With the stars and earth

[Irriari]

Early Summer 509, midnight

The dark night sky had enveloped the grasses and the flora and fauna that resided amid them. To many, the blanket of impenetrable blackness, lightened only slightly by the moon, was disorienting and off putting. Humans hated the unknown, and not being able to see well increased the number of unknowns in their proximity many times over. Irriari could understand it, though to her, bright day light provided the same effect. The ball of sunlight and the rays that skewered so many shadows was painful. The lack of darkness confused her brain and angered her. But at least she did not fear the day as humans seemed to fear the night hours.

The colony was loud as usual, and so Irriari had ventured out, in search of prey to kill. It would be best to stay close to the colony in case a wild glassbeak decided she would make a good midnight snack. Few Akalak journeyed too far from Riverfall at night, though some hunting parties had been known to employ such tactics- and had been highly successful. Irriari flew twelve feet above the tallest grasses and scanned the ground below her. The distance allowed her to be far enough away to dodge glassbeaks and most weaponry while still allowing her to shoot her bow with relative accuracy. Irriari laughed when the thought of accuracy and her handcrafted zith bow shared the same thought in her mind. Her skills were far from good, as many had reminded her. In a fight, she could hit an Akalak, if 10 of the fighters were grouped together, her brother had joked. Irriari had snarled at him, but it was the truth.

It was almost if the wildlife had sensed the zith and her urge to kill. She had seen little more than moths for the last twelve chimes. It was maddening. Patience was far from one of Irriari’s virtues and she knew it, but that didn’t make the wait any more bearable. At fourteen chimes she was twitching and jumping at the moths, her already drawn bow swiveling towards whatever moved, no matter how small or silly. When she pivoted towards a particular feisty clump of grass, Irriari knew she had to calm down. The alert energy that filled her blood was good- when used properly. If she reinforced the rashness now, later, in a battle she could lose an arm, or injure a companion because of it. No, she needed to calm herself.

Irriari flew upward, and ignored the seductive thermals that called her name and begged her to go further away from home. She blinked slowly and deliberately as her wings flapped in the night air. Her bow was loose in her grasp and she focused on the sky and breathing as she ascended further towards the stars. A deep breath in and air filled her lungs and sustained her before she exhaled it. The simple act of focusing on breathing, if only for a minute or two, cleared her sight immensely. She stopped jumping at the smallest movements and her peripheral vision sharpened as she took in more air in measured three and a half second breaths. It was hard not to be selfish, and hyperventilate for the descent to come, where she knew that she would need the air. Focus was more important than air in times like these.

The stars were beautiful, and Zintilas handiwork was shining brightly that night. Though she rarely wondered about unchangeable things like the stars and moon in the night sky, Irriari couldn’t help but to admire the number of lights that illuminated the earth. Humans were like the stars, and Irriari wished she knew what the Zith were among the stars. The humans outnumbered her race thousands to one, but still the winged warriors had survived. By the time she reached the top of her ascension the grasses were miniscule below her. She could see Riverfall, far in the distance, but her attention was focused on the small spot of grass directly below her.

Irriari fixed the spot in her minds eye and stared at it for a chime, intent only on absorbing it and imprinting it into her sight. For awhile the point on the earth was all that she knew and the only thing she cared to think on. And then she dove, downward, straight towards the earth and that point that was rapidly rushing towards her, threatening to engulf her if she didn’t turn back or move away. She pulled an arrow from her quiver as she plummeted towards the dirt and foliage, ignoring the pain as the air tugged at her skin. Irriari quickly nooked it to the bow and had only a second to shoot. Her aim was sloppy, but she pulled the arrow head against the bow string and launched the projectile towards the earth before turning upward again, at the last second.

She was at the same spot as she had started earlier and after hacking and coughing for a few seconds, Irriari had caught her breath, and chanced a look down, to see where her arrow had landed. The arrow head was buried firmly into the ground, and the shaft had dug into the earth a good three inches as well. It was a triumphant moment for Irriari, and she smiled before yelling a fierce war cry into the night air. She had overcome the jittery state of mind that had overtaken all else. Was this the battle lust the Elders spoke so highly of? They had called it a state of pure awareness and purpose, with the drive and energy to back it up. It could turn even the weakest of their tribe into a deadly machine, capable of dancing through the battle field, leaving corpses in their wake. Irriari stared at the arrow and a realization dawned into her head. Pure rage, untamed and unleashed could crush anything, but it lacked finesse. Maybe the Elders sought for each of them to feel this, and to know it. Euphoria overcame her senses and she searched for prey again, with bright and eager eyes.

[Cayenne]

Observation: 1 XP Wilderness Survival: 1 XP Meditation: 1 XP Weaponry - Shortbow: 1 XP Lore: The Importance of Inner Peace Lore: Euphoria of Battle