Alone...

[Sira]

Alone... Timestamp: 30th of Fall, 512 AV It was cold, and Sira was alone. The only light was the twinkling of the stars, so much closer than they were down on the world below. Sira was not only staring out into space, she was in space herself, and as awe inspiring as that might seem Sira felt only fear and loneliness. Stranded on a strange magical disk high above the world, Sira had never felt more alone. Aidara and Natalie were far, far away, and Sira would never see them again. She would die alone, and her body would float away and become one of the stars. But she wasn’t alone. Another was near, and it was watching her. It wanted her. It was angry with her, and it wanted revenge. Suddenly the ground beneath her began to tremor, knocking her off her feet. As Sira struggled to get back up she saw the massive tentacle slam into the invisible force field that surrounded the disk, the only thing that was keeping the air in and the ice cold nothing of space out. ”Stop! Why are you doing this!? What do you want?” There was no response and the tentacle slammed into the shield again, this time causing thousands of tiny cracks to spread across its surface. Sira could hear the air whisking out, and it wouldn’t be long before there was nothing left for her to breathe. Suddenly she noticed the ooze, dark, dark red to the point that it was almost black, and it was all around her. Coming for her. The tentacle slammed into the barrier again and this time broke a massive hole in it. Gallons of the ooze poured in through the hole, flooding the ground around her, and the dry space that Sira was standing on quickly shrank until she had nowhere left to run. The ooze pooled around her ankles and quickly rose to her knees. It was cold and slimy, and it continued to rise, reaching her waist, then her neck, and she had to crane her head back just to breath. But the ooze kept rising, until it covered Sira’s face and she could no longer see anything but the dark, dark red. ”Aaaahhhhh!” Sira awoke with a scream, sitting up suddenly in her bed. Her bare chest heaved as she gasped for breath, and it took her a few chimes to realize that it was all just a dream. Sira’s hands went to her face, running her fingers over it from top to bottom, but there was no ooze to be found. Her body was clean too, and nothing was on her save for the sheets that covered her. Sira’s pounding heart began to slow, and her breathing soon turned regular. ”..just a dream,” she whispered, looking around the room and noting without surprise that Addy was not there to comfort her. The healer had been spending more and more time away from the aerie and likely had no idea what Sira was going through. Ever since the incident at the Inclement Weather, Sira had been having more and more difficulty sleeping. Aidara didn’t take it well either, and though she tried to comfort Sira, the kelvic could tell she looked at her differently now. It hurt Sira deeply, but there was nothing she could do about it. Sira knew how to deal with emotional pain in only one way, and that was to bottle it up and hide it. Idly, her hand went to her neck, rubbing the spot where the collar usually was. Luckily Aidara did not force her to sleep in it, though if Sira wanted to go out into the city she would have to put it back on. She didn’t need the healer to lock it, it locked itself when it snapped into place, but she did need her to take it off. Sira had no intentions of going into the city though, she wanted to get away. Wherever Addy was, Sira didn’t want to find out, and wanted to be gone before the healer returned.. if she returned at all that night. Sira didn’t want to face her. The kelvic got out of bed, gathering up her clothes and gear, but not putting any of it on. On her way out she stopped to glance in at Natalie, smiling as she saw the little one sleeping. The girl was growing up so fast, just like Sira had, but unlike Sira she wasn’t being forced to lose her childlike innocence. Sira had been forced to become an adult before she was ready, but Natalie would have no such pressure. She could be a child for as long as she desired. Sira went out into her aerie and stuffed her belongings into her flight bag. It was how she carried her gear when she wasn’t saddled, just a simple large sack that Sira could easily grip with her talons as she flew along. She didn’t really have a plan, or a destination in mind, she just wanted to fly. She only brought her clothes because it was starting to get cold out, and if she shifted back to human form, she would need them for warmth. The weapons were for protection, obviously, because there were many dangers out in the unforgiving and Sira would be vulnerable in her human form without them.

[Sira]

Sira took to the skies, spreading her wings wide and soaring on the warm currents of air that drifted up from the numerous volcanic vents that dotted the mountain. She had always loved flying, and it was one of the things that she and Aidara used to share together. There was something about being up in the air that made you feel completely free, as if there wasn’t a care in the world. None of her problems could touch her when she was up in the sky, and she could go anywhere she wanted. That’s how it used to be, anyway, but now her troubles soared with her, and drove Sira further and further away from the mountain that she called home. Nobody knew where she had gone, and Sira didn’t even know where she was going. She just flew, and didn’t stop until her belly started to rumble.

