Falling Asleep in the Strangest of Places (Solo)

[Piccolo]

Timestamp: 42 Summer 511 AV Head to the city in the west. That was only advice she had been given by her Pyve. Head to the city in the west. So, west was where she was headed. To reassure herself of her direction, Piccolo gazed up at Syna’s creation that travelled across the sky each day, warming the world with its touch. It was hanging high in the east, reminding the day creatures that they should be hard at work, savouring the warmth of the sun while it lasted. Not that Piccolo actually needed warmth, being made out of clay and all. But at least she appreciated the symbolism of the sun’s rays. The eagle that walked beside her also seemed to enjoy the warmth on its dark coloured feathers. They had been walking through the Unforgiving since before sunrise, having spent the night in a cluster of trees at the base of a small hill, or rather, a mountain in Piccolo’s eyes. During the previous night, she was constantly being awoken by the rustling of the leaves and eerie sounds that echoed in the dark. Piccolo was always jumping to her feet, py-whip at the ready to defend herself if need be. In her hands however, the py-whip was actually quite useless as she had very little experience with the weapon. Stars above, she could hardly do anything save crack the whip to frighten away whatever small creature loomed in the darkness. To make matters worse, her lack of sleep last night combined with the endless hill was making her feel much drowsier than she had anticipated. Piccolo sighed, unconsciously fingering the end of the whip that she had attached to her pack for safekeeping and easy access. The mountain seemed to have no end! Or maybe it was merely Piccolo’s patience that had a very short end. Piccolo was ashamed to admit it, but she had not yet had the courage to sit on the tiny leather saddle that was carefully strapped to the eagle’s back. At least, not after it had attempted to eat her. She ran her hand down the large groove in her back that had been caused whilst she was being shaken from side to side in the eagle’s hooked beak. Fortunately, eagles did not have a taste for clay. Piccolo discovered that they quite despised it actually, as she was sent tumbling through the air after a few moments of being violently shaken from side to side. It may have seemed humorous to an onlooker, but it certainly did not feel that way to Piccolo. ”What was the point of paying double the mizas if it still try-“, Piccolo’s complaining was cut off suddenly as she fell head over heels over a sharp stone that was jutting out of the earth. Well, a pebble would be a more accurate description. She landed face first, hard in the dirt, making no move to get to her feet. Why did adventuring have to be so difficult? It sure did sound like mizas of fun when she heard stories about it. Stories about fearlessly marching through forests, deserts and mountains in search of new experiences and incredible adventures. When the Pycon described it, battling the elements, wild animals and starvation actually sounded exciting. “Exciting! Ha. If that is exciting, then my god is Rupert Pycon!”, Piccolo spoke into the dirt, receiving no reply save the dust that found its way into her mouth. Piccolo was extremely grateful that it had not rained since she began her journey. Well, that wasn’t saying very much seeming as she had only begun her journey yesterday. She had to admit, it wasn’t what she had expected. She was going incredibly slowly compared to the traders she had almost been squashed by yesterday afternoon. Her tiny legs could only reach so far with each step, and she had already fallen over countless times. Piccolo was obviously not the most coordinated of Pycons. “But I am brave,” Piccolo whispered as she lifted her head from the ground, forcing herself to her feet. As she brushed the dust off her clay form she said with more volume, “I may be clumsy, but I am not weak-spirited!” Following these words, Piccolo decided then that her small voice was really not suited for saying these sorts of phrases because the eagle was still gazing at her with its usual, blank expression. After a moment of contemplating the situation, Piccolo made a decision. She would ride it. The eagle. She would sit in that saddle and watch the world disappear beneath her. She would watch the mountains as they flew by, effortless, faster than she had ever gone before. Piccolo’s growing frustration had bloomed into a reckless determination that drove her forward to face the situation head on.

