Fantasy Skyheart - Little Feathers

[AncientBird]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Currently present: Aldaf, Kari, Leandra, Gerel, Serik

Aldaf came and challenged Krohal to ride Spica. The strange man just smiled back and spoke.

“Nah nah, mon. I’d be happy to try... But da back, he be no chillin on me... I be here to bet and have fun only.” Krohal said and turned his seriously kink spine for Serik and Aldaf to look at.

“I think we have watched enough, thank you...” Serik said, feeling his gut wrenching.

Krohal turned back and faced Serik again. “And dey said Estendorian is bold... Ya gotta try somethin new sometime, mon. Look at da man ova there.” Krohal said and pointed toward Gerel as he mounted on the pegasus. “He don fear like ya do.”

Serik felt frustrated. “Yeah, first of, that is my friend. We took the proving together and he is indeed a very brave man. Second, being brave does not equal careless and not wanting to carelessly spend valuable money does not equal being a coward...” Serik said.

“Strong word ya say... Ya name?”

“Serik... It’s Serik.”

“But would ya friend skinny legs as strong as ya word, Serik?” Krohal spoke and grinned.

Serik eyes widened as he huffed air angrily. “Did you just insult my friend???” Serik growled. “Awww don be offended mon, I just say wut I be thinkin. I no knowin da man himself so I don know da truth.” Krohal replied with the same grin.

“Fine! I will bet and because I trust in my friend, I am going to win this bet!” Serik said and placed some of his coins out.

“So what ya gonna bet on?” Krohal asked.

“I bet that-“

“Nah nah nah! Let not reveal our bet now. Here take dis papa. We shall write down in secret so we have no idea wut each othar be thinkin.”

“Alright, but no rigging.”

Both Serik and Krohal wrote down their bet and rolled their piece of paper up. “The rider will win the ride, staying on the skybeast till the second bell ring, his feet will not touch the ground.” was the bet Serik wrote down.

Krohal then turned toward Aldaf. “Hold da papa for us would ya, big mon? So we wont be changin da bet.” He said and at the same time put out his coins.

They watched as Gerel fought the buckling pegasus. He fought hard and steady... Eventually, as the second bell rang. Gerel jumped down with a marvelous style. Serik clapped to his performance and turned to Krohal. “Now time to see if who’s gonna win.”

Revealing the both paper. “The rider will win the round, staying on the beast till the second bell ring and then he will jump back to the ground.” was Krohal’s bet.

“Wait a minute, you bet he will win??? But you doubt his-“ Serik spoke but was shushed by his adversary.

“I doubted his legs but I didnt bet he was gonna lost did I?” Krohal smirked. “But that would make it a draw if we both bet him win?” Serik said. “Naw naw naw, see ya said... He will win ‘with his leg not touching da ground’... Didnt ya see his backflip down da horse’s back?” Krohal said.

“What? But...”

“Now read mah bet carefully, ‘Da rider will win da round, stayin on da beast till da second bell ring and then he will jump back to da ground.’... I bet him will reach back to da ground once he won... Isnt dat more accurate, don ya think?” Krohal said.

Serik was speechless as Krohal reached out to collect his coins. He lost the first bet...

“But... But... That isn’t how it’s supposed to..” Serik spoke. “Ya can bet anythin friendo! There is no rule as long as it stay true to da consequence, mon!” Krohal chuckled.

“Alas! This isn‘t over! I will win the next one!” Serik announced. “See?! Ya be gettin da hang of it already!” Krohal said.

Featuring: kase9187 Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro SilverFlight
#FF9900

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Location: The festival
Time: During the party before... The Incident™
Characters: Gerel and Katja
Color- #daf599

“GEREL!” She squealed, flinching back in fear when she saw him, then sighing when she realized it was just Gerel.
“Gerel, sweet gods, you scared me.” She held a hand to her heart, breathing hard for a few moment before she calmed down. “I mean, I was just- I have- I... Yeah... sure, okay.”

She awkwardly turned back around and sat down, looking at Gerel with curious eyes. “Are uh... are you okay after that fight? I know I was so busy with Aldaf I hardly paid attention to anyone else... you are okay, right?”

@YumenoTsukishiro

Location: The festival
Time: During the party before... The Incident™
Characters: Gerel and Katja
Color- #daf599

"I'm... alright as one can be after battling a giant skeletal wyvern who can kill things with a single breath," Gerel said, each word flowing faster than the one before. It finally hit him that they all just barely survived a life-or-death situation with forces beyond their comprehension. Before he could babble on, Gerel forced himself to remember the reason why he sat next to Katja in the first place.

"I'm not sure if you heard me earlier back in the mountain, but I just wanted to say thank you for looking after my burn wounds," Gerel said, trying his best to get his voice above the din of the crowd. "I never got the chance to do so with everything that was happening. And..."

Gerel hesitated. He didn't want to pry into it, but he also wanted to help Katja. "Sorry for making you go through that. I also want you to know that I respect your dedication to push through despite seeing so many injuries."

With a bright smile, he added, "We must be surely blessed by the gods to have someone of your caliber with us."

explosiveKitten

 

[Elenion Aura]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Naberius , explosiveKitten
Color: #2bab73

"Well I promise you this. So long as you have your friends around, we won't let him even say a word to you. Under penalty of being forced to lose a few teeth."

Matthias nodded and grunted his approval. He’d remember that boy’s face. He couldn’t quite understand how the two of them had managed to get all the way out here, away from everyone else. If he’s forced her, certainly someone at the party would have noticed. And Katja did not seem the type to go with him willingly, so that only left one option: the two of them had encountered one another here, away from the others. What rain could Katja have to be here alone? He gave her a look that was hard to place. He thought about questioning her, but, considering the ordeal she’d just underwent, Matthias decided there would be better times to discuss details.

”Come. You can warm yourself by the fire.”

