The Wild Series: Reign of Ashes (Main Page/Pridelands)

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Right! XD)

For a few minutes, Rinka sat in place recovering with her head buried under her wings. She breathed, in and out. In and out. A war. Tyrin and Ambyra. The giant bird in the forest of demonic shadows. Fly with two wings, but beat with three hearts. A message for the one who stayed by her side and made her something more. Was it for Kale, like she'd initially thought? It made sense, he had given her hope after she'd lost everything. Her status as queen, it was something she'd accepted because of that hope. She owed it to him. Everyone else who fit the description was either dead or missing. But... Tyrin... He was... She saw him. But he was...
With a shuddering breath, Rinka lowered her wings and opened her eyes. That was when she noticed the bright yellow glow seeping from under the doorway. The same place where Kale was waiting. With a start, Rinka remembered she was in the tower in the middle of a dangerous mission, and she had left Kale on his own. Crying out in panic, she jumped off the ground and dashed for the door in a flurry of feathers. Upon reaching it, she did not hesitate to swing it open.
"Kale!" she shouted.

As soon as the door swung open, the light ceased. The hallway was completely normal, and Kale spun around with a start. He blinked in confusion, his feathers prickled in surprise. 
"Rinka? What's wrong?" The falcon asked, looking around her to the empty room. He glanced down and noticed the Shard with the start of a smile. "You got it!"

Rinka blinked, her gaze darting about the hallway around Kale. She had been expecting to see... Well...she didn't know what she had been expecting, but she hadn't expected to see Kale alone and okay. Finally, she met her companion's gaze.
"A... There was a light..." she stammered, now wondering if she had been hallucinating. It wouldn't surprise her if she had. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Rinka stumbled sideways and pressed her shoulder against the wall to her right for support. Her mind went back to the three visions and the cryptic message left by that gryphon. "...Ya. I got it," she muttered, lifting the Shard up to where she could see it, "I...Kale, I saw...when I picked it up, I saw..."

"Hey, are you okay?" Kale asked, a small frown across his beak as she fell against the wall. He gently rested wing on her other shoulder for support as he followed her gaze to the Shard. When she began mentioning seeing something in it, the falcon's eyes began to darken with worry. No... No, don't say it...


"What did you see?" Kale asked in a small voice, fear gathering in his tone.

Rinka kept her gaze on the Shard. She opened her beak slightly, then closed it to swallow. She wanted to tell him everything right then and there. This was... This was simply too much for her to handle on her own. But...

"We don't have time," she said after what seemed to be a lifetime of silence. She lowered the Shard down, setting her clenched talon on the ground, and lifted herself off the wall so she could stand to her full height. "Moonpelt and Raiya are in the other tower and they are counting on us to do our part. We found the Shard. Now we need to go help them." She then looked to Kale with a tired, sad smile. "But, once all four of us have gotten to a safe place, I will tell you what I've seen. I promise." With that said, she began to walk forward, pulling out of Kale's wing. But then she stopped and turned back towards him. She hesitated before telling him one key piece of information.
"There...was a message. I...I honestly don't know who it's for... But I think you can help me figure it out. "Fly with two wings, but three heart beats." That's the message."

The air left Kale's lungs as he heard the phrase, the words rumbling down into his soul where they rested from the first time he heard them. His demeanor visibly changed, his feathers folding calmly over his body. The happy, innocent light in the backs of his eyes seemed to go out. He recognized the words, and knew what they meant for him, and those closest in his life. 

The falcon swallowed his mood, clenching his talons uncomfortably and giving a small shake of his head. "Weird... I don't know, you'll have to explain more when you can... lets... lets go get the wolves..." His voice was more quiet, more controlled.

Rinka blinked at the change in Kale. That message definitely meant something to him. Then, did that mean it really was meant for him?

And then he just...dismissed it. Something wasn't right here. There was a sick, prickling feeling that was growing in her chest as she stared down at Kale. She was silent as she considered him for a moment, before finally dipping her head.
"...Right. Let's go," she agreed softly before taking a step back. She began turning around, hesitantly turning from him. With a look back at him to make sure he would follow, she opened her wings and began flying back up the tower. Even as she flew, she threw a concerned glance back towards the male falcon.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:From outside the room, a bright yellow glow seeped from under the doorway from the hall where Kale was supposed to be waiting. 

(I would post more but I'd like for Rinka to just notice it herself and go see what's going on, you know? Not much I can post XD)

...

Raiya growled at the fiery shade, backing towards the steps on the far side of the room. "Prolonging the inevitable? Who talks like that?" 
The wolf scoffed, flashing a toothy --and taunting-- smile towards the bird. She heard the patter of pawsteps and cocked an ear to listen, trying not to look and alert the shade. Moonpelt!


He didn't sound like he was in trouble, and Raiya broke her gaze from the shade for just a moment to see her white-furred uncle dashing down the stairs, an over-sized metal pole of some sort in his jaws. She frowned, wondering what this was for till she spotted the blood on the tip, and her mind put the rest together. Moonpelt mouthed something and tried to grin through the pole, but it was too muffled for Raiya to make it out. 

