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Urthwyfe, Ch 2

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Whenever certain objectives were identified in a particular job Tahra chose to approach things slowly and methodically with a light touch; the southern village at which she found herself was one of those situations. Unlike many of settlements of The Folk smaller than 'town' status in the southlands, Ihayar had walls, albeit, they were more like wooden palisades, but they were walls nevertheless. When faced with that, she always chose to begin her investigation outside the fortifications.

Her first day of investigation had gone slowly, which was to be expected since the initial step amounted to her hanging out at the crossroads of the main road leading through the village's gate. Fields surrounded the dirt roads with numerous villagers working the spring time furoughs as she loitered near a fence beside a sign. Literacy was semi-common among Humans with about 40% of commoners knowing enough to get by, but among The Folk it was about half that, so the signs in the area included pictographs as well as words; the sign next to Tahra identified town in one direction, a river crossing in another, a forest in the third direction, and the sea in the fourth.

Shael had remained with her over the hours, sticking to the ground, but obviously impatient and uneasy when it came to staying in one spot for so long-- she could read it in his mannerisms and body language, but it was even worse due to their empathic connection. He didn't know why she was so intent on staying still; he was frustrated because she wouldn't let him fly; he didn't like the idea of being so close to so many prey animals he wasn't allowed to eat. Each time she reassured him, at first with calming thoughts, and then by reminders that, once they were done with her task the could spend several days in the wild.

Ultimately she could only get him to agree to behave by letting him lay down against her while she stroked his neck and ran her fingers through his head feathers. It worked perfectly fine for her since that meant Shael would be front-and-center the first thing The Folk traveling the roads would notice when they saw her. That was by design, of course; gryphons were rare enough that few people ever saw one in person, and even fewer would see one on the ground rubbing up against a Human. To say that she got a lot of stares would be an understatement but that too was by design; Tahra was looking for anyone who DIDN'T stare at her like she was a strange, out-of-place occurrence-- that's who SHE was looking for.

Spirits were alien creatures compared to Humans or The Folk, or even monsters, beasts, or animals. Most were so vastly different that even a lay-person would be able to tell that they were looking at something 'strange' the first time they laid eyes on one, but, every now and again, certain spirits gained a powerful charm that allowed them to manifest in a form that could mimic the appearance of a mortal creature. Most of them chose to use the power to live among animals but, on exceedingly rare occasions, one would attempt to infiltrate a settlement and, if not addressed, things could end poorly for it, the people of the village it chose to inhabit, or, just as likely: both.

Even as an Urthwyfe, Tahra could not always make a definitive determination at first glance that she was correctly identifying a Spirit in humanoid guise and so she had certain tricks to help identify them by abnormal behavior; a Spirit taking on the shape of one of The Folk would either find everything so unique that nothing specifically would grab their attention, or else they would be so focused on their own objectives that they would entirely miss things which a normal representative of their 'adopted' race would definitely take notice. That, of course, was the entire point of her involving Shael.

He didn't like her involving him in things like that, he made sure to remind her. In response, Tahra patted him on the head and ran her fingers along the sensitive flesh at the top of his beak; he crooned audibly at the attention and his empathic sending to her was one of joy temporarily overpowering his dislike of being stuck there, and he was mindful enough to reinforce the fact that it was only TEMPORARILY overpowering it. Chuckling, she nodded to the family of Muskrats on a cart as it rumbled by her; their eyes were wide as they stared but she paid them no more mind when she realized that their response was more than sufficient enough to be genuine.

Rubbing the side of Shael's head, she got another pleased sound from her companion, but his level of satisfaction grew when she let him know that it was getting late and her first day of observation was ready to transition into a night of investigation. He didn't really understand the 'words', per se, but he understood the intent, was readily acknowledged that he was pleased, followed by wondering where he should take her. He not only felt crestfallen when she said she wouldn't be going with him, but he looked it visibly, deflating immediately. Fortifying him with another comforting pat and an emotional reassurance, Tahra let him know that she would be going into the settlement and he was welcome to do whatever he wanted to do that night.

As a semi-sapient wild animal connected spiritually to her, Shael was not knowledgeable in the ways of language, turns of phrase, or puns, but he'd been linked to her long enough that his wiley, sharp, predator mind managed to pick up a few things, and she received the impression of a lascivious flood of empathic suggestions along with the idea of what, or, moreover, WHO he "wanted to do that night". If she weren't on the job Tahra would probably have taken him up on the offer; it had been weeks since she'd last had a partner and Shael, even if his technique was understandably feral, was nevertheless an enthusiastic one.

