Trader's Travels

[Ciniki]

    The morning sun beat down on the Zebra savanna making the noon temperature rise well above comfortable level. The heat radiated off the trail and made the temperature feel even hotter closer to the ground. The air was still and quiet save for the crowing of a murder of crows scavenging a dead carcass. Beyond recognition by this point in its decay. The savanna was void of much plant life in this area besides the occasional small shrub or tuft of grass. The smelting hot dirt path crunched under the wheels of a cart filled with trade goods. Eight hooves crunched along side the cart marching down the path in a continuous advance toward what could be considered civilization in the Zebra savanna. The coloured tribes. 

    Following the trail were two Zebras pulling the cart down the path. They appeared obviously miserable and tired. The female one looked up from the path and squinted her eyes trying to block the sun with her hoof as she looked up. "Of all the things to forget, I forgot my hat" Ciniki complained. The scorching noon sun beating down and effecting her sight was getting on her nerves. Not to mention the heat and the length of time she had been pulling the cart. "About another half day march and we should be right on time to the first tribe." They had been traveling already for two days and so far so good. No attacks as of yet thank goodness. None the less she kept her knife strapped to her leg and her bow within easy access. She still didn't feel safe even with the extra company this time around. Speaking of which she felt sort of bad for her traveling partner. this heat must be getting to him just as much as it was getting to her. 
   

[Ofuna]

    While the heat and light of the sun beat down on them, Ofuna didn't let it impede him too much. Though, the heat has a way of draining ones energy. Which was a bit of a problem as this was their third day traveling. Light light of the sun getting in their eyes wasn't helping matters much either, but Ofuna tried to ignore it.

     The mare seemed rather bothered by it though, and albeit briefly, let her irritation be known. "Really? That's what's bothering you?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "We're traveling through the monster infested Zebra Territories, and you're complaining you forgot your hat? I think a little sun is the least of our worries."

    Ofuna was traveling, as always, with his crossbow on his back and his quiver on his side for easy access. Constantly swiveling his ears trying to pick up any sound. And scanning their surroundings so they wouldn't be snuck up on. So far there was nothing out of the ordinary, but he didn't know if or when that would change.

    When the mare gave her estimation on when they would arrive Ofuna felt a bit of relief. They would be able to rest a bit out of the sun. However, as with most things he had a snarky comment and wasn't one to keep it to himself. "That's good to hear Boss. When we get their to you want me to blindfold zebras and bring them to you so you can offer them a trade proposal?"

[King Tidal Wave]

The path in front of the two zebras stretched on and on into the horizon. It was perhaps a mixed blessing that their trip had been so far uneventful. Not having encountered any wild monsters or hostile personalities might have made up for the boredom.

For the longest time the two zebras had each other and the sun to keep themselves company. But finally, in the distance, intelligent life could be spotted. It was another zebra, sitting against a large rock a step from the path. He was average looking. Average height, average face; grayed coat with thick black stripes. On his back was an average looking pack, hanging from which was an average looking ax.

The average zebra with the average looks and the average things seemed to be staring off into space for the longest time. It wasn't until Ciniki and Ofuna were within speaking distance that he turned to look at them. He did not, however, say anything. He merely seemed to be watching them, and their cart, as they approached.

[Ciniki]

    Ciniki laughed at Ofuna for his comment "No they don;t need to be blindfolded in there own village" She grinned and turned her attention back to the path where the average zebra was sitting. The first thing she noticed was that he was armed with his average axe. Even an average axe could be deadly. Using her head to motion toward the zebra she brought him to Ofunas attention. She gave him a concerned but calm look. Don't attack unless you're attacked was her philosophy in these situations.

    Once in ear shot Ciniki called out to the Zebra. "Hello! What brings you out in this blistering heat?" Ciniki stopped far enough away so that she could be heard but also at a safe distance. She kept the cart hooked up wary of the stranger. They've been lucky so far and Ciniki felt that luck was about to run out. 