Sira quickly searched for a place to land. With her keen eyes she was easily able to make out the shape of the country side, and it didn’t take her long to find such a place. She wasn’t intending to hunt from the ground, but she needed somewhere to stash her gear. It was hard to capture prey and carry a bag at the same time, and after she left her equipment next to a rotting tree in a small clearing that would be easy to spot from the sky, Sira let the winds carry her back up and set about searching for breakfast.

In the unforgiving there were many things that she could eat, but unfortunately most of them were smaller things. Normally the wind eagles subsisted on tuna and other sea creatures from the bay, but they did occasionally snack on a mountain goat or deer. Unfortunately, there were a reason those things were just snacks. Tuna were easy to find, and easy to catch, and they were very filling. Deer and goats were not nearly as numerous, were harder to catch, and not nearly as filling. They could hide in caves, or under the tree canopy, making it difficult for a large bird like a wind eagle to get to them. Usually the best tactic when hunting for such prey was to seek open areas, either large clearings, or along streams, or patches of the mountains that was more rock than foliage but that wasn’t so rocky that the goats could hide between or beneath them. Such perfect areas were far and few between, but Sira had been hunting in the region since the moment she could fly, and she knew how to find them.

As Sira hunted she spotted a small mountain stream trickling down the side of the mountain. It was the type of place animals sought out when they were thirsty. She found another place later on, an open field, perfect for sunning and grazing. There were several other places scattered throughout the particular area of the Unforgiving that she was in, and after a while Sira adopted a flight pattern, circling from one such spot to the next, waiting for something to come out into the open. She saw several smaller creatures, rabbits and things of that sort, but it took nearly a bell of circling before finally she spotted a deer creeping out of the forest to one of the streams she was watching.

Sira quickly altered her flight bath, banking hard in the direction of the deer and closing the distance between them. In a glide an eagle could travel extremely fast, and it only took a few moments before she was close enough to go into a dive, accelerating her speed even more. The wind whipped over her aerodynamic body as she rocketed down toward the unsuspecting deer. The animal didn’t notice her, its head was bent to the water and it was sipping at the cool liquid as it rushed by and on down the mountain. It didn’t notice her, but something else did.

Sira was moments away from having her meal when out of nowhere a pack of wolves appeared from the trees and charged forward, taking the deer and the wind eagle completely by surprise. Sira quickly veered out of her dive and away from the attack as the wolves torn the deer apart, her deer. Her breakfast.

Sira wasn’t particularly fond of wolf, but they had just taken her meal for her and she didn’t feel like waiting for another to show up. The wolves hadn’t noticed her, either, and Sira could probably catch more than one of them before the fled back into the trees if she was lucky. The eagle quickly readjusted her flight path, gained some altitude, and then went back into a steep dive heading for one of the wolves near the back of the pack. The canine didn’t notice her coming until the last second, it’s keen ears picking up its impending doom moments before Sira’s talons reached out and snatched it from the ground. The wolf gave out a yelp, drawing the attention of the others, before Sira’s talons tore out its throat.

The other wolves turned around when they heard the cry of their pack mate, but when they saw what was attacking it, they all let out startled yelps and began to run for the trees. Sira let go of her kill, knowing she could come back for it later, and beat her wings in hard pursuit after the fleeing pack. She wasn’t able to catch up to them before they disappeared into the trees, but after a moment Sira realized that it didn’t matter. She now had the dead wolf, and what was left of the deer, to fill her belly. It would be enough to satisfy her for a while. Turning back to her kill, Sira grabbed the wolf in one talon and what was left of the deer in the other, and then took off in search of a different place to eat. She could have eaten there, but if the wolves came back she didn’t want to be caught distracted.

[Sira]

Sira flew up into the mountains where she knew she would be safe, picking out a ledge that was large enough for her to comfortably land on and eat her feast. Technically, she probably should have saved some of it and brought it back to Wind Reach, but Sira wasn’t feeling like an endal that day. And she was hungry, so she decided that the meat would be hers. Maybe later she would capture something to bring back, but at that moment all she wanted to keep the kills for herself.

