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 Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:35 pm
“Well if it isn’t my favorite Pica.” Sly said, letting his expression curl into a smile as he lowered his body closer to the branch, craning his head to one side as if to look around Snow and better peer at the smaller bird. “Seems I’m not the only search party.” He took a step closer, letting his gleaming talons curl into the bark of the tree as he advanced while keeping a keen eye on the Pink Parus in the corner of his vision. He wasn’t trying to keep it from staying. In fact, he wished for the tiny bird to take off so he could go after it. Right here, he could make no attempt against the tiny companion with the watchful blue eyes of Snowdrift, who kept her attention on him and the Pica by her side. At least the companion had not been dumb enough to land near Sly, but fear had long since been rooted in the tiny bird since an early age. It was a heartfelt reminder on what a grand and everlasting impression he had had on the Pica.
Still, Feather, as it had been dubbed, was just one of those birds that he had yet to find missing from it’s master’s side. He had long since had his eyes on the pet from an early age, and he wished to finally claim himself the victor with one final clenching of his beak. From here, he could see the usually loud squawking of the bird suddenly turn mute, still, if not slightly shivering, cold to the core. It was a good thing, as Sly could never stand such noise. Still, he did like Feather’s company, if not just for the sheer pleasure of watching the bird give itself a heart attack out of fear. “Feather…you should have been careful. We wouldn’t have wanted to have you gone missing too, now would we?” he said, mocking sincerity and worry as he made a softened face, or what could be considered ‘softened’ on Sly’s sharp and haunting features. He inwardly snickered at his suggestion, as even something with as small as a brain as Pica could pick out the sarcasm. Nothing like adding fuel to the fear. It kept the bird on it’s toes and maybe if the bird had a heart attack where it stood, he could dispose of it. Give it a fitting burial inside his stomach.
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:57 pm
The pica shrank back and leaned closer towards Snowdrift. He had no idea who she was, but she was with a parus and appeared much nicer than Sly.
Anything was nicer than Sly.
Feather would rather snuggle up next to a waral than be in the presence of this particular sentinel. Yet here he was, before the infamous Sly.
"F-f-feather careful, careful, yes, gotta help parus. Get parus safegoodback." He replied, but his words were shorter and quieter. He kept his eyes cast downward to the bark of the branch.
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:38 pm
Dewfeather continued to grin as she sorted through the berries. The excitement in the air seemed rather contagious, and almost forgetting all her manners; the mist continued to feast. It seemed so amazing that such an event existed…and moreover; that she had never attended it in the past.
Silverwing's words nearly caused her to choke in laughter. She wasn't much of a joker, however the young sentinel seemed to enjoy the odd humorous relief.
"Ahh, I see," Dewfeather responded, watching curiously with a mouthful of berries as he began to stare at the skies. "I do wish my parents had brought me to such events…I never really knew something like this could exist…" Her stone blue eyes fell down, and she returned to staring at the berries, listening to his next words carefully.
"That must have been hard…" She cooed. "I couldn't imagine being a ranger…I don't think I'd have the strength…" Never had she subjected herself to such thoughts. Her affinity to water had always drawn her towards the crafts, leaving her little room to think about other tasks.
"Mmm…" Dewfeather had to stop and think for a second about his next question. "I guess it was by chance really…I ran into a few others on their way, and to make a long story short; ended up here." She chuckled slightly, hearing the sound as well.
"So, what brings you back after such a time?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:35 am
Liam blinked, surprised at her abruptness. Why was she so nervous? This was a night of companionship, a night of ease, and the poor girl looked like she'd eaten a Lepus! "Well, of course... it's different for you, I suppose. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that 'un's anger! I'm pretty protective of Roth... he's like a four-legged hatchling... that doesn't talk much and is tasty, or so I've been told. And he's small enough that he could go missing and nobody would notice. But Furry Hazel... I'd say he's probably the hardest Companion here to misplace!"
Thorn nodded at the older Sentinel's words. "It felt colder when he flew by... I've never seen him before... I don't think I mind..." He stared after the black bird's flight for a moment. Liam had said to be careful tonight... was this why? He thought all adults were nice and fluffy like Liam and Hazel... Hoping that he wouldn't encounter the spooky Sly again, he shook himself quickly. "I forgot to introduce myself. Hallo. I'm Thorn!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:09 pm
“Oh, it has happened before?” Chase asked slowly, frowning heavily as he rose to his full height. “Could he… have found another pica… or something?” He felt somewhat relieved but he couldn’t shake that nagging doubt that insisted to linger in his mind. The area around the banquet didn’t seem big enough for the pica’s sounds to be out of reach and he had noticed how close the Sentinel and his companion were. So… would Feather really just disappear in the middle of his assignment? Considering how excited he had become over his little mission (granted, he did seem to get excited rather easily) what could have stopped him from continuing it?
Furthermore, it was his responsibility. Chase was the one that suggested that the pica searched for the owner of the missing parus on his own. If anything happened to the little bird, it would be his entire fault.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:53 am
Valora furrowed her brows at the conversation she had over heard. Her chirop, Zeke, had gone ahead to enjoy the festivities himself, but she quickly called him back. Just in case. Allowing him to cling to her chest feathers she aproached the two worried sentinels.
"Wait," she said, "Hunting companions or companion species is forbidden on The Longest Night. Surely the pica has nothing to fear?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:46 am
"Surely..." Fjord replied, but his raised ear tufts showed his alarm. Feather, although noisy and slightly clumsy, was fairly self sufficient. Surely he wouldn't find himself in a bad predicament, especially on a night of peace.
Still, Feather was never silent... Not unless something was terribly wrong... Unless a certain sentinel was nearby.
"Have either of you seen a shadow sentinel around. One who goes by the name of Sly?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:34 pm
Snow was relieved when Rose flittered across to perch in in the tree that she was currently occupying herself in. The parus may have been farther than a wingspan's length away, but the young Mist still saw it as a friendly gesture; you could never be too careful about strange and never-before-met sentinel that could easily gobble you up. "It's alright," she coaxed, "You don't have to be by me. Your owner is worried sick about you down below...I think I heard someone mention her as 'Granny'? Perhaps it's time for you to go back to her."
She spread her wings outward and fluttered a branch down, looking back at the parus to see if she would follow suit. However, the parus wasn't the only thing that caught her eyes as a shadow lazily drifted by and landed on another nearby tree above her. Snapping her wings tightly against her body, Snow watched the new sentinel with curiosity, a bit surprised to see somebody else in her altitude. She wouldn't be up here herself if there wasn't a need for it; helping others is what she loves to do best, and she felt like she owed it to Granny to retrieve her companion safely.
What did he say? His next words caught her off guard, and she widened her eyes to stare up at him in surprise. She's quite sure she's never met this fellow before, but here he is greeting her with her name! This would have been a warning sign to most, to keep cautious and safe. Unfortunately, Snow had no memories of mean-tempered sentinels, and felt that she may have possibly faltered in her memory. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
During this short exchange of words, a dull noise grew louder and louder as the pica made his way towards them and finally broke into their vicinity. Another surprise! Has the festival moved its way to the canopy without her knowledge? How delightful! She thought, and looked around to see if she would catch more glimpses of others, overjoyed that something new may be taking shape, but was left with a tinge of disappointment: nobody else has come up aside from her, Sly, and the two companions.
What is going on? She felt a bit confused, until once more the larger sentinel spoke with more knowledge than she thought was possible, as she didn't realize the news of the missing parus carried around. "Oooh...oh! I see now." A grin escaped into the corners of her beak as she observed her two new acquaintances, completely oblivious to the tension that was increasingly becoming thick between the pica and the Shadow. "You were looking for Rose for Granny! Well, she's here and safe, thankfully. I was on my way to bring her back...I'm sure Granny will be delighted to hear that others were on their watch for her parus as well!"
