The Beginning Or End? {Zi/Korvin}

[Akira]

Naomi watched as her two whers and her two canines seemed to be taking turns hiding and tracking each other. It was the best way she could think of to teach Naosk to be an effective hunter. But she still had real doubts whether or not she really needed to teach her little green wher to hunt. After what she had experienced at the hatching she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to go back to the wilds that she once considered the only place she ever wanted to be. She was absent-mindedly rubbing at the scars on her leg where that bronze had used his claws and teeth to leave a permanent reminder of just how mortal she really was. Ever since that night she had been avoid Korvin and his whers. She felt bad for leaving Kosk with that...thing, but there was little she could do about it now.

(((OOC: Sorry it's so short, I didn't know what else to put.)))

[Zirin]

Where Naomi was fearing the wilds, Korvin was getting antsy about returning. He hated being cooped up in the Weyr, hated having to follow someone else's orders, and above all, he hated how boring it was. He supposed parts of it were tolerable; the nights spent training Korvisk or playing guard otuside the Weyr walls weren't too bad... but nothing was more dull than guarding the Weyrbowl from dangers that never came, or even worse: attending some of the wherling lessons again. Luckily, he wasn't on duty tonight and could spend the dark hours training his new bronze... though at only a few weeks old Korvisk wasn't being pushed very hard.

He glanced down at his two whers, one on either side of him as they walked. It wasn't the most ideal positioning... he didn't quite like not having the room to bolt if he needed to, but thus far the two whers had shown they didn't get along too well if one was forced to follow the other. As it was, Korvisk believed he should be in front of all of them, leading the way.

A sound reached his ears and Korvin stopped moving, glancing towards the source and sighing as the unmistakeable forms of Naomi's canines came into view. He considered simply going another direction and avoiding her altogether; he hadn't missed the fact she had been avoiding him lately. Kosk, as usual, had a different plan and was quick to bolt towards the woman she considered a friend. Kosk see Naomi! Kosk say hi![/b][/color] The white called to the woman, running close in the hopes of nuzzling her side.

[Akira]

Naomi was so entranced in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even heard Kosk calling out to her. She jumped when she felt something nuzzling her side but soon smiled softly at the white wher. Well hello Kosk. It is nice to see you again. Her voice was soft and kind, not all that unlike a mother. She looked over as all four members of her strange little family came over to greet the four, almost five turn old white wher. Naomi’s Nask Hi Kosk!! The blue wher bounded lightly over to the friend he had missed over the past few days. He very much liked playing with Kosk, and had been practicing a lot with a stick that he had found that was just the right size for him to swing around without hurting himself. Naosk was sitting in front of Naomi, waiting quietly for her turn to greet the white wher.

I almost forgot you two have never met. Kosk this is Naosk. Naomi gently put an arm around her gentle little green that she had yet to see growl, snap, or hiss. Naosk greet Kosk. Naosk’s voice was soft as she spoke to Kosk. She didn’t know Kosk but apparently Her’s and Blue Her’s new this white so she couldn’t be all that bad right? Naomi was quite pleased that everyone was getting along so well. Even Akela and Sarabi had come to greet Kosk. They two remembered the time they all had spent in the came with the white wher, her handler, and her handler’s canines, well...all of them except for Naosk. She hadn’t even been brought to the Weyr yet from Naomi’s recollection. She shook her head lightly and smiled lightly as she watched the five creatures who seemed to be getting along very well.

[Zirin]

Korvin rubbed at his chin as Kosk went ahead, getting a form of attention from naomi that Korvin never got. Was he jealous of his own wher? Perhaps... he didn't need or want her attention most days, but he had moments, now and again, when he wondered what it might be like. Nask hi! The white chirped, nuzzling against the blue's side before turning back to Naomi as she spoke. Oh? A new friend? Kosk shuffled closer to the green, sticking her nose out to sniff and nuzzle at the green. Kosk think Naosk cute. Naosk be friend?[/b][/color]

Korvisk had stood by long enough. He recognised that green and her human. GreenSlave. Bow before Korvisk. He hissed, still not pleased that his little sister had defied him on his hatching day. His gaze shifted to the almost five turn old blue. He was bigger... but Korvisk had his guard white, and a king like him had no need of fear from his soon-to-be-loyal subjects! BlueSlave. Bow. I am leader here. Korvin growled and rubbed at his chin again, giving the bronze a nudge to behave, but no doubt Naomi wouldn't let her whers be controlled by his small bronze anyways.

