In the Nest

[Azen]

[Azen]

I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud. If you knew my REAL age kid, maybe you wouldn't be so plucky, I thought, but didn't say anything.

He was starting to worry me though. I didn't want him hacking on my Bermudas. His coloring seemed a little off from Anjay's (the only other cobra I've met), but my magic was telling me he was a cobra, and it's never lied to me before. About the only thing it can't tell is species differentiation between falcons, but that's beside the point.

Magic....maybe that was it. "Maybe your magic faulting out. Have you used it at all today?" As soon as I said it I remembered that normal snakes couldn't utilize their magic, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

//His Bermudas...? ...Plucky...? =P//

[Jaydn:]

Alright, if I wasn't confused before, I was now. I waited for him to say laugh and say 'just kidding', but he didn't. After a considerable pause, I [being the intelligent being I am] said, "What?" I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew all the legends and stuff, sure; how snakes used to have magic before the huge war that'd nearly killed everybody before a snake and a hawk had gotten married [which was stupid, if you ask me. I mean, yeah, birds (and other animals) are fine as friends, but marrying them? Ew].

[Azen]

[Azen]

Oookay....got me a clueless kid.... "Well, if you had used it, you would know what it was, so I'm guessing you haven't." I racked my brain, trying to tihnk of what else could have rendered a snake so weak. "Have you changed at all today? Er, to a snake, I mean? I added that last part just in case the weariness was affecting his brain (From what I've seen, it had)

I tried to get a magic reading from him and didn't get too much.
No more or less than any other serpent anyway. Maybe he had been around a falcon or a hawk recently and wasn't used to the magic power?

THen I got a scary thought. What if......it was he that sent me here? Maybe he had been dancing, spun a calling (I had seen Hali do a few) and called me over from the island accidentally? And now his magic was depleted? hmm...

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

"No, I haven't. I just woke up and danced," I said. "Nobody's been in here all day. Most of the others go out when it's nice...I stay in here. I just lost track of time...I've been here since the sun rose," I said, looking past Azen and out the door. The sky had darkened, and stars were easily visable.

I closed my eyes for a moment, glad for the silence. Sometimes it could get quite noisy in the Nest. For a few precious seconds, the only sounds were those of Azen's and my own breathing. I opened my eyes just in time to catch a worried look flash across his face, and reluctantly broke the silence. "What?"

[Azen]

No....callings are hard, there's no way a kid like this could.... "Hmm...." I muttered, mulling things over in my brain. "What dances did you do? Or do you keep track?" If he tried to do a sakkri and changed a few steps just so, he might have triggered a calling by accident. Sakkri and callings were similar, just attributed with different magics.

I could probably heal him by transferring a little of my magic (it was dying to be let loose anyway). But, I was a little concerned that it's first instinct was attack him. If I let him have too much, it might reject him. Still, he was looking pretty green.......

....I can try something to make it better, but I don't know what will happen......." I had no idea how to explain this to someone not in the magic know.

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

I looked back at the stars, trying to remember what dances I had done. "I can't remember exactally which ones I did. I might have done a Sakkri, at least in part..." I trailed off, racking my brain for the other dances I had done.

"Try what?" I said, and even to me my voice sounded uneasy. The way he had said that made me nervous; what if this guy ended up killing me? That definitely wouldn't go over well...though the others might not be so opposed to my death as the fact that it was done by a stranger. [You can tell I'm really loved, can't you? First they all ditch me (go figure) and they probably wouldn't care if all that was left of me was a strand of hair. Actually, they'd probably burn it. Jerks.]

[Azen]

[Azen]

"Sakkri, huh......" I muttered. So, my suspicions may be right. THAT really made me feel a whole lot better. "Well, what were you reach with the sakkri? Were you trying to get a vision or communicate with spirits or what?" There were countless types of sakkri, but only a choice few of them could be spun into callings. This Jaydn kid didn't seem too bright though, so I didn't know if he could differentiate the types.

I sent a tiny wave of magic over him (well, tiny for me, I have no idea how he would react to it) to try and catch anything unfamiliar.....

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

"Uhm...I was just dancing...I didn't really do it intentionally," I said, hoping that I didn't sound like too much of an idiot. I had no idea what he was talking about when he said 'communicating with spirits'. Was that even possible? Maybe this guy knew a lot more about the Sakkri than he was saying. Well, of course he did. Why else would he be asking me questions like those? Gosh, I'm such an idiot.

Suddenly I felt something shock me. Well, not shock, exactally, but that's the only way I could describe it. I winced slightly, drawing in a sharp breath. "Ow...what'd you just do?"

