Diving Deep [Phoenix]

by **Coralie** on June 2nd, 2013, 1:27 am

Coralie had gone through her morning routine of waking up, washing her face with water alone, a long, silent breakfast filled with her day's plans, and then the whole walking process to take her there. She had waved at her acquaintances, said "Hello, how is your morning?" It was very early, it was just dawn, and not many were out. This, in fact, made her mornings easier as she had to be less social. To anyone who asked, this would be easily admitted with a small pang out guilt. When she ever tried to explain why she disliked socializing, she often came off as arrogant, and immature. So as well as people, she tried to avoid the question.

Her walks to The Suren Cliffs was much more silent than her walks to any other place. This was enjoyable, and she was happy for the extra alone-time to think. Her mind swept across subjects such as cooking, Endals, Wind Eagles, BlackSmithing, people and their opinions, herself, and philosophical thoughts which usually crept into her mind numerous times a day.

To think about cooking and blacksmithing was second nature. Her mother cooked and baked so well, and it was all Coralie could do not to throw away her pots and pans in her frustrated attempts to mimic her mother's dishes. Her mother had always said, "You have great potential in the kitchen!", though that was never where Coralie wanted to belong. Nor did she want to belong, even less, along her blacksmith father who tried to teach her in the subject, but much more there than any where else-- her attention span failed her. Always, her mind would wander off to things such as Wind Eagles, their riders, how as she grew her chances of riding alongside them grew less and less, and that light grew dimmer and dimmer.

As she approached the cliffs, her mind decided to rest upon the philosophical things. It would seem less stressful to think about these things, yet it was almost more stressful to do so. This is what set her apart from the other Inartans, those who were her potential friends. Probably why, when she had the guts to speak of what she thought as a child, made her seem "weird" and automatically made her want to have nearly nothing to do with anyone else. This she thought about everyday, how maybe if she thought differently, she would lead a less outcast-ish role and possibly a popular lifestyle.

She needed a new daily routine. This was pathetic.

Though Coralie could swim, she hardly ever did. She wasn't a fantastic swimmer, either. Staying afloat, paddling, easy. And that's when she decided to actually jump off of one of the cliffs, this time. Of course that was crazy talk for Coralie. Absolutely crazy.

She stood on a rock about 17 feet high wondering what she was doing. She could jump off of a rock ten feet high... maybe scour for one shorter... But no, she stood there, on an estimated seventeen high rock, and looked down. She took a big, large breath, held it-- and jumped.

When she landed, she was surprised she was even still alive, much more was she surprised she had no sprained ankles and that her head was above water. She tread the water for a while, letting it all sink in. She never actually realized she was going to jump until.. well.. she did. The fear had taken over as soon as her feet had left the comfort of ground, and she wanted to scream but couldn't. She felt much braver than she really was in that moment, and for some reason, she wanted to jump from higher.

It was most unlike her ways, to just keep pushing. This would have been enough for her and she would have talked herself out of it. But this wasn't usually. She had been sick and tired of just doing nothing, just sitting there. Of hiding herself away from doing something dangerous. But even as she climbed higher, she knew that without someone provoking her-- something like this wasn't going to happen again.

by **Phoenix** on June 3rd, 2013, 7:43 pm

Whether Coralie noticed it or not, she had an audience at the Cliffs while she climbed, prepped, and finally managed to work up the nerve to dive. Standing silently on the edge of the lake, the young Dek boy clutched the parchment he had been tasked to deliver to his chest and waited, positioning himself so that when the young woman turned to leave the water, she couldn’t miss him.

“Coralie?” It was more of an affirmation than a question, the roll of parchment handed over once she had climbed out and dried herself off. A wobbly incline of his head and the Dek turned to go, his limp evident as he struggled with every step.

Avora,

Flight Harkoi is scheduled for a hunt this very evening. Headed for one of the Forward Camps, the trip will span multiple days. The problem arises in the fact that two of my Endal, Sedele and Elori, are laid up in the Infirmary. Archery Range accident.

Knowing that you have some skill with a bow, I am asking you to join us on this hunt to help make up for our down-and-out Endal. Please meet in the Courtyard of the Sky tonight at 17th bell.

Pack your survival gear and any food that you can get from the Kitchens. Tell them you are with our Flight and you require the rations for when we make camp.

Endal Haroki.

