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 Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:30 pm
Mikayl frowned as he focused on the connection Verita had extended to him. Because it wasn't directly to him, it wasn't very clear and he had to concentrate solely on it, letting his body run on autopilot.
It didn't help that half the time, the things in the actual images were foreign to him.
Sure enough, the members of his clan had used images to express things to him when he had been younger, but as Mikayl got older, he preferred to rely on his magic abilities to sense vibrations instead of relying on his clanmates for a false sight.
Soft enough for the hatchling to sink into and white... that should be snow, and the season was appropriate, too. But it looked like it was drowning more than anything.
'So this is what snow looks like,' Mikayl pondered, savouring the image slightly. It looked different from what he had imagined. He'd just thought of it like a liquid version of ice or something.
He knew the mountain fairly well and even though he couldn't exactly see what the ridges looked like, there weren't too many cliffs higher up the mountain.
He felt Verita next to him tense very slightly, and he sent her a slightly questioning feeling. The female Lunar then sent him an image of the same large cliff that he'd seen from before, except it seemed difference.
Thinking slightly, and wanting to say something since Mikayl hated being silent for a long time, he sent her an image of two silhouettes of what he hoped looked like them standing near the cliff. Then Mikayl wondered for the first time what Verita looked like.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:45 pm
Verita locked her sight onto the cliff in the distance, estimating how far away it was. It would take them about half an hour, she guessed, to reach the hatchling. She sent comforting images to the hatchling, instructing it to stay where it was. Cyclone sent back a mental nuzzle, along with a longing to be with Verita. It seems that the hatchling had bonded to verita as a child to a mother.
Verita then examined the image Mikayl sent her. She wondered for a brief moment, why so much of the image was blurred out. Originally, she had assumed that the Kyn was simply unfamiliar with this form of communication, but now it seemed as if it was due to more than just lack of the mental concentration needed to produce clear images. It was as if the kyn didn't know what a lot of things looked like.
She kept her curiosity to herself, prevented it from seeping through the temporary bond she held with Mikayl at the moment.
As they began to reach places where snow blanketed the ground deeply, Verita hoped that Mikayl can keep up. Not only was she used to this terrain, her body had also been naturally designed for the snow from birth. Large paws acted like snowshoes, preventing her from sinking as deeply as the other.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:38 pm
Mikayl hesitated with every step, waiting to find firm ground before going on. With the snow covering the ground in all directions, it was harder for him to sense the vibrations, which in turn, made him more wary about moving about too quickly, which in turn, caused him to lose track of Verita's scent.
Panicked now, he took a few steps backwards until he reached solid rock again. Verita he called out tentatively, pawing at the snow in front of him. Worst of all, he couldn't even sense the snow itself, only knowing it was there by touching it.
He was quite literally blind in the snow. And Mikayl hated that. He'd never truly been blind, ever, and it was making him peevish.
I can't get through the snow the Lunar male explained, half trying not to sound bitter and half trying to use the simplest words he could so she could have an easier time understanding. He nearly jumped when suddenly she was beside him.
Mikayl was startled when suddenly he seemed to be seeing the world through Verita's eyes. It was definitely different, but a welcome change as now he could go forward, albeit a bit unsteadily, considering that the things he was seeing were still foreign to him.
Thanks he dipped his head gratefully and carefully sent his gratitude through the bond. He wouldn't normally humble himself so, but Verita hadn't seemed like she was trying to be sympathetic, but rather just helping out.
Also a welcome change.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:00 pm
It felt weird really, sharing her vision like this. But she had figured it out by now, that Mikayl was blind. She found her respect for this lunar rising. It was easy to fall into self-pity when faced by disabilities. Mikayl was strong, being the lunar standing before her today, as an equal and one who had done everything they could to work around his problem.
They went a bit slower, as both luners took a while to get used to their shared vision, but soon, they finally reached the cliff, Cyclone whimpering in their minds. The wind was driving hard now, and snow was starting to fall. With a sinking feeling, Verita realized that the storm had grown strong faster than she had expected.
Verita looked to the right, where her bond to Cyclone originated, and began to follow the cliff until they finally spotted the small hatchling shivering in the snow. Vera ran to Cyclone's side, nuzzling the hatchling, and allowing the little one to run between her legs, huddling against her warm fur. By now the snow was coming down as a blizzard, everything a screen of white. Vera's fur whipped back and forth in the wind, and she spread her feet wide to steady herself against the wind.
