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| Getting out of the Academy; (Open) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 24 2013, 10:33 AM (142 Views) | |
| Chirpadee | Jun 24 2013, 10:33 AM Post #1 |
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behold her lovely plumage
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Audere pranced deeper into the forest her feathers rustling as she folded and unfolded her wings. The morning light filtered through the trees in patches casting her into a riot of greens, reds, and mottled variations of the two. Subtle blue splashed with golden patchwork lifted and fell between her thin sweeping horns. Tiny red paws lifted daintily over roots and brush looking completely satisfied with herself. This had been a wonderful day. Liam, who trailed after the paper like dragon looked far less amused. His hair was groomed as best as it could be after a night of heavy sleep. Even so a few locks stuck up like the comb of a rooster, awkwardly changing his appearance. His clothes were somewhat hastily pulled on, nothing fancy or formal, and his boots were laced tight. When Audere had told him there was something he HAD to see he expected it to be within the confines of the Academy. Now they were a least a good mile into the forest. He was glad he was fit or by now he would be exhausted. Every time he had asked how long it would be she had told him they were almost there, and every time it turned out to be a lie. Frustration was mingling with his initial curiosity. She had seemed so genuine with her pleas to come and see, how the hell she had discovered whatever in Kazuko’s name this place happened to be was a mystery to him. He ran his hands through his hair and yawned again, the dappled sunlight giving everything a sort of dream like quality. “Where are we going again?” He asked for probably the tenth time. The origami dragoness turned her narrow head back at him and smiled her secret smile. “You will see when we get there. Just a bit further now. Doesn’t it feel nice to be outside though?” She flicked her wings and ruffled the feathers on her hips excitedly. With a great bound she alighted upon a rather large felled tree and pranced across its top. “This better not be another of your adventures without a destination… I have a lot of work to do. We are a functioning pair and we need to be ready for whatever our wing asks of us.” He looked at her, baffled with how content she was just to flit about like, well a bird. “We haven’t been assigned a wing yet.” She turned her head and snaked her neck down to stare into a hole in the side of the tree, just to see if anything lived within. “I know where I am going don’t worry. Come on you need to get more exercise.” He heaved a sigh and his look soured a little. “I train plenty.” “Not that kind of exercise.” She remarked casually, “The actually going places and seeing things kind. You know you are going to miss life if you spend all of it trapped in a dark room with old tomes.” She shook her head and bounded back off the log to gracefully land beside him. With a casual flick of her wing she shaded him from the sun, stopping his squinting as the already mottled light filtered through her semi-transparent feathers. Liam was reminded of the palm fronds he had seen in one such book. He shrugged though and reached up to brush his fingers over her feathers. He really did care about the young air, even if he wasn’t the best at showing it, his mind was just usually occupied with languages, the sound of them, the way they flickered through his consciousness changing the way he thought. It was a wonderful existence and he was sad she did not share his passion. Still they got along well enough. “Remind me again why we cannot fly?” “We would scare them.” She said cryptically and flicked her slender ears upwards so they towered over her head. “Oh we are nearly there! Are you ready? This is going to be so great!” She slowed her walk and crouched low. “Be quiet now. It’s important.” She warbled in soft tones. Liam heaved another sigh and was forced to duck or he would have been shoved over by her spread wing. He followed in the shadow of her extended feathers. Audere was smart enough not to lead them up on something dangerous. She wasn’t one who went looking for trouble, unless of course she thought she could handle it. The thought made tension ripple over his jaw. No, this seemed too innocent to be dangerous. They came to the edge of a sloping valley where the trees became sparser and turned from old wood to a grove of narrow aspen. They towered upwards, their green leaves fluttering softly in the breeze. A stream trickled past them and down into the depth of the Valley. Over one of the sharper edges spilled a small waterfall which filled a crystal clear pool. The mist that spiraled upwards cast subtle rainbows against the dark cliffs. Tall grass waved in the slight breeze that wound its way through the depression in the forest. The high walls cast deep shadows and gave a beautiful view of the sky. “What are we-“ Liam hissed softly. “Shhhh!” Audere insisted, her bright blue eyes fixed down at the pool. She lowered herself and nearly slithered along, forcing her rider to duck out from under her wing as to not get knocked clean over. He shoved the feathered appendage out of his face and froze at what he saw. There, gathered grazing in the sloping meadow, was a herd of dicorn. It was large, consisting of nearly fifteen members. Perhaps it was two herds gathered in the fertile land. His jaw slacked a little and he stared openly. They varied in colors much like horses, each somewhat delicate. There was a mythical quality to them as they were quite rare, many went their whole lives never laying eyes on one. They milled about quietly and seemed to not notice the pair hidden amongst the remaining