|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:56 pm
[Basic Description Goeth Here, after I'm done with the code change^^]
Vanguardian ran along the river bank racing a leaf that had wandered down in the wind. Sonja and Signy were upstream, having a small picnic under the morning sun. Van didn’t particularly care how far she went, the girls would find her any way. The girls didn’t particularly care if the small nestling went too far either, she’d never gotten permanently lost either—the Nian baby was loud enough to startle a full grown dragon, more than enough to lead them to her
Van is a Nian full of spunk and too much energy and strength built by traveling the mountainous terrain which makes up the borderland between the Central Powers’ territory and the Eastern Empire’s. Signy was a Halfling, her father was an Okami, a powerful one too. You could tell it by her eyes. She was an adept in Shadowcraft, though you’d never see her use it. Sonja is a pure bred human, no talent to speak of, except hunting, if that counts. The only thing those two shared is Van, whom she chose one rainy night when she found the two girls huddled together in an abandoned dwelling, out of the rain. What they all shared was that they were all orphans, Signy, Sonja and Vanguardian—who wasn’t even properly delivered. She was alone since she could remember, bonding with the two human and half out of nessessity rather than choice, not that any of them regretted it.
Van suddenly crouched low to the ground, she’d sensed someone other.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:12 pm
Elandri frisked along all on his ownsome, totally overjoyed at having managed to give Mili the slip! He's been trying for days and days and days it seemed, but all for naught! Mili was being extra-careful these days, extra-extra-careful because Rio was gone and had told Mili to watch Landi closely, but Elandri himself didn't quite know why. He was okay right now, right? He'd been okay before, right?
Of course, that was primarily because Riordan had found him before he could get into any real danger, or because Absimiloith had swept in at the last moment and plucked the nestling up before he could frolic into actual danger... but good luck trying to explain that to Elandri.
Landi didn't hear anyone else in his head, so clearly Mili hadn't noticed he was gone! Elandri was tickled by his own success in sneaking away, and his attention was just barely caught by what he though might've been somebody. Elandri paused for a moment, turning about in place, then bounded off in the direction of what he thought might be a person, barking a happy (if maybe over-enthusiastic) welcome in the direction of the scent of running water.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:42 pm
Van’s floppy little ears perked up at the sound of that someone approaching. It was small and clumsy, she could tell by all the noise it made. Whatever it was—Vanguardian stood on her haunches and gave a roar. Behind her Sonja and Signy giggled, the small Nian was couldn’t roar for her life, despite how loud she was and how much she believed in herself. There are just some things believing doesn’t fix.
The creature continued to keep charging. Van crouched, ready for anything nasty and fanged. She sprung and managed to pin the noisemaking animal to the ground. It was only then that she realized it was just another Nian nestling, like her. Well, almost. She smelled partly Okami, because, well, she was. This one smelled pure bred. Either way, it wasn’t the nasty, fanged creature she was hoping for.
Van hopped off and mewled in deception. This area was so adventure lacking. No wonder the silly girls chose it. She didn’t want to go too far, she’d be hungry soon, so she decided to give this male nestling a chance.
He was fluffier than her, something she wasn’t yet sure if to envy or not. He was black, blue and a shade of purple, nearly the same color-play as Van herself. She decided this stranger could be interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:53 pm
Elandri was... thrilled, actually, to have met another Nian, and totally enthusiastic about being pounced. If he'd been worried about being attacked, his attitude might have been different, but worrying about such thins was, as of yet, still too foreign to Elandri's thoughts. Instead he gave a Nian smile as he looked up at the other Nian, noting that it was female and more importantly, a nestling like him! Yay! Mili wasn't that bad, but she was older and always telling him boring things - don't run off, don't hide under the cart, don't try to walk on the roof - so maybe this one would be more fun? Funner? Something like that?
As the other Nian got off of Elandri and moved away, Elandri sprung up onto all fours and ambled after her, his tail wagging and his long coat shifting as he jogged to keep up with his new 'friend.' His assortment of friendly barks and mews stumbled over each other, obvious due to his excitment, and were only slightly more understandable in Nykai.
Elandri hurried up a bit to catch up with the other Nian; she smelled different from other Nian, but then, the only other one he knew was Mili, who was older and also different from regular Nian, or so she said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:33 pm
Van turned her head nearly three-sixty degrees. Something that tended to freak out other Nian, which amused her. Play, sure, she loved to "play". She reached out to the other Nian's mind, filling it with musical chimes. She pounced at the other cub. She was a terrible little cheater, the girls always said so, though other Nian keepers never paid them heed.