[Piccolo]

Piccolo eyed the eagle, willing it to stay motionless whilst she attempted to clamber into the saddle on its back. She made a decision to climb up the tail feathers instead of facing the eagle head on. That would be the safest method because at the rear of the eagle there were no daunting talons or sharp beaks that threatened to shred her to pieces if she made the wrong move. So far, it had taken all her willpower, all her strength and all her tiny knowledge of eagles to make the creature follow her through the mountainous terrain without flying away never to be seen again. In fact, the eagle was most likely trained from birth to follow people around, so Piccolo didn’t have to do very much. She still felt a gnawing feeling in her stomach whenever the bird took to the air to relieve its legs, but its training kept it from disappearing into the sky without a trace. She was worried about its diet, as she had not yet seen it try to eat anything other than herself. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to tell it to hunt. Maybe it couldn’t see her hand movements because she was too tiny. Maybe the trader had been a sneaky fellow, wanting more mizas than the eagle’s training was worth. Nevertheless, her attention was elsewhere. Piccolo’s attention was on the creature’s tail feathers. Great big chocolate coloured tail feathers that were flecked with traces of gold and white. They were really, quite beautiful. She could do this. She had to do this. ”I will ride this eagle, or I will turn to stone in this wilderness without anybody even knowing how hard I tried to reach the city in the west,” Piccolo vowed to herself. Tentatively, she reached out and held two tiny fistfuls of feathers, using them as handholds whilst she scrambled her feet up off the ground. The eagle evidently, was not accustomed to having a little clay girl on its back. Surprisingly, it did not take flight in terror, leaving Piccolo to fall to her doom. Instead, it merely shifted around uncomfortably, letting out a shriek of surprise. Piccolo froze, squeezing her eyes shut, saying a silent prayer to Eywaat, prince of birds. After a few short moments of hesitation, she realised that her efforts would go to waste if she did not make the final leap for the saddle. It would be so easy to just slide back down to the ground and forget that she had even tried to ride the eagle. But then where would she be? Back at square one with less confidence than ever. “Is that what you want?” she muttered to herself, mustering the strength in her legs to prepare for the jump. Of course it wasn’t. She would sit in that saddle and nothing could hold her down. With those words in mind, Piccolo sprung forward, stretching out both hands to read for the leather handholds.

[Piccolo]

She landed surprisingly gently in the saddle falling only slightly short of her goal. However, it was enough to startle the eagle even further. Piccolo grappled for the closest handhold as she was thrown from side to side as the eagle attempted to twist its head around to be rid of the strange creature that clung to its back. Piccolo let out a shriek that would parallel the eagle’s as the deadly beak whooshed past her nose, missing by only the width of a hair. This was quite traumatising for both bird and Pycon, and if Piccolo had a heart, it would be beating as fast as a stallion could gallop. After a few more agonizing moments, the eagle seemed to realise that it was not in any danger from the little Pycon girl and ceased struggling. Preferring to use a method of ignoring Piccolo all together, it remained motionless, content to stand silently on the mountainside. Afraid to make any shift in her bodyweight, Piccolo also remained motionless for what seemed like minutes, clinging to the saddle in an awkward sideways position that would hardly be possible for a human. Eventually, her twisted joints began to ache from being in such an unnatural position and she decided that it was time to risk the eagle’s wrath once more. Cautiously, Piccolo slid her left foot over to the left side of the eagle and laid her stomach flat in the saddle at a diagonal angle with the ground. There were two handholds on either side of the saddle with corresponding footholds further along. Piccolo wedged her feet tightly in these footholds, not wishing to fall out of the saddle if the eagle tipped too far in one direction. It was only now, that she safely had her feet wedged in the footholds, that Piccolo allowed herself to feel a little pride in her achievement. She, Piccolo, had successfully sat on an eagle. An eagle! It might not be flying, but it was close enough for her. She let out a laugh of relief, resting her head against the feathers of the magnificent bird. Piccolo refused to call it her own eagle because she did not believe that such a great creature could be ‘owned’ as such. The eagle had more of a right to say that it owned her than she owned it. Not that Piccolo could be ‘owned’ of course. It was more of a partnership relationship, although Piccolo could not really see what benefit that she brought the eagle. Much to Piccolo’s surprise, it was actually quite comfortable up in the saddle. Although the leather was rough, the way it curved around the eagle’s feathers was almost relaxing. The smooth eagle feathers also made for a very pleasing pillow for her tiny clay head. Also, she had woken many hours before sunrise to catch a head start on the mountain that seemed to loom over the cluster of trees that she had taken shelter in. Maybe she could simply lie here for a time and nibble on some clay from her pack that was tightly strapped to her back. That definitely sounded appealing. Piccolo needed to recover her strength. Yes, that’s what she needed to do. She could just rest her head for a moment. Then she could worry about what she would do next. Surely, resting for just a moment couldn’t hurt anyone, could it?

