a meeting
Skydancer didn't wake until the sun was above the horizon.
Restless came nearly diving in, when she crawled from under the bush. Back winging hard Restless landed in front of her kicking up some dust./"Finally!"/ He exclaimed./"Revenge says. Come ."/ "Come where?" Skydancer asked. /"Follow me. I'll show."/ Restless said. And flew of in a hurry. Skydancer followed quickly.
After she had run into the sixth stream in less then 5 minutes she simply went up the nearest tree. Alerting Restless with a simple mind touch. And followed Restless further. Suddenly Skydancer heard a lot of noise, and a girl screamed. Skydancer sped up. And nearly passed Restless in her hurry to get there. Skydancer slipped. And fell. right on top of a very cold creature. Very nearly flattening it. Skydancer quickly rolled of before she could get frozen. A elemental slipped out from under the creature. Fleeing into some bushes.
Skydancer stood up as the ravens harassed a kind of big tailless cat. It nearly came to her waist. But it was painfully obvious that the ravens where helpless against it. Skydancer stood hesitating for a few moments. Can I do this? .Skydancer thought. I've never really fought before. At that point the cat leaped straight at her. Despite the birds frantic attacks. Skydancer ducked and rolled. Coming up with a stick in her hand, and threw it at the cat. Which attacked her again, completely ignoring it. Skydancer leaped aside and threw a levin bolt. It didn't have any effect on the the cat at all. As they circled each other with Revenge and Restless dropping sticks small stones and even the occasional branch, (straight of the tree, I might add.) On its head. Suddenly Skydancer threw a fire bolt at it. The cat shrank trough it hind legs as the bolt hit it. Leaving a small burn mark. The cat leaped forward snarling. Skydancer bearably manged to dive out off the way. She tucked in and rolled back to her feed throwing a series of fireballs. Interlaced with a few other spells. Which had no visible effect.
Skydancer was running out of energy as she kept casting fire spells at her opponent as it was the only thing that seemed to little half elemental was cowering behind her while cursing it's own inability to do it happen. A sort of bond snapped into existences between them. Almost fully did not ask where the sudden energy came from. But started attacking her opponent with a new frenzy. Finally defeating it. And dropped to the ground. Exhausted.
After a moment she spotted the half elemental, more transparent then before, and it seemed to have lost some of the solidness it had. Having half sunk into the Revenge spoke up. /"She gave you strength."/ "She gave 'strength to me?"Skydancer asked in disbelieve. /"!"/ Revenge confirmed. /"give back?/ Skydancer looks thought full at the half elemental .If she gave energy to me. I should be able to give it back. Skydancer thought. Lets try to put up the link Starfall taught me. After a few attempts Skydancer succeeded in giving the creature some of the energy back. Feels little different then when I did it with Starfall Skydancer mused. While it wasn't much. It seemed to have helped the creature it was clearer and wasn't half submersed in the ground anymore. "Thanks for helping her. "A voice spoke up. Startled Skydancer spun on her heel, and looked up. Where she spotted another half elemental which although roughly the same size as the first seemed a lot more mature and actually seemed to stand on the tree branch instead of hovering over it. Like the first seemed to be doing on the ground.
Restless chose that moment to land on skydancers shoulder. "You befriended one of the big-ravens?'the half elemental ask surprised."I've heard of humans doing so on occasion . But to actually see it."It shook it's head in wonder. And half floated half dropped to the ground
"Well.. Er.. He's not my only one."Skydancer said. Turning slightly she held out her hand. "Revenge come over for a moment will ye?"
Revenge spread his wings and glided onto her outstretched arm."Two!" The half-elemental exclaimed.
"And why do you call him Revenge" She asked.
Skydancer blushed a little. "I didn't name him he chose it himself. Don't know why either."
The half-elemental blinked in surprise. "I have never even heard of a human with the skill to talk to them. Even for us ethereal's it is very hard to do."
This was a surprise for skydancer." But me whole clan c'n do it." She blurred out. Causing the ethereal to rise a bit into the air in surprise. Which decided to change the subject to something of greater importance.
"Anyway what were you thinking. To come out here to form a pact. It's stupid and dangerous. Hasn't anyone told you why you make them in a save classroom instead of the middle of a battle?"" Mum." The little one spoke up. "She was not planning on it. One of her birds spotted me being attacked and called her to help."
Skydancer looked at the little-one in surprise. Odd didn't the older one just say it was nearly impossible to do for them. She thought.
"And I wanted to help." The little one continued. 'And she actually gave me some of my energy back."
