The Land Down Under

[Praetorum]

50th of Ashan, Arc 719

Praetorum fluttered contentedly through the cloudtop town, stopping every now and again to greet and chat with the residents. In shape and size, the residents of the town seemed to be mostly human and Ithecal. In substance, though, they were all, to a one, made of the same fluffy white cloud as the buildings, the plants, and the 'ground' beneath their feet. Prae alone looked as he did in his waking life, save for the dragon-like cloud wings that adorned his back. 



"And how's your son doing, Antolius? Still keeping up with his drills and training?" Praetorum asked a wyvarnth as they made their way down the main street, the wyvarnth walking his cloud barghest on this bright sunny morning. 



"Oh, he's been so diligent about that. Wakes up at the crack of dawn to start practicing. You should drop by when he comes back from school, say hello. It's been too long, Praetorum."


"I'll see if I can fly by, I've just been so busy recently—"


A sudden shout had them both turning, only too see an older woman, a human, come running towards them, hands flapping in panic. 



"Prae, Prae, I—" The woman stopped in front of them, doubling over as she tried to catch her breath. 



"Hey now, deep breaths, Mrs. Devuo." Prae caught her by the shoulder, steadying her as she wheezed. "What's wrong?"


"Oh, it's terrible, just terrible. It's Archie!" Of course it would be Archie.  Mrs Devuo's new kitten was a mischievous little creature, constantly getting into trouble. "He's... he's climbed up a tree!"



Prae blanched. "No!"


"Yes! Please Prae, you have to get him back safely." She grasped at his hand, misty tears rolling down her cheeks. 



Prae squeezed her hand back lightly, and nodded. "I will. I promise." And with that, he was off, flying out to the edge of the cloud the town sat upon to peer over the edge. 



Far below the safety of the cloud, a vast forest spanned, as far as the eye could see in every direction. And it was crawling with animals, animals with flesh and claws that could easily rend through the delicate cloud creatures. It was only Praetorum, who was more solid than cloud, who was able to fend off attacks from other solid creatures. 



If Archie was down there.... 



Prae would have to move fast. But where to begin searching?

[Llyr Llywelyn]

Clouds were often fluffy and fair, soft things made of gentle air. But Zarik was not this sort of cloud. He was a different kind of cloud than most others. Where some clouds were white and others were lightly tinted with sun, Zar was a dark cloud like a smudge of tar in their cloudy world. In the shape of his mortal body, the storm-cloud skin fissured and crackled with hints of lightning. When he walked, rolling thunder sounded with each step. His eyes, oh, his eyes were nothing more than the flames of a storm that rolled over a horizon with a fury.

In the bright sunny morning, Zar hid in an alley. He kept a hood of mist over him to shadow his own eyes from sight, though it proved useless as lightning forked and crackled outward anyway. He listened to the people go about their business in the town, from his spot in the alley, and his hearing was quite keen.

A sudden shout interrupted his stormy brooding, and he listened as Mrs. Devuo explained that her kitten had gotten into trouble again. What good was a kitten who kept causing such problems? Zar listened to the exchange, then his wings unfurled. Large, black, and crow-like with fog instead of feathers, he lifted directly upward. He left the alley and glided over the cloud town.

He followed, like a shadow, the helpful do-gooder Mister Prae. Zar tried to keep himself in check, to not let rain or lightening strike on the town while he passed over it. He followed, past the edge, and to the vast forest of danger and mystery.

Zar hovered, then saw as the other hesitated. He flew down beside the lizardman. His wings folded in, then vanished in a rush of mist as if blown away by wind. He said in a low, rumbling voice, “If you rescue that cat, it’ll just need to be rescued again and again. It needs to learn to save itself by now, don’t you think?”

[Praetorum]

50th of Ashan, Arc 719

Praetorum tapped at his muzzle thoughtfully, then nodded as an idea came to mind. He was familiar enough with Archie's scent that he could probably track the kitten through the air, at least if he gave his sense of smell a little boost. So if he went around to Mrs. Devuo's house, he—


Prae blinked, turning to look as a young storm cloud landed at his side. He didn't recognize this one, he was fairly certain. Those wings were very distinctive, he'd have remembered them for certain.



Prae's own wings fluttered thoughtfully as he considered the storm cloud's statement. It was true, that this was almost certainly not going to be the last time Prae had to rescue Archie. The kitten had a knack for finding his way into places he didn't belong, and at some point, he was going to have to learn how to stay safe, or else get himself out of trouble. Still....


"Archie does need to learn, but he should do it somewhere safe, you know? Somewhere where failing to learn just means a bruise or a scrape or going hungry for a night. I mean, he can't learn if he's dead. Besides, he's only a kitten. I'm sure he'll grow into a clever little thing, given the chance."



