The Prosperos Quest

Kal's rest was short lived, but a nap always helped. The sounds of camp moving about, and his tent being taken down, woke him from his lazy sleep. After a yawn, he asked one of the fellows disassembling his tent what was going on.

"We're movin'. C.mon and get yer lazy arse up and help! There's a storm comin'!" It was a burly human talking to him. The man continued to tear the tent down and move the thermic crystal keeping warm. Luckily, Kal had another crystal tucked away in his pocket, to keep frostbite from his digits, and another wrapped under his cloak to ward off hypothermia. He was given only one, but "acquired" another from some brutish felleon.

"Right, right. Sure, I'll help." Kal gathered rope and wrapped it into tightly wound coils, placing the coils on a post used for carrying the rope. Listening closely, Kal could hear Shardis yelling over the crowd. She sounded like she was in a hurry, so Kal picked it up a bit. She was pretty much the only one in this group that he trusted in the slightest...actually she was the only one she had really talked to at any length. Everyone knew Kal was a convict and he had a specific purpose in this caravan which would be fulfilled later. In return, he might find some treasures along the way, and he would have legal pardons in the north. He could start fresh.

"You know we're probably going to die." A serpent slithered behind Kal as he worked. "It's freezing here, we have a storm approaching, and our company mostly despises us." Sarrthas glanced at Kal's pocket housing the thermic crystal. "And with good reason, might I add." The snake hissed and slithered around one of the coiled ropes, keeping an eye out for anything interesting going on.

"Sarrthas, you are such a pessimist. We've got rations, water, and women...well, some I would hardly call women, but never mind that. " Kal hefted up a large pack and strapped it to his back before moving onward, following Shardis' lead. "We will be fine."

Kal was quick on his feet on most days, but the crippling cold combined with his battle wounds slowed him down considerably. Not to mention his poor vision wasn't helping. "Sarrthas, can you see Shardis anywhere?" The serpent had remarkably good vision, allowing him to be eyes for Kal, if he wanted to.

Sitting up tall on Kal's shoulder, Sarrthas replied, "Yeah, she's running for the hills. I think something is going on over there, I wouldn't bother with it. I think that loud mouthed archaeologist is up there too." The snake finished his scouting and rested once again on the shoulder of the forest kin.

"Hmm...well...that's probably more exciting that this. Let's get a little closer. Keep an eye out for me." Kal grinned as he started making his way towards Medwick.
 
For the majority of the ascention Caoihme ran beside and infront of the dogs. Some of the younger huskies, no more than pups themselves kept fidgeting in their harnesses throwing the older dogs off their rhythm and generally being annoyances. To remedy this she had to run up on all fours close beside the misbehaving animal, then either snap at them or tell them off with a dangerous snarl. Thankfully none of these huskies had it in them to challenge her and all of the more experienced dogs heartily supported her in the discipline. It took some of the huskies only one or two corrections for them to straighten out and just run with the team but, some were a hit more stubborn and were only just running smoothly when they finally passed Medwick.
As she made her way just beyond the cliff edge where Medwick sat she gave pause as she saw something waitin in the snow for her. Bounding towards her aenigma playfully Caoihme greeted Galra with a welcoming yip.

Where did you go? She asked in wolf, defaulting back to her most familiar language.

Not very far. Came a barked reply. To those to used to Caoihme and Galra they would have found it very odd to hear an otter barking and behaving like a dog. Indeed several Sherpas have the pair strange looks as Caoihme engaged into a play bow. The looks however went unnoticed as Galra tried to entice her lopos into playing with her. Normally Caoihme would have readily accepted the offer but, the weight of her pack was enough to remind her that she was carrying a fragile life that might not survive a lot of bouncing around and rough play. That doesn't mean that Galra didn't try her hardest. In the end Caoihme swatted a clump of snow and ice at the little otter after she jumped up and nipped at her ear. After that a mini snow fight ensuled with both chucking handfuls, in Galra's case pawfuls, of snow back and forth, both generally moving towards the cliff edge.

Neither of them payed attention to the over hang until they were right on top of it. This gave them both pause and Galra climbed up Caoihme's arm so as to get a better view from on top Caoihme's head. They both peeked over the edge before Caoihme with drew her head and looked around. She was surprised that she was only four arm lengths away from the Medwick and the avian girl. They were not so close as to be in her personal space bubble but, she felt embaressed that she had put on such a care free display. To try and regain some face she backed up from the edge a little and looked off towards the caravan with an aloof expression. This did not work to well as her head quickly tilted in curiosity at seeing Shardis approach at such a speed and with a look that said she was serious. It did not help either when she over heard with the bird girl was saying to Medwick. In her mind the girl had just made a direct challenge and she was very curious to see what the mages response would be.

