Private Tales Bumpy Landing

[Fynaurie]

Mikaela Ryurik

Once Fynaurie had discovered a Skystream and finally made her way back to Kearth she had excitedly rushed to the walls of the old training halls.

Many years ago the Avelion had lost most of the towers that ran the length of the spine. Only three eyrie remained in use. The towers themselves predated the sky elves. Whilst the elves had modified the enormous structures to suit their giant eagles they could not build such things themselves. Making something so tall and stable was beyond their engineering.

The oldest drawings were from the first sky elves to live here. She had sought out one in particular. A map of the world that had always been a curiosity. Bright red lines were woven across it, not matching any roads they knew, crossing mountains and oceans.

Her theory matched up. One of those lines was exactly where she had discovered the skystream. It had not been as well received as she might have hoped. Fynaurie had a reputation for being lazy, undisciplined, and a bit of a dreamer.

Once she had shown them the skystream the dragoons had drawn up plans to find out how many were still there. There was no way of knowing how unbroken the routes were. The speed they carried an Eagle could mean that a scouting mission could be a one way trip.

Which she had immediately volunteered for.

---

Awareness came in waves. First she was aware of her own body, then came the pain. Her head throbbed, but few parts of her body were not screaming at her. Then she felt the dry, sandy ground beneath her fingers.

Fynaurie lifted her head from the ground. Her flying mask, made of bone, had cracked. He fell away from her face. Her silver hair streamed around her face.

She managed to get to one knee before she realised that standing was beyond her. The world was spinning.

That was the last thing she had remembered too. They had found the skystream heading north east. The ground had been far below them and they had left the spine behind.

On their maps this region was a green a fertile place, but from their height she had seen precious little green on the plateau below. Then they had hit turbulence. The skystream had come to an abrupt end, tossing Vaxor out into a stormy vortex high above the plains. Fynaurie had remembered him tumbling out of control, she had clung tight to the saddle, burying her face in his feathers.

Fynaurie looked around. She was almost relieved not to see Vaxor, her rohk. They would have died from such a height. It stood to reason that he had managed to control their landing to some extent.

Not perfectly, judging from her bruising. She still didn't dare stand up.

"Where is he?" he muttered. She willed the horizon to stay flat and level as she looked around.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

The hunt had been successful. Some of the rabbit meat was put away in her satchel for later. Right now she felt stuffed and wasn’t sure if she should walk or try to find a place to sleep for later on. With the winds howling now and then, it would be wise to look for shelter, but at the same time, perhaps it would be best to leave this place as fast as she could. Lower there would be more grass, richer fauna, and less wind. The decision was made. She would pull through, especially with the energy from the rabbit’s meat, and find a safe place to stay once the height would be a bit less. At least, that’s what the plan was until it got disturbed by something crashing in the distance. Knowing that it would take her hours to get there, she still opted to investigate the event. It seemed that Mika’s curiosity knew no boundaries.

*​

She found her by the scent of Elf and blood mixing into their surroundings. There was something else present, too, but it was too vague or too unfamiliar for her to recognize. She didn’t bother with that scent now, mostly because the Elf she saw was in bad shape. Having only met them a couple of times, and not really interacted with them much, Mika wasn’t sure if this one would be as friendly as the one on the ship. For there everyone had been a stranger and a companion. Here, however, in the woods, who knew what this one had been up to to be left in such a state.

Did a dragon fall here?
Did one drop her?
Was that the other smell? .. No, she didn’t recognize it.
Were there many species of dragons?

Dozens of different questions occupied her mind as she carefully came closer to what appeared to be an injured female elf.

“Are you alright?” she wanted to know from a distance, trying Common in an attempt to communicate. Oh how glad she was to have been taught the Common Tongue for she was yet to meet other Nordenfiir.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie saw her aether-glaive on the ground. At least it was in one piece. She knew nothing of the cultures beyond her home tower. Fynaurie had been allowed to visit a trading outpost on the edge of their territory just once and had even spoken to the dwarves and humans who lived there.

