treesarethebeats-blog

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave frowns when he saw the slight grimace on Jake’s face. He hoped that he didn’t offend his lycan friend. Dave wasnt known for keeping many friends for long. Most of them saw his apathetic attitude as rude or cold, so they were quick to shy away from the wood elf.  Dave nods and sips his tea. He could agree to those terms. If he left something behind and Jake would keep the thing then it would be more like a trade rather than Jake just helping Dave out for nothing. “Alright.” He says and sets his empty cup down on the table.  Dave stands up and begins to collect his things. He had stayed for a cup of tea and he should be heading back to his tree. He would like to get the meat salted and starting to dry by the time that the sun had set.” I can assure you that you are of use.” He says and hands Jake a small pouch of herbs. “This is for the tea.” He says and begins to make his way out of the room, back out into the cool forest. He turns back to Jake and waves before quickly scaling the tree. He was glad to have someone on the forest floor. 

Trees can talk?

Jake makes a slight grimace at him but nods and continues to sip his tea, crossing his legs in front of him after stretching them to the point when his hip bones crack. “I never said to take from me, ” he laughs loudly and leans against the table.

“ I simply offered you help whenever you are going to need anything and if I am not home, you can wait for me here or leave something behind that has your smell on it. Once I am going to come back, I’ll sniff it out and go find you so I can help you - pretty simple, huh? ”

It’s not like Jake owns that many things anyway. He is pretty confident about the animals respecting his marked territory, especially of it smells that strongly of him, the scent steadily hanging around for a long time.

He doesn’t think anyone would be so dumb.

“I am just trying to be of use, you know? ”

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave nods.” I use a carving knife that i found on some guy on a camp. The blade is really dull so I can only use it on soft woods.” He says and looks at the axe blade. It was way sharper than his dull carving knife that he had back in his tree.  Once Dave felt like the lemon grass had enough time to steep in his tea, he takes a small sip. He didnt want to burn his mouth or spit the tea out, making a mess of himself. “ That’s even better.” He says and rubs the back of his neck.” I dont want things to be able to smell me easily.” He says.  Dave sets the tea cup down and shakes his head.” I couldnt take from you.” He says. He hated to be in debt with people. It made him feel weak and like he couldnt take care of himself.  Part of Dave felt like Jake offering Dave to come over whenever Dave felt to was a little bit too trusting. Sure, Dave wasnt going to take advantage of Jake but one day someone was going to. 

Trees can talk?

“I once found a broken axe in a tree, the broken blade is actually very easy to use and if you are careful, it makes the surface extremely smooth!” He explains, getting up and digging out a half of an axe’s blade, showing it to him. “It takes a while to get used to it, but it’s worth it.”

He sets it on the table and sits back down once again, taking his cup. He blows on the tea, taking a small sip. “Oh? Is it, good then. I am sorry again, I would have known sooner but my nose was all filled with sage and I couldn’t smell anything but it.” He sniffles a little, scratching at his nose instinctively. “Well, if you get low on food again, or if you re going to need something - you now know where I live! I can help you if you need it - anytime you need it! Provided that I am home. If not, you can always wait here!” He doesn’t mind leaving his ‘house’ open. He knows all his potential enemies can smell his scent from far away and they know that he would hunt them down if he smelled them nearby.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave watches Jake make the tea and drums his fingers against the table. He could still hear the river that was outside and it brought some comfort to him. Dave knew that he could leave just before the sunset and still get back to his tree before the sun tucked away.  When Jake brings out the mortar and pestle, Dave spoke up.” How do you get such a smooth finish on your wood carvings? Most of mine are rough and misshapened.” He asks. It would be nice to know because eating stew out of a lopsided bowl that would sometimes give him splinters was getting old pretty fast.  Dave takes the cup and stirs in the lemon grass. He shakes his head when Jake says sorry.” Jake, dont worry about it. In fact its a compliment really. I dress like this so I blend into the trees.” He says and sips his tea.” Yeah. I was low on food.” 

Trees can talk?

