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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:35 pm
Not bad, she said. Snowpeak lifted his eyes to the large female, slightly disconcerted. Not bad?! Oh, she probably meant for his age… the fledgling felt she was being a little condescending but he was happy that she couldn’t find a huge flaw on his current abilities. “I haven’t had lessons yet. Typhoon gives me some flying tips though. My minder. He’s nice. That one?”
He hopped from the branch and fledgling flapped again in order to reach his destiny and found himself landing much more gently. He was so happy that he turned a little too abruptly on the branch to face the Elite.
“Did you see that?! I didn’t even…” and with a little surprised “ah”, the fledgling found his talons slipping on the bark and was suddenly diving for the ground.
(*points to sig* Not sure if I'll have net acess for a while. See you soon!)
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:40 pm
Perhaps not visibly, but Moonstride was trying a little harder than usual to offer supportive compliment towards Snowpeak's flying. After all, she was no expert in teacher nor ever though of being one and, in that regard, she always had a particular respect towards Minders and Teachers for being able to manage so many crazy little fledglings (her included) and still have them turn out okay. However, perhaps she understood their reasons for enjoying their work. She watched Snowpeak take off a lot better than the last hop they did. As expected, he landed fairly evenly and she could not help but smile slightly (noticeable only but the slight shift of her beak), somewhat proud towards his accomplishment.
Just as she was about to take off and cross the distance herself, she managed to catch a glimpse of the fledgling's excited expression and then nothing. The feathers on her body flattened and tightened against her body, suddenly alarmed by the figure's sudden disappearance into the some branches and leaves below. Without a second thought, she dove after the falling form.
Her wings were tucked into thin V's at her side in hopes of actually catching up with the fledgling. It took a second or two to pull up along side and she turned to figure out how to push Snowpeak in the right direction or so. There seemed to be, from what Moon could see, a fairly large branch a small stretch below them; however, also a little off to the side. "There!" She called out, fairly sure he would understand her to some degree. But, could he make it without her help?
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 4:57 pm
"There!"
The small mist barely had time to react and the Elite was already next to him. Her voice rang loud inside his head and Snowpeak met the female eyes for an instant, finding his previously blank mind suddenly focused on the female.
What was “there”? His eyes travelled through his surroundings faster than lightning identifying the branch below them as the most likely target. He began flapping madly once again successfully reducing the speed of the fall but not quite managing to move in the right angle.
“I won’t make it.” He said out loud more to himself than to the Elite close to him.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:46 pm
Moonstride could just barely make out the dirt of the forest floor through the thin, swaying arms of the trees. The panic that would normally envelope a sentinel's mind had no place in an Elite's schooled frame. She had improvised a slight plan in the seconds it took them too fall. Actually, it was all created more by instinct than actual thinking. "You will," the Elite replied to Snowpeak quite harshly and pressed those two words towards him in the form of a command.
The larger body swept lower than the falling fledgling, which wasn't hard now that his flapping gave him some way to break the frightening speed of the fall, and shift her position so that she was slightly under his body. Her muscles braced for impact and she changed her directly again by arching her back, lowering her head, spreading her large wings and making sweeping flaps against gravity to propel her up. The direction of his fall should cause him to run right into her, if her wings and body hold out. She could only hope that her body created enough force from the bottom to slow his decent in time for him to actually make it to the branch indicated.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:07 am
The mist fledgling’s eyes widened with disbelief as he realized what the female was about to do. They collided with Snowpeak having only just raised his talons – the only reaction he could muster – and the impact was certainly enough to propel him on the right direction. He hit the branch a little harder than he expected and exhaled loudly with a pained expression, closing his eyes for a moment as his body shook violently. His talons clang to the branch so strongly he stopped feeling them and even though he wasn’t aware of it yet, his bent tail feathers would be surely hurting as soon as the adrenaline stopped circulating.
Snowpeak opened his eyes again, with visible worry running through them. “Sir? I mean… ma’am?” he peeped, looking around for the female.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:08 am
The impact was slightly more painful than she had anticipated; however, she merely grinded her beak and pressed on until she was sure, from the little plop sound of his landing, that he made it relitavely safely. Moonstride then let herself drop a few wing-spans to avoid hitting the branch before easing back into flight. She made a circle around the chosen tree, letting her wings taste the familiar sweetness of open flight before returning back to the fledgling's side. She eased her body back; wings spread, and reached out to land besides him. The branch shifted slightly at her added weight.