[Piccolo]

As it turns out, resting one’s head can hurt somebody in certain situations. For example, if Piccolo were to be guarding somebody of importance and simply decided to rest her head for a moment, she could wake up later and find nothing more than a corpse lying beside her. If Piccolo was caring for a fatally injured person or animal and simply decided to rest her head for a moment, she may wake up later to find that they had died from their injuries. If Piccolo were lost at sea, and simply decided to rest her head for a moment, she may not even wake up at all. So, when putting all these situations in perspective, Piccolo’s situation at the time was not terribly drastic. She was only hanging upside down by her feet from the back of a rapidly rising eagle. No problem. Nobody had died. Nobody was fatally injured. She wasn’t drowning! The things she should be grateful for! But Piccolo’s thoughts were not of gratitude and relief. Panic and fear seemed to be her more dominating emotions at that moment. Judging by her screams of terror, Piccolo probably wasn’t feeling in the mood for that kind of adventure. If only she could appreciate the rush of flying a million miles an hour through the air upside down! How fun this situation could have been if Piccolo had taken the time to appreciate the world from a new perspective. But sadly, she was in very much of a hurry to pull herself upright. Which didn’t look all that difficult, but Piccolo had a habit of making things difficult for herself. Especially when she was in panic mode. After trying with little result to heave herself up with her strength along, Piccolo decided to take on a different approach. After a few short moments of struggle, Piccolo managed to grab on to the edge of the saddle twisting her body forward at a sideways angle. Piccolo grasped for the handholds of the saddle and clung to them with all her might. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in the warm feathers of the eagle to escape from the terrors of the outside world, letting out a gasping sob mixed with both fear and relief. The Pycon girl was shivering from head to toe from the sheer terror of what had just occurred. How could she have been so careless? How could she fall asleep? On an eagle! An eagle for Eywaat’s sake! Sure, she may have been renowned for falling asleep in absurd places such as the branches of a tree or the roof of a clay house. But never, had she fallen asleep on an eagle. An eagle! “Well,” she told herself shakily with an unsuccessful attempt at a wry tone, “there is always room for new experiences in life.” If Pycons could throw up, Piccolo was sure that she would have done so at that moment. She seemed to be thinking from a detached perspective, not entirely encompassing her situation. The world appeared to be spinning around her, but she was not sure if the eagle was turning in circles or the height was causing her to feel an extreme sense of dizziness. The height! Another wave of nausea crashed over her body as she imagined again the amount of air between her and the ground. It was unquestionably a very long way to fall. Piccolo had taken one glance at the dizzying drop below her whilst dangling treacherously by her feet, and had engaged immediate action to pull herself upright. She had not actually payed much attention to her surroundings then, rather, she noticed the danger that had presented itself at the time. Now that Piccolo was thinking about it, the familiar sense of curiosity was creeping into her mind like a waft of smoke wrapping itself around her fears that plagued her mind. Just one peek. If she felt overwhelmingly sick she could simply squeeze her eyes tighter and not open them again until… until Caiyha knows when. Piccolo tightened her grip even further on the saddle handholds which were certain to leave imprints in her clay hands. It would be quite a waste to be whipped away by a gust of wind now that she had survived dangling upside down by her feet. She could do this. Surely she couldn’t keep her eyes shut forever. “May as well open them sooner rather than later,” she murmured to herself. Ensuring that she was as safe as ever in her leather saddle, Piccolo slowly lifted her head from the feathers and opened her eyes.

