Flashback A New World (Solo)

[Kalesserimamoru]

The Sea of Grass / midnight / Fall 28th 496 AV


It was midnight in a world away from Zinrah, away from the home of the Dhani. A group of Dhani had left the safety of their home to journey across the sea. They were led by one Kalesserijuri. He was a fearless dhani, bold and many said stupid. He was an adventurer and had left the nest many times to journey to Black rock and other places in search of food, treasure and the adventure itself. He returned to learn how bad it was in the nest and how starved for food they were, with the Myrians doubling their effort of control over the jungle.


It was his idea to take the journey, telling the others that he knew of a place where they could find fresh meals, exotic wares, and above all, the place wasn't watched by Myrian scum. He was a convincing fellow and after a lot of talk, a few of the guards agreed to go with him on this venture. Another had come along, young Mamoru, a kin of Juri's. The young Dhani wasn't a guard, or much of a fighter, but it was his sister who insisted that their kin take him along. Mamoru had been getting into a bit of trouble in the nest and she saw this as a way to put his energy to good use.


Mamoru wasn't exactly excited about the trip, but he hadn't been given a say in the matter. In the least, he was getting out and away from the dull nature of his normal life and would get to see the world, or at least more of it than he was used too. It was a very long trip, and more than a few crafty maneuvers to slip past Myrian patrols, but they made it to Black Rock safely. A small amount of time was spent there, a few purchases made and they were off again, going further away from his home. It was the furthest the Dhani had ever been from the nest.


What they arrived to was something he couldn't believe. It was a jungle with few trees. Grass that went on forever, much like the waters in the sea. They had arrived mid day then took shelter and rested from their journey in a cavern on the east coast. They didn't burrow in deep, just far enough to lose the light which protected them from anything that might come by. In their snake form, they could sense things even in the darkest of pits which gave them the advantage.


Night fell again and the Dhani headed out to hunt and to search for what Juri had claimed was worth the trip. Mamoru however, wasn't allowed to go. He was no hunter and barely able to fight on his own. The others thought him better useful staying and guarding their belongings. He didn't care much, Mamoru was already bored with the trip and wishing that he hadn't come. The only thing he could do now was wait. Wait and count the chimes til they returned.

[Kalesserimamoru]

In his snake form Mamoru coiled into a bundle and waited for the others to return. Yellow-green eyes watched the shadows of the night and he was sure that they were watching him and even discussing him. This creature that was so far from home and completely out of place. His tongue slipped out, testing the air around him as his gaze found nothing to look upon. The snake stayed in place for about another bell before he slowly uncoiled and slithered a little further out.

Something in the distance called to him, a flicker of warmth darting about in the tall grass. He hadn't ever encountered a creature like this, nothing this fast and agile moved about the jungles where he came from. Mamoru slithered further out, eyes widen and tongue lashing at the air as he put all his focus into keeping himself hidden as he moved out in search of the mystery. That's when he heard them, a strange fluttering in the air above. The batting noises became louder as they drew closer, but the most disturbing was the deep rumbles and odd cackles that followed.

Mamoru coiled back into himself, uncertain of what was happening around him. Much like the shadows retreated from the light, the trickster made himself as small as possible and made ready to do the same. His eyes flared wide, the sight of men and women, fur on their dark skin and wings upon their backs. They glided back and forth across the sky, communicating in a way that he could not come close to understanding. There were several sources of heat down, four in the sky above and two in the grass ahead.

They were a fascinating sight, so light were they on the air, moving as easily as fish in the sea. Mamoru had never seen anything close to this, humans with wings like bats..it was astonishing in the least. For the moment they ignored the snake in the grass and focused their attention on the long legged creatures in the grass. Mamoru waited a few ticks til they had moved further out then slithered back into the grass to watch them more. He was very interested to see what they were, how they flew and where they came from.

[Kalesserimamoru]

The strange flying creatures continued to make odd noises as they communicated between the others. They batted their oddly shaped wings and lifted up higher into the sky, before diving in to attack the animals below them. One of them seemed to have a spear shaped weapon and they launched it towards the ground, to stab into the side of one of the animals they hunted and knocked it to the ground. But the other continued to race on, coming closer and closer to the cave that Mamoru was in.

"Clossser...jussst a little clossser."

The winged creatures turned around, moving their wings faster to gain more speed as they hurried to catch their prey. Seeing what was about to happen, Mamoru slithered back further into the cave, completely hiding himself in the darkness. The animal continued on it's path, making a run for the cave and raced towards the entrance. The animal was spooked and running for it's life, which must have been the reason that it didn't realize that another predator was laying in wait just inside the cave.

"Dinner is ssurved.."

From his hidden position, Mamoru could still see the strange wings of the creatures as they moved through the air. There was something odd about them, they didn't appear to move as birds did, but they worked just the same. It was something to note, and once his comrades returned he would be sure to tell them of what he'd seen. The odd looking deer animal raced into the cave but stopped short when it noticed something inside. It seemed to not move at all, but was very subtle movement as Mamoru slithered back closer to the entrance.

Jerky..

The others had gone off in search of food and riches, but the trickster would just settle for a good meal at the moment. The deer like creature jumped around. unsure of which way to run, before it made a sudden sharp turn and raced back into the wilds away from the cave. The winged men and women were just about to land, their scale like wings bent to help lower them down, just as the animal took off again. It was a quick change in their pattern, and their wings arched higher as they batting them to propel them back into the sky again.

What wonderful creatures...

[Kalesserimamoru]

The Sea of Grass / midnight / Fall 29th 496 AV


Night had once again fallen upon the grasslands and the world returned to the shadows. The night predators awoke and started to roam the lands again as they did every night. Howls could be heard through the night and even cry's of pain from a distance to far to be tracked. Along with those creatures, the Dhani also awoke, slithering from the lower parts of the cave where they found shelter and back into the night air.

The night before hadn't been uneventful. The hunting group that went out were able to catch enough food for them all, however the riches they sought wouldn't be found just yet. For Mamoru, the young Dhani who was tasked with staying behind to watch the camp, he had his own brand of fun that until they returned. He saw for the first time, human-like beings with fur and massive wings upon their backs. They soared through the air as birds might, or rather bats given the look and texture of the wings themselves.

Kalesserijuri wasn't surprised to hear the tail and explained to Mamoru that they were known as Zith. Night creatures who hunted the lands they walked on, attacking animals and humans alike. They did as Myrians did in a way, but they were more dangerous. These Zith, as he learned from Juri, could not only fly but they could see very well into the night. They didn't go off heat as the Dhani did, but were able to pierce the shadows with their eyes alone. Juri had only a small amount of contact with them himself, but his story was enough to get Mamoru thirsty for more...he wanted to see them again.

He stole away from the camp, leaving their belongings unchecked while the others went out to hunt again and explore. He knew that they would tell him to stay behind as they had before, and he used that to slip away. In snake form, the young Dhani slithered through the grass, tongue lapping at the air to search out his prey. A long, thin shadow covered and floated over the grass ticks before the Dhani appeared behind it. His yellow-green eyes were wide with excitement and his blue heart filled with anticipation. Mamoru slithered far into the grass, going further and further away from the cave, but there was no turning back now.