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 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:14 am
This Quest is for Maya in her attempt to become a Blade.
OOC
||. You may not control any NPCs or other characters; Maya must face her trials alone.
||. Respond to the prompts given as you would any other RP.
||. Your responses may be as long or short as you feel necessary.
IC
Sauti was certainly an interesting place… and could be quite beautiful, if looked at in the right way. However, there was also something unsettling about the land. It possessed a silence unlike any other region, offset entirely by an intense echo whenever any sort of sounds was made. It made being alone feel even emptier, and those nomadic peoples who wandered the mountainous region were very often alone; you could wander miles without encountering another person.
An infant’s wail rang out across the land, breaking the strange silence. Swaddled tightly in cloth, the baby of the Wind Tribe had been snatched up and was swinging precariously from the teeth-filled beak of a large, dark, scruffy-looking bird. The strange creature dropped the child into a nest filled with glittering treasures, clearly stolen from the people of this region. Other birds circled overhead, cawing and screeching their aggression.
The child’s parents were nowhere to be seen, but the infant’s cry rang out clearly through the land, echoing around the mountains.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:00 am
Blinking as she did her best to take in her surroundings, Maya almost felt at a loss. This new land was confusing and strange to her, not to mention having lost everyone and Pacju some time back. Maya was growing increasingly more irritated with the lack of detailed trees to find her way around. At home Maya could look at a tree and know exactly where she was. Gritting her teeth as the intense silence threatened to consume her. The other part that seemed to set off the Alkidike was the lack of food she could see. At least in the canopy of Jahaur she was able to find nuts and fruits. Maya rubbed her nose before shaking her head. She just couldn't seem to comprehend how people lived in this kind of world.
Her thoughts were cut repetitively in half when the deafening wail of a creature broke through the silence around her. Confusion spread at first before the sound slowly began to register as a child's cry. Dark bug like eyes scanned the ground, while she used every part of her to search for movement with her antenna's. It was most certainly not on the ground so up? The very moment her eyes turned to the sky they fell up on the winged beast that carried the infant before it fell. That was the very thing to spur Maya into action as she hurried forward, trying to find a way up to the child in a desperate manner.
When Maya still lived in Chibar island with her great mother tree Aisha, there was at least one of many things she could remember. Children were protected at all costs. Though she couldn't see the infant through the swaddling, it was enough to hear its cry. Then she found it, a small and barely visible path up running towards the pathway Maya wasted no time pushing her body forward. Leaping with all her might to reach the place where the nest was suspended somewhat close to the face of the cliff she had climbed. Only missing the very place by a foot or two the Alkidike gripped the branches hard before pulling herself up and onto the branch with the nest.
For the moment Maya was unconcerned with the winged creatures, who were making a far more annoying sound than the infant had. Reaching out to the baby Maya hesitated. It wasn't Alkidike, not that it really could be from Chibar anyway, but a wind earthling. Reaching out to scoop the child up in her arms Maya searched the scene quickly, if she could find a marker from her last venture here when she met Shukri perhaps she would be able to find a trace of the earthlings being not far off.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:46 am
The child stared up at Maya as it was scooped up out of the bird’s nest. It whimpered pitifully, its blue eyes wide and wet with tears. The child seemed to be more confused than afraid; this woman definitely wasn’t mommy, but she resembled her far more than those ugly, loud birds.
The birds, on the other hand, were incredibly displeased. Being territorial by nature, they did not appreciate the Alkidike woman’s blatant disregard for what was so obviously their territory. They had begun to stir up quite a ruckus, dark feathers falling to the ground in their distress.
After a few moments of circling, the birds began to attack. Their beaks, long and pointed, were filled with rows of sharp teeth. Their claws were also long and incredibly sharp, curved to cling to the rocks terrain if necessary. The entire group began to dive bomb Maya, more intent on getting her away from their home than on retrieving their infant captive.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 9:59 am
Maya starred down into the child's face blinking several times. These children though incredibly small compared to the children born of lotus flowers from Aisha, seemed even more dependent on protection. At least for now the child seemed to be making less noise than before so she must have felt some form of security from her. It took Maya a few moments to break away from the strange mesmerizing blue eyes of the infant just as she was getting dive bombed. Sucking in a deep breath of air Maya's dark bug like eyes scanned the area around her, desperate for a way down. Her heart sank the more she looked while trying to avoid the angry birds, the only way down she could find was going to need her hands.
Gently taking hold of her bottom lip between her teeth, Maya did her best to unwrap the swaddling while keeping the infant away from the birds. Thankful when the cloth could be used to make a sling she could wrap around both her body and the child's giving her free room to use her hands and feet while protecting the earthling. Tying the cloth as quickly as she could Maya sucked in a deep breath of air as a sting raced across her arm near her shoulder. One of the birds had successfully caught her arm while she was focused more on the child. Despite her desire to pay retribution back the Alkidike narrowed her eyes and started her path down the tree.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:25 pm
The child clung easily to Maya’s torso, apparently comforted by the body heat, so close to her own. The infant began to doze, completely at ease, despite the fact that they were moving and the Alkidike woman was doing what she could to fight off the scruffy birds. It was clear that the child was used to sleeping while traveling.
