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 Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:12 pm
These are MSN logs between Scaramouche Fandango and Dark_Musashi. Dark's off right now, so I'm posting the whole thing.
After leaving Drywood and his... interesting... companion behind, Hazel was faced with the long journey back to the Deep Woods. Originally, she'd intended to fly straight through through the forest, even during the day, but her better judgment made her rethink that decision. Fortunately, as the sun was beginning to rise, she came across a patch of trees that didn't have anybody's particular markings on them. After several loud, cautious calls to ensure that the territory was abandoned, the old teacher secreted herself in a blasted-out beech and slept through the dawn. Twilight had descended many hours later, and Hazel had awoke, refreshed and ready to travel. Stretching, she took off and began to fly back home, still giddy from the excellent impression her future in-law had left. It wasn't long before she encountered another Sentinel, and something about him looked familiar. This was a pupil of hers... from quite a long time ago. Asher, Ash... Ashton. That was it, Ashton. He didn't appear to be hunting, and she didn't want to appear rude, so she hooted a friendly hello to him as she sought out a perch.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:13 pm
The scout had nothing to do right now. Not much worth being reported. This was to be expected as part of his job, of course, but boredom was not a fun companion to have around.
As Ashton flew in that area, not too close to the canopy so he could observe more easily the ground, his keen eyes took notice of a presence. He went to its direction to double-check. That’s what he thought: a Sentinel. He hadn’t spoken to anybody in days! He stopped his flight to take a grip on a closer branch and greet her. She seemed familiar, and was certain to have been her student not so long ago. “Hello, ma’am!” he said happily, “Do you happen to be Hazel? I’m Ashton! I believe you were a teacher of mine…?”
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:14 pm
It was Ashton! Hazel smiled as she quietly prided herself on her memory. She may be old, but she could still remember fledglings she'd instructed seasons ago. As the Wildtype landed, she flicked her eartufts and nodded happily at him. "Indeed I am! I was sure I recognized you. Hello, Ashton! How's the scout business this evening?" she asked cheerily. She'd been at his Graduation; the boy was built to be a scout, really. Good stamina, and he certainly had the demeanor. He'd been a rambunctious fledgling, but certainly a perseverant one, as well as very responsible. If she remembered correctly, he'd been a great caretaker of his siblings and his mother; she was pleased to see that he was still working at his chosen task. Likely, it had been an excellent match between him and his task. But, as was the case with many of her scout and ranger graduates, she'd lost touch with him, so running into the former pupil was quite a pleasant surprise.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:15 pm
“As you can see, nothing much, or else I’d have rushed past you to give the news to the boss” joked half-heartedly Ashton. No awesome story of incredible feats to tell his old teacher yet; the most recent one was weeks old, and he had enough standards to not overwhelm old friends with not-so-fresh tales. “Otherwise, still scout, of course.”
He tilted his head slightly with an impish grin. “How about you? You seem to be in a particularly good mood today. Please do me a favour and share the good news with someone who hasn’t had any decent chat with anybody this week!”
For good measure, he added: “You don’t have to, of course. But remember there are not many people I could share your story with.” He was being a bit too familiar with a teacher, but good manners wasn’t his strong point… and he had excuses.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:16 pm
"Well, my granddaughter- Willowbreeze, she's about your age- has had a mate arranged for her by the Clan, and I just got back from visiting him. He's earned the family's approval, and now all that's left is for Willowbreeze and him to consent. Knowing her as well as I do, I think they'll get along quite nicely." Hazel chuckled to herself, knowing that she was sharing a bit too much information with the Scout, but this could be excused due to sheer happiness. It wasn't every day that a Chestnut match was brought to light, and soon enough, she'd be a great-grandmother! With a flick of the eartufts, she tossed formality to the side, and in a humorous tone, asked the male about his own prospects. "You haven't chosen a young lady yet, have you Ashton?" It was always hard to have a Scout for a mate, unless both were Scouts, but often love or the Clan made such a thing happen. She was sure that there were plenty of active young Wildtype females flying out in the far reaches of the forest who would quite enjoy her former pupil's company- at least, if he was still the same Sentinel she remembered.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:17 pm
Hazel’s explanation caught Ashton’s full attention. As she spoke, he nodded slowly, as if showing his understanding of the situation. “Oh, I see…”
His expression turned slightly smug as he replied without thinking much: “They’ll get along nicely? So they don’t know each other well yet? That’s a funny way to do things… I prefer meeting my friends before being authorized to see ‘em.”
