Post by ::WOLFURchik:: on Mar 29, 2011 19:42:37 GMT -5
How long had they been away? Patrick couldn't even remember. It had felt like a lifetime. So much had happened since escorting Wolfgang through the desert. First, it was the jiantori raiders, bird-like people with a tendency to hunt down humans in the desert. Then, the suakone, which Patrick didn't even care to remember about. The hideous, dragon-like birds still haunted his nightmares and made it hard to sleep at night. The worst part about it was their intelligence... their language. They could speak and think well, even use tools. No matter how monstrous they appeared, they were still people. Evil, human flesh devouring people, but still people.
It was in the nests of the suakone, the Sand Traps, where Patrick had met Inari. Inari had been raised by the suakone, but she was a jiantori. Still, she looked amazingly human. If it weren't for the feathered ears, pink eyes, and, well...wings... she could have been completely human. And she was beautiful... with golden blonde hair that reached down past her knees, lightly sun dappled freckles, and a body to die for... Even the wings were a thing of beauty in Patrick's mind. They were soft, and thick. White, but spotted with grays and browns. On top of all that, she had the heart of a saint.
She was so different than himself. Last time Patrick checked out his reflection, he still had dark, sun tanned skin, poo colored eyes, and tacky, spiked black hair. He was built, muscular, but not overdone, and he was a few inches shorter than his female friend. He had felt so lucky for landing a beauty like Inari. Her smooth lips still made him tingle every time he thought about kissing them... The day he met Inari was a truly amazing experience.
of course, it was the worst day of his life as well... Inari's home in the Sand Traps was the final resting place of his dear friend, Connor. Connor had been a friend for as long as Patrick could remember. They had trained those giant warrior birds called sabbian since they were young. They also fought together, joked together, and laughed in the face of danger every time they had a chance. He still wasn't over the fact that Connor was gone. Wolfgang had been a good companion since that day, but he could never replace Connor.
Patrick sniffled, wiping away a drip of snot from his nose. He turned his eyes to the rest of the gang, all flying over the canyons and desert hills with determination on their faces. Sahara was flying on Strawberry, the very sabbian she had been trying to avoid years before. Luckily, Sahara had gotten over her fear of birds, and was now the strongest flyer of the bunch. It was a necessary challenge, considering she was apparently one of the few shamans left in Camauren, and was supposed to lead the world in a massive fight for survival. Sahara Nickshaw... go figure.
Next to her, Wolfgang was flying, still a bit awkward, on the strongest of the flock's sabbian, Buskin. Buskin had belonged to Connor. Due to recent... events, Buskin's reigns were now in Wolfgang's hands. Patrick knew it had been the right thing to do, but he still felt a tinge of pain every time he lay eyes on the powerful sabbian.
Patrick noticed Sahara eyeing Wolfgang hungrily, and quickly looked away, chuckling lightly to himself. Apparently, at some point while Sahara and Wolfgang were busily fighting to save their own lives inside the Inner World, they had developed feelings for each other. Patrick couldn't help but think they were an odd couple... Like a couple of beat up, dirty pirates falling in love while fighting to save their ship. In a way, it was kind of cute. He couldn't help but wonder if it would last...
Flying next to him, with her very own set of wings was the new...scratch that...only love of his life, the beautiful rogue jiantori, Inari, who had so lovingly saved his life in the Sand Traps. Now he was taking her to the one place she might actually be hunted down in... Shifuto Hiru. It wasn't that every human in the desert city was racist against the jiantori, but, due to constant raids, and the human casualty rate constantly rising within the city, the jiantori were not to be trusted. All Patrick could hope to do was keep her covered by her desert cloak, and hope that nobody would notice the feathers. He knew that if he just explained everything to the officials, they would gladly except Inari for who she was, like he had done himself. At least, he hoped so. He certainly hoped this wasn't the wrong decision for them...
The sabbian beneath him shook an itch free from his feathers, causing the distracted Patrick to lose his balance. Luckily, Patrick was a superb flyer, and he hung on without the other catching eye of his mistake. He patted the sabbian's dark, crooked feathers. Jester was his name. Patrick had captured him at a young age in the wild, and had spent year training him. He was almost killed, numerous times, by the violent bird with a serious sense of humor. Now, Jester was his first hand man. Er-bird.
