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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 7:42:42 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 7:42:42 GMT -6
Cecilia started, turning around to listen to the sounds that were coming from all directions. The blind halfbreed had run into trouble when she and Tier had been exploring Shempii, there had been a sudden overwhelming of crowds and she'd been grabbed by hands and pushed back.
She recognized the pattern, it was someone thinking she belonged back on the market and she had panicked, unleashing a strong blast of wind and knocking her assailants clean onto the ground before she turned and ran, the panic still loud throughout her body. The wind magick kept her up, letting her travel through the swamps and never once touching the water until she was far away from people.
Cecilia sat on a log on a bank, crying to herself. She was alone, scared, and from what she had been told, in dangerous territory. It was not only a danger to herself but anyone who tried looking for her. The blind halfbreed never felt so helpless before, she was mostly upset with herself for creating more trouble than was necessary. She just felt that she was more of a burden and that Tier shouldn't bother looking for her, if he even noticed she was gone.
Cecilia made a noise of utter despair in the back of her throat before she buried her face in her hands, sobbing partly in relief that she had escaped the market again and mostly because she was terrified. She didn't know where she was or where to go. She could only wait for someone to decide to rescue her, if someone decided to come.
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Tier
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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 11:01:26 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 11:01:26 GMT -6
Tier had almost instantly known when Cecilia was gone from him. Sadly, he had no time to get to her before she was pulled out of sight. The animagus had turned into a hawk and had quickly patrolled over the city quickly. He was unable to find her in Shempii so he quickly set out to the swamp.
The swamps were incredibly dangerous, and if Cecilia had gotten away from whoever had grabbed her, she would find even greater danger in the swamps. When they had went through the Laiten Swampland to get to Shempii, they had been fortunate enough to not have come across most of the beasts that lived there. Today, he was not so sure that Cecilia would be so lucky.
The animagus had shapeshifted into a caiman and was swimming his way quickly through the swamp water. He was trying hard to find Cecilia’s scent in through the swamp. He knew that if he found her smell; he would find her.
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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 11:13:04 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 11:13:04 GMT -6
Cecilia started when she heard a noise, instantly stilling and blending into the scenery around her. It was a noise that told her the particular owner was not friendly nor was it going to be nice. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and was fairly certain it had leapt into her throat.
She couldn't see it, but she could certainly sense it and smell it. Whatever it was was big and moving slowly, as if it knew that she could sense it as well. The area around them had grown suddenly quiet, as if everything had gone into hiding and suddenly Cecilia wished she could as well. She could feel the panic starting to rise and knew that the wind magicks would kick in, undoubtedly tearing up part of the swamp if she was scared enough.
She held her breath as well, forcing herself to remain calm and listen to what was going on. Whatever it was was trying to be quiet as well, but it was having no such luck against the blind halfbreed. She could hear every shift that the creature made in its movements and even track it from the slight echoes that came off and bounced through the swamp.
What the blind halfbreed couldn't see, was that the creature was indeed watching her, waiting to see if she was really alone and how strong she was. It was shifting its position, trying best to judge what the girl was and if it was something that could be eaten without harm. It lay to the right of her, half hidden in the water, watching and waiting.
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Tier
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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 11:25:11 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 11:25:11 GMT -6
The caiman form of the animagus caught Cecilia’s scent as looked up out of the water. Tier quickly changed forms as he swam, shifting into a crocodile to be a bit bigger and a bit quicker. He darted through the water with ease, making his way over to where he knew Cecilia was.
Tier could sense another creature in the water close to the girl. He knew that if he did not hurry, this animal could get a hold of the blind half breed before the animagus would have a chance to even get remotely close. He was simply hoping that Cecilia was aware of the danger around her.
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Sept 19, 2009 11:28:41 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 11:28:41 GMT -6
Cecilia did not move, instead focusing on listening to the creature as it shifted, seeming to lose interest in the halfbreed. When she heard it turn away from her, she still did not move, knowing that there had been ploys like that before. She listened, waiting until she heard it enter the water again before she moved again.