Giving him one last pat on the side, Tahra added audible words to her empathic message to him. "If you want to stay close you can circle overhead outside the torch light, but if you come into the village with me you'll spook The Folk."

Shael actually took pride in her warning and he half-extended his wings, feathers and fur puffing up in gratification as he reminded her that The Folk weren't his prey-- if anything, they should be worried about their horses... and sheep... and pets... but not the ones that had collars.

His thought about collars was something of a running joke between the two of them and she ended up giggling to herself. For all of Shael's excitement when it came to swallowing small animals whole, he certainly paid for it when it was time for the undigested metal to come out. The gryphon let out a dejected squawk as she glossed over her memory of that and, as he trotted away, he pointed out that it was not THAT funny-- he wasn't able to walk or sit properly for the next two days.

Her titter turned into a full on laugh as he took flight, refusing to promise that he'd be there to join her at night, but she knew that he would be there; he always was when she needed him. It was a mutual thing they had... in all ways.

* * * * *

Tahra was in the village proper by the time the sun had set. As with the hours spent at the crossroads, any outside observer may think that she was wandering aimlessly as any newcomer might (a few helpful townsfolk even offered to provide her directions), but her meandering had a purpose. The majority of spirits stayed far away from inhabited areas but, among those who actually sought out villages and towns, they were usually there to observe the goings on of the populace; they "people-watched" like some people bird-watched. Keeping that in mind, Tahra had three specific places to watch in Ihayar: the stables, a common house, and a tavern. Fortunately, all three were on the same road.

Although Spirits did not use beasts of burden or mounts like Humans or The Folk would, stables were a great place to visit to see the comings-and-goings of people in any settled area. Moreover, since different filtered through so often, most passer-bys were completely ignored. Finally, since even gregarious Spirits could often feel overwhelmed when surrounded by Humans and The Folk, being close to animals, even tamed ones could help bring them a degree of ease. As the first stop on her visit, Tahra continued coming back to the stables to restart her lap through town, though, after dark there was no need since the stables closed up.

Most human settlements had inns, also known as lodges, hostels, or boarding houses. Regardless of the name, the objective was to offer a place to sleep for guests of the community who had no place of their own. Settlements among The Folk had the same, but the term they used was much simpler: a common house.

Like inns, Common houses were used by travelers who did not otherwise have a place to stay in a village or two and, in return, they would provide some funding to the common good. Likewise, when it came time to care for the guest or the property, it was a common task that the community shared. Since Human inns were operated as businesses they could gain notoriety as individual establishments but Common houses represented the reputation and welcoming nature of the community in which they were found.

Inns and Common houses were expected places to visit for Spirits specifically because strangers were expected to frequent them, those present accepted eccentricities from those who were visiting, and it was a great place to people-watch. On the few occasions Tahra was sent to a village to root out a disguised Spirit she more-often-than-not found them in Common houses. In the case of Ihayar. the Common house was open late into the night and didn't close to visitors until after midnight so, even though the stables had closed, she was able to bounce back and forth between the Common house and the third site of interest: the tavern.

Tahra was personally not a fan of most alcohols sold by Humans and only a few brewed or distilled by The Folk interested her-- Taverns for both societies usually focused on beers, ales, stouts, and lagers Her preferred alcoholic drinks, wines, meads, and ciders tended to be on the sweeter side; few establishments in smaller communities carried them and she tended to avoid the cities in which they were more common, so she usually went without unless she could negotiate a purchase from a merchant. That night, however, the offerings of the tavern in Ihayar didn't interest her anyway since she was on a job.

Her interest in the tavern was threefold: first, it, like the other two locations, was a place where people congregated; second, like the other two locations, it was often visited by strangers where its presence would not be easily noticed; finally, people in taverns were usually focused on themselves and would likely be inebriated. If Tahra did not find a disguised spirit at a village's Common house, she was almost always likely to find it at the community's tavern instead-- for towns that had joint drinking and sleeping establishments, it was a no brainer, but there was no such 'inn & tavern' in Ihayar, so she made due with keeping an eye on multiple sites.

Like the Common house, the village's tavern stayed open late-- nearly an hour later, in fact. As midnight approached, Tahra was measuring her options regarding what she'd do for the night. On one hand, she could secure a room at the Common house in order to keep an eye on it and have a bed in which to sleep for the night, but on the other hand she was comfortable sleeping outdoors and staying at the bar would give her an extra hour to observe. Both had benefits but, in her mind, the tavern ultimately won out as the preferred option. Just after midnight it turned out that her decision bore fruit.

