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Post by Choice on Aug 4, 2014 22:59:18 GMT 1
OOC: This is four days after the first arrival of elves, so please keep that in mind when you post. What our elves have been up to in said four days we can establish in a separate thread that I'll link to soon. It's night time. All elves who don't appear in this thread are out hunting or whatever else your elf might be doing to contribute. The elves already here know there are humans nearby (No-Sting, Sunset and Silverthorn found them).
IC:
Choice could hear both Dance and Sneak whining, somewhere. It was very dark. The rare sort of dark when even the outlines of the world around was hidden. It felt like death.
Taking in a deep breath, Choice scrabbled for purchase on the stone he was lying on and forced himself to his feet. To his surprise, his vision was starting to return. It wasn't completely dark where he was, there was a faint glow coming from a large amber stone in the wall. There was also the faintest of light coming from the other side of the cave, from under what seemed to be an...animal skin?
He didn't dare breathe. Was he...?
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Post by Edgerunner on Aug 4, 2014 23:34:49 GMT 1
The wind was in Edgerunner's hair as he galloped over the field on Asi's back. He could see the mountain in the distance and would probably reach home within the hour. With a sending to his steed, he knew she was as delighted to feel the grass under her hooves, as he were happy to feel her soft fur under his hands.
"Yeeeeeaaooo-hmpfr!" His scream of delight turned into surprise as everything went black around him, but as soon as his eyes widened to the sensation of claustrophobic fear, they closed again when his tiny body hit the stone walls of the inside mountain.
He fell to the ground before Asi's front legs as a puppet, weak and rickety, and with fresh blood in his hair. Asi stood in front of him, not moving, as she was too scared to step on him in the confined space, she had.
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Post by Jaseio on Aug 5, 2014 1:03:33 GMT 1
Jaseio was lazily splayed on Rjúkandi's back, staring up at the beautiful shimmering stars. As always she had packed the necessary supplies with her, should the snow prove treacherous in the whitecold.
Humming to herself, she was delighted that she finally had a chance to go bathing in the hot spring, alone, though it was the last time before packing up and leaving the mountain. It was probably going to be busy as always, at this time of the turn. She closed her eyes, entrusting her steed to find the way on the uneven ground.
After a couple moments she noticed that the sounds of the crisp white snow, under Rjúkandi's hooves had disappeared, and that instead of walking, he had begun fidgeting on the spot. The feel of the fresh winds had disappeared too. A nervous snort escaped the horse, as Jaseio opened her eyes to stare up at a cave ceiling, with the sounds of hooves recoiling on the walls.
Was she back in the caves? But how could that be? She had been outside just a moment ago?
Raising her body to sit in the saddle, she looked nervously around. In her slight panic she began to notice that things were different here: The mixed smell of fire, horses, and paint was missing, a faint misplaced amber glow emanated from a stone in the wall, and the cave was too small compared to what she was used to. But she saw something she recognised, before getting too lost in what had happened: Another horse was in the cave, and it looked familiar. Sounds of someone who had been hurt, and canine whining met her ears. Where was she?
With her own confused, and somewhat panicky state, she chose to lean forward slightly, and tried to calm her horse with soothing sounds while stroking his neck. She herself calmed down a bit doing so, and looked around. She took in what impressions she could in the dimly lit cave: Other elves were present, one of them apparently hurt, and the whining, not surprisingly, came from a type of canines.
She still hadn't realised the gravity of the situation she was in.
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Post by Choice on Aug 5, 2014 9:43:59 GMT 1
Choice gave a shriek as a huge beast came thundering into the cave, seemingly out of nowhere. He got the breath knocked out of him by a stray hoof and tumbled to the ground.
Sneak and Dance immediately took up position between their elf and the strange beast, but weren't stupid enough to growl at it.
Choice gasped to get air back into his lungs. For a moment he feared that he would suffocate. When he managed to draw breath the ribs along his left side burned. Broken?