As someone approached she wrapped her fingers around the base of the spear. She barely had the strength to drag it back towards her across the ground, let alone lift it.

An aether-glaive was a long spear with a blade that glowed a dull white. When a dragoon dived at the enemy they could send a blade of pure light lashing across the ground from its tip. This sky dragoon couldn't even lift it from the ground.

“Are you alright?”

Fynaurie grimaced, leaving the aether-glaive lying on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak human particularly well," she replied flawlessly. She had been towards the bottom of her class in the language, but elven students were held to exacting students.

"Where am I?" She asked, looking around. They were East of the northern ridge of the spine. This was not a lush and fertile land any more, instead dominated bt dry plains and the odd patch of woodland.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

As soon as the woman dropped her weapon, Mika figured approaching her wouldn’t turn into a fight. With her own dagger out of the way she came closer. When the entire scene turned clear she quickened her pace. “That’s a good question, somewhere in the Blightlands. I’m not a native, just coming through.” A bitter grin showed across Mika’s face.

“How did you..? Did you fall or were you dropped?”

Unsure, she hesitatingly looked up toward the sky. Nobody was there. No sight of a dragon or any beast of the flying kind. The woman didn’t have wings either. Though that wasn’t the biggest problem right now. The stranger looked quite injured. Sighing mentally, Mika prepared herself for what Northerners were taught to do. Help each other.

Should this have been an Orc chances would have been real that Mika would have simply left them to fend for themselves, but this one wasn’t.

“Can you walk?”

Slowly reaching out she offered to help. Should she have to, the woman could lean onto Mika for support. This way they might be able to make it to one of the trees. At least there would be a bit of cover there. Both from the wind and the unknown.

Depending on how badly injured she was they could use wood to make a supporting structure of sorts. Perhaps a sled of some kind. Because they really shouldn't’ be staying out here. Food and water were scarce here. They would have a really hard time surviving. Especially if an enemy would appear. Recovering up here wasn’t an option. Hopefully the Elf would agree on that one.

“I’m Mika, by the way.”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie took the offered hand. She grimaced and grunted until she was standing up. She wasn't even aware that she was slowly swaying.

"I can stand. Give me a moment to think."

A lot of things could be said of Fynaurie. In fact, her trainers always had lots and lots of things to say about her. Sometimes it was positive. Not often. One thing that was not said about her was taking too long to trust people. She would talk far too much at anyone who made the mistake of staying still for too long.

Fortunately today she was winded to the point of struggling to breath, let alone speak.

"I don't know if I fell or was dropped," she admitted, turning her gaze to the skies. "You haven't seen a giant Eagle in the sky?"

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“No, I haven’t. To be honest I haven’t seen anything in the sky.” Mika pointed out without hesitation.

There was no need to lie. Besides, she doubted that she would have missed a huge eagle. Though, she had to admit, an eagle wasn’t the first being that came to mind when being dropped by something out of the sky was the topic. In all honesty she hadn’t been aware that there were eagles large enough to drop someone the size of an average human.

The dark haired girl frowned. “Did it.. take you?” There was a hint of worry in her voice. Should that turn out to be the truth then this plateau was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

“If you can move, we should head for those trees. Not a lot of them, but we can check if you need some bandages. That was quite the fall.” She didn’t even hide her being impressed. Depending on how high this woman had been when falling, well, Mika wasn’t sure she would have survived it.

There were a lot of questions surrounding the situation. Like the vanishing of the Eagle. If the Elf hadn’t gone mad after the fall, of course. For all the Nordenfiir knew she was hallucinating things after having bumped her head a bit too hard. Nobody would blame her for that, but it was still important to figure out what the truth was.

“I have some mead, it might help with the pain a little.”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Well, yes he did, but I did ask him to. Vaxor was in a grumpy mood this morning so I had to ask nicely."

Fynaurie was trying to be friendly despite feeling quite despondent. She was hundreds of miles from home, stranded without Vaxor. Even if she healed she couldn't possibly make it all the way back on foot.

They wouldn't come here after her. They would assume the skystream was broken and wouldn't risk losing another eagle and rider.

