they left without me
They do this every year!
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1046
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
He’d been heading east, with Spring just peeking its eye around the wintry corner in shy preparation to spring. What he hadn’t expected to find on the way was a dead, scent-marker free border where Armada’s claims once stood. He’d stopped short of his usual northward diversion to circle around it when he found… nothing to circle.
He skirted the edge, heading south, and had been pondering what to do about this development when the storm had rolled in.
He’d managed to find shelter, and in time, the storm died out – although a stiff breeze sent his long tail and mane buffeting on the air, coat flaming in agitation from the friction as he pushed forward. Rain pelted his face, and he remained cautious. However apparent it might be that the Armada no longer claimed these lands, he wasn’t about to be taken off guard.
The two large cats followed, on guard, but it was Lyr, struggling on the currents above that spotted the frame of the wolf laid out against the cliffs, and croaked an alert.
Ardyn shifted to follow the glowing black and white raven, and soon enough, an unconscious yearling came into sight. For a long heart-stopping moment he thought she might be dead, but as he drew close enough, he realized her flame-colored markings were glowing, just barely, with a pulse.
He blew out a breath and lowered his head, listening over her ribs while he held the hood of his cloak with one nimble-toed front paw, blocking the wind from buffeting his hearing. Alive. That was good. And she didn’t sound like she had any water in her lungs.
She was large, and had bear-like claws, sabers, and bony spurs and spikes that tickled at his recollection, but he set the details aside as he reached around to pull a spare cloak, tightly rolled and folded, from a pouch and let the wind unfold it with a fluttering snap of fabric and bent to working the material over the girl’s frame, vigorously working the sea-water and rain out like a healer might seek to revive an unresponsive newborn pup.
It wasn’t a good place to keep a soggy yearling dry and warm, though, and he sent Lunira and Sädir out to find saplings while he worked a supple hide out of one of the oversized, extra pouches draped over his back.
He had no desire to remain in these lands, wanting to tend to this surprise patient in a land that was previously unclaimed to start with, and further inland to boot. But if it came down to it, he’d rig a quick shelter that he could turn into a travois if need be.
He supposed this was going to put a halt to his visit to Abaven, but the safety of an unconscious wolf took precedence over visiting friends.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.