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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Dec 22, 2012 17:27:19 GMT -5
DATE & TIME : July 27th WEATHER CONDITIONS : Cloudy, scattered showers CHARACTERS INVOLVED : Wycliffe, Venny & Camo, Sven and Hermes, anyone who so desires? PREVIOUS THREADS ?N/A
Wycliffe leaned over the boat another time, going pale as he heaved another time... No matter how far he traveled, he never could forget the incredible annoyance that was seasickness. However, having home be an island meant he'd have to overcome it... someday. For now, the wanderer took to ruing his poor luck at having been blown off course. Rocks everywhere, really tall rocks, and not nearly enough green; someone seriously needed to repair their standing with the Gods. "What'd I do this time? I don't even have a harvest to sacrifice in the first place!" The strange sounds which came from the rocks and the islands did little to comfort the lost tribesman. He'd heard of many creatures in his time, even seen the massive "elephant" of the east. But the roars coming from the forest were still quite disturbing.
Well, there might be danger, but hopefully food too. Wycliffe fished a smooth rock from his pouch, and fitted it to his sling. Hopefully, something would stir on the shore and wind up a fitting dinner for him. With practice born of too much time alone, he began making seabird calls, hoping to attract an unsuspecting predator to come in close. He sat up straight in the boat, waiting for a response, not really caring that his birdcall was, in fact, out of season for the region where he was sailing.
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Post by Venny and Camo on Dec 22, 2012 20:02:04 GMT -5
Venny and Camo were on their usual flight of practicing. It's been around five minutes since they were up in the air. "Alright Camo, go ahead and land," Venny ordered. The Changewing ignored the command. "Camo, come on! This is the worst time to disobey-" The dragon suddenly made a sharp turn to the coastline whist hearing a seabird call.
"Camo! I'll feed you once we get back home!" The young girl yelled in annoyance. Camo landed on one of the high rocks in search of his early lunch. "You selfish meat of scales, the bird probably flew off!"
"Give me a second would ya? We skipped breakfast!" Camo growled to Venny who obviously didn't understand his dragon speech, but understood enough to knew he was hungry. The Viking in Training hopped off the Changewing so she didn't have to witness the murder of a poor bird.
Camo hopped off the high rock and soared near the water to find what made the noise. The dragon spotted the boat with the stranger on board, Camo squinted to see if he had a weapon of some sort. If you counted a sling shot as a lethal object this guy was no threat.
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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Dec 23, 2012 3:00:29 GMT -5
Wycliffe blinked a bit, scouring the skies, and hoping something would come. He heard some indistinct yelling, definitely human, but then some indefinite growling. Looking up, the wandering skald had just enough time to wonder how anyone could possibly scale such a massive obstacle before witnessing one of the more shocking events of his hitherto dragon-free life. A massive serpent, winged and horned, was headed directly for him... And a sling wasn't likely to do much to help the situation.
However, doing nothing was likely to help even less, and given the situation, Wycliffe really couldn't think clearly enough to make a truly rational decision. "If I wing it, the beast will likely get mad and go for me. If I kill it, I likely can't eat it, and if I miss... I'd rather not think about it. Lunch is hardly a fitting title for me."[/color]
Steadying his aim, Wycliffe took the shot, hoping to go past the creature and clatter on the rock behind it for distraction. He also stepped behind the mast, preparing to go overboard. The plan: Wait for the beast to turn around, then jump overboard and hide on the other side of the boat... and hope that the... thing up there wouldn't find him.
Resorting to his native tongue, Wycliffe said a quick, barely audible prayer. "Atl' yarehd ihl menort, ghihn wakana yeh tonihl ghihn, tonihl, rawar, tonihl meyeen! Waghal yeh lar ofenow rawar tihl oyarehw menort lar. Otnaka meyeen yeh rekyeel rawar, ghihn nonol tek rawar ononow tek yeh." <<Oh, Hunter of Death, if you've ever heard me, hear me now. I'm ready to join thee and hunt death, but guide me now if I'm to wait longer before joining thee.>>[/color] Religion was an odd subject in mixed company, but when one is alone, it's a boon companion. And today, his boon companion was telling him to live.
Wycliffe stared this beast in the eyes, for a moment almost seeing something intelligent before grabbing a rope in preparation for the plunge.
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Post by Sven & Hermes on Dec 23, 2012 4:40:40 GMT -5
Sven and Hermes had been out trying to practice some manoeuvers together. Unfortunately the weather had turned for the worst so they decided to head home, more for the human's sake who was more susceptible to cold. On the way back they (well, just hermes at first really) spotted a small bota down below. It flew no sign of belonging to Berk, which piqued the duo's interest.
