Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: At the Cave III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Interactions: kase9187 III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III​

Zeke slightly jumped once a voice echoed through the cave. "Hey, Sandman, come on over here. You'll catch a cold if you don't stay by the fire." Zeke gave Aldof an 'are you serious?' look, his expression conveyed nothing but disinterest.

"No thanks, the cold never bothered me anyway." Zeke declined as mildly as he could. "I'm going to bed early," Zeke told them as he laid himself on his side, his back facing the group, and his face facing the cold wall of the cave. Zeke laid his head on top of his bag and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling some unwanted glares. This is what he could do, for now, staying silent is much better than being snappy. He was tired anyway and found it unnecessary to waste his energy on such petty things.

However, Stitt looked like she had other ideas, so, she silently flew over to Aldaf and hovered over him. And then she looked at Zeke as if saying that Zeke's saying is entirely untrue, because, in truth, Zeke will just eavesdrop at their conversation until he fell asleep feeling sorry for himself. Stitt only wishes for Zeke to be happy and content with his life, so if Zeke wouldn't push himself to talk to others, then Stitt will make it her mission to do so instead. Stitt owed a lot to Zeke and she wanted to repay his kindness through any means necessary. Zeke however, has no idea of what the little creature was thinking, so, he kept his eyes closed and shivered at the flat stone floor and pretended to be asleep.

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Cal stared down at the two odd creatures starting to play in his lap before ending up in the floor as the others talked for a little. When he looked back up he noticed one of the others had separated again. The one who always seemed to want to be by themselves. Zeke? But Aldaf was right, it was important to stay warm. Getting to his feet, Caliban removed his large leather hunting jacket, the supplies he kept in the many pockets making a few strange noises as he did so. Walking over, he promptly dropped it on Zeke as he lay there on the cold stone.

"It's not the warmest thing in the world, I grew up in Sudenta where it's already hot. But it's better than nothing. Listen. You have your reasons for separating yourself from the others. We're strangers, we all just woke up in a tent together. But here's the thing. Even the best of friends started out as strangers once upon a time. Not everyone likes how cheerful I can be, especially early in the morning when everyone else is grumpy after just waking up. But I do know how to put a smile on someones face."

Caliban decided to seat himself close by, leaning against the cave wall with his hands behind his head.

"But you know...I'm sure the people here would be fun to hang around if you gave them a chance. We're all in this together, a team so to speak. So, I'll watch your back. And if the altruism doesn't sit right with you, feel free to believe that 'you're more useful alive than dead or maimed.'"

The last bit was obviously Caliban's attempt at a joke, from the bright smile to the light and jovial tone. He stood after a few moments, starting to make his way back to the fire.

"I'm heading back to the warmth. But please, come join us when you're ready. Oh! And be sure not to snoop around too much in the pockets. I have some mild paralytic poison in a small jar and I don't remember if it's in the jacket or in my pack."

SleepyCreamy

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf nodded, standing up silently and walking over to Zeke's prone body. He did so without a word or a sound. He squatted down, his clothes making the faintest rustle. "Sorry, Gryphon-head. You don't get a choice in the matter. You're not going to catch a cold out here because you're a stubborn asshole." Aldaf scooped up Zeke's scrawny body in his arms, sort of struggling but managing to make it back to the campfire. He laid Zeke down at his feet, using his feet as a pillow.
"Sorry, Gryphon-head. You and I both know that your excuse is bullshit." Aldaf bundled up his bag and stuff, making a pillow like Zeke's, laying it below his head. He gave a slight nod to Stitt, a silent "thank you" for letting him know.

SleepyCreamy

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari
Kari and Gerel returned laden with dry wood. It was sure to keep the fire going most of the night.
She sat back down, her expression a little more peaceful than it had been before. When she'd conjured the fire. She glanced over and saw the two small animals playing. She'd been meaning to ask about them and scooted over to the two Sundentans, eyes bright with questions.
"How did you get such amazing pets? Can I play with them?" She withdrew a bit of dried fruit from her pack and offered it to Momo with a smile.
"Does he eat sundried bananas?"
If there was an animal, Kari was either petting it or riding it. That was just the way of things.
"How are you two holding up? It's gotta be a lot colder up here than back where you're from."
Naberius Lioness075

explosiveKitten kase9187 Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon

 

[Lioness075]

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

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Leandra became confused when the carving boy mentioned Cal, but then realized he was speaking to someone else. She frowned slightly at the mixup of having the same nicknames in the group, but decided against saying anything about it. Some arguments had arisen earlier and Leandra was not in the mood to potentially incite another. Especially when a mild argument arose about the girl wearing the owl mask. Leandra felt as if this really was not that big of a deal and flinched when the group started going back and forth about scars. There was no reason anyone had to share scars or painful memories right now, especially with the memory loss situation.

Despite normally being fairly extroverted herself, Leandra felt herself enjoying the fact that she was not the center of attention for once. She smiled again when Cal squeezed her right hand back and she even quietly laughed when their two little pets began to play. At some point, she would have to come up with a new name for the flying lemur. She could only assume that she had named it previously, but she could not remember it. Sadly, it would seem that they had met during her missing year.

