Fourteen Up, Fourteen Down

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Today was Major Untaaura Verratoa's day off. Technically there were no days off on deployment, but one day every two weeks, each officer and soldier of the Jaanni'saari were permitted liberty to leave their duties in the camp and attend to personal matters. Most spent the time buying supplies from the Alliance commissary and communicating with friends and family back home. Some took to the woods to hunt wild game. Others, usually the occasional male under a kree'arr rut, found themselves hunting game of a different sort in the Alliance camp. Keeping soldiers with enough Alliance credits and condoms in their pocket was its own special bureaucratic hell for the Pride Marines, and always made planetary garrisons a touchy affair.

Untaaura had no family to talk to back home. She didn't make friends easily. She had no husbands - her excuse was that she was married to the Jaanni'saari - a turn of phrase but one that she believed in. Her entire universe was her career. She didn't have time to dawdle on small matters when everything that was important to her was in service of the Motherworld. Her days off usually involved reading combat doctrine, or a little extra PT to keep her body as weapon-ready as her mind was. At five feet one inch, she was short even for a female, but she never for a second wanted anyone to doubt her condition or her resolve. She was harder than beskar. Having a face full of scars tended to reinforce the matter.

So rather than a day of domestic moping or having her cabin boy put his mouth on her, Verratoa was determined to make something of it. She'd heard that the Jedi taskmaster Abarai Loki had made the fourteen kilometer trek between Sanctuary One and Miwù Shanmà a part of his training regimen for Jedi pupils. If it was good enough for their motley spiritualistic rabble, then it was good enough for a marine. She'd studied the course. It involved a fairly steep mountain grade with plenty of switchbacks, and potential danger from both wildlife and tribals. She made sure to pack not only her canteen on her belt, but also the synth leather pancake holster that held her duty weapon. If her distance running turned sanguine, then it was just another obstacle to overcome. As with anything, preparation was key. Combat boots, PT shorts and tank, hydration, and personal defense. All was adequate, and the Major left the officer's quarters, pausing only to let the camp quartermistress know that command was hers while she was on liberty.

Pausing at the gate, Verratoa looked far beyond the road, up at the craggy climb of the mountains ahead. Beyond their adobe escarpments, the clouds that gathered against the blue sky seemed grey and dense. Might be rain.

There was no sense in delaying. Verratoa took off with a trot, her gait even paced, her hands slack, and her tail keeping counterbalance as she pushed through the heart of the Jedi camp on her way to the long climb ahead.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Everything always boiled down to interpretation. How you viewed what was before you, and how you chose to tackle life's obstacles and daily hurdles. Or in today's case, class.

Most would say that she'd skipped today's session of physical education and - what had it been called? Art of Movement? Either way one looked at it, it was still moving about; jumping and exercising and getting sweaty and tired. It was also sort of boring, to be honest. Teagan had found herself grinding away at the courses and routines in the class without interest. She had found it all rather repetitive in short order, and had begun to think of as many ways as possible to simply not go. And that was what found her at the edge of the camp- a sleek silver-tipped juvenile vornskr. The rough greys of her younger pelt had become a glossy sheen, sleek and silky to the touch.

Sitting in the shade of a tree with her bony, barb-tipped tail wrapped around her front paws, she lifted her nose skyward, testing the air.

And then a new scent, brought about by the gentle breeze. A single ear twitched before the young Lupine turned to watch as one of the Cizerack marines came into view. The woman's pace was constant and maintained, and Teagan blinked as she shifted slightly.

This was new. Both ears now stood up, and the vornskr found herself with the answer to her current problem. She would simply give herself a new course of physical lessons. The teachers would no doubt say that she'd intentionally missed her class, but it was all about interpretation.

Who was to say that she didn't get her exercise while jogging alongside the nearing Cizerack?

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Kilometer One

The course that took her through the heart of Sanctuary one was just to move her legs and limber her joints. There was no hardship, no accelerated pulse, no quickened breath. She simply tested her own momentum to size it up against the task ahead of her. A few onlookers turned their heads and she simply ignored them, weaving around a pair of Specialist Suri's pit droids that were milling around in a suspiciously loitering pattern. Beneath one of the large trees that stood within the boundaries of the settlement, Untaaura spotted an exotic, silver-furred animal she didn't recognize. Probably one of the Jedi's pets, the Major dismissed. The notion of pets was a distinctly forrda fascination. They were animals without an obvious utilitarian use or value as food, and took up too much by way of resources and attention. Verratoa thought about it no more and kept jogging.

