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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Dec 12, 2022 0:39:20 GMT -5
It takes some time, but Leni-Aura does eventually cool down after her outburst; although she seems to be pointedly ignoring Ulrich while they traverse tunnel after tunnel, deeper into the mountain; it is, perhaps, a little more complicated than that beneath the surface. … It’s not necessarily his fault that she’s incompetent enough to freeze in a moment of danger. Her paws brush loose pebbles as she drags herself through the caverns alongside the man, replaying the moments before the collapse in her mind. She can still taste the bitter acidity of smoke in the back of her throat. She was supposed to be the one with the experience in the Dragon’s Cradle; so, how did she choke so badly? She flexes the fingers of her hand, drawing it closer to her. Leni-Aura’s brows furrow, her exhale heavy and frustrated. Is she still no more than a child? Can she really not run by herself without help? Apparently not. She presses her thumb into her palm with the opposite hand; had he not dragged her off, would she have just… died there? … So, does she say thank you? Apologize to him? … No, it’s far too late for that… Leni-Aura blinks, clearing the thought clouding her hazel eyes; they’ve been walking too long, and the moment has long been over. To apologize now would be weak of her to do. She closes her eyes for a moment, internally struggling to measure, when she… hears something.
She blinks, perking her ears towards the sound of voices drifting through the tunnel. They’re broken, tired; the sound of coughing echoes distantly through crumbling rock. “ Is it them?” she remarks, relieved to have anything to pull her from the depths of her own mind. " The miners." As if it wasn't obvious who it could be; she takes a step down the tunnel, pausing to listen. " ... It has to be." No one else would be down here this deep, right? She offers Ulrich a hesitant glance, before turning to move towards the voices at the farthest end of the tunnel.
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Dec 13, 2022 15:59:55 GMT -5
As the pair travel through the tunnels beneath the mountain it becomes increasingly apparent to Ulrich that Leni is struggling with something internally. The fact that she has not said a word this whole time makes the air around them grow even more awkward as they walk along.
She's traveling alongside him through the tunnels, but he keeps his gaze trained ahead of them. He knows what it's like to be so deep in thought when things are plaguing your mind like that. He chooses not to say anything and let her contemplate in silence. Maybe that would help?
The awkwardness in the air makes their walk in the tunnels seem even longer. It seems that they've been walking for an eternity deeper and deeper into the mountain. He couldn't wait to be out in the open air again. Mining was definitely not a job for him.
His attention snaps in the same direction as hers. He can hear the voices echoing from down the tunnel as well.
"It can't be anyone else." He says, locking eyes with her and giving an agreeing nod.
He mirrors her move towards the end of the tunnel, and in sync with each other, the pair start their run down the tunnel in unison. As they grow closer to the end of the tunnel the assault on their airways starts to rear itself back up again. Ulrich covers his mouth with his jacket once again. The smoke from before has returned, which could only mean that they're getting closer to the source again, right?
There is a cloud of smoke in front of them now, like a veil concealing the threatening gaze of a horrifying monster. The two burst through it and they are met with a vast cavern. There are countless stalactites growing down from the ceiling, and massive stalagmites growing from the ground beneath to meet them. It was like they found themselves within the jaws of some gigantic monster.
The voices and coughs echoed again from within the cavern. Ulrich gives a look of concern to Leni. They'd found the miners, but what was this feeling he had in his stomach? It was worrying...
"HELLO! WE'RE HERE TO GET ALL OF YOU OUT! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ulrich yells into the vastness.
A voice echoes back in response, but it's not one of relief, it's one of panic.
"NO, YOU FOOL! YOU'LL ANGER THE DR-"
All of a sudden, Ulrich and Leni are met with a terrifying, deafening roar that shakes the mountain again. There was yet another reason to be afraid of walking into this mountain. A huge reason...
They waltzed right into the jaws of monsters.