Years back when she still lived with wolves she remembered a particularly aggressive youngster who had tried to upstart the alpha. The older wolf had not taken kindly to the blatant insult to his authority and swiftly layed down a harsh punishment. The pup had lived, although he did have a couple scars to remind him to watch his place. But, this was not her pack. She had lived hair long enough among these people to know that things were often so much more complicated. These two would probably get into some long winded bluffing contest until one of them gave in. She could never understand why people would drag these things out. An informative display, and a quick show of force seemed to work so much better.
 
The caravan began to move again they were making their way for the campsite they were to use until the storm blew over, but not Tegol, no he had to stay back with the archeologists and make sure they were alright. As the wagons began to move on he made his way over to the face of the cliff, the wind hitting him full force now that the wagon he'd used was gone. His frustration began to blossom again, how long was he supposed to stand here and freeze for this man. If anything he wanted to shout bloody murder at him until he finally came down, but sadly that would only land him in hot water with the president once they got back. With no other options he made his way closer to the ledge, hopefully he could find a crevice to wedge himself into until Medwick decided to come back down. Looking up at the ledge he inhaled deeply before shouting out "HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOU!!!" at Medwick; Lyall was next to him still her morbid silence only made him feel worse about being stuck out here "You could at least talk once in awhile you know?" Looking up Lyall merely gave him a look that could only be interpreted as #%$@ off
 


"It's not one of ours!!," Shardis yelled but to no avail. The wind ripped the sound away with it's own howl. The distance, although it grew smaller with each second as she ran on all fours was too great to over come with the warning.

Terrified that Galain would be pushed to his death or worse before she could get to him, Shar put her all into getting to him in time. As she reached the ledge she leaped up the sheer wall of stone and ice like a mountain goat. Her large paw-like hands and feet gripping the surface with ease while her large fluffy tail acted like a rudder to keep her balanced.

As she came close to the two the felleon growled at the flyer and leaped out from the wall of stone at it. Claws came close to the creatures leg and snagged a bit of the avian's flight feather and the fluff from it floated down around Medwick.

Shardis came down heavily on all fours beside him, she was precariously perched on the ledge for a second and their eyes locked for a moment as she slid off the edge, her claws making great gouges in the stone and ice. There was a crashing sound of ice and stone, as well as a body tumbling and then with some speed she was back, but not moving quite so fast as before. "That" she pointed at the flyer and gasped for breath while bent over with one hand on her knee, "Is not one of ours." She turned her head and snarled at the floating intruder again in warning.
 
As Shardis landed, and as Aerie backflapped, Medwick stood between them. He glared at his Feleon colleague, the way he always glared at her.

"Even so, WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING HER? We are in the lands of the Avian tribes, Shar! Has logic deserted you entirely?!" He pulled his backpack on and shook his head. "Gods above! And they call ME xenopho--"

And that was when the ground collapsed.

Whether it was rock dislodged by Shardis, or something cracked when Medwick climbed the ice wall, or the air pressure shift from Aerie's wings, or the shouts of Tegol, or the playfighting of Caoimhe, or simply the weight of Kal's approach, or all these things combined... the question of WHY the ledge collapsed was not a factor in the choral screams that followed. As Medwick dropped vertically through the subsiding rock he snatched Shardis by the ankle, praying that she had firmer footing, but praying in vain, for a half-second later the two friends were crashing down the cliffside.

Aerie, buffeting backwards as snow spat up around her, was almost clear. But then the topsoil of the slope gave way and, with a pendulum force, a pine tree went snapping over the precipice and caught her between the shoulderblades. Her flight was lost and, winded, she fell in the mist of the avalanche. The tree went with her, and the slide of topsoil gave Caoimhe nowhere to run. The wild woman toppled off the edge and, flailing, snagged the rope that Medwick had climbed. She plummeted for painful seconds before the rope snapped taught and then with her shoulders jarring, she dangled as the avalanche fell around her.

Kal and Tegol were likewise doomed. Further down the slope, on the narrow west incline the convoy had scaled, the pair could only turn and run for the few seconds before the snowdrift got them. Their colours were erased by white and in the cascade they were swept into the valley below.

