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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

brave_kreyu

Kreyu's mood turns toward glee at the mention of snow. "I've never been in snow before," she says, excited. "I hope it does snow, at least a little."

"But I would like to fly before that happens." She kisses his forehead. "Shall we break our fast and go look for Tyr?"

From:

27_53

Skellig is mildly surprised when she mentions that she has never been in snow before - but given that she is a dragon who keeps her Lair within a volcano...it does make some sense.

"I think that would be wise."

Breakfast is straightforward and simple - some toasted bread with butter, dried fruits and some strips of venison that have been smoked to preserve them - and dressing for flying is straightforward, simple enough. Once they have left their space and headed towards where Tyr and Fenris' home is, he reaches for her hand.

"I look forward to today," he says. "Especially if it should snow. I did not realize you've never been in it, before."

From:

brave_kreyu

"Just flown over it," she replies, squeezing his hand. "Never much of a reason to land that high on a mountain, so I haven't."

As it happens, they meet Tyr halfway. It seems he was coming to look for them! "Good morning!" he calls. "Fine flying weather, which will be helpful for all three of us."

Edited Date: 2024-11-05 03:27 am (UTC)

From:

27_53

"I heard talk of it while we were headed this way," Skellig confirms. "Also that there might be snow this evening, and that most are glad that the last of the harvest has been brought in, no need to worry about things going to rot."

He grins slightly. "Kreyu has never gotten to experience snow before along our travels, so if it holds in the forecast, will be glad to see it."

From:

brave_kreyu

"Truly?" Tyr seems quite surprised. "I had never thought about it, but it makes sense. It becomes warmer the farther south one goes, and Kreyu is from very far south indeed."

"Quite far south," she confirms.

They wind their way through the mountain, out to the Teeth. "The start of the course is down that way," he says, pointing. "Shall we fly there and go from point to point slowly, to start?"

From:

27_53

"I think it would be best to set the map in our minds, yes."

Besides - even as recovered as Tyr is, it is likely best for all of them if they go slow to start, not throw themselves in wildly to the winds and the Teeth!

Skellig flexes his wings out once he is clear of the other two, stretching slightly - nodding when he is ready. They will follow, of course - Tyr will lead the way.

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr flies down to the deepest part of the Teeth, the part of the chasm where the now dry riverbed is most visible. A pair of wings is carved into the stone of the chasm walls. "The racers line up here on the ground to start," Tyr explains. "More than four at once and there tend to be accidents at the start as everyone is trying to get into the air."

He chuckles. "Got knocked into a wall and sprained a wing that way, my first race through the Teeth."

From:

27_53

"It would be chaos, trying to gain enough lift with not only the winds swirling naturally, but add in multiple racers trying to beat their wings to gain lift..."

Definitely can see accidents happening that way. It is no surprise Tyr was injured on his first attempt...

From:

brave_kreyu

"They try to limit it to three at once, these days, at least at the more official races. The less official ones...." Tyr shrugs. "Young folk can be bolder than they ought to be." Tyr's grin suggests he was definitely among that number once upon a time.

"Three different paths you can take from here. Middle is safest, but also slowest. The paths along the walls are quicker, but more difficult to traverse.

A set of wings is carved into the stone at each of those three possible points, all higher up the canyon. "Up to you which one you want to take."

From:

27_53

Somehow Skellig is not surprised, as they fly upwards towards the first split, that Tyr once found himself among the bold and reckless youth.

"Which do you prefer?" He asks, with a faint smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth. He has a feeling, again, that he might sense what Tyr will choose. And it's not as if they have to fly it at breakneck speed on this first go! This is just a test run.

From:

brave_kreyu

"Left wall," Tyr replies. "More of the People tend to choose right than left as a direction when taking off, all else being equal. Makes it easier to pick up speed as you rise to the second station."

From:

27_53

"Left it is then?"

It is a suggestion, and when all three of them seem to agree, they begin the climb along the wall, using the updrafts as aid to gain lift and some speed - though even in this early stage, he can sense how the sudden shifts of wind can throw a wrench into your direction planning.

