Not Enough

[Haley]

[OOC: Editted and reposted since the eclipse is over and I wanted to alter where she was going, etc]

Haley had not originally set out with intentions to enter the mists. In fact, in an effort to combat the bout of insomnia that currently plagued her, Haley had taken to pacing about the Seelie court with Akuji. After thoroughly scoring the outskirts of the Seelie grounds perchance she might find something interesting and ultimately coming up empty-handed, Haley had turned her attention to outside of the court.

Akuji padded by Haley’s side, content with merely enjoying the cool morning air. Though the beast was just a bit worried about Haley’s lack of sleep, he could see that it had not slowed her in the slightest. The woman’s eyes were bright and alert - her movements sharp and concise but with a languid touch to them that suggested she was completely at ease with her surroundings. Though her attire was casual – black yoga pants and matching tank-top – Haley had not forgotten her weapons this time around. She had worn her metal bracers ever since the attack on Imbolc.

Though Haley had originally set out towards the library, she found herself unexpectedly altering the direction she steadily marched in. She was heading south-eastish...so so Haley believed. She never was good with directions, unlike her adopted father and his whole built-in GPS. However, the way Haley walked, shifting from side to side to cover moe ground, it was likely her path would alter at any moment. Akuji, with his keen nose and ears, padded off slightly ahead to scout out any dangers that might be lurking in the area. Still, he kept close enough that he could return to Haley quickly, should she need him.

[Luca]

A thousand smells are on the wind, though Haley's faerie senses are too weak to grasp them. New leaves and rotting ones, flowers still in the bud, and the cool scent of running water caress the wild dog's nose as he trots ahead. There is another smell, too -- a strange one, and unfamiliar. It bears some resemblance to an extinguished fire, but lacks the acrid smell of smoke.

Animals are everywhere. Both mantel and faerie can hear them from time to time, rustling in the bushes and calling to each other from the trees.

[Haley]

Akuji paused the moment the strange smell struck his nose. Haley, who had been paying attention to the animal calls high above them in the trees nearly walked into her mantel, sidestepping just in time to avoid a collision. Haley wrinkled her nose and went to snap at him but hesitated when she saw a flash of his teeth. Obviously something had him on edge. The petite faerie slipped up beside her bonded and dropped down, one hand rubbing the top of his head, "What is it boy?" She, of course, did not have his keen smell and was thus oblivious to what had gotten his attention.

Akuji sniffed the air a few more times, his lips drawn back in a silent snarl. It wasn't so much that he knew the smell to be a threat, rather he was always wary of something that he had never encountered before. The dog was always slightly on edge in the Mists. After all, there had been a lot of strange activity going on in Alanor as of late. Any weirdness, including a smell, was worth being wary of.

Haley blinked when the dog started forward towards the smell, quickly rising to follow him. By now her eyes were narrowed, her body slightly tense as she honed in on her surroundings. Akuji had found something. What it was, she didn't know. However, Haley was always tempted to lean towards a more cautious approach (unlike the bitchy Seelie Queen), and thus her fingers slipped towards the triggers on her metal bracers, just in case something decided to jump out at her (or Akuji) as she picked her way after the wild dog.

[Luca]

Their southern trajectory takes them slowly downhill, toward a thick knot of woods. There, the footing is soft with loam, and tangled with the roots of willow trees. After several minutes of walking, Akuji's discovery begins to tickle Haley's nose, as well: a hot smell, somehow, with a touch of spice, like incense.

As soon as Haley can discern the scent, the forest grows still and quiet. All the bird calls, bushes rustling, and other signs of life abruptly stop. Even the insects, which could be seen buzzing and fluttering through the air only moments before, seem to have vanished.

[Haley]

As she walked Haley allowed on hand to trail through the hanging branches of the willow trees. She had always adored willows for no particular reason, though she had a sneaking suspicion that her admiration spawned from the time she had watched Pocahontas as a child. The Nimbus kept her eyes trained on Akuji as the wild dog continuously held his nose to the air. It wasn’t until they had walked a bit of a distance before the smell began to harass her as well. Haley wrinkled her nose in objection – whatever the smell was it was definitely something foreign. It vaguely reminded her of how much she hated incense.

However, what caught her attention more than the smell was the sudden absence of life. It was too abrupt to not notice, and when Haley found herself no longer batting at mosquitoes, she realized that there was something weird going on here (though perhaps weird was not the right word to use – this was Alanor after all.) Still, she pressed forward, her pace picking up to bring her beside Akuji. She no longer wanted him out in front where she would have a harder time getting to him should something occur. Her fingers hovered over the triggers to her weapons, Haley’s sharp eyes darting to assess the area she was trekking forward into.

[Luca]

The silence deafens, intensifying the faint sounds of a breeze caressing willow branches, and an even fainter snapping of dying embers. Just as the smell of smoke begins to ebb and their course appears to have run astray, a clearing opens before them.

