October 19, 2013, 12:44 AM
For Yildun, if he so chooses, as well as others who might like to join :)
She was tired of mountain climbing. Her poor, battered legs could take no more of it, not if she ever wanted them to recover their former pristine beauty. As it was, she already feared the hard traveling of this last month might have permanently loosened a tuft or two of her feathery fur someplace on her poor broken body. Reminded of this, she paused for a moment in her travels to curve her neck about in order to examine first one forelimb, then the other. It would be utterly unfair, of course, if her journeying had marred her perfect young form, as ought to be perfectly obvious to any objective observer, but then again it wasn’t as if that vile temptress called Life had been especially kindly and fair-minded toward her of late anyhow. But to pile tragedy upon tragedy by devastating her outer form as well as her inward, now that would be low even for Her.
But in this one small area she had thus far escaped fate’s cruel clutches. She spotted no unsightly bald patches on her long white limbs, and a quick dart of her pink tongue settled one particularly unruly whorl back into its place. Relieved, she lifted up her eyes once more and continued onward. She had angled toward the lowlands and now diverted her feet again upon spotting the river and its culminating loch, winking at her in the early-morning sunshine. Appearances might be taken care of as best she could for the moment, but the beautician treatment did nothing for her poor throbbing feet. The cool, clear waters of the loch seemed just what the doctor ordered, and she sped up her pace to a pathetic, limping trot as she approached its nearest shore. The pattering wash of the river in her ears was nearly as soothing as the chill embrace of the waters. She sighed with gusto as she stepped in with delicate, ladylike grace and it lapped between her toes. She reached her nose down to take in a few quick laps of her own before turning to regard the landscape thoughtfully.
The greenery upslope was washed with only the first smallest touches of autumn’s red and gold. The partly tree-screened place looked quiet, restful, alluring. It was beautiful here, ’twas true, though the sight could not lift her bruised heart as it ought. The land began to rise gently again before her, but the lush carpet of grass promised a likely lack of the rocks and gravel that had given her unloved feet such a pounding these last days. Perhaps here she could enjoy both a better-cushioned walk and a vantage point from which to survey the landscape. The breeze stirred the grasses’ tufted heads as if to beckon her onward, and she stepped neatly from the water’s grasp onto a convenient flat stone, and from there onto the opposite bank where she again began to climb. She let her head droop lower once more as she hitched upward with stuttering steps, allowing the full tragedy of her circumstances to wash over her again now that her most immediate physical needs had been taken care of. She acknowledged her stomach’s quiet growling reluctantly and, though her heart might cry out against the necessity of such mundane practicalities, realized that she would need to find food again soon, as well; perhaps from the top of this plateau she might spot some easy game and not have to ask too much more of her already put-upon dainty little feet.
She was tired of mountain climbing. Her poor, battered legs could take no more of it, not if she ever wanted them to recover their former pristine beauty. As it was, she already feared the hard traveling of this last month might have permanently loosened a tuft or two of her feathery fur someplace on her poor broken body. Reminded of this, she paused for a moment in her travels to curve her neck about in order to examine first one forelimb, then the other. It would be utterly unfair, of course, if her journeying had marred her perfect young form, as ought to be perfectly obvious to any objective observer, but then again it wasn’t as if that vile temptress called Life had been especially kindly and fair-minded toward her of late anyhow. But to pile tragedy upon tragedy by devastating her outer form as well as her inward, now that would be low even for Her.
But in this one small area she had thus far escaped fate’s cruel clutches. She spotted no unsightly bald patches on her long white limbs, and a quick dart of her pink tongue settled one particularly unruly whorl back into its place. Relieved, she lifted up her eyes once more and continued onward. She had angled toward the lowlands and now diverted her feet again upon spotting the river and its culminating loch, winking at her in the early-morning sunshine. Appearances might be taken care of as best she could for the moment, but the beautician treatment did nothing for her poor throbbing feet. The cool, clear waters of the loch seemed just what the doctor ordered, and she sped up her pace to a pathetic, limping trot as she approached its nearest shore. The pattering wash of the river in her ears was nearly as soothing as the chill embrace of the waters. She sighed with gusto as she stepped in with delicate, ladylike grace and it lapped between her toes. She reached her nose down to take in a few quick laps of her own before turning to regard the landscape thoughtfully.
The greenery upslope was washed with only the first smallest touches of autumn’s red and gold. The partly tree-screened place looked quiet, restful, alluring. It was beautiful here, ’twas true, though the sight could not lift her bruised heart as it ought. The land began to rise gently again before her, but the lush carpet of grass promised a likely lack of the rocks and gravel that had given her unloved feet such a pounding these last days. Perhaps here she could enjoy both a better-cushioned walk and a vantage point from which to survey the landscape. The breeze stirred the grasses’ tufted heads as if to beckon her onward, and she stepped neatly from the water’s grasp onto a convenient flat stone, and from there onto the opposite bank where she again began to climb. She let her head droop lower once more as she hitched upward with stuttering steps, allowing the full tragedy of her circumstances to wash over her again now that her most immediate physical needs had been taken care of. She acknowledged her stomach’s quiet growling reluctantly and, though her heart might cry out against the necessity of such mundane practicalities, realized that she would need to find food again soon, as well; perhaps from the top of this plateau she might spot some easy game and not have to ask too much more of her already put-upon dainty little feet.
November 18, 2013, 01:18 AM
I'm assuming it's cool if we bump this to the present/after the Dragonwatchers abandoned the area? :)
Thus far, her journey into the lands north of her homeland had proved to be rather... dull. Although there were traces of wolves and prey alike, it seemed the two species had abandoned the region—and recently. While Ra'Lae and the rest of the Bloodstones couldn't give two shits for the former, it was disappointing to find that the latter had gone as well. The ungulates had probably led the sudden migration of wolves, she suspected; it was the way of things. It was still unfortunate that she hadn't managed to stumble on an untouched paradise, filled with all the fresh meat she and her clan could hunt. Hell, she'd even take a land filled to the brim with both prey and wolves. The Bloodstones weren't above scavenging or stealing their nourishment, after all.
For the moment, the Bloodstone scout was investigated what she believed to be a recently evacuated pack land. She could still smell their stale piss, but there was nothing fresher than at least a week. Whoever had made this plateau their home, they had sure abandoned it quickly.
Ra'Lae looked up at the crow that flew nearby, constant as a shadow, and asked, "You find anything?" It croaked a series of noises in rapid succession, causing Ra'Lae's eyes to go dark. "And you couldn't tell me sooner?" she hissed, quickly scanning the flat rise of land for someplace she could conceal herself. As luck would have it, there was an abandoned den a few meters away—she bounded towards it and slipped inside, just as the sound of another creature could be heard just below the plateau's lip.
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