Katrina Rix
Apprentice
Del pasado al presente, vivimos en un universo encantado.
Posts: 108
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Post by Katrina Rix on Mar 14, 2006 3:09:31 GMT -5
Alpenglow thrust his big head into Shazrad's lap. The rider chose to ignore the fresh jolt of pain. She itched carefully along his crest and closed her eyes. For a second, the woman and skybax breathed to the same rhythm, sympathizing. "Hey, big guy," Shaz said. "How are you doing?" Alpenglow burbled contentedly. Tired and sore as she was, Shazrad felt better for Alpenglow's presence. It gave her confidence. She sneaked a glance at Gavyn. She was really not as tongue-tied, which was part pain, but also (she realized) the fact that he had responded well when she spoke to him. Shazrad looked up at Gavyn. "Oh, whatever you're got. I'm not picky." Her smile flashed, a little wan and drawn. "I'm glad you decided to join us for dinner after all. It would have been downright cruel to leave me with just Connor for intelligent conversation." Connor made a face at Shazrad. She pretended she was too mature to respond. Shazrad winced as Alpenglow shifted his weight again. He cheeped apologetically. "Oh, Alp, it's not your fault," she soothed, stroking his fur flat. "I'll be fine. I just need time." Alpenglow chirruped wryly. "Oh, I know. I'll make a terrible invalid." Shazrad looked up at the men. "I'm not used to having people help me. More the other way around." She paused, looking at her hands. "Look, a friend of mine makes a tea that's very good for headaches." She smiled carefully at Gavyn. "Maybe I could get him to make some for you, Gavyn. I mean, I owe you one or two now." She leaned back into the pillow and yawned. "How long until I can sleep again?" she mumbled. ***** Brightfeather was delighted that her gift was so well received. After all, it was only an old feather. She saw Highsoar and burbled a cheerful greeting to the older female pterosaur. It had been a while since she'd last seen this skybax.
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Kiva
Apprentice
Self-proclaimed Ninja Mistress... with cat ears...
Posts: 171
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Post by Kiva on Mar 14, 2006 16:59:42 GMT -5
(OOC: Don't worry about it, Highsoar. For some people, this type of RPing is a little tricky at first. The best thing to do is ask to see if you're allowed to control characters. I'm lenient with mine, so if you want to have a specific conversation with Nightwing or Safyre or whatever, go right ahead and make 'em talk. If you wait for me, I may not know what you want to say, and might therefor ruin the scene. So feel free to control any of my characters any time you wish. Just make sure they stay true to how I've presented them as far as temperaments and such. Otherwise, control away! ;D)
Nightwing and Stratus landed in the midst of the hidden clearing in a forest of rocks and stone. The bigger male spread his wings and cawed, alerting everyone that he had returned and that something was up. They all crowded around, fearfully as Nightwing looked them all in the eye.
“My brother had told me that a group of Skybaxes came near the nest sight while I was away.” A chorus of caws and trills answered in agreement. Nightwing continued. “This is very dangerous. Who was in charge of lookout?”
A small male skybax stepped forward, timidly. In an instant, Nightwing had him pinned to the ground, his sharp beak inches from the smaller male's neck. “And you didn't think to alert the clan and move them to safety because...?” There was a smooth coldness to Nightwing's tone that terrified everyone. The smaller male was too scared to answer. Nightwing backed off and looked around again.
“Since they have gotten too close, we must move on. Highwind!” The said Skybax looked at Nightwing. “Highwind, you will scout out the territory and find us a safer nest sight. We'll need one by nightfall.”
---,--'--(@
Gavyn nodded absently. “Yes, I would like to try this tea. Perhaps it will help.” He glanced at Connor who was shaking his head in disbelief. “You can't sleep for another 2 hours yet, but I'll prepare dinner and have it ready in time for you to eat it then get some rest.” He turned and left, Connor watched him a moment before following.
“I think I'll help him...” he said as the door closed. Connor followed Gavyn down to the kitchen area and confronted him. “All right Gav, what's going on?”
Gavyn busied himself setting up pots and pans and putting stew ingredients in order. “I think you know perfectly well, Connor.”
Connor sighed. “Oh Gavyn, I thought you grew out of that.” Gavyn shook his head. “How bad is it?”
The healer shrugged. “It'll get bad as time goes by. I'm still fairly normal now, so I'm enjoying life as it is.”
“Does anyone know?”
“Does anyone need to know, Connor?
Connor sighed. “Gav... I...” He wanted to tell him about Shazrad, but knew that the two would have to come together on their own. He saw Gavyn looking at him, patiently waiting for him to finish. He shook his head. “Nothing. Never mind. Just let me help when the time comes, all right?”
