Ask Watch The Skies

[Maiko Sigur]

Instead of responding to his question Isen had commented on Maiko's progress and bid the Padawan to continue working with forging a bond with the now calm baby Condor Dragon. Perhaps it was for the best and to dissuade the younger Jedi from panicking at Master Thral's sudden disappearance, and the Knight's gave Maiko something to focus on other than the worry that crept in his mind when Isen engaged with the fledgling's mother and disappeared with her down the cliff.

He would have ran over the edge of the cliff to look for both Isen and Master Thral but the baby Condor Dragon demanded for Maiko's immediate attention. She was now calm and didn't seem to view the Padawan as a threat any longer, having pacified by his words earlier. Maiko knew, however, that the fledgling cared not for his words but his behavior, so he went back to pushing more calm into the growing bond between them.

Broken wrist tucked close to his chest, Maiko placed his free hand on the fledgling's head and pushed back with enough strength to dissuade her from her attempts at showing dominance. As much as he wanted to bend the fledgling's mind to his will Maiko sought to make the mutual respect between him and the beast grow. The fledgling screeched, wings flapping for a moment before settling down as she lowered her head. He could feel through the Force the final stages of the bond falling into place like puzzle pieces, and with one final hiss at him the baby Condor Dragon was now bonded with the Padawan.

With a happy grin Maiko leaned up and pressed his forehead to the top of the fledgling's head. She hissed at him, blinking as the Padawan patted her head.

"Good girl," he murmured to the fledgling, voice soft as his palm brushed against the reptavian's thick skin. "There's a good girl. We're friends now. Is that good?"

The Condor Dragon blinked again at the Padawan, sharp yellow eyes studying the human before her with great interest. Through their newly forged bond Maiko could sense an instinct from the fledgling to look for her parents. Instead of commanding her, Maiko gently urged her to walk with him beside the edge of the cliff. The Padawan crouched down, careful not to stray too far lest he toom a tumble down the mountainside. He couldn't see Isen nor Master Thral from his position and the canopy of the trees below but he could sure as fudge see a pair of angry Condor Dragon parents and hear them screech angrily.

The fledgling beside him hissed again, leathery wings unfolding and folding slowly but impatiently. The dragon might still be a baby but she was much larger than Maiko, and taller enough to provide cover for the Padawan should the angry parents return to find a human being too close to their fledgling for comfort.

He had no visual nor idea how the Kiffar Knight and the Vratix Jedi Master fared down below, but Maiko knew that he couldn't just sit here, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for either the Condor Dragons or the two Jedi to return. An idea formed in his head and while it might turn out to be pretty reckless, he felt reassured as he asked the fledgling through their bond to tuck him close under one wing.

Backing away from the edge of the cliff, Maiko nudged the fledgling's mind with his. Ready to call back mom and dad?

Guiding the fledgling to tuck him in closer to her side, the Padawan covered his ears with both hands as she let out the loudest screech he'd heard from her. He was sure that he was going to be reprimanded for this by Master Thral and Isen but he at least had to do something to try and help them. Counting on the baby dragon to protect him through their bond should her parents indeed returned, Maiko could only hope that the two Jedi weren't in a precarious position nor injured by the Condor Dragons.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

"Just like old times huh?" the Vratix said, hurting and exasperated by the unfolding events. She had taken a wicked fall, and Isen wasn't sure she should continue the fight at all. Still, he knew his master would not want to take herself out of the fight. It wasn't about pride with her, but duty. She felt she had a duty to protect Isen and the padawan. After all, sIsen was once her apprentice, and she was ultimately responsible for the padawan up on the mountain due to her rank.

Isen wiped the dirt and the sweat off his brow with his forearm. "The good old days, I think we're supposed to call them Master," Isen replied back to his insectoid friend. The Kiffar Jedi took note of the massive drake condor dragon flying in preparation to attack Izel once more. He was like a dog on a bone, and she was the tasty marrow. Closer and closer the reptilian came flying in. Isen's eyes flicked to Izel, and it was clear that she was trying to perform stasis on the beast, but the fall just took too much out of her. As the huge, adult male came barreling in, it became obvious to Isen that Izel didn't have the strength to prevent the beast from his current path nor to change his rate of speed. It would be a brutal impact on her if she took another blow like that. In fact, they were teetering dangerously close to being forced to used to the lightsabers and kill the native species, an action that Isen would see as an abject failure.

