Sky Burner: A New Era

[Rashuad-012]

"Do you have everything you need?" "Yes, mother..." Alan replied. "Change of clothes? Your sword? And don't forget your flute!" she persisted. He groaned at his mother's concern feeling slightly smothered, but knew it was of her best intentions. With a nod and a smile, he quickly wrapped into a hug with his mother. She held him tight holding back tears in her eyes from the lone fact of today; her son would be leaving. A series of sniffles erupted from her voice, "Now... you make me a proud mother, and show them what you're made of. Your father wanted to see you before you depart. He'll be at he stables with your ride." Alan let out a deep sigh as he refused to cry in front of his mother, he was becoming a man now. "I love you, mom.." he uttered as the embrace broke, and he broke into a sprint for the farm stables.

As he ran past other houses in the field, the people waved him good-bye, wishing him well with smiles and praise. Alan was the first of any of his circumstance to apply for being a Burner. What gave him an edge to qualify was his father's rank, and the family's service for stabling the Burner's mounts. Now it'd be up to him to bring rise to his position, accepting whatever fate may come of him now than having to think of it later. Just as he completed his thoughts, he saw his father; hand cuffing his beard and the other to his side. Alan came to a stop just a foot away from his dad, a silence began to settle in as they stared into each other's amber eyes.

He slowly began to nod, looking over his son. "So... this is it, huh, son?" he mumbled. Alan was prepared to say his good-byes to his mother, she had come to terms with him signing up. But his father rebelled in every way possible for this. But the day had come, he was leaving, and was unprepared to say good-bye to his father. Lost in thought, he father continued to speak and snagged his attention. "Listen, Alan..." he uttered. "We haven't seen eye to eye for the past month. But I just wanted you to know... I'm proud of you." he finished. Alan looked up at his father with a smile, his father giving one back. Breaking the following silence, a large copper dragon came walking from the stables with a saddle on its back. A bright smile slipped over Alan's face as he gazed up at the giant, his father chuckling as he looked over his son's face.

"Dad! Asylia!? Really!?" chanted Alan, excited like a child in a candy store. His father nodded, "I figured this would be a good way for you to get you to the keep.... Plus, she wouldn't let allow you to leave without seeing her first." he stroked the back of his head. Alan approached, she lowered her muzzle to him with a purr. He laid his palm over her nostrils with a warm grin, grabbing hold of her horns and tugging himself in place on the saddle. "Just to let you know son, you're the only one who's showing up by a dragon." Alan paused for a moment to process what his father had said. "Why's that? Aren't there other dragons out there?" he asked. "Well, son... they were sending a carriage to pick you up with the other sign-ups. I just thought you should leave in style." Alan looked towards the horizon and chuckled, "Think they'll be jealous?" he asked. His father looked ahead and shrugged, "I'm damn sure, Alan."

With a short laugh and a tug on the saddle, Alan and his ride took off into the sky. And uproar of applause and cheering cracked like thunder from below. The sounds of the world soon were muffled by the rush of wind grazing his ears as he lifted off with his practice dragon. Asylia had known Alan since birth, and was the first friend he made in life. It was only fair he travel to Haestrom on her wings and say his farewell to her there. As he looked back over his shoulder he saw as his previous life vanished beneath the clouds, and he entered the sky; his new home. ​

 

[Majem]

"Do you really have to show off by running with the horse? You know she can carry the both of us." Riclamin sighed, facing his dad. Belros, his father, was running beside his horse-riding son, clearly able to keep up with the animal despite being on foot. "I am not showing off. She may be able to carry the both of us, both not for this long a distance, so I'll have to run. And I'm not hiring a horse, you know prices are simply outrageous nowadays. I can't believe anyone would dare ask so much for hiring a horse for a couple of hours and we only need one, so buying a second would also be a waste of money." His father said, then chuckled a little. "And the fact that this is a good training for me, and showing you that your father is still superior is just a happy side-effect." Belros began to laugh wholeheartedly, while Riclamin let out an annoyed and defeated sigh. As much as he wanted to live up to his father, it was clear he was still way out of that beast of a man's league.

