Eik watches the acrobat with bated breath and a resigned sort of jealousy. He would give most anything to fly.
(in his head a sniggering voice- that's easy to say for someone with so little to give.
He would argue the opposite is true. The less you have the more it means to you. But you never win the argument with yourself.)
Eventually, the man lands. Standing far above Eik, silhouetted by the bright blue sky, it looks at though he was cut from the cliff itself. A fine Solterran gargoyle.
There is no real reason for why Eik feels compelled to join the stranger. He very often often has the appearance of doing everything with great thought, for he moves and speaks with a certain sense of deliberation. And he does often act on carefully analyzed logic, but the truth is that he sometimes does things just for the hell of it.
The cliffside is no easy ascent for we unlucky ones bound to land. For the most part, the sandstone is grippier than other types of rocks, but it is still easy to slip and fall. More importantly the rattlers love to sunbathe here, where a shadowy crevice is just a quick slink away. But Eik is a determined man, and a rather quiet one- he'd rather haul himself to the top of the cliff than yell for the stranger's attention.
He selects the Northeastern slope for his ascent, where the winds blow from the terminus sea, bringing some moisture with them. This condenses on the sandstone at night and eats away at it, slowly wearing down the cliff to a slightly more gentle slope. A combination of grace, tact, and recklessness makes him a strong climber, but by the time he reaches the top he's lightheaded with breathlessness and a quickly fading sense of victory.
(He tries to ignore a particularly nagging thought playing on repeat- going down is the hard part)
At the top of the cliff, the massive pegasus is still standing there with the kingdom beneath him and the sea at his back. At the sight Eik remembers with an ache gentle Vadim and the way they stood atop the walls of a canyon with the wind tugging at them like an old friend. He remembers with an ache how they talked of the future, and god, and he remembers most achingly how his friend was never seen again.
It takes a few minutes for his breath to stop heaving in hot, heavy gusts. Meanwhile his sweat dries quickly in the warm, dry air and his mind settles and soon enough he appears just as he always does- dirty and calm (even with home hundreds of feet below him and no elevator service).
"What's your story?" Eik asks just loud enough to be heard over the whistle of the wind, just loud enough for his voice to reach the giant who stands just a few lengths away. He knows better than to get too close to the stranger who towers over him, not before getting a better sense of the man. All he can do in the mean time is convey his earnest lack of aggression, and to this effect he lowers and extends his muzzle in friendly greeting.
- - - - -
I am keeping quiet
E I K
But one day, the forest will talk about me
(in his head a sniggering voice- that's easy to say for someone with so little to give.
He would argue the opposite is true. The less you have the more it means to you. But you never win the argument with yourself.)
Eventually, the man lands. Standing far above Eik, silhouetted by the bright blue sky, it looks at though he was cut from the cliff itself. A fine Solterran gargoyle.
There is no real reason for why Eik feels compelled to join the stranger. He very often often has the appearance of doing everything with great thought, for he moves and speaks with a certain sense of deliberation. And he does often act on carefully analyzed logic, but the truth is that he sometimes does things just for the hell of it.
The cliffside is no easy ascent for we unlucky ones bound to land. For the most part, the sandstone is grippier than other types of rocks, but it is still easy to slip and fall. More importantly the rattlers love to sunbathe here, where a shadowy crevice is just a quick slink away. But Eik is a determined man, and a rather quiet one- he'd rather haul himself to the top of the cliff than yell for the stranger's attention.
He selects the Northeastern slope for his ascent, where the winds blow from the terminus sea, bringing some moisture with them. This condenses on the sandstone at night and eats away at it, slowly wearing down the cliff to a slightly more gentle slope. A combination of grace, tact, and recklessness makes him a strong climber, but by the time he reaches the top he's lightheaded with breathlessness and a quickly fading sense of victory.
(He tries to ignore a particularly nagging thought playing on repeat- going down is the hard part)
At the top of the cliff, the massive pegasus is still standing there with the kingdom beneath him and the sea at his back. At the sight Eik remembers with an ache gentle Vadim and the way they stood atop the walls of a canyon with the wind tugging at them like an old friend. He remembers with an ache how they talked of the future, and god, and he remembers most achingly how his friend was never seen again.
It takes a few minutes for his breath to stop heaving in hot, heavy gusts. Meanwhile his sweat dries quickly in the warm, dry air and his mind settles and soon enough he appears just as he always does- dirty and calm (even with home hundreds of feet below him and no elevator service).
"What's your story?" Eik asks just loud enough to be heard over the whistle of the wind, just loud enough for his voice to reach the giant who stands just a few lengths away. He knows better than to get too close to the stranger who towers over him, not before getting a better sense of the man. All he can do in the mean time is convey his earnest lack of aggression, and to this effect he lowers and extends his muzzle in friendly greeting.
- - - - -
I am keeping quiet
E I K
But one day, the forest will talk about me
@Phrixus so sorry for the wait! <3
Time makes fools of us all
