Private Tales Bumpy Landing

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Okay, that was a bit bad.. if Fynaurie only knew how to fight from up high then they were at an even greater disadvantage than Mika had thought. Their only hope to get away with freeing the eagle would probably be by freeing and flying. That was if the beast was strong enough to carry two of them. Should Fynaurie fly off on her own, well, death for Mika was certain then, unless she would be able to shoot all the orcs in the capm. Slim chances.

“We need to know if he’s hurt.. I can be the distraction. You free him, but..” she looked the Elf in the eye, having no way of being sure that the vow she would demand from her would ever be kept. “once free you have to take me with you.”

It was an easy enough plan. Certainly if the Orcs were celebrating their catch. Taking out guards would be easy enough for a quiet, sharp-sighted Nordenfiir and an Elf with even better eyesight and hopefully some decent shooting skills. The others, well, they had to come closer through the foliage to see how to deal with them.

“Deal?” Mika offered her hand, eyes still on the Elf. This was a huge risk, she wasn’t even sure why she was taking it. Perhaps it was her raging bear-blood connecting with the Eagle’s cry for help. Who knew.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Deal?" Fynaurie murmured, looking at her hand. "Oh you're offering to help me...in exchange for a ride south? Oh. Yes. Fine."

The sky elf held out her gloved hand and shook the nordenfiir's. Fynaurie didn't realise that she was worried about her flying away with Vaxor and leaving her in the middle of the fight. The thought hadn't ocurred to her.

Fynaurie tugged her gloves free and hooked them through her belt. Her short bow seemed to have survived the landing better than her. What became clear as she strung it was the pain in her drawing shoulder was going to be a problem. It quickly went from a dull ache to a sharp pain when she drew the bow back.

"What's the plan then? You should know he can't take off instantly from the ground," Fynaurie explained.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Ride South?

It surprised Mika, but she didn’t say anything about it. Her greatest worry aside from getting the eagle free was being left behind to be tortured to death by the remaining orcs. Or sold into slavery, after being tortured just enough to still be of use. Well, shaking that off now that they had a deal, the young Nordenfiir took a deep breath. She had her bow and as they walked she cut branches and peeled them without even looking. Having been taught some of these skills ever since -- what one could basically call -- kindergarten, she only stopped now and then to add the sharpened stone and tie it up nicely. The back still had to be done, but she left that for a bit later. Six to eight arrows would have to do. There was no way she would able to take out more orcs without them noticing that someone was attacking. After that, their advantage would be gone.

“We examine the camp, yeah? Take out as many as we can from a distance, once they notice, I’m the bait. You free the eagle..”

She stopped, thinking. “How much room does he need to take off? I mean.. I could climb trees and try to move forth like that, they might hunt me that way first. As long as you could pick me up from the tops..”

Depending on the numbers they might leave one or two orcs behind with the eagle. At the same time, if it was bound enough and unable to escape as it was now, perhaps they’ll figure it wasn’t necessary. One Nordenfiir with arrows, or a Nordenfiir and an Elf. If they were quiet enough surely they wouldn’t notice the difference between one and two. Unless for the scent, but unfortunately, Mika wasn’t sure how sensitive Orcs were in that regard.

“Does that sound.. possible?”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie gave a shake of her head. "On the way down Vaxor could pluck you from anything, but on the way up when he's still gathering lift it would be tricky."

Fynaurie glanced around them. A dozen or more orcs. They were such large creatures to the slight elf. There was no turning back then they had Vaxor.

"Keep in the open and don't go too far. Once he's free if he can't pick you up off the ground he will pick up the orcs..."

Fynaurie narrowed her eyes, focusing on the task. She would have to creep close to the orcs. Slightly off target and an arrow was a slow death. One that would come with a lot of noise. She was going to have to seperate from her saviour and that worried her too.

Fynaurie strapped her aether-glaive to her back and offered one last, firm nod before turning to sneak away. The pain was still there, but her movements were less stiff. From the distance between them Vaxor may have dropped her as gently as he could before landing badly.

