September 18, 2014, 02:53 PM
A very long time ago Osprey too had done everything to appear tougher, cooler and less-girly than she was. That was the influence, when you were the only girl in a litter of boys. You had to keep up with them, you had to be better than them at all costs, because they had (and still have) this nasty thing or attitude called "you are just a girl" to excuse all the things she couldn't immediately do. And only in the later years Osprey had grown up to understand that she didn't have to compete with everyone. She was great and unique the way she was.
"They call him Dar and the story goes that, when he was born, his pelt was dark as the midnight, except for the one white star on his forehead. An elder of his pack, who was well trained in the ways of the world and beyond, predicted him a great future and that he would do great deeds. Therefore he was brought up as a pampered prince, who was protected from all troubles and was allowed to have everything he wanted.
He grew up to be smart and agile, a skilled hunter and leader-to-be, yet he was proud and selfish and cared little for others. But the thing that troubled him the most was the yearning in his heart for something he did not have and couldn't name. As the years passed, this feeling of missing something grew stronger and to quench it, he did the most reckless things possible.
One day, however, his deed cost the lives of his family. He had been told not to go near the dancing flames, which belonged to the Other kind, but he did. The magic of them was so strong that he stole them and ran back to his home in the forest to show his family that he had outwitted the Other kind, that there was nothing to be afraid off.
It was a warm summer evening, the grass was dry, so were the trees and, wherever Dar set his paws, there the flames danced. By the time he reached his family the whole forest was aflame. He got scared and ran for his life, while the screams of pain and agony of the dying lives echoed in the forest for days. When the flames finally stopped - there was nothing left.
It took weeks for Dar to recover, yet the screams and images of the family he had let down and brought to death haunted him, wherever he went. There was no peace for him, because the thing he had done was unforgivable. He realized this, the feeling of guilt grew and he slowly wasted away. He saw no point in his life.
One evening, exhausted from his long journey, he settled down by the roots of an old willow tree. There he saw the most amazing dream, because the tree was alive, Dar could feel, how life pulsed underneath through the roots, up the trunk and to the tips of the branches, which reached for the sky. He saw creatures running up and down the tree, heard them talking and singing.
Suddenly the image changed and he saw that the roots, which were settled deep in the ground, and the branches were both connected to the universe. There was a world beneath and above and it was the same. When he woke up the next morning, he felt curious and excited. He spent the rest of the day by the willow tree, trying to find out any thing that would tell that his dream was true, yet there was none.
The next night his dream was a little different - he could still feel the life pulsing within the tree, yet now he saw numerous dark figures, climbing up from the tips of the roots, up the trunk and to the branches. And when they reached them, they turned into little orbs of light, which then joined the stars in the sky. He was amazed by the sight and decided to follow them," there Osprey stopped, got to her feet and after a quick look around approached a little puddle to have a drink. The story was quite long and this was just the beginning of it.
"They call him Dar and the story goes that, when he was born, his pelt was dark as the midnight, except for the one white star on his forehead. An elder of his pack, who was well trained in the ways of the world and beyond, predicted him a great future and that he would do great deeds. Therefore he was brought up as a pampered prince, who was protected from all troubles and was allowed to have everything he wanted.
He grew up to be smart and agile, a skilled hunter and leader-to-be, yet he was proud and selfish and cared little for others. But the thing that troubled him the most was the yearning in his heart for something he did not have and couldn't name. As the years passed, this feeling of missing something grew stronger and to quench it, he did the most reckless things possible.
One day, however, his deed cost the lives of his family. He had been told not to go near the dancing flames, which belonged to the Other kind, but he did. The magic of them was so strong that he stole them and ran back to his home in the forest to show his family that he had outwitted the Other kind, that there was nothing to be afraid off.
It was a warm summer evening, the grass was dry, so were the trees and, wherever Dar set his paws, there the flames danced. By the time he reached his family the whole forest was aflame. He got scared and ran for his life, while the screams of pain and agony of the dying lives echoed in the forest for days. When the flames finally stopped - there was nothing left.
It took weeks for Dar to recover, yet the screams and images of the family he had let down and brought to death haunted him, wherever he went. There was no peace for him, because the thing he had done was unforgivable. He realized this, the feeling of guilt grew and he slowly wasted away. He saw no point in his life.
One evening, exhausted from his long journey, he settled down by the roots of an old willow tree. There he saw the most amazing dream, because the tree was alive, Dar could feel, how life pulsed underneath through the roots, up the trunk and to the tips of the branches, which reached for the sky. He saw creatures running up and down the tree, heard them talking and singing.
Suddenly the image changed and he saw that the roots, which were settled deep in the ground, and the branches were both connected to the universe. There was a world beneath and above and it was the same. When he woke up the next morning, he felt curious and excited. He spent the rest of the day by the willow tree, trying to find out any thing that would tell that his dream was true, yet there was none.
The next night his dream was a little different - he could still feel the life pulsing within the tree, yet now he saw numerous dark figures, climbing up from the tips of the roots, up the trunk and to the branches. And when they reached them, they turned into little orbs of light, which then joined the stars in the sky. He was amazed by the sight and decided to follow them," there Osprey stopped, got to her feet and after a quick look around approached a little puddle to have a drink. The story was quite long and this was just the beginning of it.
September 23, 2014, 05:15 PM
Junior made herself comfortable as Osprey began to spin her tale, listening while maintaining a cool poker face. By the point in the story where its main character, Dar, lay down by the willow, she had been ensnared. At the same time, she found the whole thing overly fanciful. She decided she didn't believe a word of it. It was just another tall tale, told for fun or to teach a lesson.
When her aunt went for a drink, Junior's ears pricked. Her eyes followed the lithe silver she-wolf. Was that the end? She didn't ask and sprawled in the grass again, pretending like it didn't matter to her whether or not Aunt Osprey continued.
When her aunt went for a drink, Junior's ears pricked. Her eyes followed the lithe silver she-wolf. Was that the end? She didn't ask and sprawled in the grass again, pretending like it didn't matter to her whether or not Aunt Osprey continued.
October 07, 2014, 09:20 AM
Osprey returned to her spot and lied down. She eyed Junior a little curiously to see, what the girl's reaction to the story was. The elder was old enough not to be childish and expect that every tale she told was great and amazing, yet she still yearned just a bit of acknowledgment that she was on the right track and that her audience was merely interested.
The young girl pretended to be indifferent, but the fact that she hadn't interrupted Osprey and gone off by now counted as a good sign. However, before returning to Dar's adventures, she had to revise the whole story to make it a little shorter. She might have been the fan of "the longer, the better", but not all people were like that. It was better not to overflow them with details on the first take. Otherwise some had a tendency to avoid her the next time they met each other.
"So the next night, when he fell asleep, he saw the very same creatures and this time he tried to follow them. The shadows were fleeting little things - they appeared and disappeared again before his eyes, he had hard time finding one to follow, not to mention that every step he took, every branch he climbed came with great difficulties. It was as if a heavy weight was pulling him back down. However, he got to the top branch that night, but when he attempted to make the leap and get on with his way, he fell and woke up with a start.
The following nights he made the same journey over and over again, never getting further than that one step it took to follow the shadows to the starry realm. He didn't understand, why was it so, and in the end he decided that the best way to find it out, was to capture one of the shadows. So he did - after a lot of effort and failed attempts, he had caught one and didn't let it go. No matter, how hard it struggled to break free. At the sunrise the shadow let out a mournful howl and became still.
When the first rays of the sun reached the shadow, it caught flame and burned into ashes before Dar's eyes. He was afraid, yet curious and continued hunting the shadows down and trying to find out, what was going on. Until one evening, when the shadow he had caught grew bigger and stronger and took a form of a wolf with dark red glowing eyes. It growled and asked him, why was he interfering with the way of the spirits. Dar asked questions of his own instead - what was this place, what were the shadows and where they were going.
Rather than telling the answers in words, the shadow-wolf, grabbed him and with one leap jumped right in to the starry sky. What Dar saw there differs from one story-teller to the other, but it is told that he found out the secret of Death and saw the world beyond ours. When he returned he promised not to hunt the spirits, if he was permitted to make the same journey again. The permission was given, yet with strict conditions, which mainly meant, that in turn for, what Dar desired, he had to give up his life and soul eventually," Osprey paused in order to give Junior time to take in all of the facts. Unfortunately she wasn't as good in telling the Nomad's tales as they themselves had been. Her style was just a mere reflection of the glory, colors and senses they had weaved in their story.
Suddenly Osprey's attention was caught by a summoning howl in the distance. It didn't sound that urgent, yet she felt that it was her duty to follow it to the place of the event and see, what was going on. "That was the first chapter, so to say," she said, raising to her feet, stretching and shaking her coat. "Unfortunately - I have to go now, but if you ever happen to be interested, what happens next - you can find me. I don't plan on going anywhere in near future," with that she rushed off.
ooc: I am sorry that it took so long, but I had a true writer's block of what to tell next, atop the other stuff that has taken place in my life. Glad to have this thread finished and maybe we can have another one in near future.
The young girl pretended to be indifferent, but the fact that she hadn't interrupted Osprey and gone off by now counted as a good sign. However, before returning to Dar's adventures, she had to revise the whole story to make it a little shorter. She might have been the fan of "the longer, the better", but not all people were like that. It was better not to overflow them with details on the first take. Otherwise some had a tendency to avoid her the next time they met each other.
"So the next night, when he fell asleep, he saw the very same creatures and this time he tried to follow them. The shadows were fleeting little things - they appeared and disappeared again before his eyes, he had hard time finding one to follow, not to mention that every step he took, every branch he climbed came with great difficulties. It was as if a heavy weight was pulling him back down. However, he got to the top branch that night, but when he attempted to make the leap and get on with his way, he fell and woke up with a start.
The following nights he made the same journey over and over again, never getting further than that one step it took to follow the shadows to the starry realm. He didn't understand, why was it so, and in the end he decided that the best way to find it out, was to capture one of the shadows. So he did - after a lot of effort and failed attempts, he had caught one and didn't let it go. No matter, how hard it struggled to break free. At the sunrise the shadow let out a mournful howl and became still.
When the first rays of the sun reached the shadow, it caught flame and burned into ashes before Dar's eyes. He was afraid, yet curious and continued hunting the shadows down and trying to find out, what was going on. Until one evening, when the shadow he had caught grew bigger and stronger and took a form of a wolf with dark red glowing eyes. It growled and asked him, why was he interfering with the way of the spirits. Dar asked questions of his own instead - what was this place, what were the shadows and where they were going.
Rather than telling the answers in words, the shadow-wolf, grabbed him and with one leap jumped right in to the starry sky. What Dar saw there differs from one story-teller to the other, but it is told that he found out the secret of Death and saw the world beyond ours. When he returned he promised not to hunt the spirits, if he was permitted to make the same journey again. The permission was given, yet with strict conditions, which mainly meant, that in turn for, what Dar desired, he had to give up his life and soul eventually," Osprey paused in order to give Junior time to take in all of the facts. Unfortunately she wasn't as good in telling the Nomad's tales as they themselves had been. Her style was just a mere reflection of the glory, colors and senses they had weaved in their story.
Suddenly Osprey's attention was caught by a summoning howl in the distance. It didn't sound that urgent, yet she felt that it was her duty to follow it to the place of the event and see, what was going on. "That was the first chapter, so to say," she said, raising to her feet, stretching and shaking her coat. "Unfortunately - I have to go now, but if you ever happen to be interested, what happens next - you can find me. I don't plan on going anywhere in near future," with that she rushed off.
ooc: I am sorry that it took so long, but I had a true writer's block of what to tell next, atop the other stuff that has taken place in my life. Glad to have this thread finished and maybe we can have another one in near future.
October 07, 2014, 10:08 AM
No worries! ^_^
Young Osprey stared at her elder, clearly waiting for her to continue, then settled in when her aunt picked up where she'd left off. The tale grew yet more whimsical and the youth found herself growing a bit bored. It was tempting to put her chin on her paws and doze off, yet she wasn't quite that petulant.
When a distant howl spurred Osprey Sr. suddenly to her feet, the pup blinked and gazed up at her. "Wait, what —" she began to say but her aunt swept away to answer the summons. Junior's forehead wrinkled.
Despite her wandering attention, she youngster huffed, "Talk about a cliffhanger..." and finally allowed her chin to plop to her forepaws. She grunted, then eventually rolled onto her back and fell fast asleep. Her dreams were phantasmagorical and featured a guest star by the name of Dar.
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