Northern Plateau - Grylra
The most noticable feature here is an immense water-filled crater, 30 to 40 meters across, in the dead center of the area. A clean and sparkling stream flows from a hidden spring in the western rockface, and flows downhill to the glass-walled crater, filling it completely, the overflow splashing onwards downhill. On closer examination, the pool is quite deep - 8 meters at least... but along it's edge is a nicely stepped set of ledges, shallow enough for a gryphlet to wade in.
The ground here is hilly, and scattered with the green of grasses, shrubs, and bushes here and there. Immense boulders are scattered about near the east and west sides of the plateau, a fair number of them having been Shaped into perfectly formed couches, exactly right for gryphons to lay about on in great comfort. Blackened marks extend far up along the cliffs on the east and west, evidence of an incredible fire that must have swept through here sometime in the past.
The cliffs and hillsides are peppered with hundreds of caves - the homes of the gryphons that live here.
Gryphons are bustling to and fro making preparations for the winter festival, even the fledglings that are just shy of flying are helping out. The scents of smoke, everygreens, and wildflowers from who knows where are heavy on the air. These exotic items are being loaded into nets for transport with care as small fires here and there take the chill off the late autumn air.
Mixed within the many various group and shuffling along with the masses, the very colorful 'ParrotGryph', as a few having lovingly nicknamed her, already, moves back toward her cave with a few new pieces of material to draw on. Carteth Tries her best to keep more to the side, and out of the way of those loading and transporting goods about, as she tries to make it back to continue on her own goods. A few nods here and there to the various kin she's gotten to actually know, two of which follow to see her latest drawings...
Darm spies on things from a different angle, as she's prone to do fairly often. Besides that, she's lazy.
Tobi spots a caterpillar in one of the nets full of wildflowers.
Dove is among those directing the loading and packing of materials. She hops around, dashing to and fro as she's called for. She stops in her tracks as she notices an unplanned-for cargo adding itself innocently to a carrynet. She walks over and leans over to whisper out loud to Tobi, "What are you doing over here, huh?" She grins at him, letting him know she's not mad at him or anything.
Meerith rests away from the crowd, watching things from a distance, smiling as she watches Tobi. She dosn't seem to be doing anything in particular, besides resting, and maybe keeping herself out and about so she's there if she's needed.
Tobi seems oblivious as he scoots slowly forward, stalking the wild caterpillar.
Darm drops her beak open slightly in allowing herself a near 'grin' in witnessing Dove around, just from recognizing her.
Carteth hops up into her cave, which is settled above ground level. That ledge is perfect, allowing easier view of the surrpounding area, making it so much easier to find subjects to sketch. She chuckles quietly, showing off the three or four newest works to the pair of of drakes, chittering with them for a while, with various nods now and again. Finally the two beaktap Carteth, and make on their way, going back to helping with the loading, while she settles down to look for something new to draw. Here black and red eyes eventually focus on Dove and Tobi, pinning to watch....
Dove cranes her neck around to try to look over Tobi's little shoulder to see what has his attention so well. Ah, a bug. Should've known. She looks up for one of his parents or for whoever is hopefully watching over him. Her eyes finally spot Meerith and she wingwaves and silently points down at the mighty hunter before her.
Tobi crouches low, his rear high in the air. His hind legs shift his weight back and forth in anticipation of the pounce.
Meerith shoots Dove a wave and a wave in return, winking. Then she shrugs, as if to say 'Ah, gryphlets' anything that can't pounce back is a plaything, or a practice dummy...
Tobi springs forward disappearing in a sudden cloud of flower petals.
Carteth gryns to herself, and takes hold of the slender writing tool carefully, and starts to sketch onto the material. She watches her own doings a few moments, then raises her head, getting a second glance. Waiting for that perfect pose.....
Dove watches as Tobi pounces the bug on the flowers, then realises he's messing up the flowers in the process! She jumps after him to try to pull him out before he does any more damage!
Tobi pops up head first, with a high pitched chirrup. He is covered in flower petals, before he shakees vigorously. Most of the petals fall back into the net, but a few stubborn ones get stuck in the feathers around his eartufts.