Fynaurie picked up her aether-glaive. She gripped it just below the blade and used it to take some of her weight.

"What's mead? And is it dangerous here?"

Their maps were ancient. The "blightlands" had looked lush and fertile on the drawings. Not like this.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“You can communicate with eagles?” she asked without even holding back her surprise. The words were out before she had thought through whether it would an impolite thing to ask. In any case, it was too late now. Hopefully the woman wouldn’t be offended by Mika’s curiosity and perhaps obnoxiousness as well.

“Mead is.. a drink, a strong drink. It’s quite pleasant, but only in small amounts. It warms you up and numbs your senses a little. However, if you have too much of it, things might go awry because both your reaction speed, coordination ability, and reasoning get stumped. So.. it’s something to be drank in small amounts unless it’s a feast.” Taking the leather bag with the drink out of her satchel, she offered it to the Elf. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous, at least not in this amount. Maybe a barrel would get you unconscious.” Though, she had the idea that some Nordenfiir might be able to handle more than one barrel. She wasn’t one of those.

“As for this place being dangerous.. well, ehm, I wouldn’t call it safe. There are quite some Orcs around this area. Most of them aren’t very open to foreigners. So.. I wouldn’t stay in the open like this.” Gesturing to the side, she started to slowly walk there. Her pace was slow, so she hoped that the Elf would follow. “What’s your name? And.. what are you doing in this area? Coming through?”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh," went Fynaurie, realising that she hadn't even offered her name. Even in the situation she felt regret for being so rude.

"I'm Fynaurie," she offered, hobbling after the woman who had come to her aid. She paused to take a swig of meade. Fynaurie pulled a face, having expected it to taste like beer. Unlike other elves they could not grow grapes near their towers, instead making beers and a kind of whiskey from the barleys that grew in the Highlands. This was much sweeter.

"You could communicate to our eagles too. If you spoke elvish. I'm afraid Vaxor doesn't understand human. We don't really fully understand how they talk back, but they make their intentions known. Hence the thick gloves," Fynaurie explained. She held up one hand to show her thick leather gloves. The scratches in the surface could have been from a fall. Or perhaps the sharp beak of an irked Eagle.

"We were flying high over the land when this...thing..."

Fynaurie gave up on the explanation for a moment, too exhausted to speak as they continued for cover. It was hard work when all her limbs ached with every step.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mikaela, a shame of the circumstances.” the Nordenfiir nodded. The surprise of the Elf being able to communicate with eagles was still visible on her face. She didn’t try to hide it. The news was quite impressive. Though she wasn’t entirely sure what to imagine either. Especially when Fynaurie showed her the gloves. Perhaps the communication was slightly different from what Mika had originally imagined. Not that it made flying a huge eagle any less impressive.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to explain.” she smiled, thinking back on how she had ended up here. Everyone had their journey to make. Sharing it with a stranger wasn’t an obligation.

“Let’s sit over there, hmm,” there was a flat rock, two trees close to each other and a couple of bushes. Quite sad for a cover, but better than being out in the open. “I have some bandages, if you need any. Do you think something is broken?”

Worried, she watched the Elf. “We could tie a couple of branches to make sure the bone doesn’t move too much, but if it’s just bruises.. I would say you’ll have to bite through after a short break. We shouldn’t stay here.”

Sitting on the ground next to the rock she leaned against it. Fynaurie could pick whether to sit on top of it or mimic Mika who was looking for bandages in her satchel now. Taking out the pieces of rabbit, she gave the Elf a questioning look. “We can make a quick fire, if you’re hungry, but I’m not sure if it would attract anything flying..”

Because this “thing” had sounded like something bad that could fly, something that had managed to cause Fynaurie and her eagle to crash.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie sighed as she plonked herself down on the rock. She leaned her aether-glaive against it. The sky elf took a few seconds to simply breathe. All the aches and pains reduced down to a dull throb.