It lasted but moments. And it was eerie quiet... only the whisper of water, the crunch of snow. And then silence. The storm winds whistled once more and the aenigmae circled above the sea of white that had claimed their masters. By the side of the half-torn cliff, Caoimhe dangled from the rope. She was speckled in white, half-frozen, and as she opened one squinting eye she saw only the snapping threads of the line that held her.

With a single cry she fell, her arms wide, her body arched... and then landed with a ploop.... on top of the mountain of snow ten feet below her.

She was lain atop the mound that had buried Medwick and Shardis.

And Kal and Tegol were at the bottom of it, their groaning bodies sticking out of the snow.

Nature had granted the first challenge of the Prosperos Quest.

 
She blinked.....dark, Shar blinked again and shook her head....or tryed to but it wouldn't move.
Where am I? Her memory of the last few minutes was fuzzy but slowly coming back to her.
There was an Avian attacking Galain...then what? Oh yeah I ran at it... jumped... then fell...climed back up on the ledge...then what? She sneezed the tickle out of her nose and smacked her head on a rock, Started to open her mouth to yell and muddy snow fell in and she started to cough, spat and swore, under her breath. For the life of her she couldn't figure out why she was underground.

'Land slide you silly cat.' Came a familiar 'voice'

'Garth! How deep is it?' She asked without speaking.

'Your about two hundred yards down slope and about ten to fifteen deep, not sure, sorry. Can you move?' He asked.

'Not really, yet, ugh...haven't tried' She started wiggling appendages. 'Some, not a lot. My left leg is in a pocket of soft snow. Did everyone get buried or is there some people around that can help?'
 
Pyre squawked Aerie's displeasure as the human's feline friend made her attack. Aerie remained uninjured, but her pride was wound and her feather, quite literally, ruffled.

"Listen to your friend, kitty," she said coldly, her earlier pseudo-amicable air gone. "Or the Avians here won't be your -- "

And then, everything went to shit. As things usually did whenever a cat showed up.

---

One moment, she had been hovering over a cocky human and a pugnacious cat, the next, she was --

"Wet," Aerie snarled, her voice muffled by the tree's branches. "I hate wet."

"By all means," retorted Pyre from somewhere near her knees, "do let the avalanche know how upset you are. Maybe this was all just a mistake."

"And maybe you -- " Aerie broke off suddenly as she realized she couldn't feel her wings. Cold that eclipsed the snow all around her by a mile flooded her gut, and for a moment, she thought she was going to be sick. Then, she was just angry.

"What did that bloody cat do to me? I'll have her damned tail if...if..." she trailed off, trying to right herself. She could see what she assumed was daylight, hear the storm around her, feel the snow beneath her, in her collar and her boots. But she couldn't see where she was.

"You're under a tree," Pyre said, almost casually. "The cat has nothing -- well, almost nothing -- to do with your current predicament."

"So, why can't I move my wings?" Her legs were not useless, and her arms even less so, but her wings her by far the most powerful muscles in/on her body. If there was a tree on top of her, she would not free herself with her legs alone.

"I'd guess the tree struck you when you fell. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in this mess at all."

"If that stupid cat had stayed where it was, I wouldn't be in this mess," Aerie grunted, then began to wriggle free.

When she emerged, it was to a field of white, plus one confused looking human girl atop a new drift of snow. Aerie herself was bruised and battered, and she could feel blood freezing on her back between her shoulder blades. More annoying than that was the fact that her wings were soaked through with snowmelt.

Wonderful.

"Where's the cat?" she asked Pyre, who had been preening moodily and offering tips on how best to extract herself from her sylvan prison. "I'm going to free her, and then I'm going to kill her."
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Asmodeus and Sakura
"Ow" Caoihme groaned as she lay on top of the snow drift. Her arms complained loudly, a steady throb from her shoulder blades told her that she was lucky to not have popped them out of their sockets. Moisture had wriggled its way under her proctive layers of clothing and it was slowly sucking the heat from her body. As a bonus, as her body started to become more numb the crystal against her back kept her shoulders from numbing out, and perfectly able to broadcast their discomfort. Her only solice was the fact that she had not landed on the egg and the avalanche had not swept her away so it had not been crushed by the snow. Slowly and carefully so as not to stress her arms out too much she pushed herself up. Slowly scanning around her face became more and more confused as the onl people she saw were the Avian and half each of Kal an Tegol.

"I think the other two are caught." Came a familiar voice right beside Caoihme's ear. Galra had managed to slide into Caoihme's hood and was now sticking her head out to survay the damage now that she was sure that Mother Natural had taken her turn.