They intruded on the territory of a pair of fully grown drakes.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Dec 16, 2022 1:27:29 GMT -5
She bounds alongside Ulrich; over rocks and splits in the earth; around corners and drops; beneath the stalagmites and around the stalactites. As they grow nearer and nearer to the opening, smoke crowds the tunnel. She pulls her cloak up over her mouth and nose, ignoring the sting behind her eyes as she pushes forwards beside him. Through the blanket of soot and sulfur, Ulrich and Leni burst into a vast cavern; she skids to a halt beside him, turning her body slightly while she looks around through the dark. The shadows of stalagmites and stalactites— like teeth— jut from every angle of the cavern. She coughs into her cloak, putting more pressure against her lips as she looks hesitantly up at Ulrich. Something doesn’t feel right. Aside from the darkness, aside from the sulfur; something else feels like it’s lingering. The pressure is heavy, smothering, in the haze; so much so that when Ulrich calls into the vast emptiness, she winces slightly, and… then she realizes what a mistake they’ve made. Something beyond the shadows shifts; Leni-Aura’s gaze snaps up in in sync with the shouts from someone in the darkness; and the earth trembles and shakes. She sputters a curse in halfling, eyes growing wide when the cave lights up. Webs of electricity crackle and snap, illuminating the cowering silhouettes of miners trapped in a precipice below the nest of a pair of massive reptilians. The beast turns to look at them, cyan eyes glowing in the darkness; behind the first, another head rises up behind it from slumber; its eyes open, pupils narrowing sharply as it acknowledges them in the crackling light. Leni-Aura stutters, taking a step back while the drakes start to shift and move; the closest one opens its jaws, ebony teeth glinting in the cyan light, and howls into the soot and smoke at them. The cavern shudders and shakes, rocks and pebbles dropping from the ceiling; Leni-Aura sees the workers wincing, pressing close to the precipice wall to stay out of the Drake’s line of sight. She feels the vibration of the massive beast’s movements as it turns to face them— clawed wings slamming against the rock— neck straining while the electricity around it builds and sharpens the atmosphere in the cavern. Leni-Aura feels the static raise the hackles of her fur; her throat feels dry in the realization of the magnitude of what they’ve just walked into. Still, she pre-emptively moves to take her spear from its sheath, and manages to stumble out a quizzical sounding, “Ulrich?” as if seeking some kind of affirmation on a plan of attack— because they... they can't retreat.
Not with the miners stuck in a drake's den.
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Dec 16, 2022 15:58:27 GMT -5
Ulrich heard her, but he does not dare allow his eyes to leave the two beasts that now stared back at them.
They had made a grave mistake… What purpose did it serve to have them travel into the depths of this mountain only to waltz right into the den of giants? This was something he was not trained for, not prepared for! How are you supposed to fight two drakes head on inside of a mountain?
What, did you intend for us all to become food for the drakes, Avasha?
He couldn’t let himself succumb to panic. If he did that then everyone in this cavern is Drake food.
“First and foremost, we need to get those miners out of here.” He whispers to her through the side of his mouth. “Damn it, we’ve intruded upon their territory. Of course they’re going to be angry…”
He attempts to scan the cavern for anything; any way out other than the one they just used to get here, weapons to use against the two beasts?
Ulrich flexes his fingers, fully expecting for things to get very ugly, very soon.
The closest giant adjusts itself, and in that brief moment, he spots something. There are multiple scaled eggs within the Drakes’ nest. They’ve laid eggs, and if his knowledge of wildlife is to be trusted, these two parents will do everything they can to protect their young.
”Oh no… This is not good. They’re waiting for their young to hatch from their eggs…”
He knows that they cannot retreat now. That is not an option.
”Leni, look for a way to get those miners out of that precipice. I can’t allow my eyes to leave the Drakes.” Ulrich whispers to her. His voice is calm, but internally the situation has him horrified.
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Dec 19, 2022 0:44:51 GMT -5
Somewhere deep in her, an instinct makes her freeze beneath the gazes of the drake’s; their predatory gaze burns spitefully through them—the intruders in their den. Leni-Aura has always taken more aggressive approaches in the past, but she’s not necessarily reckless, per say; she’s not about to pick a fight with the descendants of dragons if she doesn’t have to.
Still, she grips the haft of her spear defensively just in case, a nervous twitch in the way she shuffles her paws giving a small evidence of her uncertainty. She listens worriedly to the warning clicks that reverberate deep inside the massive reptilians’ throats; they both watch them like a pair of gargantuan Rocs.
“They’re protecting a full nest?” she whispers back, a grimace crossing her face as she stares back at the drakes. The largest one, whom she assumes can only be the mother, stares at them with a sort of primal hatred— a ‘make the wrong move and I’ll rip you to shreds’— kind of hatred.
She doesn’t take her eyes off the drakes, but her ears tilt towards Ulrich when he speaks. A flicker of shock and fear glints in her eyes, but it’s blinked away quickly. She purses her lips, slowly turning her eyes to where the miners are still hiding.
“If I move, they’re going to tear all of us to shreds, Ulrich.” she whispers back, “I wouldn’t make it halfway to those miners.” She begs her heart to stop drumming in her throat, filling her ears with a frantic, nervous pounding. Still, motionless beside him, she searches for some way to get the miners out.
Is there another path out?
Or is the only way out down the path they’ve come?
No. No, it can’t be— the drakes had to get in here somehow. The path they took was far too narrow for a pair of full grown drakes to fly through; there’s definitely another exit— a much bigger one— somewhere. They can use that, they just have to find it and get the miners across… though, she’s not sure how they got there.
It’s something that can be told later assuming they make it out alive.
Her eyes turn back towards the mother drake, who has yet to make any move to rip them apart just yet; but her eyes never leave them. A territorial growl rips through the cavern, rumbling the earth beneath her paws.
Leni-Aura turns her eyes back to the miners, and quickly scans their situation: there’s about ten or eleven of them, crowded together as far from the drake’s line of sight as they can possibly be. Some look injured. Some don’t. There's evidence of a scuffle in crimson streaks that she ignores for her own sanity; the precipice above, where the drake nest is sitting, casts a shadow on the miners down below. Farther towards the back, there seems to be a ledge that would take them easily back to a more reliable plot of stone, and… in reality, she realizes there’s not much stopping them from leaving, except…
Her eyes turn back to the mother drake.
“Ulrich? They could have gotten out at any time, they just… can not. Not with the drakes watching.” she whispers back. “If they are sitting on a nest, at least one of them is going to be here at all times. Their only path is right below the nest, the drakes will be furious if they are seen.”
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Jan 4, 2023 15:36:52 GMT -5
An exasperated sigh escapes Ulrich as Leni explains her observation to him.
They could've left any time if the Drake nest wasn't in here? It's just one problem after another, this one is just bigger. Much bigger.
He allows his eyes to leave the Drakes and scan the cavern one more time. He cannot see another exit big enough for the two adult Drakes, but there has to be one. He spots the ledge that Leni had seen just moments earlier and nods his head.
He listens to her observations again, and this time he speaks.
"You can't make it to the miners, but I can," he says as he looks around at the area around them. "I think we're going to have to split up the adults. Do you think you can distract whichever one decides to leave the nest?"
An expression of worry finds itself upon his face as he slowly turns his gaze to Leni.
"I'll be able to get to the nest fast enough to distract the other," he turns again to fix his gaze upon the group of miners cowering beneath the nest. "I just hope they'll get the hint and try to get out of here."
Leni could visibly see his jaw clench as he waited for her response. There were many things Ulrich was prepared for. Fighting was obviously one of them. He was no stranger to fighting, but he was thrust into not one, but two situations in which he had no experience with. Who the hell encounters two drakes in their den, fights them, and lives to tell the tale? Adventurers who are out of their damn minds, that's who! But today, it was Avasha that lead them in here. It was for a reason.
He begins to breath in and out slowly. Calming himself, commanding his nerves to stop their shaking, clearing his head so that there was nothing else to distract him from concentrating on the fight and survival of everyone.
He clenches his fists, caught up in the moment.
"So what do you say, Leni?"
