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!
Thankfully this wasn't his first trip to the Oerwoud, and Tal was getting faster at making the trek through portals, airship, and his own two feet. The lanky young man was putting in more muscle but his dark hair was still messily tied back and his pale eyes still squinted out from his tanned face above a resting scowl. In the heat of the jungle he wore a light, loose shirt with his goggles hanging around his neck, and he walked with a glaive that was almost as tall as he was for a walking stick. On the end of the weapon a large butterfly net had been carefully attached, though he was constantly having to free it from low-hanging vines.
A little ways ahead of him a large dragon companion, her pale hide chased with the hidden colors of glaciers, cast ahead, sniffing the air through a blunt muzzle. The size of a wolfhound but built like a mastiff, there were few things in the Oerwoud that would bother her.
But the ones that would were more dangerous than Tal wanted to deal with just yet. He'd decided to start his job on an easier note, and today he carried a box with one side made of open slats on his back. There was nothing in it at the moment, but he alternated keeping his eyes on the trees overhead to look for his prey, and on the ground at his feet as he had to pause to jump over the winding streams that gave the area its name.
All around there was a riot of color and life, the calls of birds and insects, the splash of fish and birds in the ubiquitous streams, and the screeches of other animals farther away and higher above, but so far he hadn't seen what he was looking for. "Whaddya think, girl?" he asked the dragon with a glower into the empty branches of another vast, moss-covered tree. "Should we try somewhere else?"
Sah and Lilly were relaxing in the warm sun of a clearing in the trees. The Outlander's eyes were closed as he soaked up the sun. Although he was a creature of ice and snow, even he had to admit that sometimes sunlight felt fantastic. Lilly laid curled up next to him, with her head on his thigh.
But soon Lilly's ears perked up as she caught a familiar scent. When the information passed to her bonded, Sah let out a groan. He'd run into Tal, again? As Lilly scampered off to greet Boreal, Sah glanced over his shoulder with a sigh.
"Errand Boy." Sah called out suddenly, though at a normal noise level, hoping to see Tal jump. "Out collecting things again?" The courier was certainly busy, hardworking too. The Abandoned had to give him that.
Boreal was downwind of the lounging pair and wasn't able to warn her companion in time. Tal did indeed jump at the sudden human voice cutting through the jungle sounds, but the very first words - as much as the voice itself - was as reassuring as it was fondly annoying.
Lifting his chin and smoothing his shirt down as if he hadn't just lost his composure, Tal looked around until he spotted Sah and rolled his eyes even as Boreal made a wing-assisted leap-and-glide over the streams to touch noses with her friend Lilly. "Workin' for a living, still, Jester," he called back, making his way over. "Got another commission. Don't s'pose you've seen any treeflits in the area? I need a live one for the customer."
Sah smirked slightly when Tal jumped slightly. Lilly meanwhile happily nuzzled Boreal, giving the dragon a quick lick on the cheek in greeting before instigating a game of chase.
"Fair enough." And yet once more the courier showed just how damn hardworking, he was. Admirable really, not that Sah would ever tell him. But the treeflits were something that he could actually help with.
Giving a low whistle to Lilly to call her back to his side, which she did so reluctantly, Sah explained his plan. "Treeflits are generally shy. You won't notice them just looking for one. You have to coax them out. Do you have anything small and shiny? They like to trade shiny things for beetles."
That was the first step. "Once you give an offering you then sing or whistle to get their attention. They'll call back to you and once they feel safe enough, they'll come in to grab the offering." And no, he wasn't bullshitting the courier. Maeve had taught him how to call the creatures. And wasn't that a painful reminder.
Sah paused shaking those thoughts away, "You'll only get once chance. If it startles, I doubt any will be willing to come out."
Boreal was ready to run, and followed Lilly with a happy Whuff! of smoke as she bounded blithely through the streams.
Meanwhile, Tal peered suspiciously at Sah as the hunter waxed knowledgeable about the jungle creatures. He'd only looked up what they'd looked like in a book before he headed out and was ignorant of the species' finer points... but that meant that he didn't know if Sah was pulling his leg, either.
"Hmm... I guess I do..." He hesitated before pulling out a shiny copper luck-piece from one of his sisters, rubbing it between his fingers. He looked down at it and scowled before giving Sah a pointed look. "Better not be pullin' my leg on this." Not that Sah would. Probably.
He looked around for a place to put the bit of metal and found a tree stump that was thickly covered in moss. Setting it there he backed away and readied his net, slanting another look at the hunter. "So uh. D'you sing?"
Sah rolled his eyes, "I'm not." As Tal placed the copper, the Abandoned gestured for him to be quiet. "I can. Somewhat." Though howling was a form of singing, that wouldn't do now. But some soft humming like he did for his pups at night would probably work.
Relaxing against his tree Sah started quietly humming that very lullaby. It was a mellow, musical tone, with gradual changes in pitch. The kind meant to soothe. After a few moments the Abandoned fell silent and waited. Sure enough, a very small echo of the very tune was heard.
Sah grinned at Tal before repeating the small song. An echo once more emerged, this time slightly louder. It seemed that the plan was working thus far.
Tal snorted but did as the hunter recommended. He'd asked about Sah's singing ability more to keep himself from having to do anything too embarrassing in front of the other man (he'd never admit it, but he was shy about singing for an audience that wasn't his dogs) than because he thought Sah would agree, but when the Outlander began to hum Tal shut up and listened with dark brows rising in surprise.
