A Timely Visitor... (Open)

[Silas]

Puffs of white cloud hung in the crisp blue sky overhead, the chill in a passing breeze informing everyone of the arrival of the first day of Autumn. The leaves rattled, as if the trees themselves shivered at the prospect of another cycle of seasons. Even so, the leaves themselves remained green and lively, casting light and shadow upon the forest floor, rendering the scene below in a comfortable light, with the sun still hanging high in the sky. Colored by the shade of the leaves, the loamy forest floor stood quiet, with large treetrunks standing guard over the land. The only sounds came from far-off birdsong and the breeze, continually shaking the leaves in a gentle reminder of the changing seasons.

It was upon this scene that a young, tall squirrel walked, quite content with his surroundings, his russet fur warmed by the sun and cooled by the breeze, the earthy scent of the forest all around. Blue eyes looked straight ahead in his direction of travel, however they wandered every so often to the peaceful splendor of Mossflower Wood. The squirrel himself seemed prepared for a peaceful trek through the woods, despite the bow and quiver of arrows slung over one shoulder, a backpack on the other. Though the latter item felt quite light and free of most any provisions, his mood became light and cheerful as he stepped into a small clearing.

"Now where is it... there's the big rock outcrop there..." He murmured to himself, gesturing with an ear to the rock at the other edge of the clearing. He had heard that a large settlement of his own kind, squirrels, were nearby, though as of yet he hadn't seen anybeast at all thus far.

"Oh, that's right. Said head due west after here... Wouldn't hurt to stop for lunch." He continued to murmur thoughtfully. Travelling alone had let him grown accustomed to hearing his own voice, a soft and thoughtful tone, mumbling though he was. The squirrel climbed on top of the rock outcropping, and sat on a level surface to munch on a half loaf of bread, surveying his surroundings observantly, putting his back to the forest and facing the clearing.

[blackfox7]

(How does my lord Silas feel about havin' blackfox join the party? If you want, you can even choose which char! They're all in my sig!)
...(*grins winningly*I suggest Siampre, pleeeease?)

[Silas]

(Oh, I'd be fine with anyone, Blackie 'S why I have the Open thread, doncha know!)

[blackfox7]

(Okie dokie! Thought I'd be polite instead of sorry!)

From deep in the open woodland a parting appeared in the thickets of bedstraws and goldenrods. The furrow was caused by a large, green and black-chevroned serpent, a huge and very ancient adder. The summer was waning--the fruiting time had begun, and the air was still suitable for reptiles to come aboveground.

Siampre's slitted yellow eyes scanned the clearing ahead. It was small, but sunny and the vegetation was lush and dense. His forked, blue-black tongue came out and flickered briefly. There was a heavy scent of squirrel nearby. He felt the tremors. A creature no heftier than a hare, but no smaller than a weasel was moving near to his position. It stopped. The heat-sensitive pits beneath each eye alerted him to the exact location of the beast--atop the rocky outcrop to the far side of the meadow. It did not concern him much. Satisfied that there was no danger in the immediate area, the Haas of the adders slid out from his cover, slithering across the outskirts of the little field.

[Silas]

The squirrel relaxed, stretching out his footpaws and gazing up at the sky, oak, rowan and beech trees providing a nice frame for the clear blue overhead. Setting his bow aside within easy reach, he finished the bread and washed it down with a gulp or two of cool streamwater he had collected earlier that morning in his canteen. He was quite calm, with the only companions on his luncheon break being the soft breeze and the warm sunlight overhead.

"Hmm..." Silas thought aloud to himself, flicking a leaf out of his bushy tail, "First day o' fall, eh..."

[blackfox7]

Siampre had other things on his mind at the moment when the squirrel spoke, and erroneously thought the squirrel was talking to him. Rearing his head and a squirrel's height of his vast scaley length out of the grass, he flickered his tongue again and answered in his usual deep, sibilant voice:

"So sssome might sssay. Othersss would call it the last day of the sssummer...", his tone was nuetral and the slightest bit philosophical, "But only Nature knowsss for sure..."

[Silas]

The squirrel's blue eyes shot open as the snake's response reached his ears. Though his tone was distinctly philosophical, Silas had no way of knowing for sure, being taught from birth that serpents were evil, hungry creatures, with poison teeth and hypnotic eyes. In a trice the squirrel ran up the tree in a blur of russet fur, standing protectively on one of the lower branches. His bow was in paw, but no arrow was notched, as the squirrel finally caught a glimpse of the serpent on the forest floor. A full-grown adder, no less!

"Stay your distance, snake." He called out as a warning, wondering why he wasn't struck by him before now. This interesting development stayed his paws, but even so Silas was ready to jump off into the trees as speedily as possible. There was just no way of knowing the motives and intentions of such woodland predators.

[blackfox7]

The Haas blinked, a pearly film over his unpreturbed gaze, not a true eyelid. If Siampre had been a less staunch and humorless figure he may have laughed at the squirrel's high-strung reaction. But he was the Haas, and those lofty standards did not afford the snake the liberty to make mock of others. Even if their actions were slightly humorous. That bow certainly wasn't very funny.

