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!
Ray walked with an added pep in her step. After the tension regarding pebble collecting in the Greatwood, the herbalist was glad to be on her way home. Or more specifically, working on the last part of her quest that just happened to bring her closer to home. The last ingredient for her quest was a sentient vine so she'd made her way to the Tanglefoot.
Eying the ground the herbalist realized that finding the vines was no problem. They practically covered the forest floor, reaching up and poking the Attuned as she walked. The issue was, how did she collect them? Reaching down with a hand, the vines curled around her wrist but always slipped away when she tried to close her hand around one.
"Come on, won't one of you come home with me? I need your help for a quest," Ray grumbled when yet another wiggled out of her grasp.
Pihu had been trailing this particular mark for quite a while. Although the other woman looked vaguely familiar, the thief couldn't place the stranger. Still, a woman traveling alone was typically an easy mark. So, in her raven form, Pihu fluttered along above the other woman.
It took the thief a while to realize they weren't sticking to Torchline. For a moment, the raven almost turned back, actually banking and turning. However, she decided to keep going following the stranger along the beach and into the jungle proper.
Of course, she had to avoid the grasping vines. Hopping from tree to tree as they tried to strangle or trap her while also keeping an eye on the woman below, Pihu completely lost track of where she was. She was in the midst of trying to escape yet another strand of greenery when the stranger spoke.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
As Ray argued with the vines, she heard the faint sound of feathers. Glancing up, she spotted the raven that was currently struggling not to be entangled by the very same vines. She couldn't tell if it was a wild bird or a fellow Attuned, but Ray called up to the bird regardless. "Do you need some help? Hang on."
Shifting into her shangyang form, Ray pushed off the ground and hovered near the struggling raven. Using her talons carefully, Ray began to try and help the other bird out, taking care not to cut the vines. She had a feeling damaging them would only make the vines more eager to entangle and trap the two Attuned.
The woman turned into a bird that Pihu didn't recognize. Immediately, she shielded her mind, not wanting the other attuned to necessarily recognize the thief quite yet. As the stranger flew up, the raven did her best not to struggle too much and get tangled up in the vines even worse than she already was.
Instead, she gripped the vines near feet in her talons and strained against them, trying to prevent them from constricting further. At the same time, she turned her head. Beak opening as wide as she could, she clamped down on the nearest vine, trying to sever it.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
03-20-2022, 04:27 AM (This post was last modified: 03-20-2022, 04:27 AM by Ray.)
Ray
If falling actually different then flying?
Ray let out a warning caw, Don't sever them! You'll make it worse! She had now way of knowing if this was a fellow Attuned or not, but it was worthy trying. Using her talons and beak, she worked the vines as loose as she could. Soon enough, there was enough wiggle room that the raven might be able to escape. Maybe. Ray wasn't sure how flexible the other bird was.
Diving down, the tried to find the base of the vines. The herbalist had to collect one after all. Preferably alive. Which meant she needed to dig one out and somehow repot it, or something. Ray wasn't actually sure if she could. Regardless, she tugged on the base of the vines that seemed to be tangling the other bird in the hopes of getting them to further loosen up.
Unfortunately for the fellow bird woman and Attuned, Pihu wasn't exactly in the mood to listen to a stranger's advice at the best of times. Seeing as the thief was being practically strangled by vines at the moment, this wasn't the best of times. So, instead of relaxing and just pulling the vines off, the raven continued her work with her beak.
Gnawing and sawing at the vine, eventually she managed to sever it from the main stalk. At that point, the vines around her writhed and recoiled (or maybe that was Ray's efforts below) for a moment before shooting towards Pihu. In the brief moment of release, she managed to shuffle out of the way, but an errant vine caught her talon.
Jumping off the branch, she tried to fly away, but was jerked backwards. Her beak still gripped the strand of vine she'd separated, which was actually wrapping around her neck. Caught by the vine around her foot, she swung towards the trunk of the nearest tree.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
Ray sighed internally, swooping down to help the raven. Avoiding cutting the vines was preferable. But saving the life of this stubborn bird was far more important. Talons stretched out, the shangyang sliced through the vine curling around the corvid's leg and using her beak she carefully severed the one reaching for the other bird's neck.
