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Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:59 pm
The herd of Kargoths was near the edge of their ranch today, Raemos's father among them, administering whatever care was required. It had always been interesting to Rae just how good his father was with his hands, and yet how blunt the man could be. He could see the herd, a brown blotch not too far off for a fast walker like Raemos, and he would probably go to them in a bit, but his father had told him to patrol the outskirts of the ranch nearby and see what he could find. Resources were always welcome- food, water, materials- his parents preferred to find what they needed on their lands and the surrounding desert. Raemos had never quite understood why they didn't just go to Tukyere for everything, since the place seemed to have just about everything, but he supposed he wasn't one to talk. They didn't like it there, and he supposed they had an excellent reason he didn't quite get. Maybe it was all the oblivionites around? They certainly unnerved him. He didn't like how they looked so like him and so unlike his mother or father. Maybe that was why. Anyway, that was his job today- scout around. It wouldn't be much to write to Vona about, but maybe he would find something interesting anyway. A bug, perhaps, or a small animal. He'd learned long ago that everything could be interesting if you let it be. Also, anything could kill you if you gave it half a chance. But he preferred not to think about that. And surely Vona would enjoy normal news from home, what with all that city around her. Rae couldn't imagine living in Ashen city all the time, beautiful as it was. Too much... everything. Not like here. He took a deep breath of the hot, dry, clear desert air, and smiled. No, not like here at all.
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:38 am
Jijikko sniffed the air, nostrils flaring.
With himself, his two sisters, and his brother all growing to the age of young keindred — high time for them to begin learning more actively about the world around them and its workings — his parents had taken them to explore further reaches of the desert. Namely: closer to the two-legger city of Tukyere. Of course, Nallah and Tokkoro warned them extensively about going too close, and stressed that they ought to focus on stretching their wings and taking in the world. Not engaging in contact with dangerous Magescians.
Naturally, Jiji had ignored their warnings entirely. While his sisters and brother continued to work on trying to tap into their magic at will, Jiji readily snuck off, chasing a smell on the wind. His magic would come in time, he knew it. He could already feel its energy pulsing beneath his scales, rippling under his claws whenever he got excited. Yes, the earth, sand, and stone were his element, and their power would blossom with him when it pleased.
For now, though, he shuddered at the thought of missing such a perfect opportunity to see these ‘monstrous’ two-leggers for himself. He lifted his snout again, eyes squinting shut at a brief gust of desert wind, and then snorted, his tail swishing behind him curiously. Kargoths. He knew that smell well enough — wild herds of them occasionally roamed the areas near his nest as a keinling. Sheron and leklans. He knew those scents only very briefly and identified with them as ‘those beasts that the two-leggers raise for food and milk.’
Why two-leggers couldn’t make their own milk had never quite computed with him. All the creatures he knew of that made milk provided it for their own young, so why did two-leggers need to steal it from others? That, though, was a question for another day, because the most interesting smell on the wind now was not any of the farm animals, but something else.
Jiji flapped his wings briefly — not enough to take flight, just a curious shuffle as he dropped his nose low to the packed desert earth and headed off towards the source of the strange scent. There weren’t supposed to be two-leggers around until he actually approached the town, right? But this one smelled so distinct…
Jiji stopped short just in time, spotting the source, freezing in his tracks, and nestling low in the shadow of one of the desert stacks as he watched. An actual two-legger. A bit smaller than he expected, but perhaps this one was young? And why had it covered itself in so many strips of cloth? It smelled like one of Soudana’s children — ‘soulless’ — but also quite strongly of kargoth and sheron droppings.
Jiji snorted once, ever curious, and then after only a moment’s debate, threw caution to the wind and lifted himself up, drawing in a deep breath. His ferocious squawk of warning came out a bit more like a squeak than he intended, but at least it was bound to get the two-legger’s attention.
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:28 am
Raemos was quite pleased with himself for remembering the shape of the roots that his sister had showed him long ago. They were healthy, nutritious, and great for thickening food. He sniffed it, nodding approvingly at the earthy scent. It had water inside it, too, always good to bring home. He stuck it in his carrysack, smiling to himself as he continued to poke around. He probably wasn't going to pick much more- one root lasted a while, if he remembered correctly, but it was good to know where more lay. A sharp squeak caught his attention and, more curious than nervous, he turned to face it, squinting until a shape resolved itself from the greys and whites of his pulse vision (not limited by his goggles today, since he was only wearing his goggles on his head). A clear, draconic-looking shape. He yelped and prepared to draw his sword. But it couldn't be a dragon. It was so small! He kept his hand near the sheath, but if it wasn't a dragon, maybe he could at least see what it was. "Tch tch tch" he called, clicking reassuringly and wiggling his hand, keeping his stance calm, "Hello there!" It was a wild animal, not quite a dragon, and he'd at least find out whether it was friendly, scared, or dangerous... whatever it was.
