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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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 Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:58 pm
 Arbre sighed unhappily as he crushed some berries on top of a flat stone. Abalis was growing up. A student! How long until he was a full member once more and Arbre could spend time with him again? Not that it would ever be the same, oh no. Abalis would be grown, a full member of the pack.
He glanced at the sun. Going down, it would soon be dark. "Close your eyes," he instructed as he smeared some of the juice on one paw.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:01 pm
"Why?" Abalis asked, though he shut his eyes obediently, raising his head toward the green, cloudy-like dragon that had taken him in when Abalis was just a hatchling. That seemed like so long ago, when Arbre had first shown him the Mountain Road... And yet Abalis still had so many questions...
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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:31 pm
"So this won't get in your eyes," Arbre said as he carefully smeared the juice into Abalis' face. Twists and twirls, mostly above the eyes... there, that would do.
"You can open them now," he said with a gentle smile. "And we'll head to the forum."
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:37 pm
"What is it?" Abalis asked, wrinkling his nose a bit as the juice touched his face. It was an odd feeling, having something smeared on your head with no idea what it was... Abalis really hoped that Arbre wouldn't suddenly reveal a mischievious side and write something embarressing on Abalis's forehead...
"Yeah! The Forum!" Abalis cheered happily, opening his eyes and giving a little bounce of excitedness, "And... Then what'll happen?"
He'd asked the question more than once before, but he liked to hear the answer...
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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:57 pm
"Oh, it's a super secret family tradition passed down from father to son involving dirt, water, small pebbles and -" he laughed, unable to take himself seriously. "Don't worry, Abalis, it's just berry juice."
"You will join the other students-to-be, sitting in a circle and facing out," Arbre began as he led the way to the forum, "You must remain silent, Abalis, and reflect on your life and your place in the pack. Behind you, the ghosts will dance, or sit and whisper. It depends on the ghosts, some are terrible gossips... but whatever you do, Abalis, show proper respect for the dead and do not turn to see who is there. Also, stay awake! It's hard, I know, but necessary. Come dawn, the Riverstones and one of them will tap you on the shoulder. Follow them in silence to their cave where you may rest and break your fast. Thus will begin your life as a student."
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 8:58 pm
"Oh... I see," Abalis smiled mischieviously and stuck out his tongue, licking as far up on his face as he could... Ah! A little taste of berry filled his mouth, and he grinned. "Yum!" He became a bit more serious as Arbre explained the proceedings to come.
"Silent. Reflect. Don't turn... Don't sleep. Wait until morning and then go with one of the riverstones. Got it." Abalis nodded to himself determinedly. How exactly did one 'reflect'? ... Oh well, It would come to him when the ceremony started.
He grew more and more anxious as they reached the forum. He was excited... but also a little worried...
"Arbre... Has anyone ever turned around, or fallen asleep during the ceremony before?" Abalis wondered aloud, "... What happens if someone does..."
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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 3:21 pm
"Not during my lifetime, but it has happened. Sleeping... dropping off for a moment or two, I'm sure that's happened many, many times but dragons that are asleep come dawn or passed over by the Riverstones. Those who turn to face the ghosts... well, best hope they haven't the gift of ghost speech! They are the most easily caught - the ghosts will tell the nearest Ghost Stone, quick as you please - and that dragon will have to wait a moon before being able to reattempt the ceremony. The ghost dance is sacred, and not to be taken lightly. The penalty for sleeping is lighter, only a half moon turn.
"But Abalis, don't worry. Do your best, I'm sure you'll be all right. Here, sit here and wait for the other student to arrive. I believe her name was Fraise -? Well. This is where I leave you. Good luck... son."
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 5:01 pm
Abalis frowned. A whole moon cycle? That wouldn't do... Abalis wanted to become part of the pack as soon as possible.
Well, he just wouldn't turn around... Or sleep.
"Alright. Thanks. Bye... Arbre."
As much as he would've liked to... Abalis couldn't call Arbre 'Dad' yet... He still wasn't willing to give up the hope that his parents could be still alive... Besides, there was still the chance that Arbre had meant 'son', in the way any older dragon might think of a young male dragon as 'son'...
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 8:02 pm
 Fraise padded to the meeting place as quickly as possible, for the first time in her life since she'd left little Nasima and Annie behind trying to be as silent as possible to hide any shame in her heart. She was running a little late, and didn't want to show ungratefulness to Arbre now. He was willing to incorporate her into the pack...a pack where she could find a bit of independence and pride in her life. Where she wouldn't be called a brash, tomboyish, outspoken nuisance. She was going to be sitting with Arbre's other student in a night vigil, watching some kind of dance, and she was eager to prove herself to the pack, to belong, to make something of her life. That rumor she'd heard must be right. The Mountain Road Pack was a place of change, and change was something Fraise needed in her life.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 2:40 pm
Arbre, still Arbre. Arbre said nothing, understanding only too well just how long a death could haunt you. Sometimes he still thought he saw Nari...
