A Horse Amongst Eagles (Kiyono)

[Rothyr Windbourne]

Fall 51, AV 512


All that glitters isn't gold, Rothyr had heard some say. He heard tales of the magestic eagle-riders of Wind Reach. Before he had took to the road, as he wandered the plains of Cyphrus with the horse-tribes, he wondered if it were really possible to ride an eagle, and hunt with it. To ride an eagle as one rides a horse and see it done, maybe even do it himself. He wandered from Cyphrus to Syliras, from Syliras to Alvadas, and all the way north to the city of eagles itself. And now, here in the sky-hunters' city itself, he found himself somewhat let down.

He was an accomplished hunter, truth be told. He wielded an ax made from the bones and beak of a Glassbeak, one of the fiercest predators of Cyphrus. He fought on battlefields in Syliras, alongside the legendary knights.

But here, he found himself at a loss standing before the Valintar's office. He was a hunter, and sought work as a hunter till the springs came and he could leave. However, there was a catch for our unfortunate Drykas. Wind Reach did indeed employ hunters. They all rode eagles, and Rothyr rode a horse. In the mountains, more can be done from air than from horseback.

So here Rothyr stood, ready to hunt alongside the riders he had heard hushed tales of as a child. The red-haired Inarta of Wind Reach, but he was a horseman. A Drykas has no place in the mountains, it seems.

He was frustrated. He was angry. He didn't know what to do. His livelihood was at stake. Rothyr took a seat on a stone, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, pushing his hair from his face as he took a deep breath.

“What to do,” he said aloud to himself, “It's a long way till spring and the roads are clear...”

He let himself zone out, collecting his thoughts like so many jacks.

[Kiyono]

Kiyono was walking quickly through the tunnels, trying to avoid any and everyone. A few of the children had pointed and laughed at her, making fun of her black hair, streaked with faint hints of red,however, she did not mind that. What had made her lose her temper, was when the mothers of those children had come up whispering behind their hands. They had laughed at her, just as their children had, pulling them away when she tried to speak to them, while shooting scornful glances in her direction. As if I were in the wrong, she thought to herself. So, she had turned on her heel, as if she could run away from her embarrassment. However, she had not noticed the stranger standing in her path, walking full tilt into him. Jostled from her thoughts, she looked up at him to apologize, or to scold him, she could not remember, for it did not matter. As soon as she looked up, she saw that he was an outsider, and she could not help but notice his tattoos. A flatlander? What is he doing up here...? So tall.... She looked up in awe, with large eyes, which changed from a spring's leafy green, to a winter's icy blue. Realizing she was staring, and self conscious of her eyes , she ducked her head, mumbled an apology, and hurried off down the tunnel, her mind buzzing.

[Rothyr Windbourne]

“Oof!” He grunted, frustrated that such a thing was becoming commonplace. This wasn't the first time someone had ran into him, literally, here in Wind Reach. He reckoned he would need to find a better place to zone out and think, rather than in the middle of hallways or balconies. He quickly came back to his senses, looked around, and down, at yet another resident of Wind Reach astounded by his hair. He was beginning to believe that this city did not receive many visitors. He figured that much was correct.

He had meant to apologize and introduce himself, for being in the way, or something. Mostly just to mind his manners in a place not his own, but saw she was already leaving. He thought that peculiar, but realized that her hair was not completely red. He paused to wonder to himself, 'Is she not from around here either?'

No matter, though, she was already gone. Odd. He went about his business, walking in the opposite direction.

“Back to the drawing board,” he spoke aloud to himself in Pavi. He found himself speaking in the language of the Drykas more and more, now, the further away from home he got. It helped curb his homesickness. “I have to find work somehow...”

[Kiyono]

Unknown to Rothyr, Kiyono had not quite left, she had merely hid herself in a side tunnel, watching him. She was close enough to hear him speak in another, strange language. Though she had been embarrassed by her behavior, she was still curious, for it wasn't everyday that she met an outsider to the Inarta. Well... other than herself. By his expression, she could tell that something worried him, are that he longed for something. Perhaps he misses his flatland..., she thought. She continued to trail him, unnoticed, not really such a hard thing, since she had learned to hide herself from a young age. She observed as he went on a search for work. She shook her head in sympathy, knowing what it was like, being treated as an outsider, being told to prove herself. She shoved those thoughts aside. She did not need to waste her time thinking about something that could not ever be resolved. Kiyono let out a soft sigh, instantly regretting it when the sound bounced off the stone.