The blind halfbreed stood quickly, backing away from the water's edge and to a tree, hiding in among it's gigantic roots. She was glad she was small, otherwise she would not have fit in there and whatever had been watching her was most definitely big. Cecilia bit her lip as she shifted, hiding out of sight and out of reach of most every creature that was awake today.
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Tier
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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 11:33:04 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 11:33:04 GMT -6
Tier reached the shore and crawled out of the water quickly. He shifted back into his human form, his eyes looking around quickly trying to locate Cecilia. The animagus worried about the blind half breed’s safety more than anything. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was blind. He knew that there were much stronger creatures than her out in this swamp. He just wanted her to be alright.
The animagus located her scent once more and slowly started to walk to where she should have been. “Cecilia?” he called out gently to her. “Are you alright? I’m here to take you back to Shempii.”
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Sept 19, 2009 11:45:08 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 11:45:08 GMT -6
Cecilia started when she heard his voice, having not really expected him to come after her. "I'm over here," she said as she emerged from where she had hidden, dirt smeared across her cheek and leaves in her hair. She looked a mess, but there was no other injury on her other than just being scared.
She stood once she had crawled out from the tree roots, brushing off some of the dirt that had clung to her skirt, ignoring the smears on her face since she didn't know they were there. "I'm alright, just frightened," she said softly, she didn't know if he heard her or not.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 11:51:12 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 11:51:12 GMT -6
The animagus quickly went over to Cecilia. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently to try and calm her down a bit. He hushed her softly before looking down at her. He gave a slight smile.
“Everything is alright,” he said to her. “You are safe now with me. I will get you out of this swamp and back to the inn. You need to be cleaned up, and I think a nice warm bath will do your nerves some good.”
His eyes glanced around a bit, making sure there were no predators lurking around them. Tier was debating how he wanted to get her back to the city. The best way would probably be shifting into a form of an animal and having her ride upon his back.
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Sept 19, 2009 11:58:40 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 11:58:40 GMT -6
Cecilia nodded, hugging him back before quickly pulling away slight embarrassed. "I don't want to get you dirty," she said, ignoring the fact they were currently residing in the swamp. She blushed lightly, hiding her hands in the folds of her skirt as she hung her head, pale blonde hair spilling around her face and obscuring it like a veil.
She felt bad about getting separated from Tier and making him come after her, but she had panicked, she didn't want to go back to the market, so she had done the only thing she could and ran. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 12:03:51 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 12:03:51 GMT -6
Tier gave a small smile, shaking his head slightly. “Stop apologizing, Cecilia,” the animagus said gently, watching her. “I don’t mind if you get me a bit dirty. I would rather have that then not find you at all, you know.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders gently. “Let’s get back to Shempii, though.” He rubbed her arm gently. “I am really happy to see you alive, you know. You could have been hurt severely or kidnapped. I am just glad that I was able to find you before something of the swamp could get to you.”
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Sept 19, 2009 12:08:45 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 12:08:45 GMT -6
Cecilia nodded and brought a hand up to wipe at the dirt on her cheek, smearing it even more. She sighed, realizing it was useless until she got a bath. "Unfortunately, the wind let me get out here," she said with an embarrassed laugh, the pink dusting her cheeks becoming even more pronounced. "And unless I know exactly which direction I'm going while I'm panicking, I can't get back that way," she said as she shifted on her feet.
"And if they'd had their way, you would have been lucky to find me at all," she said softly, knowing exactly where she would have ended up.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 12:18:59 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 12:18:59 GMT -6
“Well, what matters is that you are alright, Cecilia,” Tier told her. “But we should be heading back.” He paused in thought. “Do you think you could ride upon my back if I shifted into a griffin?”
The animagus took another moment before he smacked his hand against his head. He realized then that she probably did not know exactly what a griffin was.
“Here, let me show you.” Tier stepped away from Cecilia. He shapeshifted into the form of a griffin. He laid down to the ground, letting a wing spread out to Cecilia’s feet. He would allow her to get herself acquainted with this form.
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Sept 19, 2009 12:29:40 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 12:29:40 GMT -6
Cecilia wrinkled her nose at the sound and the rush of magick before she started. She felt the wing he lay down at her feet and reached a tenative hand out, petting the feathers. "Tier?" she questioned, knowing he probably couldn't speak but wanting some confirmation she was doing okay.
