The jungles of the tropical environment of El Dorado had even more oddities to offer among the trees and vines. Within the territory were stones that were not natural, too flat with sharp edges that were stacked upon each other or with holes made in the rock that were too perfect to have been created by the elements. Vines and moss began to reclaim these oddities that were remnants of a species that had once ruled these lands before they had been claimed by the Aviari. None of these measured up to the grand buildings within the heart of El Dorado, but they were a sight to behold.

       Upon the stone structures a light-furred figure with feathers that were painted with the colors of the dawn sky, Her spread was full as she bore a feathery crest on her head, feathers behind both cheeks, on her shoulders, her elbows, and on her rump. They were also extravagant with their opalescent hues that with the grey and dark grey fur made her seem like the sky itself. It didn't help that she had sky-blue eyes and pads. Her beauty was not without accessories as she wore bracelets around each wrist, rounded gemstones that glinted in the light. A pendant made of opal was work around her neck and almost buried in her thick fur.

       The opal pendant wasn't the only thing on her neck as a green snake with blue markings was also wrapped around her neck in a fashion as to no choke her but simply be able to see where they were going. The sunlight glinted off of her scales, turning them iridescent. Additionally, a bat made of many pink hues perched on the female's back where there were no feathers. The creature seemed content to cling on like a backpack as the trio made their way through the ruins.


       Pualani had already completed her morning run through the forest, stole a bite to eat, and then checked in to find that there were no missions left for her to run. So with her free time, she decided to wander around the ruins. They always provided a place to practice her agility or stealth skills. She didn't like to be bored - who did? - and she needed a way to occupy herself. Ergo, train and expel all of her excess energy; all of her energy today was excess. One could tell when the small Aviari had an idea as her feathers flexed.

       And then at a drop of a feather, the cloud-colored female was moving at a steady lope. She wanted to run around at full speed and see how many flips she could do, but Tiamat decided to accompany her and Heirani wanted to rest her wings for a bit. So the female was delegated to also being their ride for the hour. That meant no high-speed, adrenaline-filled runs since the snake didn't like such high speeds unless it was for an emergency. Something about spies should focus on stealth instead of speed but the Riverine Raven called bullshit on that.

      "Sssee, thisss isss how a Raven ssshould  move. Not fasssst and loud but careful and quiet." Tiamat's voice hissed as the snake's head rose closer to the small femme's ear.

      "I can move fast and loud if I want to," the dawn-feathered damsel shot back almost imediatly as she made a small chirp to warn them - she had that much decency and the fruit bat had enough sense to take off - before she shot forwards and made a flying leap to the next rooftop. For funsies, she did a front flip - supposedly to help her with making the jump - and landed on the next roof top. She could hear the snake hissing angrily next to her ear. "To move with stealth and efficiency, you have to have the skills," the sky-colored spy said.

      "You should have seen it coming," the pink bat interjected as she landed on the Aviari's back.

      "I would have thought that ssshee would have jussst jumped inssstead of that flip," the snake shot back. Two voices replied at the same time.

      "You really don't know me."

      "You really don't know her."

Sunlight bleed what shallow light it could into a quiet den, within the hellion stirred awake. Eyelids fluttering open at the sharp cawing of a crow outside and he blinked in slow confusion as his formless world began to take on shapes.

It was always just before he was awake he'd see a flash of her. The slightest hint that she existed at all (was he the only one who mourned her?). Mouth moved, and he was sure he spoke, but didn't hear his own voice. He looked to that shifting form of white and blue, it shuddered under his unfocused gaze like a heat mirage and when he finally did attempt to look more closely it was gone. Feeling alone with you, without you, with you... with..out.

Head turned, more like mess of tarry black hair, glanced around the large space, empty. It was always empty by the time he woke up.Why would Toya even be surprised at this point? Gingerly standing up as he made his way toward the entrance of the den, sleep still clinging to his body like a warm blanket. The winter air rested upon their door step, chilly, he wouldn't be out for long today.

But as he moves to finally greet the sun outside he's met with something rather surprising, the lanky hellion pauses, usually nondescript face is now washed over with bewilderment. "Uh, hey, dad." He greets casually, but there's a shakiness in his voice that is certainly unmistakable. His fur prickling and his mouth running dry as his mind seems to be working on its last brain cell, not anticipating this run in. "It's, uh, a little early for you to be back home right? You okay?" These were words that he'd overheard a few strangers use in passing conversation as he sat, listened, and watched from afar.