As soon as she tucked her wings in neatly, she turned to face him fully and proceeded to give him a good search-though. "Now then, let's see the damage." Just in case, she decided to go through the whole check, "Now, stretch your wings, give them a good flap, turn your head, check your tail, stretch your feet out, and see if anything hurts or isn't moving properly." As soon as her schooled disciplines were addressed, her mind was then allowed the trouble of worrying over Snowpeak.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:47 pm
Snowpeak carefully observed the Elite’s graceful approach, shivering a little more intensely as the branch trembled under the female’s weight. “Me?! I hit you. I really hit you! Are you alright?!”
His eyes were still wide and visibly worried but what was obvious on the surface couldn’t quite compare to the turmoil inside the little mist. Not that he had fallen many times before but he was usually quick to react and try his hardest to get back to safety. Something had felt different this time. He had frozen. The thought angered him deeply. Did he get distracted by the huge female? Was he relying on her too much? A mixture of anger and embarrassment crept up his tiny white body. He didn’t know what to say and her concern over him brought mixed feeling to the surface.
Glued to the branch like a heavy inanimate object as he finally realized that he could actually see the forest floor from his current position, he felt the need to clarify something (even if he did have some trouble finding the right words).
“I don’t fall like this.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:32 pm
The Elite was taken back for a moment and only had the mind to blink as the panic-stricken fledgling proceeded to ask her if she was 'alright'. For some reason, this came to her as quite a shock and she was actually rendered speechless. Usually, on missions, her own safety was fairly far down the list of worries and, unless her wings or sense were damaged, she only took the time to examine the full extent of her injures when back from those missions. Not the mention, once she became full-fledged Elite, no one really concerned themselves enough to ask her about her well-being. Usually in there minds, Elites were so far above the average sentinel, those others considered her as invincible which was barely accurate.
As he finished speaking there was a silence. Then, Moonstride did the only thing she could thing of; she laughed. Considering how cold and difficult her personality was, the older sentinel's laughter was a surprisingly light and bubbly sound. She just couldn't hold herself any longer and nearly slipped off the branch from her shuttering chuckles. It took her a few more seconds to get herself to stop and compose herself before she was able to turn towards him with a light but also straighter expression. "You are such an odd little one," She huffed in amusement.
"I think it's safe now to assume you're thinking fine after that graceful fall and don't worry, I'm going to assume you don't fall like this often or else you wouldn't be here right now," Obviously, Moon was in oddly good spirits at the moment. She seemed the edge down her critical eye partly to keep the fledgling from beating himself up too badly and partly because she felt like it. She stretched out her muscles, trying to figure out how her body felt so relaxed at the moment. Perhaps a good laugh was just what she needing in her dreary life.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:04 pm
Odd, she called him. That was fine, Snowpeak thought to himself. He’d been called worse. But why was she laughing? The sound bothered him a little and not because he thought the Elite was amused by his poor skills. It was that he immediately assumed she was actually laughing with him rather than at him which was not only unusual but also a little unsettling. Somehow, he had managed not to anger or upset this particular adult and he was certain any other Sentinel in her place would have already flown away at the first opportunity. She hadn’t even rolled her eyes or ignored him. No half-whispered words had left her beak. The mist-shadow had answered all of his questions and even talked about her flying experiences. And it suddenly came to him that she might’ve just saved his life just now, too. “That was really dumb.” He said quietly as he remembered what had caused the fall. He knew better now. No matter how interesting the female was… no matter how amazing her companion… Lani was, he wouldn’t let his guard down again. Not for a single second. He tried to sound distant but had to turn his head away from the female so she wouldn’t see his nictitating membranes crossing his eyes at full speed, betraying his short words.
“Let’s go up. I hate it here.” It was the only warning he gave the female before swiftly opening his wings and flapping to a nearby branch. He kept looking up, desperate to find the easiest path as he was certain he couldn’t bear to suffer another humiliation in front of the large female. He shot her a look that clearly stated See-I-didn’t-fall and the next moment, he was already clumsily tasting the air again.
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:03 pm
Moonstride remained quiet through his remark, perhaps sensing that the fledging preferred it that way for the moment. She let an out a steady breath to clear her head and to ease the adrenaline that was still lingering in her blood. It then took her a second or two to realize Snowpeak had said something—of which she did not hear—and, before she could react, his wings were outstretched and the fledgling was off again. How good it is to be young, always ready to bounce right by up again.
The gray sentinel caught the glance Snowpeak offered her and grinned at his renewed spirits. She pushed forwards slightly, spread her large wings and took to the air to cross the short distance to the branch just a little further than the one he landing. Her eyes flickered from left to right, reassuring her mind that this was the right direction. From what she could tell by some distinct shapes of nearby trees, they were very near the encave. She turn so that she could face him. "Almost there," she spoke up over the small distance, almost sounding encouraging.
