Spice Box (Itona)

[Rowen]

Itona watched Del climb the tree, and stood beneath her knowing the fruit would be coming. Catching the first one, her mouth watered at the sight and she almost didn't catch the second fruit. It slid from her hand reflexively she flashed her hand out to try to catch it again. Letting out a sigh when she managed to catch it completely in the palm of her hand.

Itona nodded in agreement with Del's comment about their mother. "I think that's just another bonus to running." Taking her seat next to Del Itona bit into the red fruit and let out a sigh leaning her head back against the bark of the tree. "So good." Was all Itona bothered to say as she continued to devour the fruit, savoring it for as long as she could.

[Edit: Sweet second page!]

[E]

(((Fastforwarding a bit – not too far though.)))

After finishing the redfruit, the girls had continued the climb toward the snowline that graced the peaks south of Ponaa Hold. The sun traveled across the sky as they followed the failure trail that required as much walking as climbing and searching for footholds. Finally seeing the sun glare off the snow drifts not far away, Deltontai finished pulling herself over the last edge.

She sat there a moment, dangling her feet over the last 40ft climb they had done and looking out at the view spread out before her. Hearing her sister come over the last ledge as well, Del turned toward her sister. “You know, if I knew how to build I would build us a home up here and we could live far away from the rest of the world. Our problems would be our own and we would have to live with no other people.”

Letting out a sigh, she stood and walked to the snow drifts not far from the cliff and scooped up a handful before rejoining her sister at the comfortable ledge. Putting the snow against her face, she couldn’t help but find contentment sitting with her sister above the rest of the world and washing their faces with the kisses the sun provided. If life did not demand food and shelter to live, Del would defiantly live here in the sun.

[Rowen]

Itona smiled her body relaxing completely now that she felt she could let her guard down. She smiled at her sister's comment about building a home up here. "It would be wonderful." Watching her sister press the snow to her face Itona added, "Then maybe you wouldn't have to fight." Letting herself imagine what it would be like Itona's smile widened.

She turned and looked out straight ahead of them and her mind spun in a whole different direction. "Dela.." Itona looked down and around them insuring that they were alone and that no one was coming up the climb. Assured by her ears, and eyes that no one was near by or approaching she turned back to her sister.

"Do you.. Think there are more?.. Dragons I mean.. nearby.." Even as she asked the question she was still hesitant to hope there were more close by. Hopeful, but not stupid Itona knew the possibility was unlikely, yet she hoped anyway. "I want to see them again." She blurted out her desire then almost immediately wanted to call it back knowing she couldn't. Itona felt childish always asking so much of her sister and giving little in return, now she was asking something Itona wasn't even sure Dela could give her.

[E]

Deltontai mulled over the question for a good long while before choosing her answer. She never liked to say no to her sister afterall, but she didn’t also want to give her a false hope.

“You know Itona, I have been wondering myself. We had only seen enough to count on one hand that day. Maybe that’s all that’s left. Maybe there are more, who are we to say?” Kicking her feet lightly to listen to them thump back against the stone, she gazed down. From here they could not only see their own caverns, but they could view the Hold of Ponaa as well. Seeing the hold gave Del a sudden thought.

“Itona, isn’t it queer that every year Ponaa Hold sends out 4 trading caravans? We raid the three that travel north towards Southern Hold and the coastline… But we never raid the one going south? Why would that caravan be going south? I thought Ponaa Hold was the southern most Hold…”

Eyes widening as she answered her own question, Del began to grow excited – she did not have to tell her sister no after all, not with this logic. “Itona! They travel south – and the dragon’s had traveled back south! Ponaa Hold is still giving Tithe to the old Weyr! Perhaps those dragons we saw… If they require a trading caravan that big there must be more than just the four we seen!”

[Rowen]

Itona felt like jumping in excitement but managed to contain it to a smile and a tight hug she gave her sister. With a force of will Itona let go of her sister and leaned back to look out across the distances before them. Her smile remained unwavering as she swung her feet letting them bounce off the stone, she continued moving her legs imitating a walk in the air beneath her feet.

