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!
Sah had invited Noah out to hunt with him, wanting to catch up with friend. The war had kept them both busy and the Abandoned felt like they were about due for a casual hunt. He found himself waiting at the entrance of the Citadel, Lilly sitting at his feet, while he waited for Noah to show.
There was a restlessness under Sah's skin today, one that seemed to be shared by Lilly. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but something was tugging at him. Urging him to go deep into the tundra. Maybe during their hunt, Sah would see where it led him, cautiously of course.
When he spotted Noah, Sah perked up. "Noah! Good to see you." Lilly shot to her feet and gave a yip of greeting, her tag wagging furiously.
Eira made it first to the other pair, giving a call out to the lightning wielder and his wolf. Noah was not far behind and as Lilly popped up to greet him, Noah offered her a scratch behind her ears before offering his arm to Sah. "It's been too long, friend." He gave Sah a big smile before he stepped out with the man and into the tundra.
"You've been preparing for war, I hope? STrengthening yourself to defend Halo and protect her people." Noah knew Sah was, but he just wasn't sure of the details. His voice rang with the confidence in his heart that what had kept the two men apart for all this time -- seasons, truly -- was because each of them were tied up in their own duties for the coming war.
They continued to head out on their hunting path, and Noah spoke up again. "I have some news for you." Though, he wasn't sure if the news had reached Sah through the family yet. "I've asked Cordelia to marry me."
10-24-2022, 01:00 AM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2022, 09:30 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah took Noah's arm with a grin, "Far too long." At Noah's inquiry, the Abandoned nodded firmly, "Every day. Training, aiding in supply runs and stocks, as well as aiding others in their quests." A slightly mischievous glint entered his eyes, "I think the power gap between us might just be a little smaller now."
The Abandoned had trained his magic continuously, strengthening it, and expanding into new magics as well. He'd only discovered yesterday that he'd developed fire magic when he accidently made a dying candle burst into flame. It'd be a lie if he said that he hadn't nearly jumped out of his skin.
As they walked, Sah threw an arm over Noah's shoulder, pulling him of a side hug. "Congratulations. Cordelia told me earlier. I'm so happy for you two." Giving the man one last quick squeeze, the Abandoned pulled back. "What do you feel like hunting today?"
The Abandoned was about to say something else when Lilly froze and started sniffing the air. Confusion and curiosity echoed through their bond. Sah paused and took a knee beside her, one hand lacing through the fur at her scruff. His eyes narrowed as the odd tug he'd been feeling lately increased. "What is it, pup?"
Noah smiled broadly. ”Honestly I am surprised her siblings aren’t screaming it from the tops of the walls.” he laughed as Sah pulled him in for the celebratory hug. ”Eira caught sight of a herd of luxere doe traveling west. I think they’d be easy to track and bring home at least two.” Though, Lilly reacted and Noah’s arms immediately pulled his bow from across him and nocked an arrow.
The wolf’s alerting made Eira perk up to the possibility of something more interesting on the tundra than the hunting of luxere. The griffin hissed and took to the skies, her eyes becoming Noah’s as she glided high over the snowy landscape.
"I'm pretty sure we have our parents and Ilma to thank for that one." Aino's mother was a stern woman at times, despite her recent lost. Sah had no doubt that she was fully capable of keeping her nieces and nephews quiet. Thinking about her and Aino sent a pang of grief through him, but the joy of Cordelia and Noah's upcoming wedding kept it at bay.
Sah tilted his head as Lilly continued to send waves of curiosity, concern, and urgency. Letting go of her fur, he nodded, "Show me." It didn't feel like she'd spotted a threat. Something else was going on. Sure enough, the wolf took off through the tundra but after a few minutes skidded to a stop at the base of one of the few trees present.
Cautiously the Abandoned approached and looked up. A pair of small hazel eyes locked with his from a tree branch about half-way up. "Oh." It was a small black wolf pup, probably three months old. And somehow it was in a tree. The tugging in his gut strengthened and it dawned on him. This little pup was what he was being led to.
