lost in the clouds

Sohalia

It was inevitable that Soh would one day find herself back in the Oerwoud; it had been among her favorite places to explore, and meandering through the forest, whether on foot or wing, gave her a sense of peace that she hadn't felt since.... well, for a while, anyway. On this particular day, she had decided to explore the Undergrove, and so it was that she wandered amongst the undergrowth, her journal open in her hand to a new page, mapping out her path as she went. Every now and then she would stop, lean her notebook against a tree, and jot down a few notes or make a little sketch, but for the most part, she was content to just get the general layout of the area. She'd save the more detailed cartography for a later date. Today was just about relaxing.

It was a hot and humid day, and Soh had piled her long, blonde hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Despite the temperature, she wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants to guard against various insects, and boots to try to avoid any potential snake bites. She looked like a proper explorer, all whites and beiges, picking her way through the Undergrove with the care and patience of someone well-practiced at doing just that.

She stopped for lunch in a little hollow and sat cross-legged on the ground as she dug about in her bag for the sandwich she'd packed. It was roughly noon, by her approximation, and if she continued to explore for another few hours, she'd have to make camp and stay the night in the Oerwoud. Not that it bothered her, if she made the appropriate precautions. If she wanted to make it home, though, she would have to turn and retrace her steps to the skyship she'd chartered for this particular expedition.

She was so deep in thought that at first, she didn't notice the strange cry echoing through the underbrush. But after a few moments, she paused in chewing her sandwich and cocked her head to one side, listening intently. It sounded like a bird, maybe, or perhaps a mewling kitten; she wasn't entirely sure, but she was certain that it sounded like it was in some kind of trouble. Perhaps it had fallen from a nest. Finishing off her sandwich and brushing the crumbs from her hands, Soh rose gracefully and began checking the nearby bushes, following the source of the noise to try and pinpoint its source.

KALLAN

And black moons in those eyes of hers

This wasn't how Kallan had wanted her day to go. It was probably safe to assume that nobody would want their day to go this way.

Lost.

There were plenty of creatures that made their home within the undergrowth of the Oerwoud but gore crows were not one of them. Her wingspan was wide, meant for catching currents of hot air above arid grounds, not maneuvering through a tightly packed forest. And so it was that before long her trek to follow a rumor of a dreamwalker sighting had turned into protecting herself from lurking preying orchids, and the thought of finding the beast of legend now felt laughable in comparison to simply staying alive when every plant might find a gore crow snack quite tasty.

It hadn't been long when she was trying to gather her surroundings that sentient vines creeping up her makeshift perch had decided they might like a taste, wrapping around the branch until she felt the snake-like movement brush past her claws. Kallan had let out an undignified screech as she had tried to get away from whatever the hell it had been, but she was already tangled up in the undergrowth and ended up hanging suspended from the branches she had previously been sitting on.

Great. Lost and stuck.

Kallan squawked with frustration as she struggled to no avail, throwing her body against the twisting vines as they pulled her up toward the canopy. Panic was starting to cloud her judgment as she thrashed about desperately to escape.

Made more sense to me

_{Code Inspired by Sky}

Sohalia

Soh was in the middle of searching the bushes nearby when a new thrashing interrupted her concentration. Looking around, she spotted a flash of darkness in the trees, and she frowned as she tried to get a better look, ducking beneath a few low hanging branches and hopping through some (possibly carnivorous) plants until she stood under a broad tree that was positively dripping with sentient vines. The panicked noises from above told her that the vines had most certainly captured something. Though others might leave it alone and let nature take its course, that was not Soh's way. She had to do something, and fast.

Fortunately, whatever was all caught up in the vines wasn't too far up, and it took only a few moments for Soh to pull herself up into the tree, using low-hanging branches to climb, relieved that she had been training and was no longer as weak and useless as she'd once been.

Whatever she'd expected to find tangled in the vines, a gore crow was most certainly not it. Larger than a normal crow and meaner to boot, Soh had read enough about the creatures to know they were not to be trifled with. But when she looked into its red, panic-stricken eyes, she couldn't help herself. She had to get it free.

With a gulp, she reached for the vines, talking softly and calmly to the gore crow (entirely unaware that it was, in fact, an Ancient in shifted form). "Now, I'm going to try to help you, but you can't eat me, alright?" As she worked on shifting the vines, she continued, "What are you even doing here, anyway?" She pulled a few more vines free. "You're supposed to be in the Feverlands, or the Climb, not here." It took a few moments more, but Soh soon had the bird freed. "There," she said nervously, rapidly beginning her descent. "Now you're free. Good day."

KALLAN

And black moons in those eyes of hers

Kallan blinks inquisitively at the new presence, though not without a panicked screech.

Oh, Dygra above, Kallan was saved!

Normally not one to let someone put their hands all over her without at least an introduction, these were special circumstances.

The young woman was gentle both in word and action, though Kallan wasn't about to protest too much at the prospect of being rescued. She immediately stilled from her reckless thrashing, even if her heart was sure to hammer itself out of her hollow body.

Though she was unable to answer the stranger's questions with anything meaningful, neither did she try to nibble at her fingers. Win-win. Set free of the vines she wasn't keen on staying near the sentient vines anymore than the other way, and quickly found safety on a branch closer to the undergrowth.

Assured that none of the greenery around her was trying to eat her for the time being, Kallan set her eye to finding the closest, most pleasing thing to catch her eye. Bright blue flowers call her attention to the undergrowth.