Of course, he didn’t know Willowbreeze, or the rest of her family… but arranged mating sounded so old-fashioned.
The lady’s question made him chuckle. “Not yet, but as you’re pointing it, we’ll be choosing each other when the time’s right!” He didn’t mean to aggravate the teacher, but he was amused by her contradicting opinions. Anyway, he really hoped to find someone who wouldn’t mind sharing parts of his travels with him, like a hunter or scout. Someone who would be a good listener, too.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:18 pm
So he was still single. He'd take a mate soon enough, and raise healthy chicks, if that was what he discerned was best. Really, Hazel was just making small talk; it wasn't her job or her business to push him to take a mate. "Good luck with finding her; I'm sure that the right one is out for you somewhere! And after all, most matings aren't arranged; in Willowbreeze and Drywood's case, it had to do with type." She was treading into dangerous territory; this was, after all, a Wildtype combatant she was talking to, and she certainly knew by now that bringing up her children's mixed heritage was a horrible idea, but her great-grandchildren wouldn't be Abberants. That was the thing of it; there would be so little Deep Woods blood in them that they'd appear to be fully Chestnut, and have Chestnut children of their own. Who could fault her family and the Chestnut Elders for breeding out the non-Chestnut blood? She couldn't se any reason for anybody to wish bad blood and eventual extinction on such a noble, prestigious group. "The Chestnut minor type, as I believe I once talked to your class about, does its best to prevent inbreeding by bringing in carefully-selected new blood every so often, and Willowbreeze was chosen out of all the possible candidates to be the mother of this new generation. Because of her own bloodlines, her hatchlings will be full Chestnuts themselves, so you see, sometimes it's for the good of the Clan that these arranged matings happen." Really, they were uncommon; the Elders didn't often override matters of the heart, but in this instance, the mating was frankly necessary for the general health of the future Chestnut population. It never ceased to amaze Hazel how just one individual could have such an impact so many in the future.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:19 pm
As it could be expected from his background, Ashton indeed longed for another Wildtype so his children would be strong, possibly as strong as him. But other than that, the idea of arranged mating was not at all something he shared. Why not just let these individuals decide themselves when they had the chance?
The scout had no real remembrance from that specific subject… it must have gone above his head in its time. Oops. Nonetheless, the fact the Chestnut type was very inferior in number was a good explanation. He couldn’t really argue against arranged mating in this case.
Just as it seemed he was fully convinced by his old teacher however, Ashton managed to disagree once again. His eartufts rose, surprised but trying to find how it makes sense. “So you’re saying there are more Chestnuts like her, but they’re not good enough to be part of these arrangements. Does that mean her children will be among the only of their generation? Gee, that’s not really taking care of the inbreeding problem then.” He realized at the last moment that last sentence sounded better in his mind. He had to correct that. “Huh, I mean… that’s a complex problem. Must be hard to deal with all the Aberrants in the family.”
