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0/50

Character Development

A cool wind blew across the island that he and his family were vacationing on. He sniffed the air curiously, it smelled wet. Rain was on its way in a great hurry, and he was very far from the camp as it was a very safe Island as long as the weather continued to behave. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. This was going to be a big deal on a comparatively small island. He was shivering already as the air temperature continued to drop. He was covered in goose bumps with no secure shelter in sight. His instincts told him to head towards the interior of the island, in the hopes of finding a safe harbor in the storm. Wet trees were a bit of concern with the dubious way they were swaying in the wind. They could easily topple if any had a rotten trunk or rotten root system. He raced off dodging between trunks just his luck that the storm fell right when he was the furthest distance from his parents. He hoped Ryan was okay. He really loved his sister. He was glad that she was safe and not stuck in trouble like he was. It was usually his sense of adventure that tended to get him in trouble, just as it had this time, as he was sussing out all of the new Ireland secrets. This would not have happened if they had been at their Oba house, but they were not at their house. He hummed nervously. He loved matori, and all of its mercurial newness, but he was not ashamed to say that he was more than a little afraid at the moment. The mad dash to the trees continued as the wind whipped faster and faster, trying to steal his breath away. No doubt by this point, his family was also rushing to find him. He hoped they stayed safe and protected his sister. He couldn't imagine anything happening to his parents. They were longer than larger than life and so fit. Not even a tree could take them down. His heart raced as a POM bent and snapped in front of him screeched to a halt and changed directions. His sense of direction, however, was long gone. All he needed was a decent shelter with a sturdy roof. Nope, not that long. It was barely holding up. There was no chance it was going to be a safe place. He kept moving, having very little choice in the matter. In any case, he felt like he was never going to end lightning struck close by and he shrieked along with the other animals who fled before the storm. It had swallowed the island now it was hard to see between the rain and the darkness that veiled the jungle he heard other animals in the hope that none were interested in a snack. Nothing was going right and by now he was more than terrified. He barreled right over a short cliff in his haste and slid down in the mud mixed with embankment plants. The rain thankfully washed him off quickly. At least it was good for something he was quickly becoming exhausted. Despite the adrenaline. That course still through his system. He was just about ready to collapse when he noticed the cliffside with a hollow he wasn't sure how deep it was, but he made a break for it. The wind of course, chose that moment to attack him with everything that could muster evil wind. A branch landed on him and forced him to the ground where upon the impact broke his arm. He yelled unheard into the storm wouldn't awful night. Once he could he shoved the branch off and stood cradling his right arm. He had no time to look at it. As he raced for the cave. gratefully. He slid inside. It wasn't all that warm, but it was dry and he wasn't in danger anymore. He thought that at least his parents would be proud of him for that.

Yes me held still for a while catching up the pain. Nothing had hurt so much in his whole life and he cried he really needed his parents, and it was just not possible to go find them yet. Eventually he cried himself out. He was cold so he curled up tight in a ball shivering deciding it was worth it. He crept out and found some dry leaves to line his nest. He did his best to cradle his arm, but he was still jostled and Jarred. It made his eyes water and took longer, but pain was a mite better than freezing to death. At least he was able to keep his heat in for a bit. The relief was intense, he left his injured arm out to keep it cool sort of helped. He was able to not off for short periods of time, finally a way to escape the pain that plagued him. He woke up every nearly nearly every major clash of thunder, but drifted back to sleep at the sound of rain. At least he was able to achieve some rest. It got better and he was able to sleep deeper to an extent when the storm abated for a while soon enough though it was back at full force and he curled up tighter being chased by demons and his nightmares. When he awoke again his arm was very sore Rafi and yelled into the storm and told it to go away and leave him alone. He explained that he wanted to be with his parents again. He even told the storm boat his arm and how much very much hurt. The storm refused to cease, and he spent more miserable hours holed up like a rat in a hole. He was very hungry by now and his rest had not been very restful. Thus, he was being worked into a very fine temper, still the rest not all that much that he could do about his problems. So he continued to wait. On top of everything he was also bored by now. He may not leave his bedroom for a week after this that was if his parents ever let him outside again. Funny that vacations were supposed to be relaxing, and this one was anything but relaxing. He was frustrated he drank some of the rainwater off leaves outside. It helped for a while to assuage the hunger and more so the serious threat of dehydration that he faced nothing moved outside except the wind in the branches. The animals like him had like the salt whatever cover and shelter they could find. He was mildly surprised that none had tried to share his cave. It seemed like some of the only good shelter around Matori is sure making Oba look good right about now. He was utterly exhausted and he felt his eyes being weighed down by sleep yet again. Was this storm ever going to end or would he have to risk going out or face the starvation that his stomach was trying to make him believe was imminent? If this was at all what adults had to deal with, he was glad he was still a kid. His eyes burned so he closed them. Eventually his breathing slowed and even and the heart ache and his arm built. By the next morning after a long and horribly drawn out night he awoke to a clearing sky if still a little bit birdie. It was a damn sight better than it had been for what felt like forever. Finally, he would be able to go back to camp if there was anything left of it to go back to. He hoped that his parents and siblings were okay no doubt they had been caught in the same long storm. It had seemed to go on forever. Someone out this way must have angered the storm and sea god's for something this colossal and brutal to swing through like it had he didn't care what else happened he was making it back to them post haste Rathi in shoved the leaf litter blanket off he think the trees for it. It had allowed him to catch some sleep at least thankfully matori was tropical. It had been cold enough any worse and he may have needed a fire to keep warm. being wet Sure, had not helped anything he needed to get help for his arm and for his shaken soul. He was going to make up for this with many cuddles with his mom and dad. That was for sure the rest of the siblings were more than welcome to join in but he was going to enjoy his time with his mother and father. It was their solid comfort that he really longed for the whole catastrophic day and night. Now he would have to wait for his darn arm to heal over before he got to enjoy the best of summer but at least he survived the storm. Not all of the beasties in the woods had made it as easily as he had the storm had felled many trees.