"What! Look, I shall dig!" Very startled Caoihme moved a bit down the hill pawing at the snow and snuffling heavily as though she could sniff out their exact location. Galra disapeered into the snow popping out a few moments later in a spot a few feet to Caoihme's right. Before the enigma could evnsay anything the girl had lept forward and started to dig furiously. Snow, dirt, and a muddy version of the two sprayed out behind her as she shovled through trying to reach those buried. Having lived near the base of a mountain she had encountered a few avalanches in her time, usually she only got to see the aftermath when her pack would did out the bodies of prey that had suffocated or been crushed to death. And now as she dug she only hoped that they had not experience the latter and would not experience the former.

After a while of digging Caoihme lost all feeling in her left hand, her grabbling with the rope had torn a hole in her glove. She also did not notice the red stain that her hand left on some of the snow as she flung it behind her. Every once in a while she wuld have to stop diging forward and would use her powerful hind legs to kick away the snow that was piling up behind her blocking the path of the rest of the snow she was trying to move. All of this movement was starting to really kill her shoulders but, she grit her teeth and kept going. She really did not know how far she wuld have to dig, perhaps that would have been a good question t ask before she divedinto this. Then on the other hand did she really want to know, knowing might have just made it all feel worse. Finally her hands hit something other than snow and mud and she could not help but, to exclaim.

"There!"
 
With the cold wind howling in her ear and pulling on her clothes Kana shuddered and wished for the hundreth time she was back home in the hot desert, she was certain she would turn blue and freeze over if she hadn't been handed a crystal that gave off enough heat to keep her from dying. She'd gladly have about five but one was enough she supposed if they didn't have to stand still waiting. She pulled her hood tighter around her face and tried to scan the air for Raeus but in all the snow not even his warm colours could be seen, "why did I agree to this?" she muttered to herself, her words drowning in the wind. "Because I obviously was the one blessed with the brain," the small gryphon landed on her shoulder as he spoke, folding half solidified wings and gripped the thick fabric with his claws. "You should listen to me more Kana and things like this wouldn't happen." He said, moving his ears to take in their surroundings. "If I did that we'd never even leave the house," Kana countered, feeling better already when he was back, they were apart so rarely it felt odd when he flew off to have a look on things.

"By the way the weather is getting worse and up ahead that felleon, Shardis I think, is ordering us to move on." Kana sighed, wasn't that just great the trip hadn't even started and their luck had turned sour, Kana doubted the shelter offered between the high cliffs would help terrbily but it would at least stop the wind perhaps. Glad to have something to do to ward off some of the cold and keep her from becoming stiff Kana started putting rolled up tents and various others bags containing equipment or survival gear onto the sleds. As they started to move she saw a wild looking woman run along side the huskies pulling the sleds, keeping the young ones in check before bounding off, with all the new and strange things she'd seen since leaving Kausteria Kana was still surprised by that sight. Her thoughts was soon dragged to a low rumble however that soon grew to a roar as the entire cliffside seemed to crumble and fall down.

Staring in chock as the avalanch had it's way, tumbling those caught in its way down the side, the rest of the convoy in equal silence until the snow settled and the mountains was calm and quiet once again. Then people rushed forth to help, trying to search the snow for those caught beneath the mass of white, others kept the dogs so they would not leave while Kana rushed forward to dig out one of those who were lucky enough to only be half buried close to the end of the bottom. The cold seeped through her gloves as the snow melted against her body heat but for once she didn't notice, she only prayed they weren't as badly hit by the force of the avalanch as Medvick, Shardis and the unfamiliar avian girl must be. "Are you alive?" Kana asked worridly to the man she now noted to be a forest kin, not wanting to loose anyone after barely a day.
 
тнe ғαe
pretty-pink-butterfly.gif
єтнєℓ ℓуѕαη∂єя
[DASH=#F5C4D4]As the convoy packed diligently, Ethel had lingered about, hoping to delay her exit. The scholar, Medwick and some others were still clustered upon the ledge. She wasn't sure if she would be able to fly up there in the blistering winds. Her wings were not nearly strong enough for flying through blizzard conditions. Still, she did not want to leave ahead. She wanted to hear what Medwick had to say. Keyvnor understood her mental struggles, flying about. Each time he tried to fly in a certain direction, the wind would throw him all about. Ethel would've laughed if she wasn't so consumed by the worries of an oncoming storm and what repercussions it would have on the expedition.

