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!
01-04-2023, 05:53 PM (This post was last modified: 01-04-2023, 05:53 PM by Sah.)
Sah
What is knowledge without wisdom?
It was rare that Sah found time for simple things nowadays. Between the academy, his kids, and hunting, he was rather busy. However today was a rare moment of calm and as such he found himself doing some Longnight prep. Which of course, was also hunting. He'd set out today seeking blink hares. Their soft fur would be perfect for lining gloves and jackets, and many artisans in Halo would gladly create for the Wild Thunder in exchange for game. Blink hare meat also made fine jerky, another necessity for Longnight. As such, he caught the next Skyship and set out.
Silently Sah arrived at his destination and made his way to the Dreaming Well. He'd heard a rumor aboard the ship that a small group of the hares had been spotted there recently and it seemed as good of a place as any to start his search. Sure enough, as he rounded a ridge and saw the well, there was movement in his peripheral vision. A blink hare stood atop the well, munching on some vines that were growing along the side.
Lilly and Pad branched out from behind Sah and began to encircle the area, getting ready to corner the creature if it ran.
Some would say that the shift was painful or strange, perhaps even just the means to an end, but Royal relished in the prickling sensation as feathers gathered over his skin. He delighted in the elongation of once-firm musculature as it twisted and bent into necessary form. And he reveled in the secondary hindbrain that rode him with ever-growing fervency when it came to the fore. It felt more like release than bedding a woman ever could. That’s not to say that backing a female wasn’t a favorite in his repertoire, but nothing quite compared to the primal exertion it took to embrace the side of him that longed. Even as he took to the skies with more ferocity than was normal, he luxuriated in the expanding of his wings and the heavy pulls of cooling wintry air that made his travels that much more difficult.
In the heat of a summertime afternoon, he would have risen as high as the clouds would let him, but with the air becoming thin and icy with the impending Frost, Royal was forced to maintain a lower elevation. It still plagued him as he pushed harder against the crisp noontime breeze, but the ever-present nagging of hunger drove him only onward toward the Wilds in search of nourishment. However, he’d also come with the intention of gathering a few prizes to stay him through the worst of the oncoming cold. He knew it was rather late in the game to be guessing his odds for survival, but he supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers… especially when they lacked the common sense to prepare in advance. Wasn't he just pitiful.
As the crow sailed over the outer borders of the Dreaming Well, he began to listen in earnest for indications of prey in the area. He had taken to the dense thicket surrounding the Well, scouting periodically for signs of small rodents or hare while occasionally stopping to land on heavy limbs far above the ground cover. While it took him quite a spell to locate the particular creatures of his interest, he wasn’t prepared to find another hunter in their midst. Frustration and possessive anger swelled in his chest as he took to perching far above the younger man’s head, his wingbeats giving him away immediately. It even looked as though he’d brought two wolves to assist him in his hare-hunting endeavors, one of them as black as night and the other a stormy gray. They appeared to be herding a singular hare into the nest of their master, whereupon he might have the chance to bring it down. However, the forest was teeming with life and as Royal studied the unwanted visitors with some fervor, he began running through the possibilities that one or the other might succeed in their labors.
They could work opposite the other if they so desired and ruin all opportunities for their competitor… or they could attempt to form a temporary alliance that might benefit them both. Of course, it also wouldn’t hurt the gore crow’s feelings if he simply stole their prize right out from under their noses despite hearing the telltale signs of further prey lurking just beyond their station. Imagine what turning one hare into two or three would do. He salivated at the thought. But then again, most everything was capable of making his mouth water these days. The time for feasting was upon him and he didn't exactly care how it happened.
Lilly's ears flicked at the muffled sound of feathers on the wind. The gore crow's arrival was noted with a quick glance and the information was passed through the bond to Sah and Pad. It didn't' distract the trio from the hunt and they continued their pincer movement until the hare was cornered yet still unaware.
With a silent urge through their bond, the trio leapt into action. A wolf on either side rushed the hare. In its panic, it teleported towards the only direction left. The creature appeared right in front of Sah who quickly downed it with a hunting knife to the neck. Picking up the hare, the Abandoned let out a low whistle to call his wolves to him.
Lilly and Pad trotted over, and the hunter set about skinning the meat. A leg was given to each of his companions and a third was set to the side for a moment. Taking the third leg Sah turned towards the gore crow in the trees and held it up, "Want it?" Gore crows were certainly not the ravens of his home world, but the similarities were undeniable. As such, the former canine felt a flicker of comradery for the feathered predator.
