[Round 1] F'lyn vs. Cavelieran

[rii]

F'lyn vs. Cavelieran

Round starter: F'lyn
Time/weather: Mid-morning, slightly overcast

—

[Rei]

F’lyn looked up at the overcast sky as he approached the large stage. He wasn’t really nervous per say, but he would be lying if he said there wasn’t a bit of fluttering in his stomach. Not enough to bother him much of course but it was still present. The blue rider had signed up for the contest purely because Pandorath and Piper had insisted he should. He often told stories both to Terilyn and Pandorath’s loose grouping of fire lizard friends. What was the difference if he told them to a group of people? Pando’s advice? Just imaging them all as giant flitters. The accompanying image had F’lyn smiling broadly and shaking his head at his bonded. Silly blue.

Waving merrily to the crowd he bowed deeply. He wasn’t in costume like some of the more serious participants. F’lyn was doing this purely for fun. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and a dark navy shirt that accentuated his eye color. Upon his shoulder sat Piper, tense and expectant. There where no rules about props it seemed so the blue flit had been allowed to stay. Straightening up The blue rider addressed the crowd in a loud controlled voice. “Ah such a lovely morning. Or would be if we had a decent amount of sun.” He paused to chuckle. “Darkness is a somber thing isn’t it? Not only somber but dangerous as well. So many things can hide in the darkness. You see darkness is the representation of the unknown, of our every fears.” The blue rider paused as Piper began to trill, the sound building in pitch and sharpness.

To this peculiar background music F’lyn continued. “Our story begins on a cold dark night. Zanrun was the son of a poor beast craftsman. Their herd was small and every animal was highly valued. For you see the beasts where their livelihood. Without the herd they would make nothing, eat nothing, and would surely starve to death.” Piper tacked a keen onto his trill at the word death and began anew this time humming slowly and softly. The blue rider continued without pause. “That very night Zanrun and his father where closing the herd in for the night. All of the herd had been safely stored away except for one. They recounted and recounted but the result was still the same. One beast was missing. Now you would think this wouldn’t be a huge problem. But there was a catch.”

F’lyn paused and Piper kept up his gentle humming. “You see this particular beast was the best milker they owned, and she was also with calf. Zanrun’s father knew the beast had been close to her time. Perhaps she had calved out in the pasture. Needless to say the beast had to be found. With a wave the old man gestured out into the black night, bidding his son to enter the darkness and fetch the beast back. It wouldn’t take Zanrun long and he could finish the chores well enough on his own as he awaited his sons return. However Zanrun was deathly afraid of the darkness and what it contained. It was with heavy steps that he set off across the spongy grass with nary a star to light his way…” Immediately on the last syllable Piper ceased his humming as F’lyn turned to wink at Cavelieran. It was the dolphineer’s turn now.

[Tashe]

Storytelling was not his thing. He actually would never have been in this contest under normal circumstances, but Nautic had entered them both, giving him little choice in the matter. He had never stood up before a crowd before and improvised a story. Sure he had told a stories before, but they were well known, and he only told them to the apprentices at the Dolphin Hall. Sneaking a peek at the crowd, Cavelieran felt like he was going to be sick. And he might have been, if not for recognizing many faces in the crowd. They knew him and he them, which comforted his growling stomach, if only a little. Crouching down behind the stage, the Dolphineer cradled his Firelizard, stroking her hide as he tried to calm himself down. Fianne chirped and nuzzled him, trying to encourage her human and lift his spirits.

Like his partner, Cavelieran hadn't dressed up. Choosing to wear his norm for the Gather, but one could argue that that in its self was a costume. The Journeyman always wore clothing that represented the lake upon which the Hold based its life, choosing tunics of blue or teal with silver wave designs in them. Pairing these with matching green or lighter blue breaches or pants. Today he wore a light blue shirt and dark green pants, the tunic he wore had a high collar and no sleeves. Rocking back onto his boot heels, the Dolphineer stilled his fidgeting so that he could listen to the Rider spin the first part of their tale. As F'lyn spoke, Lier began to run ideas through his head, growing worried as each idea he came up with got discarded for lack of something. Moving to the side of the stage, the Journeyman trained his eyes on the Rider as he moved. Soon enough it was his turn, and as he took his place upon the stage, Cavey offered F'lyn a smile before turning to his audience. He still felt like he was going to be sick.

