Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[explosiveKitten]

“OOOoooohh, Katja, dearie!”

After the meeting was over, Great Grandma Delila hobbled over to her great-grandchild with her arms outstretched.Whole the group was standing outside of the building, the kooky old woman had seemingly snuck up on the group of them and startled the group healer.

“oh! Oh, gods, Grandma Didi... you scared me!”
She said as the old woman grabbed her by one of the braids on her head and tugged the young woman down to her level to give her a hug.

“oh, nonsense! Someone young like youshouldn’t be so easy to startle! Now c’mere and give your grandma a hug!”
Katja was definitely not used to this yet, but she felt her eyes welling up a little as the old woman wrapped her spindly arms around her neck in a shockingly tight embrace.

“Grandma, I’m- HhRK- I canT BREATHE-“

“OH! And your friends!” The old woman gestured wildly at the group. “Thank you all for coming, it warms an old woman’s heart to see young people so invested in the world around them!”

Katja stared as the old woman raved on and on about the various things that happened during the meeting. Hard to believe this friendly old woman was the same one that laid a serious verbal smack-down to their mutual enemy(?). She was kooky and crazy till things got serious, it seems.

“Anyway children, I had best get going home!” The old woman cries, then stuck two knobby fingers into her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. At first nothing happened, then the sound of flapping wings approaching caught Katja’s attention as... possibly the strangest things she had ever seen came flapping out of the sky.

“is... is that your Skybeast, Great Grandma?” Katja asked, pointing at the lanky creature that landed beside Dalila and collapsed to its belly on the ground. It has an odd, dopey face, long spindly legs, shaggy golden fur and two large jumps on its back, fitted with a saddle that accommodated the crazy looking wings that looked almost just as dopey as the rest of it.

“Whyyy yes, Katja dearie!” The old woman said, turning in the direction of Katja’s voice. “This my dearest friend, Rajul. He’s a flying camel. Probably looks a bit dopey and old but I love him all the same. Isn’t that right?” The old woman grabbed the creature’s head and cuddled her cheek to his. The creature looked at her blearily and smacked its chops, a little spittle dripping off it’s lip. But he at least looked... happy?

“he’s uhhh... he’s magnificent, Grandma.”
“I know he is!” The old woman chided, feeling around awkwardly for the saddle horn and climbing awkwardly up, just barely managing to get there after a moment of struggle.
“Well. You children have fun now! And stay safe.” Dalila said, picking up the reins that were wrapped around the saddle horn. The old camel groaned and rose to its hooves, starting to walk away.

But before they could be well enough on their way, Dalila suddenly jerked the animal to a stop beside Caliban.
“oh! And I wanted to tell you something, young man.” The old woman whispered as she turned to look at Cal, with her white, cataracted eyes. Her expression became rather grave very suddenly, as if she wasn’t looking at Cal himself, but she was staring into his very soul.
“My great-granddaughter had best come back in one piece... Bye now!”

The camel suddenly took off in a run, wings unfolding as it heaved once, twice and rather unsteadily took to the air, soon disappearing in the sky.

“... My great grandmother has some strange taste in animals.” Katja said, completely unaware of the subtle threat that had been whispered into Caliban’s ear. “I... I guess flying sounds fun.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barran was certainly happy to get out of the stable, at least. The massive bird flew along beside everyone, mostly just following the group and stretching her feathers into the wind and enjoying the open air.

“I... I feel like we should talk about the whole situation that just happened in there? It was kind of a lot to deal with. What are we all doing? I know some of us volunteered to help him, but not everyone... what do we want to do, ya know... as a group?”

SilverFlight pinnasina AquaMarie kase9187 Naberius YumenoTsukishiro AncientBird Saturn_moon Elenion Aura Lioness075

 

[pinnasina]

Flying was not the first place she'd seek for strength of mind. Perhaps it were so for people like Emma and Zola, but Eli? Never; it felt impossible to divorce that sense of unfamiliarity from the skies, even if she were to spend all her time for training up there.

Were the circumstances different, Emma's offer would have received a hard no. In Eli's opinion, rest would undoubtedly take priority over a moment's joy-ride. But with their promise still active, it would not be fair of her to go against Emma's wishes. Not when she had given Emma a hard time for what she perceived as Emma's passivity.

For this singular moment, Eli chose to bite her tongue. She looked to the ceiling, uncomfortable with having to withhold her thoughts before letting out a breath. "Let us go."

────​

To humor one's companions should not be a great sacrifice. This, she knew well. What, after all, was she without those that support her? What was she if she could not even do the same for them? And yet, despite her verbal claims of agreement with the adage, she could not trudge on towards the stables without having to constantly remind herself of her promise.