Hearing Cal's teasing comment, Leandra was laughing again and stuck her tongue out at him.

As Cal moved on to defending the owl mask girl, Leandra began to relax and nodded in agreement with his words. There was no reason to pressure anyone in this group to share their life stories and problems right now. Hearing Kari's thoughts on the matter made her smile fade once more, though. It seemed ridiculous to Leandra that any of them should trust one another without their memory of each individual. Of course, Cal was the exception of the group, but still.

Hearing Kari's question, Leandra began to answer and hesitated when Cal got up to go check on someone who was avoiding the campfire. She watched him go quietly and then turned back to face Kari with a hesitant tone, "Well, Cal and I met when we were teenagers. He was having a tough go at, um, life, but we found out that we both compliment each other when we go out hunting and so we became fairly close."

Glancing back at where Cal had wandered off to, Leandra lowered her voice and whispered to Kari, "I convinced my parents to let him, more or less, join my family. He's my brother and I wouldn't have it any other way."

When Kari brought her attention back to the lemur and dragon playing together, Leandra smiled and then sighed.
"I honestly don't know what he likes. I can't remember him or how he came to join my side. I...I don't even remember his name. But somehow, he remembers me like we've been best buds for years."

At the question of how they were holding up, Leandra smiled wistfully and said, "I'm not sure yet. This is just...a bit much to take in such a short amount of time. I think some rest will help and maybe finding our Skybeasts will finally bring some much needed clarity to the situation.

Grinning, Leandra added, "If I'm being honest, I actually welcome the colder weather for hiking and intense activities. I hate sweating so much that I can't see clearly anymore."
Interactions: SilverFlight Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Cal made it back to Lea's side as she continued her hushed conversation with Kari and took his seat at her side again, smiling his usual smile as he watched Momo and Mushu in their adorable wrestling match. The occasional puff of smoke from Mushu only made the scene more entertaining.

"The cold certainly beats running around in blistering heat hunting and trapping beasts and ending up smelling like a wash house. Wearing that big leather jacket doesn't help matters either, but I need it to carry all my trapping supplies and poisons and other helpful tools. Better than lugging around a huge bag, anyway.Funnily enough, I actually found this little scaly turd on one of my solo adventures before I met Lea. He had been injured, a huge flying beast tried to take him for lunch and cut up a wing rather badly. He couldn't fly for a long while. I nursed him back to health as best I could. Now, Mushu is basically a house cat with scales."

He grew quiet for a moment, reflecting on all the time they had spent in those jungles and felt a rather potent mix of nostalgia, joy, and sadness. The best and worst days of his life were spent in Sudenta and its impressive vegetation. After a few moments he looked up to Kari, still smiling.

"So, what about you? This has certainly got to be a bit different than the plains you're used to."

SilverFlight Lioness075

 

[Saturn_moon]

As Marylka slowly made her way back to the cave, she reviewed the conversation she just had with Serik in her mind. He had been quite sweet to assure her that while her reasons may have seemed selfish, they weren't unjustified. For a brief moment however, she did wonder if his intentions were perhaps more romantically inclined. It would explain why he always seemed so nervous around her and the frequent glances her way. Romance was not a subject that Marylka was particularly comfortable with mostly because she had very little experience with it. Her parents weren't fond of public displays of affection and the most she had seen from them were quick pecks exchanged whenever her father had to make the journey to Ocris.

She did have a crush once when she was 15 or 16, on a boy several years older than her. His family had set up camp not too far from theirs and Marylka was quickly smitten. It wasn't so much because he was handsome (oh, he was definitely handsome) but more because of the way he carried himself; Confident, charismatic, and wordly. He'd completed the proving a year before and frequently recounted the times he had to fight off wild beasts or travel to far away lands to learn how to forge weapons out of Northarian steel or hunt animals with a spear. In hindsight, he was a pompous git who was far too self-involved and probably made up half the stories he told. To 15 year old Marylka though, he was living a life that she had only dreamed of and that made him the coolest person ever.

Her thoughts returned to Serik. He was sweet, kind and extremely considerate, but the last thing she wanted to worry about now was how to navigate the complexities of a relationship. The only thing that mattered to her was to complete the proving.

When she entered the cave, she found that Kari had returned from collecting firewood with Gerel and was now chatting with Lea and Cal while they watched the lemur and dragon play. She'd hardly spoken to the three since they started this journey and now felt quite awkward to be alone in the same space with them. She was tempted to just retreat to the other side of the cave but instead decided to try join them. She cleared her throat hoping to get their attention. "Er... H-hi. Would you mind if I joined in?"

Naberius Lioness075 AncientBird SilverFlight

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: At the Cave III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Interactions: kase9187 III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III​

As Zeke's heart slowly slowed down due to the coldness he was experiencing, he felt his fingers growing numb. Someday, his pride will completely engulf him and he will never be able to redeem himself when it comes to that. As he pondered deep into his thoughts, he suddenly felt a welcoming warmth engulfing his bare arms. Zeke clutched his cold hands near his chest and silently thanked the gods for the mysterious warmth he received. However, when a voice he recognized as Caliban's, he couldn't help but feel tense as he attentively listened to Caliban's words.