The older one was taken aback by this. "Battle-bonding is dangerous. For both parties. Also neither of you know you're own limits. So you can not even begin to hope that you know the limits of you're partner. You got practically drained. It's shear luck she could give you some of it back." Now the older one advanced on Skydancer. "I suggest you never try such a stunt again young lady"
she spoke with barely suppressed fury. Skydancer could actually see an odd energy coming of the creature. "Worried." Restless spoke. That aura means that she is worried Skydancer realized. "You're master is totally irresponsible letting you come out here alone. The older said.
At that point Skydancer exploded. "Now wait a second! My Master would not do such a thing. It's not as if I planned to come here, and my Master had nothing to do with it. He was already on the other side of the gate. She took a breath. "I don't even know how I got here." She said shrugging. This seemed to have caught the older one of guard. "I'm sure he doesn't know of you're kind." Skydancer said. "Or he would have told me about you're kind. and you're not on the list either." What list? The older one wondered.
Suddenly the younger one who had been silent through the exchange spoke up. " would you please teach us mum? I know it will not be easy it is hard when it is done safely."" That is correct young-one. And it will be thrice as hard with a battle-bond. Still I would not like to see harm come to you both." Turning to Skydancer "Well girl you managed to get you're self a little problem."
"You know what a bond is I a presume." "Yes." Skydancer replied. "It's what I'm having with Revenge. Restless has taken a liking to him that why he's with us." Older-one blinked. "You can't bond with great-ravens."Older-one declared. Revenge and Skydancer exchange a look /"Bond different."/ Revenge said /"Is bond."/ Revenge thinks its a different kind of bond, then the one between her and me.' Skydancer said. Nodding to the younger one"I think she's right mum." Younger one said. Older-one shook her head in wonder. The girl was fast. Maybe she was bonded to him in a very limited way.
"Well a bonding while done in a save environment. develops slowly, as you learn how to use prevents you from draining you're partner accidentally and likely killing yourself in the process. Now a battle-bond is different if you don't know what you,re doing you can get hurt and even die. Do you understand it so far ?
Skydancer bit her lower lip "Yes. "She nodded l" Sometimes when mages are fighting they can actually drain themselves. And if they aren't taken care of properly. Then they can die of drainets shock or exposure. mages fighting? Older-one thought. O well maybe in a battle against non-mages Or a black-mage those can be pretty fierce.
"Well it would take too long to take you to a proper master. So i am going to train you both. It won't be easy, and we don't have the time to take things slowly. So the first thing you need to learn. Is how too keep you're energy to you're self. Normally that is easy. In a fight or when one of you is tired. Like now. It is a lot more difficult, if not impossible to do so. I think you're close girl. You are controlling how much you giving her, or you would not be standing " "I'm not giving her anything right now." Skydancer said "She's right mum. I do not feel different like I did when you arrived ." the younger one said."Energy control is one of the first things we learn." Skydancer added.I just learned how to set up a link. That's why I could 'Feed' her. As we call it.
Now she turned to young-one."I'm sorry if I harmed you in anyway. I didn't think it was you're personal energy young-one looks slightly confused for a moment. "Well we were not in a position to think about what was happening then..
"Well " older-one said that makes things a fraction easier. You're previous training seems too have given you the most important skill. But I don't now what you know. So bear with me if I repeat anything you Know. "I've learned some shielding." Skydancer said. "You mean you've already learned shielding, linking and several attacks?!" Young-one blurred out.A glance from her mum silenced her.
For the next two months she was training under the supervision of older-one. In that time she bonded with restless and two other birds called Raucous after her mothers bird when she found him he hadn't been named yet. So she gave him one and rebel he had been banned from his flock because of his fighting spirit which was a disaster in the flock but very use full in battle, and he could follow orders. So it was not causing to much trouble, less then Revenge caused at times. And although the two ethereal's still weren't as skilled with understanding the ravens. There was an improvement now they understood how they talked especially Brightflower as she had started to call the younger-one. Was much better
Her fighting skills had also improved to no end .Because the ice-creatures were constantly skydanscer older-one spoke you're having enough skils now to go find an ethereal-master .I'll surely miss you brightflower older-one spoke the name for the fist time acnoliging the bond between the two. And turned and left the six behind.
Well we're on our own now .lets go to the see the city/"Through dessert?"/ Rebel asked slightly worried. /"hot." raucous agreed. They're training had taken them to the edge of the desert, and none of the bird fancied going there yet again..this time for a two day track. Still they had to go. Not going could easily harm brightflower. Let's go north Skydancer." brightflower spoke up. "It will be shorter from there. /Less time hot. Good!'/ Rebel said and flew off ahead closely followed by revenge and restless. Raucous stayed on sky dancers shoulder and with Brightflower floating alongside Skydancer they started they're track north.
