Campaign entries - Caspian: Eventide Ring, ch1 - high hyena - 933 words

#2 Qilen

Draw or write your character meeting Qilen. Your piece must include your character and Qilen.

 

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"Do you really have to keep following me? You ruined my life," Kyy growled from between his teeth at the oversized plant support, that pranced along next to him. Caspian gave the young man a glare, when he saw the other's tusks elongate for the blink of an eye.

"I saved your life."

"Exactly," Kyy replied to the shoddy counterargument as sharply as a snake struck a threat. The Athos groaned audibly, but said nothing to continue the feud for now.

 

Even with having legs almost as long as the grey-hided man was tall, Caspian had to put in work to keep up with him. Sure, the guy probably outright hated the shifter, but Caspian wasn't going to let all his hard work go to waste by letting Kyy get himself killed.

 

Or, well - maybe hard work was the wrong combo of words to describe it. Still, a Goliath-driven wyfex was something he didn't have the chance to ward off every day - and he preferred to keep it that way.

 

As was his habit, Caspian barely looked where he was going. When Kyy came to a stop, the eternal bumped into him, and nearly made him fall over. The hybrid gave the cyan-accented menace a death glare after regaining his balance. Caspian replied with an awkward, toothy grin.

"My coin purse is gone," Kyy huffed. "I hate crowds."

 

Caspian narrowed his gaze. He started to pat his pockets.

 

Of course.

 

Kyy flinched at the sudden motion of the eternal. The beanpole of a man spun around with his hands on his face, groaning and cursing out loud. When he stopped and lowered his hands, frustration was as clear on his face as a reflection on a calm lake.

"I bet the same bastard stole my phone and your purse. Did you see where they went?"

 

Caspian leaned back. He hadn't seen such a smirk on Kyy's face... ever. It was one-sided and odd. He didn't like it.

 

"No," Kyy confessed. Still, he yanked a spiked collar from under the thick fabric that draped over his shoulders. He shook the item in his hand like a tambourine, though it made no sound. "But I might know someone who has an idea."

A hot draft hurled the elf's hair around like a malevolent breeze. Qilen had seen his share of law enforcement, and things rarely surprised him. He calmly turned around - and faced something that did, in fact, surprise him.

"By the sun and the stars!" He cursed in a high pitch, not knowing what to do with his hands - or anything really. Back at the brown-haired elf stared a huge dog with a bare skull as its head, and small flames raging inside the empty eye sockets of the pale cranium.

 

A corrupted sundog. Must be. Or at least some kind of sub-branch of one. Such beasts were usually a lot more decrepit than this one, though. How did it get into the city in the first place? The borders were well guarded, and no critter like that should've been able to--

 

Qilen's suspicion and panic melted off his body the instant he saw a person emerge from behind the animal. He breathed a sigh of relief, but in turn, the expression on the face of the man donned in red tightened.

 

"Do us a favor and show some respect towards other people," Kyy hissed through gritted teeth, his tusks and canines both flashing as he spoke. The tattooed snakes on his arms slithered off their designated spots, crossed his chest, and settled back to their places on the opposite sides than where they left off. "Now return what you stole."

 

Qilen crossed his arms. "I've got nothing of yours."

 

The black canine growled at him. The elf squeaked in response like a dog toy. His attempt at petting the animal almost lost him his fingers, as it snapped its jaws at him.

 

"I won't ask again," Kyy specified through a snarl. The dog shook its whole body. Qilen sneered, seemingly recovered from the scare.

"You have no proof."

 

Kyy's impatience, rarely witnessed, struck a spark. He dug out another collar, and tossed it into the air before the stubborn elf. Before it could land, he snapped his fingers twice - and instantly under his command, the circle of barbs and copper froze in the middle of its trajectory.

 

Magic molded itself into shape. Droplets of clear water spread out from the inner surface of the collar, trickling into existence from the paw-shaped imprints. The eyes of the metal-made snake pulsated in hues of blue as it built the beast held inside its crevices. Qilen slid his back against the wall behind him, cowering like a target for a bird of prey. In front of him, nothing became something. Another black dog came into existence before his eyes. Its skull was long, and its body slender. Its shapes and fur imitated those of a long-haired saluki.

 

Caspian pushed through the mutts, growling to himself in a vexed tone. "It's getting cramped in here with all of these pets of yours. You got him yet?"

 

Kyy didn't answer. He only turned to the eternal once he made his way to him. Caspian didn't need a reply. The green-robed elf sitting on the ground told him everything he needed to know. Qilen nervously cooed at the new hound, muttering something about good doggy.

 

"Ripe for pickings, I'd say," Kyy huffed through an amused trace of a smile. Caspian snapped his eyes to the grey man, puzzled.

 

"Was that a joke?"

 

Kyy didn't joke. It was unheard of.