volchan
Dearheart
Her tiny feet beat against the cold rocks and freezing snow as she ran haphazardly through the pitch black of a moonless night. A frigid wind beat against her pale skin, pushing back against her as she tried to move through increasingly deep snow. She cried out a sound of despair, but it was swallowed up in the bellowing wind. Taking a moment to look back, a shadow moved through the darkness. Piercing, yellow eyes met her own and she felt her heart beat even more rapidly in her chest. She was too small and too cold to go on much longer, and her predator knew it. Her weakened legs caved finally and she tumbled into the snow, rolling twice before ending up on her back. The stars twinkling above her head were blotted out as the shadow towered over her. She could only give one, final scream as it raised its arm and then swung at her to attack...
Her body gave a small twitch as she startled awake and looked around. It had only been a dream. The realization made her give a small sigh of relief and she sat up a little to stretch herself. The cracking and popping of her joints echoed through the cave-like space she had been sleeping in, causing a nearby mound of black and grey feathers to shift with a grunt. Looking over at the mysterious mound she slowly shuffled closer until the creature inside revealed itself. It looked something like a dragon, but with much more bird-like features. It had two massive, feathered wings and four stalk- like legs with huge, sharp talons. The creature itself was huge, taking up quite a bit of space on its own. Had it been standing it would be towering well above its roommate.
The bird creature raised its head to look at the girl, who was obviously a human of some sort. The girl had pitch black hair that was chopped unevenly across her shoulders and straight as an arrow. Her eyes were black...well...her right one was; the other was a pale blue due to blindness. An old scar ran down the left side of her face; the apparent cause of said blindness. Her pale skin had various scars and marks upon it, though not enough to make her unattractive. She looked as if she could be in her very late teens or early twenties, but she was fairly short and small in stature overall. She had some tone to her body but seemed slightly malnourished with a quite slender build.
The girl approached and the creature moved its head above her. Raising her face, the girl brushed her nose and cheeks against the underside of the creature's neck in greeting. In return, the creature did the same to her, though it was much more subtle seeing as how much larger it was than her. The two continued to nuzzle each other for a moment before the girl stepped back and made a sound that was something between a grunt and a guttural sigh. The creature seemed to respond in kind and shifted its head towards a tunnel lit with firelight. The girl made a gesture with her head before going over to where she'd been resting and picking up garbs made of feathers and pelts. She wrapped and bound the pelt garbs around herself until it appeared she was wearing loose, but heavy, clothing. She then pulled the feather-covered garb over her head. It was similar to a poncho, but covered in feathers of varies sizes. She tied the long ends to her wrists, so that when she stretched out her arms the garb would appear as wings. Finally, she slipped on a couple of makeshift braces over her knuckles that had sharp claws attached to them; it was never a bad idea to be ready in case something attacked.
Giving another sign of recognition to the creature, she headed out of the area and down the fire-lit tunnel it had motioned to. The tunnel was one of a series of many tunnels that wound through the mountains. The creatures that dwelt in this place were known as 'Bergherren', or 'Mountain Lords'. They resided in the steepest and snowiest peaks and were thought to be majestic, ferocious, cunning beasts of the air. They mostly kept to the mountaintops, hunting larger game in the surrounding forests and skies, but every so often they would soar further down into the valleys to prey upon livestock. They were considered intelligent, dangerous monsters. One swift strike from their massive wings and their opponent's bones would shatter beneath the skin from the force; let alone their sharp talons or ability to breathe fire. No person in their right mind would think to challenge one.
The girl walked for a while through the tunnels, her already dirty feet becoming dirtier from the soil. Every now and then another of the Bergherren would cross her path and they would briefly greet one another. For such notoriously ferocious beasts they seemed gentle enough towards her. There was a strange familiarity between them all, as if the girl had been with them a long time; she had. For as long as the girl could remember she had been a part of the flock. As far as she was concerned she was just as much a Bergherren as the others...just a very different looking one. She'd never gone far from the caves, certainly not far enough to stumble across any similar looking creatures, and so she was more than happy to consider herself a proper part of the flock. As a member, she had taken part in hunts and scavenging; though these days she mostly spent time in the nesting grounds caring for the eggs and hatchlings. It was her duty to keep the eggs and little ones warm and to protect them from any danger. Most of the adults spent their time out hunting or deep in the bellies of the mountains breathing life into their roots. It was the Bergherren that kept the mountains alive with their fire and magic, and as such it was her duty to watch over their young.
Finally, she came to the nesting grounds. Firelight also lit this place, making it easy to keep watch and stay warm. Piles of hay, sticks, and feathers lay spread across the space and nestled within were several large eggs. In the corner a few of the hatchlings were sleeping in a pile to keep warm. They were still too young to open their eyes, and so until then they would remain here. One adult was in the room, keeping watch. When it noticed the girl it made a quiet, soft sound through its snout and then groggily stood on its four legs and slithered out. For such large creatures they were surprisingly graceful in their movements; quiet even.