“Alrighty!” Jake hums and boils the water over the fire, adding some lemon grass into Dave’s cup, placing some mint leaves into his own. He uses an equally smooth wooden mortar to crush the leaves a little, adding two leaves of stevia to his cup. Once the water is boiled enough, he carefully picks the pot up, bouring them each a full cup, setting the pot aside so the water can cool down. Once again he uses the mortar to crush the leaves in the water, stirring it a little.  While waiting for the leaves to release flavour, he rinses the mortar in cold water and sets it aside to dry. “So..Dave..,” he begins, unsure what to ask, really. “I am kind of sorry for mistaking you for a tree - your colours blend in so well!” Shut the fuck up Jake, you are colour blind. “But I am glad I got to hunt with you! It was fun.”

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave runs his fingers over the damp moss. It was in interesting choice for a floor but it was a lot better than dirt.” It’s not that bad.” He says and looks around at the hole. It was nicely designed and didnt seem like it was that small, even though it was under a tree.  When Dave saw the utensils he assumed that Jake had got them from a camp that a human had left in the woods, it was how Dave got a lot of the things that he couldnt make from hand. One of his best finds was the pair of shades that he was wearing.  Dave studies the cups and notes how nicely they were made. Most of the cups that he had werent as smooth or as nicely finished as Jake’s cups were. Dave would have to ask Jake on how he was able to get the smoothness on the wooded cups. “Lemon Grass.” He says. He had the other herbs at home but lemon grass was hard to come by and he mostly used it to flavor the meats that he head so when he could have it on tea, he took the chance to get it. 

Trees can talk?

“Nice to meet you, Dave. My name is Jake!” He still keeps up the same grin and basically, Dave is right. He is still the same being - but with less fur. He hands Dave a pillow before he sits with the words: “The moss might be a little damp.” He gets up and stretches, going towards one of the dug up holes in the walls. It’s comical to see him pull out normal human utensils for cooking (don’t ask him how he got to them).

He gets a pot and fills it with water from a jug hanging on the wall, bringing it to the center. There, he uses two rocks and dry wood to make a fire, setting the pot above it on a makeshift holder. When it comes to marksmanship, Jake is surprisingly good at it.

In the meantime, he pulls out two carved and smooth wooden cups, looking through the herbs he has. “What kind of a tea would you like? I have mint, dandelion, sage, chamomile, lemon grass and nettle. And the other day I came across some stevia so if you prefer sweeter teas, I can add it to your cup. ”

It’s funny watching him run around while trying to be a good host. It is apparent he doesn’t have visitors often and he might be a liiiiitle clumsy when he comes to it. But what did you expect.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave kept a close eye on the not wolf when he trots over to the table, his hand moving back to his sword. He knew that if he was able to get outside, he would be home free.  Dave blinks a few times when he sees the wolf turn into a normal human being. He slides his shades down, exposing his red eyes, and wipes his eyes thinking that he was seeing things. But when he opens up his eyes again, the once wolf was still at the table.  When the wolf spoke up, Dave’s hand moves away from his sword and rubs up the back of his neck. “ I didnt know that there were lycans in this part of the woods.” He says. Dave really didnt know much about the creatures that were on the forest floor. He knew the ones that he could eat and that was about it.  The sight of the wolfish grin on Jake’s face was a strange sight to Dave, it was like Jake was still a wolf just with less fur.  “I’m sure that one cup of tea really couldnt hurt. I cant stay too late. I’m Dave.” He says and sits down next to the table. Most of him wanted to go but there was no way that he could say no to Jake’s puppy eyes. 

Trees can talk?

Jake trots over to the log used as a table, blinking up at Dave once he oh-so-clevely announces that Jake isn’t a normal wolf. It’s a matter of seconds - the fur retreats and his face becomes more human like, until there is nothing but a simple human with tail and ears clad in nothing but a pair of (very short) shorts and some smudged blood here and there.