"Right!"
She answered anyways, grasping the other end of the pole in her jaws and taking it from the bigger white wolf. Raiya turned back on the Shade now, weapon in hand- er, tooth.

The hawk hissed and circled around for another attack. His eyes narrowed at the appearance of the white wolf, trailing the rod to its bloodstained tip. His face twisted in fury, coming to the same conclusion Raiya had. With a battle screech, he charged the wolf once more. But he faltered as he neared the wolf, Moonpelt's cheers throwing him off.

Raiya gave a light chuckle at Moonpelt's howl, turning to face the Shade's oncoming attack. She narrowed her eyes when the Shade faltered, and swung at him from the right to clip him out of the air.

The shade, seeing the blow coming, twisted his body to the right and grabbed the rod when it met with both of his talons. He flapped strongly with his wings to tear the rod out of Raiya's jaws.

Oh, you want it?


Raiya growled through the metal, using her weight to push forward on the Shade, swinging him towards the nearby wall. Using the pole, she slammed him against the obsidian with a mighty heave. She pushed forward with her muzzle and impaled the pole's sharp tip into his chest, and into the wall behind him.

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Right! XD)

For a few minutes, Rinka sat in place recovering with her head buried under her wings. She breathed, in and out. In and out. A war. Tyrin and Ambyra. The giant bird in the forest of demonic shadows. Fly with two wings, but beat with three hearts. A message for the one who stayed by her side and made her something more. Was it for Kale, like she'd initially thought? It made sense, he had given her hope after she'd lost everything. Her status as queen, it was something she'd accepted because of that hope. She owed it to him. Everyone else who fit the description was either dead or missing. But... Tyrin... He was... She saw him. But he was...
With a shuddering breath, Rinka lowered her wings and opened her eyes. That was when she noticed the bright yellow glow seeping from under the doorway. The same place where Kale was waiting. With a start, Rinka remembered she was in the tower in the middle of a dangerous mission, and she had left Kale on his own. Crying out in panic, she jumped off the ground and dashed for the door in a flurry of feathers. Upon reaching it, she did not hesitate to swing it open.
"Kale!" she shouted.

As soon as the door swung open, the light ceased. The hallway was completely normal, and Kale spun around with a start. He blinked in confusion, his feathers prickled in surprise. 
"Rinka? What's wrong?" The falcon asked, looking around her to the empty room. He glanced down and noticed the Shard with the start of a smile. "You got it!"

Rinka blinked, her gaze darting about the hallway around Kale. She had been expecting to see... Well...she didn't know what she had been expecting, but she hadn't expected to see Kale alone and okay. Finally, she met her companion's gaze.
"A... There was a light..." she stammered, now wondering if she had been hallucinating. It wouldn't surprise her if she had. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Rinka stumbled sideways and pressed her shoulder against the wall to her right for support. Her mind went back to the three visions and the cryptic message left by that gryphon. "...Ya. I got it," she muttered, lifting the Shard up to where she could see it, "I...Kale, I saw...when I picked it up, I saw..."

"Hey, are you okay?" Kale asked, a small frown across his beak as she fell against the wall. He gently rested wing on her other shoulder for support as he followed her gaze to the Shard. When she began mentioning seeing something in it, the falcon's eyes began to darken with worry. No... No, don't say it...


"What did you see?" Kale asked in a small voice, fear gathering in his tone.

Rinka kept her gaze on the Shard. She opened her beak slightly, then closed it to swallow. She wanted to tell him everything right then and there. This was... This was simply too much for her to handle on her own. But...

"We don't have time," she said after what seemed to be a lifetime of silence. She lowered the Shard down, setting her clenched talon on the ground, and lifted herself off the wall so she could stand to her full height. "Moonpelt and Raiya are in the other tower and they are counting on us to do our part. We found the Shard. Now we need to go help them." She then looked to Kale with a tired, sad smile. "But, once all four of us have gotten to a safe place, I will tell you what I've seen. I promise." With that said, she began to walk forward, pulling out of Kale's wing. But then she stopped and turned back towards him. She hesitated before telling him one key piece of information.
"There...was a message. I...I honestly don't know who it's for... But I think you can help me figure it out. "Fly with two wings, but three heart beats." That's the message."

The air left Kale's lungs as he heard the phrase, the words rumbling down into his soul where they rested from the first time he heard them. His demeanor visibly changed, his feathers folding calmly over his body. The happy, innocent light in the backs of his eyes seemed to go out. He recognized the words, and knew what they meant for him, and those closest in his life. 

The falcon swallowed his mood, clenching his talons uncomfortably and giving a small shake of his head. "Weird... I don't know, you'll have to explain more when you can... lets... lets go get the wolves..." His voice was more quiet, more controlled.

Rinka blinked at the change in Kale. That message definitely meant something to him. Then, did that mean it really was meant for him?

And then he just...dismissed it. Something wasn't right here. There was a sick, prickling feeling that was growing in her chest as she stared down at Kale. She was silent as she considered him for a moment, before finally dipping her head.
"...Right. Let's go," she agreed softly before taking a step back. She began turning around, hesitantly turning from him. With a look back at him to make sure he would follow, she opened her wings and began flying back up the tower. Even as she flew, she threw a concerned glance back towards the male falcon.