"Then we can see them again!" She couldn't hide the happiness in her voice. That first sight hadn't been enough for Itona and day by day she'd found herself wanting to see them again more and more, she'd finally stopped staring up at the sky when the old man had asked her why she was looking at the sky.. It had been a clear day, and he'd reassured her that it was likely to be a good weathered day.

"If.. The wyer has dragons then.. there are surely riders.. Right?" She leaned back placing her hands behind her so she wouldn't fall backward, but put most of her weight on her hands. She let her head fall completely back to look up at the sky.

"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be up there Dela? Away from mother and.." Feeling a spike of anger at the thought of the man they called 'brother'. Not wanting to ruin the moment, or remind Dela of what he'd done Itona changing directions about what she was going to say and finished with. "All the other holdless?"

[E]

Returning the hug, Del found Itona’s smile contagious and returned it despite the pain on the side of her face. Listening to her sister continue her train of thought, however, Deltontai found her smile slowly fading. Reaching up to rub the back of her neck, she shook her head.

“I’m not sure about the riders, Sis. None of the dragons we seen had riders on them that we could see… AND I don’t think a rider would attempt the acrobatics the dragons were doing trying to catch that gold…” her breath drew short at the thought of the beautiful display. Her sister could outrun any man like that gold had out flown the bronze’s. In a way the comparison made her love her younger sister all the more.

Deltontai listened to her sister ask her question, understanding fully the pause put into the scentence. Visibly shuddering, Del put down the ball of snow she had been holding to her face and looked seriously at her sister. Those days had been… No she wasn’t going to relive them and not in front of her sister. Reaching over and taking her sisters hand, she found herself making up her mind suddenly.

“Then let’s go Itona.” She said, giving her sister a soft smile. “Let’s leave this place. Sure neither of us know much about hunting, but we can easily forage, we’ve done it all our lives. We’ll grab supplies before we go and we’ll head to where the dragons left – to where that rogue caravan goes.”

“We’ll go South, over the mountain range.” Putting details together in her head even as she spoke, Deltontai picked back up the snow and put it too her face as she gave the last sentence to put the excitement into her sister's heart. “And we’ll find our dragons.”

In all reality, Deltontai was not sure if the dragons would be feral or in fact have riders. On top of that she was not sure which she would prefer to find when they found them… She had never done well with people and she knew her sister had just as little experience with anyone besides the lawless men of the holdless. Civilized folk scared Deltontai more than a feral dragon.

On the same hand, she was determined not to let what happened to her repeat itself with her sister. To protect Itona, Deltontai was willing to travel into that unknown world. Deltontai could fight and Itona could run. They would find their way out of this world and into a world as beautiful as that dance of dragons.

[Rowen]

Itona looks back at her sister and blinks. "Just like that? Leave everything behind and just go?" Frowning slightly Itona straightened again. "I won't leave without making sure the old man is alright. We still don't know if he's okay or not." Bouncing her boots off the rocks again Itona thought quietly to herself a moment.

She wanted there to be more dragons, and if the hold was giving tithe it meant that the weyr was likely occupied by riders. Itona wasn't looking forward to meeting riders, all she really wanted very much was to see dragons again. Any dragon would do, really Itona just couldn't get the picture of the magnificent creatures out of her head.

If the dragons were feral, Itona didn't want to tame them. She admitted to herself that she wanted to see them most of all, but she also admitted she wanted to feel what it was like just once to fly up in the sky above every one and every thing. Perhaps she was lying to herself trying not to get her hopes up to high, and she did want to ride a dragon maybe more than once. She imagined it was much like running, only, in the air.

Drawing her thoughts back to the present Itona focused on her sister again then let her gaze slide toward the sun. "I seem to have forgotten when the last caravan was. If one is going soon, perhaps we could sneak in with it, if it really is giving tithe to the weyr. If not I don't mind walking with just you." Itona smiled, she did enjoy spending time alone with her sister.

[E]

[Thread Closed]


((I'm going to go ahead and post a summary of what happens between this thread and the next one going over what we talked about so we can get to the Weyr so you have other people besides myself to play with, cause lord knows I have a habit of skipping days in posting. xD Let me know if I miss or mess up anything in the next thread Rowen. <3))