    Waiting for a reply from the average Zebra Ciniki scanned the area around them looking for any Zebras possibly hiding anywhere because an ambush was almost certain. Looking to Ofuna now she wanted to be sure he knew what she was thinking. However impossible that may be. She wished mind reading was possible for Zebras right about now. 
    

[Ofuna]

    While he had been scanning the horizon, Ofuna had spotted what appeared to be another zebra. As the two got closer, and he could see the figure better, it turned out he was correct. There wasn't much that stood out about him though. Except for the strange location and the ax he was carrying. Both of which made Ofuna wary of the situation.

        He was made a little happier when the mare had them stop a safe distance away. "I'll let you do the talking, but be ready should things go south." He muttered to the mare. Taking his on advice, he put his hoof on his crossbow for quick access to it. All the while his eyes were darting back and forth as he surveyed their surroundings.

    With a quick glance back at the mare, he could tell they were thinking the same thing. That this was most likely an ambush. Ofuna quickly resumed examining their surroundings, while trying to be subtle about it. Even throwing a few glances behind them. Searching for anything that could give an ambush away.

[King Tidal Wave]

For the longest time the zebra said nothing, opting instead to stare blankly at the two travelers. The look he was giving the two was certainly hard to read. It was not malevolent, but certainly not friendly. Perhaps... unimpressed was the best way to describe it. And perhaps awkward was the best way to describe the situation. If the zebra intended on saying anything, he certainly seemed to be taking his time.

For a moment the idling zebra glanced down at Ofuna's crossbow, but then back up at the two to continue his awkward, unimpressed, hard-to-read staring. Finally, after several more seconds, the zebra seemed about to say something, opening his mouth to vocalize a long-awaited response.

But before a sound could escape his lips, a sudden flash of movement had sprung from the tall grass on the other side of the path, right in front of Ciniki and Ofuna, pinning the unsuspecting stranger to the rock behind him. Instead of words came a shriek of pain, a shriek soon garbled by a mess of blood and sharp, reptilian teeth. A gbahali hiding in the grass had opted to make this zebra his lunch, and he was doing quite a good job of it.

In less than one second the loud crunching of spine, shoulder, and ribs had sounded from the one-sided struggle. In less than two seconds the zebra's garbled shriek had cut, his head falling limp and his eyes glazing over. In less than three seconds the gbahali had succeeded in tearing the zebra's upper half from his lower, splattering the rock behind them with blood and bits of zebra flesh.

It was indeed a shame that mind reading wasn't possible for zebras. Now they'd never know what he had been thinking.

[Ciniki]

    As the Zebra opened his mouth to speak Ciniki was ready to listen to him intently. Before he could say anything a gbahali attacked the poor soul. Reacting to the attack Ciniki jumped back from shock and in fear. She was expecting an ambush from a group of Zebras not a gbahali. The gore and the screams of the poor Zebra gave Ciniki the chills. She may be a hunter but the dying and panic screams of a fellow Zebra still made her very uncomfortable. Not to mention the blood spatter and the flying body parts. 

    She quickly snapped her head over to look at Ofuna hoping he wouldn't do anything to provoke the monster. Maybe it would be satisfied with its kill and move on? There was also the threat of there being more around. Maybe she should have been more concerned with monsters instead of her silly old hat. Using her hoof she motioned to Ofuna to try to find a way around the creature without disturbing it. Getting into a battle with a monster was not on her to do list. 

    However the cart was still attached to her and figured she would keep it that way. Just in case though she reached around and adjusted the strap so that if she needed to quickly get it off all she had to do was pull on the belt around her waist. Taking her bow out now wasn't very productive so she relied on Ofunas bow for now. Whispering softly to Ofuna "Time for you to earn your keep"
    

[Ofuna]

    Ofuna was wary of the other zebra, his hoof still resting on his wooden crossbow. He was surprised by the sudden appearance of the gbahali as well as it's quick movements. Out of instinct, he moved his crossbow from his back and had it cocked within moments of the beast's appearance. Too late to help the poor soul it attacked, and it didn't even have a bolt loaded.

