[Zena] Why is travelling so hard? [Zyphire x Sylvira]

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

"I may get there in five years." Zyphire rolled his head back on his shoulders in frustration, "Screw me, right?" The roati that the Shifter had been staring at bleated before jumping through the snows and heading away from him, "Thanks!" Zyphire snorted and blew a stray strand of white hair away from his face before turning to glance about his position once more. Mountain check, trial...not so check. His hands clutched at the map in his hands before he crossed back over to a fallen tree and perched upon it. Had maps always been so damn confusing? Maybe the merchant had lied about how exquisite his cartographer was because Zyphire couldn't make any sense out of the random squiggles and dots that made up the outline of Zena. At this rate he was sincerely contemplating just heading back the way he came, going all the way to Tale and just hiring a guide or starting over from there. He thought he had figured out the way from Tale to Talisia's home, but coming from some random area inside of Zena? So far that had not worked out so well for him.

Sighing Zyphire dropped the map at his feet and perched his elbows on his lap so that he could rest his head in his hands, "Here I thought healing was the reason I would have such a time coming back home." He quipped with a snort before simply staring out across the valley below. At least it was a decent enough view with the way the snows covered the mountains and the way the clouds lazily drifted through the skies. The peace, however, probably would only last so long - something that Zyphire was indeed correct about as a creature let out a loud noise and emerged from the brush near him.

"Greaaaaaat." As he stood and prepared to fight Zyphire rolled his eyes at the skies, clutched his blades, and made certain to remind himself to leave some sort of god awful offering at the nearest shrine. Because at this rate he was fully willing to give any local gods the middle finger for all of this luck that they were bestowing upon him.  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Southern winds were something of a mystery to Ada. The chiavi was able to easily glide through them without putting too much effort into the movements, bringing both she and her mistress further into the 'lower' territories. From atop her back rode an iceling, one so swamped in fur that it was nigh impossible to discern a gender, or an age, really. Several daggers were strapped around her calves, a bow was slung on her back, but more over, a very well worn spear was held in prime position in the riders hand.

Sylvirah knew her trip to the fallen lands was an inevitable one, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to come prepared. She had descended from the high mountains with as much of her weaponry as Ada was able to carry, making her a formidable force. Right now she had no fear of an aerial battle, but she did plan on using her skills in a hunt. Provisions could only do so much to fill her stomach, and while Ada was a fierce scavenger, the chiavi was growing too lean for her liking.

A few days ago she'd come across some relatively fresh tracks that had led this to this very area. A long mammu, dragging one of its legs; likely an attack by a predator, one that had ended with the large, lumbering beast escaping with it's life. She had to admire that kind of perseverance. Still, it was for naught. With an injury like that the beast wouldn't last long, and Sylvirah was determined to take it down before something else did.

Even with Ada currently descending, narrowing in on the charging figure of the mammu, Sylvirah didn't notice anything was wrong. Only when she noticed that it wasn't running away from them, but rather running at something else, did she take pause. Were they too late? Was it being attacked by a-?

Son of a b***h!

"Faster, Ada!"

Like hell someone was going to take her prey! As soon as she'd seen the shape of an earthling something spurned in Sylvirah, pushing her mount to faster and faster spears. When she was close enough she hurled the spear, sinking it into the ground right in front of the mammu. The great was momentarily spook, causing it to stop it's charge and rear up with a loud cry instead.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Oh hells. Zyphire gritted his teeth as the large shadow loomed over him. He knew what was coming, he had seen a rampant mamu before but that did nothing to suppress the surprise that made him simply stare for the longest moment. Why in the world was a mamu on rampage out here?! Even better yet was the question of what was hunting the damn thing? Was it a giant chiavi? A pack of raptrix? He could only hope that he could jump to the side and-

A spear whizzed through the air and interrupted his thoughts.