[Piccolo]

Piccolo was awestruck. The view that was unfolding beneath her was simply breathtaking. She had never seen anything like it! Piccolo could see that the mountain she had been climbing earlier that day was in fact, a mole hill compared to the monstrous wonders that were rising to the clouds on either side of her. Winding valleys and hills of green dotted with trees rolled gently beneath her, comforting her with their simplicity and calmness compared to the vast masses of rock that were the mountains. A glistening silver line ran through the gap between the mountains that she was travelling through, traversing the rolling hills and drifting through the valleys. With a sudden realisation, Piccolo discovered that she had been unintentionally following the line of the river. Gazing around at the wonder beneath her, Piccolo could hardly comprehend that the world could be this enormous. From this vantage point, Piccolo could see what seemed to be the path that the traders used in the seasons with mild weather. Piccolo squinted at the trees below, “That would mean that the Pyve would be about… there!” Yes that was about right. Everything up here seemed to be so much tinier, yet the world was bigger than it had ever been before. Piccolo did not even know that so much sky could possible exist until now. It was truly astounding. Only then, did Piccolo realise that her nausea had faded away with the wind behind her back. The curiosity had conquered the feelings of fear and anxiety like a tiger would overcome a rabbit. It may have had to take a few leaps to reach its goal, but eventually her curiosity caught her fear in its claws and overpowered it, forcing it to the ground. Since making the decision to sit in the saddle, Piccolo seemed different somehow. Bolder, perhaps. Just look what her reckless nature brought her! She was flying! She may have imprudently risked her life in the process, but how often did one fly atop an eagle? Piccolo was no longer merely sitting in the saddle, she was soaring through the air, surfing the wind currents that were so much more powerful in the skies than on the ground. The rush of the wind in her face could be compared to the rush that she felt inside, the thrill of flying on top of the world. The eagle carried her with ease, almost as if she was not even there. Its wings did not beat at the air, instead they spread wide so as to catch as much air as possible beneath them. However, she was no longer travelling west, that much was for sure. The winding river that had marked her path before was now being swept behind her as the eagle soared high over the mountains, stretching its wings which had been stiff from being on the ground for so long. A sense of panic was creeping up on her once more. “No! Um… Eagle! We need to go west!” Piccolo shouted over the wind. “West! Did you hear me? To the city that lies in the west! That’s where we need to go!” She waited foolishly for some sort of response from the creature, but to no abide. Either it could not hear her over the wind, or could not understand her language. Most likely both. Frustrated, Piccolo attempted to shift her body weight towards the left, hopefully causing the eagle to receive her message. She shuffled her body sideways slightly, making sure to keep a tight grip on both handholds and footholds. However, it was hardly possible to lean a significant amount of weight on the left side without losing grip of the handhold with her right hand. Now this was something that Piccolo was not willing to do again, judging by what happened last time she did not have a proper grip. She felt as if she was tearing inside whilst she watched her desired path become gradually smaller with each passing moment. After a fierce struggle of willpower between Piccolo and the eagle, Piccolo found that it was quite similar to battling with a wall made of stone. No matter how hard you try to reason with it, the wall will remain firm. It won’t say much in response either. Admitting defeat all too easily, Piccolo decided that she could do nothing save lie in the saddle and relax whilst watching the world go by beneath the wings of the eagle. For now, she would have to be content with simply flying where the wind blew, west or otherwise.

[Piccolo]

They had been drifting north for a little over half an hour when Piccolo felt a sudden jolt in her stomach. The world was no longer passing by at a leisurely pace far down below. Instead, the ground was coming very much closer at an awfully rapid speed. It was incredibly lucky that Piccolo had still kept a firm grip on the saddle handholds; otherwise she would have certainly been abandoned to fall to the ground on her own. Her experience previously with the eagle had frightened her into keeping her grip, and for this she was exceedingly grateful. It was amazing how negative experiences could result in something positive. In this case, it was Piccolo’s life. “But it was not for much good, because I will not live for much longer,” Piccolo thought, struggling to maintain her grip. The wind was no longer an exciting rush as it passed her by. It was now slamming into her body like a hurricane as the eagle plummeted towards the ground. She was being pulled along at a magnificent speed, her tight grip being the only thing keeping her from being snatched away by the gale the encompassed her. The eagle had to be dead. It must have had a heart attack in the sky and now gravity was pulling it towards the ground. Or maybe it had suddenly fallen into a very deep sleep mid-flight. Possibly, the mountains had already driven the eagle to the brink of sanity and beyond, therefore causing it to become suicidal. Piccolo was falling to her doom in any case. Would it hurt when she hit the ground? Surely she would not be able to recompose herself after such a fall; her nexus would be crushed like a bug under a human’s boot. It was all her fault! Her stupidity would get her killed before she even so much as began her journey! But she would not close her eyes. Not this time. If she was to face death, she may as well look it dead the eye and dare it to take a hold of her. If this was her time, then so be it. So close. So close. The ground was rising up towards her so quickly. She only had a few more seconds left to live before her tiny Pycon body would be a blob of clay meshed with the grass below. There may even be a slight chance of the eagle’s body breaking her fall, but she highly doubted it. Piccolo was squinting at the ground now, almost willing it to come no closer. Using the power of her mentality, Piccolo forced her will at the earth rising up below her. Much to her amazement, the eagle began to slow. For a split second, Piccolo wondered if she had secretly been blessed with the power of telekinesis, and her willpower had prevented her from falling to the ground. But it was then that she saw the hare. Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. Of course. Of course! Her own stupidity, once again, astounded her. Why didn’t she consider that before? The eagle’s wings were spread wide now and although she couldn’t see below its body, she could picture its great talons outstretched as they rushed towards the small creature in the grass. The hare had abruptly sensed the danger that it was facing, and took off swiftly in great bounds. But it was too late for the unfortunate creature because the eagle was swifter. The deadly talons that Piccolo had been eying earlier that day, grasped the mountain hare, slashing it fatally multiple times. The eagle dug into the creature with its hooked beak which looked as if it were specifically designed for the task. Piccolo watched horrified as the eagle ripped through the hare, consuming fur and meat alike. But this was the way of nature. She had to accept that. The eagle was a hunter, and it had to eat. She was a Pycon, yet she also had to eat. Pycons were to clay as eagles were to meat. But Piccolo could not help but squeeze her eyes closed once more to save herself from seeing the hare ripped into pieces. Still clinging with all her might to the back of the eagle, Piccolo let out a sob of both relief that she still lived, and sorrow for hare and the horrible feats many creatures had to perform to survive.

[Piccolo]

