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Description

Lakedwellers and Landlubbers

Midsummer, Year 760 of The New Age
Silvervale, Silverthorne
Featuring Cleon , and Idril , mentions of Aldra, Mathayus, and Sila

Idril
Young or not the young golden doe was trekking further and further away from her mothers den. Curiosity always got the better of her and Idril loved to explore. Mother had warned her to stay away from the Vale and river because of its wide open grass. This stern warning however made the inquisitive gal want to see the place even more! So she thought to sneak out that morning while Sila was busy with her little sister. Its not like she was noticed much at all anyway. The fawns who were a few years old thought the river was a cool place but younglings weren’t allowed.

There was also a measure of danger that thrilled Idril and she wanted to see it all for herself. As she quietly walked out the back she bolted for the forest’s edge and the “waters” of grass as fast as her spindly legs could go. Once out of the herd proper, she slowed her pace and fought for breath. Surely all the predators could hear her right now! Minutes passed with Idril on high alert but her heart stopped skipping so hard and she resumed her walk through the very tall grass.

Cleon
With age came confidence; at least when it regarded fawns. The ‘prince’ was a little more than a yearling now; not much, but it mattered nonetheless. He still followed his mother everywhere, still slept by her side and ate in her company, but he was straying away from her. Never far, but he was moving further than ever. As he lowered his head towards the water, he knew that Mother was close. She was just over there, somewhere between the bushes, grazing as she usually did.

Water had never been his favourite element, because the flames did not like it. He had seen Mother’s flames die under it and he didn’t want them to. They were nice after all. Mother always said they were fine though; she said it was a bit like Night and Day. The two couldn’t exist at the same time. Cleon was sort of fine with that idea, but still… he wasn’t sure that the water couldn’t potentially kill his Innerflame and he definitely didn’t want that.

Suddenly his ears picked up a sound, little more than a rustle of a bush and he lifted his head, ears perking in curiosity. Was Mother coming? Specks of gold amongst the bushes, moving along the worn path, told him that it was not Mother.

It was Little Stranger, or Idril as she was really named.

With a smile on his muzzle he twisted around on his hooves and bounded forward. Within moments his young, still light voice rang out, happily saying the name of his friend. “Hi Idril!”

Idril

Eyes wide she stopped rock still on the path until her little brain registered that it was her dear friend Cleon standing in front and greeting her! Shakily she returned the greeting. “Hi Cleon! I thought I was all alone out here so you surprised me!” The hind laughed a little with relief. “I wanted to see the River Momma said was here and too dangerous for little fawns.” The last bit was a parody of Sila’s voice. “Did you want to see the River today too?! I heard there all kinds of monsters under the water and I want to see em!”

Cleon

He had pretty much just sprung out onto the path in front of the golden hind, so it was no real wonder that she was standing shocked. He grinned at her playfully, feeling mighty fine with having managed to scare his dear friend; not that he found it funny when she was scared though. To be really scared was never funny…

If Idril had spoken a bit slower and not said so much, Cleon might have managed to register it all and answer, but a few parts went happily over his head, leaving him with only the last sentence she said. Flicking his ears back for a moment, he looked towards the river, where he had stood moments before. “Monsters?” He questioned, looking back at her, hesitant for a moment. If there was monsters somewhere in the water, then he wasn’t going down there, that was for sure! Or… wait...no…! He wasn’t scared of monsters!

Who was he kidding... he was very scared of the idea of river monsters.

“I… you sure it’s a good idea to see them? They…they might not want to be seen?” he tried, turning his ears forward again. Jabbing her shoulder, he jumped a step away from her, trying to turn all the focus away from monster seeing and over to some kind of playing.

Idril

Cleon pushed her shoulder but she knew a diversion when she saw one. Cleon was a scaredie-baby! A grin split her maw and she had a very cheeky look. “Scardie-Boy!” “Big bad Cleon is scared of the river monsters!” Idril pushed back harder and towards the river. “It can’t be that bad. I haven’t heard of no fawns eaten in months!” This tactic usually worked well with her brother so why not try it on the colt?

