[IC] Ancient Futures [Sola & Jett]

[Carlyle]

---

Amberstone
Morning

---

In the sky above, the sun was shining brightly on the settlement of Amberstone.

Cerys wasn't an early riser, yet she often awoke right as the settlement seemed to grow. At night, Amberstone was almost a ghost town, but once dawn shone from behind the shattered landscape, the streets would swarm with activity from children running around playing tag to traders opening up for business.

Stuffing a piece of buttered bread in her mouth, Cerys stretched her limbs as she absentmindedly watched the settlement come to life. With the world being in a post-apocalyptic state, finding something to keep your attention long enough was difficult, but Cerys felt there was a certain beauty to it when everyone rose out of bed to start their day. Maybe it was the fresh smells of breakfast, or the upbeat moods the settlers carried with them, but in the end, Cerys could never quite pin it.

Screech!

A quiet noise came from beside Cerys, almost like a yapping bird call. Smiling, Cerys broke off a piece of her bread, handing over a small chunk to the Archaeopteryx. It had been some time since Cerys had originally found the creature, but even then, the Archaeopteryx was still quite the hungry animal, regardless if it preferred small lizards or bugs over a piece of bread.

"You never change, do you?" Cerys asked, yet the only answer she received was a wolfed down snack. Sighing, Cerys returned her gaze to the busy crowd in the streets, noticing a familiar face. When one wore pure white in what was once California, it was easy to pick them out of a crowd of people, especially when the wardrobe tended to be the same day after day.

"Oi, Eira!" Cerys called out, jogging after the girl with her Archaeopteryx in tow. Once Cerys caught up, she swung her arm around Eira's shoulder, and smiled like a goofball. "Whatcha up to? Fancy goin' outside the gates in a bit?"

[Miraboreasu]

---

Eira Drake was most certainly not a morning person. She preferred the solitude the night brought, even if it included the calls from outside the gates as carnivores hunted. Hell, even those had their own, strange way of comforting her. Packs of smaller hunters were common, but sometimes the night air was punctuated by the rumbling calls of a larger carnivore. Luckily there hadn't been any incursions; the walls and gate were still in good shape.

She'd spent the night in a tree where the Schäfer family kept their herd animals. They were somewhat smaller than the herbivores outside of the gates, and more amicable. Not quite tame, like the cows and horses her grandfather told her about before he'd passed away, but less likely to charge you if you got between them and their calf.

"Oi, Eira!"

Eita began to turn to the voice before a surprisingly strong arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Whatcha up to? Fancy goin' outside the gates in a bit?"

Eira's muscles tightened, at first, and then relaxed, and her hand reflexively went for the knife sheathed at her belt. Cerys was a familiar face. She had an adventurous spirit, and while Eira could appreciate it, lots of energy wasn't what she wanted just yet. "I'll be ready as soon as I get breakfast," she said quietly. Eira looked up at the sky. It didn't feel or smell like rain. "Niji's probably sleeping last night's hunt off, and I'd rather not go out without him this early."