A meek Lynx woman slipping out the back of the tavern would not really have raised much suspicion; she looked comely, and was well-kept-- the impression she gave was not entirely the type one might have expected to see out so late at night but also not completely out of place. For the most part, the cat woman seemed to be at ease, though she had a certain hesitance and careful-caution about her that immediately spoke to Tahra's sensitive attention that the Lynx was exhibiting a type of concern about being noticed that didn't have the traditional feel of a young woman who was worried about her reputation.

Thinking that she might have the Spirit she was seeking, Tahra drew closer. An expert of shadowing her quarry in both nature and in society, the Urthwyfe stayed a block behind the Lynx, tracking her to, unsurprisingly, the common house. That in and of itself was not a surefire way to confirm that her suspicions were correct, but it certainly did fall in line with Tahra's expectations. She decided at that point that she would begin a series of tests that would let her know rapidly enough what she was dealing with.

Kicking a nearby bucket, Tahra stumbled into the moonlight from where she was hiding in an alley, purposefully appearing to be looking at somewhere other than the Lynx. The Urthwyfe took special care to be as noisy as she could so as to call attention to herself, and scuff her feet on the village's dirt road with an unsteady gait before pausing to lean against the nearest building, mumbling to herself like someone who was either thoroughly inebriated, or close enough that there was little difference.

As anticipated, the act paid off and, when Tahra casually glanced in the direction of where the Lynx had been, she saw a male Human coming her way. He looked attractive enough in the conventional sense, and about her age; the Lynx woman, of course, was gone. Spirits rarely felt compelled to represent themselves as any specific race, gender, or age and so, when attempting to fit in among Humans or The Folk, they changed it up in whatever manner they felt would be to their benefit. Tahra had an educated guess about what the Spirit was up to when she caught sight of the Lynx and, as the Human man approached her with a pleasant smile, she considered her theory proven.

Most Spirits who entered into settlements usually had an objective beyond just exploring the strange and unusual world of Humans or The Folk. A few such spirits sought to cause inexplicable amounts of suffering; about the same amount were honestly just curious; most, however, were after quintessence, a vital force of latent magical energy created by sapient creatures. There were numerous ways spirits could draw on the quintessence produced by Humans and The Folk, but the most commonly employed one was through sexual intercourse-- considering the comely Lynx girl had been at a tavern, and the Human male heading her way was purposefully well-presented and handsome, Tahra was confident that she had figured it out.

Flashing her an ingratiating smile, the man offered her a hand. "Whoa there, Miss... it looks like you may be a little deep in the cups. May I help steady you?"

Spirits didn't sense the world like mortals did so they didn't always have a clear understanding of what Humans or The Folk could detect, but the majority of Spirits knew that Humans had an underdeveloped sense of smell, which would explain why the Spirit-in-Human-form didn't realize that she could clearly smell the musky scent of Lynx semen. Spirits had a much easier time absorbing quintessence from males during sexual intercourse due to the release of body fluids, but the greedy ones certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity of coupling with a female.

Unfortunately for it, she was not easily fooled. Standing up, smoothing out her tunic, and immediately dropping the act of coming across as drunk. "No thank you. I can stand by myself without your intervention."

The Spirit-as-a-Man seemed taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor but, to its credit, the Human in front of her took it in stride. "Oh. So you are. Please forgive my forwardness but, if I might be so bold, you don't appear to be from here."

It was a measured talking point on the Spirit's part, and a ploy; seeing as she was a Human and the village was full of The Folk it likely made an educated guess that she was visiting and it could therefore use its status as a visitor in order to build rapport. That led her to believe that the Spirit she faced was no novice to hiding among the other races. She played along, but also called the Spirit out at the same time. "Neither do you."

He offered a warm smile in response. "Is it that obvious? No... I am visiting, but I have enjoyed my stay thus far."

Folding her arms across her chest, Tahra leaned against the building. "Oh really? Where is it you're from?"

It was the kiss of death for most Spirits since they knew very little about the world outside of the Spirits and, in the case of Human settlements, even less than they did about those of The Folk; she was honestly curious as to how he would attempt to maintain the charade. He didn't impress or surprise her, but he didn't disappoint. Without missing a step, he moved to join her, leaning against the wall as well so he could face her and continue the conversation casually. "Oh... from a little bit of everywhere, to be honest. I left home at a young age and travel a lot, you see."

Tahra continued pushing. "A lot of us do... so where was the 'home' you left?"

The Spirit-as-a-man let out what it probably thought was a disarming laugh and it attempted to evade again as it inched closer. "Why? Do you think we may share a point of origin?"

At that point, she was certain, and chose not to string things out any longer. "No. Honestly, nothing about my place of birth would have anything to do with spirits."