Bewildered Zyphire glanced up towards the chiavi that was ascending far too quickly for his tastes. The last time he had checked the birds didn't throw spears -gods forbid if that became a thing- so he had to wonder about who its rider was. But for now his attention was better focused on the matter at hand which was now beginning to stomp towards the only thing that it could...him. Letting loose a few well versed curses Zyphire tumbled backwards and threw a well aimed dagger towards the beast. Its cry echoed again as the blade snagged on its upper right cheek and the mamu swung its head madly as if to dislodged the nasty thorn. Meanwhile Zyphire figured that was a good time as any to try and get an extra few feet between him, the mamu, and whoever the hell was about to appear.
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Sylvirah clenched her thighs as Ada was forced to hurriedly pull up, lest she be dragged down by the mammu's trunk. It was hard to tell in that moment if her opponent had taken a shot at the creature's vulnerable or not; they were a fool if they hadn't, but maybe that was a blessing. Only an idiot would challenge such a creature on their on, from the ground, and seriously, she hadn't seen any sort of long range weapon. What kind of idiot was she dealing with?

Two presses with her knee had Ada circling the mammu in a lazy, practiced loop while Sylvirah unlatched the harnesses that kept her in the saddle. Once her legs were free, she leaned to the right, slipping off Ada's back into a free fall. When she landed she was just behind the angry creature, whose main focus now was the chiavi and the stranger. Perfect. If she was fast enough she could gut the thing without it every knowing she was there...

-until the mammu, in it's injured rage, swung it's head and caught Ada. The other earthling had struck out with a dagger, one meant to get the attention off him, she was sure, but in it's attempt to escape it's trunk slammed into Ada. Mentally she shrieked; outwardly, she was quiet. Her chiavi let out a loud cry as she hit the snowy ground, and within an instant the mammu was moving towards her, raising it's large feet as if to stomp her when Sylvirah took her own dagger and sank it deep into the beast's already injured leg.

 

[Sabra Knight]

While normally he was fond of letting the giant creatures go along their way today just did not seem to be boding well with him. Zyphire grit his teeth in frustration as he glared after the crazed mamu, something that didn't surprise him with how it was being attacked from all directions now, and if not for his foul mood today the man would have potentially showed mercy and tried to save the beast. It seemed beyond saving now, not simply because of his bad mood, but also because of how it simply would not calm down.

He also didn't feel much like fighting with whoever it was that had plenty of spears to chuck. If they were daring to fight a mamu on that chiavi then he would probably be one sharp spear away from being another trophy on their hunting shelf. At least he had managed to deter the beast with his own attack - oh s**t. Zyphire found himself staring after the iceling before watching as the mamu's trunk connected with the mysterious figure. Of course, just why wouldn't that happen? Forget bad offerings at this rate he would just burn the nearest shrine down. Give me my moon goddess back and take the snows away. He quipped before moving forward after the other earthling.

It would have been simple enough to let them be but unfortunately Zyphire was a sucker for a playing hero. While he moved a loud roar of pain left the mamu and in surprise he realized that they had dug a dagger into the injured leg! Smart guy. Not that he should have been surprised considering they were bad a** enough to be hunting the great beast on her own. Bad a** or just insane. His eyes rolled ever so slightly at the thought before using all of his strength to toss one blade forward towards that leg. His sword shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting from the snows as it blinded the mamu and cut sharply into the leg causing it to stumble towards the side.

With a curse since Zyphire realized that the beast was off balance and surely would fall the shifter found himself diving forward so that he could wrap his arms around the iceling and pull her out of the way of the falling beast. Of course as the mamu thudded into the ground behind him, showering snow across his back, Zyphire tried to blame the adrenaline rush for the tightness of his leathers as he took a good, long glance at the earthling between his arms. His lips curling up into a grin he could only tilt his head, his gaze shining playfully as he tried to think of some sort of greeting, "You probably should finish...your hunt." He finally managed before rolling away from her so that he could rest his aching back in the cold snow a moment while trying to ignore the painful noises behind them.
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Even crouched as she was, Sylvirah could still feel the air 'whooshing' around her as the mammu moved. When she looked up at the underbelly of the colossal beast, her eyes tried to take in all of it's vulnerable points at once. There were only two ways to kill it, as far as Sylvi was concerned; from beneath or to leap straight onto it's back, burying a long blade deep into the section of spine that connected to the creature's head. Since the former option was out of the question, given her now landlocked state, she needed to think fast.

Briefly, she worried over Ada. Normally her chiavi would fly out of danger once her mistress had departed, so why had she stuck around this time? It would have been just as easy for her to provide a distraction from a higher altitude! A loud, trumpeting noise brought her back to the fight; she didn't have time to worry over her now, but later....later Ada would get a fine treat, indeed.

