Preparing for the Festival - Valley Village - Samheen 27th

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 7:45 pm

OOC: Catherine, please feel free to move to http://www.tazlure.nl/board/viewtopic.php?t=12067 at your earliest convenience.

Petran and Catherine moved off into the woods. Petran was already on the trail of the young Culwago, his trail still being but burns old. Catherine felt her Inner Animal roar at the opportunity to hunt something down, grab it, rip it, tear it asunder. Red blotches flashed before her vision as she followed the large cat into the woodlands of Gnilwoh.

Oni Swifttalon still sat on her post as the campfire was started in another corner of the large fireplace, one that had not been splashed in breakfast residue. Her hawk features didn't betray any emotion, but her eyes seemed to be laughing.

"Ah, to be young."

She soared up, circled a few times, swooped down and grazed Eidolon, clawing him once with one of her razorsharp talons in his left arm. She landed in front of the three remaining kit.

"You need to work on your timing Eidolon, and your reflexes could do with some work aswell." Oni had her gameface on now, her voice all serious like it always was when she was lecturing. "Ardal, preparations need to be made at the altar at Paw Lake, if you care to help me along with the others..." she eyed Niamh and Eidolon who had already volunteered "you are very welcome, otherwise there will not be a lot to do before the ceremonies start later this tradetide."

The hawk turned to Kaila. "Thanks for the meal dear, duty calls!" She streched her wings and roze from the ground. Eidolon's arm was hurting and his blood was boiling from within.

"The hawk will have to pay, will have to burn, will have to..."

"Coming children? The Festival waits for no Kanthrop!" And with that she was off, up and away towards the northwest, in the direction of the deep shimmering lake just north of the village.

OOC: Any who wish to follow Oni can remain in this thread, those that choose otherwise, feel free to start a new thread timestamped morningtide 27th.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 1:10 am

Ardal watched as Oni swooped down and grazed Eidelon. He chuckled a bit as the hawk landed in front of the group.

Ardal nodded silently to Oni in reply. He had nothing in particular to do that day and saw no reason not to help with the preparations for the festival. As Oni took fight and headed off the the northwest, the young kanthrop turned to his fellows.

"If you are in the mood for a little competition, Eidelon, we could race to the lake," he said to Eidelon, showing him a small grin. For some reason, he suddenly felt like indulging his playful side. "You are welcome to join us, Niamh." Ardal added as his eyes shifted to the female kanthrop.

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Mon May 01, 2006 8:02 pm

Niamh's only response to Eido's chastisement was a shrug, as she had felt the sting of Oni's claws more than once herself. Such was a matter of life to the mischevious Kanthrop, though she did absently rub her palm over her opposite upper arm. Unseen beneath the fabric lay a faded scar from her last run-in with Oni's retribution.

Ardal's challenge brought a glint to her eyes. Oh, who cares about a little food, I'll change later... her lanky form uncurled as muscles slowly relaxed and tightened, giving her ascendence to her feet a smug quality as she slowly stretched and shifted her shoulders, kicking out her legs to free any stiffness.

"Last one to the Lake is...." but the last words never emerged, because suddenly Niamh was darting off, sandaled feet digging into the earth for purchase, her strides lengthening and stretching to their utmost. Her body was light and lean, fashioned for speed and sprinting, though endurance was another matter. Her soles pounded a frantic cadence as she focused on her goal, her sight narrowing to the exclusion of all but the path beneath her feet and the glimmering shimmer of the water she sought to reach. Her mouth widened for each breath that snaked frostily into her lungs, but the air seemed to course through her body much as her blood did, the chill nipping at her heels.

Eidolon Myrlin · Post by **Eidolon Myrlin** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:12 pm

Eidolon held back a hiss of pain as Oni's talons grazed his arm. They cut into his flesh and a torrent of blood spurted out of the wound. The kit went red in the face. He couldn't move, blood throbbing and pounding in his temples. He felt nothing but hatred inside him and gave Oni such an ugly look that if stares could burn, the beautiful bird would have shrivelled to dust.

