RP:Two Birds For The Stalking
Part of the What Lurks Beneath Arc
Characters
Chapter 2: Two Birds For The Stalking
Cerinii found that the flight to Frostmaw was much easier, with the tropical storm having passed. She extended her fingertips, uncaring for the lack of aerodynamic position. She smiled softly, calling to Neema over the wind, "Isn't it wonderful?" She banked to the left, making a small circle before descending harshly into the snow. She dusted off her robes, noticing how the snow was falling at a much.. slower pace than usual. She glanced around, murmuring gently, "We should be quick. Let us not take too long. We'll return to Kelay once you're done for ein well earned drink."
Neema followed right behind Cerinii during their flight, wanting to get to the frigid region as quickly as possible. The condition of the ice bees was her main concern. Why or how Frostmaw could be dangerous now was coming in a very close second. Then that pompous elf's voice materializing in her head was coming around in third. She'd heard it before, just like the other voices that liked to pop up in the avian's mind, and didn't like what it had said. Pretty much instructing Neema to spy on Cerinii? Not going to happen. She had absolutely no way of responding either, but decided still fairly unsure of whether it was a figment of her imagination or some strange person that she had met before, she shrugged it off, but made a quick note to tell Cerinii as soon as possible. "It is, Cerinii!" She replied, mimicking the ancient avian's circle and descent to the snowy ground. She didn't mind the cold very much, thanks to the excessive amount of clothes she wore. It bothered her feet when it got caught between her socks, though. After listening to Cerinii, she nods, and waddles her way through the snow as quickly as she could to reach the areas where she knew the snow bees kept their hives. They had multiplied since their initial discovery by Satoshi and herself, going from just one hive to at least six. And that was just the ones that Neema had managed to locate. There could be more somewhere in areas that hadn't been wandered through in a long time. Each hive she checked was in pristine condition, just as Neema expected. That made her feel a whole lot better, but the talk about Frostmaw not being safe still left her unsettled. Probably a good time to let Cerinii know about the somewhat familiar voice in her head. She peeked over her shoulder while in a crouch, one hand holding back a frigid branch to get a look at an icy hive hidden amongst the snow and bushes. "When you were talking about Frostmaw in Kelay, a voice started talking in my head." She pauses, clears her throat, then mimics the voice enough so it might be recognizable, but the wording is a bit off. " 'Neema, tell any information about Frostmaw to the clan. We can assist, but don't tell Cerinii that you told us.' ..Does that sound familiar to you?"
Cerinii nodded, "It is Lirithen." She sighed softly, "That means.. That tells me you are of the Fold, Neema." Oh, it stung her heart - it really did. You could see it in her eyes, even as she tried to faintly smile and show her reassurance. She continued to glance around, hearing a twig snapping. She shuffled closer to Neema, "Lirithen is asking you to spy on me? The issues of Frostmaw are Frostmaw's. Not that of the Fold. They have nein right to be involved. You are involved purely because you are an official of Frostmaw." She heard a low, peculiar noise. More twigs snapping. "Neema, hurry." She whispered softly, "Our time is limited."
Neema felt a pang of guilt hit her when she saw the look on Cerinii's face. She didn't like her being a member of The Fold being the cause of it at all, either. Right away she almost got ready to explain why she joined the clan, but chose not to after hearing the sound of snapping twigs. She moved the branches back into place, successfully concealing the precious snow beehive so hopefully, whatever was out there, wouldn't find it. Neema frowned, turning toward Cerinii with an apologetic look. "I know you don't like them, but the people there that I've met have helped me a lot." She was obviously not counting this Lirithen fellow, having only spoken to him once, and even then, it wasn't much to gauge what he was like. Probably not someone to talk with often, based on what has just transpired. "I won't tell them anything, promise. I don't want to spy for someone I don't even know. And it's not like I could tell him anything anyway." She was right too. One, Neema rarely ever saw the elf, and two, Neema's abilities with projecting her speech outwards through the clan link were extremely poor. She'd be lucky to get even one word out before it made her head feel like hell. At the sound of more twigs snapping, and a creepy, guttural growl, a shiver shot down her spine that definitely wasn't because of the cold temperatures. She backed away from the beehives, and over toward Cerinii. "I'm ready."
Cerinii's head snapped towards the bushes, the strange growling and the snapping of twigs becoming too much. "Take to the air, now!" She bent her knees, throwing herself into the air as she heard feet hitting the snow. She didn't look down, she didn't have the time. Her wings unfurled and started beating, hard. Determined not to fall. If these.. things, could kill a giant - they could easily kill herself and Neema. "Neema, fly for your life!" She called, as she ascended through the air. She would wait until they were high enough or a safe distance enough away from the garden to speak to Neema. "There is nothing to report, Neema. I've done nothing. Nothing wrong." She looked down, upset visible in her face. Nobody believed her. Only a few people actually believed her. She sighed softly, "To Kelay. I'll report this incident to the Snow Maiden. These monsters are moving closer towards the castle, defences must be fortified."
Neema didn't need the avian senator to tell her to fly for her life. She was already scared out of her mind and up in the air in a matter of seconds after Cerinii had taken off. Neema was easy to scare, and the look on her face just proved it once they were even at a safe point in the sky. She was far too scared to even look down, to catch a glimpse of whatever it was wandering about below. Cerinii's word that it was bad was more than enough for her. The younger avian frowns when she sees the avian senator upset, and almost flies over to give her a hug. She only chose not to because flying and hugging in the air might make them both drop, and that wouldn't be good. "I believe you! I won't say a word. Promise."
Cerinii chuckled ever so faintly, "You can say what you want to them, but I've done nothing wrong, Neema." She sighed softly, "Your clan fails to see that, however." She formed her hands together, pointing in the air like an arrow. Keeping herself aerodynamic for the optimum speed. "Back to Kelay Tavern?"
Neema nodded. She already knew what she would say. Got a question about Frostmaw, then ask their leader, or some other Frostmaw official. Simple. Neema wasn't really part of the government body running the area anyway, as far as she knew. She took care of the bees. That was all. Her wings made a hard flap in order to catch up with Cerinii, to which she nods once more. "Alright, back to Kelay."