Posted August 9, 2011 (edited) Finally everything seems to be going right. thought Nanashi The patrols are out; the prey pile is filling, and everything seems- Just then a breeze brought the scent of blood straight to her. That's the new oxet! How did she get hurt? Nanashi pushed off from the ground to meet the group flying in. Nanshi sent waves of sound over the oxet to 'see' how badly she was hurt. Several punctured muscles and veins, some damage to the bones, and massive blood loss. What hotheaded stunt did she pull to get injured like this? Nanashi truned to Fascino "Take her to my den now." Nanashi flew ahead and gathered what she would need from a stone shelf in her den. As the Kay, she needed the skills to protect her tribe, and heal them when they were hurt. "Put her on my nest for now." She ordered over her sholder. She grabbed the last thing she'd need, some clean bandages, and went to Mitsuko. The wounds had clotted on the journey here and she could smell that they'd been cleaned. She took a poultice and spread it gently over each wound, taking extra care with the one leading to a punctured major vein. She rewrapped each wound and picked up an orange. Nanashi squeezed the juice of the orange onto a pot; then took some powder from an herb that would help with the pain and sprinked it in. She took Mitsuko's head and poured the juice mixture down her throat. Nanashi used small soundwaves to get Mitsuko to swallow when necessary. Once Mitsuko's life was out of danger, she turned to Fascino and Darren. "Tell me what happened." she said simply, her voice stern. Edited August 10, 2011 by Mitsuko Share this post Link to post
Posted August 9, 2011 Athena Athena smiled as Sikara took a few bites. She was doing very well, considering the trauma that she had just gone through. "Are you done?" Athena asked when Sikara stepped back with a satisfied expression in her eyes. Athena dragged the rabbit away, and started taking bites of the critter, chewing slowly as she listened to Sikara. "Hmm, a nightmare? That might definitely be the reason for the ice dome. Maybe if you're feeling scared or angry?" Athena took another bite from the rabbit, which was now flesh-free. Flicking her tail as a signal to Sikara to stay there, Athena took the remains of the kill outside and buried them quickly. Returning inside, Athena faced Sikara again, swallowing her last bite. She continued, "If you want to try to make ice, Then I want you to imagine that I'm going to attack you." Athena spread her wings to maximize the effect. "That I'm going to leap on you. Now concentrate. What would you want to do? Shield yourself with a wall of ice? Shoot ice shards at me? Blind me by covering my face in ice?" Athena paused to let Sikara think. "Now, concentrate hard on those feelings, and imagine you're in grave danger." Athena half reared, baring her teeth, flapping her wings threateningly. It would scare Sikara, which would aid in her being able to use her breath power. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) Just as Mitsuko felt she could fight no longer she felt a warmth dispel the icy hands. All around her came feelings of safety and the scent of . . . oranges? Mitsuko's eyes opened with effort. She was on a bed of soft moss, in a den she had never been inside, but she knew from the smell that it must be the Kay's den. "Tell me what happened." came a stern voice nearby. Mitsuko managed to lift her head up slightly, but lay back down as her head started to spin. Nanashi noticed her efforts and went back to her. "Don't get up Mitsuko. You've lost a lot of blood." Nanashi went to a stone shelf in the wall and started to make some orange juice. Mitsuko felt the need to explain what had happened to her. "I was patrolling alone. I'd argued with Nightstreak again, and went on ahead by myself." Mitsuko took a deep breath to stop her head from spinning and continued, "I was attacked by a loner. I got cocky and tried to shove him into the river, but ended up impaled by his spines. A passing Sares saved me from plunging into the river." Mitsuko didn't feel the need to explain who Darius was, at least not yet. "That's when those Maks showed up and seemed more interested in attacking the Sares then helping an injured tribes-mate. Darren showed up and chased them off, and I blacked out soon after." Nanashi was listening closely to Mitsuko's words. She could tell that Mitsuko was leaving some details out, but wasn't willing to press her for information while the oxet was still injured. She finished making the orange juice and placed the pot in front of Mitsuko. "Here, drink up. It will make you feel better." She turned back to Fascino and Darren, "Darren, would you go fetch something from the kill pile for Mitsuko? And Fascino, find out who those Maks were and bring them to me. I need to speak with them." Edited August 10, 2011 by Mitsuko Share this post Link to post