A second later, everything jumped back to normal. Eidolon stopped seeing red and picked up the lower edge of his kanthar, dabbing with it at the cut on his upper arm. His eyebrows stitched together in concern and his throat grew tight as he realized what he had just felt. How could he? For a moment his only wish had been to strike back, to crush the slender feathers until they ceased moving. Eidolon paled considerably. His eyes followed Oni Swifttalon's form as she took off and he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Impossible. I'm devoted to Oni. As much as Eidolon respected the other elders, the hawk-shifter had been with him since his earliest years, always there to offer advice and help. He couldn't imagine ever wanting to hurt her - and that was perhaps why he was so startled by his former anger.

"I'm always up for a race!" he grinned at Ardal. "I'll just get out of this wet sack and - Hey, look at the little cheat!"

He waved at Niamh, who had started out way before Eidolon had even managed to process Ardal's offer.

"We won't let a girl win," he said, keeping a grave face even though his eyes glistened with laughter. He sprang up and bounded out of the village, the ground flying beneath his feet. Wistfully he remembered his sandals, lying in a tangled heap on the dirt floor of his tent. Too late for those. The little pebbles and stones in the path strained to cut his feet, but Eidolon was used to running barefoot - even though he didn't like it much. The barely scabbed wound in his arm burst open again and droplets of blood landed in his trail, but the kit took no notice of them. It had been a punishment this time, topped with a small lesson. It could barely get worse, Oni was strict but just and her talons did not maim or disfigure.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 02, 2006 11:55 pm

"Hey!" Ardal shouted after Niamh, who had run off without warning. Eidolon would have barely had time to finish his sentence before he went dashing off after the female kit.

Ardal's feet hit the ground in rapid succession, his long legs propelling him forward with the benefits of youth and frequent exercise. His arms pumped beside his torso and his moderately long hair blew behind him. The kit's heart pumped vigorously and his muscles worked as full capacity as adrenaline coarsed through him. His focus was total, his only intent to catch Niamh.

OOC: Apologies for the short post. I'm a bit rushed at the moment.

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:21 pm

The three raced off, following the sight of their Kanthan flying low above the tents and treetops. Oni circled several times to watch her pupils run, listening to the sound of their voices and feet in the sand and grass, watching beads of sweat trickling down their foreheads from above. How she loved the sky, to soar high in the blue of the morningtide and watch what happened deep down with the eyes her Inner Animal had gifted her.

Oh, she recalled what it had been like to be a kit. Her Festival day had been much different though. There wasn't the threat of the tremors, no uncertainty. Only the thrill of knowing that her trials would start that day, knowing she would take her final steps into becoming what she was now. She remembered the things she had seen, the obstacles she had faced. Glancing down at the three youngsters she wished them strength.

Swooping down to the lake, she went out of the three's line of sight. Their feet still treading through the soft grass which stretched for a bit around the lake. Paw lake was a magnificent sight to behold for any who witnessed it. Their village was built in a valley, with a nice sandy beach on the southern shore of the lake, where one could swim or relax in the hot season. Over on the northwestern shore, the pinnacles of the Skymyst mountains rose, with a grand cascade of water down the western edge, hiding the Heart or Ursa. More to the north and east the shore of the lake climbed higher above the waterline, upto a sharp point on the northeastern shore, the Festival Grounds.

Niamh, Eidolon and Ardal were in hot pursuit of each other. Niamh leading still, but hot on her trail were Eidolon and Ardal who were gaining with every passing flicker. The ground rose as they passed the lake, water on their left side, grass leading up to the forest on their right. Dodging loose stones and wood laying around they climbed up and up, making it increasingly difficult to keep the same pace. Oni appeared again from the distance of the Heart, biding her time above the Festival Grounds which lay but burns away at the end of their race.

A tremor shot through the island again, and a piece of the rockface which now rose above the water of Paw Lake crumbled and broke as Niamh set her feet down in a desperate attempt to stay ahead of the two in her wake. Her falcon wanted to spread her wings and swoop up and Niamh felt a compelling urge to do just that.

Lack of wings however proved to be a bit of a nuisance in this case, as she felt the earth slide away underneath her. Eidolon and Ardal were but steps away.