So, Isen jumped between them and tried to Force push the massive male condor dragon toward the mother, hoping he would crash into her and knock them both a bit senseless, at least to a point that Izel could regroup a little. If he failed, at least he would take the brunt of the attack and not Izel who was in bad shape as it was. As it turned out, Isen was just in time. Mere feet before the huge beast laid it's claws into the Vratix Jedi Master once again, Isen came between them and with a mighty Force push, he changed the direction of the dragon in the direction of the mother. The male crashed into the female and the two of them were both stunned for a bit, especially the big male trying to determine how it was that he was thrown of course without being touched.

The young adult Jedi Knight turned to his former Master and said, "So much for playing nice with the birds. But that should buy us some time. How bad off are you?"

@Forsythe Crowholde @Izel Thral

Dice- 56, Everything goes as planned

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel raised her pike weakly to try and defend herself, knowing she was about to receive another very painful blow. Thankfully Isen stepped in just in time to rescue her. The Vratix let out a relieved sigh and slouched with exhaustion as the two Condor Dragons tumbled into one another. "How bad off are you?" Her former apprentice asked. Before Izel could answer a shrill cry echoed from the cliff above. Immediately the two dragons turned their heads up, seeming to lose all interest in the Jedi. They screeched back in reply and took to the air, beating their mighty wings and making a hasty ascent back towards their nest. This was exactly why Izel had wanted Isen to stay with Maiko.

"Hopefully not too bad..." Izel murmured a reply to Isen's earlier question as she sat down and began to meditate. "Go, quickly. I'll be right behind you." She ordered the young Knight before beginning to heal her wounds using the Force. Perhaps it was the urgency of the situation and the Padawan's endangered position... Or perhaps it was out of a desire to overcome the embarrassment she was feeling over having been so handily defeated by a non-sentient being. But whatever the reason, the Vratix's attempts at healing her wounds were not only quick, but highly efficient. In hardly any time at all she was feeling healed and well rested, as though she had just gotten up and had a good breakfast.

The moment she felt her strength returned the Jedi master hopped to her feet and made a break for the cliff-face, leaping up onto the stonework with a Force augmented jump and hastily making her way back up towards the top. She only hoped She or Isen would be able to make it there before Maiko was overwhelmed.

Dice
@Forsythe Crowholde @Isen

 

[Maiko Sigur]

He would have laughed at the position he chose to be in had the situation not been a little dire, with him alone with a fledgling, both Isen and Master Thral down the mountainside still, and a pair of parents who might or might not flip upon seeing something – well, someone – that didn't belong in their nest. With their fledgling. Alone.

But the Padawan had to make do with the situation he found himself in. He had to help his companions in any way he could, and while asking the baby dragon to call her parents back might be the most stupid idea he'd ever had so far Maiko hoped that it would be enough to give Isen and Master Thral whatever time they needed – whether if it was to recover or something along the lines. As such, he sat beside the fledgling, tucked safely under one wing as the screeching from her parents heralded their arrival.

The fledgling squawked as she and the Padawan beside her watched the two adult Condor Dragons descend, first the mother, followed closely behind by her mate. With his uninjured hand Maiko gently patted the fledgling's side, both to calm him and herself as the Light of the Force within him pulsed out with warmth and peace. At his behest she remained beside him, letting her tuck him in further to her side when her parents hissed and screeched angrily at the sight of the intruder in their home.

Taking a deep breath, Maiko attempted to extend the calmness he was projecting and sharing with the baby dragon to her understandably angry parents. The fledgling answered in kind, hissing at her mother when the latter advanced in an attempt to remove the Padawan from the nest. He could feel snatches of the parents' instincts to protect their kid from the threat they perceived Maiko possessed, but he remained where he sat, unmoving and undeterred by the pair's obvious aggression. With how the fledgling was blocking their attempts to remove Maiko, the family of Condor Dragons seemed to have come to a stalemate, communicating in angry (the parents) and defiant (the baby) screeches.

"And people call you non-sentient without a grain of respect for what you can obviously do," Maiko muttered at the three, fascinated by the Condor Dragons' exchange. With the parents unable to reach him in fear of harming their own fledgling, it seemed that the Padawan would be stuck in the nest beside the baby until Master Thral and Isen arrived.