Now set with her task, Coralie had at least three bells in order to get her gear situated and make it to the meeting place on time.

x

by **Coralie** on June 3rd, 2013, 8:48 pm

Coralie's breath had caught in her throat whenever she'd seen the Dek child just ahead of her a few paces. He'd referred to her as, "Coralie". No it was not wrong, yet it felt strange to her-- to hear it coming off of a stranger's mouth like that so confidently when she'd never seen them before. But apparently, he knew her.

She watched him stumble away. She was about asked him to stay, that she would help him to where he needed to head next-- and she would have, but the boy was gone almost as soon as he'd arrived. Her mouth was left gaping open, and she consciously shut it, her cheeks flushing hot as she realized she must have looked ridiculous. Even though, there was nobody to see her.

She let her eyes wonder down to the parchment in her damp hands. She quickly moved them to the corners, not wanting to smear the words on the paper. After all, she wanted to be able to read it.

Firstly, her eyes skimmed the words. Then they went over it slower and slower, twice, three times. She'd been to the camps before, once, with an Endal Geki. It was a new experience and she doubted that she'd feel any different this time going around.

She realized she needed to get a move-on. Survival gear? What survival gear? She looked over at her bow. That was all she knew of, as survival gear. She carried it with her everywhere for maybe getting a chance to practice. Of course, she always had a chance to practice, yet she always got lost in thought or something else. At that moment, she kind of regretted not practicing more.

She went straight from where she stood with that parchment, to the Communal Kitchens. She passed a Dusk Lop, and she remembered holding one and petting it's big floppy ears. "Lop" was the perfect word for one of the fluffy creatures, and she thought about all of the Fauna on the way. So much she almost went right past the Kitchens. She didn't know how long she'd taken. She had taken her time, so there was never knowing anymore.

She went straight into the kitchen, and Chef Davoid wasn't hard to find. Coralie never loved the presence of the chef, though she respected the woman either way. She went straight up to her, having to gather up all of her courage just to speak without any cracks.

"Chef Davoid? Yeah, I'm Coralie. I got this letter from a little Dek boy earlier this morning, and I need myself some of these rations. I'm going with Endal Haroki's flight. Told me just to tell you I'm with them and require the rations for when they make camp?" she peered back at the paper. "Yeah, yeah. That's it. So. If I could get that, that'd be great." she was becoming more bold in just one day. The whole thought of it seemed to appeal to her-- the thought that she was speaking without feeling out of place. A new form of confidence warmed her belly. Especially from speaking to Chef Davoid without squealing in fear. Yeah, that boosted Coralie's ego five tons, too.

by **Phoenix** on June 8th, 2013, 1:42 am

After her pit-stop at the kitchens and whatever detour she needed to make to retrieve any sort of pack or travelling gear, Coralie would make it to the Courtyard of the Sky. Upon arrival, it was hard to miss the group that was waiting for her there.

Harkoi was a big man, especially when compared to the rest of his race. Thickly built and towering over the five foot mark, the Flightleader didn’t have to say much to be imposing; just a glance in your direction was enough to send some of the less brave scampering in the other direction. Intimidation aside, the man was quick with a smile when he saw Coralie approach.

“Ah, she appears. We are glad that you could make it.” A nod encompassed the remainder of his flight, Ivesi and Lyred standing off to the side with their Wind Eagles, checking and rechecking their saddles and gear while they waited to take off. “We were starting to loose hope! Did you get lost in the Inner Warrens?”

Chuckling to himself, Harkoi fell silent and motioned the young woman to follow him; he headed back towards where his Eagle, Nanas, waited. He was a huge bird with feathers the color of steel, a solid gray along his entire body until the tail feathers, which faded out to a milky white hue. Impressive to to say the least, Nanas was more outspoken than his Endal counterpart, accessing Coralie’s mind before she was even close enough to touch.

You better be ready for the flight, girl. We won’t be stopping because you can’t handle it. This is the real world and the real deal. If you want to know what being an Endal is really like, you’re about to find out. There was a pause as Nanas turned his head to fix one of those plate sized amber eyes on the girl. If we’re going to lug you all the way out there, I expect you to carry your weight and bring in some food. No pressure.

By the look on Harkoi’s face, he had heard the whole speech, the harsh tone of the Wind Eagle echoing in the girls ears long after he finished speaking. A snickering from behind them told Coralie that Ivesi and Lyred had been privy to the conversation as well. Unwilling to defy his Eagle, Harkoi simply took charge.