The wind eagle dropped the two corpses as she landed, each hitting the hard ground with a thud and skidding a few feet before coming to a stop. Sira scanned her immediate surroundings, keen eyes searching for any threats or other things she might need to take notice of, and when she was satisfied that nothing save for maybe another wind eagle could bother her as high up as she was, she turned back to her meal. Most nights Sira would enjoy cooked meals with her family in the aerie, or down in the kitchens, but nothing could quite top the flavor of raw meat still warm after a fresh kill. Sira’s beak dug down into the wolf’s hide and she ripped out the first chunk of flesh, savoring the delicious flavor of blood and meat. Wolves weren’t her favorite food by far but they were still good and she was saving the best, the deer, for last.

Eating was a bloody and messy process in her wind eagle form, but Sira took care to keep herself relatively clean. The less preening she would have to do after her meal, the better. Sira wasn’t as much of a clean freak as her lover Aidara was, but she still didn’t like to get her feathers dirty. Her skin was one thing, but she hated to get blood on her feathers. Unfortunately, as she tore the wolf apart, swallowing piece after delectable piece, she couldn’t help but splash some blood onto her feathers, and of course her talons and beak would need a good cleaning as well. Sira would have to bathe after this, but she didn’t mind. And for her, cleaning was much easier than a normal wind eagle. She could simply shift into her human form, and blood washed off skin much easier than it did feathers. The water would be cold, but Sira didn’t mind a little cold now and then.

When she moved on to the deer she took her time, eating is much slower than she had the wolf. Each savory chunk of venison she pulled off she took time to enjoy the flavor of it as it slid over her tongue and down her throat. It was rare that she ate deer, actually. Her diet mostly consisted of tuna. Actually the wolf was a rare treat too, but it wasn’t as good as the deer. If nothing else went well that day, Sira was glad that she at least got to enjoy the deer. When she was finally done she took a few minutes to pick at the bones, making sure she didn’t miss any sizeable chunks, before she finally spread her wings and took flight once more.

It felt good to fly on a full stomach for a change, and Sira made sure to enjoy it as much as she could, catching thermals and doing playful dives here and there as she floated lazily through the sky. After a while she decided it was time to clean off and slowly made her way back to the stream where she had first found the deer and the wolves. She could still see the patches of blood where she had made her kill, and where the wolves had stolen hers, but she continued on further down the stream just in case the animals decided to come back and investigate the scene. Sira didn’t have her gear with her, it was still tucked safely away in the forest, and she intended to bathe in her human form so she wanted to play it safe. Once she found a suitable spot, the kelvic drifted down and landed next to the shore.

In a silent explosion of colorful smoke and glittering lights Sira shifted from her wind eagle form into her human form. As the smoke dissipated around her Sira rose to her feet and looked around. She couldn’t see anything to threaten her, and the birds were still singing in the trees. They would be the first to know if there was something dangerous about, and Sira would hear it in their songs. She was safe to bathe for the time being, though as far out in the Unforgiving as she was, she would pay close attentions to her surroundings so as not to be caught off guard. The kelvic had had enough close calls in the wilderness to know better than to let her guard down.

The water was cold and goose pimples covered her skin the moment she stepped in, but Sira was of Wind Reach and she was used to the cold. It wasn’t long before she was able to get used to it, and soon enough she was ready to immerse herself fully and begin cleaning off. The flowing water made it easier, and she was able to use the current to clean the dirt out of her hair and off her skin without it pooling around her. After she was nice and clean the kelvic began to play, splashing about and letting the current carry her away before swimming against it and returning to her original spot. It was all very therapeutic, the bath, the hunting, the flight. Sira felt so boxed in when she was in the city sometimes, especially with the collar, and even though she wouldn’t have shifted inside the city anyway the collar just felt like a prison. Sira was glad to be free of it for a while, and free of her responsibilities, her nightmares, and her problems with Aidara. She wished she could just simply lay back and let the stream carry her away.

[Sira]

Sadly she could not just float away. Sira did have responsibilities. She was an Endal and had a city to provide for. She was a mother and had a daughter to care for. And despite how much they seemed to be drifting apart lately, Sira would never leave Aidara. That wasn’t even a thought she was willing to consider. Even if the healer stopped loving her, Sira would never leave her. What Sira never considered, however, was that maybe it was she who was drifting away, and not Addy.

