Law of the Jungle

[Kratacos]

Shili, Grasslands.

Vraukt was a killer.

The Pureblood species were more or less killers as well. It was known that the Dark Side of the Force cultivated feelings of hate, fed off of it, corrupted its users and changed them in more ways than one. But the Force could also be used to conceal those changes, at least on the physical aspect.

Vraukt, a Sith, was in no way capable of concealing himself in any way other than in the physical plane, and that was using shadows and masking his scent.

He may have been taught to serve, bred to do it even, but he was still a hunter.

As he saw it, the Sith species were born with the Dark Side. It wasn't something that was viewed as a perversion to them, rather, it was a way of life. War, had been the way things had gone in the Ancient Sith Empires of Old. Constant war. Tribes and nations of Purebloods fought each other for supremacy until the Sith King Adas brought them all to heel and ruled for three hundred years.

Though, that name was long forgotten. He was only a myth now, perhaps even a diety in some circles.

Vraukt knew many who aspired to such levels.

Vraukt didn't care for such levels of notoriety. He sought to keep to himself, and to do what he enjoyed, which was, killing.

The Togrutan people were a passionate, aggressive people. Warriors that lived off of the land they inhabited. A species to respect no doubt, though Vraukt had yet to meet a Togrutan himself. He swung down from a branch and dropped to the rainforest floors.

Killers were hunters - predators.

And Vraukt was all of those.

The darkly clad Pureblood was clad in his typical dark robings, though he had already shed his hooded cloak and other unnecessary accessories long before.

Vraukt was on the hunt, and he could see the tracks on the forest floor.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

"ftue...easy"

she'd speak the word in basic right after saying it in Togruti. She'd been tracking this beast for the longest...so much so that it took her South, away from her home. In the pack, every able Togruta was expected to contribute his or her own share...and as a daughter of a Sachim, a chief, she was expected to be pass this test with flying colors. Stealth, had become second nature...and as she hid behind the shrubs...she heard a thump and expected it to be her kill.

A step...another...she slowly approached the edge of the grass just as the tip of its blade scratched at the edge of her skin.

Her breath grew still, she inhaled, and waited for the precise time.

"'eko!"

She sprang upward from her position and with grace and speed she emerged from the shrubs with her spear drawn. Her arms came back as she wound the weapon in attempt to throw it at her target. But to her surprise, it wasn't anything of the sort. Gripping her weapon and rolling along the ground as gravity pulled her down. She looked up at the red being before her. His skin crimson...similar to some of those of her species...but he was not one of them.

Her soft face, and exotic pigmentation would become visible while her amber eyes would contrast; they stood out, they always did. She sighed, and cursed it. She looked around and began to pace.

Glaring at the man she turned to look at the tracks...deciding not to say a word.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt could sense something in the shrubbery. Through the Force he could tell that it had some sense, at least enough to be considered sentient. But he couldn't tell as to what it was. He doubted it was the animal he was looking for, this being was much too small for that, that much he could tell by the amount of rustling in the shrubs.

His hand brushed over the Sith lanvarok on his wrist patiently, slowing down to a stop as he waited.

There was a tense moment of silence...

And then a purple skinned being came lurching out of the forest itself and he lurched backwards, arm shooting up to send a stream of the Force through the Sith Lanvarok, a swarm of the discs heading for the togruta at a quick pace just as she began turning around! In this instance, he was reactive, instead of proactive. A mistake that they'd both likely pay for... Maybe.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

Her spatial awareness had already surveyed the area by time she turned around, she could feel his reaction just as he was making it and when she did she rolled to the side as two disc cut her upper thigh and shoulder. Falling to the ground she grimaced in pain for a second before squirming around on the ground to look at at her attacker.

Granted, she was sure to have startled him...and they both made the mistake of attack one another thinking it was something else. A soft moan and grunt as she pushed herself up. Her shoulder wound wasn't that deep by the gash on her thigh stung entirely in pain whenever she tried to put weight down on it.

She was bred since birth to be a hunter...these were things that were expected but...

Soft panting, she sat there looking up at him with obvious irritation on her face. However, even when she was mad it never appeared that way; Her face was much too soft, and no one ever took her serious.

She cursed as she gripped her thigh wound to apply pressure.

"Vrrtep!" She said softly, as her exotic speech became prevalent, "Red demon!"

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Watched as she tucked and rolled. The discs were fired sporadically, and although there was a part of him that felt guilty about his sudden reaction, seeing her coming out of it alive gave him reason to not care that much anymore.

He frowned as she called him a red demon however, and that was when he wrestled the Sith Lanvarok off of his shoulder and strode towards her. Without discs, it was useless. The insult wasn't one that truly hurt him, but it was the fact that she sought to do so. Allowing her to get away with it would set her up for failure with other, stronger Purebloods. He would be doing her favour by hurting her.

"Mistake," he said simply as he dashed forwards, regardless of the spear or not. It appeared...

That Vraukt had no care for his own safety.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

A wound she could suffice with, annoyed that it would impede her hunt. Her nostrils flared as she gripped her spear and held it out in front of her as he dashed forward. She initially tried to hop up with a speedy recovery as many of her species could but the pressure she placed on her leg was too soon. She fell back down but persisted in holding her own if it came to this.

She did not know this being...and she could not read his intentions. Why he'd continue to come for her was beyond her but she guess it was to cause her more harm.

Releasing her hand from the bloody wound, she gripping her spear with both hands. "Stay back red devil!" her soft voice cut through the glade.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt appeared to be deadset on taking the girl out. When he spotted something move in the trees behind her however, he immediately tried tracking where all of his discs had gone off to. Finding out in mere moments that it was going to be impossible, he came short of the Togruta's range of the spear and used his right hand to attempt to throw her with the Force out of the way of the quadrupedal beast that came bursting out of the trees.

Vraukt himself wasn't sure why he was attempting to save her, especially since she surprised him, though he was interested in the Togruta species. It did seem as if the two had never encountered their respective species before.

They could learn from each other....

Perhaps.

Also, he did feel a little guilty.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

He appeared set in his actions, and she was prepared for where it would lead them. Then she felt it, the trembles beneath her and movements from behind her. Before she could turn around, she was tossed aside by some invisible force. Rolling off to the side just before she was trampled, she'd pushed up with her arms to perch herself up.

The beast she'd been tracking, had appeared and disappeared just like that. She cursed it all again. Sitting herself up, she ripped a strip of cloth from her garbs and proceeded with wrapping her wound up. Tying the knot, she bit down on her lip as the pain shot through the length of her leg, but soon the pressure would take over. Taking a breath, she pushed herself up with the aid of her spear and turned to the man just a few feet away.

She stared at him, and there was a very long pause full of silence.

She knew it was his work that saved her life, was he some sort of Jedi...like the ones from the tales. Pfft...

"Irayo...thank you" She said softly, lowering her head. She had to force it...because really she was angry that he'd cost her kill twice...She looked down at the ground below before turning and beginning to walk in the direction the beast went.

She hadn't known what else to say...or do. Really she wanted to get back...and so she needed to return to her mission.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt had been forced to dive off to the side as well just as the beast went crashing through their clearing and then through the other side - specifically in the direction of where Vraukt's ship was. Though, that was still almost a days walk off, he wasn't sure as to how fast, or far the beast could travel within a single day.

Like most hunters, it appeared to pace according to the speed of its prey.

That attack just now...

Vraukt pushed up to his feet, much sooner than [member="Paa'lee"] as she was forced to use her spear.

We have become the prey.

The realization was quick. The beast had decided to become the apex predator.

It was Vraukt, or the beast, and his orange hued orbs swept over to the Togruta... And to how she seemed intent on following the beast...

She's going to die.

"Stop." He said, a layer of firmness following the words as he spoke the words in Basic. His words were hard, gruff. He didn't speak this language. It felt... Uncivilized. He imagined the girl felt the same. But he forced himself to recall the words. "Work together." He said. He hoped the suggestive tone he sought to apply to his words shined through the hoarse accent.

