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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:15 am Post subject:

When she steps back the crow steps forward, cawing at her aggressively, hopping towards her, wings ready to spread. This thing is clearly on the verge of attacking her for some reason.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"Crazy stupid bird ..." April mutters, "... smart enough not to hop onto the road, even for a whole buffet of dead meat, but dumb enough to confront me over nothing ... sheesh!"

April backs off a dozen yards and feels around awkwardly in shadow. Somewhere near here there should (if Eric's information is correct) be something solid and unmoving in the shifting sea of shadow ... and that motionless point is what she's come to find. Lacking any knowledge whatsoever, April can only bear that fact in mind, and follow her intuition, right or wrong.

"Huh," she says, as the crow caws at her and hops nearer. "You're about the best signpost I could happen upon ... 'cept you're really annoying. Maybe we can be friends, though ..." She digs briefly in her small pack, and pulls out glinting metal. "Check-it-out! Caribiners. Shiiiiny." She turns the little metal clips in her hand, catching the light. "You want 'em?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject:

The crow stops cawing for a bit and twists its head sideways, looking at the metal clips in her hands. It hops a bit closer, its beak open, strange noises coming out of it. "Rraah.. rrrhhiiirrwwwhrr... Raaaare you of rrAmber?.." Its voice is a high pitched rattle, barely recognizable as words, and for a moment April wonders if the thing is choking and the words are a coincidence.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"Well hey there, freaky-bird," she says, startled. "You talkin' to ... oh wait!" She smacks herself suddenly on the head with her free hand. "You're not going nuts just because I'm here ... you're too smart for that. You're going nuts because I came off of the Road, and there are only two kinds of things that can do that ... things that are really bad news, and descendants of Oberon."

"Although," she says, putting a finger pensively to her lips, "I suppose those are both technically things that are really bad news. But the ones that start in the road are bad news for ..."

At an impatient caw from Freaky, April recalls the original question. "Ah, yes. Got distracted. I am April, daughter of Dierdre who is daughter of Oberon. I cross the Black Road of necessity, and by the strength which is my birthright."

...

"So," she asks, "Did I guess right? Are you part of someone's early warning system?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:24 pm Post subject:

The bird hops from one leg to the other, looking at the metal clips in her hand and caws a few more times. Then it looks like it's about to regurgitate and yells, "Caw-Comweermeh! Caw! Caw!" And it takes flight and flaps its wings, floating around at head level in the general direction of the valley below, making sure she follows.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"Good bird," April says with satisfaction. She flips the caribiners into the air in the bird's looping path, and sets herself to follow.

"Straight as the crow flies," she mutters, as she sets to running again.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:15 pm Post subject:

The winds become more powerful as she leaves the sickening odors of the corpse-laden road behind. Soon enough, the crow's feathers glint in sunrays and her descent seems more pleasant.

The angle below is still very odd and whether it is a cliff or a slope, she is uncertain, but she can feel that the unmovable Windborne must be somewhere beyond this Shadow. Perhaps beyond the settlement or village she saw earlier...
Yeah, it's gone now. The Shadow must be doing something weird or the crow is shifting Shadow for her, or both.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

April furrows her brow.

"Y'know, Freaky, your whole species is named after one of my uncles ... Corvis Corvidae."

She looks at the gaping absence where a village used to be. "I sure hope you're more worth chasing after than he was."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject:

Freaky caws, as if in agreement. He continues down and down and the angle keeps shifting, not only visually but also in the way April is sensing Shadow.

It feels as if there is a Shadow path that is made obvious. Taking the wrong one leads down the cliff and into a dark pit, whereas the other leads to wherever the village once had been.

April is unsure how much influence she will have over the right path if Freaky is in fact shifting Shadow.
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

"Well somebody has sure booby-trapped the heck out of this route," April observes. "And has a spy-net out as well ... no offense intended, Freaky."

April sighs. "Nobody ever lets me in on the whole story," she says sadly.

She lets Freaky navigate the labyrinth of folded shadow in the area, tailing along behind him and hoping for the best.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:47 pm Post subject:

The cliff and valley continue to switch more and more rapidly as she moves forward, the crow leading her to safety or certain doom. When she arrives at the edge of the cliff/valley shift, it switches back and forth so quickly that she is dizzied.

Stopping or a leap of faith is required. Freaky caws her encouragements. "Caw-Com! Caw!"
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TonyLB · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 494

April takes the step.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:38 am Post subject:

Pacing herself so that her foot will hit the ground as the flashing land is stable, April confidently steps forward.
As soon as her foot touches the threshold April knows she has made the wrong choice: the land shifts down and she begins tumbling down. The last thing she remembers are the aggressive caws of Freaky the crow and her head thudding against a rock after what seems like an eternal fall...
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