It wasn't a fleet, and it definitely wasn't hysterian, so they decided to follow the boat from on high until they found out whether the boat would be a threat to the island or not. The boat swerved it's way through the rocky surroundings of the island. Hermes circled above, lowering her altitude. To someone who didn't know what dragons were, she would almost have looked like some sort of bird of prey.
They noticed Venny and Camo on one of the rocks. They too had spotted the strange visitor. Sven felt he needed to intervene, just in case the girl did something silly, as young Vikings tended to do, especially when one didn't know what intentions the stranger had.
Sven commanded Hermes to land on a rock nearby. He didn't dismount, just in case they had to swoop in and save the day or something. They watched as Camo left Venny's side to see the young man.
"Be careful!"[/color] Sven cried to Venny. "You don't know what this guy is capable of!"[/color]
"That guy looks terrified. D'you think we should scare the pants off him?"[/color] Asked Hermes. Sven watched the man. A fear of dragons? It could be due to anything, Sven thought. If he was Hysterian, he wouldn't be afraid of a dragon, but instantly go to kill it.
Oh. The stranger drew out a slingshot and threw a stone, missing the dragon. "Yeah, this guy's going hostile. Can we scare the crap outta him?[/i][/color]
Sven huffed. "Fine. She beat her dark wings a few times to get air under her wings, the scales glittering a little bit blue, though it wasn't sunny enough to completely illuminate them. Hermes tried to make the most terrifying cry she could, before they took off and attempted just to swoop over him, though not cause harm.
At the last moment he heard the man speak in a different language, a language he recognised, for he had visited that region once. "Hermes take me down! I'll be fine, I don't think he really means harm!"[/i][/color] The dragon below him snorted before turning round and allowing to drop him off on a small rock not too far from the boat itself. She was still determined to give him a fright anyway.
Sven watched on, cautiously. He wasn't armed, and he wasn't quite sure how the man would react. He held his hands up to show he meant no harm, before trying to wrack his brain to remember how the langauge worked.
"Hail!" He managed to say loudly and clearly. There was a woosh as Hermes swooped over again, the dark mass looking like some sort of demon of death. He looked up at the creature in the sky. She really wasn't helping his case. "We no mean hurt!" Said Sven, in a horribly broken accent for the language.
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Post by Venny and Camo on Dec 23, 2012 12:44:56 GMT -5
Venny jumped at the sound of Sven's voice, "What guy? I didn't see any-" The viking in training paused for a second before running over to the edge to take a closer look. There was indeed a boat with a man on board that shot a rock at Camo, of course he missed. "Hey! Camo quit scaring the newcomers and get back up here!" Venny ordered.
Camo wasn't exactly frighten of this wanderer but he couldn't say the same thing for him. The Changewing was about to fly back to Venny before Sven and Hermes swooped by. Camo was surprised by the action that he back up in fear to the wall of stone Venny was on."Oy! A warning would had been must appreciated!" He roared.
The viking on top of the stone whistled, this was a signal for Camo to stay still, most likely this was another one of Venny's tricks. It was, Venny hopped off the stone landing with a thud on Camo's saddle. "Alright what did you do this time?" Venny asked her dragon in an annoyed tone.
Camo nodded toward the dragon and her rider along with the man in the boat. Venny bit her lip on looking forward to a lecture to train your dragon not to scare people, or simply a tip to not get off the dragon. "Ah.. Is anyone harmed here? If so I'm terribly sorry, stupid set of scales, She insulted her dragon in her sentence of apologizing.
Camo scoffed, "He was clearly mimicking lunch! And it turned out to be imaginary!" The duo of pranksters watch as Sven and Hermes try to convince the wanderer to mean no harm. That dragon of his sure wasn't helping. "We mean no harm as well!" Venny added. Camo nodded in a grudgingly manner.
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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Dec 23, 2012 13:19:44 GMT -5
The two assurances of safety, first in his native tongue, and then in a Viking dialect which was unfamiliar to a great degree, did much to calm the nervous seafarer. Dropping his own weapons and raising his arms in the air, he opened up loudly and warmly. Responding first in his native tongue (it was so rare to find that he nearly teared up in joy) he said, "Hail, brother! What land is this, that beasts the sizes of houses are as common as sheep and oxen?"[/color] Noting the accents in both the tongue of his home, Sholeskerry, as well as the particular dialect, he must have wandered far north indeed. Summer was always harder to judge than winter, as far as directions go...
