The Written Tapestry

Richter smiled as he listened to the chiming of the little fae creature. Not in his entire undeath did he think of finding a companion (and lover) in such a creature...but Jade seemed to bring out a softer side of him. "I am well..." he exclaimed, "...trying to decide whether or not I should go out hunting for some food." The man seemed a bit hesitant. "I...I not quite sure what your kind eats, Jade...forgive me. Do you enjoy meats? I mostly hunt wild creatures, but I could perhaps pick some...berries..."

Her glow brightened for a split second when he reassured her that he was well. Her head finally rose to peer up into his eyes when he spoke of food, tilting off to the side. "...hungry again? Jade can find you a meal, more than happily. You like fresh, yes?" She swung her wings out from her back and darted away from his nose, hovering closeby for a moment. "Alive. Fresh. For blood nectar, yes? Jade can get this. What would Master prefer? Human creature or animal creature?"

Richter's sanguine eyes followed the fae creature as she darted back from him. While it was still slightly difficult to understand her in this form, he found himself slowly beginning to hear her better. He arched a brow at her eagerness to find him a meal. "No...I am fine, Jade. You satiated me enough to keep the hunger at bay for a little while. Though I must ask how you'd even find a human willing enough to sacrifice themselves..." He walked towards the entrance of the cave, leaning his shoulder against the moist wall and crossing his arms. "You don't strike me as a devious creature."

Her head tilted off to the other side when he declined a meal, her shoulders slumping slightly. Watching him walk to the cave entrance, she following in a hurried little trail of glistening dust, landing with a happy chirp on his shoulder. "It's not difficult! Most humans think we fae are harmless and interested in nothing but folly and shiny things....shiny..." She trailed off for a moment, her glow flaring slightly before dimming back to it's usual brightness. "...but it's not true! Humans are silly, they don't know a thing about us! And Master Richter is like any other creature! Master Richter needs nourishment, why should he be denied it? Animals are prey to humans, humans are prey to Master Richter. There's nothing devious about survival!" She chimed happily with that same bright smile, curling up against his neck.

Richter shrugged as Jade spoke her logic to him. "Well...I suppose you're right. Though it still surprises me how eager you are to please me. It has only been a day since our encounter and you've already begun calling me Master." He turned to look at the creature on his shoulder, "You know you can simply call me Richter, right?"

Jade blinked in confusion, crossing her arms much as her Master had. "Why does Jade's eagerness to please Master Richter surprise him? Master Richter marked Jade as his, it's Jade's duty to make sure he is pleased." Rolling onto her side, she peered up at him with a grin. "Would it please Master more if I referred to him as Richter?" Folding her hands, she rested her chin on them, her feet kicking up into the air behind her.

The man looked at Jade with a somber expression, as if there was something deep down that he was hiding. "I'll permit you to calling me whatever you feel comfortable with, my little gem." He mustered a half sincere smile as he unlatched his hand crossbow and held it firmly in his hand. The weapon was surprisingly well put together and ornate. The wood was that of a deep oak, hard and sturdy, with steel bindings holding the frame together. The string was a taut piece of sinew, the origin of which only apparent to Richter. It was a one handed crossbow, rare and somewhat difficult to wield...but he had managed to master it rather quickly. Twirling and flourishing the weapon out of force of habit, he looked at Jade and spoke once more. "Jade, my precious gem, will you accompany me on this hunt? I may not require sustenance now, but I will soon...and I do not want to take from you again so soon." He pulled a small silver tipped bolt out from his belt and expertly loaded it into the crossbow, a satisfying click letting him know it was properly loaded.

The grin disappeared from her face when she watched the somber expression form on his face. Darting to her feet, she reached up to caress his jaw tenderly, tiny little lips planting kisses against his skin. "Richter, my Master. I will call...you Richter. Until a time you wish me to call you otherwise." Her gaze shifted when he began the flourish with his weapon, her tiny form creeping to the edge of his shoulder to peer down at it with a coo of awe. When he spoke, her head darted back up to look at him. "I will, yes! I will help if you wish, or stay out of the way! Whatever you require of me, Richter." Hopping up into the air, she hovered for a long moment before darting back in to perch gently atop his ear. "Onward, valiant steed!" A jingling giggle filled the air around her as her tiny arms wrapped around a lock of silver hair.

Richter smiled and nodded as she spoke, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. "Right then, off we go." He donned his cowl, which in turn would shelter Jade as it covered him. The night air was cold and damp, but a swift breeze would comfort his skin every so often. Out in the wilds Richter seemed to become a different entity altogether. He was swift, silent, eyes ever watchful for signs of his next meal. His breathing even slowed to near stillness as he used the forest brush and his own clothing to keep him hidden. He whispered to Jade as he stalked about. "If you see anything, Jade...human or otherwise...let me know. But keep your voice low. We don't want to startle anything."