It was particularly confusing right here against the cliff, where the wind is pushed back, blowing every-which-way. They won't be able to get back in conditions like this. They just won't be able to see where they're going. They might have to stay the night here. Vera was perfectly comfortable with the prospects, but she worried about the hatchling. It was young, and had already been out in the cold for a long time. Cyclone was wet and dangerously cold. Would the little one survive the night?
Vera knew that cyclone would have too, there was no other choice.
Verita exmained the snowbank that Cyclone had been huddling against. Right up against the cliff, the snowbank the confused wind had cleared it of snow, and she examined the hard wind-swept snow. They'll be able to dig a solid shelter out from this. She didn't have to explain to Mikayl, because by now, her and the other lunar's bond was pretty much wide open to each other in order to share her sight.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:18 pm
Plodding over slowly, Mikayl already had a good idea of what the rift looked like, through Verita's eyes. He considered it for a moment. If he used his water magic to dig it out, it could take a while, since he'd have to melt it little by little. However...
Mikayl turned towards Verita. If they could use their innate fire together, then they could easily dig it out and make a snug shelter for the three of them. Time was of the essence, after all, Mikayl reminded himself as he remembered the shivering form of the hatchling.
He received waves of agreement from Verita, and they stood at the edge of the snow, practically ice. Ice, to Mikayl, was good, because at least then he could switch to his water magic to see. But now that he was used to this open connection, it was just as good. Though it made him feel a bit vulnerable, having his thoughts laid out for someone to see so completely.
Mikayl faced downwards and inhaled deeply, knowing that they could easily synchronize their fire.
The first fires already melted quite a bit of room for them. Mikayl didn't know much about surviving in cold weather, but Verita seemed to think that a smaller shelter would be better.
A few more controlled puffs of fire later, Verita was curled up with the hatchling pressed up against her, and Mikayl was kind of standing/leaning towards them while careful not to accidentally fully put his weight on them.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:52 pm
Now the main problem with this kind of shelter is that their own body heat will melt the snow around them. Gradually, but surely. The water will gather on their fur and freeze.
Verita thought over the techniques to prevent this, as Mikayl was still connected with her and will see. How to move slightly to prevent a sheet of ice to form over them, and how to groom themselves properly to get their water-resistant oil over the fur entirely. Their bulk will keep the hatchling safe. Verita had long ago developed the ability to twitch slight in her sleep, to shrug off the growing ice, but that was something developed through time, and she did not expect the other two to be able to do.
Vera also had another concern. The snow that was falling had been light and fluffy, and in huge quantities. That was perfect condition for avalanches. Verita has seen their destructive might up here in the mountains, and she did not want to be on the unstable snow tomorrow to get back to the dens. She had not counted on being trapped up here, but it seems like it will have to last for more than the first day.
Verita looked at the other two. She had managed to survive by herself for so many years, allowing her instincts to take over, mindlessly doing what she needed to. And she had hated herself for giving in to that side of her. But now she had companions, and she knew it would be different.
It would be a hard night for the other two she knew, up here in an unfamiliar setting. Between her and Mikayl it was starting to get warmer, their breathe barely visible in the air now. But where their fur met the snow, the heat was slowly being drawn from their bodies. It was weird, feeling two opposites in temperature at once.
Tomorrow, they will build a better shelter. One with the floor higher than the entrance. Verita went over this with Mikayl, explaining how warm air travels upwards, and a higher floor will trap the warmth.
As Cyclone drifted off to sleep, Verita went through the many survival techniques she had learne up here to Mikayl. Not only was it important for him to understand, but it also felt really good, just being able to communicate like this.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:41 pm
Over the next few days, Mikayl and Verita took turns hunting, cooking and watching over the hatchling, whose name Mikayl now knew was Cyclone. Initially, he had wondered if Cyclone was Verita's, but then dismissed the notion when he remembered that the hatchling had wings.
Though now it made him wonder if she had a mate already, waiting for her with worry. Mikayl knew that Ari was probably worried sick about him, and Zen would just try to reassure her. He often made trips far away to hunt larger prey, but usually he was home after a day or two.
It had already been about three or four days since he'd left the den, Mikayl estimated. Though it definitely wasn't as bad as if he had been alone, being out here in the wild and in that treacherous snow, seeing as he knew next to nothing about surviving in something like THAT.
Mikayl felt a stab of jealousy towards the male that had such a capable mate, but shook it off quickly.
A strange feeling in his stomach as he pounced on the prey, Mikayl had jumped too early and with more strength than he had intended, practically maiming the thing before he killed it quickly.
