[IC] Guardian (An Original Fantasy Roleplay)

[DashingHeights]

It was hot, even for the early morning, and spots like this were so rare that for a moment she thought she was seeing things. Still, Rowan picked up the pace, digging her heels into Buttons' sides and shifting in her seat atop the animal. They both took a long-needed plunge as Buttons sank belly deep in clear, cold water. Rowan squealed as it splashed up around her, soaking her thighs and belly. She swung her leg over the creature's back and slid off easily, hands raised in the air as she sank to her knees in the crystal liquid. She opened her eyes once under the surface, cheeks puffed out with air and crazy hair swirling about her in the disturbed water. This was such a nice change from the sand of the surrounding dessert, which still itched in places she didn't know she had. Buttons stamped a foot and Rowan resurfaced with an extravagant whip of her hair over her shoulders. She grinned and looked down at herself as she stood, glancing over her shoulder briefly. She was reflected rather beautifully on the shiny surface, shaking out her hair and smiling seductively at herself. Buttons snorted.

"Why can't you wait?" a gruff voice behind her said. She turned to see a very lean, very tall, man doubled over trying to catch his breath. He'd obviously ran here. Sweat dripped profusely from his forehead and nose, hair as soaked as her own. He lacked a shirt, which she wasn't at all complaining about, but his trousers were dark with sweat and other stains. "Come in the water, Maddy," Rowan sighed gently, a patient smirk on her face. Maddox gave a single nod and fell to his knees beside the pool. He splashed it in his face a few times before pausing to catch his breath and grin up at his friend, "I went longer today."

[corrosive]

"Hey! No fair!" the boy called after his companion as the cat shot across the sand. The muscular animal was prone to playing games with his familiar, liked to test his limits for all it was worth. Clutched, gently, in the feline's jaws was one wooden crutch, long and ridiculous, it made him resemble a playful dog with a stick nonetheless. Just as Erlyn would come close enough, the animal would be nothing but a blur across the sand and he'd have to quickly limp his way after him. Games like these usually ended in the boy being exhausted and the cat being delighted, the animal loved to make him exalt much more energy than he ever meant to. Leaping carefully across the sand, the animal growled with enthusiasm and bolted forward just as Erlyn made a grab for his other crutch. He watched in defeat, the cat bounding across the sand and purring loudly, he would have barely been able to see him at all if he wasn't so bulky. His coat was a constantly moving patch of sand and his eyes were nothing but golden coins that had been lost in the depths.

"Wait up, you big oaf of a beast! I'll skin you for your coat and sell it to the locals!" the threat was lame, the animal didn't seem to believe him at all when it rolled over on it's back and started to kick the crutch, battering it with his hind paws. Getting to the cat was winding, even for the farm boy, collapsing dramatically beside the beast. He reached over and grabbed the crutch from him, tossing it in the sand beside the other one. He lied there beside the purring animal in the blazing heat, his arm winding around it's shoulders and his nose pressing to it's neck. The cat squirmed in the sand, rubbing his back into the heat and sprawling there. "You're a huge jerk."

The cat made a soft chrring noise and rolled to his paws, shaking out his coat and spraying sand in every direction. Making a face, Erlyn grabbed ahold of his back and pulled himself up on his good leg, taking the crutches and getting a good look around. "Now where in the world have you dropped us, huh? Sand, sand, and wait! A huge terrifying cat! More sand." running his hand along Koeniv's head, he began to make his way forward. The place was normal for the desert, unexciting and full of sand. Whistling under his breath, he took another look around and shook his head. "I don't see why you dragged me out here, Ko. I don't see a soul. Or anything worth looking into. Do you smell anything? Something buried beneath pounds of sand, perhaps?"

Koeniv almost seemed to sigh, the animal pressing against his good leg and walking forward. He always knew exactly where to go but sometimes he brought him places just to watch him struggle for awhile before deciding to go home. He'd found a lot of things because of Koeniv, underground caverns, abandoned farm land, a pool of water or two. Koeniv knew exactly what he was looking before but sometimes the cat just liked to mess with him to keep things interesting. "Ko, what am I looking for? Should I dig? I suck at digging with my hands, everything just fills back in and sometimes I hit water and that's really not what I'm looking for today, Ko."