"Hsss..."the large adder hissed a sigh, as if tired, So predictable, he thought, but he pushed all thoughts of agitation down. That was unbecoming of a Haas. "I sssee you are armed, climber of treesss. Very well. I will ssstay." Coiling himself at the center of the clearing, the adder allowed himself a tiny smirk of mischeif, "but ssstay yourssself if you have too much fear to come down. The birdsss will not mind your company too much..."
Inside Siampre chuckled grimly. Furbeasts seldom managed their fears or learned to observe the difference between a hunting snake and a praying snake (a world of difference).

[Silas]

((I've read the bio too ^^ Very Interesssting...))

"Is it fear?" The squirrel retorted in a courageous voice, despite his own minute trembling at encountering such a deadly creature, in both apearance and manner. His blue eyes glanced over the serpent, keenly aware that the snake could have struck at him by now, especially considering the height of the low branch he stood upon. But he was ready for that, either way, as he replied further, "Or would you allow me to exercise some caution when I am caught unawares?"

The squirrel loosened the grip on his bow ever so slightly, at the very least not to show the snake how shaky his paws had become. But he stood his ground, reasoning that there was nowhere he could run without being found out eventually by the snake. Even so, why was this predator of the forest even stopping to talk with the likes of him?

[blackfox7]

The Haas Siampre yawned, flexing his disjointable jaws back and forth and then putting them back together as if that strange physical quirk did not exist. He found himself admiring the bold little rodent and his brassy outburst. He smiled slightly, his thin, reptilian lips barely moving.

"Yesssss... I will give you that liberty. Sssuposssing that that isss what it issss..." The smile faded curtly, "But there isss sssomething elssse... A quessstion in your eyesss--do not deny it. I have been alive many unremembered ssseasssonsss, it would be ussselessss to lie."

[Silas]

Silas hardened his gaze at the serpent, letting a small breeze flick his bushy tail behind him, staying perfectly balanced as the branch beneath him swayed as well. His footpaws shifted as the swaying branch stopped again, the squirrel making the decision to stay where he was to address this serpent. The way he yawned, however was quite unnerving to the traveler, easily observing sharp fangs to add danger to the fearsome gaze that seemed to pierce through him.

"I do have a question," Silas replied, his tone less threatening towards his unexpected visitor, "Such as why you choose to talk to me." He adopted an inquisitive yet cautious expression, his gaze never straying from the snake, though the afternoon light settled on the clearing, painting the grasses and trees, the green leaves in brilliant shades of light and dark. Quietly the squirrel wondered where the serpent fit in the spectrum of light and shadow, a question that would be easily solved by instinct save for the one real question he had asked.

[blackfox7]

The adder blinked, this time in mild puzzlement. Then he recalled the arrogance of his rival Haas, the one who taught superiority and decadence, gluttony, disrespect for life, and the removal from honor. Everything a true Vaipiri serpent was meant not to be. This, Siampre supposed, was the snake that the squirrel balancing skillfully on the tree before him had the most past experience with. Hot anger rose in him, but he did not dare lose his temper. That also was not appropriate, especially with an armed Woodlander so near. One of the rival sect would not lower him or herself to honest talk with one of the furbeasts--How dare they make a mock of everything the true Vaipiri had taught for so long with their conceit! Siampre struggled to keep his voice level against the old outrage as he answered the squirrel's seemingly simple question:

"It isss common courtessssy, iss it not--to greet fellow foressst-dwellerssss with which there issss no conflict at presssent?" There was no mistake--the Haas Siampre was not one of the dishonorable ones. He believed in equal respect for all life, scale or slime-skin, feather or fur.

[Silas]

The squirrel nodded, appearing to accept the snake's answer under the circumstances, as he nimbly paced a few steps along the branch and back, briefly rubbing his whiskers before replying in a more agreeable manner, "Very well."

Silas let the words hang in the afternoon air for a moment, glancing back down at the snake, clearly visible from this angle in the tall grasses, how long the coils stretched out, even the winding track left behind by the steely muscle the serpent no doubt possessed. It still felt quite strange to become amicable with such a beast in his travels, but he reasoned stranger things may yet lie on the road ahead. Brushing aside his bushy tail, the squirrel added, "Forgive me, if I appeared quite startled then."

[blackfox7]

The Haas made a reserved sort of smile so as to not show any part of his venomous fangs. He lowered his heavy-scaled, ace-of-spades shaped head slightly in a single nod.

"It isss forgiven. I, too, was sssurprisssed. I had thought that the dray of ssquirrelsss wasss a waysss on yet," the huge serpent explained. Siampre thought it unusual to find a squirrel on the ground except very near to the dray, usually to avoid his kind, adders, and other such predators: Grass snakes, tawny owls, large hawks and eagles. Not to mention that horde of undesirables that had set itself up on the fringe of the wood by the flatlands. A worry crease appeared on the scaly face of the Haas at the thought of the ominous presense of the horde.

[Silas]

"It is." Silas confirmed the snake's thoughts with his simple statement, loosely gripping his bow but never letting his blue eyes waver as he talked to the serpent. It was clear to him that the snake, for whatever reason, meant him no harm. Naturally, the squirrel had his own reservations as well, but it did not seem wise to unduly anger the snake. "I was just passing through, though." He added with a shrug.

(Tired = block )