Matthias now only wished to return to his drink, and his bench. He wished to hear the sound of music and revelry and forget this nasty business. No... Not forget.

 

[Lioness075]

Location: The Proving Camp
Timing: Middle of the night, after the party
Interaction: Serik, Kari, Gerel, Caliban
Nearby: Kari, Gerel, Aldalf, Serik, Caliban, Krohal (NPC)
Color: #FF9900

Overhearing the banter between Kari and Gerel, Leandra grinned and was about to add in a quip when Kari's next turn was up. Instead, Leandra climbed up part of the fence, holding onto it while she watched Kari take on a winged wolf this time. She cheered and whooped along with the crowd, screaming all the louder when Kari barely won.
Leandra was mindful to listen when Kari walked over with valuable pointers for the group. She then jumped down from the fence and went over to join their little group.
Looking at Kari, Leandra exclaimed, "That was amazing! And plenty fun to watch, good job in there."
The banter picked up between Kari and Gerel once more, making Leandra laugh.

Just then, Serik piped up in response to Leandra and she turned to face him again. Leandra pretended to be thoughtful as she replied, "Honestly, the closest I've ever gotten is wrangling larger beasts during my hunts back home. It didn't happen too often, though. I guess I just got lucky my first time."
Grinning at Serik's follow-up, Leandra said proudly, "Don't you worry, I've got the rhythm down for this and Kari's pointers to go by!"

It was then that Gerel stepped forward for his first attempt. Leandra tried to wave Serik over, but saw he was speaking with some stranger now and decided to leave him be. She returned to her spot on the fence and rejoined the crowds noisy chaos.
Gerel's attempt was full of ups and downs and several close calls. Leandra's heart was pounding with adrenaline, as if she was out there. Then the ten seconds were over and Gerel performed a flip to bring his attempt to a fancy end. Leandra grinned and whooped at this, raising a fist.

Suddenly, Leandra heard a voice she recognized all too well and she left her fence spot in time to find Caliban joining their group. Delighted, Leandra exclaimed, "Man, you're too late, you missed my victory earlier!"

Naberius SilverFlight YumenoTsukishiro AncientBird

 

[explosiveKitten]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: @Caliban, @Katja and Matthias!
Color: #2bab73

“Hehe... thanks, Caliban. That uh... that’s very kind of you.” She said, her face getting a little red from all the attention, until she reached up and took his hand to pull herself up.

When Matthias suggested she come with them and warm up by the bonfire, she visibly flinched and started to stammer, “Oh, nononono, I, I was um... I was looking for somewhere to pee! And I still haven’t... done that. Um, ahehehe, you definitely wanted to know that, uh, you guys go ahead and um, I’ll uh, I’ll see you guys in a few minutes. After I pee, somewhere. Far away from people. No nothing uh... yeah, you guys have fun!”

She kinda sidestepped passed the guys and made her way back out into the thoroughfare, trying to speedwalk away.

Naberius Elenion Aura

Location: The festival
Time: During the party before... The Incident™
Characters: Gerel and Katja
Color- #daf599

“Oh... stooop it, I would do that for anyone.”

Her face got a little red under the mask from the compliments. She wasn’t used to it, certainly. Most of the time at home anyone who came in with a fishhook in their thumb just grunted and tossed her some coin for the service before leaving.

“I’d do that for anyone who was... bleeding to death. Or had a recently cauterized wound.” Unconsciously she reached up underneath her mask scratched her face before she continued with, “Admittedly I haven’t had to deal with something like that in a very... very long time, but- not that I couldn’t have handled it! You and everyone else are in great hands! I just normally deal with prescribing herbal remedies for illnesses and stuff- I’m gonna stop talking.”

YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Naberius]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Caliban, Katja and Matthias

Cal watched Katja wander off, stammering out a hasty refusal on her way. Something was off, and he didn't like it. She was scared or worried or some other equally negative emotional state and this thin attempt at obfuscation wasn't very well done. As she scampered off, he turned to the larger Matthias.

"You go on ahead back to the celebration, I'll catch up in a few minutes. I have to go and check on something first."

Without waiting for a reply, he made to follow Katja, keeping a distance away from her. Something wasn't sitting right with him, and he needed to talk to her. The tracking part was easy, even more so than in the jungle what with the noise and the stalls to cover his movements and any sounds he might make. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he didn't want to leave her alone by herself. This was a time when they were supposed to be enjoying themselves, not running around trying to hide from one another.

explosiveKitten Elenion Aura
#2bab73

 

[Naberius]

Location: Near Plateau Hole
Time: After Undead Monster Fight
Characters: Leandra, Caliban

Cal draped an arm around Lea's shoulders, pulling her in close. Her head against his shoulder, they sat together for a time just enjoying the closeness they shared as family.

"There's nothing to be scared of anymore. We're here together, always."

He was silent for a time, just watching the others in the camp, Katja doing her best to make sure everyone was stable and not bleeding to death, and the rest checking on the ones they were closest to. They had survived a great deal already as a team and yet had only known each other for a scant few days. It was...strange how well they were able to work together, having supposedly not known each other beforehand. Just one more mystery added to the pile. Minutes passed, though it felt like a silent eternity. He didn't want to speak for fear of breaking the silent spell of calm that had fallen over them in their little bubble. But, it was time to move.

"We should get back to the others. We'll be leaving the mountain soon and heading back down to camp."

Lioness075
#F759CA

 

[SilverFlight]

Location: The proving camp
Timing: Middle of the night, after the party
Interaction: open kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro Lioness075 AncientBird Naberius
color: #ff9900

Kari grinned at Leandra's praise, "Aw, it wasn't that great, I was nearly off before the bell. Wolves are definitely not horses! I caught the tail end of your match, you've got some real talent for this!"