She obviously spoke too soon. As she dragged her feet, several ways behind the convoy, her eyes lingering on the ledge, squinting to see if they were coming, a sudden avalanche poured down the side of the valley. Along with the bundles of snow, an avian, a tree, and darkened figures that she assumed where Shardis, Medwick, and faces she did not recognize. Ethel's heart stopped, but her feet started moving. Keyvnor was far ahead of her, darting through the air in the direction of the large mound of snow, where a strange woman had slid down the valley side, sniffing her way along and suddenly stopped to dig. She can smell them! Ethel realized with a twinge of wonder. She followed after the girl, hopping down the drift of snow. It was difficult to run down the valley without falling. She tripped a couple of times, tumbling into the cold, hard snow. Kevynor pulled at the scarf in her neck to give her moral support. Twice she fell. Her left arm was throbbing now, caught awkwardly under her stomach as she took a bad fall. Finally, after what she could only call a tango with the snowy valley, Ethel reached the odd woman who was digging. By now, the fae was a mess. There was snow nearly covering her and she didn't have the thought to brush it off.

The woman was digging with her hands. Ethel did the same, bracing herself with a deep breath and shoving her fingers into the ice. She knelt beside the mound, pulling away handfulls at a time. It seemed a bit useless, but she was scared. Medwick and Shardis were below all of this snow. Generally, I would assume there's enough trapped air inside the mound for them to be able to breathe, but that oxygen won't last very long. It would be best to get them out as soon as possible. There's also the danger of injured limbs or frostbite.Her vision was starting to blur with tears. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and continued to pull away at the snow desperately. She didn't know why she was so scared for them. She wasn't the one buried, but thinking of imagining it gave her a cold shiver. She didn't want anyone to be hurt on the first day of their journey. They were supposed to be family, all of the volunteers, Shardis and Medwick. They were going to work together and have a journey. Calm down, Ethel. They're not dying. Calm down.

In the corner of her eye, Ethel saw a flash of red. The woman's hand was stained with blood. Her heart lurched. She wanted to heal it, but the woman was quick to digging, making huge piles behind her and kicking them. She was... like an animal, almost. Ethel was removing child-sized bits of snow compared to her. Keyvnor was hovering around the the mound.

The woman shouted, grabbing for something. Silently, Ethel prayed that it was someone. Her fingers were half frozen through the gloves and she could feel various parts of her body bruising from her tumbling down the valley side. The cold was nearly unbearable at this point. The only thing that kept her going was the worry. The worry that the people buried under this snow were suffering all sorts of pain that she couldn't even fathom. She wanted, desperately to be able to help them.
[/DASH]
 
It came quicker than Kal could have ever anticipated. Kal always imagined giant things like rock slides and avalanches lumbered along as their heavy weight slowed them. Unfortunately, that was not the case for this avalanche. The forest kin's heart raced as he slid to a stop, almost frozen at the sight of the incoming white behemoth. Vying for traction against the icy terrain, Kal's feet betrayed him, losing their grip on the shards of slippery ice that preceded the avalanche.

After too much time, Kal regained his footing. "Run you fool!" Sarrthas hissed as he slithered away, leaving Kal to run for his life. It was too late to run. Kal had barely taken five desperate steps before the rolling snow devoured him. Inside the maw of the beast, Kal tumbled around, slamming his shoulder, back, and legs against debris and whatever else or whoever else the avalanche had consumed.

As fast as it attacked, the battle was over. Kal was holding his breath to keep from inhaling dirt or snow. Only his feet stuck out of the snow. He was lucky that his feet had been out, they allowed him to escape the snow and breathe before he suffocated.

Emerging from the mound, Kal gasped for air as a human woman approached him and asked about his condition. "Yes...I'm alive, thank you." Kal's speech was broken by heavy heaves as he tried to fill his body with oxygen. "My shoulder's a little banged up, but I'll be all right."

Sarrthas slithered up and hissed at Kal. "Bumbling idiot! Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" The snake coiled up and turned his head away from the forest kin.
"Shut it, serpent! Your mother....!" Kal looked up at the human who had asked about him. "Was probably a very nice lady...now what did you say your name was, miss? I'm Kal, please forgive my aenigma's manners. I'm unsure where he gets them from." Kal smiled at the woman as he pushed himself from the ground.