That thought was easily pushed aside by the sight of the creature lying in front of him, near the cave wall. Strangely big for one, but it definitely was…
**You're an elf!** Choice hadn't meant to send, especially not openly, but there was no taking it back now.
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Post by Panaetha on Aug 5, 2014 9:50:17 GMT 1
Four nights. It had been four nights since Panaetha had been whisked away from her pridelands, along with a strange panther. He'd finally told her his name; Pardus. But that was about all he told her. He stalked her like a mother cat would her kits. She had to appreciate his presence at some points, though; sleeping outside, even during the day, was quite cold, and Pardus's body heat helped significantly. All she had was her fur-lined cloak-jacket. It did the job, most of the time, but she was grateful for the extra heat the panther provided when the chilly whitecold winds picked up. Even if her eartips froze off, she wouldn't go back in that cave for long. A small hut, if it could even be called that, was built for those who couldn't sleep in the caves, but if other elves shared her intense discomfort with confined spaces, she didn't notice. Panaetha slept odd hours, or sometimes crawled in, half asleep from the hunting trip she'd completed and with no attention for who shared the hut with her. The first couple times she slept in it, she didn't notice the effects of sleeping on the hard, cold ground, or under the needle-like branches of the strange trees in this place, but after a few naps, she really started to miss her plush, warm furs.
Most of the elves chose to sleep in the caves...it was the only shelter they had so far, and while a treeshaper had joined the odd group, it was still a tall order to shape so many dens. With the caves a ready-made shelter, it seemed that other tasks had priority, like making weapons and hunting for food. They'd been a little more successful than the first day, but not much. It seemed like this whitecold would be harsh; she couldn't fish barehanded for long, and most of the fish and other prey were less active anyway. The larger prey was off-limits...supplies were so low that even if all eight and three of them hunted, the risk was more than the group was willing to take. They didn't have the right weapons. That made it feel like all Panaetha had time to do was hunt...there hadn't been much time for bonding with the others, much less for looking for a way home.
Her tail twitched in frustration as she walked by the cave. She'd found a long stick that seemed good enough for a short spear, if she could find a knife to sharpen it. It rested across a bundle of wood in her arms; some would be used to reinforce the hut...some to make fire. If the elves weren't hunting snow ravvits and mice, they were hunting for decent firewood.
A sound in the cave stopped her though. Whining...then a scream and a thump, plus some strange stepping noises...like some branch-horns had made their way into the caves? But that couldn't have happened. She cautiously approached the entrance, already feeling her claustrophobia clench up her stomach. She gingerly set the bundle of wood on the ground and peeked into the caves. "Is everyone alright?" she asked, peering inside; she didn't want to go in any more than she had to. Pardus started to growl softly behind her. Panaetha turned around to hush him, then went a little further in. The entrance was a little ways away from the strange Beacon Room itself...she prayed to the High Ones that she wouldn't have to go in much further...she didn't relish having to crouch through the tunnels to get to the source of the sounds. Her hopes were dashed when she "overheard" a startled send, in a mindvoice she didn't recognize. New elves had been called; with a resigned sigh and a shudder, she started to make her way to the Beacon.
OOC: assuming Pana's coming in from an entrance off the Beacon Room; if it was a direct entrance, I don't think it would be as dark inside.
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Post by Keleero on Aug 5, 2014 21:04:09 GMT 1
OOC: Keleero changed the entrance to the Beacon Room (he's no hunter, so he's spent the four days trying to shape the mountain to make it more comfortable). The change is made to keep out any drafts that might occur. Now the entrance is a step into the mountain, then a sharp left, two steps forward, followed by a sharp turn right. This way it lets in little light, but also little wind. Since it's currently night time there's probably no light coming in from the entrance.
IC:
Keleero awoke with a start. Needles of evergreen scratched at his hands and cheeks, but that mattered little. Something bad had - was happening and he had to seek shelter! A challenge gone wrong?
It took his sleep addled mind a moment or two to remember where he was. The sounds didn't go away though; they hadn't been a dream. And they seemed to be coming from the room with the strange orb.
Floating more than pushing his way up from his resting place, Keleero began to make his way through the tunnel that let to that smaller cavern the noise was coming from. A stranger's sending tinted with pain confirmed what he'd suspected; the strange orb was glowing, though the glow was fading, and there were animals and what had to be elves.
Before him he saw chaos; huge animals packed into the too small space. He could also smell the all too familiar scent of blood.