Despite her clear reluctance, however, Eli would answer any questions on this behavior with a curt "I make the promise, so I will go," cutting off any further interaction.

Having lagged at the back of the group, she was one of the last to enter the stables. There, it's almost completely silent, with only the dull thuds of retreating footsteps and the swish of wings to signal any sort of activity. Many of the other skybeasts lay quiet in their stalls.

But not Cloud. Already, he's bouncing about in his area, bright and burning with fervor, his energy a direct contradiction to her somber mood. "You want to fly, too." she said.

The phoenix nodded his head vigorously.

"No rest?" Cloud paused, almost thoughtful as he tilted his head to the side, before flapping his snowy wings about. He quickly swished his body this way and that, then jutted his head towards where the saddles were stored.

I was wrong to worry about disturbing your sleep then.

Looking at the rest of the group, already ready to go, Eli turned to Cloud and quickened her pace. "Do not go too fast or high."

────​

Cloud seemed to be really enjoying their little trip. Though he still kept his distance from the other Skybeasts, he seemed, generally, excited, swivelling his head this way and that at the others with great interest. He was even singing a little tune.

I am happy for him. But she could not say the same for herself.

Happiness, for her, was not to be found up there, several feet above ground. Where she could easily slip off from Cloudy's over-excitement. Down into the desert sands. Splat. "Slow and low." She whispered, conscious of this drop.

Fly, she say. It will be so much fun. Eli scooted closer to her Skybeast, her arms encircled closely to his neck.

Some feet above her, Eli could hear wisps of the one with the white bird probing about plans. Or something along those lines. Asking for what they will all do. Pointedly, Eli glanced to Emma, then asked Cloud to close the distance between her and the inquirer in small increments. Having missed the majority of discussion, Eli was curious to see what their thoughts on the subject art. "I also want to know. If I remember correct, some might not go with. How many will stay?"

INTERACTIONS: Emmaline and Katja.
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can u tell im struggling akhsdaskd i cant write send help pls

 

[AncientBird]

As Serik was pulled away, he managed to hear Kari’s comment about Emmaline’s alicorn and Valkyrie. He also noticed the winged horse acting aggressively toward his stork drake as well.

“Wait! Wait! Valkyrie, stop! were you frightened by that alicorn back there?” Serik said as he clamped tightly on Valkyrie’s neck. The stork drake immediately slowed down after she heard the word of her rider, and also because the alicorn was already further away.

Serik thought about Kari’s word that perhaps Valkyrie hadn’t yet fully trusted in him enough that she reacted in the way she would normally do in the wild. He would need to get through to how his skybeast thinks to understand these strange and unpredictable behaviors she had been doing time and time. However, Valkyrie was never easy to read. Yes, he could sense her emotion, but to understand what caused those emotion was far more challenging.

At least he started to understand what caused her to freak out a moment ago... Serik reminded himself of his father’s and uncle’s skybeasts, an alicorn names Coal and a pegasus names Yak. Both of them are imposing stallions with strong muscle and beautiful posture. While both have almost opposite personality (Coal is very kind and gentle to Serik, while Yak always gives him the cold shoulder), both of them are hostile to predators, especially stepped wyverns and stork drakes, the two most common livestock raiders they have to deal with regularly on the plain. Perhaps, this wasn’t a personal grudge but an instinct ingrained into their blood... Perhaps stork drake may share similar trait? Serik have observed them to always be on high alert and retreats from any intimidating opponent. Perhaps it was that Valkyrie was made to be very wary around the aggressive winged horse stallion and that’s why she became skittish near Emmaline’s alicorn.

“So you really were afraid of that alicorn...” Serik said and started patting his skybeast. “I know it’s hard to change your nature, Val... But we are team now and it’s inevitable for us to work together... Still, I am not blaming you this time. I will talk with Emmaline about this and perhaps we may find a solution to put you together in peace... For now, I understand if you want to stay in your comfort zone.” Serik said

Valkyrie listened to her rider. For the first time she wasn’t punished for her action out of fear and discomfort. She eventually calmed down and her flight became steady again.

“Well, I promised you a quality time between us, so you fly how you want to, we may stay a bit isolated but don’t stray too far from the group alright? We don’t know if the skeleton monsters are lurking in the darkness somewhere.” Serik said and then laid down on his back and let Valkyrie controlled her own flight. The stork drake tilted her head to look at Serik. She indeed did what her rider asked her to and stayed within the eye sight range with the other skybeasts. Aside of the alicorn earlier, the others didn’t seem to care much about her and flew around doing their own thing, so Valkyrie got to enjoy some peace and quiet with her rider at last.