Cleon went a bit pale at that last statement and Idril knew she’d crossed the line. Quickly trying to recover the idea and playfulness “I’m kidding Cleon. I don’t think they like to eat fawns.” Idril brushed up against his flank and started walking closer to the waters. “See?” gesturing with her maw towards the shore. “Its still.” Walking closer still, right up to the waters edge, she dipped a dainty hoof in. “ooh and its warm!” Idril was intrigued by this water. It wasn’t like the rain that came from Adhar or the leaves collected to drink from in her home. The water was almost a presence. It swallowed her feet but she could still feel them and move them. When she took a foot out the fur was wet and dripping like when the hind got caught out in the rains. Idil laughed at her discovery “Come on Cleon! You have to see this!!”

Cleon

Promptly the buck’s ears turned back, a little down his neck, as the hind called him names. “I’m not,” he said, looking away from her and swishing his tail. He wasn’t scared! He just… didn’t… like the the idea. One could say that he was just a tad pouty, but her next words made it all go away and be replaced by a moment of terror, before she laughed it off. He didn’t quite get out of it all, before she brushed by his side though at which he turned flicked his ears forward once more and looked at her, as she stepped into the water.

For a while he observed her in silence, not wanting to have anything to do with the possibly monster-infested water. Yet her words were encouraging to the yearling, who usually wasn’t so easy to scare off, but then again, he was usually amongst peers who expected bravery from the ‘prince’. With small steps he moved closer, but he didn’t go as close as she did. He didn’t want to go in the water and even though she vouched for it, he didn’t trust it. Water could still be bad and the monsters could be lurking, after all it was Sroth’s domain and while none of the stories, he had heard about portrayed the god as evil or merciless, Cleon wasn’t going to push his luck with him.

Slowly he swallowed when she laughed. He walked a few steps closer. He made sure to keep well out of the water, but he could see it clearly now, how her hooves were surrounded. “What?”

Idril

The princeling looked at Idril like she had more than one head..”What?” was all he blurted. She sighed. colts...can’t understand anything! She muttered under her breath. The hind had only heard a few stories about the lord of the waters and none of them were nice. She began to have second thoughts about entering HIS domain. Fortunately this debate lasted mere seconds as a small school of brightly colored fish swam lazily around her submerged hooves. Excitement pricked back up and she simply turned to Cleon and smiled.

Sroth can’t be all bad right? Tensing for danger Idril carefully waded out further. Her hooves could still touch but now she felt funny, almost like she could float. Yes! float like the dandelion fluff on the winds! The now wet golden hind turned and beckoned to her companion and when he stood still on the shore not even putting a hoof in; she kicked out with her front feet sending water spraying at him. “Its not bad Princeling. Sroth didn’t swallow me up or anything!”

Cleon

“Don’t call me that,” Cleon said, his voice happier than before, but still hesitant, as he shied away from the spraying water. He didn’t like it when others called him something along the lines of ‘prince’. Mother had after all said that it was only a matter of time before his sire would be replaced by a different king and thus the name would not fit, so he might as well not get used to it.

With a flick of his tail, he stepped closer once more and looked into the water where she now stood. He didn’t like it one bit more just because she was out there. Who knew what could lurk down there? For all he knew Sroth might want to take himself a new servant, like in the story of Martem the Lakedweller. Still he poked the water with one hoof, looking skeptical as the water gently continued it’s way along the lake’s path. What was so good about it anyway? It’s was just water and he would just get wet to the bone; surely Mother could dry him in a whim, but still.

At the same time though, he did not want to look too much like a scared mouse; he was no mouse after all! He was the son of the king and he refused to let himself seem weak like that, so with slightly hesitant steps he made his way into the water, stopping when all four of his hooves were submerged. He was only mere steps from the shore, but he still didn’t like it. “Why did you have to go out so far…” he complained quietly, yet he smiled at her as he did so.