Piccolo could still hear the sounds of the eagle having its meal. It was very uncomfortable for her to still be sitting in the saddle through all of this, but she was afraid that if she let go, she would not have to willpower to climb back on. She was shaking now, from both exhaustion and the turmoil of emotions that were spinning inside her head. Slowly, ever so slowly, Piccolo loosened her grip on the leather handholds. Her feet had already managed to come loose at some point during her plight, so Piccolo slid to the ground with no resistance. She landed on her side, lying on the ground for a moment before forcing her limbs to drag her away from the feasting eagle. Piccolo crawled on all fours like an animal towards a rock that was imbedded in the grass. Feeling the cold stone beneath her fingertips, Piccolo slumped to the ground with her back resting against the rock. She gazed at the ground, not having the strength to look at what was left of the hare. Piccolo had cared for a hare once. It had twisted its leg somehow, most likely from bounding from place to place at such rapid speeds. A couple of Pycon had found it at the base of one of the mountains that surrounded her pyve. Piccolo’s mother, being the Pycon with the most skill in caring for animals, was the one who nursed it back to health. Piccolo had always loved to watch her mother when she used her healing skills, and had developed quite a knack for it herself. She was shown the technique used to bandage the hare’s leg, and which herbs to use to dull the pain. She had watched the creature leave as it hopped to freedom when it was fully recovered. Piccolo was brought out of her reminiscing when she sensed a shadow falling over the stone that she was resting on. Lifting her head, Piccolo noticed the eagle was standing directly in front of her, gazing at her with its dark eyes once more. Much to her distaste, Piccolo could see that it had a piece hare meat still in its mouth. Disgusted by the sight, Piccolo moved her head to the side to look at something that was alive rather than dead. She was only faced by more grass in which she could hardly see over the top of. Still, Piccolo refused to watch the eagle have its meal. But the eagle’s shadow was still there, looming over her with a presence that could parallel the mountain’s. After a short time, Piccolo could not stand the tension anymore. She stood up angrily and yelled, “What! What do you want? Haven’t you put me through enough already! I am miles from where I need to go and you just ripped apart that poor creature right in front of my very eyes!” Piccolo let out another sob and crumpled to the ground once more. The eagle was still staring at her with its bottomless, dark eyes, watching her as she fell apart inside. Slowly, it laid the small piece of meat down in front of Piccolo and took a step back. Piccolo, who was glaring at the ground, cautiously moved her eyes forward. The eagle, noticing her hesitation, pushed the piece of meat closer to her with its beak, cocking its head as if trying to tell her something. Piccolo’s anger surged for a moment when she realised that the eagle intended for her to eat the very animal that it had mauled before her very eyes. But after a few moments, Piccolo’s anger began to slip away as she realised that the eagle did not mean any disrespect. In fact, it seemed that the eagle was trying to offer her a portion of its meal. Piccolo instantly felt the remorse from her previous outburst, even though the eagle obviously would not have understood her words. A smile formed on her lips, replacing her unpleasant frown that she only used when there was nobody around to judge her anger. Piccolo stood up and gazed up at the eagle, supporting herself on the rock. With little regard for her own safety, Piccolo stepped around the meat and approached the great bird. Once she was directly in front of the creature, Piccolo sat down cross legged and gazed up into its eyes. After a few moments she purposefully removed her backpack and brought out a small lump of clay in her hands. Making sure that the eagle had its full attention on her, Piccolo brought the clay to her mouth and ate it. The familiar taste filled her mouth, reminding her that she needed to eat more clay than usual to heal the imprints in her hands and the groove along her back. But for now, her purpose for eating was not entirely for health reasons. Piccolo was demonstrating to the eagle what her food source was. She didn’t need to share the eagle’s hunt because she already had all the nourishment she needed in her pack. Pycons were to clay as eagles were to meat. The eagle seemed quite confused as to why she didn’t accept its offering. But after some moments of staring at Piccolo blankly whilst she ate the strange substance that had tasted so terrible, the eagle maneuverer around her and snatched the chunk of meat in its mouth, swallowing it whole. The eagle stood there for a time in the afternoon sun, almost as if it was waiting for her command. Piccolo was a little dumbstruck. What would she do now? Where could she go? She didn’t know how to tell the eagle to do anything. It seemed to have at least realised that she did not wish to eat the meat. It had also eaten quite a fulfilling meal, so Piccolo prayed that it would not have to hunt again soon. But that still didn’t solve the question of what she would do next. She had the option to walk on foot through the mountains for the rest of the day and hope to find a decent place to spend the night. Or she could ride the eagle for the remainder of the afternoon and find a decent place up in the mountains to sleep. Although the previous option was tempting, Piccolo knew that night would fall long before she found her way to shelter. That was the reason the eagles enjoyed hunting in places like these. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The eagles could catch their prey in the open just as easily as they could breathe. That only left Piccolo with the option to ride eagle once again. Surely it couldn’t be as difficult the second time? Plus, she would make certain not to fall asleep again in the saddle. Piccolo would only make that kind of mistake once before learning her lesson. Turning her body to face the bird, Piccolo spoke to gain its attention, “Eagle. I need to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Would you give me the pleasure of flying with you for a second time?”

