The Wild Series: Reign of Ashes (Main Page/Pridelands)

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Nykoru flinched, his heart jumping and his eyes flying open at the sharp gasp. The organ in his chest pounded as he lay beside Syrune and his sister, now wide awake. The young Falhawk normally slept soundly, and apparently could sleep through thunder storms, but he'd noticed over the past years that he would wake up when he needed to. For example, on several occasions he would suddenly wake up without any obvious reason, and then only moments later his sister would be at his side to get him up.

Then again, maybe those instances he could recall were simply coincidences? Maybe 9 times out of 10 he was sound asleep when someone came to get him and then just let him be? He wouldn't know, he would've been asleep at the time.

But now Nykoru was awake and he did not move a muscle. He quickly steadied his breathing and listened to the sounds of his aunt shifting beside him. Then, as she moved to sit up, his eyes shifted to watch her, but he still remained silent. He briefly considered closing his eyes, feeling somewhat paranoid that Syrune would be able to see them open despite the darkness of the hollow. Then he decided that there was no point. If she could see them open, she would have noticed by now, or would notice right before he closed his eyes.

After considering his options, which were a) Pretend to sleep and hope to actually fall back to sleep in the process, b) Stay awake but mind his own business, c) Let Syrune know you're awake, Nykoru chose what felt like the option that wouldn't be a waste of his time. He waited a moment before stretching out his wing and gently placing it against her's.

Syrune froze at the touch, having hoped the young bird was still sleeping. She waited an extra moment before moving, savoring the friendly touch. She pulled away, self-loathing keeping her from enjoying the kindness for very long. The hawk quietly cleared her throat and began shuffling her feathers as she stretch awake. 
"Good morning." She whispered, a small smile across her beak.

Ambyra however remained quietly sleeping throughout the exchange. She often had a habit of sleeping far too much than she needed.

"Well...There've been worse, so... Ya. Good morning," Nykoru replied with a wry smile of his own. He pulled his wing back as Syrune moved. The smile disappeared and, after a moment, shifted so that he lay on his chest rather than his side.
"...Are you okay?" he asked quietly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, but keeping his face tilted away so that she would not have his face directly in her's.

"Hmm? .... Yeah." Syrune answered, almost automatically. Her eyes were pointed towards the light outside, but her gaze was somewhere much farther than that. She blinked back into reality after a pause, and turned just enough to check on Ambyra, who was still heavily sleeping. 

Syrune wriggled her talons one by one, stretching each foot out and stretching to her full height. "It's your turn." she tried to joke, nodding towards the other falhawk.

Nykoru turned his head slightly to watch Syrune. He said nothing in reply.

The young falhawk turned to Ambyra at her aunt's direction and smiled, letting out a slow chuckle.
"You know I'm no good at this," he sighed good-naturedly, but even so, he got up and stepped towards his sister. He took a moment to stretch and yawn, shaking stares from his eyes, before leaning over Ambyra. He paused before stepping over her and leaning down even more so that he was right in her face.

"Ambyra...Wakey wakey before the tickle monster strikes again," Nykoru murmured with the most serious look on his face, staring intently down at his sister.

In an instant, one of Ambyra's eyes snapped open with the rage of a hundred sons. The young Phoenix stared into her brother's eyes with her one open, fire-swirling eye. "If you touch me, I will kill you." 

Syrune used all of her morning strength not to burst out laughing, and started out of the hollow.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:If it is a cave, I should try flying lower to the ground, but that means getting snow-clogged at the wings.


Kale frowned, deciding the extra half hour it would take to preen the snow from his feathers was worth the sacrifice in order to assemble a team to save the entire world. A world he still cared little for. Despite the small decision-making, the falcon descended from the treeline down the mountain, searching with eyes and ears for any sign of a large enough cave for a wolf.

"..."