Kari would never have admitted it, but her nails dug into the wood of the fence the moment the bell rang and the pegasus shot forward.
She never took her eyes off Gerel, the seconds seemed to crawl by...but he was good. When the bout ended and the bell rang Kari yelled with the others, pumping her fist into the air. Then Gerel landed...right in front of her. He cut a striking figure, clothes disheveled and hair wild from the ride. The thought brought a smile, unbidden to her lips and she couldn't meet his eyes for the butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach.

Caliban saved her from her own thoughts and she greeted him warmly.
"Anyone can compete, just sign your name and hope you're a decent rider!" She clapped him on the back, pressing him in the direction of the score-keeper and the sign-up.

The next few rounds passed and Kari watched almost as eagerly as she participated. She looked around her, at the friends she had made, enjoying themselves as well and she could not stop smiling.

Finally, Spica was up again, and before anyone else could volunteer, Kari was in the ring.
"Oh I've been waiting for this! Hey Aldaf, mind if I challenge Spica myself?"

Spica's next challenger was Kari herself. She stooped low and let Kari get on, scales flattened against her back. She nipped a bit at Kari, as if she challenged the Estendorian girl to stay on for 10 seconds.

Kari laughed and swatted at the wyvern's snout playfully. "May the best contestant win." She said to the creature in a happy tone.

After the first bell had sounded, Spica immediately went into a tight spin, moving quite quickly enough for someone to get thrown off normally. To make sure Kari got thrown off, Spica leapt upward while spinning, sending Kari falling to the ground from about 7 feet up.

Kari didn't have a chance to think, Spica acted so quickly, racing in a circle, but Kari was wise to that trick, and leaned in, keeping her in place. Four seconds...five...six and then the beast changed tactics. Kari felt gravity drag at her as Spica shot into the air, but it was in such a way that she twisted, breaking Kari's grip, but the momentum from the spin was acting on her as well, she overcompensated...and fell. Eight..nine...
Kari hit the grass and the air was knocked out of her lungs, she heard the bell from her place on the ground. She had lost.
She pulled herself into a sitting position, and she was laughing.
"Well played Spica." She patted the beast's leg. "I'm gonna want a rematch another time."

When she returned to the spectators she bore a sheepish smile, for all her boasting, she'd been bested. To Gerel she shrugged helplessly.
"So the gods will it, I guess." It was a gesture of peace, and she took her place beside him, ready to watch the next bout.

 

[kase9187]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All

Aldaf walked up to Kari and leaned on the ring. He nudged her with his shoulder.
"Spica sure showed you one-for." He laughed. A quick dig through his pack and he had the Spica carving.
"She's beautiful. In her own way, of course." He laughed as Spica rattled her scales for everyone before returning to him.
"How are you holding up from that fall? It was pretty nasty." He smirked, petting Spica's head and putting the carving back in his pack. "She was worried for your safety, so she didn't go as high as before."

SilverFlight YumenoTsukishiro Lioness075 Naberius AncientBird

 

[Lioness075]

Location: Mountaintop Campsite
Time: After Undead Monster Attack
Characters: Leandra, Kari

Hearing Kari's question about her brother, Leandra hesitated and rubbed the back of her neck.
"I...don't know."
She still was unsure if she had been hallucinating during her Bonding or if she had experienced some fragmented memory clawing its way to the surface of her mind. She shoved the pieces of it back down deep in her mind and returned her attention to Kari, as she continued speaking.

Leandra was amazed Aldalf had managed to knock a spike in so accurately, but then if she remembered correctly, he had been throwing a lot of those around and so it could have been sheer luck that it happened at all.
Kari brought up her fears and concerns about the monsters once more and Leandra was about to encourage her, but her sentence died off as Kari worried about the safety of their families. Leandra had never once considered that could happen. But now that she thought about it, it was possible that nobody would be safe until they solved this mystery.
Sighing, Leandra replied, "I suppose all we can do now is go to Westeros and try to figure out what happened last year. I want to see my family, too, but I won't endanger them. If going to Westeros first will help us keep our families safe, then so be it."
Leandra said all of this confidently, but she held her left wrist, trying to hide how her left hand had begun to tremble.
Surprised when Kari began sharing what had happened to her brother, Leandra watched her carefully and listened intently. As Kari spoke, Leandra's vision began to blur and she could start to hear her own brother's echoing cries. She could see the large panther soaked in her brother's blood, its rainbow feathers entrancing her.
Blinking, Leandra was back to the present as Kari finished sharing. Clenching her left hand into a fist, Leandra held her tongue as Kari changed the subject. Leandra felt so much closer to Kari now and she was touched that Kari had been willing to share such an intimate part of her life with Leandra. She would not forget this.
When Kari inquired about her own brother, Leandra rolled her eyes and said, "He's got his nose stuck in books all the time. He assists my village's healer and wants to take their place one day."
Laughing lightly, Leandra added, "He actually presses flowers in his diary as one of his favorite hobbies."

SilverFlight

 

[explosiveKitten]

Location: Mountain’s Crest
Time: Post-Bonding
Characters: Leandra, Katja

Leandra stuck her tongue out at Barran's expression while Falarion let out an echoing roar. It was his attempt to throw off the large owl, though Leandra did not feel as if he would be successful in this endeavor. Feeling Leandra's uncertainty, Falarion inhaled and roared again.

Hearing Katja's response, Leandra laughed again.
"How is this not fun!? We're flying!"
Although, Leandra did realize that she had little difficulty staying on Falarion's back and Katja looked as if she was rather precariously balanced. Perhaps it was time to end their shenanigans and return to the group.
Before Leandra got a chance to say this, Barran was flying higher and higher above them. Leandra watched him go while Falarion continued to lazily glide about.
"Man, they're really gettin' up there, Fal."
Falarion harrumphed at this and then suddenly lurched upwards, flapping his wings to gain altitude as well.
Leandra screamed in surprise at this and clung tightly to Falarion's neck, her heart pounding once more. Just as they caught up to Barran and Katja, Leandra began to feel lightheaded as well. It was a rather soothing sensation, if she were not losing her ability to breathe.

