The sun's warm rays were very welcome to Tarai while she knelt between the tree's roots, and the orkhai softly hummed a song during her work. Leaves rustled underneath her wrapped hands as she looked for just one more little treasure to take home - whether it'd be shared with her family or sold at a market, it was always worth it. But it didn't seem like this particular set of roots was going to prove fruitful.
"Drat," Tarai muttered, standing up and stretching her toned arms swiftly. It didn't take long for a new smile to take the old one's place, however. "Let's see about you, then," she said, looking at a birch that stood a dozen paces away, separated from her by a small creek. Her legs may have been long, but even then she couldn't avoid stepping into the softly murmuring stream once, soaking her shoes and sending chill up her skin. "The sun needs a while longer to warm you up, huh?" Tarai thought with a sigh, but in truth she didn't mind in the slightest. Really, she liked it here, quiet as it was away from her clan, with her work only being joined by the sounds of the forest. Spirits, she loved them dearly... but it was so relaxing to have some time by herself for a bit. While absolutely far smaller than the great Ever Forest, these woods felt far more tranquil in their own right.
Again, she got down on her knees, carefully inspecting the white bark at the base for the subtle signs she was looking for. "You've got something for me, don't you?" she said, mostly to herself. "The forest has been very rewarding today already, but... surely you can spare one more?" It didn't look likely at first, as she couldn't find anything in the layer of dry leaves, moss and dirt until her eyes widened slightly. A tiny vine stuck out from underneath one of the roots, and with a victorious smile she carefully removed the delicate plant from underneath the tree that served as its host. "Six pieces of honeythread in one day! I can't believe it," Tarai smiled happily, already thinking of what she could do with such a bounty. She'd share most with her clan, but even if she'd just keep one there were plenty of uses.
When dried, the outer layer of the root could be ground into a fine near-golden powder with a lovely spicy sweetness - a taste that she knew plenty of culinarians adored to use. "All that's left is to remove the seeds and spread them around, so others can also..."
Then, a shout in the distance caught her off guard. She could hear a... woman? A man as well, nearby - and they sounded angry. "...What?" the orkhai mumbled quietly, looking around the glade and finding absolutely no one. Still, they had to be close.
Concerned, Tarai put the root in a small pouch and moved to where she could hear the people from, and soon the thumping of heavy paws joined the voices. "What's going on?" Tarai wondered, not having really expected to find people in this part of the woods. It wasn't until she'd made her way the edge of the hill that oversaw a road of sorts that wasn't as overgrown with trees that she saw the three strangers - two of them on large lizard-like steeds as they circled a much-smaller neko.
"...You really think you could hide?" one of the so-called horned ones asked the catgirl, her voice mocking while she held a lasso in one of her hands. "As if such a housecat could ever manage to find her way out here..."
"Easy way or not, you're coming with us!" what Tarai assumed to be her companion barked, another horned one albeit a fairly muscular male. "Don't make this harder for yourself than it has to be." The club he held looked rather vicious, and the orkhai saw the neko look at it for a moment. "Are they kidnapping her?" She couldn't just stand here and watch it, could she?
Before she could even make up her mind, however, the neko raised her hands. "Look, a girl knows when she's beaten..." she admitted, looking at the man as she bit her lip. "Someone like you knows what to do now, right?" The catgirl sounded almost... excited? Tarai watched in confusion.
"Cowards, the lot of you," he spat, but a wide grin split his broad face as he guided his mount closer and readied a set of shackles. "But at least you're a clever one, at least for a ne-" He didn't even have time to finish his sentence as the neko darted forward. After a swift cut to his saddle and a harsh smack to the lizard's flank he was thrown off the animal quite roughly, slamming against the undergrowth as his companion and Tarai were left surprised - the male beastkin could only grunt painfully while his mount ran off.
"Bullheaded idiots!" the orkhai could hear the neko shout as she fled further down the clearing, not stopped by the other horned one who instead rushed to help her partner. It didn't take him long to get back up, even if he wheezed in pain.
"After her!" the man shouted while he was helped onto the other beastkin's saddle, who with nothing but a grim nod set chase to the catgirl. "...They'll catch her again, and there's no way they'll take any chances next time," Tarai realized, and she knew there wasn't much time. "I can't just stand here, can I?" The orkhai knew this part of the forest, and that 'road' would lead anywhere but a dead end, not far away. There'd be no way she could catch up by following them - but luckily, there was an alternative.
Turning around immediately, she began to sprint through the forest, without any care for the mud or water she stepped into at times, hoping to find the neko through the shortcut before her pursuers could catch up. Tarai really didn't think she could forgive herself if she'd let something happen to someone innocent like that...
With her heart pounding in her chest, the athletic orkhai reached the dead end where she found the neko looking around for any way out while both of them could hear the chasing horned ones come close. Perhaps she'd heard the orkhai come closer, but the catgirl soon realized Tarai was there. Their gazes locked for the briefest moment, while a single, desperate plea came from the wide-eyed neko: "Help!"
The orkhai didn't think twice as she ran over to the panting beastkin's side, but there wasn't time for any questions anyway - the horned ones were there, and they looked angry. "Another of your bunch, huh? How'd you slip away?!" the woman barked, getting off the lizard while her companion winced and did the same.