Finnican let out a long sigh, another cloud of frost leaving his beak. No amount of wracking his brain would give him what he wanted: solid memories. Even just one clear memory of something from his past would be enough. What did he have to do to get it? What a little bit? Find someone who knew him to explain everything to him? Where could he even find such a bird? Where even was he?

The male Peregrine lifted his head. He was in a cave, that much he'd realized. It was a dirty, cold cave that was dark, but he could see the exit due to the light from the outside pouring in. He was standing in the dark shadows of the cave, but it wasn't like there was anything to see where he was standing-

...The stone was glowing. No, that wasn't right. There were large marks, scouring the ground around him, the walls behind him, even the ceiling above him. It was these specific gouges that radiated a sickly violet.
Finnican clenched his feet, the sandy texture of the floor sifting through his talons. At that moment he realized that the crushing, prickling weight he had felt in his chest wasn't because of the cold. It was a feeling, one that he suddenly recognized as dread. A dread so intense that he suddenly had difficulty breathing. The image of being held underwater came to mind. Was that a memory, or was it his mind giving him a visual to what he felt inside?

Finnican's feet moved before he even realized he needed to leave. As he hurried for the exit, the falcon found himself stumbling across pieces of rock, kicking up the loose dirt as he repeatedly tripped. Finally, just as he was entering the light from the exit, he stepped right on top of a spherical object, one of his talons slipping through a hole of some sort. This sphere, now stuck on his foot, was the reason why Finnican fell over face first. He lay there for a moment, not even bothering to groan at the throbbing in his beak. Finally, after sitting up and shaking it off, the falcon brought his talon up to see what had caught on it.

Staring right back at him from where it sat on his talon was the skull of another bird.

---

Finnican's scream not only bounced against the walls of the cave, but it also bellowed out from the cave entrance, loud enough to alert anyone nearby of his presence. Seconds later, the falcon himself shot out of the cave and tumbling in the snow outside.

The skull was still skidding across the cave floor after having been thrown.

(Last RP post for the night, I gotta get to bed soon)

Kale had been gliding through the falling snow about two hundred feet away when he heard the scream. At first, his feathers poofed out in surprise, his eyes shooting open wide in shock. It was only when he recognized the sound that the panic set in. 

Oh no! What am I gonna do?! There's a little girl-hatchling in trouble somewhere down there!


The falcon took a deep breath, put on his bravest face, and banked right over the edge of a nearby cliff to see if he could save the chick. He flew over the cliffside and scanned the ground below, spotting a wide cave entrance poking through the mountainside. He barreled downwards towards a shape struggling in the snow...and he finally saw it.

It was too late to freeze. Too late to turn around and pretend he heard nothing. Too late to run away. Why? Why in all of creation did it have to be Finnican in the snow?! Kale had absolutely no idea what to do. None of this made sense. He skimmed over the line of fresh snow to come to a landing a few feet away from the bird. The bird who ruined his life. He tried his best to stop the wave of memories and emotion from rushing back into his head.

Ugh, kill me now... 

Kale cleared his throat and did his best to fake a smile. "... Well hi! You are... not who was supposed to be here..."

Kk!)

...Pfft! Little girl-hatchling! XD)


After thrashing in the snow, causing himself to get buried in the white powder multiple times, Finnican finally poked his head up with a loud gasp, clumps of white falling from his feathers. He then struggled with his wings, thrusting one out of the snow while clumsily tugging at the other. He was so busy trying to free himself that he did not notice the newcomer even as he landed.

"Well hi!" the newcomer said, causing Finnican to choke on a screa-shout. Manly...shout...

Finnican whipped his head to the other male falcon, his yellow eyes large and wide as he listened to the rest of what he had to say.

You are not supposed to be here, was what he understood. Immediately, Finnican's mind was thrown back to the cave he was just in, with the skull... Of course, the image of a bird's remains gave him the wrong idea about why the falcon was here of all places, confronting him with that awkward smile of his. A smile that, in Fin's moment of hyperactive imagination, looked downright menacing and hid murder.