She spotted one of the orcs before they spotted her. Crouched beside a bush she did not seem to be doing much patrolling, or even paying attention. Fynaurie crept as close as she dared and nocked an arrow. Her pulse fluttered. She had never killed a person before.

Her stomach dropped as the string was drawn back but she kept going. Her hands held firm whilst her soul did the trembling. The release was smooth. A solid thunk was all that rang out as the arrow struck the orc from behind, pierced their heart and lodged in the back of their sternum.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Sounds like a good plan,” not that they had a better one. Either she got carried away or the orcs got crushed when hitting the ground. She imagined them cracking their skulls against the stones like turtles when being dropped by birds. They did it in order to get to the soft flesh inside, or so she had heard, there were no turtles where she lived. Here, there would be enough Orc flesh to feast upon if you were into that. She wasn’t.

With a short nod she vanished to the other side. Them splitting up wouldn’t be a too huge of an advantage but it was better that way. She crawled across the fallen trunks, the snowy stones, and the bits of moss she came across here and there. The foliage gave her cover, but only for so long.

Eyeing her target from behind the many twigs she drew back her hand. Further, a little bit more. The Orc wasn’t paying attention, he was facing the side where the Eagle’s calling were coming from, then yawned and turned. She released the arrow without releasing her breath. It hit him in the eye and almost went through his skull. The male fell without any other sound but the heavy thud. One down, but there were many others. Luckily not close enough for them to notice their dead buddy.

Taking a huge risk she stepped out of her cover. Quickly, quietly, with knees bent, she hurried to drag him away into the thicker forest. He had an axe, she liked it. What she killed, she kept. After a quick look she took the coins. They were of no value at home, but here, even though considered “North” they did. A small knife, but she let that one be, her daggers were better. A couple of arrow points, those she took. Mostly because the one sticking out of his eye wasn’t quite reusable. Certainly not considering the quick way she had made it.

Silently moving on, Mikaela picked her next target further down. Hoping there wouldn’t be two of them next to each other. Crouching, she took out a new arrow, wondering if she would be able to kill two in a row without one of them screaming for help should it come to that.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie stood, looking down at the orc. It's body still twitched and every time it jerked she convinced herself that it was alive. She had hunted before, she knew what death was. It was different to kill another intelligent creature herself.

The arrow wasn't coming back out. Not only was the head lodged deep in bone, but the arrow shaft had snapped as the orc had fallen. She didn't search or even hide the body. Fynaurie just moved on to the next orc.

Fynaurie wasn't as confident as her norden saviour. She didn't get close enough to the next guard. She loosed an arrows, but no sooner had her fingers started to release than the orc stood.

Her arrow struck the orc in the ribs, sinking into a lung. Yet the orc was still able to howl in pain, just as Mikaela Ryurik was lining up her next shot.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

The scream pierced the air and now Mika knew that there was no time to lose. They would be discovered sooner than later now, so she let go of the arrow not to silence the one screaming, but the one coming to help him out.

Another headshot.

The Nordenfiir had no time to feel proud about it, though. Unfortunately the injured one was coming for her now, head on. She prepared for the attack, his injury slowed him down, and so did his size. Having always been lean and fast the young bear crouched to dodge his swing, kicked the side of his knee as hard as she could and was lucky enough to hear it crack. It went fast after that. He landed on the ground, lung pierced, knee broken - she cut his throat as he got a punch into her side. It bruised the ribs, but she would live, at least until the others would make their way here. Unsure how many more, she got the next arrow read and hoped that Fynaurie was using this time to find the Eagle.

Running quickly to hide behind one of the tents to at least have some sort of advantage, she listened closely to any twigs being broken by the heavy Orc feet.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie didn't like to leave her ally behind, but she had to turn and run towards Vaxor's cries. He shrieked more loudly at the commotion. She rounded the copse of trees, having abandoned her bow to catch sight of him.