Clamping down his teeth over one of its legs, the Lunar began to drag it back towards the shelter they'd made with an annoyed snarl.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:19 pm
Mikayl learned well, and Verita enjoyed passing her knowledge on to him. He was strong and did not complain, something she values in a kyn. Now that she thought about it, he was like her brother Storm in a lot of ways.
Storm...it was one of the reasons why she feared going out onto the loose snow so much. The gargoyle had died in an avalanche, when he had been struggling to care for both himself and the young Verita. Though not much bothers the quiet and hardened Vera, her greatest fear had always been of being buried alive in the snow, with the entire mountain rumbling above you, crushing you.
Verita was in the new shelter they had created on the second day, more stable than the first and built to maximize the ability to retain heat. Verita had also been able to skillfully skin a particularly large prey they had managed to catch -a deer, which was rare so high up the mountain at this time of the year- and was able to make a makeshift rug in their shelter, padding them from the snow at night, conserving even more precious heat.
Vera nuzzled the hatchling as it cawed unhappily, sending hungry pangs through its bond to Verita. Vera tried to calm it down, reassuring it that Mikayl was coming back with food very soon.
And sure enough, just moments later, Mikayl dragged his prey through the narrow entrance. This shelter was a bit bigger than the one before, to allow room for prey to be taken care of. Verita imparted a feeling of gratitude at the male lunar, and examined the prey. It was a large mammal of some sort, but it was a bit too mangled to identify completely. Well, it doesn't matter, meat is meat.
Verita and Mikayl didn't have to worry about food for themselves very much. Being warm-blooded, they did need more food than their cold-blooded kin, but their sheer size still allowed them to go for a very long time without food, and water wasn't an issue when they were surrounded by ice and snow. The main problem was feeding the hatchling. Little ones should be raised on kyn milk, at least cow milk with some protein supplements, but they did not have that available here.
To feed Cyclone, Vera has used a technique she has observed in other animals, and hoped that Cy's young digestive tracks will be able to handle it better than just raw meat, or even cooked meat. Verita has been thoroughly chewing food before giving it to the little one. So far, it didn't seem that it was doing any harm, and at least Cyclone wasn't starving.
After feeding Cyclone, Verita headed for the entrance of their shelter, sending an image to Mikayl of her testing the snow with cautious steps further down the mountain. It has been a few days, and the snow might have set enough for it to be safe -safer at least- to get down.
She came back a few hours later, announcing that they would be able to head back the following morning. Verita herself was relieved. She didn't mind staying up here in the cold and mountains at all, but never had she felt the responsibility of other's lives on her shoulders as well. Edoc'sil must be worried sick about where their newest members had gone, and Vera hoped that they didn't believe that she had kidnapped (kynnapped?) the little one. Mikayl's clan must be worried about him as well.
Another part of her though, secretly wished that they could stay just a bit longer. She had to admit, she enjoyed being with the male Lunar, and found her respect for him growing everyday.
When she had first came down the mountains, to find a clan, she had imagined them to be pampered little know-it-alls that would looked down on someone 'uncivilized' as her. They had permanent shelters, a complex language, magic-users, and time to simply just do nothing but sit around and relax.
While Verita knows he didn't mean too, Eclipse had made her feel uncomfortable with his obvious pride (overconfidence too?), his display of magic, and the casual way he seemed to take survival. Food and water wasn't his main concern, keeping the den lit up was. And even if he hadn't meant too, he had looked down on her as someone less than his clanmates.
But Mikayl was different, and Verita knew that the two of them saw each other as equals. And maybe that was something both of them had been looking for.
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Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:33 pm
Only when both Verita and Cyclone had fallen asleep did Mikayl dare to think about what had happened earlier that day.
Jealous? Sure, he was always jealous of others who had that marvelous ability to see with their eyes, and slightly bitter when they didn't fully appreciate the ability, but Mikayl had never been jealous of those who had someone who...l...loved them.
After all, he felt nothing towards Rosemary and Eclipse's mating, except happiness for them, he guessed. Just about everybody in Aezhann knew about it, thanks to Ari's blabbering when she became hyper.
Maybe once, he'd mistaken signs of affection towards June, but now she was just like a little sister that he needed to protect. Verita... She was completely different.
She was so strong, much tougher than many females Mikayl knew, and she definitely wasn't wishy-washy. He didn't feel the need to protect her constantly, and knew he wouldn't have to worry about her when she went out, because Mikayl felt a sense of respect towards her and thought them as equals.
But... maybe it was more than just respect...?
