Take me for what I am (Past RP)

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie worked immediately. She had her weapon trained on the other buck, aimed right at it's head. She could almost smell the meat from there. They could use it's hide to make gloves too! And then, when winter came and they were all set, she could steal away on a star ship with the one she loved. She could explore the Galaxy that for all these years, she'd only dreamed about. She would finally start living!

The second his arrow hit the first creature, Rawnie pulled the trigger. A loud bang and there was a bloody hole in the head of the second one. The herd at once started to scatter, but it was too late. They'd taken down two. Enough for her, for how late it was. She called this a victory.

"Mal, good hit!" she complemented through the comms, "but we can't linger here much longer. We're already cutting it really close with the time."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

There was a wide smile on his face when the arrow struck home. Especially considering it was a rather long range shot for him. The buck would run, but it certainly wouldn't get far. Not with the way his arrow had punctured both its lungs. Pulling out his electrobinoculars, he scanned the area where they had been. The herd had melted into the treeline, but there was one buck that had been dropped instantly. From the looks of it, by a head shot. "Nice shot yourself, cyar'ika!" The tone of his voice filled with both excitement and pride.

Standing up, he withdrew another arrow to knock in. "All right, let's bag 'em and tag 'em. Once we got 'em tied up in the trees, we can bring our speeders down for a---" His voice suddenly cut out as he was slammed from behind by a huge Mandalorian wolf.

Spoiler

His helmet went flying as he let out an "oof" of sorts when he was pounced to the ground. The large wolf was nomming on his armor trying to rip a chunk off while three more wolves were closing in fast to help. "Pabida gurire ni gar calyarnr!" The hunter now turned prey growled angrily, as he thrashed around like a gator performing it's death rolls trying to get off his stomach. When Malcom was finally able to get a foot hold, he forced his way up and sunk the shaft of the arrow he was still holding deep into the side of the first wolf.

As the predator let go and yelped a pained cry, one of its brothers closed in and snapped at Malcom's leg. The man was suddenly missing his rifle...

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

CRACK!

One shot rang through the snowy hillside. Rawnie growled at the wolves, fierce as one herself. White hair whipped through the wind. She'd abandoned her helmet for the moment, knowing she'd get a better shot without it bothering her. She came skidding down the hillside from the spot she'd been watching from. Her face was a snarl, her deep, dark gray eyes were wild. This was just like when she was a child, when her and her brother had encountered the wolves in the forest. But this time, she had the claws.

Her shot hit one of them on the shoulder and it went down, but was not dead. It whimpered, but still tried to close in. Rawnies feet hit the solid ground below now. She raised her rifle again, taking careful aim at the wolf that had bitten into her lover. He was injured already, but now, he was about to be dead. She did not hesitate. The instant she had a clear shot, she took it.

"Olaror bal pabida ni!"

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

As the one with the arrow shaft in it backed off, Malcom prepared to get hit again by a third. At least until a bullet came whizzing past him and slammed into it. The beast tearing into his leg though, threatened to knock him off balance. So instead, the Mando "fell" on top of it to knock it off balance.

Pinning it with his knee across his neck, he withdrew the bowie style knife from his other leg holster and drove it into the predators chest. With a quick twist of his wrist, the wolf let go as it now simply struggled to get away. No such escape would be forth coming however. Not after the injury it inflicted on the now angry hunter. With nearly the entire pack now dead or injured, those that were able, fled the scene.

The entire interaction was over almost as quickly and unexpectedly as it had begun. Withdrawing his blade from the now still corpse, he wiped the blood off on a pelt and shot a glance toward Rawnie. "Well that was....unexpected. Thanks for the assist." He added with a wink and a slightly pained smirk as he rose to his feet. "I guess that's what I get for not paying attention to my surroundings a bit more." Looking around at all the animal bodies that suddenly seemed to be filling up the pass, he let out a small laugh. "I think we may have enough food now."

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie was... less than pleased with the outcome though. She;d failed. She was supposed to be the lookout! How did she not see this coming? She stared for a long time at the the corpse of the thing she shot. One of two. The other two had gotten away, but she had no doubt that they would be watching them. Wolves out here never forgot a face.
She took a deep breath.... then aimed an angry kick at the dead beast. She kicked it once, twice, three times, then stepped back, gritting her teeth.

"I failed you, Mal," she said icily, pulling her furs up over her shoulders again, "I was supposed to watch out for you from there. I had the high ground. I had the best view. But I didn't see them. I failed and you could have died because of it."

True, there was a ton of tree cover, and true that the snow falling from the sky now had somewhat clouded the view down there. It was easy to miss the threat until it was too late out here. But to her, that was no excuse. There was no forgiveness from the dead, and that could have been Mal. He could have died. And it would have been her fault.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

As she closed in and began to beat the dead animal, he limped on over with a warm caring smile. "Easy there, snow angel." He said calmly as he reached out for her arms to keep her attention and from pacing all over the place. "You failed no one. It was my order for you to watch the herd was it not? Besides..." He said while staring into her beautiful blue eyes. "...if it wasn't for you, I'm not so sure I'd of been able to handle that many of them on my own. Then it would be me lieing on the floor there."

Placing a hand under her chin, he tilted her head up to his and gave her a kiss. It was then he realized how close things could come. Fine one moment, but then could be gone the next. Mal had always been a straight forward kind of guy. What you saw was what you got. Very much an open book. But one thing he had still not been completely honest about with her. And reflecting on it now, he didn't want to lose his opportunity. So he spoke again.

"Bid da'ha par bruk ner jibr. Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar."

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

He'd caught her off guard with the kiss. She went still as a frozen lake, eyes still wide open, fearful as his mouth pressed against hers. All she could think about was his body laying there. Just the idea of it terrified her. She hated being afraid. She hated worrying about someone like this. She hated how much she was shaking and how his touch absolutely melted her.

He pulled away, looking into her eyes. She stared back, stormy grey eyes focused only on him now. She read his lips, heard his words, but it did not register. Not for a good long minute.

"...Mar'e!"

At last!

She surprised herself with her response. It came out in a sigh, as if she'd honestly been waiting forever to hear that. She found her cheeks going red. She cleared her throat awkwardly, giving him a weak punch to the shoulder.

"I-I mean... you were kinda obvious about it, Di'kut."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom chuckled at her very Rawnie response and winked. "Really!?" He asked feigning utter shock and amazement. "Damn....here I thought I had been keeping it so well hidden." With his own light punch to her shoulder, he nodded with his head toward the animals laying all around them. "Come we need to get these taken care of so we can get the kriff out of here." Lowering his small pack of supplies, he pulled out his med kit as he sat himself down on the cold, icy floor. "First thing first, I suppose."

After taking his armored boot off, he cleaned his wound and bandaged it up the best he could with what he had. With that out of the way and a small wincing expression on his face as he put his boot back on, he leaned over two the wolf and began the task of skinning, cleaning, and bagging it. No sense letting the beautiful animal go to waste. Besides, there was no way he'd let a trophy like that go. As they worked, something worried him. Glancing down at his torn up leg, he sighed.

"Hey Rawnie...we might have a bit of a problem. I'm never going to make it back to the speeders before night fall with this leg. I'm thinking you should head back once we get these animals prepped. You'll make better time without me. Just come back for me in the morning." He finished with a laugh. The man wasn't a fool. He knew very well how cold it was going to get in a short time. There was no reason in the galaxy they should both risk exposure. With the wolf pack having been dealt with, it was highly unlikely she'd face any more predators in the area.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

"Are you crazy?"

Her tone was very flat. It was an honest question, not a hint of sarcasm. She was truly wondering now. If he thought for a second she would leave him behind, even if he hadn't just confessed his love to her, he was honestly a mad man and he needed to be locked up immediately. She stopped what she was doing, set the half skinned cacas aside as well as her favorite knife and grabbed him roughly by the front of his armor.

"Don't you dare ever suggest I leave you behind again. Do you understand me?"

She was very serious. Almost angry. She didn't care how dark it was. She was the child who'd been kissed by winter, damn it! She could handle it! She'd give him her furs, build a fire. He would get through the night. She would make him survive, even if just by sheer force of will!

"Come on. Leave the kills. You're more important than the meat. If I get here really early tomorrow, I might be able to salvage something."

Maybe. It got cold enough that most of the scavengers would not be around at night anyway. There was a chance that she could come back in the morning and still save it. It was better take that chance than leave a man to freeze to death.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

"Cyar'ika." He still said calmly. "I can't make it up that hill. We were running downhill when we got here. I wouldn't be able to make half that time going back up. Besides, over my dead body am I abandoning the kills and losing the chance to steal you away this winter. I'll stay here and guard the prize." Malcom added with a smirk, her dark serious expression not banishing his positive outlook. She was stubborn, but so was he. It was doubtful either would yield on this point.

He did allow a small sigh to escape his lips. The man knew she'd never agree to do the smart thing and head back to the speeders. Not without him at least, no matter what he said. "If you really insist on not leaving. Then how about this. Let's get these animals finished and stowed away. Then we'll make a shelter and get a fire going. A little winters chill won't kill us." He may not have said it as forcefully as she, but she'd no from his look that he wasn't about to budge from his position either.

