[center][h1]Viho the Wandering Owl[/h1] [h3]In[/h3] [h2]Journeys I[/h2][/center] [hr] Long had he flown over his maker’s lands, surveying and gathering all that he could see with his eyes. He saw the vast buffalo grazing upon tundra plains, and the caribou migrating like an ocean over land. Mammoths like moving hills, trampling the land with their sheer bulk and all manner of predator hunting prey. It was life imagined as the creator intended but Viho knew there was more across the vast blue waters. That was the direction he was headed. When he grew tired he slept, when he grew restless he flew. He found no trouble, save for the occasional crow or raven seeing him as a threat but even they yielded to his wings. Day became night, where he felt most at home underneath the stars and moon. There was peace there, found nowhere else. At least, not that he had found. For his time in the world had been short. His Lord had imparted in him many wisdoms and knowledge but the drive to explore had been the chiefest among them and he was to learn that which his maker knew nothing of. What more honor could be had? What other distinction did he need? The will of the creator was at his back and it would carry him ever on. If there was a land full of peace and quiet then he would find it and change his thoughts accordingly. Yes, Viho did not know everything but he knew enough to know that even he could learn more. So the days wore on, the landscapes below became vast forests and upon the nights he could see the raging of fires. Only once did he swoop down to get a closer look and when he did, he bore witness to his Lord’s Childan. They whooped and hollered at him, before holding up hands out of reverence or something else. Viho did not know and he was far too busy to find out. There would be plenty of time one day to learn of the inner workings of the two legs but not now. Eventually he did reach the ocean, never hesitating to leave his birth land behind. It was not long before another mass of land came into view- an island. He flew high enough to make out some sort of structure upon it and made a mental note to remind his Lord of something strange in his lands. Then he was out over the ocean again, with little more to be seen then the water below. The ocean currents were different then the ones over land. The winds could be harsher, smelling of salt and sea but on clear days it was a jewel in those eyes of his. The sun reflected warmth, radiated it even and the blue skies were cloudless as they were endless. Less savory minds might have gone mad, maybe he was mad but Viho knew he could find land eventually. His lord had promised him that and in the one direction he knew, towards the cataclysm before his times. Surely there had to be land there? Even if there wasn’t, Viho didn’t mind. He could soar upon those currents forever until something came into view. He could even sleep upon the wind if he truly needed to, for though Chailiss had removed the need for drink and water, sleep was a necessity. A few more days and he would see what would prevail. Reason or madness. It would come as no surprise. [hr] Dark clouds threatened his blue skies. Always something to ruin the mood. But before the darkness had swallowed up his vision, he could make out just the faintest of landscapes. Or was it some sort of trickery? Viho knew not but he let the gizzard in his stomach propel him further on. He had two choices, above or below. To journey up would take him over the storm, to chill air and little vision but he would be safest there. To go below would put him at the storm's mercy. Fierce winds, salty air, thunder, lightning and who knows what else? What a foolish idea to go below! The only thing Viho had to worry about was death and it would take more than a little storm to kill him. Especially if he played it smart and flew above. Or so he thought. The storm was upon him as he was flying up, a small miscalculation on his own part. Or just his addled brain making errors on lack of sleep. Either way, he braced for the worst and got exactly as he feared. The wind currents were all over the place, pushing him down as the struggle to reach higher and higher became downright exhausting and he couldn’t have that. It would be a certain death. One drip into the swirling ocean below and he would be swallowed forever more. So he dove through the clouds, avoiding the tingling of the lightning and the torrential rain. His feathers repelled the water with ease, keeping his down dry and warm. If he became soaked, that too could kill him. It would kill any lesser bird, any other stupid owl or any creature with two wings and half a brain as he. After some masterful acrobatics fighting the wind, Viho managed to break out from the bulk of the clouds and gave witness below to the full picture splayed out before him. It was dark, storming and the winds were whipping with cold ferocity but he was born in the North, for the North and he would not succumb to such an undeserving storm. He spat at it, shouted out his warcry and buckled in despite all that sought to defeat him. He was Viho, the owl! Champion to his Lord, Explorer of the world and he would not die this day. He would not! So the winged champion flew! With conviction and grace bereft of nothing but his display against the storm. He was defiant, he was strong and even despite the peril, he would preserve. But that all changed when he saw the faintest bit of red amidst the waves. One second it was there, the next, gone. What had it been? Another wave, another flash of red, before it too, was gone. Curiosity was an alluring beast all its own, wasn’t it? There he was, in the midst of a storm and he wanted to see what had caught his attention. So he did, turning around mid flight. Even backwards the wind was against him but he beat his wings yet until he saw the red once more, before it gave away to a different color- blue. It was the faintest trace of it amidst the swirling black but it was there. Then he blinked and it wasn’t. Viho scanned once more despite the roaring of the storm and rain and the wind. Shining objects were rarely seen so deep, so out of the norm. He was in the middle of the storm, what else could it be? He kept looking, flying closer, just above the highest of waves did he circle, or try to, against the winds. There! The same blue, sinking fast. He squinted, flying closer still, never taking his eyes off it. He pushed himself further, closer- just a little closer. Despite the waves, he could make out a trace of red and the blue, a small beacon in the deep, sinking lower and lower before he could see… He could see… His heart dropped. He knew what the small blue was, wrapped in red swirls of hair. He stopped thinking at that moment, put his wings to his side and dove. Not ten heartbeats passed before he unfurled his wings and stretched out his claws, plunging them into the sea. He only had one shot, one desperate chance to do it right. If not… He felt something in his grasp and tenderly squeezed, before beating his wings like never before. Up up up he went to avoid the next wave and when he was sure the dark abyss couldn’t get him, did he look upon his catch. Drenched and fractured after being battered by the raging sea, she remained limp in his talons, like a discarded doll after being broken. Seeping from fissures spread across her form, as well as the gaping wound upon her wrist where her hand should have been, scarlet blood mingled with the cold water that coated her body and stained her attire. She was alive, but barely, as the faint pulse of life that desperately called out grew quiet. Viho acted quickly, and breathed upon her wrist, freezing it to stop the blood loss. He did not care who she was or why she was out in the middle of the ocean. All that mattered was that she needed help. The wind continued to whip at him, a constant struggle with no end in sight. What would he do? What could he do now that he had another life in his clutches? He pushed his sight to the limits, looking for anything that might shelter them but when nothing yet still could be seen he went beyond his restraints and pierced through the darkness. In all directions he looked, and upon his farthest left there was a rock. A rock that he could make it too if he just- A terrible gust pushed down against Viho, lightning flashed and in that briefest moment before his vision returned to normal, he swore he saw something vast and dark swimming within the ocean below. It frightened him to the core, for the deepest secrets of the ocean were not meant for some eyes, nor did he wish to find out whatever the creature was. So he took off towards the rock and when he arrived, he found it to be nothing more than craggy, windswept island. Barely high enough to topple the waves that licked at it but it would do. If the girl was to survive, they both would need rest from the storm. So that’s what Viho did, he found a spot where the wind wasn’t so bad against the rocks and he settled in. He looked her over once more, barely breathing, barely living. It was a grisly sight to say the least, especially the loss of her hand. Frustrated at the lack of help he could give, Viho did the one thing he could do. He placed the girl within his downy feathers, where his warmth would bring some meager amount of comfort against the wet and cold. He hoped it would work as the storm boomed and the waves crashed light drums in the deep. He shut his eyes, crouched down and dipped his head in the elbow of his wing. His thoughts wracked him. What else could he do? He did not know enough, that was one of the reasons he had been sent out after all, to learn. But not even his Lord could have expected such a thing perhaps… His Lord! Viho was not one to ask for help without exhausting all other options or being left with no choice. This was one of those times, so, for the first time in his life, he prayed. ‘Lord