"I don't think anything has broken..." She said softly. She had had many broken bones in her time, including two fingers. Eagles were large creatures who had a different train of thought to their masters. Sometimes they did unexpected things. Every Avelion had to learn how to fly at a young age too.

Slowly she pulled her gloves free and started on the toggles of her overcoat. Hee thick flying leathers shielded her from the cold and an irritable bird but they also kept injuries hidden.

Fynaurie was bleeding from a gash above her hairline. Her arms were bruised but she couldn't see any serious wounds.

"Where are you going again?" Fynaurie asked. She was still quite disorientated, but it was a fear for Vaxor that was galvanising above anything else in her mind.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Curiously eyeing the shining weapon she blurted out her question without thinking. “What is the spear made of?”

Having worked with father on steel now and then, or at least tried to, she wanted to know how this one was made. The metal they used might be native to the Elf’s home she soon realized, but that only caused it to be more fascinating. If it hadn’t been for their current predicament and them being complete strangers, well, Mika might have asked if she was allowed to touch it. Right now, however, she let that topic rest.

“I’m glad that you seem to be fine.. ehm, well, hard to say, where I’m going, I mean.” Still unsure if the Elf wanted to eat she showed her the remains of the rabbits. “Fire or heading further?” then thought about the direction she was heading.

“Unfortunately I don’t have a map, I think I need to head further north to reach the sea. Hopefully I’ll my hands on a map before I go too far to the west. My home is situated across the Blighted sea, It’s where I want to get.. however, it’s been hard.” Harder than she had expected it to be. Things had gone awry here and there. Distances were large, and people on the road weren’t always friendly.

“Do you think the eagle will come back here or will it go home?”

Unsure how the bond between the eagle and the rider worked Mika waited for an answer while speculating about it at the same time. If it would look for Fynaurie then it wouldn’t be a problem for them to move a bit, but if it was supposed to come back here, then it would be better to wait a little. At the same time, perhaps it was hurt and Fynaurie should be the one to look for it. There really were quite a few options.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

There was a lot to think about from just a few questions. The first one already set her back. Her people had kept themselves fairly isolated from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. Enough time for the short lived races like humans and Nordenfiir to have mostly forgotten them. She didn't know if the aether-glaive was considered a secret to be kept.

Then there was Vaxor. She was certain he would not have abandoned her. He could not have dropped her from a great height or she would have died. It had taken an hour to get here, but the sky streams were one way. It would take days for him to go back and get help if that was what he had done.

Fynaurie's youthful brow furrowed in concentration.

"It is steel," she replied. "But elven forged. Light and imbued with magic.

"I don't know if Vaxor will be heading home or nearby," she admitted. "I don't...really..."

Fynaurie's voice trailed off. She had never felt quite this alone before. Her kind were backed tightly into her tower, she shared a room with five others. Whenever they left Kearth Vaxor was always with her. She sniffed quietly.

"The ocean is north. I think. Our maps are so old this place was coloured green." It helped to focus on little facts like that. "Are you...a blacksmith?" she asked. Fynaurie stretched out her legs, testing them. She could not have fallen from a great height, she decided.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Sounds amazing,” Mika nodded, continuing to curiously eyeing the weapon. Her attention only shifted when Fynauria mentioned Vaxor, presumably the eagle. Commiting the name to memory Mike tried to imagine what would happen if one fell from a horse and the latter ran off. Except that she wasn’t used to horses. Not a lot of Nordenfiir used them. To start with, horses didn’t like them because they smelled the danger behind their humanoid form. Then, there was the neverending snow and cold. Only the special horses from the west, bred and trained by Nordenfiir, could work together with the bears. Not that Mika’s ever had the pleasure to.

“Hmm, a shame.. we could use a map.” The fact they both thought the ocean was north was something though. Two heads were better than one. At least during times like these.

“Ehm, no, not really. My dad forges Solstal Steel near the capital, we, eh the Nordenfiir use it..” suddenly tracing off, she wasn’t sure if Elves were alright with the Nordenfiir. So far she hadn’t met any of their kind without them already being in the same predicament. Did Fynauria know that Mika’s people could shape-shift into bears? If she did, then there was no need to hide the speciality behind Solstal. If, however, the Elf didn’t know, then it was better not to mention it at all.