Posted August 10, 2011 Sikara licked her muzzle clean and sat very still when Athena took the remains of the rabbit out of the den. Who would have thought that a rabbit could taste that good? Her eye felt itchy suddenly and she brought her paw up to itch it. The process of itching was different then when she was human so when Athena returned Sikara was laying flat on the ground trying to rub her eye without impaling herself with her claws. She shook her head and sat back up. She was excited to be learning something so soon. She'd always enjoyed the lessons her mother had given her. Sikara was less excited though when Athena told her to imagine her attacking. Sikara took an unconscious step away from Athena and her eyes went wide as she was reminded that Athena was much bigger then her. Her instinct to run and hide overwhelmed her and when Athena reared, Sikara squeaked. She curled up and covered her head with her paws, her breath speeding up. Slowly at first, and then faster, a wall of ice started to surround her. It brew into a dome within seconds of starting. Sikara was still covering her eyes and didn't realize the dome was there. The memories of all the times people had hit her, chased her, and hurt her came to her mind and the dome thickened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once Mitsuko was safely on his back, Fascino took off and flew back to the camp. He went as fast as he safely could. When they were within sight, his mother came up to meet them. When she ordered he take Mitsuko to her den, he nodded. If anyone could heal Mitsuko best, it was Nanashi. He landed gently and carefully maneuvered Mitsuko onto Nanashi's nest. Once she was resting, Fascino released a little bit of his pollen breath into the air to help relax the injured girl. "I was patrolling the border when I came upon Mitsuko, Darren, and a Sares dragon. She'd been injured by that point so I cleaned and dressed the wound with my field kit," Fascino reported to Nanashi. He'd been trained very early in his life to always have his field kit with him. He was a fighter after all, and he knew what wounds could turn into if left alone to fester. "From there we returned." he didn't mention the things he'd heard, there was no need. He looked over at Mitsuko as she roused and then told her part of the story. He frowned. He would have to have a talk with Nightstreak, leaving his oxet alone like that was against patrolling rules. Then again you were always supposed to patrol in pairs of two. Since Fascino was old enough and highly trained, he didn't need to have a partner. Then again he had alternate motives for going out on patrols. Fascino nodded at his mother's order and left. It wouldn't be hard to find the Maks that had failed in their duty as Leaes tribe members. Tribes-mates came first, and then the enemy. Their numbers were small enough as it was and they didn't need to lose another tribes member. He went back to where he had found Mitsuko and Darren and followed the scents of the Maks. They'd continued on with their patrol so it wasn't long before he found them. They were young enough that they didn't quite show Fascino the respect that his rank deserved. To reprimand them, he knocked each of them flat on their backs and cuffed them across their heads. With that done he ordered them back to camp and told them that Nanashi wanted to see them. Once they were gone, Fascino left. He was now officially behind schedule to meet with the human. She'd be arriving tomorrow and he did not want another dragon to come across her. He lifted into the air and began flying towards the edge of the forest. He'd be flying for the rest of the day and he'd have just enough time to rest and then find the human woman. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 10, 2011 Athena Athena felt immediately sorry as Sikara squeaked in fear and hid. She didn't want to even go close to traumatizing the girl any more. But she quickly knew she had succeeded, as a wall, then a dome, thickening with each breath Sikara took, appeared around the frightened hatchling. Then Athena dropped back down on four legs, and bounded over to the little girl. "Sikara," She called through the ice. "Look!" Athena smiled encouragingly. "Don't be frightened, I'll never, ever, attack you. Never." She curled herself around the ice dome, ignoring the freezing temperature, to cause it to melt quickly so that Athena could get to Sikara. After a few minutes, the dome had turned into a little ring of ice. Athena jumped over the ice and sniffed Sikara. "Sikara, are you okay, my little one? I'm sorry," Athena apologized, curling her body around the cold body of the hatchling, ignoring the ring of cold, sharp ice. "Don't be scared. You know that I'll never attack you. Never in my life. And you'll always be safe if you're with this tribe, if you're with me, do you understand that?" Athena nuzzled Sikara's head gently. "Do you want to try that without the fear?" She asked after a long while, when Sikara's body had started warming up. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 11, 2011 The dome was so thick that when Athena spoke all Sikara heard was a muffled voice. She peaked out from under her paws and blinked in surprise. Part of her had thought that maybe the ice from before had been a fluke. Sikara uncurled and stood up within the dome. She walked around the inside of the dome, wondering about how thick it was this time. When she had first woken up, the dome around her then had been less then an inch thick. This though, looked a lot thicker. Athena was barely a blurry blob outside of the dome. Sikara pressed her front paws against the dome and dug her claws in. The barely punctured the ice. Sikara sat down in the middle of the dome and waited. What else could she do until the ice melted and she could get out? During the long minutes that the ice melted, Sikara got to thinking. She knew that Athena had only been trying to help her figure out her breath power, and that she hadn't actually been trying to hurt or frighten her. Sikara shivered and curled back up. The temperature inside of the dome of ice was far lower then she was comfortable with. The ice had melted enough to allow Athena in and Sikara was grateful for the warm air. "I'm ok." Sikara said as she tried to control her shivering. She happily cuddled up against Athena, trying to gain back some of her lost warmth. She definitely would need to learn how to better control her ice. Sikara did not like being that cold. Sikara nodded when Athena asked her if she understood that neither she or anyone else in the tribe would attack her. Sikara stopped shivering eventually. By that time the ice was nothing more then puddles of chilled water. "What if I can't do that without fear?" Sikara asked softly. She really didn't like the idea of having to be afraid every time she needed to use her breath power. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 11, 2011 Athena Athena curled tighter against the shivering hatchling, trying to warm Sikara up quickly, so that she wouldn't get a cold. The girl couldn't afford to get sick, especially when she was so weak and neglected. Athena smiled when Sikara asked if she could make the wall of ice when she wasn't scared... and what would happen if she couldn't. "Oh my little one, there is nothing to worry about. Nothing will happen if you can't make a wall of ice. It's your first day as a weredragon, and hatchlings start experimenting for over a year before their breath gets as strong as what you just displayed. I have full confidence that you can make it, especially since you have already done twice, and that you've seen how, but if you can't, nothing will happen. we can practice over and over again until we get it." Athena smiled encouragingly. "So, what I want you to do is first of all, sit up." Athena uncurled herself and sat down next to Sikara. "Now since you have seen your ice dome, imagine it. Can you see it right in front of you, blurring the world outside? Imagine it very clearly, exactly the way you want it. If you want me to be inside, include me in the picture, inside the dome with you. Also imagine the dome with the height, width, and thickness you want it to be. If you see it clearly, start breathing out. Keep seeing the dome, but breathe, and concentrate on the image in your mind. Breathe in, out, in out." Athena smiled, encouraging Sikara. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 11, 2011 Sikara's mother had always told her she was a fast learner, but she'd always thought that mothers were supposed to say things like that. What would it hurt for Sikara to keep practicing? If anything went wrong, Athena would fix it; and if Athena was confident then Sikara couldn't let her down. With that in mind, she sat up and listened carefully to Athena's instructions. She wanted to make Athena proud, so she wouldn't regret taking Sikara in and being kind to her. Sikara wanted to do her best. There was just one little problem: she wasn't good at judging distances. As much as Sikara tried to imagine the size of the dome, and with Athena in it, she couldn't. Sikara closed her eyes tight and tried again. She knew what the ice should look like, what it should feel like, what things outside the ice would look like and sound like, but she just couldn't imagine the size of it. She huffed in frustration and stood up. Without even realizing what she was doing, Sikara walked around Athena counting her steps. It was a trick she'd learned to remember where her hiding places were. She'd counted how many steps it took to go through the village back home, she counted the steps around the little hut she and her mother had lived in, she'd even counted her steps to and from to the little creek just outside of the village. With each step she took she counted under her breath. She focused with each step and the air chilled around her muzzle. Once she'd made a full circuit she had the distance set in her mind. She closed her eyes and was able to imagine using her steps how big the circle would be. The problem now would be height. Sikara took a deep breath and then released it. Ice flecks formed in the air around her muzzle and slowly the ice built up where she had previously paced. After a few minutes of focusing as hard as she could, she started to get light headed and she had to stop. When Sikara opened her eyes, there was a rim of ice that reached just above her head surrounding both herself and Athena. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 11, 2011 (edited) "Hey Fascino, you got to teach me how to do first aid or something. Sure would be useful in scenarios like this." Darren spoke, in the attempt to break the ice between the two. Following at the side of the dragon, Darren landed a few steps behind Fascino, watching as Nanashi healed up Mitsuko's wounds. When asked by Nanashi whatever happened, Darren kept a silent tone as the other two dragons responded with a brief outline of the situation. Darren had been watching the entire scene the whole time, right from the reckless charge by Mitsuko to the ambush of the three dimwits, all from the cliff he was resting on. Yet, he was unable to string the story together in his head as his constant thoughts of his brother still alive overwhelmed his mind. However, Nanashi's request broke his chain of thoughts as he immideately agreed to do so. Shifting to his Coyote form for swifter movement on land, Darren quickly sprinted towards the kill pile, where two piles of food laid. One was the pile of food that the Maks had laboriously gathered while the other one was tainted with a high concentration of poison from Darren. Darren quickly grabbed an freshly killed elk from the former pile before sprinting back to where Mitsuko was. He noticed that Fascino had already left the area, probably to hunt for the Maks who fled earlier. "Hey Nanashi, I think we should reward the dragons for their excellent work with some food." Darren spoke, his tone implying that he meant his pile of tainted meat. "Just my two cents though." Just as soon as he finished his sentence, the three dragons limped towards Nanashi's base, one of which was completely drenched with leeches present on his body. "Fascino told... us... to come here...." One of the dragons finally spoke, although stammering in his words as he knew that it meant something bad was going to happen to them. Edited August 11, 2011 by flamedraco Share this post Link to post