A heavy net of thick rope had been thrown over the Eagle. The orcs must have been out trying to hunt big fame to have such a thing. Stakes had been driven into the ground to hold it, and Vaxor, down. If he was in no condition to fly then this was going to be a very short failure of a rescue attempt.

Four orcs turned towards Fynaurie as one. She wondered if she was even going to get as far as finding out. Each orc stood well over six feet in height and carried a brutal axe. The others must have gone after Mikaela Ryurik but Fynaurie had hoped to have just one between her and Vaxor.

The great eagle lifted his head as far as he could, turning one eye towards Fynaurie. He wasn't a stupid animal, he didn't flap his wings or risk hurting himself. He knew what was suddenly at stake.

The orcs roared and charged towards her. Fynaurie had practised for endless hours to become a part of the sky dragoons with glaive and sword and bow. This was so different. Four living beings rushing towards with every intention of hacking her to bits. Vaxor made one soft call to her, she took it for encouragement and galvanised her resolve.

She darted forwards to meet them. Every stride hurt, but she pushed that to the back of her mind.

The first orc was caught by surprised. She lunged and thrust forwards, her aether-glaive driving deep under his chest. The next orc rushed alongside her and swung his axe. He gave a cry of victory.

He moved so slowly Fynaurie realised. She may have just been trained, but she had been trained by elves who had mastered the martial arts over decades and decades of study. She had been in training for nearly twenty years.

There was a gust of wind as she unleashed what little magic she had, pressing against the orc who she had speared. As the axe came in she rolled over the top of her own glaive. The orc's axe caught nothing but air.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Perhaps her hiding had worked out too well. A couple of Orcs disappeared into the forest going the wrong direction. Well, in theory, they went into the right direction because it’s where the pair had come from, but right now they were here, amongst the enemy. It’s why after a couple of moments regulating her breathing Mika moved again. She knew where Fynaurie had gone to, and soon realized that too many of the Orcs had witnessed the Elf’s movements. This wasn’t the plan. Mika was supposed to be the decoy.

Pulling back one of her arrows she stood in plain sight for the Orcs to notice her when firing. It ripped through the neck, leaving the man dead on the ground. One was fighting Fynaurie, the other lay dead next to her. One left, at least here, that one was planning to make minced meat from Mika for the death of his companions. She tried to back off, knowing her daggers wouldn’t be able to catch up the mighty swinging of the axe. Should it land, surely it would break through. Aside from that the Orcs were way more muscular than her. In height they almost matched. Nordenfiir were a tall race, but she was still young. Still looking for her Svalen.

Dodging and dodging again, she hoped that it would give Fynaurie the time to finish off her opponent and free the Eagle. In all honesty she had very little knowledge of Elves and their capabilities. Perhaps she should have asked first, instead of jumping into this mess with only a vague strategy.

“Stop running, human.” the angered Orc swung, to what Mika reacted with another dodge and bared teeth. “Nordenfiir, not a human.” Perhaps that was what gave her the little bit of time - the hesitation in the Orc’s eyes, maybe he was aware of the bear, heard stories about them, probably - she used it to her advantage. Throwing one of the daggers to sink into his shoulder, the one he used to swing his axe. Not enough to stop him, but it was something. He tore it out with anger and newfound focus. Threw it aside as it if it was a toy.

“No matter, you’ll die anyway.”

Well, she certainly hoped not, but it those others would return before Vixor was free, then this Orc might be right. While dodging was easier than swinging with all your might, dodging more than one opponent would become nasty. Aside from that she didn’t have the time to use her bow. Left with the longer sword, she rolled away to pick an axe from the dead Orc. Her opponent laughed, but she sent the weapon flying. Never had she thought about meeting his swings as an equal. The axe was meant to injure or maim. Killing would be a lot of luck - she had gone for his thigh and it worked. However, it didn’t incapacitated him enough to give up the fight. He had switched hands, seemingly capable of fighting with both right and left. Not a surprise if you asked Mika, every people who hunted and fought, were raised to be able to deal with hard predicaments.

“If you think I’ll bleed out before I crush your skull, you’re mistaking, cub.”

Oh damn, he knew. The shock of her being a Nordenfiir wore off. Aside from that, the tumult they were making would soon lure back the others.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"You are so slow," Fynaurie called out, almost in confusion. Compared to the weathered orcs with their scars she was but a child. She was also their elder and had been trained by exceptional swordsmen.

The orc kept swinging, but each move was telegraphed far in advance. She was already moving before the axe was coming towards her. There was no time to sate her curiosity, to find out if the orc would ever think of a better way to mount an attack.

Fynaurie squeezed her aether glaive. A beam of light several meters in length shot outwards from the tip of the spear as she swung it. The beam neatly bisected the orc, the two half's falling to the ground. His corpse wore an expression of utter disbelief.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

She didn’t intend on waiting to see whether he would bleed out or not before killing her. Dodging caused him to stagger. He put a lot of power in his blows, but his wounds didn’t give him the coordination necessary to catch her. Certainly with her being quicker to start with. Watching him crush into one of the trees as his axe went through a thicker branch, she saw a blinding light tear through one of the Orcs in the distance. Apparently Fynaurie had way more up her sleeve than the flying Eagle. The beam set a part of the forest ablaze and let Mika’s enemy turn just long enough for her to slash his throat. In a furious hurry he managed to vertically cut her upper arm, but that didn’t stop her from leaving him behind as he was dying with blood streaming freely from both his lips and the cut she’s made.

Rushing to find another axe, and a sword to use, she hid the dagger away. Now that the wood was crackling happily on one side of the camp there was no doubt that the other Orcs would be returning. She hoped there wouldn’t be too many of them. Their plan was a bit of a mess now, so Mika rolled with what she thought was best. Rapidly chopping into the net and the posts keeping it to the ground, she swung again and again with the axe until one part broke.

Perhaps it was Fynaurie who was the stronger fighter here and Mika’s fate had always been to free the Eagle.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"I'm here, I'm here," Fynaurie crooned to Vaxor. "Just stay very still."

Vaxor make a sharp, high pitched sound.

"No, no, she's a friend!" Fynaurie said hastily. She could not understand the language of the eagles, none of her kind could. However certain noises were easy enough to read. Especially when Vaxor was lining up to try and bite the Nordenfiir.

Fynaurie dropped to her knees on the net. The aether glaive only had so much power. She laid it down and tried to line up a section of net. Another white beam lanced out and severed half the net in one go. It left singed, smouldering ends of rope, but the net did not catch fire. Fynaurie wouldn't have been so hasty had she not heard more orcs coming.

Vaxor drove upwards, flinging most of the net away. He was walking gingerly on his right leg, but he stretched out his wings. They were suddenly in his shadow. Tip to tip his wings were as wide as the height of six men.

"Can fly?"

Vaxor nodded his head.

"We're both coming!"

A loud squark.

"No time for formalities just get your head down you silly bird. Mikaela just give him a little bow for me, he's choosing a strange time to be traditional."

Fynaurie leapt upwards, tying her glaive down. She held out a hand to the Nordenfiir.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Moving on to the next post she jumped back and almost fell when another beam of light tore through the net. Fynaurie really was impressive. Later Mika planned to ask about his weapon of hers, and other powers she might possess. Now that she thought about it, she wondered whether the Elf had needed any help with the Orcs at all. Because as it seemed she could have handled them all with a couple of those beams where Mikaela had only managed to dispatch a couple of them through her training and the Orcs’ bulkiness.

A step closer to the enormous bird and it was already trying to eat her. Fortunately her Elf friend mentioned that Mika wasn’t an enemy. For what she had her gratitude, but that too she would express later on. The Orcs were returning. Some of them roared their battle cries. Perhaps their indignation as well, about that part Mika wasn’t sure.

Quite amazed with the sight of the Eagle standing she blinked a couple of time both in awe and confusion when told to make a little bow. Apparently that was a greeting of sorts. In a situation like this, it sounded almost silly, but being a Nordenfiir she thought to understand the Eagle on some sort of instinctive level.

A small bow was offered, and apparently accepted as Mika grabbed Fynaurie’s arm and slid onto the Eagle’s back. This was both amazing and frightening. Bears didn’t fly. They were not supposed to fly. Obviously Mika’s heart was pounding. Even more because of the incoming flight they were about to make than the whole battle beneath. She cautiously wrapped her arms around Fynaurie’s middle and pressed herself against the Elf. Hopefully there were no bruises she was hurting, but this was really new to her and as the ground moved away she wondered if she had a fear of heights.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Hold tight," said Fynaurie, despite having hissed in pain from the squeeze. As Vaxor stretched his wings the tips caught the sunlight, showing how they had been dyed to match Fynaurie's uniform. They were both marked as members of the Sky Dragoons.

Vaxor turned towards the orcs, hatred in his golden eyes. A beat of his wings sent him into a hop and he tried to pick up some speed. One of his legs was clearly hurt and Fynaurie had to grip tightly to the saddle as he bounced and swayed.

The orcs - or at least the intelligent ones - scattered. As they lifted off there was a crunch. Fynaurie glanced over the side to see Vaxor dropping an orc. He had skewered him right through the chest with his talons.

Vaxor beat his wings taking them higher, over the tops of the trees. Then he slowly started to bank.

"We don't have to go back!" Fynaurie called. But Vaxor was a proud creature, like all of his kind. He was in hunting mode, scanning the ground. He drifted higher, picking a target.

"Oh hold really tight!" Fynaurie shouted before he dove.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Fynaurie really didn’t have to tell Mika to hold on tightly, because the girl was already clinging onto the Elf for her dear life. As they started to descend the cub wondered if this was to be the end of it. The dive was so fast she had to close her eyes and bury her face Fynaurie’s back. Being used to cold, to wind and to snow, she was not used to seeing the earth coming at her like an avalanche.

Apparently the Eagle by the name Vaxor was as proud as a Nordenfiir. Perhaps even worse. It didn’t want to leave any of its captors alive. Risking being hit with an arrow, caught in the process, or perhaps even killed, he still bore his talons into the Orcs beneath.

Mika’s heart pounded so heavily in her chest that Fynaurie might feel it through her back. The cub had never mounted a flying creature. This air thing was really causing her to question all the decisions in life she’s made so far.

Knuckles while from holding on, face the same pale from the height. Mika realized that she was still burying her face in the woman’s hair when things seemed to calm down. Unsure if it was safe or not to open her eyes, and what Vaxor’s next move would be, she let out a shaky breath before lifting her head a bit.

“Are we.. going to dive again?”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"Good question. Are you done now silly?" Fynaurie asked. Vaxor shrieked and wobbled in midair. The turbulence was because he lifted an orc from his talons on the wing and neatly nipped off its head.

"Now?"

Vaxor didn't reply. There was still an a ger burning in his orange eyes. The Eagle was proud, still affronted at being caught in nets. He did not bank again, instead drifting and searching for a thermal.

"He's done now," said Fynaurie. "But I don't know where a sky stream might be. Find somewhere high to land safely?"

Fynaurie looked down at Mikaela's white knuckles.

"Maybe not too high."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

It was pretty much impossible to explain how grateful she was when they didn’t dive again. Slowly growing used to being so high up in the air she loosened her grip on Fynaurie, a little. The fact that she had been clinging to her so hard caused Mika to blush. Embarrassed she was happy that the Elf couldn’t see her face. Regardless of that, she apologized. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.. because you know, you had bruises and such, I’m just not very accustomed to flying.” An understatement.

Once they landed she slid off the bird. Awkwardly, carefully. She managed to get her feet on the ground again. Incredible as the flight had been, the Nordenfiir did feel glad to be standing on her own feet again. Her heart was still pounding a little too fast, and now that the embarrassment was over she looked rather pale, even for those coming from Eretejva Tundra.

“Thank you for the safe escape.” she spoke, eyeing the woman curiously, but being distracted by the huge Eagle. It was magnificent, but slightly terrifying. Even if she would have had her svalen Mika wasn’t sure she that she would have been able to bring down such a creature. Perhaps, perhaps not. Certainly not if one of those light beams would have burned a hole in her.

About that, now that she had the chance to learn something new, she figured she could at least try to ask Fynaurie about it.

“What type of magic were you using.. to burn them, things, the beam?”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

Fynaurie had already started talking to Vaxor in sing-song elven. The Eagle made quiet sounds as he spoke back. Fynaurie didn't understand their language, but she appreciated it not seeming as if she spoke to herself.

"Oh," she said, turning to Mikaela. "That's a..." Fynaurie trailed off an drew a circle in the air. "Aether Glaive, that's it in human. Our people have been isolated for a long time but we used to ride into wars. They're made for diving at a line of enemy troops and cutting a swathe through them without landing. It can only be used so many times in a row."

"You only hurt me a little. Better to hold tight than fall. We all work with eagles. Injuries are just...well you have to expect it."

"Would you like to stroke him? I explained that you saved me and help free him?" Fynaurie asked with a sweet smile. Having just explained that working with eagles led to injuries she then offered Mikaela the chance to put her had near Vaxor's beak. She didn't even think about it that way.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Why isolated? Where do you live now?” Mika wondered aloud while studying the weapon she had found quite fascinating from the very start. “How many beams can you fire.. is everyone the same or is it related to your.. let’s say energy.” Magic.

Unsure if the eagle had agreed to being touched she was careful. Looking at him from the side, she first showed him the empty palm of her hand. A little bow, like before, a courtesy or had it been a greeting? She wasn’t aware of what she was doing but for now it appeared to be working. At least he wasn’t making those violent noises and attempts to ‘bite’ her as he had when she had been trying to free him from the net.

“You were brave,” she gently spoke, lightly touching -- what she assumed to be -- his shoulder. His gaze followed her sharply and she wondered if he was about to rip out a piece of her side. She would rather not find out, hence, after another brief moment, she dropped her hand.

A sudden question came to mind and it was passed her lips before she knew it. “Was he ever small?”

It was quite hard to imagine him being a tiny bird. Maybe they were born in eggs the size of a small chair. Surely they couldn’t have been as tiny as a chicken, right?

“Will you guys be heading home now?” There was a bit of regret in her voice, but she knew one met lots of travellers on the road and if it was destined then they would meet again, if not, well, life went on curling the way it wished to.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"I live in Kearth. All of our cities are old towers in the mountains. We have stayed...to ourselves for some time. You are the third person I have met who is not a Sky Elf," she told Mikaela.

"It is fine, he is not going to bite you. Just don't stroke his Feathers the wrong way. Then he might and once he was small and fluffy, but he would have been kept from even his parent's riders until he was able to fly."

Fynaurie stepped closer, right into the norden's personal space. Fynaurie lived in a room with five other dragoons. Her concept of personal space was skewed, even among her people.

"You are very tall," she announced suddenly. "Oh! And a glaive holds its own energy. They need to be left in the sunlight for some time if you use them up."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Apologies, I don’t think that I’ve seen it on any map..”

Even the huge map on the ship with all its details hadn’t shown a city named that way, or perhaps Mika simply hadn’t memorized it as there had been dozens and dozens of smaller places she had never heard of before. Kearth might have simply escaped her gaze back then or was hiding from her memory right now. It mattered not. What she did find quite interesting was the fact that Fynaurie hadn’t met a lot of others in her life. In that regard the two of them turned to be a bit similar. Whether that was something that belonged to her culture and race was a question Mikaela didn’t dare to raise without a proper introduction of the topic.

First, she agreed to stroke the eagle’s wing. Carefully, gently, she grew braver, but kept her excitement under control. There was no need to get him aggravated.

Being called tall surprised her. “You th-?” she started while turning around and finding the Elf quite close to her. Nordenfiir weren’t too cuddly but weren’t afraid of contact either. Mikaela was, however, inexperienced and shy in that regard, it’s why her thoughts slipped a little while she stared at Fynaurie.

“I’m still growing..” the young Nordenfiir admitted. By her people’s standards she was average if not on the smaller side. She hoped to gain a few inches before turning twenty.

“Woah, that’s cool.. the sun charges them? That’s.. impressive.” Of course it also begged the question how that was possible, but some things in the world were simply the way they were. Like svalen and the myths about the undead.

“Would you mind telling me more about your people? Your history? Perhaps the way you live now? It seems to me that.. you guys don’t really get a lot of visitors.”

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"I can tell you some, if you tell me how old you are?" asked Fynaurie. "And how tall are you going to get? Are your people giants? Where are you going next?"

Fynaurie looked Mikaela up and down once more, still keeping inside her personal space. With some of the danger behind her - and the downright distress of thinking she had lost Vaxor - more of her personality was shining through.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Seventeen winters.” she proudly announced, having turned seventeen not too long before her unexpected journey south. “Giants? No, haha,” Mika couldn’t help but laugh, hand still gently touching the wing. “perhaps a couple more inches, that would be nice. The men are taller, but I think it might be a bit too much if I gained another foot. Probably won’t happen anyway, my growing has been slowing down the last two years.”

“From here I’m going north, I would like to get home. Me being here was never supposed to be.. well, not quite in the way it happened, anyway.” Turning her attention to Vaxor once again, she no longer felt like Fynaurie was too close. Being one to quickly adjust to a situation Mika figured the Elves were a bit different than the Nordenfiir.

“Your turn,” the raven head grinned, turning back to meet the Elf’s gaze.

* * *​

 

[Fynaurie]

"So does that mean...oh right might turn." Fynaurie frowned and tried to think of where to start. She was accustomed to a world where everyone was immersed in their ways. What was the same everywhere else? What was different?

"Every one of us learns to ride from a young age," she said, starting at the obvious. "We all live in the tower. The eagles in the eeryie in the upper levels. I share a room with six other dragoons. Dragoons are like...our scouts and soldiers. Vaxor is a dragoon too, that's why he has those coloured wingtips."

She pointed to his dyed Feathers and Vaxor gave her a look.

"(I'm explaining that you are a dragoon too,)" she told him. Vaxor decided to show off and opened his wings out wide so that the light shone through the dye.

"We both became full dragoons together just a few weeks ago. He's very proud. So...is seventeen an adult among your people or..."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

So their cultures did have something similar. There were those who lived together in a group, instead of having a home of their own. Mika’s parents had chosen to have their own place, but among the Nordenfiir it certainly was common to share rooms, food, and various other things. It’s why stealing was so harshly frowned upon. Everything had to be for the benefit of the community and being selfish wouldn’t encourage their society to prosper.

“Badass, haha, you show off,” she teased, but did take a step back when Vaxor spread his wings. Indeed, there were markings on them she hadn’t paid notice to before. She assumed it to be a sort of dye. Immediately it caused her to wonder if a ritual of sorts accompanied the becoming of a dragoon.

“Oh.. congratulations! Do you celebrate it somehow?”

From the way she had been flying and fighting Mika hadn’t thought her to be new at it. Then again, she had no idea how other dragoons flew or fought. There was nobody she could use as a reference. The same, probably, went for Fynaurie when it came down to the Nordenfiir.

“Well.. it’s a bit complicated. We are and we are not, an adult, at seventeen, I mean. From the age of sixteen one can do anything they like, but, to become a true bear and not a cub, one has to find their svalen. That’s our bear form. It’s.. something I’m still looking for. A part of this journey is about finding it. Some of us never do, but they mostly leave in self-exile. I certainly hope that won’t be the case with me,” she laughed, a bit shy, then looked down at the ground. “I hope to make my people proud and find the strength, the blood runs through my veins, so I would rather die than never get to unite with my entire soul.”

“Does that answer your question?” she wondered before firing it back at Fynaurie. “What about you? How old are you and are you an adult by your people’s standards?”

Rumor had it that Elves lived really really long lives.

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