|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 21, 2013 3:05:59 GMT -5
Dawn was just breaking when Lucky Charm woke, yawning and stretching out his legs and wings. Even after being tossed off a mountain in the middle of the night, he was still an early riser - old habits did die hard. Being knocked out for a significant part of the last day might have also contributed. Rubbing his weary eyes, he looked out at the sunrise over the distant mountains with a smile... one which vanished entirely as he tried to get up and felt a shot of pain across his side.
He grunted and fell back onto his sleeping bag. Oh, he thought. I can feel my stab wounds again. Wonderful. Well, if nothing else it meant he hadn't died in his sleep. He looked up at the sunrise again and muttered "Shining sun, I need to cut back on the stupid risks. What was I thinking, running in there alone with barely a plan?" His treacherous memory recalled perfectly what he was thinking: Not much. He groaned again and lay there for a few more minutes, letting the sunlight bleed the last remnants of sleep from his body.
Well, he decided, can't sit around all day. I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. Quoting poetry always made him feel better. Shame that was almost the only one he knew by heart. All poetic musings aside, he got to his hooves with only a moderate stabbing sensation in his side and flexed his wings. It didn't seem to hurt when he used them, so he could fly even if he couldn't walk. Walking was more energy efficient, though, and he didn't yet know where he was. Best to conserve flight for short bursts, and in case he needed to get away from something.
After packing up his stuff, he decided one of those short bursts could be used to get a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. He'd been to the Stone Valley a few times before on his way to Royal Rocks and explored the area for weeks on end. This exact location was unfamiliar to him, but he was willing to bet he could find some landmarks besides the mountain city itself that would tell him exactly where he was and how to get to the nearest airship dock.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 24, 2013 16:43:28 GMT -5
Flying above the treeline, Lucky could see the expanse of the valley spread out before him. Hills, lakes, meadows, and the occasional rock formation dotted the landscape, painting a serene and peaceful image before him. The view was of nature at its purest, unmarred by any airships, hangars, or any sign of griffon settlement for that matter.
There were a few natural landmarks on the vista, most of which Lucky didn't know by name. In the far off distance was a rocky formation in one of the meadows, resembling two griffons leaning against each-other. In another direction, right on the horizon, Lucky could see a large lake. Was it Lake Placid? From this distance it was hard to tell.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 25, 2013 4:03:34 GMT -5
In spite of his situation, Lucky smiled broadly. He really had never been here before, and it didn't look like anypony - or anygriffon - ever had. A whole side of the valley, totally untouched and unexplored, maybe full of secrets and mysteries and adventures waiting to be had. That rock formation looked especially interesting. Maybe he should go check it out-
No. Lucky shook his head, frowning. I can't afford to go dilly-dallying now, he thought. I have places to be and promises to keep. That lake might be Lake Placid, but I know for a fact that the mountain behind me is Royal Rocks.
Even if this side of the valley had no sign of settlement as far as the eye could see, he knew another side of it would. He'd just have to circle around Royal Rocks until he saw something he recognized from his other trips, then use that to find a settlement. Easy. He'd been exploring all his life, even back when he was just a foal. He had an excellent sense of distance and direction and a good memory for landmarks. In his travels he was just as often wandering the wilderness as taking actual roads.
He'd find his way to civilization, and it all started by dropping back to the ground and trotting off around the mountain in the general direction that would give him a better view of the lake, which he did immediately. In a couple of hours he'd pop up and maybe it would be Lake Placid. And when he got to the next settlement he could buy a map - that lake he'd landed in might have been undiscovered, in which case it was now Lucky Lake.
Because it saved him, not because his name.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 26, 2013 20:27:51 GMT -5
Trying to circle around the mountain didn't seem to do Lucky any good. Hugging the base of the mountain kept him at close to the same distance as the lake as he was before, making it still as hard as ever to tell whether it was actually Lake Placid. All the effort had really done was gotten him was a better view of some of the other mountains in the valley, though the only noteworthy thing to see among them see was a large cliff edge far above overlooking a smaller one.
Still no sign of griffon settlement, still no airships, still as lost as before.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 26, 2013 20:49:16 GMT -5
Well, this plan wasn't working. Lucky was about as close to the lake now as he was two hours ago - if he kept going like this he'd eventually start moving away from it. He looked at the path between himself now and the lake with a critical eye born of long experience - not much undergrowth, kind of hilly, fair distance... He could walk to the lake in a bit under an hour, maybe forty-five minutes with smooth travel. That wasn't too much of a detour, and it could provide him with another point from which to judge landmarks. Meanwhile, if he kept to his current path, he might spend all day walking around the base of Royal Rocks only to find he'd been on the right side from the beginning.
Nodding to himself, Lucky made his decision and set off down the valley toward Lake May-Or-May-Not-Be-Placid. |
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 28, 2013 1:49:31 GMT -5
The path to the lake took Lucky through a serene and peaceful meadow, devoid of any wildlife or notable features. The closer he got to his destination, the more obvious it became that this wasn't Lake Placid. For one it was far too small, but more obviously its waters were nowhere near as still and peaceful as the iconic body of water. This must have been some other lake in the valley.
In plain sight, however, on one of the banks of this non-Placid lake, was a cabin. From where Lucky was standing, there were no signs of any griffons nearby, unless maybe they were inside. For now it was just him, the cabin, and some fish he could see swimming close to the shore.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 28, 2013 4:16:07 GMT -5
Lucky sighed on reaching the lake, trying to feel disappointed, but his heart wasn't in it. This place was beautiful. He knew he ought to be getting on, maybe keep circling the base of Royal Rocks a while until he saw civilization, but it was hard to tear himself away from this. Lake Placid this might not be, but he could still see himself settling down here and just enjoying the day. It was such a nice autumn morning (well, late morning) and the sun was shining. Lucky smiled in spite of himself. He might not be able to stay, but he'd keep the place in his memory and visit again one day.
Still, maybe he didn't have to leave right away either. There was a cabin not far away. Maybe it was home to a Griffon who had a map of the area, or some advice to share. Or who knew how to stitch a wound. They seemed to have bled all they were going to, but both would need to be closed up soon. What was the harm in just going up and knocking?
A flashback to a crazed hermit with a crossbow in the Northern Barrens ran through Lucky's head. Okay, well, that was a risk he was willing to take. He'd just have to be ready to fly away in the event of the worst. So he made his way around the banks of the lake and knocked politely on the cabin door... wings at the ready.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 28, 2013 11:45:32 GMT -5
No one answered Lucky's knocks at the door. Peeking inside the windows showed no signs of life either, other than some mounted fish sitting above a fireplace. Perhaps no one was home?
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 28, 2013 13:19:53 GMT -5
Lucky knocked again, louder this time, just in case they were asleep. "Hello?" No answer. Well... bummer. He considered his options. He could wait around for whoever owned the place to get back, but that might take hours. Or they might not come back today at all. Either way, not his best choice, since he was kind of in a hurry. He could just leave and go back to circling the base of Royal Rocks, which was bound to lead him to something eventually. He could even search the area to see if he found the resident.
In the end, he decided on a mixed approach. He'd wait about half an hour (judged by the sun, as he didn't have a clock) and if the Griffon wasn't home by then he'd do a brief fly-by of the area. If that turned up nothing, back to plan A. Kind of boring, but practical. At least he got a chance to rest by the lakeshore and enjoy the day after all.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Nov 29, 2013 12:10:19 GMT -5
After what felt like half an hour, a griffon had yet to arrive at the cabin. It could be days or even weeks before anyone showed up. Or maybe just minutes. Was this where someone lived or just a vacation home?
Doing a flyby showed no griffons returning to the location. There was the mountain on which Royal Rocks resided, from where Lucky had just came from, and a few natural landmarks here and there. He could see a clearing in the forest where two large, fang-shaped stones were jutting out surrounded by a group of smaller stones. Other than their odd appearance, nothing seemed unusual about them.
Lucky could start heading deeper into the valley, or return to the base of the mountain to continue circling it. But there were certainly going to be no airship hangars there, and there was no guarantee a griffon settlement would be view-able from the base. After all, he hadn't even seen the cabin until after he had arrived at this non-Placid lake.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Nov 29, 2013 13:18:21 GMT -5
Lucky looked around, hovering a few dozen feet in the air. None of this looked at all familiar from his previous excursions through Stone Valley. He had to be in a different part of it. He was sure he'd have remembered those big, fang-like rocks, which he was even now trying to think of a name for (the Wolf's Teeth sounded good)if he'd ever seen them before.
For now, he decided to use them as a reference point and the Rocks as another. That way, he'd know where he'd gone no matter how far he went unless one was completely out of sight. Old traveller's trick he'd learned from a mare he used to run with, also used by actual, professional explorers and cartographers. He might have to fly up over the treeline to see the rocks, though.
Armed with that knowledge, he turned and cantered off deeper into the valley, looking for even the smallest signs of civilization. Or just anything really interesting.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 1, 2013 21:08:39 GMT -5
Lucky's cantering brought him through a rather empty meadow. Even the wildlife seemed nowhere to be seen, leaving only a carpet of grass blowing lazily in the wind.
