Bill stops his motorcycle when he sees who it is up ahead, sits and lets it idle and just stares. Not 'cause she's a gorgeous redhead, or even 'cause she looks like she's been rollin' around in the first.
"...That a tiger?" he asks, swiping at his forehead with his sleeve. Ain't too sweaty after all that ridin', just dirty. Little wet from the ocean spray when he drove too close.
Ygritte looked up and grinned. This was why she liked a man who'd been through battle and showed the marks. They were always smarter, more likely to find ways around things-- like missing legs.
Ygritte gave him quite a look, considering the dirt and blood all over her. "It's got my name, so I take care of it. I didn't just slaughter that dinosaur for nothing," she said haughtily. "And nothing eats me for breakfast unless I allow it."
"Good lord." It wasn't an impressive speech by itself, but given the fact that Horatio had swallowed down several heaves of his stomach and a good amount of bile just to give it, the results were very satisfactory indeed. He wasn't fond of blood, particularly when faced with a bloodied young woman and a tiger.
His hand inched towards his pistol. "I think you'll want to come away from there."
"I don't think I do," Ygritte replied tartly. "I just went through a lot o'trouble to have this cat, and I'll be keeping it." Now, he was a civilized sort of man, she could see, so she'd need to adjust her argument for him.
"I see," said Horatio bleakly. Because he did see, there, clear as day, the bit of parchment and the collar. He fought the urge to roll his eyes heavenward and curse the island. "It's only just arrived, I expect."
"No, I believe it's been stalking me for a week or so," Ygritte said. "We've an understanding, though. Do you enjoy cats? I would let y'pet it, if you so wish. I understand people o'your kind enjoy stroking cats."
He'd heard the cry, a battlecry if he'd ever heard one, and that torn from the throat of a woman too. He'd been walking the perimeter, thinking on the troublesome mare that was only beginning to trust him, and did not take kindly to Cuthbert at all when he heard it, swiftly followed by the roaring of one of those thrice damned giant lizards. He was running toward the sound before he'd even fully thought to do so, guns in his hands instantly. On this part of the island, they were never far from him.
As he came on, he saw her, the dinosaur, and the cat, taking in the corpse and the two remaining in at a glance. She was whole, bloody, but whole, and unless she was good at hiding it, not hurt herself. He walked the next ten paces to stand near her, eying the cat warily. He looked again at the dinosaur, throat still spilling blood onto the ground. "Your kill?" he asked, although it wasn't really a question.
Ygritte looked up at him, the blood still warm on her face, and grinned. "Aye, it is. Fresh, too." As her hand dropped to the side, the blood trickling off her fingers, the small tiger crept forward to lick at them.
"Don't worry," she advised him. "There's still aplenty out there if you want them."
If the blood bothered him, he didn't show it, although he still eyed the tiger warily. It had been Lloyd, he thought, who had told him the phrase tiger by the tail and shown him what they looked like. Rock cats he'd seen, but not anything like this until now.
"Well, thankiee sai," he said with a slightly mocking tone and bow. In truth, Cuthbert and he had played with the idea, thought they hadn't yet put it to use. Some day when they were bored of their usual activities and looking to take out their aggression through something more satisfying than sparring or shooting practice, they would. "Do you make a habit hunting game bigger than you can haul? Or did this one get in your way?" he asked, eyebrows raised, clearly impressed either way.
"A bit of a long story," Ygritte admitted, sheathing her knife. "But more o'the second than the first. I wouldn't usually care t'kill such a creature. It seemed... important, at the moment."
She walked over to the cooling corpse. "I suppose I ought t'skin it or do something useful." Without a village to support, these thoughts didn't come so easily anymore.
Though he'd become relatively familiar with much of the island by now, the jungles to the northeast were an area he'd been warned away from upon his arrival, and one he had found himself too busy too explore once it had finally piqued his interest. He'd kept meaning to hie out that way when the snow had come, and never made it, and now that classes were about to begin and he'd been accepted into the folds of the Task Force, Bert figured there wasn't a better time to do some aimless exploring than the present
( ... )
Ygritte looked up from where she was painting the lines on her face, and laughed from deep inside. She felt wild again, good in a primal way. "Aye, though I do not know o'this tango. Is it one o'them fancy sorts, with many rules?"
She nudged the beast's lolling mouth with her boot. "For I reckon that might not have worked out anyway, friend." With a flourish of her knife, she began to cut free one of those great claws from its hand. A trophy, of sorts. "If you would find any use for it, take what y'wish. I do not care for the taste, and there's not nearly enough brain to tan the hide."
"Aye, fancy dancing," Cuthbert assured her, taking her at her invitation to have a closer look at the kill. It was a spectacular thing, no less so dead, and he hunkered down beside it, his hand smoothing over the scales. "What's it taste like?" he asked, even as he watched her saw one of its wicked-looking fingers off. "And do they grow 'em bigger out here?"
"There's bigger," Ygritte said, wiping the end of the claw off on her thigh. "And they taste tough, bitter. If y'want wild game, stick with the boar." She laughed. "Not that I come from any place where I can be so choosy. That's the curse o'this island."
Comments 58
"...That a tiger?" he asks, swiping at his forehead with his sleeve. Ain't too sweaty after all that ridin', just dirty. Little wet from the ocean spray when he drove too close.
Reply
"Is that what it's called?"
Reply
"When he gets bigger he'll eat ya for breakfast. C'mon, climb up. Let's go for a ride," he says, more interested in her than the tiger.
Reply
Reply
His hand inched towards his pistol. "I think you'll want to come away from there."
Reply
"It has my name on it."
Reply
Reply
Reply
As he came on, he saw her, the dinosaur, and the cat, taking in the corpse and the two remaining in at a glance. She was whole, bloody, but whole, and unless she was good at hiding it, not hurt herself. He walked the next ten paces to stand near her, eying the cat warily. He looked again at the dinosaur, throat still spilling blood onto the ground. "Your kill?" he asked, although it wasn't really a question.
Reply
"Don't worry," she advised him. "There's still aplenty out there if you want them."
Reply
"Well, thankiee sai," he said with a slightly mocking tone and bow. In truth, Cuthbert and he had played with the idea, thought they hadn't yet put it to use. Some day when they were bored of their usual activities and looking to take out their aggression through something more satisfying than sparring or shooting practice, they would. "Do you make a habit hunting game bigger than you can haul? Or did this one get in your way?" he asked, eyebrows raised, clearly impressed either way.
Reply
She walked over to the cooling corpse. "I suppose I ought t'skin it or do something useful." Without a village to support, these thoughts didn't come so easily anymore.
Reply
Reply
She nudged the beast's lolling mouth with her boot. "For I reckon that might not have worked out anyway, friend." With a flourish of her knife, she began to cut free one of those great claws from its hand. A trophy, of sorts. "If you would find any use for it, take what y'wish. I do not care for the taste, and there's not nearly enough brain to tan the hide."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment