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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 4, 2013 20:04:00 GMT -5
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the harpoon, other than the question of what it was doing out here. The elements had likely washed away anything of note about it. As of now it was just a rusted piece of metal.
At least Lucky knew where he was in the valley. And he knew that the closest "official" griffon settlement was a small village in the valley. And by small, that meant five or six households. Towns anywhere near the size of an Equestrian settlement were very few and very far between in the griffon kingdom. It was mostly just the highly-populated Royal Rocks, the over-crowded Hollows, and a few sparsely populated congregations here and there.
The village wasn't exactly a short distance away, but at least Lucky knew what direction it was. From there he could find out where the nearest airship hangar was, and then get a ride back to Royal Rocks or over to Trottingham.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 4, 2013 22:16:20 GMT -5
Lucky dropped the harpoon, shrugging. It wasn't anything spec- There was an odd, snappy, metally noise, and he looked down. The harpoon must have been rusted through from rain or something, because it had hit a rock jutting out of the ground and the tip had broken clean off. He picked up the tip.
It was a jagged, blunt-tipped, rusty, dirty, almost-certainly-disease-ridden piece of metal, but to him it was a souvenir. This whole event may not have been the most fun he'd ever had, but it was certainly an adventure. Once it was over he'd need a piece of junk he picked up on the way, it was practically a tradition. He wrapped the tip in a blanket and stowed it in his bag.
Lucky remembered passing through the settlement (such as it was) on his way to the Circle years ago. It had taken about half a day, which was roughly how much day was left, but that was with a full group of mixed races not accustomed to hiking. Trotting on his own he could move much faster, so long as he didn't get distracted by interestingly-shaped rocks or the movement of ants around their hill. If memory served about the trip before then, at least how long it had been, he should be on an airship to Royal Rocks by afternoon the next day. Probably. Maybe. It was a long time ago.
Shrugging, the Pegasus set off in the direction he was sure was absolutely probably the right way. He looked up at the crisp, autumn sky and couldn't help but smile, despite the dull ache still running up and down his side and left rear leg. It was such a nice day. Excellent cantering weather. Yes, he figured he should be there with a good hour left before sunset.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 11, 2013 17:09:35 GMT -5
Lucky continued off into the valley, headed into the direction he was sure there'd be settlement. He could tell he was on the right track when he came across a patch of farmland, mostly populated by grain and some vegetables. Eventually he was able to find a small cluster of houses separated by a simple dirt path. There only appeared to be five households, all of which had a porch with at least one hanging lantern. One of them was a bit bigger than the others, sitting next to a smaller one and opposite the other three.
The sky was orange and the sun was soon to begin its descent below the horizon. No one was within immediate sight, but lights were on within the houses. There were definitely people here.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 11, 2013 18:03:57 GMT -5
Lucky smiled to himself as he approached the houses. Well, he'd been smiling more or less the whole trip, but more so now. Here, at last, he'd found some Griffons who could direct him to an airship dock. He hadn't wanted to even think it back at the Circle for fear of jinxing it, but he could admit to himself now (silently) that things were looking up for him.
Hoping the universe hadn't heard that, he trotted up to the largest house and knocked politely on the front door. He could ask whoever lived there if they happened to know the way to the nearest airship hangar, camp out somewhere there weren't any crops until morning, then head out and be in Royal Rocks by this time tomorrow. Maybe he'd even be on the ship to Trottingham, if all went well.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 11, 2013 18:58:57 GMT -5
It took a while before someone answered the door, but eventually Lucky was greeted by the owner. He was a tall, older griffon with aging, grayed feathers that were thinning on his head. The griffon stood where he was in silence, looking down at Lucky sternly. It was as if he was judging him for merely standing on the doorstep.
The griffon remained silent for quite a while, his expression as permanent as if it was carved in stone. He was probably waiting for Lucky to explain why he was here.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 11, 2013 19:17:03 GMT -5
Lucky was only slightly put off by the Griffon's less-than-welcoming manner. Still smiling, he inclined his head politely and began to speak. "Good evening, sorry to bother you so late and all, but I'm kind of lost. I don't suppose you could point the way to the nearest airship hangar where I might get a ride to Royal Rocks? Maybe know someplace I can set up camp for the night?"
He was originally planning to introduce himself, but something told him this particular Griffon could care less for the pun he usually made on his name.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 11, 2013 19:23:22 GMT -5
The griffon shut the door in Lucky's face halfway through the dialogue. The pegasus could hear a deadbolt slide into place not a moment after, followed by the security chain.
That left the smaller house next to this one and the three on the other side of the path.
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 11, 2013 19:33:36 GMT -5
"...Well, that was rude," Lucky said, just loud enough that it could be heard clearly through the door. Undeterred, he moved on to the smaller house next to this one. There were plenty of other houses - one of them was bound to have a friendly Griffon. Undeterred and still smiling amiably, he knocked on the next door and waited.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 14, 2013 23:01:02 GMT -5
A few seconds later a griffon opened the door. This one was a brown-feathered griffon, and much, much younger. He was easily less than half the age of older griffon who had slammed the door in Lucky's face.
The griffon examined Lucky from head to hoof, seeming to pay special attention to the bandage on the pegasus's side. He finally returned his eyes to meet Lucky's, waiting a second before speaking. "Can I help you with something?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 15, 2013 3:06:00 GMT -5
This one looked much more cheerful! Well, okay, not especially cheerful, but compared to the last Griffon it didn't take much. "Yes, actually," Lucky said, and he was cheerful. "My name's Lucky Charm. Sorry to bother you so late, but I've kind of lost my way. Don't suppose you could point me in the direction of the nearest airship hangar? Or someplace to set up camp for the night?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 18, 2013 13:05:22 GMT -5
"Airship hangar? The nearest one's about a two hour flight north-west from here. Longer if you walk." The griffon's eyes flicked to Lucky's bag for an instant before returning. "Don't really know about places to camp. Are you a... hiker?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 18, 2013 18:40:12 GMT -5
"Pretty much," Lucky answered. "I like to brand myself a wandering storyteller. Pretty good life, if you like walking." He did. "To tell you the truth, a hike through Stone Valley wasn't exactly on my itinerary - I'm on my way to Trottingham - but if life didn't throw some surprises in now and then it wouldn't be much fun, y'know?"
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 18, 2013 19:07:45 GMT -5
"Not on your itinerary? Were you..." The griffon paused, seeming like he was trying to fathom for what possible reason why Lucky was out in the middle of Stone Valley against his own choosing. "Why was it... not on your itinerary?"
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Post by Lucky Charm on Dec 18, 2013 19:31:28 GMT -5
Lucky chuckled. "That's kind of a story of its own," he said, "though between you and me I'm not so sure it's over yet. Loose ends, and all that. The short version is I took an unexpected detour off the side of Royal Rocks. I do not recommend the express route. I'll tell you the rest, though, if you want. It's actually pretty interesting," he added hopefully. He hadn't had a chance to refine this particular tale, and it wouldn't be as satisfying without much of an ending, but any chance to tell a story was a good one as far as he was concerned.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Dec 18, 2013 19:46:26 GMT -5
"Oh." The griffon left his mouth open, as if he wanted to say more, but it was clear that he was at a lack of words. He took a closer look at Lucky, just to confirm that this was a pegasus he was talking to and that not a unicorn or earth pony. The griffon drummed his talons on the doorframe once or twice, giving Lucky a long look.
"You really have me curious," he finally spoke. "If you wouldn't mind, I think I'd actually be interested in hearing it." The griffon motioned towards a set of rocking chairs on the porch. "Tanner, by the way," the griffon added, giving Lucky his own name.
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