A blinding light caught her attention, and in that moment Sylvirah realized her idiotic opponent wasn't yet out of the game. s**t. She clucked her tongue, then realized with no small mount of confusion that he was moving towards her. Did he really think that now was the best time to fight over their pre-?

What....in the what?

Instead of pinning her down under the falling mammu, as he should have, or attacking he'd pulled her out? The only visible part of Sylvirah not covered in fur and cloth, her eyes, flickered over to the fallen beast before pulling themselves back up to the....grinning, frost bit man? She'd never seen a case of frost bite so bad that it turned someone's face that dark; let alone one that allowed them to keep their limbs! It might have been interesting if he wasn't so close. As it stood Sylvirah pressed the back of her head as far into the snow as she could, hoping to get out of range should any of his skin flake off and fall on her.

And then there was the matter of...Her eyes looked down the narrow gap between their bodies towards his southern border Yeah, okay, this was over. She was ready to push him off, but thankfully, he was doing a good job of that all on his own. What did he have to grin about? Sylvirah pushed herself up out of the snow, and briefly dusted off her leathers before giving him one more, speculative look. Bet his clan sent him out here to die. Ye'r probably the first thing on two legs he's seen in months.

Stepping away from the weirdo, Sylvirah moved closer to the thrashing, almost pitiful, mammu. It was clearly in a great deal of pain, and the closer she came towards it the more it fought. Her languid stride turned into a quick burst that carried Sylvirah towards her spear. With a sharp twist, she wrenched it from the ground, and turned, crossed the snow, and when the mammu raised it's trunk to swat her she rammed her spear into it's throat. Not only did she make contact, but Sylvirah used her body weight to push the spear so far in she felt the blade connect with the spine. All too fast, it was over.

The huntress casually leaned against her spear, still impaled in the mammu as it was, and caught her breath. Nothing felt half as good as a hunt, but this one was dampened considerably...Her eyes moved once more back to the...still prone figure of the dying(?) man in the snow. "Ye ain't gettin' it." She called out, almost childishly, and to what exactly she spoke of, Sylvirah wouldn't say.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Zyphire found himself closing his eyes tightly against the all too familiar sound of a finished kill. While the shifter wasn't too particularly tame in matters of killing he was far more accustomed to getting his meat from markets and only taking the lives of earthlings and those that had plenty of a fight in them. A witu perhaps...but never had he actually fell a mamu before. The great beasts that he had interacted with had always seemed so gentle and his own family had several as familiars. This was definitely one of those things he would have to hide from the twins, gods forbid they end up sleeping in the stables with their mamu to protect them every night afterwards. That was something he did not wish to endure, not when he would much rather rest in a nice feather filled bed that was before a blazing fireplace.

Speaking of hot fireplaces and warm beds...

Zyphire rolled to his side before finally reaching a hand into the bittercold snows and shoving himself upwards. The movement was incredibly forced and despite his wobbling legs the shifter made certain to try and appear somewhat graceful, as graceful as a fish out of water really with the way any shifter stood out in Zena, but as he rose he did manage to stay on his feet and after brushing more snow from his pants Zyphire snorted, "Trust me that's all yours." He replied, his gaze curious as he attempted to put a gender with the voice, something that was still a bit hard to figure out considering the mass of furs and cold winds separating them.

Not that he needed to waste time figuring out that mystery. Honestly he shouldn't even consider staying around long enough for pleasantries but it was getting awfully lonely wandering about in the cold and maybe the hunter could lead him to the nearest village. Or spear me in the process and end my misery. If it was a man perhaps the comment could have gone in another direction but other than the excitement of battle Zyphire found himself growing rather tired and in not that best mood for anything other than actual sleep. At least that was what he attempted to reason with himself as he strode forward so that he could stand a few feet closer to the hunter, "I mean honestly how do you even cart that thing around? Or are you like a pack of raptrixes with a group waiting for your call to come down and devour this poor guy?" It seemed barbaric, but he was a city boy and it was true that he wasn't accustomed to any of the lifestyles that these Zenan hunters had. Did they all go solo like this or was this just some wildsman who wanted nothing better than to hunt prey in the mountains while living like a beast themselves? Not that it wasn't sexy to be so independent and that ferocious display earlier had indeed...inspired something for him, but Zyphire wasn't certain if he was ready to go at things like some animal. Still he studied the scene of the fallen mamu and hunter a moment longer, his fingers slowly tapping out a rhythm on his hip, before slowly sighing.

