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 Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:01 pm
Hmmm. A bat Kylandrei... That would explain the wings, and the preference for the dark. The Ancient Oak clan, eh? It seemed she'd overestimated the size of what could qualify as a clan, to judge from his description -- but no matter. A truce had already been reached.
"Faeron... Right, then. I am called Val, and as I said before, I am a white dragon of the far northern mountains. I am here for reasons of my own... I have no clan, as my kind are usually solitary by nature." She reached his side in a few easy strides, allowing him to go slightly ahead of her -- after all, he was the one who knew where they were going -- but not too far. She had to admit, she was curious as to how he thought a dark cave was going to unnerve her... It was just darkness and earth. As long as the cave didn't collapse in on her, she could think of few perils to be found underground, and surely Faeron wouldn't choose an unstable cave to use as his den.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:56 pm
Faeron heard the soft sounds of her footfalls as she neared him, and though his pride would have kept him in front of her, he slowed down until he was sure she was at his side. He knew that he was leading her the right way; sure, he was unable to see, but he had almost the whole geography of the forest memorized. He also knew the distinct smells of his clan's center; the sweet smell of the flowering rosebuds around the ancient oak that hid his den, the crisp smell of a nearby spring, the smell of a small clearing's colorful spring flowers, the smell of the soft grass underfoot. Everything, from scent to sound, was woven together in his mind to form a complete image of the world around him. Even the tiny vibrations that traveled through the ground alerted him of nearby creaatures, no matter how small.
But there was one thing he did not know, and never had known; the beauty of color. Val's mentioning of the mountains brought a sad memory to his mind: Aiya, a respected friend in his clan, trying desperately to describe the beauty of a mountain sunset to him. But he knew no color, only a world of gray blindness.
He closed his eyes as he walked on, trying to rid himself of the shameful feeling before he betrayed it to the elegant creature beside him. But he could not help but ask, "The mountains... are they beautiful? Do they... really touch the sky, as I have heard?" His voice was low and quiet, as if he himself could not bear the question. But he wanted to hear the answer from someone who had true experience, and Val had verified that herself.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:44 pm
Val kept pace neatly with Faeron, noting how easily the other traversed over what must be familiar terrain to him. She herself was more acutely aware now of how much she relied on her sight -- while even that would fail her in the fiercest of storms, her eyes could still guide her home from the faint shapes of familiar landmarks, long after the driving snow left sound and scent completely drowned. And in an unfamiliar place like this... Of course, no doubt he had the advantage of superior senses to replace the missing one. Still... At his sudden change of tone, and the question, Val couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have no concept of color, of the play of light and shadow on shapes that would only be felt.
Her own voice dropped a bit, a tone of strange gentleness creeping in as she recalled her home. "Yes -- the highest peaks are higher even than birds will fly, so close that even the clouds are near. And they are beautiful, and vast; even for me, it would take days to fly their full extent. They can be terrible... they are no more fond of intruders," she added with a chuckle, "than you are, Sir Faeron, and they share none of your hospitality. But there is something about the winter nights... All is still and silent save for the wind, and so dark, save for the stars, and the otherworld-lights -- I do not know what they are. Even I can't fly high enough to get a good look at them, but they move like a live thing, and in such colors! The first time I saw them, I though that someone must have torn the sky, and I was seeing what lies on the other side..."
Stopping suddenly, Val shook her head, "But I ramble, and I apologize -- this must mean nothing to you." Silly of her, prattling on like a hatchling. At this rate, he would think her soft, or foolish.
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:11 pm
"No... despite my inability to imagine colors, it still means much to me. I've never let the loss of my sight bother me, but it can be much to bear at times. I just know there's so much more to the world than what I sense," Faeron rumbled, his voice low and quiet. A sky full of color and sunshine... strange lights in the night... what he would give to be able to percieve such a sight! He could only imagine the vastness of the sky above him, and that was all he ever could do.
"But never mind about that. Small things such as those shouldn't bother one such as me. I've got other things to worry about."
He started to slow as the footing began to change. Instead of the lush, soft grass, the ground became cushiony under his feet, and faint crunches came from here and there. He knew that these were the leaves from the grove around his home, and knew that he was getting close. He could hear the rustle of the leaves around him, could smell the faint earthy scent from the entrance to his cave. A path was laid before him in his mind; he had every step memorized.
"We're getting close," he said, his voice not quite as rough as before. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that the large, ancient oak whose roots housed the entrance to his cave was rising up before them.
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