L O C A T I O N | Rishi
T A G |
Kenth Typho
Alvida’s ship swooped lower over the top of a lush canopy. Rishi was so packed with jungle that the ground below looked like a patchwork carpet of vivacious green. This wasn’t too far from her usual haunts. Forest as far as the eye could see, teeming with life and begging to be explored. The only real difference was the heat. She could feel it even now, poking and prodding at the shell of the ship. It was already beginning to grow uncomfortably warm, so much so that even the wolf began to grow anxious. Fur was not made for the humidity that lay waiting for them planet-side.
They would go regardless. The voices had expressed the importance of Rishi long ago. Alvida had gone her entire life listening to them, it made little sense to start ignoring them now.
Her cobbled ship protested loudly against the sudden landing, but Alvida pushed it on. The technology on her home planet was far from perfect yet, but she knew this ship like the back of her hand. Despite its whining, it could handle the pressure of a jungle atmosphere. Still, she offered it a gentle coaxing as it navigated through the canopy toward a clearing. Fortunately, there was a thick layer of vine beneath that cushioned the bumpy landing. The minute the landing ramp flopped heavily onto the surface, Alvida was out like a shot.
She and the wolf had a longstanding deal.
Hunt first.
Gods, voices, and prophecies later.
The change began before she had even stepped out of the ship. In her youth, the process had been painful and incredibly trying. It took hours. Then when it finally happened, neither she nor the wolf wanted to do anything but sleep. Now, it was her human form that had become second nature. Wearing it was like wearing a shirt or a pair of pants. These things were expected in polite society, as was her human form, but that did not make it comfortable. Taking it off was like kicking off your shoes at the end of a long and difficult day. Sheer relief.
Harsh, unnatural cracking sounds echoed through the jungle as she shed her human form. What stepped out from the ship was not a woman, but a beast of ebony fur. It was not feet that sunk into the marshy earth, but heavy paws. They stretched as one, digging out long trenches of mud as they flexed the claws they bore. They would forget about the heat soon, once they were racing through the sunspots chasing after prey. It did not take long to shake off the groggy humidity enough to trot forward into the depths of the jungle.
T A G |
Kenth Typho
Alvida’s ship swooped lower over the top of a lush canopy. Rishi was so packed with jungle that the ground below looked like a patchwork carpet of vivacious green. This wasn’t too far from her usual haunts. Forest as far as the eye could see, teeming with life and begging to be explored. The only real difference was the heat. She could feel it even now, poking and prodding at the shell of the ship. It was already beginning to grow uncomfortably warm, so much so that even the wolf began to grow anxious. Fur was not made for the humidity that lay waiting for them planet-side.
They would go regardless. The voices had expressed the importance of Rishi long ago. Alvida had gone her entire life listening to them, it made little sense to start ignoring them now.
Her cobbled ship protested loudly against the sudden landing, but Alvida pushed it on. The technology on her home planet was far from perfect yet, but she knew this ship like the back of her hand. Despite its whining, it could handle the pressure of a jungle atmosphere. Still, she offered it a gentle coaxing as it navigated through the canopy toward a clearing. Fortunately, there was a thick layer of vine beneath that cushioned the bumpy landing. The minute the landing ramp flopped heavily onto the surface, Alvida was out like a shot.
She and the wolf had a longstanding deal.
Hunt first.
Gods, voices, and prophecies later.
The change began before she had even stepped out of the ship. In her youth, the process had been painful and incredibly trying. It took hours. Then when it finally happened, neither she nor the wolf wanted to do anything but sleep. Now, it was her human form that had become second nature. Wearing it was like wearing a shirt or a pair of pants. These things were expected in polite society, as was her human form, but that did not make it comfortable. Taking it off was like kicking off your shoes at the end of a long and difficult day. Sheer relief.
Harsh, unnatural cracking sounds echoed through the jungle as she shed her human form. What stepped out from the ship was not a woman, but a beast of ebony fur. It was not feet that sunk into the marshy earth, but heavy paws. They stretched as one, digging out long trenches of mud as they flexed the claws they bore. They would forget about the heat soon, once they were racing through the sunspots chasing after prey. It did not take long to shake off the groggy humidity enough to trot forward into the depths of the jungle.