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:23 pm

A haze hovered at the edges of her vision as the air pumped in and out of her lungs, a ragged cadence that began to echo the furious pumping of her legs as they climbed higher. Must win... Her competitive spirit spurred her on despite the burning sensation crawling up her muscles, and she managed one final sprint...

The earth shook. The rock crumbled. For a split second Niamh was caught between faltering earth and clear sky, her spirit rising within her and scrabbling for purchase. Her soul warred with the irrational desires scrabbling for purchase, even as her feet scrabbled for footing upon the fraying rocks.

Her teeth snapped together, splitting a bit of one lip as her momentary hesitation left her in a precarious situation. The pain slipped by unnoticed as her hands whirled frantically, grasping futilely at empty air. A final effort, her feet shoved her free from the crumbling ground as she flung herself towards what rock remained, landing with elbows smashing downwards and fingers digging into whatever crevices they might find.

Through this, she buried her need to let go and coast on the breeze - knowing that her frail human-like arms would never allow her the falcon's freedom. The necessary restraint brought a faint glimmering of frustration to her eyes, though her lips did not utter a sound. Panic welled as an irrational fear struck her, it had already been so long and nearly all her other age-companions had mastered their own Inner Spirits. Am I destined to fight it for eternity?

These thoughts flashed rapidly, but quickly fled before the reality of bruised arms and scraped fingers. Though not weak by any means, she knew in a flash that her strength might not be enough to keep her from a dangerous fall should more of the earth give way. Struggling, her arms sought enough purchase to haul the rest of herself up and over the lip.

"Hh-IIIEE..." Her gasping shriek stretched out thinly in the brisk morning air, hopeful that the others had not been so focused that they raced on unknowing...

Eidolon Myrlin · Post by **Eidolon Myrlin** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:54 pm

His feet pounded on the ground - regardless of the dirt and scratchy stone they encountered. Suddenly, a sharp sting burst right inside the sole of Eidolon's left foot, causing him to grunt in pain and draw the leg as high and away from the ground as he could. Too bad it's so easy to end up tangled. Before the kit knew it, his knee buckled beneath him, unable to support the unforeseen shift of the mass if his body, and Eidolon fell face down, crashing into the ground in full speed. His horizontally placed torso continued moving for another few flickers and Eidolon desperately tried to stop.

Especially since suddenly he found himself looking deep down into the dark blue waters of paw lake.

"What?" he gasped, trying to understand what he was seeing. The jagged edge of the cliff he was lying on bit into his stomach.

"Niamh!"

The young kanthrop was struggling right beside him, hanging onto the crumbling earth. Without hesitation, Eidolon grasped the elbow that was closer to him and tried to crawl back, to drag Niamh up onto solid earth once more. He moved his knees below his chest and ended on all fours, backing away and tugging at his friend's arm with strong fingers.

"Take the other arm!" he hissed at Ardal through gritted teeth.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:12 pm

OOC: Since the effect of the tremor on Eidelon and Ardal was not described, I am assuming that we are free to write that part in.

IC: Ardal barely had the opportunity to realize that another tremor was taking place before he felt his legs failing beneath him. He found himself falling to the ground and he instinctively extended his arms in front of his chest to break his fall. Fortunately, the force of impact was not great enough to do him any injury. Lying face down on the ground, the kit clutched handfuls of grass in each hand, feeling tempted to rip the blades out by their roots in his frustration. As he relaxed and exhaled, he released the grass before pushing himself up and getting to his feet.

Ardal looked around for the others, wondering if they too had been stopped by the quake. It was then that he saw Eidelon dashing forward, shouting Niamh's name. He looked forward and saw Niamh's hands grabbing at what was left of the ground and her arms struggling to pull her back to safety.

"By Ursa!" Ardal exclaimed upon realization of what had occurred. Without hesitation, he leaped back into action. He knelt down by the lip of the newly-created crag and seized Niamh's arm, using all of his strength to pull his fellow kit up and forward.

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:07 pm

Their swift response saved Niamh's life. They gazed down behind her, a large crack leading inland, a huge gap having been struck in the cliff above the lake. Below, the waters were still churning from the fallen debris upon it's peacefull surface. Pulling the kit up they fell back onto the grass, their backs now on the ground they could feel the constant shiver which had plagued their lands for several long tides now. They increased in intensity with every waking moment.