Yes, they were very nice indeed for wanting to keep the companion safe from danger. What a friendly community to fly into!
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:13 pm
Chase observed the shadow female that had finally entered the conversation. Despite her words being filled with skepticism over the hidden worries of the two males, she immediately called her white chirop back. Apparently she wasn’t willing to take any risks… maybe they shouldn’t either.
“Sly…?” Chase looked curious “I don’t think I have. Funny name though, he must have some interesting parents.” He took a deep breath and added hesitantly “You know… maybe we should go find Feather… “
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:19 am
Scaramouche Fandango Thorn nodded at the older Sentinel's words. "It felt colder when he flew by... I've never seen him before... I don't think I mind..." He stared after the black bird's flight for a moment. Liam had said to be careful tonight... was this why? He thought all adults were nice and fluffy like Liam and Hazel... Hoping that he wouldn't encounter the spooky Sly again, he shook himself quickly. "I forgot to introduce myself. Hallo. I'm Thorn!" the Watcher puffed his chest feathers so that they protruded and made himself look bigger. A feathery satisfied grin expanded over his face as he introduced himself. It might've not meant much to others but to Auu'weh it was the first step of reabsorbing himself back into the community! He was happy for it. "And this is Enlil," Auu'weh continued, giving the matching chirop a introductory gesture with his feathers. The little bird hopped and then have a discreet bow of his head. "Pleasure is nice, pleasure is nice meet you!" Enlil piped proudly. Turning his gold eyes to observe the expanse of the Gathering place (and for a brief moment getting lost in the teasing stars that blinked seductively behind the trees), Auu'weh asked, "What has been happening as of late? Why don't you show me around the Gathering Place, I haven't been here in a long time."
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:36 am
Thorn smiled. This older Sentinel wanted him to help out! Puffing himself in an imitation of Auu'weh, he looked around to see what he could show him first. Pointing with a wing, he indicated the Gatherers' bounty. "Hello, Enlil. Hello, Auu'weh," he finally said after a long pause, trying to get the proper pronunciation. "A lot has happened! A bard got stuck and my Minder took a mate and somebody lost a Parus and over there's the food, and over there," he said, pointing with his other wing, "is where the Brigadier told his story, and over there," now indicating with a foot, "is where Liam and Hazel are. Liam's my Minder, and Hazel's his mate now. Y'know, it's my first time here, too, at least where I was allowed to go around on my own. We should go over an WOAH!" he squeaked as his one-legged stance gave out and he fell backwards off the branch. Catching himself with his wings, he squeaked softly in embarassment. He looked quite foolish in front of the older bird! Flapping up and righting himself, he smoothed his feathers as far as he could before continuing in a softer voice. "I think we should go over there and see them."
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:51 pm
There was a method to introductions, as Sly had learned. People based their judgments on the first meeting, which overshadowed all other chance encounters. Most of the time, he was at a disadvantage. Despite his humble nature, a reputation had started to form around Sly which seeped to other Sentinels from good-for-nothing gossipers who had nothing better in their time and obviously no work they could be doing otherwise then spreading false claims and accusations at Sly. If a Sentinel was in a large group and his name was mentioned, there was bound to be a few choice words spoken. There was no stopping the rumors, as whatever Sly said in his defense where only given the cold shoulder, though what did they know? For the most part, he did not care for those Sentinels who had nothing better in their schedule than to banter. No. He only bothered with masking impressions with those that counted. As much as he was comfortable in his state of being, he could change his personality with a flip of a Mus, going from charming, modest, and polite, the perfect picture of the most well mannered and eloquent Sentinel in the whole of Noctua. Luckily, there where very few people he wanted to impress. Wardens and Elites for the most part, along with their respect partners. You didn’t mess with their mates either. Sly knew the importance of the opposing gender and they often had more control and say over their partners than the males themselves.