"In only a few moments darkness swallowed him whole, or at least it seemed that way to Zanrun. Every so often he had to turn back around, just to assure himself that his candle lit home was still in site. And although he tried not to think about them, the chilly night brought forth memories of the scary stories his siblings would tell late at night." He took a leap forward, landing with his knees bent and his arms outstretched, fingers curling like claws. "And none were more scary than his favorite story. One who's plot was very much like his own situation." He looked slowly from one side to the other before standing just as slowly. Cavelieran had rejected all ideas but the one that he thought would be the most difficult, weaving a story within a story. "In that tale, a young boy ventured out into the dark in search for his feline, never to return. And the more that Zanrun began to think about the little boy, the more afraid and nervous he got. What if he ended up like that boy? What if he was snatched up by some scary monster that lived in the forest? The answers almost froze him in his tracks."

Lifting his arm, Cavelieran pointed into the audience, his face settling into an ominous stare. "He kept going of course, because he could not return until he had at least checked the pasture." Pulling his arm back, the Journeyman used his finger to point at his eyes, and then to touch his ear. "But Zanrun thought he saw things, thought he heard things. Though when ever he turned about to look at them, they weren't there. He kept jumping at the rustle of brush, or the snap of a twig, knowing... just knowing he was going to get eaten." He then folded his hands behind his back. Turning so that he was facing sideways, he continued. "Shadows, tricks of the lightless night. That had to be what he was seeing. So he kept on moving, picking up his pace until he was nearly running. He reached the pasture, stopping himself by grabbing the wooden slats of the pen. He clung to them..." Stepping back, Cavelieran tilted his head slightly to the side, motioning to F'lyn that it was once again his turn. He hoped that he gave the Rider enough to work with.

[Rei]

Cavelieran’s obvious discomfort was not lost on F’lyn, and to be honest the bluerider felt bad for the dolphineer. It sure wasn’t easy speaking in front of a crowd. The rider only managed it well enough because he was used to being stared at. Pandorath’s mutation caused a lot of quiet interest. Oh he had long since stopped noticing it, but it still happened occasionally. F’lyn stood with head bowed, following along as the other man spoke. Piper on his shoulder also played strict attention. Oh how he loved stories! This was exciting. Slowly the blue flit unfurled his wings. Finally the other man stopped speaking and the flit swiveled his head towards his bonded. Your turn! With a chirp the flit waited.

The bluerider strode forward quickly to relieve his partner and leaned nonchalantly to the left. “He clung to the top rail of the pen and suddenly a metallic scent filled his nostrils causing him to pale. The scent was familiar and horrifying. Blood. It had to be blood.” F’lyn shuddered and the flit on his shoulder gave a cheep of alarm. “Zanrun wanted to run. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to run and he likely would have.” The bluerider broke off and shrugged. “If not for the small scared noise that came from the other side of the fence. The terrified bleating of a calf.” Piper gave a slow sad keen. “A sigh escaped the boy. The scent of blood had likely come from the afterbirth. The herd beast had no doubt given birth down in the pasture. He only had to collect her and the calf and make his way home.”

F’lyn gave a wide smile. “Imagine the boy’s relief as he gripped the top rail and leapt over the fence to land in the wet…slick…grass.” Piper gave another chirp of alarm. “The grass underfoot was so slick, in fact, that the lad lost his footing and fell with a wet splat.” The bluerider clapped his hands sharply. “Raising himself from the ground the boy stared in horror at his hand. It was covered in wet slick blood. Resisting the urge to retch Zanrun noted that he was half covered in the stuff now. He had landed in a puddle of the liquid. Much more than a typical birthing would have produced.” Piper began to hum. “Raising his eyes the boy looked in horror at the scene before him. The heardbeast lay in ribbons before him. It’s entire stomach had been split, entrails spread across the ground, a pool of fresh blood before it.” The bluerider spread his arms out and grimaced at the sight of the imaginary dead beast.