Gavyn gave a grateful smile. “Thanks, Con. Now shut up and help me with this.”
The two finished the stew and brought up the plates to Shaz's room. Gavyn even brought some fish up for Alpenglow in case the big pterosaur was hungry and wanted to join them. Shaz and Connor bantered back and forth, all the while Gavyn looked on in silence. He watched how the two of them interacted and smiled to himself.
'They keep each other in line, that's for sure,' he thought. 'They'd make a good couple...'
---,--'--(@
Safyre was suddenly shy around the newcomer Skybax and backed away, nervously. Not even Brightfeather's cheerful cheeping could help Safyre overcome that fault.
Suddenly, more Skybaxes and their Riders landed and Safyre scrambled out of their way. The riders seemed to take no notice of the odd colored 'Bax and the its tiny raptorian companion as they removed the saddles and harnesses from their mount's backs, but the younger, rowdier 'Baxes were intrigued.
“What happened to you?” one of them cawed out. “You hold your breath too long, or something?” The others clacked their beaks in noisy laughter at the joke. Another piped in.
“I think she spent too much time in an ice cave.” The four 'Baxes had surrounded Safyre at this time, each of them joking and laughing amongst themselves. Anger was slowly starting to replace Safyre's fear, and a pterosaurian growl emanated from her throat. Things were going downhill real fast...
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Katrina Rix
Apprentice
Del pasado al presente, vivimos en un universo encantado.
Posts: 108
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Post by Katrina Rix on Mar 14, 2006 18:23:46 GMT -5
When Connor and Gavyn left the room, Shazrad and Alp took the opportunity discuss something in quiet urgent terms. The two exchanged conspiratorial winks as the men entered the room. Connor noticed, and grinned to himself. Something was up. Alpenglow let out a little, gleeful squawk when he saw the fish. He arranged himself beside Shazrad and dug into his meal. Shazrad pulled herself up and dug into the stew with good will. She hadn't eaten since yesterday's dinner. While pain dented her appetite somewhat, she was still hungry. "Thanks, Gavyn. This is delicious," she said gratefully. She took up conversation with Connor, which rapidly degenerated into a exchange of tall tales about their various mishaps. The life of a rider was adventurous, and both had plenty of stories about the storms they'd out flown and carnivores they'd dodged. Alpenglow would occasionally chime in. Shazrad paused when she noticed that Gavyn was unusually quiet. She smiled at him. "Hey, Alpenglow and I were talking while you were making dinner." Alp turned to peer at the tall man, too. Shazrad forged on. "We could kind of use a favor from you. See, while I can't fly, Alp still needs his exercises." Shazrad paused. "Look, Gavyn, you said that you wanted to learn to ride. You can use most of my gear, and teaching you to fly would give me something to do until I'm fit to fly again. Alpenglow likes the idea." Alp burbled pleasantly. "It'll be fun. I even bet Connor will help," Shazrad added, giving Connor an 'or else' kind of glare. Connor nodded. "What gear we don't already have we can find. Since Alp and Shaz proposed the idea, I don't think anyone will have objections." ***** Brightfeather sighed reluctantly as she noted Safyre backing off again. The young crew attracted little of her attention up until the point that her blue friend began to bridle. Brightfeather didn't understand any of what they were saying, but Safyre's body language was easy to read. She tried to figure out what was going on, but beyond four skybax squared off against Safyre, she was really clueless. The little brown maniraptor fluffed her feathers out and displayed aggressively beside Safyre. Help came from an unexpected quarter. Cloudrunner decided to involve himself rather then let the situation come to a boil. He cawed loudly, attracting the attention of the whole group and strode out, confronting the leader. "Don't you have anything better to do then try to lord it over guests in our rookery?"
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Post by Croco and Speedwing on Mar 15, 2006 10:44:29 GMT -5
((OOC: Can you guys please reset the story for me? In other words, where are the main characters and what is currently going on? I would like to introduce Croco and Speedwing to this story as Speedwing has gone through a time where he was considered a rogue.))
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Katrina Rix
Apprentice
Del pasado al presente, vivimos en un universo encantado.