Of the two of them, it just had to be Kol, right? Large ears pulled back as he moved to the side to make room for if his father wanted to slip by him. All he could think of was his dead face underwater, the last bit of air escaping his lungs and collapse under the pressure of seawater filling them instead. He was dead, but no, no he wasn't. The wind tussled the young hellion's hair and that eye was now exposed. All three blind pupils  seemingly fixated on the same thing, an odd coincidence. One of Toya's front legs shook out of second nature, cover it! COVER IT! But his limbs were paralyzed for the moment, staring blankly at the doctor's face.

ooc| open for 3-4 others.

While ‘whistle while you work’ may be the phrase most are familiar with, Peep tended to lean more towards humming. Perhaps because of her nature, perhaps because she couldn’t whistle… Not that a Crystalline daughter would admit such a fault; any fault was a bad one. Rather she believed, it was most appropriate to say that she did not like to whistle than to admit she could not. Maybe she was just making things up in her head? Blue nose wiggled and she continued to hum while she steeped many different pots of tea. Mother had hand made these pots many moons ago, before Peep was a twinkle in anyone’s eyes, before there was even a suggestion of war. They were lovely and intricate, but she always kept the nicest of them set up away from danger.

Pearle had always wanted to learn how to make impressive pottery on a scale like her mother had, but she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to learn that before the war. Thankfully her mother had passed down, what Peep thought at least, was the more important of her two primary skills. The making of tea. Maybe one day she’d find a Magpie that could teach her how to make pottery, maybe not, for now it was not a priority so long as her mother’s lovely pieces were still hers. (Who else could they possibly belong to?)

As her tea steeped, the grayscale girl slowly gathered cups and flowers, tea leaves and other odds and ends into a bag. Slowly, and with great care, she made her way to the marketplace, finding a smooth rock foundation near the edge of the area. (She would never dream of taking a spot from a Magpie, how rude!) A soft paw pulled the bag from across her body and placed it up against the stone foundation, leaving it open to reach into. Pearle would pull out her odds and ends, placing the flowers decoratively around the edge of the table, cups along the edge, stacked best she could into a couple of separate groups. Leaving one larger cup on the back end of the table away from where it could be reached at easily, Pearle had a purpose for it.

Then she would step away with her bag again, this time returning to retrieve her teas, one at a time, all four as they finished steeping. Placing each large pot on the table, spacing them as evenly as she possibly could. At the front of her table she would place a small stick with a charcoal tip to the edge, opposite of where she had placed her cups. Others were beginning to appear at the marketplace now as well, Magpies setting up their wares of the day. Pearle offered each of them a lovely polite little smile, biting back the nervousness that was brewing up in her stomach. Miri was a Magpie, maybe she’d be here to keep an eye on things somewhere in the background? Peep didn’t know if this was one of Miriam’s days or not, but the thought was enough to settle her nerves a bit.

Plus the blue and gray Jay usually patrolled the marketplace, he’d rescued her once before. The meek girl nodded to herself as she gathered the last bit of required items for her little plans. Nectar to go in the large cup she’d sat aside, since some people liked sweeter teas than others.

Finally she was ready, her teas had cooled almost to the perfect temperature and now was a good time to summon others. Pearle had been scheming recently on how to help bring up her bloodline’s name to an even higher status, similar to where it had been before the war. It had occurred to her that she wanted to prepare teas for gatherings and parties. Partially to honor her mother, and partially because she thought if she was particularly good at it, she would get noticed by those who cared for such things as propriety and charity. After all, the free taste testing she was about to do was certainly that.

Charity.