"Look man, I wasn't in the cave with the dead bodies! I swear I saw nothin'!" Finnican spouted in his panic after letting out a horrified shriek, thrusting both wings in the air as a sign of his compliance.

"Y- what?" Kale raised a brow and tilted his head slightly, thoroughly confused by Finnican's reaction. Bodies?


"Wait, wh- there are bodies in that cave?! Finnican, what are you talking about?" Kale's confusion was slowly molding into frustration. None of this was supposed to be happening...

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:If it is a cave, I should try flying lower to the ground, but that means getting snow-clogged at the wings.


Kale frowned, deciding the extra half hour it would take to preen the snow from his feathers was worth the sacrifice in order to assemble a team to save the entire world. A world he still cared little for. Despite the small decision-making, the falcon descended from the treeline down the mountain, searching with eyes and ears for any sign of a large enough cave for a wolf.

"..."

Finnican let out a long sigh, another cloud of frost leaving his beak. No amount of wracking his brain would give him what he wanted: solid memories. Even just one clear memory of something from his past would be enough. What did he have to do to get it? What a little bit? Find someone who knew him to explain everything to him? Where could he even find such a bird? Where even was he?

The male Peregrine lifted his head. He was in a cave, that much he'd realized. It was a dirty, cold cave that was dark, but he could see the exit due to the light from the outside pouring in. He was standing in the dark shadows of the cave, but it wasn't like there was anything to see where he was standing-

...The stone was glowing. No, that wasn't right. There were large marks, scouring the ground around him, the walls behind him, even the ceiling above him. It was these specific gouges that radiated a sickly violet.
Finnican clenched his feet, the sandy texture of the floor sifting through his talons. At that moment he realized that the crushing, prickling weight he had felt in his chest wasn't because of the cold. It was a feeling, one that he suddenly recognized as dread. A dread so intense that he suddenly had difficulty breathing. The image of being held underwater came to mind. Was that a memory, or was it his mind giving him a visual to what he felt inside?

Finnican's feet moved before he even realized he needed to leave. As he hurried for the exit, the falcon found himself stumbling across pieces of rock, kicking up the loose dirt as he repeatedly tripped. Finally, just as he was entering the light from the exit, he stepped right on top of a spherical object, one of his talons slipping through a hole of some sort. This sphere, now stuck on his foot, was the reason why Finnican fell over face first. He lay there for a moment, not even bothering to groan at the throbbing in his beak. Finally, after sitting up and shaking it off, the falcon brought his talon up to see what had caught on it.

Staring right back at him from where it sat on his talon was the skull of another bird.

---

Finnican's scream not only bounced against the walls of the cave, but it also bellowed out from the cave entrance, loud enough to alert anyone nearby of his presence. Seconds later, the falcon himself shot out of the cave and tumbling in the snow outside.

The skull was still skidding across the cave floor after having been thrown.

(Last RP post for the night, I gotta get to bed soon)

Kale had been gliding through the falling snow about two hundred feet away when he heard the scream. At first, his feathers poofed out in surprise, his eyes shooting open wide in shock. It was only when he recognized the sound that the panic set in. 

Oh no! What am I gonna do?! There's a little girl-hatchling in trouble somewhere down there!


The falcon took a deep breath, put on his bravest face, and banked right over the edge of a nearby cliff to see if he could save the chick. He flew over the cliffside and scanned the ground below, spotting a wide cave entrance poking through the mountainside. He barreled downwards towards a shape struggling in the snow...and he finally saw it.

It was too late to freeze. Too late to turn around and pretend he heard nothing. Too late to run away. Why? Why in all of creation did it have to be Finnican in the snow?! Kale had absolutely no idea what to do. None of this made sense. He skimmed over the line of fresh snow to come to a landing a few feet away from the bird. The bird who ruined his life. He tried his best to stop the wave of memories and emotion from rushing back into his head.

Ugh, kill me now... 