1543

Dr Dolittle

Rathian was out for a walk in Oba. In fact it was their home city. Dad was busy at the forge but he had consented for Rath to go to the beast market with a minder in order to pick out a familiar or two. It was good for a boy to have a pet and he finally had gotten the permission he had needed for so very long. So long as said pets did not end up in the house on pain of death from mom. He was sure that was only a semi empty threat but Lynx had lots of space and Rath could board pets there. He was so excited he felt his energy flow back and forth from his feet to his head and back. They arrived at the market and he bee lined for the beast stalls and from there to the biggest of boys. He wanted something large so that no one would pick on him or his sister again. He asked them to bring out their janarim, their snaptrotters and their radaku. To his delight they had plenty of each. His purse was fat enough that he could get away with one of each. He had been saving his allowed and birthday coins for forever to do this and it was so exciting that it was finally happening.
He told them that at minimum the candidates must have good ground manners over that he had beast tamer family members that could help him train them. It should lower the price range per unit unless he liked one of the really well trained ones. It would be a good project to train them as he grew and it would make the bond deeper once he was an adult and that was what he was going for deep bonds.
He wondered which species to do first and he decided to go with the radaku. The merchant brought them to a wide rectangular arena. Rath had the coles notes on gait and conformation from his brothers for his preferred species. He admired the scintilating rainbow of colors and the health of the animals as they slowly moved into the arena. This was like picking out candy that you could ride and would bite the people you didn't like for you. He slipped through the fence slats and stood where the judge would stand and looked over the selection of critters as they entered. Some walked quietly and some had evidently not been exercised yet because they minced and danced beside their handlers. All were healthy and of decent confirmation barring one or two that he knocked out of the running with a hand gesture. Eventually he wheedled it down to four then he asked for the snaptrotters to come in and the radaku he selected to be sent to holding pens for closer inspection. He at least felt like he knew what he was doing despite being so young. He was sure his father was hiding and watching somewhere.
He narrowed the snaptrotters down to three and asked them to bring in the janarim and send the chosen snappers to hold pens. It was the biggest boys and girls time. There were many good specimens and no matter how hard he tried he ended up with five in the running. These he asked to be halted in the arena. He looked them over one by one and finally settled on a Dark Blue and black mottled janarim that had kind red eyes and some various sized white spots. There was a lovely red girl too..so he bent the rule and ordered them both. Dad would support his obsession so would the brother beast tamers. This was fun and he hadn't been waiting for years to go home unsatisfied. That he would be arriving at home with a menagerie was besides the point.
Next he walked over to the holding pens and looked at the critters inside. The radaku were first and he chose a smart pure black one that had really pretty blue eyes. He made sure his selections were well settled before checking out the last category of snaptrotter. These guys would no doubt be happy to go back to Matori when they got the chance. He chose two of them too, not being able to help himself in any way shape or form. He was rich and it was burning a big ol hole in his pocket, on the other hand he wouldn't need to go familiar shopping for quite a while and his sister could ride one if she wanted. They would all be well looked after and doted upon. The first snaptrotter he chose was a dark grey with blotches that looked like blood and the other was an orange one with black feet and a little white snip on her nose, her back was covered in black and darker orange spots.
820

Class Affinity
374
If there was one connundrum that took him time to go through it was what he wanted to do with his life. In the end there was only one thing that called to him in a way he could accept as a warrior and the future man he would be. The same type class as his mother, banditry. In particular 'Way of the Shadow Monk." There was something just so suave about the small but deadly knives, the option to use poison tipped pins, no one really knew what you were up to. Stealth, looting, attacking from the shadow, all of these things spoke to him on a very visceral level. Rathian was a special kid and he felt that his future class should reflect that. The sea and smithing held no sway over him, as much as he would be like to hold a hammer or club or beat the crap out of someone with his fists well he was built slight, wirey but slight. There was nothing he could really do with that and honestly the thought of so much muscle weighing him down did not add any allure for him. Oh well. Magic was complicated but at least an option he had the brains for it. But he felt like in a panicy situation having base physical skills might be more reliable than finicky magics.
Non battle classes in all of their myriad of forms also were of little interest to him. So that left weaponry and all of the other weapons were heavy and bulky and cumbersome and he would rather not loose every battle until the end of time. Besides it was a family tradition, mama could teach him and he could weave his world that way.