Drawing a rune of savoring on his forehead, Praetorum began making his way around the edge of the cloud, heading towards Mrs. Devuo's house. As he went, he scented at the air, searching for the familiar smell of curious cat. "I'm Praetorum, by the way." He said to the smaller cloud. "I don't think I've seen you around before; what's your name?"

[Llyr Llywelyn]

Zarik listened to the cloudy lizardman’s response. His eyes crackled, and he brewed with the inherent and natural power. It wasn’t that he wanted the kitten to die. He only wished for it to learn… a forked lash of lightening escaped from his throat and seared the air around him before vanishing. He licked the black of his lips. He nodded slowly and said, “Yes, I understand. Perhaps you are right.”

He watched as the lizardman drew a rune and continued on his way. Zarik hesitated, then followed with a light lift of his feet off the ground. He landed close beside the much taller cloud when an introduction was offered. Zarik smiled slightly, already knowing the name, for he’d heard it in his own mind with ease. However, he accepted it and said, “My name is Zar.”

“Do you not know where the cat is?” he asked as well. He glanced at the lizardman again, and then gradually, he started to feel… a bit heavier. The storm cloud shook his head. He glanced down at his hand. Light rolled about behind the darkness, threatening to break away from it. Zarik’s breath quickened slightly. Something was happening beneath his own cloudy skin. He looked over at Praetorum and wondered if the ithecal noticed or not. He hid his hand behind his back, hoping not.

“I will help,” he offered the other. “It shouldn’t be difficult, yes? Saving a cat from a tree? Unless that tree happens to be alive… I suppose.”

[Praetorum]

50th of Ashan, Arc 719

Prae smiled, his tail swishing to and fro behind his back, mussing up the cloud floor as it passed. "Well, it's nice to meet you Zar." He scented at the air, a cloudy forked tongue flicking out of his mouth. "I'm not sure where Archie is right now, but his scent is a bit stronger this way. I think if I can find where he floated down, I can track him from there."


Distracted by his search, Prae didn't notice anything happening to the storm clouds body, nor any strangeness in his behavior. When Zar offered to help, Prae practically beamed at him, tail swishing faster. "I'd appreciate that. Although it might be more dangerous than you would expect. The creature's down there, they're solid, you know. Like...."


Prae paused at that, looking down at his own body. Was he... a cloud? Or was he solid? Suddenly, Prae realized he wasn't quite certain. 



What a strange thing to not know. But, still caught up in the logic of the dream, Prae let the thought slip from his mind, at least for the time being. "Well, at least most of them can't fly, even if they can be dangerous. And you're a storm cloud, so you're probably better equipped than most to fight them off if you need to."


Prae raised his head higher, catching a strong scent. "I've got it. I've got Archie's trail." His tongue flickered out again, and Prae launched himself into the air, his wings spreading wide to catch a breeze. "This way,” he said, as he began to fly down towards the forest.

[Llyr Llywelyn]

“It’s nice to meet you too,” said Zar in a simple response. He tried to pay attention and listen to what the other said, but the lightening in his body had started to give off sparks inside of him. It felt ticklish at best, and at worst…

He offered to help, and his eyes glowed warmly when Prae warned of danger down in the below lands of the solid men. The Storm Cloud didn’t fear such things as much as regular cloud person. He came from a long line of warrior Storm clouds, after all. Their kind was dying out due to the peaceful times that had been acquired by his ancestors and he was one of very few storm clouds left anymore. His great-grandfather had been the Commander of the Skies back in the days of war between them and the winds that often tried to cut through them.

He walked after Prae, letting the other man lead, though they had paused. The other mentioned his heritage and he nodded in agreement. He said, “Do not concern yourself with me, pale cloud. We will be careful.”

A scent was caught, Prae launched into the air to fly after the trail of the cat. Zar’s wings reappeared in a flurry of dark mist and fog. He lifted up. Lightening forked out from him as he flew after Prae. He spun around to acquaint himself with the descent toward the forest.

It would have been ordinary, but Zar noticed something… the clouds of his body had started to dissolve during flight. Parts of him were blowing away. Was it the wind? Was it an attack? He slowed his flight, hovered above the tree tops, and looked down at his forearms and hands. The thunder rumbled inside of him, the lightening cracking apart the gray fluffs of his skin, and he started to rain… his skin melted from him, and in replace, he saw…

…skin? Pale, almost pinkish, almost silvery-blue, flesh with a shimmering golden scar along one of the forearms. He placed a hand against the scar. It felt…

“A... body?” asked the Storm Cloud. He glanced at the rest of his body – which remained like he always had been – a cloud. Zar hurried toward Prae, but as he did so, he could feel his wings start to be blown away. They didn’t reform either. Momentum launched him past his fellow Cloud, a streak of dark clouds like acrid smoke, with a small shout. His trajectory headed in a sharp incline toward a far-off spot past the forest. He crashed through the treetops, but it didn’t seem as if he were going to halt until he crashed into the ground itself.