Kale didn't follow for a moment, staring down at the deep black stone. He looked on as if looking at something far away, before blinking and taking off after Rinka. As he rushed to catch up with her, he opened his beak to speak. Just as he did so, it came.

The towers began to rumble like an earthquake, and the roar of crumbling stone began to fill the air. A loud, terrible rumbling could be heard outside, and the mountain itself shook. Kale's eyes lit up in terror, and he cried out as pieces of the tower began to fall from the ceiling. "RINKA!"

Whoops! That's embarrassing! XD Hold on, let me transfer that to the other thread, then I'll be right back to work on Rinka!)

EDIT: Oh good! You didn't see that! ... *snickers and sneaks off*)

Wildwing wrote:Whoops! That's embarrassing! XD Hold on, let me transfer that to the other thread, then I'll be right back to work on Rinka!)

EDIT: Oh good! You didn't see that! ... *snickers and sneaks off*)

(Wait what? XD)

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Right! XD)

For a few minutes, Rinka sat in place recovering with her head buried under her wings. She breathed, in and out. In and out. A war. Tyrin and Ambyra. The giant bird in the forest of demonic shadows. Fly with two wings, but beat with three hearts. A message for the one who stayed by her side and made her something more. Was it for Kale, like she'd initially thought? It made sense, he had given her hope after she'd lost everything. Her status as queen, it was something she'd accepted because of that hope. She owed it to him. Everyone else who fit the description was either dead or missing. But... Tyrin... He was... She saw him. But he was...
With a shuddering breath, Rinka lowered her wings and opened her eyes. That was when she noticed the bright yellow glow seeping from under the doorway. The same place where Kale was waiting. With a start, Rinka remembered she was in the tower in the middle of a dangerous mission, and she had left Kale on his own. Crying out in panic, she jumped off the ground and dashed for the door in a flurry of feathers. Upon reaching it, she did not hesitate to swing it open.
"Kale!" she shouted.

As soon as the door swung open, the light ceased. The hallway was completely normal, and Kale spun around with a start. He blinked in confusion, his feathers prickled in surprise. 
"Rinka? What's wrong?" The falcon asked, looking around her to the empty room. He glanced down and noticed the Shard with the start of a smile. "You got it!"

Rinka blinked, her gaze darting about the hallway around Kale. She had been expecting to see... Well...she didn't know what she had been expecting, but she hadn't expected to see Kale alone and okay. Finally, she met her companion's gaze.
"A... There was a light..." she stammered, now wondering if she had been hallucinating. It wouldn't surprise her if she had. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Rinka stumbled sideways and pressed her shoulder against the wall to her right for support. Her mind went back to the three visions and the cryptic message left by that gryphon. "...Ya. I got it," she muttered, lifting the Shard up to where she could see it, "I...Kale, I saw...when I picked it up, I saw..."

"Hey, are you okay?" Kale asked, a small frown across his beak as she fell against the wall. He gently rested wing on her other shoulder for support as he followed her gaze to the Shard. When she began mentioning seeing something in it, the falcon's eyes began to darken with worry. No... No, don't say it...


"What did you see?" Kale asked in a small voice, fear gathering in his tone.

Rinka kept her gaze on the Shard. She opened her beak slightly, then closed it to swallow. She wanted to tell him everything right then and there. This was... This was simply too much for her to handle on her own. But...

"We don't have time," she said after what seemed to be a lifetime of silence. She lowered the Shard down, setting her clenched talon on the ground, and lifted herself off the wall so she could stand to her full height. "Moonpelt and Raiya are in the other tower and they are counting on us to do our part. We found the Shard. Now we need to go help them." She then looked to Kale with a tired, sad smile. "But, once all four of us have gotten to a safe place, I will tell you what I've seen. I promise." With that said, she began to walk forward, pulling out of Kale's wing. But then she stopped and turned back towards him. She hesitated before telling him one key piece of information.
"There...was a message. I...I honestly don't know who it's for... But I think you can help me figure it out. "Fly with two wings, but three heart beats." That's the message."

The air left Kale's lungs as he heard the phrase, the words rumbling down into his soul where they rested from the first time he heard them. His demeanor visibly changed, his feathers folding calmly over his body. The happy, innocent light in the backs of his eyes seemed to go out. He recognized the words, and knew what they meant for him, and those closest in his life. 

The falcon swallowed his mood, clenching his talons uncomfortably and giving a small shake of his head. "Weird... I don't know, you'll have to explain more when you can... lets... lets go get the wolves..." His voice was more quiet, more controlled.

Rinka blinked at the change in Kale. That message definitely meant something to him. Then, did that mean it really was meant for him?

And then he just...dismissed it. Something wasn't right here. There was a sick, prickling feeling that was growing in her chest as she stared down at Kale. She was silent as she considered him for a moment, before finally dipping her head.
"...Right. Let's go," she agreed softly before taking a step back. She began turning around, hesitantly turning from him. With a look back at him to make sure he would follow, she opened her wings and began flying back up the tower. Even as she flew, she threw a concerned glance back towards the male falcon.