Wasting no time, the girl moved over to the closest egg and gently rested against it. She brought her arms around it, allowing the warm pelts and feathers to surround it as much as she could. The eggs were very large; the average egg was about as big as she was and much wider. Her arms couldn't even reach all the way around. She rested her cheek against it and closed her eyes, listening to the small sounds inside. It wouldn't be much longer before this one hatched; maybe a day or two. She always enjoyed watching the young ones break free from their shells and holding them. Perhaps later she'd be able to snuggle with the newborns for a bit.
Her body gave a small twitch as she startled awake and looked around. It had only been a dream. The realization made her give a small sigh of relief and she sat up a little to stretch herself. The cracking and popping of her joints echoed through the cave-like space she had been sleeping in, causing a nearby mound of black and grey feathers to shift with a grunt. Looking over at the mysterious mound she slowly shuffled closer until the creature inside revealed itself. It looked something like a dragon, but with much more bird-like features. It had two massive, feathered wings and four stalk- like legs with huge, sharp talons. The creature itself was huge, taking up quite a bit of space on its own. Had it been standing it would be towering well above its roommate.
The bird creature raised its head to look at the girl, who was obviously a human of some sort. The girl had pitch black hair that was chopped unevenly across her shoulders and straight as an arrow. Her eyes were black...well...her right one was; the other was a pale blue due to blindness. An old scar ran down the left side of her face; the apparent cause of said blindness. Her pale skin had various scars and marks upon it, though not enough to make her unattractive. She looked as if she could be in her very late teens or early twenties, but she was fairly short and small in stature overall. She had some tone to her body but seemed slightly malnourished with a quite slender build.
The girl approached and the creature moved its head above her. Raising her face, the girl brushed her nose and cheeks against the underside of the creature's neck in greeting. In return, the creature did the same to her, though it was much more subtle seeing as how much larger it was than her. The two continued to nuzzle each other for a moment before the girl stepped back and made a sound that was something between a grunt and a guttural sigh. The creature seemed to respond in kind and shifted its head towards a tunnel lit with firelight. The girl made a gesture with her head before going over to where she'd been resting and picking up garbs made of feathers and pelts. She wrapped and bound the pelt garbs around herself until it appeared she was wearing loose, but heavy, clothing. She then pulled the feather-covered garb over her head. It was similar to a poncho, but covered in feathers of varies sizes. She tied the long ends to her wrists, so that when she stretched out her arms the garb would appear as wings. Finally, she slipped on a couple of makeshift braces over her knuckles that had sharp claws attached to them; it was never a bad idea to be ready in case something attacked.
Giving another sign of recognition to the creature, she headed out of the area and down the fire-lit tunnel it had motioned to. The tunnel was one of a series of many tunnels that wound through the mountains. The creatures that dwelt in this place were known as 'Bergherren', or 'Mountain Lords'. They resided in the steepest and snowiest peaks and were thought to be majestic, ferocious, cunning beasts of the air. They mostly kept to the mountaintops, hunting larger game in the surrounding forests and skies, but every so often they would soar further down into the valleys to prey upon livestock. They were considered intelligent, dangerous monsters. One swift strike from their massive wings and their opponent's bones would shatter beneath the skin from the force; let alone their sharp talons or ability to breathe fire. No person in their right mind would think to challenge one.
The girl walked for a while through the tunnels, her already dirty feet becoming dirtier from the soil. Every now and then another of the Bergherren would cross her path and they would briefly greet one another. For such notoriously ferocious beasts they seemed gentle enough towards her. There was a strange familiarity between them all, as if the girl had been with them a long time; she had. For as long as the girl could remember she had been a part of the flock. As far as she was concerned she was just as much a Bergherren as the others...just a very different looking one. She'd never gone far from the caves, certainly not far enough to stumble across any similar looking creatures, and so she was more than happy to consider herself a proper part of the flock. As a member, she had taken part in hunts and scavenging; though these days she mostly spent time in the nesting grounds caring for the eggs and hatchlings. It was her duty to keep the eggs and little ones warm and to protect them from any danger. Most of the adults spent their time out hunting or deep in the bellies of the mountains breathing life into their roots. It was the Bergherren that kept the mountains alive with their fire and magic, and as such it was her duty to watch over their young.
Finally, she came to the nesting grounds. Firelight also lit this place, making it easy to keep watch and stay warm. Piles of hay, sticks, and feathers lay spread across the space and nestled within were several large eggs. In the corner a few of the hatchlings were sleeping in a pile to keep warm. They were still too young to open their eyes, and so until then they would remain here. One adult was in the room, keeping watch. When it noticed the girl it made a quiet, soft sound through its snout and then groggily stood on its four legs and slithered out. For such large creatures they were surprisingly graceful in their movements; quiet even.
Wasting no time, the girl moved over to the closest egg and gently rested against it. She brought her arms around it, allowing the warm pelts and feathers to surround it as much as she could. The eggs were very large; the average egg was about as big as she was and much wider. Her arms couldn't even reach all the way around. She rested her cheek against it and closed her eyes, listening to the small sounds inside. It wouldn't be much longer before this one hatched; maybe a day or two. She always enjoyed watching the young ones break free from their shells and holding them. Perhaps later she'd be able to snuggle with the newborns for a bit.
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