She bit her lip as she traced a butterfly touch over the feathers, fingers exploring the new form. She frowned when she felt the change between feathers and fur, biting her lip in confusion. She assumed that Tier knew what he was doing and that he didn't get it wrong, but she'd never felt something like this.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 12:48:53 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 12:48:53 GMT -6
Tier smiled inwardly as he turned and looked at Cecilia. He gently rubbed his head up against her, assuring her that it was alright. He lowered his body a bit more to the ground, trying to make it as easy as possible for her to get up onto his back.
He allowed her to explore all the details of his griffin form. He did not mind waiting at all. The animagus knew how much the half breed enjoyed discovering new objects and creatures. He was also in no rush. He would be able to protect her now against the creatures of the swamp.
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Sept 19, 2009 12:56:48 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 12:56:48 GMT -6
Cecilia smiled brightly when his head butted against her, her fingers nimbly exploring before she climbed gently on his back, wrapping her arms as far as possible around his neck. She tucked her face against the feathers of his neck, her body looking quite small against his form. She knew that he would be able to tell that she was on, so she didn't say anything, she didn't need to.
She held on firmly so she wouldn't fall off while he was flying, smiling a bit at the new sensation of flying in the air although she would have liked to see what everything looked like, she was more content to simply let Tier do as he pleased at the moment.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 13:21:12 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 13:21:12 GMT -6
Tier stood up as soon as Cecilia was firmly on his back. He stretched out his wings a bit before taking a few quick steps forward and rising to the air with a few flaps of his wings. The animagus was soon flying through the air at a rather quick speed. He was not worried about the trees at all. He knew he would not get caught up in the branches even if he purposely went through them.
The animagus was a master at flying in any form. The griffin was one of the more powerful creatures that he could change into that had the ability to fly.
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Sept 19, 2009 13:25:59 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 13:25:59 GMT -6
Cecilia let a startled sound come out of her throat as Tier took off, holding him just a bit tighter before loosening her grip so he wouldn't get hurt but still burrowing her face in his back. She would soon enough get used to the sensation of him flying, but for now she was a bit frightened. She'd never flown before and had always kept her fee on the ground, and this was an entirely new situation to her.
Cecilia managed to relax her grip as they continued, actually coming to enjoy the different sensations once they were level in the air and he was not moving in and out of the trees.
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Tier
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Sept 19, 2009 13:33:09 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 13:33:09 GMT -6
After a little while of flying, they reached the city. Tier flew right into Shempii, not minding the looks he got from locals because of his griffin form and because of his size. He found a place to land, shifting back into human form before completely landing. He still held Cecilia close to him. He wrapped his hands behind him, holding the girl close so she would not fall.
“We are back in the city,” he told her gently. “You can get down if you would like. I can lead you the rest of the way to the inn then.”
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Sept 19, 2009 13:40:07 GMT -6
Post by Cecilia the Blind One on Sept 19, 2009 13:40:07 GMT -6
Cecilia blushed when he shifted, fingers wrapping in his shirt at the moment, once she was sure that he had completely landed she shook her head. "I can walk," she said softly, still feeling a tiny bit shy after all of that.
She dropped down from his hold, feet landing without a sound on the ground as she bit her lip, a faint splash of color still very noticeable against her porcelain skin. Her hands automatically went up, toying with a strand of hair before she seemed to shake herself out of whatever mood she had been in, smiling brightly at Tier.
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Tier
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Lost
Sept 19, 2009 13:48:11 GMT -6
Post by Tier on Sept 19, 2009 13:48:11 GMT -6
Tier smiled a bit, slipping an arm around Cecilia’s shoulders. He ran his hand through her hair a bit before leaning down and kissing her cheek lightly. He sent her another smile before starting to lead her off into the inn.
“You know, I am really glad that I could get you here without you being hurt or anything, Cecilia. It’s bad enough that I feel bad for losing you for that short amount of time today. I wouldn’t know how to handle you getting hurt for my lack of awareness. But we are here at the inn now, and you’re fine.”
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