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Post by Peregrine Alexander on Jun 12, 2013 13:29:36 GMT -5
Peregrine didn't need to be told twice. He leaped into action, digging his bare heels into Tremor's barrel and she shot forward like an arrow from a bow. His vision was blurred and he briefly wondered if he was passing out, but then he realized it was from the very ground beneath him shaking and also from the ash falling from the sky. Right now, it was jet-black.
"IT WAS NOT!" He hollowed, catching up with her. "THIS WAS YOUR IDEA, REMEMBER?!" He reached to his sleeve and tore it off, so the fabric now stopped at his elbow. "AND DON'T CALL ME FALCON!" He added, before he looped the reins around his now-bare elbow and tied the cloth around his mouth and nose. Normally, the prince would have quailed at the thought of ripping up perfectly good clothing, but not only was this a life-or-death situation, but calling the guard's uniforms "clothing" did them honor.
Tremor's hooves echoed off the volcano cave walls with a sharp ta-ting! ta-ting! and an orchestra of other sounds: the hissing and bubbling of the lava, the rumbling of the mountain as stone shoved against stone, the jangling of bits and bridles and the heaving of everyone's breath, joined in the chorus as they thundered towards the exit, at least, what Peregrine hoped was the exit. Come to think of it, he had never been inside an active volcano until now...and now he knew why.
He could see light ahead of him and he urged his mount forward with increased vigor, hoping and praying to the gods above that this was indeed an exit and not some form of cruel, white-fiery death. It would be quite the let-down to make it all this way only to jump into white-fire. His prayers paid off and Tremor leaped into the blessed mid-day summer sun and she was navigating her way down the treacherous mountainside at top speed. Needless to say, she was as anxious to get out of there and he was. Peregrine cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure Khalidah had made it through as well and relief started to spread over him, but too soon. No sooner had he taken a breath, when there was a thunderous clap! as the volcano exploded. Seconds later, ash, white this time, like the snow, rained down on them. Turning away, Peregrine focused on galloping down the slope.
It was going to be all right, he thought, for he had already covered his mouth and nose and as long as they didn't breath the toxic stuff, they would be fine, but too soon, he caught sight of something brightly-colored at his feet, and he saw lava pooling there: sliding down the mountain.
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Post by Khalidah Leaf-Fall on Jun 12, 2013 17:15:39 GMT -5
“OH YES IT WAS! I DID NOT SUGGEST IT!”
Khalidah hissed and shook her head at the clearly obvious fault with her companions memory. Perhaps he really had bashed his head earlier? Khalidah made a mental note to inspect his head for injuries later, but her main priority was getting out alive. “I clearly remember saying 'this thing is going sky high any moment, and I don't want to be around when it does'. Now HOW IN SEVEN HELLS do you get 'let's go through the bloody volcano' out of that?!” she shot back with a hard glare. Setting aside her immortality for a moment, this... this... MORON was trying to get her killed or something!
“I'LL CALL YOU WHATEVER I BLOODY LIKE! It's either Falcon or Idiot! DEAL WITH IT!”
Khalidah pressed her heels into her mounts sides, urging him to go faster, as fast as he could possibly manage. She tried breathe through her mouth to avoid breathing in the ash, but while she would have followed Peregine's idea of using the sleeve as a breathing mask, she wasn't as willing to reduce the control she had over her galloping steed. In this situation, Khalidah needed both hands on the reins to keep the beast under control, guiding him through the darkness despite his blind fear. If she lost control now, she could very well be thrown from the saddle and the result would be one melted Khalidah. Not even she could heal that much damage on herself.
As soon as she saw the opening Khalidah turned towards it, her horse skidding to a halt at the top of the mountainside. The stallion reared up, objecting to their treacherous ride once more; he did not like this idea anymore than Khalidah. “Easy Zephyr...” she spoke quietly, despite her own fear. That was it! That was his name... and it could not be more perfect: Zephyr. Zephyr was the name of the wind, the wind that had raced through the stallions mane as they fled imprisonment. He was the wind. Zephyr nickered softly before complying to navigating the mountainside, carefully placing his hooves despite their breakneck speed.
When she reaches Peregrine's side once more Khalidah glanced behind her. Very angry volcano, was her only thought at the time before she took another account of their situation. “No time to stop now Falcon. We're not out of trouble yet...” Without waiting Khalidah set off on Zephyr, the wolves following close behind. But the poor horse had been run to near his breaking point on no food or water, he was tiring fast. “We'll rest soon boy... soon”, she promised the horse, stroking his muscular neck and she stood up into her stirrups, looking around. Higher ground or a river was their best bet for safety from the lava flow. Higher ground would be best because outrunning the lava would be a miracle in itself if they made it. She could see both available, but which was closer? Mountain? River? If they went for the mountain they would probably be isolated by the lava, but if they made it to the river, and made it to the other side... they'd be safe, and free to continue without hot liquid hindrance.
