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 Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:27 pm
Thorn nervously settled himself on the thick branch. He checked the pouch wound around his left leg once again, ensuring that its contents, several varieties of tasty treats, had not shifted during flight. He clicked his tongue at Cassiel, who was attempting to investigate the contents of the bag for himself. "Cass, those aren't for you!" The Chirops looked at him reproachfully, but decided to obey the fledgling and ignore the bag. The territory had been easy enough to find; he had followed the river all the way, and he espied a few of Goldleaf's creations sparkling in the forest's green hazy light. After a hasty last-minute preen, and a rub of his charm with a talon for good luck, Thorn hooted, softly first, then louder. "Mr. Goldleaf? Are you here? It's Thorn."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:01 pm
The leaves rustled as a creature rushed past, tiny twigs and loose leaves snapping and falling to the floor below. The branches yielded slightly to the companion's weight as she paused, her tiny paws held delicately near her fluffy chest, bushy tail twitching. Where was the little hooter?
Goldleaf had asked her to wait for a fledgling outside, and she had taken to dutifully watching from every branch with a good vantage point, beady eyes searching every direction the young sentinel could come from. Unfortunately, Zahavi had grown a little restless and directed her attention to plucking small bugs off of the huge tree while she waited. The whisper of leaves as the bigger sentinel dropped off his charge sent her hurriedly climbing through the branches, her tiny ears twitching in anxiety over how she should've been watching for them, or how Goldleaf's time and effort would be wasted should she have been picked up by a passing Sentinel in search of a lunch. Oh, she couldn't bear her own gruesome speculations!
And the small voice of Thorn alerted her, ears twitching in the direction of his perch. "Ah, must be him!" she thought, and with a flurry, sped off to the lower branches to meet the darker boy.
"Ah, hullo! Crafter boy? Here for lessons?" She asked, her small voice high-pitched and slightly wary. A quick gaze was given to Thorn and his chirop, and she fluffed up her chest and nodded her head. "And you, wings! " She turned to the shimmering hollow, gold baubles and wind-chime-like objects jingling in the breeze. "Follow in, Goldy is here and waits!"
And with that, Zahavi scampered off into the large entrance, faint voices (and sometimes a metallic crash followed by yelling) echoing out into the river-grove.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:21 pm
Thorn followed the silvery Skurri, who was so much unlike Roth it was hilarious. He waited for Goldleaf to appear in the clearing where the Skurri led him. The territory was nothing like Liam's... no eggshells or fledgling feathers scattered about, and the lovely chiming of the metalwork was a welcome addition to the general stillness of the forest. He loosed the thongs of his pouch, letting some of the nuts in the bag peek out. "Mr. Goldleaf?" he called after a particularly loud crash, "I've brought you something!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:44 pm
"Here he is, here!" Zahavi chimed, quickening her pace as the gilded Sentinel came into sight. Her tail flowed like liquid gold as she settled at his side, a delighted series of squeaks betraying her speech as she pressed into Goldleaf's side, delighted for his presence.
"Mm? Ah, Vi dear, you're back? And... ah! Thorn, are you? A pleasure to see you dear boy, and... ooh, a gift?" The older sentinel clicked his beak and fanned his tail feathers, a small grin on his face as he surveyed Thorn quickly. "So thoughtful, thank you!" Goldleaf blinked expectantly at the fledgling and his companion, chuckling a bit at the boy's size, the leaf-charm bouncing against his chest. "Aaah, me. I remember when I was a fledgling!" Nostalgia brought on a happy sigh, though he realized he was making himself seem older than he really was - a habit he had always had.
"Of course you really shouldn't have! Now I'm obliged to give a gift to you! Possibly in the form of a lesson, mm?" He turned towards piles of glimmering gold fused to rock, waiting to be manipulated, and half-finished pieces, waiting till inspiration struck again. "What shall we do! Gathering techniques, proper inspiration-finding, will techniques, care of metals, manipulation..." The crafter seemed to ramble, his voice coming to a mumble before he remembered the young one was there.
"Oh. Well, it's your day, my boy! Let ol' Goldleaf show you the way."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:10 pm
((By the way, Thorn's charm is roughly ankh-shaped. He doesn't know how to make specific shapes yet, and he just made an abstract shape that coincidentally looks like an ankh necklace that I wear myself.))
Thorn proffered the bag. "I gathered all these myself, including the mouse tails! A lesson would be so great! I know a little about metal, but how do you find it? What's the best Companion for finding metal? Can I train Cassiel to find it? How do you take care of it? Is it a special way? Why does some metal turn red and dusty and grainy? Is that rust? How do you get metal out of those rocks? Why is some metal gold and other metal not? What makes metal shiny? Why can some metal get wet and other stuff not wet? How do you get metal to stay around stones? Where do you get stones?" He hopped along at the older Sentinel's side, eyes shining and beak flapping. Cassiel flew along next to him, shaking his head. Although the Chirop was young, he was never this enthusiastic about everything. Still, he was glad that his master was enjoying himself so much.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:57 pm
((Oooh~. 8D Is he wearing it now? Or does he just carry it with him or something?))
