The Wild Series: Reign of Ashes (Outskirts)

SilverstarWarrior wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

SilverstarWarrior wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

SilverstarWarrior wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

SilverstarWarrior wrote:Jury was already on her way up the hill, calling out over her shoulder in answer. "I don't know what the Ice Bridge is, but they would probably try and meet you there, right? It's the only place they would know they might find you."

"The Ice Bridge is a formation that connects this land to another called The Howls," Kae informed, "That's what I heard at least. I've never been there before, but I heard the Ice Bridge is the only way to reach one of the few safe havens left. The Land of Blossoms, I think it's called. But the Ice Bridge is still several miles out. It would take at least another day or two, if not more to reach it. And the territory we have to cross is dangerous. We can't be split up before we even... They should know better than go on ahead without me."
The she-wolf sighed in frustration. Then after a moment, she forced a smile.
"...I'm sorry. I'm just really worried."

Wildwing wrote:

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence, lost somewhat in his own thoughts, walked almost straight through the dip in the snow, and unsurprisingly stubbed his paw on the slightly protruding icicle. He let out a low growl, bending down to inspect what he had hit. "Interesting..." He muttered, trying to make out what it was.

The icicle, which seemed to be more metal-like rather than frozen water, moved at the stub. It still stuck straight up from the snow, but it was loose, like it could be pulled out or pushed down. Snowflakes still covered the top, but enough had been knocked off to reveal that the etched in symbol seemed to be a circle. But part of the symbol was still covered.

Jury offered an understanding smile at the she-wolf as she rambled. "Do you think they'd have moved on, then? Maybe if they're close enough still, they'd hear you howl. That'd get their attention, no?" the black wolf suggested with a glance toward Silence for his opinion of the matter. Seeing as he was distracted, she excused herself from Kae for the moment to investor what had caught his attention. "Find something?"

Kae looked hesitant at the suggestion, but after a moment, she nodded in agreement.
"Ya... Hopefully, their's is the only attention I get," she murmured as Jury walked back to Silence. She took a deep breath before raising her head and letting out a long, deep howl. When she finished, she pricked her ears to listen for a reply. None came.

(*holds up Silence puppet* *in high pitched, fake Silence voice* Yes Jury! I found an icicle doo-hickey! Think I should touch it?)

(*holds up Jury puppet* Yes, touch it! It's just an icicle, nothing could ever happen!

Jury: I am literally right here there is no need for that)

(

*Silence Puppet*: You are absolutely right! *bouncing back and forth in front of icicle* I will touch it, after I sing this happy song! Join me, my love!)

(*Jury Puppet*: *gasp* But what will we sing?! I'm a wolf! I don't know any songs!)

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Fayru hesitated, seeming to ponder it for a moment. Then, with a somewhat forced smile, she nodded.
"Yes. I believe I will have the strength to fly tomorrow morning," she replied. She turned away to face the staircase. She placed a wing over her chest and was silent for an uncomfortably long moment.
"...Will we be discussing the story behind this island's curse soon?"

Roth smiled through his mask, "Glad to hear it, but if you need more time you need only ask." 

He watched as Fayru seemed hesitant, nodding after she finally spoke. "Of course. And even better, how to break it! I've got some notion, I just need to do a bit of reading tonight. You might do the same, I'm sure there are dozens of scrolls and books in that hollow. Look for any marked by an owl named Huuro. He was the one we think started this ordeal. Any notes left may reveal a clue."

Jaystep wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Fayru hesitated, seeming to ponder it for a moment. Then, with a somewhat forced smile, she nodded.
"Yes. I believe I will have the strength to fly tomorrow morning," she replied. She turned away to face the staircase. She placed a wing over her chest and was silent for an uncomfortably long moment.
"...Will we be discussing the story behind this island's curse soon?"

Roth smiled through his mask, "Glad to hear it, but if you need more time you need only ask." 

He watched as Fayru seemed hesitant, nodding after she finally spoke. "Of course. And even better, how to break it! I've got some notion, I just need to do a bit of reading tonight. You might do the same, I'm sure there are dozens of scrolls and books in that hollow. Look for any marked by an owl named Huuro. He was the one we think started this ordeal. Any notes left may reveal a clue."

