The Reawakening – Supplemental
*note* This story is based in the same world as the RP The Reawakening. If you'd like more background check out the main thread :)
Judy’s head jerked up suddenly. She had been crouching, resting on a half rotted log with her eyes closed as the flock circled her. Sometimes they could confuse her, and resting helped a bit. Today they were on edge, and their anxiety and caution in this new place was giving her a headache.
Suddenly they all froze. The few in the air plummeted in controlled movements to the ground, the ones who had been on the ground scratching or nibbling something simply froze in place. They moved as one, like a school of fish. Sparrows always moved like that, but the flock had become even more like a single entity since they had Joined with Judy.
The oldest male twitched his head back and forth, the jerky movements crafted by untold generations to be less likely to draw a predator’s gaze. He spotted the half-hidden man behind the tree before Judy did. It must have been his footstep that had drawn her attention.
Judy had frozen along with the sparrows, grateful now that her inherent caution had made her move a ways off the trail before she could allow herself to rest for a moment. The man was on the trail, near where she had left it. She was sure if he was any sort of tracker he would know exactly where she was, but other than jerking her head up she hadn’t so much as breathed.
The male sparrow hopped, and the others began to dither about at his cue; each of the tiny feathered bodies moving ever so slightly towards the man with each step, but never directly towards him. Then they used their new favorite trick, pretending they were normal sparrows.
The flock suddenly lifted, whirling and winging into the tree tops. The maneuver wasn’t one they had practiced, not that they ever had any difficulty working as a cohesive group. They had all adjusted to the Joining within a few days, becoming more like one being - one mind – than the small group of individuals driven to stick together by instinct. Now they were so much more, and changing every day.
The ruse seemed to work, the man’s eyes followed the flock as they flitted between branches. Some of them dropped down – away from Judy – to pretend to scavenge and dig for bugs. Their main goal had become protecting her, diverting attention. As much as she appreciated the intent overall they were becoming a bit creepy. Not that Judy would ever so much as think that where they could hear her. She didn’t even allow herself to fully form the thought.
The true change had happened the night they lost all but one of this years’ new fledglings. Before that they had been a flock, her flock. But that night they seemed to decide something in their tiny bird brains. They had somehow plucked the idea that they would be stronger together right out of Judy’s brain. Since then they had been morphing into this clever and multi-faceted single being. And Judy had to watch her thoughts. Carefully.
Judy stayed frozen in place for another few minutes, but the man didn’t move away. Somehow he knew she was there. He had hardly even shifted his weight, just as careful and patient as she was. Almost as if he was hiding from something too.
~~~
It had been such a long day…days really.
Jackson felt like he hadn’t had any rest, let along sleep, in the past week. Counting backwards he realised that, if he had the time right, it was more like 40 hours constantly on the move.
He could still feel the restless itch in the back of his head, but he was stuck there. Frozen. He was sure at least some of the terror that was running rampant through his brain as his body stayed stuck was due to the exhaustion…but he had no idea how much.
If he was honest with himself he had likely frozen just as much because he couldn’t force himself to move another inch, to face one more problem, as out of a fear response. He was just. So. Tired.
He stood still for another few moments, staring intently at the spot where he’d thought he had seen movement. It was possible there was someone in the brush there, but he couldn’t be sure. The branches and dead leaves and everything else in the woods seemed to conspire to hide whoever was there.
He’d thought the little flurry of sparrows had been what he had seen at first, but something deep in his gut told him there was a person there.
He felt as though he’d been holding his breath for days when a sudden rush of relief flooded his body. It couldn’t be his own, since nothing had changed in his vision, but he was just as sure as if he’d seen the woman for himself. Blue eyes. Safe.
Jackson relaxed his muscles, shuffling his feet to work out the cramps caused by standing stock still for so long and breathing for a minute before he called out.
“Hey. Who ever you are. It’s safe. I’m…” He paused, not sure what he was going to say, how he could convince her he was safe. He was saved further confusion by the expediency of a velvety snout brushing the woman’s elbow.
She jumped about three feet into the air at the unexpected contact. For such a huge animal wild horses could move soundlessly through the brush if they chose, and this one was a master of his craft. He had to be.
She was only about twenty feet off the trail, and Jackson could see the panic in her eyes as she looked his way. He lifted a hand out towards her, palm first as though he was saying ‘wait!’.
“It’s ok. He won’t hurt you. He’s with me.” A sudden flurry of sparrows darted down between the trees. Tiny bodies arrowing through branches without touching a single one. The stallion bobbed his head, whickering quietly at the sparrows.
Their flight took on a less aggressive mien and the flock landed on the leaf litter surrounding the woman. With the exception of one lone bird, who landed decisively on the broad back of the bay stallion.