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Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:32 pm
Jijikko blinked, head perking up at the first few sounds — was the two-legger attempting to communicate with him? Did it not know how to speak yet? What was it trying to say? Then, the actual words came, and Jiji swished his tail, pleased that they could communicate, before bounding forward in several half-leaps aided by some messy flaps of his wings. He needed to learn to fly in earnest, but he could work on that later. First things first.
“Salutations, two-legger!” he greeted in return and then sneezed, shaking his snout. He'd stirred up a bit more dust with his approach than he intended, though not enough to bother himself with really. Immediately after, he began to sniff the young Oblivionite’s feet, wings quivering with his curiosity. “You smell like refuse and adventure. I've never seen a two-legger before. Don’t you belong in a city? I was told two-leggers live in clusters, like insects. Why is your body in wrappings? Do you have any food? I like food.”
He emphasized the last question by nosing at the two-legger’s carrysack meaningfully.
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Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:48 am
IT SPOKE. Rae froze in place, startled, as it approached and started chattering. Now that it was closer, Rae could see it was intensely marked and that it had an awkwardness to it that implied that it was a young one. Wait. A young creature and that big already? It would grow far bigger then. That was slightly terrifying. Maybe it was a dragon, and he'd been an idiot again. "Um." said Rae, trying to process the questions. If ti was a dragon, it didn't seem to be attacking him and that was a good thing. Which meant that he shouldn't provoke it because, failure that he was, he'd probably hurt himself. As with all wild animals, it was best not to provoke something. Though dragon hunts were different...? Well, He'd find out when he did them, he supposed! "Thats a lot of questions..." he said helplessly, "Well, um, first off I just have this root on me..." he opened his bag to show the creature. From the teeth, he was betting it wouldn't care much about roots. "And I live here? My sister lives in the city, though... wait... I smell?" he didn't think he smelled, and he was just a little bit overwhelmed. He wasn't sure what the thing meant by refuse and adventure either. "Are you a dragon?" he asked, almost suspiciously. Was it a dragon baby? Should he be running screaming? Why was it asking all these questions?
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Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2013 8:28 pm
Jiji sniffed, then huffed dismissively at the sack and root therein. “What is that? Not food. I’m not a dragon, no…I am better than a dragon.” He puffed himself up, lifting his head and arching his chest in an attempt to make himself look bigger. “I am drakein. And…” He dipped his head again, sniffing more. “Yes. Everyone ‘smells’. How could you not? It is part of you, it’s good, mm…yes, everyone has a scent…you should take me to your city. Together we can smell it. And see it. I would love to see a two-legger city. Do you travel there often? You can pretend I am your…mm…”
Jijikko considered for a moment, trying to recall the word his parents had used to describe the slaves lashed by their magic to two-leggers.
“Bonded. I can be your bonded and you can show me the city. Yes?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 9:37 am
"It is food..." said Rae, relieved that he wouldn't be losing it, "But its not meat..." He relaxed a little. He'd heard enough about Drakein to know that they were the sort of wild thing that could be dealt with. They were raiding creatures and took down a kargoth now and then, but his mother had explained that they were not at all like dragons. Not all of them needed to be hunted for safety. "I've never seen a Drakein before." he said honestly, trying to get a good look at the energetic thing. He was not usually one for sketching- his mother had tried but he was clumsy even with that and kept dropping the drawing tool or, even, the book. "I don't know about scent, but you have a very facinating head shape... did you know?" he said, taking out his small handmade book, "Mind if I sketch you?" Rae knew it would turn out terribly- it always did- but he could embellish it later when he sent the sketch to his sister or redid it in his journal. He just had to prove he'd actually seen one. "Its a lovely city, but I'm not allowed there anymore..." he didn't want to think about why, so he changed the subject. "Bonded? What do you mean?" he frowned, then a realization came to him: "I'm sorry, are you asking to be my friend?!" he asked, his voice surprised and unbelieving. He was shocked and more than a little incredulous: First, it was a wild animal. Second, he had only just met it and hadn't even given it food. Third, he really had no friends, now that he thought about it, and why would anybody befriend him?!
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:33 am
At the words ‘I’m not allowed there anymore…’ Jijikko dipped his snout, tail giving a small, disappointed swish. All this way, so close, and the two-legger couldn’t even get into his own city. He huffed, adjusting his wings a bit, and eyed the two-legger child again, focusing in on the rest of what he’d said.
“Sketch?” It sounded like a compliment, though Jiji wasn’t precisely sure what all it entailed. Perhaps it would help him learn more about two-leggers? “Yes, you may ‘sketch’ me,” he answered, then wrinkled his snout a bit, wary, and pawed the earth. “So long as it doesn’t hurt. If it hurts, I’ll bite you.”
He tilted his head at the last bit. He hadn’t even realized there were two-leggers who didn’t know what it meant to be bonded to a drakein. Perhaps this one was especially stupid? Or maybe just sheltered. There were a lot of things he still didn’t know himself about the world, after all. Deciding that it would be too much effort to explain something he wasn’t particularly interested in talking about in the first place, however, Jijikko opted to ignore that part of the small Magescian’s questioning and divert the subject back to what interested him most.