For the meantime, he resumed maintaining the bond he had with the fledgling and his attempts to calm down her parents through the Force.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

Izel told Isen to get back to Maiko quickly. Fortunately, Isen was battered a bit and bruised from his fall, but more or less he was ok. His trek up the mountain this time was much faster than before. Using the Force, he he bounded up the cliff face, letting the Force guide his feet and hands toward the top.

Isen was no fool, however, and he took a slightly circular route to the ledge with the nest. He did not want to pop up right behind the massive condor dragons. It certainly would surprise the beasts, but they would likely knock Isen all the way back down the mountain as a result...if he was lucky. They may well try to gut him with their massive, razor-sharp talons.

Isen popped up on the ledge and saw that Maiko was more or less ok....for now. The fledgling was protecting him, but mom and dad would only allow that continue for some time longer. The Jedi Knight looked at the Padawan and said, "At least someone has things under control. Well done with the fledgling."

Ultimately, the momma and daddy condor dragon had to be dealt with. They were the significant danger to those trying to make this area hospitable and safe to live and work, and the massive male more than most. Like most birds and flying reptiles, it is the male condor dragon that stakes out his family's territory and defends it fiercely. If Isen could calm the male down and create a bond with him, it was possible that this all could end possibly. More than that, these amazing creatures would make amazing allies if such a bond could be made.

Isen reached out a hand toward the male and he immediately turned his head around. He screached and snapped, but Isen held firm, looking him in the eyes. For the time being, the mother kept snapping and trying to find a way to get past her fledgling to get to Maiko. The massive male's body language slowly changed over time, becoming more curious of the Jedi Kiffar and less hostile. He was not quite friendly, but he was at least open to some sort of meeting of the minds.

Until the mother got wind of what was happening. When she saw that the male was preoccupied with investigating this Kiffar Jedi, the mother screeched and hissed loudly. She took a swipe and Isen and Isen had to dodge and nearly fell off the cliff. The mother was getting very agitated and frightened about the safety of her baby bird. Isen shot a glance at Maiko and said, "It's about to get real hairy, real fast with the momma, Maiko. She's going to snap..."

Spoiler: Dice

36 out of 100 - Barely a success. Sort of worked, but had to take a negative. Negative is momma bird is on the warparth.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel made her way up the mountainside as quickly as possible, scrambling up the steep cliff face with desperate determination. She could hear the screeching of the dragons above, and no sound of lightsabers. That meant the others were still keeping to the plan of trying to subdue the beasts non-lethally, but the risk of that strategy was becoming greater with each passing moment. Beast Control did not come without a tax on one's Force reserves, and too many attempts would drain all three of them. This needed to be resolved soon.

As she approached the top she heard another screech and then caught a glimpse of Isen as he leapt back, nearly falling off the cliff again. He managed to catch himself though, and then spoke to the Padawan that she couldn't see. "It's about to get real hairy, real fast with the momma, Maiko. She's going to snap..."

"No she's not." Izel replied coolly as she finally reached the surface, standing up and extending both hands. Taking a deep breath she reached out with the Force once more, this time bracing herself for the task. The mother's protective aggression was powerful, but the Jedi master's will came out on top this time. Overwhelming the creature's mind with more calm and submissive thoughts, the Vratix slowly crept forward, causing the beast to step back. "Easy..." She said soothingly. "Easy..." The bond wasn't yet complete, but both parents and the fledgling seemed to be mostly under control. Izel looked between Isen and Maiko and nodded in approval. "Excellent work you two." She said to them. She then turned her attention back towards the mother, continuing to weave their new bond. There was still the matter of what to do next. They could always try and bring the dragons back to the camp. If they could be domesticated, they could make excellent allies. Otherwise, it might just be wiser to have them relocated, so as not to be a threat to anyone else.

Dice
@Forsythe Crowholde @Isen

 

[Maiko Sigur]

...okay, so he really wasn't getting anywhere with his attempts to calm both parents. The only things that were keeping him still relatively unharmed were his bond with the fledgling and her defending him from the pair of angry Condor Dragons. Maiko could only sit back and wait for Master Thral and Isen to arrive – it was the best he could do at the moment, all while hoping that making the baby dragon call her parents back bought the two Jedi whatever time they needed to return here.