Yes, he was annoyed at the start about how careless and carefree this group is, and Zeke couldn't help but feel envious of the compassion the group has that he clearly lacks. Zeke wishes he could understand their ways of thinking, but unfortunately, he can't... or at least, he refuses to. Zeke is an analytical man who believes in the technical and factual side of things. From an early age, he was shown how cruel the world can be and how people with compassion can easily be wiped out once they've shown their vulnerability. Zeke closed his eyes and kept his hands near his chest as he remembered Caliban's last few warnings about his coat containing some lethal paralytic poison. Zeke smirked as he acknowledged the man's good humour which tells Zeke so much about the man's personality. It entails a kind man whose kindness should not be taken advantage of. Because of that, the man has earned a tiny bit of Zeke's respect.

'... you're more useful alive than dead or maimed.' After Caliban's speech, those were the last words that rang in Ezekiel's mind, before drifting to his sleep. I'll prove to be useful then, soon enough.

III✦III

Zeke opened his eyes when Zeke felt another warmth take over his body and the light embers from the fireplace lit up his caramel complexion, he noticed that he was moved from his cold spot. Zeke was confused at first, but when Aldaf's face popped up in his vision, Zeke quickly shook his head.

Great, now he's in my head too!

However, the real Aldaf was near him and Zeke noticed an unfamiliar bag underneath his head. A bag that does not belong to his. He must've only been napping for a couple of minutes because he noticed the not-so-heavy dent that he created on the bag with his head. When Zeke's hands touched the bag, his fingers were greeted with warmth. Zeke turned to Aldaf and gave him an accusing look. Then, he took off his scarf and threw it to the said boy with such speed, it landed straight at his chin. Redness slowly creeping up his neck and embarrassment quickly taking over him as an unwanted image of Aldaf carrying a sleeping form of him crossed his mind. Gosh, he must've looked like a weak princess when he carried him like that.

"Oi! Scar-face! Didn't I say something along the lines of 'being alright'?" However, he gotta admit that the warmth that the fire provided was very comfortable and was hard to resist. "But I'm going back to sleep." He muttered to himself. Here, in this warm place.

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf saw the scarf coming, but let it hit him. It felt somewhat warm, from being near the fire. He chuckled.
"Oi! Scar-face! Didn't I say something along the lines of 'being alright'?" Zeke called out. Aldaf let him fall back to sleep before walking over, fold his scarf into a small pillow, lift his head and slide it underneath.
Aldaf looked to see if Stitt was still awake.

SleepyCreamy

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Caliban watched Aldaf scoop their resident loner up and carry him over to the fire and nearly let out a small chuckle. It wasn't exactly something he had expected, but it would certainly be warmer than his jacket. Hopefully this would end well, he would definitely prefer it if the lot of them were friends instead of enemies or simply tolerating of one another.

"Not quite how I imagined you'd be joining us but whatever works I suppose."

He saw one of the others watching, tentatively. Almost shyly. He flashed his dazzling trademark smile, full of warmth and the love of life. She wanted to join them, and he wasn't about to turn anyone away. He enjoyed the idea of getting to know more about the others.

"I can only speak for myself, but I for one would be delighted if you joined us. Marylka, yes? Sorry if I butchered the pronunciation, it's not a name I'm familiar with. There's room for one and all, as far as I'm concerned. We're a team, and hopefully sooner rather than later, friends. So, how are you faring with the colder weather? You're from Estendor too right?"


Saturn_moon Lioness075 AncientBird SilverFlight SleepyCreamy kase9187

 

[AncientBird]

Serik walked into the cave. Most of the people had gotten back around the fire already. There’s Kari, the one who seemed to assume the leader role, by her choice or or not was playing with the little critters that came along with other participants.

Marylka who came back in earlier was sitting by the fire and chatting with the Sudentarian man names Caliban, along with his companion, a girl names Leandra. Gerel was there, already returned along with Kari. Then there was Katja, the girl with owl mask and Matthias, the large Northarian man. Aldaf just brought Ezekiel back from the outside as well.

“What a band of varieties this is.” Serik thought as he came to join them and sat down by the fire. He felt kinda sleepy but with this much activities around him, he would probably just sit it out until they all went to sleep or he falls on spot.

The young man looked around awkwardly. In small group he had no problem being the talker, but in big group it’s completely different for him.

He noticed Caliban’s spear or pike thing. It was the largest pole arm he ever seen.

“Nice spear of yours, Caliban was it?” Serik slowly spoke, with a bit of awkwardness.

Featuring: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 SleepyCreamy

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

Matthias grunted in response to Kari's remark. He was in no mood to be clever, or to have someone be clever at him. He turned his attention back to the Northarian girl. She shared his home. The mask was... Unusual. But if Matthias was offput by it he did not let it show. The big man was very practiced at keeping his emotions in check, the destined lot of an eldest sibling forced to grow up too soon, he supposed. Matthias thought bemusedly that he may have awoken into yet another one of those same situations. Gods...