The birds, on the other hand, were not nearly as content. They had lost their captive… what they might have been planning on doing with it was yet to be seen, but their fury was clear. They continued to attack the retreating Alkidike, aiming their claws and sharp teeth at whatever exposed bits of flesh they could find.
They were territorial creatures and despite the fact that she was doing what she could to get away, she was still far too close to their nest for them to be any degree of pleased.
...At least the child wasn't crying.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:36 pm
The feeling of the child's hands was apparently new on the young Alkidikes face though it wasn't unpleasant. A stronger urge to protect the earthlings life pressed through her veins forcing Maya to move down faster, she felt vulnerable having left her only defensive weapon back with Pacju. Where was her companion anyway? The Radaku was always near her. Climbing down seemed a lot harder than climbing up, even more now that she had a child to protect! Breaths came out long and rhythmically steady until she found her feet well planted on the ground. A few more scrapes from the birds had appeared on her back and slightly injured leg. Mentally cursing as she managed to avoid yet another suicidal bird Maya crouched and scooped up a couple of rocks aiming she launched them into the frenzy.
Hoping the rocks had sufficiently distracted the birds Maya burst forth away from the nest as quickly as she could carry herself. Glancing down only once to check on the infants situation she felt a slight amount of relief when she discovered it had fallen asleep holding tight to her. It seemed comfortable which was far more than she could hope for. Her feet continued to pound against the ground as she quickly went through the list of items in her bag. None of them would prove helpful in casting off the birds, and even if they did there was a risk it could harm the baby so she didn't dare try. Bending closer to the ground as she ran Maya scooped up a couple more stones.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:57 pm
The rocks successfully managed to knock a few of the birds in various parts of their bodies. They chased Maya for a number of yards as she took off away from the nest. However, as she got further away, and more of them fell victim to her cast stones, they began to retreat, screeching their displeasure after her. She had, after all, successfully managed to capture their captive…
Although the child remained quiet for a brief amount of time, soon she was awake again. She began to mewl, the beginnings of a cry. Hungry, perhaps? Afraid, perhaps? Certainly not cold with the Alkidike’s body heat so near. Whatever the case may be, that cry slowly began to kick back into gear.
Although the birds had dispersed, an infant’s cry was enough to bring predators into the area. The wail indicated a weakness… and although the baby might not be alone, an easy meal in such a harsh environment was worth checking out.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:23 pm
It wasn't much longer until Maya glanced back to find the strange birds had given up their chase with a sense of accomplishment the Alkidike slumped to the ground to take in her breaths of air. Cleaning her lungs allowing the clean fresh air to fill them. Glancing around Maya blinked she recognized the area, if only slightly then again it could be an area that looked the same as another or she could be remembering it from a previous adventure. Letting her heart finally calm from within her chest, Maya was just about to start in search of her lost companion before the child clinging to her woke with the start of a cry.
Maya had not been prepared for such an event, most of the Alkidike children she had come into contact with where bigger. They had less events of waking with out notice and often were able to tell her what they wanted. Pulling the makeshift hold on the child off as she held it in her arms. Maya shifted her lightly, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what do to but all she knew was out here in the open it was imperative she quiet the child's plea as quickly as possible.
Humming softly as best she could holding the child close to her chest Maya shifted through her bag for any edible food source but all she found was a half cooked fruit. That was easier to mash up that way for the child anyway, at least that was what she believed. Placing the fruit on the ground, Maya searched her back for one of the many vials she carried and using that hand she pulled out a vial and placed it in her toes to hold steady while using her one free hand to mush the food as best as she could.
Satisfied when the fruit had been sufficiently mushed into the vial, plopping the rest into her mouth Maya brought the vial up to the child's mouth before padded sounds in the distance forced the Alkidike to turn in haste towards the direction. Prompting the child to hold onto the vial Maya turned holding the child as close to her body as she could, her muscles tensing to prepare to run. Her dark bug like eyes squinting in the dark in search of the creature, only to breath another sigh of relief when Pacju emerged with a panting whine. On her back was the ties holding her bow and quiver of arrows.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:10 pm
The baby continued to cry, its voice rising to a wail before Maya had managed to, quite impressively, mash the food into a vial with the use of only one hand and her toes. Although sloppily, the infant managed to consume the food that she was given. It seemed momentarily alarmed at the unfamiliar flavor, but decided it was something that she rather enjoyed and so, continued to do her best to eat.
Unfortunately, the sound had already alerted a nearby predator.
The creature, long and sleek, was covered in rough fur. Its snout was long and pointed, topped with a pair of wide, flaring nostrils. A tongue slipped from beneath its sharp, tooth-filled jaws, long and forked, tasting the air. In the distance, it could see the Alkidike and the child that she was diligently trying to care for… as well as another creature, one that resembled him vaguely, but was still unfamiliar.