The Padawan tried to divide his focus between keeping the bond with the fledgling and healing his broken wrist. He tried to focus the healing energies of the Force to mend the broken bone but the pain and the anger he felt from the fledgling's parents proved a little too distracting. A screech from the mother had the baby dragon backing off and a leathery wing pushed him back further behind the baby dragon. Maiko stumbled on down on his backside with a surprised yelp, the pain he was keeping away from his bond with the fledgling cracking for a fraction of a moment. Hissing angrily, the baby snapped at her mother, and Maiko could easily read the instinct that the fledgling thought that the mama dragon was the cause for her new friend's pain.

No, I'm fine, it's not her fault, were the words he would have touched the fledgling's mind with but he let her feel instead, working around the baby's anger and shifting it back to protecting the both of them. The Padawan couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face when he caught sight of the Jedi Knight's return.

"Ehehe... thank you," he replied to Isen's praise, pink dusting the Padawan's face with embarrassment.

As Isen dealt with the father, Maiko and the fledgling went back to trying to prevent the mother from removing the Padawan from her family's nest. He tried to keep his cool at the sight of Isen almost tumbling off the cliff so as not to spook the baby dragon, and with the mother's attention to the Knight Maiko was given more room to maneuver. Just as he was about to get off the nest to help Isen, Master Thral returned and quickly brought matters to her own hands (claws?) by forging a bond with the mama dragon.

Things seemed to be finally looking up for the three Jedi as the Vratix Jedi Master managed to subdue the other Condor Dragon with the bond. Maiko allowed himself to heave a relieved sigh as he removed himself from the nest, uninjured hand meeting the baby dragon's head when she stooped down and gently headbutted his shoulder. Smiling meekly in response to Master Thral's praise, the Padawan was reminded yet again of his injury as pain flared again from his wrist as the adrenaline in his system started to fade away.

Awkwardly he shuffled over to the Vratix Jedi Master, fledgling in tow. Shyly, Maiko held out his injured wrist for Mastet Thral to see, offering it up like a child presenting to their guardian a tow they accidentally broke.

"Master Thral? I'm sorry to ask this, but," the Padawan started, the corners of his lips tugging upwards in an apologetic and hesitant smile. "Can you please help me heal my wrist? Baby fledgling broke it, but she didn't mean to! She was just scared earlier, and it's my fault..."

One of the most important things he'd learned from Master Voran was that it was always good to seek out help when things didn't work your way. That, and admitting one's mistakes. Galaxy would be a much better place if everyone were more open about these things.

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

As Maiko left the nest, it did not go without the parents noticing. The large male screeched what seemed to be a chastisement to the fledgling for letting the Jedi, a stranger, feel so welcomed in the nest. But, how quickly his attention was turned back to Isen. He was still in a relatively calm state...comparatively speaking. He still kept his distance, the long neck reaching out to smell Isen's outstretched at times and at others, pecking at it which would cause Isen to recoil his arm back to so as to keep all of his digits.

Whether or not the Jedi formed a true bond with the condor dragons, Isen and his former master Izel certainly had after years of her tutelage. He knew she was thinking about more than just calming these great, majestic beasts. It would be to everyone's benefit, the condor dragons included, if they could work together as allies. That would require a Force Bond, not just the calming that had been done thus far.

"Halfway home with papa here," Isen said looking toward the Jedi master and the Padawan. "I'm going to try to form a lasting connection, a real bond." Isen did as he had learn to do to gain the trusts of beasts all over the galaxy. Closing his eyes and meditating and becoming one with the Force, he started to meld his Force signature into every living thing around him while simultaneously sharing their signatures in his own body. The plants, the trees below, the condor dragons, and the other animals that lived on and around the cliffside. Maiko and Izel would still see Isen quite physically, but as Force sensitive, they would feel his Force signature start to ebb and camouflage itself as the entire living ecosystem around them as a whole.