"You've been avoidin' me." Korvin grumbled, crossing his arms.

[Akira]

Nask crooned when Kosk chirped and nuzzled against him. He was very happy to have his old friend back. Nask work hard, Nask learns play! He hopped away and grabbed up the stick that he had been carrying around, and teaching himself how to play Kosk’s game with, and then bounded back. He growled playfully and bent down into a play bow as he waited for Kosk’s reaction. Naosk sniffed lightly as the white sniffed and nuzzled her. She liked this white, this Kosk. Naosk think Kosk cute, Naosk be friend. The green’s voice was soft and friendly as she spoke, but she chirped curiously when Blue Her’s came back wielding a stick like it was a sword. She had seen him playing with the stick before, but never before had she seen him growl and brandish the stick like that before.

Naomi shook her head and sighed softly as she watched her Nask trying to get Kosk to play with him. She knew Naosk was more than happy to just stay by her side and let the other two have fun. For some reason she got the feeling that the little green would actually purposefully distract Nask at times just so that she could sit and watch him have fun. Oh well, Naomi loved her little green just as she was. That’s when Naosk heard a familiar voice. Naosk turned her head and looked at Korvisk. Naosk not want to be slave. Naosk's Naomi say not to. Her voice was soft, and a little shy as she spoke. Her voice was open for all there to hear, even Kosk and Korvin. Naomi’s face hardened and became expressionless as she heard her wher’s words. She turned and looked at Korvin and the bronze wher that was by his side.

Nask paused when he heard the unfamiliar voice, and cocked his head to the side as he chirped curiously at the bronze that called himself Korvisk. But before he could utter a single word, he felt Naomi pulling on their bond, silently telling, and willing him to ignore the bronze. Oh? Have you tried to find me since their hatching? Her voice was sarcastic and not in the least bit friendly as she spoke to the man she had extremely strong, and extremely confusing feelings for. More than once she had tried to seek him out when he was away from his bronze, but every time she saw him, she froze and then turned away and went back to her own whers and canines. But the fact that he had noticed her avoiding him surprised her. She had figured he had even noticed that she was missing.

[Zirin]

She had a new friend! Kosk chirped happily, pleased at the pleasant nature of her new green friend. Kosk was quick to perk up at the mention of her favourite game, and after a moment of shuffling about, she found a good sized stick, giving it a practice swing before trotting back towards Nask. Nask duel Kosk?[/b][/color] She took a playful stance before launching forward, swinging her stick awkwardly at the blue.

Korvin watched the white with amusement. He could never grow bored of her interest in dueling, and it had come in handy with Korvisk so far; Kosk wasn't afraid to threaten Korvisk to behave. It was needed right now apparently. Korvin rolled his eyes as the bronze tried to command the other whers once again. It was something he didn't quite approve of; Korvin believed the whers only needed him, and vice versa, to survive. Servants and slaves, while nice, were more a bother than anything else.

"Oy, shove off 'Visk." Korvin said, giving the male a gentle nudge with his foot. Words alone didn't seem to work well with Korvisk, he usually needed a good swat to get a point across. Korvin hoped that would calm with time. He rolled his eyes.

"Only 'cause I had to." He replied grumpily, not wanting her to know that he had actively kept an eye out for her. Sure, he didn't go looking for her, but he had kept an eye open. "My wher hurt ya that night. It's my duty t'make sure y'bandaged yerself up right." In truth, he had been worried. Though Korvisk's young claws weren't very long, a baby wher could cause a fair bit of damage, and Korvisk had not been nice to Naomi. As much as the woman drove him crazy, he couldn't just stand by and let her wound get infected.

The bronze wher quickly grew board with behaving though, and stepped towards Naomi. Korvisk remember servantGirl. ServantGirl weak. Korvisk no know why Korvisk's care for servantGirl!

[Akira]

Nask growled playfully as he waited for Kosk to find a stick and come back to play with him. He easily blocked the awkward swing with his own stick and wagged his tail like an excited canine pup. He pushed back with his stick before quickly turning and bounding a few feet away. Only to turn back around and come charging back at the white, swinging his stick at the last moment. Naosk had turned her head back to watch Blue Her’s and the white wher start beating at each other with sticks and tilted her head curiously. Naosk not get it. The tip of her tail twitched slightly as she watched the two strange whers while Naomi gently scratched her favorite place on her back between her little green wings. She was more than happy to just sit there with Hers and let the other two have at each other.