The fear eased in the woman’s eyes, something Jackson was grateful to see; he wasn’t at all used to anyone being afraid of him. She stared at him suddenly, as if seeing his eerily white-blue eyes for the first time and said, so softly Jackson wouldn’t have heard her without the horses’ help “You’re…with him?”
Jackson nodded, something still telling him he shouldn’t move towards her. Despite the sparrows flitting around her, their tiny bodies never still, she reminded him more of a rabbit…a cornered rabbit. “Yes. I, uh. He found me. Two days ago…I think.”
She nodded slowly, and the little sparrow who had landed on the horse winged its way towards Jackson. It’s erratic sparrow flight oddly direct. Jackson could see it was a male and as it came closer he held a hand up in front of him, cautious of the sharp beak still driving its way towards him.
The little male landed on his outstretched hand delicately. It hardly weighed anything and if he hadn’t felt the puff of wind and the continuing sharp prick of tiny talons he wouldn’t have believed it at all. The bird made a sharp little chirp, then bobbed his head in a sort of nod before flitting back to his mistress.
As Jackson had been having this strange interaction with the sparrow, his stallion had been gently whuffling the woman’s hair; lipping the strands and blowing his hot breath down her collar.
A few impressions drifted through Jackson’s mind, without the confusion he’d felt the first few times this had happened. Nothing so definite as words, but the stallion had had a lot of practice with his own females and he could tell this one was unmated, and anxious by nature. Her sweat had a sour stink to it, likely caused by the same fear that had driven Jackson to run for the forest with only what he could stuff in a small back pack. With any luck this woman had had more foresight…and wouldn’t object to sharing.
She seemed to make a decision and she finally moved to join Jackson on the trial. “I’m Judy. These are…the Flock.” Jackson could here the capitalization of the word, and knew, without a doubt, that they were all hers.
He blinked a few times, then, belatedly, realized she was waiting for him to reply. “Oh. Right. I’m Jackson. He’s…a stallion.” He gestured lamely at the huge bulk of horse that had drifted seemingly on clouds to stand next to the two humans on the trail. The horse whickered, softly, and bobbed his head a bit before snuffling the hollow under Jackson’s ear. Claiming his attention and startling a laugh from the scruffy man at the tickle of the whiskers against his tender skin.
The woman, Judy, smiled a bit – more with her eyes than with the rest of her features, and nodded. “Yeah. I guess so.”
*note* This story is based in the same world as the RP The Reawakening. If you'd like more background check out the main thread :)
Judy’s head jerked up suddenly. She had been crouching, resting on a half rotted log with her eyes closed as the flock circled her. Sometimes they could confuse her, and resting helped a bit. Today they were on edge, and their anxiety and caution in this new place was giving her a headache.
Suddenly they all froze. The few in the air plummeted in controlled movements to the ground, the ones who had been on the ground scratching or nibbling something simply froze in place. They moved as one, like a school of fish. Sparrows always moved like that, but the flock had become even more like a single entity since they had Joined with Judy.
The oldest male twitched his head back and forth, the jerky movements crafted by untold generations to be less likely to draw a predator’s gaze. He spotted the half-hidden man behind the tree before Judy did. It must have been his footstep that had drawn her attention.
Judy had frozen along with the sparrows, grateful now that her inherent caution had made her move a ways off the trail before she could allow herself to rest for a moment. The man was on the trail, near where she had left it. She was sure if he was any sort of tracker he would know exactly where she was, but other than jerking her head up she hadn’t so much as breathed.
The male sparrow hopped, and the others began to dither about at his cue; each of the tiny feathered bodies moving ever so slightly towards the man with each step, but never directly towards him. Then they used their new favorite trick, pretending they were normal sparrows.
The flock suddenly lifted, whirling and winging into the tree tops. The maneuver wasn’t one they had practiced, not that they ever had any difficulty working as a cohesive group. They had all adjusted to the Joining within a few days, becoming more like one being - one mind – than the small group of individuals driven to stick together by instinct. Now they were so much more, and changing every day.
The ruse seemed to work, the man’s eyes followed the flock as they flitted between branches. Some of them dropped down – away from Judy – to pretend to scavenge and dig for bugs. Their main goal had become protecting her, diverting attention. As much as she appreciated the intent overall they were becoming a bit creepy. Not that Judy would ever so much as think that where they could hear her. She didn’t even allow herself to fully form the thought.
The true change had happened the night they lost all but one of this years’ new fledglings. Before that they had been a flock, her flock. But that night they seemed to decide something in their tiny bird brains. They had somehow plucked the idea that they would be stronger together right out of Judy’s brain. Since then they had been morphing into this clever and multi-faceted single being. And Judy had to watch her thoughts. Carefully.