Many things had changed for Sira. The failure with Ivak struck a blow to the pride of every wind eagle on the mountain, even if things seemed to be working out okay in the end. Ivak was not the monster they thought he was, but even so, their failure had cost many lives all across the world. That alone weighed heavily on the wind eagle. Then coupled with what she had done in the Inclement Weather, her nightmares, and the discord between herself and her bondmate.. things were hard on Sira. She was a strong woman, but there was only so much she could take, and the harsh reality of her world was finally getting to her.

After a while the cold of the water got to the point where she was shivering more than enjoying herself and Sira decided to get out. Once she managed to shake off a bit of the water she shifted back to her eagle form, preferring the warmth of her feathers to the biting cold of the fall breeze on her exposed skin. Sira took to the skies once more, deciding it was time to return to her gear and hunt. The day was still young, and if she was lucky she could bring back a good haul for the city. Technically hunting was working, but she loved doing it, and it was better than going home and facing Aidara and the collar. It was a sad day when one would rather spend their off day at work than at home, but such was the situation Sira was in. It didn’t take her long to return to her gear, and she was pleased to find it undisturbed. After she shifted one more time she donned her clothing and gear, strung her bow, and set off into the forest in search of something to kill.

[Sira]

The sun was high in the sky by the time Sira spotted her prey. She had been tracking it for some time. Judging from the prints she assumed that it was a cougar. It was too large to be anything smaller, and cougars were common enough in the mountains and forests of the Unforgiving. Next to bears, they were the most dangerous land predator in the area. Of course they paled in comparison to the lethality of a wind eagle, but on the ground they were a deadly foe. Extremely fast, equipped with razor sharp claws and large teeth that could easily rend a person’s flesh. Of course Sira had to go after it.

Cougar’s weren’t exactly good for eating, though they would still find uses for the meat, but their claws were good for decoration and tools and their pelts were good for clothing. If she had shifted, she could have easily hunted down and killed the large cat, but Sira didn’t want easy. The kelvic was looking for a challenge.

It was about a bell before she had her first glimpse of the large cat that Sira first found the tracks. She had been walking along, paying close attention to the ground around her, in search of deer tracks or game trails when she’d first come across the large print, quite clear in the mud where it had stepped. She recognized it immediately for it was, and assuming it wasn’t some large cat kelvic, she knew it was probably one of the cougars. It wasn’t difficult to follow the trail, really. The cat wasn’t trying to prevent someone from hunting it, it wasn’t used to being hunted, and the ground was moist enough that most of its steps left visible impressions in the ground. At one point she even found some droppings, and from their temperature and consistency she knew she was closing in. She also had the advantage of being upwind of the cat, at least to begin with.

The trail didn’t stay easy forever, though, and after a while they left the soft terrain they had been traveling on and ventured out onto the more solid rocky ground at the base of the mountain. Sira kept a constant watch out for the cat as she moved along, knowing that it could sneak back around and surprise her if it caught sight or scent of her. She continued to follow it for a good while, though it became more of a guessing game than any actual tracking once she lost the advantage of the soft ground. The cat seemed to be traveling in a specific direction, likely heading to a cave or some other shelter that made its home. That helped Sira in following it, and it wasn’t much longer before she got a glimpse of brown fur disappearing over a rise not far away.

Sira dropped low to the ground, creeping forward slowly, taking care with each step. The cat had very good hearing, and she had to make sure not to alert it. As a predator, it might not run in fear like a deer would when it heard a twig snap, but it might draw its attention and Sira didn’t want that. As close as she was, there was a possibility that it might smell her even though she was upwind of it, but there wasn’t anything Sira could do about that. She didn’t have any of the scent masking cream that hunters often used, and she had nothing else on her that would work either. She just had to hope it didn’t notice her.

The kelvic slowly crept up to the rise, quietly pulling an arrow from her quiver as she did so and nocking it to the string of her bow. Sira favored the shortbow, unlike most Inarta who used the much larger longbows. Longbows were great for their power and range, perfect for shooting from high on the back of a wind eagle, but they weren’t nearly as good in close quarters. The shortbow was better for stalking through the trees or caves and taking quick shots at rabbits or deer that dart from out of nowhere all of the sudden. Since Sira was the one usually doing the flying, she had no use for a longbow most of the time, and she had always preferred the smaller weapon. It was still just as deadly, and the loss of range wasn’t that big of an issue when hunting in areas where trees or large rocks often blocked the path of any long range shot.