Her matter-of-fact statement caught him by surprised and, for a moment, she could see it in his eyes that he was finally unbalanced. "Whatever do you mean? Spirits?"

No longer leaning against the wall in case it should turn hostile, Tahra explained. "I know you are a Spirit. I saw you as a she-Lynx, and I know for a fact that there are no other Humans in these parts. Speaking of which, your look sickens me. Choose a different form if you wish to continue this conversation."

Although she wasn't as sure as she knew she sounded about Humans in the area, she didn't have to let the Spirit know that. Her choice of words were purposeful: letting it know that she knew, insisting that it could no longer sustain the ruse, but also providing it the knowledge that she was still interested in talking and to reduce any reaction it might make out of fear of being discovered by casually suggesting that she would be done talking to it if it didn't want to continue talking.

The fact that it morphed in front of her back into the form of the Lynx she'd tracked previously confirmed that she did indeed have control of the situation. The Lynx woman's expression was much more neutral at that point since the Spirit ceased its charade. The Spirit-as-Lynx's voice was not relaxed, but it also didn't sound particularly distressed. "I am curious, Human... how did you identify me?"

Tahra didn't feel particularly compelled to give away her secrets so she offered up a half-truth. "We humans are an egotistical people. Ask any of us and we'll say where we're from since either it'll be the best place and we'll want to tell you why, or else we left it for good reason and we'd be all too happy to share why it was horrible."

Apparently the Spirit was astute enough to realize that she was evading the question. "You recognized me as a Spirit before we spoke. I do not believe you are telling me the entire truth."

Although Spirits were troublesome, she could appreciate their upfront and direct nature once they were done hiding. She went straight into spirit lore: when in doubt, seek an accord. "I will answer your questions if you answer mine."

The Lynx woman smiled and it looked genuine. "Agreed."

Knowing that the spirit could be held to its word in that regard, Tahra considered the most 'delicate' part of her investigation complete. She'd positioned herself well to get the spirit's notice, which meant that it would be curious-- that gave her leverage, and she could trust in the spirit's desire to gain information and, so long as she phrased her own questions properly, the moment she was able to determine its motives and whether or not it was a threat, she would be able to address the issue.

First thing came first, however. "Not everyone here is as understanding of spirits in their midst. We should go to the east side of town where we can talk alone."

It seemed interested in her suggestion; the female feline's ears went up. "Oh? Why the east side of this place?"

Tahra began talking, realizing that it just freely used a question. "I noticed on my way in that it is mostly businesses, which means there will not be anyone around during the night. Residential areas are where people sleep, which means there's always a chance that we might be interrupted or that The Folk will overhear us talking."

The Spirit moved after her. "And having them overhear us would be bad?"

The Urthwyfe glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow; had it really asked her two questions in a row? Perhaps it didn't realize she was already counting. Rather than call it on the leverage it was giving her, Tahra answered that one too. "As I said: not everyone here is as understanding or as accepting of Spirits. If you plan on staying here you wouldn't want to make a spectacle of yourself."

Both of the Lynx's ears raised and she smiled. "Oh! Yes. That is a very good idea. I thought you finding me means that I would have to leave."

Tahra smirked, but she did so without letting the Spirit see. "No... I don't HAVE to let everyone know you're a spirit."

She came to the conclusion that the Spirit either didn't mean her harm, or was keeping its thoughts hidden; an infiltrating Spirit that meant to be a predator within a village would likely have attacked her the first moment it had even the slightest inclination that its position might be compromised by being found out, but this Spirit either considered the game up and was going to come quietly, or else it wanted her to THINK that is what it would do. Tahra knew she would have to continue the question-and-answer dance with the Spirit until she knew for certain.

The next statement didn't help because it was so blatant that it was either too truthful to be a ruse, or else it was too-perfect to not be one. "Oh! I just realized... I already asked two questions. It should be your turn."

Continuing walking toward the more secluded east side of town, Tahra measured her question. There was another purpose to going to a quieter part of the village aside from maintaining the ignorance of the townsfolk: not only did she want to minimize the potential damage the Spirit could cause if they ended up having to fight, but, if a fight was to come, it would be easier for Shael to come to her aid. Thinking about him was more than enough for the gryphon to take note and he let her know in no uncertain terms that he would be there if she needed him and he would be happy to tear apart the physical form of any Spirit that was going to threaten to take her from him.