Judy stayed frozen in place for another few minutes, but the man didn’t move away. Somehow he knew she was there. He had hardly even shifted his weight, just as careful and patient as she was. Almost as if he was hiding from something too.
~~~
It had been such a long day…days really.
Jackson felt like he hadn’t had any rest, let along sleep, in the past week. Counting backwards he realised that, if he had the time right, it was more like 40 hours constantly on the move.
He could still feel the restless itch in the back of his head, but he was stuck there. Frozen. He was sure at least some of the terror that was running rampant through his brain as his body stayed stuck was due to the exhaustion…but he had no idea how much.
If he was honest with himself he had likely frozen just as much because he couldn’t force himself to move another inch, to face one more problem, as out of a fear response. He was just. So. Tired.
He stood still for another few moments, staring intently at the spot where he’d thought he had seen movement. It was possible there was someone in the brush there, but he couldn’t be sure. The branches and dead leaves and everything else in the woods seemed to conspire to hide whoever was there.
He’d thought the little flurry of sparrows had been what he had seen at first, but something deep in his gut told him there was a person there.
He felt as though he’d been holding his breath for days when a sudden rush of relief flooded his body. It couldn’t be his own, since nothing had changed in his vision, but he was just as sure as if he’d seen the woman for himself. Blue eyes. Safe.
Jackson relaxed his muscles, shuffling his feet to work out the cramps caused by standing stock still for so long and breathing for a minute before he called out.
“Hey. Who ever you are. It’s safe. I’m…” He paused, not sure what he was going to say, how he could convince her he was safe. He was saved further confusion by the expediency of a velvety snout brushing the woman’s elbow.
She jumped about three feet into the air at the unexpected contact. For such a huge animal wild horses could move soundlessly through the brush if they chose, and this one was a master of his craft. He had to be.
She was only about twenty feet off the trail, and Jackson could see the panic in her eyes as she looked his way. He lifted a hand out towards her, palm first as though he was saying ‘wait!’.
“It’s ok. He won’t hurt you. He’s with me.” A sudden flurry of sparrows darted down between the trees. Tiny bodies arrowing through branches without touching a single one. The stallion bobbed his head, whickering quietly at the sparrows.
Their flight took on a less aggressive mien and the flock landed on the leaf litter surrounding the woman. With the exception of one lone bird, who landed decisively on the broad back of the bay stallion.
The fear eased in the woman’s eyes, something Jackson was grateful to see; he wasn’t at all used to anyone being afraid of him. She stared at him suddenly, as if seeing his eerily white-blue eyes for the first time and said, so softly Jackson wouldn’t have heard her without the horses’ help “You’re…with him?”
Jackson nodded, something still telling him he shouldn’t move towards her. Despite the sparrows flitting around her, their tiny bodies never still, she reminded him more of a rabbit…a cornered rabbit. “Yes. I, uh. He found me. Two days ago…I think.”
She nodded slowly, and the little sparrow who had landed on the horse winged its way towards Jackson. It’s erratic sparrow flight oddly direct. Jackson could see it was a male and as it came closer he held a hand up in front of him, cautious of the sharp beak still driving its way towards him.
The little male landed on his outstretched hand delicately. It hardly weighed anything and if he hadn’t felt the puff of wind and the continuing sharp prick of tiny talons he wouldn’t have believed it at all. The bird made a sharp little chirp, then bobbed his head in a sort of nod before flitting back to his mistress.
As Jackson had been having this strange interaction with the sparrow, his stallion had been gently whuffling the woman’s hair; lipping the strands and blowing his hot breath down her collar.
A few impressions drifted through Jackson’s mind, without the confusion he’d felt the first few times this had happened. Nothing so definite as words, but the stallion had had a lot of practice with his own females and he could tell this one was unmated, and anxious by nature. Her sweat had a sour stink to it, likely caused by the same fear that had driven Jackson to run for the forest with only what he could stuff in a small back pack. With any luck this woman had had more foresight…and wouldn’t object to sharing.
She seemed to make a decision and she finally moved to join Jackson on the trial. “I’m Judy. These are…the Flock.” Jackson could here the capitalization of the word, and knew, without a doubt, that they were all hers.
He blinked a few times, then, belatedly, realized she was waiting for him to reply. “Oh. Right. I’m Jackson. He’s…a stallion.” He gestured lamely at the huge bulk of horse that had drifted seemingly on clouds to stand next to the two humans on the trail. The horse whickered, softly, and bobbed his head a bit before snuffling the hollow under Jackson’s ear. Claiming his attention and startling a laugh from the scruffy man at the tickle of the whiskers against his tender skin.
The woman, Judy, smiled a bit – more with her eyes than with the rest of her features, and nodded. “Yeah. I guess so.”