When Sira came over the rise she quickly spotted the cougar not far away. It had paused to sniff at the bones of some long dead beast, possible even a kill of its own from some time past. Sira had a clear shot, but she had to be cautious. She was too close to the animal, and if she moved to hastily or revealed too much of herself it would almost certainly notice her. Ever so slowly, taking care with every step, Sira positioned herself into the best angle for the shot. Taking calm, even breaths she did her best to keep her heart beat low and steady, and with a slow tensing of her muscles she began to pull back on the string.

[Sira]

Sira’s breathing was slow and even as she pulled back the string. The muscles in her arms, shoulders and back all tightened in practiced unison as she drew back into proper form. As she pulled she aligned her shot, instinctually pointing the arrow where it needed to go. When her index finger reached its anchor point, touching the edge of her lip, she let go. Her finger unfurled and her hand continued to move back in one smooth motion, a technique designed to prevent from turning the string and loosening the muscles in her arm until the arrow was clear of the bow. She held that pose until the shot hit its target, the arrow thudding into the cougar and easily penetrating its flesh.

It wasn’t a perfect shot. Variations in the wind and minor errors in her form never guaranteed a perfect shot, and instead of killing the animal in a single blow Sira’s arrow caught it in the shoulder. The large cat let out a pained snarl as it turned to Sira, who had already discarded her bow and was drawing her sword. The cat eyed its opponent for only a tick or two, before it turned and ran away. It couldn’t move fast with the arrow in its shoulder, causing it to limp every time pressure was put onto that leg, but it still tried to escape. Sira knew if she let it go it would die eventually, but it was going to be a slow and painful death. The endal set off in pursuit of the cat, her sharp blade flashing in the sunlight. If she could catch it and finish it off, it would be a mercy to the beast.

The large cat, despite its injury, was still very fast and Sira had to run full out just to keep up with it. It also had the advantage of being able to easily scale the terrain, where Sira’s human feet would often stumble and lose their footing. Eventually, though, she began to gain on it. It was losing blood, and after a while it became too sluggish to flee anymore. By the time Sira had caught up to the cougar it had collapsed onto its side, still breathing, but in obvious pain. Sira frowned, unhappy at herself that it had been such a bad shot. She quickly approached the animal, whispering a quick thanks to Caihya as many hunters did, and then slit its throat with the sharp end of her sword. The cat was dead within seconds.

Sira pulled the arrow out of its shoulder, glad and a bit surprised that it had not broken off, then wiped it clean and replaced it in her quiver. After that she cleaned her sword and returned that to its sheath as well. Sira didn’t need to clean the animal, there were dek and chiet who would take care of that when she brought it to Thunder Bay. She didn’t want to leave it lying there, either, and though she wasn’t ready to head back into the city, she didn’t really have any of her bags for hunting either. In the end, Sira decided she would have to just carry it back.

Taking her time, she removed her clothing and gear once more, stuffing it all into her bag. Sira shivered as the wind blew over her exposed flesh, but she wouldn’t have to worry about the cold in a few moments. She then used some spare rope to tie the cougar’s limbs to its body so they wouldn’t flop around mid flight, then drug it out into the open where she could easily get to it in her larger wind eagle form. After everything was set up, the cougar and her belongings side by side so that she could grab one in each talon Sira shifted and took off into the sky.

[Sira]

Carrying the cougar back to Thunder Bay was not at all difficult for Sira. She was capable of carrying far heavier things, like sea lions or even orca, though whales she could only carry short distances comparatively. Soon enough the settlement came into view, and Sira circled once waiting for a spot to clear before swooping in and landing, dropping the cougar in front of her. Having spotted her coming down, her favorite chiet Marik rushed over to receive her, waving happily at the eagle as she came in.

”Working on your day off, Sira?”

Yeah.. I didn’t feel like being at home, Sira’s voice sounded in the chiet’s mind. Anyway, I have a cougar for you. He was a tough one to hunt down, but I figure the fur will make a good cloak or something. And we can always use the extra meat. Plus, one less hunter to take our food, right?”

Cougars and things of that nature were not often brought in for processing, but Sira was right. Meat was meat, and the pelt could be used for clothing or other purposes. The chiet walked over to the cougar and dragged it over to his wagon, hauling it on board before turning back to the wind eagle. Sira was one of the few who actually spoke to him. Most of the wind eagles and their endal were indifferent, but both Sira and her rider were always very friendly to him. He, like most Inarta, wished to one day become an Endal and he hoped that when he did, he would get to work with the two women often.

Sira regarded the man as a good worker, but more importantly, as one who knew how she liked things done. Most of the other chiet who worked at the Processing Center were all business. They didn’t say hello, they didn’t say thank you, and they certainly didn’t try to strike up a conversation. They just accepted whatever was brought to them in silence and went about their business. Sira liked Marik because he was different, talkative, and still just as hard of a worker as any of the other workers there. There was no reason they couldn’t do their job and be sociable. Maybe if they did, the wind eagles would choose them. Their job gave them the perfect opportunity to befriend the birds, after all, since even unbounded wind eagles still brought in food for the city.

”You going out for more,” Marik asked, interrupting her thoughts, ”Or you done for the day?”

Sira considered the question. It was barely a bell or two past mid day, she wasn’t quite ready to go home yet. Though it was her off day and she had already done more work than most Endal would have done on their day off, Sira did toy with the idea of going back out to try to catch something else. Maybe something even more exciting than a cougar. A bear, or she could even try to track down where that Zith that attacked Aidara and Aela was hiding.

Thinking of Aela reminded her of something else she should be looking for. She still wasn’t entirely certain if it was true, what they said about the Avora. She found it difficult to believe that the kind and caring girl she had met in the Inclement Weather, the one who was willing to stand up for a complete stranger and defend her, could be the person they said she was. Sira could hardly believe that she had killed a wind eagle and stolen her egg.. but the wind eagle was dead, and the egg was gone, and she didn’t see any reason why Hof would lie about it. She didn’t know him well, but she knew him enough to know he wasn’t a liar. Not about something like that. But still.. Sira wasn’t sure, and neither was Aidara. Every day they searched, after their duties were done, but still they hadn’t found the girl. Sira wasn’t even certain if she was still alive, but perhaps her day off should be spent looking, instead of playing around chasing cougars? Letting out a mental sigh, Sira made eye contact with Marik.

No, I’m not done for the day.

[Sira]

Sira wasn’t sure where Aela might be hiding. There were lots of places to hide in the unforgiving. The mountains were dotted with numerous caves and other places of recluse, and in some sections the forest canopy was so thick that it was unlikely even a wind eagle could spot a lone Inarta hiding beneath them. Sira and Aidara had been searching for Aela almost every single day since the incident, but they had not found even a single clue as to the elusive avora’s whereabouts. Sira wasn’t even certain if she was still alive, though if Aela was dead, it likely meant the egg that was with her was dead as well, and Sira truly hoped that was not the case. It was bad enough that a mother eagle had been lost, but to lose an egg as well would be truly devastating.

Sira honestly had no idea what she would do if she actually found Aela and it turned out that she had indeed murdered the wind eagle and stolen her egg. The thought of it was just so.. so impossible to conceive of. Sira just could not see any Inarta doing such a thing, much less Aela whom she knew to be a kind and caring woman. Certainly she didn’t seem to be the type that would kill a mother eagle and steal its chick, but someone had, and all the blame was pointed at Aela. Had she been forced? Were there other forces at play that Sira just did not understand? Did it even matter? If Aela had the egg, Sira knew what she would have to do, and without Addy there to stop her, Sira doubted Aela would survive a counter alone with the wind eagle if the accusations turned out to be tree. Sira hoped that they were not, but if they were, she had a duty to do and revenge to be had.

Even so, the likelihood of actually finding the woman was slim to none. Sira was really only going out to look for her because she wasn’t yet ready to return home. There were so many places that Aela could be, it was highly unlikely that a lone eagle had any chance of finding her. Really, Sira was just going to pick a random cave or two and check them out. If they turned out to be empty, she would move on to the next one. If they were inhabited, by Aela or anything else, Sira would deal with whatever she encountered and again, move on to the next one. If all else failed, she might find some more game to bring back to the city before Syna left the sky.