It wasn't half bad! But since they were being quiet he couldn't say anything about it and bit his lip to keep his comments to himself.
Sure enough, the echo came back and Tal perked up, flashing a return grin to Sah before he quite realized what he was doing. The treeflit was working its way closer and the courier tensed like one of his dogs about to spring as it sounded its song just beyond the leaves at the edge of the clearing.
And then it stopped and went silent, and Tal almost bit through his lip in anticipation before the little jewel-toned lizard fluttered down from a tree with a beetle in its mouth. He waited until it landed and was setting the beetle beside the luck piece before he made his move. He pounced with coiled excitement to bring the net down over the little creature which immediately panicked and tried to fly up - but only got caught in the net and fluttered helplessly. Tal started to reach for it and then draw his hand back, afraid of damaging its small wings while it thrashed and wriggled so strenuously. "Uh... don't suppose you know how to hold one, too?" he called back to Sah.
The small treeflit emerged faster than Sah expected. And he honestly felt a pang of guilt that the creature was denied it's trade. The little guy had brought them payment after all. He approached and picked up the container that Tal intended to place the treeflit in. "Put your copper or something else shiny in here. We have to complete the trade." Moreso for his conscience but Tal didn't need to know that.
"Once that's done, scoop under the net so that it's fully trapped. Then bring it over here and one of us will open the net up so that the only way for it to escae is down into the cage. Then the other will snap it closed. Sound good?" And Sah would also grab the beetle\ to complete their end of the trade. Though he had no idea what he'd do with it. Maybe feed a lizard or bird with it.
Tal gave Sah an odd look at the insistence on paying the animal. "I dunno if it'll even remember if we don't but..." he hesitated, then nodded. "Sure." He shrugged and fished the luck piece out from under the net with several aborted attempts before he finally snagged it and could drop it in the box. The luck piece was a small price to pay for a chance at an airship, and hopefully he still had plenty of luck left.
There was still a tiger hunt ahead of him, after all.
His brow wrinkled in slight consternation as Sah gave further instructions. "Easier said 'n done," he grumbled, but waited until the treeflit had made another flutter into the air so he could catch the netting beneath it. He winced at the distressed chirpings and squeaks it made, nose wrinkling in unhappiness as he turned to face Sah and the box. "Alright, pop it open when you're ready." Tal tensed, ready to release the mouth of the net as soon as Sah was prepared for him to do so.
Sah was pleased when Tal followed along and dropped the penny. They were already traumatizing he creature via net. They might as well give it it's prize. Especially since he had no idea what was the treeflit's fate. If it was a hunt, it'd be dead. Who knew what lay in store for it. Might as well make things as least stressful for it as possible.
The Outlander opened the container and nodded at Tal. With some quick reflexes the two managed to secure the treeflit in its cage. "Perfect." Sah glanced at the courier as he handed over the creature, "Did you need just one?" As they spoke, the treeflit curled up in its cage, pulling the coin close to its chest. Sah instantly felt like a horrible person, but he was damn relieved that Tal had let the copper go.
The little guy was cute, ok? And it felt bad to trick it like that. Somehow it was worse than laying bait for an ursur or something. Maybe because treeflits were so small and relatively harmless?
Tal was relieved to get the little winged lizard out of the net and into its box, but like Sah he watched it morosely as it curled up and seemed resigned to its fate. With a sigh he slid the box's straps back into his shoulders and hefted it onto his back. "Just the one," he confirmed. "Alive. Maybe they want it for a pet?" He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the idea, but his was not to question why. Since he'd accepted the job, he could only bring the critter back to the commissioner as promised.
And it was a better thought than that she wanted it as dinner.
He busied himself pulling the net off his glaive and tucking it into his Bag, not looking at Sah. "Hey uh. Thanks for... y'know. Hummin' an stuff. Would've taken a lot longer without that. Don't quit your day job or anythin' but... it wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard." Tal scowled down at the stump and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably to try and hide the heat that gathered there and in his ears.
"They better fucking treat them nicely, regardless." Sah understood client confidentiality and that Tal had to keep his word or his reputation would suffer. But that didn't mean he had to like the current situation. Or from him coming back later to offer many manymany shiny things to the other treeflits in atonement.
The compliment caught Sah completely off guard, pulling him out of his stupor. "Ah. Thanks. It's what I do for my kids at night to lull them to sleep." His soft smile then turned devious when he saw the redness on Tal's ears. Sah raised a brow at Tal, "Do you need me to sing you lullabies too Tal? Is that what I'm hearing?"
He heard the vehemence in Sah's voice and the worst thing was that he agreed with it. If Flora hadn't been so certain that she could score him that airship...
Tal sighed quietly to himself and promised to make it up to the other treeflits the next time he was passing through. He was oblivious to Sah making a similar vow, and the local treeflit population was set to benefit rather nicely from the situation.
"I'll take good care of 'im while I've got 'im," he promised impulsively. Not that he wouldn't have anyways, but hopefully it would unruffle Sah's feathers a little hear it out loud.
Feeling badly about the little guy had let his barriers down a little further than the courier realized, and the compliment slipped out unintentionally on the heels of his thanks. Luckily Sah responded with their more usual sass and Tal huffed a quiet sigh of relief before turning the full force of his scowl on the hunter. "I'll give you a lullaby!" he threatened, looking for something to throw at the other man before they went their separate ways.