Turning back to the rock, he heard a younger voice, distinctly, and called up to the youngster, "Vell, I for to be believing you, but, for as to my heart, am for thinking I have had lost heart somewhere in bottom of sea. It for to has left." He chuckled, still a bit nervous, obviously. "Was not for to hitting...uhh... big one. Was for to not hitting. Did not wanting hurt big one." His Viking was weaker than some of his other tongues, considering the last time he used it was in the presence of some rather hostile native speakers. Turning back to Sven, he resumed talking in Konihk, "Brother! Where did you learn my tongue?"
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Post by Sven & Hermes on Dec 24, 2012 6:53:09 GMT -5
Sven was glad that the man meant no threat, especially as he laid his weapon to the ground. The man continued in his dialect, though Sven had a little trouble deciphering it, the language was slowly coming back to him as he went along. He got the gist of it, at least.
"Here, Berk." He said, pointing to the island that loomed behind them. The huge peak that was at the centre of the island could be seen above the crown of forest nearby. The tip of the peak was engulfed by clouds. Hermes swooped over again, emitting another cry. With less enthusiam, Sven pointed at the beast that just flew by. "That, Dragon, in our language." Sven tried to keep his sentences as simple as possible, otherwise he'd have a horrible time trying to explain himself with a limited vocabulary.
They both heard Venny call from the rocks above, talking about an apology. He wondered if this man knew any of their common speech at all, but when he replied in their tongue, slightly less bad as Sven was in his native dialect, he felt slightly relieved.
He quickly reverted back to his native tongue, talking to Sven. He wanted to know how he came across learning his tongue. This was going to be difficult to explain. He thought about it for a moment, hoping to select the right words.
"I go, uhh... travel? Around the world. With the dragon. Stopped at a village and must learnt tongue to be helped." He hoped that was sufficient. Hermes swooped over again, dangerously low this time. Sven swivelled on his heels at the dragon.
"Pack it in now, Hermes!" He yelled after her, in common speech. Luckily she complied, as he could see her wingbeats become more relaxed. She circled in the sky some distance away, playing slalom through the rock pillars. Sven turned to Wycliffe. "Sorry."
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Post by Venny and Camo on Dec 24, 2012 14:03:26 GMT -5
Venny tilted her head in confusion of this man's dialect. It was obvious that her language wasn't his first one. What she understood was 'I have the courage to believe you but that sank in the sea' she shrugged at the rough version of her translation. Camo, whom was still beating his wings lightly above the water nodded at the explanation.
"Foreigners," Camo scoffed, he turned his head toward the other dragon that was flying around, he might as well chat it up while the humans settled up with introductions. "Well now, do you know this foreigner?" He asked Hermes. While he was asking the other dragon useless inquires, Venny tried to communicate as well.
"Um.. Maybe we should... Perhaps bring him to the island? It seems a bit dangerous above water, you know... chance of drowning," She chuckled nervously. "Me and Camo won't mind pulling the boat for him, right Camo?" The viking asked the dragon, Camo rolled his eyes as a mixed response. Venny gave a reassuring smile to both adults (at least they certainly looked the age) "We can introduce ourselves once on land?"
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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Dec 24, 2012 18:10:29 GMT -5
Wycliffe glanced back and forth. Truth, as a rule, seemed to be stranger than fiction. So, while wildly curious, his awe seemed to be less of the slack-jawed variety and more of aggressive curiosity.
What changed everything was when the man mentioned "dragon" as the name of the beasts. His brow furrowed, and the rest of his face followed suit, scrunching up in concentration. "Tra-kon... Tra-kon... Then you is being, as have heard, 'Trakon-riders'? My peoples long time ago were for to hear much of you." He sighed a bit as he continued, cautiously, almost wistfully. In a way, these folks were the reason that his people were constantly pillaged. However, in that same way, they were entirely blameless, as the marauders only attacked what they thought was weak, and dragon riders were quite far from being weak.
Snapping out of his temporary reverie by the means of the conversation continuing, the foreigner quickly put up his hands in protest. "If boat is for to be pulling, am for to be in boat not."[/b] He already looked pale again, and whether or not he had eaten lunch, he would certainly lose it.
Turning back to the blond man, Wycliffe realized that there might still be some sort of barrier, although the two others both rode dragons. Quietly, in his own speech, he asked, "Are you a Viking, then?"
And, in order to disperse any suspicion that might arise from speaking in a foreign tongue, he turned back to the currently mounted Viking, asking in the local tongue, "You is having willage here? Not far from nearby?"
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Post by Sven & Hermes on Jan 1, 2013 11:49:23 GMT -5
Hermes overheard Camo's comment about the two people below as she flew past briefly. She doubled back and landed on a nearby rock, keeping her wings half folded in case she wanted to take to the airs again. She snorted. "Hey hey hey! One of those 'foriengers' is mine! A little respect for my stuff!"[/i][/color] Camo then asked if she knew the other. He turned her head to look at the other man. "No. I don't know the other criss-crossy-looking guy. Do you?"[/i][/color] Hermes already knew the answer, judging from how differently the man was dressed, but she was merely wanting to pass the time, until Sven called her back again.
Sven watched with interest as Wycliffe played the new word on his tongue. Perhaps he didn't have a word for dragon in their tongue? He remembered there were very few dragons in the area he learnt the tongue. Some people thought he was riding a giant black eagle at first, until they noticed the extra pair of limbs and a tail. That was when they grew afraid of him and Sven had found it difficult to re-earn their trust, after dispelling Hermes for a while.
"Yes, I am a dragon-rider, if you put it like that." Sven answered, continuing in the common tongue. Then Venny piped up, suggesting they headed back to the village with this outsider. "It seems like a good idea." Sven agreed, before Wycliffe spoke in his choppy speech that he didn't want to be on the boat any longer than he needed to. Sven's eye's furrowed a little.
"I can offer your an extra place on Hermes' back. I know she can carry two people at once.!" He said enthusiatically. Perhaps this way he could convince the newcomer that Dragons aren't as bad as they seem... If Hermes wouldn't ruin things, at least.
The new man quickly switched back to his dialect, which almost caught Sven off guard. Once again he had to process to remember how to properly answer. "Yeh ne Viking. Yeh sar ihl ehresh..." <<I am not a Viking, I am from the south.>> Sven trailled off at the end, unsure whether he had spoken correctly.
As Wycliffe then spoke to Venny, Sven called Hermes, who quickly landed by his side in a clatter of scales. "You don't mind having another guy on board for a little while?"[/i][/color] He asked, patting the beast's neck. Hermes snorted. Sven shrugged. Good enough for him, now it was up to the outsider to choose whether he'd mount upon the dragon's back, the same dragon that tried to terrify him.
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Post by Venny and Camo on Jan 1, 2013 15:28:37 GMT -5
Camo shrugged at the comment of respect, but then replied to the question of knowing the man in the boat. "No, I don't. However he did make fun of my lunch, the bird wasn't even around, the little bugger." Camo sighed as he kept on beating his wings for Venny to speak with the adults. He was tired but more hungry than that, he wanted some pigs or something.
Venny was somewhat concerned on the language this guy was speaking but she got the message, 'pull the boat while he was in it' The viking shook her head, that wasn't the message at all! As soon as Sven commented on her idea, she nodded as Camo descended down slowly to the boat.
When Sven offered Wycliffe the ride on his dragon, Camo and Venny couldn't help but well, give expressions of being nervous. Hermes seems a bit reckless to ride on, but Venny was sure Camo was even more reckless considering all the training with stunts.
"Alright then, I'll get the rope," Venny stated as she leaned over to the side of her dragon. She opened the bag that was attached to the saddle and pulled out some rope, the girl tied one end onto the saddle and threw the other end onto the boat. "Hey Mr. Reasonable, can you tie the rope onto the boat?" Venny asked as she prepared for Camo to pull after Wycliffe was on the other dragon.
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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Jan 3, 2013 5:10:09 GMT -5
Looking back and forth between the dragons and their riders, Wycliffe was shocked at the docile nature of the beasts when around their handlers. Alone, he would have been an easy meal, certainly, but with a handler, all seemed to be in order.
Never mind that his heart was beating faster than a drumroll, Wycliffe saw fit to trust the man on the shore. It had been ages since he had heart Konihk, and he feared offending in the slightest the man who spoke it, (or, at least, tried to speak it).
The rope which fell to his feet rumbled as it hit the deck, and the seafaring foreigner began to utilize his previous experience as he quickly moored his boat to the flyer above. Around, over, under, over, under, and through the middle. Then, tighten it all and call it a hitch.
After confirming the integrity of the knot, Wycliffe grabbed his small sack and walking stick, and jumped over the side of the boat. It was still a ways out, but not so deep that he really needed to swim. The water completely soaked through the thick woolen blanket covering him, noticeably slowing his pace as he left the sea, and began approaching the black terror which had earlier caused him quite a fright, even though it had been contained with silence.