[Azen]

[Azen]

With his words, he cut my magic off before I was able to sense anything. I'm not really sure why, but I was annoyed. THe magic must be reacting to his recoil and racking my emotions again.

If he was actually able to push me back, it meant one of two things: that he held Ahnmik magic somewhere within him (that would make him some cobra and falcon cross, like that one Hai girl I'd heard about) or, that he really had sent me here, intentionally or otherwise. Of course, I probably had more magic than him, so I could force my way into his power if I really wanted to, but I didn't want to seem rude.

There was really only one way to tell how much he really had, but it was......weird. I'd have to dance a calling with him to see if he really could do it. But something told me he would find it.......awkward, if I asked him right out.

Besides, he couldn't dance in the state he was in right now. "Hold still," I told him, placing a hand to his forehead. I slowly began to transfer small bits of magic to him, piece by fragile piece.

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

I listened as he placed his hand on my forehead, but, after a few seconds, it started to feel like he was shocking me again. I closed my eyes, trying to hold still. My breathing was shallower as I tried to ignore the shocks, but it wasn't easy. I bit onto my lip, and only stopped when I tasted blood in my mouth.

[Azen]

[Azen]

I felt a considerable tug as his power tried to take more from me than I was willing to give it. Jaydn really had depleted a large part of his magic, probably more than was really healthy for a snake his size. I quickly pulled a considerable chunk of of my own magic back by force will. It didn't like that, and pulled at me even harder.

"Will you relax?!" I said, probably sharper than I had meant to be. I wasn't really sure what I was talking to, Jaydn or his magic.

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

I jerked backwards as Azen screamed at me to relax. "It's kind of hard to relax when you're being electrocuted!" I snapped, glaring at him. Seriously, this guy was weird. Though, I had to admit, I felt better than I had a few minutes ago; whatever Azen did, it had worked.

Now that my head didn't feel like there was somebody trapped in it trying to pound their way out, I was able to think through the situation a little better. This was probably the weirdest thing that had ever happened to me...a guy shows up, out of nowhere, and thinks he's on some island. He practically shocks me to death, and then tells me to relax...yeah, totally normal...

[Azen]

[Azen]

"'Electrocuted'? You really don't know anything do you?" I tranferred a few more bits of magic to him, then pulled my hand back. "That should be good enough. Even if not, I don't think I can give you any more." I really had hit two birds with one stone (um, figuratively! FIGURATIVELY!) by giving that magic to him. It had calmed it down, and he didn't look like he was going to throw up on me anymore.

I reutrned to my original sitting position, only this time turned to face him. "So Jaydn, since this would be easier for the both of us if you were a little more filled in on what just happened, first I have to find out how much you already know." I was willing to delay the dance question as long as I could, and this seemed to be a good way. "How much do you know about your ancestors? About Keisha, Maeve, the falcons," (I was careful to keep my voice indifferent) "and Leben? About Ahnmik and Anhamirak?" Little did he know I knew quite of few of those names personally.

[Cujo - Jaydn - Kurt]

[Jaydn:]

I decided to ignore his comment on my not knowing anything, seeing as he just healed me and all. I scowled at him, biting the tip of my tongue. Ignoring someone when they had insulted me was definitly not something I normally did. [That would be why everybody despised being within ten feet of me.]

"I know the myths and legends..." I said, trying to figure out where he was going with his question about my [well, our] ancestors. I actually hadn't payed much attention to the legends when I was young; I had been more interested in dancing. "I know the falcons live in the White City," I said, after a moment's consideration. "I also know they're annoying as heck and have magic." I'd met a falcon once, briefly, and she had been the biggest pain in the butt ever...she never shut up about how superior she was compared to other animals. I'd wanted to hit her the entire time; the only reason I hadn't was that other people were there and she probably would've killed me.

[Azen]

[Azen]

"Couldn't agree with you more on that....." I almost added, 'you should meet their god,' but I didn't want to freak him out. "You know about Maeve and Keisha then right? And about how Leben gave Maeve a whit viper form and how he gave Keisha a black cobra's form?"

I was glad Jaydn was feeling better. His magic seemed to be flowing through him regularly now, but mine was still restless. Honestly, sometimes I wondered why I was endowed with this, why weilding the magic fire had to fall to me. Dancing that calling with him (I still didn't want to ask him yet) was probably a good idea, but right now all I really wanted to do was pick up a board and ride the wind and waves. Maybe even see how far my hood would carry me.....yeah........