and lays a blanket over her. She wants to ask him to stay, but can't summon the energy to speak. The last thing she remembers is feeling his lips, warm upon her forehead.
***
By the time she wakes up again and looks around, this time feeling normal, Gunnar is gone and she is alone in her room. She's actually relieved at that fact, because it means she won't need to worry about her promise to him right now. Without the alcohol making her sluggish, every nerve in her body feels sensitive and reactive, still primed with the adrenaline from the hunt. The remnants of alcohol still in her system no longer induce vertigo, just make her warm and excitable. She wants nothing more right now than to share that excitement in her body with Gunnar, and it's just as well that he is not here to test her self-control.
Still, she feels a pang of disappointment. The exertion and pain of the battle against the Great Beast were exactly what she wanted out of the hunt, but she somehow feels that a piece is missing without pleasurable exertion - particularly with one who shared the hunt with her - to make the sport complete.
The thought makes a few things fall into place, and she suddenly understands what Khag's expression meant. Her cheeks become hot and flushed in the darkness.
A year ago, she would have found attentions from khar bizarre, and even frightening, but now she feels flattered and only embarrassed. Khag is a worthy predator, and from what she can tell the khar have a culture that makes her comfortable even though it's an alien planet. The fact that they're unusually large and fur-covered cat people isn't really important.
Maybe, if things were different, she would have welcomed Khag's attention. Certainly he's more interesting to her than any of the boys she knew in school. But she doesn't know if he has the gentleness Gunnar does, or the devotion. And things like that are also important for her, regardless of how much she respects Khag's prowess.
He might have those things. And, under different circumstances, Sae might have wanted to find out. But in these circumstances she is already happy, and she's just fine not knowing.
The thought of Gunnar calls up the earlier heat in her body. Sae stretches out on her bed, luxuriating in the feel of her limbs stretching against soft bedsheets, and lets her relaxed body soak up the pleasurable sensations. Sprawling out on her back, she trails her right hand down her torso and between her legs. She feels only slightly abashed at her actions; strongest in her mind are ease and enjoyment, and she simply savors the feelings her body experiences.
Even so, she keeps quiet, biting her lip to silence any sounds that would betray her to anyone close enough to hear. Only at the end, when she brings herself to release, does any noise escape her - a whispered moan of Gunnar's name.
***
The next morning, the weight of the world returns to Sae. Luckily, it doesn't come in the form of a hangover. She probably has her sister to thank for that.
But Khag and the other khar are no longer in the exuberant mood of last night's celebration, and are organizing communication with other nations to discuss the proposal of helping the Guardians in the battle against the devils. As for the Guardians themselves, Reika is overseeing diplomatic relations, Gunnar is making tactical plans, and Nariko and Kyoko are discussing the possibility of contacting Gaia M-Tor.
These are all necessary tasks for the war. If they receive support from the khar, Sae will be happy.
But she wishes, just for a moment, that yesterday could have lasted longer.
***
That night, Sae lies sleepless in her bed. She feels restless, even though she and Gunnar got their usual training session in that morning, in the fresh air of an unoccupied field - though they quickly attracted a throng of khar spectators. She spent the rest of the day idle and bored, since all the important tasks called upon the skills of the other Guardians rather than hers. Sae's major part in the diplomatic overtures is pretty much over.
Since they're stuck on M-Tor for at least a couple of weeks while decisions are being made, maybe she'll ask Khag about the athletic competitions they heard about on the radio, back when they first arrived on the planet. It would give her a good outlet for her energy. And besides, testing her abilities against the khar could contribute to the readiness of both parties for the war.
For now, Sae slips out of her room and into the dark, clear night. The streets are mostly empty, but a few khar are mingling about when she emerges, and some who recognize her nod or wave. She nods back. Popularity is strange, but this is a kind that pleases her.
She continues on until the buildings thin out and she reaches a stretch of grassland that's unoccupied for as far as she can see. A wide plain rolls out in front of her, a perfect setting for solitude.
Sae closes her eyes and breathes in - holds the breath - and then slowly exhales, using the time it takes to release the air to take stock of each limb, each muscle group of her body. When she opens her eyes again, she surveys the silent scene around her, an open canvas gilded in the light of the naked moon.
Then she attempts, with full consciousness and control, to change her body.
The shift is surprisingly easy. By the time she takes another breath, a sensation that she recognizes from yesterday's hunt courses through her body. She doesn't know whether to describe it as a stretching, or a ... rippling, as bones and skin subtly rearrange themselves.
The vision before her changes - or maybe that's just Sae's eyes. The world looks sharper, the lambent moonlight now revealing more of the night scenery to her sight. She looks down at her hands, where the claws extend from sheathes in her fingertips, and can easily see their curving edge in the semi-darkness. She keeps the claws extended as she runs a hand over her arm, feeling the silky fur - the coating is lighter than she remembers, but then again she was distracted the first time. It feels almost like down, and she thinks with a touch of mischievousness that she might like someone to pet it. That thought makes a smile curve her mouth, and she can feel her elongated fangs pressing against her lips.
Her balance is a little strange, because she feels the urge to stand on her toes - so she takes off her boots and tries standing tip-toe in the grass. It's a bit hard to stay steady, but the tail that waves out over the hem of her pants helps with that. The tail feels a little cramped, though, folded up against her back by the confinement of her jeans.
Sae takes a thoughtful look around her. She really is isolated, and there aren't any trees to block her view of the surroundings. Her keen eyes and ears should catch anyone who tries to approach unannounced.
She shrugs and unzips her jeans. She wants to see what this form feels like, so she might as well get the full effect. The rest of her clothes come off as well, and she tucks them, along with her weapons, against a nearby rock.
Sae stands nude, appraising herself. She has done this more than once before. This time, there is no mirror - but this time, she doesn't feel like she needs to see her body from the outside. She can feel it herself.
She circles the field at a prowl, experimenting with the movement of her new body. This form is not fully comfortable - yet. The different shape and carriage of her body is still awkward, and she's still not used to the enhanced senses. She feels like she could use them better - see in the darkness, smell like a predator - with practice. And she can practice. She could get used to this.
"You turned into a catgirl," Reika said to her after the hunt. And it's true, Sae thinks, laughing softly to herself.
But it could be worse. At least she doesn't run on all four limbs.
The smile on Sae's lips dies as she hears a rustling noise behind her, and she whirls around. Deprived of her scimitars, she brings her claws up, ready to strike.
A khar stands a few meters behind her, arms held away from its body in a non-aggressive position. With her enhanced vision, she recognizes who it is. "Khag?"
The massive khar nods, not attempting to move any closer. "I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you."
"When did you - why are you here?" she demands, trying to decide whether it would be better for her pride to make a mad dash for her clothes, or pretend she doesn't care.
Khag, wisely, looks straight ahead, which keeps his gaze well above Sae's head. She may be weaponless and naked, but that doesn't prevent her from being angry and dangerous. "I was patrolling, and didn't recognize you in the darkness. Your silhouette does not look like a khar or a human, so I came to investigate. I stopped using stealth when I realized it was you. I just got here when you noticed me," he adds prudently.
"Okay. Um ... what do you want?" she asks. She's willing to believe him, but she's still on edge.
"This ... transformation is new to you, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sae says, relaxing a little as she sees that his gaze remains firmly above her. Though she does cross her arms over her chest and hunch down in the grass.
"You are not yet comfortable with it, then?"
"Not yet," Sae admits. After a pause, she adds, "I didn't know if this would be a good transformation or not. I knew I was changing, but not how or why." She wonders a little at the fact that she's standing outside, naked, in the middle of the night, spilling her feelings to an alien cat-man. Then again, her life has not been normal since she became a Guardian.
"It is a good form. Although I am perhaps biased," Khag admits. "I think you could enjoy it ... and I would like to help."
"Uh, what?" Sae asks, suddenly thinking of last night at the feast. She is, after all, standing outside, naked, in the middle of the night, spilling her feelings to an alien cat-man.
Khag clears his throat. "There are many different pleasures that can be gained from the body," he says circumspectly, "but I am offering just one. A competition, perhaps a race. To help you explore the ability of your new form."
"Right." Sae feels herself blush, and hopes it isn't visible in the moonlight. "I would like that, thank you." She thinks back to her race with Gunnar at the Tampa Bay beach - still one of her fondest memories - and smiles. "It's ... a good way to practice with comrades."
He nods and smiles back. His sharp teeth make the expression a little disturbing, but it's mostly pleasant.
"But I'm going to get my clothes first."
"Of course," Khag agrees quickly, and lets her pass him, making sure not to follow or watch.
Sae pulls her shirt and pants on, but decides to leave her weapons, as well as her shoes. She might as well use these feet the way they're meant.
A smile dances on her lips as she makes her way back to Khag, as anticipation triggers a flow of adrenaline through her body. The grass seems to part for her, welcoming her bare feet as she walks, and then as she and Khag begin to run. The rest of the night follows suit, the wind caressing her limbs in greeting and the dark, open sky receiving her laughter.
no subject
no subject
... Anyway, Sae knows that no one can toss a tarrasque like Gunnar. ♥
no subject
no subject
no subject
I do like how she's developed from beginning to end, even if Reika failed to make her "good".
no subject
Thank you! It was harder for me to stay with Neutral rather than going to Neutral Good (my default alignment), but making her grow *as* a Neutral character has been fun.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
And then trouble starts.
;)
no subject
no subject
no subject