Posted August 11, 2011 (edited) Nanashi could smell Darren returning with a whole elk, and listened to his suggestion. Nanashi wasn't usually the vindictive sort, but she felt that, judging by these Mak's previous record, they needed a little 'tough love.' A slow smile crept across her mouth, "Why yes, I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. In fact, there's a small pile of deer set aside for you. Go on. You must all be hungry." Nanashi used her muzzle to indicate the pile of tainted prey. She could tell that the Maks were surprised. They had thought they were to be severely punished and now seemed to be getting off scott free. They moved tentatively at first, as though hardly believing their luck. That didn't last long as one gave a whoop and sprinted for the pile. Their joy was short lived as in a matter of seconds they were paralyzed by the poison still present in the veins of the deer. Nanashi strolled nonchalantly over, and her voice instantly took on a hard edge. She made sure she was speaking loud enough for the other members of the tribe in the camp to hear. "What possessed you to leave one of your tribesmates to bleed to death while you delt with a single Sares?! No matter your personal feelings for each other, the tribe comes first!" She glared at the offending Maks, flames seemed to appear in her sightless eyes. "Since you obviously cannot grasp that concept, you will all be knocked back to apprentice duties. You will report to a senior Mak every day, and you will not hunt unless accompanied by a senior Mak. Am I understood?" She had timed her speach so that the poison would have just worn out enough to let them reply by this point, and they all managed to squeak an affirmative. "Good." Nanashi said, smiling a sweet smile "When the paralysis wears off, you can go without food tonight as well. And if I catch you around the prey pile later, well, I'm sure you can imagine what I'll be forced to do." With that, she turned and walked back to her den. Edited August 11, 2011 by Mitsuko Share this post Link to post
Posted August 12, 2011 Athena Athena smiled as Sikara started walking around the pair of them, tracing the area that the dome would be. As the hatchling went, frost formed in her place where her breath had been, and as Sikara walked and walked around in circles, the ice started building. Unwilling to break the hatchling's concentration, Athena watched in silence as Sikara worked. The ice built and built, until it was up to her shoulder, above Sikara's head. Athena smiled at the hatchling's success, but still kept quiet. Sikara had a skill that many hatchlings lacked very much. Athena turned, her head, and saw that Sikara had stopped moving, and that she had opened her eyes. Athena smiled, stretching her head out toward the hatchling. "I told you," she purred, "I told you you could do it. You were amazing. No hatchling that I've seen could ever do that. Weaker, sure, but never as strong as that." Athena pushed slightly against the wall of ice. It did not give, but stayed strong. "Great job, Sikara. Do you want to leave it here for today and rest, or do you want to try again? It's your choice, I don't mind either way." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 12, 2011 Honestly, Darren did not expect his request to work at all. He was pleasantly surprised that Nanashi actually followed his plans as she brought the three dragons towards the kill pile. The next moment, he heard an outburst from the same voice echoing throughout the camp, reprimanding the trio that tribe-mates come before self. “Wow, that's kinda harsh....” Darren uttered to himself. “Then again, that's what they get for messing with my brother. Retarded imbeciles, waste-of-space parasi...” It was then that Darren remembered that Mitsuko was nearby. He immideately brought the elk and placed it in front of her, to save her the convenience. “Ya feeling better?” Darren asked, his tone was slightly different from his usual aggressive one. “Sorry about that, I'm used to speaking my mind out with the Maks.” Taking a deep breath to quell his frustrations, he finally sat down beside Mitsuko. “One question though, how the heck do you know that he's still alive? And what in the world is your mentor doing?” He questioned, the thought of his brother's sudden presence had clouded his mind with questions. Just after he questioned Mistuko, he saw the shadow of a large dragon returning to the den. He immideately stood back up at attention as Nanashi returned to her cave. “So... Did it work?” Darren asked casually. Nanashi's voice was so bogglingly loud that Darren wondered if the Sares could hear her from the other side. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 12, 2011 (edited) Mitsuko felt fortified enough to raise her head up without getting dizzy. She could hear Nanashi as she scolded the Maks who hadn't bothered to help her on that cliff. Just under the shouting was Darren's angry muttering. It was too faint to make out the words, but she got the general idea. She saw Darren come over to her with an elk in tow. A whole elk. I couldn't eat all that on a good day, let alone when I'm sick. Oh well, it's the thought that counts. When he asked if she was okay she said she was as okay as possible under the circumstances. "Technically that's two questions, but alright. I didn't know Darius was alive until today. I learned his name earlier today and didn't put two and two together until he saved me." She could feel another question buring it's way out of Darren's mouth, "Long story short, there was an unbitten hatchling on the border and she went to Sares. I heard his name when he introduced himself to her, but it seems he uses a different name in Sares. As to Nightstreak, well there's plenty of blame for me too." Mitsuko sighed and continued, "I pretty much told him off and went on ahead without him. He treats me like I know nothing, and when I don't know something about the tribes, he treats me like I'm mentally retarded." Mitsuko's tail lashed in anger "The world doesn't revolve around the tribes." she snarled, then stopped, "Sorry." she murmured, suddenly self-concious. Nanashi appeared then and Darren started to talk with her. Mitsuko took the opportunity to take a bite of the elk and chew slowly. "One way or another." Said Nanashi, "Let's hope they've learned their lesson this time. Mitsuko, I'd punish you for leaving your mentor behind, but I think you've been punished enough for now." Nanashi indicated Mitsuko's wounds. Mitsuko swallowed "Yes Nanashi." Edited August 13, 2011 by Mitsuko Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 The dizziness that Sikara was feeling forced her to sit down. Who would have thought that that much breathing could make her dizzy? She looked around at the half formed dome of ice. It was more like a wall of ice at that height. Sikara felt a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to finish the dome. If Sikara could show everyone that she could be valuable and not a burden then maybe things would be better here then back at the village. Sikara never wanted to be called a demon ever again. Sikara grinned shyly as Athena praised her. Her mother had been the only person to praise her in the past, so Sikara didn't know what to say. "Can...can I take a nap?" Sikara asked softly. She was still a little light headed and she was starting to feel really sleepy as well as hungry again. Now that she'd actually eaten food, her stomach wanted more. She still felt full though from the rabbit and she knew she'd get sick if she ate more. "Are there other um...hatchlings here?" Sikara had been about to say children. She wanted to get used to her new life here so she'd better use the right words. One thing Sikara had always wanted to do, but was unable, was to play with others her own age. The adults back at the village had told the children not to go near her. The children, being children, had imitated their parents and had treated her even worse then the adults. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 Athena Athena looked at Sikara worriedly as she sat down; she knew from experience that breathing too much too suddenly could get someone severely dizzy. However, Sikara seemed fine, and Athena let out a breath of relief. She smiled as Sikara said that she wanted to sleep. "Of course you can. You must be tired, we can do things later, or even tomorrow, if you want. You can get all the rest in the world until you're ready to start," Athena nodded, her tail swishing gracefully from side to side. She cocked her head as she listened to Sikara's question. "Hatchlings? Of course there are hatchlings, and I'm sure they'd be glad to play with you. Normally, we start training very very young, around the age of two or three, so they should all be younger than you, but that won't matter. If you want to play with more weredragons that are your age, then some of our apprentices would be more than willing to play and practice skills with you," Athena assured Sikara, her tail tip flicking lazily. Athena felt a wave of pity for the small hatchling. Sikara was five, yet as small as if she were three or four. Many of the hatchlings in training were already almost double Sikara's size. How much had she been undernourished and neglected to grow so small? Not that Athena thought that Sikara's mother had neglected the young girl; no, the way Sikara spoke of her mother must mean that her mother had done her best to protect Sikara and feed the little hatchling. But it wasn't enough. No matter how hard Sikara's mother had tried, it wasn't enough. With that thought, Athena felt a rush of fierce protection toward Sikara. Whatever it took, Athena was going to protect Sikara and make sure she grew to adulthood unharmed. Athena's eyes narrowed, and the air around her muzzle chilled, until she was breathing out frost, then realizing this, Athena returned her breathing to normal. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Sikara watched Athena's tail sleepily. The back and forth motion was hypnotic for her and she felt herself fighting to stay awake to listen to Athena. Sikara wondered if she'd ever find friends. Either she was behind her age group, or an outcast. Her very frist friend, had been Mitsuko and Sikara didn't know when she'd see her again. At least she had Athena. Athena was her friend, right? Why else was she so nice if not because Athena was her friend? Sikara tiredly cuddled up to Athena and fell asleep. "I miss mommy," She whispered just as she slipped into her dream filled sleep. Her body was tightly curled up in a little ball and her wings were folded against her back. The tip of her tail was resting against her snout. Sikara was sitting behind a barrel as she watched a bunch of the kids in the village play. They were kicking a ball back and forth between them. Sikara smiled as she listened to their laughter. They seemed so happy kicking that plain ball around. She didn't know how long she sat there, peaking out from behind the barrel, but it must have been a long time. The kids changed their game to hide and seek. Sikara didn't move as she watched one kid close his eyes and the others run away laughing. She still didn't move when the boy opened his eyes and began his search. he found a few of his friends before he approached the barrel she was hiding behind. She must have moved or something, because he rushed over with a big grin. "Found y-" His smile was gone the minute he saw her. He scowled and then picked up a rock. "Stupid demon girl. You ruin everything." He said as he threw the rock at her. Sikara squeaked and ran away. The game had changed again and now the entire group of kids were throwing rocks at her and calling her names. "Mommy!" Sikara cried out in both her dream and in the waking world. She felt arms around her and the rocks stopped falling on her. She looked up, with tears in her eyes. Her mother's hand came down and gently wiped the tears away. She smiled and held Sikara close. "I'll always be here for you my little one." Her voice was distant and was almost like a whisper. Sikara had to strain to her the words. "I want to go home mommy. Why can't we go home!" Sikara begged her mother as she held on tightly to her mother. "This is your home. This was always supposed to be your home." Sikara looked around and saw that they were sitting in the middle of a forest. There was a large shadow in the sky and Sikara felt protected and loved. Edited August 13, 2011 by Ethril Dragon Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 Athena Athena watched Sikara fall asleep slowly, and she curled against Sikara, warming the hatchling's body with her own. As Sikara slept, Athena watched the ice melt slowly around them as their combined body heat radiated around. At a sudden noise, she looked up and around. It had sounded like a hatchling in trouble, a hurt hatchling. Athena almost stood up, her body tense, when she realized that the sound was coming from Sikara. The little hatchling twitched in her sleep, and Athena realized that Sikara must be having a bad dream. "Oh Sikara... I'll always be here to protect you," Athena whispered, even though she knew that the little hatchling couldn't hear her in her sleep. "I might not be a replacement mother in your mind, but I'll try my best to be." Athena stretched out her wing and laid it over Sikara like a blanket, to protect her from the frigid temperature of the melting ice surrounding them. The girl was so small that she fit perfectly under her wing. "Sleep well, Sikara. Nothing can hurt you here, I'm with you, always." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) The first thing that Darius decided to do after fleeing the Laeas territory was to look for advice. Quickly, he made his way towards Athena's den as he knew that she would help him in his problem. Upon reaching the den, he noticed that the Kay was pre-occupied with the hatching they met earlier that morning. Darius decided to wait as he perched on a tree branch on top of the both of them. He was able to eavesdropped upon a bit of the conversation, by the sound of things, it was not long before he could ask Athena some questions. As Sikara finally fell asleep, Darius quickly flew in front of Athena before shifting to his dragon form. “Poor kid's got pretty bad childhood.” He whispered, just so that Sikara would not be awoken by him. “Pardon me for the interruption Athena, but I think I just saw my brother.” Darius paused for a moment, contemplating on what to say before turning to Athena. “Turns out that he isn't deceased like what the Maks said. However, he's with the Laeas...” Looking towards the direction of the Laeas camp, he sighed as he looked up at Athena. "I'm unsure on what to do." ____________________ “Speaking of which, I think Mitsuko needs a replacement mentor for the time being, I don't see things working up well with her and Nightstreak.” Darren spoke after hearing the conversation between the two of them. Considering the fact that Nightstreak has not reported back to base since morning and that he knew that Mitsuko has abhorred her mentor, he felt that it should be pointed out. The next thing that he heard was the rumbling of his stomach. Darren initially intended to feast on the deer that he hunted earlier in the morning earlier. However, due to the unexpected circumstances where Nanashi approved of his plan, Darren then realized that he may have to go towards the forest to hunt for food again. “Uhh... Nanashi, did you gave them the entire deer to feast upon?” He asked, hoping that the Kay will respond negatively to the question. Edited August 13, 2011 by flamedraco Share this post Link to post
