Thread: Awakening  (Steel Quill and TennTenshie)

The mountains rose high into the sky. Even this late into the spring, the tops where still capped with snow that just wouldnt seem to leave. The bases looked almost like black fingers reaching out from the white sleeve of a mans shirt in the morning air. The Biting cold had lifted into a more welcoming balm, encouraging people to once again come around the great mountains, into their forests, up their black sides and into the white snows that still lingered at their peaks. The forests around the mountain had begun to become green and lush, the smaller animals venturing out among the new growth while the larger ones had taken longer. Now within the heavy green leaves and flowers, the little creatures darted to an fro, with either young to tend or stores to rebuild. The goats and lions had awoken, had begun moving more comfortably as the spring life began to grow and bloom. She could hear one bleating at one of the larger entrances. From Deep within the heart of the mountains, Eva stirred. Rising from her nest, easily 5 feet off the ground in a 10 foot room, she stretched the grey topped, to black tipped wings out. The speckled band in between the two colors thinned as her wings spread to their widest points. Then she refolded them, bent and pulled on a pair of leather pants, followed by the leather corset that covered her chest, belting her maces to her hips, she fingered the plain leather. Had she mated she wondered if shed have been allowed to sleep beside him, or if she would have still been left the only awakened one. Lonely and unsure if her kind would ever awaken again. She dropped to the ground, tamping her feet into the leather boots before she kept walking. Her hair was short, a light grey in color. The grey head feathers rising to stand on each side before lowering into a relaxed state, following the lighter wisps of white back behind her head. She looked down deeper into the mountain, towards the sancutaries, opening her wings she dropped into the hole, using them to slow her decent, she landed with a soft thud. Eva knew better than thinking her sounds would wake the sleepers, a few had died over the centuries, theyd get left in these sanctuaries, the rock would claim their bodies when the others awoke, She walked among the sleeping ones, checking to see if the glow had left the reflections, beautiful pools of water on the angled center of the sanctuary showed a glowing star between the eyes, invisible on the actual form, in almost any reflection it showed on any Avian, unless unless they would never awaken again. She checked leather bindings that held her fellows wings to the wall, protected from damage, the mask over their noses and mouths, the belts that kept them from falling forward and injuring their wings or bodies. Made sure in all of the sanctuaries they were all still secure and seeing if any more hand gone to join the gods. She left the Sanctuaries rising to the next level, she walked the empty halls looking at the tapestries that indicated who at one point had slept in each room before rising to the next level, here she could hear the goats Bleating more, the entry this creature was standing at came to the market, and central living areas. The Harpy just let it cry, it was probably encouraging a child or another Goat. Perhaps it was injured. She looked at the pit, she had food still in it, the low fire had died, so she started another to keep the pests away from her meat, but not to cook it too much. Looking around the empty stalls with items still hanging from their sides, swords, axes, other weaponry, corsets bracers, breastplates, boots, brushes, paints everything was simply there. She gave a small smile before she finally answered the bleats, heading for the entry that the animal cried from. She looked at the injured creature for a moment, normally shed have killed it, eaten it perhaps, even just to put it out of its misery. But she was feeling lonely today. So she knelt, and pet the creature as it bleated at her. She looked at the injury, it appeared to be some trap, meant to keep the thing where it sprung, so a human had thought this cave merely a cave. Hadnt explored it, but set a trap. With long fingers she studied the trap before figuring it out enough to release the Goat. That jumped up to almost fall back down. Come on. She told it softly leading it into the cave. Dripping blood on the smooth well walked surface. Theyd cared for animals more than once, the goats had been a food source for years they wouldnt let it simply go unaided. She found some bandaging cloth that had gone unused for years and ripped it. Binding the wounded leg up, Poor goat. She said to it petting it after shed finished. Little babe. Now she knew why it had cried, the mother had probably left it. No matter, she wouldnt mind some company. Though, shed have to find some plants and bring them back, she did not eat plant matter. It would have to wait. She pet the little goat and blocked it into an empty stall. Moving on to the higher reaches into the mountain, to the temple and the four statues of the gods and goddesses, praying to each, before moving up to check on the royal rise. She then returned to the little goat and walked it out, carefully down the mountain to the grasses to eat, and drink, pulling bud-laden branches off to take back. When she was done she lead it back up to the cave entrance and inside, the goat following the sprigs she had. At least the next few days wouldnt be so lonely.