Not wanting to offend, but also not wanting to recklessly endanger himself, he offered, weakly, "I not for to believe can not be carried. Wery vet. Have stone of water on me, for to be carried heavy." With a sort of apologetic shrug, he showed his condition more clearly. "Perhaps is best for me for to valk, yes?"
It was a poor excuse, perhaps, but the best the wanderer could muster at the moment. He didn't want to intrude, so the fear was less of the dragon than the rider.
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Post by Sven & Hermes on Jan 12, 2013 17:39:24 GMT -5
Sven looked on as Wycliffe tied the boat with the rope that Venny threw down. He then jumped into the water to wade towards Sven. Hermes gave a cluck to herself, probably impressed that he still had the guts to come towards her after trying to terrify the living daylights from him. As he came out of the shallow waters, his plaid wear was weighed down with the weight of water.
Wycliffe gave an apology, not wanting to sound rude for denying the offer. Sven smiled at his refusal, and a snort of relief blew through Hermes nostrils, and immediately turned away from Sven and trotted down the beach a little way, no longer interested in the man.
"That's fine too. If you would like, I can lead the way - the island isn't big but it is still quite easy to lose yourself in the forests." Sven offered instead. After Hermes' attempts to scare Wycliffe, he was also partly unsuprised that he didn't want to ride, espeically if he hadn't seen a dragon before. After all, Sven was the same when he first met Hermes.
He gave a motion to invite the young man to follow alongside him. He hoped that the Viking-In-Training and her dragon would bring the boat back to the harbour in one piece. Sven decided to brush up on his Konihk again, "Tak... Ghaihma?" <<"So... Whassname?">>
There was quite a way to go before arriving at the village, so there would be plenty to talk about.
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Post by Venny and Camo on Jan 12, 2013 22:17:19 GMT -5
Venny heard the sad excuse of not riding dragons, the sad man. Even Camo was disapproving him, preferring to walk while in the middle of the ocean over riding a dragon. She rolled her eyes and made sure the rope was firm in place, her dragon keeping it's steady beat of his wings to stay in the air in place.
While the adults were boring both of them, Venny sighed at the current boredom as she got out her booklet of ideas (for traps obviously). Camo looked up to see that she was now occupied glancing through the sketches. "Give me an update when the foreigner gets off the boat," she called out as she turned a page.
Camo sighed as he kept on hovering, he flew longer than this but the tiring part just never seems to go away."Can this guy move faster or what? My wings are might be dying at the moment," he grumbled.
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Post by Wycliffe Kilkenny on Jan 13, 2013 6:55:40 GMT -5
Most people, upon finding their lives threatened multiple times by large flying beasts within moments of each other tend to react poorly. Lots of screaming, wailing, and frantic calls for help. Under normal circumstances, Wycliffe would do the same. But as he stood sopping wet on the shore, the fog began to clear away, and all the senses which had previously been focused solely on avoiding crashing into the rocks were opened to this wondrous land. Fear and terror were suppressed by a sense of sheer wonder, and it was almost with an absentminded sense of distraction that the newcomer answered the question posed him. "Sarsh yeh oihmyaw Wycliffe."<<They call me Wycliffe.>>
Typically for the snow raiders of Sholeskerry, the personal name was only learnt after a great deal of time, after a trust was gained. The intense wonder, however, left the sopping sailor very open, as he felt somehow a sense that this new land held far more than he had anticipated. Home hadn't been seen, nor felt, in ages, and his ancestors' spirits would be hard-pressed to find him here, but despite the silence, it felt very new, and alive.
Straining his ears to listen, Wycliffe could catch the wind rustling through the forest, and he smiled, a strange sort of look which was most reminiscent of a child, entranced in a world of his own creation. The reverie was to be brief, however, as the voice of the girl above brought him abruptly back into reality, the reality of being quite wet on a foreign shore. This return to reality brought with it a sudden shock, as he realized the intimacy of what he had just shared. "Otnaka, koihmya ne takril, kost rawar yeh ihmyal Nethort, togh toghol ihl konihksh, togh arnatat, kost. Koihmya ne takril." <<But the name's not important, call me foreigner, or skald, or the really ugly guy. The name's not important.>>
Turning from the shore, watching as the boat slowly moved forward, the foreigner called out to the changewing's rider. "Hey, if is not to the troubling , then am to be of the thanking yous. But am not for the fasting boat, not at now." Something was going on in this place, something very comforting, but very foreign to Wycliffe's understanding. "What is all for is to be called?" He added this, hoping to sweep the embarassment of his own name-drop by focusing on others. "Is can to the walking, yes?"
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