Jaystep wrote:(I knew there was something off about her! XD)

Wildwing wrote:

SilverstarWarrior wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

SilverstarWarrior wrote:Jury was already on her way up the hill, calling out over her shoulder in answer. "I don't know what the Ice Bridge is, but they would probably try and meet you there, right? It's the only place they would know they might find you."

"The Ice Bridge is a formation that connects this land to another called The Howls," Kae informed, "That's what I heard at least. I've never been there before, but I heard the Ice Bridge is the only way to reach one of the few safe havens left. The Land of Blossoms, I think it's called. But the Ice Bridge is still several miles out. It would take at least another day or two, if not more to reach it. And the territory we have to cross is dangerous. We can't be split up before we even... They should know better than go on ahead without me."
The she-wolf sighed in frustration. Then after a moment, she forced a smile.
"...I'm sorry. I'm just really worried."

Wildwing wrote:

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence, lost somewhat in his own thoughts, walked almost straight through the dip in the snow, and unsurprisingly stubbed his paw on the slightly protruding icicle. He let out a low growl, bending down to inspect what he had hit. "Interesting..." He muttered, trying to make out what it was.

The icicle, which seemed to be more metal-like rather than frozen water, moved at the stub. It still stuck straight up from the snow, but it was loose, like it could be pulled out or pushed down. Snowflakes still covered the top, but enough had been knocked off to reveal that the etched in symbol seemed to be a circle. But part of the symbol was still covered.

Jury offered an understanding smile at the she-wolf as she rambled. "Do you think they'd have moved on, then? Maybe if they're close enough still, they'd hear you howl. That'd get their attention, no?" the black wolf suggested with a glance toward Silence for his opinion of the matter. Seeing as he was distracted, she excused herself from Kae for the moment to investor what had caught his attention. "Find something?"

Kae looked hesitant at the suggestion, but after a moment, she nodded in agreement.
"Ya... Hopefully, their's is the only attention I get," she murmured as Jury walked back to Silence. She took a deep breath before raising her head and letting out a long, deep howl. When she finished, she pricked her ears to listen for a reply. None came.

(*holds up Silence puppet* *in high pitched, fake Silence voice* Yes Jury! I found an icicle doo-hickey! Think I should touch it?)

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Fayru hesitated, seeming to ponder it for a moment. Then, with a somewhat forced smile, she nodded.
"Yes. I believe I will have the strength to fly tomorrow morning," she replied. She turned away to face the staircase. She placed a wing over her chest and was silent for an uncomfortably long moment.
"...Will we be discussing the story behind this island's curse soon?"

Roth smiled through his mask, "Glad to hear it, but if you need more time you need only ask." 

He watched as Fayru seemed hesitant, nodding after she finally spoke. "Of course. And even better, how to break it! I've got some notion, I just need to do a bit of reading tonight. You might do the same, I'm sure there are dozens of scrolls and books in that hollow. Look for any marked by an owl named Huuro. He was the one we think started this ordeal. Any notes left may reveal a clue."

"Thank you," Fayru said with a dip of her head, "That is what I will do then."
She started up the stairs, but after reaching the third, she stopped. She stayed still for a moment, her beak slightly open as she was about to say something. Then, finally, she turned somewhat to Roth and gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you, again, for all you've done for me thus far," she chirped humbly, "I will do my best to assist in the breaking of this curse."
The falcon then continued her way up to the hollow, the smile, now out of Roth's sight, wavering.

The hollow was surprisingly clean. That was her first thought when the she-falcon entered the room. It was a small hollow with only a desk and a bookshelf to occupy it. The desk was part of the wall. Someone had carved into the wall to create it, the she-falcon inferred as she stood in front of the desk. This bird had also carved three circular windows above the desk so they would have light while they worked at the desk.
She then turned to the bookshelf. It was part of the right wall, with four slots one above the other carved just deep and big enough to fit the books and scrolls that sat in them. She brushed one of her wing tips across one shelf, watching as her feather left a clean trail through the light coat of dust.
She went to touch one of the books, but halfway through the motion, her wing twisted and touched the spot directly over her heart. The edges of her blurry vision began to darken and her other senses were beginning to fade. She knew what was happening. And even though she knew it would not help, she whispered...