As the wind blowed hard against both men and the horse, Riclamin brushed the horse's hair, happy that the day had finally come where he could join a highly-esteemed group, like his father. Dimension Walkers, or something. It didn't matter, for Riclamin had his own group, the Sky Burners. Being in the group itself was already enough for Riclamin, but receiving a dragon was another dream come true. A majestic creature, even his father wanted to ride, would soon be Riclamin's ride.

 

[Miki]

Sarin drew on her robes with a long sigh. She was to leave for Haestorm today. She didn't want to go, not by her own free will, but was forced to leave by the local residents. It was obvious they just wanted her gone, and rather have her die at the Dragon Trials. She had considered many times migrating back to her original village, but that meant she would have to give out her name, exiling her once again. She never lied about her name, it was useless to do.

Sarin packed the few things of value in a leather sack. A few old pendants, her fathers flute, and her mothers hand harp. She laced the pendants around her neck, and one tied around her left wrist, and swung the sack around her shoulder. Maybe she wasn't too down about leaving, it could give her a new chance on life, a new purpose in it. But she had to start fresh and new.

With that thought in mind, Sarin simply walked out of the small shack and stared at it, then glanced down to her hand. A small orb of lightning was hovering just above her palm, and surrounding it in a shell was the gusty blur of wind. It was maybe the most important ball of magic she had ever conjured, though definitely not the last.

With absolute delicacy, Sarin gently waved the hand toward the shack, watching the orb slowly drift toward it. It was graceful, almost alluring, but when it touched the shack, the lightning spread throughout it setting it aflame instantly. The wind adjusted accordingly, feeding the flames where it was needed most. She felt the drain of the magic instantly, and broke the bond between it. The flames continued to roar with life, and as she turned back toward the road, followed the flickering silhouette of her shadow, the ground around it glowing bright orange.

"Goodbye, Ascilia."

 

[Thomas McTavish]

A deep sigh came from the tri-blooded creature sitting at the makeshift camp. He knew that the training for the new Sky Burner recruits would begin within the next fortnight. If he was going to make it before then, he had o get on the move today. "Well, Jek Urudar, son of Jekad Uradar, it is time to get on with your life." he announced to himself. He kissed the sapphire pendant his mother fashioned for him and began to pack up his camp, his life for the past three years.

It was sad, the day he left his parents, but every time he moved camp and got back on his journey the pain of leaving them diminished by that much more. He knew his place for now was on the road, and it had served him well, but now he had a new calling, one he had been chasing for a month now. Literally. And with the Dragon Trials growing closer evermore, he had to quicken his pace, or miss his chance.

The fire out, his wolf pelt rucksack packed with the few belongings he had, he waved a goodbye to the cheery-winded woodland, and set off towards his greatest challenge yet. With a light heart and high hopes, he set off on his quest to burn the sky.

 

[unicornx]