 
Garthon hovered over the place that Shardis was entombed. He watched as people were ether getting free on their own or getting help from some that had been at the tale of the caravan. He also took note of the fact that the crow, Carval, was coming in for a slow landing a few feet away farther down the hill of refuse from the snow slide. After trying to tell his lapos and finding that she must have passed out again he began to worry at the snow he couldn't touch or feel. He wished now more than ever that he was made of real flesh and bone so that he could help her. He stood up and screamed for someone to look his way and come help but everyone so far was ether too far away or too busy.
 

Within the depths of the snowdrift, something grabbed Shardis's wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Ooooooun ooooooooub!"

It sounded like the moan of some ancient creature - perhaps a predator burrowing in the ice whose lair she had now disturbed.

There was a spitting sound, then it growled again. "Dooooon't mooooooooub!"

The feleon turned her head a little in the freezing tomb and glimpsed a patch of flesh to her right. Perhaps a cheek or a nose, facing downwards. It twitched as the voice spoke again, and more snow fell into Shardis's ears. She could feel a set of fingers wrapped around her paw. "If oou moof... mur snow wul faw on us!"

There was a slight shimmer, a whisper of warmth. Some of her hairs stood on end and she recognised at once the sensation of Medwick's thermic orb. It was still in his backpack, and was keeping them both from freezing in the icy crypt. But although his fingers moved that was all the mage could manage. With his limbs trapped he would not be casting spells any time soon.

"Arrr ah yuu fay lie thox rihr hooar oou arr!"

Shardis could not make out the next thing Medwick said. But from the tone, and the amount of snow that melted as his jaw moved, it probably wasn't a compliment.



Meanwhile, up on the surface, Ethel and Kana had descended to the valley via the shallower slope of the west incline. It seemed they were the only two who had been behind the avalanche when it struck. The rest of the convoy were now a hundred feet above with a wall of snow to one side and a half-cracked ice cliff beneath their feet. Some were peering over the edge while others rushed on for fear more ledges would crumble. And... most telling of all... the Avians amongst them had either vanished or were embroiled in argument. It seemed that some had taken Shar's attack on Aerie as something more than a misunderstanding. In the disarray the elders and soldiers had trouble enough organizing a rescue, and their shouts were all the fainter for the storm that closed upon them. The few flying aenigmae that were sent towards the snowdrift merely circled helplessly and waited for signs from the diggers.

But one animal companion had the good sense to stay still. Squawking and tapping its talons, Medwick's crow stood on one particular patch of the snowdrift. Now and then Carval would peck at the snow and with each shift of weight more snow would sink towards the heat of Medwick's backpack.

It blinked at Garthon, nearby. The crow seemed almost bored at the prospect of being a glorified signal flare.

 
"I found your kitty."

"O-o-oh?"

Aerie had been watching everyone go about their heartwarming teamwork, extracting others from snowy prisons like the oldest of friends. Unfortunately, it was not actually warming, and the snowmelt had long since soaked through her wings. As an Avian, she both gained and lost the majority of her body heat through her wings -- strong, thing muscles where the veins lay close to the surface. She'd normally have cloaked herself in them, but just now, they were ugly, ragged things that equated to blankets soaked in ice water. She was shivering violently, and more than that, she couldn't fly. It put her in a foul mood.

Aerie was not graceful on land in the best of times. The fact that her boots were now full of snow, and the ground kept shifting beneath her gave her a feeling of nauseating vertigo.

"If you're going to freeze to death, do tell me first." Pyre's tone was distant, but the fact that he'd said anything at all meant he was concerned. An aenigma, he was largely unaffected by the cold. But being a legendary bird of flame, he did not particularly like the snow, either. Also, despite his cool demeanor, he really was quite enamored of his person, and not just because he needed her to live.

"Yes, p-perhaps I'll just go s-snuggle with the b-bloody c-cat," Aerie spat bitterly. She was huddled on the ground, trying to keep herself warm and away from prying eyes. She'd normally have just left the others to their own devices, but her back ached from the violent tree attack, and she could not fly in this state. More pressing than that was the fact that her wings might actually freeze. The idea terrified her more than she would let on, even to Pyre, though she suspected he knew as much.

"Or at least exact revenge before your inevitably painful death."

"Shouldn't y-you b-be m-m-m-more -- "

"Oh, shut up and come along."

Pyre took to the air a few feet over Aerie's head as she got shakily to her feet. At least her aenigma could fly, like several others in the area. It was how he'd spotted the Felleon, or rather her anxious-looking aenigma in the first place, scouting for survivors...and reliable warmth for Aerie. The crow that belonged with the foolish human, for example...though the human was nowhere to be seen. In any case, Pyre guided his person along the least rutted path to where the Felleon was buried benath the snow, and to her credit, Aerie only stumbled a half dozen times.