They rose up higher a bit to catch some wind. Serik glared up to the shining stars above. “The Capricornis is so bright today...” Serik said in awe at the gorgeous trail of light that ornamented the black sky above. “I wonder if everyone is preparing to trap serow tomorrow. Have you ever eaten any serow before, Valkyrie? It’s the most delicious meat I‘ve ever had.”

Valkyrie was silent but Serik could feel her being calm and placid. “Well, I guess every meat is just the same for you... You eat everything after all...” Serik mocked his beast and tapped her on the shoulder. He then turned his focus on the stars again. “I wonder how they’re doing? Mother, Father, Grandma, Damira, everyone else...” Serik said, accidentally letting his emotion loose again. It’s hard to look at the night sky without thinking about home... True, there was other thing he should be concern about right now... Danube’s rescue mission, Deralis and whether Serik should join the military scout or not, his magic training, Shrill’s traning and many more, still he couldn’t help but to miss his home. A single tear came out and disappeared just before Serik himself could even notice.

They flew on for a while when Serik rose up and tapped Valkyrie on her shoulder. “I think we should regroup... Please try not to freak out alright, I will be here to help you if the alicorn got grumpy again. You can trust me.” Serik said, ensuring his skybeast. Valkyrie was hesitant, but eventually she flew back toward the group. Even though Serik could feel her discomfort rising again, she seemed more confident to face it this time...

Featuring: SilverFlight AquaMarie

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (0/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Leandra's Westeros Outfit

She's wearing the first, green one.

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Falarion actually has brightly colored wings that have a rainbow hue in bright lighting. In darker settings, they can seem muted into a dark grey or even black color. He also does not have the golden tattoos spanning his body or the necklace around his neck.

Leandra had closed her eyes, drinking in the moment of quiet in the sky and the sound of Falarion's wings cutting through the air. Her peaceful moment was shattered when Valkyrie acted up nearby and she opened her eyes to turn and see Serik's Skybeast flying away from the group for a moment. She frowned at this and sighed, glancing down at Falarion. The winged panther was sending content and calm feelings to Leandra through their connection at the moment and she smiled at how simple and comforting their connection was.
They had not gotten many moments to relish in peace since all of this chaos began to unfold. Leandra did not feel in a rush to leave such a moment now.

When Kari flew up beside her on Zephyr, Leandra smiled at her and Falarion huffed at Zephyr, curiously looking at the gryphon and sniffing at him.
Surprised at Kari's apology, Leandra was about to wave her off and tell her that it really was not a big deal, but then Gerel joined them and Leandra chewed the inside of her cheek when Kari responded with irritation. He had likely only meant it as a means of trying to help Kari feel better, but Leandra knew she would have likely responded the same had someone been so blunt about it with her.

Waiting for Kari to continue, Leandra glanced over at Gerel and tried to give him a pointed look to convey her inner monologue of, 'Really, that's what you decided to open up with?'

Sighing, Leandra listened to Kari speak and furrowed her brows when she brought up the failed attempt to capture that one agile Deathborn. Leandra had never once considered it was a failure on Kari's part, so much as a collective failure as a team. They had not been well-coordinated in their chase and so it had been everyone involved who failed, not just Kari.
It seemed that Zephyr felt the same way as Leandra, crooning at his rider. Falarion in turn huffed at Kari, turning his huff into some mixed huff and purr sound as he repeated it a few times.
Leandra raised an eyebrow at this new sound, but faced Kari again as she said, "Look, we all just became a team, like, only a few days ago! You weren't the only one chasing that fleeing Deathborn. We did it as a team and failed as a team. We need time to get more coordinated with one another and improve collectively versus just on our own."

Then Katja pitched in and Leandra listened to what their healer had to say. It seemed she was more keen on discussing the council meeting rather than the chaotic scene downtown.
Mulling over everything that was discussed in the meeting, Leandra replied, "Well, I suspect I was following Kari's train of thought with this when those of us agreed to be Deralis' scouts. This will aid us in seeking out our missing teacher at the same time as trying to dissuade Deralis from thinking we're anything special. But doing this with him means we will have to tone down our special abilities big time. I mean, I'm assuming he'll be joining us. After all, he doesn't seem too keen to trust our word alone."

Still, the talk of some staying behind had Leandra worried.
"I hate to say this since it's really not my right to make a decision for anyone, but we should be going as a whole. I really don't think this venture will be safe for anyone who goes. We need to learn how to better work as a team and we won't be able to do that if anyone stays behind."
While Leandra knew little to nothing about their two new team members, she could only assume they had either strong magical affinities, excelled in combat, or if they were really luck, maybe one of them was also a healer.