At first it confused the dragons as well, especially the male who was growing more and more curious with the Jedi. He no longer saw Isen as a threat. In fact, he did not see Isen as an alien to his nest. The father saw Isen as a living representation of the wilderness he called home. The Jedi Knight opened his eyes and saw that the large male had walked up to him and was sniffing as if trying to place how Isen's physical smell managed to fit into everything that the dragon had known to be part of his territory. Isen reached out and patted the condor dragon on the neck who lifted his head with deep pride. He would not bow to submission to Isen, but he would certainly be a friend and ally so long as that trust was not mismanaged or broken. "Mutual respect. Neither of us masters. Neither of us servants. Allies it is."

Now that that bit of business was done, he motioned to Maiko and Izel. "And these are my friends, so they are friends to you as well."

With two loud caws announced to the heavens, it was as if the patriarch of these lands was signalling his version of a written treaty. Isen smiled and patted the male again on the neck. He looked over to Izel who was still working on the mother. "One papa down, one mama to go."

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

Dice -78 out of 100

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel nodded to Isen as they seemed to come to an unspoken understanding, then turned her attention back to the female. Taking a deep breath she mirrored her former apprentice's actions, reaching out with the Force and intertwining her essence with the environment around them, and the condor dragon as well. She communed with the forest and all life in it as only a Jedi could, feeling the familiar energy that flowed throughout all things, binding them together. Chaos, yet Harmony. They were all one. And all was as the Force willed it. Slowly, Izel lost all sense of otherness in the eyes of the female. She and her were two beings occupying the same space, driven by the same things, desiring the same outcomes.

"You are my ally, and I am yours." The Jedi master said aloud, and the condor dragon crooned amiably in response, raising it's head to call out just as it's mate had. With a relived sigh Izel released her concentration and lowered her arms, slouching a bit. What a chore that had been. Looking back towards Isen and seeing his success, she nodded to the Kiffar Knight in approval. It seemed that despite a few stumbles, total victory had been achieved. Not only would the condor dragons no longer be a thorn in the Jedi's side, they could now be considered a boon to their cause.

As Maiko approached Izel looked down at the Padawan curiously, antennae twitching. As he revealed his injury and quickly tried to defend the fledgling's actions she couldn't help but chitter a bit in amusement. "Relax Padawan, I know." She replied as she reached out and gently took hold of his forearm, leaning in to inspect the break. "Frankly you're lucky this is all you have to show for today. You did very well. I'll make sure to send my praise to your master." She was tired, but not too tired for something as simple as this. Taking another deep breath the Vratix concentrated and began the healing process. It would sting a bit at first, but Maiko would quickly feel relief as his bones physically moved back into place and the swelling went down. Within a day or so it would be as though nothing had happened at all.

With that task done Izel would step back and approach Isen, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the save earlier by the way." She said, her tone a bit apologetic over snapping at him before. "We're going to need to start keeping track of who owes who." She joked. Over their time together they had both saved each other's hides from the fire more times than she cared to count. Of course with this mission coming to it's end the Vratix was aware she'd likely be dispatched elsewhere soon, as would her former apprentice. That took the wind out of her sails ever so slightly as she continued. "And try not to be a stranger Isen. If you ever need anything, I'm just a call away." With that she would look out at the expansive green forest from their perch atop the cliffside. Even with all the trouble, the view was definitely worth it.

Dice
@Forsythe Crowholde @Isen

 

[Maiko Sigur]

...he'd seen enough people communing and being one with the Force (not in the sense of death), and at the same time he hadn't. Master Atuvrak, Maiko's former Master, had a strong affinity to nature and it was made more powerful by his connection to the Force. Master Alex was the same, and where Master Atuvrak was more attuned with nature Maiko's present Master was a gentle and calm presence in the Force among people. A healer through and through, and with the ever changing tides of battle against the Sith she was becoming more and more of a warrior than Maiko himself secretly disliked.

But he couldn't and wouldn't call her out for it – not when she's helping, saving, and protecting lives. Maiko abhorred fighting, a trait he strongly shared with Master Alex, but what choice did they have when conflict would never cease to exist?

He was far away from it all currently, more in his element away from battles and presently in the embrace of the wilderness. His senses was open in the Force and he couldn't stop the outward look of awe upon feeling both Master Thral and Isen's essences reaching out and weaving through the life surrounding them and beyond. Their actions strongly reminded him of his Masters – one with the Force and the other on a path to heal the galaxy. The Vratix Jedi Master and Kiffar Knight's communion with the Force and the nature around them reminded the Padawan that there was always something greater than him – not in the sense of his mastery of the Force nor combat, no.

