Arc 723, 17th of Saun
"Shh."
Lars lifted a finger to his mouth, and Darius nodded in silence. The wilderness man had heard something and was eager to see if it was what they had been looking for.
The two men were partway up a rocky escarpment with Lars leading the way. Ostensibly, the excursion was a hunting trip, and both men had brought bows with them, but neither was particularly proficient with one. In truth, it was Lars doing Astra a favour, by giving Darius a mental break from the rigours of leading Hopetoun in the wake of the pirate attack and his reaction to it.
Lars knew Faldrass' trails well and had insisted that he should take the lead, and Darius was perfectly happy with that.
He carefully placed his feet in the same places as the huntsman to avoid slipping, and within a couple of bits, they were both peeking over the top of the escarpment.
And then they heard it again.
A few trills of searching passed, before Lars pointed at something in the distance and whispered: "There!"
Darius strained his vision. Initially, he couldn't see anything, but then a flash of movement caught his eye. It was a flapping of wings, and though he had never seen an etchwing before, he recognised it instantly, based on the descriptions what he'd been told.
They were beautiful creatures, he decided as he watched it settle down and nestle into its perch on a rocky outcrop, but he knew they were also dangerous. More than once, cadouri had been attacked by the giant birds.
There were no cadouri to be seen this trial, which meant no rescue mission needed to be launched, but the etchwing was still a danger to any of Saoire's childrenCadouri who naively travelled through the area.
It was also an opportunity for Darius to use his new bow.
The longbow had been gifted to him by Liathen the Guardian, a wholly unexpected act of generosity from the Pirate Lord. He had been in possession of her sword knot for quite some time, and when they had met, he had been concerned that she might be angered. In truth, she had been grateful, and the bow was an unexpected reward for returning the lanyard in good condition.
What he did not have with him was a quiver. But - much to Darius' continual amazement - that did not matter.
Surmounting the escarpment, he freed the weapon from its position strapped over one shoulder, held it directly towards the etchwing, and drew the bow. As he did so, an arrow appeared, notched to the string, and Darius let it fly.
The sharp missile did indeed fly, but not for long. It caught a gentle headwind and fell well short of its target. Being so distant from the etchwing and downwind of the creature meant the bird didn't even stir. Unperturbed, Darius tried again, pulling further on the bowstring and raising the angle of his shot. This time it flew much further, and though it still didn't reach the etchwing, it did at least get close enough to draw the bird's attention. As the arrow clattered harmlessly against the rockface, the etchwing squawked and fluttered above its perch for a few moments before properly taking flight...
...at least, that's what it tried to do, but Lars and Darius watched on as a flash of orange light fell from the sky. Looking like a tiny comet, the flaming object struck the etchwing at an incredible speed, and with devastating effect. The bird was killed in a blur of speed and flame, and then the small orange light spread its wings.
"Katara," Darius gasped.
He had not seen the diri for more trials than he could remember100 trials.. The bond between them had been severed during the pirate attack and they had been apart for so long that Darius had begun to wonder if he'd ever see Katara again. And yet, here she was, in all her flaming glory, rising like a phoenix - though her form did in fact embody that of a hawk. She flapped her wings and within a trill had closed the distance between the dead etchwing and her ward, who, along with Lars, stood motionless.
"Greetings, youngling."
Another surprise. In all their time together, Darius had never heard Katara speak. The diri spoke again, as if having read his mind.
"I've always used words, youngling. You just haven't understood them in your native tongueThis is intended to be a reflection of Darius' relationship points with Katara.."
The two men listened in silence. Lars, to his credit, had managed to close his gaping mouth and not interrupt a conversation that he knew he was not a part of. He had seen Katara before at a distance, but her flaming form and the tendrils of smoke that flowed from the tips of her feathers were a sight to behold up close.
"Faldrass seeks your presence."
At that, Darius managed a nervous swallow. He had done his best to protect Hopetoun - and, by extension, Faldrass - but neither the settlement or its inhabitants had remained unscathed.
"Aye," he nodded. "When?"
Katara flapped her wings and turned away.
"Follow me."
Darius turned and, seeing that Lars had already begun his descent from the escarpment and was returning to Hopetoun, he took a deep breath and followed Katara's lead. He knew that in doing so, he was taking his first steps towards Induk accountability.