Leandra's mind wandered to her initial hesitation of this plan altogether. She definitely had a sinking feeling that something was inevitably going to go wrong and wished more than anything that she too could just stay behind and relax with Falarion. Yet, it felt wrong to avoid trouble when others were so bravely facing it head-on.

Interactions: SilverFlight , YumenoTsukishiro , explosiveKitten AquaMarie
Mentions: pinnasina AncientBird
Nearby: kase9187 Naberius Saturn_moon Elenion Aura

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Good intentions often bit back. That was a lesson Gerel was fast learning the more he talked with the others around him, especially Kari. Honesty was a virtue impressed upon him, and he would be hard-pressed not to live whenever he cold. That said, Kari's biting comeback followed with Lea's steely stare told him enough to quiet down and maybe re-evaluate the way he did words. Or... maybe he could plow ahead and give Kari some encouragement.

"Lea has a point. Everybody did the best they could under the circumstances. We succeeded in driving off the deathborn, and no one was badly hurt. The more we fight together, the more we can work together, the more we can push back against the deathborn. We'll get there, all of us, together," Gerel then remembered that some of their companions weren't keen on the scouting mission. "Ah, apologies. I don't mean to speak for everyone. But Lea makes another point. If ever we all decide to make the journey to the west, the more of us go, the better our chances of success. The more of us go, the less chance of us using our forbidden powers out of desperation. And even if Deralis goes with us, he wouldn't be able to do much without one of us knowing about it."

( AquaMarie pinnasina ) His attention turned to their two new companions. So far Gerel could see that the one named Emmaline followed beneath the shadow of Eli. He noted that the latter didn't look at ease within the winds, but thought better than to point it out. Glancing at Emma, he smiled. The alicorn she rode reminded him of Estendor and the windy plains. He found himself feeling protective of the soft-spoken girl, which sparked an unknown guilt into being in his thoughts, which got him thinking about other things besides the upcoming scouting mission.

SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon AncientBird kase9187 Elenion Aura explosiveKitten Lioness075

 

[AncientBird]

Serik and Valkyrie eventually returned to the group. They trailed right behind the other as they seemed to open up some discussion. Valkyrie seemed concern seeing Emmaline's alicorn not so far away. "Come on, Valkyrie... I am right here with you, I won't let anything hurt you, alright?" Serik said as he noticed the stork drake getting stressed out again. He patted the skybeast on her shoulder. Valkyrie seemed unsure but she eventually cooperated and flew closer to the group, still she kept her distance from the winged horse.

Several of his team mates were discussing of what to do, continuing the topic from the council meeting. The new faces also stuck around the group. Emmaline with her alicorn, and her companion, the larger red hair woman whom Serik caught the name as Eli. She was riding atop of a large, pure white phoenix, a very wondrous skybeast to behold indeed. For several minutes that Serik couldn't pull his eyes away from the creature until the sound of discussion reached his ears again, concerning about the team members' choice in joining the military's rank as scout.

During the council, be it the stress from having to behave and not spilling classified information out, or the conflicting atmosphere, Serik couldn't speak his voice on which choice he would choose. He wasn't even sure of what to do. On one hand, he didn't feel like he was ready for such task, he feared of himself not being able to regain the power needed for facing the foes in time, feared that his skybeast wouldn't be able to handle working along with the others and feared that he might not get back alive to see his family again... But on the other hand, he knew in it in him that all the events led to this moment somehow tied up with him and the other youths. And as his friends volunteered to face it, would he be able to stay put and forsake them on their own? Would he be able to leave this responsibility to his friends even though he had part in it just as much as them? No matter what, the choice had to be made clear. He couldn't escape it, no stargazing or night flight were going to keep it off his mind forever...

Valkyrie sensed the uncertainty in Serik's thought and it also made her anxious as well. Serik reminded himself of Kari's word a moment ago... He has to earn Valkyrie's trust, he must to be the stronger if he was to assure her that she will be fine under his lead...

"Let's get closer to them, Valkyrie... I need to have a word with my friends." Serik told his skybeast. The stork drake paused for a bit and then closed the gap between her and other skybeasts. They ended up right next to Gerel and his kirin. "Err... I mean to tell you all something..." Serik began to speak to his friends, while Valkyrie kept her watchful eyes over Jeff, whom she seemed to haven't yet figured out what sort of creature he is.

"I am sorry I didn't say anything back at the meeting... And that I haven't given any thought on the matter we are facing yet. I was torn between thoughts and it wasn't easy to choose of what to do... But I have been thinking since and I have come to conclusion that I will join you as scout for the military."