"But if you don't mind I would like to claim something else." His fingers moved slowly down his leathers, for a moment appearing to be suggesting something else perhaps, before resting at an empty sheath that was strapped right before his jacket, "My dagger." Zyphire gestured towards the cheek of the mammu where the bloodied blade still clung on valiantly. His gaze admittedly was a bit too mischievous before he dared to take one step further, "May I?"
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Over the mammu's corpse a rustling in the snow alerted Sylvirah that Ada was at least well enough to move. She could hear a faint chirping; nothing pained, just one her chiavi was trained to do when she couldn't find her rider. Sylvirah imitated the sound until Ada stopped. They knew where each other was, that both were safe, and if she sustained any kinds of wounds they could be tended to in time. Right now, Sylvirah was just concerned with getting the best meat out before the body started to decompose.

"You'd be surprised by how much Ada can eat." Admittedly, speaking around the layers of cloth and fur encassing her head was difficult. Her voice came out muffled, which was well enough while hunting, but this...Sylvirah furrowed her brow before reaching up to undo the layers. Once she had them loose enough she gave her hood a tug, bringing it down around her shoulders while her hand pulled the scarves away. With her face and head down free. she looked to the shifter and clucked her tongue. "I take mine, she takes hers, and we're lucky to get that before the scavengers come."

If they had more hunters with them this would have been a fine kill, but as it stood there was little Sylvirah could do. Any creature with half a nose would smell the blood as soon she started to gut it, so she would have to move fast. She looked to the empty sheath, studying it critically before nodding and shooing him. "Go, it's yours."

The huntress took stock of the scene before her. She stepped up to the carcass, lifting one of it's forelegs just enough to pressed her own dagger against it's flesh. Piercing the mammu's thick, fatty hide wasn't easy. It took a fair amount of pressure to break the hide, but once she was in, it was easy enough to drag the blade down down from just beneath it's chin to it's groin.
Using short, shallow, slicing strokes, she opened the body cavity by cutting through the skin, fat, and abdominal muscle tissue. As the tissue separated, Sylvirah used her hands to enlarge the abdominal opening until she had prime access into the body cavity. It was a messy business, one that would have made a lesser earthling nauseous.

When she stepped back she was panting, a fine sheen of sweat covering her exposed flesh. Had this always been so hard? Or maybe it was always just easier when her entire tribe had participated on the hunt. At the very least the beast was so large she didn't have to break the ribs just to access the heart, but it's size was just giving her problems in other areas.

The corpse rocked backwards, causing her to jolt, until she realized it was simply because Ada had chosen to climb atop it. She looked down at the bloodied snow for a moment before chirping happily to Sylvirah and turning her attention to the other.

"How fast are you at field dressing? This is gonna take some work, but if you can help get us out of here quick enough I'll let you take some."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Oh yes. How could he forget about the giant bird the hunter had swooped in on? Zyphire shook his head in slight amusement as he watched the chiavi, "Is that the case or are you just blaming the bird for your own stomach?" He teased as he watched the Zenan carving into the corpse, "You definitely do not have to worry about me scavenging any of this food...I don't have much of a stomach for mammu. Perhaps I'm still accustomed to the fare of Jahaur? The spices of Oba and the fish of Sauti?" If anything Zyphire could continue speaking for days but the shifter found his voice trailing off as he realized that the Zenan had uncovered her face. A woman? It had been hard to tell at first, with the gruff behavior and the layers of furs, but it was still interesting to see. Not that it made a difference to Zyphire considering how firm that behind....image was. A strong hunter through and through regardless of gender. But it was nice to see a lovely face did match the image he had already tried to construct of the Zenan in his mind.

And with such thoughts he had to wonder about why he constantly got into trouble?

More than simply his thoughts it was also his words that often got him a good smack across the face if not a punch to the gut, "Don't worry it is indeed my dagger." He quipped lightly as he noticed her staring over his sheath, "The sheath may seem a bit big but the dagger fits just fine. It's always hard to tell from a distance but once you handle it..." Here he moved forward so that he could yank the dagger out and wipe the bloody thing on his dark leathers -what difference did a little bit of blood make when one had it constantly on his clothing? It was just another reason to add to his list of why he preferred darker clothing, "That's better." Giving the dagger one last swipe across his leggings Zyphire held it up towards the light and finally sheathed it.