It was when she'd finally made the commitment to the outskirt road that she heard the pittering of paws. It was following her. Again, her first instinct was to ignore it, and she continued her pace as the grading of the path slowly started to rise at a series of foothills.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

It was an even gait that she now maintained, first watching the woman pass before rising from her haunches and starting off at a lazy trot. With her own tail weaving gracefully behind her, the Lupine let her pace quicken, and soon enough she settled into a slow lope, long legs keeping stride with the Cizerack.

As the path began to rise in an incline, she drew nearer until she was almost level with the woman, and as they both pressed on, the vornskr now kept pace. She slowed momentarily, but only so that she could duck behind and come up on the woman's other side, weaving just a small bit to and fro while lips parted in a toothy canine smile.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Kilometer Two

While the creature wasn't interfering with her run per se, it was a mental distraction. Her mind should be a blank slate to let the rhythms of her footfalls fill, but instead Verratoa was preoccupied by wondering who this pet belonged to, and how foolish they were to simply let it run as it pleased. For reasons unknown to her, it wasn't trying to pace her out of its territory or trying to attack or play. It simply ran along, as if somehow determined to find a reason to do so. As she crested another hill, the Cizerack Major skidded to a halt. Her body was warmed up, and she was ready to truly put her endurance to the test. But her uninvited companion was going to have to be dealt with.

Verratoa squared her stance as she watched the big pup flop to its haunches. She frowned, and hissed.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

What was this?

Blinking, the vornskr remained on her haunches, head going somewhat sideways as her ears swiveled forward in curiosity. Rangy legs and disproportionately large paws shifted as she redistributed her weight, and Teagan let her tail flip from one side to the other in amusement. Another toothy 'grin', and her body tensed in sudden movement. The Lupine sprang to her feet, as if expecting some sort of playtime to follow.

Her body was low, ready to bolt to one side or the other, and looking up at the Cizerack, the vornskr let out a happy, almost impatient bark as if to encourage whatever activity was next to come.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

"Ta'seei ne!"

Untaaura rebuked the animal sharply in Cizeri, which did little other than to cause the creature's head to cant slightly as it lolled its panting tongue happily. Useless! Stooping down, she found a rock on the ground, and turning in the direction of the settlement once more, gave it a powerful throw, sending the stone sailing high in the air. Hopefully the animal would be easily distracted, and the Major could run in peace.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

Tawny eyes watched the rock sail back in the direction they'd come. Well now. If it had any way to be conveyed, she would've rolled her eyes. She was out here for exercise, and to enjoy the freedom offered in running. She didn't want to be relegated to a class, and she sure as heck wasn't going to be going back to the Jedi camp for a good long while. She needed a break from the lessons and chores and sameness.

With Wyl busy with his own classes for the day, she needed to find something to take her mind from the normal weighty affairs that'd held her down for the last week, and this right now... this excursion into the wild, it was just what she needed, and just what she wanted.

Teagan once more planted her rump on the ground, looking up at the woman with an almost stern expression as her ears didn't necessarily go flat, but more level as if to verbalize her mild distaste at the thought that she would chase after a simple rock. And then her upper body twisted, her head angling in the direction that the two had once been running.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Not so stupid after all...

Scratching at a scar line on the right side of her face, Untaaura followed the animal's gaze up the path. So they clearly had the same idea in mind. While it might simply be easier to pull her blaster out and sort the creature out on the spot, that was certain not to go well in the camp below. No, this strange thing belonged to someone.

"jYou want to rrun, then?"

Blue eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. Looking back up the path, she smirked, and took off once more.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

And just like that, they were off once more.

It was exhilerating in its' own way, and the vornskr kept pace with the Cizerack for a short distance up the beginning foothills before ducking off the path to weave through the wild foliage and brambles. A small group of nesting birds scattered to the sky, and a few moments later the young Lupine burst back onto the path once more, a short ways ahead of her companion. The woman had seemed to take on a faster gait, and Teagan was more than happy to follow suit, dropping back so that the two ran side by side once again.