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Jan 13, 2023 21:40:18 GMT -5
Leni-Aura bids her knees to stop shaking beneath the scorching glare of the drakes; she’s not a coward, but what adventurer wouldn’t at least tremble in this situation? She swallows her nerves, exhaling slow and steadily when Ulrich’s voice interrupts the low growls and furious snarls coming from the drake’s nest. The sound echoes off the walls; a deep, rumbling vibration that rocks her to the core. “ You are kidding?” She sneaks a glance at Ulrich without turning her head, noting the worry in his expression. That’s not comforting; but he’s definitely not kidding. She purses her lips, looking back towards the miners. The majority just stare quietly; wide-eyed, petrified by the drakes growling and snarling up above them. “ I…” A part of her wants to tell him he’s insane; another begrudgingly admits that there’s not many options they can take in this scenario… She lowers her ears, taking a steady breath; she can see Ulrich’s jaw tightening, and she’s not going to try and fight him at this moment. “ Alright.” she agrees, shifting her paws just enough to give her an angle to her spring when she begins her sprint. Can she outrun a drake? Probably not, but… … wait what did Ulrich just call her? She flashes the man a mildly irritated look; but no sooner has she moved, or even thought about complaining, does she feel the earth tremble beneath her paws. A displeased scream echoes throughout the cave, ricocheting off of walls, and causing small rocks from above to fall around them. She spits a curse, ears flattening as she bounds past Ulrich in a flash of tan and fluttering blue fabrics. “ Do not get eaten!” she snaps over her shoulder. The largest of the drakes locks onto her movement, muscles bunching as it extends its wings and slashes its tail through the air. Another scream pierces the cavern, rattling the roof up above—- —- but after a hefty clap, a second much louder snarl interrupts. Leni-Aura can’t help but skid to a stop, ears perked towards the drakes, when the larger female turns back around to face her mate with bared teeth. The two drakes snap at one another, wings flared and tail lashing over what anyone actually watching would recognize as an accidental slap across the face from the female to her mate— but it’s enough to get on their irritable side, it seems. And so, the drakes take their eyes off the intruders while they squabble; their bantering fills the cavern with roars, snarls, and growls initially. Leni-Aura stares at them for a moment, wide-eyed, before snapping out of the strange, anti-climactic moment. “The miners!” she hisses back at Ulrich, shifting her weight uneasily between paws as she shoots a look back to the squabbling drakes.
Maybe she could hunt for a way out or just, wait here for them to stop fighting in case Ulrich still needs a distraction?
To be entirely honest, this was not to plan at all.
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Feb 2, 2023 6:54:31 GMT -5
"You've got to be kidding me right now... You're joking." He says under his breath.
He just witnessed the scariest sight of his life turn to each other and squabble like an old married couple. He had to fight the urge to slap the palm of his hand against his forehead. He hears Leni's mention of the miners and he snaps out of his awe of this incredulous situation.
His gaze quickly shifts back towards the miners who are clearly confused, close to panicking. Wind begins to gather around Ulrich as he lifts into the air1, and he quickly bursts forth in the miners' direction. He hopes that the adult drakes are too busy with fighting each other to notice him flying through the air. Luckily for him and everyone else, they are very distracted by their fight at the moment!
"You need to get away from here!" He points to the ledge Leni had brought to his attention earlier. "There's a ledge there that will take you to better ground!"
"Are you mad?! We can't move out into the open with those monsters up above us like that!" One of the miners protests.
"Look, just trust me! You need to move right now! I can distract them while you get away!" He spares a quick glance over his shoulder to the ledge and realizes something else. From their previous vantage point it was obscured, but the ledge lead to more solid ground AND A WAY OUT!
One of the miners— a big fellow with arms clad in muscles— grabs one of the wounded and huffs his way towards the ledge Ulrich pointed to just seconds ago. Looks like he wasn't one for words. The rest of them looked at each other and shrugged. They helped the wounded up and trekked after their colleague.
"We'll be able to get out of the cavern over there!" Ulrich points to another ledge that leads to the cliff he had just launched himself from where Leni stood.
As they march, Ulrich floats along side them making sure no one loses their footing and plummets into the abyss. He also must stay vigilant of the drakes because who knows how long they'll be fighting each other for!
Their squabble sends quakes all throughout the cavern which concerns Ulrich greatly. They finally make it to the cliff, and quickly make their exit from the cavern, eager to see the outside again.
And then the inevitable happens. In their violent squabble with each other, the drakes managed to swipe at one of the pillars of rock connecting the ceiling to ground just off to their nest. A loud rumbling can be heard slowly growing louder and the quakes continue to grow along with it!
