Sky and Sea [AW to friendlies]
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1056
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
With his strength’s return over the past month or so, the Heir was up for further travel, and travel he did, resting when he needed to, camping some nights, pushing on in others. It was a trek he’d done with his mother, though to Abaven’s borders.
In time, the rush of surf caught his ears and he paused, and just in time. At his paws dropped a dizzying distance straight down to a narrow beach below, and crashing waves where the beach didn’t separate cliff from water.
Ardyn took a step or two back before settling on his belly, gazing down at the ground below, then the cliff face. There, a trail. Narrow, but with his front paws, he thought he might have a good chance of keeping a grip.
Shrugging, he rose and moved along until he found the head of the trail, then began descending, moving carefully. It took several minutes, probably an hour more like, but he finally stepped onto level ground, flexing his long front toes into the white sand and breathing out a sigh of released tension as Lyr settled onto his armored back.
That was a climb he didn’t like the idea of repeating, but he’d have to once he was done exploring this spot. Dark shapes out in the water caught his eye and he smiled slightly. Perhaps a good, fresh meal of fish would bolster him for the climb.
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.
Aster leaned over her perch for a better look, appraising the armored wolf with a critical eye. He looked taller than most canines she’d seen, and the armor on his back was new. Definitely a wolf from one of those packs. “You must not be from around here. Or beaches, for that matter. ‘Cause then you’d be smart enough to avoid that trail—oh, how I hate to call it that, it’s barely fit for water runoff—especially in that heavy armor of yours.”
She paused, almost as if to let him talk, but then continued. “Bet you’re tired. You look exhausted, if I do say so myself, and I sincerely hope that armor of yours doesn’t have any metal pieces, ‘cause otherwise you’re begging for rust. Sheesh, so many risks.” She chirped in a tut-tut manner. “But that’s okay! I’m good at fixing things. Small feet and precise beak, you know. Oh, and my name’s Aster? Who’re you?”