Posted August 13, 2011 Nanashi gave Darren a kind smile. "They only managed a few bites. Go on and eat Darren. I will think about your request." Nanashi had some serious thinking to do. She had initially made Nightstreak Mitsuko's mentor because their different strengths made them a good team. Where Nightstreak was pure force, Mitsuko had speed and agilitly that Nanashi didn't often see. She had not accounted for the fact that Mitsuko would hate Nightstreak upon their first meeting. Then again their first meeting was only after she'd been made Nightstreak's apprentice. Their relationship wasn't getting better either. On the other hand, Darren seemed to have taken a shine to Mitsuko. Nanashi found it odd, especially since they had practically ignored each other before today. Nanashi shook her head. Whatever happened with Mitsuko's mentor situation, she would be unable to do any training for a while. Nanashi noticed Mitsuko getting sleepy, and pulled the elk away from her. "Go ahead and sleep Mitsuko. You need the rest." Mitsuko was out of danger now, and what she needed was to rest and recover. Mitsuko closed her eyes and went back to sleep. I'll speak with Nightstreak when he returns. thought Nanashi Depending on our conversation, I may have Mitsuko assigned to a different mentor. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 14, 2011 Athena Athena looked up suddenly as Darius stepped inside her den. "Yes, what is it?" She asked quietly. "Yeah, I hope I, and we as a tribe can improve her mental and physical state of being. She's quite traumatized, the poor girl." Athena paused and listened to Darius as he said the true reason of his appearance at her den. As Darius talked, Athena sat up slowly, being careful not to Disturb Sikara in her sleep and surrounding the little hatchling with the moss that wasn't soaked from the melting ice. Then she sat and turned to face Darius. Even after Darius had finished, Athena sat still, thinking. "Your brother is in Laeas? Hmmm...." Athena frowned. After all this time, Darius' thought-to-be-dead brother was in the Laeas camp? She shook her head. Those careless Maks, telling the poor Oxet a lie. "I think that you should arrange a meeting with him," Athena finally said after some thought. "You can catch up on what happened, say hello again after all this time. However, I cannot let him join our tribe, and I can't let you join his, as both actions will prove dangerous to our tribe. However, I will, if you promise secrecy to the secrets of our tribe, let you have regular meetings with your brother, that is only if you wish so. In battle, I expect you to be fully loyal, but you do not have to hurt your brother. As you are a Mak, you shouldn't have to worry about that anyway. But yes, arranging a meeting would be the wisest first choice." Athena looked at Darius, calculating. Share this post Link to post
Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) “You meant something like... a pact of secrecy?” Darius questioned. The last word in the sentence had him thinking of it resembling espionage from spy movies he loved to watch in his childhood. The terms that Athena mentioned was not that impossible of a job to do as well. After all, Darius has been in the Sares for over five years, yet there wasn't a day that he thought of quitting of his job. Athena was right as well about the aspect of the Maks, they weren't required for battling the Laeas unless when urgently needed. “Hmm... I'll think about it. Thanks Athena.” He bowed towards the Ran as he returned to the Mak caves, contemplating in head about Athena's suggestion. “Alright Nanashi, see you later.” Darren replied towards the Ran before quickly rushing to his kill pile, eagerly to feast upon his meal. Upon reaching his destination, he noticed that the three dragons from earlier, sprawling on the ground as the poison effects seem as though it has not worn off. Chuckling, Darren slowly walked towards the three dragons, who seemed terrified at the sight of Darren. However, they found themselves unable to escape this time. “Listen you three buckos, if you ever lay your filthy paws on my brother again, I'll show you how today's meal is just the appetizer.” He hissed. Grabbing the deer with his claws, he quickly took off back to the cliff he sat down earlier, before finally digging into his meal. Edited August 14, 2011 by flamedraco Share this post Link to post
Posted August 15, 2011 ((flamedraco, Athena's not a Ran, she's a Kay)) Athena Athena nodded in response to Darius's question. "Something like such. But if I find out that any information has leaked, the meetings will have to stop," Athena added firmly. As an habit, Athena's tail switched back and forth across the floor of her den silently. "Think about it, Darius. I don't mind either way." Athena smiled, and Darius backed out of her den. Athena sighed. So many discoveries, all in one day. She looked up as yet another patrol came in to her den, talking loudly. Athena silenced them with a piercing glare, afraid that Sikara might have awoken from her slumber. Athena turned to look at Sikara, but the hatchling was still asleep. "Well?" Athena growled quietly. "What are you jabbering on about?" "There's nothing suspicious out near the East boundary," the largest of the Sars grunted. "Good," Athena said. "You may go." She dismissed them with a flick of her tail. How was hunting going? Athena contemplated going and finding the patrols, but pushed this thought to the back of her mind. Sikara needed caring for. The day wore on, and the patrols came back, one by one, with nothing to report. At last it was night, and Athena laid down next to Sikara to sleep, tired. She closed her eyes and drifted off into dreams. ~~~New day~~~ Share this post Link to post
