Fatigue was settling deep into her bones. Every beat to keep her relatively aloft felt like she was drawing her body through a mire. Her muscles ached, her shoulders burned, and her consciousness wavered. The last island she had rested on had been filled with wolves, but her stomach had begged for the sparse blades of grass poking through the dunes. She had seen them creep upon one of the sandy dunes, their tales flicking eagerly, moist pink tongues licking their fangs and lips. They bolted after her, only several mouthfuls in, and she defended themselves. They were thin, obviously starving since prey had avoided their small area of sand dunes, but had the numbers. While she could beat or scare off two with her hooves, one always managed to get behind her. Several times the striker managed to slink in from behind, take a satisfying nip - sometimes bite - at her hind legs, before she could kick them away. They were superficial, nothing to be too worried about, but they'd need washing. One particular kick had landed her hoof in the under jaw of the strike, the wolf yelping in pain and running off. Another one, a distractor, managed to lurch forward and sink it's teeth into her right foreleg. Aloy had bellowed from her own pain, but used her other hoof to beat at the wolf's back.
They backed off, and the pegasus took flight. Now here she was, watching the distant land grow in size. "Thank the Sacred it's not another island..." Her mind sputtered. Adjusting her grip on the winds, she arched to slowly descend.
Snow laden, the air was as frigid as some of the more temperate days back in No'orvik. She was not entirely unaccustomed to such a thing, but this would make finding herbs for her throbbing fore difficult. Aloy had used her last spars days ago, and hadn't been on islands with nearly enough vegetation to support the kind of medicinal herbs she needed. "What was the saying?" She through, but it eluded her exhausted mind. All that truly mattered now was reaching those snowy fields. Another rotation of her massive wings seemed to rip the muscles in her shoulders and back asunder, grimacing through the pain. She was almost there now... getting closer... and closer.
Her legs extended to catch herself, hooves ready to pound into the frozen grounds and catch her descent with trained grace. But her injured leg bowed beneath her, tumbling her into the thicket of snow. She pulled her wings into her form as best she could for protection, but her legs flailed as she tumbled over herself. One final spin brought her to a jagged halt, her body losing all of it's gained momentum. Steam poured from her nostrils in gulping breaths as she lay in the show, a jagged scar etched into the field behind her. For a moment she just let herself lay there, lay there breath. The air was crisp with the grip of winter, and it stung her overworked lungs. Mustering it, she pulled herself upright, extending her injured leg with a hiss escaping her clenched teeth. The beaded throng that had her dreaded mane collected had fallen into the grace, and once her cerulean eyes saw it, she snatched at it, throwing it around her shoulders. Eye twitching, calling for her soft telekinesis, she tied it there to keep from losing it again, then extended the arcana to her mane where - ah, yes, it hadn't fallen. Her brush. Aloy let out a heaving sigh, her body uncoiling from the tension - so much so, it hurt to relax.
Those big blues flicked this way and that, wondering just how long she had to rest here...
wc: 623 tag: @Name ooc: Open for IC convincing to stay with the Dawn Court!
12-20-2017, 06:50 AM
Played by
Sparrow [PM] Posts: 196 — Threads: 34 Signos: 25
Typically, he had a schedule. Typically, Somnus stuck to that schedule to the letter, priding himself on being punctual and orderly. He would wake, make himself presentable, go for a flight or a jog, depending on what he was in the mood for, and go about his day with the Court before relaxing for the evening, seeking out either Ulric or Caelum to share company with in his free time. The golden tactician prided himself on his ability to keep to that schedule, even now that it had to be altered with the frequent presence of Caelum in his life. It wasn’t bad, though. Quite the contrary. He was warmed by the gentle titan’s presence, soothed and calmed, and so didn’t mind rearranging the tasks he would need to see to in order to spend a few more stolen moments with the starborn prince.
What he hadn’t planned on, of course, was witnessing a monochromatic Pegasus tumble head over hooves after a rather painful looking attempt at a landing, tumbling into a heap in the snow. So surprised as he was, the dunalino darted forward without thought, ears perked at attention and emerald eyes wide with worry and alarm. Who was it? Were they injured? For all of his time with the Dawn Court, he did not recognize the downed woman, and as he drew closer, hooves crunching the snow beneath his weight, he realized that he did not know her at all. Her scent was foreign, not one of Delumine that he could place. A stranger to their land?