This was far better and much more fun than any class, and the vonrskr kept her stride easily, long legs propelling her forward and up the incline.

She'd more than likely earn a stern lecture from not only her teachers, but Zem as well for ditching the day's classes, but in the here and now, it was all worth it.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Kilometer Three

Now the grade was getting steeper, and the added distance was finally getting her heart working. Verratoa's face slackened its taut expression, taking breath in and out of her mouth as she pushed the trail. The dog (it looked like a dog, sort of) kept up as well in its own way, happily bounding on and off the path, threading a lazy course of her own as she stretched her legs and made sure not to overtake the felinoid. It was strange. Having the dog as a running partner was keeping Untaaura honest with herself. She pushed her pace to make a bid to overtake the dog, and the dog then turned up the pressure as she drew even. They were at parity, but the run had barely just begun. The Cizerack officer had to remind herself to maintain discipline necessary to keep her pace. Turning on speed for a temporary victory would be futile if she burned out before the summit. Already she was working up a sweat, the neckline of her PT top darkening under a sheen as she continued to pump along.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

The sharper incline gave her cause to work harder, and as her legs propelled her ever onward, paws smacking the dirt-packed path in a steady beat. Her tongue slipped out as her body began to sweat, manifesting in short pants that weren't necessarily a sign of her tiredness, but more that she was pushing herself past a simple quick sprint through the woods while on the tail of a scurrying jakrab. Her short sojourns into the more wooded areas around camp had always been done in secret; the less she had to explain to her classmates for the foreseeable future the better. Dama had told her that it wasn't anything to be ashamed of, the Change, but Teagan still shied away from the thought of exposing the second half of who she really was to anyone but Wyl and a scant few others. She certainly wasn't ashamed, just cautious. Even today's running partner would be kept in the dark - after all, if the young Lupine changed back she'd be naked, and she didn't want to deal with explaining that to anyone.

Up ahead, a jagged grade of rock and shale stretched for a small distance, and the vornskr angled her direction only slightly so that she would meet the challenge head on.

A surge of muscles sent her bounding up to land on the first small boulder, and her paws continued her upward movement, quickly picking out solid enough spots to hold her weight as she ascended further.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Untaaura envied the creature's maneuverability as it took the most direct path of ascent. She, on the other hand, followed the dirt road that gently diverted a distance from the outcropping. The grading increased, slowing her gait so that she could combine the slower trot uphill with plucking her canteen from its perch on her belt. Taking a few quick quaffs, she capped it and replaced the container on its accessory clip, digging in to quicken her pace. Now her breath was heavy but consistent, and Verratoa keyed on the flank of the dog as it finally cleared its obstacle, and trotted along just ahead.

"jYou'rre gojing a long wajy frrom home..." mild surprise showed on Untaaura's face that she was still talking to it, like it was a person.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

As if in answer, the Lupine gave a waggle of her ears while letting out a hurrf through quick breaths.

Moving so that she was once more at the Cizerack's side, Teagan allowed herself a brief moment to send a sidelong glance up at her companion. Her tail moved as a counterbalance to her motions, and she let her lope settle back into the steady drumbeat of before. By now Dama would've probably only been jogging, but Teagan's smaller frame, though growing and rather gangling in her four-legged form, had to exert more effort.

Before the two, the grade leveled out for a short bit before angling upward once more, the path beginning to meander left and right and the foothills gradually giving way to larger and steeper heights.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Kilometer Four

The day grew warmer, and inexplicably as they continued to gain altitude, the air became more humid. Untaaura took air in through her nose, and could smell the subtle change. Something heavy in the air, the clay and mineral smell that betrayed rain in the distance. The humidity was already amplifying her own perspiration, which dripped freely off her chin as she pushed on. Pace was critical now. She kept her momentum slow and deliberate, barely a jog that never broke into a walk as she negotiated one hill only to briefly head down the top and ascend an even higher one.

"jI hope jyou'rre ssmarrt enough to follow me back. jI doubt jyourr massterr would want to make thjiss rrun..."