Abruptly, Barran did a 180, diving back down to the earth below. She flew past with Katja screaming yet again.
"No, no, no, no..."
Leandra screamed again, as Falarion followed after Barran. At this point, Leandra was starting to share Katja's sentiment about flying. She could only handle so many adrenaline rushes in such a short time period.

explosiveKitten
#9365B8

Location: Mountain’s Crest
Time: Post-Bonding
Characters: Leandra, Katja

Katja’s screaming was echoing off the walls as they just dropped from the sky.

“BARRAN! BARRAN! STOP! OH GODS, AHHHH!” Katja screamed as the wind whipped past her face, up under her mask making her eyes water.

Barran the owl turned her head around and watched Falarion the winged panther plummet after them, Leandra’s screams soon joining Katja’s as the dead drop hit her. Barran watched Falarion’s expression with an unwavering gizzard as the opposing Skybeast soon chickened out of the drop, at which point, pleased with herself, she threw her wings out wide and landed almost daintily in the edge where everyone was waiting.

Katja however fell facefirst over Barran’s shoulder, tumbling once over and landing o her butt on the ground. She was dazed as she stood up, wandered a few steps, and then fell facefirst onto the ground, unable to stand.

Barran, looking rather pleased with herself, wandered over to Katja and, like a mother bird sitting on her brood, sat on top of Katja, nuzzling her beak into her downy breast feathers and seemed ready to take a nap. All that could Ben seen of Katja was her arms sticking out from underneath the large snowy owl.

Lioness075

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Caliban, Katja and Matthias

Katja wandered away, re-braiding her hair and trying to calm herself down after that little excursion. Hoo buddy was the last three days eventful!

She eventually made her way away from everyone else and found Barran standing by herself, exactly like Katja told her to.

“Great, you all ready? Let’s go.”

Katja stood there, waiting for the large bird to crouch down for her to get on, but instead Barran simply turned her head away.

“... uhh, Barran? Let’s go.”
No reply.
“... come on, do that little crouchy thing.”
No reply.
“... oh come on, Barran, don’t be like this.”
A beak clack.
“Look, I don’t like this anymore than you do!”

The bird turned her head and shot Katja a look.

“Don’t give me that skeptical look! We’ll go to Westero! I WANT to go to Westeros! ...After we go and check on him, okay? We’ll meet everyone at that magic academy! It’ll be fine, they won’t even know I’m gone!”

The owl looked at her and turned her head again.
“Alright. Fine! I guess I’ll just have to... climb up there myself!” Katja exclaimed defiantly, stomping over and grabbing a handful of the bird’s feathers, attempting to pull herself up the bird’s breast. Of course, Katja has NO upper body strength, so getting herself off the ground was a task in that of itself.

“You’re... just... being... a butt!” She hissed and huffed as she attempted to climb up to the bird’s shoulder. Barran noticed Caliban approaching and tipped her head to the side, throwing a look at him that said, “Can you believe this shit?”

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Caliban, Katja

Cal managed to follow Katja all the way to her destination without getting caught, which was a stroke of luck. He needed to see where she was going and what she was up to. When he got close, and saw Barren giving her trouble, the look that the beautiful great owl have him, he smiled and almost snickered a little. He leaned against a nearby post and watched her for a minute before finally speaking up.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Skybeasts don't double as bathrooms. You're a terrible liar, you know."

He stepped closer, just a few feet away and met her eyes. His own crystal blue eyes were filled with worry, and a genuine care. He wanted to help her, wanted to let her know things would be okay.

"I won't try to stop you. But think about this: we all could have died up there. We deserve this little break, to celebrate and relax. To forget about all the danger and mystery and horrible what-ifs and maybe of the past and future."

He stepped a little closer, only about a foot away from her now, still looking into her eyes.

"I won't try and stop you. But... I would... Really like it if you stayed... Please?"

He gave her his warmest smile, full of cheer and joy and love of life. A smile that said "We're friends, and I care for you very much."


explosiveKitten

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Currently present: Aldaf, Kari, Leandra, Gerel, Serik, Caliban

Serik and Krohal kept on betting. Was it his poor luck or anything but every turns Krohal turned up the victory and claimed Serik’s coins little by little.

Eventually, It’s Kari’s turn on Spica, Aldaf’s wyvern.

“Now another of my friend is up, I will not be fooled by your use of word again!” Serik said but concern could be seen in his eyes. Sweat rolled down his face.

“Let be no hasty now? Let’s write down da bet.” Krohal said.

The round started and Kari and Spica fought as good as they can. The Wyvern pulled her best moves while Kari hung on with all her might... Suddenly lost her grip, and Spica with another jerk, rid Kari off her back just before the second bell rang. She lost... Just as Krohal’s bet said.

“Awww...” Serik groaned and handed over his coins to Krohal. The weird Sudentarian man then turned to Aldaf as he returned from helping Kari after the ride.

“Ya wyvern be amazin, mon! How ya tame a wild storm like dat? She be almost as good as Juju!” He said with his usual grin.

Featuring: kase9187
FF9900

 

[kase9187]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, After party
Characters: All
Present: Serik, Aldaf, Kari, Gerel, Cal, Lea

Aldaf turned to the Sudentarian. "Easy enough when you have a bit of a storm on your side as well!" He laughed as he conjured up a small gale around his feet to kick up some leaves.

"She's beautiful, and graceful in her own spiky way." Aldaf scratched underneath her chin as she rattled her scales in approval. "I'm lucky to have her, honestly."

Spica opened her mouth and for the first time didn't roar or nip or anything, but licked Aldaf's face and rattled her scales in amusement. Her tongue was akin to a dog's tongue, but much larger. "Aw, Spica! My clothes!" Aldaf laughed as he charged at his wyvern, grabbing her side as she rolled over, away from the spectators. He wound up on her neck while she was on her side. Aldaf and Spica were both laughing openly in their own ways. "Come here you big softie!" He vigorously scratched Spica's non-protected neck and she laughed some more, evidently ticklish.

