A Dance In The Dark [Fiera Eldaska]

[Heironeous]

PLANET AURUM​

​

How long had he been here, now, living on this lush, woodland planet? Truthfully, the Chiss did not know, nor did he care to find out or calculate it. His one concern at the moment was the fact that he could not find a prey worthy to hunt down, and darkness falls quickly this time of year. With no wind to offer him a scent, or sufficient light to see clearly, despite him having developed excellent night-vision, the was little else than old fashioned tracking left for him to resort to. Scanning the ground for paw-prints, his naturally dark blue skin rendering him invisible to the common eye, be it man or mammal, he picks up traces of a large animal, most likely a cat of some sort. There were no official records of any animal species on this planet, it being seemingly void of inhabitants, so he had little idea what to call them. Slipping into the shadows of the night, he travelled by using the trees, jumping across the thick branches of the thick forest. The night brought out the worst of predators, making the ground a questionable way of travel.

The search went on further into the night, with the moon providing the only source of light. There were no stars out this evening, it seemed. A pity. He did so enjoy watching the starry night-sky, studying the signs one could read into the constellations, should one know where to look. He'd already written many pages, books even, on the subject matter, along with his experiences with herbs, animal footprints, landmarks, and much more. The pages needed to write on he made himself, using leaves from a special kind of plant, which are naturally very thin and flexible, yet sturdy and pliable. And so, he came upon his prey. This cat would rather believe itself to excel at hunting, yet tonight the feline was the hunted. Without a sound, the silvery reflection of his blade swooped down on the large mammal, severing its main arteries surrounding its heart, all in one swipe. The cat would not have felt a thing, and was dead within mere seconds of his attack. The hide would make a fine new cloak, as his old one had begun to wither at its seams. And the meat will no doubt sustain him for a week, maybe more.

As he inspected his prey more closely, he suddenly caught the scent of another, not like anything he'd ever encountered before since arriving here all those years ago. This was no mere animal, no bird or reptile. The footsteps made by feet clad in boots was its source, undoubtedly. He began scanning the perimeter to the best of his ability, but admittedly his vision was not ready for the kind of pitch-black darkness he was thrust into this night. With a silent movement of his hands, both his blades were revealed, shimmering in the lines of moonlight reaching the ground, and his voice issued a warning: "Do not come closer, I beg you, for your own sake." The footsteps had stopped, no doubt having become aware of his knowledge of them.

@[member="Fiera Eldaska"]

 

[Lief]

How long had Fiera been upon this planet, that which she had so lovingly named Aurum after the now obsolete city of her forefathers? There was no sentient life upon this planet, no villages or settlements, only the tracks and calls of the native fauna, birds and felines and... Monkeys... It brought a smile to her face knowing that it had yet to be discovered, and that she would do everything in her power to keep it from becoming just-another-tourist-attraction. No, she would not permit that. Having found a cave which ran deep into one of the mountain ranges, Fiera had begun the construction of a hidden and secluded Temple, an Enclave for those who would come... She knew that they would, but not to Aurum. No, she had to seek them out elsewhere, those that would pertain to Balance, to all facets of the Force. Only those deemed trustworthy would be permitted on this most sacred of planets. Or that was how she saw it... The Je'daii were her life, and she knew she had been tasked with their restoration. There was no one else.

But creating such an Enclave required more than the structure itself. While stone was all well and good, and Fiera had the tools to hone, to chisel, to construct, she lacked other resources: wood and fibres, ore to form various alloys, anything which would furnish and strengthen the interior. She had found, however, that the planet was completely self-sufficient... Or at least, she would be able to live off the land effortlessly. Deposits of ore lay scattered through the mountains, she had even found the occasional crystal patch hidden here and there, there were animals and edible plants in abundance, trees to fell for wood, streams of sweat water and fruits to press... It was a haven, no more than that it was a utopia. It is perfect. But there was still much work to be done. Her hands had become raw, often bloodied or bruised, not unlike her upper arms and ankles. She was still unused to the caves, causing her frequent scuffs and the occasional fall. Thus far, nothing had broken.