In a split second, and probably suicidal, decision Khalidah turned towards the river. Her theory... they'd made it this far on luck alone, if their luck continued they might just make it over the river without any singed hair or skin. Or so she hoped. The wolves streaked ahead, leaving horses and humanoids behind in their wake. Khalidah had figured that would happen, despite being her companions and she one of their pack, they were wild animals. Khalidah slackened her reins, giving Zephyr his head. “Give it all you've got boy. Get us to that river”. The stallion was heaving and panting in his breathing as he galloped, stretching out his head as he surged forward into his top speed, covering ground as fast as his hooves would carry him.
Khalidah dared not look behind her... she did not want to see the lava flowing behind them like a hungry predator set on devouring anything in its path. All she focused on was the river...
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Post by Peregrine Alexander on Jun 12, 2013 17:47:31 GMT -5
Peregrine stiffened in the saddle as she heard her call him that name again. Of all the names in the world, why did she have to stick to calling him Falcon...and why did she insist on calling him that now? There were millions of perfectly good names, like, Jack, for instance. Why not employ them? Why rub salt in his still-raw wounds now, of all times, when he needed his concentration the most.
"DON'T CALL ME--" But he cut himself off as a flaming boulder crashed down the mountain and landed smack-dab in front of him, causing his hot-headed mare to freeze in her tracks, her eyes rolling back so he could see the whites of her eyes. She let out a deep-throated snarl of alarm as she danced on her two hind legs, her front legs coming up in a small rear as she spun on her haunches and took off behind the bigger gray.
Peregrine was about to rein her in and send her in another direction, when he realized where Khalidah was going and he had to admit, even so soon after her calling him Falcon, this was a clever plan. The river might not protect them from the flying pieces of lava-death, but it would offer them more protection than not. Lying close over his horse's skull, Peregrine kicked Tremor in her sides, even though he knew it was poor horsemanship. He shifted his weight forward and galloped, pell-mell towards the water.
He was rewarded as Tremor splashed in up to her barrel in the cold river and seconds later, he felt the water wash over him, up to his torso as she sunk in and started to swim. She reached the other side and took off running up the other bank, her adrenaline still pumping, even though she was probably starving and spent. Peregrine didn't care either. Even though the prince was in the same mental space as the hot-headed mare, he had one priority: not dying.
She slowed to an agitated trot on the other side of river. It was in the distance now, and the ash, though still falling, was less thick here. The prince dismounted and tied Tremor's reins to her saddle, knowing she wasn't likely to go anywhere while she was stuffing her face with the fresh grass around her. He ripped off his makeshift mask and turned on Khalidah, snarling like a wild animal.
"Never. Call. Me. Falcon. AGAIN!"
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Post by Khalidah Leaf-Fall on Jun 13, 2013 4:14:34 GMT -5
The moment that Zephyr reached the edge of the river he jumped and landed, belly deep in the water, kicking through the water as he carried himself and Khalidah across the river and onto dry land. He was dripping grey water the moment he stepped out, leaping up the bank before he shook himself like a big dog, spraying water everywhere. Somehow, Khalidah managed to keep her seat. Khalidah fell against his neck, allowing herself to relax, shakily stroking his neck. “Good horse.... very good horse”.
Slowly Khalidah peeled herself from the saddle to stand next to the horse before tying him to a tree, providing enough length that allowed the horse to graze at the grass surrounding them. Both horses would be fed and watered easily now that they were not surrounded by volcanic terrain. Not much grows around volcano's, despite the flowing lava when the volcano's decided to it was a good day to destroy things. Nasty mountains that they are.
Khalidah walked away from Zephyr to collapse against a tree, sliding down against it to sit under it, her arms around her knees, watching the volcano in the distance as she breathed heavily, coming down from her adrenaline rush. Even the wolves had collapsed under a tree panting heavily, tongues hanging out of the sides of their mouths, making them look completely goofy in Khalidah's opening. “Thanks the gods that's over”, she muttered softly as she finally realized that this was it... she was free.
Sweet, glorious freedom! No more swamps. No more prison guards or wardens. Just freedom! Freedom from false imprisonment and the possibility of using her talents for healing for a greater purpose than just fixing up the scrapes and cuts that her younger siblings managed to obtain in their everyday lives and rough-housing. No, Khalidah could now make something of herself, even with her Vampiric tenancies that cursed her with the need to drink blood and a desire to bite necks... Khalidah could now make up to herself for the evil within her. Khalidah allowed herself to smile softly as the thought of the world laying before her feet, ready to explore.... there was no way she was going to go back to that swamp. No way!