"Usther," he repeated the name of the town, his accent precise, practiced, authentic. He was familiar with it. He gave the girl another look, thinking that it was possible he had seen her before, in another life. "I have been there, once." He said, brusquely. He rarely ever said things any other way. "Katja." He repeated her name - he seemed to be in a mood for repeating things - but if he was honest with himself, he cared more that she was Northarian than that she was named Katja. She could've been named Harald for all he cared. His feeling would be the same. Wistful, lonesome, melancholy... All tossed into the pot that was Matthias, floating like potatoes in stew.

Following the briefest moment of introspection, Matthias became viscerally aware of his surroundings - a cave in the mountains at night, on the eve of what most in their culture considered the most important day in a person's life - and the others around him. They were scattered, mostly high-spirited, and, Matthias thought, so, so very young. From what he'd gathered from a brief glance around their cozy cave-turned-camp, some of them were off gathering firewood (now returning), others sleeping, other still playing with an assortment of small creatures that Matthias was afraid he'd accidentally step on in the middle of the night and squash into jelly. All of them seemed to be flirting. Teenagers. Gods...

"So..." Matthias cleared his throat and spoke up, awkwardly. The words Matthias did not speak brusquely, Matthias spoke awkwardly. He was painfully aware of it. He trudged on, anyway. "What sort of skybeast are you hoping for?" He asked, because it was a question he had asked, been asking, never stopped asking himself since he was a boy.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
​

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf looked to Matthias. He held up his carving. "I mean, I'm probably going to get this." He still was sort-of waiting an answer to his question as to what it was.
"And what about you, Matthias?" He tilted his head.

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Caliban looked up at the sound of his name, and smiled even more brightly than usual at the mention of one of his prized possessions. It was one of only a few things left behind from his old life, and it held a mixture of feelings for him. It was a well balanced and intricately carved wooden hunting spear crafted by a master carver of Sudenta. Even with all the work he did selling furs and exotic creatures he had captured, it would take forever to save up for such a piece.

"Oh, yes! It's seen quite a lot of action, actually. Hunted quite a few beasts with it over the years. It's also the one I've been practicing with for the proving, it was actually originally my fa-"

He stopped himself from saying anymore. He didn't know why exactly. Though, it was a subject that he found hard to talk about even with Lea. His father, a hero to some, lout to others. It was a sore subject, and he didn't know if he could go there right now with so many people around. It suddenly felt like there were too many eyes on him and he grew a little anxious. He pretended to clear his throat before not-so-smoothly trying to change the subject.

"Well, so uh.. Serik right? How uh..How do you find the weather up here? On the mountain I mean."


SilverFlight AncientBird Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 SleepyCreamy

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf leaned in further, eyeing Cal. "Back up. The spear was originally whose?"
Cal was uncomfortable. This was a first. Aldaf wanted to see what was up, if he could.

Naberius SilverFlight AncientBird Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

Gerel was only a few paces behind Kari but he made his way back to the camp with a pile of firewood in his arms. He saw that the rest were already settling down around the fire, with their proving witness off the side taking watch. Marylka and Serik were sitting with Caliban and Leandra (Gerel hoped he could find time to talk to them both and exchange notes about archery), Katja was close to Matthias (her owl mask caught the light of the fire and glimmered), and there was Ezekiel with Aldaf. That last pairing gave him pause. Just a while back they were openly hostile towards one another, yet now Ezekiel looked vulnerable with the other Sudentan. It was such a jarring image that Gerel tried to reconcile the earlier boy who ruined Aldaf's carving and the one lying down by the fire next to Aldaf. A headache threatened to overtake him just thinking about it, so he took a deep breath and let the train of thought go.

He placed the firewood next to Kari's pile, then looked for a place to settle in. There was enough space near Katja and Matthias, so he went there, carefuly threading his way through the others. Talon landed nearby, golden eyes intent on Katja's owl mask, head tilting as if considering whether it was prey or not. Before any more trouble started, as Gerel sat down, he placed a hand on Talon's head, coaxing her to relax. "Don't worry about her, she won't try anything while I'm here," he said to the Northarians while he continued stroking Talon's feathers. "You are... Matthias, and Katja, if I remember correctly. Pleased to finally be acquainted with you."

'Even though we all probably already knew each other before this.'

Easing himself further, he answered Matthias' question. "I actually saw flashes of my skybeast when I held the amulet close to my chest. If I had to guess, it was a pegasus. Or an alicorn."

'Or a Kirin,' Gerel thought, though it was but a pipe dream. Kirin were exceptionally rare, even among rare skybeasts. The chances he'd encounter one, let along have it as his skybeast, was close to none. He turned to the Northarians and asked, "How about you? What do you think your skybeasts will be?"

Naberius SilverFlight AncientBird Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy

 

[AncientBird]

“Well, it’s colder than the plain most of the time, but not that I had never faced anything far worse.” Serik replied to Caliban.

