Open [Bronze Woods] Making More Friends.

[Archailist]

39th of Summer, 514.

Ser Iros had been blunt and to-the-point. His riding skills needed improvement. To ride a horse was one of the basic skills of a knight; for what purpose they intended to have the same rules apply for a creature that was a mere five inches learn essentially the same skill was beyond him, but they didn't care what he thought. They wanted him to learn to ride, and he didn't. Obviously his riding skills were going to pretty much suck. "If you want to become a knight, you need to learn it. A knight will put the Order first and his personal preferences later." He knew it was true. His other combat skills were coming along perfect, but that was only due to his constant routine and practice in them. It didn't feel good, and he had to constantly try to find new things to do and new ways to practice to break the monotony of all the training - but it was better than trying to ride Xarex the dog. Insatiable and constantly hyperactive, it was almost impossible to even get on the dogs back, let alone ride him through the streets with control over where he was going. And yet the knights considered him the perfect mount.. for whatever reason, again, the squirrel had absolutely no idea. Did all knights just mindlessly obey their superiors the way he was being asked to?

Regardless, there was one thing he knew that he wanted; he wanted to become a knight. And that meant that he was going to have to grit his teeth and learn to ride as best as he could, until they were all satisfied that he could control his dog. Or at least, make it look like he was in control of his dog. And that meant, he was going to have to put all of his combat training aside, saddle up, and do some laps around the Bronze Woods until he got the hang of riding on the back of the small, and easily-excited mammal.

A little squeeze around the dogs body pushed him a little faster, into a half-run. The squirrel, as usual, wore no armour and therefore had nothing to hold him down.. the faster he pushed the dog, the more he had to practically graft himself onto the dogs back.. which put more pressure on him and urged him to go faster. It was an endless cycle that soon had the dog sprinting through the forest floors, swinging left and right between the trees where he needed to.. and more or less putting the squirrel on the back-seat, pressed so tightly to the dog that his chin was pretty much resting between Xarex's ears. It didn't matter, bugs could get in his eyes all they wanted, it didn't hurt. What would hurt, was if the dog or the squirrel missed an errant tree branch and tripped. It nearly happened, on more than one occasion, but as the squirrel ventured deeper into the forests, he slowly felt more.. well, at ease.

[Minerva Ravitz]

Minerva had the day off today from her apprenticeship at the Ironworks. Good thing, too, because she'd been itching to get out of that stuffy place for a while and get out into the open air. Problem was, there wasn't much open air within the city walls, and she wasn't about to head outside. So she just sort of wandered, keeping to herself in her grimy coveralls. Her usual destinations were indoors, and the parks didn't exactly interest her. As she approached the main gates, she let out a sigh. She cast a glance outside the gates. Hmm. I wonder if other cities are like this... only one way to find out! She then took the (for her) bold step of walking out the main gates.

Minerva headed toward the Cobalt Mountains. If she intended to explore, it made sense to head north, away from the familiar Mithryn Outpost. She managed to find herself in the Bronze Woods, aware only that it was outside of Syrilas and thus probably dangerous, but with no idea what exactly to expect. Danger did find her, though - in the form of a dog streaking through the trees, headed right toward her legs, with... was that a SQUIRREL on its back!?

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The more he rode with Xarex, in the seclusion of the woods, the more time he had to reflect on one upside of his riding training - the fact that it allowed him to get away from the staring eyes. He got a lot of them, no matter where he went in Syliras. Even more when he rode on the back of his mount. Talking squirrels, squirrels made of clay.. talking squirrels made out of clay.. these were all things that brought attention, for better or for worse.. almost always worse. Some of it was just plain disgust, at something obviously so un-human in appearance. Other, a morbid curiosity that refused to treat him as a sentient creature.. more, a child's infatuation with a colourful toy. All of these reactions, opinions, were confined of course when he was around the knights. Certain kinds of behaviour, towards each-other and towards the knights would not be tolerated. But he could still see it. The wrinkled noses.

Even worse, was when it came from fellow knights or those higher in command. Those were the times where he felt the need to punch something.. or run far away. To become a subject of jest in the eyes of an idol, was the most hear-wrenching experience one could imagine, and yet he'd been forced to tolerate it on a nearly daily basis - to the point where he kept nothing but a stone-cold face throughout it all. The pain was still there though - every condescending glance and patronizing snicker was still a cold iron dagger through his chest.