Akela was sitting near Naomi and Naosk panting slightly as she watched Kosk and Nask play. Then she snorted and turned around to look at the man she had learned to associate with the male dog called Boar. Every other time she had seen the man she had seen Boar and was looking forward to when they could start their rivalry once again. Sarabi on the other hand was keeping a very close eye on that strange looking thing by the man’s legs. He looked like the other three that she had gotten used to but he also looked completely different. It didn’t seem like any of her pack really liked him and so she wanted to keep an eye on this strange creature and make sure he wasn’t a threat to her or any of the members of her large, strange pack. Though she was sure Akela would eat him long before she ever got a chance to nip at him.

Naomi raised her eyebrows at Korvin’s words. Don’t worry my leg is healing just fine. Her voice was flat and emotionless as she responded. As much as she wanted to run to him and wrap her arms around him she made herself stay put. She didn’t think he would actually like her giving him a hug and telling him the truth and she was almost positive that the bronze really didn’t want her anywhere near his handler. Then she heard Korvisk’s words. Just for your information I’m not weak and I don’t take kindly to being bullied by a runt. There was an almost visible venom in her words as she spoke to the bronze, but it was obvious that his words had affected her in some way. The fact that Korvisk had said that Korvin cared for her had made her heart flutter, and she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach.

Nask that is enough for tonight. You can find Kosk tomorrow night and play more then. But now take Naosk, Akela, and Sarabi back home. Naomi watched as her blue wher sadly relented after a few seconds of mental arguing and then started to nuzzle Kosk. Nask Kosk plays tomorrow yes? Yes! With that exuberant exchange the blue bounded off to lead Naosk and the canines back home for the night so that they could all get a good days sleep so that they would be refreshed for the next night. Naomi sighed almost inaudibly as she watched her little family head back to the Wherhold. Then she stood, dusted herself off and turned to Kosk. It was nice seeing you again Kosk. She smiled softly and reached out with her left hand to gently stroke the white’s head.

Please take care of Korvin Kosk. Naomi wanted to tell the white how she really felt about the man Kosk was bonded to. But she had a feeling Kosk would understand just by the silent exchange. She was actually starting to believe that Korvisk was right, and that she really was a weakling. She didn’t even have the courage to tell the man she loved how she actually felt, and now she was getting ready to run away from him in order to avoid making him feel any obligation towards her because of the scars on her leg. They were still bright pink and a little puffy, and it was obvious she still wasn’t able to put all of her weight on the leg yet. The muscles still had to recover from the clawing they had taken. If she had known that she would be meeting up with Korvin in the forest she wouldn’t have worn shorts.

[Zirin]

Kosk chirped with glee as Nask showed just how much he had been practicing. Her own tail swished in excitement as her swing was blocked, and she was quick to prepare her posture, watching the blue. She hopped out of the way as he charged at her, squeaking as the stick caught the tip of her tail. She swing at Nask before he had finished passing though, hoping to land a hit on him as well. She was smaller and thinner than Nask was and tried to use her size and speed to her advantage, slipping behind Nask to his other side and swinging again.

Korvin glanced over Naomi and the whers, his eyes resting on her new green. Naosk, was that its name? He wondered briefly if the hatchling would have a calming effect on her handler... Faranth knew Naomi could use a bit of calm now and again. Well, as much as he hated to admit it, his little bronze had influenced him. He had been feeling more powerful lately, somethign he knew was completely in his head. Korvisk eyed Sarabi as she watched him, wondering briefly if he could make the FluffyThing obey him. He hadn't had any luck with His' canines though; the both of which were resting back in their room. Korvin rolled his eyes at her emotionless response but laughed outright as she spoke back to Korvisk.