“In the southern plain, snowing season is brief, but when blizzard happened to form, it would freeze everything, trees, people, wildlife anything that isn’t adapted to such climate or couldn’t get away in time... We even call it ‘White hell’.” Serik added.

“For Sudentarian, this place would be really cold, right? Aldaf told me about your homeland before.”

Serik began to get more comfortable. This Caliban seemed to have this aura that made people get use to him really quick. However, from the weapon he mentioned earlier, he seemed to be hiding something he didn’t want to share as well. Serik was curious but it’s best left alone for now since they were basically still a stranger to eachother and Serik wouldn’t want to force someone to tell something they do not wish to reveal.

Featuring: Naberius kase9187

 

[Saturn_moon]

Caliban easily welcomed Marylka into their group with his usual cheer. "I can only speak for myself, but I for one would be delighted if you joined us. Marylka, yes? Sorry if I butchered the pronunciation, it's not a name I'm familiar with. There's room for one and all, as far as I'm concerned. We're a team, and hopefully sooner rather than later, friends. So, how are you faring with the colder weather? You're from Estendor too right?"

"Mmhmm, I'm from the north of Estendor so we do get a fair amount of snow there in winter. Not as much as in Northaria or here of course, but I'm doing okay so far. The furs help a lot..." She said with a smile, pointing to the fur trimmings on her own outfit.

Serik soon returned and joined their conversation, asking Cal about his spear. Marylka didn't think it was possible but Cal somehow brightened up even more at the mention of the weapon sticking out of his pack. Marylka let out a quiet yawn and leaned back against the wall of the cave.

While she tried her hardest to continue listening to the conversations around her, between the exhaustion from the day's climb and the warmth of fire, the lull of sleep was far too tempting and she felt it tug at the edges of her consciousness... slowly... surely...

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari

Kari smiled as the warmth filled the cave, warmth that had nothing to do with the fire. Even Zeke seemed less hostile than he had at the bottom of the mountain. Nothing like a little impending danger to bring people close...but it was more than that, whether it was the missing memory, or just luck, the group seemed like they'd always been together.
Ferro sat back against the cave wall by the entrance, a knowing smile on his scarred lips.

Caliban asked her about Estendor and she and Serik answered in turn, Kari trying to put the lemur into her lap as she spoke.
"Yep, It even gets cold in the South, we get snow in winter, and there isn't much protection from the elements out in the plains, so you need to dress for everything."
She laughed. "Maybe you call it "White Hell", I like the snow, when it's light. Too heavy and the stragglers get stuck, doubling back to dig them free can take half a day."

When Marylka joined them Kari moved over to give her room to sit and gave the ground a slap, telling her to sit.

Matthias's gruff, deep voice surprised her. He was reaching out to them and she beamed at him, deciding not to tease him anymore. She wanted him to be included.
"Yeah, pegasus or an alicorn, like Gerel. Or maybe I'll find a winged bull! How cool would that be?"
Gerel asked Matthias the question in turn and Kari backed him up. "Yeah? What's yours? You can tell a lot about a person by their beast."

It was then Ferro came back in, giving the impression that he was looking at the bonds forming more than the people in the cave.
"Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but if you don't get some small amount of sleep, it might cost you your life tomorrow."
He sat down against a wall and cast his gaze to the flames.
"Don't be surprised if you dream of your skybeasts tonight. They're not so far away now, and your spirit is drawn to them, it may just go up there and find them while you sleep."
Kari's parents told her that dreamwalking was the realm of the Star goddess, but she would open the gates to anyone who wanted to do it.
"You should also look for your beast's name tonight...sometimes, calling them by it when you face them, will quiet them, might give you an edge."

Kari didn't dream of her beast. It was her brother that came to her, standing in a field of gold, patting the backs of the cows as they ambled past him.
"Why aren't you here?" Dream Kari said, and suddenly she was crying, the tears she'd wanted to shed since she took her first step on the mountain, all flooding out in a dream. "You were supposed to be here..."
Her brother smiled his kind smile, one that would never leave her, no matter how long ago she'd last seen it.
"But I am here!"

*~*~*

The morning was grey and cold, and Kari, nestled in her thick furs could see her breath rising softly. The light no longer came from the fire, that had died in the night, but from the hazy dawn, dipped in grey cloud. The first of a snow flurry drifted through the cave opening. Kari reached for her overalls and dragged them into the bedroll to warm them up before she wriggled into them, then she sat up and stretched. Ferro was up already, tending to Emerald, adjusting her saddle and speaking to her softly.
"Today's the day." He said as he noticed people rousing.
In the distance, a creature bellowed and Ferro's expression fell.
"The stonewarg pack is on this slope today...you best be ready, I don't think today will be as easy as yesterday was..."

Naberius Lioness075 explosiveKitten kase9187 Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Serik started to fall asleep eventually. After talking with other participants for a while, he could barely lift his head up.

Ferro mentioned that they all should get a good sleep. Couldn’t agree more, Serik dragged himself with the last of his energy to his belonging and curled into his sleep sack made out of bear fur.

“Good night everyone” He whispered.

