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Post by Sunset on Aug 31, 2014 12:50:41 GMT 1
Sunset winced at Tinder's vehemence and Panaetha's scolding, the smile sliding from her face. She took Tinder's arm, similar to how she used to, leading her away from those who were less capable - or simply less accustomed - to dealing with her enthusiasm. As they started down the hallway, the Beacon began to glow again, pulsing, and she groaned in frustration. How many new elves are going to arrive? We can barely feed ourselves!
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Post by Choice on Aug 31, 2014 19:49:39 GMT 1
Choice was shocked into silence by all the activity around him. First Panaetha defended him, as if he were her friend, and then the new elf took hold of him and warmed him. He was too stunned to speak, to move, to do anything but stare and gape at it all. Being sent to - something he hadn't experienced in uncountable years, much less an apology being sent - didn't help him collect himself any faster.
That was, until another elf, accompanied by a wolf, stepped out of the shadows and began talking to a very tall elf standing by the cave's exit. Choice found he could move then, shrinking away from the wolf-elf. Harsh words, even made in jest, drew up far too many troubling memories. He ended up huddling behind Tinder as Sunset began to lead them away from the middle of the cave, toward the exit.
And then a third elf appeared. Out of thin air. Choice couldn't help but give a yelp of surprise and fear.
OOC: Love Sunset's new icon, Stephanie! Did you draw it yourself or is it from an avatar maker?
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Post by Keleero on Aug 31, 2014 20:09:09 GMT 1
"Half bird," Keleero answered Slinker flatley. "Was that supposed to be an insult? Clearly you've never seen a giant eagel. And I can tell you're from a place where only healers care about manners. Must be a dreadful mess." Being threatened with death was no new experience for Keleero. His mind grew cold and calculating the moment Slinker sent to him; it didn't feel like a genuine threat, but Keleero had known people who could send the sweetest of lies and smile while they stabbed you in the back. He'd be careful around this one. Also, he could have an advantage here. This group was new, but the stranger was newer. Keleero had hopefully made himself useful enough for his companions to take his side in any fight where the antagonist was this obvious. Really, the newcomer had to be very young to threaten and throw his weight around so openly. ~**I've seen birds eat wolves too, stranger. You bite at your own risk.**~ Keleero lock-sent back to Slinker, the words accompanied by images of giant eagels striking prey from the sky. He endured being eyed from head to toe without reacting. He'd been stared down by far older, far more powerful elves many times before. "Do you always throw insults at elves you meet for the first time? I'll have you know my people have excellent hunters and that I am in perfect health. We're certainly not so desperate that'd we go mad and resort to eating other elves, as you've just threatened." Keleero raised an eyebrow at Slinker's introduction and quick escape. "Slinker. Fitting name. You seem very at ease with having just appeared in a new place for no good reason. And I am not 'birde', my name is Keleero. I will go where I please at my own pace, thank you." For a moment, Keleero entertained the childish thought of shaping the tunnel exit to hinder Slinker's departure, or at least trip him. But that could turn the situation against him, lose him the position as the rational and attacked party. Also, reshaping the tunnel had already taken its toll on him and he'd risk breaking into a sweat if he were to use his magic again so soon. It was never wise to show weakness in front of an opponent. He was thrown off that trail of thought when yet another newcomer appeared. This one looked suitably shocked. Somehow that didn't make Keleero feel too much better; it simply made him feel exhausted. As much of a mad dream as these past four days had been, madness too can become mundane if lived too long. "Welcome to this place we haven't named yet," Keleero said to the newcomer. "We don't know how we got here either, so sadly we can't explain how you appeared here. Know only that we have not taken you from your home and are as stranded as you are. I don't think we have any blankets or furs to spare, but if you're very cold I'll see what I can do about finding you something warmer to wear." He deliverd all this in the dull monotone of one who'd either had too little sleep or too much unpleasant excitment. Keleero took in the newcomer's appearance and frowned. The fin-like parts of him were a bit unusual too look at, but with a fur-covered and tail-having healer already gliding about the place Keleero's mind chose to be surprised about fins later. No, it was mostly the stranger's lack of clothes that drew his attention. There were clothes at least, but they didn't look like much to set against the snow and chill outside. OOC: Keleero has no sense of humor XD Pyre, feel free to have Slinker mess with Keleero as much as you want  I love rp-ing antagonistic relationships. |
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Post by Slinker on Aug 31, 2014 23:24:31 GMT 1
Slinker eyed Keleero for a moment, sizing the lanky bird-elf up as if he were another potential meal. His eyes twinkled as he smiled and bared his fangs maliciously. "You wouldn't last a day in the pack, birdie, you're too noisy like a bush-wren. You'd probably cry if I plucked you too, enjoyable as it would be for me". He continued to walk fearlessly, though he made certain to keep the loud bird-elf in his line of sight. Slinker laughed when the elf admitted to being half-bird. "Truly?" he asked. "I suppose that explains why you're so high-strung. Too much bird in you and not enough elf to make sense of it. You might be more of an airhead than you let on, birdie".