Khalidah had been preparing to stand up when Peregrine marched towards her, demanding that she never address him as Falcon again. Khalidah rolled backwards and stood up with her bow in hand and an arrow knocked to the string, half drawn.
“I'll call you what I like....” she responded calmly, perhaps too calmly. “Until you start telling me the truth that is. I know that your story of being a thief called Jack is a lie.... I can see right through it, tattoo or not. So I will call you whatever I please until I know exactly who I am dealing with”.
Khalidah bared her fangs down, adding another physical aspect to her stance that she would not be threatened. As a part vampire, her temper ran hot... and this boy was causing the ire within her to rise consistently and jeopardize her thin control over her violence. Her bite was more viscous than the bite of the wolves.
“I told you my name, I told you that I studied at the Academy and that I was kidnapped from my family.... that is all you know about me. No family names, nothing... I keep my secrets. You..... All I know about you is that you lie and you can turn into a falcon”, she hissed, pulling back the bowstring to full draw, training it to aim . “So until you at least give me a first name, your real name, then I will only address you by what I know of you, and for now, that is Falcon. If that annoys you then I will change to Bird Brain, and if that annoys you I might call you Pigeon. And I will keep finding names until you elect to tell one piece of truth about who you really are....”
Khalidah relaxed her bow, lowering it slowly. She would not harm this boy unless he gave her a reason to do so. But threatening with the bow had been her reflex to feeling like she was cornered. Then she turned her back on him and whistled to the wolves, making them jump to attention. “Stay with the horses.... I'm going to hunt for something for us to eat”, she told Peregrine, almost as a command. He got them out of the prison, true, but she wasn't leaving everything to his choice. With that Khalidah turned on her heel and disappeared into the greenery that made up this side of the river with the wolves, allowing Peregrine to stew over his options.
Within perhaps half an hour Khalidah returned with six rabbits hanging from her bow. She had gone on a hunting blitz with the wolves, shooting down three for herself and her elusive companion, and another three for the wolves. The wolves had happily helped in the task by flushing the rabbits out of their warrens by howling and digging at one tunnel, while Khalidah waited to shoot them with arrows at another tunnel. Granted, rabbits weren't much of a meal... but they were better than eels or rats. The bird boy and herself would eat well on her spoils of the hunt. Setting the rabbits in the branches of a tree where the wolves could not reach them Khalidah gazed out over the river again. The other side marked hell... this side was paradise in comparison.
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Post by Peregrine Alexander on Jun 13, 2013 4:49:00 GMT -5
"Oh, so you're a vampire, huh? Neglected to mention that little fact!" Peregrine spat. He did not recoil when she bared her fangs at him, for he had seen vampires before and he was not afraid of them. Indeed, he wasted no time in taking a power-inducing step forward, fixing her with an unforgiving glare of his own as he towered over her. She may have been granted powers and gifts he could only dream of in his mortal mind, but he was bigger and taller than her. He gave her his best princely sneer.
"Yeah? That's just peachy. And guess what? I don't give a shit. So you were a student at Ioralta Academy, so you were kidnapped from your family, so your name is Khalidah. That's fucking wonderful. Allow me to let you in on a little secret, your highness, you don't get to know who I am because everything I am has been turned on its head and ripped from the inside out! I don't even exist anymore. I gave you a name--a perfectly good name to address me by and if you refuse to use it, then fine! But you will not address me as 'Falcon', UNDERSTAND?!" His voice rose to a shout, echoing off the mountains around him as he gesticulated wildly with his right hand.
She whipped out her new bow, but Peregrine was only half a second behind her. He knocked an arrow to the string and shoved it right back in her face. He had always had a temper that escalated faster than forbidden true love and with something so painful and raw, it was inevitable that he would explode just as spectacularly as that volcano.
The prince took several deep, steadying breaths and lowered his bow before continuing. He held up his hand and flashed his tattoo in the same way he had, not yet twenty-four hours ago.
"I stole. If you don't believe me, then look at the horses. They're stolen property. Perhaps 'Jack' isn't the name my parents gave me, but it was given to me by others and it's the name I now bear. Can it be said that a name is only assigned at birth, by one's parents? Isn't that a narrow definition. And yes, I can shape-shift into a peregrine falcon, what of it? It worked, didn't it? Came in handy for me to transform into the fastest bird in the world and scratch their eyes out." He turned away and leaned on Tremor's saddle, feeling suddenly exhausted as, now that the major form of excitement was over, his blood sugars plummeted. "The man I was is dead, Khalidah, best you can do is not remind me that he had a home, a family, a life."