Who knew what type of reaction she would get?

Not that she was too afraid in case of a fight breaking out. From the looks of it she definitely had the advantage here.

“Myself, I’m more of a scout. At home, that is. Right now it turns out that I’m just another traveller.” Grinning, as if all of this was just a bad joke, Mika started to sink away in thoughts. They weren’t going to make food, so much was clear. She hid the meat. The snack would serve them well later, or her.

“Is there a way for you to call him? Vaxor, I mean. Some sort of .. sound? A special sign?”

Smoke?

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Not really," Fynaurie replied. "We don't usually go very far apart from one another. Well, I mean, he comes and goes from the eyrie as he pleases. I'm not sure they quite think about time like we do so he doesn't always remember to come back when we're supposed to be flying a recon. But when I'm away from home he's never far away."

Fynaurie frowned at the ground as she explained this. At least, she thought to herself, there was someone to explain it to. If she had been left limping across these 'blightlands' on her own she wasn't sure how she would have coped.

"He will come back," she said firmly. "So what's...a nord-en-fir?" She asked. Fynaurie had thought she was just a human. The smell she had politely assumed was just because Mikaela Ryurik had been travelling on the road for a long time.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“A people from the North, our land is across the Blighted sea, it’s called Eretejva Tundra. There is the mainland and a couple of large and smaller islands surrounding it. Most of the time everything is covered in snow. I like that, though. I quite miss it, if I’m honest.” Unsure if the Elf would be hostile should she know about their blood and secret, she sort of stopped there. If there was more to the Elf’s question then surely she would probe further now or later.

“Do you live in an eyrie as well?” a dumb question perhaps, but Mika had no idea where Elves resided. In fact, the last time she had seen one they were on a ship, living the life of a pirate. She hadn’t had the chance to ask them about their home or the reason why they were a part of Zufar’s crew.

Suddenly turning to the side when wind blew from the direction of the hill, she slid back against the rock she had been leaning on. With a quick push the girl was on her feet. Cautiously jogging toward the edge of the plateau they were sitting on. The wind had brought a sent with it. Orcs!

They were beneath them, down the hill. She could spot a couple of them moving away from the plateau with great enthusiasm. Due to some reason they were in a hurry. She could see it by the way they moved. Hoping they wouldn’t look back before she retreated, Mika back off. While there had been only two of them from what she had seen, surely there would be more of them around. Not right now, maybe, but the two had been heading somewhere, probably a settlement of sorts.

“Orcs,” she let Fynaurie know when being back. “they’re everywhere, it’s their lands, but if we’re careful enough, we should be able to dodge any scouts. I can smell them from quite the distance. That’s.. the bear in me.”

She smiled harmlessly before offering her hand for Fynaurie to get up.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie thought back to her maps. Theirs were exceptionally old. At least four thousand years. The blightlands might have been a fertile green on those that still held pigments, but the main landmasses were correct.

She started fiddling with her satchel to retrieve the parchment she had hastily sketched a map on with some of the largest landmarks.

"We all live in Kearth. It's a huge tower. We didn't build it though, don't know who did. There are a bunch of them along the mountains. We sort of built the Eyries on top of them. We used to own all of those towers, now just three...

"...Wait where are you going?" asked Fynaurie, limping after her.

"Oh."

She had never seen an orc up close before. Fynaurie's sense of close and far came from flying thousands of feet in the air.

"What do you mean 'bear in me'?" she asked, assuming she had missed some trick of the language.

A keening cry cut through the air and Fynaurie stood bolt upright.

"Vaxor."

The cry hadnt come from above. It was one of distress.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

They were up on their feet but far enough from the edge not to be seen by the potential enemies. Mika had long figured that her smell skills were better than those of the Orcs. Before she had to explain that bit to Fynaurie, though, something else got their attention. A cry the type of Mika had never heard before, but the Elf appeared to recognize. Vaxor, the Eagle. Apparently this was the sound it made. However, being unable to recognize what it meant, Mika looked up toward the sky, staring while waiting for a giant bird to descend. That didn’t happen, and the fact that it didn’t together with the worry crossing the Elf’s face, let the puzzle click in Mika’s mind.