She was taller than himself, broad built and colored in black and white. The dreads upon her crest were thick, even mottled with snow as they were, but her piercing blue eyes took the tactician’s breath. Even as she pulled herself upright, overcoming her stupor, Somnus found himself fretting for her wellbeing, stranger or not. A fall like that should never be taken lightly.
“Be still,” Somnus began, his tone of urgency accentuated by the accent of his voice, “Are you alright? That was quite the tumble that you took. Please, be still for a moment.” The way in which the female extended her leg was worrisome, and one only had to look at it to know that it was injured. He wondered what it was that had caused the injury, who she was, and where it was that she had come from.
“My name is Somnus. I’m no healer or caretaker, but please. Might I be of assistance?”
Meticulous schedule or not, Somnus could not, in good conscience, abandon an injured fellow.
@Aloy
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
It was all snow, downy and sparkling where streams of golden light pierced through steely clouds. Dammit... She cursed in her mind's eye, her aqua orbs glancing down towards her injuries. Her hinds would heal; they were all but superficial. Some may scar, if only slightly, but the punctures that had stained her right foreleg? The tearing teeth of the wolf had done sustainable before she could beat the thing off, and even her own defense may have worsened the jagged edges. Her audits fell back into the rolls of her dreads, feeling the tickle of her pain brush sticking out of a paticular braid upon her right ear so that it twitched and flicked, and she let out a hoarse sigh that raked her dry throat.
While luck had avoided her thus far, it seemed that it's grip loosened. An accentuated call reached her, snapping her visage round to face a golden pegasus whom approached. He must have witnessed the landing, or perhaps smelled the coagulating injuries. Aloy didn't think the details mattered. Although she was thankful, her eyes showcased her caution. "Stillness will only let the ache sit in." She murmured, yanking her other fore from beneath her chest and using it to struggle to her feet. The dull ache of her back had her eyes clenching shut, her wings twitching. Swaying to locate her balance, she favored her injured fore by placing wait only upon the tip of her granite hoof. Her piercing vision turned to the other again, eyeing him, noticing he smelled of these lands with such preverse that it almost masked him.
"It may be bold, but I assume these lands are your home", she commented, her voice holding a grit to it but did not necessarily hinder her. "You may not be a healer, but I know my way with herbs and... natural medicines. I don't suppose you have elderberry or honey nearby?" While there still seemed to be a guard she held up, her icy orbs had strayed but turned back to him, thawed. Curbing the infection, or halting it's brooding hold, was her primary concern. She didn't necessarily want to turn into a gimp so early into life. She winced, another wave of pain reminded her of her aching back. Her wings drooped, the winds falling to the disheveled snow at her hooves. "Or ginseng." she forced through a vice grip on her form, her body protesting against her headstrong behavior.
wc: 410 tag: @Somnus ooc: forgive the shortness while i still figure her out ;o; worst part of new characters!
12-21-2017, 07:33 AM
Played by
Sparrow [PM] Posts: 196 — Threads: 34 Signos: 25
Keen verdant eyes regarded the wound placed upon her foreleg, wincing in sympathy at the sight of crudely torn flesh and gristle, exposing nerve and muscle beneath bloodstained hide. It looked severe and incredibly painful, and by no means recent, meaning that the two-toned maiden had sported it for some time. He couldn’t even fathom the grief such a wound might have caused, and found himself fretting over the possibility of infection. The strategist’s piercing gaze darted upwards, meeting the winged mare’s striking blue eyes, and hummed beneath his breath as he dared take a step closer, tawny ears tipped back against flaxen hairs in worry. Clearly he was no threat, and hoped that she wouldn’t perceive his approach as such. All he wished to do was help.
“They are,” he agreed, for she was not wrong. Somnus served these lands as Regent, as second-in-command to Kasil, the Dawn King himself. Anything that he could provide for her, this injured stranger, he would. Her instability was worrisome, the way that her body swayed, hooves splayed and wings assisting in keeping balance. Unbidden, he took another step, dark lips pulled downwards in a worried frown.
“I’ve no herbs or medicines at the ready, but the Citadel isn’t far. You may lean on me, if you wish, and I will take you there. Our healers can look you over, or I can assist you by fetching whatever you may need if you would prefer to treat yourself.” It was a bold offer to a stranger, but she was in desperate need of assistance, and he wouldn’t simply leave her. He wasn’t a brute, after all. The dunalino gentleman straightened, mottled wings flexed lazily at his sides. Even if she accepted his help only to leave Delumine afterwards, then that would be just fine. Hardy and stubborn though she seemed, there was never any harm in accepting help when it was due. Somnus could only hope that she would let him.