Seated alone on the very edge of a hilltop nearby the outskirts of Aria, Serena mindlessly watched flocks of birds fly across the vast sky. "....." Subconsciously averting her gaze, she took a sharp intake of breath and exhaled slowly through her nose.
There was absolutely nothing that could've panicked her, let alone make her feel rather nervous or scared to leave the comfort of her humble home. Of course, there was always the thought of having to sacrifice years of luxurious treatment under the Beaumont household, for she was the only daughter of two wealthy faes. Furthermore, having been dependent on others to do the littlest of tasks; from opening the front door for her to fetching a trench coat and 'making' new friends throughout her childhood, Serena may or may not come back in success and deep down inside, no matter how difficult it was to accept the unbearable truth, Serena knew being on her own from then onwards would be her greatest accomplishment, yet. But that wariness didn't stop her from moving forward, taking on new challenges instead of cowering away in fear of being humiliated. "I'm Serena Beaumont, nobody scares me," she whispered confidently, nodding twice to confirm this 'fact'. It seemed as though a heavy burden weighted itself off her shoulder, whatever had her paranoid in the first place was now completely out of her mind, as if she'd forgotten what the reason was.
A round of gusty wind blew past her exposed legs, biting through her trench coat and causing Serena to shiver ever so slightly. Not that the cold air bothered her at all. If needed be, she'd warm herself up by using a tiny dose of fire at will. Almost instantaneously. She was practically a living and moving heater, if that even made any sense. Besides, a little chilly weather wasn't going to ruin her mood.
Well. . . .
"Serena! Serena! You must get going now, dear. Serena~"
Perking up by the familiar holler, Serena craned her neck towards the source of the voice. There, standing not even a distant away from where she sat, was the woman who cared and loved her wholeheartedly. Yet, there was something off about her mother that day.
Cocking her head to the side, Serena wordlessly scrutinized her mother in hopes to figure out just what it was that bothered her. Unfortunately, she found nothing.
"Ah. I guess you're right, there's no use missing out on the first day, huh?" That tone of voice. Even towards her own mother, Serena still used that sickening tone that usually helped her persuade others to give her what she wanted. A bad force of habit.
Her mother merely sighed, "Serena," she stated firmly. "Please don't start. I thought you wanted this."
Again, Serena tried reading her mother's face but couldn't unravel any mystery, nothing. It was always difficult for her to manipulate her mother no matter how many times she'd pull the same stunt. But even in those glory days, Serena believed her mother was possibly the only one who was immune to her 'charms'.
"Oh, right." she mumbled after a minute of silence, pausing abruptly to carefully gather her next words. "Sorry for troubling you, mother dearest. I promise you that the next time you see me, I'll be better than ever. I might even surpass Garrett Carver, who knows?~" and without uttering another word, or wait for a response, Serena climbed up to her feet and wordlessly brushed past her mother in confidence.

Off she went to a new journey~

 

[E.T.]

It was early. The sun had yet to drag itself up over the horizen giving everything a muted grey tone about it. It was nearly at the changing hour when those of the night slunk off to bed and those that lived in the day either sleep or waited silently to great the coming dawn. In a small patch of woods to the east there were only a few who were treading on both sides of the line. A pair of crows talking amongest themselves from an old oak tree, a male wolf shaking the eary dew from his pelt and greeting his pack sister, and a girl will a bag in her lap returning the greeting of her pack brother. Keeva had woken earlier than all the rest, she found that it was easier to pack when the rest of her pack wasn't investigating each item she packed and occationally trying to engage in a game of tug of war with one of her spare shirts. But, in these early hours when even the birds were silent she was thankful for her pack brother's company.
"You go?" The wolf asked her, tilting his head to the side before looking off into the distance and then returning his bright yellow gaze to her.
"Very far." Keeva answered with a lengthy stare into the distance. This was not entirely true, she would only be a day or two away if she was running, but from what she had learned it would be quite a while before she could return again. However there was no future in the wolf language, there was only the now and the then. So the best she could do is to say that she was traveling a long ways away. There was a spance of a few seconds when they both just looked at eachother before the wolf stepped forward and gave Keeva's ear a few light grooming nibbles. Leaning into the affectionate gesture the wild girl reached out a hand and scratched at her litter mate's shoulder. The tender moment stopped when the first rays of morning sun streaked through the trees, signaling a beginning and an end. Tightening the straps Keeva got to her feet with a heavy sigh, taking a few steps she felt excitement rise in her chest mixing oddly with a bit of sadness. She had waited several years for this moment but, it was not how she expected it to be, she had never planned to travel alone. Feeling something brush against her leg she looked down and gave her brother a wide wolf-grin.
"Run?" she asked taking a few bouncing strides forward before stopping and giving her brother andother wolf-grin accompanied by a shake of her shoulders. No answer was needed as he gave chase and they both started of at a fast lope, dodging past trees, leaping over fallen logs, and ducking under sweeping branches. The years of living in the woods had hardened Keeva's muscles so that she had no problem keeping up with her four legged companion and would most likely not stop running till well after noon, and then only to eat and drink.
The two of them ran for nearly an hour until finally they reached a steep cliff face covered in loose shale. Here the wolf stopped and with only a breaths hesitation Keeva kept going. The loose rock shifted and slide under feet but, she simply let it carry her along with it, keeping her knees bent and ready incase she hit something solid and had to leap forward so as not to fall. At the bottom of the cliff she did not look back, she was leaving and in her heart she knew that if she paused for to long now any doubts she had would catch up with her. For hours she ran, long legged strides eating up the ground at an impressive rate. The constant drone of her legs put her nearly into a trance as she let her mind find the path that she needed to take. She had never learned to read and to her maps were a confusing mess of lines and color but, she had a good memory. As the land around her changed she again felt excitement rise in her chest and bubble in her throat. How she wanted to yell and call to the sky but, she had the composure of a hunter and so she channeled that energy into running the straight path of an arrow.