Kale didn't follow for a moment, staring down at the deep black stone. He looked on as if looking at something far away, before blinking and taking off after Rinka. As he rushed to catch up with her, he opened his beak to speak. Just as he did so, it came.

The towers began to rumble like an earthquake, and the roar of crumbling stone began to fill the air. A loud, terrible rumbling could be heard outside, and the mountain itself shook. Kale's eyes lit up in terror, and he cried out as pieces of the tower began to fall from the ceiling. "RINKA!"

Rinka, seeing Kale wasn't following her, stop and turned in the air. She waited, wondering only for a second if she should go back for him before he started moving. She waited patiently, ready to listen as he opened his beak. But then her attention was taken as the walls, the floors and the ceiling began to violently tremble, a bizarre sight for her as she hovered in the air, the only stable "ground" in the tower now. She turned in place, staring around her with wide eyes, before whipping her head back to Kale when he shouted her name. She felt the small pieces bounce off of her backside from the ceiling and she knew if they stayed any longer, the next pieces that fell wouldn't be so small.
"HURRY!" she yelled to Kale before dashing up the tower.

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Whoops! That's embarrassing! XD Hold on, let me transfer that to the other thread, then I'll be right back to work on Rinka!)

EDIT: Oh good! You didn't see that! ... *snickers and sneaks off*)

(Wait what? XD)

I accidentally posted Finnican's post here, so I had to move it XD)

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:

Wildwing wrote:

Jaystep wrote:From outside the room, a bright yellow glow seeped from under the doorway from the hall where Kale was supposed to be waiting. 

(I would post more but I'd like for Rinka to just notice it herself and go see what's going on, you know? Not much I can post XD)

...

Raiya growled at the fiery shade, backing towards the steps on the far side of the room. "Prolonging the inevitable? Who talks like that?" 
The wolf scoffed, flashing a toothy --and taunting-- smile towards the bird. She heard the patter of pawsteps and cocked an ear to listen, trying not to look and alert the shade. Moonpelt!


He didn't sound like he was in trouble, and Raiya broke her gaze from the shade for just a moment to see her white-furred uncle dashing down the stairs, an over-sized metal pole of some sort in his jaws. She frowned, wondering what this was for till she spotted the blood on the tip, and her mind put the rest together. Moonpelt mouthed something and tried to grin through the pole, but it was too muffled for Raiya to make it out. 

"Right!"
She answered anyways, grasping the other end of the pole in her jaws and taking it from the bigger white wolf. Raiya turned back on the Shade now, weapon in hand- er, tooth.

The hawk hissed and circled around for another attack. His eyes narrowed at the appearance of the white wolf, trailing the rod to its bloodstained tip. His face twisted in fury, coming to the same conclusion Raiya had. With a battle screech, he charged the wolf once more. But he faltered as he neared the wolf, Moonpelt's cheers throwing him off.

Raiya gave a light chuckle at Moonpelt's howl, turning to face the Shade's oncoming attack. She narrowed her eyes when the Shade faltered, and swung at him from the right to clip him out of the air.

The shade, seeing the blow coming, twisted his body to the right and grabbed the rod when it met with both of his talons. He flapped strongly with his wings to tear the rod out of Raiya's jaws.

Oh, you want it?


Raiya growled through the metal, using her weight to push forward on the Shade, swinging him towards the nearby wall. Using the pole, she slammed him against the obsidian with a mighty heave. She pushed forward with her muzzle and impaled the pole's sharp tip into his chest, and into the wall behind him.

Moonpelt stood there in silence. "Good job, sissy!" he finally said, tail wagging. "Your father would be so proud of you..." he trailed off in brief sadness before his ears perked up and his tail twitched unrhythmically. "Oh no, my Moony Sense is tingling. Something bad's about to happen..."

(Whoops! Forgot about that Shade! XD Sorry!)

And the shade died.

The shade grunted upon hitting the wall. It was too late to even try to right himself. He screeched as the pole went through him, his eyes flying open in mix between shock and agony.
"I-I...failed?..." he gasped as his flames dispersed, leaving the hawk to his regular form. He let out a violent cough, a spurt of blood bursting from his beak. He spasmed once before his limbs drooped to hang towards the ground as he expired.

Wildwing wrote:(Whoops! Forgot about that Shade! XD Sorry!)

And the shade died.

The shade grunted upon hitting the wall. It was too late to even try to right himself. He screeched as the pole went through him, his eyes flying open in mix between shock and agony.
"I-I...failed?..." he gasped as his flames dispersed, leaving the hawk to his regular form. He let out a violent cough, a spurt of blood bursting from his beak. He spasmed once before his limbs drooped to hang towards the ground as he expired.

Raiya stared smugly back at the Shade, opening her muzzle to make some sassy remark when she felt what Moonpelt meant. Stopping herself short of speaking when the ground began to rumble. The she wolf quickly looked to her father Moonpelt in fear, her eyes huge. 
"Let's go! COME ON!" She cried, her pelt bristling as she raced towards the tower entrance, leaving the Shade impaled in the wall as debris began to rain down, his blood trailing down the black stones.

---

Kale dove after Rinka after making sure she was aware of their situation, he looked to her for guidance as they flew up the set of tower stairs towards the balcony they had arrived in. What is happening?!

