Post by Azonthus on Mar 10, 2005 23:55:55 GMT -5
Altanden
Initiate
Posts: 3
(5/30/02 2:12 am)
12.224.186.115
Reply | Edit | Del All Dunno if A'dreth reads this, but here ya go...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I just wrote this after reading A'dreth's post on the OMB. Yes, it's copyright to me. Nope, I don't want flames. Yes, I'd *love* positive feedback or constructive criticism. Nope, it hasn't been edited. I just turned it out. If you'd like to read it on my site, it's linked from the main updates page.
<A HREF="dinotopia.sphosting.com/">Skies of Dinotopia</A>
Thank you, A'dreth. You've made my evening.
----------------------------------------------------
Finals
[For A'dreth]
Outside in the warm, breezy Canyon skies echoed the cries of skybax off the great cliff walls. Inside, in many of the occupied apartments and up in the high rookeries, there were the beginner riders approaching the end of their first terms. Hunched over hastily scrawled diagrams, huddled under the protective wings of their partners, or (in some cases) curled up and moaning to themselves in some random corner because there were no protective wings about them - wherever they were, finals were approaching quickly and even the quirky apprentices tread softly when they came down from the heights.
Balam, master of teaching, kept a close eye on most of his beginners. The skybax, too, seemed to be more open to their advances .. two of his favorites had finally made tentative bonds with quetzalcoatlus, and the sun was shining.
"Is it four to a flight, or eight?" Kaak muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged on the balcony, overlooking the great Canyon depths. His father had installed him in the new apartment at the beginning of his training, so as to give him the same new environment as the other beginners. Altanden, curled up in his nest in a niche carved above the balcony, gave a long, soft but desperate imitation of a cry for help and Kaak snapped his fingers.
"You're a god, my flier!" he announced, and bent back over the set of notes. "It depends on whether it's a search and rescue flight, which is abbreviated 'SAR' and has search parties of four to cover more ground, or a long-distance caravan patrol - which is eight. Or is it the other way around?" he stopped again, then groaned.
Altanden crooned supportively, but did not offer any more hints. His rider knew the material - just had to get some confidence. With a sudden chuckling sound that surprised Kaak, the skybax stood and swept his wings down with a blast of air that sent Kaak's papers fluttering up.
"What are you doing?" the beginner asked after his 'bax, who was vanishing from sight as he dove towards the Amu River. "No! Altanden! I need your help on this!"
A beginner about four balconies over had copied the more experienced Kaak, sitting out in the warm sunshine. He'd dragged a long cushion out and was stretched on his stomach, scribbling similar notes.
"It's four to a caravan patrol flight," he called. "And eight to a SAR. Just 'cos they need to cover more ground in a SAR and in the jungle it's tough enough to maneuver, much less keep control of those around you."
Kaak glanced over and sighed with relief. "Be glad you don't have to deal with these flapping wings of insanity," he called back. "But thank you!"
"No problem!" the boy laughed, and nodded to the Amu below. "I think you've got company."
Knowing his partner very well, Kaak ducked back from the edge of his balcony and pulled his papers in close, holding onto them tight. Sure enough, Altanden suddenly shot past and brought with him a shower of water, soaking the beginner. Chortling with skybax laughter, he dropped back down onto the edge of the balcony's stone railing and held out one foot, delicately dropping an enormous fish - still wriggling - onto the stone.
"Oh, how nice." Kaak looked at the fish and knew exactly what his partner wanted. "All right, since I've been whining..." he grabbed the papers and pulled one of the potted flowers over to sit on top of them, providing some semblance of protection. "Here." Leaning forward, he picked up the fish - he was familiar with them, having been with Altanden since he was four - and leaned forward to hurl the fish like a discus player in the Olympics.
Altanden, with a shriek of pure delight, launched himself off of the railing and dropped like a stone after the fish, snatching it in mid-air. Suddenly, it seemed as if four or five balconies were sporting skybax statues, each of the great pterosaurs very interested in the one particular beginner rider.
Next door, Kaak's very helpful, fellow beginner rider was grinning ear to ear with delight. "I think you've got yourself in trouble now," he called, laughing.
"I don't have anymore!" Kaak shouted to the pterosaurs, but Altanden was already rising back up to perch on his balcony, having swallowed the fish whole.
"No!" the other boy laughed. "But you've got a bucket! Let them fill it, then throw!"
With a worried glance towards the papers stuffed under the pot, Kaak disappeared into his apartment to find the bucket he often used for fishing... but when he returned to the balcony, all of the pterosaurs were gone, disappeared towards the river below.
A quick look to the pot reassured Kaak that his papers were definitely gone as well, and he could convince himself that he heard them fluttering to the great Amu below ... but his Altanden was still there. Waiting on the balcony's railing, the skybax was chirping happily to himself as he preened at non-existent feathers. "Here," Kaak told the flier with a dreading tone. "I know this is probably for my own good, and the one question I'll get right on the final will probably be 'who knows best' - a. you, b. you, c. you or d. your skybax.' - let me up."
Altanden stretched tall, threw out his wings, and hopped backwards onto the rock itself, where Kaak stood. A quick step up allowed the beginner to pull himself into the saddle that had been perpetually tied on for the last few days. Kaak's fellow beginner on the other rock looked envious, and there were others across that wall of Canyon who were watching in awe. A few of the experienced Apprentice riders had already taken to the air.
"I'll bring you fish!" Kaak promised, waving to the other boy. He clutched the pail carefully in one hand, and he saw the great pterosaurs rising again, with flopping riverfish in their great beaks. All for him to throw about and play - instead of studying. Pushing his worries to the back of his mind and trusting his partner (who was usually the sensible one of the pair), Kaak held on tight and Altanden leapt out, and the game of catch between full skybax riders began.
Kaak and Altanden
Apprentice Skybax Pair
dinotopia.sphosting.com/
"Long live the books!"
Initiate
Posts: 3
(5/30/02 2:12 am)
12.224.186.115
Reply | Edit | Del All Dunno if A'dreth reads this, but here ya go...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I just wrote this after reading A'dreth's post on the OMB. Yes, it's copyright to me. Nope, I don't want flames. Yes, I'd *love* positive feedback or constructive criticism. Nope, it hasn't been edited. I just turned it out. If you'd like to read it on my site, it's linked from the main updates page.
<A HREF="dinotopia.sphosting.com/">Skies of Dinotopia</A>
Thank you, A'dreth. You've made my evening.
----------------------------------------------------
Finals
[For A'dreth]
Outside in the warm, breezy Canyon skies echoed the cries of skybax off the great cliff walls. Inside, in many of the occupied apartments and up in the high rookeries, there were the beginner riders approaching the end of their first terms. Hunched over hastily scrawled diagrams, huddled under the protective wings of their partners, or (in some cases) curled up and moaning to themselves in some random corner because there were no protective wings about them - wherever they were, finals were approaching quickly and even the quirky apprentices tread softly when they came down from the heights.
Balam, master of teaching, kept a close eye on most of his beginners. The skybax, too, seemed to be more open to their advances .. two of his favorites had finally made tentative bonds with quetzalcoatlus, and the sun was shining.
"Is it four to a flight, or eight?" Kaak muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged on the balcony, overlooking the great Canyon depths. His father had installed him in the new apartment at the beginning of his training, so as to give him the same new environment as the other beginners. Altanden, curled up in his nest in a niche carved above the balcony, gave a long, soft but desperate imitation of a cry for help and Kaak snapped his fingers.
"You're a god, my flier!" he announced, and bent back over the set of notes. "It depends on whether it's a search and rescue flight, which is abbreviated 'SAR' and has search parties of four to cover more ground, or a long-distance caravan patrol - which is eight. Or is it the other way around?" he stopped again, then groaned.
Altanden crooned supportively, but did not offer any more hints. His rider knew the material - just had to get some confidence. With a sudden chuckling sound that surprised Kaak, the skybax stood and swept his wings down with a blast of air that sent Kaak's papers fluttering up.
"What are you doing?" the beginner asked after his 'bax, who was vanishing from sight as he dove towards the Amu River. "No! Altanden! I need your help on this!"
A beginner about four balconies over had copied the more experienced Kaak, sitting out in the warm sunshine. He'd dragged a long cushion out and was stretched on his stomach, scribbling similar notes.
"It's four to a caravan patrol flight," he called. "And eight to a SAR. Just 'cos they need to cover more ground in a SAR and in the jungle it's tough enough to maneuver, much less keep control of those around you."
Kaak glanced over and sighed with relief. "Be glad you don't have to deal with these flapping wings of insanity," he called back. "But thank you!"
"No problem!" the boy laughed, and nodded to the Amu below. "I think you've got company."
Knowing his partner very well, Kaak ducked back from the edge of his balcony and pulled his papers in close, holding onto them tight. Sure enough, Altanden suddenly shot past and brought with him a shower of water, soaking the beginner. Chortling with skybax laughter, he dropped back down onto the edge of the balcony's stone railing and held out one foot, delicately dropping an enormous fish - still wriggling - onto the stone.
"Oh, how nice." Kaak looked at the fish and knew exactly what his partner wanted. "All right, since I've been whining..." he grabbed the papers and pulled one of the potted flowers over to sit on top of them, providing some semblance of protection. "Here." Leaning forward, he picked up the fish - he was familiar with them, having been with Altanden since he was four - and leaned forward to hurl the fish like a discus player in the Olympics.
Altanden, with a shriek of pure delight, launched himself off of the railing and dropped like a stone after the fish, snatching it in mid-air. Suddenly, it seemed as if four or five balconies were sporting skybax statues, each of the great pterosaurs very interested in the one particular beginner rider.
Next door, Kaak's very helpful, fellow beginner rider was grinning ear to ear with delight. "I think you've got yourself in trouble now," he called, laughing.
"I don't have anymore!" Kaak shouted to the pterosaurs, but Altanden was already rising back up to perch on his balcony, having swallowed the fish whole.
"No!" the other boy laughed. "But you've got a bucket! Let them fill it, then throw!"
With a worried glance towards the papers stuffed under the pot, Kaak disappeared into his apartment to find the bucket he often used for fishing... but when he returned to the balcony, all of the pterosaurs were gone, disappeared towards the river below.
A quick look to the pot reassured Kaak that his papers were definitely gone as well, and he could convince himself that he heard them fluttering to the great Amu below ... but his Altanden was still there. Waiting on the balcony's railing, the skybax was chirping happily to himself as he preened at non-existent feathers. "Here," Kaak told the flier with a dreading tone. "I know this is probably for my own good, and the one question I'll get right on the final will probably be 'who knows best' - a. you, b. you, c. you or d. your skybax.' - let me up."
Altanden stretched tall, threw out his wings, and hopped backwards onto the rock itself, where Kaak stood. A quick step up allowed the beginner to pull himself into the saddle that had been perpetually tied on for the last few days. Kaak's fellow beginner on the other rock looked envious, and there were others across that wall of Canyon who were watching in awe. A few of the experienced Apprentice riders had already taken to the air.
"I'll bring you fish!" Kaak promised, waving to the other boy. He clutched the pail carefully in one hand, and he saw the great pterosaurs rising again, with flopping riverfish in their great beaks. All for him to throw about and play - instead of studying. Pushing his worries to the back of his mind and trusting his partner (who was usually the sensible one of the pair), Kaak held on tight and Altanden leapt out, and the game of catch between full skybax riders began.
Kaak and Altanden
Apprentice Skybax Pair
dinotopia.sphosting.com/
"Long live the books!"