Honestly haven't touched this account for years. However, been fixated on Flight Rising for the past four years, and have since been developing lore (though it's still very much a WIP.)

This will be a bunch of stories/snippets/bio bits and pieces for the clan. Dunno how often I'll update this though.

Trees. Nothing but trees. Behind them, in front of them, to the side of them…Barra was beginning to detest the sight of them and the strange growths marring their trunks. He'd never felt like this before, and he'd grown up surrounded by the shadows of the Tangled Wood. He'd survived the things that lurked in that murky corner of the world…yet he'd never felt unsettled like he did here.

There was an overwhelming scent of rot and salt in the air - almost as if he and the others had wandered too close to the edge of a swamp that now threatened to swallow them whole…bones and all. Nobody had said anything for a while. Or maybe it had been longer than a while. Barra didn't know. He didn't particularly care, one way or the other.

Movement ahead caught his eye, and he watched as the Skydancer picked her way along the path towards them.

"Well?"

Fane stopped in front of him, tilting her head to look up. "The path leads to what looks like a crossroads. Three paths going in different directions. Didn't really explore down any of them."

Barra huffed. "I had hoped you'd give me more than that. Any signs of…anything?"

"Not particularly," Fane said. Her antennae twitched slightly. "One of them looks wider and in slightly better condition than the other two however. It might lead to somewhere."

Somewhere, Barra thought dryly. Yes, everywhere leads to somewhere, doesn't it? He kept that thought to himself, however.

"Might as well have a look," was all he said in reply.

At least the path was a bit wider. Barra had no doubt that the others were just as sick as he was of fighting through the undergrowth or encountering dead ends. Come to think of it, the vegetation on either side of the winding trail seemed to have been cut back fairly recently. He wasn't sure by who…or what, as the case might be. The salty smell lingered, but was masked here and there by the scent of flowers. Barra wasn't certain if that was an improvement or not. He decided on not.

Maybe I should forget this whole thing. Turn around and leave. It's not too late after all.

"Huh," Fane said, then proceeded to not say anything else. Barra's ears twitched back in annoyance.

"What?"

"There's a wall up ahead," Fane answered. "Can't say I remember seeing it before."

Barra glanced in the direction Fane was looking. There was indeed a wall stretching across the pathway. No entryway that he could see, so it obviously wasn't the front.

"Think we should follow it?" Fane asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the leader," Fane said with a shrug.

Barra nearly asked her who'd made that decision, then decided that he didn't really want to know. Nor did he particularly care, really.

"I guess," he muttered. "Can't hurt, I suppose."

A statement he regretted. The wall seemed to go on for miles without end, though that was probably just his grumpiness playing tricks on him. The wall seemed to have stood the test of time well. Climbing plants had clearly found a foothold, but there were no noticeable holes or signs of damage he could see.

The archway containing the gates suddenly seemed to loom up out of nowhere. The wooden gates looked fairly sturdy, if slightly warped by exposure to the elements over the years. How long, Barra wondered, had this place been here? When had it last seen activity? Was it even safe? There might not be anything beyond the gates.

Still, something tugged at him. Night was falling and they needed somewhere to sleep. So, with that thought in mind, he pushed at the gates.

They opened with less resistance than he'd thought they would. The small group peered through.

Buildings. Overgrown with plant life and some half tumbled down, but they were buildings none the less.

"Looks like a city," Fane muttered. "Or town perhaps. Wonder why it's empty."

"Doesn't matter," Barra said. "I'm fed up of wandering round this Shade-blighted forest, and at least we can get undercover if it rains. I say we stay - for tonight anyway. We can always move on tomorrow."

Maybe, he thought as they traipsed through the gates. I guess this might be a good place to stay long term. Possibly. It's something to consider, anyway.