Searching the woods

It is well into the night when Ysabel wanders deeper into the forest than she usually does, past all familiar burrows and hiding places to where the walking trails are far between and the ground uneven. She is not in a hurry; her eyes do not see in the darkness and she manages mostly by her other senses as well as her knowledge of these woods from her human days. Then too, she had spent some time walking, especially in the spring when the blossoms were fragrant. It saddened her that she would never see their full colour again.

She is wearing her usual cloak, buty the hood is not up, nor does she disguise herself. She moves fairly quietly, but not with the aid of arcane powers. Now and then she stops, listening, and deliberately leaves a clear track of her passing such as a broken twig or a deep footprint. To a good tracker, it should be apparent that those trails are left on purpose, as she otherwise knows how to move discreetly. She is in no hurry, sick-sacking through the area to cover ground, as she has no idea where to start looking. She does also keep an eye out for any recongizeable markings that this is the territory of a big predator.

Ysabel walks for a very long time, perhaps wondering if she is in the wrong part of the woods? Animals are sometimes heard, and when noticing you they run away or takes flight. Then there is that uncertainty of what she is in fact searching for? A Gangrel commonly has three shapes after all, two of them animal shapes. They are beasts, nightly predators stalking their territory, at least that is what she has heard of them.

Suddenly, she feels a calm, the woods around her seems still, yet full of life, reminding her of the beauty God has created. She hears the song of nightly birds, and flapping of white wings nearby seems to reflect the moonlight. The peace, the serenity, affects her very mood, and she feels no need to fear, no fight, not even the animals lurking in the shadows seems a threat, and neither do they seem to fear her. A boar runs out of the bushes, seemingly playing with a squirrel, and yes, it is a play, not a fight. Here, the peace of God and his angels seems strong.

Another animal approaches, a big one this time, you hear it before seeing its shape, yet you feel no need to be alarmed. Out from the forestry a big red stag walks out, watching you, standing almost impossibly still. The sense of peace seems to emanate from the stag, there is almost something divine to it, as if touched by angels.

She blinks slowly, taking in the calm and the beauty. Not resentful, or even wistful as many other Nosferatu when facing beauty, but finding pure joy in the experience. That despite what had happened to her, what she now knew of the world, this was possible. Slowly, she begins to smile. It looks strange with her malformed lip, almost like an animal smiling. The teeth revealed look like normal human teeth, though. She keeps her fangs sheathed unless needed.

When the stag appears, her eyes widen in surprise. At first, it does not even occur to her, despite her reason for being here, that it could be anything other than a normal animal. She has not seen one up close like this before. It is indeed majestic. After a few moments, it occurs to her that she has no way of knowing. Either way, she will show the animal courtousness. She is, after all, on its territory.

"Hello, you. This is a nice home you have." She speaks the words in a serious voice.

At first, as words of a sort begin to form in her mind, she thinks is a regular stag. Even rats, after all, can converse in rudimentary ways. Is it a friend of the Gangrel? It takes a moment for the words to make sense. The the remark about her being far from her usual pathways. That is spoken by someone who knows who she is. Surely not a regular stag. It would not know these things.

"No." She shakes her head. "I do not need help. I came out of curiosity, to meet you. And to ask you if I might sometimes also wander these woods." She looks around, still smiling. "I like it in the forest. I gives me a rare bit of peace of mind." She ponders silently for a few moments, before adding: "Also, I do not care for rumours. I like to make up my own mind about things. I understand that you might think me a rival. But I do not wish to be."

She nods at his assertion about wolves. "Yes, I know. I do not seek the wolves. Nor a fight, with them or anyone else, unless necessary."

The comment about her being young and weak said something about the Gangrel's age. Compared to him, it must be true. But for a young one, she was not that weak. She had seen the need to defend herself and her flock early on, knowing other vampires might begrudge her her human friends.

She nods again, preparing to walk in the direction indicated. Then the stag crounches and she frowns, confused. It takes a few moments for her to catch on. Despite the strangeless she had already accepted of being a vampire, of vampires turning into animals, this seemed exceedingly awkward. Not only was it a very strange closeness to have with another being that talked, it was long since she last sat on horseback. She remembered little of the skill and hoped that she would be able to hold on.

She slowly approaches and climbs up with a bit less grace that she had hoped, grabbing fistfuls of fur to hold on to and hugging both flanks with her legs. "Thank you," she murmurs.

Although she had expected the stag to run - why else carry her on his back unless he wanted to move fast? - she was still not prepared for the speed. She quickly had to abandon all notions of staying unobtrusive, clenching her knees tight against the stag's sides, hunching forwards and grabbing the horns for support. If she fell, she would hurt herself quite badly on the rocks. 

She has no grasp of their surroundings, so even though she knows Andorra quite well, she cannot even guess where it is they are going no, direction a blur. After what seems to her as much longer than it probably is, due to the acute discomfort of the ride, suddenly they slow down. She lefts go of the horns and straightens herself up, trying to regain some of her dignity. She looks around, getting her bearings again. Ordino. Mountains. Lush forest.

"I've been to Ordino many times, but I never noticed that small valley. You cannot see if from the village. But that is kind of the point, I suppose?" She starts making calculations in her head on how to get there safely, not using the rocky mountainous path the just came on, avoiding the area he had warned off. She should be able to come here from the village itself. 

She slides down to the ground. "What do you want me to call you?" It would feel weird leaving this encounter without so much as a first name. "I'm Ysabel. But I suspect you know that already."

She smiles as he appears as a man suddenly and nods gravely in greeting at his name. "Nice to meet you, Ramon. And thank you for showing me the unseen boundaries between places. It is good to know. I have stayed close to home for a long time to avoid conflict. But even in Canilo, it will not always be quiet will it?"

At the mention of the Sabbat, her face turns grim. "And not just the mountains, either. It is one of the reasons that I want to move around a bit more. To help keep an eye out. If they should attempt further expansion this way. I realize you already have your eyes out and about, but more eyes are better."

The unexpected change of subject to something more personal makes her start, guilt washing over her face. Was it true? Was she more burden than help, despite her best efforts to protect and help her friends in return for their aid?

"I... do you mean that someone might hurt them to get to me? I've made a point of never giving anyone around here a reason to want to get to me. I have nothing any Kindred value." Her eyes wander to the sky, as if seeking comfort from there. "How does one face what one is without losing everything one was?" she replies quietly.

She shrinks down a bit at the admonishment, hanging her head in shame.

"I know it heals wounds. I have practiced for years now on my control over the hunger. It is as you say; eating frequently makes it easy. Yet, the hunger if a powerful thing. I must have a great control over myself before I would risk the life of one I love, even though the risk is small, it must be lesser yet. Do you have any advice on how to practice self control that I can be the master of the beast at every turn? I do strive to be able to use the bite in the future, for their sake."

She shivers at the mention of the power of the neighbour Sabbat. "What is it that the really want?"