And speaking of tragic pasts... "Fraise! Remember what I told you. Stay to the edge of the forum, and do your best to stay awake the entire night. Whatever you do, don't look over your shoulder, or try to watch the ghost's dance. If you have the slightest touch of ghost sight, they'll catch you at it and, well... some of them have a nasty sense of humor, I'll leave it at that. I wish you luck, but now I must go, the sun is setting." He nodded pleasantly to the female and took his leave. Ever since he had first laid eyes on her, he had gotten the impression that she was running from something. He rather hoped that she would find the peace she so desperately wanted in the pack. A student's life might do her good.
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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 2:58 pm
((So are they in the forum right now, getting ready to start the ceremony?))
Abalis watched Arbre leave, heart pounding in excitement. This was really happening. He was really joining the pack...
He took in a deep breath and smiled shyly at the older female, Fraise. She was a mountain dragon... How interesting. Their structure was slightly different from Northern dragons, and the little differences in how their anatomy was made up were intrigueing... Abalis had helped another mountain dragon in the pack with a skin rash they'd been having once, and he had been pleasently surprised by how easy it was to examine the rush with the thinner hair... With a Northern dragon it would've caused many more problems.
"Greetings," he nodded respectfully.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 3:33 pm
((Yep. And they're the only ones that'll be there for the ceremony, the forum is left deserted for Leaving the Pack ceremonies~ 3nodding ))
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moineau bavarde Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 5:59 pm
Fraise nodded. "Right. I won't be nodding off, and I won't play with the Ghosts." She grinned. Something about Arbre cheered her up in his own way. It had taken time to get used to the Northerners, with their sheer size. Made her newfound dreams of being what Arbre called a "Whetstone" seem a little dicey, when Northerners were already so much bigger and more powerful than herself. She shivered to shake off this little worry as she settled down behind Abalis. "Hello," she said briskly. Quite frankly, she found Abalis a sweet kid, oddly deeply interested in healing dragons, but a really sweet kid. Kind of like her sister, Ryuu, though not nearly as innocent and vulnerable.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 2:20 pm
"Hello," Abalis replied, settling down into a comfortable position on the stone. He'd be here for a while... and he wasn't sure he wanted to fidget all that much with ghosts running amok behind him... No doubt his tail, toes, and other extremeties would fall asleep during the ceremony anyway, but for the moment, he wanted to be in a comfy position...
Now, if he understood correctly what Arbre had said, there would be no more talking between the two students...
Reflect, Abalis commanded himself sternly, on my life... and my place in the pack...
His life. Well, Abalis was still young... There wasn't much to reflect upon. His parents had gone off hunting soon after he had hatched... and they'd never returned, whether because they had abandoned him or because they were unable to return, Abalis didn't know. He'd survived by catching mice in a corner of his den, and fetching water from a nearby pool...
Then Arbre had crashed into his life. Literally. The massive dragon had fallen from a crumbling section of the mountain road and had been injured... He'd fallen right into Abalis's little speck of a home, and Abalis had somehow managed to nurse him back to health...
((I'm going to split his reflecting into a few posts, just so that the night doesn't have to pass in one long big hunkin' post... XD))
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 3:09 pm
Fraise also settled down, and she was glad she'd found a spot with a bit of grass. Reflection, eh? Reflection on one's life so far...and one's role in the pack.... She gazed out into the distance as she sat.
She'd had what many would consider a good childhood, though she'd never been satisfied or at home with such a sedentary life. Hydrus and Ryuu had always been telling her that she should settle down and shouldn't be so rough, just like their parents had. It had admittedly made her a little sad every time she saw her mother before she got into hot water. Gypsy had looked so sad and disappointed, though it had taken some time for Fraise and her siblings to find out that Gypsy sometimes saw the future in her dreams, or at least the futures of those nearest and dearest to her in dreams.
She'd left as soon as possible, admittedly tagging along after Hydrus. Ryuu had always been too sweet and innocent, and Fraise hadn't wanted to spend her life looking after her sweet sister. Hydrus seemed to be looking for adventure, so she'd followed him, hoping to find adventure...and instead she'd found that gay male Oliver, who'd left with their son, planning to avoid his daughters and their mother to be with other males. Fraise let out a sigh.
Sure, she was still furious with him, but...she had been upset enough to leave her daughters, Annie and Nasima, with their grandparents while she ran away from her life as a mother who hated her daughters' father and sometimes saw too much of Oliver in poor little Nasima. It was almost impossible for her to hate Annie, who looked so much like Fraise, but she hadn't been about to split up her daughters. That would have been even more unfair than the simple fact that her son was separated from his sisters.
((I'll also continue the reflections in separate posts; why don't we do a time skip once reflections are over?))
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