Kale cleared his throat and did his best to fake a smile. "... Well hi! You are... not who was supposed to be here..."

Kk!)

...Pfft! Little girl-hatchling! XD)


After thrashing in the snow, causing himself to get buried in the white powder multiple times, Finnican finally poked his head up with a loud gasp, clumps of white falling from his feathers. He then struggled with his wings, thrusting one out of the snow while clumsily tugging at the other. He was so busy trying to free himself that he did not notice the newcomer even as he landed.

"Well hi!" the newcomer said, causing Finnican to choke on a screa-shout. Manly...shout...

Finnican whipped his head to the other male falcon, his yellow eyes large and wide as he listened to the rest of what he had to say.

You are not supposed to be here, was what he understood. Immediately, Finnican's mind was thrown back to the cave he was just in, with the skull... Of course, the image of a bird's remains gave him the wrong idea about why the falcon was here of all places, confronting him with that awkward smile of his. A smile that, in Fin's moment of hyperactive imagination, looked downright menacing and hid murder.

"Look man, I wasn't in the cave with the dead bodies! I swear I saw nothin'!" Finnican spouted in his panic after letting out a horrified shriek, thrusting both wings in the air as a sign of his compliance.

"Y- what?" Kale raised a brow and tilted his head slightly, thoroughly confused by Finnican's reaction. Bodies?


"Wait, wh- there are bodies in that cave?! Finnican, what are you talking about?" Kale's confusion was slowly molding into frustration. None of this was supposed to be happening...

Holy-why does he know my name?!

Finnican laughed a nervous, forced laugh.

"D-Did I say bodies? I meant to say skele-I mean I saw nothing! Nothing at all! I wasn't in the cave and I didn't discover your stash and I didn't see weird glowing purple scratches-"

Finnican rambled on and on, too panicked and scrambled in the brain to stop and speak logically. It was only after 10 heartbeats that finally, a coherent thought popped into his mind, causing him to shut his beak mid sentence.

Wait... How DOES he now my name?

Slowly, the fear ebbed from his face, a look of wonder replacing it as he looked to Kale.

"Do you...know me?"

Jaystep wrote:The instant Nykoru touched her, Ambyra flung herself forward to tackle him playfully. She had just barely shoved him against the tiny hollow's wall when Syrune was already speaking up.

"Hey hey, come on!" Syrune started in a harsh whisper, looking back into the hollow from her perch on the lip of the entrance. "No noise until I make sure it's clear. We-"

Without warning, Syrune's mark on the bottom of her center talon on the right foot lit up like a brush-fire. The orange glow erupted at the same time on her mark and in her eyes, immobilizing the Phoenix. Images and emotions shot through her head like wildfire, flashes of every single moment she had spent with Finnican slammed into her head. Everything she had ever felt for him came hitting her all at once, like every moment was being relived in an instant. Across the world, Finnican had just appeared from the Rift, and the re-connection of Syrune's mark to her mate's soul rocked her whole body. The hawk's eyes flew open, the air left her lungs. All she could see in her mind's eye was her mate, alive, in the snow. She clenched her talons as the glowing intensified before stopping completely. 

"...Fin..." She breathed, her stunned gaze focused far away, the memories still washing over her.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:The instant Nykoru touched her, Ambyra flung herself forward to tackle him playfully. She had just barely shoved him against the tiny hollow's wall when Syrune was already speaking up.

"Hey hey, come on!" Syrune started in a harsh whisper, looking back into the hollow from her perch on the lip of the entrance. "No noise until I make sure it's clear. We-"

Without warning, Syrune's mark on the bottom of her center talon on the right foot lit up like a brush-fire. The orange glow erupted at the same time on her mark and in her eyes, immobilizing the Phoenix. Images and emotions shot through her head like wildfire, flashes of every single moment she had spent with Finnican slammed into her head. Everything she had ever felt for him came hitting her all at once, like every moment was being relived in an instant. Across the world, Finnican had just appeared from the Rift, and the re-connection of Syrune's mark to her mate's soul rocked her whole body. The hawk's eyes flew open, the air left her lungs. All she could see in her mind's eye was her mate, alive, in the snow. She clenched her talons as the glowing intensified before stopping completely. 

