The Crow's Nest (A new way of seeing)

Loxiel wants to expand his horizons, and decides seeing the horizon to be his best start.

In the heart of Ninraih's jungles, the Fae created the city of Ajteire, protected from the undead by the magic of fireflies and a pact with the Kerasoka. The complex network of trees, vines, and plants helps to keep unwanted visitors out. Read more...
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Loxiel
Character
Level
03
48 / 48 HP
38 / 38 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 55c
Race: Fae and Shapeshifter
Class: Rogue
Posts: 47
Joined: September 13th, 2019, 3:14 am
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The Crow's Nest (A new way of seeing)

Post by Loxiel »

As he sat eating his morning porridge, Loxiel glanced across at the table not far from him, where sat a group of men and women, all in some form of armour, and some carrying various weapons. The city's militia was a group that Loxiel would have been proud to be a part of, but had never really considered asking to be trained so that he could join. The Changeling dreamt only of adventure and becoming a hero. Sometimes it felt like a foolish thing to consider, but most often than not, it was all he could ever imagine doing!

Taking his bowl to the wash station, he cleaned up and thanked the cook for the meal. He watched the militia do the same, gathering themselves to start watch for the day, and when they headed out, he followed.

***

"I don't think so, boy." The Fae said to him, as he unfurled his wings. "Watchtowers are for the militia to keep the city safe, not some place for you to play games." And without waiting for a response, his rainbow coloured wings fluttered as he took flight, heading for the peak of the tower.

Loxiel, rater childishly, pulled a face at the Fae as left. Play? He wasn't asking to go up there to play! He wasn't a youngling, any more. Silently he cursed his boyish face, wishing that he didn't look so young. It seemed like it would be an eternity before anyone looked at him and saw anything up a young, green, baby-faced Changeling without any skill with magic or blade.

With a huff, he decided to simply go behind the grumpy Fae's back and seek out someone who would let him have a chance at doing what he felt he needed to.

***

"And why, little hawk, should I go through all the bother of arranging this for you, when you can simply fly into the sky and see for yourself?"

Inya had took some finding, but after asking around, he finally found her, sitting on the forest floor at the city's limits, leisurely tending to her ornate dagger.

"Because I want to see it with my own eyes, and not just through my hawk-form's eyes." He explained.

"But surely," she said, as she ran oiled cloth down the length of the blade. "You can see much more with the vision of a hawk?"

"But there will be times when ..."

"When you won't have the luxury." She finished, for him. "Yes, I suppose you make a fair point." Putting the cloth down, she held the blade in front of her, her sharp eyes inspecting it, not even looking up as she spoke. "But I am not the master of the watch; I am simply an instructor. If someone doesn't care to have a tag-along when they are performing their duties, then there is little I can do. I cannot order them to accept."

"But you could ask?" Loxiel said.

Inya finally looked up at him. "A little presumptuous," she said, but she did so with a small smile. "Very well." She slid the dagger into the sheathe, then rose, attaching it to her belt. "I will ask. And if the answer to that is 'no', then I don't expect to be hassled, do you understand?"

Loxiel bowed his head, and resisted a smile of triumph. "Yes, ma'am."

***

"What for?" The tall Elf enquired, looking down at Loxiel. "Is he hoping to join the guard. He seems a little ... well, incompatible with such a role."

Loxiel's face reddened a little at the slight, but he kept quiet.

Inya gave a small chuckle. "Everyone is incompatible to a role, until they are not, Dirian." She pointed out. "But no, he is not looking to join the militia, at least not yet. He is my student, and is learning the ways of the forest; survival out in the jungle."

Dirian gave a confused shrug. "Then surely the best place for the boy is out in the jungle!"

"I want to see everything," Loxiel spoke up, despite Inya telling him to leave all the talking to her. "I won't be a bother, I promise."

Dirian didn't look convinced, but he glanced upwards from the base of the watchtower where the trio stood. "An hour." He said, after a long pause. "Then you leave." As Loxiel smiled, the man raised a brow. "And I don't expect to be distracted with idle chatter."

Loxiel nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, sir!"

***

By the time Loxiel had reached the top of the ladder, he was almost dizzy from the climb. Of course, he could have just flown up to the peak, but had instead chosen to follow Dirian, as the Elf climbed it with such ease and speed that he was at the top before Lox was even halfway there.

The Elf had shook his head and rolled his eyes as Loxiel pulled himself up the last rung, and stood on the wooden platform. Then he simply turned and stood at the edge of the platform, which was surrounded by a wall of wood that came to the knee of the Elf, beginning his watch.

As he rose, the young Changeling's mind was instantly moved from the ache in his arms to the amazing view before him.

The jungle canopy spread before him, seemingly going on forever. Though he had seen it many times through the eyes of a hawk, it was so different now; in hawk-form, his eyes caught the smallest movements. They centred on targets and prey, never taking in the whole. But now ...