“We’re going to leave now, if you’re ready, and fly until we reach the camp. That probably won’t be until after sunfall. You will be riding with me. Nanas is the bigger of the group and can easily bear my weight as well as yours.” Nodding to the double seater saddle strapped to Nanas back, Harkoi offered Coralie a hard smile. “Mount up!”

OOC :

x

by **Coralie** on June 9th, 2013, 6:04 pm

When Coralie had approached, it wasn't hard to realize who was in charge-- which was was Harkoi. He was large for an Inarta. His size would have shocked her, had her fantasies about the Endals and their Wind Eagles not included them being invincible. She returned his smile as soon as she saw it. She was giddy and she didn't bother to hide it. Though it was a shy move on her part.

As he teased her, all Coralie managed was a shrug. Her cheeks flushed a light pink. Probably because, she wasn't all that embarrassed from the friendly greeting, though she was. Only a little bit. He came off strong and outgoing, though she didn't even know what that was until the Eagle made it into her head at sight.

She grinned at the Wind Eagle while he spoke to her. It wasn't just the fact that there was a Wind Eagle speaking to her, but the fact that he was so direct. Maybe it was to try to intimidate her, but she couldn't help but just be excited about everything. "I'll do my best, yeah." she told the Wind Eagle. She heard the snickers. She didn't understand why. Maybe it happened to all of them at one point or another. It didn't bother her; she brushed it off.

She let Harkoi get on first, and then pulled herself up and onto the eagle. It wasn't as hard as she'd expected, which made her happy enough to get giddy feelings in her stomach. Especially that they were going to fly. They didn't wait for anything, as it was a quick takeoff. Coralie held on tight to the saddle. They were faster than Coralie had imagined. She kept her mouth closed, and her head low. Her hair whipped around her head, and in that moment it felt like actual whips hitting her repetitively. She should have tied it up before they left. But there was no way she was going to let go just to do that. Imagine it, "How did she die, Harkoi!?" "She must have fallen off whenever she was trying to tie her hair back."

Yeah, no. Coralie watched the ground pass instead, the trees, she watched the water in the distance. It was gorgeous. She let her hand slip off the saddle and rub the Wind Eagle's feathers. Then when she realized she didn't know if he appreciated that or not, she just let her hand out to the side to feel the air as they flew. "This is great," she thought. But that thought seemed a little too loud... when she realized that, she also realized that she'd spoken it. Oh.

She let both hands out to the sides at one point, experimenting with the safeness of the flight and how much she could move. She wouldn't go to far to just hang limp or anything, but she would have fun. The mannerism of the Wind Eagle also brought a new meaning to "caution to the wind", except for the fact that Coralie was not throwing it, in case anyone was wondering. She was holding it close to her heart and not throwing it anywhere.

The flight was shorter than expected. Or maybe she saw it that way because she was actually having a lot of fun. She wondered if this ever just became daily routine to the Endals. She hoped not. She hoped that they always got a thrill out of something like this, 'cos they're special. For a Wind Eagle to pick you out of all of the Inarta.. She couldn't ever imagine not feeling special after that.

When they landed, she was admittedly a bit disappointed. She hadn't spoken the whole time, only savored the flight, in hope that it would make it last longer. She wondered if that only gave the flight a shorter time in her head. She made sure to be happy on the way back.

She looked around the Forward Camps, and though this one was apparently down south more than the rest, it looked like she remembered. She nearly asked if it was the same one, but she had heard that they all looked basically the same. She looked at Harkoi, expectantly. She didn't exactly know what to do. She fingered the bow and arrows in her hands. "So uh, what now?" she felt like she should have stayed quiet, but this all seemed so routine to them that it's not like they would ask, especially not on her behalf so she would know what to do.

by **Phoenix** on June 12th, 2013, 12:42 am

“Is this what the whole flight is going to be like, Harkoi?”
“Are we going to have to hold her hand through it all?”
“We don’t have the time-“
“- Or patience –“
“- For either of those."

Ivesi and Lyred paired off against Coralie’s innocent question as they unloaded their Eagles, the great birds shifting back and forth and eyeing the young girl while she simply stood and watched. Saddle bags plunked down into the dirt with heavy thumping noises, clouds of dust filling the space as the Endal began to sort through their things and set up camp.

“We have to get ready for the evening before we can go out and get hunting.” Harkoi came from around his Eagle, handing Coralie a heavy bag full of clanking pots, pans, and gods know what else. “Bring that over there and find a good place to build a fire. We are going to have to hurry if we want to get any hunting done before dark.”