Posts: 108
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Post by Katrina Rix on Mar 15, 2006 14:44:15 GMT -5
((... Okay, here goes! Safyre, a blue skybax, came crashing into the rookery pretty chewed up after being bullied and pushed off her nest by a group called the Untamed. Highsoar (who has the speaking gene), Gavyn (the healer in residence), and Brightfeather (a microraptor who usually relays messages across short distances) all attempted to calm her. Safyre fainted and was moved to the barn. She paniced again, and everyone left but Brightfeather, who proceeded to make friends. At that point, Connor (one of the experienced apprentices and Gavyn's friend) and his skybax Cloudrunner showed up. Connor picked Brightfeather up, and she nipped him. Safyre came to Brightfeather's defense. Cloudrunner went after Safyre, and Gavyn and Connor broke them up. One of the other appentices, Shazrad, and her partner, a big male skybax named Alpenglow, were there, but they weren't very useful.
Next major part of action: Shazrad and Alpenglow take off on a night patrol. They are partnered with a green pair who has never flown at night before. Nightwing, leader of the Untamed, flies right at the youngsters, and they stall. To prevent them from crashing, Alp and Shaz manage a tricky push to get them over the thermals coming off the Amu. However, the older pair crash into the river. Alp, because of his greater size, is swept to the bank and gets out. Shazrad has the full river experience, and comes out in fairly rough shape a ways downstream. Alp, dealing with a pair of frightened youngsters, makes the decision to get them back to the rookery. Before the rescue party arrives, a seriously injured Shazrad is menaced by Nightwing. His brother keeps Nightwing from killing the rider.
Shazrad is back at the rookery in the infirmary now, Highsoar is worried her brother may by flying with the Untamed, Alpenglow (after a brief spat with Cloudrunner, his longtime enemy) is with Shazrad, as are Gavyn and Connor. Brightfeather and Safyre are involved in a confrontation with some young skybax over her color, and Cloudrunner has just interceded.
Oh yeah, and there's a lot of relationship angst. This one's pretty busy - in might be long, but it's worth reading.))
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sil
Junior Scholar
Leader of one, Lover of Music, Liver of Life
Posts: 202
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Post by sil on Mar 15, 2006 20:14:28 GMT -5
(OOC: Okay first post. Here goes, Katrina, thanx for the rundown, it helped.)
Vindr and her rider returned from a routine run up the Amu, simple. The rider on her back, Trianna, looked out at the cavern below she sighed. What a world to live in.
The large Northie landed with great care on the Rookery ledge. Vindr had defied tradition and chosen a herself a rider, changing the things had run.
Trianna jumped from the great Northie's back, and Vindr dropped to her front claws. The pair walked into the Rookeries large entrance, everyone seemed to be runnign about like chickens with their heads chopped off.
The Dolphinback rider stopped an apprentice running down the hall. "What's going on?" She asked.
the apprentice looked at the girl like she had three heads.
"Don't you know? A blue skybax came in. She was pretty beat up, and kept screaming things about the Untamed.
Trianna sucked in her breath, the Untamed, she had had a run-in with that particular group of pterosaurs before. Maybe she could help.
"Where is she?" Trianna asked looking back at her mount. Well she'd have to be scrubbed down by the stable-grooms.
The apprentice pointed down a hallway, and Trianna headed off in the indicated direction.
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Kiva
Apprentice
Self-proclaimed Ninja Mistress... with cat ears...
Posts: 171
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Post by Kiva on Mar 15, 2006 22:05:46 GMT -5
(OOC: Glad to see more folks want to join. However, I really don't want to restart the whole RP, since we've gotten a good ways into it already. I was thinking the best way to join in, Croco and Sil, is to join in the search for the Untamed. Kind of like: "I just got back from a mission. What happened while I was gone?" sort of thing. If there's no way you can join in at this point, I'll concede defeat and try to restart, but if at all possible, try to join in now and keep the continuity flowing. Thanks! ;D)
Gavyn's eyes widened in surprise. “Umm, I don't know... Don't you think I'm a little old to be starting to ride?”
Shaz laughed. “Not at all. It'll be easy, and I'll make sure Alpenglow doesn't give you too much trouble.”
Gavyn still looked too adamant about refusing. So Connor decided to chime in. He knew his friend too well, and knew how to wear Gavyn down.
“Besides Gavyn, Alpenglow doesn't trust just anyone you know. He's got to be exercised or you know how a pterosaur's wing muscles stiffen up from lack of use. Alp really needs someone's help while Shaz is down.”
Gavyn frowned. He hated it when Connor did this to him. Finally, he sighed in resignation and looked at Shaz. “All right, fine. Two days. In two days time, I'll let you get up and start teaching me.” He turned to Alp. “In the meantime, I want you to rest, too. You smacked into Swiftflight pretty hard and got bumped around in the water a bit too. I don't want you moving around too much until I see if there's any damage.”
“What are you going to do in the meantime, Gavyn?” Shaz quipped.
“I'm going to write out my Last Will and Testament, because I know this is going to be rough and I'm taking no chances.”
