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 Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:41 pm
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Nightingale took her time stretching out her wings and rolling her shoulders, getting ready to take flight. Her younger sister, Starling, was already up in the air, gliding around in circles as she waited for her to join her. Nightingale smiled. Her sister had always been good at flying -- took to it like she was born to fly, even at a young age. She couldn't help but be proud of how quickly Starling had learned. It was no surprise, really; she'd always been incredibly smart. Nightingale had been the one to teach her, but she'd hardly had to do anything. Once Starling had the basics down she was flying like a natural.
She stretched out her legs next, sighing as her muscles loosened up, and with a grin she took off running, spreading her wings to take to the skies. She rode the thermals up to where Starling was flying and matched her speed, beating her wings as they flew beside each other. They had been traveling together for some time now -- years, in fact -- finding their own adventures, on their own journey to find themselves and where they belonged. Their parents discouraged them from going together, trying to impress upon them that this should be a personal journey, to learn to live on their own, find their own interests and friends, but of course, that wasn't what happened. Nightingale didn't want to let her little sister out of her sight; she didn't care that she was a big mare now, that sure, maybe she could take care of herself. In Nightingale's mind, Starling still needed her. She tried not to think about how it was probably the other way around, but Starling hadn't protested when she still suggested they take this journey together.
"Hey!" she called out over the wind, smiling when Starling looked at her. "Wanna race to the river?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:26 am
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There was something about flying that just felt pure -- the air up here wasn't muddled from the scents below, Starling's hooves didn't feel the pressure of the earth beneath them, she had the wind in her feathers and beneath her wings... it was wonderful. She glided casually in circles above her sister as she waited for Nightingale to join her. It was like this every morning, a routine of sorts; wake up, eat breakfast, then stretch their wings and go for a fly before they began their travels. Sometimes Starling wondered if they would ever settle down; that was the point of this journey, wasn't it? To find out where they belonged, even if it ended up being back with their parents? But it's been a long time since they left their herd lands, and still here they were, always moving, never staying in one place for too long.
It wasn't all bad. They'd had the opportunity to make a lot of friends along the way -- and their fair share of enemies, of course -- and the complex beauty of nature never ceased to amaze. Starling in particular loved to learn about the different cultures of the herds they've come across, soaking up the knowledge like a sea sponge. She wanted to know their traditions and beliefs, their rituals -- everything they were willing to share. It wasn't always easy; she presented many Kalona features, and many were rightfully wary of her and her sister. Starling was certainly the more reasonable of the two, but she understood she still needed to earn trust first.
When Nightingale began to fly beside her Starling cast her a welcoming smile, soon followed by a roll of her eyes as her sister issued the challenge. Leave it to her sister to try and turn everything into a competition. "Not really," she sighed, but her rejection didn't seem to phase Nightingale. Her sister's grin only got bigger and then she was off like a bolt, racing toward the river. "Night!" Starling shouted indignantly, and suddenly she found herself racing her sister anyway. She smiled.
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:02 am
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Nightingale laughed gleefully when she noticed her sister had given in to the race regardless. It was part of her job as the elder sister to make sure Starling had fun once in a while, wasn't it? The poor younger mare's life would be so boring without her in it. Nightingale could only imagine how Starling would treat every day like the same old routine if they weren't traveling together. Of course, it was all well and good to drag Starling into some friendly competitions... until she started winning. Nightingale gaped as her grinning sister began to gain some distance on her, pulling forward ahead, and this was so not how it was supposed to go. Nightingale was supposed to win! "You're cheating!" she yelled, even though that very clearly wasn't the case. She growled and beat her wings harder, pushing herself to go faster.
It just wasn't working. Starling folded her wings against her back and dove toward the ground at an angle, picking up speed before her wings shot out again and caught the wind, and Nightingale pouted. There was no way she'd be able to catch up to her now. The river was in sight just beyond a line of trees up ahead at the edge of the forest, and with the race forgotten, Nightingale began to patrol the area a little to make sure there weren't any dangers waiting for them below. It seemed clear enough, though -- just a few small critters here and there -- and when Nightingale saw Starling begin to descend, she followed.
