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 Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:20 am
The world was much harsher than Nikolai had anticipated; the stone he'd used to leave the sanctum left him in the middle of the first big snow flurry of the year. He had planned to fly out of the black woods now plastered white over half the bark from the snow coming down.
Cringing back Nikolai hid his face with a wing and hid behind a tree for a moment to reaclimate to his old home. This was not the paradise he had left behind, and Nikolai knew it would be a cruel and harsh awakening when he returned to the world of Humans. He only wished it was not so very cold.
Shivering the boy started making his way through the thinning forest until he made it to a clearing. As much as he wanted to fight the urge Nikolai glanced up a familiar old trail where he could see his old home on top of a large knoll; a light in the window. A sad feeling welled in Nikolai's chest and he spread his wings, the lights from his little halo twinkling when his hat slipped from his head in the wind.
The only way to get away from there was to fly despite the weather and Nikolai knew it. Holding onto his hat he doused the light of his halo and took to the air with quite a bit more work than he normally had to muster for take offs. As he took off Nikolai could have sworn he saw the shadow of a woman in the window of the old cottage, but Nikolai didn't dare look back.
.....................
The icy wind stung his eyes while the snow pelted him and weighed him down. Try as he might to stay aloft longer the boy couldn't maintain his altitude and found himself going down. He'd made it to the city, but Nikolai couldn't make out a good place to land through all the white assaulting him. Wiping his eyes with the back of his coat sleeve, the boy had just enough time to see a street light in front of him.
There was a shout and a crash, followed quickly by a thump on the roof of a building. Nikolai, dazed and tired, didn't move from where he'd landed. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know where he'd landed, all he knew right now was the shock from hitting the light.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:36 am
It was a cold, cold night and Mari scowled as she wrapped the scarf around Isa's head. Being inside would have let them enjoy the snow and blizzard with a hot cup of cocoa and maybe some nice, soothing music. But they had received the call about the jewelry being available, and Mari had a buyer who was willing to pay top price.
Isa hadn't wanted to stay home either: and while it was cold and while Mari herself was cranky, Isa seemed to be enjoying the stroll out. Her eyes were wide, curious as they took in the surroundings. There, the shop with the welcoming glow. It was nice, cheerful and even a little bit romantic, all bundled up and carried by her guardian.
She could get used to this.
"Not far now." Mari muttered as she knocked on the door of the pawnshop, pushing it open. A workaholic she was not, but this commission would provide enough for Mari to buy Isa something pretty to wear, something that suited her Herald more than the clothes she had been dressing her in.
"We'll grab a bottle of nice red wine on the way home too." she muttered, fantasizing about a warm bath full of bubbles. "And maybe something sweet and chocolaty..." that sounded nice. More than nice, really.
"Hello?" she called out. "I called a while ago about picking up some jewelry that has passed the claim date?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:02 am
The owner of the shop had not foreseen the storm that had blown in and the little pawn shop was completely vaccant.
Ka-thump! Thump!
The Herald hit the roof and bounced once before skidding to a hault over the ice. Nikolai lay there in shock after impact, eyes wide in surprise and pain had yet to set in. The street light that was just beside the front door had shattered from the boy crashing into it and sparked at odd intervals in a frightening fashion.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:12 am
No one answered back, and Mari frowned. What the... had the owner stepped out? She was distracted from further reverie however, but the noise that came from outside. The crashing and the thumps and the flickering of the street light had the woman take a step away from the shop.
What was happening tonight?
Was that a...
"Mari!" Isa was the one who responded first, bewildered at the sight. Struggling away from her guardian's grip, Mari responded by setting the child on the ground. It wasn't too bad, the cold, and on unsteady feet the herald rushed to the boy's side.
It was a boy, wasn't it?
"Are you okay?"
Mari followed suit. It was too dark and the flickering of the street light didn't help her vision. He was small, and were those...
Those were wings.
"Isa, he's hurt. We should take him home with us, see if we can patch him up." she leaned down. "Hey there." she said gently. "Can you talk? What hurts the most?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:26 am
Unfocused eyes looked over the person beside him as Nikolai tried to comprehend what just happened.
He was flying, the snow had blinded him, and then.... Yes, that's right, he'd crashed on a roof. The way he lay there was like a bird who had flown into a window; stunned and silent. It was only when the adrenaline from the crash started to wear off that a sharp pain in his shoulder finally sunk in.
Crying out in pain the boy clutched at his shoulder, closing his eyes tightly as he cringed. Nikolai didn't answer the questions, scared and hurt now that he was finally taking in the situation. Nikolai skittered back when hands came near him, looking up at the pair with wide prism-like eyes full of color. He was absolutely terrified.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 3:18 pm
Mari hesitated at the reaction she received,not knowing what to do. He was obviously in pain... "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." trying to keep her voice at a soft and soothing level, she hesitated with her hands. "I leave just one door down from here. We'll take you home, and make you feel better okay?"
She turned to Isa. "Listen, this is Isa. She's... she's like you. She has wings you might understand." a bit of a risk, maybe. But she hoped this would work.
Taking the cue from her guardian, Isa shrugged the shawl around her head and shoulders so that her wings were exposed.White, with touches of blue and green at the tips, she fluttered them lightly.
"You can trust her." she emphasized.
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:14 pm
Backing away, Nikolai flapped his wings at Mari nervously and winced at how it hurt his shoulder. His breath came in gasps appearing in the cold air as puffs of mist that were whisked away in an instant by the wind and snow. Just because this person was the care taker of a Herald didn't mean he was going to trust her; he'd done that with his own guardian for all the good it did him.
Shaking his head as Nikolai looked at Marion the boy wasn't keen to come near just yet. His wings were lifted almost threateningly in much the way a goose or a swan might to frighten someone off. He was making himself bigger, puffing himself up, when all Nikolai could do was feel scared.