 

[Rashuad-012]

The dragon spiraled in the sky as it swam the sea of air. Alan's eyes pinched to see through the rushing winds, whipping his bangs towards the rear of his skull. Asylia made gracious roars with each dip, dive, and sway she made with the current, for she seemed to bare a brighter mood than what Alan tracked. Perhaps it was the fact that he was her mount--for even a brief moment--it was fulfilling. For this may be the day they say farewell indefinitely and it hurt her heart like that only a sword could deliver.

"There it is, girl. Look!" said Alan as he began to gaze upon the structure rising from the clouds shrouding it. Down below lied Haestrom, the Capitol of Tharia and land the burners.

"Take us in, nice and easy." he uttered to her ear. He made a chuckle, folded her wings and swoop down from the clouds with a crack of wind. The sight of unknown wings alerted the guardsman watching the gate, but not in terror, for they knew of the approaching recruits.. just not by dragon would they be transported. The pair glided over the front gates and gazed at the fort that lied beneath. A market towards the front, to the right of that was a stage and theater, the left of the market was a mead hall, and forward lay the castle keep of Queen Katherine Carver.

Within one of the towers a pair of sapphire eyes caught sight of Alan and his escort, coming to a landing in the courtyard to the rear of the castle. It was he end of their ride, and the start of Alan's life--his new life.

Once his feet were on the ground he hugged Asylia by the maw, lightly stroking her jaw. "I'm going to miss you, girl. Take care of mother and father." he told her. She nodded and licked his cheek with great strength, nearly lifting him off the ground. He laughed and whipped himself clean, she took wing and flew off with a shriek, vanishing into the heavens.

Just as she left, a band of armored men approached him. They bared weapons of special design--crossbows equipped with bayonets, massive greatswords, chained scythes with weights at the end, maces with a spike sticking from the bottom of the hilt. A symbol shined on the front of their armor, which gave away their identity: Burners. In the center of the group stepped out a woman in a maroon robes, dark blue eyes, and fare dark brown hair.

She came forth to Alan with a hidden grin, hand in hand with herself. "Welcome to Haestrom, brave soul. I am Princess Maya Carver, first and only daughter of Elizabeth Carver," she said gazing upon him, meeting him height for height. "Come with me, please. The rest of you should be arriving by carriage in the coming hour," she announced as she turned her back and entered the castle. Alan followed behind her, curious, yes, but focused on much more important facts.

 

[Majem]

"Haestrom." Riclamin and his father said in unison, as the great Capitol of Tharia rose above the horizon, growing larger with every passing second. It was a beautiful sight indeed, but on the same time it meant Riclamin's time with his father was coming to an end. They'd have to say goodbye soon, even though his father was terrible at saying goodbye, which is why he accompanied him in the first place. "This is it, then, father." Riclamin began, but was interrupted by his father. "We're not there just yet, boy."
Father and son, being on foot and thus quite unable to fly over the front gates, had to stop in front of them, questioned by the guards of their business in Haestrom. "My son seeks to join the Sky Burners, so make way, or we'll be late!" Belros told the guards, who were terrified by his presence and quickly moved aside to let the two pass, but Belros held his arm in front of the horse, then turned towards his son, with a large smirk on his face. "I'll race yah." He chuckled. In response, Riclamin uttered a dissatisfied grunt, but jumped off the horse and chuckled, too. "Let's do this." He nodded.