She could see the darkened shape entombed within the great white flurry, though the Felleon's fur color did not help.

"Does she e-expect me to d-dig her out?" Aerie said, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm sure she doesn't expect anything of you."

"So long as she kn-knows I saved her furry hide. W-would be a shame to let her die so c-comfortably." And with that, Aerie began to dig, cursing all the while.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lynzy
The angle at which Caoihme had choosen to did might not have been the most efficient. As she dug she was surprised to find that at some point a small fae girl had joined with the digging. The girl did not seem to be particularly good a it but, it was better than nothing. Well into the snow pile at this point Caoihme shudded as she felt something icey cold and wet hit her neck and then run down her back. Looking up she noticed that the roof of the cave was dropping chunks of snow down on top of them. One hand shot out infront of the fae girl next to her, indcating that they should pause for a second. If the roof collapsed on them now it would only be more trouble so Caoihme was going to check to see how much of a roof they actually had and if it could be dangerous if it caved in. Carefully she stuck out her right hand twisting and wriggling it up through the ceiling. She was almost to her shoulder when her hand finally broke the surface.

From above it must have looked like som demon was clawing its way out into the world, one hand sticking out of the snow and feeling around just to make sure that it was actually in the open air and not just a patch of lose snow. As it turned out her hand popped up only a foot or two from where Carval was perched sullenly on the snow. Suddenly Caoihme felt and heard something very close to where she and Ethel were. Exchanging a quick glance with the girl Caoihme dived back into the digging. As she scooped away the snow she noticed that it was getting distictly wetter, and the air close to the floor was warmer by about two degrees.

By this time she had noticed that she hand was bleeding but, under the snow something colored a much brighter scarlet could be seen. Reaching out she pulled on the red sash her hands slowly switching over to a heavy jacket as snow was cleared away. Finally Medwick's head could be seen and here Caoihme paused to ask "Where'z cat?"
 
  • Love
Reactions: Sakura
Kana gave a sigh with relief when the man showed to be alive and mostly unharmed, the others were still beneath the snow from what it seemed but people were already well on the way of digging through the snow, a delicate fae and the wild, dark haired woman more specifically. "That's a relief," she said turning her gaze back to the forest kin. "You should perhaps find a healer to look at it later," if she'd had any affinity for magic Kana could have helped but she had certainly not inherited any skill from her mother's side.

Taking off her gloves she wrung out whatever moisture she could before putting them back on, taking out the thermal crystal to try and dry the gloves slightly. "I'm Kana," she said, trying to push back a grin at the serpent aenigma and his lopos interaction. Raeus, having taken flight as she dug flew close again and landed on her shoulder, fixating his sharp gaze at Kal, his eagle stare was only diminished by his small stature. "Well, you're not the only one wondering where aenigma get their behaviour from," she commented with a side glare at Raeus, a silent note to the small gryphon to behave and not enter his offensive stage.

"This was just the perfect start of this journey," she said with a sigh. If this was to show how the rest of the quest would turn out then the gods must have something against them, or fate, seeings as Kana wasn't the biggest believer in the world despite influence from her childhood.
 
The noises brought her out of the fog for a few minutes....

Noises? What noises?

Oh! The digging sounds....

or they seemed to be digging sounds, she started to slip back into the fog again.

It was very comfortable here.

Not to hot, not to cold, just right.

She half smiled as she felt some one grab her and pulled.

That's when the fog cleared and the pain hit her hard. The person that pulled her didn't realize a rather large splinter of wood was in her back and stuck down in the ground under her. Shar half screamed and half growled in pain. The pulling stopped and some arguing began and then more digging, this time directly above her. Soon they had most of her exposed to the fresh air.

As they lifted her up they found the reason for the noise she had made and why she was so limp and non responsive. Even when Medwick tried to bully her into getting up with his curt and somewhat abusive manner and words. The large branch was sticking in her back, her back pack was gone and there was a huge puddle of blood where she had been laying, now soaking into the ground.
 
тнe ғαe
pretty-pink-butterfly.gif
єтнєℓ ℓуѕαη∂єя
[DASH=#F5C4D4]
Shardis' cries of pain were breaking Ethel's heart. From where she was pulling her out of the snow, Ethel couldn't see what was causing her so much pain. As half of the large cat surfaced, Ethel saw the large piece of wood and immense amount of blood pouring out of the wound. Her eyes stung. With all the strength she could muster, she pulled the feline onto the snow beside the mound. The first couple times, Ethel's strength would fail her and the two of them would collapse. But she didn't let go of Shardis' paws, holding both with a fierce grip. She was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath. The winds were blowing incredibly fast and cold air was hitting her wings and freezing down her spine.