Meerith chuckles softly, and pads over behind Dove, "I think so of those might be better for drying when he's done with them." she comments dryly.
Carteth laughs, and begins to sketch vigourously. Soon, the form of the young gryphlet diving into the flowers, and Dove's surprised reaction, make their way onto the material, accented with various flying peddles and glancing gryphs around the area...
Tobi sits on his haunches in the net full of flowers and gape-grins, "ma-chir."
Dove tries to pull Tobi out of the flowers with as much care for the remaining flowers as possible. She turns around, gryphlet in hand and hands him over to his mother. "I think he's done with the flowers, thanks." She grins lopsidedly and looks over the mess little Tobi made as she comments offhand, "How is it the littlest ones make the biggest messes sometimes...?"
Meerith grins, "Because they're to small to know better, of course." she says, taking Tobi, and setting him down to pick the petals out of his feathers.
Tobi enjoys the preening. He stops his coo-purrs only to croak out, "Mar..it"
Carteth makes the last few pits of shading, and the small symbol she'd finally designed to mark it hers (not that she knows off too many others who draw, at this point), before settling it onto the large pile she's staked up. Another glance around, and she comes onto a drake who lays on his back, while a hen playfully holds him down by the chest and nips at his throat. Always the artest, it's almost rare to see her multicolored form anywhere else but in the middle of that ledge...
Dove is listening to Meerith and then just looks down with a look of surprise on her face as Tobi tries to talk! She looks up at Meerith, "He's already trying to talk?"
Meerith pauses to consider her son carefully, "I think so." she preens another couple petals out and sighs, "He's certainly learned to get messy fast."
Tobi looks to the other gryphoness, "Duff."
Dove sighs and nods, "Males tend to do that..." She looks up as she hears her name called out. She looks to Meerith and says, "Excuse me, please..." and dashes off to the gryphon who called her. Seems they still need help around here.
Meerith nuzzles Tobi, keeping a good hold on him, "Can you behave now?"
Dove goes here and there, organizing the departure patterns of several carrynets and their fliers. After a few minutes, the carrynets start to make their way off the ground and across the skies to their final destination: the pyramid. Even Tobi's previous playground is repacked and takes off after the others at the capable hands of two adult gryphons.
Carteth makes a few other various sketches of this and that, before she settles the materials to the side. Those two huge rainbows she calls wings flick from her back and stretch hiiiigh into the air, while her main body does the 'ol front legs stretch-back legs stretch. Finally, she gathers herself up again, and hops back down to the plateau, in order to work her way over to the stream...
Meerith smiles, chuckling as she lets Tobi loose, "Silly little one, go chase bugs in the grass."
Tobi scampers through the crowd and into a random cave.
Meerith growls softly, and follows Tobi.
Dove watches to make sure all the day's supplies make it out okay and then she sits down and looks around, making sure no one else needs her attention for a while...
Carteth leans her head down to the water's edge, closing her eyes as she drinks in the cool water. This cooler air doesn't bother her in the least: her body, giving it's such a new thing to her, has been more than warm, and the cool air helps. A few paces down, a hen screaches angrily, as another playfully splashes her, and she promptly starts scolding the younger hen, who chortles good and loud.
Quiet and relatively motionless, the flightless storysinger lays settled among a jumble of boulders far against one edge of the plateau. A bowl rests in a plate before him, faint tendrils of smoke rising from herbs that ring the bowl. Focussed, oblivious to the chaos and noise of the Festival preperations (for which his is obviously quite unsuited), he instead is lost in some other place, some other sight... his duties as storysinger put aside, for his art of skrying.
Dove just sits and rests, taking in the sights and sounds of ordinary life here at Grylra. She takes her own walk down memory lane and recalls when things were this peaceful before...and of the chaos and destruction that it has seen. She looks south, towards the entrance to the aerie, remembering how there used to be two black spies there, now there's only one. She sighs.
Carteth shakes her head a bit, flinging the waterdroplets off the hook of her beak, then stretches again. She doesn't know of the things that have happened in the past. She could probably guess, but it's not something she would normally think about, anyway. She'd been in wars, Before, so any peace was good peace, no matter the bits of destruction.
Visions of the threads of lives, of possibilities, flicker before Dikahtu's eyes, as he turns his focus from the more mundane concept of weather prediction to the less precise one of more specific events. Lost in this realm for some time, it's a much more mundane thing that finally slips him back into the 'now'... the brush of pollen from the wildflowers finally provokes a sudden, violent sneeze!
Aubri exits his cave with a chirrup, padding over to Dove's side amid the usual chaos of the plateau..
Dove chirrups back to Aubri, giving him a nuzzle.
Carteth yawns, and gives her colorful self a shake, before turning and heading back toward her cave. Which consists of dodging around crowds, stopping quickly to keep out of the way of a landing gryph, and being both followed by and used as a ramp by a few gryphlets...
Aubri chirps softly at Dove and grins. "Looking forward to the festival?"
Dikahtu blinks a few times, then dumps the bowl of water on the scattered, flared-up herbs. He tucks plate and bowl into his pouch, and struggles up onto all fours, staggering slightly, having set up a bit during his prolonged session. He stretches carefully, then hobbles to the stream to drink, occasionally pausing to wipe his face against his shoulder.
Dove looks up at her mate and nods, making sure to nuzzle his chest with her beak as she does so. "For many reasons. One, so I don't have to organize so many gryphos at once, so I can rest and so I can enjoy myself at the festival once again." She looks up again and asks, "Do you think the Shkrill are going to be there? I know they're invited and they've come before, but this year has been quite different from the rest..."
Aubri runs his claws down her neck. "I guarantee it. Why do you say it's been different?.."
Carteth finally hops back up into her cave, and turns to lay back out on the ledge above the plateau. This time, she lays down completely, even settling her head between talon, staring ahead at what ever passes by, and rarely tilting to get a better look...
Dikahtu mms, and murmurs softly, "They will come," before dipping his head to drink... discovering that he's quite parched.
Meerith emerges from the cave, Tobi in tow, "One day you'll run into a cave and find someone who isn't so amused by a gryphlet's antics." she comments as she sets him down, and begins shooing him away from the caves.
Dove wingshrugs, "Well, they still encroach and try to claim our lands..." She looks over as Dikahtu answers her question as well. Her attention is yet drawn by Meerith shooing Tobi out of peoples caves yet again.
Aubri wingshrugs a little. "They've been pretty quiet, this year.. I'd expect more of them than usual, in fact."
Dikahtu finishes his drink, and gives his head a little shake to clear the droplets clinging to his beak. He turns unsteadily, annoyed by the sharp catch that's developed in his hip... but knowing it will work out eventually. He inclines his head respectfully to Dove and Aubri, and says, "Good evening to you both."
Aubri bobs his head back to Dikahtu. "Good evening.."
Tobi scampers to and pounces the albino female, "Duff..."
Dove nods her head to Dikahtu. "Good eve-ahh!..." Her sentence is abruptly halted by a pouncing gryphlet. She looks down at Tobi, "Not you again..." she says with a smile. She didn't catch him trying to say her name as she was talking to another at the time.
Carteth rumbles softly, and fights back a yawn, but it wins. She closes her eyes, letting off a quiet sigh, one of fair content...
Meerith chuckles and angs her head slightly as she runs after Tobi... "I'm not sure what's gotten into him today." she sighs.
Aubri jerks his head back at the sudden squawk and chuckles, ducking his head to look at the chick. "What do you think you're doing?" he asks in the same tone you talk to a cute puppy in.
Tobi stretches his beak towards Aubri.
Dikahtu chuckles softly at the energetic youngling, and sits himself down carefully.
Dikahtu chuckles to Meerith. "He's young, and the crisp fortelling of winter is in the air... he'll be calm enough in the night, but a terror most all of the day, I suspect."
Dove turns back to Dikahtu and finishes what she was saying. "Good eve, Dikahtu. Have you met our resident bug hunter, Tobi, yet?"