After a minute or so of wrestling with each other, Aldaf and Spica returned to the crowd. He waved to everyone and Spica chirped. "Spica has enough energy for one more round, who's gonna face her in the ring?" Aldaf gestured to Spica, who shook her scales like a maraca as she struck a pose, trying to look regal but failing due to her sounding like a maraca.

AncientBird Naberius YumenoTsukishiro Lioness075 SilverFlight
FF9900

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Currently present: Aldaf, Kari, Leandra, Gerel, Serik, Caliban

Krohal looked at Spica adoringly as Aldaf talked about her. “She be indeed a great beast. Juju be a precious storm too, he was a force to reckoned with when I first faced him... Speak of da devil. It be his turn now!“ Krohal spoke with glittering eyes.

Serik thought about the bug-eyed feathered serpent of Krohal and shrugged. How could that strange freak of nature be any more powerful than Spica?

The serpent entered the ring. His bulging eyes still watched aimlessly. He lay still in the ring with his only movement was the long, slippery fork tongue that kept licking his own eyes.

A small Westerosian man was to pair up with him. He nervously approached the serpent, looking really uncomfortable. Serik totally understood why... As the young man took a ride on Juju, the bell rang.

“Show ya talent, Juju!!!” Krohal screamed and waved his hand.

The feather serpent slowly rose with all his 6 wings flapping. He eventually stopped and hovered. “Well, this isn’t so bad...” The Westerosian rider spoke and wiped his sweat... Just for it to happen...

What Serik saw could only be described as a giant earthworm that got scalded by boiling water... Juju’s body squirmed and twitched like if he had a seizure. His head and tail wobbled just if they were made of rubber and those bulging eyes bouncing in their sockets to the movement of his head.

Loud gasp could be heard the entire ring.

“Oh god, is he dying???” Someone shouted.

“Put the poor thing out of its misery!” Another shouted.

Serik also heard someone with weak stomach letting out their weakened guts... The rider himself clang tightly, closing his eyes from the horrible sight. “Ahhh! Have mercy! Someone put a stop to this! The bell, the bell, where is the bell?!!!”

Juju suddenly made a rapid barrel role and spun the rider off his back, shooting him to the ground. The rider sat up, he looked both confused and horrified in the same time. “Don’t let me ride that thing... EVER again...” He spoke with eye widened and sweat pouring down his face.

Victorious, Juju suddently dropped and fell flat on the ground like a big piece of old cloth. Just when Serik thought that the creature was indeed dead, he lifted his head up and disturbingly lick his eyes as always.

“Flawless victory, Juju! Great work ya big precious!” Krohal shouted at his beast and smiled. “Wut ya bet about mah Juju?” He asked Serik.

Serik didn’t say anything but kept that shocked face of him as he handed over his coins, again.

Featuring: kase9187
FF9900

 

[kase9187]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Present: Aldaf, Cal, Lea, Serik, Kari, Gerel

Aldaf watched Juju throw itself around wildly and rubbed his chin. Something was up. When Juju threw the contestant from his back, it clicked. Aldaf turned to Krohal.
"I see what you did there! Get him to drop his guard then throw him off quickly!" He smirked.
"Mind if I give it a go? My head's clearing up from my first round, so I'll probably be able to hang on for the full time again."
Aldaf cracked his knuckles. Spica rattled her scales in approval, as if cheering him on.

AncientBird
FF9900

 

[explosiveKitten]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Caliban, Katja

She had finally managed to get her feet off the ground when a voice startled her so much she squealed and let go of her sky beast, causing her to tumble to the ground with a squeak of pain.

“Ah! Owwww! WHo the- CALIBAN!”
She squealed, shooting up to her feet and dusting her clothes off. “Hi. Hey! I was just uh... I just-“

She was cut off in her lame excuse-making, staring at the ground and kicking at the dirt. She looked incredibly sheepish. Perhaps even guilty.

“Look, I...” She sighed, rubbing the back of her head, before she turned to start picking through Barran’s feathers, “I’m sorry, okay? I just... You heard what Ralof said. My dad hasn’t been seen for seven months, maybe more. I... I’m all he has. He’s all I have. I’ve left him alone in Northaria, and now he’s missing, and I just...”

She sniffled and wiped her nose. She was clearly getting upset. Barran looked troubled by her bond’s sadness. The large owl cooed and leaned forward, taking her beak and, like a preening mother bird, began to pick through her hair.

“I left him there and he’s probably worried sick, and I left him there all alone, I need to... ohhhh, gods...”

She suddenly sat heavily on her knees, hand over her mouth while she tried not to cry, earning a startled squawk from Barran.

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Location: The stalls
Time: During the Proving Celebration
Characters: Caliban, Katja

Caliban was not entirely prepared for her reaction. He could see the guilt and the worry in her features and body language, and he knew at, at least in part, that deep longing to go and see their parents. He wanted to see his own adopted parents very badly. He had been fighting with that particular choice all evening since they had left the mountain. She began to worsen, her mood darkening. She felt powerless and at fault. He knew these things personally as well, and knew all too well that it would eat her up inside. He acted on instinct rather than logic when he took the next couple of steps forward. She had dropped to her knees, her back away from him and he stepped to her side, kneeling on his own knees with her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, a friend comforting someone that he cared for very deeply when they were in pain.

"Sshh. It's okay. You're scared and worried. But you can't blame yourself. I know what that pain is like, what it means to blame yourself for something terrible happening even when it's not your fault. Don't do that to yourself. Ralof is scum who would say anything to get under your skin. And I promise, as soon as we have the chance, I will personally go with you to Northaria. He's not all you have anymore."

explosiveKitten

#2bab73

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Location: The festival
Time: During the party before... The Incident™
Characters: Gerel and Katja
Color- #daf599

“Oh... stooop it, I would do that for anyone.”