The scene reminded him of stories of the ocean; vast bodies of water as far as the eye could see. The jungle was an awe inspiring expanse of greenery, thick, close trees that created the ceiling of the very place he had spent so much time on. It looked impenetrable, and Loxiel wondered how anyone could see anything through it. Here and there, the canopy would dip, then rise; some trees growing taller than others, standing out like towers in their own right, as if they were themselves sentinels of the jungle.

Being this far up, yet so close, the jungle was like an assault on the senses, though not unpleasant. The sounds of birds, some chirps, some long warbling whistles. Then the sound of other creatures, the calls of the many times of simians that one could sometimes see, flitting from tree to tree, expertly navigating the tangled mass. The smell up here was different too. It was no longer masked by the muskiness of the city, of the smells coming from the kitchens, forges, or fires; it was sweet, and could have almost been cloying if it were not for the breeze that never made it's way down below. Loxiel took in deep breaths of the fresh moving air, filling his lungs with it and smiling.

***

"Time's up."

Loxiel blinked, as if wakening from a dream, he turned to look at Dirian. "Sorry?"

The tall Elf flicked his head in the direction of the ladder. "I said an hour, and you got your hour." He held up his hand as Loxiel was about to speak. "No longer."

Loxiel nodded. "I was just going to say 'thank you', is all." This wasn't true, as he had fully intended on asking to stay a little longer.

Dirian shrugged. "Have fun with the ladder." He said, in an obvious attempt to embarrass the Changeling.

"The ladder will be fine without me," Loxiel said, a little smugly, before shifting into hawk-form. He gave a small screech, before hopping to the platform, spreading his wings and taking flight.

***

"It was so beautiful," he said, between bites of his bread. "It's so different looking at it through these eyes. Even though I can see more detail as a hawk, seeing it as a whole is ... it's like seeing a completely different place!"

Inya sat beside him. She had taken a seat just as he had started his meal and immediately demanded a report. "And what did you learn?" She asked.

Loxiel cleared his mouth and then thought for a moment. "I'm not sure." He admitted. "I am so used to seeing it from underneath the canopy, that it was like I had never been there in my life! And the breeze was ..."

"I am not asking you to regale me with romantic words about the wind, Loxiel," she said, though not harshly. "You were there to learn something." She shook her head slightly as his shoulders slumped. "After you have eaten, go and get some rest. I'll take the night-shift up there and we'll see if we can't get you to take away at least one thing from this endeavour of yours." She rose, standing gracefully. "The jungle is more than greenery and pretty birds, Loxiel."

As she walked away, Loxiel ate the last of his bread slowly, feeling a little dejected. He was pleased he would have a chance to go up there again, but at night time? What was the point if he couldn't see anything? How was he to learn a lesson in the dark?

***

"You should have climbed," Inya didn't even turn to him, as Loxiel shifted from hawk to himself on the platform. "It'll will build your strength."

Loxiel smoothed out his shirt and went to stand by her, his eyes looking down. "Yes, Inya." He said, stifling a yawn. His body was all out of sorts at going to sleep during the day and bring roused to come meet his tutor.

The immediate treescape surrounding them was aglow with the ever-present fireflies, but beyond that it was mostly darkness. The only source of light was the flickering of fireflies dotted here and there, beyond the more full barrier closer to the city.

Loxiel immediately felt frustrated; how was he to learn anything when he couldn't see anything beyond the firefly barrier? His eyes could not penetrate the darkness in this form ... but maybe ... "Inya," he said, though quietly as he didn't want to be rebuked for making too much noise. "I think I would be able to see better if I shift. May I?"

The Elven Ranger glanced to him and shrugged. "If you think it will be of assistance, then do as you will."

Loxiel nodded, took a breath and then closed his eyes. He brought up for form in his head, focused on it, concentrated as hard as he could, pushing out the noises around him ... then he shifted.

Inya turned to look down at him. "Impressive, little hawk." She said. "So you have mastered a new form. Well done."

Loxiel shook his head, trying to indicate that had not mastered it, but had simply began on the road to doing so. His cat form was almost like that of a lynx or a bobcat, but with sleeker fur for the warmer climate. His coat was a silvery grey, with dual black spots running from his head to his tail. His ears were tipped with little tufts. The form was still small, however, as he stood his head would reach a grown man's middle thigh at the most.

Moving to the edge of the platform, he reached up and placed both paws on the wooden wall, and looked out again.

Seeing the jungle in this form was so different from both hawk and regular forms. The world was almost a grey-green colour, and though he didn't have the extreme sharpness of vision as he did as a hawk, he could now make out the trees that he had not been able to see, and his ears, turning this way and that, amplified the noisy jungle sounds to busy cacophony of insect chirping, night-birds whistling, and frogs croaking.