[Miss Echo]

Along the valley floor between two mountains laid a beautiful, sunny, and breezy meadow that had found and caught the eye of two travelers. Two travelers that had tried and tried again to get away from home. It was the aching heart along with the feeling of deep pitted regret that they even stepped so much as an inch out of touch with those that had been so close to them. Placing anxiety in their chest to head home at once. This time, like all the other times before, they had gotten 5 miles from the last time that they tried. Closer and closer they got to that place in their minds that would make it seem like this was a good idea. To have it so they never looked over their shoulders at what they were going to leave behind to see what was really out there in the world. Living a sheltered life had made the young girl curious. It excited her while scaring her that something might happen to her or her companion with no one to know if she would be alright. This was her moment to prove that she could go out there and do what she had been wanting to do this whole time. Even if it took her all day, she was determined not to go home.

That is how she had stopped in the meadow. All those thoughts came up all at once and choked her to the point where she forcefully caused a very abrupt landing from her companion. It had only meant to be a few minutes so that she could breath, to think straight and move on to the next mile. To at least make it further than they had any other day before today. A few minutes turned into an hour, an hour turned into two. The young girl's mind kept playing tricks with her in wanting to go home that she did everything she could think of to keep herself busy. With so much going on in her mind, she did the only thing that she could think of that would keep her from having a severe panic attack. Having wound up making flower crowns while her companion curled up behind her. Now, on the third hour, both were passed out with the young girls head resting on the belly of the giant beast that was her life companion.

[DashingHeights]

Rowan let out an amused little chuckle, patting Buttons' neck when she rested her big head on her shoulder. "I know," she purred affectionately, reaching her arm out towards the big guy. He leaned forward to take her outstretched hand and let out a yelp as she tugged him into the water head first. He splashed around for a moment before resurfacing and spitting water in her direction. She was laughing, the tease, and remounting Buttons to take off again. "I just got a rest!" Maddox whined, leaning on the bank. Rowan shrugged, kicking her feet and pulling back on the equinoc's ears so she reared.

Maddox had to admit that his friend was attractive. She was like a bright ball of sunshine in an otherwise dismal plane. Her face screwed up in laughter, eyes squeezed shut, insane hair whipping about. Maddox had never been more in love. Although, he knew little about that feeling. He didn't think what he had with Rowan was a romantic type of love, either, but he'd never felt that, so he couldn't tell. The first time he felt anything for anyone other than Rowan, she had so strongly discouraged him that he dismissed it every time. Though women were beautiful and he was no virgin, he was slightly confused as to whether he was allowed to liked them or not.

"Are you coming?" Rowan broke his train of thought as she slowed her steed to a trot. Maddox chuckled, sloshing out of the pool and shaking his hair out before taking off after them. This was their morning routine: get up before dawn, eat a not-so-nourishing breakfast of beans and potatoes (and peanut butter, in Maddy's case), and exercise before work. They still had hours before they needed to be anywhere, and Rowan liked to keep her friend in shape. He would run behind while she rode Buttons to random destinations. Today had been an oasis, which they would probably never find again.

[Miss Echo]

The girls companion twitched in his sleep ever so slightly that he folded one wing over the girl without disturbing her just yet. Not till after he inhaled deeply, forcing it out with a huff as if he was having a bad dream or in the beginnings of one. Causing the girl's head to move with his stomach. Having the feathers of his wing brush lightly against her nose. In which she woke up with a sneeze, startling her companion awake to get up, letting the back of her head hit the ground lightly. Lightly, but, enough to gain a groan out of her while holding her head. It wasn't till the gryphon looked around wildly and wided eyed, that he realized that his girl was hurt. Whimpering as he nuzzled her arm Prim?? Speaking to her through his thoughts. "Why... Ty... That hurt..." Primara didn't know if it was on purpose or not just as of yet. All she could think about his hold her head in hopes that the stinging would go away as soon as possible.