Her face got a little red under the mask from the compliments. She wasn’t used to it, certainly. Most of the time at home anyone who came in with a fishhook in their thumb just grunted and tossed her some coin for the service before leaving.

“I’d do that for anyone who was... bleeding to death. Or had a recently cauterized wound.” Unconsciously she reached up underneath her mask scratched her face before she continued with, “Admittedly I haven’t had to deal with something like that in a very... very long time, but- not that I couldn’t have handled it! You and everyone else are in great hands! I just normally deal with prescribing herbal remedies for illnesses and stuff- I’m gonna stop talking.”

@YumenoTsukishiro

Location: The festival
Time: During the party before... The Incident™
Characters: Gerel and Katja
Color- #daf599

Gerel chuckled at how fast Katja was talking. It reminded him of a lamb for some reason. That she scratched underneath her mask did not escape his notice, nor did the sliver of... something he shouldn't point out ever. An idea popped into his head and he quickly made for the Estendorian food tables, grabbed two clay cups of something steaming and brought it back to Katja. He handed one to her and said, "This is steamed spiced goat's milk from Estendor. My mother always made some for us whenever a storm passed through or when I was feeling down. It's very calming."

He took a sip of his own, feeling it warm him up within. He let out a satisfied sigh, settling down to look at the bonfire and the dancing around it. "I have a feeling that the gods have more in store for us, what with the shared vision and everything else. If so, I'm glad to have you and everybody else at my side.

"And," he said, glancing over at Katja, "don't hesitate at all to ask me for help when you need it. I'll try my best not to get wounded too much next time, too."

Location: The proving camp
Timing: Middle of the night, after the party
Interaction: open kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro Lioness075 AncientBird Naberius
color: #ff9900

Kari grinned at Leandra's praise, "Aw, it wasn't that great, I was nearly off before the bell. Wolves are definitely not horses! I caught the tail end of your match, you've got some real talent for this!"

Kari would never have admitted it, but her nails dug into the wood of the fence the moment the bell rang and the pegasus shot forward.
She never took her eyes off Gerel, the seconds seemed to crawl by...but he was good. When the bout ended and the bell rang Kari yelled with the others, pumping her fist into the air. Then Gerel landed...right in front of her. He cut a striking figure, clothes disheveled and hair wild from the ride. The thought brought a smile, unbidden to her lips and she couldn't meet his eyes for the butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach.

Caliban saved her from her own thoughts and she greeted him warmly.
"Anyone can compete, just sign your name and hope you're a decent rider!" She clapped him on the back, pressing him in the direction of the score-keeper and the sign-up.

The next few rounds passed and Kari watched almost as eagerly as she participated. She looked around her, at the friends she had made, enjoying themselves as well and she could not stop smiling.

Finally, Spica was up again, and before anyone else could volunteer, Kari was in the ring.
"Oh I've been waiting for this! Hey Aldaf, mind if I challenge Spica myself?"

Spica's next challenger was Kari herself. She stooped low and let Kari get on, scales flattened against her back. She nipped a bit at Kari, as if she challenged the Estendorian girl to stay on for 10 seconds.

Kari laughed and swatted at the wyvern's snout playfully. "May the best contestant win." She said to the creature in a happy tone.

After the first bell had sounded, Spica immediately went into a tight spin, moving quite quickly enough for someone to get thrown off normally. To make sure Kari got thrown off, Spica leapt upward while spinning, sending Kari falling to the ground from about 7 feet up.

Kari didn't have a chance to think, Spica acted so quickly, racing in a circle, but Kari was wise to that trick, and leaned in, keeping her in place. Four seconds...five...six and then the beast changed tactics. Kari felt gravity drag at her as Spica shot into the air, but it was in such a way that she twisted, breaking Kari's grip, but the momentum from the spin was acting on her as well, she overcompensated...and fell. Eight..nine...
Kari hit the grass and the air was knocked out of her lungs, she heard the bell from her place on the ground. She had lost.
She pulled herself into a sitting position, and she was laughing.
"Well played Spica." She patted the beast's leg. "I'm gonna want a rematch another time."

When she returned to the spectators she bore a sheepish smile, for all her boasting, she'd been bested. To Gerel she shrugged helplessly.
"So the gods will it, I guess." It was a gesture of peace, and she took her place beside him, ready to watch the next bout.

Location: The proving camp
Timing: Middle of the night, after the party
Interaction: open kase9187 SilverFlight Lioness075 AncientBird Naberius
color: #ff9900

Gerel wondered why Kari was trying her best not to look at him, but Caliban came along to sign up for the competition. He nodded at him, remembering the bloody knuckles and the freezing stream back at the mountain. He made a note to ask Caliban later how he was doing after everything that had happened.

A few more rounds of the rodeo (term courtesy of Kari) came and went, with Gerel looking on with increasing excitement. He began to understand why people enjoyed doing something like this. The thrill, the challenge, the pride of victory. Kari cheering and hollering to his side was a happy bonus.

That happiness dimmed when her name was called to the circle. Worry creased his brows when he saw that Kari was up against Aldaf's spiky skybeast Spica which had yet to be defeated by anyone. "To the five deities, please watch over her," Gerel whispered a silent prayer as Kari walked towards Spica.

And the fight was on. Spica was as fearsome and crafty as she was in the earlier rodeos, but Kari was holding her own. Gerel was gripping the wooden fence tightly all throughout, eyes trained on the two who battled for supremacy. When Spica flew up, Gerel gritted his teeth in concern. And then she was falling. Before he could move, Kari was already on the ground. Gerel was ready to vault over the fence and rush to her, but she was already sitting up and laughing. The concern faded from his brows and he smiled at the woman who made a graceful exit from the fence.

