IP: 75.73.170.230
Posted on May 11, 2010 at 00:33:39 AM by Miri & Yanagi Omoide
They had not found Rushad. That had been her one last grip on the present, the hope that they would find Rushad and he would make everything better. He was her older brother, if only in spirit, and he was infallible. He also had magic powers and could shoot sparks out of his nose, you’re being ridiculous. Curling into a tighter ball on the floor of her house, Miri listened to the far off roar of the ocean as it beat against the shore of Apeliotes island.
The young male had no familiar, and as he’d only met one person so far —Joanna— he wasn’t aware that there was a curse involving familiars. Yanagi didn’t even know what a familiar was. So when the third curse struck (the second, in Yanagi’s mind), he was busy trying to find the easiest way to Vista Mountain, Joanna’s home. He was standing at the cliff where he’d first met the intriguing young woman with wings when his eyes were caught by movement out on the ocean. An immense wave was barreling toward Shaman. Concerned that not even the high cliff he was on would be tall enough to thwart the water, Yanagi turned and ran, his feathery, mechanical wings tucked tightly against his back. He figured he had about two solid minutes to get as far away from the shore as he possibly could. The immense flaw in his plan was revealed too late to him as he realized he was now running downhill, and therefore moving to lower ground. Lower ground that would probably be swamped with water soon. He did the next rational thing: he climbed a tree. At least, he was trying to climb a tree. When the wave hit, he was only about halfway up the trunk. As the water slammed into him and tore him from his perch, Yanagi felt panic rising in his chest. Last time he’d been in the water, he had died. His wings had weighed him down, and they had only gotten bigger since then. Flailing in the water, he tried to surface as he was pulled along by the current. Getting his head above water was less challenging than he thought it would be with the added weight of his wings. Trying to get his bearings, Yanagi kept himself afloat with what he’d learned from his swimming lessons as a child. Debris rushed past, and soon Yanagi was completely engrossed with staying afloat and keeping the junk in the water from slamming into him. Eventually the current slowed, and the white haired man could focus his attention on getting to safety. Angling himself toward some trees that were poking out of the water, Yanagi managed to catch himself on the trunk of one and brace himself there. His back ached from the heavy pull of his soaked wings, and he gave them a few futile shakes in an attempt to dry them out. Failing to lessen their weight, he sighed and tried to ignore the sensation, instead scanning the random debris that was floating past. There were animals in the water, some too stunned to do more than float and others swimming toward a more stable surface. There was a fox and a few squirrels that seemed intent on joining him in the trees, and Yanagi watched them come with a wary expression. The squirrels clambered onto the branches with agility, hiding themselves among the leaves before grooming the water out of their coats. The fox managed to clamber onto a branch not far from Yanagi, where it proceeded to do whatever it is foxes in trees do. The man turned away, solidifying his footing and wrapping one leg around a branch before he let go of the tree to pull his hair back in a tidier tail. The current pulled at him, but the leg he had hooked around a branch kept him firmly in place until he could grip the tree with his hands and stand straight again. It was then that he saw the door. Technically, it was half a door, but it was more than enough for what he had in mind. Yanagi was tired, and his wings were heavy. If he could cling to the door and kick his way to high ground, the journey should be loads easier. He had to make his decision fast, however, for the current was about to sweep the intended-raft away. Launching himself away from the tree, Yanagi swam with long strokes and managed to intercept the door. Impossibly, the fox had followed him. No doubt the creature was disoriented, as evidenced by the kooky way it was swimming. It seemed to be listing to one side, something he hadn’t noticed earlier. The last thing Yanagi wanted to do was abandon the creature. He heaved himself onto the door, watching the animal as it paddled closer, and soon realized that the current was going to carry it past Yanagi’s makeshift raft. Cursing under his breath, Yanagi kicked the door closer to the creature. This seemed to startle it, and it started swimming away, back toward the trees. There was no way it was going to make it back, at this point. From somewhere above him, Yanagi became aware of rapid wingbeats. “Save her!” someone screeched, their voice high with anxiety. Yanagi was concerned about his door, and its ability to stay afloat if he kept bobbing it around everywhere, but he did what he could to swim nearer the fox. Glancing up, he saw a young woman in a ragged dress hovering, her dragonfly wings pumping furiously to keep her in one place. She pointed a finger at the struggling fox with an enraged sound, and Yanagi refocused himself with a grumble. He finally angled his door closer to the frightened creature, and was able to reach out with one slender arm to grab it by the nape of its neck. Moving quickly, he hoisted it out of the water at an angle that made his arm scream before placing it on the door. The fox snapped at him as it braced itself and he narrowly avoided a nip for his troubles. The fox eyed him before focusing solely on staying on the door, and Yanagi took the time to look back up. The woman had drifted lower, and her body seemed slumped, as if in defeat. “Can you help me?” he asked. This was a dangerous situation; he didn’t have time to inquire about her well-being. He was floating on a door in a flood, with a fox. No, Yanagi did not have the luxury of wasting time and being polite. He needed to get somewhere safe, and as soon as possible. “Please, there has to be somewhere safe for us to go,” he continued, his voice even hoarser due to his earlier panic. He hadn’t swallowed any water, thank God, but his breathing had been quick and gasping before he’d gone under. No doubt her wings would be getting tired soon anyway, and Yanagi knew there was not room enough on this door for two people, especially with the addition of the fox. He watched her as she inhaled deeply and drew herself up before scanning the horizon, and suddenly she lifted one arm to point. “I will guide you, but you mustn’t fall behind,” she replied before she flew forward. Yanagi began kicking. It seemed like hours had passed before they arrived at the Core, and Miri collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. She was too tired to cry, and yet her eyes were still leaking tears. The man she had guided here managed to push the door close to land to allow the russet red fox to jump off and disappear somewhere in the undergrowth. Miri watched the creature go, wishing the russet fur had belonged to her Jhela and not some unknown carnivore. Perhaps the man had saved someone else’s familiar; she did not know, nor did she care. It didn’t matter. The man had crawled up beside her, and he touched her arm with one wet hand. “Thank you,” he rasped, his voice unusually harsh. Miri stared at him a bit uncomprehendingly before giving him a jerky nod. He somehow had the strength to get to his feet, and she watched as he stumbled further onto dry land. She lost interested before he even left her sight, and Miri turned her body to face the flood that had brought them here. Her back to the castle, her dragonfly wings trembling from exhaustion, Miri watched the water and waited. |
Replies:
- ladies and gentlemen, please - By jasper; May 10, 2010 at 01:59:38 PM
- You might feeling like you're drowning, but i'll keep you alive - By Blake May 10, 2010 at 05:49:34 PM