From:

brave_kreyu

"From here, its an over, under, over, those teeth there," he says as they reach the second station. The rock "Teeth" that give this place its name are very much in evidence. Wings are, again, carved into the stone.

"Then, you can thread the needle, if you dare." One of the stone Teeth has a hole in the middle just like an eye of the needle. "Fastest route, but you've got to go through it with your wings folded pretty tight. The stations other than the needle are farther down and farther along the course, you lose time and height."

From:

27_53

"Over, under, over," he echoes quietly.

And he's definitely eyeing that gap in the rock, the eye of the 'needle'. Owl wings are built not necessarily for speed, but more for silence, and their wider 'stance' is a bit different than those of the birds more traditionally seen as raptors...the eagles and the hawks, the falcons, etc.

As they wind through the Teeth - over, under over (and Skellig loops back around again to get a better sense of the rhythm of it) they draw nearer that small gap, that doesn't really seem to get much larger despite them getting closer.

"It is angled, a bit, it seems?"

From:

brave_kreyu

"A bit," Tyr confirms. He looks for a long time at Skellig's wings. "You could make it, but you'd have to fold quite close," he says at last. Making himself 'lighter' with his abilities probably wouldn't hurt either, but Tyr doesn't know about those.

From:

27_53

Using his abilities would definitely aid in some regards, if only that it might help minimize any possible damage to his body should he miss threading the needle correctly...

"I think I could also," Skellig agrees.

Briefly, he flaps his wings to 'hover' a bit in place as he studies the jagged stone from both sides. He glances at Kreyu - who is giving him a Look that he knows quite well. The 'I know what you're thinking and I won't stop you, but I want you to be careful about it' Look that most wives have given their husbands on more than one occasion...

From:

brave_kreyu

"I will not be trying to thread the needle," she tells Skellig, smiling softly. "But you are bolder than I, my love."

From:

27_53

"I am not sure if that is entirely true..."

Skellig studies the space another moment. "I will have to decide on that when the moment is closer," he finally says, before they begin moving on to the next part of the course, climbing higher still.

From:

brave_kreyu

The next part of the course is a place where the rift narrows, a path threaded through teeth of stone.

"Lots of accidents happen here," Tyr tells them. "Here and the very start are where we get the most injuries every year. Then it's a straight shot to the finish, a test of speed." He points to the finish line.

From:

27_53

To maintain speed through the narrow rift and not end up wrecking into the wall, will take skill indeed. The turns are tight and the twists are wicked, indeed.

"And then a straight shot to the finish," Skellig echoes, as he flies his way towards the finish line, taking his time to gauge the length of it all and better estimate the course. He is not sure of when the winds will be best - if they are stiff enough now, or if it would be better if they were blowing harder...

From:

brave_kreyu

"The winds are stiff enough now to make a run, if you wanted," Tyr says after a moment of thought. "Should be good until the sun starts to go down, from the feel of things."

"Up to you, my love," Kreyu tells him, smiling.

From:

27_53

Considering it for a moment, eventually he nods.

"I think I would fly it, probably just once," Skellig says. "Might break off halfway through if I don't like the feel of it, but I can always loop around from the start again."

He glances down towards the start at the bottom of the valley - which seems so far away, all of a sudden. Then back to Kreyu and Tyr. "Either of you join me?"

From:

brave_kreyu

"I would like to watch you run it first," Kreyu replies.

Tyr shakes his head. "I would never hear the end of it from Fenris if I tried to run the Teeth in my...condition." He's in better shape than he SHOULD be after so long in a cage, but he is still recovering.

From:

27_53

"I would like to not have to scrape you off the wall and carry you back to your husband," Skellig admits. "He is a fine cook, it would not favor our chances at getting invited back for another meal if I goaded you into this."

Gliding over closer to Kreyu, he nods and then leans in to press a kiss against her lips - it is gentle, but his smirk is definitely starting to trend a bit towards the 'devil may care' direction.

"For luck," he says.

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr laughs out loud at Skellig's response. "You are a wise man, Skellig."

Kreyu chuckles, low, when he says it's for luck. "Of course," she replies, tone slightly teasing.

"I'll show you the best place to watch the race from," Tyr promises her. Can Skellig still hear her heart when he reaches the starting line?