Another white blur peeked from behind an array of gold pieces, his small, round ears twitching and nose working quickly at the air. The mus stepped from behind the pile, small head held indignantly and not even flinching at the mention of his cousins' fate. His own tail flicked and swayed as he scuttled over to Zahavi, who just tilted her head at him.
"Ungrown fools! Don't know to talk, and get eaten... or tail'd!" Alamar announced with a finished nod, surveying Thorn's pack with little interest. He braved the young one and stuck a paw in his bag, fished out a nut, and threw it to the skurri. "Ooh! Nuts, Vi! Hide them away!"
The crafter's gut heaved as he laughed, both at the gifts and at the questions, and also as his companions began stealing nuts and tails away from the pouch and into a small, yet deep, burrow. "Dear me, slow down, Thorn! I can not answer these questions all at once, you know! There will be plenty of time for me to teach you, no rush! Now..." Goldleaf gathered himself, fluffing up his feathers and preening his wings. "Let's begin with the proper way to find metal, shall we? Listen hard boy, because without this knowledge, it will be very hard to become a crafter." Large, golden eyes stared down at the boy, kind, yet firm.
"I think this lesson is better held where it is found, don't you think? Can you fly well enough, boy? It's not far," he offered, moving closer to the opening in the trees.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:28 pm
((Right now, his charm is around his neck, but I"m not gonna bug Jaeger/Slander to put it on until after the event chaos.))
Thorn fluffed himself. "Sorry!" he chirped. "I've never been able to ask anybody those questions before. Sorrysorry!" He bobbed nervously. Great. Five seconds into this and he'd already screwed up. Remembering Goldleaf's other question, he nodded eagerly. "Yes, sir! I can glide for a long time, and fly for a while, though not as long as Liam. Cassiel is a good flier, too. He turned to look at Cassiel. The little Chirop felt pale and drab beside Goldleaf's vibrant companions. They seemed visibly intent on carrying away the nuts Thorn had brought, so instead of trying to make small talk, he simply sat behind Thorn and nodded. "Thorn good," he offered. "No land." Thorn sat forward in what he hoped was the most attentive posture possible. "I'm ready to go, Mr. Goldleaf!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:58 pm
Goldleaf chuckled heartily, then opened his wings and leapt from the opening, wind coaxing him into flight. With a grin, he called to Thorn, "Then let us begin!" The forest had just opened up beneath him as he exited, the glittering waters of the river shining so brightly that they lit up an opening a few minutes flight away from the grove, and the sounds of rushing water echoed around the large tree trunks.
Zahavi and Alamar had just finished emptying Thorn's pack when Goldy left, and they sat upright, confused for only a moment before recognizing the look on their master's face. He was eager and happy, and the companions instantly knew that the river was his next destination, the metals in it his next victim. The skurri and mus looked at each other and nodded once, then scampered up to Thorn as they themselves readied to leave. "To the river! Not far! Wings come too, will show him how," quipped Zahavi, Alamar having already darted after Goldleaf.
"Come Cass-i-el!" Vi's tail twitched as she waved her paws, then leapt quickly from branch to branch after the others, dappled light interrupted and leaves falling from her passing.
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:48 am
Cassiel looked at Thorn, who sent him to follow the Skurri with a wave of his wing. He looked at Not-Roth, then followed her into the trees, wondering where on earth they were going.
Thorn leapt after Goldleaf. The territory was beautiful, with the sparkling water dancing beneath them and the light bouncing off of it dappling the leaves. It was wonderful to fly about in it, even more so when you looked like Goldleaf. His wingtips seemed to be dipped in liquid gold, and the amount of shiny accessories on him made him look like a flying ball of light himself. He looked practically majestic! Thorn couldn't wait to make swirling, shining accessories like that himself... an entire forest of shimmering Sentinels... he nearly swooned with the thought, dipping low, then catching up to Goldleaf. "So, where are we going, Mr. Goldleaf?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:36 pm
Leaves on nearby trees rustled with the force of Goldleaf's silently beating wings, shining like the water they headed toward. His charm swayed from his neck like a pendulum in time with his movements. Bright eyes caught the movements of Alamar keeping up directly below them, and of Zahavi leaping from tree-to-tree somewhere off to the side, small chattering noises whispering from her as she moved.
The crafter turned to his apprentice as he caught up, a large and giddy smile splayed on his face as he dropped a foot and ducked his head, squinting slightly. "You'll see soon enough, dear boy!" And with hearty laughter, he broke out of the tree line and flew over the shimmering river, doused in near blinding light from the transition of dark, heavy wood to open banks. The mountains loomed in the distance, their tops lost in swirling fog and cloud that could be seen running down into the forest at the foot of the range.