Idril

Cleon said something under his breath the hind saw but she didn’t hear it. Curiosity urged her out further in the water, to leave the solid ground under her feet just for a short while. Idril went out a little deeper and was now submerged to the nape of her messy mane. Hooves left the ground and she was instinctively kicking as her body indeed floated. The hind’s kicking however wasn’t in unison and was more flailing about and as a result she swallowed quite a bit of river water through mouth and nose as she panicked. Cleon didn’t need to see this or follow her!

Idril managed to flail her way back to shallower water and bolted out past her concerned friend. Shaking the murderous water off her coat she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by what she’d done. It wasn’t all bad though, Idril learned a valuable lesson; the very lesson Cleon already knew and was trying to share with her. In their state and away from their moms, she really hoped no fox would come calling. Grinning sheepishly she said to Cleon “Maybe the river is better left to fish…”

Cleon

Cleon’s complaining quickly turned to concern, as Idril went further out and disappeared more and more. Why was she disappearing into the water? Was there a monster?! Before he could do much in terms of reacting and trying to get her back, she managed to get back herself. He bolted a few steps towards her though, not minding the splashing water in the process. Just as he was about to say something, to ask if she was okay, she grinned sheepishly at him and spoke. Slightly nervously, yet relieved, he smiled back.

“Yearh…” he said with a low voice, eyeing the water. He wanted to get out of it and it couldn’t be quick enough! “You’re all wet now…” he muttered, “Mother can dry you ‘ough!” With that he took a step towards the lakefront, his ears perked as he looked at her. “Come, she’s just over there -” He nodded his head towards the some bushes. “- and she won’t mind a bit.” With that he started making his way towards the dry and secure land.

Idril

Getting dry sounded wonderful to the sopping wet hind and her own mother was plenty far away. She hoped Aldra truly wouldn’t mind and that she wouldn’t get Cleon into too much trouble. Idril waited patiently as Cleon dragged himself from the waters and followed him to find his mom and warmth.

Description

Lakedwellers and Landlubbers

Midsummer, Year 760 of The New Age
Silvervale, Silverthorne
Featuring Cleon , and Idril , mentions of Aldra, Mathayus, and Sila

Idril
Young or not the young golden doe was trekking further and further away from her mothers den. Curiosity always got the better of her and Idril loved to explore. Mother had warned her to stay away from the Vale and river because of its wide open grass. This stern warning however made the inquisitive gal want to see the place even more! So she thought to sneak out that morning while Sila was busy with her little sister. Its not like she was noticed much at all anyway. The fawns who were a few years old thought the river was a cool place but younglings weren’t allowed.

There was also a measure of danger that thrilled Idril and she wanted to see it all for herself. As she quietly walked out the back she bolted for the forest’s edge and the “waters” of grass as fast as her spindly legs could go. Once out of the herd proper, she slowed her pace and fought for breath. Surely all the predators could hear her right now! Minutes passed with Idril on high alert but her heart stopped skipping so hard and she resumed her walk through the very tall grass.

Cleon
With age came confidence; at least when it regarded fawns. The ‘prince’ was a little more than a yearling now; not much, but it mattered nonetheless. He still followed his mother everywhere, still slept by her side and ate in her company, but he was straying away from her. Never far, but he was moving further than ever. As he lowered his head towards the water, he knew that Mother was close. She was just over there, somewhere between the bushes, grazing as she usually did.

Water had never been his favourite element, because the flames did not like it. He had seen Mother’s flames die under it and he didn’t want them to. They were nice after all. Mother always said they were fine though; she said it was a bit like Night and Day. The two couldn’t exist at the same time. Cleon was sort of fine with that idea, but still… he wasn’t sure that the water couldn’t potentially kill his Innerflame and he definitely didn’t want that.

Suddenly his ears picked up a sound, little more than a rustle of a bush and he lifted his head, ears perking in curiosity. Was Mother coming? Specks of gold amongst the bushes, moving along the worn path, told him that it was not Mother.