Ahead in the distance, pieces of rock tumbled down from the Skymyst mountains. Some falling inland, others falling to the far side. The side where no Kanthrop had ever looked. The grating sound of rock upon rock could clearly be heard rumbling and echo'ing through the passes and caverns which made up the northern edge.

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:05 pm

Niamh's knees scraped over the ragged edge of the earth as she was propelled up and over the lip to land sprawling across Ardal and Eidolon, where she lay for a bare flicker before squirming off and away, her posterior scooting backwards several inches as she faced the treacherous earth that had attempted her unceremonious dumping.

Crying quiet defiance, her inner animal struggled and battered within her, furious at being restrained from expression and the freedom of flight. Yet even that inner struggle stilled as a section of the mountains began to crash apart, as easily as a hand might flick aside grains of sand. Her limbs seemed to cling to the ground, her fingers dinging into the earth instinctively, as if such might prevent the catastrophe that greeted her eyes. The jarring sound of rock greeting rock sent painful pangs through her sensitive ears, causing her to wince.

Niamh had never been easily rattled, but even as she gathered herself together as the sounds and rumblings stilled to mere echoes, her easy-going expression was put to lie by her hands, one stretching to clasp Eidolon, the other attempting to clamp around Ardal's wrist or shoulder. It was a mute thankyou and an uncustomary wish for reassurance, things her mouth didn't seem capable of vocalizing at the moment.

Eidolon Myrlin · Post by **Eidolon Myrlin** » Wed May 17, 2006 9:27 pm

It wasn't making sense. Ursa Etheria had never been a land of earthquakes and even though Eidolon was sprawled out on solid ground, it wouldn't stop moving. It was just a shiver, true, but a constant trembling gets worse than one large lurch. He bit down, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. The gentle buzz still continued to rumbled through his bones. Briefly, the kit wondered if the only way to stay calm would be not to touch the ground at all. Lucky Oni. The memory of the Kanthan brought back the stinging wound on his arm. Eidolon checked it; it was covered with a thin film of scab, but at least the blood had stopped flowing.

"Great Mother Bear," he whispered upon noticing the large crack in the cliff. He didn't even have to look to see what the distant rumble was either. The whole island was falling apart, and the worst part was that it probably didn't realize there were living creatures walking its surface.

Niamh's hand clasped his own, and he automatically squeezed it in a silent message of comfort and assurance, reaching out with his free one to stroke the kit's hair. He was too shaken to form a sentence that didn't contain one of the names of the Mother. Rising slowly to his knees and then to his feet, keeping his balance, Eidolon searched the skies for Oni. The clear blue face of the lake had darkened and looked almost menacing.

"We should get down to the water," he said. At least we won't fall off anything while on that level.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:08 pm

Ardal felt as if at any moment the entire island was going to fracture into several pieces and fall to the world below. His entire body was shaking along with the ground, making him more aware of every bump in the ground, and every blade of grass and pebble sticking into his back.

As the trembling subsided, the young kanthrop sat up to see rocks falling down the sides of the mountains. He silently wondered how much longer the island could withstand the quakes. As his eyes moved to the cliff ahead, he felt Niamh's hand on his shoulder. He said nothing for the moment, allowing her hand to rest on him. He did not know what he should say. He was not the type that leaped to comfort others in times of crisis. Still, he felt sorry for Niamh. She had had quite a scare.

A few moments later, Ardal slowly got up to his feet. He looked out to the lake, then back to Niamh.

"Come on," he said, offering a hand to her to help her up. "We should go to meet Oni."

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:54 pm

That brief tactile contact settled the quiver threatening to overwhelm her, Eidolon's fingers gentle in her short, downy locks. After a few flickers, however, she shied away, comforted but restrained, briefly squeezing Eidolon's hand before releasing him and accepting Ardal's hand up, despite the sudden stinging of scraped palms. A spark of her old manner returning, she flashed a grin at them both and managed a somewhat weak chuckle.

"Well Eido... I suppose the elements mistook me for you... fire, water, gaping earth... all we need now is the wind to swirl us up into the unknown for our day to be complete." Her head cocked at Ardal, and she shrugged, willing to follow the other two.