[Rothyr Windbourne]

Rothyr wandered on down the hallway, feeling a tingling sensation that he was being watched. He had felt similar feelings lately, everyone was watching him because he stood out being as tall as he is, and for his hair. He was a blond speck amongst a sea of red. There were those who scorned him for being there, but he was intimidating enough to avoid any real trouble. People just didn't talk to him. Like it would do any good, he didn't know the language. He found this didn't bother him in the slightest.

The tingling feeling continued, longer than even the most lingering of stares he had received. This did bother him. He had made no friends, truth be told, but he could not be so sure of enemies, those who hated him just for being there. He picked up his pace, and turned right down a seemingly deserted pathway, being sure to muffle his footsteps by lightening his footfalls as he trod onward. After he found a good enough outcrop of rock, he slipped inside. He peered around the edge of the rock to see if anyone followed him. He took quiet breaths, and waited. Waited to see if anyone did indeed follow him, and if they did. Find out why.

[Kiyono]

Berating herself for making such noise, she trotted silently into another tunnel, not yet reaching Rothyr's location. Pausing, she noticed that she could not hear his footsteps ahead. Alarmed by all of the possible trouble that he could have gotten into, for that was what outsiders did, though they were generally not at fault (there were many of her people who tended to take it upon themselves), began to look around herself frantically. Seeing no one, she hurried in the direction she had last seen him go. Kiyono searched for any signs of struggle, traces in the dust, the slightest noise, and what she dreaded most, drops of blood. Having found no such thing, she began to relax from her distressed posture. However, as she neared his hiding place, she could feel someone there. She immediately tensed, waiting for an ambush, having been used to such things in the past, used her stealth to press herself against the smooth wall, beside the entrance of the tunnel. One thing she had learned, as that it was never good to leave your back open. During this entire time, she had been completely silent, her breaths so soft that a fly could have been heard.

[Rothyr Windbourne]

He noticed it was the girl who had ran into him as he peered around the corner from his hiding spot. He figured he would make his presence known, figuring that to catch her off guard would give him an advantage if she were a threat.

" Run into someone, then follow them?" he said loudly, his voice bouncing off the cavern walls and keeping his presence obscured, "your customs around here are odd, I must say."

He continued to cling to the wall, keeping his eyes and ears open for any movement or sound.

[Kiyono]

Kiyono stiffened, startled, she had not expected him to notice her. "..I... I was curious", she replied quietly. "..I don't usually see... outsiders...", she added, hesitantly. She was still tense, and pressed against the wall. She was close enough the she could hear where he was, even though he had obviously tried to hide it with echos. She couldn't tell whether or not he was angered by her following him, and she did not want to test it. So, she kept quiet, waiting for his next comment, even though his previous one had stung her a bit. For though she knew that her own people generally disliked, or hated her, she had hoped that people of other races would be different.

[Rothyr Windbourne]

"You could simply say 'hello,' Rothyr said, not pleased with the way his day was going. Typically he was light hearted and easy going, but today had tested his patience.

"That's what most people do, so far as I've noticed."

"Names Rothyr, of the Drykas. I'm not from around here."

[Kiyono]

Kiyono was again stung by his irritated tone. "I..I guess I'm not like other people...", she murmured quietly. "...My name is.. Kiyono... a half breed, mongrel, impure", she had started reciting the names that her people called her, not noticing that she was speaking out loud. ".. disgrace, unfit to have Inarta blood...", by this point, her voice thick with self-contempt. Realizing what she was doing, she went silent, breathing hard. It was getting more and more difficult for her to hold of it in. She had been doing so for at least 10 years, and her mask was finally starting to crack. She had finally snapped. "Of course, a flat-lander like you, wouldn't understand having their own people hate you from the day you arrived into your fathers arms. Nor would you care." With that, she slid slowly down the wall, her head slumped forward, her knees drawn tight towards herself, her arms holding her head, shoulders shaking. "No one does..", she said so quietly, the sounds barely passed her lips.