She shrugged, and said, "So the gods will it, I guess."

To that, he replied, "I may have prayed a little harder just now than I ever did before."

They watched the other rounds, cheering for the winners and gasping for the more dangerous fights. Gerel saw Serik exchanging hands and coins with a curious person with an even more curious flying snake for a skybeast, and immediately made a mental note to talk to him later about the dangers of gambling. For now, it was harmless. For now. He hoped.

Eventually, Gerel said to Kari, "You know, the promise we actually made was for a race, so this doesn't count. I've yet to officially beat you. Just wanted you to know that."

Gerel kept his face on the fenced circle so that Kari wouldn't see the heat creeping on his cheeks. "Besides, you're not bleeding out. That's enough for me."

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Currently present: Aldaf, Kari, Leandra, Gerel, Serik, Caliban

Serik sighed. He had lost some valuable money and the realization finally started to catch up with him.

“May I ask ya one question, friendo?” Krohal asked him. “You are really quick to call people friend, aren’t you? But sure.” Serik replied with his saddened eyes.

“I couldn’t help but notice, ya always bet ya friend victory... Ya know?” Krohal said. “Sure, why not? I trust them, knowing what they are capable of...” Serik said without much thought. “But did they win every round like ya think?” The weird man replied.

Serik was silent. “Ya gotta learn to be real and read da situation sometimes, mon. Trustinf be good stuff, but too much and ya put ya self vunerable. Look at da goggles gal for example.” Krohal said and pointed at Kari who was standing far away.

“I watched her in da ring for several rounds, oh she fought real good... Reaaaaaaaal Gooooood...”

“You don’t have to emphasize the word like that, it sounds kind of creepy... Also she’s my friend!!!”

“What I meant be that she be excellent fighta, but she be tired afta some fight so when she fought da wyvern, I saw that she would be outta leak and would lose, dat why I scored da bet.”

Serik looked at the strange man. “So you are lecturing me about how to bet now?” He said, his eyebrow pulled. “Naw naw, not just about bet, sometimes it be life and death out there, ya can’t just think everything will be fine, ya justta read da situation first.”

“So in short, don’t be careless? Looks for detail?” Serik asked. He was about to look away when he heard the sound of a bag of coins. It was Krohal handing it over to him.

“My coins??? But you earned them!” Serik exclaimed, not believing his eyes. “Nah, mon... Ya take them back.” The man said and smiled, a genuine smile. “But why did you ask me to bet if you aren’t keeping the prize? Isn’t that a point of gambling?”

Krohal bursted off into laughter and spoke. “Ya needda pay more attention. I said I like betting, I didn’t say I like gambling, did it?” He said and grinned. “A bet and da excitement to see result be good enough for me.”

“Then why did you took the coins???” Serik asked , getting confused even more. “I need dem for mah points ya know? He said and open his jacket. Underneath his jacket, Krohal had mark some sort of chalk on the leather. The marks almost filled the entire space of the leather. “One mark for 10 coins, if I really take money, I be rich by now... But nah, fortune be no fun as just sport and betting, no castle for dis Krohal!”

Serik recieved his money back. He was still confused but felt a bit more joy for not actually had to lose his buck. “Ehh, thank you, Krohal...” He said. “Be careful not to lose dem to someone else tho, ya may lose dem for real.” Krohal said. “Oh, you can make sure of that because I am definitely not going to do this ever again! The competition just blinded me back there...” Serik said, feeling a bit ashamed of himself for letting the temper got the best of him.

“Be cool mon!” Krohal said. Then came Aldaf asking to try riding Juju.

“Sure! Juju would love to! Wait for him to rest a bit and ya shall have da ride!” He said. Juju was sitting near by, coiling in a spot. When he heard Aldaf and his rider mentioning, he slowly and awkwardly turned his head to their direction and gave a blank stare. His eyes as bulging as ever.

Featuring: kase9187
FF9900

 

[kase9187]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Present: Aldaf, Serik, Gerel, Kari, Cal, Lea

Aldaf nodded and walked over to Juju. "Hey there. We'll be fighting each other in the ring. Go easy on me, eh? My head still sort of hurts from the last round I was in."

A few rounds later, Juju had rested up and Aldaf's turn had rolled around. Aldaf was pretty sure he'd be able to hold on, now that he knew of Juju's little tricks.
It didn't help him at all.

Aldaf clung on and the bell sounded, and Juju wasted no time pulling the same thrashing trick. His head thrashed about wildly, nearly hitting parts of the ring. The tail was the same, but out of sync with the rest of his body. Juju twisted and contorted his body, thrashing and kicking up dust. The episode looked somehow worse than Juju's first round, if such a thing were possible. The poor thing looked like it was being violently electrocuted.

Aldaf thought he had it. Until only two seconds in, when the rapid movement caused spikes of pain in his head. Aldaf would've been able to hold on, were it not because of his reflexes going to clutch his head. About eight seconds in, Juju did the spin again, and Aldaf slipped off a bit further in than the first challenger. He shot straight up in the air. The bell sounded, and the round had concluded. Spica leapt above everyone and caught Aldaf mid-air, crashing into the trees away from the ring.

Juju flopped back onto the ground segmentally, as if a collapsing bridge. A quick eyeball lick let everyone know the beast was alive.

Aldaf clutched his head as colors swam in his vision, Spica curled around him. He'd severely underestimated both Juju and how much he'd taken from that gryphon. His head throbbed as he tried to stand, gingerly making his way back to the ring while leaning on Spica for support.

"Hey- ow- I'm okay! I'm fine!" He told Spica, returning to Krohal. "I might've been able to stay on, but I got thrashed. Juju got me this time." Aldaf gave a pained smirk.