Shifting, he turned, tucking his wings close to his sides. “Lay your wing overtop mine and I will keep you upright. I know that we are but strangers, but I truly want to help.” Then, as an afterthought. “Or if you’ve the strength, we can fly.”
@Aloy
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
Kindness wasn't something Aloy was used to. The No'orvik were a cold people, both in home and temperament. This golden haired stallion was the first stranger who also didn't seem to have some sort of ulterior motive. But that didn't wane her striking cerulean vision. It watched him carefully, studied the worry etched into his dunalino visage and emerald eyes. Finding some semblance of balance, Aloy lifted her weary head on a loose, dragging nape, accentuating the height difference between them. Confirming these were his lands, and that he had no herbs at his disposal, a strained sigh left the lips of the piebald pegasus. The throb of her leg seemed to worsen at the disappointment, but her audits still caught a glimmer of hope.
The Citadel wasn't far.
Sharp eyes glanced back to the gilt man who offered to bear her weight back to this Citadel where she may find healing. Her orbs dropped, staring at the festering wound. Every instinct told her to deny the aid, to simply turn and forage for the necessary medicines herself. But this land was swallowed in snow and ice. She could very well never find what she needed. The realm may not even have flora she could identify, even in the warmer seasons. Another sigh escaped her, this one she did not try and hide, and she turned back to the man's frowning face. Now he pleaded to let him help her, and the woman nodded with only half a heart. She supposed she needed the aid. Without knowledge of where to go, or where she even was, infection could set it swifter than she found treatment. "Alright." She expelled, limping over to the man so that her injured leg was to their inside. A large di-colored wing draped over his own and she couldn't help but the smallest of leans upon him - her back had seized at the adjustment to her wing, and it seemed almost too much to bear.
"Take me to this Citadel then. I trust you're right when you say it isn't far."
It was very obvious that this bi-colored maiden did not trust him, but Somnus felt no ill-will or agitation in that regard. He did not know her, nor the history she carried within her flesh or the life she had once lived. Trust was something to be earned, not given. It was a lesson he lived by, swore by, but despite that, he only wished to help. Life had clearly dealt her an unfortunate hand, and he, happening by as he had, could not simply abandon her to the elements. Not in good conscience.
As she acquiesced, agreeing to allow his assistance in returning to the Court, Somnus shifted closer, allowing her to move at her own pace. He stood still, a steadfast and solid pillar for her to lean upon as she got herself situated, the long tendons of her wing bracing against the downy mottled feather of his own, his wings tucked close to his sides to remain out of the way. He did not mind the weight that bore down upon him, nor the awkwardness that came with being pressed so close to a technical stranger. Instead of commenting on it or bringing it to light, however, Somnus simply offered her a cordial smile, keen eyes easily spotting her vast discomfort.
“Tell me if you need to stop and we shall. I’ve no desire to cause you more pain.” It would be quite counterproductive indeed, if that is what he did. So, only with some form of sign from the shield-maiden, Somnus began the trek home. The Dawn Court would offer her warmth, food, medicine, and a safe place to rest and recover from her injury. Whether or not she remained within their halls would be entirely up to her.
Hoping to soothe the tension between them, the golden tactician began to speak, hoping to fill her in on a few details so that she wouldn’t be so wary once they arrived. “Forgive me if I am being ostentatious,” he began, glancing sidelong as they slowly paced themselves, patient hooves guiding them through the snow, “But it appears that you aren’t familiar to these lands. We are currently in Delumine, land of the Dawn Court, of which I serve beneath His Majesty, Kasil. The Citadel is our capitol, you could say, and it is there where our healers reside.” Along with nearly everything else related to Court-life.
“You will be welcome, so do not worry. If there is anything else that you need or require, simply tell me and I will do what I can to see it done.” His word, as Regent, held weight within the land. Not a soul could override his decision save for the Dawn King himself, but Somnus was not one to abuse his power. No, he was quite content sitting back and assisting from the shadows, not wishing to make a big deal of anything. Happening upon this injured lady was a coincidence he was grateful for. Clearing his throat, the dunalino cast his gaze onward. “I don’t believe that I caught your name, miss…?”
@Aloy – Sorry about the wait, hun!
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