The four of them had been lucky to survive the journey which now seemed so close to finally coming to an end. After escaping death's grasp in the Sand Traps (thanks to Inari), and running out of supplies, the gang nearly died of dehydration and exhaustion in the hot sands of the western desert. Luckily, a rogue gang of Jiantori, led by a rather young... eccentric man named Bonzo, had discovered them in the desert heat, and gave them a helping hand. That was when Patrick discovered that not all Jiantori were out to wipe out the human race. That was also when he discovered that jiantori women make very good kissers.
After leaving Bonzo's comfortable, safe (and for Sahara, awkward) home in the rogue nests of Thieves' Pass, the gang met Sahara's odd ex boyfriend. Patrick himself had tried his hand at dating Sahara, but it was later discovered that Sahara's feelings for him was nothing more than brotherly love, and so the two remained just as friends. But this guy had been...something else. He guessed he could see what Sahara had saw in the guy; he was made to be perfect. Literally, made. As in, robot much?
Apparently, the man...robot...guy... was very handy in mechanics, and managed to save a badly injured (thanks to the trustworthy sabbian called Strawberry) mechanical leg of Sahara's. This was the first place Patrick had truly seen where Sahara had started to mature. She had gone from a whining child, to a proud, confident woman. He would never admit it, but it made Patrick miss the days when he had the opportunity of holding her war calloused hands.
Their next adventure would take them to... hell. No literally, but Patrick liked to think of it that way. Shifuto Hiru and Shifuto Aisu had been mortal enemies since... forever? And being as how they had been from Shifuto Hiru, the flight to the frozen city of Shifuto Aisu had been a long, and nervous one. Including nearly being eaten by giant, sea monster-like fish, almost freezing to death in below freezing water temperatures, and tricking an entire city into thinking that Sahara was her (now dead) evil, demonic twin sister. It was a LOT to digest, but hey, at least they had all survived. Well, almost all of them...
Patrick inhaled deeply, the dry desert air scratching at his lungs. They were almost home. The flight home had been almost quiet. A few raiders here and there, but nothing a pack full of the desert's top fighters couldn't handle.
Looking out ahead, Patrick could see the outline of a massive gate in the middle of the desert. A relieved smile crossed his lips. They were nearly home... nearly free. The painful journey they had all taken together was nearly over.
His free hand traveled up to the goggles covering his eyes. They had saved his eyes a world of pain from sand and dust during their flights, but more than that, they were the most important thing he had on possession with him now. The first thing he wanted to do when he got home was find Bo. He knew Bo Rublin would be proud of his father, as Patrick had been. Connor was a hero.Inaricomrade...a friend... a father. Patrick could feel a burning sensation well up in the corner of his eyes, and he quickly contained himself. Nothing was worse than a steamed up pair of goggles during a cautious flight at nearly one hundred miles per hour.
Nothing of course, except being greeted by a wall of spears.
He hadn't expected this, but apparently, Sahara had, as she was the first to react, barking orders to the rest of them. What a leader she had grown up to be...
--------
"Fly higher!" Sahara shouted into the air, giving Strawberry a sharp kick to the side. The sabbian's wings flapped as hard as they could, and the two quickly gained height. The spears buzzed beneath them, just nearly missing Patrick and Jester. She made sure the others were OK, then turned back to the city. There was no more waves of spears, but what she did see made her stomach churn even more.
It appeared as if almost a hundred dark blown blots were zooming towards them. As they quickly neared, Sahara's good eye could make out the details. These were Shifuto Hiru guards hurtling towards them, mounted on the strongest and the fastest sabbian in the desert, all carrying weapons. And a look of bloodlust in their eyes.
Quickly, Sahara had to make a dangerous decision. "Inari!" She shouted at the jiantori, which would so obviously be their first target in a fight. "You need to disguise yourself! If they see that you are a jiantori, they may not want to trust us."
Sadly, Patrick agreed with her. "Get on behind me." He commanded her. "Jester can support both of our weight." At least, for a little while. Hopeful, they wouldn't get too involved a struggle.
Sahara looked out at the line of defense protecting the city. It was never this bad before they left... there must have been a reason that security was tight. Before they left, the city trusted anyone who rode in on a sabbian. Now, they looked ready to kill anyone outside of the city. She bit her lip, tightening her grip on Strawberry's saddle. "We may have to fight." She warned the others. "Do not let any of them be seriously hurt!" She growled, especially at Wolfgang. "No matter what. Don't hurt them. We have to make them understand that we can be trusted!"