“Fighting against the bile rising in his throat. The boy noted movement to the left and froze. Oh no. the creature who had done this couldn’t be far away. All kinds of horrible images filled his head as Zanrun turned to the movement. Staggering towards him…” F’lyn broke off and turned with a wink at Cavelieran.

[Tashe]

Rocking slightly onto his heels, Cavelieran focused on his breathing, using one of the many breathing exercises he had been taught in his Dolphineering training. He didn't want the crowd to notice that he was afraid, but then again, with the way this story was turning out it might just add to the effect. A nip on his ear made him realize it was his turn once again.

"... was the calf that he had heard only moments before. But the calf was covered in the blood that it's mother had shed, and when it huddled against him, Zanrun could tell that it too had great slash marks across its flanks. With a kill this fresh, the attacker had to be close by. Which only meant one thing. He needed to get back to the safety of his house." He cast a glance around, noticing a large stick near by. Pacing over to it, he picked it up and inspected it. "Knowing he could not leave the calf to suffer the same fate as it's mother, our boy was in a tight situation. If he carried the calf, he'd be slower and have no way to protect himself. But if he didn't, their walk to the barn would be at an even slower pace. Quietly stepping toward the fence, Zanrun retrieved a small herding switch, the type they keep around to drive their herdbeast. He decided that walking the calf would be best." Tossing the whip like branch back and for before settling it in his left hand, Cavelieran walked back to the middle of the stage as his Fianne swooped down behind him and crouched on a shadowed part of the railing, her teeth exposed. "Tying a rope around the calf's neck, the boy quickly escaped the enclosure. His nerves where as high strung as they had ever been. Though, the knowledge that something was out there seemed to numb him to some degree." He tapped the switch on his open hand.

"Zanrun knew of only a few beasts that could do such damage to a herdbeast. A wild Feline, a wild Wher, or a Dragon. Though the last seemed close to impossible. No Rider would allow their Dragon to feed on a Herdbeast outside of the Weyr's stock. Unless there were unusual circumstances, but even then, they would have flown directly to his house to compensate his family. The carcase wasn't even finish." He turned and pointed the end of the stick at his semi-hiding flitter. "Little did Zanrun know, he was being stalked from the shadows. The scent of blood coming from both he and the calf were unmistakable." Cavelieran turned his back on his Green before continuing. "Zanrun was too occupied with the stumbling calf to notice the small flashes of color in the underbrush. Their progress was slow at the best, but he knew the shaken calf couldn't go very much faster, not with the pain from the claw marks on her hide. Still he did his best to push her as fast as he could. Every time he heard a crack or a snap, the boy would turn and brandish the switch. But when nothing appeared he continued on." While he had been talking, Fianne had crawled closer tail lashing to and fro. "He saw the lights of his house in the distance, and no longer able to stand the fear that was searing in his chest, Zanrun picked the calf up and ran." He took an elegant leap forward, but hesitated when his Green roared as best she could.

"As soon as he took off a mighty bellow seemed to shake the earth. Their was crashing behind him and he knew that the predator had decided to chase him. Picking up his feet he ran as fast as he could with the little calf in his arms. He knew that the beast behind him would over take him in little time, so he angled toward the barn, which was closer." He spun around and brandished his stick at the snarling flitter, in the midst of that action he nodded to the Bluerider. "Faster and faster he ran..." Slowly stepping backward, he took the position he had started in clearing his face so that he could concentrate on F'lyn as he spoke. Two more turns. He thought to himself as his Flitter alighted on his shoulder. Two more and I can throw up if I need to. He looked as pale as his tanned skin would allow.

[rii]

It's been a week since the last update to this story. The other participants are done with their round. In interest of keeping the contest moving, I am calling an end to this round. No offense to either contestant <3

Winner: Cavelieran