"Well look at that!" He chuckled, looking down on the now pouting wherlet. "She told you didn't she!" He had been in a shockingly good mood as of late. Perhaps it was simply the thrill of impression, of a new mind on his. Either way, he was feeling friendly today. He glanced at first Naomi, then the sky as the woman ushured her whers back home. No no. Kosk and Kosk's on patrol tomorrow. Day after?[/b][/color] The white whined, wishing she could just go play with the blue. Today had been so much fun, despite being so short lived. She purred, nuzzling into Naomi's hand. She was an observant white though, and she paused, looking up at the woman with curiosity. She knew, from Hers' memory, that Korvisk had injured the woman. Kosk help train Korvisk. Korvisk no hurt Nask's again. Kosk promise.[/b][/color]

"Oy, I didn't say y'could go yet." Korvin finally piped up, walking up behind Naomi and wrapping an arm around her with the intention of pulling her down to the ground. "Let me look at it." He scowled, annoyed that she was avoiding him. He wasn't stupid, she knew that! He could see her leg was still swolen, and he hadn't missed the slight limp when she moved. "Kosk, home." He ordered, giving Naomi a clear look that he wouldn't leave her alone until she gave in and let him look over the injury.

[Akira]

Naomi jumped slightly at Korvin’s outburst at her words. That was definitely something she wasn’t expecting, especially since it had come at the expense of his youngest wher. There was something about him that just seemed different, and she wondered if it had something to do with his new wher. Naomi nodded at Kosk’s words and couldn’t help the smile that played across her face. Thank you Kosk. She knew that the little white wher told the truth, and that she really wasn’t afraid of anything. Not even a bronze that could cause her serious harm. She couldn’t help but admire Kosk’s bravery and wish that she could be at least half that courage. She felt Naosk in the back of her mind and sent her quiet, calming feelings. She took a deep breath and settled her thoughts.

But she didn’t have a lot of time to stay relaxed. She jumped again when Korvin said she couldn’t leave. But before she could respond she felt an arm wrapping around her and pulling her to the ground. What in Faranth’s name do you think you are doing?! She saw the look on his face and knew that he wouldn’t leave her alone, no matter how much she protested. Listen Korvin I’m fine, really! You don’t have to feel obligated because of what happened. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out what was going on, and trying to control her own emotions and responses at being so close to Korvin. She felt her face flush slightly and tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths and trying to control her breathing. But it didn’t seem like it was helping much.

[Zirin]

"I'm checkin' yer leg." He stated, matter-of-fact, giving her a look that clearly stated he thought she was an idiot. He had thought he'd made it pretty clear what he was doing. Really... sometimes the woman was just unnecessarily difficult! "Just shu' up an' let me do thism woman!"

Of course he felt obligated... sure, Korvisk hadn't yet bonded to him when he had attacked Naomi, but the bronze was still his wher and Korvin wasn't going to just let Naomi leave without being checked. He knew she probably knew how to tend to wher wounds on her own, but he still couldn't shake the annoying hint of worry nagging at the back of his mind.

"You shouldn't be walkin' on it so much, idiot" He commented, his eyes on her legs and his voice strangely soft as he looked over the wound. He was too distracted with his observations to remember to be rude, or to move the arm that still rested on her hips, or to even notice the way she was flushed. His free hand reached out to the scars, his fingers running gentle over one as he watched and listened for any hint that something was wrong with the wound.

[Akira]

Naomi didn’t know what to say, or do for that matter. She tried to pull her leg away from him, but found that it was pointless. There were times when she just wanted to beat the ever-loving wher dung out him, and this was one of those times! I will not just shut up and let you do this! I am fine! She had a feeling that her words fell on deaf ears though and wondered if she would be able to box him in the ears. But she had a feeling that it wouldn’t do any good. She was starting to think she shouldn’t have sent her whers and canines home, and was actually tempted to call them back. She just had to think of a way that would distract Korvin long enough for her to escape. Her mind was racing, and she kept looking around for anything she could use to make an escape.

Naomi glared at Korvin’s words, but the expression was short lived when she finally realized that his voice was softer than it normally was when he spoke to her. She was more than just aware of his arm that was on her hip, and if she were able to she would have pushed him away and ran as fast as she could away from all of these strange feelings that were running wild through her body. She felt him run his fingers over her scars and couldn’t help the sudden shiver or sudden rush of emotions that that one simple gesture had caused. Her breath caught in her throat and she made a small gasp. But if he were really paying attention he would notice that the gasp wasn’t because of pain, it was because of pleasure. She didn’t know what he had done but it suddenly felt like all of her nerves were on fire, but it wasn’t painful.