She could either stay and help him survive, or she could do what he actually wanted and leave him behind to ensure her safety for the evening.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

"...You work on the kills then," she relented with a sigh, "And I'll start on the fire."

So stupid. She knew this was a bad idea. But the way he looked at her, his promises... She felt herself melting again when his declaration rang through her ears. She was blushing. As she walked back into the woods to gather firewood, she scooped up her helmet and put it back on. There. No more obvious emotions! She collected branches, bark, anything that she might be able to set alight for a few hours until morning. She had little to work with for shelter out here too though. But on the back of her speeder, she did have an emergency kit, and there was a tarp in there. She could make a tent. It wouldn't keep them much warmer, but it would at least keep the wind and falling snow off of them.
She returned with a nice stack of wood, and her kit.

"Mal... Um, thank you, by the way," she said, arranging her firewood, "For, err... trying to help me."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

He gave her a quick nod. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get this done." Though he brimmed with confidence, he wasn't delusional. It wasn't going to be a cake walk, surviving this night. But with her by his side, he truly was confident they could make it through ok. Her blushing as she turned away did not escape his notice. The Mando tough woman was a hard one to get too. But under her tough outer shell, she was a warm and loving woman. It was times like that, that it would be known to those that knew her that their was more than just a cool calculating soldier. Malcom didn't say anything about it though. Being aware of her dislike for outwardly showing emotion at times like this, he wasn't wanting to annoy her. And while she may not have said she loved him back, he knew it from that look in her eye.

His smile faded a bit as he got back to work, his own realistic outlook coming to the fore. At least they'd be able to use the furs here to keep warm. Wouldn't smell all that great right now, but it was better than being cold. As the hides froze up over night, it would cut down on that anyway. As they both worked, a long howl could be heard in the distance. The tell tale sign that the wilderness of Mandalore still belonged to the wild. Slowly dragging the wolves over to where the Shatual were, he finished gutting them and bagging them up. Throwing a line over the branch of a tall tree, he hauled up the pieces so they were well above the floor. With the hides in hand, he moved back over to where Rawnie had been setting up the wood for the fire.

As Malcom approached and heard her comment, he gave a light chuckle. "Yeah.....didn't quite work out as planned did it? Still, you're welcome." He was simply glad she was willing to accept his help. Limping a bit toward her, but never complaining about his leg, he held up the furs in one hand and some scraps from the animals. "I figure the furs we can use for tonight, a few pieces of meat for food, and some fat to help get the fire going and keep it going."

By this time, the sun was just past under the horizon. It would only be a few more minutes now till the light failed and the stars would come out to replace it. The temperature was also giving plenty evidence of this fact, as the slight chill in the air intensified.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

She stacked the wood s best she could, hoping she'd found pieces that were dry enough to burn. She nodded in response to his suggestions that they use fat to get the fire burning. Together, they really did make a great team. She pulled out a lighter, stood up, and went to grab a glob of the greasy fat to start her fire with. It worked well and soon they had a source of both light and heat to keep them going. Now they just needed a tent.

By the time she had gotten around to trying to set up a makeshift tent with the tarp, the sun was completely gone over the horizon and snow had started to fall in big chunky flakes. She bit her lip behind her helmet. This was bad. It wasn't supposed to snow like this. And the wolves were howling. She shook her head, working with tree branches and the tarp to set up a structure for the night.

"Mal, are you about finished over there?" she asked, shivering, "I'm done over here."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom had glanced up at the sky to see that it wasn't stars that had come out, but a freak winter storm. "Of course...." He grumbled quietly to himself. Sometimes he wondered if there wasn't some higher being in the universe sent to piss him off. While she had been pitching the tent close to the fire, Malcom had been clearing the snow underneath and gathering as many pine needles as he could scrounge up. With the snow out of the way, he placed the pine needles underneath and inside the shelter forming a sort of soft-ish matt layer. On top of that he laid out one of the larger Shatual hides to serve as a barrier between them and the cold ground.

Meanwhile, with the snow he had cleared out, he started gently piling up against her branch and tarp structure to form a thicker "wall". The fast falling snowflakes would quickly take care of the rest. As she spoke and caught his attention. A slight look of sadness fell across his face as he caught the fact that she was shivering through her words. Why couldn't she have left him behind? Course Malcom also knew if the roles had been reversed, he wouldn't of left either. But that didn't make it any easier for him to see his baby now slowly freezing in the harsh Mandalorian weather. Slowly moving over to her, he ran his hands up and down her arms quickly to get her warmed up some.

"Aye. Well just about. Come, sit by the fire." Directing her to sit inside the tent by the fire, he then wrapped her in the two sets of wolf pelts. Shrugging off the pain and the cold as best he could, he began to move the other pieces of wood she had set aside to form a semi circle around the entrance to their tent. This way the fire would spread to the areas and cover the entrance with a wall of flames. How effective it would be against the ravenous wolves still out there....only time could tell. But hopefully it would help. "Ready for something to eat?"

