As an active volcano, few creatures venture near Nori for fear of being too close during an eruption. On most days there is a continuous slow flow of molten rock seeping through the mouth of the volcano, so travelers are advised to dress appropriately. (+2 to Endurance)

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Capter One (L ; V) done

Postby Sarah » 11/06/2013 1:17 AM

The pale rosy fingers of morning caressed the sky. The dark blues of night being chased away by more welcoming pinks and yellows; the sun yawning a great ‘good morning’ to those blessed by its warmth. But no warmth could compare to the Nori volcano - a volcano that seemed to be constantly active, but never erupted on a full scale. Still one had to be careful where they placed their feet unless they wanted to sink into lava. Not a pretty sight still many creatures met their demise on the rocky terrain surrounding the volcano. Many of the inhabitants of the volcano looked like they could survive a nuclear war. They were hardy and evolved immunities to the toxins that plagued the desolate and sometimes frightening area.

Nori volcano wasn’t opposed to visitors however; in the winter when the environment was cool enough for the more fragile species, migration paths crisscrossed the volcanic area. A great time for all of the predators living near the volcano; to many predators not many edible foliage grew near the volcano, nor did they grow around the area. For many miles there was only red and brown rock mixed among the black volcanic craters. Giant Mountains rose from the ground, but they were different to the usual sloping hill. Their sides were sheer cliffs that natives called anything from mesa to butte or even the rare tuya. It was an impressive and intimidating place to look at and with its dangerous environment it was interesting the kind of creatures who chose to live in the hostile lands. Among the Buttes large caves could be seen littering the cliff sides, seemingly at random but for every one butte it didn’t appear that the caves were to frequent to cause harm to the creatures that may or may not inhabit them.

Though the creatures living in them were a sight to see, they were much more organized and much more intelligent than the creatures that roamed below, even the ones who could scale the cliffs. An organized ‘clan’ of beings that migrated to the volcano generations ago but never seemed to leave. Their dens massed around one larger mesa that held a makeshift ‘town square’ though the beings weren’t human and they definitely did not see it as such. The creatures were hardy, naturally adapted to the hot and grim landscape. But not completely forced to wear red or black like many of the natural born creatures. They still held a multitude of beautiful and exotic colors from the lands they originally came from.

The earthiest paragon came from one of the caves. Blinking the sleep from her eyes she stretched her wings. Her long forearms reached out and she arched her back, in some ways she looked like a gigantic cat waking after a long and satisfying nap. When the sun caught her scales vivid blues sparkled as pure as spring water. She looked very fragile compared to the massive mountain she was nesting in. though she wasn’t a hunter, or guard for her ‘clan’ she did hold the very important role of healer. She was in charge of making sure all wounds and illnesses were taken care of properly. Using a mixture of magic and science she kept the other paragon from dying too young. Every day she looked at things ranging from rock scrapes to lava burns and anything in between.

Her nest was separate from where her ‘job’ was, firstly to make sure any illness going around wouldn’t get caught by her and because it would just be unhygienic for her patients. These days she didn’t get many in house patients; typically those who had to stay in the medicine nests where the younglings who had fooled around and gotten themselves hurt or the extremely impaired such as paragon who lost a limb or were very severely ill. The paragon of her ‘clan’ did not think she had the most exciting job, but there was never a dull moment for the healer and  she was constantly on her toes.

The second to wake was Gylles, a strong male whose scales looked similar to a stormy night. Electricity could even be seen jumping through the horns on his head. He was a master hunter and was in charge of making sure his hunters brought home enough food for all the clan members. He let out a flame-filled yawn and started flying towards the mesa in order to organize hunting parties. His large wings stirring up gust far below, the air being pushed down with enough force to actually scatter away smaller rock - He was an impressive size, most likely the largest paragon in the ‘clan’ though there were a few who came close. If he was up, others would soon be following. And before the sun even completely crested the horizon the whole clan would be awake and ready for the day.

Not the entire paragon ‘clan’ met on the mesa, some stayed indoors and cleaned, some worked in building more nests or repairing tunnels. Everyone had a job but not all jobs were obvious. Sometimes Gylles wouldn’t see paragon for days because they just weren’t on duty the same time as he was, or they never even left the caves. For weeks on end paragon could be working the tunnels. In the buttes and also inside the mesa were elaborate tunnels that either connected nests or became a way to reach the base of the mountain for the paragon not gifted with wings. Others led into large rooms and some went underground to the lava pits or to hot springs. Though most of the water around the volcano was toxic, the paragon did have a way to cleanse the water, and some paragon could drink the toxic water without purification.

A thousand shades of purple erupted from one den, an ethereal and rather small paragon emerged; her deep ocean blue eyes shimmered happily. One of Gylles hunters though she didn’t look it. Most paragon speculated that she descended from a water family line, and by accident her grandparents had come to the volcano. The paragon surely did look like she would be the sleek, swift, and strict-minded paragon of the oceans – but she made sure those thoughts were abolished. She bested many paragon in her ability to track, and though she wasn’t the best to stalk or hunt creatures since she could practically be seen from miles away; she was fast and fluid as a river, rarely missing a target once she got sight of it. The purple hunter was perfectly hard working and determined; a great mix for a hunter and she made an invaluable partner.

(Literally just an idea, I wanted to play around with my paragon because I don't think they get to come out much xD feel free to join, though I would prefer paragon characters only please)
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 11/06/2013 2:12 AM

Marzia wait up.” Another female paragon called out; her pale yellow scales shining almost as brightly as the sun. Mornings always brought out more color and from far away it could look like gemstones came forth from the buttes to gather atop the mesa.  The hunter slowed and allowed time for her friend to catch up. Another hunter; one more proficient in the art of hunting while in flight she was smaller than the male paragon but larger than her placid friend, yet she was more than capable of maneuvering through the air and struck with enough force to kill her target with a well-placed snap of her jaws. With her deadly precision and Marzia’s tracking ability Gylles paired them together for most hunting parties. They were guaranteed to bring home food on a good day. Even on a bad day they could manage something small. Over the years of both growing up together and hunting together they had become close friends.

They flew together to the mesa. Marzia’s translucent leather wings filtered sunlight, while Amina’s feathered ones soaked up the sunlight. They landed softly and went to join the other hunters that were getting orders from Gylles.  “Ah. Amina, Marzia glad to see you could make it.” He said pointedly, there weren’t any clocks and therefor paragon showed up whenever they felt was appropriate. Amina didn’t make a habit of being the last to show to a meeting and they weren’t honestly ‘late’ having only showed up a few seconds after the last of the hunters. Apparently Gylles had already given orders to the other hunters because Amina and Marzia were the only ones standing in front of him by the time he had gotten finished with his comment.

I have heard rumors from some of the guards that there has been some suspicious activity around the borders to the southern forests. I doubt it’s anything to worry about, but since that is where I’m sending the two of you I’d appreciate if you’d watch each other’s backs.” He warned before clearly dismissing them. “Well then.” Marzia mumbled looking at Amina hating that she had been chastised. “We’d better go before he chews us out again.” Amina said not wanting to waste any more time. She hated being scolded and publicly put down; she was not going to let it happen again. The two paragon took off towards the south, the forest there was thick and had many more predators than the forests to the north. Serraptor species were more than common and it was likely they’d be bringing home one of the raptors for the clan. They didn’t bring much of a challenge so long as the paragon’s attack was unexpected and precise.

The Windgill clicked her jaw happily; there was little need to push themselves. Warm air currents brought them up to altitude with little trouble and as they practically rode the winds to their destination, even with their larger size and build they could float easily among the early morning clouds. While they flew they had time to focus their minds. They started to take into consideration their environment, the height of the sun, the effect of the shining on their scales and so on. “What are we going to look for?” Marzia asked breaking the silence. Amina dissolved her current thoughts and considered the prey they might find. “Serraptor?” She asked, the species was more bone than meat but they were common and didn’t run away from a fire breathing monster. Marzia snorted smoke from her nostrils, visibly annoyed. “He didn’t send us to a very food-filled area.” She complained, scanning the barren rock below. Amina huffed in agreement. In the winter the southern forests crawled with hundreds of species, in early autumn however the weather was far too warm yet for the forest to have anything that couldn’t handle the heat from Nori Volcano. “If we are very lucky we may see a Gyrophant but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.” Amina said; Gyrophant were more likely to be seen out of the paragon’s territory and they rarely strayed into the more volcanic region. “Maybe it’s far enough into autumn that they are starting to migrate towards the volcano.” Marzia said hopefully. Amina could see she wanted to make a kill. Gyrophant had generally poor eyesight so a paragon as colorful as Marzia could make an easy kill. Amina could guess that the placid felt the same as her about the scolding from Gylles.

Marzia always felt like she had to prove to the clan that she was worth her weight. Always volunteering for more than she should be able to handle and training harder than any paragon Amina had met. Amina couldn’t relate to Marzia and her quest to abolish the rumors that the paragon had spread around the clan. Though she could sympathize, she hated to see her friend get looked down upon and stood up for her any chance she got. Marzia hated that Amina defended her, saying that she could take care of herself but Amina knew that secretly the paragon appreciated her friend.

We’d better get above the clouds.” Marzia warned as the tree line came into view. Despite their stupidity Serraptor had amazing eyesight and if the paragon caught their attention they’d have a whole pack waiting to pounce on them if the paragon landed. Amina only nodded and flapped her feathered wings in order to gain altitude, silent as an owl. Neither paragon was affected by the thin air or coldness of the heights. They’d lived among the clouds all their lives and their bodies had adjusted to the change. There weren’t many clouds about in the bright morning but there were wisps scattered around. Still flying above the cloud line was beneficial because from this height they looked like nothing more than birds to the creatures below. Even their glittering scales couldn’t give away their species.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 11/07/2013 12:26 AM

They flew high over the forest, Marzia’s eyes locked onto the ground below. Searching for any flicker of color or movement that couldn’t just be wind in the trees. They circled the forest for hours just waiting for something to move. It seemed today was not their lucky day. The sun was hot on their back and their stomachs were empty. Amina wasn’t one to get desperate but the surprisingly ferocious growls emitting from the pits of her belly were extremely distracting. “I think it’s time to touch down.” Amina admitted looking over at Marzia who was still very caught up in scanning the ground. “I think I have to agree.” Marzia replied after a few seconds, long enough for Amina to fear her refusal.

When flying it was typical for the paragon to refuse to admit to being tired and in turn they’d end up hurting themselves. Amina was not like that, if she was tired or wanted to stop she’d let everyone around her know. However, unlike other paragon Amina was terrified of Estellise’s magic and so to get hurt meant going to visit Estellise. It wasn’t that Amina didn’t like the healer but that she hated magic. The ‘clan’ could never tell why, they were all fine with magic, preferred it in some cases. Whatever the reason was Amina didn’t say, she just avoided it at all costs.

Amina Folded her wings in slightly, she loved feeling the wind ruffle her feathers, and if she got going fast enough she could get more air flow under her scales. However they weren’t flying very high and she quickly unfurled her wings before she got low enough to crash land. agilely her feet felt the softer forest floor. Dead leaves gave some covering and the ground was much more welcoming than that of the volcano. Her landing was hardly heard and she was rather proud of it. With her large size in the right situation she would end up making a lot more noise or knock down a tree. Fortunately she had planned were she was going to land and there was no way she could have given away their position.

Amina watched Marzia land about a mile ahead of her. it was common to end up landing extremely far away from ones partner when scouting for prey. They had been quite a ways apart and Amina had descended faster than Marzia. Amina just hoped Marzia hadn’t done it on purpose. It would be easy among the large trees for Amina to lose track of her friend. Plus Marzia wanted to make a kill and Amina had pretty much crushed that dream, but she was just trying to be realistic. “Next time don’t put her down so quickly.” Amina mumbled to herself as she headed in the direction Marzia had landed.

Sighing Amina stopped when she reached the border mark. Marzia had headed out of ‘clan’ territory. That would come back to bite her harder than being late to a meeting. Leaving the border was forbidden without permission, and it was even worse when a paragon went out on its own. Paragon could of course always leave the ‘clan’ if they wanted to, and in extreme cases the ‘clan’ even kicked paragon out. But no patrols or hunting parties were allowed to go beyond the border. Now on land Amina would have to go into untraveled territory to find Marzia and bring her home with enough time to grab prey and get back before sundown.

It was going to be a long day. Amina made short work of finding Marzia’s landing spot. The paragon had landed pretty roughly though it didn’t look like she was hurt much to Amina’s relief. Rubbing her claws in the sand Amina searched for a path to follow. It was hard considering her friend was small enough to pass without much of a trail being left behind. Though she knew her friends scent well enough to catch it when the wind picked up. It was muddled with plenty of other things but she could make it out. at first she had thought she was just picking it up from the landing spot but after a few seconds of processing she could find the trial Marzia had taken.

Shaking her head in disapproval Amina followed the trail. Knowing full well a patrol would be sent out to find them and bring them home. Most of the clan would be worried sick for them, and every one of them would have caught word of what was happening. And when the party had found they were alive and well they would be punished and Amina doubted she’d be able to fly for a week. Too bad Amina had only wanted to catch a Serraptor. It seemed the paragon could catch a break.  Marzia was stubborn when she wanted to be, and hunting down a Gyrophant outside of the territory was a terrible idea. If the paragon had wanted to make up for the scolding that morning this was surely not the way to do it.

Amina scanned the ground, wishing she was better at it. As a paragon with wings she had been taught only the very basics of land hunting. They had enough flightless paragon that they could get away with only knowing the basics. Of course there were exceptions but for the most part paragon with wings were given jobs that involved flying and flightless paragon of course were given land jobs. Amina could pick up the random scrape on a tree or footprint left in the softer parts of the ground. It was just enough for her to be able to follow Marzia.

Marzia didn’t quite know what had compelled her to land out of the ‘clan’ territory but she had. She wanted to bring something big home, and for the time being she forgot the consequences. Rules were placed to keep the paragon safe, not to oppress them and only placed for valid reasons. Paragon couldn't leave the territory alone, and definitely not without permission because many paragon had died or had been injured too far away from home. That didn’t stop her from marching head first into the forest in search of prey. She was naturally a flying paragon but she had studied extensively in the art of land hunting and wasn’t half bad at it. She’d just have to make sure she avoided bigger predators. She didn’t question her thoughts and she did make sure to leave a trail. She knew Amina would be livid and worried so she made sure to leave a trail obvious enough for Amina to follow it, but hopefully subtle enough that predators couldn’t catch her.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 11/10/2013 10:31 PM

For now nothing out of the ordinary was happening, not that Marzia could make the judgment for the land outside of the territory. The forest didn’t really feel any different than the forest in the territory and Marzia thought she could at least tell if something bad was about to happen. She had sharp enough hearing to tell if an ambush was about to befall her but she knew better than to let her guard down some creatures of the forest may be just a bit faster than she was and blended in much better than she ever could. But she refused to take flight again. Stubborn in her determination she was adamant that the only way to prove herself would be killing a Gyrophant without being in flight.

She kept a sharp eye out for any sign that something a little bigger than the average Serraptor was in the area. Gyrophant spooked easily and charged at nothingness when they felt threatened. It would be more than easy to find a trail. Marzia scanned the forest in a zig-zag pattern not sure if traveling that way would help her cover more ground but she figured it’d be better than just going in a straight line. She remembered her mentor telling her that Gyrophant like to lie in clearings so they could see anything coming for them, and that cornering them wasn’t a good idea. Along with basic knowledge of the species themselves all she had to do was catch one sign and she was sure to find a herd.

Amina flew through the forest, trying her hardest to keep quiet but at the same time she had to reach her friend and take her back. If they didn’t get home before dark they would be in a lot of trouble. The sun was just descending from its peak and Amina could guess most of the hunters were back by now. the sky was still bright blue and only a few puffy clouds meandered across the sky. The trees weren’t thick enough to block the sun so Amina had to squint her eyes to help with the glare of the sun; though she was lucky it wasn’t farther down on the horizon or else it’d be right in her eyes.

She shot like a bright yellow and blue bullet through the forest, zig-zagging down Marzia’s trail. It was a little hard at first for her to follow but she could sense the disparity in her friend’s path as it became clearer to follow. With the speed at which Amina was chasing her friend it took little time before she caught up. Though she wasn’t able to stop fast enough and ended up barreling into Marzia. “Oof.” A small jet of purple flame came from the startled paragon.  “Careful.” Amina exclaimed, the two had rolled quite a ways and now she was untangling herself from Marzia. “Good gods, you scared the life out of me.” Marzia exclaimed, Amina could tell she was more frustrated at herself than her friend.

What in the heck were you thinking?” Amina yelled at her, watching the smaller paragon nimbly get to her feet. The purple paragon just looked away, “I thought you’d be on my side.” She mumbled. “Of course I’m on your side, but someone has to make you see sense and I’m the only one around.” Amina snapped. “And how am I supposed to be on your side when you won’t tell me anything?” she added before Marzia could say anything back. The placid only huffed realizing she didn’t have anything valid to retort with.

Amina took the silence as a sign that her friend was starting to calm down. “Now let’s kill something and get home.” She said flaring out her wings. Marzia nodded, thankful that Amina was going to help her. “It’ll be easier to see a clearing from above anyway.” She agreed lifting off. Amina was close behind her, eyes scanning the area below. They didn’t go as high as before. The sun was rather low on the sky and they were in a rush. Amina knew it would cost them if they were reckless but she’s rather take on Serraptor than go home to the accusing eyes of the clan.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 11/11/2013 11:13 PM

Conveniently there was a clearing not far from them. It was too far for even Marzia to make anything out so they would have to fly closer. Up close but still high in the air Marzia couldn’t tell if the objects below were stumps or Gyrophant. “We’ll need to get closer.” She called to Amina who nodded at her. Marzia flew lower to see that they were in fact Gyrophant. Only about ten Marzia felt like that was the average size of a herd but she had only ever seen them in migration so she couldn’t tell. Common, wood, blaze; it didn’t seem like color was much of a factor for this herd. “Which one?” Amina called. “One for you, one for me?” Marzia asked, she was positive she could get one and she knew Amina could get four but they had to carry them into the territory and she doubted Amina could hold more than one. Even one was a stretch considering both paragon were rather small. they may even end up dragging the things part of the way back.

If you think you can get one, we just have to make sure to get back into the territory quickly if we expect to get help.” Amina said, eyeing one of the wood colored ones. It was on the fringes, its eyes locked on the forest. If she was quiet she could get in and take it by surprise. Amina and Marzia would have to strike simultaneously because once one of the beasts fell the whole herd would spook and scatter. Amina looked towards Marzia, who was looking at a Gyrophant closer to the herd. If Marzia wasn’t careful, she could get hurt if they charged at her. The beast’s long necks were either down next to the earth or looking towards the forest, alert for predators. They didn’t know that paragon lived here, because they didn’t. the territory line was miles back and to Amina’s knowledge there weren’t any stray paragon around.

Amina caught Marzia’s eye and they nodded at each other. They were ready to kill and get home. Amina focused her mind on the wood colored Gyrophant. It was a little larger than the others but it was far enough away that she didn’t think she’d get hurt by it. Amina folded her wings in tight to her body, she wanted to strike quickly. The wind rushed past her but the Gyrophant was unaware of the problem it was about to have. Spreading her wings in a massive swoosh she heard Marzia do the same. The Gyrophant let out some sort of confused roar but Amina snapped its neck before it could charge off. Her prey lay dead before her and she hovered triumphant above it. Swinging her head around she saw the Gyrophant had all taken off, minus the one she had killed. At it looked like the one Marzia had focused on was now dead too.

Woo!” Marzia let out a jet of purple flame like a beacon into the air. Amina just stayed quiet trying to figure out how they would make it all the way back into the territory and then explain how they had gotten two Gyrophant. She was thrilled with her kill but she couldn’t share Marzia’s outward enthusiasm. “We should take off before Serraptor come.” Amina warned grapping the Gyrophant’s neck and maneuvered the beast’s body onto her back. She couldn’t fly with it in her mouth, and while she could easily lift it with her claws she didn’t want to land on her prey. Amina figured the best way to take it home would by having it ride on her back. She didn’t know how far she’d be able to pull it off, but her hopes were that she could make it to the borderline.

Marzia was planning on carrying the thing in her paws, but it was so big compared to her Amina was worried she wouldn’t be able to fly with it. Feeling the weight of the Gyrophant on her back was odd, but it didn’t get in the war of her wings. She pushed her wings a few times to make sure it was positioned it a way that wouldn’t obstruct her flying, and wouldn’t fall off her back. Amina didn’t want to fly very high but she also didn’t want her food to fall on the ground. Marzia started taking off and after a rough takeoff she could hover just above the tree line with little trouble. “Remember, just to the border.” Amina called up to the placid. There was no need to over exert themselves when they had so far to go. The sun was almost to the point of changing the colors of the sky again. Instead of rosy pinks and soft yellows of morning it would be hot pinks and firey oranges. Giving way to the dark blues and indigoes of night.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 12/03/2013 12:59 AM

The border was in sight just as the sun was falling behind the trees. The evening light didn’t have the same effect on the paragon’s scales as it did in the morning.  Instead of a blinding shine the tiring sun made the paragon let off a warm glow. Deep orange clawed the sky. The sun was trying to stay up for as long as possible. Where there were cracks in the orange deep pinks welled up like blood from a wound. Amina’s back and neck started to cramp and she didn’t think she’d be able to keep the gyrophant on her back much longer. She was thankful that they were over their own territory by the time the sunset started to fade. There was still the threat of predators but it would be better if they were found dead or injured inside the territory as opposed to miles outside it. The clan had a weird sort of culture; they had many beliefs coming from many different places. Every paragon that came to the clan from the outside brought a little bit of their beliefs from their past.

After a few more miles of torture Amina felt a change of atmosphere. She was finally on friendly territory. She allowed herself to loose altitude at a fairly quick rate until she was crashing through the trees and on the forest floor. The sun was still up, but only barely and the darkness of night was creeping over the volcano. The dead Gyrophant fell off of her and crashed to the ground. Amina didn’t even care. She didn’t even look around to make sure she was safe. Marzia landed seconds after her and shook her Gyrophant to the forest floor. In the silence Amina could hear the placid’s stomach roar, Amina only smirked and held back some rude remark. She was tired and hungry as well and this wasn’t a time to tease her friend.

Apparently they landed just in time, not even a hundred feet into the territory they ran into one of the night patrols. Led by Rettic, a paragon who even the darkness of night looked like the sun. it was odd to see him outside of the nest area, but he must have volunteered to find the two paragon, or maybe he got stuck on a night patrol. They’d know soon enough. Amina dropped the Gyrophant and waited for the patrol to approach them. “What’re you doing out so late.” He asked eyes looking them over before he shifted them to the gyrophant at their sides. “At least you brought some food.” He growled. “Gylles was thinkin’ ya’ll might not be comin’ home.” He flicked his tail at the two other paragon that accompanied him. “Suppose you’re tired from the long flight.” Amina guess they would have known of the out of territory activity, but other than that no one said anything.

Through all his weirdness Amina did like Rettic. he was kind and helpful on most days. Right now he looked annoyed and Amina didn’t want to say anything that might make him angry. Instead she and Marzia trailed behind them. Exhausted and nervous, Amina figured it was more trouble to go outside the territory it wasn’t like Gylles would give them tomorrow off. They’d be awake at dawn and getting ready to hunt again. Amina almost threw a glare back at her friend, but couldn’t really blame her. Amina had come on her own free will and now she was being punished. Although Marzia had the terrible idea of leaving. Marzia’s stomach rumbled again and reminded Amina that they probably wouldn’t be getting any of the night meal.

The sun was completely hidden and the moon was making its ascent by the time they got back to the nests. Amina was so tired she didn’t even take up Rettic’s offer of food, though she knew she should have. She didn’t even fly to her nest, she crawled up the tunnel. The tunnels were meant to fit the biggest paragon of the clan, and most were. Her butte however had been recently cleared and was undergoing almost constant construction. Her nest was one of the highest and she preferred to be high in the air. She didn’t sleep with branches or anything like that. Her nest was a dip in the rock, just big enough for her to curl up in. her muscles were sore and she doubted she would wake up in time for the morning meeting. Oh well, maybe she could get away with going to the afternoon meeting or she’d just disappear for the day and wander the mesa. Marzia was in a completely different butte so she couldn’t even plot her day with the placid. Marzia would at least give some excuse for Amina’s absence, they always had. Whenever someone was feeling ill, but not sick enough to warrant a day off. Or if someone was tired or really anything, they had each other’s backs. She would just have to be careful to avoid any nest patrollers.

It took Amina a weirdly long time to fall asleep, the lights from the night watch paragon kept her awake. That and she were still nervous about going outside.  Rettic hadn’t seemed that angry about it, and no one came to talk with her when she returned. Another flame went by, this one was blue the one before it green. Each time it lit up the hole in the side of her nest. She had chosen a hole big enough that she could slip out of it, but she couldn’t fly out of it. There would be little threat of down worlders, the only downside was the night watch. Most of them had flaming tails and those who didn’t spit out a flame or two as they went around. After much to long of a time watching them Amina finally crashed into sleep.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 12/08/2013 5:25 AM

Amina woke the next day to the sun blazing right into her face. Luckily she had chosen a nest where the sky hole faced the morning sun, or else she might not have been up until sundown. She unwound her limbs and just sort of lay sprawled out in her nest. Everything in her ached and begged to be put back to sleep but she knew she’d have to get up, lest someone come to find her.  Slowly getting up she stretched her body out, wincing as they protested the movements. Soreness had always been able to defeat her, today was no different. She had planned on going to the library, but wasn’t sure how she was going to get there. It would be too dangerous for her to travel by land, but if she flew there would be the chance of another paragon spotting her and calling her out. Either way she’d have to leave her nest.  Slipping through the sky hole she fell a few feet before opening her wings. At least they weren’t as sore as the rest of her body or else she might have plummeted another twenty feet. She scolded herself for not stretching her wings before. Her legs hung limply and she found the quietest route to the mesa. She kept low to the ground but out of the reach of predators and flew quickly.

Amina reached the mesa without detection and went instantly for one of the lower entrances, no need getting caught by landing on the top. She hoped Gylles hadn’t changed any plans for the day and stuck to hunting. She had missed the morning meal and her stomach rumbled. Her whole body seemed to be protesting yesterday’s escapades. The inside of the mesa was like a labyrinth and it was easy to become lost. However there was no chance of running into a paragons den, so Amina felt safe enough to wander freely. Of course at every fork in the road there were markings on the wall telling which way held rooms up until the next fork. So if one path held storage and class areas it would say exactly which ones and stop where another pathway interrupted it.

Amina chose a path that led deep into the mesa, far underneath the ground. There was no harm in getting water at any hour of the day and she hadn’t had anything to drink since yesterday morning. The water purifier at this spring was someone she didn’t recognize, Amina had lived in the clan for many years and she was shocked that there was still paragon she didn’t know. She smiled politely as the purple and yellow male handed her a bucket of clean water. She took it in her mouth and was on her way. She didn’t understand why paragon would settle in such a toxic land in the first place, but thought that their purification process must have been one of the reasons they stayed. The bucket was made of metal and looked to be something the humans made. It had a handle that she was currently holding in her mouth and a lid that could be slid open. Amina honestly preferred river water and felt weird when she drank from the bucket, it felt to human. Amina did not speak the human language, nor did she care to learn about humans. They did give things to the clan that was greatly helpful but Amina thought that they could come up with these things without the weird creatures help.

She reached the library without getting called out though she did pass many paragon who she knew. Zyana was in the library as usual but she didn’t look up form whatever book her nose was in. Amina snuck past, not wanting to get caught with water around all the books. She found a quiet corner and after setting down the water and taking a large gulp of it she moved on to find a book. All of the books had been translated into the clan’s language by Zyana and her team so Amina didn’t have to worry about what book she picked out. Normally she liked books about the great hunting legends but today she didn’t even want to think about hunting. Instead she picked out a book on the volcanoes history. Not the most action packed book but she had always been curious about her home.

Amina found her way back into the quiet recesses of the library, thankful to have the day to herself. She opened the book and began reading. It was pitiful really as she realized she mush not read often. She knew all the words but she still read slowly, she just couldn’t get the book to flow. It was still interesting sure, but it was no story about great feats of strength and terrifying battles. She charged on though, determined to get through at least half of the book.

Hey’a.” Rettic’s voice sounded from next to her, Amina stiffened. She had not expected to be interrupted. Her breath caught in her throat and she had to take a few seconds to calm herself down. “eh, hi.” She said, it sounded like a question and if amine didn’t have scales it would have been very obvious that she was blushing.  “Marzia told me you’d be here.” he said, it looked like he noticed her uncomfortable-ness but ignored it. Instead he moved beside her to look down at the book she was reading. For a long time no one said anything and Amina realized he was waiting on her. “Um, what’s up?” she asked, a terrible attempt to start conversation. Rettic sounded like he was stifling a chuckle. “You didn’t show for the morning meeting and Gylles sent me to find you.” Amina looked away for a moment. “Please don’t tell him I’m skipping on my duties.” She pleaded searching his face for any sign of anger. She didn’t find any, if anything his face softened. “He already knows that, it’s not hard to tell. But I think you don’t do it often enough to get in trouble.” He added quickly. Amine let out a soft sigh of relief.

You’re a hard paragon to find.” Rettic said after another pause. “That was sort’a the point.” Amina said smiling a little. Rettic smirked, “well, you don’t seem very into your book,” He seemed a little hesitant to continue, and Amina offered nothing other than a raised eyebrow.  “eh, never mind.” He said quietly, getting up to leave. “Want to go raid the kitchen?” Amina asked before Rettic could leave. She didn’t want each of their interactions ending in awkward, pseudo rejection. Rettic stopped and turned to her, a grin on his face. “Sound’s great.” He said they walked out of the library together; Amina was wracking her brain for things they could talk about. “Don’t you have to patrol now?” Amina asked when they got to the hall. Rettic shook his head slightly, “I have night patrols all this moon.” He said sounding bummed. “That sucks.” Amina said, trying to sound sympathetic. She didn’t know what patrols were like, nor did she know exactly what his job entailed, but he didn’t look very happy about pulling the night shift. “It makes my job hard, especially since all the herbivores are heading south for the winter grazing, and I have to record their passing through the territory.” Amina knew this was an important job, as all professions are, but it sounded like boring work. “It probably makes recording much harder when you can’t see the ground.” He nodded, “It does, but I won’t have to worry about records, they got someone else to do it. Unfortunately I’d rather be recording migration patterns than patrolling borders.” Amina tilted her head, “why?” she asked incredulous. “Too much action; I don’t want to have to fight off anything,” Rettic laughed a little, “Not that I can’t, I just prefer not to.” He added quickly.

Amina gave him a look that said she still didn’t understand but he just shrugged it off. “Anyway, what kept you from going to the meeting this morning?” The question she had been dreading all day was finally here, she couldn’t tell him the truth. If Gylles had sent him to see if she was ok, he probably wanted Rettic to report the reason why she hadn’t shown. “The Gyrophant was heavier than I expected and now I have a horrible kink in my neck.” She said lamely, she could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t believe her but he didn’t push her.

They reached the kitchen without incident and found that the midday snack was being served, “today has gone by much faster than I expected.” Amina said quietly. Rettic only nodded and got in line, Amina waited quietly behind him. the kitchen was always dead quiet, an unspoken rule , maybe an ancient tradition, but for as long as Amina had been in the clan she had learned that no one talked when getting their food.  Personally she thought it was some way of respecting the chefs, but if that were true it’d be an odd way to go about paying respect. Amina was given a hunk of what looked like Serraptor leg and she followed Rettic out into the hallway yet again. “We should wing a tall butte to eat this one.” Rettic suggested. Amina nodded excitedly, even though their talking was awkward and sometimes strained she didn’t feel alone and that was good. She hoped Rettic didn’t think he was wasting his time.

They ate in silence on top of her butte; it was the tallest so far though they had to fly farther than if they ate on his butte. It was still only midday, and Gylles would be sending out more hunting parties soon. Amina was thinking about joining one, no need to waste the whole day. She shared her thoughts with Rettic. “I think that’s a good idea.” He said, “I’ll have to get my patrol together anyway, so I can at least fly with you to the main butte.” He added. “That’d be nice, thanks for spending the day with me by the way.” Amina smiled shyly. Amina finished her potion and was happy that her stomach had finally settled down. She was still sore but she was rested and rehydrated and no longer hungry. A hunting trip would do her some good.

They landed on the mesa and Gylles swung his head to look at them, Amina could have sworn she saw a look of approval cross his face. “Good luck on your patrol, I mean I hope you don’t run into any trouble.” She said with a smile, breaking away to go meet up with the other hunters. “Hope you catch something nice.” He said to her before going off to find his patrol. “You’re alive!” Gylles said, faking a shocked gasp. “mmhmm.” Amina replied looking around for Marzia. “She went off with some northern hunters this morning.” Gylles said noticing her searching eyes. “You’ll be going with Oda to the southern forests; he has to record some migration stuff so you may be helping him with that.” Gylles flicked his tail towards a colorful male sailfin that was holding a book and looking at her expectantly. “That’s the paragon replacing Rettic for the moon?” Amina asked absently, only barely turning to glance at her hunting partner. Gylles nodded and sent her on her way, refusing to say anything more.
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Re: Just An Idea (Open ; L)

Postby Sarah » 12/17/2013 2:18 AM

She approached Oda unsure how he would be out on a hunt. He surely didn’t look like a hunter. “Hey, eh, I’m supposed to go with you to hunt?” what should have been a statement he posed as a question. Amina got the feeling that he might not be very confident. “Yeah,” Amina said way too cheerily “And were supposed to study migration patterns for your job.” Oda nodded and without another word flung himself into open air. His almost translucent wings catching the afternoon sun. Amina thought he reminded her of a fish Marzia had described one time. He didn’t say anything the whole flight out and Amina was starting to get nervous. She knew some males looked down upon females and with almost anyone accepted into the clan he may be one of the female abusers. Amina was strong but he was big and could probably over power her; even if she could use her speed against him.

The southern forests seemed quiet the orange leaves swayed faintly to an inaudible tune. A bull Torken and what looked to be his mate slumbered in a clearing, not truly asleep but they had few enemies. The paragon rarely went after Torken only in the most desperate of times would they risk it. “See that?” Oda broke through Amina’s thoughts. “A herd of Cavallion it looks to be twenty strong and the females should be getting pregnant soon.” Oda seemed thrilled but Amina didn’t really understand the significance beyond having enough food for the clan. He must have sensed her uncertainty or was just going to comment on her silence but his head snapped around to look at her and he let out an exaggerated sigh. “This means that we will see more Cavallion show up for their migration and that future generations will be coming. Come on Amina the big picture, the future of the clan and all that.” He said a sheepish grin on his face like he had just told some secret. Amina just nodded. “think I could take one down?" She asked beginning to circle the prey. “Well sure without a doubt.” Oda said circling just beside her. “I mean would it be ok if I killed one?” Amina huffed back. “oh, oh yeah, go ahead just don’t target a pregnant female. And don’t aim for the herd leader.” Oda instructed. Amina nodded again and dived down. Her wings tucked in and her nose pointed to the ground. Her feathers where slicked back and air was rushing through every scale on her body. She chose a young but sturdy male Cavallion to take down. He wasn’t the leader and he wasn’t a mother. Her wings unfurled and in a few great gusts she slowed herself enough that she didn’t crash into the earth. That certainly spooked the Cavallion and they sprinted off. Such an odd change from yesterday, they could hardly find prey and now there were twenty hot blooded bodies waiting to be eaten. A short burst of Bright yellow flame stunned the Cavallion. She reached down easily and picked it up. Still alive and screaming rather loudly. She made sure not to puncture it with her claws but with the way the thing was squirming she doubted it would be possible.

Why are you carrying it alive?” Oda asked when she had reached altitude again. “I dunno, freshly killed prey is so much tastier than prey that’s ridden on the back of a paragon all day.” Oda rolled his eyes but let her continue. “Would you like to return it and meet me here or should we continue?” he asked eyeing the Cavallion who had stopped screaming, probably because it was so terrified. But it had just pissed and was still squirming. Amina contemplated the offer. She remembered what the gyrophant had been like and decided against continuing. “You stay here, I’ll be back.” Oda nodded and went to land. Amina wasn’t sure if this was a good idea but she knew he wouldn’t be able to hover for that long. Hovering was different from flying, it took more concentration and arguably more energy.

The Cavallion looked to be of common coloring and wasn’t very old if the humans had the ageing correctly. Its neck only had a few squares on its neck. Maybe what she was doing was cruel but as far as she could tell the Cavallion had accepted its fate and was no longer fighting. It made flight much easier but there were two times that she almost forgot she was holding him. She was amused at the thought of the Cavallion falling out of the sky but knew that she would need to bring her prey back with as few broken bones as possible. Thinking back she remembered what Oda had said about the herd being important. She hoped she hadn’t scared the herd apart for good. It was easy on foot to get lost in the forests especially when one was not used to the area. When Amina first joined the clan she was found in the North Mountains and she had her strength so she didn’t have to rely on her feet for transportation.

A horrible howl could be heard in the distance, a few miles away from the Volcano. Probably east to the Fenref pack. It was birthing season for them so puppies were being spit out every day. Amina remembered when she first came to the clan the pack was hardly a few members and now it was flourishing. She let the howl slip to the back of her mind as she continued to head to the nests. She arrived in much less time than she had expected. There was a certain corral looking area set up for the paragon who brought back live prey. Some paragon just preferred to do it that way and after the fourth or fifth piece of prey running off the side the leaders had placed down some human fencing and two paragon watched over a few pieces of prey. Usually when the prey came in they were either immediately killed or brought underground. Amina didn’t know what they did with the ones they kept alive and she didn’t care. She had heard once that they kept them in order to breed them so that way the clan had food for the hot summers when prey was scarce but she didn’t know how much of that she believed.

After exchanging a greeting with the on duty live prey watcher Amina dove off the mesa and tried to fly her fastest back to Oda. She didn’t want him to go one without her, nor did she want to come and find him dead. She made it back just in time to see him taking off again. “Hey I’m back.” she called. Oda spun around looking startled but once he caught sight of Amina his muscles relaxed. “You took no time at all; I hardly had time to rest my wings.” He assured her before she could even ask him how he had been and if he had gotten into trouble. “And don’t worry there wasn’t even a sniff of trouble about, though the howl was a little disconcerting but I’m sure everything is fine back at home?” He posed it as a question rather than a statement. “No one was freaking out when I got there.” Amina said. Oda nodded approvingly. “Let’s go then.” He said the ‘sail’ on his head flaring open in excitement. When he wasn’t looking Amina shook her head, researchers were so odd.
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Re: Capter One (L ; V)

Postby Sarah » 12/21/2013 5:08 AM

Taking off again was no problem. Technically she had done her job for today and was content with trailing Oda for the day. It seemed his work would be taking them from one end of the forest to another. “Luckily you’re a tracker because I’m no help.” Amina said trying to keep the silence away. “Well, you are a superb hunter so you don’t need the long range tracking skills.” Oda said, Amina wasn’t sure that made sense but she rolled with it. “I suppose so, but I’d have to have a tracker with me if I ever expected to find anything.” She said slightly amused. “Maybe so,” Oda said his eyes locked on the forest below. Amina didn’t say anything after that; Oda looked like he needed to use all his concentration. Plus he had hardly replied to anything she said.

After a while Amina had trouble keeping her eyes open and her soreness was making itself known. Everything was starting to hurt again. She muffled a groan and blinked her eyes a few times afraid she might fall asleep and then plummet to the surface of Evelon. “We’re almost done.” Oda reassured her. Apparently he had looked back and saw her struggling to stay in the air. Amina raised a paw in order to rub her eyes. “It’s ok, I’ll make it.” She said but even she didn’t believe what she was saying. Oda snorted an amused look on his face. At least she could be entertainment.

They got back the same time as the night meal was being served but again Amina skipped it, going straight into her nest. She curled up in a tight ball. Her tail covering most of her face refusing to let the guards keep her awake tonight. Instead of crashing into sleep she slowly fell like a feather being dropped. She reflected on the day. She liked Rettic but it always seemed weird when she tried to talk to him. she’d try tomorrow if she could to have a semi-normal conversation. She also contemplated skipping her job again. Not that she had today, she had brought back a live piece of prey and that was something. Right now for some reason she was not in the mood for being up during the morning. And she certainly wasn’t about to be productive.

Morning had come and gone by the time Amina woke up. She hadn’t moved from her position all night. She uncurled herself and again lay stretched out, her wings unfolding and flopping to the floor. “Ok lazy pants time to get up.” Marzia’s annoyed voice came from the entrance of her nest. Groaning Amina looked over her shoulder at her friend. “Sleep, sleep is good.” Amina mumbled her mind still groggy. “Well you’re not a child, and even the children are up now.” Marzia said getting right into Amina’s personal space. “I just got the biggest urge to light you on fire.” Amina growled, threatening sure but Marzia seemed unaffected. Much to the displeasure of Amina.


Leave you pest.” Amina said pushing at Marzia with her back legs. “No, you have to get up. You’re always like this after a long hunt. You need to get up and get over it.” Marzia snapped. Amina was beginning to wake up more and with that she became grouchy. “I can do what I damn well please and it’s going to take a lot more than you to get me out of bed.” Amina retorted sourly but Marzia had done what she had come for. Amina was wide awake and there was no going back to be for at least another ten hours. A terrible curse that Amina lived with, once she was up she could fall back asleep for a long while. Huffing angrily she pushed herself up and stretched her body out. “Well, you got me. What are we doing today?” Amina inquired as she tried to wake up the rest of her body. “Oh, I’m not doing anything today.” Marzia informed her friend cheekily sprinting back down the tunnel. “You brat.” Amina mumbled yawning. She shook her head and her feathers whipped back and forth.


Well that was unfortunate.” Amina said after a while. She had just stood there for a few minutes after Marzia had left. She was awake but her mind and body hadn’t quite caught up yet. She wondered if anyone had news of anything. The mesa paragon were always so gossipy she could probably find the nearest paragon and get information on everyone in the clan. She rubbed her face again and hoped that she could have full mental control soon. Instead of climbing downwards after Marzia she went up to the top of the butte. She wanted to see what exactly was going in. it was sun high she knew that but she wanted to know who was out and about. Reaching the top she saw the butte was almost empty and the random nest guard was scattered about. Everyone else was either gone of underground.

Amina took the time while flying to the mesa to get her thoughts together. Last night she had heard word of Ibiz and Kavarys. She had heard both names before but from what she heard they had recently been declared mates. –Good for him- she thought, after his brother leaving it was about time he showed the clan that he was here to stay. Hatchlings were the perfect way to send that message. Landing on the mesa she saw Gylles was just looking off towards the east forests. “Is that where he is?” She asked, Gylles swiveled his head around to see who was talking to him. When he saw it was Amina he just nodded. “Yup, apparently the clutch it over there unhatched in a makeshift nursery." Gylles explained “Will they be bringing the eggs to the mesa?” Amina asked, “do they know the gender and species yet?” She asked before Gylles could answer her first question. “Apparently no, but Ibiz has visited to spread the news and says that they’ll return when they are strong enough. They are both males but their species is unknown as of yet.” Gylles said not minding the rapid fire questions. Even for a serious get-it-done paragon he was just as interested in the inner workings of the royals as he was in his hunter’s success. Amina nodded, Ibiz would probably try to keep his children away for as long as possible, if it had been Amina she would only take back any Ambia that had been born if any were born. She realized that she wouldn’t want her younglings to be exposed to the clan so young.
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