    Trying not to alert the feeding creature, Ofuna reaches for one of his bolts and loads it into the crossbow. Taking a quick look around to see if there were any more, he saw the mare loosening the straps connecting her to the cart. He figured this meant they were going to try to avoid a confrontation and try to sneak around instead.

    He trotted alongside the mare, ready to fire should the gbahali be provoked. The muttered comment of his boss only causing him to roll his eyes, and the rest of his head, and mutter a response. "Really? I didn't notice. Clearly your powers of observation are astounding." With that said, he began to tread carefully so as not to make any noise the beast might hear.

[King Tidal Wave]

Shooting, sneaking, or sprinting proved unnecessary, however. The gbahali took off with the front-half of the zebra in its mouth, painting a trail of blood along the path as it moved around the rock and back into the brush. The creature didn't seem to heed Ciniki and Ofuna, giving them less than a moments glance and certainly not stopping to acknowledge them.

Where once there were three zebras now were two and a half; which perhaps didn't make too much of a difference considering the one hadn't had the chance to speak. The gbahali had taken the now deceased zebra's backpack and ax with it, less likely because the items looked appetizing than that they just happened to be attached to the wrong half of a zebra. The lizard had, however, bitten through the bottom of the pack, causing a small portion of the container's contents to spill out as the severed zebra was dragged off to be made into breakfast.

Said contents, now dotting the splotchy red line from rock to brush, seemed to consist of a bit of food and quite a few slips of paper. The papers were difficult to read without taking the time to pick one up for closer examination, but the two travelers could at least tell that the slips seemed to be identical. Identical, save for the fact that most were stained by zebra blood while a few others had gotten away with only getting slightly dirty.

[Ciniki]

    Ciniki watched as the gbahali ran off with the dismembered top half of the unfortunate zebra and waited for just a moment to be sure it was gone. Once she was sure it was gone she looked to Ofuna and put her bow away. Turning her head again she saw the food and the papers. Some of them drenched in the blood still pouring out of the remaining half of the zebras body and others just slightly dirty. They were lucky not to get sprayed with the poor souls blood during the fight. "Keep your eye out for more. I'm gunna check out those papers" Ciniki told Ofuna as she took off the strap around her waist and set the cart on the ground. Curiosity usually gets the better of her and fogs her judgment. 

    Stepping forward Ciniki drew her knife and rummaged through the papers using the knife to maneuver the bloodied papers so she didn't have to touch them as little as possible. The food was trashed unless it was wrapped. She felt a ting in her conscious knowing she was going through a dead stallions belongings. Whatever he was about to say might have involved these papers. 

[Ofuna]

    The sudden departure of the gbahali didn't take Ofuna by surprise. However, it did bring about a feeling of unease. Like there might be more hiding in the brush nearby. Waiting for them to drop their guard before they strike. The worry was probably unfounded, but Ofuna kept his crossbow in hoof just in case.

    He saw the papers that fell from the other zebra's bag. And with his boss walking towards them, he knew she had as well. He followed along behind her, angrily muttering under his breath that it's a miracle she's survived this long. His mood got worse when she started to poke at the papers.

    Ofuna scanned their surroundings for any signs of another attack. He wanted to tell he to just grab all the papers so they can leave, but knew the smell of blood might attract other predators. "Hurry up. I don't want to end up like this poor soul and become some beast's breakfast." Cruel as that may have sounded, Ofuna didn't care. He just wanted to get to the village were they'll have less things to worry about.

[King Tidal Wave]

The dusty, bloody pieces of paper were either incredibly unassuming or incredibly suspicious, depending entirely on the individual examining them. They read, as follows:

Ticket

▲  ✚  ■

All of them. Every last one of them was identical, down to the pattern of symbols at the bottom. What the papers were for wasn't any more clear, however. Were the symbols a code? Was someone trying to find the sum of a triangle and square? The only zebra who knew wasn't in any position to start giving answers.