**Is anyone hurt?** he sent, unsure if all in the room were strangers or not. Then, he sent to all within reach: **I new kin has arrived here, the same way we did.**
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Post by Edgerunner on Aug 6, 2014 1:10:45 GMT 1
**A flat elf, I think..** Edgerunner replied to the first sending that had concluded he was an elf. Smart elf, that one.
He tried to push himself to a sitting position, but one of his arms wouldn't move. Just as he ground his teeth with pain, a soft furry leg gently nudged at him and helped him get up. When he had curled his legs up underneath him, Asi bent her front legs and lay down beside him, so he could use her as backrest. With his new position, Edgerunner got his first look around. Not that it revealed much more than some stone, some unidentified fur and a weird glow in the wall, that seemed to be fading.
*I must be dreaming.. Fire inside mountains doesn't fade. That's assuming I'm in a mountain, of course-* His thoughts got interrupted by a question from someone.. someone outside the room? It didn't sound like she was as close as he could sense others were - wait, was that a horse?
"A hor-" Edgerunner began a startled exclamation, but had to give up due to a sudden pain and the taste of blood. Had he split his lip in the fall?
Before he could try sending his sentence, another open sending sounded in his head, and his mind gently took away focus from the relevant part of the sentence - the one mentioning arrival, which would have meant he wasn't in the right mountain - and made him concentrate on being hurt instead.
**I feel pretty hurt** He replied the new, unknown voice **I'm still concious though, so it can't possibly be that bad.**
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Post by Jaseio on Aug 6, 2014 13:26:30 GMT 1
The feeling of a foreign elfin mind surprised her at the first sending. Who was that? And who was that send directed to? She was of course an elf, no mistake about that, so what was so surprising about that? She realised it was directed at the other elf when he sent his answer. She remembered the feel of this mind, it was someone she knew! "Edgerunner" The name escaped her lips in a tiny whisper. *But you disappeared more then half a turn ago!* She slid down from Rjúkandi's back and made him lower his head, ::Stay here, Rjú::. She heard a voice from one of the openings but disregarded it, as she was hurrying towards her friend. "You are hurt badly!" She murmured as she studied his figure leaning against the horse, she know recognised as Asi.
Another sending from another elf she didn't know, asked if anyone was hurt, and she looked at the other elf with the two canines. He looked like he was hurting too, but she couldn't see where.
She was outraged by Edgerunner's answer, "What do you mean by 'it can't possibly be that bad'? Have you seen yourself? You may not have lost conciousness but it can still be just as bad!" She would have slapped him for disregarding what was most probably dangerous head or back injuries, but kept herself from doing so as it would only make everything a lot worse.
She had seen what could happen in an accident with a horse. Because even though their herd had a close relationship with horses, the horses always had their own wills and some where more skittish than others, others just didn't want to listen even though they had chosen their rider themselves. Luckily those accidents where rare, and it was more often a wrong step, or loss of balance which caused it, but even so they where often a big set back, since the injuries took a lot of time to heal.
**Do you have anything to treat injuries with?** Jaseio studied Edgerunner's arm, it didn't look pretty, wrong angle, and all. She could clearly tell it was broken. **Anything for a broken arm?** She sent to the newest unknown. She didn't have knowledge enough to know how bad any of the other things where so she turned to look at the other one who was in the room. "Are you hurt?" She didn't dare go near him, even if the furry beings beside him didn't look that threatening.
Rjúkandi still felt skittish and panicky about the sudden change in environment, but was feeling a bit more secure by the mind-touch of his two-legged friend, so he tried to stay out of trouble. He side stepped away from the elf with furry beast, to try and create a bit more space in the cramped room. But still... The small furry things he didn't recognise made him curious... What could they be? He looked at them with his big eyes, ears pointing towards them.
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Post by Rokuta on Aug 6, 2014 15:20:41 GMT 1
It was four turns of the sun ago when the young boy had stranded in this strange world where the ground was harsh, the weather cold and no water on the ground. He had given his very best to get along with the new world and it hadn’t took long till he saw the situation as an adventure, maybe the biggest of his life. Now he woke up from the sending of Keleero and sat up from his quite uncomfortable sleeping place. **Oh, great. More elves that must be fed. We will exterminate any fish before the white cold is over if this goes on!** he send back sarcastic, but stand up and came after Keleero to the entrance in the room with the magic in the wall. One of the newcomers seemed to be hurt, but Rokuta hat other problems. There were beasts. Very big beast, even bigger than the wolves and the other large squirrels. The boy had still a hard time with getting used to the large squirrels – even though he now knew how they were called he stayed with this term – and this ones were even bigger and not comparable with any other animal he knew. Instantly he had moved back, activating his shielding around him. “Why must there be beast every time?” he proclaimed, sounding a bit scared. Sure he was, for this beasts were maybe three times larger than any animal from his homeplace.
