|  Author | Topic: Intro to Artex (Read 2,683 times) |
Khemosabi
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|  | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #105 on Sept 22, 2008, 10:19am » | |
The girl nodded, swinging easily from Artex's back and landing soundlessly on the ground beside him. "Well, I suppose we make the best of this... day," she mumbled slightly and removed her cloak to lay it on the ground a few feet away on some barely raise, dryer earth.
Artex sighed, Storm's warning did not ease any of the worry in his mind, his unease showed in his worried eyes and slightly drooped ears. He stepped carefully over to where Sheba lie and lowered his body close to hers, careful not to land on her limbs.
Sheba smiled, reaching over and scratching Artex on his shoulder. "You're right, Storm, this is not our element. If we face enemies in this swamp, we will have the underhand in the fight... hopefully our wits will warn us." She spoke uneasily, pausing as if thinking. She knew this swampy area would not aid them in their journey.
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Prancing Thunder
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Eulalia! 'S Death On the Wind!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #106 on Sept 22, 2008, 2:32pm » | |
"Aye," Storm muttered in agreement. "Just keep them about you." She positioned herself between her two companions and the swampland, facing the dark forest squarely, and allowed herself to relax - slightly. She would not permit herself to be caught lying down in a dangerous territory like this.
"You two take your rest, and I'll guard," she said. She was tired from the long race across the desert, but as long as she simply allowed her body to recooperate, she would not require sleep for some time.
Storm picked her head up, suddenly alert. A faint cry echoed eerily, from the direction of the mountains, which she could scarcely see through the foliage of the swamp trees, and the mists that swirled around them. Then a roar that cracked open the air brought her jerking to her senses.
"Firebow!" she exclaimed.
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The story is all that matters. All things beautiful, all things forgotten, shall be forged by my hand upon the page. I smile and return to the book. My hand has already chiseled the first and finest note of that beautiful vision, that forgotten story, that greatest of all adventures. |
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Khemosabi
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The Almighty
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Ride on, green rider, ride on!
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Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #107 on Sept 23, 2008, 9:27am » | |
The stallion's head shot up, ears perked. He didn't waste a minute and lifted himself to his feet. "What was that?" He glanced at Sheba who had scrambled up from the earth as well. "IS there danger???"
Hand on the hilt of her saber, she stepped up to Artex slowly, "What was that cry?" She looked worried, unease written all over her pale face.
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Prancing Thunder
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Eulalia! 'S Death On the Wind!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #108 on Sept 23, 2008, 1:29pm » | |
"The cry?" Storm shrugged. "No idea. But the roar was Firebow's. Unmistakably. Well...I haven't heard him roar in a long time, so there might be room for error..." She glanced at her two companions and their battle stances. "They're too far off to concern us, however, I want to see if it is Firebow, and if he needs any aid. Will you be alright if I leave you for a short time? I will be swift." She fanned out her wings to further her statement.
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The story is all that matters. All things beautiful, all things forgotten, shall be forged by my hand upon the page. I smile and return to the book. My hand has already chiseled the first and finest note of that beautiful vision, that forgotten story, that greatest of all adventures. |
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Khemosabi
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Ride on, green rider, ride on!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #109 on Sept 24, 2008, 2:59pm » | |
Sheba glanced around, all was quiet now, but her unease remained. "Yes, if you need to go, be swift, Storm. Neither Artex nor I can fly so we will only hinder you." She looked slightly determined but decided to still take her body's much needed rest.
"When you return to us, I hope you will bring better news," she placed a hand on Storm's shoulder, "I only hope Firebow is fine."
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Prancing Thunder
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Eulalia! 'S Death On the Wind!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #110 on Sept 24, 2008, 4:23pm » | |
Storm chuckled. "He may be soft, but he certainly isn't stupid," she answered. Stepping away and thrusting her wings against the air, she took off at a canter towards the open desert. Before long she lifted into the wind, and soared around towards the mountain. Another earth-shattering roar echoed down the slopes.
"Woe betide whoever pissed him off!" Storm muttered, sailing along the curving slope of the range. She rose above the peaks at last, and saw, to her bemusement, boiling smoke rising from the surrounding terraces beyond. Firebow generally did not allow his fire to go out of control and consume entire forests. He had to be in a tight pinch...or a bad mood.
Closing her wings to her sides, she plummeted down into the sea of smoke, and followed the sounds of the battle. In the haze, she saw the limp forms of humans - many humans, and here and there a luckless wolf. She passed stragglers and fighters, all of them coughing (including herself) and struggling to breathe. At last a horrendous glow appeared through the smoke, and the heat rose unbearably.
"Firebow!" Storm shouted above the din. "Are you trying to melt the mountain?"
The great dragon swung his head around on his long sinewy neck to stare at her in consternation. He snorted a long stream of hot air through his nostrils. "They had an advance guard here!" he said, smashing his tail against someone on the other side of him that Storm could not see. "Evrie's pack had already engaged them when I arrived."
"You're taking heavy losses!" Storm said sharply. "Retreat for now. We have already paid a high price for this battle."
Firebow stared at her, then slowly took in the smoke and fire, and the chaotic clashes of wolf and human.
"This fire will spread across the entire mountain range," Storm said grimly. "We must halt this."
Firebow snaked his long neck upwards and took a gigantic lungful of smoky air. "Evrie!!" he bellowed mightily. "Retreat!!"
A long, thin howl broke through the hazy din - Evrie's affirmation.
"Let's go," Storm commanded, then turned and galloped off, spreading her wings. Behind her, great wafts of wind rippled beneath Firebow's wings as the dragon rose into the air.