"I'll let you two lead on for a bit, though wherever we go, Oni is more likely to be doing the finding." Her eyes snapped back to the gaping space within the mountain range, the space there both fearesome and compelling. Now that she was calmer, her mind began it's inexorable questioning... What lies beyond...?

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Sat May 20, 2006 10:03 am

The three progressed on to the northern shore of the lake. The cliffs here rising above it still, giving them a great view of the crystalline waters below. There was more room here, a path trodden into the soil leading the way through mild undergrowth and small patches of trees and eventually ending at a large slab of stone, probably having landed here many many yahren ago, having slid down one of the mountain slopes which then would have been much higher one might imagine.

The stone slab was large, sunken into the ground it felt unnatural almost, as if crafted by human hands to fit neatly into the scenery. On it, the Kanthrop population had placed benches made out of logs in a wide circle around a smaller circle consisting of three intricately carved totems, alternated with small, almost square, pieces of rock on either side of them.

In the middle of the circle there was a fireplace, much like the one in the town square. Oni Swifttalon was perched high atop one of the totems, giving her an excellent view of her surroundings. "Ah, you made it. So, who won?" It was obvious she had not noticed the accident, or if she did she hid it marvelously. "Welcome to the Festival Grounds children." Ofcourse you've all been here before, but today will be a special occasion for all of you as you begin your final journey to become one with your Inner Animal and Awaken from the sleep most of the world resides in. Preparations will need to be made to ensure the festival will be a celebration to remember. Hawkeye has asked me to provide him with a selection of herbs for the ceremony. Also, it is tradition for the kit who undergo the ceremony to go out and hunt, gather meat for the celebration."

A small tremor shook the totems, in the distance some small amounts of rock tumbled down into the waters of Paw Lake.

Eidolon Myrlin · Post by **Eidolon Myrlin** » Sat May 20, 2006 5:08 pm

"Time to take precautions, I think," Eidolon grinned. "Like tying oneself to nice, solid ground. It must be rather uncomfortable to be blown off a flying island." The ground trembled slightly and a few rocks broke free in the mountains on the horizon. "Although I'm not sure if this will work with the stability of this particular ground."

The young man brushed off his knees and started down the slope, keeping to the dirt path many generations of Kanthrops had forged into existence. Once in a while he would glance up at the hills in the distance and make a grimace, varying it every time. Soon the large slab of rock came into view, a raised dais on which yet unknown rituals will be performed later today. It looked calm and protective in full sunlight, but Eidolon could imagine the change in atmosphere as soon as the shadows shall start to lengthen and the fire will be lit. The intricate carving of the totems was ideal for casting unsettling shadows.

The area was deserted save for Oni, perched high on top of one of the totems. She looked as if she had no idea of what had happened, and although Eidolon was fairly certain she had been watching over them all the time, he kept a straight face. After all, it didn't hurt him in any way if he believed Oni's poker expression.

"We all did," he grinned at the Kanthan. In a way, it's true. Without Niamh's warning, I would have fallen into the crevice. Without Ardal's and mine help, she wouldn't have made it back up.

"Hunt!" he repeated, a large smile breaking over his face. He enjoyed this active form of "gathering" food, although fishing was a close second. Absent-mindedly, he lumbered around in the still damp pouch at his waist, his thumb and forefinger closing over the fishing hooks and lines inside. With a pang of embarrassment, Eidolon remembered his bow and arrows were hung up on a peg in his tent, not to mention the spear (actually, where was it? He sincerely hoped it would be hiding somewhere in a corner, or else...). However, that shouldn't really be any problem, he could always run back up and fetch his weapons.

An uncertain idea stole into his mind. "With or without weapons?" he asked cautiously, squinching up his face as if he could somehow stop himself from hearing the answer. Eidolon didn't mind lying in wait for the odd rabbit or such, but he didn't quite trust himself to outrun a stag. If only I could warp already, he thought wistfully. It would all be so much easier.