He busied himself with the horses, reserving more of his once-royal dignity by simply giving her a superior sneer when she told him to mind the horses. He didn't mind them at first, (to make a point) but he stiffly unsaddled them and checked their legs and bodies for wounds before he made a small fire while they grazed. He saw her returning from some distance away and he saw what she carried, but he kept his eyes trained on the fire as he glared broodingly into it, trying not to think about the mouth-watering rabbits in her hands.
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Post by Khalidah Leaf-Fall on Jun 13, 2013 11:55:35 GMT -5
Khalidah glanced over at Peregrine before walking over to the fire to sit down and relax for a fire. She ignored him for a while before her initial anger died down and she actually started to regret having threatened him with her fangs before. She plucked blades of grass from the ground aimlessly as she wondered what they were going to do now. They'd escaped... their initial team-up had resulted in a success that had granted them their freedom. But what now? Would they split up and head their separate ways, or stick together because they had aspects that were beneficial to the other some how? Turning into a bird could be useful for scouting ahead to avoid being spotting as “escaped convicts”.... and Khalidah had her illusions to use for distractions and her healing tough (plus her knowledge of herbal medicine) to keep them healthy. Then there was the wolves for added muscle.
Despite his sneering, glaring and arrogance she could see his own emotional scares. Khalidah found her own ire towards the lad softening, which was somewhat alarming after his reaction to her fangs and his spat claim at her being a full vampire, which she wasn't. “No, I didn't mention the vampire fact...” she admitted calmly, trying not to let the insult of being addressed as a vampire get the better of her. “Because that's my secret, my flaw.... my curse. I'm a Sidhe and the man that kidnapped me was a Vampire. I got partially turned as a result. I am still a Sidhe, but I am Vampire also. I didn't ask for this... and I keep it to myself, usually....”
Khalidah glanced over at her companion.
“Fal-.... *sigh* Jack. I'm not asking for you to relay your whole history. You can keep that to yourself if you so wish. But we got out of that hellish prison as a team, you drew the guards away from me in the mountains... and I came back for you to heal that arrow wound. All I'm asking is a name...” she said softly. “I had my life ripped out from under my feet too - I understand. But our names are the one thing that no one can take away from us.... Sidhe or Vampire, I'm still Khalidah. Whatever your name really is... or was.... it's still you”.
She stood up and walked around to his side and crouched down, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. “It might be, perhaps, somewhat premature to say this piece of sentiment, but: you can trust me. After all, I could have left you for dead, but I came back to save your sorry arse. I've never commited a crime in my life and in one night I've conspired in a plot, escaped a prison, stole weaponry, stole a horse and attacked three guards. I could have left you behind and kept riding.... but I didn't. I came back”.
Khalidah let what little wisdom she could offer hang in the air between them. If he chose to ignore her, then fine, she could cope with that. If he decided that he would rather go their separate ways than tell a small piece of truth, then Khalidah would accept that too and head her own way. "I'll make you a deal... I won't call you Falcon, if you don't call me a Vampire...."
Khalidah smiled softly and pulled Peregrine to his feet. It was somewhat rough, but it wasn't intended as a harsh action though. Quietly she let him over to the river, spun him around to face her before placing both hands on his chest, then with a coy smirk she pushed him backwards – fully intending for him to land in the river – clothes and all. “You need a bath because you stink”, she informed him with a laugh before untying Zephyr and whistling to the wolves. With a shake of her head Khalidah laughed and walked further down the river with her animals, intend on having a bath herself. For the first time since she had been landed in that prison hell hole she was determined that she was going to be clean. No swamp water or mud stains... just clean.
In privacy, away from Peregrine's eyes, Khalidah stripped off her uniform and waded into the river, diving beneath before surfacing. She went about her bath methodically, cleaning the dirt, mud and ash from her skin before tackling the grime and tangles in her hair. Once she was clean she gave both wolves a scrub to clean any dirt from their plush fur before finally washing the grey stallion last. Zephyr seemed more interested in playing in the water and drinking than standing still for Khalidah to wash away the soot from his coat. But his limited patience paid off because his near white coat was gleaming like polished china by the time she was finished. When they were all clean Khalidah climbed out of the water and donned her uniform once again, returning to the camp to set about skinning three of the rabbits in order to cook them. Khalidah had to admit, that despite prefering to be a vegetarian she had come a long way with her hunting skills since the day of her imprisonment. But she needed the meat thanks to her inner Vampire. She still remembered trying to catch a rat with her bare hands and stab it with her dagger... earning bites to her fingers instead and her prey escaping.... she wasn't proud of those attempts.