Said girls now looked up from their pleasantries. Sonja wondered where that cub's family was, she knew they weren't supposed to stray far, not even Van ran away so irresponsibly so. But alas, here was a lone cub. Perhaps... A wild nian?
Signy, never in sync, or even all down to earth, caught sight of a little streak of red which looked to be more like a wild furred dragon offspring than a nian. It was all dreadfully unkempt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:57 pm
Today certainly was Elandri's kind of day, wasn't it? First he gets away from Mili all on his own, then he finds this new friend, and now she can turn her head all the way around like that! It immediately inspires Elandri to attempt to do the same, with the result that - as he hadn't stopped walking, naturally enough - he began to swerve off-course. Even as he was discovering (much to his disappointment) that his neck didn't really work that way, Elandri was distracted by a sound in his head like the windchimes that Rio had all around the roof of the cart, when they had a cart.
(They didn't have one now.)
So Elandri was pretty distracted when the other Nian jumped at him, causing Landi to give a startled bark before he hit the soft, springy turf. Joy! A game! Elandri immediately began to return the favor, squirming bit by bit from the other's hold, his long coat helping immensely; well-brushed and shiny, it slipped easily against just about every surface. Nearly free, Elandri nipped at one of the other Nian's forelegs and wriggled backward to regain his feet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:19 pm
Vanguardian was slightly annyoed by the incredibly clean cub. He slipped away easily, and not before giving Van a facefull of fluff. It went up into her nose, tickling inside. And when the silly little cub nipped at her legs she immediatly went down, sneezing and trying to swat away all that downy fluff. She began to bark like an Okami, which was strange coming from a nian cub.
Van charged at the male cub, swatting his muzzle none too lightly, but she didn't have her claws drawn either. She blew onto the little nian, it usually annoyed the heck out of birds and dogs. She ran around swiftly and grabbed the nian's stubby tail, her own wagging wildly. She was filled with bliss. Most nian cubs were ridiculously attatched to their humans and had no bravery to speak of. She didn't know she tended to be rough, but she had no ill intentions either.
Van tugged his tail, making little growling noises as she did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:35 pm
Elandri yelped; this person played rough! Sometime Mili swatted him away, or smacked him on the head or hindquarters when he didn't listen to her, and Rio didn't intervene because you know, "toughens the kid up" and everything, but still... Elandri was probably pretty sheltered.
This worked, in some ways, for and against him. On the one hand, he wasn't used to such rough play, which briefly confused him and set Elandri off-balance; on the other, he didn't know enough to know that there was a situation where he should be worried, and only redoubled his efforts.
Elandri barked when he felt her teeth bite his tail, and it sounded something like a squawk as well; turning first left, then right, he couldn't quite get a good view (much less reach) because of his own back legs. However, that didn't stop Elandri from still throwing out a paw and trying to bat the other Nian on the nose and make her let go. Of course, with things as it were, all that succeeded in doing was sending both Elandri and the as-yet unnamed Other Nestling tumbling along the riverbank.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:23 am
"Van!", Signy called. Half the picnic fell into a heap as she stood suddenly. "Signy!", Sonja cried, annoyed at the other girl. Van and the cub tumbled into the river. Van felt the water soak into her cub coat, which soaked up more water than she'd like. The current wasn't too srong for her, but it was tricky, changing directions for no apparent reason.
Vanguardian heard Signy give a frightening howl, something she didn't really do. She stuck a paw into the muddy edge, where it stuck. She quickly caught the male cub with her back claws and pulled him in. It was then when she saw why Signy had called in such a way. Towering ten feet above them was a water dragon. Not eastern, nor even western, but a mix--the worst you could find. They were never meant to interbreed, so this hybrid was always quite a hellraiser.
There's more of that underneath the water, thought Van, hurrying to pull herself onshore and practically kicking the little nestling to crawl over her and to safety.
"Holy crap! Signy!", Sonja called. "No!", Van heard Signy reply. She knew what Sonja wanted her to do, shift into her beast from, which Signy vowed to never do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:03 pm
Elandri's eyes widened as he tried to shake aside his dripping-wet coat to peer up at whatever it was; the water was moving in a funny way, that being funny-strange and not funny-haha, but he couldn't tell what was causing it. Sometimes such long, fluffy fur was really not that good of a thing!
Elandri squeaked in protest as the other nestling kicked him - this female was really rough! - but his protest subsided as he shook himself like a dog, clearing his field of view. Elandri's bright blue-black eyes widened at the sight that greeted him; Elandri knew what that was, although Rio had only let him see it from a distance, and he didn't need any encouragement to scramble towards the riverbank. He wasn't exactly scared but he really didn't want to be too close to that...
Just then, at the edges of his mind, Elandri felt an angry, worried, and very familiar mind.