[Tokki]

Almira

The winds howled as the violent sandstorm picked up. "Ahmir!" Almira called out frantically. Vision was practically non-existent at that point, and one could not look up to further than 3 feet in all directions. The young girl cursed as her shawl was carried away by a strong gust of wind that managed to unravel the cloth that was tightly wrapped around her waist. One level of defense, gone. The depths of the sand increased rapidly as the particles were thrown around aimlessly, causing her feet to sink through the fine layers of grain more than just slightly. This was a worry, but nonetheless but she had to find her friend. Through the grainy walls of sand she noticed the sun's light penetrating even weaker than before. Night was coming. Fast.

Almira held out her hands in front of her in a desperate attempt to feel her surroundings, as her peripheral vision was only limited to a few inches ahead of her. Earlier, Ahmir had left her in search of water and rosemary, a herb too rare to find in that type of climate-- but he sensed her desperation as she wanted more flavor to her food than just saltiness. Without a sound, he set off while she slept through the night. Now, she was scared, alone, and worried... more for her companion than anything else. As the sun dipped lower towards the horizon, her restlessness grew- along with the intensity of the dry storm.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ahmir

The gargantuan reptile hurriedly scuttered along the arenaceous landscape. His master was calling out to him, and he must not disappoint. The lizard flicked his antennae towards the sky, detecting the pertaining sound waves that echoed around the distant barrenness of the Orthian desert. After hearing a familiar sound, the creature adjusted himself into a stance and began to skip across the terrain towards it.

[DashingHeights]

The sand dunes rolled by inch by inch as the pair made their way back to the village. Half way, Rowan had stopped Buttons to let Maddox climb on. It was almost a miracle the creature could support both of their weight, but she did. She even had energy to canter back home. The village entrance was a gaping cave carved out of a large stone, perfect for blocking wind and sandstorms. As they dismounted and ducked inside, they followed the winding path down into the earth, breathing in an aromatic mixture of dense dirt and warm bodies. Neither were mouth breathers, but this tunnel was rather stuffy. Buttons followed quietly behind them, also heaving in the humid gloom.

Finally, the air pressure let up and before them was painted a magnificent scene; Ecrin. Between the intricate tunnel work and all the support beams, it was a sight to behold. The ceiling was high, the pillars large in girth, and into each archway above each tunnel was delicately carved a street name. Lining the main tunnel were vendors and tiny shops advertising trinkets and goods. Resources were hard to come by in the dessert, so nothing was particularly affordable, but that was just the standard of living. Most everything that they had besides food and clothes came from their mountain cousins, the Aerians. Although, trading with Aerians was always rocky because they looked down on most everything Orthians had. They seemed to take a great interest in a few select items: the jewels found while mining, root vegetables that didn't grow well in the mountains, and animal skins.

Rowan took a sharp right as soon as they started down the main street. Buttons followed immediately, but Maddox hung back a bit to admire his home. He was always so impressed by their creations. Like the farms Rowan was currently on her way to. Each had a massive sky light, but they were far enough underground that it was cool. A nice contrast to the heat of the desert. The farms were three acres each, all with at least two different types of crops, and there were grass pastures for raising livestock.

[Miss Echo]

"I-I didn't mean to...." With sincere words, Titanius stepped back a few steps to allow Primara to fully sit up still cradling her head in her arms. Moments passed before Titanis sat down on his haunches when Primara didn't answer him or even move at all once she sat up. In his silent moping, he didn't realize that Primara had already stood up and was running her fingers over his cheeks. Placing a kiss right between his eyes, almost on the beginnings of his beak. Making his tail wag and thumb against the ground that he was forgiven by her just as easily as any time before. Feeling complete bliss when Primara squished his cheeks in more. "I could never stay mad at you." Cooing at him like he was still just the hatchling he had been five years ago when his partnership started with the fair skinned girl that was giving him the love and attention that he looked forward to everyday.

With a short giggle to how her gryphon cheered right up when she expressed that she wasn't angry that he dropped her head on the ground. Primara stood up to stretch her hands way up over her head. Going onto her toes while letting out a delighted sigh when she no longer felt that she had been kept in a barrel for two days. Titanius stood up on his feet long enough to get closer to Primara to plop back down and resting his head on her shoulders. Both of them forgetting that they had almost turned back around again. Now, Primara had the chance to look around and find out where they had come.

[DashingHeights]

A few farmers waved in greeting as Rowan and Maddox made their way through the fields. As usual, they were already bustling with activity. Most Orthians were up at the crack of dawn. It was in their breed to be. Maddox was different, however. He liked to sleep in and he hated physical labour. He only did it because Rowan made him, and he had grown up that way.

The pair turned down a short, cobbled pathway to a house made of mud. Rowan was first inside, patting Buttons on the snout and asking her to wait outside. A moment later, there came a cut off scream and Maddox sprinted the distance between himself and the doorway. He was relieved to find Rowan swatting her very happy looking, much older brother, who had apparently startled her. "You ass!" she was pouting, arms crossed and lip being worried between her teeth. Maddox chuckled, clapping the older man on the back, "Hey, Midas."

"Maddox! Look at you, you never stop growing," Midas gave him an unexpected hug, which was happily returned after a brief moment of surprise. "What constitutes the sudden visit?" Rowan broke in, wiggling her way between the two taller individuals. Midas' smile immediately faltered, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, which he only did when he was nervous. "Well," he cleared his throat as Rowan and Maddox looked up (down) at him expectantly, "It's trade day. And remember how it's your turn to take the goods?"

They nodded in unison.

"It's going to Blencalgo."

Silence followed the statement. Of all places, it had to be the one they hated most. Although neither of them had ever been there, they had heard stories of how terrible it was; how desolate and lazy. Few from Ecrin ever agreed to go there, but this time they must have had something pretty valuable.

"Okay," Maddox finally sighed. Rowan whipped on her heels to stare at him, "Okay? Not okay! We can't go to Blencalgo!" The big guy shrugged, shouldering past her to get to the wash basin in the corner, "I don't see why not. It's for trade." He wrung out the rag sitting in the water (collected that morning) and began wiping the sweat from his body. Rowan paused, momentarily distracted by the droplets curving over her friend's abdominal muscles, following the 'v' created by his thighs, and disappearing into the waistline of his trousers.

Someone coughed. Someone who turned out to be Midas. He was almost laughing, for some reason, and Maddox tilted his head curiously in that cute way that he always did. Rowan huffed, averting her eyes elsewhere and shaking her head. "Why do you do that, Maddy?"

"Do what?"

"Agree. Give everything the benefit of the doubt," Rowan's arms flapped at her sides as if to emphasize her point. Maddox didn't seem to get it, shrugging again and going about his business of cleaning up. Rowan blinked, "Can you do that later?"

[Miss Echo]

Primara looked around her surroundings. Taking in all the beautiful nature that was dancing with the wind. Little by little, Primara started to notice that she didn't recognize anything at all. It wasn't the fact that she hadn't been this way or this far from home. It just didn't look right with the map that she had swiped from her older adoptive brother. Frowning hard she quickly went to the pack that was usually tied onto Titanius to look at that said map only to find out that she had been going the wrong way the whole time. With a disbelieving look she placed her face in her hands while her shoulders started to shake. Titanius thought that Primara was crying, though he wasn't sure on what. He got up to walk over to her. "Prim??" He said cautiously only to jump sideways when she busted out laughing in the error that she had made.

Once the young blonde calmed down she looked over at her gryphon. "We went the wrong way Ty..." Holding the map up for him to see, pointing at where they were and where they should have been. Where they were put the close to Sharnwick, to which is not where she wanted to go. She had seen the ocean by the mountains and she was all too familiar with the nature that she had grown up with. What she really wanted to see for the first time was the desert sand. That was where they should have been heading to when they had stopped off in this meadow.

