A very strange place indeed, this Shrine to the Holy Triumvirate is nestled within the icy peaks of the Fe'gan Mountains. You will find the warmth of spirituality here, together with works of great sculptural design based on the Holy Triumvirate religion. (+2 Fame)

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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 5:14 PM

When night fell and it came time to sleep, Rafale was restless. Ralkner and Karin were snoozing soundly next to her, but she was pacing silently around the den, unable to get thoughts of flying out of her mind. She wondered what it must feel like to have the wind blowing in her face and under her wings. She wondered what the Wood tribe lands looked like from way up above. Tonight, the moon was full and bright in the sky. Would she be able to reach out to it and touch it?

She glanced over at her family. They were so deeply asleep that she was sure neither of them would notice if she sneaked outside just for a little while. Taking a deep breath, Rafale crawled out of the den, heart pounding in her chest. She looked around to see if any other Paragon were awake, but there was no one who might catch her.

She bolted off into the forest, trying to remember the way to her sister's usual flying spot. She had been outside so little that even the woods near her home were not entirely familiar. Eventually, the young dragon stumbled upon an open field, though she wasn't sure if it was the same one Karin used. No matter; it was a perfect spot for learning how to fly.
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 5:30 PM

Rafale positioned herself in the middle of the field. Now, she thought, how did Karin do this again? She knew there was a running start and then some flapping. But would she need some wind in order to take off? There was hardly a breeze tonight. What if she couldn't fly just because of that?

The Pipe shook her head. For all her life, her father and sister had told her that she couldn't do this or that. She wouldn't let her own head start saying that too. Puffing up her chest, she charged ahead, flailing her wings up and down in hopes of generating some lift. When she thought she was running fast enough, Rafale jumped...and landed belly first into the dirt.

She wheezed from the impact and pulled herself to her feet. Already, Rafale was feeling a bit lightheaded. Such a short sprint left her lungs heaving and her heart racing alarmingly fast. There was also mud caking her entire stomach now. "No, I can't let this stop me," she murmured to herself. She scraped off as much of the mud as she could with her claws and paused to regain her breath.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 6:12 PM

She returned to her starting position and readied herself. This time she took a more calculated approach, beating her wings in a rhythmic pattern as she ran. When she was ready to jump, she raised her wings as high as she could and forcefully thrust them downward once she leaped. Her whole body lifted. She gasped as she traveled ahead a short distance through the air.

Rafale continued to flap and landed gently a short distance away. She stood there for a while, staring wide eyed at the ground, panting. "I...I did it!" she gasped. "I really, really did it!" It was only for a moment, but her feet had left the ground.

She tried again and again and again. Each time, she glided a little further, a little steadier. By the time all her energy was finally exhausted, the pink threads of dawn were already appearing on the horizon. The moon had gone down. Birds were beginning to sing in the trees.

Her entire body was sore, and she had never felt her heart or lungs work so hard before. Yet Rafale crawled back home with a wide grin on her face. Taking care not to disturb her father or sister, she quietly slipped into her nest and shut her eyes. She fell asleep swiftly and dreamed of touching the stars.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 6:31 PM

Night after night, Rafale continued to secretly practice flying. Staying up late left her sleeping past noon, which Ralkner and Karin did not fail to notice. After the fourth night in a row, Ralkner brought Rafale aside during their afternoon meal and gave her a concerned look. "Daughter," he said, "you haven't been waking up at your usual hours. Is something wrong? Are you unable to sleep, or are you sleeping more than usual?"

Rafale tensed up and looked down at her feet. She knew her father would worry no matter how she answered. "W-well," she stammered, "I guess it has been hard to sleep lately... Maybe it's just the temperature? It is almost summertime. The den can get a bit stuffy when it's warm."

Ralkner frowned. "Hm, perhaps. I could try widening the den opening some more to let some fresh air in, but that will also make it colder during the winter. Are you really sure that's it though, Rafale? You've always been unhealthy. I don't want this to be another effect of your...condition."

Condition. How she had grown to hate that word over the years. "I don't think it's that serious, father!" the young Pipe Paragon cried. "But if I notice anything else, I'll let you know."

Ralkner sighed and gently touched his muzzle to the top of her head. "I only want to keep you safe, Rafale. You're my precious daughter. You mean the world to me."
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 6:51 PM

Rafale began to limit the hours she spent practicing each night. It was, in truth, starting to make her physically exhausted, and at time she'd end a flight session coughing heavily. She realized she was probably pushing her body too hard, too fast. Eventually, she forced herself to go out into the field only every other night, using the nights in between to rest.

The moon waned until it vanished from the sky. So far, Rafale had only flown with some moonlight to make the land visible, but now she wondered if she could still do so in the dark. She chose a cloudy night to go out again, taking care not to disturb her sister or father as usual. When she stepped outside, she had to wait a moment for her eight eyes to adjust to the dark. It was definitely harder to see anything without the moon illuminating the forest.

Her training field looked like a pitch black ocean tonight, with the softly blowing grass resembling shadowy waves. At least, it was what she thought the ocean would look like. Every time she trained, Rafale tried to think of one place in the world she wished she could fly to, and this time she was imagining the great Yuunu Sea to the north, which her father said was the ice ridden home of the Water tribe. The Water Paragon, he had told her, were able to swim. Swimming dragons! She could scarcely imagine that and wondered how difficult swimming was compared to flying.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 7:45 PM

She stepped out into the field and stretched her wings to their full length. She was ready to take off when she heard the sound of snapping branches behind her. Startled, Rafale jumped away from the noise and whirled around to see what had made it. Standing in front of her was the silhouette of a Paragon. Her sister.

The Pipe Paragon froze. What little she could see of Karin's face was not good. Her elder sibling was scowling, with a glare that seemed like it could kill. Karin took one step forward. Rafale took one step back.

"So, this is why you've been sleeping in so much," Karin growled. "Tell me, sister, what the hell have you been doing out here?"

Rafale opened her mouth, but no words came out. She kept on backing away as her sister closed in. "Well?" Karin shouted. "Answer me!"

"It's...it's none of your business!" Rafale finally managed to cry. "Go away!"
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 10:03 PM

Never had Rafale seen a Paragon move so fast. One instant Karin was in front of her, and the next, her sister was pouncing on her, tackling her to the ground. The Voidbringer used her forelegs to pin Rafale's wings down, while one of her hind feet was planted firmly on her little sister's abdomen. Rafale squirmed and tried to wriggle free, but her sibling was so much larger and heavier.

"You know what would happen if father realized you've been sneaking out here?" Karin snarled, lowering her face to Rafale's. "He'd KILL both of us!"

"F-father would never want to hurt us!" the Pipe Paragon gasped.

Karin rolled her eyes. "It's a figure of speech, you idiot! What I mean is that we'd both get in huge trouble -- you for endangering yourself, and me for not keeping a close enough eye on you!"

Something in Rafale snapped. With a sudden burst of fury, she shrieked in Karin's face and lashed out with her claws, catching Karin so off guard that the older sister leaped away. Rafale sprang to her feet, baring her teeth at her now wide-eyed nestmate. "That's IT!" she roared. "I'm so done with both you and dad telling me I can't do anything just because I wasn't born right! You want to know what I've been doing out here? Well, I'll show you!"
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2016 10:35 PM

Before Karin could say another word, Rafale turned around and started sprinting. After she picked up enough speed, she spread her wings and launched into the air, the fastest takeoff she had ever performed. Karin's jaw dropped as she watched her younger sister zoom up and away. By the time everything sank in, Rafale was already beyond the clouds.

Karin crouched down, ready to spring and give chase. But then she stopped herself. What if her little sister got lost or hurt? Wouldn't that give her the life she always wanted? A life free of a defective younger sibling who she always had to take care of? She returned to a standing position, gazing up at the overcast sky. There was no reason for her father to know that she had let Rafale escape from her watch. She could simply go back to the den, go to sleep, and then -- if Rafale hadn't returned by morning -- wake up pretending that she had no idea where Rafale had went.

And yet...

Karin collapsed into the grass and put her claws over her eyes. She wanted to throttle herself for imagining such a thing. Of course that plan wouldn't work, she thought. Father would only make me go find Rafale in the morning, and if anything happened to her, he would surely become depressed like he was when mother died. All I ever wanted was a normal life. If father is depressed all the time, would that really be normal? Besides, didn't Rafale prove just now that she can do normal things? I've never seen a Paragon take off so fast in my life!

She stood up again. This time, she leaped and shot into the sky. She had no idea how far Rafale could have gone, and it was virtually impossible to see anything with the darkness and thick cloud cover. But by the gods, she had to try.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 2:59 AM

Rafale had never been so high up before. The air was thinner, and she found herself struggling to breathe normally. She was already on an adrenaline rush from her sister's attack; the lack of oxygen was not helping her pulse or breathing rates.

She stayed amid the clouds for a while in hopes that it would stop Karin from finding her. But once she felt like she had been flying for a while, she dropped back down below their cover to see where exactly she was going. To her shock, she could make out humongous, craggy forms beneath her. She had flown all the way to the mountains and was now soaring over their peaks.

She was beginning to feel lightheaded. Rafale knew she had to land fast, lest she pass out mid-air. She swooped closer to the mountains and scanned the scenery. There was a small copse of trees on a cliff with just enough space for her to rest and just enough cover for shelter. Carefully, she tilted back her wings and slowly alighted among the trunks. Once she landed, she dropped to the ground, panting and coughing hard. The flight had tired her out more than she expected. And now that she was alone in an unfamiliar place, she suddenly felt frightened, wishing that she hadn't run away.

She curled up in the center of the trees, wondering if Karin was coming after her. Probably not, she thought. Not after that outburst. Rafale sighed and closed her eyes. It was cold out here, and she hoped she'd be able to weather the night and return home the next day.

Father will be so worried. I shouldn't have done this.

She drifted off to sleep right away.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 6:31 PM

Birdsong roused Rafale from sleep. Groaning, she blinked open her eyes and slowly rose from her resting spot, shivering from the morning chill. She looked up at the sky. Judging from the sun's position, it was still quite early in the day, though it was still too cloudy to really see the sunrise. She had a feeling that father was already awake; perhaps both he and her sister were looking for her now.

She was about to lift off when she heard what sounded like muttering coming from down below. Rafale's pulse quickened. Maybe some Wood tribe dragons had come for her. She made her way to the edge of the cliff and peered down. Indeed, there were Paragon there, traversing a narrow gap between the mountain she was on and the adjacent peak. But she didn't recognize any of them. Suddenly, her gut filled with dread. Had she accidentally flown into another tribe's territory?

Rafale wasn't sure if she should run or call for help. Stepping into another tribe's lands was always a bit dangerous, but as far as she knew, the Wood tribe had relatively few enemies; they liked to keep to themselves and stayed out of the fights between the other tribes. And, she was a fairly young dragon. Surely no one would think of her as a threat.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 6:58 PM

She decided to try getting closer to the group in order to hear them better. If she could hear what they were saying, she thought, then she'd be able to determine whether they were friendly or not. She backed away from the cliff and carefully traversed down the mountain, using trees to hide whenever she could. The steep slopes made her nervous. This was nothing like walking around at home, where all the terrain was smooth.

Eventually, she found her way to a lower cliff. There was a large boulder teetering precariously on its ledge, and she ducked behind it to conceal herself. Rafale extended her head towards the traveling Paragon once more. Indeed, she could make out their conversation a lot better now.

ImageImage

"So," a black colored Grim Paragon was saying, "how much farther is it to the Wood tribe?"

"We should arrive before noon," replied a Carapace Paragon, whose scales shone like ice. "Once we emerge from this mountain pass, we'll be able to take flight. Traveling will go much faster then."

The Grim lashed her tail and snorted. "Ugh, I want to get there already! I haven't had a good fight since we invaded your old tribe!"

"Calm down, Sarka," the Carapace growled, narrowing his eyes. "Remember what Trattam told us. We are not to use force unless the Wood tribe fights back. Hopefully they will be wise and surrender as soon as they see our numbers."
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 7:06 PM

Rafale suppressed a gasp. These dragons were definitely not friendly. There was no question about it. She retreated behind the boulder and stared down at her feet. The male Carapace had said that their forces would be at her home by noon. And because it was still so cloudy, she suspected they'd use the weather to their advantage a launch a sneak attack, much like how she used the clouds to evade Karin. She took deep breaths, trying to quell her nerves. I have to go back, she thought. I have to warn the rest of the tribe!

She waited until the rest of the Paragon passed through, which took quite a while. Not only was the path between the mountains narrow, but there were also so, so many dragons. Rafale was certain they were almost double the number of dragons in the entire Wood tribe. Once the last of them vanished around a bend up ahead, she took to the skies, concealing herself among the clouds again, and went in the same direction as the invaders.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 7:22 PM

~*~

Karin landed back in the field Rafale had taken off from. She collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, and shut her eyes in defeat. She had failed to find her sister. Rafale had flown so fast and so high that the Voidbringer couldn't get a read on where her sibling had gone, even after spending the entire night searching and calling Rafale's name.

"Karin!"

The sound of Nina's voice broke Karin out of her stupor. She raised her head to see the Pipe Paragon racing towards her. When Nina got close enough, she immediately started circling around Karin, inspecting Karin's body for signs of injury. "Karin," she gasped, "where have you been? Your father is worried sick!"

"Nina," Karin rasped. "Rafale. She...she ran away last night."

Nina froze, mouth agape. "Ran away? Oh my goodness, what happened?"

"I noticed that she had been waking up later than usual recently. Last night, I decided to stay up and spy on her. Turns out she was secretly practicing flying while father and I slept. I got mad at her since I thought she'd get the both of us into trouble, and then..."
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 7:41 PM

Karin broke into tears. Nina smiled sadly and stroked her friend's back with her wingtips. "I'm such a horrible sister," Karin sobbed. "Do you know how many times I wished Rafale would go away? And now that she's actually gone... Gods, I can't forgive myself."

"Oh, don't say that," Nina sighed. "There's always opportunity to forgive yourself. Maybe you're disappointed in how you handled your sister before. That's fine, but that doesn't mean you have to go on hating yourself for it. Apologize to her when she comes back. Work on being a better sibling! The past is the past, my dear. Relationships can always improve."

"Will she come back, though? I don't know where she went. Maybe...maybe she's already dead."

Nina glared and gently swatted Karin's shoulder. "You're being too pessimistic, Karin! You said Rafale taught herself how to fly. Doesn't that mean she defied your expectations? I'm sure she'll defy them again turn up soon. Come now, you must be exhausted. Let's get you home."

Nina nudged Karin to her feet. Slowly, they walked back into the woods together, with Karin leaning on her friend all the way.
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Re: Look Out For Her (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2016 7:58 PM

When they got back to the den, they found Ralkner pacing back and forth in front of its entrance. His expression was grim, but as soon as he caught sight of his daughter and Nina, it changed to one of great relief. "Daughter!" he cried, running over to them. "Where have you been?"

Still teary, Karin recounted her tale. She didn't dare to look at her father's face while speaking, thinking that his relief would swiftly change into anger upon learning what happened to Rafale. Once she finished, she lowered her head and waited for the punishment that she was sure would come. Instead, she felt her father place his head on top of hers. Something wet dripped onto her forehead.

"Dad?" she whispered. There were pained sounds coming from her father's throat. At that moment, she realized that he was also crying.

"Oh, Karin," he sobbed. "I feel that I have failed both you and your sister. I should never have asked you to devote so much time to watching her. And I should have believed in Rafale's strength more. This is not your fault. This wouldn't have happened if I were a more reasonable father. Please, do not be upset at yourself. I will carry this burden."
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