Posted August 15, 2011 (( woo! )) The sounds of birds chirping woke Sikara. She felt completed rested for the first time in a long time. How long had she slept? Sikara yawned and stretched, her claws digging into the ground beneath her as she felt her muscles tighten and then loosen. She blinked as she looked down at her paws, momentarily confused. Then the events of yesterday came back to her. Sikara wondered what would have happened if her mother hadn't died or if those men hadn't chased her into the forest. Obviously she wouldn't be here, a dragon, and with Athena. Sikara looked up at Athena and wondered what to do next. Now that she was awake, Sikara felt hungry. Athena was still asleep and Sikara wasn't sure if she should leave the den without the larger dragoness. Slowly and quietly, Sikara walked over to the entrance of the den and looked out. From what she could see, it was early morning. She looked over to where Athena had pointed out the kill pile and she was disappointed to see that there was no food there yet. Sikara looked back at Athena. Should she wake her? Sikara sat there for a few minutes, debating on what to do when she heard a soft scuttling sound. She looked to her left and saw a mouse scurrying around a couple yards away from her. Sikara looked back at Athena again and then back at the mouse. She was a dragon now, maybe she should learn how to hunt? Sikara pressed her body against the ground and held very still as the mouse stopped and cleaned its face. She crawled forward slowly, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. Right before the mouse could scurry away, Sikara dove and caught the mouse between her paws. She made a little cage with her claws and grinned triumphantly. Now what was she supposed to do? She'd never killied anything before... Share this post Link to post
Posted August 15, 2011 Nanashi woke up before dawn, and went on her daily surveillance of the spell. No change from yesterday. She thought to herself as she headed back to camp. She couldn't help but wonder how her grandaughter was doing. This was the first of her grandchildren to enter the forest as a child since the others had arrived as adults. Her grandson in the tribe had a good relationship with her, partly due to the fact that he knew how badly she wanted the spell to break. As for her loner grandson, well, at least he didn't treat her like a leper. She couldn't help but wonder how her grandaughter would react to meeting her. By this time she had arrived back at camp. She could hear birds singing, a sign that the sun was starting to rise. Nanashi shook away thoughts of her grandchildren and went to check on Mitsuko. Mitsuko was feeling restless. By this time she was normally up and doing things. Life as a loner had taught her that not getting up early would almost guarantee a hungry belly. At that point Nanashi entered the den. "Feeling any better?" asked Nanashi. "Much better. Um, did Nightstreak come by?" asked Mitsuko. She may not like her mentor, but she didn't feel he deserved to be punished for her actions. "I decided to hold off on my talk with him until after you've fully recovered. Speaking of which, you're confined to your bed for the next couple of days." Nanashi ordered, giving Mitsuko a stern look. "And I had better not hear of you trying anything like that foolish stunt again." Mitsuko gulped, "Yes, Nanashi." Share this post Link to post
Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) “Aww come on, sleep Shadow, darn it.” Darius mumbled to himself, tossing and turning around in an attempt to slip into sleep, but to no avail. His mind was running rampant about what Athena said earlier, along with his thoughts on what to say if he saw Darren again. The frequent loud snores of the Maks made it even harder for him to fall asleep. He eventually gave up on trying to do so as he stood up, side-stepping past the ever-crowed cave before finally reaching the entrance. With that said and done, Darius leaned against a oak tree near the cave in his human form, reflecting upon the events that had happened today, events that happened in a rush. “Mitsuko... then Sikara...Darren...” He uttered to himself. He saw Mistuko coincidentally twice in the same day, with him saving her from certain drowning in the second encounter. Needless to say, the last person he expected to saw was his brother. Looking up at the star-filled sky, Darius thought about the conditions that Athena stated. “Fully loyal to the tribe.” He repeated to himself. After all, he wasn't much of a gossiper at all. He knew the secret information of the Sares through interactions between his fellow tribe members. However, he had always kept it in his head and never spoke a single word about it. He stared blankly towards the sky for quite a while before deciding that he would be better off doing his daily sentry duties a tad earlier, so he may get the chance to catch a nap in the afternoon. Through his patrol, he noticed no signs of suspicion at all. He could hear the synchronized chirping of the crickets along with the croaking of the frogs. The air was cool and dew could be seen from large leaves of trees even to the tiniest blades of grass. The entire surroundings was serene and peaceful, as though it was the calm beyond the storm. When the sun sets up in the morning, the entire place have a plethora of activities. Darius took additional rounds of his patrol just to kill his time. When the sun finally rose, he decided to check out Athena's den, reporting that there was not a single suspicious activity at all during the wee hours of the morning. He shifted to his human form before entering the cave, deep eye-bags prevalent on his face as he approached the dragon. To his surprise, he saw the little hatching dragon whom was found earlier yesterday, smiling with glee as she grasped a small mouse between her paws. Darius could not help but smile at how adorable the hatching was. “Is that your first catch, Sikara?” He asked before looking up at Athena who was still asleep. Edited August 15, 2011 by flamedraco Share this post Link to post
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