“At this rate, we won’t have a chance.” Still grumping, Ivesi turned and stalked over to the other side of the clearing with his gear in tow. “I’m going to set up over here.” Lyred glanced between the Endal and Harkoi, before shrugging and moving to join his friend.

Sighing, Harkoi turned back to Nanas and shook his head. “Ignore them. They’re annoyed that another Flight wasn’t put on this hunting duty because some of our number is injured. They feel like they’re being put out.” Grabbing the saddlebags and pulling them out of the way, Harkoi reached up and pulled the giant saddle of Nanas and threw it over a low hanging branch.

With a relieved caw, Nanas puffed up his feathers and shook himself, scratching his talons in the dirt as he strutted around. “Someone is glad to be out of the saddle-“ But there was no time for small talk. The other two Endal returned and glowered at the pair from a distance.

“Lets go, Harkoi. The girl can set up the tents and make a cook fire while we’re gone.” Lyred had his Flightleaders bow in hand, as well as his own, and motioned for him to join them as the walked towards the clearning.

“They’re right. It’s the best plan for now. You set up, and we will be back.”

x

by **Coralie** on June 15th, 2013, 6:46 am

Coralie's eyes narrowed as she listened in to their voices. She decided in that moment she wasn't going to talk unless she was spoken to. Apparently they were just angry at something. Or maybe not. Maybe they just didn't like her.

The nostalgia of being the one child nobody liked started to creep up along her spine, but she quickly rejected the feeling of sadness and misunderstandings. She gritted her teeth and let the sad memories turn into a heated frustration at the fact that she had been so stupid not to just do what she thought it was she could, instead of standing there like a sitting duck and asking stupid questions.

She let the pots and pans and everything that was handed to her, come to her arms as though it was her lifelong dream to move the equipment for the Endal. She brought it to "over there", and almost as if someone had answered a prayer that hadn't been sent, she found a spot that had really no trees hovering close overhead, and was basically a bald spot on the ground. No grass or twigs much in the area, but she decided that that would be okay. She could go find some.

When she heard that she was to set up the tents, she bit the inside of her lip. How the heck was she supposed to do that? She supposed she wouldn't ask. She would be holding them back even more, and then they really wouldn't get anything done. No hunting, more quips... she decided she couldn't handle that.

She smiled, nodded, and then looked at her mission. Oh, she thought. Oh.

She made sure that the whole entire area was clear of anything twig, stick, or rock related, and then searched for the largest sticks. She found a whole lot of fallen branches, and they seemed good. They weren't very long. Probably the length of a large coffee table. She smiled. Getting them over to the right shape was definitely the harder part. They were heavy. She had to drag them, and then she learned she also needed to work on her upper body strength. Then she slapped her head in a facepalm movement, and tied a heavy duty rope up from one tree to another. She had to find good sized planks, which had probably been used in previous tents, and laid those up in the sort of design she thought looked right. She could hardly remember what they should look like.. but she did her best.

She tied and pulled, tightening, sturdy-ing the tent. Backing up, she raised her eyebrow in a sort of.. eh, droned out, way. In a sort of, "iffy, but it'll do," way. She estimated the time to be very long, and then puffed in and out when she thought about how long it would take to get a second one up. There had to be three though. There had to be.

She did this two more times, and she wiped the sweat from her brow and her upper lip and her whole face and her armpits and her.. everything. She was so sweaty.. She sighed. She moved all of the stuff they handed her into one tent, and though she felt proud of herself, she was so tired it was unbelievable. She pushed her shoulders back and held her head up high.

She got some rocks and placed them in a rectangular place. She began to lay the kindling, One layer on the width, another along the length. Then she grabbed some dry leaves, and put them in the spaces. She would wait until later to light it.

She went around to look for something to cook. She heard her stomach growl. What she would give for a cherry from that tree. "That" tree being, the Kima Cherry Tree. She sighed.

Eventually she felt like she had been searching for something edible, for a bell, when she couldn't believe her eyes. A dusk lop. Second one she'd seen that day... She chased it for a few dimes, when she caught it in her hands. She looked into it's little dusk lop eyes. "No," she spoke. "I will not love you." and that was when she hugged the small little thing and whispered to herself, "If I find another dusk lop I will name it Lop the Second after you, baby. But you're dying for a good cause." Coralie jabbed the poor thing quickly with one of her makeshift knives, and then had to remove the upper layering. It was basically heartbreaking to remove the shell she once knew as Loppy, now as Dinner.