He looks up at Dave with the very same look he gave him when he has noticed that Dave isn’t a tree but a person, tilting his head adorkably. “Pardon me, friend, I thought you were aware of me not being an actual wolf, but a mere lycan. I should have guessed ‘poochie’ was not just an expression of adornment. Guess I will be smarter next time. ”

Much like before he also sticks his tongue out, giving him the wolfish grin from before, settling down on thw soft mossy ground, plucking a stray thron from his leg. “I understand you might feel a little ticked off now, but I thought maybe you would like to come in for some tea? As a thank you for the hunt. It was quite the thrill and certainly amusing to be hunting with someone else than myself. I would love to do that again someday, but if you do not wish to, I am okay with that. I guess that is all that I had to say. ”

He finally stops rambling after a minute, trying to give Dave his best puppy eyes that he can manage, completely with his ears down and tail pulled next to himself tightly. He doesn’t want to guilt Dave into staying, but it’s rude to leave your guests hanging.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave picks up a few last herbs before he starts to follow Jake. He hoped that it wasnt going to take long because it was going to take him some time to get back to his tree and Dave really didnt want to be on the forest floor after the sun had set.  When Dave sees the group of trees were the high roots, his eyes widen. He had never been to this part of the forest floor before and he didnt know that there were places like this. He takes small steps, only stepping where the wolf would step. He thought that he knew everything about the forest, and he was wrong.  As the sound of the river fills Dave’s ears, the fear of being in an unknown place fades away. He had an idea where he was now. He was pretty sure that he had spent a few nights up in the tops of those trees but he never had a reason to leave the safety of the leafy branches and venture to the forest floor.  Dave waves to the wolf when the wolf turns to look at him, trying to be as friendly as he could to a thing that couldnt speak to him. He knew that the wolf taking Dave back to the place where the wolf lived was a huge sign of trust and Dave didnt want to break it.  Dave’s eyes widen when he sees the wolf open up a hatch. He had no idea that wolves could build things, much less make doors. He steps into the hole and he looks around. He had to be dreaming. There was no way in hell that a wolf would need forks or blankets. He reaches down and pinches himself, hoping to wake himself up. When he didnt wake up back in his tree, Dave knew that something was up and he hated not knowing what was going on “You arent a wolf.” He says and takes a step back towards the hatch. 

Trees can talk?

Once Dave turns towards him, he hesitates before grabbing his share again, silently beckoning the elf to follow him somewhere. He silently and slowly leads him through a small portion of the forest until they reach a group of trees with roots high off the ground, creating something akin to hideouts beneath them.  This is Jake’s territory, his home. A river runs nearby and if Dave listens well enough, he can hear it in the background. He leads him to one of the trees which seems to be stuck on a small hill covered with mosses, its overgrown roots wrapped around the hill, holding the tree stable. He turns to look if Dave is still following him, setting the meat on the ground. He moves closer to it, opening something that looks like a hatch made from nothing but hard crust of a different tree and a little bit of bitumen from the same tree as well.  He uses his snout to flip it up, taking the meat and walking right in, inviting Dave in as well. Though the hatch looks small, the inside is quite bit. Probably about four meters tall and 4x3 meters wide, shaped like a globe. Inside, it is mostly just soil except the ground is covered by mosses as well.  It is quite apparent that this is a more ‘humane’ abode as there is a makeshift table made from half a trunk with various herbs on it and dried meat, there are holes near the floor where the soil is thicker used for storage. One has more meat covered by herbs, other what looks like clothes, another a couple of rolled up blankets, the next one some utensils - stuff that he has found.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave wasn’t used to having anything watching him while he gutted and skinned an animal. He did most of his hunting alone and never hunted anything this big. There were parts of the boar he had no idea how to properly cut or if the meat was edible, so he just left those pieces for the scavengers that were soon to come and what was left of the boar was going to be used as food for the plants on the forest floor.  When Dave felt the wolfs cold nose against his cheek again, a hint of a smile appeared on his face but as soon as it was there, it was gone. Dave leans his head to the side, leaning into the wolfs nose. It was strange getting affection from a wolf, but Dave really didnt mind.  Once the wolf started to leave, Dave begins to collect some herbs that the hog was going for before the beast had died, he made sure to only take the ones that didnt have any blood on them or around them. He really didnt want to get himself sick. 

Dave frowns when he doesnt hear the wolf move back to where his home was, maybe something was wrong or the wolf wanted to show Dave something else. He looks up.” Is there something else?” He asks. 

Trees can talk?