He could escape it all, in the woods. The trees gave no opinions. His mount, ever-faithful. And the squirrels.. hah, the squirrels were his old friends. The Bronze Woods were, as they'd always been to his younger self, a haven and a sanctuary almost as if it was just for him. Where he could forget about all of those other people.. all of their prejudice.. under the soft green glow falling from above, filtered through the canopy. Imagine, his distress.. when he reconnected his nexus - well, opened his eyes essentially, but he didn't have eyelids to do that - and found a stranger staring at him. Someone he'd never seen before.. certainly not a member of the Order. Probably a civilian or a visitor then. Staring at him, like he was some circus show. "What're you looking at."

He returned the stare, perhaps a little more intensely than needed.. and with a bit more venom. He couldn't help it though.. he was so tired of these people. "Come on, Xarex." He quickly pressed against one side of the dog with his knee.. while at the same time, pulling on the opposite side of the reins. At the touches, his mount turned sharply and after a swift pull and a squeeze around both sides, he broke into a trot. Then a moderate run. When the pressure remained, he eventually got the message and pushed into a full-out sprint. The squirrel didn't feel like giving her a show that day. He just wanted to get away from her as fast as he could manage. Which, as it turned out, was pretty fast. He was on the back of a dog after all. Though he had to surrender a lot of control in favour of speed, and lean all the way forwards until his chin pretty much brushed the back of the dogs skull, Arch didn't care. Xarex wasn't a dumb mount.. he wouldn't run face-first into a tree if he knew one was in front of him.

[Minerva Ravitz]

"Whoa, you can talk--" Before Minerva could finish her statement, the weird combination of talking squirrel riding a dog tore off into the distance. She took stock of the situation as best she could. O-kayyyyy... so, the squirrel can talk, the dog has a name, and I don't think I'm hallucinating. They're running away, so they're not going to kill me... couldn't hurt to chase, could it? She forced herself to start moving instead of just standing in astonishment. What started out as a walk quickly broke into a run as she chased after the dog - did the squirrel call it Xanax? Xerath? Xander? It didn't take long for her to stall out, stooping by a nearby tree and panting heavily. That dog was just too fast to catch by conventional means.

Okay, where did I end up...? She looked around and realized that she had no idea where in the forest she carried herself to. A sudden fear gripped her as she realized she might end up having to spend a night outside her familiar housing, outside the safe, secure walls, among who-knows-what. She flopped onto her back, quietly thinking how she might get back. Walk in a straight line? What if she picks north and gets even more lost? Stay here? That's a sure recipe for disaster; she had no idea what was good to eat and what would kill her. Besides, these forests had all sorts of unknown beasts, and she could only be confident that one creature out of the whole forest was friendly.

Wait just a moment... that's it! Minerva bolted upright, still seated, and almost took off running again before she remembered that she'd tried that and failed already. Now how was she supposed to get the squirrel's attention? She flopped back onto her back, staring at the treetops, and thought. How do I get their attention... She sat up again and tried whistling. "Hey! Xerax! Help!" She hoped she got the dog's name right...

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Give me strength. Sylir give me strength. The same reaction he'd received a thousand times before when meeting people. A talking squirrel - the fascination it often brought. Bah, he wasn't a dancing squirrel made entirely for their amusement. He only tightened his grip on the reins as he pushed deeper into the forest, away from the annoying girl and the prying eyes of others. Was it so much, for the squirrel to wish for a few bells of silence, so that he could relax and forget about such things? Apparently so.

He refused to look back for when she started following him, as well. She would be welcome to try - the Sykanis was small, but it was by no means slow.. and its energy meant that there was plenty of stamina to go around, as well. In a slightly more malicious tone, he wished that the wolves would come and take her already. But.. he was a squire of Syliras. He wasn't a knight yet, but that didn't make an ounce of difference. He was still sworn to help the Order, and all of the citizens of Syliras in any way that he could. Of course, she didn't need any help throwing herself into trouble. He wouldn't help her now, in catching up.. he just wished she'd leave.