trees as they were. Audere laid herself down and pulled her wings tight. A smile lit her face as she watched them in content silence. Liam looked over at her and gave a lopsided smile. Alright this was a rare enough sight to merit. He leaned against her side and let his fingers idle over her perfectly interlaced scales in thought. For a while they just stayed, quiet and observant. Audere enjoyed the closeness she craved with her rider and rarely received. She leaned back against him and they shared the moment, letting it span for a time without words. Feeling it was about time they did something else the dragoness puffed up her feathers again. “Come on. Time for something fun.” She rose gracefully to her dainty paws and flicked her whip like tail. “What is your definition of fun?” He asked cautiously and stepped back just enough she could rise. She lifted her wing and bent down for him. “Come on. In the saddle. Not taking no for an answer even if I have to carry you in my claws.” She beamed at him innocently and batted her large blue eyes. Liam knew she would do exactly as she said. It was in her nature and would not be helped, when she got an idea in her head sometimes there was no turning her from it. He swung himself into the flat saddle and tucked his knees into their grips and his feet into their respective holds. With a tight grip he nodded. “Alright lets have fun.” He chanced uncertainly. “Trust me it will be worth it.” She bounded out from the trees warbling so the dicorn turned to see what came their way. They lifted their heads contemplatively, chewing their grass with placid expressions. Audere winked back at Liam and then her wings spread, all four of them flashing brightly colored feathers at the docile creatures. She barred her fangs and lifted her crest turning the very serpentine dragoness into a rather threatening looking monster. In a final effort to get the beasts spooked she roared, a sound seldom used, but quite formidable and it rolled from her jaws to echo off the cliff sides. “What are you doing!” Liam yelped as the dicorn swung around so fast some of them nearly toppled. They bleated in fear as they bolted towards the far exit in an attempt to escape into the trees, their glossy manes billowing in the wind. Audere did not hesitate she flapped her wings as soon as she breached the aspen grove and kicked off the ground as she ran, all four pairs worked hard in unison and with a bit of manipulation of the currents they were lifted to soar through the chasm. With a lazy flick of her tail she drifted over the galloping herd so they could watch them from above. The grin on her lips was genuine. “Aren’t they magnificent!” “You did not need to scare them half to death.” He grumbled. She her laughter bubbled like the spring they left behind and she beat the air with her wings, gaining altitude and leaving the herd behind as she drew higher. “We didn’t hurt them any! Stop being such a stick in the mud Liam. I am showing you the world! Exposing you to strange and exotic locations! Amazing animals and rare sights! It is wonderful ok? Try to enjoy yourself.” He scowled into the saddle. He wasn’t a stick in the mud. “I am enjoying myself.” She circled twice then dropped back into the valley. She landed gracefully, with the ease of a natural born flyer. Sure she could have flown them here, but then the dicorn would not have let them observe, they simply would have disappeared back into the glades and been gone. She let her rider clamber back down with a grin. “It wasn’t that bad. Admit it you like flying with me.” She pranced to the water and took a deep drink from the pool. Liam stared where the Dicorn had disappeared and sighed. He would have loved to watch them longer; too bad his dragon was spurred by fits of whimsy which didn’t make a damn lick of sense. He sat himself on a large rock which rose above the grasses and just tried to relax. It had been worth the trek, even if Audere had cut it short with her spirited chase. “Of course I enjoy flying with you.” He responded. He was beginning to wish he had stashed a book to read while she went about whatever it is she was doing. Audere smirked at him, but when it became clear he was done engaging she ignored him for the most part and pranced into the water sending droplets everywhere. Like a bird in a bath she dropped down and shook her wings in the moisture, wetting them and ridding them of particulate. She near vibrated as she bathed her feathers and scales. Pure contentment passed from her side of the bond. Liam wrapped his arms around his knees and watched her, not really in his element. He had to admit it was beautiful here. There were just better things he could be doing with his time. Hell if he had brought his halberd he could have trained, but the paper air had demanded he leave it at home. Now he was at a loss as to what to do other then sit and watch his dragon wallow in the spring. |
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| Silverfeather | Jun 24 2013, 05:30 PM Post #2 |
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Samurai Pizza Feather