The meadow, or what remains of it, is wholly charred, as if consumed by wildfire -- but the trees around its edge are miraculously unburned. Little tendrils of smoke still rise from the scorched earth, and every few paces a whitish flame flickers and gutters out. In the center of the clearing, a crater about five feet in diameter smolders fitfully. And in the center of the crater stands a bird on long, slender legs.

The bird is blue and white motley, with silvery skin and beak. It stares at Akuji with narrowed eyes, then considers Haley for an extended moment. A sound escapes it, sounding remarkably like "ahem," before it turns to pick its way across the burned clearing, toward the opposite side.

It spares one backward glance over its feathered shoulder, but does not stop.

[Haley]

Haley was not easily unsettled, but even the most gallant of faerie would be a bit perturbed by the deafening silence. The little Nimbus pursed her lips, one hand dropping down to touch Akuji atop his head, almost as if seeking some comfort in his presence. He was her security blanket and though Haley was a pretty confident person, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to continue as calmly as she did without him by her side.

Upon reaching the clearing, Haley immediately stopped, her fingers shifting to grab a hold of Akuji’s ear in an effort to stop him. The action was unneeded as the wild dog came to a stop the moment he spotted the bird. The hair on his back raised and his lips drew back into a silent snarl. Haley narrowed her eyes, more content on surveying the area rather than zeroing in on the avian standing in the middle. She didn’t have long to assess the situation before the bird turned to walk off.

Haley spared less than a second to make her decision - her legs carried her forward at a quickened pace in an effort close the distance between her and the bird. Akuji trotted at her heels, his fur still on end and his ears pinned back against his head. Once Haley was within a few paces of the motley she slowed her pace, content to stay a fair distance from the creature less it morph into something hideous. This was Alanor after all.

[Luca]

They close the distance even quicker than planned. The ground is still extremely hot under foot, like walking barefoot across sand in the midsummer sun. But they are soon across the clearing, with only a few yards between them and the mysterious creature. Up close, Haley can see that the bird somewhat resembles a heron -- tall, with trailing plumes and a wispy crest atop its crown. Its stride is nearly as long as hers, but it makes no effort to run or fly away when it hears them approach.

In fact, its only reaction is a strange chortling sound, as if it were laughing. After a time, it glances over its shoulder at them again, and continues on its course.

Their path continues steadily downhill, willows growing denser and reeds beginning to poke up from the marshy ground. Ahead, the sound of water lapping stones can be heard through the trees.

[Haley]

The moment they cleared the burnt area, Haley noticed Akuji grow considerably more comfortable. The canine had practically bounded ahead of her in an attempt to quickly escape the heat that licked at her paws while Haley had maintained her comfort, her feet clad in well-worn but functional sneakers. As they came up behind the bird, Haley briefly entertained the idea of killing it and serving it for breakfast. Her stomach was beginning to growl by now, though she paid it no real attention. Haley had gone days without food before – mere hours weren’t enough to concern her.

The chortling noise caused Haley’s eyes to narrow. She had seen enough horror movies to know not to take weird signs without caution. Even though the sound may have been the bird’s natural voice (hell if she knew) Haley didn’t like the way it resonated in her ears. Haley scowled slightly as the urge to kick the creature in its feathered behind rose strongly in her breast, though she refrained from closing the distance between them any further.

As the sound of water hit her ears and the ground began to grow marshy, Haley slowed her pace just a tad to give herself some room for thought. She didn’t like the prospect of heading towards water – the woman wasn’t fond of the substance, primarily because it was too easy to drown it. She also wasn’t a huge fan of how dense the trees were getting. As she trailed behind the bird, Haley began to sincerely hope she wasn’t being unwittingly led into some sort of swampland or water trap. The little Nimbus wasn’t exactly keen on playing the victim in this creepy little scene.

[Luca]

Land abruptly gives way to water, as the forest had with the clearing. The bird veers East, walks up the pebbled shore of the lake for several paces, and stops beside a small, beautifully carved boat. The boat is made of dark-colored wood, with images of fantastic creatures adorning its sides, amidst burnished and gilded whorls. The prow is a startlingly lifelike representation of the very bird that has led Haley and Akuji to the shore.

With a flap of its wings and a hop, the bird joins its likeness in the front of the boat, and turns its attention back to its flagging followers.

"Are you coming, Haley? I don't have all day." It announces in an androgynous, but distinctly human-sounding voice.

[Haley]

It fucking knew her name. That in itself was enough for Haley to stop in her tracks. The whole river thing she could get over (at least it wasn't a swamp) a laughing bird she could forgive....but now it talked and was psychic? Glowering at the creature nestled near the stern of the small boat, Haley quickly went over her options. She was in the midst of thinking when Akuji snapped out and bit her firmly on the leg, drawing blood beneath her pants. Haley hissed between her teeth and shot a nasty look down at her dog who only returned it.