Did he just put his foot in the mouth again? That uncertain feeling sure didn’t go away with that last reply anyway.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:20 pm
"Nono, see... hm. There will be many other Chestnut chicks, but they'll be from pure Chestnut parents. See, Willowbreeze herself isn't completely Chestnutt, but she's close enough that her chicks won't have a trace of Deep Woods to them; then there are other Chestnut couples unrelated to the father who are producing chicks and completing the generation. What I meant was that out of all the possible candidates for introducing new blood, Willowbreeze is the one to do it." Hazel's feathers ed almost imperceptibly; while a Scout might not have had the best manners, she wasn't entirely sure she liked where this was going. She smiled, though it was a bit strained. It was hard to understand the sacrifices her family had made, especially for a member of such a strong established type. She didn't want to be vulgar, but it was hard not to compare it to Mus breeding. An established line, mixed with a little bit of new blood every so often, was often improved and made more vigorous. "And it's not like we've been creating Abberants out of our own selfish desires; every decision made by my family has been recommended by the Clan for its own preservation." Her eartufts rose a bit at the implication. Certainly he didn't expect that these decisions had been made out of anything like lust! "Any and all scandal involving my children and their children has been constructed by jealous or ignorant individuals. I can assure you, we would never set such a poor example for the future; we merely do what is asked of us by the clan to ensure the survival of a grand old bloodline."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:21 pm
"Nono, see... hm. There will be many other Chestnut chicks, but they'll be from pure Chestnut parents. See, Willowbreeze herself isn't completely Chestnutt, but she's close enough that her chicks won't have a trace of Deep Woods to them; then there are other Chestnut couples unrelated to the father who are producing chicks and completing the generation. What I meant was that out of all the possible candidates for introducing new blood, Willowbreeze is the one to do it." Hazel's feathers ed almost imperceptibly; while a Scout might not have had the best manners, she wasn't entirely sure she liked where this was going. She smiled, though it was a bit strained. It was hard to understand the sacrifices her family had made, especially for a member of such a strong established type. She didn't want to be vulgar, but it was hard not to compare it to Mus breeding. An established line, mixed with a little bit of new blood every so often, was often improved and made more vigorous. "And it's not like we've been creating Abberants out of our own selfish desires; every decision made by my family has been recommended by the Clan for its own preservation." Her eartufts rose a bit at the implication. Certainly he didn't expect that these decisions had been made out of anything like lust! "Any and all scandal involving my children and their children has been constructed by jealous or ignorant individuals. I can assure you, we would never set such a poor example for the future; we merely do what is asked of us by the clan to ensure the survival of a grand old bloodline."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:22 pm
Ashton found himself more and more troubled with Hazel’s words that struggled not to be compared with the breeding of companions. Though she hadn’t mentioned it out loud, something in the back of his mind found the similarity jarring. Elders judging whether or not an individual is fit enough for mating… sorry, propagate the bloodline, without letting them having much of a say in the matter. Small clans that would eventually resort to inbreeding to keep the lineage pure, or produce Aberrants who might be mistaken as Chestnuts if they’re lucky.
“Of course you’re not doing this as a hobby, ma’am” said the scout to justify himself, “I understand you really want to do something about your clan. But it seems really complicated for such a small family. Other than you, I’ve never seen any Chestnut in my life. Your numbers are dwindling as much as you make it sound, if no more.”
He did the Sentinel equivalent of shrugging, trying to pull off a sympathetic face. “Is it what your granddaughter really wants? Did you have the chance to voice your opinion in your time, yourself?” He smiled awkwardly to appear friendlier, maybe even trying to pass his speech as a harmless joke. He wasn’t a big fan of Aberrants, far from it, but hey, if they were bound to resort to that once in a while, was it worth the effort? It’s not like they had any real choice to avoid it, anyway, and Ashton held free will in higher esteem than blind obedience of the elders.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:23 pm
"It's quite possible you've met a Chestnut and just haven't noticed it; after all, we're easily confused for Deep Woods Sentinels. Chestnut coloration isn't as distinctive as the Deserts or the Flames, and we don't cloister ourselves as they do; we live throughout the forest. I'm not technically a Chestnut myself, but the fact that you thought I was for one shows that our plans are working; I am a Deep Woods chosen seasons ago to mingle my blood with the Chestnuts, chosen for my appearance as well as my general health. Health, after all, is the most important thing, for regardless of appearance, a sickly Sentinel is exactly the type of Abberant we wish to avoid. And, in the end, whether or not the mating goes through is up to Willowbreeze and Drywood. If they don't like each other, then nothing happens. We don't live in a clan of dictators after all." Hazel, too, chuckled, but it was a dark chuckle. If one knew Hazel well, they'd notice her claws twitching minutely; it seemed that she wanted to pick at the bark of her branch, a habit that showed itself when she was agitated in some way or another. This Scout, this Combatant, should know better than to question the will of the Clan by now. Still, he was a former student, and obviously improperly informed about the minor Types- perhaps this was her own fault. She should have explained them better when she had him in class; perhaps in the coming seasons, she could use her granddaughter and future grandson to assist as examples in her classes. "When I was asked... I thought about it for a long, long time. I was quite skeptical at first; it seemed highly improper, mating outside my type, even if it was at the request of the clan. I didn't make up my mind for very nearly an entire season; it was a hard choice, but in the end, I knew I did the right thing; it will take work to preserve the Chestnuts, but by allowing them to go the way of the Irons, Coppers, and Coals, we will be losing a vital part of living Clan history, as well as the unique abilities of the type." Her feathers were no longer sleeked; quite the contrary, Hazel's body was now a coil of tension inside, though she kept her expression tranquil. Now was not the time to be losing her head.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:24 pm
Ashton couldn’t help but laugh as the moment she mentioned a plan. Already skeptical enough, the scout didn’t appear very impressed by these extra explanations. “Your plans are wor… ahahah! So who is a pure Chestnut, then, if even you are not?” he asked, amused, “You’re all technically Aberrants, in fact, and your plan is to pretend you’re all Chestnuts? Or you are fancier Deep Woods, maybe?”
It only occurred to him after the fact he should not argue with an old teacher of his. Oh well, it’s not like he could erase what was already said. His grip on the branch strengthened defensively. “I mean… I’m kidding, that’s the way you put it. Still, that’s funny. You claim your clan is robust and all, but how come you’re such in small numbers? The forest being particularly harsh to your kind? Another one of the Spectre’s many slaughters during the war? Or was your group always that small?” He didn’t even realize his ignorance was showing way too much; there was a mix of curiosity as much of defiance on the subject. His body appeared slightly larger because of his feathers as he began boasting. “Us Wildtypes are resilient and adapt quickly, it’s normal we are one of the dominant group. We might fit your descriptions more!”
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:25 pm
The branch cracked violently under Hazel's feet as she jerked her claws shut and fluffed her feathers. She took a deep breath as her eyes narrowed at the larger male. She had to think. She didn't want to embarrass the family and make a mockery of the type she fought so hard to represent. What would Hollysong have her do?
He'd have her lecture the little fool until he was blue, that's what!
"If we were merely 'fancy Deep Woods,' as you would imply, then the clan would certainly not work so hard to preserve us! Your average Chestnut is smaller, faster, and smarter than a Deep Woods, with greater stamina; they're ideal rangers, excellent fighters, and during the wars, fought just as valiantly as the larger types and killed as many of those filthy monsters as they took from our number. Feather for feather." Indeed, while those who knew them well might have called them flighty, or called Hazel's superlatives into question, the old Teacher wasn't one of the most respected in the forest for no good reason.
"You're how many seasons old? Certainly you don't remember what it was like, living in the generations after the wars, and you certainly don't understand what it means to sacrifice for something you believe in. Time was kind to the Wildtypes; so numerous to begin with, and so much larger in body. There's not a one of you that truly knows the plight of the minor types; I can see that I failed in teaching you properly. Perhaps, then, I am to blame for your ignorance." The petite female's voice was grave as she glowered at her former pupil; she expected all that she taught to demonstrate a little thing called respect. "For someone in a task so vital to the clan, you certainly don't have much respect for the machinations of its elders!" She sniffed deeply, eartufts pressed back. How dare this young upstart think he had the right to imply that the Chestnuts were an inferior type!
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 8:26 pm
The scout missed a few important hints in Hazel’s body language. “Of course I don’t know the war, and for that, I thank Noctus, as I didn’t have to face the unfair death of loved ones. Heh, sorry for not choosing the time of my hatching. However, if I were born in that era, I too would have fought to the death! Being young doesn’t make me any less brave.” Such a criticism was not uncommon among the elders, but he would always brush off that. “And if you taught me something well, that was it. It’s more important than genealogy. Being ready to protect the Clan, always, ensuring the other Sentinels will preserve our civilization; this is much more important than plotting to keep your bloodline pure at all costs.”
His arrogance shined through. “Don’t get me wrong… I’m not a fan of Aberrants, not at all. But you’re pretty much required to seek other types anyway. I’m sure the elders are extremely smart; after all, if they weren’t, we’d all be lost. But are you really wasting so much time and energy gambling on your descendant’s feelings? Looking for everyone’s perfect match? That energy would better be spent being useful to the rest of the community, too. Like… teaching courage and selflessness.” He shook his head. “Not just yours. And well, you’re so close to Deep Woods, the kids can’t even be called Aberrants.”
Life was so much easier when you were a Wildtype. Crossbreeding when you were one was pretty much asking for trouble when so many other Sentinels shared your type. Ashton didn’t have any idea how hard it must be for minor types to contribute to their bloodline. Frankly, he didn’t even care, either.
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