She watched Dinner heat up on the fire, which she had lit after skinning Dinner, and she then waited for the Endals to return.

by **Phoenix** on June 24th, 2013, 4:39 pm

“Is that rabbit?” The Endal appeared as one from the forest, three abreast as they walked from between the trees and into the now laid out camp. Lyred and Ivesi barely glanced around at the tents that Coralie had erected, arrowing straight for the campfire in the center. Silence reigned as they plopped themselves down around the fire, Harkoi being the one to speak up again as he, too, closed in on the meal. “Will it be ready soon?”

Dinner was served and the muffled sounds of eating filled the campsite, disturbed only by the return of the three Wind Eagles and their catches for the day. The small bundles of oilskin that were dropped down into the holding cellar that each of the Forward Camps had boasted of little success for the Endal that day. If Coralie were smart, she wouldn’t mention this mediocre success.

The campfire was broken down and the Endal retired to their tents, leaving the young girl with only a bedroll and the dying embers of the fire. Harkoi seemed the only one to lament the fact that they would be sleeping with shelter while she would not, but it didn’t stop him from letting the tent flap fall closed behind him.

The next day was much of the same: Snark from the two ornery Endal, who awoke demanding food of Coralie, while Harkoi simply watched on. They left for the hunt that day, along with their Wind Eagles, and once again left the young woman behind. It was much of the same, with cleaning, cooking, and maintenance of the camp, but there was one arrival that shattered the monotony of the day.

Judging by the position of the light in the sky, it had to be around midday when a large shadow passed overhead, casting the entire camp in darkness for a moment before it was gone. When a second shadow passed overhead, there was a large gust of wind, a screech and the a heavy thump as something large landed off to the side of the camp.

Unbonded and having just fledged, immature Wind Eagles were sent out to retrieve the meat being stored at the closer Forward Camps and bring them back to Wind Reach. Coralie’s visitors were a pair of handsome Eagles whose appearances couldn’t have been any different. The larger of the pair was striking with a white head and a completely black body, while the other was smaller with long legs, his feathers a mottled collection of browns, blacks and tans.

Neither of them spared Coralie a glance as they went about their work, one pulling away the heavy ground cover while the second removed the meat stored inside. They were both gone without a word to the young girl, no more than shadows overhead as they flew off.

It was nightfall when the Endal returned again, though even Harkoi ignored Coralie this time. They split off, cared for their eagles and prepared to store the meat when Lyred noticed the cover of the meat storage was slightly ajar.

“What happened there? Where did the meat go? Girl! How could you lose it!”

x

by **Coralie** on June 25th, 2013, 3:51 am

Coralie had slept fine enough, though she had been in no position to complain. She'd just bundled up and slept. With a small sharp rock or two here and there, and a twig. She'd though she'd gotten everything out of everything's way, but she supposed not.

Coralie almost had her ego six feet under when they left. She wondered if this was how they treated everyone. She hoped not. Maybe it was just her. Maybe, she just let herself become an easy target. She would stand up for herself next time they made a remark!

No, no she wouldn't. And she knew it. She watched the Endals go, wishing them luck, and wondering why she came if it weren't for her minor bow skills. After all, that is what it said in the letter she received. She would bet a lot, that she had it pretty easy though. She'd probably just be a distraction out there, anyway.

Her day was the same as the day before, except without the tents being set up , and the fire being set up, and everything being set up... She hadn't gotten another rabbit, not anything else before they returned. She couldn't figure out how she managed that feat.

But that day was different. Wind Eagles had came, gorgeous, giant birds, Wind Eagles. Her eyes lingered on both for an extended amount of time, her jaw nearly dropping-- but her being conscious, holding it up. "Wow," she'd breathed.

When the Endals returned, angry about the meat being "lost", she held her hands up above her head as if being arrested.

"Hey, I didn't 'lose' it." Don't make assumptions, she wanted to say. But she bit that back and swallowed it, ready to explain. "Wind Eagles, without riders, came and took a bit. I wasn't going to tell them what to do and what not to do. That's like me trying to backtalk you! I'd probably get the Inarta slapped out of me!" though she didn't mean it offensive, she didn't know how they would react, and she covered her mouth, eyes wide. "Sorry," she mouthed.

Closed Diving Deep [Phoenix]