"Ah, gods damn it! They've made the cavern unstable with their fighting! Leni we need to go now!"
Spells used; 1. Flight
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Feb 11, 2023 16:16:51 GMT -5
She’s utterly baffled; but as the wyverns snap and hiss at one another, there’s an opportunity here to leave the cavern alive. A gust of wind buffets Leni-Aura when Ulrich leaps from the ledge, tossing loose strands of her chestnut hair over her shoulders; she narrows her eyes against the gale before turning her head back towards the drakes. She takes a few slow, quiet steps towards Ulrich and the miners, but decides to remain where she is for the most part… just in case they do need a distraction. Out in the open like she is, she should be pretty easy to see if the drakes suddenly decide to pick a target. She takes a breath to steel herself, one ear tilted towards the sound of Ulrich’s voice as he argues with one of the miners about leaving. The drakes snap at one another; their jaws clamping at empty air with a force that could shatter bone; one lashes its tail angrily, cutting through the air with a heaviness which could smash a boulder. She’s seen the shadows of these creatures before soaring high over Dragon’s Cradle; she’s heard stories from elders scarred by time, which had always ended in a bloodied battle with few survivors; but she’s never seen them up close. The drakes snap at one another; their jaws clamping at empty air with a force that could shatter bone; one lashes its tail angrily, cutting through the air with a heaviness which could smash a boulder— and it does. One of the drakes snarls and lashes out, their tail swiping against one of the pillars and knocking it askew. She tries to convince herself that the skip in her chest isn’t fear. The earth beneath her paws starts to rumble and shake and she throws a look in Ulrich’s direction; she wastes no time when she hears him call out and sees that the miners are relatively safe for the time. The rabbitaur shoots across the ledge after him, bounding up onto the next ledge to join him when the earth rocks beneath her paws. (1)She barely has the time to duck out of the way when one of the drakes lashes out, sending debris scattering through the air from their makeshift nest. She hits the rumbling ground, hands over her head, briefly avoiding the crash of a significantly large log and several smaller rocks and boulders that scatter across the ground between Ulrich and her. She feels the earth tremble upon impact, but quickly rushes across the ledge; she looks back only to see what the drakes are doing, but finds her gaze flickering to something on the ground. She skitters to a halt, ears perked, when she sees something a little too perfect to be a stone— it leans against one of the many rocks, a crack spreading beneath the stone like a spiderweb. Is… is that an egg? How— Leni-Aura feels the bridge of the ledge start to crack and give way; and as it does, it tips towards the cracks that widen and spread. She’s most definitely not thinking when she bounds forwards; although her added weight causes the bridge to destabilize, cracking beneath her paws; she manages to grab the egg and use the boulder it had been resting on to ricochet back to more stable ground. But, the bridge connecting to the drake’s nest crumbles and falls apart after her departure, tumbling down into the cavern beneath as she makes it to the exit of the cavern.
(1) Long Stride
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Feb 14, 2023 15:40:01 GMT -5
Ulrich watches in silent admiration at the rabbitaur's maneuvers; swift and precise so that she's able to save the egg and herself from the crumbling ground they were on.
Wow, that was impressive!
He snaps himself out of his thoughts as she bounds past him. Right, no time to be lost in thought now! They needed to get out of this cavern, and by extension, the mountain itself! He'd had quite enough of exploring the dark places beneath the surface for one day!
He turns and the duo quickly make their exit out of the cavern following the group of miners. It doesn't take them long to catch up to the miners. Some of them are injured so they can only travel so fast before they need to rest. Ulrich looks to Leni as they stop to shake out the nerves that they had both worked up during that whole fiasco.
He eyes the egg in her arms, "How did that egg come to be up there with us? That's quite unexpected." He also notices that there are cracks in the shell. "And it looks to be hatching soon."
He realizes that the group doesn't actually know where they're going. They're just walking with the purpose or trying to put as much distance between them and the Drakes.
"Leni, why don't you take point up in front? They don't really know where to go, they're just walking in a general direction." He spares a look back towards the entrance of the cavern, "I'll stay back here just in case something else comes up from behind."