Patrick frowned. "Shouldn't they be able to recognize us?" Sahara didn't answer, and she didn't have to. Patrick knew that they were away for a long time. The city probably gave up looking for them long ago... he was sure that the city would have thought they were dead. Now they just had to find a way to prove it was really them...
"Prepare yourselves!" Patrick heard Sahara yell. Great. An army of a hundred against four... Odds were not necessarily in their favor.
It was in the nests of the suakone, the Sand Traps, where Patrick had met Inari. Inari had been raised by the suakone, but she was a jiantori. Still, she looked amazingly human. If it weren't for the feathered ears, pink eyes, and, well...wings... she could have been completely human. And she was beautiful... with golden blonde hair that reached down past her knees, lightly sun dappled freckles, and a body to die for... Even the wings were a thing of beauty in Patrick's mind. They were soft, and thick. White, but spotted with grays and browns. On top of all that, she had the heart of a saint.
She was so different than himself. Last time Patrick checked out his reflection, he still had dark, sun tanned skin, poo colored eyes, and tacky, spiked black hair. He was built, muscular, but not overdone, and he was a few inches shorter than his female friend. He had felt so lucky for landing a beauty like Inari. Her smooth lips still made him tingle every time he thought about kissing them... The day he met Inari was a truly amazing experience.
of course, it was the worst day of his life as well... Inari's home in the Sand Traps was the final resting place of his dear friend, Connor. Connor had been a friend for as long as Patrick could remember. They had trained those giant warrior birds called sabbian since they were young. They also fought together, joked together, and laughed in the face of danger every time they had a chance. He still wasn't over the fact that Connor was gone. Wolfgang had been a good companion since that day, but he could never replace Connor.
Patrick sniffled, wiping away a drip of snot from his nose. He turned his eyes to the rest of the gang, all flying over the canyons and desert hills with determination on their faces. Sahara was flying on Strawberry, the very sabbian she had been trying to avoid years before. Luckily, Sahara had gotten over her fear of birds, and was now the strongest flyer of the bunch. It was a necessary challenge, considering she was apparently one of the few shamans left in Camauren, and was supposed to lead the world in a massive fight for survival. Sahara Nickshaw... go figure.
Next to her, Wolfgang was flying, still a bit awkward, on the strongest of the flock's sabbian, Buskin. Buskin had belonged to Connor. Due to recent... events, Buskin's reigns were now in Wolfgang's hands. Patrick knew it had been the right thing to do, but he still felt a tinge of pain every time he lay eyes on the powerful sabbian.
Patrick noticed Sahara eyeing Wolfgang hungrily, and quickly looked away, chuckling lightly to himself. Apparently, at some point while Sahara and Wolfgang were busily fighting to save their own lives inside the Inner World, they had developed feelings for each other. Patrick couldn't help but think they were an odd couple... Like a couple of beat up, dirty pirates falling in love while fighting to save their ship. In a way, it was kind of cute. He couldn't help but wonder if it would last...
Flying next to him, with her very own set of wings was the new...scratch that...only love of his life, the beautiful rogue jiantori, Inari, who had so lovingly saved his life in the Sand Traps. Now he was taking her to the one place she might actually be hunted down in... Shifuto Hiru. It wasn't that every human in the desert city was racist against the jiantori, but, due to constant raids, and the human casualty rate constantly rising within the city, the jiantori were not to be trusted. All Patrick could hope to do was keep her covered by her desert cloak, and hope that nobody would notice the feathers. He knew that if he just explained everything to the officials, they would gladly except Inari for who she was, like he had done himself. At least, he hoped so. He certainly hoped this wasn't the wrong decision for them...
The sabbian beneath him shook an itch free from his feathers, causing the distracted Patrick to lose his balance. Luckily, Patrick was a superb flyer, and he hung on without the other catching eye of his mistake. He patted the sabbian's dark, crooked feathers. Jester was his name. Patrick had captured him at a young age in the wild, and had spent year training him. He was almost killed, numerous times, by the violent bird with a serious sense of humor. Now, Jester was his first hand man. Er-bird.
The four of them had been lucky to survive the journey which now seemed so close to finally coming to an end. After escaping death's grasp in the Sand Traps (thanks to Inari), and running out of supplies, the gang nearly died of dehydration and exhaustion in the hot sands of the western desert. Luckily, a rogue gang of Jiantori, led by a rather young... eccentric man named Bonzo, had discovered them in the desert heat, and gave them a helping hand. That was when Patrick discovered that not all Jiantori were out to wipe out the human race. That was also when he discovered that jiantori women make very good kissers.
