OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 11

[brave_kreyu]

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.

Comments

[27_53]

Skellig yells - most of it is likely lost to the wind, but the energy carried with it is unshakable even by the strongest gusts.

"Come on, love! You've got this!"

so proud of you my queen

[brave_kreyu]

She feels his energy, the words he does not speak, and it lets her push just that little bit more. She alights at the finish line, breathing hard, heart pounding, flushed and sweaty, feathers a bit ruffled. She DEFINITELY needs more practice flying in this shape.

[27_53]

As she heads for the finish line, he swoops to join her, landing beside her just a moment after she completes the course.

"You are much faster than I am, through those turns!"

With her cheeks flushed and her breath coming in hard, he does not lean in and pounce her for a kiss right away; he checks where Tyr is (still a decent distance off) and then presses his lips to her cheek, whispering low in her ear.

"Will have to take you back to our little Lair and celebrate properly in a moment," he says, his fingers running over the leading edge of one of her wings, teasing the feathers.

[brave_kreyu]

"Different wings," she replies, modest. "You were more skilled in the air though, I am in need of FAR more practice before I run a race against an opponent."

She shivers as he teases her feathers. "Even sweaty and flushed as I am?" she asks, partly curious, partly pleased.

Tyr is flying, slowly, toward them. Taking his time, the aerial equivalent of a stroll.

[27_53]

Bless Tyr and his ability to read the scene in front of him!

"You being flushed and sweaty is hardly a turnoff," he replies, leaning in a little closer. "I would take you however you looked. Flushed, sweaty, covered in dirt...you are beautiful regardless."

He lightly nips her earlobe with his teeth, then pats his hand gently against her hip, lifting his head as Tyr gets within earshot of them.

"Think she did rather well also, for a beginner!"

[brave_kreyu]

At least Tyr won't be able to tell that she's more flushed from Skellig nipping her earlobe and patting her hip!

"She did quite well," Tyr agrees.

"Thank you," Kreyu replies. "Will need a great many more practice runs before I would dare race for real, though."

She shifts, finally feels the strain. Something must show in her body or her face, because Tyr looks concerned. "Think you've strained yourself a bit, Kreyu."

[27_53]

Mentally, Skellig is kicking himself for not catching the soreness she is feeling sooner - but his mind was slightly distracted!

"Some of those crosswinds were a bit more fierce it felt as I was watching you race, I was having to brace myself against the wall." He smooths his hand over the top of her shoulder. "I will help you stretch when we get back to our space."

He glances skyward, towards the sun and the clouds, which are still thickening slowly.

"You think it will snow, still?"

[brave_kreyu]

She was too full of adrenaline to really FEEL the soreness, Skellig!

Tyr nods. "After the sun goes down. Might keep snowing through tomorrow, even."

"Thank you, Tyr." She smiles softly at the man she thinks of as their friend.

"No trouble," he replies.

[27_53]

"Good," Skellig says, in response to the 'forecast'. "If this is to be your first snowfall, love, I would like it to be one worth enduring the cold for. And yes...thank you, Tyr. I will enjoy getting to practice this again as the winds permit, in the coming days."

But not another run, today - they are all tired, all three of them!

[brave_kreyu]

Tyr nods, looking at the sky. "If our newly fledged are going to be ground bound for a while, I'd best take them for a supervised flight."

His smile turns wry. "Adolescent boys who've only just started to fly will get into trouble, else. I'd rather no one broke a bone this year."

"Good luck then, Tyr," Kreyu says, sympathetically. "We'll be resting, I think." Of possibly "resting".

[27_53]

"That sounds as if it will be in everyone's best interest," Skellig agrees. "Good luck with them."

Once they have split ways and made it back to their space, he heads first for their 'kitchen' area, where they obviously do not have quite the supply of goods as Fenris and Tyr, but there are still plenty of snacks.

"I would make us something to eat, if you would look through our things and perhaps find some of the oils we brought with us for massage? I would like to work on your back and shoulders, a bit."

He could easily just heal the injury with his abilities and they could move on - but sometimes, he prefers the 'old fashioned' way...

[brave_kreyu]

"Thank you, Skellig, that would be lovely." There are apples, cheeses, various nuts, pickles, fresh bread, and cured meats to choose from. Oh, and mead and cider, of course.