Serik paused for a bit and continued. "For a moment, I thought I wasn't ready for it... But then I realized that none of us was probably ready given how sudden everything has been happening so far. Yet, you agreed to take this task head on... And who am I to leave this responsibility to my friends to face alone? The friends that have been struggling and fighting alongside me for many days... In the end, we are team and we are stronger together."

"I will face everything with you on our path and I will not fail us..." Serik spoke firmly.

Featuring: SilverFlight kase9187 Lioness075 Naberius pinnasina AquaMarie Elenion Aura Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten

 

[AquaMarie]

Emma sighed sitting up 'so much for making friends with everyone and their Skybeasts' she thought watching Serik and Valkyrie fly off. Her attention went towards Kari and she flew up next to her with her griffin. Angus eyed the griffin keeping his distance but not making a huge fuss as he did with the Stork Drake. Emma looked down and slightly frowned at Kari's comment. "A horse with that sort of temper wouldn't be permitted to herd cattle at all. It would be relegated to plow work, away from cows and other horses both, but like most animals, trust has to be earned." She felt as she was being scolded for not having a better handle of Angus with the whole situation, she had sounded like one of her brothers. However, Kari was right Angus would be a horse placed in the fields back home away from other animals. But Emma knew Angus didn't do it out of hatered it was instincts from being a wild beast along with the protective nature he had with her. The redhead kept to herself and leaned forward gently patted the side of Angus's neck "It's okay big guy...you just need to get used to flying among different creatures...I know you can do it" she softly told the large alicorn.

Emma’s attention went over towards Katja as she asked the group about their decision about what happened back at the council meeting. She kept quiet as the others started to chime in on the decision they should take. The girl turned to her right, spotting a very excited white phoenix which made her chuckle. Sitting on top of the energetic phoenix was a not very amused Eli, to Emma she seemed to still not be very fond of flying up so high. Emma happily smiled greeting both Eli and Cloudy, letting her know how happy she was that they could both be flying up here with everyone in the beautiful night sky. She bit her lip and became quiet as Eli spoke up to the group wanting to know who would go and who would stay behind.

The redheaded girl kept to herself as she listened to the others give their input of going in this scout mission. Emma wanted to go and help but a part of her was still on the fence about all this. She had only ever fought alongside Eli, the others were all new people they haven't really even had the chance to meet. Their group seemed to have gone through a lot, even more than she and Eli might have. Would they really be okay with Eli and herself helping them out, when the others meant that they wouldn't be able to accomplish their mission without everyone coming along, did that include her and Eli? The short girl was worried that with both of them joining it would mess up the dynamic the group had already formed.

Tags: SilverFlight Saturn_moon Lioness075 explosiveKitten YumenoTsukishiro kase9187 Elenion Aura Naberius AncientBird pinnasina

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari
Kari didn't say anything at first, but the look of gratitude she gave both her friends spoke volumes.
"I guess I'm used to being better, knowing what to do, but with all this, I don't know anything, it's hard to remember that we're all still new to this...thank you. Both of you."
She shook her head as if shaking off her bad mood. "Can't spend a minute feeling sorry for myself with you guys around can I?" She was smiling again. happy to be reminded that she didn't have to do any of this alone.
The conversation trailed into what to do about Deralis' proposition.
"You're both right, I don't like the idea of splitting up. I know Keshka magicked that tracker magic or whatever it was off us...but I still like our chances if we're all there...still," she glanced at Marylka sadly. "We can't choose for everyone. All we can do is try and be convincing."
Serik's approach and brave declaration earned him a lot of respect in Kari's eyes. She raised her fist and nodded, a distance gesture of the fact.

"Well Leandra, if you're so dead set on a race..." There was a mischievous glint in Kari's eye, and it caught in Zephyr's too. The skybeast, in one fluid motion dipped and slid sideways in the air, under Jeff's flank, just high enough for Kari to brush his shoulder.
"Tag! You're it!"
With that Zephyr peeled away and dove to escape, Kari laughing wildly as they banked and swooped back, rushing through the group.
"You better fly fast! Gerel's gonna get you!"
Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro AncientBird

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[kase9187]

Aldaf was snapped out of his self-reflective funk as Kari sped by. He pat on Spica's neck as he sat back on his saddle.

"Go!" He calls, Spica diving to speed up and glide away. She flew alongside Kari and Zephyr, Aldaf giving a curt wave.

"At least in a game of tag, I don't gotta outrun Gerel; I just gotta outrun you!" He laughed, Spica diving again to gain a bit more speed.