Mid-run, however, he was forced to stop in his tracks. Xarex stopped as well. The girl was yelling something - it wasn't his dogs name, but it was somewhat close. That wasn't what caught his attention, or Xarex's for that matter. Help. Ah, shyke. Looked like he'd not heard the last of the girl after all. And as much as he wished to leave her and go off into the forest as he'd originally wanted, he knew that he'd be held accountable if the girl ended up dying out in the Woods, at the hands of some unsanitary creature. It wouldn't take a lot of work to connect the dots and find that he was in the same area at the same time.. he could have helped and he didn't. Not to mention what would happen if anyone found out that she'd called out for help and he, a member of the Order, hadn't taken the call and come to her aid. He'd be thrown out of the Order, at the very least, for such unbefitting nature of a squire.

Reluctantly, he turned and pulled Xarex with him thanks to a few extra tugs and squeezes around the reins and side of the dog respectively. He'd come and help.. but he wouldn't do it as fast as he could. That'd teach her. "What do you require." Possibly the most infuriating thing was that the girl wasn't even in need of assistance.. there she sat against a tree with not a wolf nor bear nor Yukman in sight. He had to force himself not to grit his teeth in frustration, because he knew that kind of behaviour would just end up squishing his teeth into useless lumps. "You... you don't even need my help, do you. You're just trying to annoy me." Unbelievable, the kind of people that ended up travelling to Syliras. Did they come under the bets of others, to see how quickly they could annoy one of the knights or their squires? A bell? Less? This girl was certainly a professional in the subject.

"All I want to do, is train, in peace. Can't I even do that, huh? Without someone like you calling me up just so you can stare at me?" He'd had enough. Slowly, but quite loudly, he vented out all of his frustration directly at the girl with a voice that sounded much too deep to be coming out of a squirrels mouth.. clay or not. "Yes. I can talk. Yes. I'm a squirrel. Yes. I'm made out of clay. Yes. I'm riding a dog. Is that everything you wanted to ask?" He'd heard every line of it before. All the lame excuses that people would come up with, to avoid admitting that they were staring at him. All the questions about his body, about who created him. As if he was nothing more than an animator's plaything. He desperately wanted to punch something. Or someone.

[Minerva Ravitz]

Oh no. I provoked it. It's going to kill me, isn't it?
Minerva was not prepared for such a reaction. She should've expected as such, though: she'd chased after a creature that had obviously turned tail and avoided her. If she got out of this alive, she'd make damn sure never to chase down a retreating animal again. Especially not one that talked. She paused for what must have felt like an eternity for both her and the squirrel (a couple seconds), then finally got the courage to spit out words.

The usual icy demeanor Minerva usually displayed to other humans never materialized around this novelty. "I am not trying to annoy you! I'm lost!" She quickly blurted out her business, in an attempt to calm down the squirrel who now sounded like he might turn against her. "This is my first time outside the walls of Syrilas and... I'm lost. I'm seriously, honest-to-goodness lost. Can you at least point me in the direction of the city? I'll leave you alone after that, I promise. I did have questions beyond that, like about this forest, but you don't sound willing to answer." Minerva really wanted to ask those questions, but the answers wouldn't have done any good had she been clawed to death by an angry squirrel.

What lives here? What do you do? What race are you? What are you training? These questions lingered in Minerva's head, and it took her quite a bit of willpower not to ask them. Instead, she just stood there, awaiting the squirrel's response. She had never meant to cause such distress.

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

His paws balled up into fists. "Maybe next time, you'll think before chasing people into the forest. If I wasn't bound to my duty, I'd have left you out here." And then, she'd never be heard from again. But.. he was a squire. And so, he knew in his heart that he had to do more than just point her in the right direction. "Come on. Follow me. I'll guide you back to the castle." He beckoned with a paw, nudged Xarex with one knee and kept a gentle grip on the reins to turn him back towards the direction they'd both come, before nudging with both knees to send them into a gentle trot. Which would probably be a slow walk for a human.. he wasn't sure. He could always up the pace a little bit, if he needed to.