A growl rose in the beast’s throat as it stalked forth, doing what it could to sneak up on the trio, to block them against one of the rocky walls, which would make its attack more feasible. It was outnumbered, after all.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:31 pm
Shifting the child on her body to the other side Maya began cleaning up the rather sticky mess she had created. Her eyes seemed focused on the ground though her senses were dashing about the forest in a rather alert mode. Sauti was unfamiliar to the Alkidike and she already didn't feel at ease here compared to Jahaur, so her senses were constantly on high alert for danger. It didn't help her body was filling with adrenalin due to her new charge she had only recently saved. She was feeling pretty happy when she seemed to calm down from eating. At least she had found what was wrong with the child on the first try after all. Her eyes watching Pacju as she drew closer, her muzzle carefully nudging the infant in Maya's arms.
Chuckling softly Maya reached up to pet her companion letting her know the child was no harm to the Radaku. Satisfied Pacju leaned her head into Maya's hand with a low rumble though her eyes seemed to be focused on something else, her tail swishing back and forth. Maya watched her companion carefully before turning around. She wasn't able to see exactly what it was Pacju was interested in but she didn't want to wait to find out. With the little she knew of her surroundings and its creatures there could prove to be even more deadly creatures out there and her chances of keeping the infant safe while it clung to her were starting to shrink.
Taking no chances Maya did her best to fluidly move onto Pacju and holding the baby close to her like it was her own, and holding onto Pacju with the other she quickly ordered for the pair to take off away from the danger Pacju was focusing on.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:23 am
The infant’s eyes widened as it was nudged by the Radaku. Tiny, chubby hands reached out, hoping to touch the odd creature’s fur, unafraid, since the woman who had taken on the role of caretaker seemed comforted by the Familiar’s presence.
As Maya managed to prop herself onto the Radaku’s back, the creature who had been stalking them sprang into action. The last thing it wanted was to lose its prey, and it had become very clear that at least the Radaku had noticed its presence.
The beast leapt from over the rock behind which it had been prowling, its claws extended and teeth bared as it leapt towards Pacju, hoping to stall the fleeing beast.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 7:42 am
Pacju took a step back as her eyes focused entirely beyond a rock in front of them her tail swishing back and forth as a warning to whatever lay beyond. Maya tightened the material around herself and the baby so she wouldn't accidentally drop her in the hurried confusion. So many beasts seemed to be out for the infants life and it was a wonder it had survived this long. Mentally debating weather or not she should keep the infant and return home to Jahaur in order to protect it, something inside the Alkidike seemed to tell her it was best to still take it to its mother.
Her thoughts were broken when the beast lunged forward from behind the rock and Pacju simultaneously darted to the side catching a claw on her shoulder briefly before leaping past the beast and running in the opposite direction it was facing. Maya pulled the baby closer to her as she leaned in closer to Pacju in order to aid their escape. She had no idea if the creature was following but she knew her own companion was getting hurt. Her eyes falling on her bow as she rode atop Pacju Maya breathed a silent 'oh' and snatching it and an arrow up Maya took careful aim.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:34 am
The child seemed to sense Maya’s anxiety and it whimpered its distress, clinging to her torso as she secured it around herself. Nowhere in Tendaji would an infant be left to live, unguarded, especially in a place like Sauti, where food was scarce. A baby, even an Earthling baby, was seen as an easy meal to these hungry predators. No doubt, had Maya not come along, the child would no longer be alive.
The creature growled its unhappiness as the Radaku slid out from under its grasp. The fact that it had managed to get a claw into Pacju’s shoulder seemed to reinvigorate the predator, giving it the encouragement it needed to keep chasing right on after the fleeing trio. The animal seemed oblivious to the arrow that was now being steadily aimed in its direction. It was slowly gaining on the Radaku, its claws outstretched, intent on catching up Pacju’s hind legs.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:38 am
Maya's eyes narrowed, more intent on stopping the pursuit of the strange beast than trying to calm the stressed child. Any animal that could hear them now was not likely to be getting involved. Pulling the string back a little harder Maya let the arrow fly aiming for the beasts feet to warn it off. She didn't want to have to hurt it if she could help it. Feeling a slight change in the ground Maya shifted back to almost laying against Pacju while holding the child secure. This wasn't good, if she wasn't able to get away from any predators how in Tendaji was she going to return the child.
Leaning from side to side with her Radaku as the pair darted forward in a zigzag pattern intent on leaving behind the beast. Gripping the fur along Pacju's neck for added support once she was able to loose the beast she would be able to at least try to track down where the child had come from. Even if she could barely remember where it was she had ended up in such a strange place. Tracking couldn't be that hard, could it?
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 7:27 am
The creature leapt to the side as the arrow clattered at its feet, the tip of the weapon scraping along its legs, not enough to wound it, but enough to know that it was being threatened. Still, the blow wasn’t sharp. It had been enough to slow the animal down, but not enough to stop it. The predator’s instincts had kicked in; it was hungry and its fleeing prey signaled its animalistic brain to do one thing: chase.
Superb at climbing in this area, the creature raced up a mountain, hoping to gain on the zig-zaging trio from the sky. It hurried along the craggy rocks and, once it deemed itself close enough, leapt through the air, claws outstretched, aiming, once again, for Pacju’s back and legs.
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