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 Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:51 pm
"Oh, sorry Si--Wildcraft." Foxfeather stated quietly, after Twistumbler had completed his piece. The watcher was flustered, but managed to keep his features from showing it. He could think of nothing to say to the Elite, but feared keeping his beak shut might lessen his chances in joining their ranks in the future, after he is able to serve his time amongst the rangers that he admired so much.
He was somewhat startled when Tick moved, as he had momentarily forgotten about the little creature that was clinging to him. The chirop silently climbed from the sentinel's stomach, manuvered about his neck, and hung from the back of his head. He peered at the Elite from over Foxfeather's eartufts.
The space was tight and cramped, but the cold seemed to be chased away by the amount of heat the bodies of the three males generated.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:12 am
"You'd be surprised if I told you even half of the strange things I've found on my patrols during the storm," the Corporal shrugs casually, as if the fact that he'd been out flying in this mess wasn't that big a deal. It's his duty, after all, and the Elites do get special training on how to handle themselves under any conditions. "Had to help get a crazy old Crafter out of a squirrel nest he'd somehow wedged himself into, since the tree was about to succumb to the storm's fury. And that's not even the strangest of the lot."
With his primaries dry and clean, he turns his attention to his tail. It's more than a bit awkward to preen fully in such close quarters, but Wildcraft has to be prepared to rush off at a moment's notice and he prefers to be flight-ready just in case. So while he tends to himself he nudges the other two Sentinels (and probably gets them a bit damp in the process). "A Minder, you say? Between eggs?" There, tail done. He heaves a contented sigh and settles down to preen his chestfeathers, but then is startled from his ministrations by the strange movement atop Foxfeather's head. "Ah, did you bring a snack?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:15 pm
Twist chuckled appreciatively; a squirrel nest?
"Would've gone down with a bit of a snack, then!" he interjected with a smile at his own joke. Speaking of snacks, he was beginning to feel a nibbling in his belly. He shoved past the annoyance of hunger, focusing instead on the damp bumping he received on Wildcraft's end; if it was bothersome, he certainly made it a point to keep his beak firmly shut.
His tufts raised when he was addressed, a sad and sheepish look crossing his painted features. Again, his thoughts are with the little aberrant fledgling, flying back to tuck in with Ossie and Songbloom. For the umpteenth time since he had arrived in this cramped and unsuitable shelter, he prayed for the Thunderbird to abate, to leave and never return...at least, until he was back with his darlings again, that is.
"I was out trying to find a fledgling when the storm hit," he relinquished quietly. His eyes found the shelter entrance momentarily, before turning away.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:20 pm
At Twistumbler's mention of the fledgling, Foxfeather couldn't help but to give a slight snort, but he kept his comment to himself. Instead, he focused on what the Elite had said to him.
"This little fellow? Good Noctus, no. That is, unless emergency calls for food. I would like to keep him around for as long as I need him. If worst comes to worst, though..." His words tapered off and the chirop shrank against his feathers. Still, Tick was loyal to the end.
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:54 pm
"Oh, Noctus," the Elite breathes, turning concerned eyes upon the Minder. He returns to his ministrations with renewed fervor, making ready to leave if needed. "Where did you see her la-- Hm?" He flicks an eartuft towards Foxfeather, curious about the snort, but his gaze remains upon Twistumbler. "I'm sorry, did you have something to add about the lost fledgling?"
The talk of companions and snacks is discarded as Wildcraft focuses on the important matter at talon. A missing fledgling, in a storm like this.. gods only know what could happen if he or she hasn't managed to find shelter. Well, the gods, and Wildcraft. He's already seen the potential consequences more than once this night.
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Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:15 pm
The Thunderbird chooses this moment to punctuate Wildcraft's question of Foxfeather with a nice long drawn-out rumble of thunder, followed closely by a sharp crack of lightning and then another more pronounced clapping overhead.
((I'll repost the end of the storm after these gentlemen have a bit of time to get properly acquainted. xD))
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:12 pm
Unlike Wildcraft, Twist was unable to keep his eyes upon his fellow Wildtype when Foxfeather snorted. They gave a momentary flash as he whipped his face towards the Sentinel in question, tufts lowering in slow deliberation; he shouldn't have been so surprised, though. Perhaps if he weren't so forgetful, he would have remembered Fox's earlier wording. The minder's beak snapped shut with a click, his gaze ticking towards the elite when he posed his query. The groan and crack of the Thunderbird outside caused a ripple to cast through his feathers, nerves jumping. Otherwise, he was immobile.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:26 pm
Foxfeather immediately noted his mistake, but he did not outwardly express noticing it. He also refrained from acting panicked, as he was worried that would be even more incriminating.
"Lost fledglings are a misfortune, that is certain... But this poor chap was about to launch himself headfirst into the worst of the storm. It was rather taxing trying to talk him out of it. Once the winds slack enough, it would be a good idea to search for her."
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:47 pm
"It would require an extraordinary amount of bravery for a Minder to risk this storm for one of his charges," the Elite intoned quietly, his gaze steady upon the Watcher. To be fair, he does not know the details of the situation so he cannot form any snap judgments, but something about this seems a little off. "I imagine it must have been quite... taxing, as you put it, to convince him that the fledgling was not worth rescuing."