WHERE do you think you were running off to?!?>
The mental picture that Elandri sent back was his tiny nestling-eye view of the water-dragon, and the anger was quickly replaced by a surge of worry.
On the opposite side of the bank, a sudden snapping of branches and slashing of leaves heralded a brightly-colored, blue-edged blur. A snap! was heard as a sunset-painted fan unfurled like a butterfly's wings, and a strong sweep sent tendrils of bitter cold ahead, icing the river-water to freeze solid. Landing lightly on the ice, her feet sure, was a young woman with the ears and tail of a Nian, bright-colored wings flaring behind her.
"Get away from that nestling!" she ordered, glaring at the serpent as she snapped the fan to attention with a flick of her wrist; the ice froze ahead of her as she leaped at the hybrid, her fan making another pass and unleashing a wave of fire.
"You get away from there!" she said to Elandri, traipsing back out of range, "and you'd better hope I don't tell Rio!"
Elandri whimpered an apology and grabbed one of the other nestling's ears, tugging her up the bank towards relative safety.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:31 pm
Van wasn't as annoyed about being pulled out be her ears than she would be. There was a new creature here worth her musings. She smelled like her, like and unlike a nian. Except this looked like a human. She knew what she must be, though she'd never met one in her short lifetime--a Graced. An interesting possibility, but the pondering would have to wait, cause the water dragon had just noticed Signy.
Van ran foreward, only to trip over her own feet. Her fur flopped over her eyes, how annoying. Why couldn't her father had been a southern Okami, or even a dingo. She was suddenly swept up in something dark that smelled like food. Like a picnic.
Sonja dumped the nian by the edge of the forest, where they could retreat at a moment's notice. The uneaten food spilled around and on her. Van licked a bit of maple cake off her nose before returning to the situation at hand.
There was Signy, being a fool as usual. And that Graced girl which Van wasn't even sure was safe. She wondered for a moment if this could be the cub's mother, but a look at her color play and the cubs told otherwise. Van decided to place her under category of possible threat, given that she had a weapon of sorts and Signy only had an ability to phase that she refused to use. In fact, no one was sure she could. Maybe she was defective.
Van, being the usual hothead, charged at the hybrid dragon. Sonja made a grab for her, but the nestling was much too quick. Vanguardian stopped suddenly, measuring the odds for once. She truely had no chance against that thing. Signy was still in pure panic. Van figured it'd be wise to get her away from said threat and leave the situation to the odd girl.
Yet, her pride made her chuck her sense off to the side. She needed a plan to fight the dragon. She turned about until her eyes fell on the cub.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:44 pm
Oh wow! Mili was maybe in trouble! That was a big dragon, yeah! Why was that human-person who smelled funny not running too? Hey... Was that cake?
Elandri was a very distracted nestling, yes he was; he hadn't eaten since before he left, which was probably only a few hours ago... But he was at that age where he ate an improbably amount, or so Rio always said. Mili just said he ate too much and would have to be rolled around pretty soon, which Elandri always found a funny thought... But! He was hungry. But there was something happening at the river!
Elandri decided to compromise, and bit off a large piece of the tossed-around cake that had landed at his feet, at the same time standing to rise on all four paws and shaking the crumbs from his fur. Chewing hastily - maple, yum! - Elandri turned his head and noticed that the other nestling was looking at him.
Elandri cocked his head, one ear perked up in inquiry.
Keeping on the move, Absimiloith dodged a lunge by the dragon, which was slightly singed but not truly injured; that wave of flame, going by the distance it had needed to travel, had done little besides irritate the serpent. However, it had been distracted at least, and one of those girls on the riverbank had scooped the nestlings up - Although she was concerned, she was fairly sure that they only meant well, and Mili had other matters on her mind.
Like that girl. What was she thinking, standing there like that? A strange mixed scent was coming off her, but it was faint and anyway Mili wasn't sure she could have identified it.
As the serpent lunged again, Absimiloith leaped lightly ever-backwards, luring the dragon away from the opposite shore and the people who were on that bank. Her wings flared as she furled her fan and gestured to the bank, snapping it sharply upward; buried minerals emerged from the ground, and Mili was grateful that the earth here was both soft and highly metallic. Iron ore shaped itself into jagged, roughly-made blades and hurled themselves at the serpent following the path of Absimiloith's fan, piercing the serpent's face and sinuous neck and causing it to rear back with pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:28 pm
Well, it seemed that cub was going to be useless until further notice. Van saw the Graced use her weapon to direct the flow of her paranormal energy, forming flames, ice, and crude metal blades. Blades, now there's something of use. If she could reach Signy with her mind and get her to come down...
Van reflected on that time, the only time, when she'd seen Signy with a blade. Magnificent, even though she had nothing to compare to. Van reached out tentatively, careful to not fall into the girl's panic herself. "Signy", Van spoke to her. She was answered by recognition. Signy's panic subsided to mere fear. "Signy, the blades, use them!" The stupid girl fell into dread, similar to when inquired about her halfblood abilities. "No! she answered firmly.
Van hissed. This was no time for this. Though the two girls were different, they cared about each other in their own way, much like a sisterly relationship. Can't live with them, can't live without. And Van had no intention of leaving either. So she redoubled her efforts. Too much, because she suddenly found herself falling through into the girl's mind.
Van paniced for a moment, until she realised her own panic was adding to Signy's, which wasn't good. She should return to her body, but she didn't. Instead, she began to dig into the girl's subconsious, where her skills may be stored.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:44 pm
So many things were happening! Honestly, Elandri was feeling a little left out... but he knew better than to get involved when he couldn't be any help. Sometimes people thought he was, you know, a bit "touched," but Elandri had a perfectly honed sense of 'time to mess around' and 'time to be serious, and he knew that in any case, Mili would just get mad at him if he got in her way. Besides, she was only doing it 'cuz she worried too much.
Ambling over to the other nestling, Landi peered at the female Nian curiously. She wasn't moving, and Landi figured that she was busy concentrating. Best not to disturb her, then; she might be as grumpy as Mili could get is disturbed. Or Rio, when Elandri ruined his notes. Elandri put his nose to the air, sniffed a little, and headed back down to the shore.
Absimiloith was becoming extremely irritated with this huge snake, and her language showed it clearly enough - The Graced Nian was cursing like a longshoreman from the north, and it was almost surprising that the air around Absimiloith wasn't turning as blue as her hair. 'This stupid snake-fish has too-tough skin!' she thought irately, luring it back to the other river-bank; the hybrid dragon had already crossed the half-way mark of the river, and Absimiloith found herself back on solid ground.
She was beginning to grow tired; while she often used her power for trivial things, like cooling drinks or heating bathwater, she usually didn't use them in such quick succession... and the rate of power was also adding to the drain. Blinking rapidly with her bright eyes and telling herself to focus, Absimolith's pretty features took on a distinctly canine cast as she growled between gritted teeth.
"Just... Get... OUT OF HERE!!!" she shouted, throwing her energy into a wide arc that followed her fan; with a twist of the wrist, the spiraling flame that leaped red-orange from her fan's edges drilled into the serpent's chest, and the pungent smell of grilled fish filled the air. The mixed-breed dragon roared and hissed at once, its movements churning the water into foam; again the wound wasn't fatal, but it was severe enough that fluids were leaking out from the ragged burn in the serpent's "torso." Apparently deciding that two Nian nestlings and their guardians weren't worth this kind of hassle, the serpent thrashed its tail angrily and submerged itself, its departure visible by a receding trail of bubbles and the oily sheen its blood left on the water.
Waiting until the bubbles had vanished, Absimiloith finally let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping as she brushed bright blue bangs from her eyes.
Yay, Mili won! Elandri, who had frisked down to the shore to watch the epic fight, jumped happily into the air to signal his approval. < Yay Mili! That was awesome! Have you been practicing that? Why does it smell like fish? >
Elandri's frisking stopped abruptly when Absimiloith turned a tired, irritated, and thoroughly unhappy glower at the Nian nestling, who froze in mid-jump and shrank down to hug the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:21 am
Next thing Vanguardian knew, she was being rudely shaken by a panicy Sonja. "Van, love, can you hear me?" The kind tone did not fit with the ferocity she was shaking the disoriented nestling with. "Van, if you don't wake up this instant I'll gut and stuff you myself." Van's mouth hung open and she let her toung loll out. Just as Sonja began to believe the nestling truely dead, she head her give a gurgling hiss. Let the girl just try to stuff her.
Van opened her eyes to find bith Sonja and Signy hovering above her. Signy had an uncharacteristically cold expression, she must be more pissed than Van had thought she'd be. What had happened that made carefree Sonja think her dead? How long had it been? Van's questions soon melted away, it didn't really matter now, did it? She was alive, no one would stuff her.
Instead, she was filled with a deep sense of satisfaction, she had what she had set off into the deepest demesne of Signy's mind. Though she never found the way to make her phase, but she had found here her skills were hidden and she'd learned them and adapted them to her own form. Cheater she may be, but she was also clever.
Van righted herself in Sonja's are, avoiding Signy's gaze, and looked about for the cub.
((Her eyes are violet, dark blue, and goldenrod--Mili's))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