However, if he met a Sentinel who seemed ignorant of who he was and was not of any great standing, that wasn’t to say he would still not try and impress. An ally was still an ally, and if he could tweak anyone to not doubt his intentions, then they where a welcomed resource. In this case, he had never met Snowdrift, which was obvious by the Mist’s surprise. There had always been remarks on how Sly knew names despite not meeting the Sentinel. He had found it humorous that some thought he was discussing with Mystics, whilst others thought he was munching on Fletcher’s Mus, threatening information out of them to spare their lives. (As if he would spare one of Fletcher’s annoying vermin’s lives.) Sly didn’t disclose his methods, though made it a point to know who was who. Information was vital and as a Watcher, you tended to hear things, whether you where suppose to or not.
He took Snowdrift’s surprise in measure, not wanting to frighten the Mist or make her apprehensive. “Oh, no. We have not met. I make it a point to keep up to date on Sentinels in the area. It’s my job, as Watcher, to make sure order is kept and our area is protected.” He said. Typically he would not mention the unlikable job of Watcher as he much preferred his previous job as Hunter far better. Watchers where for the indecisive Sentinels who had no ambitions or goals. Still, in this case, it was a good to add that level of security and trust in the claim.
Smiling, he lowered his body, swooping it close as he bowed. “My name is Sly. Pardon for my previous introduction. I did not mean to startle you by using your name without permission. I should have greeted myself first. I tend to forget.” He said, his voice well picked and softened. Even his eyes seemed to turn to a more milken and timid color of yellow as he stood back full at attention once more, regarding her again, and for the most part, only letting his eyes linger occasionally at Feather. Just to keep the Pica shaking. “Yes. We all heard news of the lost Parus, so everyone has been keeping their eyes at alert. I have never been one for the larger gatherings and I guess it’s my habit to remain on duty even during a time of rest, so I decided to take up the call. Though that is my habit. Always working.” He gave a rarely used chuckle to this, as if finding it funny that he had such a quirky way about him. “ I hate to think that you have been missing on the festivities, though I’m glad you have found Rose. Granny will be pleased. I’m sure you’d want to return back to the Gathering. I can take Rose back for you. I still have some things to do around here so it’s no trouble for me.” He said.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:14 pm
"Nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh, Snuhd-d-drift an' Feather take parus back. Many much quick-goodness backa t' Granny." Feather interjected, but his voice was much softer and timid than usual.
"Yes... Let us find him quickly! I can't stand the thought of him running into any creature with... Ill will on his or her mind." Fjord's small frame was fluffed and his eyes showed every bit of fear that he felt. He quickly took to the air and flew silently. His sharp eyes were searching for the painted pica.
"Feather!?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:18 am
Chase bowed gently to the shadow female and stretched his broad wings as soon as he heard Fjord’s concerned words. Lifting himself up in the air, he followed as quietly as he could behind the bard who seemed unwilling to hide his anxiety any longer.
Circling over the heads of the feasting Sentinels in the banquet area he asked around for information on the missing pica. Apparently, most still remembered the unusual occurrence and could point him in the right direction.
“This way, Fjord!” he shouted rising above the aberrant Sentinel “They say he flew to the higher branches!”
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:30 pm
"Well, I guess everyone has their own preference," Silverwing thought aloud, "I personally couldn't think of doing anything other than being out in the field."
He had forgotten about the bird's voice he heard earlier. Probably just another companion enjoying the festivities. Though it did sound like it was more capable of conversation than other birds he had seen, what if it was a pica? He'd always wanted to see one of those.
Though it could probably wait, Dewfeather laughed and he was glad she was enjoying the night. It was a peaceful occasion and he felt more relaxed than usual.
"Honestly though," he continued after finishing off a few more bites, "I did get a bit lonely out there so I thought I'd reconsider my options. Quite a good I made becoming a watcher just in time for tonight, if I say so myself."
And suddenly he was afraid the the celebrations might end soon, "How about," he said hesitantly as he watched a group of unfamiliar-looking sentinels, "how about we join in with the crowd, maybe get to know a few more sentinels?"
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