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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 14:38:41 GMT -5
Arion and Athera walked through the trees that bordered the feeding ground, the edge of the Siwyn forest. Arion loathed having to do guard duty. Nothing ever seemed to happen at all. No one seemed to ever come across the Keep, at random or intentionally, and there had only been a handful of attacks throughout the Order's entire history. Most people were smart enough not to try attacking it directly. But still, it was better for them to be prepared than get caught with their pants down. And so, there was usually someone out, keeping an eye out for any one passing close to the keep, to warn the others if there was danger coming so they could get ready.
Athera paused suddenly, which made Arion stop as well. There was rustling in the trees close by; something-or someone-was heading towards the Keep. Arion let his hand fall to the hilt of his sword, waiting to see what it was.
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 16:15:25 GMT -5
Silvie nosed through the brush as Ai flew in lazy circles over head, watching her bond mate through the trees. Silvie, now a small, furry white fox, was searching for some game she had killed earlier, but had lost track of it before. It was a nice, large deer, but it had run off after she shot it with the bow. She knew it was a kill shot, it had just taken time to die, and in that time, she had lost track of it.
She snuffled and shook her head, breaking out of a sticker bush that caught on her ear and tore it open slightly, so blood trickled down from the scratch. She whimpered and glanced up, and yelped with surprise.
"Arion!" She yipped, though he wouldn't be able to understand her in her fox form. She shook her head, and shifted back, standing only a couple feet from her as she rubbed at her bleeding ear. "You scared the daylights out of me, Arion," She said with a sigh as she looked at her hand. It was only a little blood, so she wasn't worried. She glanced back up at Arion and tilted her head. "You didn't think I'd attack you, did you?" She questioned when she noticed his hand on the hilt of his weapon.
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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 16:41:38 GMT -5
Arion's hand dropped from the hilt of his sword as he saw it was only a fox that had come forth from the trees, and nothing more than that. Noting that the fox was an albino one, he quickly realized that it was Silvie, even before the girl transformed back into her human form.
"'Course not," He told her, looking a bit sheepish, "Never know what's out there, though. Sorry for scaring you." His eyes focused on the blood on her hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 16:49:22 GMT -5
Silvie smiled at the sheepish look on Arion's face, but didn't say anything to point it out. "It's okay," She told him when he apologized for scaring her. "I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going." She looked down at her hand again when Arion asked if she was alright, and smiled, looking a bit sheepish herself. "I'm fine," She said. "I think it's just a little scratch. I cut ear a little bit when I was trying to get out of that sticker bush I found myself in." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought of getting caught in that bush. She was sure she had other scratches she hadn't noticed yet. "It's not serious."
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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 16:55:06 GMT -5
Arion walked over, and leaned in slightly, examining her ear. "Yeah, it doesn't seem like anything too bad," He said. It was just a light scratch, nothing too major, nothing that would take a week to heal or need Cadelen or Chiki's attention. "Just watch and make sure they don't get infected." Arion had gotten infections before, when he had lived on his own for a time before he returned to the Keep. They were never a pleasant experience.
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 17:03:38 GMT -5
Silvie flushed again, faintly this time, when Arion leaned close to her and checked on her hear. She was relieved though when he said it was a little scratch. She smiled at him and shrugged. "I'll keep it clean," She told him. "I've had plenty of scratches and infections before, so I'm sure I can handle this one."
She sighed though as she looked back out to the forest behind her. "I was looking for a deer I had shot earlier. I lost track of it and it got away from me. It was a big deer, and I was going to bring it back to the Keep. It'd make a good meal."
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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 17:18:34 GMT -5
He nodded as she spoke of the deer she shot. "Well, I'm not great at seeking out deer," He told her, then looked to his bond, "Athera might be able to help you, though."
Athera nodded and stretched out lazily, flexing her claws as she did. "I thought I smelled deer's blood," She said, "And helping you out would be much more interesting than following Arion around, if you'd like the help, dear."
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 17:28:53 GMT -5
Silvie grinned at the offer of help from Athera. "That would be most welcome," She told Arion happily. Ai, come down here please, Silvie sent a mental command to her dragon, who trumpeted happily and flew down to land not far behind Arion and Athera, her head resting on the ground and one eye turned towards the three. "Since Athera and me will be going to find that stupid deer, I figured you could use Ai's help," She told Arion with a sweet smile. "If you want it. Guard duty is boring, so Ai can keep you company!"