Mikayl walked that path of thought for a few moments. And, to his surprise, found that it was actually plausible. What if it wasn't respect, or admiration, he felt for Verita, but... love?
It was so strange. He had only known her for days, and yet it felt like they had been together for years. Maybe it was a side effect of the open bond they held, but it just felt so right. Mikayl almost felt reluctant to go back to the warm, security of his den.
While Aezhann and Edoc'sil were in the same mountain range, the two clans weren't exactly close, and the Lunar doubted he would see much of Verita anymore after this. The thought bothered him almost as much as the previous ones of love did.
Damn, he was becoming almost as much of a worrywart as June.
Mikayl lowered his head onto his paws and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. Sleep now, keep worrying (or try solving the problem) tomorrow.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 5:57 pm
Verita has always been a light sleeper, as the wild animals of the mountain could be a threat even to her. While her sheer size was enough to deter most vicious animals, she was still small, even for a female lunar, and even a bear can hurt her pretty badly if it wanted to. But not just wild animals, Vera always has to keep an eye out for feral kyns. Most kyns respect territorial boundaries, but there will always be the young kyns that needs to establish a territory.
Verita is about as small as a normal adult Kyn can get, so most other dragons pose a great threat to her.
But tonight, like the past few nights, she slept deep and contently, a peace settling her heart, knowing that Mikayl was there beside her. She did not examine and wonder about these feelings as Mikayl did, as she has never learned of the concept of love as the other lunar did. All she knew was that it was a wonderful feeling, and she understood the source of it was from the male lunar.
No dreams broke her sleep this night, and she slept better than she has for many, many years.
She woke up early, as she did every morning, when the sun first started to shine through the snow that made up their shelter. She yawned widely, rolling over slightly until she was half-leaning against the ice, her belly facing up, opening her eyes to see the snow above, diffusing the yellow-orange light of the sunrise. Cyclone, who had been curled against her, toppled forward as her pillow rolled away. The hatchling opening one eye sleepily and cawed in annoyance, covering her head with one wing.
Verita let out a barking laugh at the little one, rolling back to her original position and getting to her feet, stretching as much as the cramped quarters allowed her to. One side of her fur was very warm, where she had been huddled against Mikayl last night (with the hatchling sandwiched in between, much to Cyclone's displeasure, but it was the best way to keep the little one warm), while her other side was covered with icy crystal.
Lazily padding up to Mikayl, she licked the male Lunar across the face, and nuzzled him gently to get him to wake up. Through their open bond, Vera could feel the male Lunar waking. They will be going home today.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:10 pm
Feeling a slightly cold sensation press against his cheek, Mikayl didn't have to bother with his vibrations to know that it was Verita, through their open bond. He almost returned the nudge until he caught himself, and instead, just stood up.
Good morning, he yawned, stretching out his front legs before shaking his entire body to get rid of the ice clinging to his fur.
For one blissful moment, he was completely free of all his worries, and troubles. And then everything came crashing back down, and he froze from the events of last night. Mikayl snuck a glance at Verita to check if she'd heard what he was thinking, but she was busy tending to the hatchling.
They were going home today. And he had yet to decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Actually, now that he thought about it, the path down to Edoc'sil didn't go the same way as to Aezhenn. So if she was heading back to Edoc'sil with Cyclone, that probably meant they would be parting here and now.
Definitely a bad thing.
Mikayl had gotten so used to Verita's presence in his mind, the presence that had made him so uncomfortable at first, now felt like it belonged there.
Well, damn it all if things didn't go the way he hoped, but Mikayl refused to be known as a coward.
Verita, he said, trying to sound confident, or at very least, not whimper. Mikayl coughed before trying again. I... I luu...uuuuh...
He twitched at his own inability to say the word, and finally blurted out, "I love you!" Then he felt his face heat up as he mumbled the same thing again, this time through the bond. Mikayl really hoped that she would understand what he meant.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 6:15 pm
Verita busied herself with preparing Cyclone for the trip. After a quick inspection of her, she told Cyclone to fly onto her back, which the little one obliged. The hatchling found a hold in the mane of hair at the base of Vera's neck, and found a warm perch there. She had doubled her size since she had hatched. Verita never knew hatchlings could grow this quickly.
"Flygon!" it called out happily. Verita worked on keeping Cy calm, and thus was oblivious to Mikayl's inner turmoil. The female lunar turned around at the mention of her name, and cocked her head curiously as Mikayl tried to say something, but she didn't quite catch it.
