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!
The Oerwoud was, at least, not far from Torchline, and safer to travel to than many other regions because of it. Still, Hadama traveled alongside Kaiden in his manta ray shift, moving with swift, steady grace through the water. He was slowed only by the water lanterns that were hooked over his cephalic fins, for the announcement of the Festival of Lights had reached them the day before, and it was certainly convenient to attend the festival while he was already in the area for the promised training with his young shark friend.
They managed to reach their destination without incident - none, at least, that Kaiden themself did not instigate - and Hadama was quietly surprised to see how much the jungle had changed since Starfall. The water which had once flowed freely throughout had risen significantly, and the Peepholes were indeed submerged and easy to access by swimming. He left his lanterns carefully looped next to the entrance that they took, descending down into the now-underwater tunnels and caves where light filtered in from breaks in the jungle floor above.
We will train for speed. And for agility, the mermanta spoke solemnly into the Bond, fins slowly moving through the water to hold him still in the current. His dark eyes were small in this form and it was hard to see the glitter of mischief in them as he paused before continuing. The rules are simple. Tag. You are it. Before he finished speaking he brushed the tip of one 'wing' along Kaiden's side and then dove down a broad side passage, attempting a swift escape into the network of flooded tunnels.
04-20-2024, 04:58 PM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2024, 04:59 PM by Kaiden.)
*insert Jaw's theme song*
Kaiden swam beside the King, resisting the urge to bat at the trailing lanterns when they occasionally caught the sunlight from above. At one point, they couldn't resist and had to quickly dive down to avoid meeting Dama's eyes. It wasn't their fault that the lanterns moved like a school of fish!
They reached their destination, and the lanterns were thankfully tucked away. The shark didn't have much time to think beyond that as Hadama gave his brief instructions before the manta swiftly disappeared through a tunnel. Hey! With a powerful flick of their tail, Kaiden fully shifted and swam after Dama in an attempt to catch up. When they got closer, they tried to dive under the manta and rise up to shove their snout against his belly to push him up and behind the shark.
Hadama had swum serenely in spite of Kaiden's mischief, one dark eye glinting with amusement as the mershark ducked away, though he kept the bond still and silent. It was not so terrible a thing to occasionally see them acting young, especially given the undoubted difficulty of their short life so far and the solitary nature that they generally chose.
And perhaps that was what had inspired the Tidebreaker's choice of training today.
He moved swiftly at first but the tunnel he had chosen was strange to him and it quickly narrowed. His broad wings, so swift in the open ocean, scraped the tunnel's sides and slowed him unexpectedly and before he could chose a different route he was struck - lightly but firmly - from below. He felt Kaiden slide past beneath him and take the lead and the Tidebreaker's eyes gleamed as he let a pulse of approval wash through the Bond. Well done, he called, gathering himself to fold his wings and use the flex of his tail to power him until they could reach a broader route. Now it is my turn.
He swept forward, attempting to catch the shark's tail with an outstretched cephalic fin. If he was successful he would twist sharply and duck down a broader tunnel that they had just passed. If not, he would continue the chase!
Thanks! Kaiden shot back before focusing on the game. Even if the manta's wings made tight spaces an issue, Dama's fins gave him a mobility advantage. Kaiden could not avoid the outstretched fin, and the King was able to double back and gain a lead down the larger tunnel. Twisting, the shark tried to turn quickly but it wasn't an easy maneuver.
Swimming after the manta at full speed, they tried to catch up. The benefit of the Attuned bond was that even in the middle of tag, Kaiden could ask a question that had been on their mind for a while now, though Hadama was likely out of nowhere. What's Safrin like?
Luckily the tunnel Hadama had chosen continued to widen into a fairly broad passage beneath the earth. Light continued to filter down from the holes above in shafts of brightness that gave the Peepholes a mystic twilight ambiance, not unlike the Underwater city but more gold than silver. It was a beautiful place now open to the Mer, but there was little time to appreciate it as the Tidebreaker focused on his speed and mobility within the confined space.