[Zirin]

He rolled his eyes, very clearly doing it no matter what she said. He was not going to be responsible if something bad happened to her leg. He glanced back at her once or twice as he looked over, surprised she wasn't physically fighting more... after all she had made it clear she didn't want to let him do this. Oh well, at least she was being compliant.

He noticed her shiver, feeling it anywhere they were touching, but it was her gasp that made him look at her again. His eyes were full of concern and he brushed his finger along the same spot again, fearing the gasp had been out of pain and wanting to make sure it hadn't just been a gasp of surprise. Of course, the very idea that he had made her feel pleasure from the touch was something that didn't cross his mind at all; he had very little knowledge of that particular nuance of socializing after all.

"Did tha' hurt?" He was staring at her now, his eyes not only concerned but also... confused? He could see the pinkness in her cheeks. Was her leg causing her that much pain? "Yer awfully red..."

[Akira]

Naomi saw the concern in Korvin’s eyes and felt her cheeks redden even more. He was actually worried that he had hurt her. She gulped down the lump that had begun forming in her throat. He actually cared. That wasn’t something she was expecting and was half convinced to just jump into his arms and proclaim her feelings to him. But then he had to go and ruin the moment. She felt him brush his fingers along her leg again and half stifled the gasp that came up as a result. Again she shivered at the touch, and again she felt like running as fast as she could. Her eyes widened in surprise at Korvin’s words. What? Hurt...I...No. She stammered over the words and she shook her head as quickly as she could and felt a little dizzy after words, but that’s when she realized what she had said.

He had noticed her blushing, which made her blush even more. She squeaked and tried to squirm away from Korvin. She tried to kick and push her way out of his grasp. She knew that if she could just get away from him that she could at least hobble away from him fast enough for her to find a hiding place until her whers and canines came to rescue her. NASK NAOSK HELP!!! She called out mentally for her bondeds but didn’t think that Nask would reach out for Kosk. That was exactly what the large blue wher did. He reached out for his friend as him and Naosk turned around and raced back into the forest, Akela and Sarabi following them as quickly as they could. He replayed the message that Naomi had sent him over their bond but none of them knew that Kosk actually knew that the two humans actually liked each other.

[Zirin]

Korvin was beginning to think she must have somehow hit her head when Korvisk attacked her; the woman was certainly being... different. His question had been a simple one... yes or no. He couldn't for the life of him understand why answering had caused her to stammer and be so, well, girly about this! She blushed more, he couldn't remember a time she had ever been so red. What was even more unusual was her sudden squirming and kicking, a vast change from the normally physical woman. Surprised, he didn't put forth any resistance, letting her escape.

Nask say Nask's need help. Kosk confused. The white's voice was soft in his mind, confused more than anything. He knew both his whers had been listening in, he rarely hid his mind from them. As far as any of them were aware, Korvin had just been trying to own up to his bronze's behavior, he had even been NICE about it!

"Wha' is yer problem?!" He finally snapped, crossing his arms in annoyance. He could feel the whers coming back, and for a moment he considered telling them to continue home for a moment, but didn't.

[Akira]

Naomi quickly ran and hid behind a tree when Korvin didn’t put up any resistance. She was breathing very fast and was trying to slow her breathing as she sank to the ground behind the large tree. She was mentally berating herself for not telling Korvin the truth about how she felt, and was so embarrassed with herself that when she finally had caught her breath she broke down and started crying. She did her best to cry quietly, but even she knew that he would be able to hear her if he listened carefully. She heard his words, and heard what sounded to be anger in his voice and felt ten times worse about everything. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, laid her head in her arms and cried some more. She was mentally screaming at herself for what had transpired.

Nask and Naosk quickly reached Naomi and huddled around her crooning softly and trying to cheer her up. They didn’t understand what was going on. Their handler was crying but she was mentally screaming and berating herself. Naosk's Naomi sad but mad? Naosk was too confused to keep her words between herself, her handler, and Nask. Nask knew that Naomi was normally a little strange around Korvin, but she had never acted like this before. Soon enough her two canines were there and were whimpering and nosing her. They were trying to help cheer her up but it didn’t seem like it was working. It also didn’t seem like the whers, who were linked directly to her mind, were having any luck with it. Naomi seemed to have withdrawn into herself at her mental tirade.