What was weird was that Mikayl was trying to use words, something he knew she couldn't understand completely. Verita could only guess that whatever he was trying to say was too complex and detailed to be conveyed efficiently with pictures, emotions, and ideas.
And then, Mikayl blurted out three words, and again through their connection. Verita understood the emotions behind the words more than their actual meaning, but with a concept such as love, the emotion is probably a lot more significant.
Verita stood there, silent for a moment as she examined those emotions, reciprocal of her own. Unlike most others, she was unburdened about ideas of love, of stories of happy endings, and those of tragic ones. She was not bound by the cultural ideas of love, and unlike what most people and kyns would, did not question those emotions.
She padded up to Mikayl and nudged him gently with her head, in a lunar's way of showing affection. And I you. She wordlessly conveyed to him.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:53 pm
Mikayl had never realized he could feel so much relief from the emotions he received in reply and let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding before returning a hesitant, but gentle, nudge.
Even if Verita didn't know the meaning of 'love', the emotions behind it were crystal clear. At this point, he wanted nothing more to do a victory dance. It felt so strange, and it made him feel a little light-headed. Okay, maybe a lot more light-headed.
But it didn't matter! Mikayl felt almost giddy. He hadn't been this hyper since he'd been a pup.
Then the comfortable silence was broken by Cyclone crying out impatiently from Verita's shoulder, reminding both Lunars what they were supposed to be doing.
Edoc'sil first? Mikayl asked, trying to sound even vaguely like normal. He imparted a black and white version of what the cave den looked like through his vibrations, and hoped Verita knew the name of her clan.
Though how was this going to work? He wanted to be with Verita, but he had ties and responsibilities towards his own clan, and couldn't just leave them. Especially not at a time like this, when they needed as many hunters as possible.
And Mikayl expected that Edoc'sil were hard-pressed to feed themselves as well.
Oh, well. It didn't matter right now. He could escort them to Edoc'sil for now, and then they could figure out what to do from there.
(Buahahaha, I leave the hard[er] part to you. >D)
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:47 pm
It was a pleasant moment, just standing there, their heads gently pressed against each other. Verita's heart was pounding a little harder than it ought to, and she wondered vaguely about it. Now this was something new to her. Her heart worked harder when she was scared, and after a long and exhausting exertion. It was neither of those two situations right now.
The little one squawked on her shoulder, little claws extending and sinking into Vera's skin. It didn't hurt much, but the lunar sent a passing thought to Cyclone anyways, telling it to loosen up. She nodded at Mikayl's suggestion. Edoc'sil will be missing its hatchling.
Verita then withdrew from Mikayl, turning around carefully so that she could crawl out of the entrance of the temporary shelter. As she stepped out into the sunlight, she resisted the urge to shake the snow and ice off of her fur, knowing that Cyclone was upon her back.
She watched as Mikayl exited the shelter, and examined the area they had been living in. The snow here was hard and crisp, good insulation and easy to dig through. The cliff provided some protection from the elements, and the entire area had seemed stable enough.
As the trio descended the mountainside together, Verita began making plans about her stay at the dens. She will never be comfortable living in the stone caves of Edoc'sil, or the unnatural ice caverns she had glimpsed through her bond with Mikayl. But she can not stay in the places she had stayed for the past twenty years, for those areas are higher up the mountain, and she would be too far from the clans, from the company she had sought after.
She'll be establishing herself down here then. It will be busy for her, for the next few weeks. Many shelters she needs to set up, water supplies to be found, and she had to learn about the prey of the lower altitudes. Not just that, but the weather, the conditions, the environment around her, the plants that will heal her, and the plants that will hurt her.
But this time, she did not have to figure everything out for herself.
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:31 pm
Soon, they reached the large entrance to Edoc'sil, and Mikayl was a little stumped. Sure, he'd spent his childhood in this den, but he didn't remember much about how visitors got into the caves, since, well, nobody visited.
And it didn't seem likely that Verita would know, since from what he'd seen through the bond, she'd arrived right before they'd gone to rescue Cyclone.
But it seemed his fears were groundless, though, as a few moments after they'd arrived, the cave entrance opened, allowing a certain blue Lunar to pass through and meet them.
Where have you been? Eclipse immediately asked, upon seeing Verita and Cyclone. He didn't seem angry, just worried. Are you two alright? Oh- Mikayl, what're you doing here?
Helping Verita save the hatchling, he answered, then quickly explained what had happened to them over the past few days, omitting the part about him and Verita, though. He figured there was no need to tell Eclipse something like that.
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