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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 18:08:10 GMT -5
Arion watched as Ai came down and landed between them "Works for me," He said with a nod, "Always nice to have someone to talk to." He could always, of course, just converse with Athera through their link, but he didn't want to disturb her. Athera sniffed the air lightly, and looked to Silvie. "I've caught the scent," She said, heading in the direction it was coming from.
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 21:03:52 GMT -5
Silvie smiled back at Arion as Athera took off. "Thank you!" She told him, before she shifted. The small white fox shook its head before darting after the much larger bond creature. She darted around the sticker bush this time, not wanting to feel its sting in her pelt again.
Ai snorted and glanced at Arion. "It rather sucks," She said. "Being too big to fit in the forest with her. Otherwise we wouldn't have bothered you." She blinked one of her large sapphire eyes and almost seemed to smile, as much as a dragon can smile. "Thanks for helping her though. She wouldn't have let me alone about it if she hadn't found the deer."
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Post by Arion on Nov 1, 2009 21:51:56 GMT -5
Athera made her way around the sticker bush as well, not wanting to her flesh torn open as Silvie's had been, even if it was just few scratches. It definitely wouldn't be a pleasant sensation for her. She kept on the trail of the deer, starting to see fresh spots of blood on leaves of low shrubs and things, always a good sign.
"Well, I don't mind being bothered that much," Arion said to Ai with a chuckle and a smirk on his face. "Nothing much ever happens while I'm guarding. While anyone's guarding, I suppose. Make the job much easier, but extremely dull." He smiled and nodded when she thanked him again. "Its really no problem," He assured her, "Especially considering Athera's the one doing the work. Good thing she's willing to do it."
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Post by Silvie on Nov 1, 2009 22:07:21 GMT -5
Silvie couldn't see some of the blood spots because of how much lower to the ground she was compared to Athera, but she could smell them now. She had lost track of it before when she had gotten caught in that evil sticker bush. She flicked her ear, and was happy to note that the blood had stopped. She glanced at Athera and wagged her tail a couple of times, waiting.
Ai snorted a small laugh, and a cloud of dust rose up around her. "Yes, it is dull," She agreed. "But safe. I like safe, because then Silvie won't get hurt."
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Post by Arion on Nov 2, 2009 11:00:53 GMT -5
Athera, noting that the blood had stopped, focused solely on her sense of smell. Turning a corner, she found the deer, on its last legs, but not quite dead yet. It was laying on the ground, looking startled by the predator's sudden appearance. Athera sat back, waiting to see what Silvie wanted to do from here.
Arion started to walk along the well worn path that most used when on guard duty, motioning for the dragon to follow. "Safe's always nice," He said, "No sense in having a secret fortress in the middle of the woods if it isn't safe." He was glad that the Keep was well protected, that he didn't have to see his friends hurt there.
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Post by Silvie on Nov 2, 2009 17:32:42 GMT -5
Silvie followed Athera silently, just happy to have help. She had been worried there for awhile she wouldn't be able to find the deer on her own, but when Arion and Athera offered to help she had been joyful. now though, as she and Athera rounded the side of a tree, that feeling fled as she realized the deer was still alive, but just barely. She shifted back, taking the small dagger from her belt. "Oh, you poor thing," She whispered to the deer as she moved over. She noticed it try to get away, and slit its through. Quick and painless, no need for it to suffer any longer. "Oh, I'm sorry," She whispered. "I didn't mean for you to suffer."
Ai lumbered after Arion, not caring that she probably made a rather funny sight waddling after a rider that didn't belong to her. She kept her head low to the ground to keep the branches of the trees from breaking against her head and probably hurting him. "I agree with that," Ai told him with a rumbling laugh. She tilted her head slightly as she heard Silvie's voice in her mind. "It seems Silvie and Athera have found the deer," She said, though she was sure Athera had already let Arion know, she couldn't be sure. "Silvie is sad because the deer was not dead, and had suffered." Her tail swished and collided solidly with a tree, but she didn't seem to notice it as the tree tilted dangerously, but didn't fall over. "She doesn't like to see anything suffer."
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Post by Arion on Nov 2, 2009 19:04:44 GMT -5
Athera was impressed by the girl's compassion for her prey. The felid didn't like to let her catches suffer either; she made sure that her kills were as quick and clean as possible. After Silvie had slit its throat, she looked at the rider. "Do you need any help getting it back to the keep?" She asked.
Arion looked back at the tree Ai's tail had smashed into, as Athera reported the news. "That's a good quality for a rider to have," He said with a nod, "For anyone to have, really." Arion didn't think it right to just stand back and allow something to suffer, few of the rider of the Order did, and Silvie, it seemed, was no exception to that.
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