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Feb 16, 2023 0:14:58 GMT -5
For a few moments, Leni-Aura doesn’t even consider the actual impact of what she’s done; fingertips shaking with the adrenaline of the ridiculous situation they’ve managed to survive, she pushes on with Ulrich out of the cavern until the limping miners come into view. Eventually, her rushed bounds turn into smaller steps until she’s halted beside Ulrich to chase away the shivers of her nerves. She lays her ears back, chest heaving with the egg held carefully in her arms; and she barely goes about noticing it until Ulrich speaks. “ Huh?” She looks up at him briefly, before looking back at the egg with an uncertain glance. “ I… I do not know; they were thrashing so much. Maybe it was knocked out?” It seemed wrong to just let it fall— and to bring it back to the nest wasn’t exactly an option if she wanted to get out with her own life. She turns the egg in her palms; the exterior is smooth, speckled in hues of gray; similar to the stormy clouds of the Dragon’s Cradle. Like Ulrich points out, though, there are cracks in the egg… but is it hatching, or is it damaged? She is uncertain. She traces a thumb over the cracked eggshell, feeling the uneven ridges, but feeling no motion behind them. She purses her lips worriedly, but fades back into the present when Ulrich’s movement encourages her to follow him after the miners. For now, her attitude has been negated by a mixture of adrenaline and nerves, so she doesn’t bother to fight when Ulrich suggests she take up the front. She side-eyes him for a second, but ultimately nods in compliance, “ Alright.” She answers simply; she picks up her pace and bounds past Ulrich to the back of the group of miners, where she talks her way through them to get to the front to lead.
She uses what knowledge she knows of Dragon Cradle’s tunnels to navigate them towards the surface; most of her warren does reside underground, after all… granted, her experience in unfamiliar tunnels is limited, and she… doesn’t like to think of the last time she’d descended into one of Dragon Cradle’s many underground paths. The distant sound of the roaring winds outside is what draws her forwards; there’s the slightest breeze that enters the caverns from some tunnels, but not others; and she ascends through the ones which do, offering a hand to the injured miners across difficult rises in the rocky terrain.
And sure enough, after some time, as the group of miners murmur and fret and limp along, weak, obscured light and a blast of wind streams into the tunnels from an opening to the outside, and is met with sighs of relief.
Leni-Aura brushes out into the open, stepping aside to let the miners file out through the entrance of a cavern not terribly far from where they'd entered— but this one lies at the base, on the other side of the incline that she and Ulrich had initially climbed.
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Feb 18, 2023 6:11:07 GMT -5
The group slowly makes their towards the sound of the wind; the light of slowly growing brighter as they come closer to finding a way out. It isn't long before countless sighs of relief are heard through the group of tired miners stepping out into the open once again. They're finally free of the dark tunnels beneath the mountain.
Ulrich's eyes need time to adjust to the light of the outside again. He brings his hand up to shield them from the light beaming down on them. He'd lost track of time while they were in that mountain; enough time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The tired miners give a weak triumphant yell; some of them letting the injured rest upon logs and rocks. Finding places for themselves to sit and rest along with their colleagues. Ulrich finally lets the fatigue wash over him, and his muscles and bones start to ache from all the energy they'd expended with this whole ordeal. He finds a tree nearby to lean against— bringing a hand up to wipe his sweat— and slowly lets himself slide down into a sitting position on the ground at the foot of the tree.
A sigh of exhaustion escapes him as he leans his head back to rest. Then the sounds of footsteps can be heard. He looks in their direction; realizing the source of it. The miners they had helped prior to traveling into the mountain were now coming down. The cavalry had come to help them down from the mountain and escort them back to the nearest town. Just in time for them to help these miners out as well!
Ulrich chuckles, "Hehe, your timing couldn't be more perfect!"
One of the men walks up to Ulrich offering him aid. He waves him off, signaling for them to help the others first. It isn't long before the rest of them appear making their way down from the mountain. The group they had just walked out with were soon taken care of.
He turns his gaze to Leni standing there directing any help to the miners. He looks to the egg in her arms; he rubs his eyes as notices something about it. She might not have felt it since she was too busy talking to the ones offering help. Was that a bit of movement he spotted coming from the egg?
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Feb 22, 2023 23:54:57 GMT -5
There’s a soft murmur of activity and relief as miners meet miners; those who had been up the mountain earlier have now come down; and Leni-Aura waves to them to catch their attention as those miners they’d guided from the tunnels start to find places for themselves to rest. For a time, Leni-Aura remains to assist them— directing miners to the injured— and then to the rest of them in turn. Distracted as she is, she doesn’t notice a small bump in her arms despite holding the egg close to her. She deflects a couple of questions about it from nearby miners, pointing them towards a dwarf among the party with a heavy limp; and though they offer the egg lingering glances, they follow along with her instruction without much fuss. Another bump goes unnoticed as something small pecks at the cracked shell, it knocks a tiny fragment from the surface which hits the ground without her notice. Eventually, once she believes most have been taken care of, she deflates a little; the adrenaline has long since gone, leaving in its wake an ache in her bones and an exhaustion that’s hard to describe. She breathes a sigh, then turns to glance towards Ulrich— sitting alone for the most part— against a nearby tree while the miners have their exchange.
She can hear them exclaiming about the drakes inside; and the cave-in; and how they were certain they were going to die.
She lets them at it, and moves over to join him. “Are you okay?” She knows he is; nothing came up from the back as far as she could hear; but Ulrich certainly looks as though he’s fought off both drakes bare-handed. Granted, she probably doesn’t look much better.
She settles down near him without an invitation. “ They say that there were few deaths, mostly injuries caused by the cave-in; but they would escort us to town if—” She makes a motion to set the egg against the tree, when it suddenly jumps in her hands. She nearly drops it; but manages to catch it before she does; she startles slightly, a look of uncertainty crossing her face when she turns the egg in her hands to see a little beak poking through the damaged shell. “ A-ah…” For a moment, she blanks and just stares at the damn thing; what the hell is she supposed to do with this? If she sets it down, is it going to roll down the mountain? Another crack, and the egg jumps again, sending cobwebs of thin lines across the damaged shell. Hesitantly, she moves to lay down at the base of the tree and sets the egg between her paws— able to at least hold it steady while the little creature inside breaks free. And it doesn’t take too much longer. The egg jumps one last time, and a significant crack signifies the final damage done. The top half of the egg rolls off to the side, tipping against a tree root, while a small grey reptilian chirps and chitters from the interior. It shakes its head aggressively, blinking curiously into the world for the first time, blue eyes narrowing against the light. After a moment, the little creature's eyes settle; it looks up at Leni, and then glances at Ulrich— and squawks. Or, well… it squeaks. The sound is high pitched and childish; babyish, even, in a way that almost melts even her heart.
It’s nowhere near as intimidating as its parents; hardly any bigger than a lizard. The little creature excitedly stretches out its wings and gives them an excited flap as it looks between them. “ ...Hello,” There’s a warmth in her voice as she greets the baby drake; momentarily charmed by the little creature; her gaze softens. She reaches out a hand enough for it to brush against her fingers; the little reptile’s chattering almost sounds like the purr of a cat. “ I did not know they could be so… small.”
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Post by Ulrich Ambriz on Mar 2, 2023 4:31:38 GMT -5
A soft nod is given as Leni moves over to him asking if he was okay. The exhaustion has overtaken him, and Ulrich can only manage a half smile. One of the corners of his lips upturned weakly as she joins him underneath the tree. Leni is in the middle of explaining their situation to him when she suddenly stops. The movement from the egg has startled her, including Ulrich himself.
"Oh boy..." He's just as speechless as she is. He doesn't know how their situation could change due to the creature that was inside that egg now trying to find it's way out. Would it be just as hostile as it's parents had been back there? Was it going to try and attack everybody here? Were drakes hostile like that to begin with or was that a learned behavior? Was a territorial thing? So many questions in the moment, but he could only worry about was in front of them now.
Leni lays herself down, holding the egg in her paws as the creature inside slowly, but surely, breaks it's way out. With it's final crack the top half of the shell rolls off, and inside is revealed to be a small grey reptilian. It's blue eyes blink curiously against the light. The eyes match the color of the skies above on a beautiful sunny day. Ulrich can barely contain the warmness that wants to burst forth from his chest!