His fingers stroked the flute around his neck and he brought it to his mouth, blowing a few tunes and then attempting to mimic a traditional Kanthrop melody, one hummed and played just before the Trials. He couldn't recall much of it, but the refrain, which kept repeating itself at intervals, wasn't hard to play.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 20, 2006 6:39 pm

Ardal replied with a single quiet chuckle to Eidelon's joke as he bent down to pick a few stray pieces of grass off of his kanthar. He glanced over at his companions once before starting down toward the lake.

Ardal ambled down the hill with no particular haste, keeping his eyes for the most part on the shimmering waters of Paw Lake in the distance. He looked around every once and a while for his fellow kits, just to make sure that one of them had not taken a tumble down a freshly-created crevice. He soon set eyes on a large stone slab upon which benches and totems had been set. He knew it to be the Festival Grounds, yet it had never held more special a signifigance to him in the past than it did that day. He felt a twinge of pride like a lightening in his chest; he was to become a true kanthrop today. Having heard and memorized a few of those great tales of kanthrop history, he knew what that meant.

As Ardal approached the grounds, he could see Oni sitting atop a totem. There seemed to be no one else around. She looked to him as if she had not observed the incident on the hill, though he knew that she could be concealing her knowledge. The kit knew better than to put anything past Oni.

Another chuckle sounded from Ardal in reaction to Eidelon's reply, almost identical to the chuckle before. She glanced over at him briefly, then moved his eyes back to Oni. He listened to his mentor with interest, though she said nothing unexpected.

"I will be glad to help you with the herbs." he announced after both Oni and Eidelon had finished speaking. He knew a good deal for a kit about the island's plants, and little about hunting. He liked animals and took no pleasure in killing them. He knew that hunting was necessary, but he just was not particularly eager to participate. Besides, his weapons were back in his tent, and he did not even know how to use that old bow of his.

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:49 pm

Niamh spent her time en route to meet with Oni trying to walk the rubbery feeling from limbs hard with tension. She forced herself to her long, gangling stride - knocking a few small stones out of her way with the edge of a foot. Trying to take some revenge, hmm? Though still somewhat shaken, there was no way she was going to lapse back into the weakness she had earlier displayed.

The familiar setting and apparently secure stone platform eased her rumpled spirits. She shrugged non-committally at Oni's question and Eidolon's answer, her competitive spirit irked at losing her presumed win due to the island's capricious shuddering. Their mentor's apparent lack of concern conjured up an indignant expression - her thin lips compressing beneath the sharp arc of her nose and then opening... but before any words could escape... Oni had already continued... and the feeling passed. The kit tucked her palms against her elbows, head cocking to one side as she listened.

Eidolon's question caused a brief burble of laughter to emerge, before she could stifle it. Her eyes glittered playfully in his direction.

"Without our gear? Well, Eido, while you might be able to wrestle something to the cookpot with your bare hands, I rather like the quick and painless way for them.." She mimed sighting down an arrow before releasing a phantom string, her fingers twining around the imagined arc of her long bow for a few flickers before returning to their normal position. Niamh took great pride in the whistle of an arrow correctly placed, for such meant those lesser creatures need not suffer. Either way, however, her flippant shrug suggested she was ready for whatever the Kanthan demanded.

"You wouldn't mind us going back for our gear, would you Oni?" The questioning lilt was more observation than question.

Curiously, her eyes flicked to Ardal, somewhat unsurprised at his choice of duties - and yet she bore a healthy respect for those greatly familiar with the growing plant-life... Otherwise our meals would be painfully bland.....

The thought drew her back to the mornings squabble before she suddenly realized there was... nothing... tucked beneath her belt. Vaugely, she recalled the sensation of something slithering down her leg while she dangled by her elbows on the cliff-edge, and her fingers casually drifted to her waist, feeling for the absent lump of pinecones futilely.

Her eyes drifted briefly towards Eido, then flicked back to Oni with a quiet sigh of regret. Well, perhaps the Festival isn't the best time to be pranking anyhow...

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Tue May 23, 2006 7:06 pm

Oni listened to the three. Her eyes following their every motion, seemingly gauging their temperament as they stood before her on the site where later on the day the trials would commence. Eidolon blew a few notes on his flute. Had Oni been able to smile she would have.

"Ah, you remember some of the notes. You should ask Gavor to teach you the entire composition after the festival." Gavor was a middle aged dolphin warper, one of the few who remained on the island. He was also an adept musician and had conjured the most enchanting melodies around the campfire to accompany the tales of the storytellers.