[Praetorum]

50th of Ashan, Arc 719

Pale cloud, the storm called him, and Prae paused for a beat. Looking down, he saw he was pale, translucent and wispy in places, white and sturdy in others. Of course he was, he was a cloud like any other. What other color would he be? What else... what else...



He shook off the strange thought, flapping his wings as he followed Archie's scent. The cat was a particularly wispy cloud, shedding all over the air, which made his scent easier to follow than Prae had feared. Again his forked tongue flicked out, only this time, the scent of kitten was heavily overshadowed by another— the sharp, pungent smell of ozone.


Prae twisted in the air, just in time to hear a thunderclap, and watch the last of Zar's wings melt away. 



Before Prae could react, the storm cloud hurtled past, crying out in surprise as he trailed grey fog and rain and lightning. He was falling towards the forest floor, and fast; without his wings, not even a stormcloud could survive that sort of impact. 



With a muffled curse, Prae tucked in his own wings closer to his back as he dove after Zar, racing to catch the storm before he hit the ground. 



Not fast enough...


Then the wind was at his back, propelling him faster and faster towards Zar. His wings were sheering off his back in strips, too delicate to take this sort of speed, but it hardly mattered; what use had an expert defier for wings, when the wind itself could carry him anywhere he wanted? 



He caught up to the smaller cloud just below the forest canopy, grabbing on to Zar's arms, and twisting so they were falling with Prae's body as a buffer between Zar and the ground. As soon as he had the storm secure in his arms, the wind changed directions, trying to lift them up again, but the two were moving too fast, too close to the ground. 


All the wind could do was provide a cushion as Praetorum, half curled around Zar as he was, hit the ground and bounced.

[Llyr Llywelyn]

It seemed Zar was going to hit the ground, hard, and it was likely going to hurt enough to rattle him awake… awake. It was a strange last thought, he supposed, but before he actually felt the impact, he felt something else instead: a pair of strong hands on his arms. A quiet yelp rose from him as he was turned, and realized what the other cloud was doing. He was going to take the impact for the both of them.

Zar couldn’t struggle against the inevitability, however. Their combined momentum proved too great. His wings were gone and the other’s had also shed.

They hit the ground. Praetorum held onto Zar, and they bounced, then rolled. The forest floor inclined underneath them. Mossy grass fell inward, the soil sunk beneath the two men. Zar shouted and grabbed onto the ithecal’s forearm, an attempt to stabilize or slow their coupled fall through the… world?

In one moment, he saw forest and the moss of a steep hill as they fell – the ithecal and biqaj trading spots in a rolling tumble. In the next moment, he saw a void-like darkness surround them. He wondered if he’d gone unconscious, yet he could still think and he could feel … not clouds, but scales on the arm he still held tight to.

Then, the moment after that: Zarik felt a bruise on his cheek and heard the drip of water next to him. His body trembled. No longer cloud, he was… himself. He moved slightly and felt at his backside, the larger form of the ithecal. He felt the fading recollection of the dream before, but he remembered the name: Praetorum.

And all around them, he saw slate stone dripping with cold rain. They were in a mountain cave, though it looked and felt, as if it might be underground. No light graced their vision except for the inner light of his own eyes that faintly glowed a light blue color. Zarik placed a hand on his chest, then drew a light of brilliance out. The orb floated in front of him, he noticed on the back of his hand, the etched marking of “0”… a zero? What did that mean? He rubbed at the golden scar, but it wouldn’t come off.

“Are you alright?” he asked the ithecal beside him. He moved onto his knees and felt over his body. It was very much his body, as it was in the waking world of Idalos. Zarik had turned fully awake within the dream. He knew he was dreaming as well, but still felt a vague sense of confusion due to the sudden change in their environment and… the ithecal, he didn’t feel a part of him in any sense. He recalled the other dreamer he’d seen a few trials ago. Was this another dreamer like that?

“Do you know where we are?” he asked the other dreamer. By the illumination of his cast magic, he saw not much in the water-logged cave except for a small crate with two leather-bound notebooks on them. The biqaj crawled over to the crate, picked one up and saw that it had Praetorum stitched on the cover. The other journal had his own name Zarik stitched on it. He hesitated, then handed out the journal for the ithecal to take. “This is your’s, I believe.”

He unbuckled the journal, looked inside and saw only one thing on the first page:

Find Your Way to the Surface

❈

[Alistair]

LLYR

Knowledges
N/A

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A

Points 15

PRAETORUM

Knowledges
N/A

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A

Points 15

Comments: OH MY GOD THEY'RE CLOUDS
Okay, this thread was very cute. "They're solid, you know." Also when Zarik called Prae "pale cloud" I smiled. You took good advantage of Emea to be adorable - good stuff.

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