Once the vines were cut, Ray grasped the crow in her talons, taking care not to scratch her. From there, she rose into the air and out of the reach of the vines before gently releasing the other bird. The herbalist did keep an eye out as she did so, in case the raven was incapable of flight for whatever reason.
Ray had the best of intentions. However, as anyone who has ever had a pet bird will tell you, birds react very, very poorly to being grabbed. Croaking, Pihu began to struggle and writhe as much as possible within the shangyang's talons. Raking at any part of the other woman with the raven's own talons, she twisted and began pecking at Ray's wings.
At least Pihu had some presence of mind left. Instead of randomly striking, she aimed for the other Attuned's flight feathers. If the raven could, she'd pluck them out, even if it meant they both plummeted to the ground.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
Gods fucking dammit, you fucking idiot. I'm trying to help you. Ray hissed through the bond though she thought at this point that the raven was simply a wild bird. She had to vent her frustration somehow. The second she felt the corvid peck at her, the shangyang released Pihu.
If the raven wanted to fall, she was falling alone. Ray had tried but clearly the other bird refused to be helped. And the herbalist wasn't going to risk her own skin to help a bird that seemed to be uninjured. Shakily Ray landed on the ground, grumbling to herself about the foolish corvid.
Once safely on the ground, she made sure that the vines were leaving her alone. When they gave no sign of attempting to grab the shangyang, Ray then began to preen the feathers. The feathers that Pihu had disheveled were simply too uncomfortable to ignore.
Croaking again as Ray let go, Pihu flapped her wings. However, she wasn't at the right angle to fly properly. All she did was manage to slow her descent a bit. Not enough to stop her from slamming into the ground with a surprising amount of force.
Letting out one last croak, she lay on the jungle floor. Wings open and beak parted, she stared up at the canopy. Temporarily stunned, she couldn't even move. There were a few holes through which she could she the sky. However, mostly her glassy gaze was filled with the greens and browns of the plants and trees above, along with the occasional flash of color from a fruit, flower, or animal.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
Ray glanced over at the stunned raven incredulously, head tilted in bafflement. Her feathers were back in order so the Attuned shifted into her human form. She carefully approached the fallen bird and sat down a small distance away.
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her med kit and set it beside her. "Idiot. Will you at least let me check you over?" She mostly mumbled it to herself as she held her hand out slightly to the bird. The herbalist did leave a bit of distance still, so she could pull her arm back if the raven tried to peck her.
Ray felt a little bad for dropping the bird, but she really hadn't expected the corvid to just drop like that. She'd figured if the bird had enough energy to fight her, they had enough to fly. Clearly not.
Pihu just lay on her back. Body still splayed out on the ground, she watched the wind rustle the branches above. As the other Attuned shifted back into her human form, the raven watched as best she could out of her peripheral vision.
It was only when Ray spoke up that the thief actually stirred a bit. However, she didn't move much. Instead of responding or getting to her feet or anything like that, all she did was turn her head towards the herbalist. Pihu stared directly at the other woman for a long moment. Then the raven's head turned more until her cheek hit the earth. Beak opening and closing a bit, she rocked back and forth just one.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
The rocking motion pulled a concern frown from the herbalist. Ray hesitantly stretched out her arm further, still being mindful of potential retaliation. "Come on little bird. Let me help?" She was half tempted to scoop the raven into her hands but given the bird's prior reaction, she refrained.
"All I want to do is just check you over and make sure nothing is broken, ok?" Ray also wanted to check for a concussion, but she was trying to keep things simple for now. Granted in her mind a wild bird probably didn't understand any of what she was saying. Maybe a few words here and there given that it was a raven, and corvids were generally pretty smart.
Hopefully her tone and body language would convey her intentions well enough, and she could ensure the bird's wellbeing.
Pihu found herself staring at Ray's shoes. They were nice shoes. Or at least, they seemed like that from the raven's perspective. The earth was cool against the moist jungle air and she pressed against it with her cheeks. There were more words from the woman that the thief vaguely paid attention too.
Continuing to rock back and forth with increasing force, she managed to flip herself over. Laying there for a moment, she half hopped half dragged herself in the direction of the other attuned, or at least Pihu hoped that's what she did. In the end, she lay still again, this time on her stomach instead of her back.
They say these are the golden years But I wish I could disappear