"...Fin..." She breathed, her stunned gaze focused far away, the memories still washing over her.

The seriousness on Nykoru's face broke as he was tackled. He let out a laugh that was a little on the noisy side, wrapped his wings around Ambyra and began pushing her back across the hollow. He glanced at Syrune as she spoke to them and flashed her a grin before putting his focus back on his sister, just barely missing the light of her talon. He wanted to play just a moment longer.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:If it is a cave, I should try flying lower to the ground, but that means getting snow-clogged at the wings.


Kale frowned, deciding the extra half hour it would take to preen the snow from his feathers was worth the sacrifice in order to assemble a team to save the entire world. A world he still cared little for. Despite the small decision-making, the falcon descended from the treeline down the mountain, searching with eyes and ears for any sign of a large enough cave for a wolf.

"..."

Finnican let out a long sigh, another cloud of frost leaving his beak. No amount of wracking his brain would give him what he wanted: solid memories. Even just one clear memory of something from his past would be enough. What did he have to do to get it? What a little bit? Find someone who knew him to explain everything to him? Where could he even find such a bird? Where even was he?

The male Peregrine lifted his head. He was in a cave, that much he'd realized. It was a dirty, cold cave that was dark, but he could see the exit due to the light from the outside pouring in. He was standing in the dark shadows of the cave, but it wasn't like there was anything to see where he was standing-

...The stone was glowing. No, that wasn't right. There were large marks, scouring the ground around him, the walls behind him, even the ceiling above him. It was these specific gouges that radiated a sickly violet.
Finnican clenched his feet, the sandy texture of the floor sifting through his talons. At that moment he realized that the crushing, prickling weight he had felt in his chest wasn't because of the cold. It was a feeling, one that he suddenly recognized as dread. A dread so intense that he suddenly had difficulty breathing. The image of being held underwater came to mind. Was that a memory, or was it his mind giving him a visual to what he felt inside?

Finnican's feet moved before he even realized he needed to leave. As he hurried for the exit, the falcon found himself stumbling across pieces of rock, kicking up the loose dirt as he repeatedly tripped. Finally, just as he was entering the light from the exit, he stepped right on top of a spherical object, one of his talons slipping through a hole of some sort. This sphere, now stuck on his foot, was the reason why Finnican fell over face first. He lay there for a moment, not even bothering to groan at the throbbing in his beak. Finally, after sitting up and shaking it off, the falcon brought his talon up to see what had caught on it.

Staring right back at him from where it sat on his talon was the skull of another bird.

---

Finnican's scream not only bounced against the walls of the cave, but it also bellowed out from the cave entrance, loud enough to alert anyone nearby of his presence. Seconds later, the falcon himself shot out of the cave and tumbling in the snow outside.

The skull was still skidding across the cave floor after having been thrown.

(Last RP post for the night, I gotta get to bed soon)

Kale had been gliding through the falling snow about two hundred feet away when he heard the scream. At first, his feathers poofed out in surprise, his eyes shooting open wide in shock. It was only when he recognized the sound that the panic set in. 

Oh no! What am I gonna do?! There's a little girl-hatchling in trouble somewhere down there!


The falcon took a deep breath, put on his bravest face, and banked right over the edge of a nearby cliff to see if he could save the chick. He flew over the cliffside and scanned the ground below, spotting a wide cave entrance poking through the mountainside. He barreled downwards towards a shape struggling in the snow...and he finally saw it.

It was too late to freeze. Too late to turn around and pretend he heard nothing. Too late to run away. Why? Why in all of creation did it have to be Finnican in the snow?! Kale had absolutely no idea what to do. None of this made sense. He skimmed over the line of fresh snow to come to a landing a few feet away from the bird. The bird who ruined his life. He tried his best to stop the wave of memories and emotion from rushing back into his head.