They broke above the smoke and soared downwards along the mountain spines, towards the swamp. Behind them, the fierce lights of fire brightened as the flames tore hungrily across the forest.
"I am sorry," Firebow said, as they rode on the cooler thermals towards the ground.
Storm turned her head slightly to look back at him, noting the shame in his expression. "Well," she answered gruffly, "I'm still alive, so there's no point in me hounding you."
They spiraled to the desert floor, not far from the border of the swamp, and landed. Storm led Firebow to where Sheba and Artex waited. The older mare glanced up at the red haze in the mountains, sighing quietly to herself as they approached her companions. The path through the mountains was no longer available to them. She raised her head and whinnied lightly to Sheba and Artex, announcing their arrival.
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The story is all that matters. All things beautiful, all things forgotten, shall be forged by my hand upon the page. I smile and return to the book. My hand has already chiseled the first and finest note of that beautiful vision, that forgotten story, that greatest of all adventures. |
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Khemosabi
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Ride on, green rider, ride on!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #111 on Sept 24, 2008, 5:36pm » | |
Artex lifted himself off the ground again, smelling the smoke as it drifted from where Firebow and Storm landed.
Noticing Artex, Sheba looked in the back at the desert and noticed the gray and red forms of her companions. She got up from the damp ground quickly, leaving her pack and cloak on the ground, and ran out onto the dryer desert sands to meet with Firebow, Artex trotting up behind.
"Storm! Firebow!" She looked confused as she smelled the smoke on their two forms. It was evident in the ash smudges on both of them, "What's happened???"
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Prancing Thunder
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Eulalia! 'S Death On the Wind!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #112 on Sept 24, 2008, 8:32pm » | |
"Oh, nothing much," Storm answered calmly. "Firebow set the mountains on fire to fry a vanguard of humans, Evrie and his pack joined in and took heavy casualties, and I just saved hundreds on car insurance by switching to Geico."
XD XD XD
*ahem* Sorry, couldn't resist. ^^'
Firebow hung his head lower in dejection, wincing as his crimes rolled calmly off of the mare's tongue. Storm glanced back at him, softening slightly. "You should have seen the blaze he set. It may have been more trouble than it was worth, but those humans have certainly gotten what they deserve." She looked backed at Sheba. "Ah...well, you know who I mean."
Storm looked up at the smoldering mountains. "That fire will spread all over the range. It is too dangerous now for us to cross, and now we must go around. We will have to follow the shore, the eastern or western, and then journey inland." She looked back over the sand dunes of the desert.
"I received a message from Hepheatus," she said, mostly to Firebow. "She and Prance were to meet us in the mountains, however..." She broke off that thought as small, dark shapes came racing through the swamp towards them.
Firebow raised his chiseled head, and frowned. "Who in the world?"
Storm glanced up at him. "Is that not Evrie's pack?" she asked.
"No," Firebow answered, snorting smoke.
Storm glanced at Sheba. "Grab your things, quickly!" She remembered the scent of blood hanging in the atmosphere of the swamp. Whoever these foreigners were, they could be the cause of it.
Firebow towered alonside of Sheba as Storm gave her the command.
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The story is all that matters. All things beautiful, all things forgotten, shall be forged by my hand upon the page. I smile and return to the book. My hand has already chiseled the first and finest note of that beautiful vision, that forgotten story, that greatest of all adventures. |
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Khemosabi
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The Almighty
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Ride on, green rider, ride on!
Joined: Feb 2003
Gender: Female
Posts: 51,857
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #113 on Sept 25, 2008, 3:09pm » | |
Sheba didn't hesitate, she darted past Artex toward the swiftly moving forms and grabbed up her things in a second. She grabbed Artex's mane and swung up on him. Giving him encouragement, "Be swift," and holding her legs to his sides firmly as the stallion wheeled around to face the intruders.
The stud snorted, pawing the ground, "They don't dare..." anger showed in his eyes.
"Yes, Artex, I think they do..."
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Prancing Thunder
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Eulalia! 'S Death On the Wind!
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| | Re: Intro to Artex
« Reply #114 on Sept 25, 2008, 3:48pm » | |
ooc: What, no chuckles for my joke? o_0 *huddles in corner*
Firebow arched his sinewy neck and inhaled deeply, fiercely. Another earth-shattering roar shook loose the desert sands and rattled the trees of the swamp, and momentarily halted their charging foe.
"Wolves," the dragon affirmed, but frowned as they advanced again, though cautiously.
"They must have migrated from the mainland," Storm muttured, baring her teeth agressively as the pack stepped into the pale moonlight.
The lead wolf stepped forward, raising his hackles in a challenge, though he seemed a bit cowed by the presence of a dragon. Storm noted the desperation in their eyes. They were starved - their fur hung thin and loose around their ribs, and their eyes were sunken.
"This is our territory," the lead wolf snarled, obviously not all that willing to pick a fight. Though, he did look at Sheba a bit hungrily, and could not help but lick his chops at the sight of the healthy, young stallion.
Firebow growled thunderously, his eyes flashing in warning.
"Is that so?" Storm answered, conversationally. "In that case, we won't trespass."
Another wolf spoke up, talking to his leader. "Passing up the chance at a meal is stupid," he said lowly, eyeing Artex. His stomach growled audibly.
A female spoke. "It may seem suicide," she said, saliva dripping from her maw. "But we must eat. We can bring them down, even the dragon."
Storm closed her eyes in exasperation. It was obvious that starvation had taken away their common sense.
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The story is all that matters. All things beautiful, all things forgotten, shall be forged by my hand upon the page. I smile and return to the book. My hand has already chiseled the first and finest note of that beautiful vision, that forgotten story, that greatest of all adventures. |
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