”HHHmmmmmmrrrmmmmmm! H-h-hello! Everyone! I-I am P-p-pearle, one of the lovely Crystalline daughters! Though you may a-also call me Peep. I-I have prepared some teas for all to try! I-I have taken it upon m-my-myself to prepare teas for our c-cele-brations just as my mother did before… me. I-I would like to invite… everyone… to come taste my original tea recipes… and.. and uh, l-leave a tally mark for the one you prefer best!” Feathers were puffed up a mile high, but the nervousness couldn’t quite be shaken from her voice just yet, a saccharine smile was dripping with anxiety but she swallowed it away best she could. The tiny Aviari would allow others to gather before motioning towards the cups and then to each pot of tea, ”The cups are t-there. P-please do be.. d-delicate with them. F-family heirlooms. Uh. Uh. Ah yes! The t-teas are, in order, a green tea with blueberry, a green tea with a-acai, a black cherry tea, and a- h-herbal hibiscus tea..” Pearle would sit back on her haunches and clasp her paws together hopefully in front of her chest. Had she forgotten anything? ”OH! A-apologies! I recognize t-that some do, uh, do not like… tart… teas. I have some n-nectar here. But uh, please-pl-taste the tea before you go adding nectar, y-yeah?”

       The sun's morning rays barely made it to the jungle floor, the canopy blocking most of it out with thick jungle leaves. The floor was filled with shadows that allowed even the most brightly-colored creatures to disappear within the dark's embrace with only small areas where the sun broke through. The ambient noises of the forest were serene with the occasional loud bird cry breaking through the rustling leaves and softer sounds of the jungle. This jungle was one of the few slices of  green left in the land under the hold of winter. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

       A small creature raced through the forest, spring-boarding off of tree trunks and nimbly hopping over obstacles as she moved through the forest floor. The few rays that caught her in their embrace glinted off of silver, grey, and dark grey fur with pastel feathers as sky blue paw pads pounded against the leaf-littered ground. The sun glinted off of the jewelry that she wore, the beads and the pendant on her neck made of gemstones that caught the light. One would think she was the offspring of bird and canine but that was not the case. She was of a proud species known as the Aviari.

       Pualani was on her morning run to keep her body strong and fit as well as expelling some energy that had built up in the naturally energetic female. She was quick and agile with her small size making it easier to navigate through the thicker portions of the jungle and with strong haunches that allowed her powerful jumps. A thrilled trill came from her throat as she cleared a log with a small flourish and loud whoops announced her presence to the forest as the Riverine daughter came to the end of her run.

       The pastel-feathered female made the most of the last stretch of her run as she leaped onto the log with an unnecessary jump that allowed her to bounce off of an adjacent tree trunk. A few paces later the female leaped off of another tree trunk and did a half-twist and stuck the landing perfectly. Finally, her sky-colored feathers and her monochrome body were enveloped fully in the sun's rays as she made it into the clearing.

       "That was amazing!" the dawn-colored damsel said to herself in a loud tone as she stopped to catch her breath. There was a good burn in her muscles and she panted to cool down. "I think I beat my best record." From above a loud, distinctive cry echoed, announcing the arrival of a pink fruit bat.

It seemed like decades had passed since the monsters had came into their hiding hole and took momma away to her death. Such a beautiful, loving creature, and they’d killed her just as they’d thrown poor sweet Pandion from the pyramid. Savages. The whole lot! And they had the audacity to say that it was the high blooded families that were cruel? Pearle had always politely scoffed the criticisms away as they’d never meant much to her but since the war they’d echoed in her head. How could the low bloods be so confused? So wrong? How… How… How could they have done this? The wounds around her throat and legs were healing up but it seemed the memories didn’t want to heal up or fade away. She still remembered screaming for her momma, and for her brother and hearing the cackles of those dreaded beasts outside their hiding spot. She still remembered the blood curdling snarl of the Jay that came to rescue her caught in the fray.

They’d plucked away some of momma’s feathers, but Pearle wouldn’t let them keep them for long. The child cried and wept an awful mess of tears and pleading and the disgruntled Jay returned to the scene to delicately fetch them for the girl. He’d received no thanks from Pearle, she’d been too distraught to offer a bastard much of anything—not that she’d done much more if she’d felt up to it--. The grayscale child had just been happy to have them, and had taken them delicately back to the den where they had lived together for them to remain. Pearle figured it was more honorable for her mother’s feathers to rest in the beautiful home she had built for her children than next to a blood stain and a hole in the ground. Tiny tears dripped each time she thought about that awful scene, running down her fuzzy cheeks and landing with a plop to the dirt below.