Ugh, kill me now... 

Kale cleared his throat and did his best to fake a smile. "... Well hi! You are... not who was supposed to be here..."

Kk!)

...Pfft! Little girl-hatchling! XD)


After thrashing in the snow, causing himself to get buried in the white powder multiple times, Finnican finally poked his head up with a loud gasp, clumps of white falling from his feathers. He then struggled with his wings, thrusting one out of the snow while clumsily tugging at the other. He was so busy trying to free himself that he did not notice the newcomer even as he landed.

"Well hi!" the newcomer said, causing Finnican to choke on a screa-shout. Manly...shout...

Finnican whipped his head to the other male falcon, his yellow eyes large and wide as he listened to the rest of what he had to say.

You are not supposed to be here, was what he understood. Immediately, Finnican's mind was thrown back to the cave he was just in, with the skull... Of course, the image of a bird's remains gave him the wrong idea about why the falcon was here of all places, confronting him with that awkward smile of his. A smile that, in Fin's moment of hyperactive imagination, looked downright menacing and hid murder.

"Look man, I wasn't in the cave with the dead bodies! I swear I saw nothin'!" Finnican spouted in his panic after letting out a horrified shriek, thrusting both wings in the air as a sign of his compliance.

"Y- what?" Kale raised a brow and tilted his head slightly, thoroughly confused by Finnican's reaction. Bodies?


"Wait, wh- there are bodies in that cave?! Finnican, what are you talking about?" Kale's confusion was slowly molding into frustration. None of this was supposed to be happening...

Holy-why does he know my name?!

Finnican laughed a nervous, forced laugh.

"D-Did I say bodies? I meant to say skele-I mean I saw nothing! Nothing at all! I wasn't in the cave and I didn't discover your stash and I didn't see weird glowing purple scratches-"

Finnican rambled on and on, too panicked and scrambled in the brain to stop and speak logically. It was only after 10 heartbeats that finally, a coherent thought popped into his mind, causing him to shut his beak mid sentence.

Wait... How DOES he now my name?

Slowly, the fear ebbed from his face, a look of wonder replacing it as he looked to Kale.

"Do you...know me?"

"..."

Somewhere in the back of Kale;s head he knew memory damage was possible from the Rifts, he had studied them at length. However, given the current situation and the bird who was now questioning him, none of these rational thoughts went through the falcon's head. His first instinct was that yet again, Finnican had forgotten him entirely.

"Do I know you?! You- you don't know who I am?! KALE. The PREY GATHERER!" Kale glared at the other bird, taking a step towards him. 
"Quit pretending you don't know who I am! You did it at the prisons too! You don't remember when I broke your amulet? You don't remember training every single day?! You don't remember lying about-....." 
Kale tapered off, watching Finnican's reaction growing more and more confused. He started to wonder if maybe something had happened to the other falcon.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:The instant Nykoru touched her, Ambyra flung herself forward to tackle him playfully. She had just barely shoved him against the tiny hollow's wall when Syrune was already speaking up.

"Hey hey, come on!" Syrune started in a harsh whisper, looking back into the hollow from her perch on the lip of the entrance. "No noise until I make sure it's clear. We-"

Without warning, Syrune's mark on the bottom of her center talon on the right foot lit up like a brush-fire. The orange glow erupted at the same time on her mark and in her eyes, immobilizing the Phoenix. Images and emotions shot through her head like wildfire, flashes of every single moment she had spent with Finnican slammed into her head. Everything she had ever felt for him came hitting her all at once, like every moment was being relived in an instant. Across the world, Finnican had just appeared from the Rift, and the re-connection of Syrune's mark to her mate's soul rocked her whole body. The hawk's eyes flew open, the air left her lungs. All she could see in her mind's eye was her mate, alive, in the snow. She clenched her talons as the glowing intensified before stopping completely. 