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With Graduation having come and past, the great celebration having brought many joys and misfortunes to everyone, Arina found she had more time to herself and Karst. After the incident in one of the dungeons, Karst had been taking it easy, per Arina and the healers orders. While he begrudgingly did this, Arina had time to choose what she wanted to do. But, while wandering the Archives, she didn't really find anything that really clicked with her. With Isabeau's help, she had managed to gain more information on past and current wings, and other bits of information. So, she had joining a wing as a back up plan. Karst, however, was wanting to travel. To see the sites and go on adventures and meet new friends. Arina wasn't sure she wanted to leave the security of the Academy and possible get into life threatening situations. Not that she didn't Trust Karst. It was just. Something she wanted to avoid. So, she had wandered the archives, becoming a familiar face in the old tomes and became more interested in the books that they had on other cultures and languages. It was interesting read, however, it quickly brought back memories of the lessons. All the lessons. Her parents had the belief that a as a proper noble, she should have the ability to speak at least one other language. After mastering one language to fluency, she had said no more. And her parents had finally gave in. "Are you awake up there?" With that sentence spoke through her mind, and she shook her head. Somehow it still felt like it was night and that she should still be in bed. It was early morning, and she forgot why they were tramping through the forest to begin with. "Yes." "You're awefully quiet. Are you not excited to be out and about! I am! We're going to have an adventure right?" An Adventure. That's what brought Karst out to the jungle so early. He was finally healed for the most part, and was able to prance around like the puppy he was. What adventure that they could have out here, she didn't know, however, It was a change in scenery. "Of course." "So far, we've watched the sunrise. We spotted a herd of deer. Anything we can climb? What about those mountains in the back? Can we go to those?" "Those are so far away, Karst, And I didn't bring overnight camping things." "Hey! Maybe there are different birds of prey around? Maybe Rishi would appreciate a friend?" "I am not taking in a new bird. Besides. Most birds of prey are Solitary. They don't like other birds and are highly Territorial. Rishi would probably attack and kill the other." "Oh." Most would ask if she missed not being able to experience true flight. She would answer that, no. She didn't. She was perfectly happy Riding a dragon that didn't fly. Besides, there were things on the ground that you couldn't experience by flying. Like the wind whistling through the trees, blending in with the songs of birds that flew ahead. If you flew, you couldn't hear the gurgling of the distance stream and the occasionally splashing of an animal passing through. You would miss the dancing of shadow leaves on your face, as the sun peered through the above canopy. There was beauty here, and it was pleasant to walk through it. Arina was going to ask Karst something, but the sound of a dragons roar caught both their attention. "What was that? Are they in trouble? What are they doing? Should we go find out? I think we should!" Karst spat out, changing his path to where they had last heard the roar. "Karst hold up! We should be careful!" Karst probably heard her, but he was busy moving through the forest. He moved as silently as an Earth could, but this was Karst, and eventually he gave up on trying to be silent. There was no use, if there was a fight, they should know he was coming! The tree's started to widen as they met the stream that wove through the Valley. Coming to the Waterfall, Karst could see both pair. And he was rather relieved that they were not in trouble. He knew how Arina disliked fighting. It was Audere and her Partner. Out enjoying the day (he hoped) like themselves. "Heellloooo~ Audere! It's Karst! Are you enjoying the day? I do hope you are!" He called out as he came out proper in their line of vision. "Greetings to you as well,..errr" He did not know Audere's Rider's name, however he would have to rectify that. "Its a pleasure to meet you! I am Karst and my Rider is Arina." Arina felt much relief that it was just a fellow classmate and that there was no danger. She dislike having to fight, she held the belief that she wasn't very good, despite all the practice she put into. In reality, she was pretty decent, and could give most any attacker a run for their money if she tried hard enough. Carefully she dismounted from Karst, and stood next to him. Even though she was tramping through the forest, She was dressed nicely, if not appropriately. Her hair was nicely put up in a ponytail, with a few strands to frame her face. Pants that looked slightly worn, and a white light blouse that was loose. Even for being five-foot tall, she held herself confidently. Even though she was far from confident. Her eyes would break eye contact, and she would occasionally shuffle from foot to foot. "A pleasure to meet you." "So, was that you roaring? Why?" At least Karst wasn't pelting non-stop questions at the pair. After he had spoken his last question, he managed to keep the rest of his questions behind as he let the other pair respond. He was getting better. |
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| Chirpadee | Jun 24 2013, 09:23 PM Post #3 |
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behold her lovely plumage
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Audere knew long before the earth arrived that he was coming. Hell she couldn’t tell you how the hell any earth got into a densely forested jungle in the first place. There had to be a debris trail the whole way in. Such big dragons were not made to move in tight spaces. Hell he probably plowed himself a trail just to get here. She had to imagine not a lick of underbrush survived and that a good number of trees had been tipped or pushed over Not even the aspens were narrow enough to give him much space. As such long before he arrived, for if the crashing of his passage wasn’t enough of an indicator, the rumble of the ground was, she turned to her rider and frowned. Her wings spread and she bounded out of the water with a strange amount of weightlessness in her gestures, as if she were a paper airplane on the brink of true flight. She flicked her wings briskly sending off the