He finally passed by something to interrupt the blanket of emptiness. It was a large, disc-shaped stone. It would have been somewhat beautiful, had it not looked like one or more griffons had roughed it up while looking for something. The outer edge was chipped and cracked, with several chunks of rock broken off. Even the ground around it looked torn up, as if the same griffons had been digging to find something.
Regardless, Lucky could see some other areas up in front of him. There was a rather thick-looking forest in one direction, a babbling brook winding its way out of it. Also in the distance was what appeared to be a large stone structure, though from so far away it was hard to tell what exactly it was.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 1, 2013 21:42:55 GMT -5
Now this was something new. Lucky trotted up to the strange, stone disc on the ground. It was hard to tell what it might once have been for, even with his understanding of Griffon folklore, as it seemed to just be a random construction. Chips and cracks marred its surface. This wasn't the work of time; it was the work of talons. Not ancient, but impossible to tell how recent. However, the turned earth nearby was clearly fairly fresh. Maybe a few days at most, definitely after the last rain.
Unfortunately, short of digging the place up even more, he didn't see what he could do to figure out what anypony - or any-anything - might have been looking for here. Just another frustration to add to the growing pile, on top of twinges of pain from his wounds, the sense that he ought to be in Trottingham soon and most of all the fact that here was a part of the Stone Valley so far from anywhere he'd been that he didn't even know where it was and he didn't have time to explore. Normally he would've been happy to get lost for a few days or weeks until he knew the lay of the land. He'd just have to promise himself a chance to explore it properly later.
Looking around, Lucky determined that he had two options: Keep wandering in the same direction he had been already and hope for the best or check out the big, stone thingy in the distance and hope for the best. He was a hopeful pony. He briefly entertained the thought of entering the forest, but he didn't have time to get even more lost. Besides, he wasn't really in any shape to run from wild beasts.
Ultimately, he decided to compromise by wandering in the direction of the stone structure and hoping for the best. Maybe there would be a path leading from there to civilization, or somegriffon lived there, or something. Either way, it was better than nothing. He set off again, humming a little tune in the midday sun and idly wondering where this journey would take him. Hopefully to a slightly less violent adventure this time, but one never really knew. That was half the fun of it.
|
|
|
|
Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 2, 2013 17:08:41 GMT -5
As Lucky continued onward, it became clear that what he was heading towards a large circle of dilapidated stone, the ruins of an ancient Equiterian structure. He had arrived at the Stone Circle, one of the valley's most recognizable landmarks. Apparently the site had once been home to a circle of massive pillars, reaching almost as tall as a mountain. But the structure had collapsed long, long ago, leaving behind the site it was today. If Equiterian architecture was anything to go by, the circle was a testament to the strength of whatever had brought them down.
Lucky could spot something out of place laying on the ground somewhat close to the center. It was a harpoon, the kind someone might fire out of a wield-able harpoon gun. The object was rusted, and had to have been laying out in the open for several weeks. What it was doing here was anyone's guess.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 2, 2013 17:39:22 GMT -5
The closer Lucky came to the strange stone structure the more he realized he knew the place. He'd been here, along with a herd of other tourists, on his first visit to the Valley. This was the imaginatively-named Stone Circle, an old Equiterian structure whose purpose nopony really understood. Some thought it was a sort of calendar or almanac, using the stones like numbers on a clock combined with the positions of stars. Others believed it was a center of worship. Still others insisted it was both, and that astronomy was a sacred science. In truth, nopony knew enough about the Empire to say for sure.
Though he'd only been here once, and that a long time ago, Lucky was a veteran traveller. He knew from maps and his own explorations how far it was from here to the nearest village, and could probably get from there to the port at some point tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. Plus, he knew where the Circle was - it was a big landmark around here. He could obviously still see Royal Rocks, an even bigger one. If he flew up into the air, he could compare it against his previously-established landmark (the Wolf's Teeth) and maybe figure out where the hay he'd been all this time. That, and he could more clearly see any paths leading away from here, which ought to jog his memories and help him figure out exactly how long to get to civilization.
As he came down from his observations, Lucky caught sight of something in the grass - something metal. A closer look revealed, of all things, a rusty harpoon laying there. Lucky scratched his head, baffled. "Why would anypony carry a harpoon around here?" It looked to have been there a while - it was badly rusted deeply sunk into the ground. He picked it up and sat down, cradling the thing in his hooves to get a better look at it.
|
|