Belros counted down from three, then clicked his tongue twice, calling his horse to follow them, even though she knew by now. Father, son and horse shot away from the front gates towards the market, a little obstacle course to the three racers. With his smaller size, Riclamin managed to squeeze through some of the stalls, gaining a small lead on the other two competitors. His victory was short lived, though, when they left the market and both Belros and the horse suddenly gained a lot of speed, rushing past Riclamin like he was walking.

All three came to a skidding halt, though Riclamin obviously more exhausted than the horse and even less exhausted than his father. He took a break to catch his breath, while Belros burst into laughter. "Well, son. You've got a long way to go." "Ugh, I knew this would happen. That's why I don't like you showing off, I know I'm not even close to you." "Son, I am not showing off, I am merely keeping myself fit. And the fact that it's showing you your father's still superior is just a happy accident." "If you say so." Riclamin sighed, having caught his breath, then gazed upon the castle keep. "But this is it, then." He said, then turned to his father. "Yup. Bet you'll fail the first day, you wimp." He said provokingly and raised his fist. Riclamin responded by raising his fists, too, and punching his father's fists a few times. "Oh, yeah? Not only will I pass, I'll be the best of my group, just you wait!" The two continued their friendly fist-fight for a few more seconds, before Belros wrapped his arm around his son's neck, then gave him a noogie. "No, dad, no! Stop!" He yelled, weakly trying to get free from his father's grip, but failed miserably. Belros let go of Riclamin, then patted his horse. With a final, simple goodbye, ran off with the horse, leaving Riclamin alone in front of the castle.

 

[E.T.]

It was nearly midnight when Keeva finally reached the town where the carriage was going to pick her up the following morning. Although she could have probably run longer even she had begun to feel the steady draw of tiredness, pulling at her eyes and trying to decrease her speed. But, she finally made it, although when she did arrive the small town was nearly void of people, except those crowding around the bar and who would not return home until the early hours of the morning. The only welcome she got was the warning bark of a fenced in dog, warning its masters to her presence. Raising her head Keeva gave a few bark in reply letting the rest of the dogs get used to her voice and soon everything was silent again. Prowling cautiously through the streets she was struck with how much this village resembled the one boardering her old territory. The plan had originally been that she would be pick up there however, having found out that she disliked riding in a small closed off box she had decided to meet the carriage half way making it so that she would only have to ride for a couple hours to get to the castle. Only having a handful of coppers to her name, something pressed on her by Peter's mother just two days earlier, she decided not to try for a room at the inn. Instead finding a small protected knoll just outside of town where she could spend the night in the sheltered reached of some oak trees.

The next morning dawned grey with Keeva rising with the sun. She had no clue how long she would have to wait for the carriage all she knew was that it would be here sometime this morning and that it would bare the Burner's insignia. Not wanting to spend more time than she absolutely had to in town she climbed the largest of the trees she had spent the night under. From her perch she had a clear veiw of the town and the inn, a thin layering of leaves hiding her from view. Resting her back against the truck of the tree she hung her bag on the broken stump of a branch before opening the top and rummaging through the contents. Eventually she found what she was looking for, her good shirt. Really the only difference between the one she was wearing and the one she was holding was the color and the fact that she had not been the one who had sowed her good shirt. Her current shirt was a dark brown mess of tanned hide patches, the stitching showing clearly where different sections intersected. Her good shirt was made of a single piece of hide that had been carefully tanned, softened, and dyed so that it was soft and had a distinct earthy red color. It retrospect it was not the nicest piece of clothing, and her dark, dirt stained pants were not helping any, but, it was clean and at least looked a little better.

She spent nearly three hours in the tree waiting before the carriage finally arrived. After that she had to wait nearly a half an hour more as the driver wanted a rest. Once they were on the road time slipped by dully, with Keeva resting her chin on the window sill half napping, eyes closed but the rest of her senses taking note of all that was going on around her. She only shifted position once they were about to enter the city. Retracting her head from the window and shifting around so that she was no longer lounging across all of the seats she kept herself alert, her hands clasping her bag nervously. All of the commotion and noise was uncomfortable for her, afterall what was she but a wolf brought to the very center of a large city, out of her enviornment and out of her comfort zone. When the carriage pulled to a stop she did not wait for the door to open, instead shooting out of the window and landing lightly on the pavement. As she approached the castle doors she felt the guards' stares, and knew that she looked out of place, she certainly felt out of place. She looked like she belonged in the woods and her distinct lack of shoes was not really helping the matter but, she had a purpose and she was not going to let anyone stop her. Seeing another youth standing in front of the castle she made her way towards him, believing, or at least hoping, that he was another come for the trials. Seeing no one else but, him, the guards, and the odd person scurrying by she decided that this was were they were supposed to be.