Keep reading

[treesarethebeats-blog]

While Dave was cleaning his blade, he kept a close eye on the warthog. There had been a few times when he had thought he had slain a beast only to have it stand up and take him from behind and Dave would hate for that to happen when the wolf was watching. His pride could only take so much in a week.  Dave nods back at the wolf and looks away when the wolf begins to take his share of the wart hog. He knew that the wolf didnt have a better way of doing it but it wasnt something that Dave wanted to stare at. Hell, the sounds were making his stomach twist and churn.  Before Dave takes a step to the warthog, he makes sure that the wolf had a little bit of meat. He pulls out a skinning knife from his boot and sits next to the wart hog. He could make the skins into clothes and a blanket for the winter.  The hog was quickly skinned and Dave left the stomach for Jake, thinking that it would be fair to split the parts of the hog as well and Dave had plenty of pouches for herbs. Dave puts the skin away in his pouch and begins to cut out parts of meat with his knife. 

The amount of meat that Dave was getting was going to last him for weeks and Dave might even have to use a little bit of the salt rations that he had to preserve the extra that he knew that he wouldnt be able to eat. He turns to the wolf.” Thanks. Your a life saver.” He says. 

Trees can talk?

Keep reading

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave blinks a little bit when he sees the almost human smile on the wolfs face, finding it a little bit odd but no unsettling which was strange. But when he sees the tail start to wag, Dave knew that he had the wolfs trust and he loosens his grip on the sword.  When Jake hops over the brush, Dave puts his sword back into its sheath. He was faster without the sword in his hand and he had a feeling that he would be running at full speed to keep on with the wolf. Dave hops over the brush with ease and sprints through the forest. Dave managed to stay by the wolf’s side and his feet landed softly barely making a sound . Dave was in his element.  As the wolf begins to slow down, so does Dave. Dave looks around trying to find what the wolf was chasing when he hears the panting of a wounded animal. He couldnt tell what animal it was but he could tell that it was pretty big.  Dave didnt move when the wolf begins to move around the warthog. He could assume that the wolfs plan was that he was going to make the warthog run at Dave and Dave was going to deliver the killing blow. It was a simple, but very effective plan. He hoped that he was right because if he wasnt-he was as good as dead.  Dave thanks his lucky stars when he sees Jake lunge at the warthog, causing it to start to run right at Dave. Dave rolls to the side so that the beast wouldnt trample him and he hops up. When the beast came running by, Dave swings his sword down, cutting through the beasts neck. The warthog drops to the ground and Dave cleans his blade. He turns to the wolf.” Thanks.” 

Trees can talk?

There is something akin to a smile on Jake’s face as he watches the elf wipe all the dirt and potential saliva from himself, wagging his tail once Dave finally looks his way. Nodding, his tongue returns to the inside of his mouth and he lowers his head to the tree before springing up over a bush and towards the other way they have both originally come from.  He doesn’t run fast at all in favour of his new friend, looking back at him ever so often to see if he is still following him. When they have a big chance to score a meal like this, he doesn’t want to risk it and transform only to tell the elf to be ready when he chases the warthog towards him so he could kill him with a clean slash. At least it won’t get as messy. He slows down to a halt once they get closer, crawling with his belly lose to the ground. There, between the trees is the wounded warthog. About half the size of Jake, it is resting against a tree, its glistening blood all over its side. So far, the warthog cannot notice their scents. The wind is blowing their way, so unless there is a loud sound, the should be good. Once again, he looks back at the elf, trying to nod at him the best to his abilities, slowly creeping around where the warthog stands until he finds himself on the opposite side, face-to-face with Dave, slowly beginning to near the wounded animal, trusting the elf that he will do his job although he has no chance knowing what Jake has planned in his head. Here comes the lunch. Jake darts towards the hog once he is close enough, making the creature jump up, squeal and run away from the predator chasing it, unknowingly running at Dave.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