It's perhaps a few moments more when the flap of her wings signals her arrival near the feet of the pretty stranger. She hops from one leg to the other to draw attention to herself, dropping small, yellow berries in the dirt at her feet. Blinking up to catch her eye, she takes a few hops back and tilts her head. Though she clacks her beak,

Made more sense to me

_{Code Inspired by Sky}

Sohalia

Much to Soh's surprise, the gore crow stilled beneath her hands. She was immediately suspicious; she was good with animals, but she wasn't that good. Still, she couldn't deny that the crow was on its best behavior as she untangled it from the vines. Even more surprising, once the crow was freed, it simply fluttered down to a lower branch, seemingly waiting on her to descend.

Down she went, watching the crow with a small frown on her face, her head tilted to one side at the creature's odd behavior. When the crow hopped back with yellow berries, Soh snorted a laugh. "Thank you," she told it. "But I don't eat yellow berries anymore. I learned my lesson the first time." She thought of the blushberries, and of Jude, and a smile appeared on her face. "Although, I guess that didn't turn out too badly, so what do I know?" And she bent to scoop up the berries, slipping them into her bag. "Thank you."

Then Soh stiffened, listening. There was that cry again! "Do you hear that?" she asked the crow. It was a strange, mewling sound that she couldn't quite place. "Where is it coming from?"

KALLAN

And black moons in those eyes of hers

Kallan was quite pleased her gift had been accepted after a moment of bird-brained panic that it was going to be rejected. She wasn't sure what the young woman was on about, but she had taken the berries so it must not have been that bad.

At her question, she tilts her head to better follow the sound. Yes, she did hear it, though now she wished perhaps that she hadn't. Kallan had already decided there was too much here trying to kill her to trust anything that came from the Oerwoud. Oh Dygra, had she poisoned this poor girl with those berries?

A problem for another time.

But Kallan isn't rude, so she answers with a rattle of her beak and hops behind her legs, peering in the direction the sound came from.

Made more sense to me

_{Code Inspired by Sky}

Sohalia

The sound that Soh kept hearing tugged at her mind, distracting her from the odd behavior of the gore crow. In any case, the creature seemed to have taken a liking to her, so at least it wasn't trying to claw out her eyes. We take our wins where we can.

The crow rattled its beak and peered around Soh's legs; the girl turned, looking around, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Behind her, apparently, if the gore crow was to be believed. "Alright, then. Let's check it out." And so she crept forward, lifting a few fronds of a fern out of the way, peering into the undergrowth. The mewling noise did sound louder. Maybe she was getting closer.

Unfortunately, further exploration meant going off the beaten path, and Soh bit her lip nervously. Still, something spurred her on. There was something out there that needed her help - she was sure of it. "Are you coming?" she asked the bird over her shoulder before pushing aside the brush and beginning to pick her way through slowly, all the while trying to reach wherever the noise was coming from.

KALLAN

And black moons in those eyes of hers

She still isn't sure about this whole thing, but the stranger is possibly in danger of poison (and, she was quite handy). Really Kallan didn't have a choice, she thought, of course she was following.

The undergrowth doesn't allow much room for her to spread her wings so she relies mostly on hopping and an awkward run on spindly legs to keep up. Certainly, her best chance of survival here was to stick close. That doesn't stop her from keeping an eye out for anything interesting, though nothing catches her eye this time.

Whatever it was they were looking for seemed to be getting closer. Their cautious trek, while unsteady footing at times, was seeming like it would pay off. Whether that was good or bad, Kallan still hadn't decided.

Made more sense to me

_{Code Inspired by Sky}

Sohalia

As it so often happened, the thought of danger was far from Soh's mind as she pushed through the brush, being careful with her steps and how she pushed the bushes aside lest she accidentally let them go to whack her new friend in the face. The call of the creature, whatever it was, was growing louder, and Soh felt more urgently than ever that she needed to find it. She was certain that it meant her no harm - though how she knew that, she wasn't quite sure.

Soh paused to crouch down, checking underneath bushes and beneath leaves for any sign of movement - and there! A shadow shifted behind a fern, and Soh froze, her gaze on the little bundle of darkness. It mewled at her, a strange sound somewhere between a cat's meow and a bird's trill, and she stared back at it. "I found it!" she whispered back towards the crow. "I'm going to try and get it to come out."

Focusing on the creature in the shadows, Soh reached out a hand, palm up, and spoke to it in a soft, soothing voice. "Hi there, little one. You can come out now. It's alright." As her hand reached closer, the creature watching it, she felt a tingling in her fingertips. She ignored it to reach closer, and closer, until -

Soh shrieked and yanked her hand back, tripping over her own feet to land hard on her rump. Attached to her hand was an odd half-bird half-cat creature that had latched onto her with its claws, seemingly determined not to let go of her arm. It had scared her more than it had hurt her - it was no bigger than a kitten, and its claws weren't terribly sharp - and she stared at it, silver eyes meeting gold. Whatever she'd been expecting, a griffin was not it.

And she could tell that it hadn't been expecting her, either, though she didn't know how she knew that. She only knew that she was suddenly intimately aware of feelings that didn't seem to be her own, of a consciousness separate from her that suddenly intruded into her mind, rendering her momentarily incoherent. The griffin, still anchored into her arm, stared back at her, and she could feel his surprise and relief and suspicion all at once, a roller coaster of emotions that so similarly matched her own.

Well, well, well, she thought. I have a companion.