"...Fin..." She breathed, her stunned gaze focused far away, the memories still washing over her.

The seriousness on Nykoru's face broke as he was tackled. He let out a laugh that was a little on the noisy side, wrapped his wings around Ambyra and began pushing her back across the hollow. He glanced at Syrune as she spoke to them and flashed her a grin before putting his focus back on his sister, just barely missing the light of her talon. He wanted to play just a moment longer.

Ambyra laughed along with her brother, pushing back against him and trying to trip him with her talons while they tussled. 

"...We need to go..." Syrune said quietly, still out of breath and now leaning against the side of the hollow for support. Finnican! Where are you?! How am I going to find you, find this Grove, and evade Agathar at the same time? I need a new plan.


Ambyra didn't hear the first part of what Syrune had said, only catching the last bit about them needing to leave. From where she struggled with Nykoru, she couldn't really see what Syrune was doing, and thus missed her strange reactions. 
"Time for you to give up!" She giggled at her sibling.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:The instant Nykoru touched her, Ambyra flung herself forward to tackle him playfully. She had just barely shoved him against the tiny hollow's wall when Syrune was already speaking up.

"Hey hey, come on!" Syrune started in a harsh whisper, looking back into the hollow from her perch on the lip of the entrance. "No noise until I make sure it's clear. We-"

Without warning, Syrune's mark on the bottom of her center talon on the right foot lit up like a brush-fire. The orange glow erupted at the same time on her mark and in her eyes, immobilizing the Phoenix. Images and emotions shot through her head like wildfire, flashes of every single moment she had spent with Finnican slammed into her head. Everything she had ever felt for him came hitting her all at once, like every moment was being relived in an instant. Across the world, Finnican had just appeared from the Rift, and the re-connection of Syrune's mark to her mate's soul rocked her whole body. The hawk's eyes flew open, the air left her lungs. All she could see in her mind's eye was her mate, alive, in the snow. She clenched her talons as the glowing intensified before stopping completely. 

"...Fin..." She breathed, her stunned gaze focused far away, the memories still washing over her.

The seriousness on Nykoru's face broke as he was tackled. He let out a laugh that was a little on the noisy side, wrapped his wings around Ambyra and began pushing her back across the hollow. He glanced at Syrune as she spoke to them and flashed her a grin before putting his focus back on his sister, just barely missing the light of her talon. He wanted to play just a moment longer.

Ambyra laughed along with her brother, pushing back against him and trying to trip him with her talons while they tussled. 

"...We need to go..." Syrune said quietly, still out of breath and now leaning against the side of the hollow for support. Finnican! Where are you?! How am I going to find you, find this Grove, and evade Agathar at the same time? I need a new plan.


Ambyra didn't hear the first part of what Syrune had said, only catching the last bit about them needing to leave. From where she struggled with Nykoru, she couldn't really see what Syrune was doing, and thus missed her strange reactions. 
"Time for you to give up!" She giggled at her sibling.

"Never!" Nykoru playfully growled, avoiding her talons as he pushed back while starting to try stepping on her talons to trip her up. As they played, they turned so that Ambyra's back was facing Syrune, giving Nykoru a full view of his aunt. He was laughing, his gaze sweeping past the hawk outside, but he immediately looked back at her a second time, the smile dropping in an instant.

"Wait wait wait, hold on!" he hissed lowly to his sister, holding her still while not taking his gaze off of his aunt.

"...Syrune?" he questioned hesitantly.

Jaystep wrote:Kale observed Fin carefully, his feathers beginning to settle as he started thinking rationally. Finnican was far too convincing to be playing a joke, he decided. Now both Falcons were almost equally as confused. 
"Finnican... what is the last thing you remember?" Kale asked quietly, his voice returning to calm.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:The instant Nykoru touched her, Ambyra flung herself forward to tackle him playfully. She had just barely shoved him against the tiny hollow's wall when Syrune was already speaking up.

