brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 11

They are camped in the woods not too terribly far from a road.

Sometime early in the morning, Skellig hears a horse drawn wagon accompanied by men going down the road. He hears a wheel come off the wagon, hears the guards curse, hears wings the size of his own slam against wooden bars.

The wave of despair from the winged one is almost palpable.

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From:

27_53

All of the above would definitely qualify as an answer. He is also going to be sore tomorrow, but he not-so-secretly looks forward to it, as it will remind him of tonight, and all these pleasures they've shared!

He brings his hands up to stroke her skin, his movements slightly faltering and sloppy - but he doubts she will mind.

"Might sleep until lunch," he mutters playfully.

From:

brave_kreyu

She chuckles softly, enjoying his touch. "Wouldn't mind that," she replies, playful. "Sleep all comfortable atop my beloved husband, warm and close. Nothing on the schedule, just...being."

From:

27_53

"Know how much I love your sprawl."

Sleep is threatening him rapidly and he senses that it is pulling at her too. Neither of them will object to resting, especially after so much effort expended. He yawns and snuggles up with her.

From:

brave_kreyu

They rise QUITE late, and if that tasty treat of cheese, honey, and pastry isn't QUITE as tasty when it is less freshly made, it is still more than adequate to break their fast.

There is a definite air of 'hungover' with many of the Winged Folk after the celebrating last night, so they aren't greeted quite as enthusiastically as they were yesterday.

From:

27_53

Skellig is most definitely "hungover" himself, even with breaking his fast and wiping his body clean. Hydration is on his agenda, and he's sure they'll find a place to grab a drink somewhere.

"It appears that your wards didn't fail," he mutters under his breath, tone cheeky. "We are not being singled out."

There is also definitely some who are still celebrating!

From:

brave_kreyu

There is cider, both the sweeter kind and one that is more dry, in abundance. Given the hour, most of it is cut with water to lessen the alcohol impact, but it is still quite tasty!

"The cider really is quite good," Kreyu says, drinking from a clay mug. "I wonder if Tyr would show us that course they mentioned where one races through the air?"

From:

27_53

"Perhaps, if he is able," Skellig says. "I would like to attempt it myself, though might need a few practice runs before I begin in earnest."

He has chosen the more sweet cider, needing the boost of energy.

From:

brave_kreyu

She grins. "I expect we were not the only ones celebrating being alone with one another last night."

She's not wrong. When Tyr comes by a few minutes later he is DEFINITELY still sore in the ways that Skellig is right now. "Well met," he calls, waving. "I thought I might give you a bit of a tour while Fenris is working on dinner."

From:

27_53

"Well met," Skellig responds in kind - he can sense the soreness but does not comment on it (nor does he make any effort to heal it as like his own, he suspects Tyr is enjoying remembering just what caused that soreness) and merely smiles.

He nods his head. "I think we would both enjoy that," he says, glancing around the massive cavern. "I assume that the territory of the People stretches beyond these walls?"

From:

brave_kreyu

"All through the mountain and into the lands beyond," Tyr says, nodding. "Though we all live here, inside the mountain."

They pass through a winding hall, and Skellig can smell salt in the air as if they stood beside the sea. "There is salt below us, a great deal of it," Tyr says, voice quiet. "We trade it with other tribes of the People, even with those who aren't winged, though THEY do not know our nature or point of origin."

In many ways, a salt mine is a more tempting target than a gold mine. Gold is valuable, but salt preserves food, keeps the People from the many kinds of malnutrition and sickness that plague people in the colder months. It would be a tempting target for conquest, if word got out about it.

From:

27_53

It would make sense - gold is a luxury. Food is a necessity and required for survival... the salt would be a very valuable asset and a tempting target indeed.

"I know I have seen salt fetch quite a decent price at the markets we have visited on our journey's route," he says. "It is wise to keep it hidden away as you do here."

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr nods. "Very valuable for the weight, which is useful for us in trade. Hard for us to trade in staples without horses and wagons, but one of the People can easily carry aloft enough salt to trade for all kinds of things."

The corridor winds toward the surface. "Should have Fenris tell you the tale of how we started trading salt for grain with those who are not winged, was his great grandfather who started it. He is wanting the two of you to have dinner with us, tonight."

From:

27_53

"We would be delighted to join you," Skellig says honestly - glancing to Kreyu for confirmation, though he knows it isn't like they're going to turn down an invitation. "From the way you have spoken of his cooking while we were traveling, I'm certain it will be quite the meal."

From:

brave_kreyu

"We would love to join you for dinner," Kreyu confirms. Tyr beams, clearly pleased.