"Fayru, please... Wait just a little longer..."

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence nodded to Jury's question. He blew gently on the top of the icicle thing, trying to reveal the symbol etched in the top of it, frowning when it was revealed; it was unlike anything he had seen before.

Jaystep wrote:Hearing no reply, Roth entered the hollow on mere curiously. Having not seen Fayru ever leave, he wondered what she could be doing that kept her so busy. 

"Fayru?

The masked bird pushed past the moss doorway and studied the dim room, searching with his eyes for an answer. He finally spotted the falcon after a moment, standing by the bookcase across the room. "Oh, there you are."

Wildwing wrote:(Silence and Jury )

Kae had landed in a soft pile of snow right in front of Silence, sending up a poof of flakes upon impact. Snow fell on top of her, and sprinkled on the two wolves behind her, waterfalling from above until stopping. She lay buried for a moment before wriggling and bursting out of the pile on her own. She shook the snow from her pelt checking to make sure her two acquaintances were alright.
Seeing that they were, she looked up to where they fell from. She was able to catch a small circle of daylight before the hole completely closed up. It should have left the three in complete darkness, but there were clusters of crystals scattered across the ceiling that glowed an unnatural blue, giving them enough light to see.
Hearing Jury and Silence talking, she turned her attention to them.

"This can't be a naturally formed cavern," Kae stated as she followed after the Yukon while looking over her surroundings, "It's too...neat. Too symmetrical."

The golden-brown she-wolf then turned her focus to the elk carving above the closed off West tunnel. Who created this place?

In the center of the stone slab that blocked the tunnel was a large symbol that looked like this:


Kae had only looked over the symbol a moment when she picked up two familiar scents in front of the slab.

"M-My pups! I smell them!" she cried out in surprise as she bounded past the Yukon wolf. The slab preventing her from going further, she whimpered and pawed at the stone. Then she stiffened, pricking her ears. Was it her imagination, or-

"Is someone there?" a muffled voice called from the other side.

"Oh my goodness! Ruhn! Kwin!" Kae barked excitedly.

"Mom!"

"Mom? It's really her?! Mom!"

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:Hearing no reply, Roth entered the hollow on mere curiously. Having not seen Fayru ever leave, he wondered what she could be doing that kept her so busy. 

"Fayru?

The masked bird pushed past the moss doorway and studied the dim room, searching with his eyes for an answer. He finally spotted the falcon after a moment, standing by the bookcase across the room. "Oh, there you are."

Sorry, I could have replied to the last post, but I forgot about Fayru. My bad XD)

Fayru was standing between the bookcase and a small dip in the floor diagonal from it, nested in the corner of the room. She was turned somewhat away from Roth with an open book in her wings. She was looking down at the letters through squinted eyes, seeming to be reading slowly and carefully.
The second time Roth spoke, she lifted her head towards him in surprise.

"Oh! Roth! How long...?" Without finishing her sentence, she chuckled sheepishly and closed the book. "My apologies. I was really focused, wasn't I?"

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:Hearing no reply, Roth entered the hollow on mere curiously. Having not seen Fayru ever leave, he wondered what she could be doing that kept her so busy. 

"Fayru?

The masked bird pushed past the moss doorway and studied the dim room, searching with his eyes for an answer. He finally spotted the falcon after a moment, standing by the bookcase across the room. "Oh, there you are."

Sorry, I could have replied to the last post, but I forgot about Fayru. My bad XD)

Fayru was standing between the bookcase and a small dip in the floor diagonal from it, nested in the corner of the room. She was turned somewhat away from Roth with an open book in her wings. She was looking down at the letters through squinted eyes, seeming to be reading slowly and carefully.
The second time Roth spoke, she lifted her head towards him in surprise.

"Oh! Roth! How long...?" Without finishing her sentence, she chuckled sheepishly and closed the book. "My apologies. I was really focused, wasn't I?"

Roth churred politely, his mask partially hiding his humor. "I've spent many nights just as lost in a good book. I trust the read gave you some knowledge of our circumstances? Or perhaps not. I doubt the owner of this hollow had many books on curses or storms."