SilverFlight YumenoTsukishiro AncientBird Lioness075 Naberius AquaMarie pinnasina Saturn_moon explosiveKitten

 

[Saturn_moon]

Marylka and Archie continued to trail behind even as she saw the others gather ahead. The only ones left at the back were Ord and Matthias, who looked to be engaged in a conversation of their own. Truth be told, she was a little uncomfortable being amongst the rest at the moment after her earlier outburst. Furthermore, there was also the matter of her deciding if she would join the group for the rescue mission. Hours of contemplation and an entire council meeting had done little to temper her worries. If anything, she was more confused now than she had been before especially with Deralis's proposition added to the mix. Although this was a discussion that perhaps should have included everyone, there were things she didn't quite know how to share. It almost felt like her thoughts were running circles in her mind and every time she managed to catch one of them they'd wiggle themselves out her grasp before she could even make sense of them.

"Oh Archie, what are we going to do?" Marylka sighed. The hippogriff huffed as if to say this is all on you, but followed it with a feeling that was warm and steady which she understood to mean that he would be by her side whatever her decision. Looking at the group once more, she noticed several of them speeding off into the dark laughing.

Nudging Archie in the side with her foot, she guided them towards Ord and Matthias. "Sorry to interrupt your conversation," In the air, she found herself having to almost shout just to be heard. "Erm... I just wanted to thank you Matthias. For what you said back in the food hall. I know you're probably the last person to agree with taking a step back in a situation like this, but I appreciate you saying it was okay if I decided to do so anyway. It helped to know I still had a choice."

AncientBird AquaMarie Elenion Aura explosiveKitten kase9187 Lioness075 Naberius pinnasina SilverFlight YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias​

The color returned swiftly to Matthias’ cheeks with the realization that Ord had witnessed his reaction to a bit of wind. Fool, the Northarian thought as he strained to hear the instructor over the din of the sky. Volos listened too. Matthias for a moment cursed his rotten luck. Volos would become just the latest in a long line of difficult personalities for Matthias to navigate. Volos didn’t seem to mind Matthias’ estimation of him, and soared along contentedly, enjoying the night sky.

”I believe it.” Matthias did not doubt Volos’ might – he hadn’t forgotten the feel of his paw upon his chest in the cave, though now that time felt more a distant memory than recent occurrence – but rather his own.

“Theoretically...” Matthias echoed with a hint of dry humor. Theory helped him little up here, he surmised, so far from solid ground. Nevertheless he took Ord’s advice to heart. Matthias sought for purchase in Volos’ mind. Unsurprisingly, the great bear opened easily for him, as though he’d been merely waiting for Matthias to ask. Slowly, the bear’s experience became Matthias’. It was a stream, a trickle, but it was steady. And little by little Matthias let himself relax. He figured Ord saw it on his face and so he nodded to him, still unsure, but now his uncertainty mingled with resolve... and a hint of gratitude.

”Hail.” Matthias called to Marylka and her mount Archimedes. He’d only just noticed how far they’d fallen behind. She was thanking him. He wanted to say that there was no reason for her thanks, but thought better of it. He nodded curtly to her. ”Many of our choices are made for us in this life. Never let another take what precious little is yours to decide. Not even your friends.”

Tags: SilverFlight Saturn_moon ​

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Through their mental link, Gerel felt Kari brush against Jeff, followed by a rush of righteous indignation. How dare she touch me without my express permission? Against the starry night, the skybeast's midnight tips ruffled and shimmered. No words were needed. As exhilaration flooded their limbs, the duo picked a target amongst the throng. Leandra was too close, too easy. Kari would be expecting it, and therefore be a harder target. Aldaf was already running away, and while Gerel could go for him, those spikes were a problem.

There.

( AquaMarie ) Not that he wanted to single her out, but Gerel was curious to see what she could do. So with a thought, rider and Kirin shot through the sky and towards Emmaline and her alicorn. He stretched out his hand, aiming for the beast's flank.

Mentioned: SilverFlight Lioness075 kase9187

 

[SilverFlight]

Ord said nothing, he simply smiled happily.
When Marylka flew over Ord made room for her, flying Pasha above them and behind.
"Matthias is quite right Marylka." Ord banked slightly so she could hear his addition. "I don't think we would be very good guardians if we let a student be pressured into a dangerous situation. Nothing set before you is easy, but going in when you are not absolutely sure, might just put you and your friends at even more risk."
Saturn_moon

Flying back over to Volos' other side Ord considered the other man, and his winged bear for just a moment.
"You lack confidence, that's all, I'd wager you have more skill in the air than you know." He was leaning out of the saddle to speak. "Perhaps you just need--" But Pasha faltered, caught by a sudden updraft and dipped, pouring Ord straight out of his seat. He fell with a look of complete surprise, shrinking towards the earth and Pasha stopped, beating her wings in the air, seemingly completely panicked.
Elenion Aura

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias​

“Confidence is—” Matthias began, a dour retort at the ready. But Ord was no longer there. As if it was all happening in slow motion, Matthias leaned forward and watched with mounting disbelief as Ord began to fall...