of Winter, Shepard of the North, hear me please. I need aid. I ask not for myself but for another. A red haired champion, one of Homura’s, lost at sea and dying. She is with me. Please, please my lord. Heal her. Heal her so she does not die.’ he repeated his prayer again and when he was about to start over a familiar presence washed over him. It said nothing but he felt… He felt something happen and then, the presence was gone. He sighed in relief, thanking Chailiss for he knew his prayer had been received. Then Viho settled in, waiting for the storm to end. [hr] The howling wind and tumultuous waves abated after a time, when the sun had risen and yet was obscured by the presence of ominous clouds spread across the sky. When the storm came to an end, she awoke, blanketed in a mass of warmth and feathers. Fear found that she could not immediately open her eyes, nor move, as though a malignant force had seized her body from her, and left only a senseless and dark abyss for her mind to wander adrift in. Every thought and silent word she attempted to grasp seemed so far away in this sea of shadows, and she struggled to find anything that would offer some sense of stability, some salvation from the nothingness she was lost in. She began to perceive shapes and sounds around her, a vast undulating mass that reminded her of water… of the endless sea and its mighty song as waves crashed and splashed against each other. Then there was a much smaller shape in the dancing darkness, rising and sinking beneath the surface of the umbral water. “Fear!!!” A desperate voice called out from the small shape, struggling to stay atop the waves that attempted to pull it under, over and over again. The shape became more clearly defined, and Fear realized she recognized the shape as her own… but not her own. Something that she held as precious in her heart, she thought. “Fear! Don’t go!” Her simulacrum cried, losing against the tide, and Fear could only watch as the one that sought her help sank deeper and deeper into the abyss. She could not move. Even when she could see color, the red hair, her pale sickly skin, the frightened eyes of her sister looking at her as she drowned in the depths of despair. “Don’t let me die.” “No… why is this happening? Why?” Fear found her voice, and floated aimlessly atop the sea of shadows after losing Courage again. There was nothing she could do aside from let the currents carry wherever they will. “Was it my fault?” She asked herself in the silence, but there was no answer. Her lonely journey came to an end when the sea of shadows became still, and she slowly sank as well. Then she opened her eyes to the sight of feathers, like those she had seen on the creatures of the northern realm. At first she did not understand what she was seeing, until she felt its warmth and the beating of another heart. She could hear the breath of life in another, and knew that she was not alone. “Courage?” She asked with a weak voice as she began to tremble. There came a ruffling of feathers and she felt herself being shifted around by the weight of something large. Not long after, sunlight pierced the dark and a large blue eye peered in on her between feathers. “Calm, calm.” A masculine voice said with gentleness. “I mean you no harm little one. You are safe here, you are safe.” It tried to reassure her. There was no strength in her limbs, no vigor left in her spirit, she simply stared back at the blue eye and struggled to regain her senses. “Where am I? Where is Courage?” She asked again, resisting the temptation to surrender to fatigue, to the sweet embrace of sleep, as her head felt like it was being tossed back and forth, and a swell of nausea almost overwhelmed her. The blue eye grew softer. “You are safe. I know not where we are, only that we are upon a rock amidst the endless sea. I… I… Do not know where this Courage is.” He said, struggling to get the words out. “She was with me… in the water. We were together, and we look alike. Please, she was beside me, we were together. Please, you must’ve seen her.” Fear surged upwards, trying to grab at the eye and its voice, despite the protest of her exhausted body. Her hand reached out, frail and unsteady, and the champion could see that instead of her hand extending forth, it was an appendage sculpted from ice, a frozen simulacrum of her hand. She did not utter another word, it was an agonized wail as she realized what had happened and grief struck like a hurricane. She ignored the sharp pain and dull aching of her body as she sobbed and shook, shedding tears for her lost sister and hand, for the loss of her innocence in a world that would cruelly punish those that were naive. She choked out a few words, “Please… please… give her back…” and continued to cry. The eye grew wide as realization dawned and pulled away. “Oh no… She was…” He spoke in a voice of crushing defeat. “I didn’t see her. I didn’t… The storm… It was dark. I-I failed.” He did not