From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
Gore Crows are not a strange sight in Caido by any means, but there is something peculiar about one standing on a fertile but otherwise empty patch of land between shallow streams, content to be earthbound and without a flock. Of course that is entirely the point - to stand out, so as to make it easier for his partner for the afternoon to find him.
He and Ray, despite working alongside one another for some time now, had yet to spend any of it simply getting to know one another. With winter thawing away into the eager budding of spring, it’s the perfect time to not only stock the stores with fresh meat, but to use the opportunity to become closer to his fellow councilman.
Harper - excitable and eternally full of aimless energy - begins to hop around on his little crow feet in the soft earth, enjoying the slightly squishy noises and cocking his head in birdlike fascination as little claw-tipped imprints are left behind. Entertaining himself easily enough as he awaits Ray’s arrival.
Flying overhead, the gore crow dancing on the ground is easy to spot. It makes a chuckle pass through the bond as Ray swoops down to join Harper. Hey Harper! Nice dance move, but I think I've got you beat. The other bird makes small steps, twirling in a circle as amusement and mischief are broadcasted to her fellow Attuned.
It's true that Ray and Harper had yet to spend quality time together, but in their few interactions she'd already grown fond of him. Harper's warm and joyful presence was hard not to like, and so Ray was already comfortable with him. Comfortable enough to tease him into an avian dance battle that is.
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
Ray's mind feels like meadowgrass on a warm sunlit day as it touches his own, heralding her laughter as his eyes turn to the skies to watch her descend. His own genial nature rises like a swelling tide to meet her, laughing through the bond as she twirls in the damp earth upon landing. Hey, I didn't know I had an audience! The playful defense is entirely jest, but he puffs his dark chest as if experiencing the height of offense.
It makes it even easier to then strut about like a rooster, only pausing to dip until his beak brushes the earth to shake his tail feathers to some unheard beat, gleefully embracing the embarrassing overtures. Booty booty booty booty rockin' everywhere~, he sings before dissolving into laughter and straightening up to hop back over to Ray's side. Great substitute for a warm up. I was thinking some small game first, rabbits and fowl? They are both predatory birds, it would be a simple enough task, and then they could drop the meat and pelts off at more than one location when they arrive back in Torchline to distribute the rewards of their efforts.
Ray finds herself giggling as well as she begins to twirl on a single leg. You spin me right round baby, right round. Like a record player, right round, right round. Dramatically fanning out her wings she flops onto her back, her own laughter carrying through the bond. Ray glances up as Harper gives his proposal for their hunt. Rabbits sounded like a delicious lunch to the Attuned.
Hopping onto her feet, she gives a nod. Sounds perfect. Ray stretches her wings out for a moment, shaking off the dirt before taking to the sky. Let's go! Still new to her avian form, she'd yet to go hunting in it beyond fishing. Ray was eager to test the limits of the shangyang.
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
Their combined laughter is a chorus only they can hear, but it lifts his spirits until he feels he could already be flying. Thriving as always on companionship, especially when the company was so similarly lighthearted. Though he doesn’t recognize her song he dances along to the snippet she sings, carefree and happy.
It’s almost a shame to end it so soon, but they are both tied to Torchline and her people in official capacities, and those people are awaiting delivery of fresh meat and pelts. He watches her streak into the sky, following quickly after her in a blur of ebony feathers. Far less graceful a species, but nearly on par with her size with how Gore Crows were much larger than their earth counterparts.
How long have you been able to fly?” he asks curiously as he coasts beside her, scouring the earth below with sharp eyes far beyond those of a human. Letting the skills and instincts of the bird he is take over, hunting for signs of prey.
Ray's mood has significantly brightened since she's arrived, though she was content to begin with. Harper might be the most light-hearted person that she's ever met, and his lust of life is contagious. Ray is more than willing to be swept up in her friend's joy.
Taking to the sky, the shangyang coasts on the breezes with grace. Not long. It's only been a few months so I'm still getting used to it. Ray swoops down and comes back up with a twirl. A carefree laugh echoes through the bond. I already love it. Though this will be my first time truly hunting like this.
A flicker of movement down below the two birds has Ray turning and coasting. Moving in a wide circle her eyes lock on the ground, scanning until she spots it again. There's a trio of rabbits grazing on some freshly sprouted greenery. There. By the ridge.
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
He has always been comfortable weightless and airborne, and even if the gore crow’s instincts were not there to bolster him, Harper would be looping and twirling in death defying stunts all the same. Ray seems similarly inclined, and the bond between them is alight with sensation and emotion. It’s an honor to feel even in abstract ways the joy she gets from his presence, and he knows she can feel the same.
That glittering pleasure sharpens as she pinpoints their first prey. Harper coasts just below her in the shadow of her wings, keeping close and spotting the small colony she points out. I’ll aim for the one on the left if you take the right, he agrees, concentrating on his own target. No sense in crash landing by reaching for the same prey. On your lead, he defers, never ashamed to take a step back or follow even after years of mentorship. Waiting for her to begin her dive before he follows.
There's something incredibly freeing of flying alongside a friend and sharing laughter and it has Ray addicted already. They'll definitely have to do this again sometime. It's too much fun not too.
The hunt takes up all of Ray's attention as they begin. Agreed. Harper's idea is sound and eyeing her prey for a moment, the herbalist decides her path of motion. Eyes locked and talons ready, the shangyang dives, wings folded at her sides. Once the rabbit is within reach, her wings snap out to slow down enough for her talons to grasp its sides. A sense of victory passes through their bond.
Surging upwards once more, Ray carries her rabbit in tight talons as she waits for Harper to take his turn.
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
The melding of human and animal is still unique after all this time as an Attuned. How he can still plan and think as a man, but focus with the single-minded intent of a predatory creature. The harder he thinks about it the more it falls apart, and so he has never bothered to try. The bird and the man are one in the same, and thinking of it that way makes it much easier.
He waits for Ray to dive first, the twitch of her wings before she folds them immediately visible and prompting him to dive alongside her. With a less streamlined form he is a few heartbeats behind her, but it ends up being to their benefit as Ray strikes hard and kills the rabbit mercifully quickly. His own target startles hard at the display, but isn't fast enough to spring away by time Harper has descended, snapping its spine with the impact to end its life just as painlessly. Shoving back off the earth he joins her in the sky, their victorious emotions swirling together until it's unclear where he begins and Ray starts.
Great job! he compliments heartily, still a mentor at heart, inclined to praise and encourage even when they are equals. Since we can only carry one each, I set up a wicker basket back at the bank we met at so we can have a better haul. We can hunt down whatever we find that we can take down as birds and then get some grub of our own? It's a string-free offer if she has other things to attend to after their hunt, but Harper certainly won't rush off after their job is done if she's willing to entertain him.
Good job to you too! Ray cheerfully calls as they wing back to go drop off their kills. Smart to leave a basket. Smoothly returning to the sky once she's unburdened herself, Ray eyes their surroundings for a moment. That's a good idea. How about one more round of small game before catching a deer or something for us? A sense of eagerness flows through the bond. I'd like to hunt as a panther too if we get the chance.
Hunting as a shangyang was exhilarating. The rushing speed and sharp movements were fun. But there was something deeply satisfying about hunting in her panther form. Catching dinner that way was greatly appealing.
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain
The easy ebb and flow of conversation and companionship is a bright spot of sunshine in his mind, warmly flowing over into the bond. Following behind her and dropping the rabbit into the basket after her, Harper climbs back into the sky behind her. Sounds great! I can scare the deer together as an elephant, but can’t do much to hunt them, his laughter trickles down through their connection, amused by the notion of hunting something as a large, lumbering land-animal.
They have to fly a bit further afield to find more burrows, but the rabbits are enjoying the sunshine outside of their homes, which means easy pickings for the two of them at least. On your lead, he offers easily again as the slower species of bird, happy to tail her and let her pick her prey first.
Harper is easy to get along with and hunting with him makes the experience all the more enjoyable. They'll certainly have to do this again sometime. An elephant? Oh, this will be fun. Ray's voice through the bond is mischievous and eager as they fly towards their next quarry. I've never seen an elephant hunt before. Another chuckle carries though before they arrive at the burrow.
Circling up above, the herbalist eyes the rabbits. Got it. Locking on to her target, Ray tucks her wings in and dives. Her wings snap out at the last second, just as her talons sink into the small animal with ease. With a beat of her wings, the shangyang is back in the sky, rabbit acquired. Gods she loved this shift.
His laughter is clear as day despite the distance between them, the bond facilitating both sound and emotion of amusement. It will be more like scaring them into a chase instead of hunting, but I’m sure my big feet could kill something if I really tried. It would be the weirdest takedown he’d ever experienced, but there was a small chance it would work.
Ray focuses in quickly, their teasing abating easily beneath the task at hand, and as she spirals Harper follows in her windtrail. The sounds of their impact mere beats behind one another as they rise from the earth with prey clutched in talons. Success winds through their bond, keeping them company back to the basket - four bunnies, time for some bigger prey now.
Okay, I saw a small group on our way back, go ahead and shift and I’ll fly ahead to get behind them. You won’t miss me. Laughing at that, he springs off the basket and flies low, barely skimming the treetops as sharp ruby eyes stare down into the undergrowth for the deer. A few yards past them he dives down and back to the ground, where a far more hulking frame takes place. And as he moves through the forest, branches snapping beneath feet and against shoulders, the deer begin to startle already, fleeing towards the clearing - and the long grasses that could easily conceal Ray’s predatory form.
Once I had been wasted land but you have made me meadow green again
Ray snickers through the bond at the image Harper promises. Oh, I'm sure I'll spot you. She doubles back and shifts forms. Sleek wings and talons turning into silky fur and shark claws. Her panther form blends into the shadows with ease, and Ray quickly makes her way towards the deer grazing.
As she arrives, Harper starts their hunt. It truly is amusing to see a massive elephant stomp towards the deer. As they flee into the long grass, Ray waits with tightly coiled muscles till one gets within reaching distance. Then she pounces, her claws and teeth quickly sinking in. Between her precious and body weight the deer goes down quickly.
Once it falls still, Ray sits up and licks the blood from her paws. Thanks for the assist! Do you think that's enough meat to bring back? The Attuned feels highly satisfied with their successes today.