Moonpelt had let out a started yelp and took off after his daughter niece. "RAIYA!" he called out over the roar of the towers collapsing.

While running the white wolf was having dreadful flashbacks of running through the burning forests with Drellan, he could almost feel wisps of smokes tickle his nose as tears welled up in his eyes. He missed his friend and half-sister dearly and thought of them daily, especially since he was watching Raiya grow from pup to the beautiful, yet powerful, she-wolf she had become.

Raiya calling out to him shook him out of his daydream and he looked to her.

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt had let out a started yelp and took off after his daughter niece. "RAIYA!" he called out over the roar of the towers collapsing.

While running the white wolf was having dreadful flashbacks of running through the burning forests with Drellan, he could almost feel wisps of smokes tickle his nose as tears welled up in his eyes. He missed his friend and half-sister dearly and thought of them daily, especially since he was watching Raiya grow from pup to the beautiful, yet powerful, she-wolf she had become.

Raiya calling out to him shook him out of his daydream and he looked to her.

Raiya burst out of the tower doors as fiercely as she had burst in when arriving, making a beeline towards their previous camping spot when she remembered something. She skidded to a halt for a moment and took in the surroundings. The trees had begun to shake and quiver, snow falling off of every leaf and pine. The ground rumbled, and large cracks began to appear in the walls of both towers as she turned to the white wolf behind her. "We're gonna have to use the-- "

---

 

"--Moon-Cannon, Rinka! We need to get to the other tower! They should hopefully be out already! They were closer to the ground!" Kale finished, shouting over the roar or the mountain as both falcons made it out of the stairs and into the balcony room.

"Right!" Rinka shouted back to Kale. She narrowed her eyes at the sudden brightness of the outdoors, but she didn't have time to wait for her eyes to adjust. She flew to the railing, able to see its shape through her narrowed eyes. She flapped over it, grabbing it to throw her over, and dove for the neighboring tower. She blinked several times before opening her eyes all the way. Upon spotting Raiya and Moonpelt, she shifted her course toward them and swooped to a stop a moment later in front of them.
"Where's the Moon-Cannon?" she asked hurriedly. And how exactly will it work? a voice in the back of her head continued.

Wildwing wrote:"Right!" Rinka shouted back to Kale. She narrowed her eyes at the sudden brightness of the outdoors, but she didn't have time to wait for her eyes to adjust. She flew to the railing, able to see its shape through her narrowed eyes. She flapped over it, grabbing it to throw her over, and dove for the neighboring tower. She blinked several times before opening her eyes all the way. Upon spotting Raiya and Moonpelt, she shifted her course toward them and swooped to a stop a moment later in front of them.
"Where's the Moon-Cannon?" she asked hurriedly. And how exactly will it work? a voice in the back of her head continued.

Kale dove out into the open air, freezing in fear for a moment as he gazed at the surroundings. At the top of the mountain trees began to snap and begin their roll down the steep slopes. Snow began to shift, multiple avalanches forming around them. He shot after Rinka, landing near Moonpelt and looking to Raiya for an answer.

Raiya jerked her head to the treeline just over the hill, "It's over here!" She shouted, noticing the Shard in the Falcon Queen's talons. 
"Hurry!" She called as she ran up the hill, her paws thundering with the mountain across the now skidding snow. Rocks and pebbles came down with the snow, rolling down the hill. The she-wolf made it to the treeline, skidding to a stop in front of a large, leaf covered object. She took a few branches in her jaws and pulled, taking the foliage off of the 'Moon-Cannon' and exposing it's glory to the world. 

Kale's stomach sank as he approached the 'Moon-Cannon', remembering all too well the last time they had to use it. The device wasn't anything that special, only a large, flat, shaved slab of wood in essence. The small square seat was big enough for a few wolves, resting atop a pair of curved skids crudely constructed by Moonpelt and a pair of owls from the lower Pridelands. At the back of the sled rested a large ram-shackled sling-shot attached to the plank seat, a small bag full of silver rocks was tied to its base. In the front of the sled rested a pair of ropes attached to the skids below, a method of steering. 

Raiya gave the 'Moon-Cannon' a nudge of her muzzle before leaping on as it began slowly sliding down the hill. Kale sighed, but did not argue as he fluttered up onto the sled. You can always fly if it crashes, remember that! Even if it's faster...


Raiya stared down at the long path down the mountain in front of them and suddenly felt less confident about steering. As the snow and mountain began to slide around them, she shifted back to the back of the sled, taking a piece of silver out of the bag in her jaws and loading it into the slingshot and speaking the phrase that would haunt Kale for the rest of his life...

"Okay, Moonpelt you steer!"

Moonpelt let out a joyful bark as he jumped into the seat. "Okay Raiya you shoot! Hold on tight, feather-brains, we're going on a RIIIIIIIIDEE!!!!!" he howled with joy as he grabbed both ropes in his maw and proceeded to get ready to steer, yanking his head either left or right to dodge boulders and tree trunks that were tumbling down the mountain side with them.

He was talking about the new optimizations he and the owls had made to Moon-Canon v2, we don't talk about what happened with Moon-Canon v1, but to everyone's delight his chatter was muffled by the ropes in his mouth.