Connor laughed. “I don't know if Shaz is gonna be able to stay bedridden for 2 whole days.”
“Well, she'd better,” Gavyn replied quite seriously, “Or I'll have to hold her down myself.”
Connor just about lost control of himself, and as soon as Gavyn realized what he'd just said, a bright scarlet flush rose to his cheeks.
“That's not what I meant...” he whispered, embarrassedly. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Well, umm... I guess enough time has passed. Shazrad, you can sleep now if you need to.” Even though he spoke to Shaz, he could not bring himself to look at her because of his embarrassment “I'll stay here and monitor your vitals signs, breathing, etc.” He turned to Connor. “Could you take the dishes down?” Connor nodded, his laughter just barely held in check. Gavyn turned to Alpenglow.
“Sorry, my friend, but you'll have to go too. Normally I'd let you stay, but it's house rules and visiting hours are over. You can come back in the morning, I promise.”
---,--'--(@
To say that Safyre was surprised to see Cloudrunner standing up for her was an understatement. She would have expected to see him among her tormentors.
Firefly, the gang's self-appointed leader stepped forward. “Aww what's the matter with you, Cloudrunner? We were just having some fun is all. Why don't you join us?”
“I'd like to think I outgrew the hatchling phase a few years ago. Apparently, you juveniles need to catch up.”
Firefly hissed in indignation. Cloudrunner may have been bigger than him, but Firefly was tough for his young age.
Safyre and Brightfeather were watching the goings-on, when a gust of wind whistled across the platform. With a cry of dismay, Safyre lost her grip on the prized feather that Brightfeather had given her, and watched it flutter over the edge of the platform.
In an instant, Cloudrunner was after it and caught it gently in his beak before it fell too far. He swooped back up and landed before Safyre. Carefully, he delicately laid the feather before Safyre and stepped back a little.
“I'm sorry I was such a jerk, earlier. I just tend to sometimes act before I think. We didn't quite get off to a good start, so what do you say we start over.” He paused and held out his winged claw. “Hi, I'm Cloudrunner.”
Safyre looked down at the feather and dexterously picked it up. She glanced up at Cloudrunner, shyly, as he formally greeted her. Slowly and cautiously, she extended her claw and touched his. “My name is Safyre.”
Meanwhile, one of the young Skybaxes was intrigued by the fluffed and frazzled ball of feathers that was Brightfeather. It dipped its head and poked her with its beak. "What in the world is this?"
(OOC: Poor Brightfeather. Just can't seem to get a break... ;D)
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Katrina Rix
Apprentice
Del pasado al presente, vivimos en un universo encantado.
Posts: 108
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Post by Katrina Rix on Mar 16, 2006 2:04:13 GMT -5
((I'd rather not restart, as well. There's plenty of space to jump in and keep things smooth, and this has been a very busy three pages/ two days. Well, at least we have an ongoing joke. Everyone, grab the dinobird!)) Alpenglow whistled understanding, though his body language indicated that he was hardly thrilled. Shazrad hugged his big head. "I'll be here in the morning, Alp. You take care of yourself. No trick flying without me, heh? Especially not at night." He cooed softly, and they looked into each other's eyes, each making sure the other was all right. Alpenglow left, trilling a farewell. Gavyn and Shazrad waved in return. Shazrad considered. Two days confined to bed? Oh dear. She was extremely active, and, while she knew the other riders would swing by to wish her well, it was going to be very boring. She snuck a glance at Gavyn and stifled a chuckle, pondering his earlier unfortunate word choice. At least it was two days in Gavyn's house. Still... She sighed and leaned back into the pillow, and discovered a new and interesting bruise on her neck as she tried to change position. In fact, a new bruise or sore muscle seemed to appear every time she moved. She watched Gavyn as he moved about, putting things in order and cleaning up the room. She noticed the cut, bloodied remains of her uniform in the garbage, and sighed wistfully. Oh well, maybe the next one would fit better along the shoulders. Shazrad pulled the blankets up around herself. The black haired woman closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable, but her torn up back wouldn't allow it. If she turned to her stomach or side, the ribs screamed protest at her, and of course, every time she moved her feet, the ankle twinged. A short while ago, when sleep was forbidden, all she'd wanted was sleep, but now, of course, it seemed unattainable. Shazrad opened her eyes again