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Post by Mahrak on Oct 12, 2015 19:25:23 GMT 1
OOC: Takes place about 3 months before Mahrak and Nightbird appear in Beacon Call Holt. This is their first meeting. IC:It had started getting warmer in a way Mahrak wasn't used to. Longsleep, his bond-friend, had gotten more and more reluctant when it came to longer walks, prefering to lie and bask in the sunlight to moving on. "Come on, you big lump of fur," Mahrak said as he rolled out of yet another makeshift shelter. The white tiger he'd addressed merely grumbled and curled into a tighter ball. "Don't be like that. You think we're ever going to find other elves if you laze about all day?" Mahrak couldn't really blame Longsleep though. They'd been traveling for a good two moons and they'd seen pretty much...nothing. No legendary trolls and no other elves. Not even a new preserver. The only thing that had changed was the weather, and not overly dramatically either. Just a little warmer, a little less snow, and a handful of new trees, with leaves instead of needles. If he didn't know it'd drive him to recklessness, he'd have turned back towards home the moment the snow started melting. But stubborn as he was, Mahrak started this day like he'd started all others; by sending: **Is anyone out there?**
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 12, 2015 19:56:17 GMT 1
She'd been travelling for hours, and the first twinge of dawn had her crouched low to Lazybones' back, watching the forest around her warily. She had to find somewhere to rest for the day, somewhere safe. Nightbird had been on her own for months, hoping to find answers, or perhaps something that could help her tribe, and still there was nothing. Her heart twinged as she thought about there being nothing to go back to in the first place, and then she sighed and shook herself.
The brindled wolf yawned, tilting his head back to lick his elf-friend along the jaw, liquid golden eyes expressing that he was ready for sleep, even if she thought she could keep going. And then a send reached her.
The raven-haired elfess sat bolt up-right on her bond-friend's back. Her sending was rusty from disuse, but she was certain she'd heard it. Swallowing a lump in her throat, nervous and excited, Nightbird sent back tentatively, **Hello? I mean, yes, I'm here!**
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Post by Mahrak on Oct 12, 2015 21:29:18 GMT 1
Mahrak's heart skipped a beat. There was someone out there! Someone he'd never met before!
The shock of it held Mahrak up, keeping him from answering the sending for a moment. Realizing this mistake he hurried to send out feelings of greeting and welcome, followed by:
**I'm here! How far away are you? Can you meet me?** He made sure to add images of his surroundings and of Longsleep in his sending.
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 13, 2015 0:32:20 GMT 1
Cave. The image flashed into her head and she nudged Bones with her knees and a mental push. She hadn't seen a stripe-cat since she was small, but she knew what they were, and she definitely knew where that cave was. She'd used it last winter, in fact. **Stay where you are, I'm coming!**
At the thought of the cave, excitement stirred both she and the wolf she rode, sweeping their tiredness from them in a wave of adrenaline. It had been months since she'd seen another elf, and she hadn't realized how lonely it was without a tribe. She couldn't go home, she knew that; there were too many memories, and more of them were painful than happy.
Ground flew beneath her bond's paws and with a flying leap they cleared the row of bushes in front of them, landing nimbly in the small clearing in front of the cave. Nightbird came face-to-face with a red-headed elf with liquid brown eyes and all she could do was blink. His skin was darker than she was used to, but he was definitely attractive and she caught herself staring. Bones shifted slightly, panting from the run, tail wagging slightly. "Hello."
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Post by Mahrak on Oct 15, 2015 22:44:33 GMT 1
Mahrak waited on pins and needles for the stranger to arrive. His excitement even got a stir out of Longsleep, who opened his eyes and gave Mahrak a look that could have meant anything from 'interesting' to 'feed me'.
The sound a running beast set Mahrak further on edge, but something in the stranger's sending made him pause instead of flee. He was more than surprised to see a pale elf appear from between the trees ahead, riding a wolf!