His pupils were wide; now completely round as he took in all the light he could to see ... and see he did. His head pushed forward a little, he focused on a disturbance in the trees, a place where the ground either dipped, or that the trees were simply thinner. Whatever was making it was much bigger than any bird or rodent. Could it be a larger cat? Something that hunted during the nights?

Making sure to keep his face in the direction of the moving creature, or whatever it was, he shifted back into his own form. "Inya; there's something there." He sighed with relief at being back in his usual form. He tired quickly as a cat, as he was so new to that form.

"Reports need to be a little more specific," she said to him.

He pointed in the direction he had seen it, before looking to her. "Something large is moving. It could be a panther or something, but whatever it is, it is causing more of a disturbance than I think a natural predator would make."

Inya turned to look where he was pointing, her eyes narrowing a little as she tried to focus on where he was pointing. "I see nothing," she said. "But if you did ... well, let us hope that you're right, or else I will look foolish. Keep watching." She grabbed the horn that hung by a strap from a nail, put it to her lips and gave two short calls.

In a quick moment, the fluttering of wings announced one of the Fae, who came to hover next to the platform. His eyes looked curiously at Loxiel for a moment, then to Inya. "Where?" He asked, simply. The two calls from the horn must have meant an enemy in sight, Loxiel supposed.

The Elf pointed out to where Loxiel had mentioned. "Not fully confirmed. Could be a beast, but the young hawk here doesn't think so."

The Fae looked back at Loxiel with a raised brow, then back to Inya. "It's your call." He said, with doubt heavy in his voice. Then dipped and flew down.

The young Changeling was filled with doubt; would he get Inya into trouble if he was wrong?

As if reading his mind, the Elven woman turned to watch the forest. "It is better to investigate everything than ignore a potential threat. Shift back into your cat form and watch what you can."

Loxiel nodded, though he wished he didn't have to. Shifting was tiring all on its own, especially when using an familiar form. But he did as he was told and once again, stood on his hind legs, wide eyes watching the forest.

Now he saw two things; a small group of people ... four of them, and all Fae by their size ... creating towards the place where Inya had pointed.

But when Loxiel looked around, he saw the disturbance amongst the trees moving in a different direction; still towards the city, but the small group were not going to intercept it on their current course.

Shifting back, and breathing heavily from doing so, he relayed this information to Inya.

"Wait here; keep watching." She instructed, moving to the ladder. "If you see anything, use the horn; three blasts." And then she vanished before he could reply.

With a groan, Loxiel shifted back into cat form again, so he could see. He was grateful for the cool air up here, as his body felt hot and tired from the constant shifting. But he fixed his eyes on the target and his ears were pointed forward.

His eyes flicked to the single form of Inya; she was moving directly to the ... whatever it was. And with the speed, it seemed she had located it herself. Loxiel's heart beat fast in his furry chest as her path met with the other. His ears picked up a shout from her, calling out "Foe!". The four other guards began to hurry in her direction, but she seemed to have already engaged. Loxiel's eyes strained as he tried desperately to see what was happening, but all he could make out was rapid movements amongst the trees.

It didn't last long.

***

"Well done." Inya had climbed back up the ladder, and had taken a seat on the wooden floor, smoothing back her hair and reaching for a rag to clean her dagger, which was spotted by a black liquid that could only be the rotten blood of the undead.

Loxiel felt extremely tired as he sat on the small wooden wall of the platform. "You would have spotted it, anyway." He said.

She didn't look up. "That's not the point. It is better that those things are dispatched of as far away from the city as possible. Even with the fireflies, the undead get too close, sometimes." She sheathed her blade and rose. "And it is better that the remains are properly disposed of as far away as possible."

Loxiel didn't ask how, though it was rumoured that the undead remains were burned. "I suppose." He conceded.

"So, little hawk: what did you learn?" She asked, looking down at him.

He thought for a moment, trying to push the image of a nice warm bed from his mind. "I guess ... I guess I learned that events can change very quickly ... that just because you see something somewhere at one moment, doesn't mean that the situation will be the same the next minute." He glanced out at the jungle, now wrapped in darkness since he was in his human-like form. "To always be alert, even when you feel you are completely safe."

"Hmm." Inya smiled a little. "Good. That will do, for now. Go back to your nest, little hawk." She instructed (and he was more than willing to do as he was told). "If I get watch-tower duty again, I may call you to stand with me."

Despite the aching and tiredness, he nodded his head. "I would be grateful for that."

She gave a small laugh and turned back to watch the jungle. "I wouldn't be so sure." She said, mysteriously.

***

Loxiel fell into his cot fully clothed, and was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Not even an empty, growling stomach could keep him from sleep, but he fell into his slumber, satisfied.
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