And, given the fact that they'd be spending a while together, he knew he might as well answer any of her other questions. Get them out of the way, and all. "Come on, then. Just ask away. Don't barrage me with all of them at once, mind you." He threw a glare in her direction before returning it to the path ahead. He'd dealt with far too many curious souls that wanted to pelt him with so many questions about how his body worked, and society, and lifespan. He never even answered half of them and yet they still always had more questions to ask. He no longer had any to ask them, though. He knew what they were all like.. some of them transformed, some of them didn't. Some liked horses, others didn't. They were all just human, though. There were subtle differences in the ways that they interacted with one-another, subtle differences in their beliefs and all that. But they were, in the end, human.

"Hold on. This is your first time, outside Syliran walls, you say? You mean you've never gone outside the walls.. before this." Of course, that meant she must have lived in the city her entire life up to that point. Although the concept of never leaving the walls of the castle was simply staggering, even for a human such as these. Ones that almost prided themselves in their ability to lock themselves up in a corner for their entire lives, never bothering to look out of a window.. never bothering to venture into the outside world. He'd heard of them; hermits, insiders. But never one as sheltered as this, for certain. "You mean that you've lived here for... years. Lots of years. But never come to the Bronze Woods just outside.. never gone to the Outposts. Never gone outside the walls? What were you doing, locked up in an apartment for your entire childhood?"

[Minerva Ravitz]

Minerva let out an audible sigh of relief, glad that she would not meet her end today. She cautiously tagged along behind the squirrel, looking about now and then in an attempt to identify landmarks she could use to get back to Syliras unassisted next time. Where should I start? She did have quite a few questions ready to ask, and she may well have barraged him with them anyway if he hadn't asked her his own questions. What had she been doing locked up? That was a strange question, was it not? She'd been supplying the knights and enjoying their protection for 20 years. Protection, she now realized, she threw to the wind the moment she walked out the main gates. Whoops.

Her tone was "Yes, this is my first time outside Syliran walls. Is it really that surprising? I'm an apprentice blacksmith for the Syliran Knights. I forge weapons and armor, they use those weapons and armor to keep bad things from getting inside the walls. They pay me, I live off that pay, it works. Haven't had a need to leave, really." She stopped for a moment before realizing that her answer was nowhere near satisfactory. "Okay, so there's more to it than that. My father Rovin died in service to the Syliran Knights when I was 12. I never learned of the exact details of his death, but it was on a patrol. I know that much. My mother Linza, an accomplished blacksmith for a human, took me under her wing as an apprentice and taught me what I know today. It isn't a whole lot, but the knights deem my work sufficient for their needs. Mother's the one who convinced me not to venture outside the main gates, lest I befall the same fate as my father did. And yet, here I am, against all sound judgement, and somehow I'm still alive. I'd call that a fair stroke of luck." Minerva fell silent again, her heart sinking as she remembered the illness that had claimed her mother just a couple seasons ago. "I don't think my mother would have approved of me coming out here, especially unprepared. But the city is so boring! So I figured it couldn't hurt to go just a short distance... though I could do with bringing a map next time, I suppose."

Minerva took one last pause. "You mentioned your 'duty', yes? What is it you do, exactly?"

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

He shook his head, rather dumbfounded for a moment, before turning to her and snapping. "Of course it's a surprise!" The girl was wasting her life. Then again, he supposed that she had plenty of time to waste. If only she knew how privileged she was to just live as long as she did.. compared to the other creatures that he'd met. Creatures that lived mere years, while she lived centuries. Perhaps then she'd think it better to go outside for once in her damn life. "You're wasting your damn life, girl. Sitting in one place, living one life, not exploring. Not seeing anything else. Learning anything else. It's a damn waste." He couldn't help it; anger was growing in his voice again, as he found himself wondering just how sane the girl could possibly be. Were her parents responsible, or was it the human society? Or was it her fault entirely? He wasn't sure, but he wanted someone to blame. She was closest.

"You know, what I'd do if I had your life. If I had a hundred years or more to walk across this world and travel to its far reaches, uncover its secrets.. oh, the things I could do with my life. But no." He threw her another venomous glare before jerking on the dog and tugging him into a bit of a faster walk. Xarex could sense the anger in his owner but for now, he just followed what was needed. "There are so many of those that don't have what you have. The things that could be done. Simply by LIVING. And you refuse, to do even that! You sit in the comfort of the walls, that you have done nothing to build. What would happen, one day, if these walls fell? What would happen to you then?" He wished, with all his tiny non-existent heart that the walls wouldn't collapse. But he also wished that the girl would, perhaps, open her eyes to what lay beyond.