As the stranger spoke, Mahrak was caught speechless again. All he could do was stare, taking her and her bond-friend in, for a moment. But that moment passed and his enthusiasm came flooding back with a passion:
"Warm caves and fresh kills to you, new friend!" Mahrak said, grinning from ear to ear. "You're the first elf I've met in two moons' time! Are you also out exploring? I am Mahrak of The Far White, and that sleepy-head over there is my bond-friend, Longsleep." He gestured at the tiger in question, who in turn rolled over onto his back to sun bathe his belly.
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 16, 2015 6:54:33 GMT 1
Nightbird dismounted, Bones enthusiastically going to nose at the tiger, completely unconcerned that it might be dangerous. The young black-haired elfess continued to stare at Mahrak, still certain she was hallucinating. His greeting caught her off guard, too. It was unlike the one she was used to. "Shade and sweet water, Mahrak. I'm Nightbird, and that's Lazybones. We're from Moss Rock Holt, about..." She tilted her head sideways, dark curls falling over her shoulder. "About three moon-turns that way."
Nightbird still stared blatantly at the new elf. "I left originally to find my sister and I just never went home." Her gaze shifted and she cocked an eyebrow as Bones flopped over on his back, wiggling next to the tiger with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Well, they seem to get along swimmingly."
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Post by Mahrak on Oct 16, 2015 22:54:43 GMT 1
Longsleep took the wolf's interest with good humor, leaving his stomach bare as a sign of no danger, mimicking the wolf.
Mahrak smiled at the exchange between his bond and the stranger's, brimming over with excitement.
"The Far White is about two moons of travel in that direction," he said, pointing in the opposite direction from where Nightbird had indicated her tribe was located. "No wonder I've not seen any wolf-elves before! Don't think anyone has seen any other elves than our own kin in an ice's age. Well, other than my father..."
He trailed off, realizing he'd begun rambling. Laughing at his own sillieness, he nodded in agreement with Nightbird's words. "They do indeed! Longsleep has always been a big softy - he'll be overjoyed to have some company other than me." He paused. "...because you won't mind some company, for a while?"
Mahrak gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry. As you've probably understood, you're the first elf not of my tribe I've ever met. And the only company I've had for these past two moons is rolling around on his back over there." He gave a shrug in Longsleep's direction.
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 17, 2015 9:54:31 GMT 1
Nightbird blinked at the red-headed elf, stunned. It hadn't occurred to her - but maybe he was right. Travelling together sounded...wonderful, actually, if she was completely honest. She'd grown accustomed to being mostly alone, though with her wolf she never had to endure the wonders of the world completely abandoned. That did not mean she liked it, though, and she hadn't realized until she'd heard his send that she was desperate for company again. It was not the nature of a wolf to be alone, not truly, and she was beginning to come to that understanding as she processed Mahrak's words.
"That's...that's all right, I think Bones and I could use the company. Home isn't, really, home anymore, what with my family gone. And maybe two heads are better than one, right?" The words were out before she could stop them, and the raven-haired elfess bit the inside of her cheek nervously. Would he want to help look for her sister? Well, there was only one way to find out. "Do you - would you...mind helping me? I've been trying to find her for so long and I think I've run out of ideas."
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Post by Mahrak on Oct 19, 2015 22:08:49 GMT 1
"I'd love to help you find your sister!" Mahrak all but shouted, excited beyond words. To finally have a clearly defined goal other than 'walk until I find other elves' had him giddy with glee. "What does she look like? Why did she leave? Did she say where she was going?"
And he was letting his mouth run away with him again. Rolling his eyes at himself, Mahrak kept smiling at Nightbird and said: "Forgive me, this is all a bit overwhelming to me. Maybe we should sit down and have a meal together, and exchange stories of our tribes? With you bonded to a wolf and I to a tiger, I'm guessing there are quite a few differences between us, despite both being children of the High Ones."