 

[Paa'lee]

Her next step saw her foot stop just before colliding with the ground, eventually it did but much slower. She stopped, but she did not turn to face him. Looking up, there was another brief moment of silence before she finally decided to turn and face him. From his tone she didn't get the impression that him stopping her would be for some useful reason.

"What?" her lips parted to speak this soft word.

He suggested they work together, she applied pressure to her bite and her jaws squirmed as they tensed. An inhale, followed by an exhale. "Work together?" she repeated, sure she got that it was a suggestion but at this point she didn't think there was anything he could do that could help, he'd only get in her way.

She felt the throbbing in her leg, and surely a group would work better. But he was a stranger...

"Fine..." she agreed, as it was in her nature to make this work, them as a group. Then she could return home. "Za'u...Come." she walked off

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt nodded.

Into the Force his consciousness went to attempt to find something familiar, to find the beast that had just attempted to ambush them. When he found nothing, he was left with a frown on his face and he'd try again every few steps. [member="Paa'lee"] would've been slow, and his steps were long, he'd only need a light jog to catch up because of it.

"Your name." He apparently lacked the necessary enunciation when he spoke Basic to showcase as to whether he was proclaiming a statement, or asking a question. His words were still gruff, aggressive even. Oh, how he hated this simple language.

 

[Paa'lee]

She looked over at him, and shook her head when her gaze returned back onto the path they were on. "You need not know my name..." she said softly, he was still a stranger and had even injured her. She couldn't get past the slight irritation that twisted inside her stomach. As her words trailed off, she finished the statement with "Red devil..."

Her walk had a small limp in it. She'd gotten use to the pain, but too much weight would make it sting to where she remembered that she had it.

"The Akul knows...he is also hunting us. It will not be too long before he attacks again" She said looking forward. "We must catch it before it catches us..."

These beast were growing more erratic in their behavior lately, so perhaps her rites of passage were happening at the wrong time?

Her father always said, nothing ever happened by coincidence...so for her to have met this man must mean something...

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt grunted as he wrapped his arm around her waist, whether she accepted it or not. She moved slowly, and with him lagging behind her how he was, it was bound for the Akul to realize what was going on and would snatch her life out from underneath her. It was time to hurry up, he had decided. They needed to get back to the cover of trees, leave the grasslands behind.

They couldn't hunt in this terrain.

"This way," he would've counseled. "Too weak." He said. His mouth opened again, forming the necessary words, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He wouldn't apologize to her. Not yet, not until she saved him in turn, which he figured was impossible. He was ever observant.

"Tree line. Better." It was for the best to speak swiftly and simply, for the both of them.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

He grunted and she turned to look at him but before she could even fully shift in her stance, a shallow breath escaped her as he gripped her by the waist. Well he was strong enough to lift her, but she wasn't that heavy to begin with anyway. Disoriented, she finally found the energy to open her mouth and speak,

"Vrrtep!" she spoke in her native tongue, looking up at him she wondered just exactly what he was. "Kllte! Put me down!" she spoke struggling in his grip which seemed almost useless.

"Your going to get us killed!" after a moment she stopped struggling and began to look up at the canopies above as they began to form. She forgot in the moment that she had even been snatched. She still didn't understand.

He mentioned that the tree line was better, perhaps, but she was just too frustrated to even pay attention. All he was doing to her was getting in her way.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt shook his head at [member="Paa'lee"], though he remained silent as he made for the tree line. She could make all the complaints she wanted, but even as she did so, he'd draw upon his frustration and annoyance in the Force to push him along faster. Purebloods had a denser bone and muscle structure than other humanoids. He may not have been as bulky as some as other species, or as big, but there was a strong chance he was just as strong, if not stronger than them as he moved.

Once they got underneath the first tree, he paused, leaning under it and holding her close, apparently unbeknownst of the almost intimate embrace he had upon her.

"It's circling us," he said, orange hues sweeping around to look for any sign of the Akul. There was rustling all around them, smaller creatures escaping the area. Whether they were leaving because of the Akul, or because of the two humanoids, it was a mystery, but they vacated the area just as suddenly as they had arrived.