Dad was supportive but of little help in the throwing knives and being sneaky department. The man was too huge and muscly as stated before and tall as heck. Rathian might be a little taller than average for an earthling but that was it, he could work with it. He wasn't abominably tall like his Dad who seemed to have pulled only the feelers the eyebrows and the height from his diluted alkidike ancestry. Rathian had even less. But that was okay he was very secure in who he was.

He had decided to go on a beach walk and for this he chose Jasmine his orange hued snaptrotter, that way if he wanted to go for a swim he could do that too. She had turned out to have a very sweet temperament for her species and he was quite grateful for that. He had really lucked out that day long ago when he had brought all of his fancy critters home.
She padded in her reptilian way through the sand, stepping out fine, as she had been contained for a while and was eager to exercise. He picked up on that energy too and let it fill his heart to the brim.

It was days like today that made getting your chores done early worth it, as much as he sometimes liked to procrastinate. The wind frolicked about them and with it came the solid scent of brine, fish and fresh air borne in from off the far part of the ocean. He liked looking at it, but didn't have the wanton yearning to be on it in a boat like many of those in Matori had. He liked land and critters and exploring stuff that he couldn't drown in if stuff went downhill. Though he did enjoy swimming he liked to do it with shore in sight and was cautious of riptides and their ilk. That was another reason to swim with a good snaptrotter and Jasmine loved him as he loved her. He made sure that each of his beasts got the best care and that he spent quality time with them all. It was a big job perhaps but it gave him a joy quite unlike any other. Perhaps he should have followed the beast path like his brothers but well, he liked other things as well and being who he was he liked working with daggers and poison. There was more than one way to catch a perzi, there was more than one way to fight for what was right. Besides he admired his mothers night time skills.

He wasn't sure how much banditry he would get up to but he would be deadly with the same weapons she had. She was the scariest person he knew and he adored her for it. Dad was a weird tall fish and that was okay it worked for them.

The gentle sway of the orange snapper underneath him lulled him into a sweet chill thought pattern and he was able to let all the stress in his life go. He was happy that his brother and new sister in law and new niece and nephew could visit. It seemed like they too were following the unspoken genetic rule in the family and were taking after their mother more than Lynx but it was still cool to pick out the similarities in their faces. Zy had gotten both Dad's, Lynx's and Iexa's snoot crystals. He supposed that Ryshanion and Zasha had gotten them as well. He and Zohra were the only two that hadn't inherited that particular trademark. The other twin Vae had taken more after his Mama. Zy had the small crystals inherited from Thea originally as Dad's were larger, he supposed kind of like Vae's. Both kids had inherited Mama's pink crystals over the silvery blue ones that Teiluj had. It was just fun to notice all of these things. He couldn't wait to see who's personalities the kids took after or if they forged their own way.

Their family besides maybe Rydan and Ryshannion definitely had a feisty theme going for them. He was good with it that way. A few gentle folk to balance out the crazy was his cup of tea. The other way around would have felt pretty boring to him he expected as he would definitely not be one of the shy ones.

The snapper paused and he looked to where she was looking. "Time for a swim huh? Are there fishies out there? Do you want to go fishing girl?" He thought that that sounded like a lot of fun. Snaptrotters were good on land but they became almost an entirely different beast in the water. So fast and agile that he was jealous until he figured out that he wouldn't slow her down too much and started to fish with them. Sometimes with rod and line while she swam he would grip her sides with his legs but the even more fun way was to duck dive with her and hold his breath. He had both of his snappers trained to rise with a double tap to the back of their head. It was like experiencing life from an entirely new perspective.

He nudged her side and nudged a little harder with one bare heel than the other, asking her to turn and move and she did. Off they went to the water and he smiled hugely as they walked in and the water rose up his sides, joining them together with a new element. He gripped her tightly as she started to swim out past where she could touch the sea floor.

Her powerful tail moved them forward and he moved along with the undulations of her body. It was a very smooth and efficient motion his prentice self no more than a fly to her and the water supporting them both. He took a deep breath and they dove down beneath the waves to see a school of fish. They spent the rest of the day fishing happily together.
923

Solo - Call of the Hunt