Meerith shakes her wearily,and grins, "Probably, but Kayzon's going to handle him then, I need a break.I wish he was around now. I need a nap and Tobi's still running strong."
Tobi takes off like a scared snowshoe rabbit.
Dikahtu shakes his head. "No, I haven't." He nods toward the gryphlet, and, speaking as though it were to just another adult in the circle, says "Good evening, Tobi." Though the gesture is evidently un-noticed by the bouncy one, who's gone again before the sentance can even be completed.
Tobi returns at a run, with something clutched in his beak flapping like a flag behind him. A librarian chasing him through the crowd.
Carteth raises her head, seeing the young one causing more mischief. And can't help but reach for her materials...
Dove reaches up to put her beak in her palm. All she can think about is, 'What now?'. She looks between her talons at the mischievious gryphlet running around with the librarian following and can't help but laugh at the silliness of it.
Meerith turns to follow him when she finds him running back, "Tobi!" she calls, shooting and apologetic glance at the librarian, "Ugh... and Kayzon suggested a sibling..." she shakes her head in frustration.
Aubri groans at the commotion caused by Tobi, eyeing the librarian. "I suppose I should help," he mutters..
Tobi braces himself ready for a game of tug-of-war. He doesn't realize the ancient scroll would probably be damaged by such rough treatment. Or that the rough treatment it's already seeing could do the same.
Moments like these remind Dikahtu that not having offspring is really not such a bad thing at all... and that it's a good thing not to even consider students of under a year. He simply watches in faint dismay... and faint amusement, to again see the fragility of the written word, compared with the spoken.
Carteth sketches quietly, growling as she gets a main sketch down on one, then goes to another. Setting up to have multiple pictures of the action. The 'photographer', as it is. Her talon is quick moving, and ends up snapping one tool, which ensues quiet cursing, and quick reaching, to continue...
Tobi yawns and drops the scroll in the process.
Dove can't help but chuckle as the scene unfolds. She looks up at Aubri and smiles. She whispers softly, "Remember when I was that young and naive...?" She realizes what she said and then reiterates, "Okay, that naive?" with another chuckle.
Aubri thinks for a minute and shakes his head. "No.. do you?"
Tobi gets bored with the scroll and tries to climb up to Carteth's cave.
Carteth finally gets about five pieces started, and goes back to work them through. Thus, she once more gets busy, filling in detail and shading of Tobi with paper and the librarian following, of which is within three of the pictures, Tobi settling to play tug-o-war, glaring up at the others, and finally of him yawning and dropping the paper. Such a perfect subject, it gets five pieces all to its own.
Carteth is then surprised to see the little one trying to get up into -HER- cave, and nips down at him playfully. "Oh no. I've enough paper in here that you'd have a field day, and I'd be molting." She snickers while watching him, making sure he can't get up without her being right there to block...
Tobi scampers precariously the last couple feet into Carteth's cave. He sneaks over to where she's working and sits on her sketchpad.
Dove looks over at Tobi watching him try to crawl into yet another cave and then promptly sit on yet more paperwork in the process. She looses it and rolls onto her side laughing rather loudly. She has been through these things in her own right, both as naive and as victim to said naivety. And it's just too funny for some odd reason.
Dikahtu returns his attention to the adults, and chuckles softly at Dove's comment. "We all have our moments... age only makes them seem more foolish. And hopefully, less frequent."
Carteth hmmhs, and leans down to him, eye to eye. "You're a horror on wings, aren't you?" She gryns, and nudges him with her beak. "Off, now. It's a picture of you. Or is that the problem, hmm?"
Meerith runs up to the cave, and pauses at the mouth, sighing, "Tobi, you're going to make me crazy one day." she glances back at Dove for a second, "Glad someone finds this amusing, besides him..." she reaches over and nips him gently, "I fear what happens when he starts using those wings." she says to Carteth, sounding wry.
Tobi beak-touches Carteth innocently, coo-purring in the process.
Tobi yipes and moves a little, resettling on his back to paw lazily at Carteth's brightly colored feathers.
