Solo Catching A Dream

[Alori Sai]

Timestamp: 30th of Fall 513


It was Alori's first try at look out duty, and the teen Endal was excited to be bored to death. This was not to be a short stay, her duty at the look out would last 10 days. From market day to market day. It was one of the more boring parts of being an Endal, but Alori didn't care. The teen had finally claimed her dream and rose to the very top of the caste. Everything seemed new and exciting to her now, and the girl was in the clouds. She was new to it all and for the time she would just take it all in and enjoy it..it was the start to her new life.

The little huntress was alone at the look out, Durveth had ventured off to hunt, leaving her rider to keep an eye out for trouble and storms. They would communicate back and forth as long as they were in range, and others times it was complete silence leaving them both to make their own fun. She dressed warmly for the stay, a long sleeved black tunic and Bryda with a pair of tights underneath. She wore her raven colored Katinu for extra warmth and high boots to keep her feet from freezing.

Alori stood in the highest part of the look out where the bell was positioned under the stone arch. She had found a few dozen curious and funny drawings on the walls there. Apparently the Endals before her had been very bored and started to draw on the walls, telling a story of sorts. They were funny stories and she had never thought about how they were able to get such a large bell all the way up to where it sat, but the drawings gave her plenty of ideas.

The teen took ink and pen to the wall and started to draw something. Alori wasn't an artist, but she heard it was for good luck and decided to try. It took her a moment to think up what to draw, but once it came to her, she started with a smile. Stick figures was all she could manage but she hoped it got her point across. She drew the figure of a large bird that appeared to breathe fire and a few tiny stick figures running away from her. Alori was glad that Durveth couldn't see it, or else she might decide to make her pay for it later.

Alori laughed to herself, it was a perfect depiction of the wind eagle and how she treated just about everyone. The teen paused to take a look at her handy work, before she turned and headed back down the stairs and into the center chamber. The windows inside were large and it was easy to see out for a distance, no matter what side she stood on. She crossed the bed where she had left her backpack with rations in it and her guitar resting beside it. She intended to practice later on her break and after she ate something, but for now she would just..look out.

[Alori Sai]

As much as this story is about the newly crowned Endal and watch-rider, it is also about another. A Chiet named Eache. The young man was completely, unquestionably in love with Alori and saw her as the peach of the city. Eache had noticed the young Endal seasons ago when she first appeared inside the city. She was knew to the city, he thought, but the teen hadn't let that get in her way of making the city her new home. There was something about her, and Eache knew right away that she was special.

Alori was beautiful, her skin radiating a glow, and even standing by her one could feel the love and warmth from within the young woman. Eache had been captivated by her and wanted nothing more than to get to know her and to be a part of her life. There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much that he wanted to share, but whenever he was close enough, his words failed him. Eache wasn't a looker, or had the body of a hunter, and because of this he also lacked confidence. He couldn't push himself to say anything, but he still cared for her and looked forward to seeing her around.

Eache fought with himself time after time, telling himself that the next time would be the right time, and he would go up and say hello to her. But that time never came. He saw her in the market, but the crowds were to thick for him to get through. However he wouldn't let this turn him away and borrowed through. It was then that he realized how insane he looked tearing his way through the crowd just to say hello to a stranger and turned away. That day wasn't the day, and he was forced to stand and merely watch as she talked with a merchant.

There was serenity in her smile, the way that she laughed and joked with the merchant. If only that could have been him, if only he could have enough courage to just walk up and say hello. At the time, Alori had no idea that she was being watched and was too busy laughing at a merchant who was trying to sell her a used, beat up long bow. He claimed that it had been crafted by a great weapon's smith, but Alori knew better. It didn't take a weapon's smith to see the crappy design and flimsy string. But Eache didn't see it as it was, the boy only wished he had the stones to go up and talk to her.

Back at the lookout (present day) Alori stood by the windows looking out into the world. The view towards the Sanikas Valley was wonderful, and from her viewpoint she could see everything coming and going in that direction. Looking down, she moved the cup she held around in her hand. The water that she had tasted funny and she didn't want to finish it. The teen had brought brews with her and something sweet to drink, but that was for later when Durveth returned with their meals. Sighing, Alori moved from the window and walked around to check the other side.