Once the rabbits were skinner Khalidah set them to roast in the flames before moving to rest her back against a tree trunk and closing her eyes, allowing herself to rest and relax in her new found freedom.... peace.... provided nothing else went wrong... and they had no more surprises...
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Post by Peregrine Alexander on Jun 6, 2015 11:02:30 GMT -5
He did not look at her. He did not react to her kind words, but kept his eyes trained on the ground. He had been doing as he was taught in his younger years: guilt trip them for being so harsh for awhile before handing out the forgiveness. This was no different. He stayed there, doing everything he could to avoid and ignore her presence. He had to admit, though, she had a point.
She could have left him at any turn. She could have turned on him and used him to fuel her own escape. She hadn't done that and he was grateful. Maybe it was time he fessed up and told her who he was. It might be the last time he ever laid claim to his true--no, his old identity, the one he had become so proud of. He took a deep breath and slowly, rose to his feet. He stared off, into the distance, at a point just beyond her left shoulder.
"My name is Peregrine Alexander, Prince of Eacharnach." He considered launching into the whole murder-and-frame story with his...his...he couldn't think of a word bad enough to describe his brother. In the end, he decided against it. Let her first get over the shock of finding a once-powerful prince full of potential eating eels in a prison, reduced to nothing. "Falcon was my father's name." He added, in case she hadn't figured it out.
Peregrine sat back down and took to glaring into the flames again. He had no idea what was happening now, in his kingdom. The story itself had spread quickly throughout the rest of the kingdoms, well, the false story; that he had murdered his father for the throne and Pandion, being the next male in line, became king. He realized that he had no idea what had happened to the rest of his siblings. Presumably, Pandion had killed off Kestrel and he probably had their sister locked away in some tower or in some legally-binding marriage contract that inhibited her from ever taking the throne of Eacharnach, even if there were no men left to claim it. Peregrine also wondered what had happened to his mother. She seemed to be out of the line of fire in Pandion's eyes, for she had been the daughter of a common soldier, a man not even of knightly rank, and therefore, she could produce no more offspring of royal blood.
Khalidah pulled him to his feet and out of his reverie, both unwillingly, and he followed like that of a sluggish teenager being pulled out of bed to go to school. She gave him some words of encouragement and then promptly pushed him into the river.
Cold water hit his skin like a butcher's knife and he let out a yell and squirmed in shock. When his body had adjusted to the water's temperature, he glared at her, his messy hair dripping and deflated, giving him the appearance of a wet hen. He would have thought it very funny, had he been a spectator on dry land.
He supposed that she did have a point. He stunk. They all stunk, and he had been yearning to bathe since the first night in Risaglach after the mandatory, prison-issued bathing system and--he shuttered--what he considered a rape of a haircut. The prince took great pride in his hair and even though it was a royal rat's nest now, he had not taken kindly to it being shaven off. He took his clothes off and tossed them on the bank to dry. Now, he submerged himself under water and even without soap, he was able to clean the mud, sweat and blood stains off of him. He was even able to work through some of the tangles in his hair, but the major dreadlocks remained. He would very much like to get it cut when they reached civilization, for he barely looked like a prince like this. Well, he wasn't a prince anymore, but that didn't mean he had to look like a beggar. His bathing finished, he came back to land and donned the slightly cleaner guard's uniform again.
The rabbits were roasting over the fire and he was so hungry that tears had welled up in his eyes. Manners be damned, he reached over, picked one up and began to devour it, ripping chunks of flesh off with his teeth in fast order. Once he had finished the entire rabbit, he sat back against a nearby rock that the sun had warmed, contented, more full than he had been in a long time. His defenses dropped and his body became limp. His eyes shut and he drifted off, once again, into dreamless sleep.
He awoke in the evening and looked up to survey the sky. The ash was gathering, now that the volcano was calming down again and he gathered his mask and went o Khalidah.
"We should get going." He said, speaking for the first time since he had declared his royal identity.
He turned back to Tremour and saddled her. It was the first time he had seen the mare calm and at ease and for her sake, he hoped he could keep her that way. He doubted it, though, in fact, he knew that their trials and tribulations had just begun.
Mounting his horse, he tied his mask around his mouth and nose, waited for Khalidah and her wolves and road off towards the north, and...home. He had no idea what he was going to do when he reached Eacharnach, but the journey was so far off, he knew it would give him long enough to plot his revenge.
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