All lives were important – including the non-sentient ones. He knew that ever since he was a little kid, having been taught by his parents to respect all life for everyone had a role to play in the grand scheme of things. The Padawan glanced at the fledgling beside him as she mimicked the calls of her parents as the Jedi forged their bonds with the dragons. Smiling at her when she gently butted her head on his shoulder, Maiko shifted his focus on Master Thral when he felt her hold on his forearm.

The sudden but brief pain of his bones mending did nothing to hide the red on his face in mix of bashfulness and humility in response to the Jedi Master's words.

"Thank you, Master Thral!" he told her, encompassing the gratitude he felt for her healing his arm, for allowing him to come with her and Isen for this mission, and for the things he learned today from the two Jedi. "I'm sure she'd appreciate it, and that I didn't loose a limb or something today."

He was kidding about the latter, a joke meant to lift spirits and further calm his own nerves. Today had been a pretty wild ride for Maiko, and he was quite sure that this excursion was much tamer than the events Master Thral and Isen had a shared experience in the past. If he was being honest with himself and the two Jedi Maiko pretty much stressed over being left behind earlier – not because he had to face the fledgling on his own but out of sheer worry for both the Jedi Master and Knight. He hadn't allowed himself to let worry eat him, knowing that it will affect what bond he had with the baby Condor Dragon.

His worry was as real as the calmness he projected all throughout the experience, though.

Maiko's smile softened as he watched the former Master and apprentice's interactions. Master Alex had told him back in Mygeeto that his own Trials were approaching at an alarming rate, and that he was one step closer to becoming a Knight after the construction of his very own lightsaber. The Padawan knew that he still had a lot to learn – and besides, when did learning ever stop?

But one thing was certain to the young Padawan as he gazed at the view of the sprawling forests above beside Master Thral and Isen: his bond with Master Alex would be just as strong – maybe it would be made even greater – once he hopefully achieved Knighthood. And like the Vratix and the Kiffar's very own bond, Maiko' and Master Alex's would never fade even in the face of time itself.

With the mission done, Maiko allowed himself to truly relax and catch his breath. The climb down might be as exhausting as the climb up earlier along with the sudden scare of walking in straight into the Condor Dragons' nest, but the work and part he played today was more than satisfying and would make a fine addition to the experiences being a part of the Jedi Order had afforded him.

"Thank you for today, Master Thral, Knight Ramm," Maiko told the two Jedi with a bright smile. "I look forward to working and learning from you again!"

@Reyn @Isen

 

[Isen Ramm]

Right on cue, Master Thral cemented the bond with the adult female. And just like that, all three condor dragons had been turned into allies for the Jedi. And better yet, all three Jedi here took away valuable experience in learning how to bond with the beasts. And best of all, they managed to complete the task while bringing no harm to the dragons nor having to relocate them. It truly was the best situation for all parties involved.

"Thanks for the save earlier by the way," his former teacher said. "We're going to need to start keeping track of who owes who."

Isen shrugged with a small grin. "First one to ten owes the other dinner."

"And try not to be a stranger Isen. If you ever need anything, I'm just a call away."

The young Jedi Knight nodded in agreement. "Likewise, Master. I'll always answer your call should you request me."

He looked at the Padawan who was working out his newly healed wrist and was quite exuberant to have completed the mission. "Thank you for today, Master Thral, Knight Ramm," Maiko said. "I look forward to working and learning from you again!"

The more formal of the three, Isen would bow slightly to the Padawan. "You did very well today, Padawan Singur. You've come quite a ways since the last time we've met. I look forward to seeing your progression to Knighthood."

Isen gave another look at the condor dragons and nodded to them and the male screeched back an understanding. The Jedi nodded to him before turning his attention back to the other two Jedi. "I'm going to head back down. I've just arrived on Endor. I haven't even unpacked. Perhaps after I unpack and we all get a chance to get cleaned up, we eat together." He looked specifically at Izel and said, "I would really enjoy spending some time catching up. It's been too long."

The grapple iron from his utility belt shot into the mountainside, and he gave it a good hard tug to test it's strength in holding. Convinced he was clear, he nodded at his two compatriots before beginning to descend the cliff.

/exit thread

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde