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!
Longheat brings all that its name promises and Maeve misses the cooler temperatures already. It doesn't stop the Nightshade from heading into the Oerwoud, intent on gathering some supplies for her medicine cabinet and hopefully finding some plants to transplant into her own garden. She slips through the underbrush, whip on her hip and bow at the ready, jade eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary. She doesn't have the same tracking abilities as those with shifts and is left to follow nothing but her own senses.
The Nightshade slows, finding an entrance that dips below the earth, cooler air leaking from the opening and enticing her to enter, promising shade for her troubles. She does so willingly, sighing in relief as the temperature drops by a few degrees, making it that much easier to linger. With practiced ease, the queen examines the plants around her, humming a soft tune beneath her breath as she does. Only when she hears the harmonizing tones of a Treeflit does she slow, a smile curling on her lips before she vocalizes again, louder this time.
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
Sah and Lilly had made their way to the Undergrove on their way back to Halo. A slight detour to hunt and relax and simply be before returning to the bustle of war preparations. It was as the pair was walking that Lilly hears distant notes. One sounds human but the other is unfamiliar to the wolf and her confusion passes along to her bonded.
"What is it, Lilly?" Sah inquires of his companion when he senses the change. Silently padding forward, the wolf eyes the trees, Sah trailing after her in confusion and intrigue. Lilly lets out a few quiet howls, ears perking when she hears similar tones repeated back towards her.
Continuing forward, Sah and Lilly spot Maeve, catching a few notes of her own humming. "What is that?" The Abandoned whispers, not wanting to startle the women or scare away whatever creature was present. Lilly meanwhile was continuing to converse in low yips with whatever was in the trees.
Aidon wasn't far behind her, watching the entrance from a perch in the trees, sending a warning to his bonded as the Abandoned approaches. The queen turns just as Sah speaks, smiling at the awe in his voice before she turns forward, vocalizing again. A chorus of harmonies fills the air in various pitches and tones. "Treeflits. They're known to mimic songs as well as take shiny things off of your person." Maeve reaches into her bag, pulling out one of the many stones her son has given her from the Rainbow Road, setting it before her.
"Let's see if we can entice one out." The Nightshade creeps backwards, giving the critter some space to appear should it desire, moving to wait beside Sah. "They aren't typically shy from what I've read."
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
Sah returns the smile before scanning the trees for movement, "Treeflits?" He watches curiously as Maeve pulls out the stone and offers it up for the creature. Falling silent the Outlander waits to see if the creature appears. He's not sure what he's expecting. The Undergrove had enough shadows and twisted caverns to hide a creature of any size or color.
A rustling begins and Sah finds himself holding his breath. Eyes locking onto the foliage he just barely catches the glint of eyes. "I think we've got one's attention." The words are whispered near silently so as not to startle the creature. They might not be shy, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.
Treeflits, while rather cute, were also incredibly mischievous. Maeve's jade eyes narrow as she scans the foliage, waiting for any sign of movement and grinning as the underbrush rustles, black eyes glinting from within. She waits with bated breath and they don't have to wait long. A lizard like creature about the length of her arm scurries from the bushes, a beetle in its mouth, darting this way and that towards the shiny stone a few paces ahead of them.
The little creature darts forward, dropping the beetle and snatching up the stone in return, but it doesn't flee. Not yet anyway. Maeve grins, drawing in a breath before singing a few soft notes, attempting to entice the Treeflit into singing a little more for them.
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
Sah watches the exchange with open wonder, a small smile on his face. It reminds him vaguely of the small cave lizards back home. Ones whose spots shimmered and glowed when light was reflected off of them. The two lizard species were vastly different, but they felt similar in the amount of curiosity and awe they invoked upon the first sighting.
Sah stays silent as Maeve's tune coaxes a few notes from the treeflit. It's voice rising into the air with surprising strength for a creature so small. The Outlander also finds it adorable that the lizard wanted to trade a snack for a pretty stone. It gave the treeflit an almost innocent air to it.
Maeve grins as the treeflit offers a few more notes before snatching the stone away and leaving a shiny beetle behind instead. It watches them for a moment longer before disappearing back into the underbrush. The Nightshade straightens, reaching for the beetle and noting that it is very much dead, dried out and perfectly preserved. She holds it in her palm, turning it over carefully with her finger tip, examining the insect before she turns back to Sah. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were more lingering around, but I think that's as good of a greeting we're going to get."
She says with a laugh, rising to her feet, "Are you heading home from here or back to Torchline?"
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
Sah chuckles as the trade is complete. "Probably. Though I'd say that was a sucess in my book." He eyes the trees around them, registering the small glimpses of color and movement. "We do seem to have a rather shy audience at the moment." From what he could tell there were at least two more treeflits but neither showed any sign of emerging.
Turning back to Maeve the Abandoned smiles, "Torchline. The guild is planning a hunt in the Wilds. I'll head home from there." He honestly wasn't sure which was more exciting. Hunting with his friends once more or jumping into his blanket nest back home. Lucy for Sah, both were in his future.
"Yourself? If you're heading to Torchline at the moment, feel free to tag alone with me and Lilly." Said companion gave a quiet yip, tail wagging in invitation.
"Ah, I suppose Deimos has gotten everything up and running then." Maeve muses softly, a slight smile on her lips at the thought. She was glad that he followed through on his promise to do so. Not that the Nightshade doubted the Sword's word. He wasn't one to lie. At least, not that she had found thus far. Maeve straightens once more, securing her whip back to her hip and whistling for Aidon. The dragon swoops down, landing beside her with a trill, bending his head down to nose at Lilly. "Thank you, but I actually have a few things I'm gathering out here."
Maeve flashes another easy smile towards the Abandoned. "Safe travels back, Sah." The Queen dips her head towards him and presses deeper into the undergrowth to continue her search.
~FIN~
But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like slow motion double vision in rose blush