and was surprised to find Gavyn sitting beside her once more. He was writing in his journal, recording today's events dutifully. Shazrad watched him as he wrote. He seemed unaware of her scrutiny, so she drank in his appearance, grateful for any distraction. Then Shazrad shifted her weight, and one of the wounds on her back cracked and began to leach blood again. She made a tiny, animal whine of discomfort, and Gavyn looked up. He smiled sympathetically down at her, some pity showing in his face. "I know it hurts, but you'll be on your feet in no time, Shaz." She managed a cockeyed grin in return. "I don't suppose 'monitoring my vitals' includes a bedtime story," she joked weakly. She felt drained. While she'd managed to present an almost normal facade for Alpenglow's sake, she wasn't capable of maintaining the pretense forever. Now, more of the pain and exhaustion were creeping into her voice, and some of her normal toughness slipped away. ***** Brightfeather exploded with a menacing hiss into her defensive posture. The young skybax jumped back, startled, and Firefly made a feint at Brightfeather in his friend's defense. She jumped out of the way, but Safyre saw the gesture and charged aggressively. Cloudrunner moved to support her, and so it stood with the four young skybax displaying aggressively at Cloudrunner, Safyre, and the tiny, bemused Brightfeather, who had no idea what was happening. Alpenglow was feeling moody after seeing his strong, vivacious rider confined to bed and wincing every time she moved, her eyes fogged with pain. Therefore, when he glided over the scene at the landing pad, he was almost glad to see trouble. He shrilled a warning note, seeing the aggressive displays. The large male skybax landed with a menacing clack of his beak. Alpenglow was the biggest of his age group and presented a sinister picture. "What am I interrupting?" he rumbled, stalking between the groups. Firefly dipped his head. "Look, we were just playing with the newcomer. We didn't mean any real harm, but Cloudrunner got snappy." Safyre shrieked in outrage, "They were mocking me because of my color!" Brightfeather chattered something, but since she understood none of the skybax, and they didn't understand her, all that came across was the note of outrage. "Do I have a sign that says 'poke me, grab me, don't bother asking' on or something?" Alpenglow swung his head to look at Cloudrunner. There was nothing affectionate in their glares, but it fell short of the usual rage. "Cloud," he said brusquely. "Alp," Cloudrunner retorted, nodding curtly. Alpenglow turned to look at the younger four. "You're all lucky Safyre's more tolerant then I am. Were you to mock my size or color or something, I'd tear straight into whoever opened his beak without thinking first." He continued his tongue lashing. "If you think greater numbers gives you impunity, you're wrong. One determined skybax can do a great deal of damage to a crowd. You're also lucky it was Cloudrunner who caught you at it. If it was me, some of you would need Gavyn now... Especially given my mood. Some skybax who thought that being bigger gave him the right to bully almost killed one of your year mates and my partner. That same skybax attacked Safyre, and she came here to escape it. What do you brats meet her with? More of the same!" He whirled on the cowed youngsters. "It gives me no pride to fly with you! If you still want a fight, I'm ready!" He opened his beak, panting with anger.
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Post by Highsoar on Mar 16, 2006 2:08:24 GMT -5
Highwind dipped his head in respect to his leader before leaving to begin the search. He stretched his wings and got himself airborne, hoping to find a good place quickly. He was still thinking about his sister but he did not encounter her or anyone else this time really. He made sure that was clear when he returned to inform Nightwing of what he'd found.
At the rookery, Highsoar chirped a greeting to the newcomer. She too was annoyed with the young ones a bit and was pleased that Cloudrunner had reprimanded them.
"Cloudrunner is right. Besides, she could not control her apperance. And she's already troubled after being attacked." She chirped softly in Safyre's direction. The young ones could sometimes hassle her too even though she rarely spoke anything but her own language. "They don't tease me often, but I understand you not liking them." She said nothing more to the younger pterosaurs about the teasing but did give them an annoyed look.
"A saurian, I've forgotten what kind. Seems like she can't get a moment's rest, either." Highsoar tried an imitation of the little saurian's burbling noise, wondering she could call her away from the teaser, but unsure if she understood. "She's a messenger, like the dimorphodons. Short distances only, though."