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Post by Choice on Aug 7, 2014 21:54:25 GMT 1
Elves. Other elves! Choice' heart was raising, blood rushing in his ears, and only partly because of his aching ribs.
They were hard to make out in the dim light, but they had to be elves despite their size - they could send! And they smelled right too, somewhat. No scent of human at least.
The concerned sending from a third, unseen elf, as well as the sound of a fourth voice coming from somewhere outside the immediate area, warmed him. How long had it been since anyone had asked him that?
But better be cautious. Best to make a good first impression, not be a burden. **I think I have some bruises, but I will live. Take care of the one who is hurt more first.**
Sneak and Dance whined as the strange, large creature sniffed at them. With so little space to flee or fight, it was best to stay absolutely still. Hopefully that would be enough.
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Post by Keleero on Aug 7, 2014 22:33:13 GMT 1
Keleero sensed Rokuta coming up behind him and winced at the boy's sarcastic comment. ~**A bit unwise to let them know there's little food,**~ Keleero couldn't help but lock-send in reply. ~**What if they panic and...**~ That thought ended in 'and kill us so they can have the food', but Keleero cut his sending short before he could share that. He didn't know Rokuta well enough yet to consider him an ally - for all he knew he'd give Rokuta ideas and the youth would slit all their throats in the night! Keleero's especially; he knew all to well he contributed nothing when it came to food, being neither hunter nor gatherer. Keleero took a step into the Beacon Room, then took to the air, using the somewhat high ceiling to his advantage. There were far too many animals in the room; far too big animals. He knew the horses - he'd seen humans riding them in sendings from scouts and hunters - but the others looked bizarre, like huge foxes with far too long legs. When he spotted the injured elf he understood the panic in the other newcomer's sending. There was a lot of blood and the poor elf's arm... **Panaetha, we need you here!** The sending was more instinct than thought through reaction. Keleero added an image of the elf's arm to the words he sent, to underline the urgency of the situation. **I understand you don't like the caves and I'm sorry, but I know nothing of healing and this looks very bad. Moving the stranger out to you could do him more harm than good.** The third stranger's sending was unexpected. There was pain in it, a pain that spoke of more than bruises, but also joy. What did that elf have to be happy about?! OOC: I'm giving Keleero a bit more info about Choice that was written in Choice's post, since both are my characters and I'm too lazy to go back and add stuff to Choice's post ;P I promise I won't powergame like that with any of your characters! Also, I've spoken with Swift-Wind's player and she's a bit busy right now, so she and No-Sting are officially out hunting right now in-game  |
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Post by Edgerunner on Aug 8, 2014 23:10:07 GMT 1
"Shush, Jas, it's just a-Ah-Ah- Aeeergh!"
Edgerunner might have not tried to move, if it hadn't been Jaseio. He just needed to prove himself in front of her. If it had been only the strangers here... Well, he would have felt the need to prove himself to them too. Had it been only him then... Then he would have had to move anyway to get out.
Asi snorted behind him as if agreeing with Jaseio about not thinking his wounds was serious.
::Traitor:: He thought to her, and she replied with a gentle, but yet firm, push to his back.
Then he heard the not-too-kind sending from another elf - seriously, how many could this cave hold? - and got utterly confused.
"It's like, still a long time until whitecold," he muttered out loud, and somewhat speaking to Jaseio. "Where are we?"