Once, long ago, Matthias had saved his brother’s life. Jory was two years Matthias’ junior and the second eldest sibling behind Matthias himself. They were on foot, trekking their way through the Northarian wilderness when the rock beneath Jory’s feet gave way and he fell, a yawning chasm of ice and stone opening up to swallow him. Matthias, acting on instinct and adrenaline, scrambled after him and clapped a hand around his younger brother’s forearm, hauling him back to solid ground. Jory’s arm was bruised for a week, and he oft complained after that that Matthias had nearly torn his arm clean off. But Matthias didn’t mind this teasing, content that his brother was kept safe... This moment reminded Matthias instantly, viscerally of that memory, and the sickening feeling it churned up in Matthias’ belly.

Volos felt it too. The memory. But more than that, he felt Matthias’ intent. With a great beat of his wings, bear and rider plummeted after the free-falling Ord. Ord fell fast, but Volos’ wings ripped and tore up the space of air that separated them.

Matthias reached out as far as he dared. As far as he was willing to risk. And found he’d come up short. Ord fell, tantalizingly beyond his grasp.

If only he were not such a coward, Matthias thought. He closed his eyes, saying a silent, futile prayer...

When he opened them again it was not Ord he saw, but Jory. He saw the bleeding darkness below, hungry. He felt the chill of Northaria’s winter against his cheek. With a roar he lurched in his saddle, felt Volos destabilize under his rider’s sudden move. His hand found Jory’s arm again and squeezed.

Tags: SilverFlight Saturn_moon ​

 

[AncientBird]

Serik watched smilingly as the group began to play tag with each other. Perhaps it's Valkyrie's reputation or something that they seemed to avoid the two, but Serik was thankful nobody decided to chase him... He couldn't imagine how well the stork drake would treat such action, so it's best they retreat from the scene...

"Come on, Valkyrie... Let's get over there instead." Serik said and the stork drake changed her course and headed for another direction.

Suddenly, Serik heard some commotion, coming from behind him. He turned and see Marylka along with her skybeast's Archie... With Ord's dragon Pasha... But without her rider... Serik's eyes widened as he rushed Valkyrie toward them.

"My goodness! What happened?! Where is Ord-" Serik asked as he came up beside Marylka, just to see the horrifying scene of Ord falling down toward the earth, with Matthias and Volos following suit. There was nothing the young man could have done at the moment other than hoping Matthias would be quick enough...

Featuring: SilverFlight Elenion Aura Saturn_moon

 

[SilverFlight]

Ord felt the pull to earth as the wind roared in his ears. It was a trick not to keep from spinning, but luckily the academy had made them practice falling. He saw the panic in Matthias' face, and Volos was plummeting, catching up. Ord reached out, just a hand's breadth from safety. He saw Matthias falter then, saw him overbalance, lose his synced mind with his skybeast. Something was wrong. This was bad. He felt Matthias' strong hand take his, Ord pulled, tumbled into him and held on. With one thought and a draw from his magic, wind flared up below them, catching the bear's wings and Ord held Matthias tightly.
"Pull up!" He yelled, battling the wind to be heard.
Elenion Aura

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf saw the position Ord was in. Or rather, that he wasnt in.

He wasnt on his skybeast.

He saw Matthias and Ord going down, and didnt know if they were going to make it. He was terrified their teacher was going to die on this nightly fly.

Spica looked worried as wind circulated both her and Aldaf. He was wanting to use his magic to help, but it was too far for him to do anything. Plus, he could knock Matthias off and they'd both be dead.

SilverFlight Elenion Aura

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias​

Falling. Jory was falling. Not Jory. Ord. Ord was falling and Matthias caught him. And now the two of them entwined, together with Volos wheeled precariously through the sky as the earth rose rapidly to meet them.

Ord shouted something in his ear. Matthias’ grip on him was like a vice, tight enough to whiten the Northarian’s knuckles. Fear and adrenaline bid him squeeze on tighter still, to Ord and to Volos. Volos. Volos!

Matthias felt what the bear felt. Confusion, worry. Matthias shouted across the link that ran between their shared consciousness. The words were ringing in Matthias’ ear. Pull up. Pull up. Pull up!

UP!

Volos understood Matthias, and together with the magical gust of wind filling his wings, reeled the three of them back from the ledge, that windy precipice, that yawning darkness of Matthias’ youth. Soon enough they were gliding. The others were yet high above them still. Matthias could feel, with mounting embarrassment, their eyes upon him. Volos, for his part, huffed happily over his shoulder at Matthias and Ord, the two of them no doubt awkwardly occupying the space meant for a sole rider.