"You can use weapons Eidolon, or not. It's up to you entirely. But my suggestion would be to make use of your human form. A wild stag isn't easily persuaded by bare hands." She turned to Ardal at his mention of the herbs. "That will be fine Ardal, Hawkeye requested some Valarian, White Mist and some Sleepy Head. You should be able to find those with relative ease, although the White Mist might take you a bit as it only grows deep within the forest."

She spread her wings again, showing off the glamorous deck of white feathers which comprised her chest and the bottom of her wings. She hopped off the totem and landed on one of the square rocks, just in front of Niamh. She turned her head up at the questioning kit, who seemed slightly frustrated...

"Something bothering you Niamh?"

She ruffled her feathers, taking a few flickers to straighten a few of the larger pens with her beak. She seemed very much like a natural bird in this fashion, taking on some of the regular habits of her animal side. "And no, I don't mind if you go back to grab your gear. Although I would have expected all three of you to have come better prepared when I requested your help. You should learn that rash decisions can have dire consequenses." She paused again, looking each of the three kit in the eyes.

"So, no hanging around anymore," Her eyes pierced Niamh's as she said this. "There is work to be done. I will be around here later if you need me, I have to go change and prepare for the festival myself. Bring back something nice!" These last words were spoken as she took off again and soared in the direction of the sun, which had risen high above the Skymyst mountains, tradetide would soon be upon them.

Niamh Windwalker · Post by **Niamh Windwalker** » Wed May 24, 2006 8:05 pm

"Oh, it's nothing Oni." Her expressive features tightened as she forced a faint smile, though she bristled slightly at the Kanthan's following words. Your request for help was preparing this place for the festival... if you just wanted us to hunt, why not just have told us before? Now there would be a long walk back to the village, and while Niamh didn't mind the exercise... the thought of wasted effort was irritating. Shifting uncomfortably on her feet, she restrained her speech until Oni was beyond hearing, then kicked a pebble as her own words whirled forth, exasperated.

"Hanging around, I'll show her 'hanging around..." Indignant eyes lifted to challenge both Eido and Ardal, her voice tight with faint defensiveness. "It wasn't as if I intended to go strolling off the edge?!" But if you hadn't leaped ahead without warning, maybe it wouldn't have happened, hmm? Her frustration subsided with the nudge of her slightly guilty conscience and she turned back the way they had come with a sigh, hoping the other's might not read such in her expression... I'll just have to arrange a little diversion for Oni soon, is all... and with that, she stretched an arm behind her head, pulling the elbow with her opposite hand as she flashed a suspiciously cheery grin at her two companions? A flicker later she had switched arms, and then, with muscles loosened, her appendages fell easily to her side.

"So Eido, you decided between bare hands and weapons yet?" Her impish grin stretched beneath her narrow, beakish nose - the earlier escapade beginning it's slow descent into disregarded memory. "Or had you planned to join Ardal in wrestling with wildflowers?"

Eidolon Myrlin · Post by **Eidolon Myrlin** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 9:40 pm

"Good idea," Eidolon mused, trying to recall more of the festive tune without success. It was one of his dreams to play as a bard on one of the Awakening festivals - not his own, naturally, but perhaps on some of the ones to come. There were plenty Kanthrop kits around, who will approach the time to change at one point in their life. His eyes drifted into a half-closed position as he pictured the evening scene, the great fire burning in the middle of the raised dais, the shadows cast by totems dancing round and round. The Kanthans would sit like statues, perhaps in their animal form, and the musician - himself - would stand a little distance off, drawing beautiful music out of the hollow flute in his mouth.

"I'll never be able to play like Gavor," he sighed, snapping back to reality, and also to the task that lay ahead. Eidolon wasn't fond much of his bow, preferring the fishing line to it, but he would never catch enough fish in a mere few marks. To provide enough scaled meals for the entire community would require at least one whole day spent up to his knees in the cool waters of the lake, standing absolutely still and changing methods of fishing regularly.

