My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts
23rd of Summer, 515.
The full bloom of spring had hit a few days ago; by now, with the Svefra leaving port and the numerous crimes declining in past days thanks to the abrupt absence, the squirrel actually had a few days to relax. With all the struggle over the past few days, he'd earned it as well. Even Iros was apparently retiring for a few days to the quiet of his family and other activities. Apparently even determination such as his could be stretched thin if left unchecked for long enough.. which honestly didn't surprise the Pycon either. Everyone had their breaking points.. sooner or later they all found them.
In a bid to escape and find a bit of solace, he'd taken nothing but his Py-Pole and marched straight out into the Bronze Woods on the back of Xarex to spend a bit of quality time doing what he always loved doing the most.. spending some time in the trees, back like the good old days when he'd spent not bells, not days, but whole seasons submerged in the canopy high above the forest floor, mingling with wildlife when possible.. emerging only briefly to eat a little clay and drink a little water. He'd always miss this place, no matter where he was or what he did. It was, at its core, a simple pleasure.. and that made it all the more pure.
He stopped his mount just at the borders to the Woods, dismounting and patting the excitable little hound. "Stay close, boy. You're not gonna run off anywhere and do somethin' silly, are you?" The dog stared blankly, little pink tongue hanging out of its muzzle and little tail wagging furiously behind it. When Xarex got excited, he didn't just wag his tail.. his entire backside waggled back and forth, as if his tail really had that much energy in it that it couldn't be contained properly by the rest of his body. He could share the dog's excitement though.. just as it wasn't too often that the Pycon found escape from the oppressive castle, it was too long since the dog had last been let out of the stables.
"Good boy." A final pat and he turned, leaving his mount to curl up and enjoy a bit of the shade while he climbed. Trees were pretty easy things to climb.. but they were still very tall and the squirrel was very small. Digging his clay claws into the bark until the tips softened and squeezed into the gaps, he formed easy grips to mark a straight path right up the trunk from bottom to top - none of this jumping from branch to branch shyke. All of it took too long and besides, it took so much more effort when he could literally push his paws between the tiny gaps in the bark to find a grip where no human hand would ever manage.
Still, it took a good few chimes of climbing before he made it. Though his technique was still working well and meant he didn't slip up once, it was slow.. waiting for his claws to take the necessary shape, then testing it with a quick tug before finally moving on. Perhaps if he could put less force in and use less grip then he'd be able to make the ascent faster.. but that'd be sacrificing security and Sylir knew that he didn't want to end up toppling from such a high perch just because he got a little impatient. That was a quick death, there. Land straight on his nexus with all the weight of his body down on top, or just squish down into a pancake and shake it bad enough that he wouldn't be getting up afterwards. No thank you.
About half-way up though, something rustling down below and a way off to the right caught his attention. Still on the outskirts. Could have been anything but it didn't sound small. A person? Only one way to find out. He returned to climbing with newfound vigor, turning his head every few ticks to try and catch a glimpse of whatever - or whoever - was stalking around so close to the spot. The moment he found the first sturdy branch and leapt to it, the squirrel nearly fell out of the tree altogether. ".. Iros?"
Even up a tree and some several or more feet away, the hulking blue knight was as plain to see as the Cobalt Mountains themselves. Probably what surprised him the most though, was the fact that for once the knight wasn't wearing any of his armor, or even carrying any of his weapons. Just a simple silk shirt and trousers. Almost eerie, considering the amount of time he spent with the knight.. literally a daily routine.. yet he'd never before seen this side of the man. Not even imagined it really, he'd always thought the Akalak slept in his armor. He couldn't see what the Akalak was doing, but the moment he heard his name, the knight spun around on the spot with wide, surprised eyes. "The petch are you doing here?!"