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Post by Panaetha on Aug 9, 2014 6:21:42 GMT 1
~**I'm coming,**~ Panaetha sent back to Keleero privately, and with a mental sigh. Pardus shoved his head into her leg, urging her forward; she rolled her eyes in response. As she made the first turn, she looked back, and the panther sat there, waiting. "Are you just going to stay here?" she asked him, annoyed...and also a little confused by her own annoyance. He just blinked and lashed his tail lazily back and forth. ::Smell,:: was all Pardus sent. Panaetha inhaled, and cocked her head a little; being half-glider, her sense of smell wasn't as keen as her kin's, but there was something...odd about it. ::Swaybacks.:: *A swayback? In the caves? How preposterous,* she thought, but the smell was familiar...maybe not quite like the swaybacks in her pridelands, but close enough. Though she was still annoyed at Pardus for not coming with her into the caves, she understood; he could spook them. She sighed and continued into the caves. "Stay close until I get back...but if they come out this way, you might want to hide." The panther just snorted in response and curled up on the ground. The healer was in the Beacon Room quickly, greeted by, "Aeeergh!" from a strange elf on the ground. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly; the presence of two swaybacks, plus the two strange wolves, plus five more elves...it made for a very crowded space. She hadn't been in here since that first night, and she could feel the room starting to close in around her. "Anyone who is able should be getting these beasts out of here before someone else gets hurt," Panaetha ordered; taking charge and being proactive would help her not think about her claustrophobia. "That one," she pointed to the one being used as a pillow, "can stay. You're the one who's hurt?" The healer knelt down beside the black-haired newcomer. The broken arm and the blood didn't phase her; she held her hands just over the injury and started to heal him; she faintly glowed with magic. It was slow, but thorough work. She curled her tail under her...any other time, it would gently sway back and forth as she worked, but in these caves, surrounded by elves she didn't know or trust, she couldn't relax. OOC: calling the horses "swaybacks" because, as cats are selfish jerks (  ), they call things based on their use to them. A horse's swayed back is a great place to nap. |
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Post by Jaseio on Aug 9, 2014 11:35:38 GMT 1
"You.. you..." She ended with a heavy sigh. She couldn't stay angry at him, and instead she was worried for the tribemate, the herd had thought lost to them. When the healer arrived, Jaseio stood and moved aside. The question Edgerunner directed at her, finally made the situation dawn on her. "Wh-where we are...?" Her eyes widened and she walked unsteadily towards her apparently only steady pillar of support, Rjúkandi. The strange elves, the strange surroundings... Everything was spinning, and she was feeling a bit queasy.
Where was her family? She had completely shut down.. Not even Rjúkandi's gentle nudge, and snort made her react. He even tried mind-touching but he just met a wall. She was just staring at the empty air, clutching hairs from his mane in her hands.
If she hadn't been panicking so much, she would probably have helped trying to find how to get Rjúkandi out. He was probably to big to fit through the opening, since a horse was wider than an elf in build.
*No... No... No!* As a desperate measure she tried to send openly for her family **Hreggsvöl?! Where are you? Where are you...? Torta? Naskur...?! Wilddew...? Mother... Father? ... Tata, my precious... Where are you?** The panic was very evident in the sending, and as she didn't get an answer, and couldn't feel their minds, she broke down crying. Kneeling on the floor beside her horse, she was shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks. Broken sobs escaped her and her breathing was hitched.
"No... Please, no...." Rjúkandi tried to console her, lowering his head to her quacking shoulders. She hugged his head and put forehead against forehead. It calmed her a bit but she still cried silently.
OOC: Yes, yes... Cats are selfish jerks xD But they are soft, cuddly, selfish jerks. :3 At least some of them are. xD
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Post by Keleero on Aug 9, 2014 12:35:19 GMT 1
Keleero sighed in relief as Panaetha came into the caver and began to heal the stranger. He was far too used to seeing blood and broken bones, really, but being used to something like that didn't make it anymore pleasant.
"I'll make an exit for the horses," he said, glad for something to do. "I understand the one must wait, but I'll see about the one standing first. And you might want to get your, eh, wolves out of here as well," he added to the third stranger. He was impressed by how well the creatures delt with the sight of blood - he'd always thought predators attacked the moment they smelt a bleeding creature.
Then one of the stranger - the only one without injuries, as far as he could tell - began to send, and then broke down crying. Keleero knew sobs like that; he'd heard them from people coming back from Elyro's chambers, from people whose relatives had been chosen for challenges. And he'd always been terrible at dealing with such emotions.
"Eh," he said. It wasn't the best of ideas, but seeing as Panaetha was busy healing and Rokuta already had made the comment about the lack of food which didn't speak much for the youth's diplomatic skills, it would seem Keleero himself was the best option for this explanation. At least according to himself. And he didn't look forward to it. "W-what's your name? I understand you're shocked, but I'm afraid we need to get you out of harms way first, before we have time to explain. Could you please help move your horse?"
Unsure if his words had reached her, he added in sending: **Please? We don't want anyone else to get hurt.**
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), they call things based on their use to them. A horse's swayed back is a great place to nap.