Maybe it didn't have a master. In a rough and tumble camp like that, maybe it was feral and learned to live off garbage and scraps, not fearing people, but rather seeing them as beneficial companions of its own choosing.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

In response, the animal ducked behind her, veering off to run just off the path and through the scrub-brush that grew up. Weaving around saplings and rock, bounding over fallen limbs and prickerbushes. It was a good change from the steady running, and offered her the chance to work her muscles in a different manner. Leaps and dodges sent her over and around each obstacle.

Further along the path straightened out, and along the side of it a tree had fallen, providing a natural wall of sorts to the route that the two were taking. Root system jutting up from the ground, Teagan used the larger branches to propel her up so that she could run along its' wide trunk.

She paced the Cizerack woman, only now as the two ran, their eyes were on the same level.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

The animal had smart eyes.

No sooner did the observation cross Untaaura's mind than she nearly dismissed it due to absurdity. What did that even mean? Yet there they were, piercing, thoughtful, and inquisitive. Like a sentient's. The more she ran alongside the creature, the more of a weird respect she had for it. To the point where the path it took was nearing its end, Verratoa purposefully slowed her gait.

"Go ahead."

She waved a hand in a small motion, a breathy smile on her face as she watched the vornskyr take the right of way. The Major took a moment to glance at her pedometer, noting that she'd crossed the six kilometer mark without keeping track of the distance. That her exertions didn't feel pronounced was a good thing.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

She had jumped from the fallen tree, her body only somewhat smooth in its' motions as her paws had hit the ground, and without missing a beat she was once more padding along at a lope. Her breathing came in sharper bursts as her muscles worked harder than normal, and the Lupine moved so that she ran along just behind and to the side of the Cizerack.

While chasing after jakrabs and scurriers was enjoyable and got her heart pumping, Teagan was finding this excursion to be far more taxing; but not in a bad way. After all, it all boiled down to interpretations of how she applied herself, and if that meant obtaining physical activities away from her classmates and teacher, then all the better. Certainly her instructors couldn't fault her ingenuity?

A sound caught her attention; a burbling and small rumbling that only grew louder the farther they went, and it wasn't long before the Lupine spied a small creek intersecting the pathway. It wasn't big - maybe five feet across, and it certainly wasn't deep either. Maybe ankle deep at best. But it promised something else, and with a burst of speed the vornskr passed her partner to speed ahead. Her tail swept waving motions behind her as she urged her body into a sprint, and soon enough she'd slowed to a jog, and then a complete stop as her head went down, tongue going out to lap up the cool water.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Untaaura felt she still had reserves to go, but she hated the notion of leaving her running partner behind. She drew up to the creek alongside the animal, and unfastened her canteen once again. By now her PT top clung to her body with sweat, dark lines at her pits, trailing her abdomen, and lower back visible as she took a few eager gulps, but not before spitting a mouthful of water aside to purge the thickened saliva of her dry mouth. The Major returned her canteen to her belt, wiping water and sweat from her chin as she watched the dog drink.

"Don't drrjink too much now, we have a wajy sstjill to go."

Did dogs get stomach cramps? Probably? Verratoa bent down to pet along the creature's back at its shoulders, noting the coat of well-preened fur. Certainly not a wild creature, not this one.

"Do jyou have a name?"

Again Untaaura was pushing the absurd, talking effectively only to herself. It wasn't as if the dog was suddenly going to have a conversation right back at her. Yet here she was, asking the dog's name. It needed a name.

"Kuurramaai jiss a good name. A sstrrong name."

A name with a lot of thoughts behind it, too. Verratoa continued to pet the animal, lost in more thoughts than she ought to be.

[Teagan s'Ilancy]

As the hand moved once more to her head before traveling back down along her spine, Teagan swiveled her head so that her nose met palm, and taking a few short sniffs, her tongue came out to give a lick. Not affectionate, but more in acceptance and camaraderie. Here eyes then went to the other woman's, and her head angled slightly up so that she could scent the Cizerack's neck and cheek. There was of course the very powerful odor of sweat and exertion, but beneath that were other far more delicate scents that wove in, over, and around.

Kuurramaai.

An interesting name, and one that her mind seemed to find acceptance to.

It wasn't her name of course, but in the grand scheme of things, this Cizerack woman wouldn't ever know the real truth.

The vornskr gave a low whine then, turning her head to gaze back along the path they were traveling. She had rested well enough, and felt ready to continue on.