Carteth laughs, listening to Tobi as all of his young innocense -pours- out in that coo-purr. "He'sll be an even better subject to draw, I bet. He's already gained six pieces to himself, today, alone." She gryns, and gives the little one another nudge. "Go on, go on. Before your mother loses any more feathers." At least, she supposed Meereth is Tobi's mother. Thankfully, she's right, this time.Tobi falls asleep.
Meerith sighs softly, and puts him down, and resettles a little ways away, "He better stay asleep. Or I'm due to be featherless soon."
Carteth chuckles softly as she settles back down before her works, nodding softly. "He certainly does get around here fast, doesn't he?" She picks up the drawing tool again, and goes back to finishing the first drawing...
Dove finally calms herself down, but is still grinning from eartuft to eartuft after Meerith moves Tobi and he falls asleep. She leans against Aubri to catch her breath, still chuckling now and then.
Aubri laughs and nibbles on Dove's ear. "Have fun?" he grins, winghugging her..
Dove smiles and nods silently to Aubri, nuzzling his chest since it's there.
Aubri chuckles and strokes her neck. "Well good.."
Meerith yawns, and snuggles down, keeping still so she won't disturb Tobi.
Carteth works quietly, taking her time with the multiple pictures, getting them suited to her tastes (meaning very realistic, near picture purfect), before adding them to the pile...
Tobi's front legs begin to twitch as he whimpers in his sleep.
Dikahtu rubs his face against his shoulders again, clearing the dampness of his eyes... apparently allergic to something, or suffering a minor cold. "It looks as though the preperations for the winter go well, Dove... are you and Aubri coordinating the effort, in Stormdancer's absence?"
Carteth finishes the final paper, and settles it away behind the box she uses as a shield against the winds from outside, and promptly stretches again. Being rarely active, her body is starting to get a lot of cramps...Such is the fault of an old mind in a new body.
Dove looks over at Dika and nods, "Yes. Aubri coordinates the gryphs, I coordinate the supplies." she looks south, towards the entrance and says, "I hope he made it okay to Argalia and that he makes it home okay soon."
Dikahtu shakes his head slightly. "I haven't looked," he says cryptically. "But I would be surprised if he's not here well before snowfall. That's still quite some time off."
Dove looks back and says, "Well, I hope he gets back before too long, or he's going to miss his own festival!" She chuckles and looks over at the stretching Carteth and says, "I hope he didn't mess up your work by sitting on it." By 'he', she means the sleeping Tobi.
Meerith seems to be dozing beside Tobi... she gets her naps where she can.
Carteth raises her head toward Dove, and solemnly shakes her head as she jumps down from her ledge. "He didn't, but I would have made another to replace it, anyway. No troubles there." She chuckles quietly, as she slowly moves toward the group, finally deciding to get out and greet a bit...
Dikahtu nods to the approaching Carteth, "Good fortunes, Carteth," he chirps pleasantly.
Windshadow emerges from his cave, stretching languidly on the ledge and flexing his wings before he hops off into a short glide to the plateau. Feeling mildly social and curious, he pads towards the small cluster of gryphons.
Dove watches as Carteth approaches and looks over as WindShadow emerges from his own cave and comes closer.
Windshadow lifts his beak and chirps a greeting to the group, making his way to Dove to give his friend a fond nuzzle.
Carteth nods in return to Dikahtu, as well as to the others. "Greetings, in return." And then gets lazy again, and settles down. "All is well, now that the furred terror is asleep, hmm?"
Dove chuckles and nods. "He's a fiesty one, that's for sure. So, how has life been treating you of late, Carteth? I saw you drawing like mad there for a while..."
Dikahtu shifts his position slightly, arching, until a crunching, meaty 'pop' issues from his hip, and despite a brief wince, he seems relieved. "It's good so few are hatched this late, or we'd all be plucked bald by their cold-fueled energies." He tilts his head slightly and listens for Carteth's response to Dove's query.