Having been on the look out for pre-fallen wood, Fiera had ventured deep into the jungles, avoiding the predatory fauna by sheer luck alone. But when she picked up on distinctly sentient emotions her heart stopped, and then the pulse quickened. Before long her beat was racing uncontrollably, while she neared the individual she could sense. A mixture of pride and exhaustion overwhelmed her, taken from whoever she was following, clearly he had accomplished a taxing achievement of some sort. He. She already knew it was a man. And there it was, his voice, telling her to halt. Her senses tingled, warning her of possible danger. A weapon, perhaps? Either way, she was not here to cause an issue. This was the only sentient she had come across after months of adventuring. Clearly he had no dwelling, or she had no doubt that she would have stumbled across it already. No, this one must have been a wanderer. But with no ship, just how had he gotten here?

"There is no need for violence, stay your blade. I mean no harm."

@[member="Heironeous"]

 

[Heironeous]

Intercepting a tone of honesty in her voice, he calmly put away his swords back into their sheaths. The voice was that of a woman, of his age, no less. But how could that be? For years he'd thought this world uninhabited by sentient beings. Had he been wrong all this time? No. This one had to be a newcomer to these lands. His stance changed into a casual yet stoic stance, before replying: "I have done as you asked, but a friend would not likely remain clad in shadows during an introductary conversation, would they?" His tone was calm and collected, sensing he had little to fear from the stranger at the moment. "Pray, step into the light so that I may remark upon the one person able to sneak up on me - nay, the only living thing on this planet. But I beg you to remain at a safe distance. I have not so many lives left in me to afford blind trust in strangers", he admitted. Though the greater truth would be that he had never seen a sentient being since the war-ship he'd served on, as well as deserted from, and those sentients could be regarded as questionable, at the very best. Still, his time onboard had granted him some insight into personal discipline, to not shy away from the harshness of difficult tasks one would face in life.

@[member="Fiera Eldaska"]

 

[Lief]

Without hesitation she stepped from the shadows, sensing out his serenity, his calm, it meant that he was unlikely to act out against her. "I had not intended to hide" she remarked in response, "You are the one who told me to halt, after all." She came face to face with a Chiss, his midnight skin making it momentarily difficult to see him save for the glowing eyes, distinct and unwavering. While in the light she likewise respected his wish for her to keep a distance. Thus she stood several feet from him, head tilted a little to the left, a tender smile upon her lips. "To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" she inquired, voice light and fluid, yet in many ways it was less than a whisper carried by the wind. Having found she could attune herself to the Emotions of others, although how this was possible she still did not understand, she was able to sense that this man meant her no harm, he was likely the only sentient who had been on this planet, which meant hostility would be somewhat natural. "I am Fiera" the woman said, hoping to set them off on a good ground, so that he knew she was being genuine. It was amazing that she had come across another, had he answered her calling? Most likely not, he wore the pelt of many of the creatures she had seen roaming on this planet. But if not that, then what? She could sense a force presence surrounding him, neither light nor dark. Was this the work of the Force, bringing them together? One such as Fiera could only see it as such...

@[member="Heironeous"]

 

[Heironeous]

Intrigued by her words, as these were the first he'd listened to in many years, he found her voice soothing like a beautiful melody, harmonising throughout his entire being. Never had he heard such a delicate tone of voice, neither in Chiss space and certainly not since coming here. A kind smile made its way to his lips, before sating her curiosity. "Welcome, Lady Fiera, to this planet of unknown name, my home", he said with a gesture of his hand, before placing it upon his chest and slightly bowing as he introduced himself. "I am Heironeous. I have lived here for too many years to count, as I have admittedly lost count, myself." He chuckled a bit at his own words. "I feel I must apologise for any discomfort I have caused you, milady. I merely wished to know your intentions. There are far too many dangers one faces in the wilds during night-time." Relishing their ongoing conversation, he found that he had trouble undoing the smile set on his lips. "Please, forgive me", he said with another bow of his head, before pulling back the hood of his cloak. His attention was then directed to the large cat lying next to him, as three tiny cubs suddenly appeared, grieving their lost mother. Kneeling before his prey, he began speaking the first words of the prayer he'd say whenever taking a life. Upon seeing the cubs mourning in unison, he felt powerless to stop their grief. He then looked to the woman standing a few feet beside him, as a tear would form in the corner of his eye.

@[member="Fiera Eldaska"]