Rinka, after following the wolves, looked at the Moon-Cannon in interest.
"So this is it?" she asked mostly to herself. Having never ridden it before, she had no idea what to expect. Having never seen anything like it, she was starting to assume that somehow it flew. If she'd had time to examine it, she would have figured out how it actually worked. Instead, she began to overestimate the wolves' crafting ability before they even started to leave. And so she hoped on. She started to go for the back, but at seeing the bundle of silver tied to the sling-shot, she thought better of it and instead took a seat behind Moonpelt.
She quickly figured out that the Moon-Cannon did not fly. Instead, it slid. She found this confusing at first, and then concerning, wondering how this was ever going to move fast enough to escape their enemies. And then, as they started down the mountain, she had a thought that turn the concern to dread.
"Uh...is there a way to stop this thing? Or at least slow down?" she asked hesitantly, poking her head around the white wolf to look down the mountain slope.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka, after following the wolves, looked at the Moon-Cannon in interest.
"So this is it?" she asked mostly to herself. Having never ridden it before, she had no idea what to expect. Having never seen anything like it, she was starting to assume that somehow it flew. If she'd had time to examine it, she would have figured out how it actually worked. Instead, she began to overestimate the wolves' crafting ability before they even started to leave. And so she hoped on. She started to go for the back, but at seeing the bundle of silver tied to the sling-shot, she thought better of it and instead took a seat behind Moonpelt.
She quickly figured out that the Moon-Cannon did not fly. Instead, it slid. She found this confusing at first, and then concerning, wondering how this was ever going to move fast enough to escape their enemies. And then, as they started down the mountain, she had a thought that turn the concern to dread.
"Uh...is there a way to stop this thing? Or at least slow down?" she asked hesitantly, poking her head around the white wolf to look down the mountain slope.

As they were heading down the moutain side, they were piking up speed--heading towards the dozens-of-miles-journey they were about to embark on at nearly a sheer vertical drop. Moonpelt dropped the steering ropes from his mouth and turned to Rinka with a wolfy-smile. "Oh no no! We don't need brakes here! As long as the wolf that is steering has 100-present focus on everything they're suppose to do and does NOT drop the steering ropes under ANY circumstances this is TOTALLY safe."

Ruki wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka, after following the wolves, looked at the Moon-Cannon in interest.
"So this is it?" she asked mostly to herself. Having never ridden it before, she had no idea what to expect. Having never seen anything like it, she was starting to assume that somehow it flew. If she'd had time to examine it, she would have figured out how it actually worked. Instead, she began to overestimate the wolves' crafting ability before they even started to leave. And so she hoped on. She started to go for the back, but at seeing the bundle of silver tied to the sling-shot, she thought better of it and instead took a seat behind Moonpelt.
She quickly figured out that the Moon-Cannon did not fly. Instead, it slid. She found this confusing at first, and then concerning, wondering how this was ever going to move fast enough to escape their enemies. And then, as they started down the mountain, she had a thought that turn the concern to dread.
"Uh...is there a way to stop this thing? Or at least slow down?" she asked hesitantly, poking her head around the white wolf to look down the mountain slope.

As they were heading down the moutain side, they were piking up speed--heading towards the dozens-of-miles-journey they were about to embark on at nearly a sheer vertical drop. Moonpelt dropped the steering ropes from his mouth and turned to Rinka with a wolfy-smile. "Oh no no! We don't need brakes here! As long as the wolf that is steering has 100-present focus on everything they're suppose to do and does NOT drop the steering ropes under ANY circumstances this is TOTALLY safe."

MOONPELT!! XD)

Rinka stared up at the white wolf, her mind repeating what he had just said once more before it clicked.
"...Moonpelt. You just dropped the steering ropes," she said calmly to her own credit, despite the fact that her face was paling beneath her feathers, "And we're moving." Her gaze shifted down the mountain slope, her eyes widening as she realized they were at a good speed and were only moving faster. "Moonpelt, please pick them back up," she ordered politely with a hint of panic to her voice.

Ruki wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka, after following the wolves, looked at the Moon-Cannon in interest.
"So this is it?" she asked mostly to herself. Having never ridden it before, she had no idea what to expect. Having never seen anything like it, she was starting to assume that somehow it flew. If she'd had time to examine it, she would have figured out how it actually worked. Instead, she began to overestimate the wolves' crafting ability before they even started to leave. And so she hoped on. She started to go for the back, but at seeing the bundle of silver tied to the sling-shot, she thought better of it and instead took a seat behind Moonpelt.
She quickly figured out that the Moon-Cannon did not fly. Instead, it slid. She found this confusing at first, and then concerning, wondering how this was ever going to move fast enough to escape their enemies. And then, as they started down the mountain, she had a thought that turn the concern to dread.
"Uh...is there a way to stop this thing? Or at least slow down?" she asked hesitantly, poking her head around the white wolf to look down the mountain slope.

As they were heading down the moutain side, they were piking up speed--heading towards the dozens-of-miles-journey they were about to embark on at nearly a sheer vertical drop. Moonpelt dropped the steering ropes from his mouth and turned to Rinka with a wolfy-smile. "Oh no no! We don't need brakes here! As long as the wolf that is steering has 100-present focus on everything they're suppose to do and does NOT drop the steering ropes under ANY circumstances this is TOTALLY safe."