Today was no different. The aroma of tea leaves and flowers drifted through the air of the den, outside lay a small rabbit carcass that had been caught and left for the girl by the same Jay that had rescued her—he had tried his best to not care she was by herself but with no jokes to crack he’d decided he might at least make sure she was eating--. But Pearle hadn’t touched it, she had no appetite even if she liked the idea of being doted upon. The Crystalline daughter missed her mother a lot today, she wished and begged that it was some dream, that this had been her true Trial and that everything would be well soon. That the Judges would judge her false Trial as they had did her true one and deem her the strongest and most loyal. Then her mother would be returned to her. Their God could do that couldn’t they? Return mother? Pearle sighed heavy and reached out to grab the bundle of her mother’s feathers gently, drawing them into her chest.

Eventually she would pick herself up, she was Crystalline, she’d have to… But until that moment, it seemed that momma’s little Peep would just lay with what she had left of her mother, resting silently in the den they had made. It felt empty without the voices of her mother and siblings, but a sound outside brought her back to the present and she felt her whole body tense up. What if it was them again? What if they’d come to finish the job? What if the war wasn’t truly over? Fear caught in her throat and she hunkered down, trying to protect the feather. "H-h-hello?" was all she managed to choke out while trembling like a leaf.

It was no wonder that Althea constantly wondered where her life took a wrong turn. Was it when she was still a pup and trying to hide her sickness, falling horribly ill and losing her voice in consequence? Was it when she had spat in the face of those who had raised her and turned for the hills, throwing herself into the company of someone her family had deemed less than suitable? Or when she had left said company for dead, caring only for her survival? Perhaps, when she fell for Muirenn's tricks and honey words, leaving her heart vulnerable and perfect to break? Or joining Alteron, associating herself with individuals who looked at her as if she were prey? Really, she had a knack for making poor decisions; it was a talent.

She could still recall her childhood before everything went to shit. When other could hear her voice and taunt her siblings, bragging to them about her accomplishments. She had always been proficient at hunting, after all, and that was one of the talents their pack had valued most. She had always been vying for her father's approval, desperate for paternal validation and compliments for her work. They were rare, cold things, but she had gloated about them endlessly. Her father... She had hidden her sickness in desperation, determined to keep such simple weaknesses hidden.

She regretted it, though. She wished she had overcome her pride and fears of disappointment and simply sought out assistance. But, no, she had kept quiet. She had passed it off as allergies, claiming it would be gone within a few days. But, rather, her voice was. And it didn't come back.

And then... The disappointment and disgust, all the pitying looks and distasteful grimaces. She despised them to her core, had snarled at any who had given them to her or had brushed her off during a hunt. Was she not one of their best? A simple lack of voice would not keep her from being there to play her part in the killing of a bison. But still, even after she had played off their pity and done her best to reassert her place, they had treated her like a dead weight. Her temper had snapped when she was told she wouldn't go on hunts anymore. Usefulness was always so treasured in their pack. To tell her that she had none, that she would best be a mother, was an insult to one of the highest degrees.

So she left. She was barely even a year old, fresh out of adolescence with an explosive temper that rivaled that of a volcano. But, in their homelands, it was survive or die. She could hunt, yes, but she could barely defend herself. She hadn't been of age to learn how to defend herself and she knew she couldn't fight with sharp teeth alone. She needed a partner, someone who would defend while she hunted. And she had found one. But their life together, harsh but uneventful and bent on survival, was not long-lived. The packs that roamed the prairies and preyed on bison and deer were cruel and merciless. Stealing the small amounts of food was a crime punishable with death. It was only a matter of time before they were cornered and, while their attackers were occupied with her companion, she had fled. Like a coward. She was a coward.

But she was a survivor. She always had been one. And while she regretted her betrayal because she left behind one of her few friends, she didn't wholly regret it. It was his life or both of theirs. She was hellbent on living. She wouldn't die anytime soon if she could help it.

Sitting alone amidst some of the few plains, some of the few pieces of Alteron's territory that she felt comfortable in, she contemplated her life. She was still young, she wasn't even halfway through her life. She had left behind so many people she had once--or even still--treasured. But it was for survival. She was a survivor if nothing else; a prideful one, yes, but a survivor. While she may regret some of the decisions she's made--leaving behind people who trusted her, betraying them--she would stand by them.