Tags: SilverFlight ​

 

[Saturn_moon]

In that moment, Marylka's brain stuttered to a stop and all she could do was stare with extreme incredulousness as Ord was suddenly tipped off Pasha's back and went hurtling towards the ground below. As quickly as it had happened, Matthias and Volos was on the move and started to make chase, the bear's great wings sending a powerful gust of wind her way that snapped her out of her stupor. Making sense of the immediate situation, she and Archie rushed over to check on their instructor's skybeast but found the otteresque dragon more or less fine. Contradictory to the look of complete panic on it's face, Pasha's mannerism seemed almost...controlled.

Glancing back in the direction of Matthias, Volos, and Ord, they were now a little more than specks in the distance and it was hard to make out what was or wasn't happening. As Serik pulled up beside her on the back of Valkyrie, Marylka noticed the speed of the group's fall slow slightly but knew they weren't out of the woods yet. "Oh gods, I can't watch!" She exclaimed, covering her eyes.

Elenion Aura SilverFlight AncientBird

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf flew over towards Ord and Matthias, worry exposing itself on his face.

"Are you both alright? No one hurt?" He asked nervously. "What happened up there?"

Spica let out a worried, inquisitive growl towards Volos, as if doing the same thing Aldaf was doing but with Volos instead.

SilverFlight Elenion Aura

 

[SilverFlight]

Ord felt gravity release it's hold reluctantly, as Volos found the wind and righted them. Only then did he dare open his eyes. He looked quickly at Matthias.
"Are you all right? You lost your connection with your skybeast, what happened?"
Ord did not seem the least bit concerned with his plummet. Pasha had followed Volos closely, and leveled when he did. She snorted, seeming to glare at her rider, but Ord was focused only on Matthias now that they were both out of harm's way.
"I knew you'd catch me." Ord said quietly after a moment. He was smiling, a little sheepishly, but clearly happy. He shifted to sit in the saddle behind Matthias, glad the bear's back was so broad.

"We're all right!" Ord called back to Aldaf. kase9187
"...I think." This was directed at Matthias, his tone touched with concern.
Elenion Aura

 

[AncientBird]

Serik face froze in place and turned pale like a boiled chicken. The two men and the winged bear seemed to be falling down further than Serik could clearly see who were who... Still he could make up that the speck of falling figure were Mathias successfully grabbed on to Ord.

Soon the speck broke its fall and he could see the winged bear flapped steadily again. Aldaf and Spica flew in to check on them, confirming that Serik’s team mate and the instructor were safe.

“Marylka! I think they are alright! Matthias did it! He saved Ord!” Serik called to the girl beside him who had closed her eyes in fear the entire time. Serik’s face slowly turned from pure fright into a more pleasant feeling, still there was a hint of shock remaining.

Featuring: SilverFlight Elenion Aura kase9187 Saturn_moon

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias​

Matthias heaved a sigh. The danger had passed. But it had left its mark. At least it had on one of them. He looked back at Ord, who'd settled in on Volos. The man was easy and casual as ever. As if he hadn't just plummeted from the sky mere moments before. Nevertheless, Matthias shuffled to make room for him in Volos' saddle, but there was no helping the apparent press of closeness between them. He tried not to look at the others. All of their attention left him feeling uneasy despite their good intentions. And the adrenaline of the freefall had not yet cleared his system enough to allow him to think clearly.

Matthias' jaw was set tight, winter-locked. Pasha was beside them now. Volos eased over to her to allow her to collect her rider, but before Ord could dismount the bear Matthias muttered, a hint of menace in his voice, “Did you fall on purpose?”

Tags: SilverFlight ​

 

[SilverFlight]

Pasha's irritation flowed through their bond so strongly his skin prickled when Ord finally climbed back onto her shoulders, but he felt Matthias' anger just as keenly.
"It was too far." He didn't bother denying it, nor did he explain that Pasha would not have let them fall to their deaths, that point was irrelevant now. "I wanted to show you what you were capable of...I didn't know--but that isn't an excuse."
He felt miserable, and his regret was truly genuine. He glanced over, expecting the brunt of the Northarian's cold displeasure.
"Are you all right?" He asked again. His tone held none of his usual joviality and was instead steeped in worry for Matthias.

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias​

Matthias turned as far as he was able in Volos' saddle, away from Ord and the others. His countenance darkened, as his whole body shuddered in apparent fury. Then he made a noise. It was something of a strangled cough. He made it again, his shoulders shaking as he clapped a hand over his mouth. In an instant it was obvious beyond a shadow of a doubt. He was laughing.

Tags: SilverFlight ​