When the wolf gets up on its hind legs, Dave takes a defensive position thinking that the wolf was going to try and knock him down to the ground and Dave really didnt want to fight with something on top of him again. He would never be able to live down being attacked on his own home turf.  But when he doesnt feel the wolfs paws against his chest, trying to push him over Dave relaxes a little bit. Maybe the wolf wasnt here to find his next meal. He flinches a little bit when he felt the others cold nose by his neck and he made a face when a little bit of the wolfs slobber lands on his clothes. He had spent a lot of time making sure that his clothes stayed pretty clean and now he was going to wash them all over again.  Dave makes a face of mixed delight and disgust when the wolf brings his nose near his face. It was nice to get some affection but the wolfs breathe was a little stinky. He pushes the wolfs nose away and wipes the dirt off of his cheek, not wanting to get the dirt into his wound.  When the wolf’s paws go back down onto the ground, Dave dusts himself off getting the dirt and other forest floor things that had gotten on the wolfs paws off of him. Dave enjoyed the forest, but he didnt want to wear it all over himself. When the wolf moves his nose towards the sword, Dave doesnt move. He had a feeling if he  made one move the wolf would see it as an attack and go for Dave and Dave knew that a fight with a wolf this size was not something that he was up for right now.  A sigh of relief passes through Dave’s lips when the wolf doesnt attack and moves a little bit away from him, he had managed to pass the ‘you arent a foe or a meal test’ and had maybe gained the wolf’s trust. It was hard to tell.  Dave watches the wolf and looks around. He shouldnt be wasting his time by trying to make a wolf friend. He had to get back to his tree before dark and he really needed something to eat. He raises an eyebrow when he hears the wolf bark.” You find something?” He asks. 

Trees can talk?

Jake has half a mind not to get all excited when he is addressed, in the end, somehow managing to stay calm. He gets up on his hind legs balancing on them as he leans in to sniff at Dave’s neck and face, happily sticking his tongue out after discovering that Dave isn’t much of a danger - aside from the sword, but as long as he doesn’t raise it Jake’s way, he is cool. It is also quite apparent that Jake is bigger than the average wolf in the Dry Forest, probably whole three inches bigger, in fact - it doesn’t seem like it, but it makes a lot of difference. His paws are also pretty big, looking like they could probably crush Dave’s skull if he had ever wanted to. He also seems to be quite pleased to find that the ‘young’ elf smells of soil, rain and various herbs, and to make sure he is sniffing good with his Sage filled nose, he leans in, leaving a little bit of dirt smeared on Dave’s cheek, his nose wet and cold against the other’s soft skin. After a while he finally gets down, still looking up at Dave with his emerald eyes, still deeming Dave no danger at all.  He looks over at the sword and cautiously moves closer, lowering himself a little as he dares to sniff at the weapon, growling at it softly when Dave moves his hand and Jake’s instinct tells him that he will attack. When he doesn’t, Jake blinks and sits back in confusion, pawing at his muzzle while looking up at Dave as if he is asking him about what they are going to do next, patiently expecting for the elven male to take him along for his hunt. He can be a great companion, if, of course, he gets his fair share of the hunt too.  Expectantly, he licks his snout, getting up. He sniffs the air and hops up on a large, old, fallen tree, sniffing around some more before turning his head backward to see if the other is still standing there. He gives him a short bark, trying to notify him of the scent he has caught onto. One of a wounded adult warthog. A big one. One that would probably be great roasted with some herbs and wildly growing ‘vegetable’ plants.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

For the past few days, Dave didn’t leave the tops of the trees. He spent his days cleaning the wounds that the thing inflicted him with, the last thing that he wanted was for the wound to get infected. That would be a shitty way to go out. The king of the trees was killed by an infected boo boo. Much like Drogo expect he wouldnt be married to the Mother of Dragons.  But today Dave had to leave his safe haven that was the tress, he couldnt live off of the stores of fruits and nuts that he had stashed away. Those were for dry summers or extremely cold winters were nothing would grow.   When the sun came up was when Dave came down from the tree, he was going to spend as little time on the forest floor as he could. The plan was to get something that wasnt going to put that much of a fight. He just wanted something to eat, not a trophy kill. Even though a trophy kill would help his hurt pride.  As soon as Dave’s feet touch the forest floor, he closes his eyes and tries to hear anything that was close by. If he was lucky there would be something that was spending the night near the tree and he could get it while the animal was still asleep. But sadly, there was nothing to be heard. The only sounds were the normal sounds of the forest.  For the next few hours, Dave slowly crept his way through the forest. He made sure to go away from the dry forest. He knew that the thing  would be more than willing to go for a round 2 and Dave wasn’t up for the fight..yet. He was slowly getting more frustrated as the hours past. It was never this hard to get food. Part of Dave wondered if there was something that was scaring off the easy prey.  Just at the thought crosses his mind, he heard something make a noise. He couldnt tell from where or how big the source of the noise was. But he knew that it was bigger than any kind of prey that he was searching for. Dave looks around and knew that he should just climb up one of the trees and wait for the thing to pass. But an empty stomach did not let the mind choose the prudent choice.  So Dave kept walking, hoping that he was going away from the source of the noise. He kept his sword in his hand, he didnt plan on being caught off guard again. If something was going to lunge at him, he was going to get the first strike. But instead of something lunging at him from the shadows, a wolf comes up to him and starts to smell him.  Dave blinks and takes a step back, wondering if the wolf was trying to say hello or seeing if Dave would make a good meal. He tightens his grip on his sword before speaking up.” Hey there poochie.” 