There would be more hares to catch once he'd done the bare minimum prep on the current kill. Even if the crow denied its hunger at the moment, there were still opportunities ahead of it.
It was a curious act for the Ancient to commit to observation instead of partaking in the hunt itself. How very odd. The younger hunter’s killing blade swung easily and competently from what Royal could tell and that was something even the Ancient himself had yet to master. At least the huntsman had a knack for it. Royal could commend him for that in spades. Perhaps even envied him for it on an intellectual level. He just preferred the ease of the shift and the satisfaction of clutching up his kills in his talons alone. It was simply in the name of personal preference.
Even as the wolves were given their due and the hunter himself began skinning his catch, Royal stuck around to watch with equal parts fascination and desire. The man and his wolves operated similarly to a pack, which was something he also found alluring given a crow’s tendency to operate in a murder as well. He did so long to meet others who shared his particular appetite… but he’d yet to meet another gore crow in his very minor travels. He assumed it was that very vagrant nature of his that kept him solitary.
As he pondered it at length, momentarily distracted, he was pleasantly surprised (or rather sharply mystified) when the young hunter extended a portion of his kill to the crow. In what strange world did he operate? Was it due to his pack-like mentality? It was something he certainly intended to deliberate at a later time when his hindbrain wasn’t so… impulsive.
Like the scavenger he was, Royal dropped easily from the limb upon which he perched to snatch up the offering with gusto. He’d had no real intention of shifting back and thereby decided his thanks was more appropriately squawked vehemently into the crisp afternoon draft. He eyed the man and his pair of wolf companions as he hungrily pecked away strips of meat from the narrow leg bone. Selfish as he tended to want to be, he was not a creature who carried debts willingly. An eye for an eye and the like. This debt would need to be repaid like any other. Of that, Royal was persistent.
So, with little fanfare, he took to the skies again, pushing furiously into the densely cold pockets of wind it took to raise a creature of his size. The world was so very quiet high above Caido. It was like driving through a blanket of silence even as the gales of winter threatened past him, roaring their disdain. As the ground blurred heavily beneath him, he listened intently while dropping to sail easily just above the forest treetops in search of new prey.
When it presented itself some yards ahead, he stretched out the long length of his wings to soar closer toward the beckoning grounds of chaotic underbrush. From within the barren brambles he could see another hare bundled nervously beneath a corpse-like berry bush. It did little to hide the creature and when Royal went diving down toward it, it drove the hare back the way he’d come and straight toward his newly acquired hunter friend.
Sah smirked when the gore crow eagerly accepted the gift and gave his clear thanks. "You're welcome." With a small snicker he quickly finished with his present catch. The skin was and meat were carefully packaged in his bag and his tools were cleaned in the grass and nearby spring.
Just as he was finishing up, Lilly stood and looked toward the sky. Following her gaze, Sah and Pad saw their feathered friend returning. With a slightly bewildered laugh, Sah noticed the hare in the crow's talons. Perhaps the trio had actually made a friend out of the wild avian. "Well, hello again." The Abandoned greeted Royal as the Ancient came closer.
01-31-2023, 03:55 PM (This post was last modified: 01-31-2023, 04:10 PM by Royal.)
In terms of hunting and gathering, Royal was not an enthusiastic supporter, but alternately he was somewhat decent at it given his peculiar species. As a crow, he was somehow predisposed toward a certain ability to scout and scavenge, but as a man he was rather careless of the talent. He’d come originally for a small feast to sate the mounting hunger of an Ancient, but was leaving with a hopefully positive ally somewhere down the line of faces he’d met thus far in Caido. He didn’t plan on exchanging names or pleasantries, but maybe a favor would entice his new acquaintance should the need arise. Or vice versa as it were.
After returning a fine young hare to the younger hunter, the crow rose to alight in the branches above. He bayed his approval of the trio below before shuffling his wings into place along his spine. Royal watched for a time, studying the camaraderie of the little wolf pack before listing a shrill call to them all. While they weren’t exactly “friends” per say, a mutual respect existed for a later date. Eventually, a gusting breeze tore through the upper branches of his perch and Royal pushed himself into it with the intention of leaving. He would need to catch his own fare on his return to the gulch from whence he hailed, but at least he’d been able to breach success in the meantime.
Sah - going to wrap here because my posts may be a little slower and I don’t want to hold you up!