It was Little Stranger, or Idril as she was really named.

With a smile on his muzzle he twisted around on his hooves and bounded forward. Within moments his young, still light voice rang out, happily saying the name of his friend. “Hi Idril!”

Idril

Eyes wide she stopped rock still on the path until her little brain registered that it was her dear friend Cleon standing in front and greeting her! Shakily she returned the greeting. “Hi Cleon! I thought I was all alone out here so you surprised me!” The hind laughed a little with relief. “I wanted to see the River Momma said was here and too dangerous for little fawns.” The last bit was a parody of Sila’s voice. “Did you want to see the River today too?! I heard there all kinds of monsters under the water and I want to see em!”

Cleon

He had pretty much just sprung out onto the path in front of the golden hind, so it was no real wonder that she was standing shocked. He grinned at her playfully, feeling mighty fine with having managed to scare his dear friend; not that he found it funny when she was scared though. To be really scared was never funny…

If Idril had spoken a bit slower and not said so much, Cleon might have managed to register it all and answer, but a few parts went happily over his head, leaving him with only the last sentence she said. Flicking his ears back for a moment, he looked towards the river, where he had stood moments before. “Monsters?” He questioned, looking back at her, hesitant for a moment. If there was monsters somewhere in the water, then he wasn’t going down there, that was for sure! Or… wait...no…! He wasn’t scared of monsters!

Who was he kidding... he was very scared of the idea of river monsters.

“I… you sure it’s a good idea to see them? They…they might not want to be seen?” he tried, turning his ears forward again. Jabbing her shoulder, he jumped a step away from her, trying to turn all the focus away from monster seeing and over to some kind of playing.

Idril

Cleon pushed her shoulder but she knew a diversion when she saw one. Cleon was a scaredie-baby! A grin split her maw and she had a very cheeky look. “Scardie-Boy!” “Big bad Cleon is scared of the river monsters!” Idril pushed back harder and towards the river. “It can’t be that bad. I haven’t heard of no fawns eaten in months!” This tactic usually worked well with her brother so why not try it on the colt?

Cleon went a bit pale at that last statement and Idril knew she’d crossed the line. Quickly trying to recover the idea and playfulness “I’m kidding Cleon. I don’t think they like to eat fawns.” Idril brushed up against his flank and started walking closer to the waters. “See?” gesturing with her maw towards the shore. “Its still.” Walking closer still, right up to the waters edge, she dipped a dainty hoof in. “ooh and its warm!” Idril was intrigued by this water. It wasn’t like the rain that came from Adhar or the leaves collected to drink from in her home. The water was almost a presence. It swallowed her feet but she could still feel them and move them. When she took a foot out the fur was wet and dripping like when the hind got caught out in the rains. Idil laughed at her discovery “Come on Cleon! You have to see this!!”

Cleon

Promptly the buck’s ears turned back, a little down his neck, as the hind called him names. “I’m not,” he said, looking away from her and swishing his tail. He wasn’t scared! He just… didn’t… like the the idea. One could say that he was just a tad pouty, but her next words made it all go away and be replaced by a moment of terror, before she laughed it off. He didn’t quite get out of it all, before she brushed by his side though at which he turned flicked his ears forward once more and looked at her, as she stepped into the water.

For a while he observed her in silence, not wanting to have anything to do with the possibly monster-infested water. Yet her words were encouraging to the yearling, who usually wasn’t so easy to scare off, but then again, he was usually amongst peers who expected bravery from the ‘prince’. With small steps he moved closer, but he didn’t go as close as she did. He didn’t want to go in the water and even though she vouched for it, he didn’t trust it. Water could still be bad and the monsters could be lurking, after all it was Sroth’s domain and while none of the stories, he had heard about portrayed the god as evil or merciless, Cleon wasn’t going to push his luck with him.

Slowly he swallowed when she laughed. He walked a few steps closer. He made sure to keep well out of the water, but he could see it clearly now, how her hooves were surrounded. “What?”