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Even with the furs she wore, nothing could really fully protect her from the harsh winter storm after dark. He ran his hands up and down her body. He was trying to warm her. His touch was to aid her in survival. It had the desired effect, but not for the reason he probably thought. Still, she said nothing about it. Not until he mentioned food.
Her stomach growled in response and she gave a weak nod, settling by the fire. She was used to eating very little. She often skipped meals, just to make sure everyone else was eating well enough. She was stronger than most of her people were now. Half of their village were children with one or both parents dead from the last war. But there were no orphans in Clan Tal'verda. They were all adopted, taken care of, loved. But that meant there were less adults around now to care for the growing number of kids. Made it hard to keep up.

"Mal? Can I talk to you?" she asked hesitantly, "It's just... we come out here a lot, but we don't get much of a chance to just... talk."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

He flashed a smile across his face and gave her a reassuring nod that food was on the way. "Don't worry. It's coming. Fortunately that is one item we are not in short supply of." He finished with a smirk while skewering a strip of meat like a shishkabob and leaning it over the fire. It was a shame they wouldn't be able to season it properly. But it was better than starving out here in the freezing cold.

When she asked if she could talk with him, he suddenly got a nervous sensation in the pit of his stomach. What had he done? He was obviously sorry about letting his attention slip for the attack....but at the same point, Malcom didn't think this would have warranted that kind of start to a conversation. However, with not being able to think of anything he had done, he simply raised a curious eyebrow in her direction and nodded. "Of course, cyar'ika. What's up?"

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring at the roasting meat. The flames licked at the chunks of dead animal, sizzling blood dripped and evaporated in the flames.

"Mal, did you mean what you said earlier?"

She did not elaborate on what she was talking about. He would know. Or he wouldn't. Maybe she'd misheard? She was starting to think she had. She knew he had feelings for her. They kissed often. Considered themselves a 'couple'. But neither of them had said those words before. Her people never said anything without fully meaning it. Life was short for them. They lived honestly, because there was simply no time to play games.

"Because.... well, because me too."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

A smile played on his face as he recalled the expression on hers when he told her. "Mhmm." Was all he'd say in reply at first while he continued to rotate the makeshift skewer of Shatual meat over the fire. Instead, he opted to simply listen without further interruption, curious to see where she had decided to take this.

Fortunately Malcom did not have to wait long. Her reciprocated declaration of love for him warmed his heart. While she may not have had to say it for him to know, it was still nice to hear. Turning toward her with that warm smile she would know he only gave to her, the same smile she would see years later in fact, but sadly under much different circumstances. "I know." Was all he said a bit mischievously as he leaned over and lightly bumped her shoulder with his.

"And I'll always be there for you. Whenever you may need me." He finished with a wink. It was funny, at that moment, he felt like they would be together till the end of their days. Even through the times when they would stubbornly disagree with one another. They had been a good team growing up. And Malcom didn't see that ever changing now.

Happily gazing at her beautiful features accented by the flames of their fire as the reached out for the sky, he also realized he could see himself making her his wife some day. But this was not that day. For now, he went back to finishing up the first piece of meat which he promptly offered to her when finished.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

She'd given him the least graceful confession of love she'd ever heard of, and yet he still smiled at her with that smile of his. That smile that reached into her very soul and wrapped it's fingers around her heart every single time she saw it. A smile just for her, and she knew it.

She took the skewered meat that he offered to her with a nod of thanks. While they ate, the makeshift campsite fell into silence. That was alright. They did not need to speak. Everything was out in the open now. Rawnies future was clearer than ever. This winter, she would leave with him. She would travel with him. Then she would ask him to take the vows with her if they were both still alive a year from then. They could marry between their villages, perhaps on the bridge that connected the spots of land separated by the river? It seemed appropriate. She would wear carved uxi horn in her hair and have her armor repainted.

It was not like Rawnie to daydream, but when she was with Mal, every day was already a dream.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

While finishing up his portion of the meat he had brought over, his mind went over the events of the day. What had happened, what was said. His body then involuntarily shivered as he could no longer stand the cold, even with the fire nearby. Fortunately, it was slowly building as the flames set more pieces of wood alight. Reaching over for the last Shatual pelt, be wrapped himself up in it.

It was then a rather boyish grin worked its way onto his face. "You know..." He started off innocently as a hand affectionately moved up and down her back. "... there's more than one way we could stay warm out here..." He let the comment linger there as he played back a bit and shot her a playful smirk. "Just sayin'." Malcom finished with in insinuating low laugh.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]