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:28 pm
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Starling landed softly -- at least, for a soquili of her size -- when she decided the area was safe enough, trotting over to the river to take a long drink of the cool water. She smiled to herself when she saw her sister join her at the corner of her eye and chuckled, lifting her heat to look at Nightingale. "Cheating, huh?" she asked, her tone teasing. "You just can't handle it that I'm a faster flier than you. You even had a head start this time!" Starling laughed, and her smile grew wider when Nightingale scowled at her. "You're such a sore loser," she sing-songed, but she barely finished the sentence before she saw Nightingale scoop her wing into the water and sent a large splash towards her. Starling gasped when the water hit her, soaking her feathers and the front of her body, and she stared at her laughing sister for a moment in shock before she collected herself. "That's how you want to play it, huh?" Starling jumped into the water -- why not? she was already wet -- and used both of her wings to splash Nightingale back.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:05 pm
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The sisters' laughter echoed into the valley as they played with each other as though they were fillies again, splashing each other with water and chasing each other in the river. Inevitably, their play morphed into a light sparring match, out of the water and into the bushes, but the smiles remained on their faces regardless. At last, will a hard shove and well placed feet, Nightingale managed to knock Starling off her hooves and claws and onto the ground. Nightingale beamed down at her sister, panting from exertion even as she flicked the feathers from Starling's face with a claw. "Wow!" she grinned, holding her head up high, triumphant. "You sure are out of practice. Can't believe how easy it was to take you down! My little sister still has so much to lea-- hey!" Nightingale jumped back with a laugh as Starling took a swipe at her, sticking out her tongue. It was as though Starling didn't want to hear her big sister's constructive criticism! Ah, so rebellious! So young!
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:07 pm
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Starling rolled her eyes, huffing a laugh as she pushed herself back up and shook her head at Nightingale's antics. She turned her head to look at her side, making a face at the state of her coat, still damp from the water and now covered in dirt, too. Ah, well -- she'd just have to take another bath. Still, she sighed. "You're insufferable," she muttered, fighting to keep the smile off her face, shoving Nightingale with her shoulder as she passed by. "I can tell how easy it was for you to 'take me down', as you say, from how winded you are." With that, she slipped back into the river to try and clean off the mud, but not before flicking water at her sister one last time. Playful energy spent, they both cleaned off in the river, getting rid of dirt and fixing out-of-place feathers. It would be a while until they were fully dry, but at least the process would go a little faster once they were back in the air.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:09 pm
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But the sisters' time getting ready for the day would be cut short; a lone wolf by the name of Hródolf stumbled along the river's edge, in pain but at least able to move. He had no other choice; taking time to rest and tend to his own injuries was wasted time. For all he knew, his mistress was on death's door; she'd been still unconscious when he left her to search for help. The voices ahead gave him hope, but he was still wary -- he didn't know if Asmodeus would be looking for their bodies to confirm that they were dead. If he was smart, he would -- but Hródolf knew he was also arrogant. It wouldn't surprise him if the Kalona assumed he'd done what he came here to do. Up ahead, he saw them; two colorful mares by the river's edge and, judging by their wings, were at least partially Kalona. That knowledge gave him pause, but Hródolf had been under Asmodeus' command for a long time -- they didn't look like anyone his former master worked with.
And they were halfbreeds.
That made it more unlikely that they knew Asmodeus -- or at least on friendly terms with him.
He approached the mares cautiously, but the aching in his limbs made it difficult and he wasn't quite certain he would be able to run away fast enough if they decided they wanted to make a meal out of him. He tried to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible -- his tail tucked between his legs, ears flat -- and when one of the mares looked towards him he flattened himself to the ground with a whimper. "Please. I need help. My mistress is badly injured, I don't know how to help her on my own!"
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:18 pm
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As soon as Starling saw the injured wolf, she'd already made up her mind to help. She stepped around Nightingale and moved closer to the wolf. "We will do what we can," Starling declared, and saw Nightingale's head turn sharply to look at her out of the corner of her eye. "Where is she?" She could almost feel Nightingale's disapproval like a physical thing, but Starling ignored her. She was used to it, and while the fact that her sister cared for her well-being was touching, it was equally as frustrating. It was as though Nightingale felt she could pick and choose when to treat Starling as an adult and when to treat her like a foal -- without any input from Starling, of course. She just wished Nightingale would be her sister and not some stand-in parent, hovering around like a mother hen. Besides, it was just a lone wolf! She should know that Starling could handle herself against that, whether or not it was injured!
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:23 pm
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Hródolf stood up immediately, a wave of relief rushing through his body. "Thank you, thank you," he can't remember if his voice has ever sounded so desperate before, "she's just up the river, I couldn't get her all the way out --" The blue feathered mare didn't wait for him to finish, sharing a look with her sister that Hródolf couldn't comprehend, and then took off into the air, flying ahead of them. Hródolf turned to look at the remaining mare, noting the irritated expression on her face with concern, but the mare merely looked down at him with a snort and nodded her head towards the direction her sister went.
The pair of then ran as fast as they could -- the mare keeping pace with Hródolf, slowed down due to his injuries -- following the river as Hródolf had indicated. Each step was another lance of pain through his body, but Hródolf grit his teeth though it; it was his fault they were in this situation, after all. It was up to him to fix what he could. He would never betray Nymphalidae again. If his mistress even accepted him back after what he'd done, he vowed to earn back every last ounce of her trust until there was no one she trusted more -- not even her mate, not anyone!
