Pahlsonn encounter, the Serrith name
"I would like to know." Sray confirmed.
"You read Torzhyebohn's journal." He stated like it should explain much of it.
"Yes, probably more times than I should have."
Kith Serrith laughed. "More times than Gilbreizhyem Torzhyebohn thought it would ever be read, I am sure." His amusement faded. "You read all the names and how each one was involved?"
"There were a lot of names." She admitted, knowing well that there were only two that had really held her attention.
"Many more than there should have been." He agreed. "There was a Serrith on that list. There are other records Mishor has managed to obtain and preserve that have two more." He stopped again, his face twisting with conflicting emotions, reminding her of Teigan's hesitance that first night that felt a lifetime ago when she first learned of the Meim and what they did. "What type of a man," he began, "what type of man would encourage, persuade, or possibly force his daughters to be involved in such a thing?" His dark eyes finally looked up at her, trying to read her reaction through his own trepidation.
Sray folded her arms and inhaled slowly. "If you have to ask what type of man would do it, I don't think you have to worry about becoming one."
A brief, nervously relieved smile that also seemed to express some level of gratitude flashed on his face before turning serious again. "Well, you can hopefully see I understand why you might be less than happy with your link to people who share a name that has not always been carried by good people."
It continued in this manner, sniffing and nosing around, pretending not to know she was in the tree while conspicuously avoiding the tree she was in. Its attitude changed when it crossed her trail. The large nose pad pressed into the ground, snuffing up the smells intently. It brought its head up and sniffed the air in her direction, lips curling distastefully around its sharp, jutting teeth. The four prominent incisors designed to pierce deep into flesh reflected bright white before it turned back to investigate the track Sray had left.
She had never seen a pahlsonn, their area of Geteilpohth wasn't suited to them, too dry, and the summers got too hot for such a densely built creature. It was impressive, double the weight of a kinus, but shorter at the shoulder and not so long in the body. She watched the broad back from her perch, muscles moving under the coat that hadn't quite shed fully with the early spring as it traced her path for a few paces.
It was bigger and physically stronger than Sray. There was no doubt about that. If physical strength was the only factor, it would see her as easy prey. She could out climb it. It would require ditching her skirt, but that would be a small, if embarrassing, sacrifice. Perhaps, if she stayed still, it would lise interest or pick up a scent more to its liking.
That wasn't how her luck would go today. Tha Pahlson turned back towards her, abandoning the scent trail and circling wide around the tree again, eyes fixed upwards at the branch Sray clung to. She didn't dare turn her head to follow it with her eyes, but sensed the heat of its body as it manuevered until the trunk was between them. If it thought that would be enough to block its approach, it was going to learn a hard lesson.
When she released her grip from the branch, her fingers were stiff from the tension, and she had to flex them before turning around and slowly peering around the trunk. It was stalking slowly, crouching low to the ground about twenty feet from the tree's base.
"Get out of here," Sray growled a Getie'an warning. Not that the Pahlsonn would understand the words, but she wanted it to know that she knew it was there.
The animal paused.
Sray allowed the heat to gather in her hands and radiate up her arms. If it was like a kinus, its range would be less than hers. A warning should be enough to make it reconsider. Preditors preferred their prey to be unaware until it is too late, making them stupid with fear. "Find something else to hunt." She maintained the threatening rumble in her throat.