Carteth chuckles, and gives a slight shrug of wing. "Doing well enough. Quite a few good subjects to sketch. Mostly o-" She stops, and winces, hearing that loud pop from Dikahtu, and a moment is taken to shiver. That's one thing she's DEFINETLY thankful for, when it comes to having recieved this young body when she came through the gate. "o-of...the little one, and his rampage through the plateau. Including when he was in those flowers." She chuckles. "You've both ended up in drawings of mine, as well."
Dove looks mildly surprised as she turns to look first at Dika, then Car. "Oh really? I do hope it's of good things." She smiles, happy that someone thought enough of her to draw her.
Dikahtu chuckles slightly. "Sorry... sat for a long time, earlier," he explains, "and hadn't quite broken everything loose again. It's nice to know you've retained your artistic skills as the time passes." He nods cordially to Windshadow, as the drake nuzzles Dove.
Windshadow settles down reasonably near Dove and listens to the conversation, having little input beyond idle chitchat for the moment. His beak gapes faintly in a grin as allusion is made to the downy terror's rampage.
Carteth shakes her head toward Dove first, in responce. "I don't think I've drawn anything bad of anyone. At least, not that I would see as bad." She then glances toward Dikahtu. "Yesss....Why does that seem to be something oft said to me. 'Retained as the time goes.' Is there something I don't understand?"
Dove looks at Dika and let's him explain what he's talking about...
Dikahtu's remaining half-wing shifts slightly, as though he were shrugging. "It's a common thing with New Ones, that they not only loose the memories of their time Before, but they loose any gained skills or abilities. A few do not... and just exactly why remains a deep mystery, so far as I know."
Carteth ponders that quietly, with a curious tilt of head, but she finally comes back with a shake of head. "It doesn't feel like I've forgotten anything..." She frowns, as only a gryphon can. "But, then, it would make sense if I didn't -remember- what I'd -forgotten-, hmm? That's going to be a troubling thought....Monday Night Football, McDonalds, the blue rug in the bathroom..." She starts naming off this and that, half of which makes about as much sense as eating one's one wings...
Dove looks over between Dika and Wind and barely wingshrugs to them as if saying, 'I don't know what she's talking about, do you?' She turns to Carteth and says reassuringly, "Well, hopefully you won't lose the artistic side of you. It's not many artists like that, that live here. It's usually clay and stone sculptures for art, as well as the feather painters."
Windshadow tilts his head very slightly, thinking... then shakes it slightly as if to clear it. That's all Argalian to him, he has no idea what it might mean.
Dikahtu chuckles quietly at the nonsensical gibberish. "I suppose it's just like any other dream. Some can remember theirs easily, and for a long time... others barely know they've dreamt at all. But," he hastens to add, "History has never shown any direct connection there, either."
Carteth sighs, and shakes her head. "The funny thing is, I don't know why I would care. Except for art, I didn't have anything. I was a cripple. Didn't have legs. I'd been in a long war, which was what caused my pains. I lived alone, without anyone, and had near no family..." She chuckles, then looks around. "Here, I've my art, which Faekawn seems to think would go well at the festival, and I've been conned into going, I've got a body that works perfectly," Her voice suddenly turns to a mumble, though it's got a side of humor to it, "Admitadly, though it's female, not male..." And then returns back to normal, "And have many a friend already, in my short time being here. I've got it far better, these days."
Dove snorts and looks at Dika and says, "Yeah, but my dream *was* history...and I can still only remember half of it." She looks somewhat frustrated and resigned at this quandry of hers.
Dikahtu smiles. "Many New Ones are quite pleased by the change... I'm glad it was such a great improvement for you! Artistic talents are greatly valued, though there is seldom the time to allow them to be well indulged. Though that does seem to be changing." He nods sagely to Dove. "Some dreams are best forgotten," he says quietly.
Carteth nods to the 'dreams forgotten' part slightly, even if it wasn't directed to her...
Dove shrugs at the whole thing and says to Car, "Don't worry too much about it, just enjoy it for now. And if it does leave, then I am sure you will find another talent to replace it with." She smiles, "And I agree with Faekawn. Take your work and your supplies to the festival, it is a breathtaking experience!" She sounds like she's looking forward to the festival herself.
Carteth chuckles softly. "So I hear...And she's trying to get me to sing and dance and all that...silly hen..."