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:51 pm
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Nymphalidae was immobile, still half in the water by the time Starling found her, and before she landed she swooped down to carefully grip the mare with her claws and drag her fully onto dry land. Once done, she shook out her wings and immediately felt for a pulse, searching along her neck until -- yes, there! Still alive! But for how long? Starling could examine the wounds on the outside of her body, but there would be no telling what kind of internal injuries she sustained. The fluttercorn had been in a fight, and one she lost -- badly. Starling knew just by looking at her that she was beyond their help; they would need to enlist in the aid of a unicorn. It wouldn't do to just leave the mare bleeding out while they looked for help, though -- Starling looked around, and quickly started to gather materials to craft makeshift bandages, hoping it would be enough to staunch at least the worst of the open wounds. She didn't have access to any medicinal herbs, so it would have to do for now. She was already grinding plant fibers into mush against a rock with a hind hoof, but she only spared then a quick glance before returning to her work.
"I'll need help putting these on her. Nightingale, take that cup there and start pouring water over her wounds. Clean them as much as you can." Starling nodded her head toward the small cup she'd crafted from weaving large leaves, flimsy and sloppy and not made to last, but enough to get the job done. "Wolf," no time to ask for his name now, "I'm going to press this against her wounds to try and stop the bleeding -- or at least slow it down." When the wolf nodded his head, she continued, "this is the best we can do with what we have. Once we finish patching her up, my sister will go in search for a unicorn to help us while you and I stay to tend to her. Understand?" she said, ignoring the way her sister faltered as she poured another cup of water over Nymphalidae's leg.
Again, the wolf nodded, his body trembling.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:07 pm
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Nightingale's lips were curled in an angry snarl as she continued to work, but she kept silent as she tried not to stare daggers at her sister too obviously. Why were they even here, helping this wolf and this mare? They didn't know them. The mare's injuries were obviously from another creature -- some sort of fight -- which meant that they certainly shouldn't be getting themselves tangled up in whatever mess they were in. They should be worrying more about saving their own hides! And now Starling expected her to just... leave them here? Alone? And where was she supposed to find a unicorn? Did they even know any unicorns -- let alone one that lived nearby? She tisked, splashing the last scoop of water onto Nymphalidae's shoulder a little too forcefully before tossing the cup away. Nightingale stood by quietly watching as Starling worked, momentarily distracted by the way her sister's deft claws worked in spreading the pulp across the wounds. How could her sister be so damn smart while simultaneously being so damn stupid sometimes?
Once Starling looked satisfied, Nightingale cleared her throat pointedly and gestured with a wing to an area away from the wolf and his charge. She smiled, a little too sweetly at the wolf. "We'll be right back!" A little too cheerful, and when she turned her face away a stormy expression took its place.
Somewhat alone now, Nightingale lowered her head and whispered harshly to Starling, almost hissing, "what are you thinking? If I leave you here alone, whatever did that to her could come back and do that to you! Look, we did what we could, but random acts of kindness are only worth doing if you get away alive after. I refuse to leave you here alone," she declared with a stomp of a hind hoof, as if that settled the matter. |
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:30 pm
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Starling tried not to sigh too loudly, but it was difficult to contain. She stepped closer into her sister's space, jabbing her chest with the curve of a wing and whispered back, equally irritated. "Well, we're not going to just leave them here, and certainly neither of them can walk very far -- let alone fly! If we go, we are effectively letting that mare die. Do you want that on your claws, that guilt in the back of your mind? Because I don't, and don't try to act like you wouldn't care, because you would. I know you're just trying to keep us safe," and that much was true -- the thought that whatever attacked the mare and her familiar might come back had crossed her mind, too -- but what if it didn't? And why would it leave with the intention of returning, instead of finishing what it had to do here first? They didn't have the whole story. They didn't have any of the story. Starling's eyes flicked back to where the wolf was huddled up by his soquili, obviously in pain but diligently watching over the mare. "Look at them; they won't survive without our help. You know I'm a good fighter, Night. By the spirits, it was you who trained me! I'm not trying to be reckless, I just... think this is the right thing to do. And if you can't find a unicorn closer, Tourmaline is only half a day's travel away from here. You'd be back here before you know it."
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 4:16 pm
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Ah, yes -- Tourmaline! Nightingale had forgotten that she was so close by. She was only partially unicorn, but both she and Starling knew from experience that Tourmaline had healing abilities. They weren't as strong as a pure unicorn's, though -- would it be enough? Nightingale grit her teeth with a growl. She knew Starling was right, as infuriating as it was. Yes, Starling was a good fighter. Yes, it was the right thing to do. Just -- yes, alright? She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and a moment to collect herself, and opened then again as she exhaled. Even then, she still hesitated:
"... alright."
She couldn't even turn to look at the wolf and the mare; she was already caving in to what Starling wanted, wasn't that enough? "But I won't go any further than half a day's flight! If I can't find another unicorn and Tourmaline moved on, then I come back and we leave." |
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