say anything for a long time, the only sound was her crying. The eye came back after a time, illuminating her fiery hair. It was tinged with sadness. “I am sorry.” He began, “I only saw the pendant, that striking blue in a sea of dark. If I knew there was another, I would have saved her. I would have-” His voice caught in his throat before he coughed to clear it. “I cannot give her back to you. I am sorry.” The eye began to retreat out of shame. With tears staining her cheeks, and each convulsion squeezing her chest, the pain finally reached a crescendo before it began to subside. Her uneven and heavy breathing eased away, and she slowly became quiet and still. She could feel the presence of the voice behind the curtain of feathers, and had watched with silent sorrow as the caring eye receded from out of her vision. Thoughts of her sisters then filled her mind: she had abandoned Kindness… left her alone. Curiosity and Wanderer did not know what happened. They had failed their maker and their kin. Fear could not face these terrible thoughts, and retreated away from the shadows in her mind. Instead, she reached out to the one that had spoken to her; the one that shielded her from the outside world. “My name... is Fear. What is your name?” The raspy cadence of her voice broke the silence, and sickened the trepid champion. The sound seemed so much more stark and aberrant to her ears. A reply came after a while, “My name is Viho.” He said. “Viho the Wanderer, the Explorer... The Failure.” He paused, sounding bitter at himself. “I, uh, sorry. Well met Fear. It is unfortunate that any would meet in such a way but here we are. If there is anything you need, anything I can do to help, please ask.” “You saved me, how can I ask for anything more? Thank you, Viho.” She spoke with forlorn quietness, afraid of her own voice. Her words seemed hollow, as if she were simply following a script and imitating the motions of conversation. “I have to find my maker; she can help my sisters. I need to find her.” Yet Fear remained still, uncertain, and lost. “You are… Welcome Fear.” he almost whispered. “Now, where might your maker be?” he asked. “She said she would return. She would come back and we would continue across the sea. She was going to Keltra, then to the white orb in the sky. I do not know where she is now.” Her gaze drifted over the patterns of Viho’s pinions, his soft and warm plumage, and she allowed herself to pretend that perhaps she could just stay like this, and her maker would find her instead. “The… The moon?” He said to himself. “Well we can’t get there, unfortunately but perhaps I can take you to this Keltra? Do you know the way?” Fear shook her head. “We were following the rising sun. Crossing the sea in search of others among the divine. I don’t know where I am, I just want to go home.” She shifted to her side, and curled inwards, trying to find memories of the paths she had taken, and where she went. “There are others that would know; the other gods and goddesses.” She offered. “It was my Lord, you would know him as Chailiss, who healed you. A simple prayer was all it took. Perhaps, perhaps you could pray to your maker?” He offered. “I’ve never prayed before. Will I make a mistake? Will I fumble with my words? Would she answer?” Fear contemplated her own questions, and found herself conflicted between hope and despair. Was she worthy of receiving salvation after letting hundreds of the sleeping humans be stolen, and then foolishly risking her life in an attempt to rescue them… would Homura want to hear her prayers? “Save them… please. I know you can. You would always protect us, so I beg you, please save those that were taken. Please save Courage and Kindness. I will do anything you ask, if you answer this prayer. Just say yes, and don’t let them suffer for my sins.” And Fear could only wonder, would Homura hear her whispers, her desperate plea, or would she remain silent? Fear waited and waited, clinging to the hope that her maker would unveil the feathers before her, and show her both Courage and Kindness standing behind her. The red goddess would say, “It is safe now, and you do not need to be afraid.” Fear could feel herself smile as she envisioned being uplifted and running to embrace her sisters as the bright sun shone down upon them, and the walls of Keltra stood tall and strong all around them. She waited and waited. “...Fear?” Viho called out to her. “Has your maker said anything? The skies are clear, we need to leave while we can, before another storm comes.” “If we leave, how will she find us? We can’t go! I don’t want to.” She could hear the song of the sea, the dancing waves, and whispering wind. Viho’s feathers only suppressed the noise of the world, and Fear felt too weak to face the music, to confront the cruel outside and continue moving on. “My maker will come. We were not far from the colossi. Besides, the divine are so powerful, they don’t need us. Why fight when