“We could be friends, but why can’t you go into your city? Do you belong to someone?” 'Do two-leggers do that to each other?' Jiji wondered privately. “Or perhaps you’re too young to leave your nest without a guardian?” The fact that he'd said 'anymore' seemed to suggest the contrary, which lead Jiji to another, perhaps over-eager guess. “Did you get in trouble? Did they ban you forever? Was it fun?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 5:21 pm
"Excellent!" he said, sitting down. He propped the sketchbook on his knee. "It doesn't hurt at all, though I might get a hand cramp." he said, trying to be funny. He began attempting to capture the curves of Jiji's head and neck. How something could be so awkward and so graceful at the same time, Raemos did not know. He was sure, though, that the drakein would have bitten him if, somehow, it had. As he tried to make the charcoal move over the paper in a controlled way, he kept on talking. He had to keep the creature interested after all. "I went once. My parents won't let me go again, and I do understand why, but..." he said, not really wanting to get into the whole thing and all the emotions that it would stir up. "I didn't get in trouble at all. Why shouldn't I even be allowed near the city, if not in it, if I'm quiet and don't draw attention to myself?" he shoved the frustration back in its hole. He knew why. He didn't want to admit it. "It was fun, though. My sister showed me all sorts of places and it was so incredibly beautiful..." he smiled at the memory, "But no. I'm not to visit my sister in the city anymore. I'm allowed in the countryside, and thats nice too, I suppose, but it doesn't compare..." He had been young then, but the memories, still clear, came back. He savored the for a moment. "Nope. Not the same." He frowned, realizing he'd accidentally over darkened a spot on his sketch in his distraction. "But I can't take you to Ashen city." he said, letting it go sadly.
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:33 pm
Jiji watched the oblivionite youngling’s fingers with fascination. The kind of dexterity two-leggers were capable of in that particular area was a wonder to him. All the possibilities such nimble little digits could provide. Then again, he thought, they were certainly lacking in a few other key areas, but perhaps it all rounded out one way or another.
His attention only jerked fully back to the boy’s actual words when he named Ashen city, and Jiji’s snout twitched up, head tilting. “The city with the feathered two leggers? Why would I want you to bring me there? It’s so far…I meant the place with many two leggers close to here. I know it must exist, I can smell them. My sires wouldn’t let me near. Said it was too dangerous. But with you — you could sneak me in. No one would suspect!”
He glanced, eyeing the youngling’s sketchpad again and stepping in close to sniff it. “Is it done yet? Am I sketched? Can I eat it?”
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:12 pm
So many complicated markings, and such interesting head plates... definitely different from the smooth creature that had attacked him from the brush. Definitely not a dragon. Raemos wished that he would sit still- he couldn't get a good angle on the awkward body. "Just a moment..." he mumbled, trying to get the tricky markings of the drakein's lower jaw. He looked up. "Oh. I thought..." he flushed, impossible to tell under his bandages. "Oh, theres no problem with Taliuma..." How silly of him to think that a small drakein on Eowyn would want to go somewhere as far away as Serenia! Not with small, underformed wings like that. "Or Tukyere. That could be interesting." The towns were vaguely equidistant from their ranch, though Taliuma only required some desert trekking and Tukyere involved some mountain climbing as well. Raemos liked the port city best, but Tukyere was... interesting. His father did not like Tukyere very much though. The Hybrids, likely. "I'm sure theres a few errands I can do." truth was, he had been itching to go to town for a while. "Oh! Yes, I'm done!" he said, remembering and angling the sketch to the drakein.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:08 pm
“Mmm…the close one,” Jiji responded distractedly, most of his attention on the sketch pad as the oblivionite youngling held it out to him. “If it has many two-leggers, I want to see it.” He sniffed the paper curiously. It didn’t smell like food. After a moment’s debate, he gave the corner of the page a brief, testing lick, and made a face, jerking his head back. “It doesn’t taste good.”
He eyed it quizzically, zeroing in on the image, and his stare widened again, head tilting with fresh curiosity.
“What is that? It looks like my sister. Is that me?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:53 pm
The close one. That was specific. Well, Mother would have a better idea of where to go for what errands they needed doing. He supposed that this drakein hatchling... thing... wouldn't care which way they went, so long as it was entertained. Like a feline. "Well, it isn't supposed to taste good" he said, grateful that only a corner of a page was wetted. That could be fixed. "Its supposed to look good." not that he made anything that looked good but... well... He hoped to get better. "It is you." he said, puzzled, "What does your sister look like?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:57 pm
Jiji blinked. “She looks…” He eyed the sketch again, contemplating. “Like me, I suppose. Lucky her.”
Much to Jiji’s pleasure, the small oblivionite didn’t seem to need much more prompting than that, and soon they were off, presumably to the boy’s home first, from the sound of things. Jiji gave a soft, rumbling noise in his throat as they walked, tail swishing happily in excitement and wings fluttering every now and then. He would get to see a two legger city after all — what a magnificent catch this boy was!
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