Alright, this was perhaps a bit too much like basic training for the night guard's comfort. Shaking the gathered snow off his tent before packing it away, he continued keeping a watchful eye on the area. There had been no sounds, no signs of movement, nothing since he'd woken only a short time before. Everyone seemed to be just...gone. It had been tradition to take the new recruits out camping in the wilderness during basic training, then in the night, after an evening of seemingly raucous drinking and partying and while the victim(s) were fast asleep, the older soldiers would pack up the rest of the camp and leave them to find their way back home using their own ingenuity and survival skills.
This seemed a bit more serious.
It wasn't so much himself that the night guard was worried about either, but some of the others that had been here before and were now missing. Hefting his pack, his camping supplies as well as a few new items tucked away within, he shifted beneath his armor before setting out. He couldn't be the only one still up here. Even if this had been some sort of hazing prank, surely not everyone could be in on it. They usually weren't. Besides...
...he couldn't leave here alone or the princess would have his hide.
Setting out over the snow, the guard's hoof steps were slow, but careful in traversing the unfamiliar terrain. He lifted his hand to his mouth, calling out, "Wild Moon! Sweetie Belle!" He couldn't be responsible for all the Pae'il that had been on this trip, though he'd offer aid to any he found. The two he knew by name, however, were the targets of his search. If he could find them at least, he'd feel a lot better about quickly getting off this crazy mountain and back to the safety of the Tree.
((Rolled a 3 for Shelter))
Kira of Flames
OOC
Pae'il Name: Nightwing Items Obtained:
Basic backpack A Flask Matches Pocket Knife Pocket Lantern Handaxe Wool Blanket A Pipe Crude Map Melon Wedger Toy Ukulele Old Boot Rope Flimsy Yarn Hooks "Wussy Kit" Children's Training Manual Handcrafted Medal Runestones Locked chest
Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 7:26 pm
In sleep, Olea stirred. Cold... it was so damn cold! Her shivering woke her up, and the fauny trembled as her brain slowly registered just how damn cold she actually was. She was laying on the ground, with some ratty blanket damp with melted snow over her that she had no clue the origins of. As she sat up to pull the rather useless rag around her, Olea tried to get her sluggish thoughts in order. She was cold, she couldn't remember much of the previous night save for a potent drink....
And she was alone. Where was everyone?
"H-h-h-h-ello?" She winced as she heard her voice, hoarse and shaking horribly with her chills. Her ears pricked forward as another's voice carried from near by, calling for others. "Ov-v-v-v-ver here!" Oh please let this be help...
The night guard's ears were sharp, twitching towards the faintest of sounds. There wasn't much else to hear over the barren landscape covered in snow, aside from the soft whistling of the chill winds that whipped around the mountains. At first though, he thought he'd imagined it, mistaking the winds for the sound of a voice. But, when he heard it again, faint and hoarse as it was, he turned towards the sound. Gripping his pack tightly, the armored Fauny stomped his way through the snow towards the voice.
Was it the young prince? His female friend? No, it was neither as it turned out, which momentarily touched the bat-like pony with disappointment, if only because it meant that the young ones could still be lost out here somewhere. Still, someone else needed help. Nearing the bundled form, he recognized her as another of his kind, those from Equestria at least...he was a bit more unique than some of the other Ponies who had come to this strange land.
"Miss? Are you alright?" he questioned, crouching with a clink of metal on metal. The armor might provide him some cover from the wind and exposure to the air, but the linings were thin, and the metal was growing only colder as time passed. That said, it didn't seem that the ratty blanket that the female fauny clutched to her was providing much more protection. Frowning, he dropped his pack, rifling in it for a moment before offering her the wool blanket as well. He only hoped that she was supposed to be blue.
"Have you seen or heard anyone else?"
Kira of Flames
Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 4:16 pm
Olea could hear the bat-winged fauny approach, his steps heavy and his armor cutting through the still silence of the snowed landscape. Trembling from the sheer cold, she nodded in attempt to answer the question asked- aside from freezing, she was unharmed. She would have spoken but her teeth were chattering too hard to form anything understandable.
Her eyes instantly fell on the woolen blanket as it was pulled out from the pack, and she realized she had no idea where her things were. Reaching out, she let the uselessly damp blanket slide from her and quickly pulled the dry, warmer one around her. "T-t-t-thank y-y-y-you" she chattered out, giving her savior a very small smile.
That same smile faded as he asked if she'd seen or heard anyone. She shook her head, drawing the blanket closer to her. "No, I just woke up... What happened?" Try as she might, she couldn't remember much at all, and with another look around she realized her things were gone. "What do we do?"
Though the reply was discouraging, Nightwing's years of service allowed him to hide disappointment from showing in his expression. At least, aside from the cold, she seemed to be unhurt. That was good news. He nodded in reply to her thanks; as if there were anything else he could have done.
"Unfortunately, I know little more than you," he answered honestly, eyes scanning their surroundings as they spoke. Any sign of movement would be welcome, but aside from the snow picked up and whirled about by gusts of chilling air, his efforts went unrewarded. "You're the only one I've found so far. Everyone else seems to be gone. Just...vanished," he said for lack of a better word.
He re-shouldered the pack, adjusting it with a brief shake that covered for the chill he felt as the winds tried again to slip under his armor. "I'd like to keep searching for the others, but to be quite honest, unless we find shelter soon, we're not going to last long exposed as we are," he said grimly. Glancing around again, he asked, "I don't suppose you have anything else with you?" Probably not, the way she'd been clinging to that soaking wet blanket before. "Come on, let's get moving. We've got to find some shelter soon."
He started off, trudging though the snow, pausing to see if she followed, then moving again. Within a few steps, he stumbled, a metallic 'clang' indicating that he'd kicked something beneath the snow. He stopped, using his armored hoof to clear the snow where he stood and revealing a pile of...they appeared to be some sort of climbing hooks? Mountain climbing equipment? Admittedly, he wasn't that familiar in their usage, since he'd normally fly before needing to climb something...but one had to be prepared for anything, so basic training had required even pegasi (and their bat kin) to do some training with them, in case of wing injury in the field.
To be honest, as cold as it was, he wasn't sure he'd trust his wings not to ice up at this point anyway.
Well, anything could be useful in their current predicament. Might as well. He knelt, starting to gather the hooks and toss them into his pack when he also found a small bundle labeled 'wussy kit'. Heh. Also useful, never mind what it was called. He collected the small treasure, then prepared to head forward again.
"Keep an eye open for anything we can use as shelter. A cove of trees, mountain wall, anything." Maybe they could hope to be lucky enough to find a cave. Preferably a deserted one that didn't already have occupants, especially not hostile ones.
He could only hope that the little prince and his friend were somewhere warmer and less dangerous right now.
Kira of Flames
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:03 pm
Using Nightwing's military skills and Olea's assistance, the pair combined their supplies in order to survive their ordeal on the mountain. Once they shook off the surprise of being abandoned and alone, they worked together to get a grasp on their situation and made plans on how to proceed. Though it took a couple of very cold nights, they managed to descend the mountain safely and get back to warmer climates. Nightwing was disappointed and concerned by not seeing any sign of the young Prince, but hoped that he and his friend had also safely descended and that they would meet up on the way home.
Though he could have flown back to the Tree more swiftly on his own, he couldn't well abandon the young woman who had helped him survive. He and Olea made the trip back over the land to return to Laisidhiel together.