we don’t have to. When we will only fail.” Fear bitterly chuckled, and looked at her frozen hand, seeing her distorted reflection upon its glistening surface. “Very well, Fear. We shall stay. But I disagree with your assertion.” Viho said, “Yes, the Divine are powerful. But you are wrong, at least in my case. My Lord needs me, for he seldom leaves the North. I am to act as his eyes and ears out in this world. I have to fight, for he will not always be able to save me. Will I fail… Yes. But if I survive such failure, then I will only learn and grow. Perhaps most don’t need us but then ask yourself, why bother even making us in the first place?” He began to rise. “Hold onto me for a moment, I must stretch my legs.” Her hands found purchase among his pinions, and she clung to the owl champion as he stood. The answer to his question eluded her, and she closed her eyes as she recalled all of the words her maker had spoken. “I don’t know why I was made. I was only happy that I had been made, and that was all I wanted. To be born.” She murmured to herself before opening her eyes and seeing Viho. “There is nothing wrong with that. If your maker did not ever tell you why she made you, then perhaps it is for you to find out? I cannot say for sure.” He walked around, silently upon the weathered rocks, slow and methodical. “To be born is to be alive. To be alive is to live upon this earth. To breathe its air and smell its aromas. To watch the sun rise and set. To fall in love and grow old. Yes, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be born. As long as you are happy, as long as you live. Least, that’s what I think anyway.” “She asked for our help. Carrying our sleeping kin to the three colossi that would take them across Galbar. I didn’t think about what would come after, I just wanted to be useful.” Fear listened to the muffled music all around her, and found it lulling her into a tranquil state as she spoke softly in rhythm with its melody. “Back and forth, we went, until so many were laid upon the three colossi that there was nowhere to walk. We were careless and haphazardly placed all around. Even if the calamity hadn’t struck, I think they would’ve fallen anyway. Our purpose upon birth, rendered pointless in an instant, and I remember struggling to pull Courage out of the water as she leapt in after those that fell. It took us so long to place them, and… there was no possibility that she could grab them all. Sorry, I’m not sure what I’m saying right now. I just remembered that... Courage didn’t hesitate, she just leapt. I wish I had feathers like you.” Fear nuzzled into his wings, and felt the shadow of a smile touch her lips. Pain and joy pushing against each other, like night and day competing across the sky. “There is no need to apologize. You are safe in those feathers of mine and safety beckons the type of talk that we seldom say. I am honored by it.” Viho said, carrying them close to the edge of the island. “She asked and you helped, there is no nobler purpose than that. Even when tragedy struck, you tried your best but even we have limitations. Some can be overcome, some cannot. There is no shame in admitting this. Only that we strive to be better.” He walked them back to the center of the island. “Sometimes even flying can be scary, with or without feathers and wings. To be afraid is natural, to meet it head on is often necessity- Courage, if you will. There are many types of Courage, from the bravest of feats, to the most simple, like, helping another out of the water or confiding in a strange bird. That, to me, is often the bravest thing a person can do. Make themselves vulnerable. It is hard to do, I think but so worth it, in the end.” Viho settled back down. She did not speak, nor stir, when he seated himself. She was quiet, as she slept peacefully while keeping hold of the owl champion. Viho stayed guard for a time, then yawned himself, gave a small hoot and shut his eyes too. A good sleep was a good idea. [hider=Summary]-Viho, the owl champion of Chailiss, flies across the northern realms and travels southward -He flies over the sea and encounters a storm. He sees Fear, champion of Homura, sunken beneath the waves, and then rescues her. -Fear awakens and Viho comforts her as she grieves the loss of her sister. -She prays to Homura, and waits for a response from the red goddess. -Neither champion leaves the little island they wait upon, and both eventually fall asleep.[/hider] [hider=Vigor/Spirit] Chailiss starting = 3 Vigor -1 Vigor to heal Fear and give her an icy appendage. (Note, it is only slightly cold, working more like magical ice that works as a new hand, maybe with secrets to unlock?) Chailiss ending = 2 Vigor Viho starting = 2 spirit -2 to push a limit +1 for post +1 for main char +1 for collab with other champ +1 for medium post length = +4 Spirit Fear starting 0 Spirit +1 for post +1 for collab with other champ +1 for medium post length = +3 spirit [/hider]