"Only a wing's beat now, Thorn!" He called, looking back at the fledgling and then nodding himself to a place where the bank jutted out into the river, a series of boulders creating a sort of natural barrier or levee to the slightly slow-moving waters of Sparkle River. The water quickened a bit further downriver, and Goldleaf even remembered a few rapids when he first surveyed this spot, but... the Lagoon, as Goldy called it, was perfect. He had even dragged a bit of drift wood for use as perches and platforms, and there was even something of a small hut on the grass above the bank, in the hollowed foot of an old willow tree.
Alamar and Zahavi waved as their master began to circle, his gold items sparkling in the sun. "Here we are, here we are! Come see, Thorn!" Light wings gave a little, allowing Goldleaf to drop while circling until he landed on a flat platform on some rocks of the bank. "Pretty, place, don't you think?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:59 am
Thorn winced at the sunlight, very bright for small eyes, and gasped, once he was able to look down and see where he was. He had never seen the river up close before, and, despite his trepidation over being so close to the ground and the water, he landed near Goldleaf, not wanting to disappoint him. "It's beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!" It was true. He hadn't seen anything like it. The only thing that came remotely close were the aquamarine gemstones he'd seen on some Sentinels at the Longest Night. "Is the metal in the water, Mr. Goldleaf?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:53 pm
Goldleaf grinned, his chest heaving in a great, delighted sigh at Thorn's comment and looked around the Lagoon. He hadn't been down here in a while. He stretched out his great wings, the feathers shaking about as he did so, then folded them back in and turned to face the young fledgling.
"Hah! No, boy! The metal's in the mountains!" He shook a wing towards the looming peaks in the distance, nodding sagely. "You see, small bits of rock and metal break loose from the mountain, and roll down to the river's edge. Sometimes they're swept in when the water rises from the rain, and then they're carried down this way. It's a bit more shallow here, and the heavy pieces get caught on the riverbed or wash up in here - it's quite the process, you see, and this is just the perfect harvesting place!" A slight chuckle ended his explanation, and quickly called over to his companions.
"Zahavi! Alamar! Bring me the pans, won't you?" And the skurri and mus bounded off together into the makeshift hut, chattering quickly, tails twitching.
"Now, Thorn! How do you think you get the metals from the water? Hm?" Small sounds akin to clangs and scrapes of metal-on-metal echoed from the hut, but the crafter ignored them and trained a large, golden eye on the boy, expectant.
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:04 pm
Thorn studied the water for a bit, mesmerized by its movement. "If... hmm. If the river brings them down here... and you have pans... then... you and your Companions stick the pans in the river and the river moves so fast that the metal and rock get caught in the pans, but the water ...doesn't? How do you get rid of the water? Do your pans have holes or something? Or do you just pick through it? he asked. It seemed to make sense; he'd seen rocks tumbled by the water, and he knew that the river could be swift enough to move heavy things. Staring at the river, he looked for flecks of shining metal in the water, but wasn't sure what he saw. Was that the sun on the water or silver? He'd wait, and let Goldleaf tell him for sure. No sense in getting wet...
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Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:22 am
"Exactly!" boomed the crafter, his chest heaving as he spilt into loud laughter. After a moment or too, he ceased, feathers rising slightly as he bobbed his head in approval. "You're a smart boy, Thorn! Perfect, perfect... and yes, the pans do indeed have holes for the water and sand to get through and you can sift through whatever debris is still in the pan! Metal is usually quite obvious."
"Water is very powerful. It carved straight through the Sparkle Mountains you see there, as it comes flowing down to our talons! It can move great weights, like fallen tree trunks, giant boulders, carrion... everything! Of course, down at this spot, the water is slower and shallower, so the big stuff gets caught upriver, and makes what is called a dam. That builds a wall and contains most of the water and big things, and lets small things and little trickles slip through the cracks!" He nodded again, turning his head and eyes in the direction of the dam he spoke of. "Every so often I go to the dam and see what's turned up! Mostly big trees and rocks, but sometimes you find little surprises....," and as he turned, he caught Thorn staring fixedly into the water.
"And one would never run into the water alone, or with others, without knowing exactly what it is they're running for." He said it sharply, leaning his head close to where Thorn's ear would be. In Goldleaf's experience, he knew that it was not metal in the water that Thorn saw, but a couple shiny rocks, polished to a vitreous sheen and reflecting the sun's light. "This is exactly why it is called Sparkle River, m'boy! Many a greedy, unexperienced Sentinel has died here by the lure of the glint of fabled metals and pretty stones. Make sure you do not end up as one of them! Looks can be deceiving!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:23 pm
Thorn nodded gravely, aware of both his teacher's praise and warning. "I won't, Mr. Goldleaf. I promise!" He frowned, focusing his eyes. He still couldn't really tell the difference between the rocks and the metal. "So, how do I tell which is the metal and which isn't?"
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