[Alori Sai]

Durveth flew through the forest, large eyes focused on the ground below as she searched for a meal. The giant wind eagle turned into a spin, pulling her wings close to dive bomb fast. Finally she turned off, and forced herself into a loop and returned to a slightly higher altitude. Durveth was an acrobatic, and enjoyed swirling her way through the sky, whether with Alori or alone. She had to find her own fun, because hunting in the fall was the exact opposite. She soared on, watching the ground and trees for any movement of life below.

Alori, I think I found something.

A smile rose upon the teen's face, and she glanced out the large window to try and see if she could spot where Durveth was. Good going! How soon will you be back?

Soon.

Wow Durveth, that really narrows it down. Thanks.

I hope you're up for a song when I get back.

Alori giggled and shook her head, she knew what that meant. If Durveth was already asking for a song, she must have done, or was planning to bring in a big catch. Which meant that Alori would have her hands full trying to skin the thing. The young Endal left the common room, and headed back outside to where the stone steps allowed her to look out as she walked around the station. She would sing for Durveth, the wind eagle was her biggest and probably only fan. It felt good to have another to share her music with, even if they weren't Inartan.

Back in the city, Eache sat in the crafts gallery working on the painting that he had started some time ago. The painting depicted a female, teen Inartan soaring through the sky, with a large bow on her back and a dagger in one hand. When he first started to paint the image, Alori was still an Avora, and so instead of an eagle, he painted the young woman flying all on her own. The realism in the art was amazing and he worried that if anyone saw it they would recognize who it was. So far he had been lucky, and as long as he kept it covered while he wasn't painting, no one saw a thing.

Eache got the idea for the painting when he learned that Alori had become a hunter. It seemed like a brave choice to make for a girl so small, there were even yasi in the city bigger than she was. But he could see the focus in the girl's eyes and her determination to reach her goals. That made it even harder when he saw her come back from a hunt. The teen looked devastated. Her hair was a mess, skin and clothing coated in dirt and mud. There was a single streaked line of clean skin on both sides of her cheeks, and her eyes were glazed as if more tears were to come.

It hurt him to see her fail when he felt he knew how much she had wanted it. This is what inspired him to create the painting for her just so that she would know there was something out there that believed in her. Eache had been working on it as much as he could when he wasn't doing his job, but it still took longer than he expected because he wanted it to be perfect. The young man hadn't expected her sudden rise to Endal, but he would still finish the painting, the question was, did he have the courage to give it to her?

[Alori Sai]

Alori continued to walk around the landing area, watching the skies and the lands for any signs of trouble. Storms didn't roll in as fast, but at any moment someone might need her help and she wanted to be ready. It was market day, and the teen knew exactly what she was missing while stuck on lookout. She would miss two market events, and when the next came around the courtyard would feel her wraith as she ripped through and bought everything in sight. That was the plan at least, but more than not, she probably wouldn't buy that much.

Being an Endal had led her to seek the finer things the city had to offer, and that was harder to come by than the normal things that most had in the markets. Clothing was always a yes, the newest fashions she always craved and of course Endal received the best fabrics. The teen also wanted to buy new paints for her home and find someone to craft a giant collar with winds chimes attached for Durveth. She wanted to pamper the wind eagle as much as she could, but this particular one was hard to please.

After she took another walk around, Alori returned into the common area and sat down on the bed. She combed her hair back over her ear and reached for her guitar. It had been a while since the last time she wrote a song, and since she had the time, a plan was made to try out something new while on lookout. She started by plucking the strings to make sure they were in tune, and allowed her fingers to glide over the length at the bottom to check the pitch. Once she was ready, Alori started to play, she thought of a lite melody, something she could keep in control and catch her mistakes faster than she would something fast paced.

Alori practiced for a while, mostly going over notes, but didn't get around to writing any words in. Some time later Durveth returned with two small elk, the wind eagle gave a triumphant screech upon returning and the little Endal was speechless. Durveth circled around and dropped her kills where Alori could get to them, before she found a perch to land on. The look in the teen's eyes was priceless and the wind eagle chucked in amusement.

You might want to get busy, and sing me a tune while you work. It will make the time go by faster for you.