He caught Niamh's look and frowned, at first not quite understanding her mimics. When it dawned on him that the pinecones were lost for ever, his face fell and shoulders sagged. So much trouble... And all for nothing... Anyway, the matter didn't occupy his mind for long. Too many pranks had failed for Eidolon to worry about this particular one for long. He flashed a smile at Niamh and shrugged. We'll think of something else.

"It's the longbow for me," he nodded, following Oni's flight with his eyes, shielding them against the sun. When the hawk became just a dot in the sky, he turned back, blinking the purple shadows out of his eyes.

"I'm afraid that even with your help, Ardal, brother, I would accidentally poison the whole assembly if anyone allowed me near herbs," he said apologetically, bending down to pick a small flower growing at his feet. "I'm capable of taking a lethal mushroom for a spice."

"Anyone up for a race?" he continued, stone-faced. However, not long after the last word had escaped his lips did his corners start to twitch and he ended up laughing, so hard he sank to his knees. "All right, bad joke. And me laughing at my own jokes doesn't make it better." As he got up and brushed the dirt from his knees, he eyed the hill wistfully. Eidolon didn't like the thought of climbing uphill and then downhill once more much. Yet there was nothing else to do. With a deep breath, he strode out towards the village.

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:19 am

The sun moved in the sky as it had done for countless ages. Peering over the empires in the east, gazing out late during the day over the shores of the western kingdoms, passing the mysterious Seven Isles on it's way. It had seen countless things. Wars waged, peace treaties signed. Beaming in through windows untold it had lit up countless rooms where people slept, waking them to the task at hand. It had made countless couples happy as it disappeared behind the horizon to lend them the shadows which followed for them to ensue in their courtship and love making.

This day was different however, the lands were not as they were. For countless yahren had it passed over the island floating peacefully close to the clouds. It had watched generations of Kanthrop grow up and leave as they came of age, it had even seen the first generation come to the island and most likely only the sun knew their most prized secrets, having witnessed them first hand. But now, as the sun rose up to it's highest point it could see change in the making. The island which had hovered peacefully below him, above the mystical island of Pan had now sunk down, veering off heavily to the western shores of the island below, dropping segments off it's hard rocky outer shell as it tumbled into the depths.

The sun was the onlooker of the most tragic of events and the most blissfull. Now, it watched the kanthrop on their island prepare for the festival of their most recent generation of kit to be awakened. It watched Niamh stalk the boar the sun had seen slip into it's den but burns earlier. It watched Ardal make his way through the forest, browsing the plantlife as if shopping a market square for the proper herbs. It watched Eidolon and Catherine go about their assigned chores around the village. The sun watched the drums in the village roll, a warning for what was about to happen for all those on the island.

But it was too late...

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

A deep rumble gripped the island, shaking it's foundations to the core. Beyond any tremor the kanthrop had felt before. Wildlife wimpered and hid. Birds flew up from their nests. The drums in the village went silent as the deep ominous terror shook the very core of the stone mass making up the flying isle.

BWAM!!!

A terrible noise, like an explosion of rock gripped the entire isle as it impacted on the island below. Splicing the waters around the coast of Pan's Isle in a massive tidal wave, drilling it's pointed edge into the ground making up the pristine western shores. The island shook, cracked and broke. Everywhere enormous shards of rock shot up from the ground like needles being stuck upward through a pincushion, the ground spliced and ruptured as the mountains on the eastern border of the isle crumbled and disappeared in massive clouds of dust and gravel. The pressure from the collapse swept the dust upward in a vortex of sand, sweeping over Ursa Etheria like a cover, a blanket of destruction.

Everywhere trees fell as the surface of the island sank and rose at will, like the ripples of the ocean would swallow a swimmer so were trees, animals and kanthrop alike engulfed in an ocean of rock and insanity. The four kit felt their Inner Animals surge within them, not in anger but in a massive panic attack. All their instincts shouted "RUN", but there was no where to go. The village of tents and cabins crumbled before the eyes of their onlookers, the forest screamed and the fields wept as all were torn asunder in a terrible rage of sound and dust.

The Etherial Isle was no longer Etherial...

Brytan · Post by **Brytan** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:10 pm

Thread locked, players progress on to the 28th / 29th. Inner Animal skills updated as required. Skilling done.