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Post by Croco and Speedwing on Mar 16, 2006 15:40:14 GMT -5
((OOC: Okay, here goes nothing...) Little did Safyre, Alpenglow and Cloudrunner know that they were about to be joined by a fourth Skybax to even the odds, or turn them in their favor. A large adult male had been scouring the rookery area, looking for a suitable place to land after a long flight that included a stop in Chandara after departing from Sauropolis. He, like Safyre, had a bit of an odd coloration as there abstract markings of green, purple and red on his wings, which were larger than those of most Skybax. He had heard the unruly youngsters mocking and picking on the blue Skybax and despite his own apparent youth, was not about to let them get away with it. As he circled, the large Skybax felt a soothing scritch of his neck given by his rider. The man, like his steed, was young and larger than most fliers as well; in a craft in which the men rarely topped six feet in height and often weighed less than 175 pounds, he seemed a pit out of place being two inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than those benchmarks. But the man was a born flier - like his partner - and through sheer determination and fate, the two found each other and have remained inseperable, reading the mind of the other and moving along with those thoughts. This time, the Skybax had other ideas as he continued to circle ablove the rookery, waiting for the perfect time to make his presence known to the mischievious ones that were taunting the beautiful blue Skybax. His rider could sense something was up by the way he was eyeing them. "Speedy, what are you doing?" he asked. The Skybax, named Speedwing because of the fact that he liked to race (and often beat) the other Skybaxes, trilled a warning cry back to his rider, who took it as if there was something wrong below. "Okay...though don't be foolish or do anything that'll get us killed." The rider calmly stroked Speedwing's neck as he continued his circling. *************** Firefly was shaken by Alpnglow's furious scolding, but he knew that he still had the numbers advantage. He liked his odds and he knew that unless another Skybax came in to take Alpenglow's side, then he and his pack would have a strong chance at fighting chance. "That's okay," the brash Skybax crowed, "I'll take my chances anyway. Especially if it means we get to spend more time with Frosty over there..." He nodded his beak at Safyre as he and the other three at his side stood firm, ready to attack...unaware of the fact that anyone could come in and join Alpenglow if they feld the need to... *************** The insult from Firefly was all that Speedwing needed to hear. "How can they say that about her?" he thought, haven't seen Safyre up close before. His thoughs of confusion soon turned to ander and vengeance as he swooped down at Firefly sharply, causing his rider to scramble in the saddle. "Speedy! What the..." His words were cut off as he dove from above and to the side, having taken care as to not startle Alpenglow and those at his side, and let out a loud screech. The maneuver had its intended effect as Firefly and his gang fluttered and scrambled to get out of the way of the divebomber. But once Speedwing was gone, Firefly turned his attention back to Alpenglow. "I don't know where that one came from, but it's still four of us and three of you," he cawed, gathering his forces together. But soon, the Skybax that had dove in on them landed just in front of Alpenglow and spread his wings out in a threatening display posture, easily forty feet from tip-to-tip. Speedwing lowered his head and screamed loudly while his rider hopped off, leaving him to go inside to recover on his own. It didn't matter that he had spent close to six hours in the air, for he wouldn't tolerate anyone putting another down because they were different. "Leave her alone!" he screeched, "If you want to take your chances, you'll have to deal with me too!" Speedwing flapped his wings in a dominance display, which startled and confused Firefly. He didn't know what to do... *************** Speedwing's partner had ducked into the rookery, where the other riders were talking amongst themselves. He had mentioned the commotion to them, but they just shook their heads and told him they knew about it already. Just as he was about to walk away, one of the other Skybax riders took off after him. It was a somewhat older woman that looked to be well beyond the young man's twenty-four summers, her hair done up in a ponytail that came down to the middle of her back. She was an Apprentice like him, her blonde hair seeming to go with the yellow patches on her shoulders. "I heard Speedwing come in screeching," she said sternly. "Oh? Well I don't know, but he must've saw or heard something going on between those other Skybaxes and decided to act. I know Speedy wouldn't do that unless provoked or if someone was in danger." The woman stomped her foot in disgust. "Drat...that Sunchaser's up to no good again. I can't leave him alone ever since he and Firefly have been seen together. I hope his rider has the sense to get him under control." She then paused after stepping in front of him, turning around to look in his emerald eyes. "Your Skybax has a strong will and conscience,..just like you, Croco Hallaway Perhaps you and him can join the hunt for the Untamed." Croco backed away for a moment...he had only heard rumors about the Untamed and was about to head to the infirmary to talk to a rider that he heard was attacked by them. "The Untamed? All I heard was that they were a group of wild Skybaxes that have become rogues and gone after other 'baxes...but a rider?" She looked at him and nodded. "I don't know if this is true or not...whichi is why I wanna go and see if I can't talk to this fallen rider. I heard some of the handlers in Chandara talking about this." The older woman's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't have any more questions for Croco as he went back outside to take off Speedwing's saddle.
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Post by Highsoar on Mar 16, 2006 17:05:53 GMT -5
Highsoar was pleased by the apperance of Speedwing. Now, the two groups were nearly even. She was a bit startled by the sudden enterance and the loud cry, but quickly recovered. She said nothing aloud but thought *adolescent foolishness needs to be brought under control. Especially when those displaying it should be past that stage.* She knew that young humans were often that way as well, and she had been young and exhuberant once, but they should have enough respect not to tease those with differences.