Titanius nodded his head, giving out a birdie chuckle while snapping his beak a few times. Glad that Primara wasn't one to get mad at something that she knew was her error. She must have been so excited and determined not to go home this time that she didn't take the time to really focus on the direction that they were going. With the new direction set. Primara got to work on putting Titanius' pack back on him so that they could take off in the next few minutes. Pausing only long enough to take the flower crowns that she had made with her. Making sure that they were put in nice so that they didn't get ruined completely. Them drying out was something that she had no control over.

[Tokki]

After what seemed like an hour, the sandstorm had died down with Almira half-buried in place. Due to the unstable condition of the dunes surrounding her, she was unable to move, save that she risk her body being swallowed by the landscape. A mild disability was better than a permanent one. Precariously, she struggled to squirm out of the hole, clawing in handfuls of sand from the surface but to no avail. The next thing she knew, the young girl found herself being pushed out of the sand from beneath. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips as the gigantic reptile mewled happily, finally reunited with his rider. "Where were you! I was so worried... what's that?" she redirected her eyes to the bundle of herbs Ahmir held in-between his jaws. A million fireworks went off in her head at that moment. "Rosemary!"

The two continued on their travel to the edge of the desert, only stopping for succulent plants and anything that could substitute for edibles.

[DashingHeights]

"No," Maddox whined, "I feel dirty and gross." Rowan mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'far from it,' earning a chuckle and a pat on the shoulder from her brother. "Well, you leave at noon, if you decide to accept," he shuffled to the exit, but just before he left he pointed out a basket of assorted items left on the table. "Those are for you. I managed to, uh.. Procure a few during my regulation duties."

Midas was a trades manager. He did exactly what the job sounded like: managed traded items. Sometimes he'd find good things to "borrow" for himself or his little sister. In this case, Rowan pulled out of the basket several loaves. "Bread!" Maddox exclaimed happily. Only the higher ups got real bread. Rowan looked joyfully through the rest of the basket, finding butter and jam to go with the bread loaves. "I love him," she sighed fondly.

Maddox chuckled, nodding even though he didn't fully understand. He'd never had a sibling, and though he considered Rowan his sister, she wasn't. He didn't truly have a family. At least, he never felt like he did. He pulled a shirt over his head and quickly changed his pants before joining her at the table. She was already cutting into a loaf. They ate in silence, both mulling over their afternoon task. Maddox still didn't see the problem, but Rowan was clearly perturbed.

Work was a small relief; a distraction from what they would inevitably have to face. Rowan wandered the rows of root vegetables, harvesting what looked ripe and leaving what didn't. Buttons walked helpfully in front, holding the basket with her dexterous tail. Rowan wasn't big or strong enough to handle the blades necessary for cutting wheat, but Maddox was. Maddox was plenty big enough.

The scythe hissed from side to side, small grunts coming up from deep within his chest as his muscles ached with the strain. Several times Rowan stopped to watch his back and biceps flex, a heat curling in her gut as he paused to brush his hair back out of his face and give her a big, silly grin, waving. God, she was hopeless. Hopelessly in love.

@Miss Echo

[Miss Echo]

With Titanius' pack back on him. Sitting just behind his wings, wrapping all the way around him to sit snugly. Allowing him to carry things other than Primara, still allow him to move, and giving his little rider something to hold onto so that she didn't rip out any fur or feathers that might have been clutched tightly in her thin little fingers while they were several feet up from the ground. Primara Looked about her one more time, deciding that they should take to the air once more where they were. While they still had so much open room for take off. Already having talked about how they were going to have to avoid home in fear that they would just go home when they saw their settlement. Primara hopped up onto Titanius' back with a leg up from her companion.

A few round around the meadow, trying to determine where the best spot was for them to get a good run into the air. Primara and Titainus stood looking in the opposite direction from where they wanted to go. It was from here that Primara would have her companion take off, circle around in the air a few times to build height, then they would bend it out and head out towards the right direction that they should have been by now. Excitement gripped her gut as Titanius ran while flapping his wings to get into the air. The young Aerian girl knew that nothing else was going to give her this feeling deep down inside of her gut. Nothing other than the feeling of her feet leaving the ground and being carried off by something that had it's own mind and views on the world. Knowing that she could lose full control and not minding one bit on whatever adventure that he might take her.