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Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:34 am
Snowpeak was tired but he still pushed forward while being extremely careful as to not let the embarrassing incident from before repeat itself. He often glanced at the adult female, trying to mimic her movements and the position of her wings as she advanced with more grace than he ever expected to obtain.
"Almost there,"
The mist fledgling froze on a branch when he heard the mist-shadow’s words. She was right, they were very close now but for some reason the idea showing up at the Enclave with the large female by his side was not as tempting as before. For one, he wasn’t all too sure Typhoon would appreciate how he had managed to trouble a busy Elite out of her way. And…
“You’ll have to go soon…?” he avoided her eyes now, silently deciding between pretending he was too tired to move and just jumping forward once again. Gulping, he hopped from the branch one more time and flapped to another a bit further away without looking back.
He could hear voices now.
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Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:12 pm
Moonstride reminded herself to keep a closer eye on the fledgling. From what she could tell, each distance traveled was taking a small toll on his unaccustomed body. However, he was doing well, not even complaining about feeling tired or anything like that. She eyed the next sturdy branch a fraction of a second before fluttering over to it. However, Snowpeak seemed to have stopped, she realized after a second of waiting. Alarmed, she whirled around expecting another fall from the young sentinel; however, he seemed to just be taking a quick rest. She let out a breath of relief.
Her icy blue eyes watched Snowpeak quietly as he spoke. She remained still and silent as he passed from one tree branch to the other a little too quickly or eagerly in comparision to the last few. A light frown passed her features before it vanished beneath a patient expression. She followed him to the next branch.
"The sun will be rising soon," she spoke up while eyeing to her right as though she could see through the trees and the exact location the light would being its dreary shine. It was hard to tell whether or not that was an answer for his question or not but she moved to the next branch without any further words. A few more trees to past and the encave should be in sight. Moon glanced back to the fledgling with a soft but unreadable expression, waiting for him to catch up.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:54 am
Snowpeak pushed forward and, ignoring his tired wings that ached merciless, he followed the Elite. His eyes narrowed as they accompanied her tail feathers and only left the large moving shape to glance at a small patch of sky that seemed to be just a little bit brighter than the rest. He remained quiet as they approached the Enclave and when he finally landed on one of the fledgling platforms, he sat down with a loud thud, looking exhausted. His body disconnected from his mind instantly and he was sure he wouldn’t be able to move for a while.
Still quiet, he eyed the Enclave trees looking for his minder. He only found a few older fledglings playing outside and two adult sentinels watching them closely. Typhoon was nowhere to be seen and Snowpeak began to worry that the old sentinel might be out in the forest, desperately looking for a missing fledgling as the sun began to threaten its arrival. For the first time, he actually felt a bit guilty about disappearing on him like that.
Well, we’re here, he thought to himself but the words never made it to his beak.
“What’s your name…uh... ma’am?” he asked between painful breaths as he suddenly realized she was about to leave before he even knew her name. That was something that just had to remember in the future.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:49 pm
Moonstride landed close enough on a nearby branch, allowing the perch to shift underneath her sudden added weight. She gave a quiet and thoughtful glance around the enclave; it has been quite a while since she had been here and it amused her greatly that little has changed since then, by what she remembers that is. It also seems Typhoon was missing at the moment most likely out breaking his wing searching for this little fledgling. She'll probably have to inform someone to search him out and let him know him that his charge was back safely before the day settles.
Snowpeak's question drew her back from her thoughts. She regarded him quietly for a moment. "It's Moonstride." She looked up again and quickly noticed that an adult sentinel spotted them and was making its way over. She frowned slightly, debating whether she had the patience to carry on a conversation with the minder. Moon turned back to Snowpeak. "I bid you farewell, little one, until our next meeting." Before Snowpeak could even manage a reply, the Elite had taken flight and started to disappear behind the tree trunks that flooded the forest.
It was apparent Moonstride had left without the fledgling’s name. However, perhaps she already knew it or, knowing Moon, she would know it before the second night ends.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:33 pm
Snowpeak took a moment to realized the large Elite had left and another (a bitterer one) to notice she didn’t ask for his name. But it was to be expected really, considering how insignificant he must’ve looked to someone like her. Still, he was happy she’d taken the time to bring him back to the Enclave, answering all his question along the way.
He eyed the approaching minder with flattened eartufts and defiant gaze. It wasn’t Typhoon so there was bound to be some loud shouting involved. He braced for it, twisting the corners of his beak in a cunning smile as he fetched as much insolence as he could out of the bottom of his tired tiny self. Even exhausted and now hungry, he was still determined to make his return at least a little bit enjoyable.
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