 

[Majem]

Riclamin stared at the castle keep for a while, silent and steady, taking in the sight of the large building in front of him while the wind brushed past him. Despite his family being quite wealthy, his parents are humble people, keeping a limited amount of luxury within their moderate house, in an average village inhabited by regular people. No big buildings, fancy clothing or excessive manners would be found in Riclamin's hometown, or his past, but now this huge castle stood before him, mesmerizing him with its greatness. He found it hard to believe people just like himself could have made something like this, yet the proof was right there.

With a quick twirl, Riclamin was facing the market again, something more his level, not castles and towers. He'd have to leave it behind, though, dragons awaited him, soaring through the skies would be his life, defending lives and cities. And girls. Girls? There was a girl there, arrived shortly after Riclamin, it seemed. His eyes focused away from the market and onto the girl. He'd been staring right through her for a few seconds now.

"Well, hello there! My name's Riclamin Urthadar. You're here to try your hand at the Dragon Trials, too, aren't you? Of course you are! We'll see if you're tough enough to succeed, shall we? You sure seem capable of taking on just about anything. I'm liking the whole 'lone hunter' look you got going there." Riclamin said with a broad smile on his face as he approached the girl, grabbed hold of her hand, shook it, then let go again. If she'd want to get a word inbetween, now would be a good time.

 

[Thomas McTavish]

Surprisingly to him, it only took Jek a few hours to reach his destination. The massive structure set as a testament to the marvels of the modern world, a beautiful structure of stone and glass. He could hear the roar of dragons all around him, hiding in the water, the mountains, the castle itself. He knew where he was. He was at the birthplace of bravery and honor, the home of the Sky Burners, the famous dragon riders know across the land of Tharia. He had reached his calling.

As the tri-blood took a deep breath and strolled toward the castle. Before him were two others, besides the guards. They must be here for the same reason as he. Nodding politely at the two, he passed them and walked right up to the edge of the entrance. With a sigh, he stepped through the threshold into the courtyard.

 

[E.T.]

Keeva had actually been feeling rather proud of herself, she had gotten here, and even found someone also about to face the same trials as her. That is until he approached her. His words hit her like a physical force, her brain struggling to keep up with the torrent of words that was being hurled in her dirrection. Sure she was more or less fluent in common, however it was not her first language and those she usually spoke to tended to speak at a much slower pace. Standing with a slightly struck dumb look on her face she nearly lept back in surprise as the man, Riclamin was it, made a grab for her hand and proceeded to shake it. It took her a second to catch on but, after a seconds hesitation she grasped his own massive hand and gave it a firm shake before releasing as well. Well that could have gone better, but it could have also gone much worse she remembered a time when she would have bitten his hand out of fear that he was attacking her.
"Ri-Ricklamine?" She said testing the new name out. "I, thank you." She was not entirely sure what he meant by "lone hunter" but, she felt he meant it as a compliment so she thought it best not to be rude.
"I'm Keeva." He had given her his name and from what she had learned about social interactions it was considered rude not to offer her's in return. It had taken her quite awhile to learn all of the different peculiarties social interactions, or at least the two legged kind. She was about to say something when movement caught her eye and she noticed another guy making his way towards the castle, he gave her and Riclamin a curt nod before entering the castle itself. This actually surprised her. From her experience it was very ill-advisable to enter a strangers territory without some kind of warning or invitation. She had only ever made the mistake once of enter another wolf pack's territory, she still had some of the scars to tell of the encounter. But, prehaps this was one of those strange customs that she was not familiar with so after a few hesitant moments she looked at Reclamin and said "Should we, go?" Her question slightly paused in the middle where she had to think for a moment to find the right word.