The area surrounding Ciniki and Ofuna was now completely silent, not even the rustling of the gbahali audible any longer. There was also no sign of any other zebras, the empty path stretching both ways into the horizon. A shadow glided on the ground in front of Ofuna, and looking up he could see its origin. Vultures, a flock of them having spotted the zebra carcass below and beginning to circle. If the gbahali wasn't interested in the rear-end of the zebra, they certainly would be.

[Ciniki]

    Ciniki looked at the papers curiously only becoming more confused the longer she examined the varies pieces. What could the shapes mean? What kind of ticket was this? Was to it an event? Either was that questions wasn't going to get answered anytime soon, and hey needed to press on. Ciniki looked at the remains of the corpse not sure what to do. She turned to look at Ofuna and speak before the shadow caught her eye. Looking at the sky she shielded her eyes from the sun with a hoof and looked at the circling vultures. They obviously wanted to pick clean the remains of the Zebra. Turning again to Ofuna "Should we bring his remains to the village? He might have a family" she asked. "I'm not sure they would be able to identify him." They couldn't just leave him there could they? 
    Looking around she judged how long until night fall and figured they still had time if they wanted to stay and bury him but they would arrive late to the next stop. The schedule they were on was tight so taking him along or leaving him are the more preferable options. They would also have to continue to watch their backs because as it got closer to night fall more predators would be on the prowl. Staying out at night wandering the paths was not a good idea and they needed to find shelter for the night eventually.  "What should we do Ofuna?" she asked. He wanted his opinion based more on ethics, if he had any, rather then her logic and schedule.  

[Ofuna]

    Ofuna looked down at one of the papers at his hooves. What was printed on it didn't make much sense to him. "Is this supposed to be some sort of weird math problem? Either way, this doesn't make much sense." He then glanced at the poor zebra's remains, "And I don't think we're gonna be finding out anytime soon."

    His brief examination of the paper was interrupted by a shadow. He knew what this meant, and a quick glance up confirmed that vultures had arrived to claim the remains. Thinking, they should get a move on, he picked up the paper and stowed it in his saddle pack.

    Ciniki's questions on what to do caught Ofuna off guard. Why did she have to give him the tough decision? He's just her guard on this journey. However, he wasn't just going to leave the questions unanswered. "We leave the remains. We need to get to the village soon, and taking them would only waste time. Not to mention the smell of blood would serve to attract other predators that we are ill equipped to deal with." With his two bits thrown in, he turned and began to lead the way down the trail.

[Ciniki]

    Ciniki looked down at the remains with a look of sorrow in her eyes. She knew it was best to leave them behind, but it felt wrong. Flies began to circle the corpse and the vultures flew lower. Ofuna made it clear that it was time to head off. Tightening the strap around her waist and stowing the papers in a safe place she trotted along to catch up with Ofuna without looking back. To keep the pace going she trotted past Ofuna and urged him to follow. She wouldn't feel safe until the corpse was out of sight. "Let's pick the pace up for at least ten minutes"

    The road grew sweltering hot as the noon sun blazed over head. Ciniki started to ration the water otherwise they would run out before they made it to the next day. That little run in would set them back unless they picked up the pace. Which wasn't going to happen in this heat. All that could be achieved in this heat was a slow thudding walk. Either they would stay up later and walk further or they would trot once the sun started to go down. For the first time in over two hours of walking Ciniki dared a look behind her down the dirt road. There was nothing but a few vultures still flying in the air far behind where they were now. 

    The two hour walk had been mostly silent and rather uncomfortable. The steady breathing of the two was the only think that broke the steady rolling of the cart wheels and crunching of rocks under it. To break the silence Ciniki decided to distract with random questions to Ofuna. "How long has it been since you've been in a village Ofuna?" She looked at him breathing from her mouth. This cart was getting to be very heavy and the strap was starting to irritate her damp sweating skin under her fur.