Jade quivered against his ear when the man chuckled, her arms raising above her head to snatch at the cowl and pull it around herself tightly. As he walked, she simply bobbed along with his footsteps, reaching down to caress his ear in response to his instructions. Her glow even dimmed considerably as she watched closely from the front of his cowl. Frowning, her lips drew into a thin line. Seeming to have made a decision, she left a tiny trail of dust leading out of his cowl and into the night air as she blazed off into the distance. Darting between trees, she didn't pause til she heard rustling.

Richter arched a silver brow as the fae creature darted off, leaving him a trail to follow. He quickly followed her, keeping his footsteps silent and his head down. As he caught up to her, he noticed the same rustling that made Jade stop as well. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the area, readying his crossbow. "Can you tell what it is, Jade?"

Jade hovered in place, her tiny form's limbs splayed out as if she were ready to battle whatever beast was causing the noise. Slowly, she fluttered backward toward Richter, hoping that the man would feel the tiny nudging in his mind, a melody seeking entrance into his thoughts. She didn't glance back at him, simply floating in place between he and the noise.

Richter heard the melodic tone attempting to enter his thoughts and immediately recognized it. He allowed her to enter his mind as he kept his eyes focused on the surrounding brush, should anything or anyone decide to ambush them.

Once the walls were relaxed in his mind, her softer more elegant humanoid voice spoke clearly to him and him alone. "It's a large buck. Fae touched, I feel. So it is likely quite mad, but it will make you feel...quite at peace to feed off such a creature. Shall I calm it for you before you make your kill?"

Richter closes his eyes only for a moment as the familiar soothing voice enters his mind like a cool spring breeze. "A buck? That will make for a good meal..." He listened further as she explained his fae touched state. He nodded in agreement. "T'would be best, love. Don't want to attract any other predators towards us. Just give me a signal and I'll make this swift and painless for the creature." He knelt down and cocked his crossbow, awaiting for instruction from Jade.

Jade fought off the glow that threatened to flare at his response, a simple nod given before she fluttered off into the bushes. Finding their target standing near a small lake, she darted up to it's face and looked directly into it's eyes. She found pools of unchecked magic staring back at her, causing chaos in the mind of an animal not meant to hold such things within itself. Just as the creature began to rear, her hands shot out and landed gently on it's muzzle, caressing it soothingly. She watched as the widened pupils began to shrink to their normal size and slowly allowed herself to shift. A burst of dust would fill the air for a moment, as would the bright glow that indicated she had changed to her human size. A loud thud sounded as her butt collided with the ground and the creature stood calmly beside her. Hands still resting on it's muzzle, she guided it down next to her where it's head came to rest in her lap. "Richter...now is the time."

Richter watched in awe as his fae lover soothed the beast, his eyes darting back and forth between her how human form and the buck itself. As the creature layed its head in Jade's lap, Richter rose from his position and slowly walked towards both of them. He stopped only a few feet from the buck, aiming the crossbow square to where it's heart would be. With a soft exhale he pulled the trigger, a rather loud grinding noise is heard followed by the echo of a bolt flying through the air. The whizzing noise would soon be muffled by the sound of ripping flesh, the projectile finding its way through the ribcage and directly into the creatures heart. The buck would certainly not suffer much, save for the shock of it's body shutting down. "Clean kill..."

Her body jerked when the arrow found it's target. Once the life had drained from the creature's eyes, she leaned down and rested her head against it, whispering softly into it's ear and continued to caress it's muzzle long after it'd ceased to breathe. "Clean and easy. I doubt it felt anything but the shock of the impact. Becoming fae touched will do that to a creature." Raising back up, she gazed up at him with a smile. "Do you require more, Richter? Or will this meal suffice?"

Richter shook his head and smiled at Jade. "This will do nicely for at least a couple of days, seems he's got quite a lot of meat on him." The man latches the crossbow back onto his belt and leans down to pick up the animal. He hoists it over his shoulders with little effort, then beginning to make the journey back to their small hovel of a home. He motions for Jade to stay close to him. "So what causes you to change into this...form of yours? I enjoy seeing you like this." He grunted as his shoulders rolled to readjust the carcass.

Jade watched him in silence as he hoisted the animal onto his shoulder, moving quickly to crawl after him. The bloody mess that had been caused from the bark of the tree the night before was still quite apparent along her back, though if it was causing her pain, she wasn't showing it at the moment. "All right then." Her head tilted at his question, a smile gracing her lips at finding out that this form pleased him. "Injury causes me to change, though I can simply will it. There are some draw backs, but I will gladly remain in this form if you enjoy it so much."