AncientBird SilverFlight Naberius Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro
FF9900

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: At the tables
Time: Celebratory Party
Characters: Marylka, Caliban Naberius

Marylka rested her chin on the heel of her hand as she carefully considered Caliban's words, her brows furrowed in contemplation. She couldn't deny that she'd felt something for the group when she'd woken up in that tent three days ago, but to say they were connected she was a little more than skeptical. Human connections were such abstract and complicated things to begin with, the idea that people's fates could be bound together by some sort of invisible string sounded too much like gods' words for her to be convinced. And if it somehow were true, strings could easily be cut.

"Do you truly believe that?" She finally asked, not in spite but out of genuine curiosity. "That whatever it is we have to do next, we're meant to do it together? Even though it probably means that we-... you would have to postpone going home to see your family?"

When Caliban referred to them as friends she thought he was being ironic, but looking him in the eyes all she saw was his sincerity. Out of everyone in the group, she found him the most puzzling and the hardest to read. For someone who seemed so carefree, he always spoke as if he'd been wisened by hardship and pain.

"Caliban," she started, carefully choosing her next words "I hope you don't mind me asking but how are you so... positive all the time?"

 

[Lioness075]

Location: Mountain’s Crest
Time: Post-Bonding
Characters: Leandra, Katja

Leandra's eyes watered as well, forcing her to close them while Falarion dove after Barran. Then suddenly, they were no longer diving, Leandra opened her eyes to see them rapidly approaching the ledge where they had all first entered this area. She was a bit disheartened when she saw Barran had already landed. They had lost the race.

Still, Leandra figured it would make sense for an actual bird to beat them, but then Falarion sensed her emotions and huffed in annoyance. Abruptly, he flew down to the ledge and then right as he landed, he lurched up, bucking Leandra off of him. With a surprised scream, she landed awkwardly on her side. It was not enough to cause her injury, but enough to get the point across.
Sitting upright, she narrowed her eyes at Falarion and then exclaimed, "Hey, I wasn't doubting your abilities there! We just raced an actual bird and you're, y'know, half bird."
Leandra crossed her arms and stared at Falarion until his annoyance died off and he sat down to lick the back of one of his paws.

Leandra stood up then and looked over at Barran to see Katja's arms sticking out from underneath her. This had Leandra laughing again, delighted that she was able to enjoy her first flight with someone else.

explosiveKitten

 

[Lioness075]

Location: The Proving Camp
Timing: Middle of the night, after the party
Interaction: Kari
Nearby: Kari, Gerel, Aldalf, Serik, Caliban, Krohal (NPC)
Color: #FF9900

Leandra was a bit disheartened when Serik ignored her replies and seemed entirely distracted by the stranger who had approached him. She briefly watched as they started betting on rounds and Leandra quickly lost interest. She had hoped to get to meet each person in their group at some point, but she felt like she had perhaps messed up her chance at getting to know Serik better. It was also likely that this was just not the best time for that.

Hearing Kari's response to Leandra's praise, she grinned in turn and said, "Hey, you handled yourself like a champ anyways!"
Not entirely used to hearing praise directed at her, Leandra's cheeks flushed briefly and she waved Kari off.

As Kari got ready for her next round, Leandra's eyes widened to see that Kari was challenging Spica. Spica had been tossing riders off this way and that since they had gotten here.
Watching them in the round, Leandra felt as if she was holding her breath the entire time. Then Spica was in the air and spun. Kari fell off and hit the ground, but was up only moments later with a grin on her face. Leandra let out her breath and grinned, happy to see that Kari had not been injured this time.

The group seemed to be mostly chatting now, as strangers were getting in the ring. Though, the man who Serik was betting with sent his own Skybeast into the ring and Leandra was torn between feeling disgusted and concerned for it. She did not want to go anywhere near that odd Skybeast.

Then it was Aldalf's turn again and much to Leandra's dismay, he had challenged the weird Skybeast. The round went just about how Leandra expected it to. Although, Aldalf taking flight was not what she had expected and Leandra felt relieved when Spica shot forward to catch him. Watching him return from where Spica had flown to, Leandra could tell Aldalf had rattled his brain a bit and likely had a headache. She felt like she had a headache of her own just from watching that match.

Shaking her head, Leandra kept hanging out at her little fence section, wondering who would be up next for a match. She secretly wanted Caliban to go before her, just so she could challenge him to see who would win between the two of them.

SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Proving Camp
Time: Midnight, after party
Characters: All
Currently present: Aldaf, Kari, Leandra, Gerel, Serik, Caliban

The fight between Aldaf and Juju was intense. However, the bug eyed serpent eventually ridded Aldaf off his back. Spica was fast to catch her rider in time before he could taste the gravity...

"Ya did excellent job out there, mon." Krohal said as Aldaf returned alongside Spica. "Not many people be stayin on Juju for dat long... And without aftereffect too. " The earlier rider that rode Juju could still be seen sitting around with terrified expression.

Serik came to check on Aldaf. "He did it pretty harsh on you as well... That fall was going to hurt a lot if Spica didn't catch you in time." He said. He then turned to see Krohal welcoming his skybeast back. "Ya did it Juju! Ya be unbeatable tonight!" He said and stroke Juju's head as the serpent gave back his blank stare like usual. Krohal then turned back to Serik and Aldaf. "It be pretty late now... Juju must be tired, I be headin outta here now. Good night ya two, Serik and... Aldaf, yes?" The strange man said.

"Yeah, take care Krohal... Also, nice to meet you, err... Juju..." Serik said awkwardly.

Krohal sat on the feathered serpent's back. "Let's go, Juju! Up away!" As he commanded, the skybeast launced itself up straight and into the canopy. Serik could hear twig and branches broke from them crashing through the trees and also Krohal's complain over Juju getting further and further away.

"What a weird fellow, that Krohal." Serik said. "Have you ever met a Sudentarian like that? I totally forgot to ask about his strange way to compose speech..." He asked Aldaf. "But at least he doesn't mean a threat."

Featuring: kase9187
FF9900