"Fly high, seek peace" she said in greeting to the other Skybax; the rider had already left the area. She heard part of Croco's words as he came back outside. The news earlier of the rider being attacked had been something of a shock. If that was true, they were getting more dangerous.
(ooc: I'll post more in a longer post tonight hopefully, assuming some of y'all have responded. I have to get off quickly now.)
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Kiva
Apprentice
Self-proclaimed Ninja Mistress... with cat ears...
Posts: 171
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Post by Kiva on Mar 16, 2006 22:13:49 GMT -5
(OOC: You did fine, Croco. Only thing, though. I can't talk to you until you come to me. I could interact with Speedy, no prob, but if you want to talk to Shaz, you're gonna have to go where she is. Same thing goes for you, Sil. Go where the action is. ;D)
Gavyn chuckled. “I'm afraid I'm not much good at telling stories, Shazrad. Though my parents filled my head with legends from the Homeland, I grew up to be far too studious to remember much anymore.”
Shaz tried to smile, but it turned into more of a wince. Gavyn's lips turned down into a frown. “Is it really that bad?” he asked. She nodded a little.
He got up and headed over and unlocked a cabinet containing nearly a hundred small bottles of varying shapes, colors, and sizes. He pulled a tiny one out, examined it closely and walked back to Shaz, uncorking the bottle and holding it out to her. She took it and sniffed it, warily. It had a pleasant, herbal smell.
“It's a pain reliever and sleep inducer. It'll help, and it tastes good too.”
Without hesitation, Shaz downed the contents of the bottle. Gavyn was right. It tasted of honey and lemon, and it made her feel warm inside. The warmth spread through her quickly, numbing all but the most worst of the pain, and causing her mind to go a little foggy. Gavyn sat back down and pulled out his tin whistle. He played a gentle lullaby that soon had Shaz's eyes closed. He watched her sleep for a while before pulling his journal out and continuing to write.
---,--'--(@
Safyre grimaced at Firefly's insult. She was more used to it then necessary, but it still hurt to hear them make fun of her. Another Skybax had joined the fight, on their side, luckily. She noticed his stunning markings of green, purple, and red on his wings, and it intrigued her.
But she didn't have time to ponder on this for very long for it seemed that, in an instant, all Hades had broken loose. Sunchaser went for Alpenglow, Stormchaser, Sun's nest brother, went for Cloudrunner, Windracer went for Speedwing, and Firefly decided to take out his frustrations on Safyre.
The two were about equal in size, but Firefly had the definite power advantage. The only way Saf knew she'd get the upper hand was if she could get airborne. But Gavyn had said she couldn't fly...
That fact didn't seem to stop Firefly. So, taking the chance, Safyre scrambled to the edge of the platform and launched herself off. Her wing exploded in pain, but it felt so good to be flying again. She wheeled and soared, with Firefly in hot pursuit. Strangely though, Safyre seemed to be enjoying the chase. She ducked down between rock towers and arches with such grace and vivacity, that only the bravest or most foolhardy 'Baxes and Riders would attempt. Having grown up in the canyon, Safyre knew every rock and stone formation by heart.
Suddenly, a sharp cry behind made her turn and look. Firefly had tried to copy one of Safyre's moves and had wedged himself between two outcroppings of rock. His anatomy did not allow him to twist in the necessary movement to free himself, and he was now in need of dire help.
Safyre too, felt the strain of her stitching pulling to the point of nearly snapping. She landed nearby and examined the damage. It was still intact, but Saf didn't want to risk trying to take off and fly again. She lifted her head and keened loudly, a beautifully haunting distress call that echoed down the canyon back towards the Rookery.
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Post by Highsoar on Mar 17, 2006 0:55:58 GMT -5
(ooc: I'll hold off replying so my post isn't real short....you'll hopefully see one from me tomorrow.)
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Katrina Rix
Apprentice
Del pasado al presente, vivimos en un universo encantado.
Posts: 108
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Post by Katrina Rix on Mar 17, 2006 2:27:46 GMT -5
Alpenglow knocked the younger skybax over, bowling him onto his back by his greater weight. For a few seconds, he held the youngster down. "Inexperienced and foolish. Come back in a couple of years." He was bigger and stronger, and, more then that, the pugnacious male had several years of fights over the younger bax.
Cloudrunner never had a chance to match himself against the youngster Stormchaser. This was the same skybax who had exhibited such execrable manners with Brightfeather. She shrilled a high, ululating note and dove around his head. Brightfeather's dive bombs were faster than anything that the skybax could exhibit. She may not be big or strong. She may not have the stamina for multiday trips, but she was more agile than the big fliers. She dove around the pterosaur's head, staying just out of reach of his beak and claws. Cloudrunner watched, at first incredulous, then with a humorous gape to his beak. "Hmm... So that's what the feather-pile's good for."