Her follow-up story softened him a little. But only a little. "I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure he was a great man. But that doesn't stop you from being a great girl, either. Your mother cares about you and that's good and all. And yes, the world is dangerous. But no. You can't just sit there, inside a castle, for your entire life. Never see the world. It's.. a crime! Not literally, but it's.. horrible." Disgusting was the real word he wanted to use. One would never learn anything about themselves or have any new experiences if they neer bothered to leave their home. They'd never advance in life.. they'd never have anything to show for it at the end, other than a few pieces of stone or a carving.

"The only reason that you're alive is because I found you and decided to take you back to the city. If anyone else found you, you'd likely not end up returning to the city at all. And that doesn't mean that the world is that dangerous - it means that you've not spent enough time preparing for it." Syliras was one of the least dangerous places in the world, if not the least dangerous. If one managed to die just by slipping a little out of its boundaries, it meant they either weren't made for this world, or they weren't ready for it yet. He believed the latter.. and this girl barely had much time to prepare for it, either. She didn't look like a child. But she acted like it. "And the reason I brought you back is because I'm a Squire of the Syliran Knights. It's my job and my duty to help those of Syliras, whether they're a resident, a visitor, o otherwise."

[Minerva Ravitz]

The squirrel's snapping response caught Minerva off guard. She had considered exactly the same thoughts the squirrel talked about - seeing the world and doing something interesting - but she'd come to what she'd felt was a reasonable conclusion. "Dying while trying to explore the world is a bigger waste than staying put and supporting the city I know. I--" She stopped, interrupted as the squirrel started going on a tirade about exploring this and studying that and learning these things. Ranting about spending life others don't have. Others...? Other races Minerva knew about; they were a minority in Syliras, but a large enough minority to be noticed. But did they really have such a short lifespan? Then came the what-if. What if the walls fell? "The Syliran Knights make sure these walls don't fall. As for my part, I'll have you know, I make the weapons and armor that enables these knights to get the job done!" Her initial apprehension finally gave way to her more abrasive side, a logical progression after being berated by, admittedly, a pipsqueak.

Then he mentioned her mother, and Minerva softened just a bit. "Cared. My mother died of illness just last winter. She hid it well enough that by the time I realized, it was too late for common herbs that I could afford..." She paused, having a bit of a realization. Her tone turned abrasive again, though this time she was becoming genuinely angry. "...and this city did little to help. They had a medic look at her and declare her illness too advanced to cure - a mere five minutes after beginning the diagonsis. Tch. I guess I'm expected to fill her role? I've done that, I suppose. But, I now wonder about what the Knights' priorities are..." She reflected on the entire structure of Syliras. The knights are rigid. They enforce rigid laws, exert rigid control over all their resources, demand rigid work routines of artisans and fighters alike, and barely deviate from the norm. The routine was all that mattered, now that she thought of it. So what if her mother died? She'd passed along the trade to her daughter. This realization, though, did not sit well with Minerva.

She almost voiced these thoughts when the squirrel touched on 'being prepared'. Well, she'd taken a beginner class on fighting with her fists, so she had that. Though now, she realized, being in a fight wasn't exactly the biggest threat out here. "I suppose you're right, about not being prepared. I haven't the slightest idea how to survive outside of the protection of Syliras. Finding food, finding shelter, navigation, I can't do any of these things. I suppose I should learn. Would you be willing to teach me that, perhaps? I'll understand if you don't." She barely had time to finish her statement, though, as the squirrel's explanation of his duty struck a chord with her. A rather big chord. "You're a WHAT?! You, who would rather explore the entire world, chose to tie yourself down to the most restrictive organization I know? The Syliran Knights aren't exactly know for exploration. You'll have your duties, you'll have your patrol routes, and the only 'outside' you're gonna get to see is this, right outside the walls. The same walls I'm 'wasting my life' behind. What madness drove you to become a cog in our machine?"