Shael had done it before too-- he was almost as skilled in fighting Spirits as she was. As an animal, the gryphon had the ability to sense Spirits in the ways that Humans and The Folk could not. Further, as a fantastic creature, his beak, talons, and claws were imbued with nature magic, allowing him to cause harm to Spirits that had manifested. Tahra was not one to put Shael in danger but, as he always reminded her, if she was in trouble then he considered it a threat to himself. Gryphons mated with their own kind for life and, even though Shael had no hen to call his own, he considered her a surrogate, and would likely not be parted from her until the day he did choose a mate.

He countered by suggesting that maybe he considered her his mate. It was the closest thing to a joke the gryphon was capable of since they both knew that he enjoyed her for release in the same way that she enjoyed him, but they would produce no offspring-- The Folk could only breed with their own species; Humans could only have young with other Humans; neither species could couple with a beast and create offspring short of magical intervention... and Urthwyfe couldn't bear young no matter who their partner-- such was their gift and curse when they took on that mantle.

Her thoughts and the interaction with Shael only took a few seconds, but the Spirit following her was surprisingly impatient for an immortal being. "You did have questions, didn't you, Human?"

Tahra did indeed, and, realizing she still held the spirit's attention, she chose a spot off to the side of the quiet street and jumped right into things with her first question. "This village is called Ihayar by The Folk. I want to know why you've come here, Spirit. What are you doing in Ihayar?"

The Lynx woman offered a disarming smile, but her vague answer raised Tahra's suspicions that perhaps the Spirit was neither as innocent or naive as it was trying to lead her to believe. "I am learning a lot about The Folk. They are such a curious people and I wanted to know more... so here I am."

Since she had another question before it could get one, Tahra already had it ready. "To what end?"

It might have seemed like a vague question, and would have been to a Human or one of The Folk, but to a Spirit, all actions have a purpose, and the demand to understand 'the end' of a course of thought or action is to peel away all layers of subterfuge, double-meaning, and misdirection to find out the pure, unadulterated Purpose, with a capital P. In the end, Tahra was demanding to know what it wanted out of its visit at the most fundamental level.

For a number of reasons, the Spirit's answer told her everything and more. "I want to learn about love."

To one not initiated with the way of Spirits, the answer would have seemed simple... almost basic, but to an Urthwyfe with years of experience, it hinted at a much less casual purpose. Spirits had no interest in emotion, which meant that it was interested in the act itself. Spirits didn't engage in copulation for reproduction, or even for the enjoyment of the act; if a Spirit coupled with a mortal it was to absorb spirit energy from them. The Spirit in front of her WAS hunting The Folk, thus it was her job to learn if it was a predator or a parasite and, if it was the latter, just how harmful it was.

Keeping all of those thoughts to herself, she offered a pleasant smile. "You want to learn about love? That sounds sweet."

Again, not a lie, since it did indeed SOUND sweet if she didn't know better. It was a filler comment, and an indication that the Spirit would have a chance to ask her a question. Further proof that it was no notice or innocent was readily available when it took the hint and jumped right into its next question, which also spoke volumes. "I thought that mortals were scared of spirits. Why are you not afraid?"

Tahra filed away that question as another step in building up an image of the kind of Spirit she had met; few Spirits would call attention to something like fear or threat because they would not want to give a mortal any reason to feel any emotion other than what they wanted them feeling, and she was quite sure that the Spirit with whom she spoke didn't want her to be afraid, so that meant...

She adjusted her plan. "I am used to being around beings not like myself. I am a Human among The Folk-- that is like being a Forest Spirit that lives among Desert Spirits. It is not in my nature to be afraid of those unlike me."

The Lynx woman raised an eyebrow as her whiskers quirked upward. "Is that why you did not want me presenting myself as a male Human? Do you prefer those unlike you?"

Tahra didn't miss the fact that it was asking another question before she could; perhaps it thought it could sneak one it, or maybe it was testing her,or perhaps it WAS as naiive as it was trying to suggest it was. The Urthwyfe, however, was growing increasingly sure that the third option was not the case. "I believe it's my turn for a question, not yours."

The Spirit-as-Lynx gave all the signs of embarrassment that she would expect for a mortal, but the fact that the Spirit was showing them meant it was all for show since Spirits didn't experience emotions like mortals. That spoke even more to her rapidly growing understanding of what she was facing. She realized it was time to play into the Spirit's hands and take the interaction to its conclusion. "Why do you want to know about love?"

The Lynx's eyes gleamed in the dim light as the Spirit offered a soft, muted answer. "Spirits do not know of love, and so we must turn to the mortals to learn."

Tahra was not surprised by its follow up question, which was not a repeat of its doubled-up one. With a plaintive tone, the Lynx looked up at her. "Will you show me?"

Offering as mild a smile as she could manage, the Urthwyfe had the Spirit right where she wanted it. "Of course, friend... of course."