Eyes remained on Mari the whole time as Nikolai had any fear of those like himself. Heralds he knew were his kinsmen, his friends. Humans most certainly were not.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:16 am
Mari hesitated as she watched the way the young herald reacted to her presence, to Isa's words. She didn't know what to do, not really. Her eyes darted to the store, to Isa, and around: would there be someone else who would be able to come and help them? Someone who would have more control of the situation?
Isa watched the way the Herald's wings puffed up, and felt hers twitch in response. He was behaving guardedly, and with small, mincing shuffles, she moved closer. The boy was watching her Mari with a stance that didn't feel right with her, and so far didn't seem to be reacting so negatively to her own presence. She could deal with that. She could deal with this.
"Shh shhh" she cooed, mimicking the way her own Mari would try to calm her down. "Shh shhh." If Mari couldn't deal with the situation, she would do what she had to, to deal with it herself.
He was like her, kin. It didn't make sense not to try.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:01 am
Tensing, the Herald's wings puffed a little when Isa neared him but didn't back away as he did with Mari. As she got closer to him Nikolai didn't become any less tense but his wings did lower slowly.
Not one for words Nikolai didn't speak to either of them just yet. As he was still nursing his injured shoulder the boy was more preoccupied with keeping the human away from him than having any sort of conversation. Even if he was to ask where Lind or Guinevere were this young Herald probably didn't know them anyway. They were older than she was, and most likely were off on their own in the world as well.
Nikolai didn't move until Isa was within arm's reach before he finally sat down in the snow, shivering from cold and not having strength to hold his wings up any longer. The flight had been exhausting and the cold seemed to blow straight threw him now that he was exposed to the elements.
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 3:22 pm
Isa watched the way the boy seemed to tense when she neared him, but was glad he didn't move away. That he didn't seem to find her as threatening as he did her guardian. She didn't speak, not knowing what to say: did he need to be told that she was friend, not foe? Did it help to explain that she was only here to help him out?
Maybe, maybe not.
She watched as he lowered, watching the way he shivered. It hurt to see someone with wings like her look so bruised and scared: it hurt, and it was something she didn't understand.
Life had been perfect, thus far. Or perfect enough. This was something that was unknown. She didn't like it.
Unwrapping the scarf she had around her neck, she hesitated, wondering if this action would make him balk. Maybe. Moving slowly, her hand gestures emphasized, she reached out to try to place the scarf around him.
"Mari we need to take him home."
But how?
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:13 pm
Nikolai didn't fight the small child's sincere offering of peace though at first he did flinch before he realized what she was up to. When he caught on, Nikolai actually lowered his head to allow her to put it around him, trying to catch his breath from all the struggling he'd done up to then.
"Thank you...."
He whispered quietly, voice nearly whisked away with the wind and snow. If he stayed out in the cold he wasn't going to survive the night alone, Nikolai had to admit that much to himself. Even if he was wary of this Guardian he could use the woman's help.... and maybe a place to stay for a few days.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:18 am
Isa relaxed once she saw that he seemed to understand her plans. Wrapping it around him once more and trying to cover as much skin as she could, she looked back at Mari. Maybe, maybe he would trust her now. Maybe they could go somewhere warmer and safer.
Thank you?
Her eyes flew back to the herald as she smiled. Nodding her head, she moved to one side. "Come on, we'll take you home. We'll warm you up and see if anything is bruised and broken. We'll feed you too."
Words just tumbled from Isa's mouth. She wasn't used to having to be in charge: it was always Mari. But she didn't mind it, not when the other was the same as she was.
Michael had called her an angel. Maybe he was an angel too. Literally. He had fallen out of the sky after all.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:38 am
The scarf went over his nose and covered the bottom of his ears, making his large multicolored eyes all the more clear. They really were like a prism; the colors were different depending on where one was standing.
Those eyes followed Isa when she moved near him off to one side and the young Herald got up as best he could. The strain on his shoulder made him grimace as did folding his wings to make walking easier. As much as he didn't want to have to rely on another person Nikolai did lean a little against Isa's side and panted with the effort of standing up.
Snow was falling again while the wind howled and the scene where the little angel had hit the ground was quickly being hidden away.
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:44 am
"Not too far." Isa watched as Mari rushed on ahead of them, bag half open as she rummaged through her belongings for the door key. It would be better for her guardian to stay away, to make sure the door was unlocked and that they had something hot to give this herald. What was he doing out all alone, at night? She had presumed that all heralds had someone to call guardian, someone to protect them while they were still this small.
There was a story here, somewhere. A story Isa was determined to hear.
He was heavy, and he was loud. He was in pain as well, and it was confusing. Part of her wanted to set him back down and ask, demand and question, but it was too cold for that.
"We'll go on step at a time. You didn't land too far from our house." she wasn't used to talking so much, but she didn't know what else to do. Funny, how the situation had changed so drastically.
Yet if it hadn't been for herself, or for Mari...
What would have happened to this herald?
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 7:56 am
Much like Isa, Nikolai didn't speak as they made their way over to where Marion was unlocking her door. His head was down as they moved, shaking and shivering from the cold while continuing to hold onto his injured shoulder.
The scarf hid his breath from the cold air that would reveal it but his breathing was still very much audible. He panted between each step as the winter storm had sapped much of his strength from the flight and the fall. It was only when he felt the warmth of the house they were going into he perked up.
And there was the human just in front of him with warmth so close at hand. Nikolai cringed away from her like a hand-shy stray, leaning more against Isa as he did so unintentionally. Once he was inside he wouldn't need to be within arm's reach surely..... Maybe the human would leave him alone while he recooperated. All he needed to do was wait out the storm, right?
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