“Good night Marylka...” He whispered even quieter...

In his slumber, Serik found himself stood alone in the field. Everything was blank and wide, grasses blown by wind were the only thing he saw.

Serik walked forward not knowing where he’s going. Something told him to keep walking though and he followed his mind.

Suddenly, he smelled something. It’s stench of carrion and after that the loud noisy squabble of some kind of animal.

Then Serik saw something, a large carcass... Seemed like a camel, but it was all torn up beyond recognition. Swarm of vultures were tearing into it, the noise was made by them.

Serik closed his nose at the disgusting scene. He was about to walk away but then he found himself he wasn’t alone there.

“Serik” A familiar sound came from behind.

Serik looked back. There a middle age man stood there, wearing fur clothing. He has eyes similar to those of Serik and a soft smile with dimples just like him.

“Father! Is that really you?!” Serik exclaimed. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The young man ran at his father. Both of them embraced.

“What are you doing here? Oh how’s everyone? I am so sorry I disappeared, I... I...”

“Slow down, son. It’s none of your faults. We are fine. I come to see you.” Serik’s father said. “I heard you will get your own skybeast tomorrow.”

“Yes, father! I was so excited and worried at the same time. What do I do? Will I get what I want. Advise me, father.” Serik said, still embracing his old man.

“Taming a skybeast is not what you can dictate, son. It will happen... It isn’t what you want, it’s what you face. No matter what happens, you will have to accept it. Be strong and brave my son, and all will go well. Remember I will always be there with you in every steps...”

“I will think of you... And everyone... I will not disappoint you.” Serik said.

“Now it’s time to go. Your challenge awaits you Serik.” His father said.

Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over both of them. Serik’s father pushed him away and something large dropped on the man. Dust blown up around and Serik found himself facing a large shadowy figure, towering over him. His father was gone.

Serik was about to scream in fear but the shadow figure made a loud, thundering screech before what supposed to be its long beak dashed toward him.

But before the shadow figure could reach him, it was tackled by something, a smaller figure with sharp, ear-piercing scream...

Before Serik could tell what’s actually happening, he was drained back...

Serik woke up, sweating heavily. It’s already morning and other participants already started to get up. He was confused but didn’t waste his time thinking about his dream. He packed his belonging and ready to leave when he heard Ferro.

“The stonewarg pack is on this slope today...you best be ready, I don't think today will be as easy as yesterday was..."

Serik walked toward the large man. “What is a stonewarg, Ferro? Is it liked wolf?” He asked.

Featuring: SilverFlight Saturn_moon

 

[Saturn_moon]

When Marylka awoke, she found herself curled up against the cave wall where she had fallen asleep mid-conversation the night before. The fire which filled the cave with warmth had long since burned out, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes and a draft in its wake. She wasn't too cold though, for someone had been thoughtful enough to get the furs from her pack and cover her up with them.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tiptoed her way past the others to the entrance, careful not to accidentally step on any of them. Outside, snow was falling lightly on the ground and the clear skies that blessed them yesterday had been entirely covered up by the clouds. She frowned at the sight before her for she knew it did not bode well for their journey today. Just another thing to add to my list of concerns. Unlike what Ferro had mentioned, Marylka's sleep had been dreamless. There were no skybeasts or names for her to call, just darkness. The fact was, she still had absolutely no idea what her skybeast was meant to be or how she was supposed to tame it. Perhaps it's because you're not going to succeed...

Shaking the thought out of her head, Marylka turned back into the cave to pack up her belongings. Everyone else was starting to wake now and Ferro was already busy getting Emerald ready. It wouldn't be long before they set off. Heaving her huge pack on to her back once more, stumbling a little in the process for her legs were now starting to ache, she made her way out to join the rest. In the distance, a creature bellowed and Ferro's expression fell. "The stonewarg pack is on this slope today...you best be ready, I don't think today will be as easy as yesterday was..." Marylka didn't know what a stonewarg was but she wasn't too keen on finding out either.

Just ahead of her was Kari in her leather overalls and flying goggles on her head. Remembering the questions she had for her, Marylka widened her steps to catch up with the girl. "Hey Kari, I know this is sudden and I hope you don't mind me asking... but you talked about hating magic yesterday and I was just wondering why that's so?"

SilverFlight

Naberius AncientBird SleepyCreamy YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 explosiveKitten

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf laid down near Zeke, closing his eyes. His dream was a bit... abstract. He didn't see flashes, but rather found himself alone in the cave.
"Zeke? Kari? Cal? Anyone?" He called, his voice echoing. He heard something shuffling behind him, and turned to see his carving sitting on an upright log.
"What the...?" Aldaf moved closer, and saw the carving twitch. It cracked and moved, growing in size. In just a few minutes, a full sized version of his carving, very real, was shaking off sleep in front of him. It stared him down, but did nothing.
"You're... my skybeast, right?" He spoke softly, approaching the creature. It didn't move or attack, but maintained its stare. Its eyes were a deep orange shifting into a subtle garnet, the pupils were slitted. The scales on its back flattened out, the quills on its tail kept low. Aldaf held out his hand and touched the creature's massive horn.
"...Spica." Aldaf whispered. He felt something call him and the dream disappeared.

