68th of Frost, 4621
It had been some time since Arkash ate so well. Even so, he walked with a certain lightness to his step, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't just because his blighted stomach completely digested and distributed all that he ate toward his evolution, either. He'd found what he perceived to be a like-minded soul, another that was wrought with the weight of living a false life, someone who hid all that they were for the sake of preserving their ambitions, and even their own life.
For the first time in months, Arkash was able to get the weight of the world off his chest and shared all his thoughts with another... While eating the butchered pieces of a bandit camp and their pet hyena. He was free to be all his darkest facets before the stranger and expressed himself in ways he'd never had the opportunity to before. He was told things in tandem, and though they differed toward the end to an extent, Arkash found that his enjoyment of the other's presence mattered more. There was something in the way he spoke, his scent, the warmth of his sleek fur. Was it just the desperate need for companionship that fueled his longing? Or something more?
After he offered his forbidden Mark to the feline, he guided the smaller Rath to the cave in which he'd hid Sheki at some point; a fairly small opening in the dried earth that led into a spacious Cavern with stalagmites and stalactites aplenty. Sheki had long since abandoned the cave, returned to Tyrclaid to look after the village, so it was perfect for what came next.
After leaving the other Rath alone for some time, he returned with what looked to be a Doctor's bag of black leather with a brass frame clutched between his claws. He briefly gripped the dried earth as he lifted himself to his tipclaws to scan the area above the tall grass with a few deep breaths through his nose, then lowered himself when he was satisfied that he'd not been followed.
"Okay, we're good," Arkash assured as he approached the feline and wove around some columns of water-formed stone. "So... The Mark," he began. "It can go anywhere, but you want it to be somewhere where no one's ever going to see it... For obvious reasons. Mine is on the back of my head-" he paused for dramatic effect. "-Beneath my scales, on my skull."
"The moment I activate the mark, it's going to try and drink your blood... So your body is going to open these random cuts and gashes all over, all deep enough to bleed," he spoke while he traced a claw along his body for reference, indicating how large some of them could be. "That's what this is for," he lifted the bag. "It's a Necromancy kit I'm borrowing from the Fortress nearby. The last person I initiated had his jugular slit open in the initiation, so I had to stitch his throat back together with Sinew Threads," he continued his explanation, going through the motion of suturing a wound with his claws.
"After that, you'll be a fully realized Vandikar," Arkash explained with a roll of his shoulders. "That's about all there is to it, to be honest... With the Grafting Needle, I'm a hundred percent sure you'll make it through; it's totally safe," he reiterated. "And... I'm fairly sure I can replicate hair follicles too, so your..." He hesitated a moment, staring, "your uh... Your shiny fur... Will, uh- It'll grow back." he added, fumbling with his claws while he quickly opened the bag and set it on the floor.
He cleared his throat harshly with a balled fist to his lips.
After a deep breath through his nose, he straightened up and placed both his hands on the small of his back, above hid his tail. "Any questions?" he asked in an effort to save face.
It had been some time since Arkash ate so well. Even so, he walked with a certain lightness to his step, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't just because his blighted stomach completely digested and distributed all that he ate toward his evolution, either. He'd found what he perceived to be a like-minded soul, another that was wrought with the weight of living a false life, someone who hid all that they were for the sake of preserving their ambitions, and even their own life.
For the first time in months, Arkash was able to get the weight of the world off his chest and shared all his thoughts with another... While eating the butchered pieces of a bandit camp and their pet hyena. He was free to be all his darkest facets before the stranger and expressed himself in ways he'd never had the opportunity to before. He was told things in tandem, and though they differed toward the end to an extent, Arkash found that his enjoyment of the other's presence mattered more. There was something in the way he spoke, his scent, the warmth of his sleek fur. Was it just the desperate need for companionship that fueled his longing? Or something more?
After he offered his forbidden Mark to the feline, he guided the smaller Rath to the cave in which he'd hid Sheki at some point; a fairly small opening in the dried earth that led into a spacious Cavern with stalagmites and stalactites aplenty. Sheki had long since abandoned the cave, returned to Tyrclaid to look after the village, so it was perfect for what came next.
After leaving the other Rath alone for some time, he returned with what looked to be a Doctor's bag of black leather with a brass frame clutched between his claws. He briefly gripped the dried earth as he lifted himself to his tipclaws to scan the area above the tall grass with a few deep breaths through his nose, then lowered himself when he was satisfied that he'd not been followed.
"Okay, we're good," Arkash assured as he approached the feline and wove around some columns of water-formed stone. "So... The Mark," he began. "It can go anywhere, but you want it to be somewhere where no one's ever going to see it... For obvious reasons. Mine is on the back of my head-" he paused for dramatic effect. "-Beneath my scales, on my skull."
"The moment I activate the mark, it's going to try and drink your blood... So your body is going to open these random cuts and gashes all over, all deep enough to bleed," he spoke while he traced a claw along his body for reference, indicating how large some of them could be. "That's what this is for," he lifted the bag. "It's a Necromancy kit I'm borrowing from the Fortress nearby. The last person I initiated had his jugular slit open in the initiation, so I had to stitch his throat back together with Sinew Threads," he continued his explanation, going through the motion of suturing a wound with his claws.
"After that, you'll be a fully realized Vandikar," Arkash explained with a roll of his shoulders. "That's about all there is to it, to be honest... With the Grafting Needle, I'm a hundred percent sure you'll make it through; it's totally safe," he reiterated. "And... I'm fairly sure I can replicate hair follicles too, so your..." He hesitated a moment, staring, "your uh... Your shiny fur... Will, uh- It'll grow back." he added, fumbling with his claws while he quickly opened the bag and set it on the floor.
He cleared his throat harshly with a balled fist to his lips.
After a deep breath through his nose, he straightened up and placed both his hands on the small of his back, above hid his tail. "Any questions?" he asked in an effort to save face.