Idril

The princeling looked at Idril like she had more than one head..”What?” was all he blurted. She sighed. colts...can’t understand anything! She muttered under her breath. The hind had only heard a few stories about the lord of the waters and none of them were nice. She began to have second thoughts about entering HIS domain. Fortunately this debate lasted mere seconds as a small school of brightly colored fish swam lazily around her submerged hooves. Excitement pricked back up and she simply turned to Cleon and smiled.

Sroth can’t be all bad right? Tensing for danger Idril carefully waded out further. Her hooves could still touch but now she felt funny, almost like she could float. Yes! float like the dandelion fluff on the winds! The now wet golden hind turned and beckoned to her companion and when he stood still on the shore not even putting a hoof in; she kicked out with her front feet sending water spraying at him. “Its not bad Princeling. Sroth didn’t swallow me up or anything!”

Cleon

“Don’t call me that,” Cleon said, his voice happier than before, but still hesitant, as he shied away from the spraying water. He didn’t like it when others called him something along the lines of ‘prince’. Mother had after all said that it was only a matter of time before his sire would be replaced by a different king and thus the name would not fit, so he might as well not get used to it.

With a flick of his tail, he stepped closer once more and looked into the water where she now stood. He didn’t like it one bit more just because she was out there. Who knew what could lurk down there? For all he knew Sroth might want to take himself a new servant, like in the story of Martem the Lakedweller. Still he poked the water with one hoof, looking skeptical as the water gently continued it’s way along the lake’s path. What was so good about it anyway? It’s was just water and he would just get wet to the bone; surely Mother could dry him in a whim, but still.

At the same time though, he did not want to look too much like a scared mouse; he was no mouse after all! He was the son of the king and he refused to let himself seem weak like that, so with slightly hesitant steps he made his way into the water, stopping when all four of his hooves were submerged. He was only mere steps from the shore, but he still didn’t like it. “Why did you have to go out so far…” he complained quietly, yet he smiled at her as he did so.

Idril

Cleon said something under his breath the hind saw but she didn’t hear it. Curiosity urged her out further in the water, to leave the solid ground under her feet just for a short while. Idril went out a little deeper and was now submerged to the nape of her messy mane. Hooves left the ground and she was instinctively kicking as her body indeed floated. The hind’s kicking however wasn’t in unison and was more flailing about and as a result she swallowed quite a bit of river water through mouth and nose as she panicked. Cleon didn’t need to see this or follow her!

Idril managed to flail her way back to shallower water and bolted out past her concerned friend. Shaking the murderous water off her coat she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by what she’d done. It wasn’t all bad though, Idril learned a valuable lesson; the very lesson Cleon already knew and was trying to share with her. In their state and away from their moms, she really hoped no fox would come calling. Grinning sheepishly she said to Cleon “Maybe the river is better left to fish…”

Cleon

Cleon’s complaining quickly turned to concern, as Idril went further out and disappeared more and more. Why was she disappearing into the water? Was there a monster?! Before he could do much in terms of reacting and trying to get her back, she managed to get back herself. He bolted a few steps towards her though, not minding the splashing water in the process. Just as he was about to say something, to ask if she was okay, she grinned sheepishly at him and spoke. Slightly nervously, yet relieved, he smiled back.

“Yearh…” he said with a low voice, eyeing the water. He wanted to get out of it and it couldn’t be quick enough! “You’re all wet now…” he muttered, “Mother can dry you ‘ough!” With that he took a step towards the lakefront, his ears perked as he looked at her. “Come, she’s just over there -” He nodded his head towards the some bushes. “- and she won’t mind a bit.” With that he started making his way towards the dry and secure land.

Idril

Getting dry sounded wonderful to the sopping wet hind and her own mother was plenty far away. She hoped Aldra truly wouldn’t mind and that she wouldn’t get Cleon into too much trouble. Idril waited patiently as Cleon dragged himself from the waters and followed him to find his mom and warmth.