“He’s hurt?” she took a guess, eyes narrowing.

Of course she still wanted to learn more about the ancient maps and the towers the Elves lived in, but should someone close to her heart be in distress, she too would have opted to go out and seek them rather than telling stories to a stranger. The bear grunted. If this one, in her somewhat limping state, would go look for the eagle on her own, surely little would be left of her. Certainly if the orcs had anything to do with it. They were stubborn and mostly not very sharp minded, however, they were strong and could be frequently found in groups.

“You plan to look for him?” she asked it, even if the answer was obvious. Damn, she really wanted those maps.. at least an opportunity to take a look on them for long enough to draw them, but right now that impossible. Fynauria appeared anxious to move. Almost fidgety.

“Need some help?”

Mika was already wondering why she was proposing such a dumb thing. Perhaps it was the Nordenfiir in her mixed with her own moral compass that led her to helping anyone she thought to be worth it. Fynauria better not stab her in the back when finding out that Mika’s people were capable of turning into bears when fully adult.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Another cry cut through the air. Fynaurie lifted her spear off the ground, holding it in two hands. Her next step was a careful limp but the sound of her own eagle in trouble had galvanised her resolve. Her sharp face was fixed in determination. She turned back and forth trying to work out which way to go.

At least until Mikaela Ryurik made her offer of help.

Fynaurie turned towards the Nordenfiir, cocking her head to one side and frowning.

"You would come and help me?" she asked quietly. "Even though it's dangerous out there?"

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Nobody can deny it being dangerous out here.. and well, you do look like you need some help. I’ll be honest, though. Keep those maps safe, I would like to get a closer look on them once we get your eagle back.” Nodding toward the package, she then stretched a little, packed her satchel and cracked her knuckles. They would have to find where the distressed call was coming from. Following it was one thing, but to make sure they wouldn’t fall into one of the Orcs’ traps was another.

She sniffed. Right now, being so high, she couldn’t get a good scent on the bird. For one she was unfamiliar with its smell. Two, the Orcs were there, and the Elf. All scents mixed together with the pinetrees, the mud, the herbs. She needed to get closer to the path they had taken, or it had taken. Hopefully it wasn’t somewhere in the air or her smelling skills might be in vain.

“You think he’s on the ground?” she wondered, eyes already planning a way to get down the plateau. They would need some rope - she had that in her backpack, but they would still have to be careful. Roots and vines would help them get down harmlessly. Especially if Fynauria didn’t want to get more injured. That truly was the last thing they needed if they wanted to trace down the eagle and potentially help it getting out of a predicament of sorts.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

But Fynaurie didn't answer that question. She left her spear leaning against a tree and wrapped her slender arms around the Nordenfiir. Fynaurie pulled her into a hug and gave her a squeeze. By Nordenfiir standards it would barely be called a hug.

Fynaurie stepped away, crinkling her nose. "Thank you," he said, followed by: "You need a bath."

"That's a cry for help," Fynaurie confirmed. "He wouldn't be making it from the air."

Her people were good with the air and the wind. She was certain that sound was not coming from above. They wrote going to have to fight orc patrols, she was sure of it. She had never fought anyone before, not really. The Sky Dragoons had thought her to fight with spear and bow over and over for decades, but it wasn't the same as fighting for your life. For your eagle's life.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Unsure what the Elf was doing Mika remained prenaturally still while her brain was doing overtime. Unsure if this was a hug of Fynaurie was trying to figure something about Mika’s body, it turned out to be an act of kindness when the Elf voiced her gratefulness. Immediately the fatigue she’s felt before by going through the choice of helping the stranger or picking an easy way out fell from her shoulders. In fact, the hug, together with the ‘thank you’ actually gave her an energy boost. She felt proud. Until the Elf told her that she smelled.