 

[Majem]

Riclamin began to laugh when she poorly pronounced his first name, then gently patted her on the shoulder a few times. "Close enough! Keeva, eh? That's a beautiful name! I think I had an aunt with that name. She passed away when I was still very little, so I never really got to know her." He said, then nodded back at the guy passing him and Keeva. A third contestant, and hopefully future Sky Burner, was about to enter the castle. That was a good thing, if all three would pass at the same time, they'd probably be put together in a group, which means he'd better bond well with his fellow students. He'd introduced himself to Keeva already, even though she seemed a little uncomfortable, perhaps a little less talky for now.

"Yeah, let's go." He said, yet stood still and stared at Jek, who didn't look completely human, elf or half-elf. There was something else off about him. A few seconds later, Riclamin decided he'd ask him later, then looked over at Keeva and smiled. "Come on, I can't wait to see what it looks like on the inside!" He sounded very excited, hopped up, then followed behind Jek into the courtyard.

 

[E.T.]

Keeva had a feeling that she had gotten his name a bit wrong but, Riclamin did not seem to mind so she let it go. While she had been a bit uncomfortable with his boystrous manner and quick movements a first, she felt herself relaxing. He reminded her a bit of a pup energetic, playful, with no real malice in mind. But, measuring him with her eyes, he was one massive pup. Well at least she was forming some kind of positive relationship with the ones who she would be interacting closely with. She had actually been very worried that she might find a more hostile greeting when she arrived but she had a feeling that she had not met everyone yet so there could still be time for that. It wasn't that she was really worried about being picked on, she had been in enough fights to hold her own. No, what concerned her was the possiblility of one of them pushing her too far. There had been only a handful of times when she lost her temper and her mind, it never ended well and she always felt horrible afterwards.

Hearing Reclamin confirm that they should go she took a couple steps forward towards the doorway through which the other boy had disappeared when she realized that her new found friend had not moved. Pausing she turned to look at him with her head cocked to one side in question. But, the next moment he bounded forward towards the courtyard, voice ringing with excitement. While a bit more reserved Keeva could not help the soft snort of excitement as she passed through the gate with long joyful strides.

 

[Thomas McTavish]

As Jek was gleefully exploring the massive courtyard, taking in the sheer wonder of the marvelous palace, a small bird flew in and perched upon his shoulder. In it's claw it held a small piece of parchment with elven writing on it.

Upon reading the script, a look of absolute horror overtook the tri-blooded boy's face. "Mother... is dying?" he asked the bird. It gave a sharp tweet and flew off. He took off, chasing the bird. Jek knew his new destination. He had already promised himself that should his family fall troubled, he was willing to abandon his dream to help them. For the first time in years, the Corrupted Elf/Human hybrid was homeward bound.

 

[Rashuad-012]

For a matter of hours Alan and Maya traversed over the city, seeing the many different parts to the world that is Haestrom. He felt welcome, but also felt isolated from knowing the princes. This was due to the fact that with every step he took to her side, one of her guards would step in his path and cut her off from his gaze. Just as he tried again, the one baring the greatsword stepped in his way, looking back at Alan with a look of challenge.

"Don't mind them" she said, "They are fulfilling their assigned duty as my guards." They came to a stop at the front of the fortress--Castle Carver--and her guards parted from her perimeter at her command. She turned and looked upon Alan, she smiled as the other recruits came running from behind him towards the keep.

"The tasks ahead shall not be merciful to those brave enough to bare them. Once inside, you shall have a new home, a new family, and a new life" she said, Alan noticed she sounded slightly content. The tone in her voice was suspiciously dwindling on a worried one. "I pray that--", "Enough, Maya, dear girl!" a voice cut her off.

From behind the doors came out a man in clad-black armored robes. He stood what looked 6'5 or 7 feet tall with a build of a blacksmith. A large portion of his face was covered in hair around his jaw like a wolf's mane, dark-black wavy bangs protruded to cover his eyes, and on his back was a staff of special design. There was a strand of blood-red paint stripped across his face, which he took a finger and stroked his nose as if to apply it again.