last droplets of water in a shimmering rain of light. She bounced through the grass and stopped beside her rider’s perch. Her crest rose and she ruffled the feathers on her hips in thoughtful pause. “Trouble?” Liam asked and he rose to his feet still balanced atop his boulder. He turned to face the direction she pointed and stared. Again he found himself wanting for his weapon. Why had he let her talk him out of it? It was too late now. Their best bet was to make a run for it. Very few dragons could match an air for speed. She shook her head. “Don’t think so. Be ready for a quick flight if needed. I think it is an earth…” “An earth here? What the heck are they doing?” He ran his hand down his face and balanced astutely on his perch, waiting to see what came of it. Then the gecko like earth broke the main tree line. The poor aspen, hardly 30 feet in height probably tickled the dragon’s chin. He winced as a young sapling disappeared under foot. Well at least he recognized the dragon. That meant there was no danger here. Audere pranced forward, unperturbed by the mild destruction. She had always found the rather dopey earth amusing. He wasn’t the brightest feather on the bird, but that made him at least funny most of the time. “Morning Karst. Quite the day hummm?” She hardly stood fifteen feet high, barely breaching the earth’s knee. She lilted her way along on stilted limbs looking content to greet him. With a flick of her tail for balance she rose onto her hinds to get a better look up at his large head. While he was all bulk she was almost not there at all. He was generous portions and she was a sleek lines. Hell she looked like she shouldn’t be able to hold a rider. Thankfully for Liam she was more durable then she looked. “Oh this is Liam and I am Audere. Pleasure I am sure. Don’t mind him he doesn’t like people.” She motioned to him with a claw and smiled politely. “I was roaring to scare forest creatures.” She did not lie, nor did she tell the truth it was her secret after all. She had chosen to share it with Liam and the fact she had drawn others to her grove was not the worst thing, but she wasn’t going to go blabbing all her secrets. Liam scowled at his dragoness and held his perch. “I like people fine. Stop telling everyone that.” He felt very small compared to the earth. He was glad he hadn’t bonded to one of the flightless dragons, they were powerful, but he loved the sky. The thought of abandoning it now seemed strange and foreign. Even if he had only known flight for the last six months. “Then stop acting like it.” She chided and dropped to all fours. Pleasantly she idled around to the new human, introduced as sniffing at her curiously. “Hello there.” She seemed so unsteady on her tiny limbs, as if they might crumple under the slightest pressure, but she moved with the grace of a feline. “What are you doing in the forest. I mean big boy like you has got a lot of other options… not exactly forest sized are you?” “Audere!” Liam snapped and jumped down from his ledge. He strode up to her and shook his head. “Don’t be rude.” “I’m not being rude. I’m being curious.” She said flippantly and pranced away from him with a small private smile. |
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| Silverfeather | Jun 25 2013, 09:15 PM Post #4 |
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Samurai Pizza Feather
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Karst wiggled happily as Audere introduced her rider. "Liam. Nice to meet you" Arina Stayed where she was, letting Karst do more of the talking. "Why would you scare forest creatures?" Karst suddenly asked. While Karst preoccupied with trying to figure out why scaring forest creatures was necessary, Arina held herself up tall when the paper-like air started to examine her. Not that she really minded, She was far used to karst invading her personal space more times than she could count as a youngling, that her bubble was far smaller than normal. "We were trekking through, exploring." He turned his head back towards the impromptu path that he had made. "However; We had a much larger path to follow." True they had been sticking to a more well-worn path that allowed more passage for the large earth, however, with things like a sudden roar, he was more liable to go off the path than to stick with it. "And then. We heard you Roar. So I had to see what was up." He nodded more matter of factly, like a large puppy that had done an amazing trick. It was cute, in away. Arina however, was feeling more and more awkward. "I apologize, if we disturbed you. Karst can have a one track mind some times. He thought you were in trouble or something." She replied, more directed at Liam than Audere as she was busy talking at Karst. And interrupting was rude. "But I am glad that you are not." Karst suddenly piped up. "So, what are you all doing out here besides scaring things? Are you all on an adventure? I want to go climb the mountains, way out there, but Arina says that's too far." A small smile spread across Arina's lips. "Maybe someday. For right now we still need to figure out what we're going to do now that classes are over." "oh oh! Do you guys know what you are going to do now that classes are done" "Karst, give them time to respond to one question at a time." Karst was easy to get riled up and he wasn't afraid to ask what was one his mind. It took Arina to remind him to slow down, some people didn't think as fast as he could. She cast a look around the grove, as Karst managed to stay still for so long without bonding around and trying to get a look at everything. At least the destruction of Karst moving through the condensed version of the jungle wasn't being continued. She did feel slightly bad about that. "This is a very pretty grove." She finally commented. |
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