Mmh. The manta ray's approval rumbled through the bond as well as the water at Kaiden's choice of deity. She is beautiful. And kind. She has done much to aid Torchline. She helped to create the canals, he added, knowing that the mershark preferred concrete examples. And the monsoon shield. Though it did more to protect the landwalkers, it also prevented as much weathering and destruction of the Moonkissed Reef. Still, his love and admiration for the goddess was a warm, quiet undercurrent to his tone. Do you wish to meet her?
But while speaking of Safrin was something that brought the Tidebreaker great joy, it also slowed his swimming as he grew distracted by his thoughts of her. Kaiden caught up while the manta waxed poetic about his goddess, and the brush of their sharp dorsal fin shook Hadama back into the present moment so that he put on a fresh burst of speed in order to try and slide beneath the shark and flick them back with the tip of his barbless tail as he passed Kaiden once more.
04-22-2024, 07:26 PM (This post was last modified: 04-22-2024, 09:21 PM by Kaiden.)
*insert Jaw's theme song*
I'm not sure yet. I don't know if I actually want to meet any of the gods in person. it seems dangerous. Even through the bond there was uncertainty in their voice. Ronin had been very clear that they were often more trouble than they were worth. Safrin especially. But Hadama was often annoyingly right about most things, and he was loyal to the goddess. It was part of why Kaiden had elected to ask for his opinion. Ronin was a stranger, but Hadama had somehow earned the mershark's trust to a degree.
The mershark had been distracted by the conversation as well, so they were mildly started when they caught up and tagged the King. That slight delay was all that Hadama needed to quickly tag them back and continue the chase.
Kaiden tried to catch up as fast as possible, aiming to tag the King with their tail as they twisted into another tunnel. If they missed, they’d lose time turning around again, but it was worth the risk.
Mmh. It is, the king acknowledged without attempting to give exception or caveat. The most beautiful things are often the most dangerous. A lesson learned by most children of the deeps sooner or later. Beauty was a warning of venom, of toxin, of pain.
Or of a trap, set to lure prey within range of lethal jaws.
At least in their current game there was no deception. It was a contest of pure physicality; speed and mobility challenged by each other and the terrain they traversed. The manta was large, his wings unwieldy and slow in tighter corridors, but he was flexible and quick to turn in the narrow confines of the tunnels. Kaiden could more easily swim down the tighter passages, but they struggled to turn, much less reverse course. The place was indeed an ideal training ground and Hadama allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as he twisted to the side, rolling smoothly away from the shark's attempted booping. Kaiden sped out of sight, overconfident in their attack, and reacting too quickly in their assumption of success to easily recover.
Hadama did not pause.
Instead he continued, though he remained in the main, broad tunnel where his wings could stretch to their fullest. Come, he called back to his brash friend. Show me your fastest speed.
Hadama agreed with their trepidation, and it almost caught Kaiden off guard. But their missed tag quickly reignited their competitive streak, and they quickly twisted around. Eyes glittering in the depths the shark would grin if they could, You asked for it! The shark breathed, gills heaving, and surged through the water with a powerful thrust of their tail. Racing at the manta head-on, they nimbly moved through the tunnel, intent on pushing Hadama to the side of the tunnel and speeding past.
Kaiden was a hunter first, and they were confident in their speed. A proud predator and bane of schools of fish. Why would a King be any different?
He could hear the grin in the mershark's mental voice, and Hadama allowed himself to feel the quiet glow of satisfaction in it. Indeed, he agreed to the challenge, and though he didn't change the rhythm of his own swimming to look behind him, he could feel the pressure of the water changing subtly within the tunnel as Kaiden barreled towards him.
It was a matter of delicate timing and the certainty of his own size against the limits of the Peepholes. A sweep of his wings lifted him above Kaiden's headlong rush, but not so far that the shark's dorsal fin wouldn't brush against him as they twisted through the confines of the subterranean labyrinth.
The final 'tag' of the day had the King slowing as he called out with subtle approval: Enough. You are improving every season. He paused, waiting for the mershark to turn around and rejoin him as he settled to a floating 'hover.' One final challenge before the Festival. Can you find our way back? Had Kaiden been paying enough attention during their chase to be able to retrace their swimming?
They would soon find out, though if it began to look like it was getting late Hadama would take over and lead the way to the place where the lanterns were waiting for them.