Within the Force, he could sense from her that she too had the ability. But he made no mention of it, not directly as he said, "Can... You speak to it? Sense it?" He hoped she understood. All the words he spoke were simple enough for him, the household he grew up in almost always alternating between Basic and High Sith, though he had almost never taken part in it. He was a loner, an outcast in that family. A fist clenched and his right arm spasmed at a memory before he cradled it close.

"Rest here."

It seemed as if he was taking charge for once.

 

[Paa'lee]

She glared at him, she truly did not understand his methods and he failed to explain them. He held her close, and it was her attempt to pull away. She didn't know him, and it was slightly awkward for them to be so close to one another in this moment of all moments. Hearing the rustling and sensing the movements all around them through her spatial awareness she turned and look as things grew silent.

She took in the air around them, tighten her grip around her weapon as her eyes too bounced throughout vicinity. He asked questions that she didn't quite understand.

"Speak to what? What do you mean sense it?" Her abilities hadn't quite been made obvious to her yet, but there was things she could do that others could not.

She turned to him, "Rest?" a breath escaped her lips, "What are you about to do?"

He was getting on her nerves, this wasn't teamwork...

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt listened, quiet, he sought out the Akul on the physical plane. Rustling in the grass and the brush, anything that could be found as a sign, but when he found that he heard nothing, the Sith Pureblood slowly nodded to himself, grumbling softly in the tongue of his people before he swept his orange hued orbs to the Togruta. He parted from her, letting her support herself as he eyed that spear and the hastily made tourniquet that she had made earlier to bandage up her wound. He tilted his head as he said.

They were under the cover of trees.

This treeline was relatively thick, the trees close together but thick, the thought hadn't occurred to Vraukt, but if the Akul wanted to, it culd've likely smashed through the line of trees that currently protected them from all angles and into their small clearing. His gaze swept upwards, eyebrow stalks thick as he frowned, almost as if he expected to see the Akul descending upon them from the sky itself. In truth, he was thinking back to his journeys on Korriban, how he had hunted terentatek in tombs belonging to Sith Lords long since past, and even sith hounds that roamed the halls of the Korriban Academy, and the winged beasts that made the many tombs of long forgotten Sith Lords their homes.

"Can you climb?" A hand rose up to the trees above them. "I will lay in wait down here," he said as he lowered into a crouch. "When it is upon me, you will slay it."

The Pureblood didn't have a mind for tactics. Not like other Sith and Sith Lords out there. No, the way he had been trained to fight was to fight alongside other Sith. And Sith fought for themselves. That was a lesson the young humanoid had learned for himself early on in his household. There were no friendships amongst Sith, for your supposed friends would always attempt to one up you. There was just... The race to who could be free of their earthly tethers first.

[member="Paa'lee"]

 

[Paa'lee]

She reached out for his hand as he rose it, gently, she lowered it. Looking at him, she thought she had an idea for what he wanted to do. She took a breath and withdrew her hand before she parted her lips. "No, I stay...you climb." she looked down at her leg...obviously he was in a better position to do it than she was. She was wounded already, not seriously but it would be pointless for her to make the climb.

"I'll lure the beast...when it gets here you take it down." She handed him the spear, She'd be able to sense it naturally anyway before it even got to her; she could cue him.

Honestly, she wasn't about to negotiate, or let him force her into it. Her facial expression was honest, determined, and whether he cared about those things anyway she hoped he would agree. They were strangers, but now they'd have to work together and in cohesion. It was the best way to tackle these beast.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

So she wanted to be the bait.

Vraukt didn't care.

He took the spear, and tossed it from hand to hand, testing its weight and balance before he nodded his head and leapt up into the trees with a force aided jump. He felt more comfortable being the one who dealt the killing blow anyway. He was a hunter himself, and in his mind, much more than this alien with a purple complexion.

Once he was high enough in the trees with a clear vision on the girl, he waited.

Minutes would past, it'd feel like hours, and the sun would start to dip below the treeline...

And that was when the beast entered the clearing.

[member="Paa'lee"]