Aldaf woke up, Zeke still lying nearby. He'd woken up before Ezekiel, apparently. "The stonewarg pack is on this slope today...you best be ready, I don't think today will be as easy as yesterday was..." Ferro spoke. Aldaf shook his drowsiness off, snapping to attention. He needed to make sure he kept on his toes. "Stonewargs, huh? Heard a bit about them, but I know they hunt in packs. Mind telling us a bit more, Ferro?" He stood up, grabbed his carving, a whetstone from his back without waking Zeke, and a dagger, and started to sharpen it.
"So. How did everyone sleep? Find out a bit more about your skybeast last night?" He sharpened the dagger slowly, as to not wake up anyone.

Naberius AncientBird SleepyCreamy YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura Saturn_moon Lioness075 explosiveKitten SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

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

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Leandra laughed at Cal's input about the weather. The lack of intense sweating was definitely a major improvement. She always spent forever and a day at the end of a hunt cleaning up. She was happy that she did not have to worry about carrying around too much gear, as the hike today had been exhausting enough. When Cal moved on to introducing Mushu, she smiled and looked back at the little dragon. He had always been like a little cat to the both of them and Leandra knew she often found herself excitedly greeting Mushu a moment before she would greet Cal in turn. She had an affinity for animals and had always felt close to them. It was hard to explain why she felt that way, considering she spent most of her life hunting animals. Perhaps it was because of her knowledge and expertise from her hunting, but she always felt a twinge of guilt after a successful hunt despite that.

When Marylka inquired about joining them, Leandra glanced around the group and then listened as Cal warmly welcomed her. She nodded in agreement with what he said and then gave Marylka a small smile. She normally would not feel so shy in a group, but since everyone was strangely familiar and yet still strangers to her, she was not sure how to really act around them.

Matthias inquired about Cal's spear and Leandra grinned when he began ranting about it. It was one of those things that she knew he could talk about for hours if someone really got him going. But then he caught himself before he could say his 'father' and Leandra's grin faded. She glanced sideways at him and was about to say something comforting when he swiftly changed the subject instead. She tried to pretend like the change of subject was not obvious, but a quick look at the reactions around them suggested otherwise.

When Aldaf spoke up and prodded at Cal, Leandra frowned and said quietly, "Back off. You don't have to know everyone's secrets and concerns all in one day. We've already lost part of our memory, I think that's enough for one day, don't you?"

Leandra crossed her arms and her mystery lemur hesitated nearby, noticing her tense attitude. Leandra glanced over and was about to gesture for the lemur to come back to her, but she saw Kari trying to get the lemur to join her instead. Smiling at this, Leandra relaxed a bit and instead gestured for the lemur to go join Kari. He chirped and then hopped right into her lap.