Stormchaser took to the air, seeking to evade Brightfeather, but she flickered after him, darting and squealing insults. She was not a serious threat, but she was a nuisance. Suddenly, the little dinobird broke off her attack. All heard Safyre's distress call. Fighting was one thing, but a cry for help was another entirely. Alpenglow let Sunchaser up, and Cloudrunner joined them in the air as they went to help. Alpenglow, however, warned the other males of his foul mood with a repeated clacking of his beak. Even Cloudrunner chose to fly out of Alpenglow's reach. Brightfeather darted ahead, shrilling anxiously. She was worried about her charge. Fresh stitches and flight were not a good combination, and, while the other young hoodlums hadn't presented a problem, perhaps the fight had resulted in injury. The spires, an obstacle course to the big skybax, were gaping windows to Brightfeather.
((A la "Walking With Dinosaurs."))
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Post by Croco and Speedwing on Mar 17, 2006 20:17:11 GMT -5
((OOC: I am well aware of that as I am not exactly an RP novice, Kiva. The next post I'll make will be where he reaches the infirmary, so maybe we can put a rest to these rumors then...))
Speedwing had never been involved in too many altercations with other Skybaxes before, so this was still relatively new to him. His inexperience was the only thing against him as Windracer charged, beak agape and ready to peck. He was able to evade the initial onslaught and was able to keep an eye on the others, watching for a brief moment while Firefly and Safyre took wing. But the distraction was enough for Windracer to get a shot in witho his beak, opening up a small incision over his chest. Speedwing screamed from the shock, but the wound wouldn't affect his flight.
What it did affect was his temperment, turning him from angered at the mistreatment of the blue Skybax to sheer rage at the Skybax that inflicted the slight injury on him. He reared back and screamed, showing his rival that the wound did nothing but light a fire in him. Taking a page out of Alpenglow's book, he leapt at Windracer, who was still a little surprised by the display. This allowed him to land with both feet square in Windracer's chest and was about to go for his throat when two cries startled him. The first was that of Firefly getting entangled in the rock croppings in the canyon.
The second, and one that grabbed his attention for good, was that of his rider. Croco had heard the cry as well and raced out to see what was going on when he saw Speedwing, saddle and all, on top of Windracer and ready to inflict serioius damage to him.
"Speedy!" shouted Croco, "Get off of him!" The moment of hesitation from the larger Skybax allowed Windracer to shimmy out off his clutches, then take off into the canyon to find the source of the scream. Relieved to be rid of the rival Skybax, Speedwing walked over to where Croco was standing and thrust his beak into the young man's chest. When Croco reached to stroke it, he saw the wound and sighed. "Dammit you...starting trouble again, I take it?" A sharp squawk was all it took to convey otherwise. "Oh? Then what the hell were you up to with the..." He glanced over and saw the area where Safyre was had been vacated and gasped. as he was joined by the other riders, the woman he was talking to earlier taking to his side.
"Where's the blue one?" she asked. Croco rolled his shoulders.
"I don't know, Camille," responded Croco as he started to remove the saddle from Speedwing's back, "All I saw were the other Skybaxes staring each other down as if they wanted to fight...where's Windracer's rider?" It was Camille's turn to gasp as she knew Safyre's condition.
"She might be in danger! Her wing had been torn and stitched up, and if she took flight, then it might tear and she'll fall to her death." Just as Camille was about to say that a search party needed to be formed, the distress cry from Safyre was heard and the riders jumped to attention. "I guess that answers my next question," she said as she turned to the other riders. "Call your Skybaxes back...the blue one is in trouble!"
"I'll go back inside and see if any more riders are around and can help out," Croco barked, "But I doubt that Speedy and I can help...we had to make a run to Chandara from Sauropolis and he needs to rest. Camille, you take lead...I'll see if I can't round up some more riders." Though he was an apprentice of one year, not to mention a Dolphinback, Croco's flying abilities were among the best of the entire force of Skybax riders. And the Master riders took note of his talent and leadership skills, entrusting him to lead many tactical flights over the Rainy Basin as well as search-and-rescue missions throughout the entire Dinotopian island.
The other riders took note as Camille issued the order to grab their saddles and call their mounts back. After about five minutes, he had gathered three more volunteers, one being a Master that assumed the lead from Camille while Croco was able to head off on the path toward the infirmary to confer with the injured rider about the rumors of the Untamed.
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