Trees can talk?

It does occur quite frequently that Jake does something dumb, asks something dumb or just simply misses everything that is being thrown at him.

Quite often, a various mix of these occur at least once a week. It’s something like a must. Something, that wouldn’t make Jake the person he is. It kind of comes with his carefree nature and airheadedness, causing him to come across as distant or on the other hand, a little too clingy. It also occurs often that Jake gets lost in his own thought while admiring the beauty of the nature around him. He would often sniff at things for far too long, especially when it comes to flowers, and that would make him sneeze and his nose wouldn’t be able to pick subtle scents even if the being was standing right next to him, rubbing his snout with its scent glands.  -

Similarly, that is Jake’s current case. He might or may not have rolled around in a dip filled with the Wood Sage, finding it funny to stick his snout straight into one of the flowers. He accidentally inhaled  good amount of pollen and now was sneezing repeatedly as he trotted through the Dry Forest’s vast evergreens. 

He tries to sniff at the trees, trying to locate the position and part of the forest he is currently in, but finds himself unable to. He continues, sniffing trees as he slowly - very, very slowly - advances further. Tree, tree, tree, someone’s feet, tree, tree - wait what? He backtracks, rubbing his snout into the soil so he can at least smell something different for once, coming face to thighs of someone, slowly raising his head up to identify said stranger. Well, hello there.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave closes his eyes and tries to think about his life. He had a feeling that this was the end. The king had strayed too far from his throne and now it was time for him to pay.  Dave waits anxiously to feel the searing pain that the flames were going to bring, just wanting to get this over with. He hopes that nothing could see him in his final moments because he wanted to go out with some pride. He knew that the other creatures in his area of the forest would create an epic ballad of how he died, creating something that was way more epic than what this death was going to be.  The seconds seemed to drag on for hours and Dave didnt dare open his eyes. He didnt want to see the playful smirk that was on the things face as he toys with Dave’s life. Dave hates the thought of the thing getting a kick out of this situation.  Dave’s eyes fly open when he felt the thing get off of him and he hisses when he felt the thing smack him across the face.  Dave doesnt say a word to the thing but runs over to where his shades landed. He had found them in a campsite a long time ago and they helped keep the headaches that the light gave him away. Dave smiles when he finds the shades and puts them on. He stares at the thing for a few seconds.” I’m not a jackass.” He snarls before darting back to his section of the woods.  Once Dave was back up in the tress, he felt safe. He was back in his throne room where nothing could fuck with him. He was still king and was going to have some epic scars. 

This is why you never leave the woods.

At least the elf got the idea pretty quickly, unlike some of the things he’d hunted in the past. Burnt prey doesn’t taste good. 

Sollux swipes his fingers through the flame, causing it to disperse into thin air, the red glow it had emitted flickering out and fading. For a few moments, he sits atop the elf and contemplates what he should do at this point. There was no way he’d be able to eat thing whole things, even over the course of a few days, but after that point it’d start getting mouldy and horrible. 

Then again, he’d be eating like a lord until that point, and wouldn’t have to hunt for at least three days. The conundrum was stupefying. 