Noah nodded at the thought, his brows lifting in agreement. Among Cordelia's clan, the fierceness came from the top, and the matriarchs were not to be challenged. With Lilly's growing pressure, Noah's face hardened with the glaze of focus. With an arrow ready, and his magic bustling beneath the surface, he would be prepared for whatever they encountered.
Eira trilled and followed after Lilly, not letting the wolf get out of her sight. Noah hastened and followed them as well, keeping shoulder to shoulder with the abandoned. When they stopped at a tree, Noah lowered his bow and looked up the pup. "Well, how'd you get up there?" He nearly cooed at the creature, his eyes moving from it to Lilly. Eira circled before landing on the branch next to the wolf, comforting sounds filling the space between them.
The wolf pup startled slightly when the griffin approached. Without even thinking about it, Sah channeled his air magic to make a gentle breeze ruffle through the pup's fur in a soothing motion, the only sign being the slow twist of his wrist. The pup relaxed and cautiously accepted Eira's presence on the nearby branch. He even gave the griffin a quick sniff before shuffling backwards on his branch.
Lilly, meanwhile, put her front paws on the bark of the tree, keeping her eyes on the pup as well. She let out a small yip in greeting, hoping to get a response from the confused and bewildered pup. Sah chuckled and shrugged slightly, grinning at Noah as he whispered, "Any idea how this happened? I've never seen any of Caido's wolves climb trees before."
The pup reminded him strongly of pups back home just learning how to fly. They'd get up to a branch too high and freeze, needing to be coaxed into gliding down. Granted that wasn't an option at the moment. But Gods the little one was adorable. And that tugging was only growing stronger.
Sah slowly held his hands up to the small pup, making a soothing rumbling noise in his chest. "Come here, pup. It's ok. I'll catch you." The small pup looked unsure, glancing between the griffin and the trio on the ground.
"No idea." Noah said, taking his arrow from his bow and replacing it within his quiver. Eira continued her comforting trills, and then let his golden eyes fall to Noah for a moment. Noah reassured her, and not needing any more prompting for what she was thinking, the griffin acted. Her broad wings opened and she flapped quickly.
The griffin reached out for the pup with her front talons. She kept her grip light enough not to puncture any skin, but firm enough that hopefully the young creature would not squirm from her grasp. Carefully, the griffin used her back legs to push them off the branch and her wings caught the wind. Gliding down in a small arc, the griffin aimed to place the young wolf down at the feet of the Wild Thunder.
The wolf pup yelped when the griffin moved, squirming unhappily in her talons to the best of his ability. To Sah's shock and growing understanding, the displeasure and slight fear echoed through him. Lilly also let out a small whine, her ears going back as she too felt the emotions coming from the small pup.
As soon as the pup was on solid ground, Sah took a knee and held out his hands to him. "Come here, little on. It's ok." He sent waves of reassurance and warmth through the newly budding bond. And after a quick second of confusion, accompanied by an adorable head tilt, the small pup leapt into Sah's waiting arms.
With a laugh, the Abandoned cradled the pup in his arms, giving the pups head a quick nuzzle as he let out a soothing rumble. The pup calmed and soon squirmed closer, resting his head in the crook of Sah's neck.
With a wide grin, Sah glanced at Noah. "I think I just met my second companion." Lilly clearly agreed given her happy yip and her putting her front paws on her bonded's thigh to get close enough to sniff her new brother.
Eira was gentle as she worked with the pup, her tender and motherly spirit showing through every action. Once the wolf was safely with Sah, the griffin moved over to her bonded and rubbed against his calf. Pride rang high and true through their bond, and Noah scratched her feathery head. "Congrats, man." Noah said with a broadening grin, eyes wrinkling in the corners. "Let's show him the ropes." Noah pointed back out towards the tundra in the direction he originally intended for them to head.
With the new pup in tow, Noah was careful where he led the abandoned while hunting. The luxere herd was exactly where Eira had seen them before and Noah predicted them to be again. They were a creature of habit, patterns and rituals built so deeply within them. While working together, they were able to bring down two luxere, break them down, and haul them home for processing.