"Hey hey, come on!" Syrune started in a harsh whisper, looking back into the hollow from her perch on the lip of the entrance. "No noise until I make sure it's clear. We-"

Without warning, Syrune's mark on the bottom of her center talon on the right foot lit up like a brush-fire. The orange glow erupted at the same time on her mark and in her eyes, immobilizing the Phoenix. Images and emotions shot through her head like wildfire, flashes of every single moment she had spent with Finnican slammed into her head. Everything she had ever felt for him came hitting her all at once, like every moment was being relived in an instant. Across the world, Finnican had just appeared from the Rift, and the re-connection of Syrune's mark to her mate's soul rocked her whole body. The hawk's eyes flew open, the air left her lungs. All she could see in her mind's eye was her mate, alive, in the snow. She clenched her talons as the glowing intensified before stopping completely. 

"...Fin..." She breathed, her stunned gaze focused far away, the memories still washing over her.

The seriousness on Nykoru's face broke as he was tackled. He let out a laugh that was a little on the noisy side, wrapped his wings around Ambyra and began pushing her back across the hollow. He glanced at Syrune as she spoke to them and flashed her a grin before putting his focus back on his sister, just barely missing the light of her talon. He wanted to play just a moment longer.

Ambyra laughed along with her brother, pushing back against him and trying to trip him with her talons while they tussled. 

"...We need to go..." Syrune said quietly, still out of breath and now leaning against the side of the hollow for support. Finnican! Where are you?! How am I going to find you, find this Grove, and evade Agathar at the same time? I need a new plan.


Ambyra didn't hear the first part of what Syrune had said, only catching the last bit about them needing to leave. From where she struggled with Nykoru, she couldn't really see what Syrune was doing, and thus missed her strange reactions. 
"Time for you to give up!" She giggled at her sibling.

"Never!" Nykoru playfully growled, avoiding her talons as he pushed back while starting to try stepping on her talons to trip her up. As they played, they turned so that Ambyra's back was facing Syrune, giving Nykoru a full view of his aunt. He was laughing, his gaze sweeping past the hawk outside, but he immediately looked back at her a second time, the smile dropping in an instant.

"Wait wait wait, hold on!" he hissed lowly to his sister, holding her still while not taking his gaze off of his aunt.

"...Syrune?" he questioned hesitantly.

"What?" Ambyra asked with half a laugh, glancing at Nyko's puzzled face. After a moment of confusion, she stopped moving and followed his gaze, turning to see Syrune. The falhawk fell quiet, watching the red-tail outside with worry and bewilderment. Her beak opened to speak but Syrune had already begun to answer. 

Syrune paused at the sound of the noises and turned slowly to look upon the hatchlings, her eyes swelling with happy tears. "It's... It's Finnican... he's alive! I can- I can feel him again!" 

---

(Ambyra: Wait how does that work again? 

You can feel your mate's presence as a Phoenix, family too, but mostly mates.

Ambyra: So that's how she feels Fin? But that's also how she feels Tyrin... so then...

Yup!

Ambyra: .... That's a whole mess that I don't want to get into! 

Correct  )

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence Returns


Now is the time. The Hero from another world, coming again. Silence.

---

Somewhere in the far distant past, so ancient, no memory would remain, a voice whispered.
"Aurora Borealis."

Somewhere, in a very distant past, long ago and forgotten, a voice echoed.
"Aurora Borealis."

Somewhere, in a time of desperate need, in a cold and barren place far north of what is called the Northern Mountains, another echo came.
"Aurora Borealis."

And He returned.
In a cave beneath the tundra, a lone wolf exhaled the ancient words, his call, his herald.
Silence, still unconscious, breathed the words.
"Aurora Borealis."

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence was slightly surprised, to see her surprise, but he kept it mostly in check.

SilverstarWarrior wrote:(okay before I even type up RP can I just say SILENCE IS THE DEFINITION OF PRECIOUS OH MY GOD)