The instant the ropes fell from Moonpelt's mouth, Kale began to puff his feathers up in fear, saying to the wolf in a small, frail voice as they came over the crest of the small hill, "Um... um, you dropped the steering ropes... "

Kale's stomach dropped as the spotted the view of the mountainside, and the sled's skiffs began to teeter over the edge. He felt like a fish on the edge of a waterfall, the current of impending doom beckoning him over the edge as he spoke a little louder, "Uh, you dropped the steering ropes..."

As the sled went over the crest of the hill it began sliding at breakneck speeds downwards, causing Kale to scream as he dug his talons into the wood, barely hearing Rinka's calm reply as he shouted. "YOU DROPPED THE STEERING ROPES!!!"

Raiya let out a cheerful yip as the sled took off, excitedly wagging her tail as she watched for Shades, "Oh come on Kale, you lived through last time!"

Moonpelt let out a playful yip at the two panicking falcons. "Oh you big chickens! We're totally fine!" He laughed as he picked up the steering ropes in his jaws again. He straightened the Moon-Canon v2 and tugged a hard left, narrowly missing a rather large tree in their path and it sent them spiraling in a circle, only briefly. The "expert pilot" straightened out their path as they caught air on a slanted boulder and crashed back into the snow with a loud thud with the sound of wood splintering. Something was clearly starting to break, but Moonpelt remained smiling and his tail was wagging so fiercely is was smacking Rinka and Kale repeatedly in the backs.

Rinka gripped the wood of the Moon-Cannon, not realizing she was screaming until her throat started to hurt.
WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!
The queen would have continued to scream if Moonpelt hadn't started wacking her with his wagging tail. As she was facing his backside, she was getting full on slaps to the face. She stumbled backward a few steps, something that sparked even more terror in her heart considering how fast they were moving. She stopped, realizing that by backing towards Raiya, she was also backing towards the silver balls. But she was still getting hit by Moonpelt's wags.
Do I want to be on the half with Moonpelt or the half with the silver?
She chose the silver. But she crouched as far as she could from the bag while staying just out of reach of Moonpelt's tail.
"At least the Shades haven't found us yet," she muttered gloomily, regretting ever stepping on the Moon-Cannon.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka gripped the wood of the Moon-Cannon, not realizing she was screaming until her throat started to hurt.
WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!
The queen would have continued to scream if Moonpelt hadn't started wacking her with his wagging tail. As she was facing his backside, she was getting full on slaps to the face. She stumbled backward a few steps, something that sparked even more terror in her heart considering how fast they were moving. She stopped, realizing that by backing towards Raiya, she was also backing towards the silver balls. But she was still getting hit by Moonpelt's wags.
Do I want to be on the half with Moonpelt or the half with the silver?
She chose the silver. But she crouched as far as she could from the bag while staying just out of reach of Moonpelt's tail.
"At least the Shades haven't found us yet," she muttered gloomily, regretting ever stepping on the Moon-Cannon.

"Uhh....." Raiya gave a nervous laugh at Rinka's remark, not wanting to say it. "Well..."

From the pair of black towers, now fairly far away due to the sled's speed, a cluster of four purple and black lights shot down the mountainside. The Shades were quickly making up ground. Raiya narrowed her eyes at the closest one, pulling back on the slingshot and letting a chunk of silver fly right at the nearest Shade... and missing. The she-wolf snarled in frustration, looking over her shoulder at Rinka. "Hey! Grab me another- oh yeah... Kale! I need silver!"

Kale barely heard the command. He was dead. Totally dead inside. Paralyzed with horror. He was flying down a mountainside at speeds no bird should ever experience, being chased by Shades that wanted to kill him, during an apparent earthquake, in the snow and cold, during multiple avalanches, with the stupidest wolf in the history of stupid as his only savior keeping him alive.... halfway through fainting, Kale caught himself and steadied his body with a talon, stabbing it into the wood. Beginning to hyperventilate, he turned towards Raiya. His eyes were huge, his feathers were puffed to nearly twice his size, and he was being slapped in the side by Moonpelt's tail. "WHAT?"

"I need silver!" Raiya repeated, holding back a laugh at the poor falcon. It took Kale a moment longer than it should have, but he finally slid closer to her and plucked a piece of silver from the bag, loading it into the sling shot.

"Steady now! STEADY!!" Moonpelt "expertly" straightened out the sled to give Raiya a clear shot.
"FI-AH AT WILL!"

Rinka visibly slumped her wings at the sight of the oncoming Shades. "Of course I had to say something," she sighed. Hearing the twang of the slingshot, she picked her head up to see the first chunk of silver miss the closest shade. She did not normally doubt Raiya, nor did she ever want to, but at that moment, despite herself...
Feeling the she-wolf's eyes on her, Rinka looked back at her with wide eyes, widening them even more in the slightest when she realized what the young wolf was starting to ask of her. She let out an audible sigh of relief when Raiya remembered and changed her focus to Kale. That sigh changed into a startled squawk when Kale replied with his sudden, sharp and loud yell. Rinka honestly felt as though her heart almost leapt out of her chest and off the sled without her. Knowing what was behind them, the queen made the mistake of turning her head to see if they were all clear ahead of the sleigh.
"TREE!! TREE TREE TREE!!" she found herself screeching as her round eyes locked onto the evergreen pine they were headed straight for.