Lars lifted a finger to his mouth, and Darius nodded in silence. The wilderness man had heard something and was eager to see if it was what they had been looking for.
The two men were partway up a rocky escarpment with Lars leading the way. Ostensibly, the excursion was a hunting trip, and both men had brought bows with them, but neither was particularly proficient with one. In truth, it was Lars doing Astra a favour, by giving Darius a mental break from the rigours of leading Hopetoun in the wake of the pirate attack and his reaction to it.
Lars knew Faldrass' trails well and had insisted that he should take the lead, and Darius was perfectly happy with that.
He carefully placed his feet in the same places as the huntsman to avoid slipping, and within a couple of bits, they were both peeking over the top of the escarpment.
And then they heard it again.
A few trills of searching passed, before Lars pointed at something in the distance and whispered: "There!"
Darius strained his vision. Initially, he couldn't see anything, but then a flash of movement caught his eye. It was a flapping of wings, and though he had never seen an etchwing before, he recognised it instantly, based on the descriptions what he'd been told.
They were beautiful creatures, he decided as he watched it settle down and nestle into its perch on a rocky outcrop, but he knew they were also dangerous. More than once, cadouri had been attacked by the giant birds.
There were no cadouri to be seen this trial, which meant no rescue mission needed to be launched, but the etchwing was still a danger to any of Saoire's childrenCadouri who naively travelled through the area.
It was also an opportunity for Darius to use his new bow.
The longbow had been gifted to him by Liathen the Guardian, a wholly unexpected act of generosity from the Pirate Lord. He had been in possession of her sword knot for quite some time, and when they had met, he had been concerned that she might be angered. In truth, she had been grateful, and the bow was an unexpected reward for returning the lanyard in good condition.
What he did not have with him was a quiver. But - much to Darius' continual amazement - that did not matter.
Surmounting the escarpment, he freed the weapon from its position strapped over one shoulder, held it directly towards the etchwing, and drew the bow. As he did so, an arrow appeared, notched to the string, and Darius let it fly.
The sharp missile did indeed fly, but not for long. It caught a gentle headwind and fell well short of its target. Being so distant from the etchwing and downwind of the creature meant the bird didn't even stir. Unperturbed, Darius tried again, pulling further on the bowstring and raising the angle of his shot. This time it flew much further, and though it still didn't reach the etchwing, it did at least get close enough to draw the bird's attention. As the arrow clattered harmlessly against the rockface, the etchwing squawked and fluttered above its perch for a few moments before properly taking flight...
...at least, that's what it tried to do, but Lars and Darius watched on as a flash of orange light fell from the sky. Looking like a tiny comet, the flaming object struck the etchwing at an incredible speed, and with devastating effect. The bird was killed in a blur of speed and flame, and then the small orange light spread its wings.
"Katara," Darius gasped.
He had not seen the diri for more trials than he could remember100 trials.. The bond between them had been severed during the pirate attack and they had been apart for so long that Darius had begun to wonder if he'd ever see Katara again. And yet, here she was, in all her flaming glory, rising like a phoenix - though her form did in fact embody that of a hawk. She flapped her wings and within a trill had closed the distance between the dead etchwing and her ward, who, along with Lars, stood motionless.
"Greetings, youngling."
Another surprise. In all their time together, Darius had never heard Katara speak. The diri spoke again, as if having read his mind.
"I've always used words, youngling. You just haven't understood them in your native tongueThis is intended to be a reflection of Darius' relationship points with Katara.."
The two men listened in silence. Lars, to his credit, had managed to close his gaping mouth and not interrupt a conversation that he knew he was not a part of. He had seen Katara before at a distance, but her flaming form and the tendrils of smoke that flowed from the tips of her feathers were a sight to behold up close.
"Faldrass seeks your presence."
At that, Darius managed a nervous swallow. He had done his best to protect Hopetoun - and, by extension, Faldrass - but neither the settlement or its inhabitants had remained unscathed.
"Aye," he nodded. "When?"
Katara flapped her wings and turned away.
"Follow me."
Darius turned and, seeing that Lars had already begun his descent from the escarpment and was returning to Hopetoun, he took a deep breath and followed Katara's lead. He knew that in doing so, he was taking his first steps towards Induk accountability.