"You truly are a hunter. I don't think I've ever seen someone carve so quickly and with such expert movements." He commented as she carved into the creature. A bit grotesque if you asked him but intriguing to watch. He had killed a few times now but never before had he carved up anyone like she was digging into the mammu, "Field dressing? Me?" He laughed before blinking at her, "Oh damn. You're serious?" Sighing Zyphire moved a bit closer before peering up at the chiavi warily, "You sure she's not a better option for carving it up?" He teased one last time before glancing over the mammu, "I suppose though it wouldn't hurt to help out. I could use a bit of the pelt or the tusks even if you wouldn't mind sparing them."  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Ada shifted her talons atop the fallon mammu, holding her wings out for stability when the corpse rocked yet again. When she was comfortable enough the giant avian dipped her head down and started tugging at the exposed flesh, pulling a great hunk up with her bead before the sheer force snapped tendons. Soon enough she was standing up with her snack and guzzling it down.

Quite the traveler, huh? Sylvirah mimicked him under her breath, never once stopping her efforts to even spare him a second glance. Did he really think she cared about what Oba and Jauhar had to offer? Lofty ideas like that wasted time, and ultimately left the dreamer with an empty belly. She wanted to know what this beast right here tasted like, and whether she had the stomach for it or not wasn't up for debate. Sylvirah would eat every last bit with a smile on her face, even if it tasted like burnt dirt.

Each section of meat she cut free was set off to the side atop a fresh pile of snow. Granted, it was thoroughly soaked through and through within moments, but for the time being nature was assisting her in keeping the meat cool. Sylvirah slowed her efforts to swat Ada away when the pesky bird tried to steal a bit she'd severed, thinking of it like a quick snack, but she eventually moved on to her own spot with a brief squawk in protest.

"If you do it right you won't need to eat as much the next time." Sylvirah didn't hesitate to shove her arms deep inside of the mighty beast, bypassing layers of muscle to what organs remained inside. She grunted from the effort, raising on her tip-toes a bit as she did so until her arms were buried to the shoulder. "If you aren't fast....then it's easier....for the raptrix....." Sylvirah tugged and for a brief moment she was met with resistance. Instead of giving up she reached back in for a better hold and tugged once more, bringing the last of its organs with her, "....to find you." Her arms shook from the efforts, and there was a shake in her voice, but damn if Sylvirah wasn't proud. This was a good find, and even though she was absolutely doused in blood she had a glow to her.

The Zenan wiped sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, unintentionally leaving a smear of blood across her forehead. "Take whatever you want, but make it quick. We can't stay here much longer." She quirked an eyebrow with a little smirk, "Unless you're too squeamish to do it."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Zyphire's nose crinkled at the image of the woman submerging herself into the mamu. Perhaps he had been a bit spoiled during his lifetime as hunting rarely took priority over anything. If at all his most daring hunt was finding some pretty legs in the market to take home at night while his meals often came already prepared. Even up in Zena where he helped Talisia out the man rarely dealt with anything other than aiding with medicines and stall mucking. Then again what was the difference between being waist deep in mammu s**t and mammu guts?

But damn that blood smear was sexy. Blinking as Zyphire realized she was staring at him the man shifted slightly to readjust his....footing before smirking at the taunt, "Squeamish? I'm just more accustomed to men's livers not mammu sized ones." He pushed up his sleeves and took a few steps forward, "So it's just a bit of this, right?" With lightning quick movements he twisted his wrists so that his blades submerged themselves into the flesh, "How much are you looking to take back with you, lady?"

Blood spewed a bit from a vein that he accidentally nicked and Zyphire had to let out a huff before glancing towards the iceling again, "It's refreshing, right? The water is too cold in Zena for baths so why not use the warm blood of a fresh kill to freshen up?" Zyphire quipped as he dug deeper into the flesh and sliced towards some of the stomach meat. The fat too...that he could burn if necessary...
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

The blood was still warm on her leathers, but Sylvirah knew it wouldn't stay that way. The momentary comfort it brought would soon be replaced by a harsh, stagnating chill that would make moving in her soiled clothing difficult. It was just the reality of a huntress; something she'd grown accustomed to, but didn't honestly care for. Her grandfather warned her about acting so harshly around southerners, saying they wouldn't understand the need for it, but this one seemed to get it. Even if he didn't wholly accept it, or even like it, he didn't act any differently around her.