[Piccolo]

The eagle stared at her for a time, trying to figure out if she was telling it something or not. Piccolo was stood mortified as it finally took a step towards her and bent its head down. She thought that maybe clay must taste quite fascinating to the eagle after all when it snatched her up in its beak and raised her up off the ground. It was angry at her for refusing its offering. That had to be it. She should have just imitated eating a portion of the meat that it had so graciously presented to her. Now her punishment would involve being treated like meat herself! Her thoughts instantly fell short as she felt herself being swung through the air. The eagle’s beak was no longer enclosed around her body, she had been flung backwards. Now she was really in for it. It would get rid of her once and for all, flying away whilst leaving her lost in the mountains. Flailing blindly, Piccolo was surprised when she made contact with something other than mere air. Piccolo had landed sideways in the leather saddle that was attached to the eagle’s back. She lay there for a short moment to recover from her dizziness before she realised what the eagle intended to do. Hastily, Piccolo scrambled forward to grab onto the handholds and jam her feet in the footholds. Once she was secure, she barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before she felt the weightless sensation of the ground disappearing beneath her once more. The eagle, being so large in size, did not take off from the ground with as much ease and grace as a smaller bird would. It was built for riding the powerful wind currents, not darting around charmingly in the air. However, the eagle was still gaining altitude, riding the currents up into the atmosphere. The journey was much more exciting this time around because Piccolo knew that she was quite safe in the saddle, gripping as tightly as possible. She winced as she saw the remainders of the hare, but stared in awe as the mountains became smaller and smaller beneath her. It truly was an amazing sensation, flying that is, when one did not have to constantly worry about falling to their doom. Piccolo was astounded by the beauty of the scene around her. The sky was being painted with a glowing orange and beautiful shade of pink as the sun sunk into the horizon. The shimmering orb of orange washed over the mountainous terrain, dripping pools of light into the valleys that littered the mountains. The few clouds that dotted the sky looked as if they had been dipped in the very substance that the sun was made of. “They almost look good enough to eat,” Piccolo chuckled to herself, wondering what clouds would taste like. The eagle also seemed to sense the falling of the sun, and adjusted its course accordingly towards a nearby mountain. Being a daytime creature, it slept at night and hunted by day. Piccolo assumed that if it were a wild eagle, it would have a nest of its own to return to each night and not have to find shelter in the side of a mountain as it did now. The world was a silhouette as the eagle spread its wings wide, landing softly in a small gap that was hardly visible on the side of the mountain. It was almost like a cave, but much smaller. The uneven rocky formation of the mountain had caused a hole of some nature to form in the mountain, which provided adequate protection on each side with the exception of the front entrance. Piccolo slipped her feet out of the footholds and cautiously slid off the eagle’s back, making sure to land safely inside the gap. The final rays of the setting sun lingered in the miniature cave for a final moment before disappearing for another night beneath the horizon. As Piccolo studied her surroundings, she noticed a thin patch of moss grew on the grey stone. Thinking that this would provide a very comfortable bed, Piccolo sat down on this with her back resting against the rock wall on the left side of the cave. Much to her disappointment, the moss was actually quite thin and provided nothing more than another thin layer between her and the stone beneath her. The eagle made itself at home on the opposite side which, much to Piccolo’s envy, had a thick nest of wiry grass. “So this is what life is like in the wild,” Piccolo murmured to nobody in particular as she gazed outside at the newly born dusk. Feeling the ground with her hands, Piccolo slid her head down to the softest patch of moss she could find and curled her legs up close to her chest. “It’s not so bad,” a faint smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes. Within moments, she was fast asleep.

[Legion]

Thread Award Piccolo Skills Animal Husbandry OR Falconry – 4 Climbing – 2 Riding (Eagle) – 5 Wilderness Suvival – 1 Lores Adventuring How to Mount an Eagle Landscape of the Unforgiving Comment I personally think that the applicable skill is Falconry, but I see that you have Animal Husbandry on your CS. As that also fits, I have left you the choice of which of these two skills to apply 4 points to. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. You have a great grasp of comedic timing and a good handle on transition. I am not typically a fan of training threads, but I’ll read yours any day. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding your thread award. You noted that you are a new player and I will be glad to help you out in any other regard as well. Keep writing!