78th Day of Summer, 513 AV
She was an Initiate first and an Apprentice, after. Now, that was not necessarily what Riyana had said, but it was how Celeste heard it. As far as priorities went, she had to weigh her pros and cons. Sure, the Warden had been guarding the Testing Grounds long before her, but the more the merrier; Celeste’s help had been invaluable, especially in the first battle she’d ever even fought and won. The girl wanted to be better, at combat and at morphing but further, at the art of War. Her very presence in the Citadel was a war and the more she fought, the more she would learn to comprehend the enemy.
Her claws wedged in as she ran. It was too much to try and prowl around as a Lynx – she’d just barely learned the model and even now, she didn’t consider it as such. Practice was key. Celeste needed more background with the shape before she’d even consider using it in the Prairie. The Testing Grounds were a matter of life and death. She wouldn’t be caught trying anything without the presence of at least Riyana. So she ran along, in the form of the Dog, large and poised for combat, provided it’d be that kind of day.
And as she thought it, the Gods decided to comply.
The barren earth began to growl as if it hungered for contact. It was a deep, earth-shattering growl and the girl stopped in her tracks. But her pride kept her from making the call – Celeste knew all the signs to call her companions by heart. In an instant, she could call forth say, Tierra or Brom. But no, not yet. Who knew if this beast was truly as formidable as the dirt made it sound?
But oh, how it was. It was no “it,” after all, but many. Several beasts thundered along the Prairie, lupine and yet, bearing the lower half of an Akvatari. How did they even move, let alone run? Alone maybe she could take one or two, but ten or twenty? Without hesitation, the whistle resounded from her lips, calling forth her companions from the other side of the Testing Grounds, to come and participate the in melee which was sure to transpire.
And they were fast. At first, she couldn’t understand. They only had one set of legs and a tail that looked to be more than a hindrance than anything. But as they drew near, she could almost taste the magic – these were creatures manipulating djed, and however they managed it, each tail was floating along the air, seemingly on its own, each beast to wheelbarrowing on ahead while resisting the ground.
Celeste blinked and stared before it occurred to her to run away.
As they moved in her instincts took over, much like they had during the Djed Storm. She wheeled out of range, running as fast as she could toward the emerging shapes of her companions. But as soon as they saw the approaching horde, they too shifted to meet her, running away from the enemy rather than toward it.
”What the petch is going on?” She screamed. It seemed Tierra was nearest, because it was her voice she received in reply. ”It’s a group of Hel’atian,” she said, voice cracking from the effort. ”They’re from the Heartlands but occasionally, they branch out.” Her heart sank. The Heartlands were one of the most dangerous areas of the Testing Grounds.
Her claws wedged in as she ran. It was too much to try and prowl around as a Lynx – she’d just barely learned the model and even now, she didn’t consider it as such. Practice was key. Celeste needed more background with the shape before she’d even consider using it in the Prairie. The Testing Grounds were a matter of life and death. She wouldn’t be caught trying anything without the presence of at least Riyana. So she ran along, in the form of the Dog, large and poised for combat, provided it’d be that kind of day.
And as she thought it, the Gods decided to comply.
The barren earth began to growl as if it hungered for contact. It was a deep, earth-shattering growl and the girl stopped in her tracks. But her pride kept her from making the call – Celeste knew all the signs to call her companions by heart. In an instant, she could call forth say, Tierra or Brom. But no, not yet. Who knew if this beast was truly as formidable as the dirt made it sound?
But oh, how it was. It was no “it,” after all, but many. Several beasts thundered along the Prairie, lupine and yet, bearing the lower half of an Akvatari. How did they even move, let alone run? Alone maybe she could take one or two, but ten or twenty? Without hesitation, the whistle resounded from her lips, calling forth her companions from the other side of the Testing Grounds, to come and participate the in melee which was sure to transpire.
And they were fast. At first, she couldn’t understand. They only had one set of legs and a tail that looked to be more than a hindrance than anything. But as they drew near, she could almost taste the magic – these were creatures manipulating djed, and however they managed it, each tail was floating along the air, seemingly on its own, each beast to wheelbarrowing on ahead while resisting the ground.
Celeste blinked and stared before it occurred to her to run away.
As they moved in her instincts took over, much like they had during the Djed Storm. She wheeled out of range, running as fast as she could toward the emerging shapes of her companions. But as soon as they saw the approaching horde, they too shifted to meet her, running away from the enemy rather than toward it.
”What the petch is going on?” She screamed. It seemed Tierra was nearest, because it was her voice she received in reply. ”It’s a group of Hel’atian,” she said, voice cracking from the effort. ”They’re from the Heartlands but occasionally, they branch out.” Her heart sank. The Heartlands were one of the most dangerous areas of the Testing Grounds.