They pass through a set of branching corridors. "The sheep and the goats are out in the pasture right now, although once the first great frost comes we will need to keep them inside and feed them hay. We can take them to different places to graze depending on which tunnel we use, much easier than trying to move them along the surface!"

Tyr sighs. "The goats always try to headbutt me," he grumbles.

They reach a door in the rock, and Tyr opens the heavy latch. The sun is bright out and the wind relatively mild as they step out the door. Not too far beyond the door, the mountain side gives way to a deep valley. Rocks jut out it like great teeth, bits of tree and brush growing stubbornly alongside the rocks. "That's the Teeth," Tyr explains. "The wind blows the right way, it sounds like a scream." He leans in conspiratorially. "We tell the fledglings it's haunted, keeps them from trying the course when they aren't strong enough for it yet."

From:

27_53

"That is probably wise," Skellig says with a laugh as he steps near the 'edge' of one section of the rock - clearly there have been places to perch and sit carved out of the rock all above and behind them, likely for those who wish to spectate on the race and the participants to view it. "It must be quite fierce when the wind blows, you would have to account properly for the updraft off the walls."

It also seems that speed is probably quite likely required regardless if you have any chance at all at getting through it!

As tempted as he is to hurl himself off the ledge, he refrains for now - after all, he's still rather sore, and in need of preening before he'd try such a course.

From:

brave_kreyu

He nods. "When the wind is loud enough to sound like a scream, even an expert at the course knows better than to attempt it. They're killers, then."

He opens his wings, feels the wind and the weather. "I can show you the course in the morning, if you're up to it?" Tyr offers. "Feels like the wind will be good in the morning for a first pass through the course." Plenty of time for Kreyu to help him preen!

From:

27_53

"I would like that," Skellig nods. "Tomorrow morning would be better for all of us, I feel like."

For Obvious Reasons that don't need discussing in detail. He also opens his wings, allows the air to pass beneath them, getting a sense of the altitude and other factors. They are higher here.

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr is pleased at his answer, nods. They are quite high up, although the wind is gentle right now. It won't be in a few days, although Skellig might not be able to tell that.

"There is a place the fledglings go to practice flying," Tyr tells him. "Many of them were asking after our visitors yesterday, if you would like to meet them?"

From:

27_53

"That I think we could manage," he agrees. "Lead on."

Skellig resettles his wings at his back and will allow Tyr to lead the way, suspecting that this area is NOT where the fledgling youth come to practice.

From:

brave_kreyu

It is not! They travel back inside the mountain, take a different hall into a large, open, area. The floor is covered with straw and there are various platforms of different heights scattered around the room as well as niches carved into the walls.

Several toddlers are chasing each other around the room on the floor, their tiny wings covered in baby feathers, not yet fit to fly. A few older ones are tentatively trying to glide down from a height. Two Winged Folk adults, their hair and feathers gray with age, are imposing order on the chaos more or less successfully.

From:

27_53

Skellig's attention shifts immediately to the youngest little ones as they are laughing and screeching with delight as they chase each other across the room - their joy is bright and bubbly and something that catches his focus.

(He does not mind the chaos himself but that's why he is not in charge!)

From:

brave_kreyu

The adults are controlling the chaos only to the extent necessary to prevent serious harm. Trial and error is part of the learning process, after all.

One of the little ones, with a head of dark curls, takes cover behind Skellig, grabbing a hold of his legs. "Dada!" they exclaim excitedly. A case of mistaken identity. Possibly all sets of legs look pretty much alike when you are that close to the ground?

Kreyu claps a hand over her mouth, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

From:

27_53

Taken briefly aback by the short arms and the shout as he is wrapped up, Skellig laughs, the sound bright and unexpected- much like the idea of being 'Dada' to this little one.

"Not quite," he says 'apologetic'. But that does not stop him from reaching back and judging the toddler's mood (not scared) and carefully lifting him up into the air, holding him up complete with "woosh!" sound effects.

From:

brave_kreyu

The toddler shrieks with glee, tiny wings flapping as hard as they can as Skellig lifts them into the air.

Kreyu's heart feels FULL, watching him with the little one. It feels so very RIGHT, his interactions with them. "Such a strong little one," she tells the child. The child giggles, happy and excited.

From:

27_53

The tiny wings have no real chance of assisting the toddler in flying - but Skellig's abilities do, so when he 'tosses' the little one (barely do his hands ever leave his body, he would never let him fall) there is a brief second where those wings "work" enough to allow him to "hover".

"Look at you go!" Skellig exclaims, pride in his tone. He can sense that the rest of the little ones are watching with awe, as he "catches" the boy in his hands. "Well done!"