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 27, 2015 10:02:15 GMT 1
The raven-haired elfess cringed at Mahrak's enthusiasm, hiding her pain at his questions about her sister. She wasn't looking forward to actually answering those, and her heart twinged at the thought. "Of course, food would be a wise choice. I do not have anything fresh but I do have dried meat and plants I've been collecting along the way. If you can help me gather wood, I can perhaps use a fire to put together something resembling hot food." Nightbird attempted to smile at him, hoping that her strangeness would not, well, estrange her new friend.
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Post by Mahrak on Oct 28, 2015 15:06:27 GMT 1
Nightbird's words took Mahrak aback. Hot food? Wood? He ended up blinking dumbly at Nightbird for a good long moment.
Fire wasn't something completely new to Mahrak, but it wasn't something he associated with food. Therefore he didn't connect the dots needed to realize what she was asking of him. "You want to...burn the food, before eating it?" he asked, feeling very lost. "Is...is that common among your people?"
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Post by Nightbird on Oct 28, 2015 22:38:00 GMT 1
Her eyes went wide, staring at him in disbelief. "We don't burn the food, we - I'll show you, it makes the food warm without ruining it. Hot meals are good when it's cold."
Unslinging her pack, Nightbird quickly began gathering various sizes of dried wood, assembling a small pile of tinder. After a few moments, she had it smoking and not long after that she had the fire going. She sat back on her heels, digging through her bag for a small hide pot. To it she added dried meat and water and some greens. "See? No burning."
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Post by Mahrak on Nov 6, 2015 20:03:48 GMT 1
Mahrak watched Nightbird work in fascinated silence. He frowned at her when she mixed water, meat and plants in the hide pot, but didn't stop her. It wouldn't do to insult this first stranger he'd ever met by questioning whatever traditions she might have.
"The water seems to be hot now," he commented, leaning in to watch it boil. It looked a little like the geisers back home. "Are we suppose to eat the plants?"
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Post by Nightbird on Feb 2, 2016 5:24:30 GMT 1
Nightbird glanced up at the red-head, inwardly wondering about his eating habits as he asked the question. "Well, you don't have to, but my tribe finds them tasty. And they're supposed to be good for you."
The maiden finally fished out two carved wooden spoons and handed him one. She demonstrated carefully how to use it and how to blow on the food to ensure that he didn't burn himself. There had only been one or two elves in her holt that didn't eat meat cooked, though there were plenty that ate it raw, but she personally saw more benefit to her food being warm and if the kill was not fresh, that required cooking. "Tell me more about your tribe, please? I'm curious to know more about where you're from."
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Post by Mahrak on Feb 10, 2016 23:36:50 GMT 1
"All I've seen plants get used for is to heal woods or sickness," Mahrak said in a conversational tone. Clearly he was more than ready to try new things, even eating greenery. He carefully observed how Nightbird used this new spoon-thing and mimicked her.
"Oh, that's hot!" he said after his first sip, giving a laugh to show he hadn't been seriously hurt. "But it's good! Very interesting!" In the privacy of his own mind he thought that it did taste a little strange, but it was food and his stomach grumbled, so eat it he would!
Giving an eager smile at Nightbird's question of his people, he began chatting away, waiting for his food to cool down: "Well, not much exciting has ever happened up in the Far White, so I'm not sure what to tell you, exactly. From what the Elders have told me, the ancestors came to the Far White after a long walk from where the Palace fell. You have heard of the Palace, haven't you? I assume all elves have." His grin grew wider as he spoke, so pleased was he to speak to another elf, a stranger!
"A few of the ancestors had shards of the Palace with them, granting them the power to change form. Sadly those shards have been lost long, long ago. But they gave us our kinship with the tigers! Was it the same with your ancestors and the wolves? Do the people of...Moss Rock, was it? Do they, eh, you, live as the wolves do? All in one big group? With a leader of some sort?"
Though not familiar with other elves, Mahrak had seen plenty of wolf packs in his days to have some idea of how they worked. "My father's always said we did something to the tigers and they did something to us, when we shared blood. I've seen a few tigers without the connection to our people, and they don't quite act like our tigers do; they are much less likely to seek out company or hunt together."
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