Kreyu sorts through their luggage, looking for the oils that were carefully packed away to avoid breakage. The sandalwood scented oil, she decides at last.

"You were magnificent, running that course," she tells him.

[27_53]

"The same could be said for you, my love."

A divided tray filled with portions of each of their offerings is what he settles on - they can both graze - and two mugs of cider are settled onto the low table near their nest.

He sniffs the air as they both sit.

"The sandalwood is a good choice," he says. "I love it on your skin...I will use it after we eat. Where are you most sore?"

[brave_kreyu]

"The muscles where my wings attach to my body," she replies. "A crosswind caught me unexpectedly and I had to really work to avoid being thrown into the wall." There are muscles IN the wings that ache too, but that would be a disaster for her feathers.

Kreyu spreads one of the cheeses on the bread, a combination she has found she likes. Skellig has gotten good at picking out snacks for the two of them.

[27_53]

Nodding softly, he smiles. "I am glad you avoided the wall," he says honestly, as he sorts through a small handful of nuts, deciding on which of them he'd like to eat first. "Those rocks are quite sharp. I can see why there are so many accidents in that last section."

The faint scratch on his cheek can vouch for the sharpness of those rocks!

"I used my call to listen as I approached the eye. I was not quite sure I was going to clear it all the way, but then I remembered...I can listen, and it worked to guide me."

[brave_kreyu]

"So very clever," she praises him.

She makes a pleased sound as she tries her snack. "Hungrier than I expected to be." She chuckles. "I do not have much experience with fancy flying in this shape, and my draconic one is QUITE different."

[27_53]

"What have you done there - covered the bread with cheese? I may have to try that next."

Which he will do, after he finishes with these nuts, and then the pickled root vegetables that he is not quite sure what they are, but they are both savory and a bit sweet as well which is odd (but not unpleasant) to him.

"I guess I have not seen you fly much in this form with any real intent, aside from our flights on the island," Skellig says. "When we went to attack the pirates, you were in your eagle form..."

[brave_kreyu]

"It's very good, I think you'll like it."

She nods. "This shape doesn't fly through the air especially well, compared to my eagle shape." The humanoid form is many things, but it is not especially aerodynamic!

"And my draconic shape is so much larger AND I have no feathers." She chuckles. "I don't think my dragon shape would even have fit through most parts of the course."

[27_53]

"I don't think it would have," he agrees. "But it would have been a sight to see you up there, against those winds."

A chunk of bread is torn in half and Skellig works to spread some of the softer cheese onto the surface of it.

"We are also much more...fragile, like this," he motions at his own body with a free hand. "Between the wings being as exposed as they are, and then our bodies are not...not nearly as well armored as your dragon form is."

[brave_kreyu]

"Very true," she says. She reaches out to touch his face, gentle. "Vulnerable, but much easier to interact with most of the world without harming it."

"This shape is much more versatile and experiences things with greater intensity."

[27_53]

Skellig tips his head towards her hand, relishing her touch.

"You are right about that...the intensity of experiences." He says. "I know I do not have another shape to compare it to, or even strong memories to judge it against...but our journey has been the most wonderful thing I have ever lived."

[brave_kreyu]

Her smile when he says this journey has been the most wonderful thing he has ever lived is bittersweet.

"I am very glad that it has been wonderful for you, but there is always a drop of sorrow that there was so little wonder, so little joy, in your life Before."

She caresses his face because she wants to, although she's careful to avoid the scratch. She does not want to cause him discomfort.

[27_53]

Reaching up with one hand, he lightly covers her hand as she strokes his face.

"I appreciate that," he says. "But even though I can't truly remember what it was like Before, I do not think I would have survived to this point if it was completely full of sorrow. My spirit could not handle it, with no Light, no joy or laughter..."

He offers a faint smile.

"So I would not fret too much, my love."

[brave_kreyu]

"I will not," she promises. There is truth in his words, after all.

She grins. "You are with me now, and I will see to it that you have Light enough to match a dragon's hoard."

She's eaten as much as she wants to, for the moment. She might snack more later.

[27_53]

His smile brightens to match her grin.

"I have no doubts of your abilities to keep my Light reserves well-stocked," he quips. "I had not felt a drain in them at all for weeks, until we came across Tyr in that cage."

And even then, it did not take much effort on her part to build them up again!