Windshadow agrees wholeheartedly, "I'm sure your talents will be in great demand at the festival. And I'd wager that rather than diminish, over time they'll simply adapt to your surroundings here... become distinctly Grylran, but no less real."
Dikahtu clucks amusement. "She's an energetic one... and she's quieter than she was. To the relief of all, I imagine. I do hope the festival will be a great pleasure to you... I certainly enjoyed them a great deal, when they were still held here."
Dove looks at Dika and asks, "You *are* coming Dikahtu, right?"
Dikahtu chufs softly. "Hardly, Dove. I'll do quite nicely here. The aerie's very quiet, and it's a nice time to relax, for me."
Carteth quiets down a bit, as the Dove and Dikahtu turn toward each other on that topic, and watches curiously. She felt the same: It'd be quiet here, and good to relax. Only she'd been bugged into going by Faekawn...
Dove pouts, "But Dika, your stories are just perfect for the Festival, for the quiet times, even you have to admit *that*..."
Windshadow says quietly, "Do you think the Argalians will come to the festival this year...?"
Dikahtu smiles indulgently. "I do appreciate the thought, Dove, but... I've apprentices to carry the tales foreward." He shakes his head slightly. "It's simply impractical for me to go. I certainly couldn't walk it, and I /refuse/ to be carried in some net." He may be crippled and broken, but he's a gryphon, and quite prideful. The fact that he couldn't fly there is presumed to be self-evident.
Dove wingshrugs to Wind and says, "Who knows? I'm sure Storm'll invite them at the very least. I think he said something of the sort..." She turns back to Dika and says, "Oh nonsense, Dikahtu. Your apprentices know the stories, but they still can't tell them the way you do!"
Carteth turns her head back and forth, listening to the three, blinking a bit...
Dikahtu nods slightly to Windshadow. "I think they will, yes. A contingent, at least." To Dove, he simply grins, and shakes his head. "Then obviously I haven't taught them well enough..."
Dove wingshrugs, "If they come, then they come. If not, we will still enjoy the festival." She looks at Dika and says, "It's different for each artist how they express themselves and is not something that can be taught and passed on to another. It still comes out different."
Windshadow nods to Dove, "Indeed we will... I wonder if we will see any new attendees this year, it seems each festival brings stranger and stranger beings... no doubt Stormdancer will have an idea, once he has returned and I can ask him."
Carteth finally rises, as she yawns good and hard. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll sleep for the night."
Dove beaktouches with Carteth and says softly, "Good night, Carteth."
Dikahtu smiles assent to Dove, and bows his head slightly. "It's warming, to know you enjoy them so well," he purrs. "I've certainly had enough years of practice to hone my timing and presentation." He gapes a grin to Windshadow, "I hope so... do bring the more interesting ones back to Grylra for a visit, would you? Ahhh, goodnight, Carteth. Sleep well."
Windshadow dips his head to Carteth, "Roost well."
Carteth returns the soft touch to Dove's beak, then nods to the other two. "And to you three, as well, when you head that way." The brilliantly colored hen turns, and stalks her way up to her cave, dissappearing for the night...
Windshadow looks to Dikahtu and gapes back, "Naturally, I'll want to show off our home here as well as give the rest of the aerie a look at anyone new who turns up."
Dikahtu nods, pleased. "Good, good... the ones who travel to events such as these often have grand tales to tell themselves, and it's a pleasure to hear how things are, in the far-away spheres."
Windshadow nods, "And one never knows where the next trade pact might come from, to give us more of an edge against the Windhaveners."
Dikahtu smiles faintly as others take their leave for the night. He spies the sleeping form of Puff, and frowns slightly, grinding his beak thoughtfully, then looks away again, soutwards.
As all around him seem to have opted for sleep, Dikahtu struggles his way back onto all fours, and slowly hobbles his way northward, to his home... the difficult and slow movement of his travel a good indication as to why he makes no plan to walk to the Festival.
Dove turns and follows Aubri back off to their own cave, assured that Tobi will be fine with his mother near by.