“Ehm.. I’m..sorry, I guess.” she awkwardly stated blushing all the way to her ears. Having been roaming the woods for a while now she hadn’t paid great attention to bathing, but aside from that, she vaguely knew that non-Nordenfiir always thought for the bears to have a distinct scent. Perhaps those two mixed were the reason why the Elf thought she needed a bath. In any case, she took note of it and planned to follow up on the advice as soon as she would get the chance to.

“Let’s get down, I think that.. your eagle’s scent, should he be down in the forest, would probably be quite strong. We already know where the orcs were heading.” Either those were fleeing or they were gathering. Imagining them to have found something so extraordinary as a giant eagle.. well, Mika was pretty sure that it was gathering that they were doing. A troll, e beast of sorts, a dragon, even some bigger Nordenfiir - Orcs seemed to have a habit of keeping odd creatures alive to either sell them or trade them. Eating them was rare, from what Mika had understood while wandering the woods which made up the homes of the orcs. The latter preferred certain types of meets, but weren’t dumb enough to eat something that could give them gold or power.

Carefully, but confidently, Mikaela took the lead for now. She got a good grip on one of the longer roots and started to make her way down. If Fynauria would carefully follow her steps, then surely they would get down without falling. This, mostly, because Mika was following the easier path, not the shortest.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie used her good arm as much as she could. Using the roots she was able to wedge her feet against the slope. It gave her enough strength to make it down.

The orcs had passed but they were exposed here. Fynaurie wasn't about to stop. She followed the direction of the cry.

"He's hurt," she replied again, her voice cracking. She couldn't lose him. They had been together for so many years now that it was unthinkable. And if she lost him she was certain to die in these lands.

As she rounded the copse of trees she finally caught sight of him. Her great, glorious Eagle. A crowd of orcs around him, perhaps twelve. A heavy net kept him pinned to the ground, held by heavy stakes that had been driven through it.

"No," Fynaurie hissed. The sky elf made a start towards the orcs, heedless of the danger.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“No, not now! Not yet,” she hissed, pretty much in the same tone Fynaurie had. Reaching out she tried to get a hold on her arm in order to stop her, perhaps even turn her around. There was no use in heading there straight away. Well, not head on, at least.

“I understand your worry, but there are two of us and.. well.. at least two of them. You’re hurt, I might be able to take out two with some luck. If there are more, him you might not lose, because they might keep him to trade or sell, he’ll definitely lose you, though. An injured Elf.. unless you have some very special talents I’m afraid you’ll either be a meal or a slave.” Speaking softly, but harshly, Mika tried to keep eye contact throughout her monologue. Of course this wasn’t something anyone would want to hear. If she was in her place, she would have been enraged as well. Though.. she had no eagle, or any pet or partner to relate to, however, she understood friendship and bonds. Diving into a pile of Orcs wasn’t a good plan, though.

“We need to be careful. Thinking before acting.” Exhaling, she took a step back. “Okay?”

Where she wanted to help Fynaurie to get her Eagle back she didn’t plan on dying because of some recklesless Elf’s behavior. Should the woman turn out to be unreasonable or too emotional to be kept in check, well, there was only so much Mika could do. Warriors needed strategy, needed insight, aside from skills and strength. They were at a disadvantage, so they needed a plan.

“Any traps you guys use..? Are you good with arrows? I could probably take out a couple of them from a distance, but I need to make arrows first. The tips I have, thin branches, those are some I need. I can peel and cut as we go.”

Waiting for an answer she wondered what it would be.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie held her ground with a looknkf stubborn determination on her face. She impatiently shifted her weight from foot to foot as she decided what to do.

"Okay," she eventually agreed, but it was clear that such a decision pained her. She could hear Vaxor cry out again. He needed her. How could she know exactly how he would be treated?

The Nordenfiir was talking and Fynaurie realised that she wasn't properly listening.

"I can shoot," she eventually admitted. "But I don't make traps. I normally...wekl I normally have Vaxor."

Who needed traps when you rode an Eagle with a forty foot wingspan.