"At this rate you'll have them demoralized before they can even see battle." he said with a smirk and crossing his arms. He approached the group with a bow, "Allow me to introduce myself, lads. I am General Kain Harkaven. Leader of the Haestrom Army, and your Mentor for the next coming years."

Alan was hesitant at first and a silence came over for at least ten seconds. Out of the blue he heard the princess giggle at Kain and his introduction. "You're so self-centered, Kain. Maybe it's why my mother picked you." At that point Alan felt security settle into his conscience--if she could speak to him, so could he. "I am Alan Cross. It's a pleasure, sir." he greeted.

Kain gave a nod to Alan, then looked over the others with a smirk. "Now, who might the rest of you be?" he asked with a sarcastic tone of intimidation.

 

[Majem]

A smirk formed on Riclamin's face when Kain addresses him and Keeva in an intimidating manner, or at least in an attempt to be intimidating. It took more than blood on your face, battle scars, a beard or a bulky appearance to be more intimidating than this young boy's father, if that were at all possible. In fact, Riclamin wasn't even really impressed with Kain's appearance, though he did like the get-up Kain had going.
Riclamin stepped forward and held out a hand to Kain as he answered. "The name's Riclamin Urthadar, Kain." He said and stared at the man, with passion in his eyes, knowing very well it's disrespectful to address a General with his first name as a peasant. But annoying and challenging people was the boy's life, and if he'd get an extra hard treatment for it, he'd accept it gladly. It was through this that Riclamin got shaped to the man he is today. His strength and endurance, as well as his patience and tranquility are notable. He never gives up and he never gets mad over pointless things.

"And don't worry about demoralization. I relish the challenge. I can handle what you throw at me, the question is, can you handle me?" He said, his eyes widened even more and sparked with excitement, while the smirk on his face grew larger and more provoking than before. Thinking back at the race he had with a horse just a few moments prior gave him the confidence he was radiating right now. He knew for a fact that he was physically the strongest contestant here, even before he had arrived, but strength alone can only do some much. His buff body clearly gave whoever looked at him an idea of what he could do, but what the others were capable of remained to be seen.
"Alan, hmm? Hesitant, polite, doesn't look too out of the ordinary. Keeva could probably take him. Hehehe." He thought to himself as he inspected the other two Sky Sparks.

 

[E.T.]

Upon seeing the approaching party Keeva had broken out into an easy jog, long strides quickly finishing off the distance. As someone who had never really gotten the function of royalty she had no real reserves about getting in close to the group. Prehaps in the back of her mind she recalled that there was probably some social ettiquette that she should be observing but, the only people she had ever bowed to was her den-mother and to the leader of the pack. So at the moment she just believed the girl and the boy to be more recruits, at least until she saw how nice the girl was dressed. In her mind no one would travel in such an outift. As Raclamin and she approached she managed just to catch the last bit of the conversation before another man entered the scene.

He was a very large man probably a foot taller than herself, with a build clearing advertising his proffesion. She watched him carefully noting the way he held himself, an air of authority something probably very fitting as he said that he was the leader of the army here. However once the other boy, who called himself Alan, introduced himself and the man's eyes were cast towards Riclamin and herself she felt herself growing defensive. Sarcasim happened to be on the list of things that she was none to familiar with and was only just learning to comprehend so the only thing she was getitng from his tone and body language was a try at intimidation and aggression. Although she herself was much larger than this brute of a man she squared her shoulders and fixed him with a hard challenging glare as though she was daring for him to call her bluff. And then, just out of instinct she tilted her chin down a half an inch or so, just enough so that her throat was barred from view. It wasn't that she was really looking for a fight at the moment but, she did not want to be pushed around and in her mind this is what was required if she did not want Kain to try anything.

"I'm Keeva of the woods." She said in a low growling voice after Riclamin had spoken. However as Riclamin continued and she spotted the growing smile on his face she started to rethink. Since her newfound ally had not taken any offence to the interaction she began to doubt that the threat had been really serious. But, at this point she felt that if she totally backed down it would be taken as a sign off weakness, so for now she held her ground.