Come on Ethel, come on. She's in so much pain already. She let out a small cry of desperation, dug her heels into the snow and made one final tug to pull Shardis onto the surface. Once she had cleared the mound, Ethel would be able to take a look at the injury.

As she struggled with the feline, Ethel could feel her energy wasting. For a moment, her vision would blur and she would blink a couple of times to set it right. Although she was not tired, the cold was having a detrimental affect on the fae. Keyvnor was hovering near her shoulder, whispering calming words. Ethel's heart was racing a beat a second, panicked with worry. Come on, Ethel.

"Shardis." Ethel was surprised to hear the strain in her own voice as she looked at the tree branch stuck in her back. Without removing the obstruction, she would not be able to heal the injury. "Shardis, can you hear me? I have to pull this branch out. It's going to hurt, but I promise I'll do everything I can to heal you." Her voice was shaking, words stumbling, but she was determined to help. Keyvnor took a seat on her shoulder

"Ethel, are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure! There's only me and her!" Ethel gestured to Caoihime, who was reaching for Medwick in the snow, "No one will be able to reach us with the commotion down there! I have to try to do something or she'll bleed to death!"

Kevynor nodded, silenced. Ethel was irritated with his pestering. She knew he was worried about her, but she didn't understand why he couldn't see the situation at hand. If Ethel could last a couple more minutes in the cold, it might be enough to save Shardis! She was willing to take that chance. After all, the convoy was down below. There were thermic crystals that would give her energy.

She turned to her aenigma while she waited for a response from the frozen Shardis. "Keyvnor," Ethel's eyes were bright, determined. He rarely saw this side of her. "This is something I need to do." A memory flashed through both their minds. A sad memory of weeping for days upon a the roots of a large tree. Ethel pushed the memory away and focused on Shardis.

"Shardis, we're going to pull it out, okay?" She looked over at Caoihime, "Could you help me? You're much stronger than I! If you can pull out this branch, I can begin the healing. Then, I can help you get Medwick out, too." Ethel explained quickly, hoping that the strange, animalistic woman would comply. She was stronger than she. Ethel was grateful for her presence.
[/DASH]
 
  • Like
Reactions: lynzy
Laying almost face down on the snow the felleon muttered words that made no sense to anyone, not even Garthon. Who was looking extremely transparent, almost as if he was fading away. He hovered always near, some times moaning, other times fussing and asking questions.

After the first attempt to pull her out of the tome Shardis had gone into shock and drifted in and out, not knowing where she was or who was with her. Time didn't exist and she didn't feel anything anymore. Indeed, the normally hot blooded feline was chill to the touch, her body was beginning to shut down and slowly grow colder. Her lips were blue and her breathing shallow.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Caoihme dug around Medwick, trying to free him. It was a laborious task, considering that she and Ethel had been digging for a little while now. But, thankfully the snow had been loosed by the avalanche and by the thermal crystals that Medwick was wearing so as least she didn't have to chip away at iced over snow. She was just past Medwick's armpits when she first heard Shadis's cries. It was enough to even give her pause however she had a half frozen mage to dig out of the snow she let Ethel deal with it. She glanced over her shoulder at one point but, turned back once she saw the red stain creeping across the snow. It wasn't the blood that bothered her. She had hunted and eaten with wolves, if blood had bothered her she would have probably not have survived for very long. It was the amount of pain that the feline was in. She had always made sure to kill her prey quickly with the least pain possible, torture or unnecessary pain was never something she relished.

Hearing Ethel address her she turned eyes bright and head cocked ever so slightly to the side as she listened. She was a little doubtful about her ability to help, she had patched up minor wounds in the past, pulling porcupine quills out of a wolf pup's face, removing splinters from a paw pad, that kind of thing but, this was a bit intimidating. But, looking at Shardis she saw that she did not have the liberty to just think this over. Nodding once towards Ethel she got really close to Shardis and, grasping the branch as close to the base as possible and placing her other hand on Shadis's back she took a single steadying breath before yanking back as hard as she could. Having dealt with removals before she knew that it was best just to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible and once the shard was free she moved out of the way to let Ethel do her thing.
 
  • Thank You
  • Like
Reactions: lynzy and Sakura
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back