"A man killer, huh? Not much call for them where I'm from, but-" Sylvirah shrugged her shoulders. She just assumed that with the larger populations of the south that fights were bound to happen more frequently, since they had the bodies to spare. It wasn't in her to judge him for it; he acted with purpose, and had a clear goal, so it didn't matter to her whose liver he cut up to get there.

"As much as she can carry." Which, in all honesty, wasn't much. Ada may have been a massive beast in her own right, but the avian had hollow bones. So, despite her size, she was rather light and couldn't haul much at any given time. Sylvirah wanted to gut the entire carcass, but for the time being it just wasn't feasible. So instead she settled for allowing Ada to get her fill, as well as section off chunks that she proceeded to wrap in thin leather, packing it up for the trip ahead.

She looked up just as he nicked the vein and laughed. "Just be careful; if you slip and fall we'll never get you back out."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Zyphire chuckled, "I wouldn't expect so considering how you all already have to fight just to survive against this damn cold." Even he was still adjusting to just how bitter the winds of Zena could be. Gods forbid he actually get lost in another blizzard - if he hadn't been picked up by the other girl he would have surely frozen to death. A shifter icicle....the type of decor any mountain needed, right? The thought curled his lip in bitter amusement before he focused again on the mamu before him.

"You ever think of just getting a sled for this?" Zyphire mumbled thoughtfully, "Could cart the remains up or down any mountain a lot easier that way. No offense since obviously you do know what you're doing here, I'm just thinking it's a shame to waste so much." He pursed his lips a bit disgusted at he thought of how not to waste a mamu but impressed at his sincerity at the same time. One could consider it vain or arrogant but dammit it was really cool when Zyphire impressed himself by thinking about things deeply and not being a dumb scoundrel. Even if he murdered men he still valued living and thought that the sacrifice of life, especially that of a great beast, shouldn't be squandered.

He grunted as he managed to cut meat from along the ribs. Even if he wasn't one to eat mamu often there was no point in avoiding a free meal. Spitting out blood as it decorated his face Zyphire pulled back, "At least it'd be warm in there." He quipped back before wiping a hand across his face, "So do we just leave the rest then? I can get some of that hide and I'll be set with what I have. Unfortunately I'm not really fond of carrying a heavy load when I still have quite a ways ahead of me."
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

"We had them, when I was younger, back when we actually had mounts strong enough to pull them." She could still remember the hunters returning with hauls big enough to feed the clan for many moons, but now it wasn't a luxury they could afford. Expending that much time building something like that, with only a pair of elderly raptrix to pull them...it was just stupid."The last of sleds went south with the deserters."

Ada had gone still atop the mammu, and her rider took note. Years of watching the normally fidgety avian alerted her to her moods, and while the silence was concerning it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The huntress knew their time was limited, it always was, but at least they had made good progress so far.

She whistled twice, without a pause between the two, and Ada seemed to take that as a hint. The chiavi looked down at the iceling for a moment before steadying herself, spreading her wings and lifted herself up into the sky. It wasn't until Ada had fully ascended and moved on that Sylvirah turned back to Zyphire. "Strip as much of it as you can, then. Prey is hard to come by up here, and the scent carries."
 

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Zyphire raised a brow at the explanation, "Sounds like a rather tough time for your people." Why had they left the mountains? He knew that personally he preferred the valleys but didn't the Zenans adore the bitterness of the cold? But then again as Zyphire glanced between the mammu and the girl he could understand some of why many would leave the harsher areas for the cities. Still he couldn't help frowning, "Seems like trading with a lower village may be an idea for the future..." At least one or two sleds could help them....right? Not that it was his business of course.

"Ah, good thing I'm not meant to stay in the wilderness for too long then." As he spoke Zyphire cut the final strips that he could before taking a few steps back from the fallen beast, "Your ride is leaving but how are you getting home? Should I dare offer my aid in carrying more meat to your home with you?" And then maybe he could get some reward for his generous offer? Noooot that it was the only thing on his mind but it did seem a shame to be in the area and not offer some form of assistance to someone who seemed to be struggling so. Not that she seemed weak by far but her village sounded a bit....overwhelmed or rather underwhelmed with its numbers?