Well shit. Haley knew what he was trying to tell her. Since when had she become a what-if kind of person? Was her false feeling of human mortality really going to stand in the way of an adventure? She had jumped out of airplanes before for christs sake, why the hell was she pausing now? Without further hesitation, the woman bent down and scooped Akuji up into her arms. She strode purposely forward, slipping into the boat with balanced ease before plopping herself down, Akuji still gripped tightly. She rose an eyebrow at the bird, as if to say 'happy?' but instead she snorted a soft, "I don't suppose you'll tell me what you are if I ask right? Isn't that usually how these things go?"

[Luca]

"I am a Phoenix," the bird shrugs, as if this were very obvious, "the mantel of Fate. My name is Al'ar." As soon as it speaks, the boat begins to drift from shore, sending smooth ripples across the lake. The phoenix chuckles again. "So suspicious! And very young," it surmises, and rests one foot jauntily upon the boat's side.

The inside of the boat is as beautifully crafted as the outside. Two benches emerge seamlessly from the sides, bridging the center. They are worn smooth with use, and would likely be comfortable by themselves, but each sports a soft cushion and pillows to recline upon. Al'ar seems uninterested in these things, never wavering as the boat progresses. In the center of the lake, a bank of fog sits like a dome, and it is toward this that the boat is drifting.

"What did you think to find this time, Haley?" the phoenix asks conversationally.

[Haley]

"Phoenix huh?" Haley mused aloud. That would probably explain the fire back in the clearing. And what did it mean by Fate? Skylla? Almost immediately a large variety of questions began to list themselves in her head but Haley uttered none of them. Instead her grip on Akuji lessened just a tad and the wild dog grunted in relief but did not object to the fact that she was still holding on to him. He knew that being in her lap gave her one last thing to worry about. Haley was grateful for his cooperation. Akuji meant the world to her, and even though this phoenix seemed friendly enough, she wasn't quite ready yet to risk letting her mantel go. This was especially true since they were on a boat and it would be very easy for him to flop off the edge and be left behind.

Haley's eyes were full of suspicion, something the bird had already noticed. The Nimbus had horrible trust issues, those of which had considerably worsened in Alanor. As an earth-raised faerie she was unversed in the ways of the magical world. Everything that happened was relatively new to her. This fact frustrated her beyond belief, especially since Haley was the type who loathed admitting her own ignorance.

She perked up considerably at the creature's question, "Honestly? Something that would try and kill me." Haley would have been up to the challenge of course - she considered herself more than enough to take care of anything that would come her way. Still, Haley's human side kept her well aware of her limitations. Ever since Ergosal had mentioned the basilisk fangs and flashed his fancy little weapon, Haley had been a bit more cautious in her wanderings. She wasn't hesitant to admit she was afraid to die, but Haley couldn't deny her curiosity and thirst to learn everything about Alanor, despite its dangers. "Not a huge fan of birds, but I guess you're better than a Drow." She allowed a smile to tug at the sides of her lips before she ventured to ask a question, "So...Al'ar right? Where are we going?"

[Luca]

"How...bold," Al'ar confirms with a chuckle -- he seems to find humor in everything. The phoenix listens attentively as she continues to speak, and turns a touch more reverent in his reply. "We are going to a sacred place. I am sorry to report that nothing will try to kill you there, brave nimbus. But if you have ever sought wisdom, and should you ever seek peace, then this place will have value for you."

The fog overtakes them, then, blocking Haley's vision beyond a few feet. Even Al'ar, by the prow of the boat, is a faint blue smudge in the haze. He takes a step towards her so that she may see him more clearly, and preens his primary feathers as they make the last leg of their journey.

After a time, the boat bumps lightly against a small, stone pier. The island's banks are rocky, and the rocks are mossy, and the whole place is veiled in silvery mist. The pier gives way to a stone path once it reaches land, and vanishes into the haze. Al'ar steps from the boat.

"You can come with me now, or my boat can take you back." he announces, and begins to walk.

[Haley]

As the phoenix answered her question without reserve, Haley found her grip on Akuji slowly fading until she completely relaxed her arms. They rested lightly on the eighty pound creature (who's bulk practically swallowed her), and though he was free to move about, Akuji decided to stay nestled on top of his bonded. He watched the phoenix curiously, his ears still pinned back against his head - Akuji was even less trusting that his counter-part. Still, the bird hadn't caused them any harm yet, so he wasn't against it moving closer.

The Nimbus found she didn't really have a reply to the bird's answer. A sacred place? The very notion of her, a foul-mouthed bitch of a creature stepping foot in a place considered to be sacred was laughable and Haley actually inwardly chuckled. Her amusement was allowed to travel onto her face in the form of a light smile. Still, her curiosity had now reach epic proportions, and once they arrived at the pier, Haley had already made up her mind that since she had started this journey, she was going to finish it.

Akuji bounded out of the boat before the phoenix even had a chance to finish offering Haley the two options. Haley followed suit behind her bonded, but said nothing. It was pretty obvious what choice they had made.