Just then, Ferro approached the group, warning them to get their rest sooner than later. Leandra immediately yawned at the reminder, having temporarily forgotten how exhausted she actually was. The chatter amidst the group seemed to be relaxing a little at this point, which was reassuring compared to earlier. As everyone bed down for the night, Leandra opted to simply rest by the fire with her lemur in her own lap now. Using a bedroll for a pillow, she fell asleep with ease.

~~~~~~~~~~

Leandra felt the radiating heat of the Sudenta jungles causing sweat droplets to slowly fall from her face. She was crouched in foliage, slowly approaching a large beast ahead. It was a notoriously dangerous jungle cat that was a hybrid with some jungle bird that gave it colorful feathery wings despite its spotted leopard coat. It could not hide well, but it was so ferocious that it did not need to. It moved so swiftly that most prey could not outrun it. Leandra knew she would have a few vital seconds to make a move before things could go wrong or right. Behind her, Leandra's brother was breathing heavily and held a bow. He had brought poisoned arrows to the fight, intending to slow the beast down for Leandra to get in a vital shot. She gave him the signal and heard the bow twang as the arrow flew past her. It struck true and the beast roared before it turned to face the pair. Leandra knew it would not run and as it charged, she too charged with a war cry.

Leandra blinked and suddenly the beast was on the jungle floor, soaked in blood and missing an entire wing. She too was covered in blood, her entire left arm was soaked and throbbing. Her face was covered in tears and her heart was pounding. She felt a strong urge to turn around, to check on her brother. Where was he? But fear was radiating throughout her mind and she choked back a cry. Something was wrong. Something was wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~

With a gasp, Leandra lurched awake, soaked in sweat once more. Her lemur leapt from her lap with a surprised squeak before he hopped back and then looked up at her worriedly. She clutched at her head and then wiped across her face, surprised to see tears on the back of her hand. Radiating in her mind, Leandra could still hear the thought, Something is wrong. She flinched at the thought and then noticed that she was not the only one awake. She hurriedly wiped away any remaining tears and began rechecking her gear for the day.

The mention of worgs both intrigued and scared Leandra. She had only heard of them from city visits when passerbys would gossip. The best she knew of worgs, they were very hardy beasts and were similar to wolves in their mannerisms, but far more ferocious. Mindful of what she would need for the day, she sat on the nearby log and began sharpening her daggers on a whetstone. She still had a fully stocked quiver, so she focused on simply sharpening her daggers to a fine point. Her left hand had started shaking since her dream and Leandra tried her best to keep it still and busy with this small task.
SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 Saturn_moon

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: At the Cave Opening III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Mentions kase9187 Naberius III✦III
III✦III Interactions: No One As Of Yet III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III​

It's blazing sky blue eyes pierced Ezekiel's soul like a swift spear piercing a thin layer of paper. Ezekiel found himself standing before a shadowed figure, everything around him was nothing but the cold darkness. Throughout Zeke's involvement with the Skybeasts he's known so far with the help of his mother's work, he hasn't seen or recalled anything like the beast's shadowed figure or face. It let out a menacing growl before stepping forward, revealing it's azure blue horns. Its glowering eyes held pure imminent danger. The dark-skinned boy only took a step back and that's all it took for the creature to leap onto him with ferocious speed. The creatures pearl white fangs were the last things he saw before waking up, dripping from his own sweat.

Zeke found himself heaving a breath before noticing the some has woken up in almost the same state he's in. Some have the look that carries a mix of fear and shock. Zeke found himself recalling the thunderous growl of the Skybeast in his dream, and he himself could tell that it will forever haunt him for the rest of the coming days until he found the beast itself. But the beast seems to be a malevolent being who will not go down without a fight. And Zeke smirked to that. He was already proud to have such prideful Skybeast.

The amber-eyed boy sighed and noticed the jacket that Caliban had given him was still comfortably sitting above his upper body. When he noticed him still asleep, he took the liberty of folding his coat, avoiding his pockets as he kept the blonde's warning into heart. Zeke did contemplate if it would be best if he could have one of those paralytic poisons, but his mind soon drifted away from the idea when he felt his bare arms feel the sharp bite of freezing cold wind. After he has folded up his coat, he walked over to the said boy and tossed his coat right next to his blonde head.

After that, he went over to the spot where he had thrown Aldaf his makeshift scarf and picked it up. The scarf was pretty long and comfortable to wear, so, he wrapped it around his neck then pulled it on top of his ebony head, acting as a hood. As he does that, he and along with the others were informed to expect some pack of creatures to come along their way. This was what Zeke's been expecting throughout this whole entire time and he could only feel a mix of both fear and excitement.

He was feeling scared at the unknown possibilities or the mistakes he could make, but then again, he was also excited to place his skills to the test and to see a Stonewarg for the first time up close. Zeke turned his head over to his hips to examine if his signature weapon, the ball and chain sickle, if it was intact, along with a few of his long throwing knives, his golden knuckle brass and finally, his Damascus steel, which was left by his father and his father before him. Zeke took a seat near the cave opening with his bag intact and waited with his Damascus dagger in hand, saying a few prayers to his ancestors.

I hope you guide me well, grandfather. This'll be a tough day and I wish for your guidance.

As he said that to himself, he felt a weight on the blade and when he looked up, he saw his emotional support animal, Stitt, the Pocket Gryphon that has been through with him through thick and thin. Zeke smiled and opened one of his belt pockets, offering Stitt to be one of them, but she refused and flew over to his shoulders and snugly warmed herself up inside his scarf.

 

[explosiveKitten]

The wind whipped past her face as she stood on the precipice of the God’s Mountain, looking out over the vastness of the sky world, she felt an odd sense of apprehension.

She stood there, looking out at the horizon with wide eyes, watching as the sun dipped low, spreading beautiful, warm colors across the horizon, mystifying her for the hour that she seemed to stare at it.

Until a dark figure suddenly blocked out the sun, flying up from below to spread it’s wings across the sunset and blot it out. She could faintly see the colors through the feathers of the Skybeast, but it was still mostly dark.

The only thing she could really see were it’s eyes.
Intelligent, piercing, and a vibrant yellow with a distinct, black pupil. It stared down at her as she stared up at it, in awe of the powerful wings, sharp talons and glowing eyes.

She reached out to it, stepping forward to see if she’s could feel it... only to find she was tumbling off the cliff, falling for the clouds. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She heard a screech, but not from her. When she flipped herself to stare up, the wind blowing her hair around her face, she found the beast bearing down on her, sharp black talons reaching out to catch her.

She blinked awake and reached a hand under her mask to scratch at that spot that always itches. If she had been at home, when would have taken the thing off to sleep, but alas, she was here. In this cave. WIth all these people.

“... well, I certainly slept. I don’t know if it was a good sleep or not.” Katja stated, stretching her arms over her head with a big yawn.
Carefully she made sure her mask was settled back on her face properly, before she stood up and gathered her things, her sword, her blow gun, all the darts that came with it, and her knapsack full of medical supplies and rations.

“You’ve mentioned stonewargs before, I’m guessing they’re... large predators that like to eat prospective young adults?”

SilverFlight Naberius Lioness075 kase9187 Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird