[QUEST] get jinxed

Larus · (This post was last modified: November 23, 2014, 05:01 PM by Larus.)

"A branch has fallen from a sequoia in the Monolith Forest." Quest! And tagging @Spyridon

The concept of his parents purposefully leaving him was still quite new in Larus' little head, and while he had accepted Caiaphas as his new mother... It didn't sit right with him. Not entirely. Deep down he still missed her. The only thing he could do to stop thinking about the family he left behind - that had left him, tried to kill him - was wander. He explored the forest once more, but this time he did not seek a route out of it.

His meandering steps took him away from Caiaphas' grotto and in a semi-circle along the edge of the lands, but never did he leave the forest. The cliffs behind him were big and scary things - impossible for adults to scale, impervious to the child. As he ducked around the base of some sequoia trees, he heard a sudden crackling - then a screeching, or something like that. As Larus lifted his head to investigate the strange noise, a massive bough crackled and fell from above - directly above him.

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RIP Spyridon · November 23, 2014, 05:54 PM

Powerplaying a bit here. PM me if you'd like me to change it!

Spyridon had been tailing Larus from afar, with no reason other than the fact that he was tasked with keeping the pack safe. As a consort, he was charged with ensuring that each and every member—sister, drudge, consort, and even spawn—was safe and sound. He had picked Larus to guard today, though he had little connection to the boy. He followed him slowly, silently to the forest, and then, the sound. It was a creaking sound at first, and Spyro had cocked his head at it, but as soon as he spotted the source of it, he had bolted toward Larus.

Without hesitation, Spyridon had crashed the full force of his body into the younger male, and in the process, had taken a branch to the back. He howled out in pain, cursed the gods of the sea, and scrambled away as quickly as was feasible in his current state. His spine burned with every movement, and he searched frantically to see where Larus had gone.

Larus · November 23, 2014, 06:19 PM

All good!

In one moment the massive branch - like the limb of Atlas descending - was drawing closer. Larus stood in a state of petrified awe, until a force of equal strength slammed in to him. He was shoved out of the way just in time, and was saved. But the entity which saved him received the blow instead. Sputtering uselessly as he tried to regain control of himself, the boy's fear manifested in a frenzied spasm; and absently, his back paws kicked at the firmly lodged limb.

He was up and staring at the fallen branch with a mixture of surprise and worry, and that was when he saw the dark figure of the man. The boy recognized Spyridon in the way that any pack wolf would recognize a fellow pack wolf. And, upon noticing the slouch of his body, Larus' worries grew.

You're hurt! He chirruped upon advancing, his eyes as wide as saucers. Y-you saved me! He was overwhelmed by his adrenaline, so his voice rose in pitch until he was nearly shrieking. I.. I.. What do I do?!

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RIP Spyridon · November 23, 2014, 06:33 PM

From the pup spewed forth words that Spyridon had never—would never—understand. It was the common tongue, and one that Spyro had been actively commanded to avoid learning. Without it, he did not understand newcomers or those who came to the border seeking acceptance. But also without it, he could not spread the secrets of the sisters. This was the primary reason he had been barred from learning it at Hippo Camp Cove, and at this point, he was far too used to his ways to try and learn it.

The branch had been large, but not anywhere near the size of some of the tree trunks that surrounded them. It would leave a large, uncomfortable bruise on his spine that would take weeks to heal, but it did not immobilize the consort. “Είστε ασφαλείς,” he breathed, once he caught sight of Larus. He moved a step forward, toward the boy, and winced. But he did not scorn the boy for getting into trouble. It was Spyro's job to protect, and he had done his duty here.

Larus · November 23, 2014, 06:43 PM

Nothing he said mattered, because the consort would not understand. Larus only caught on to this when the man spoke in his own language - sounds he did not recognize in his own lexicon. It was the language that he overheard the sisters using between one another, the one that apparently everyone recognized and understood, except for himself. But the linguistics of the Sound did not concern Larus; he waddled about Spyridon as if to inspect him.

The man seemed to be alright. There was no blood, and any pain that he felt was well hidden from the child's perception. Spyridon's voice made his ears turn and his head tilt, though, as confusion dominated. What? The boy blinked dumbly up at the adult, and his face creased with a frown. You're OK? Right? His eyes glossed over suddenly, for Larus realized he had caused this. Whatever hurt the man felt, it was because of him. Its my fault! I'm sorry!

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RIP Spyridon · (This post was last modified: November 23, 2014, 08:00 PM by RIP Spyridon.)

Excluding translations since Larus wouldn't understand them anyway. :o

“Είμαι μια χαρά,” he assured Larus, even as he felt the pain in his back turn from searing to throbbing. Carefully, Spyridon straightened his back and tested it to see what the damage really was. As far as he knew, a broken back meant immediate death, and he was not yet dead. It must have only been badly bruised, for he still had the use of his legs, and he wriggled each foots' toes independently to assure himself of this. A heavy sigh escaped him, and sea-green eyes looked to the boy whom he had saved.

Larus was still young, this much Spyridon knew. He did not know where he had come from, if his arrival had been voluntary, or whether or not Ankyra Sound planned on keeping him. With Aktaie's departure back to her birthplace, Spyridon sometimes felt as if his place here was not what it was supposed to be. Because he knew no other way, though, he continued to do his duties, just as he always had.

“Έλα μαζί μου,” Spyridon asked of the boy, beckoning him to follow. Spyro took a few small steps forward, away from the fallen branch and toward the coast. There, he could rest and hand off Larus to one of the sisters for inspection. The forest did not feel safe now, anyway, and Spyro glanced up warily at the branches looming overhead.

Larus · November 23, 2014, 07:35 PM

When the male began to stride away, Larus was prompted by his own insecurity and guilt to follow. He jolted towards Spyridon while the older beast spoke, his eyes drifting up towards the canopies; but Larus missed this. He could only translate the stranger's movements, not his sounds, and saw the man as a fleeing figure rather than a guardian in aid of the boy. W-wait! Where are you going? Larus' voice pierced the air between the trees, spooking a wave of sparrows off of the forest floor and in to the trees. I said I was sorry. Why was he running away? The boy followed after Spyridon with a sorrowful pout upon his face.

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RIP Spyridon · November 23, 2014, 08:04 PM

A panicked voice called out from behind him, belonging to the spawn, and Spyro looked at the boy, puzzled. They could not understand one another through verbal cues, so the consort had done his best to convey his intentions through his body language. Apparently, that wasn't doing a whole lot of good for Larus, who seemed worried about something or another. Thinking that perhaps some other wolf had been trapped beneath the tree, Spyro glanced at it, only to see nothing but the earth under it.

Again, Spyro looked at the boy and swung his muzzle to the shore to point at it. “Έλα μαζί μου,” he said, this time nudging Larus on the shoulder to move him forward and offering a smile. His voice was relaxed and calm, despite the dull pain that was now radiating off his back. He was not angry with Larus, he only wished to keep him free from harm.

Larus · December 02, 2014, 05:48 PM

Sorry for taking so long! I suck at sprees right now apparently.

Distraught - and made further distraught with his lack of understanding - Larus naturally fell in to step alongside the dark man. He didn't know what was being said, and wasn't astute enough to pick up on physical cues (likely never reaching that level of sophistication in his communicative abilities), so at best he was a worried shadow, hurrying along with the injured adult. His ears were plastered to his head, and he slunk every so often between the trees, naturally inclined to defer to the adult as if he had been the one to orchestrate the fall of the branch. Without more knowledge, Larus would continue to think it was all of his fault - everything usually was.

RIP Spyridon · December 11, 2014, 12:11 PM

Although Larus did not seem to understand his spoken word, he followed along like any good spawn would do. It was pleasing, to say the least. Spyro wanted nothing more than to keep his sirens happy, and he knew that training the spawn into good consorts was a large part of his duty to them. Hopefully, both Larus and Kevlyn would turn out to be fine young boys who would turn into strong, dutiful consorts. Occasionally, Spyridon would glance back to ensure that Larus was still following behind.

Once they came out from beneath the forest, Spyridon slowed to a halt, looking out at the ocean's persistent waves. “Ωκεανό,” he said, his muzzle pointing to the vast body of water that sprawled for miles and miles. “Η μητέρα μας.”

Larus · December 12, 2014, 07:38 PM

If Larus was to be a good consort, he would have to learn the native language. He was picked up by Caiaphas before that could be achieved, though; his native language was, and would always be, the common tongue. So when the adult spoke, Larus could only stare and tilt his head. He saw the motion directed towards the sea and connected the sound with the thing, in this case the massive and dark swatch of blue water, but that was as far as the understanding went.

And then, when Spyridon followed up with some more strange sounds, Larus lost all interest. He shook his head as if to rid it of the alien phrase, and then cast a casual glance between the faraway sea and the man beside him. 'Das the beach. I can go find someone if you want? Are you still hurty? But just as Larus did not know Greek, Spyridon would not know English; this entire situation was bound to end in a communication breakdown.

RIP Spyridon · (This post was last modified: January 04, 2015, 10:15 AM by RIP Spyridon.)

“Θα πρέπει να μάθουν τη γλώσσα της θάλασσας,” Spyro grumbled, his brow furrowing in disappointment. Unlike Kevlyn, Larus had not been making a conscious effort to grasp the tongue that he was expected to speak when amongst his own kind. Without it, Larus would forever be an outsider, unable to communicate with the majority of his pack in the way that it was meant to be. If Larus continued to speak the common tongue, there was no way he could ever learn the language of the sisters. And if he fell behind on his studies, Spyridon knew that the blame would fall to him.

“ώα ψαριών,” he said to Larus, pointing a paw at the boy. “Είστε ένας ώα ψαριών.” They were the same words he had used to teach Kevlyn, so perhaps it would work on Larus as well. The least the boy could do was try and pick up on it. And so Spyro went about the lesson, trying to coax Larus into trying the foreign words upon his tongue.