After leaving Bonzo's comfortable, safe (and for Sahara, awkward) home in the rogue nests of Thieves' Pass, the gang met Sahara's odd ex boyfriend. Patrick himself had tried his hand at dating Sahara, but it was later discovered that Sahara's feelings for him was nothing more than brotherly love, and so the two remained just as friends. But this guy had been...something else. He guessed he could see what Sahara had saw in the guy; he was made to be perfect. Literally, made. As in, robot much?
Apparently, the man...robot...guy... was very handy in mechanics, and managed to save a badly injured (thanks to the trustworthy sabbian called Strawberry) mechanical leg of Sahara's. This was the first place Patrick had truly seen where Sahara had started to mature. She had gone from a whining child, to a proud, confident woman. He would never admit it, but it made Patrick miss the days when he had the opportunity of holding her war calloused hands.
Their next adventure would take them to... hell. No literally, but Patrick liked to think of it that way. Shifuto Hiru and Shifuto Aisu had been mortal enemies since... forever? And being as how they had been from Shifuto Hiru, the flight to the frozen city of Shifuto Aisu had been a long, and nervous one. Including nearly being eaten by giant, sea monster-like fish, almost freezing to death in below freezing water temperatures, and tricking an entire city into thinking that Sahara was her (now dead) evil, demonic twin sister. It was a LOT to digest, but hey, at least they had all survived. Well, almost all of them...
Patrick inhaled deeply, the dry desert air scratching at his lungs. They were almost home. The flight home had been almost quiet. A few raiders here and there, but nothing a pack full of the desert's top fighters couldn't handle.
Looking out ahead, Patrick could see the outline of a massive gate in the middle of the desert. A relieved smile crossed his lips. They were nearly home... nearly free. The painful journey they had all taken together was nearly over.
His free hand traveled up to the goggles covering his eyes. They had saved his eyes a world of pain from sand and dust during their flights, but more than that, they were the most important thing he had on possession with him now. The first thing he wanted to do when he got home was find Bo. He knew Bo Rublin would be proud of his father, as Patrick had been. Connor was a hero.Inaricomrade...a friend... a father. Patrick could feel a burning sensation well up in the corner of his eyes, and he quickly contained himself. Nothing was worse than a steamed up pair of goggles during a cautious flight at nearly one hundred miles per hour.
Nothing of course, except being greeted by a wall of spears.
He hadn't expected this, but apparently, Sahara had, as she was the first to react, barking orders to the rest of them. What a leader she had grown up to be...
--------
"Fly higher!" Sahara shouted into the air, giving Strawberry a sharp kick to the side. The sabbian's wings flapped as hard as they could, and the two quickly gained height. The spears buzzed beneath them, just nearly missing Patrick and Jester. She made sure the others were OK, then turned back to the city. There was no more waves of spears, but what she did see made her stomach churn even more.
It appeared as if almost a hundred dark blown blots were zooming towards them. As they quickly neared, Sahara's good eye could make out the details. These were Shifuto Hiru guards hurtling towards them, mounted on the strongest and the fastest sabbian in the desert, all carrying weapons. And a look of bloodlust in their eyes.
Quickly, Sahara had to make a dangerous decision. "Inari!" She shouted at the jiantori, which would so obviously be their first target in a fight. "You need to disguise yourself! If they see that you are a jiantori, they may not want to trust us."
Sadly, Patrick agreed with her. "Get on behind me." He commanded her. "Jester can support both of our weight." At least, for a little while. Hopeful, they wouldn't get too involved a struggle.
Sahara looked out at the line of defense protecting the city. It was never this bad before they left... there must have been a reason that security was tight. Before they left, the city trusted anyone who rode in on a sabbian. Now, they looked ready to kill anyone outside of the city. She bit her lip, tightening her grip on Strawberry's saddle. "We may have to fight." She warned the others. "Do not let any of them be seriously hurt!" She growled, especially at Wolfgang. "No matter what. Don't hurt them. We have to make them understand that we can be trusted!"
Patrick frowned. "Shouldn't they be able to recognize us?" Sahara didn't answer, and she didn't have to. Patrick knew that they were away for a long time. The city probably gave up looking for them long ago... he was sure that the city would have thought they were dead. Now they just had to find a way to prove it was really them...
"Prepare yourselves!" Patrick heard Sahara yell. Great. An army of a hundred against four... Odds were not necessarily in their favor.