At long, long last, Sollux reaches a decision. He lets go of the elf’s shoulder and stands up - not before giving the creature a quick backhand on the side of the face, however - to retrieve his glove.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling in such a generous mood, jackass.”

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave curses when he sees the thing move its hand away when he swings his sword. He was so close to freedom that he could taste it. Dave’s eyes went wide when he sees the flame ripple a little bit. This wasnt good.  Dave squirms a little bit, trying to get away from the fire. He just wanted to leave. He didnt care if he had to run away from the fight and have nothing to eat for the night. He just wanted his life.  “Just fucking let me go.” He hisses and doesnt swing the sword, hoping that the thing would be nice and let him go.  

This is why you never leave the woods.

“Either way you’re going to be a fried elf so put the fucking sword down unless you plan on going down swinging!”

As the sword flew for his fingers again he just about managed to get his hand out of the way, the flame rippling with the movement above his hand. If this “elf” as it called itself planned on putting up a fight then Sollux was going to make sure it was a fight he’d win.

Sollux’ left hand pressed harder down into the ground as he turned his hand to towards the sword. He had his base flame, now all he had to do was unleash it into a pire if he wished. But, being the generous and ever so gentlemanly demon he was (at least compared to some) he was grant this raving moron one more chance.

“Stop swinging, or I’ll melt your sword. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to have red-hot liquid metal pouring over you.”

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave smirks when he sees some blood come out of the things right hand. He all he had to do was get a few more slices into the guys hand and then everything was going to be good.  Dave’s smirk grew when he saw the thing try to remove the glove and hiss in pain as he takes the gloves off. Dave wondered why the thing would want to take off his gloves. His gloves were the main protection against Dave’s sword and now he was exposing his skin.  When Dave saw the red tattoos, his eyes went wide and he hisses out in pain when he felt the things claws dig into his skin. He had heard some creatures talk about some of the adaptions that the predators had in the dry and the snow areas in the forest. He wondered if this was one of the strange and deadly adaptations that they had been talking about before.   The question that was on Dave’s mind was answered when he saw the sparks appear in the others hands. Normally, Dave would start to say about how cool that was but this was not the time to make small talk with someone that was going to kill him. Dave rolls this eyes at the things lips. Now this thing was 10 times less horrifying than it was before. “But if I stop swinging, I’m going to be a fried elf.” He snarls and swings the sword at the things fingers again. 

This is why you never leave the woods.

And pry it off his dead hands he would, given that Sollux isn’t going to simply give up. Suddenly, an accute pain literally slices through the backs of a couple of his right-hand fingers. This was the last damn straw. 

Sollux brings his right hand up to his mouth and places the tip of one of the fingers of the glove between his teeth. With a few tugs, and a couple grunts of pain as the wound was exposed to the air, the glove is tossed aside with a precise flick of his head.

With his right palm exposed and red tattoos out for show, he snarls and dares to rake his claws along the side of the other creature’s face before upturning his hand and letting the vivid patterns on his hand look to the sky. A small spark appears just about a centimetre above his palm, followed by a dancing red flame. 

Sollux, now thoroughly annoyed at seeing crimson drip onto the ground below his hand, moves his hand - and flame - closer to the other creature’s face. 

“Unless you want to get burned, I suggest you stop swinging your sword like a god damn brain-damaged pansy,” the demon lisped, his tone somewhat threatening.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

Dave didnt know if he was making a dent in the things skin or not, but he didnt care. He would keep swinging the sword till his last breathe. He did notice that the fingers seemed less thick so he started to aim for there.  When the thing hisses, Dave felt a surge of pride well up in his chest. He had hurt the thing. This was good. He was making some process with this thing and he was going to be able to walk out of this alive.  As the thing reaches for his sword, Dave moves his hand away so that it wouldnt be able to reach it. The sword was the only thing that was keeping him alive at this moment and Dave wasnt going to let it go. The thing was going to have to pry it off of his dead hands. 

This is why you never leave the woods.

Luckily for Sollux, he has thick gloves that cover his hands. Not so luckily for Sollux, they’re worn thin at the tips from his claws. However, for the most part, the gloves will protect his hands. But only a little.

Sollux hisses and moves his hand just to avoid possibly having his fingers lopped off by something sharp. His now free hand goes right for the other’s that holds the sword, attempting to pry the blade from the firm grasp.