Wildwing wrote:Rinka visibly slumped her wings at the sight of the oncoming Shades. "Of course I had to say something," she sighed. Hearing the twang of the slingshot, she picked her head up to see the first chunk of silver miss the closest shade. She did not normally doubt Raiya, nor did she ever want to, but at that moment, despite herself...
Feeling the she-wolf's eyes on her, Rinka looked back at her with wide eyes, widening them even more in the slightest when she realized what the young wolf was starting to ask of her. She let out an audible sigh of relief when Raiya remembered and changed her focus to Kale. That sigh changed into a startled squawk when Kale replied with his sudden, sharp and loud yell. Rinka honestly felt as though her heart almost leapt out of her chest and off the sled without her. Knowing what was behind them, the queen made the mistake of turning her head to see if they were all clear ahead of the sleigh.
"TREE!! TREE TREE TREE!!" she found herself screeching as her round eyes locked onto the evergreen pine they were headed straight for.

Moonpelt let out a hardy laugh as he 'nimbly' avoided certain demise. "Relax, Queen Featherbrain, I've done this so many times I can do this with my eyes closed." Moonpelt closed his eyes and smiled softly, confident in his abilities to 'pilot' the Moon-Canon v2.

Raiya launched the second piece of silver, cheering triumphantly as the Shade it struck in the face promptly exploded in a violent shock-wave of purple fire and ashes. "HAHA! YEAH! Again! Again! Kale, re-load!"

The falcon in question tried his best to keep his composure, now boldly accepting his imminent death leaving him eerily calm. He steadily plucked out another chunk of silver and sent it up to Raiya to load her contraption. His serene, inner peace began to crack as he heard what Moonpelt just said.

Did he just.... no. nobody is that stupid... of course his eyes are open... calm. Relax. Breathe......

Kale's feathers puffed up again, his focus shattered as he realized who exactly he was talking about. "MOONPELT OPEN YOUR EYES YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU DOING OPEN YOUR EYES WE'RE GOING TO DIE WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!!!!"

Ruki wrote:

Wildwing wrote:Rinka visibly slumped her wings at the sight of the oncoming Shades. "Of course I had to say something," she sighed. Hearing the twang of the slingshot, she picked her head up to see the first chunk of silver miss the closest shade. She did not normally doubt Raiya, nor did she ever want to, but at that moment, despite herself...
Feeling the she-wolf's eyes on her, Rinka looked back at her with wide eyes, widening them even more in the slightest when she realized what the young wolf was starting to ask of her. She let out an audible sigh of relief when Raiya remembered and changed her focus to Kale. That sigh changed into a startled squawk when Kale replied with his sudden, sharp and loud yell. Rinka honestly felt as though her heart almost leapt out of her chest and off the sled without her. Knowing what was behind them, the queen made the mistake of turning her head to see if they were all clear ahead of the sleigh.
"TREE!! TREE TREE TREE!!" she found herself screeching as her round eyes locked onto the evergreen pine they were headed straight for.

Moonpelt let out a hardy laugh as he 'nimbly' avoided certain demise. "Relax, Queen Featherbrain, I've done this so many times I can do this with my eyes closed." Moonpelt closed his eyes and smiled softly, confident in his abilities to 'pilot' the Moon-Canon v2.

Rinka gripped the wood beneath her, breathing hard. She only had a view of the back of his head, so she had no way of knowing that his eyes were closed. But, after hearing him say that he could, her feathers prickled uncomfortably. "...Th-They're n-not actually closed, are they?" she asked in a small voice, "M-Moonpelt? Your eyes are open...right?"

Moonpelt laughed. "Oh they're totally closed." The wolf seemed to be steering a lot better than with his eyes open. "Oh Kale you need to relax. Unless.... hey Raiya did we ever remove that wooden thing from the bottom of Moon-Canon v1 where when it crashed into that boulder it erupted in a giant inferno of total destruction and chaos and singed one of the owls' wings? ... Because we should probably remove it if we haven't because if that's the case we've hit A LOOT of rocks..."

Ruki wrote:Moonpelt laughed. "Oh they're totally closed." The wolf seemed to be steering a lot better than with his eyes open. "Oh Kale you need to relax. Unless.... hey Raiya did we ever remove that wooden thing from the bottom of Moon-Canon v1 where when it crashed into that boulder it erupted in a giant inferno of total destruction and chaos and singed one of the owls' wings? ... Because we should probably remove it if we haven't because if that's the case we've hit A LOOT of rocks..."

Rinka's eyes were the widest they'd been all day. She was so focused on the fact that someone as destructive as Moonpelt existed that she completely missed the Shade's demise.
"...Come again?" she asked in a very small voice. At this point, she was seriously considering turning into a Phoenix, taking everyone and abandoning ship.

(And in case you thought my last post on the other page was terrible news, wait till you get a load of this! )