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence backed away from the closed off tunnel a pace or so, sitting back on his haunches and looking at the slab with a puzzled look. He looked over to the other tunnels; not much could be seen beyond the darkness in them. Suddenly he had an idea, and he slowly approached the north tunnel, marked with the wolf's head. The pull again, seeming to warn him. He stopped, and tilted his head slowly to one side. that would be a bad idea, he decided. Then his plans changed. He looked around, a quick scan revealing nothing much besides the piles of snow they had landed in. However, he did notice a few small bits of rubble in a nook near one of the tunnels. He trotted over, and, scooting a pebble along with his paws, brought it to the North tunnel, and flung it into the darkness.

SilverstarWarrior wrote:Jury frowned, staring at the moon symbols on the slab. They didn't look like anything at all, but why would they be there if they meant nothing? 

"Any ideas?" she asked to neither wolf in particular, trying to figure something out in her head before looking to see what Silence was doing. "Why exactly are you throwing pebbles?" she managed, giving him a dry glare, obviously seeing no purpose for it.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:Hearing no reply, Roth entered the hollow on mere curiously. Having not seen Fayru ever leave, he wondered what she could be doing that kept her so busy. 

"Fayru?

The masked bird pushed past the moss doorway and studied the dim room, searching with his eyes for an answer. He finally spotted the falcon after a moment, standing by the bookcase across the room. "Oh, there you are."

Sorry, I could have replied to the last post, but I forgot about Fayru. My bad XD)

Fayru was standing between the bookcase and a small dip in the floor diagonal from it, nested in the corner of the room. She was turned somewhat away from Roth with an open book in her wings. She was looking down at the letters through squinted eyes, seeming to be reading slowly and carefully.
The second time Roth spoke, she lifted her head towards him in surprise.

"Oh! Roth! How long...?" Without finishing her sentence, she chuckled sheepishly and closed the book. "My apologies. I was really focused, wasn't I?"

Roth churred politely, his mask partially hiding his humor. "I've spent many nights just as lost in a good book. I trust the read gave you some knowledge of our circumstances? Or perhaps not. I doubt the owner of this hollow had many books on curses or storms."

"Well... This particular book appears to be the journal of one named 'Nora'. Actually, it even says on the first page, 'Hello, this is Nora's journal'. I actually hesitated to read this, because I am not one to poke into another's private life. However, I... rationalized that it would be like reading an ancestor's journal, as Nora is long gone. I do hope she forgives me, should we ever meet..."

The she-falcon faded on that thought, forgetting to answer the question.

Wildwing wrote:

DwelleroftheEarth wrote:Silence backed away from the closed off tunnel a pace or so, sitting back on his haunches and looking at the slab with a puzzled look. He looked over to the other tunnels; not much could be seen beyond the darkness in them. Suddenly he had an idea, and he slowly approached the north tunnel, marked with the wolf's head. The pull again, seeming to warn him. He stopped, and tilted his head slowly to one side. that would be a bad idea, he decided. Then his plans changed. He looked around, a quick scan revealing nothing much besides the piles of snow they had landed in. However, he did notice a few small bits of rubble in a nook near one of the tunnels. He trotted over, and, scooting a pebble along with his paws, brought it to the North tunnel, and flung it into the darkness.

SilverstarWarrior wrote:Jury frowned, staring at the moon symbols on the slab. They didn't look like anything at all, but why would they be there if they meant nothing? 

"Any ideas?" she asked to neither wolf in particular, trying to figure something out in her head before looking to see what Silence was doing. "Why exactly are you throwing pebbles?" she managed, giving him a dry glare, obviously seeing no purpose for it.

Kae shook her head helplessly and stared at the slab, as if trying to see through it to her pups. And then, hearing Jury's dry tone, turned to see what Silence was doing.

The pebble Silence had thrown had something of a bluish tint to it, like most of the rocky structure it had been part of. When it sailed into the tunnel, nothing happened. Not until it hit the ground. The pebble skittered across the tunnel floor, and every time it connected, thin webs of dull blue sparks shot into existence, forming the weak outline of...Something, and followed after the pebble. These sparks, easy to miss as they were so short and spontaneous, stopped when the pebble stopped rolling.