If he could take off his left glove he would, being able to shock this thing into submission would be useful, but of course the would be idiotic to let go. A primative growl urges its way past Sollux’ lips as he gives up trying to make the other let go of the sword, seeing that it wouldn’t work. 

So now what? They’re both trapped in this position now. Better than being cornered by a thing with a blade, but trapped nonetheless.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

When Dave starts to walk forward he feels the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand up and he slowly takes out his sword. Maybe the thing that he heard earlier had come back to play with Dave.  But Dave kept on walking forward, he wasnt going to waste his time with whatever he had heard before. Dave didnt want something that he had to really fight to kill, he wanted a simple meal.  Dave stands up a little bit trying to get a better view of what was around him.  Just as Dave stood up, he felt something claw onto his left shoulder and an other claw dangerously near his neck. He cries out in pain and falls to the ground, his screams of pain were muffled by the leaves that were now in his mouth and his shades flew off his face and landed in front of him.  Dave takes his right arm and begins to swing to sword at the claw that was near his neck. He knew that if he didnt get that off of him, he wasnt going to be able to last very long. He could forget the pain in his left shoulder for now. He was the king of the trees and he wasnt going to die on the ground. 

This is why you never leave the woods.

Sollux’ footsteps are light despite the leaves scattered about the place. After all, what use would a predator be if it alerted its prey with loud, stomping noises.

His eyes narrow and vaguely shift hues as he closes the ever-thinning gap between the two, feet just skimming the ground as he hurries toward the creature. His arms extend, one set of claws aiming for the left shoulder while the other aims for the side of the neck. And just like that, Sollux has latched onto his prey. Boy, would he be feasting tonight.

The force of the impact knocks the other creature to the floor, his claws digging into fabric and flesh hard but not hard enough to rip material or break skin. Sollux sits up, his knees either side of the creature and his haunches resting on the small of the other’s back. Now he’s got it.

He leans down slightly and forces the other’s face unceremoniously into the floor, probably making sure that its mouth gets full of coarse dirt and torrid leaves. This is why you never leave the woods.

[treesarethebeats-blog]

2olrp2:

As routine said, it was time for Sollux to perhaps stop lounging for a while. Being a demon may have its perks, but not having to eat wasn’t one of them, unfortunately. With all the time he spends hunting he could be doing something a lot more useful, like, well, something that isn’t hunting.

Sollux stretches and blinks slowly, his mismatched eyes giving off a seemingly faint glow in the warm light that filters through his makeshift root-roof. He stands up from his chair - one of the many items he’s come across while scavenging in the woods - and makes his way to the opening in the tree roots just a little way across from him.

Once out in the open, he immediately ducks for behind a tree, pressing back onto the bark and pricking his elongated ears for any signs of life. A few moments of silence - only broken by the soft sound of dried leaves being swept in a gentle breeze - pass, and then, crunch. His ears angle slightly towards the sound. Again, crunch. Those steps are close, too. How did he not hear them sooner. No matter, it seems they were actually going away. 

Sollux turns as quietly as he can, managing to peek out from behind his tree. Ah-hah. Carefully, slowly, delicately is how stalking should be done. Sollux never particularly favoured that method, however, instead opting to quickly dart out and rush towards the creature and knock it to the crispy ground in one slick movement.

Dave looks around, trying to find whatever had caused the sound that was just happening a few seconds ago. He knew that it was close but the fact that he noise had stopped made a shiver of fear run up Dave’s spine. He knew that most of the creatures that lived in his area were more suited to be hunters, so the thought of him being hunted was near the front of his mind.  Dave holds his breathe and closes his eyes, trying to focus more on his hearing than his sight, he knew that the creature couldnt have teleported away from him and if it wasnt moving it still had to be breathing and Dave could hear its breathing if he tries hard enough. But the only sounds  that Dave was hearing were the sounds of the leaves moving and some bugs scampering around on the forest floor. Nothing that he could eat for dinner.  So Dave opens up his eyes and begins to walk deeper into the forest, he knew that he shouldnt waste his time with trying to catch a creature that was good at hiding from its prey. 

This is why you never leave the woods.