The thermals were plentiful that day, and flying was nice and relaxing despite the nature of the impossible task before her. Sira found herself enjoying the comforting feeling of the warm currents more so than she was actually looking for Aela. It was like floating in a warm bath, or cuddling up next to Aidara on a cold night beneath the sheets. The thermals had been more and more plentiful since Ivak’s release and the rousing of the volcano. There had always been warm air pockets above the volcanic vents, but since the god had been set free there were more and more and they lasted longer than before. Sira realized this was probably due to the lavaks, a monster she had battled beneath the mountain herself. From what she later read after that event, the job of the lavak was to release volcanic pressure beneath the ground. Sira assumed that must be what was happening, since there were now more vents than ever before. She supposed it was a good think, as too much pressure could result in an eruption, and Wind Reach wasn’t prepared for an event such as that. Not yet, anyway, not with winter on the way.

After a while Sira did spot a cave that looked promising. The eagle circled the area a few times as she lazily began her descent, making sure there wasn’t anything overtly dangerous around, or any obvious signs that there was an Inarta holed up in the cave. She didn’t see anything suspicious, so after a few rounds, Sira finished her descent and touched down on the ground, hopping a few times to regain her balance as she dropped her bag of supplies on the ground beneath her. When she shifted, she didn’t bother to get dressed, instead grabbing her bow and quiver and slinging them over her shoulder then pulling her sword from its sheath and heading inside the cave. She didn’t want to be caught in a situation where she had to shift quickly and was unable to because she was fully geared, but she also didn’t want to be caught unarmed.

Sira didn’t need a torch as she entered the cave, her battle with the lavak had forever remedied that problem. Sira’s hand provided enough light for her to see, though only just barely, and if she needed to she was able to will it to become brighter for a few chimes. She didn’t want to use that ability just yet though, since she wasn’t certain how long or how often she could use her ability, but the small amount of light it did provide was enough for Sira’s keen eyes to pick out any major obstacles in her path.

Sira didn’t have to go far into the cave before it turned and went deeper into the mountain. Beyond the mouth it was darker, and she had to strain her eyes more to see, but still Sira did not summon her goddess given light. She wanted to rely on the residual glow of her hand for as long as she could, and save the bright light for when she needed it the most. If she encountered something truly dangerous, it could help to protect her if need be. She knew that her light wasn’t as powerful as that which she had wielded in the battle, but as she understood it, her light would still frighten off or at the very least bring pause to anything that tried to hurt her. And if it was just an animal, the light would probably frighten it simply because it was a light where it did not belong.

Sira’s trek into the cave, however, was disappointingly uneventful. The cave ended a few yards after the first turn, and aside from a few bones and other animal remains that told her perhaps a bear or some other creature had once made the place it’s lair, there was little else of interest for Sira to find. Not that she had expected to find much of anything, but it would have been nice. Letting out a small sigh, Sira turned and made her way back to the mouth of the cave. All in all she had wasted a good bell scouting out the area, only fifteen chimes of which were her actually exploring the cave itself. The kelvic figured that she had at least another bell before she should probably begin making her way back to the city, unless she wanted to camp in the unforgiving for the night. It wasn’t that she didn’t know her way back in the dark, but flying in the mountains at night was dangerous. Not only could one crash into an unexpected peak, but there were night time predators that in large numbers could be a danger even to a large creature like a wind eagle. Sira still recalled the lone Zith that had attacked Aidara and Aela not too long ago, and she knew better than to think it was the only one. Zith were like seagulls. If there was one around, there were a thousand, and Sira had no desire to battle a flock of Zith in the dark. Better to battle the lavak than that. With a final sigh, Sira stuffed her gear back into her bag, and then took to the skies once more. Not long after that, she was home.

~End

[Phoenix]

Sira

Award

Skill	XP Earned
Hunting	5
Acrobatics	4
Tracking	5
Observation	5
Weapon (Bow)	2
Weapon (Talon Sword)	3

•	Lores Earned
•	The Tentacle nightmares continue
•	Aidara has become distant
•	Hunting: Taking what you can get
•	Hunger encourages Greed
•	The benefits of bathing as a Kelvic
•	The weight of Responsibility
•	Hunting: Cougars aren’t good for eating
•	Friends at the Processing Center
•	Still searching for Aela
•	Putting Priskil’s favor to good use

The Order of the Phoenix

Awwww this thread made me kind of sad! It was nice to see a day in the life of Sira, even if it was for a somewhat depressing reason Addy is so mean

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.