Slinker slowed in his stride. He paused, turned on his heel, and favoured Keleero with a flirtatious wink. His grin was wide, wolfish, and brutally honest. ~**Is that an invitation, birdie?**~ he asked in locksend. ~**You should know better than to welcome a wolf into your furs. Biting is natural when you have a set of fangs**~. Slinker chuckled as he resumed walking. He found the elf incredibly amusing, and far too serious, not unlike the chieftesses' of his tribe.
Slinker laughed. "An elf cannot lie in sending it is true", he replied. Slinker's eyes twinkled merrily as he looked over his shoulder at his 'birdie'. ~**I did mean what I said, birdie, though not in the way you think. An elf can be a dish best served with a side of furs and moonlight, or slick and wet in a pool of water. I prefer my furmates dry, but I've had the wet variety before too**~.
Slinker shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'm alive, birdie", he said pointedly as he pretended not to hear Keleero say his name. "After falling into a pit of darkness with a wolf underneath me, well, being alive is better than being dead". Slinker smiled as Ash wuffed and flicked an ash-grey ear. He paused as his bond alerted him to the presence of another elf that smelt of sand and water and sunlight.
He eyed the new elf curiously. "Well aren't you an interesting thing, all scaly and wet. A fish elf I think. You certainly smell like water and sand. I hope you have a sense of humour. Birdie over here is dryer than a riverbed during a drought".
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Post by Tinder on Aug 31, 2014 23:33:33 GMT 1
Tinder pulled her arm tight and refused to move another step. "Sunset, I am not a cub!" she hissed between gritted teeth. She shook her head and gently but firmly pulled away from her friend. ~**I appreciate your concern. I do**~ locksent Tinder. She smiled sadly. ~**But I do not need to be led anymore. I am old enough to know my rights from my wrongs. And right now, Choice is in need of such comfort not me**~. Tinder laid her hand on Sunset's shoulder and squeezed gently. She sighed and shook her head.
"You have not changed pride-sister, but I have", said Tinder.
She turned quickly as Choice stuck close to their tails obviously seeking protection. Tinder's face softened. She held out her hand to the wary elf. The fire in her other hand she held to the side clear of causing anyone harm. ~**Choice. Come. Stick close to me. You will be perfectly safe. I promise. Elves and beasts are naturally wary of fire. They will stay clear of me and us if you would prefer to keep company with friends than strangers**~.
Tinder glanced sidelong at Sunset. ~**I am sorry, but I am not as you remember me**~ she locksent sadly, not knowing what else to say.
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Post by Sunset on Sept 1, 2014 7:49:29 GMT 1
OOC: avatar maker! It's the magical elf doll game on azaleadolls.
IC: Sunset bit her lip, thoughtful and sad. ~**I know, and I don't understand it. When I left...you were still a cub. We grow quickly, and you quickest of all, but...**~ She stopped sending, refusing to think of the possibility. Had she really been away so long? It had only felt like a few full turns, at most.
She shook her head as if to clear it, then scooped up the kitten before he agitated her friend's bond further. She sent a reassuring half-smile over her shoulder at Choice before moving out of the room, still deep in thought.
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Post by Reefshadow on Sept 1, 2014 7:57:04 GMT 1
The knife in his hand was a comforting weight, but Reefshadow decided that at least for now, antagonizing these elves was not the best idea. He folded it back into the folds of his clothing, and adopted a more relaxed stance. While still wary, he smiled a bit, mostly to reassure himself. He stood in silence for a moment, obviously scrutinizing the short wolf-blooded elf. "I've discovered that gliders tend to be a bit stuffy; it's easier to bear once you get to know them."
He turned his gaze to the obviously weary and frazzled Keleero. "I'm actually quite comfortable, but thank you. How many more of us -" the word was so strange to say, but he was sure that the short ones must be elves, too, " - are there, here?"
After all, first things first: know who you were sharing space with. He had the distinct feeling that there was little enough room, and the glider's comment about furs made him sure that there was certainly not enough supplies. I sincerely hope that I don't have to play dirty.
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Post by Slinker on Sept 2, 2014 8:12:58 GMT 1
OOC: Hey Steph, Imma gonna leave Tinder with Choice till Sofia can rep, but I can plug in Slinker till then. XD.
IC: Slinker frowned confusedly. "A glider?" he asked. "Is that what he is?" he added as he pointed to Keleero. "How's he supposed to glide then? Only birds, bugs, and bats have wings". Slinker looked Keleero up and down again. He shook his head. "Must be magic then. Would be useless in the forest. He'd get tangled in vines and branches. If you really are a bird than you must have lived on a mountain or in a giant tree". Slinker laughed at the comical thought of Keleero nursing an egg like a mother-bird. "Do you lay eggs too, Birdie?" he teased mercilessly.
Slinker shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "How should I know, Fishy", he told the newcomer. "I arrived here not long ago myself. I've explored a little, but not much beyond this crystal room. Didn't want to get eaten by anything". He nodded to Keleero. "Birdie would know more. He's been here awhile. He smells like old sweat. Needs a bath too".
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Post by Choice on Sept 2, 2014 21:40:50 GMT 1
OOC: Sorry about slow reply, work & other free time activities demanded my attention for two days, ack so much (fun stuff) to do!
IC: A lock-sending, just for him! And it held kind words, oh so kind! She'd called herself his friends - well, perhaps not directly, but the word 'friends' had certainly been used!
The euphoria of it blocked out all the potential unpleasantness around him. Choice found himself following along obediently after Tinder and Sunset; which must have looked rather comical as he was a little taller than Tinder and much taller than Sunset.
He at least had the presense of mind to answer the smile Sunset gave him over her shoulder as they all headed for the exit.
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Post by Keleero on Sept 2, 2014 22:02:33 GMT 1
Keleero ignored the comment from Slinker about him being noisy, despite the absurdity of it; who here exactly was babbling on about meaningless nonsense? "And you wouldn't last a day with my people," Keleero stated with absolute certainty. Someone so open with their intensions would have been out-played before sunrise. "As we're with neither of them, I don't see the use in this argument." The comment about potential bird-blood went right over Keleero's head. "Bird in me? What blabber! And you think you could make me cry?" The prospect of it seemed ridiculous to Keleero; he might never have been a hunter or warrior, but pain was an old familiar friend. "You seem to have made a number of decisions about what I am and I will and won't do just by looking at me. Foolish." He was quite taken a-back by Slinker's wink. Was he...? Oh, he was. This was just mad. ~**Do people usually threaten bodily harm to charm one another where you come from?**~ Keleero lock-sent back to Slinker, making sure to emphasize how unimpressed he was by this. ~**I assure you I have no interest in sharing 'furs' with anyone who wishes to draw blood from me.**~ Not after the last time, but that he left out of the sending. Keleero was slowly re-evaluating his first impression of Slinker. He was still a potential threat, yes, but maybe a lesser one. He seemed quite...simple. 'Fell into a pit of darkess' indeed. He could of course be playing dumb, but if so it was a convincing performance. He was almost relieved when Slinker turned his attention to the newest newcomer. Even if said newcomer proceeded to call all Gliders 'stuffy'. Such nerve! And of course Slinker had to go and make comments again. That elf would drive him up and through a wall sooner or later! Keleero decided to answer the finned elf first: "With you, we are now four hands and one. Not an impressive number I admit, but I think you'll be glad for it when you see the outside. We've made do with what we've had with us here, but supplies aren't easy to come by. If you're able to help, you'll be most welcome." He didn't so much turn to look at Slinker as he glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Hopefully that would show proper distain. "I'd rather my body smell unwashed than my words be as mad as yours," Keleero said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Four days without a bath was unpleasant, but he wasn't so foolish as to go take a swim in the icy river. Especially not with humans nearby and no way of warming back up when he got back inside. "Get tangled in branches? You fly above the trees! Do you try and run under water? Of course not! And lay eggs? Why in the world would an elf lay eggs? You seem to talk a lot without thinking." Having decided enough was enough, Keleero began to float out through the tunnel, very careful to give Slinker a wide berth. The elf seemed so childish Keleero wouldn't have put it beneath him to try and lunge after him, or bark and snap at him if he got too close. "Follow me if you wish to meet the others." He said that mostly to the finned elf. OOC: I think this is a good place for everyone to jump to the outside thread where our elves can have a quick chat with each other until someone suggests a big gathering, to introduce everyone. But you're of course free to post here until you feel your elf has made a proper 'exit'! I can have Keleero or No-Sting suggest it, but someone else who's been in Beacon Call for a while can of course suggest it too! Sunset Badger goldenbraid Juniper Rokuta Swift-Wind Silverthorn Vareesi - any of you feel free to suggest the gathering! PS. Keleero has no clue about elves being animal-blooded XD He thinks all the bond-friends just are pets, possibly under magical control, since he's never heard of elves mating with animals in shape-changed form or had it explained to him in the past four days. Just so you all know why Slinker's commens are going over his head so completely. |
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Post by Tinder on Sept 2, 2014 22:07:42 GMT 1
OOC: Np Sofia! I'll be away all day with work. XD. RL rules my life! Blargh!
IC: Tinder was surprised when Choice followed them. He seemed happier somehow judging from the smile upon his face. She shook her head as she held her hand aloft again, using her fire to light the way like a beacon. "Let us go then. Hopefully the air will smell better further out. It's so musty in here", said Tinder as she followed Sunset. She was quiet for several moments, as she looked left and right, her eyes trailing over the rocky walls that seemed unnatural smooth and even. The ground under her feet was firm but even she could feel on occassion the noticable drop and rise of stairs leading downwards.
Tinder paused for a moment and held out a warding hand for Choice. "Easy", she said as she bent her knees and peered at the rocky ground underfoot. She tapped her toe against the rock, listened for a few moments, and frowned at her discovery. "This has been shaped by magic", she declared. Tinder looked to Sunset, a black eyebrow arched curiously. "You have a rockshaper here. I know their magic. My soul-brother could shape earth and crystal and stone. He was gifted, certainly, but not like this. These stairs are even. The ground is flat even for an incline as we move downwards. There's something strange at work. Shard was good, but this rockshaper is better".
Tinder couldn't help but wonder how she would be received by these new elves. "Highones", she muttered. "I hope they're not the kind that fear fireshapers".
OOC: Np, I think mine have made proper exits. Moi will shift them along to the outside thread.
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Post by Slinker on Sept 2, 2014 22:43:27 GMT 1
Slinker grinned when Keleero took umbrage. He shrugged off the irritable comments like water off a duck's back. He had seen Keleero for what he was. An uptight and incredibly stuffy elf, just like the sea-elf had said. He locksent to the newcomer teasingly. ~**Told you he had no sense of humour**~. Slinker followed Keleero without protest as the glider used his magic to float down the tunnel leading outside he presumed. "You're a sensitive bird", he quipped cheekily as he grinned. The elf wasn't one for flattery either. He responded more to needling barbs than praise or flattery. How terribly predictable.
Slinker listened as Keleero ignored him. He had ears enough to hear and understand what the glider refused to say. Elves there were, many he guessed, without proper lodgings, and a good supply of food or water. He frowned as instinct took hold. Ash wuffed, ears flattening, as he tucked himself close to Slinker's side.
::Bad elfkin::, Ash wolf-sent worriedly. ::Too many elves. Not enough bonds. Food will be scarce. Water too. Elf-kin will starve here if we cannot hunt. We cannot provide for so many ourselves. We need the pack::.
Slinker nodded gravely as he scratched Ash's ears. "I know. Highones. I know, Ash". He sighed. The odds of surviving the next few days were not in their favour.
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Post by Reefshadow on Sept 3, 2014 16:04:49 GMT 1
On silent feet, Reefshadow followed the glider - Keleero - and the small, offensive wolf-elf on their way out of the cave. So far, space seemed severely limited, as did supplies, and that did not bode well. At least the chill was nothing new to him; he didn't know what he would have done if he'd been brought to somewhere hot. He shuddered a bit at the thought.
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Post by Greywing on Sept 5, 2014 19:20:16 GMT 1
As the elves, new to the area and yet newer, headed outside the cave, the air shimmered once again... Previously...Greywing muttered to herself as she arranged her camp. It would be a bitterly cold snowseason, but she thought she'd done well in her preparations. She had a full bearskin, one she fought scavengers bitterly for; the humans in the area were stupid enough to hunt bear, thinking them to be evil spirit creatures. They took the head and paws as a trophy, leaving the meat to rot. A waste. Scavengers gathered quickly, but she fought them off for the fur and a meal. That meal was some time ago, and because she was alone, she'd only been able to eat what she could scavenge, and what K'rstai could catch. She wished she had a preserver, but they never left the sides of the original elves, and, if her memory served, they were frivolous little creatures, much preferring to ignore real life for singing and making mischief. Still, one would have been useful...if only to help keep meat from rotting. If she had any meat to speak of. Two turns of the seasons ago, her tribe was killed while settling for the winter. Her tribe was a nomadic people. All of the elves were, except the few originals who remained with their dwelling from the stars. One original joined each nomadic group, helping guide them and reminding them that they weren't just wolves. For Greywing's group, called Wandering Steps, that original had been her mother, Iona...one of the many casualties two turns ago. The groups wandered Abode like wolf packs, but there weren't enough originals to go around; many splintered into feral groups, ones the originals considered "lost." Greywing snorted at the thought; though she never got along too well with the feral ones, ones who seemed more wolf than elf, she felt like they served a good purpose. They killed humans. Humans were territorial, violent creatures, taller and bigger than elves. This kept Wandering Steps from settling, hence their name. Still, it was hard for either species to wander during the whitecold, and they had to settle somewhere. Her father, Flare, thought they'd done well picking a place hidden from humans...but he was wrong. His mistake cost the elves their lives...and if Greywing hadn't been training K'rstai, maybe she could have woken them first...or been slaughtered with them. The green-haired elf looked over her supplies. The bear skin. A skin of water...she wished she had more, but going to the river to refill it would keep her alert, she hoped. A pile of firewood, painstakingly scavenged from fallen trees or brush. The day's kill...it was hard to be awake during the day, but Greywing wouldn't be ambushed again, so she did her best to adopt human waking periods. The cave she'd chosen was small, but dry, and would hold in any fire's heat well. She closed her eyes and sighed with frustrated resignation. It was too late to choose another spot, and she would just have to trust that she prepared enough...and the time for begging other tribes was over. The tribes she'd come across had all rejected her, believing her to be bad luck, or some sort of human lure, or because they simply couldn't feed another mouth. She wondered how many of those tribes contained her brothers and sisters...but it didn't matter, ultimately. *I only have one brother...and he is as dead as the rest of them.* K'rstai screeched above, and Greywing looked up at her hunting companion. She held her gloved arm out, and the grey falcon, what the elves also called a greywing, swooped down and landed, holding a mouse in one talon. She dropped it into Greywing's open hand. *A mouse...* she thought with a regretful chuckle. "This will only feed you, my greyling, but I guess you are as important to feed as I am..." After the seasons she spent training birds, she knew that they weren't nearly as close as wolf and elf. They stayed with her because she fed them. She knew K'rstai would be able to survive on her own...but she wasn't sure if she could survive without K'rstai. She picked up the dead mouse and fed it to her bird, head first. The predator ripped it off and swallowed it whole, then gave a satisfied little screech. Greywing chuckled and continued to hold the little snack for her. She turned away and things started looking...strange. Like a strong fire burned nearby and made the air shimmer, but there was no warmth. Before she could think much more, the world went dark. Now in the caves...Greywing felt around for a wall and found one quickly; she planted herself firmly against it. K'rstai pecked at her handler's hand, and the elf reflexively opened it to let the bird devour the rest of the mouse. K'rstai wasn't worried, but Greywing certainly was. She couldn't even begin to explain how they'd gotten here...fallen in a sink hole? But they hadn't fallen! Had the daystar been extinguished...but how'd they get into this cave? Why was it so dark? Her heart raced. She didn't understand. OOC: I figure she popped into one of the cave systems a little behind the Beacon. I don't expect anyone to respond...this is just her official entrance into the area.  I have plans to introduce her to the group, just not quite yet! |
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Post by Sofia on Sept 5, 2014 20:43:19 GMT 1
OOC: Looking forward to seeing Greywing pop up in the other threads Also, I think this thread is wrapped so I'm locking it and moving it to the Archive. Remember that anyone and everyone can requset to have a thread un-locked!
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I love rp-ing antagonistic relationships.
I have plans to introduce her to the group, just not quite yet! 