With that, his gaze returns to Twistumbler. "What can you tell me about her, then? Perhaps I have come across her in my patrols. If you suspect she is near then I can begin a search, a few members of my team should be nearby and I am sure they will be willing to brave the storm to find a lost fledgling." Or her remains.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:17 pm
Twist relaxed, concentration breaking away from his two shelter-mates as he turned his gaze away from them; a bemused smile marked the area around his beak. He was not ashamed of the prospect of sacrificing his well-being in the name of the future, but a part of him had been awakened and bewildered by Foxfeather's calm explanations. His temporary mania, the blast of quixotic bravery jumped through him again. He agitated his wings to keep himself occupied.
"She is worth rescuing," he said suddenly. He glanced, horrified, between the two. For once he was unable to explain himself properly, grasping for words that were being snatched one-by-one out of his beak. "I...."
Though he made no noise, he was had become both frustrated and flustered simultaneously, calming only when the Elite prompted a possible search. He nearly stood at that.
"Oh, she's a pretty little thing," he began, lapsing into happier tones. "Her name is Nica; she's a small Aberrant girl with dark circles around her eyes. Bit of Shadow and Mist in her, I do believe - such a darling, too. She disappeared from the Enclave a bit before the storm hit."
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:33 pm
Foxfeather relaxed quietly on his two taloned paws and turned his attention from the Elite to his origional shelter companion. "Perhaps, yes... But it would be silly to risk the wellbeing of your other charges, as stated earlier. It would be much better for the more skilled Elites to keep their eyes peeled for her. I'll head out myself, when the wind slacks enough for me to brave it. Chances are she found shelter not far from here." He turned his attention once more to his slightly damp feathers.
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Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:50 pm
"Hnh," he nods, taking note of Twistumbler's description while ignoring his vehement stammering. An Aberrant.. poor unfortunate thing. And for the parents to have given her over to the Minders - well, that comes as no small shock. He can only hope that they have realized the error of their ways and found themselves some more suitable mates. "I haven't come across her in my patrols this night."
That statement was made as a consolation, as the few fledglings he happened across during the storm were.. well, not in any condition that would be appropriate to discuss at the moment. "There are many shelters in and near the Enclave," he arches a brow at Foxfeather's comment, "...just as there are many Minders who would gladly step in to provide care for Twistumbler's charges if anything were to happen to him." Something is definitely strange here, and the Elite is officially no longer interested in discovering the truth of it. When the situation becomes awkward he chooses to focus on the most compelling problem - a fledgling is missing, and his duty is to the clan. That is all he needs to consider.
Suddenly restless, clearly not enjoying the tension in the shelter, the wildtype leaves his warm position between the two and moves to sit in the entrance. "Fortunately for you both, I am here. My team and I will undertake the search," Wildcraft turns his head back to regard the Minder. "If there are any other details you can provide which may help us find her, now is the time to share them."
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:33 pm
And now he was caught between a rock and a hard place. If there had been room to shrink away, he would have, if only to free himself from the confinement that kept him lodged between the Elite and the Watcher. There was barely room to shrug your wings as it were. Guilt was beginning to grow and double in upon itself, like wave building, building, building...there was little more left for it to do but break now, and Twist could barely keep that from happening. Tufts lowered again, this time in shame for not going out into the gale to at least search for Nica. Disorientation was no reason to hold yourself back, he told himself. There's no excuse for what you've done.
When Wildcraft moved away, Twist exhaled a breath that had gathered in his chest. Expunging it, however, did nothing to help the anxiety that kneaded at his feathers. He shifted within the freed space, wings pushing out from their cramp and coming back in. He stared after the Wildtype.
"Indeed, friend. Thanks is not a strong enough word for my gratitude." He fell back on remembering Nica, though he was beginning to wonder how well he could even work with a fried brain jump started by panic.
"She flies well," he added lamely. There was a spot on the floor of the shelter that was becoming more and more interesting. "I'm not too sure how far she could have gotten."
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:00 pm
"I'm sure she found a spot of shelter." Foxfeather added quietly. Perhaps it was possible for him to feel for the guilt ridden minder, but he was probably trying to redeem himself from his faliure only a moment ago.
"If she flies well, for a fledgling, she would of most likely found a trunk or a hole somewhere. They can wedge places ones of our size could not easly squirm into. Surely Wildcraft will find her." He ran his beak through his feathers once more and turned his gaze to the Elite. "And when the winds are safe enough for the both of us to fly, we will search, too. You will have probably located her before then, I imagine."
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:49 pm
Wildcraft offers a brisk nod to Twistumbler at the added information. Not terribly helpful, but then he can only imagine how frazzled he would be if someone he was responsible for was lost in the storm tonight. Words of comfort are not a specialty of the Elite's (he saves his more advanced linguistic capabilities for his mate) so he simply prepares himself to leave--
Until the Watcher's words cause him to pause, turning his head around yet again to peer at the Deep Woods. Something close to confusion creeps into his gaze, then, and he tilts his head just a little to the side. But then he shrugs, returns his attention to the stormy night, and performs a few quick stretches. "Don't try to search before the storm has broken," Wildcraft cautions, "If I find her, Twistumbler, I will bring her to you." And with that, he launches himself into the night during a brief lull in the storm.
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