The little creature finally adjusts to world around it, and it lays it's eyes for the first time on Leni and Ulrich. It gives a squawk, or was it a squeak? Whatever it was called, it melted the bespectacled Electromancer's heart right then. A thought occurred to Ulrich then. Did he want children? He hadn't given it much thought lately, but it had crossed his mind quite often on his travels.
"Awwww, would you look at that! Hey, little guy!" Ulrich exclaims softly as the creature flaps it's wings excitedly.
He wanted to reach out to it as well, but his exhaustion kept his limbs in place. You would think that they'd fought their way out of there with how tired his bones and muscles felt. All he could manage was to smile warmly; watching the two interact with each other. Given her personality; there were not many warm moments like this with Leni, but Ulrich had been traveling with her long enough to have witnessed a small amount of them. It made him happy to see this side of her.
"So this is the first time you've ever seen one newly born too, huh?" His mind jumped back to the thought he'd just had earlier. Wouldn't this make the two of them kind of like parents to this newborn drake? His mouth opened to say something, but he held it in. He didn't want to ruin the moment with a thought like that, and there was no telling how Leni would react to it. "He's a cute little guy, isn't he?"
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Post by Leni-Aura Thunderpaw on Mar 5, 2023 13:06:05 GMT -5
Drawn to Ulrich’s voice, the little reptilian looks at him and opens its mouth in a hoarse squeak; Leni-Aura’s fingers twitch cautiously while the drake opens its mouth to do so, revealing rows of sharp tiny baby-teeth; but relaxes when it clearly has no intent to nip or bite at either of them. She has to wonder if they’re all born this happy, or if it’s just this one. Her ears perk at the sound of Ulrich’s voice, and she nods, watching the little drake as it affectionately bumps its snout against the side of her hand. “ Mm.” she agrees. “ I have only ever seen them… bigger, angrier, like…” she trails off, considering the little drake’s parents inside the cave; does… this make it an orphan? Its parents aren’t necessarily dead; and she didn’t mean to snatch it away, but at the same time, it could’ve been crushed in the aftermath… Her thoughts are drawn away when she feels tiny claws press against her skin; and she fades back to find the little creature clinging to her wrists; it squeaks, chitters, and bumbles its way up her arm, wiggling and wobbling clumsily to get further up to her shoulders. “ Ah—” There’s a momentary flutter of panic in which she just freezes, allowing the drake to wobble its way clumsily to her shoulders, where it snuffles curiously at her hair, then looks at Ulrich to make another high-pitched squeak. “ Very cute…” she agrees, watching the drake reach out with its little clawed wings towards Ulrich until it can snag onto his coat. It drops off of her and thumps against the man’s arm before squirming its way towards his shoulders in the same way. Leni-Aura stifles a chuckle. It squawks at Ulrich once it peeks over his shoulder, then wobbles onto his shoulders and perches there before looking back at her and chittering. “ I pulled you out of the cave before the bridge collapsed, you know.” she sighs; but her voice is light enough to almost come off as a joke. She reaches out, brushing the drake’s cheek with a curled finger; it chirps and chatters happily, tail thumping against Ulrich’s back while it leans into her touch. “ I guess we cannot really bring you back…” She purses her lips, ears lowering slightly as she considers their options; although the cave hadn’t really collapsed, she speaks as though there’s no way back into the drake’s den, and… in truth, there’s really not. She’s not even sure the parents would take it back… "And it would be bad to leave you alone." She lowers her hand, watching the little drake chirrup and settle itself comfortably on Ulrich’s shoulder. It tucks its legs beneath its long body, blinking asymmetrically as it gazes out towards the miners, which it seems to now realize are here.
She supposes… they could take care of it, right?
They're not its parents, but she’s responsible for this— so she should at least ensure the little thing’s safety until it's able to take care of itself. Which, sort of makes them like its adoptive parents in a strange way. She blinks and considers something for a moment; studying the way the light reflects off the little creature’s scales like clouds. “ Nimbus is a nice name.”
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