Post by Micaela Brianne on Mar 14, 2015 0:24:37 GMT
Dawn crept over the forest as spring still warred with winter, vying for dominance. That spring would eventually win out made no difference to the icy fingers of winter which were loathed to relinquish their clawlike grasp. The snow that remained as proof of this struggle glinted in the growing light as if to wink, knowing even if it was bested, it would come again as the seasons turned. The sun, in turn, filled the air with tendrils of warmth that cut away at the snow in infinitesimal increments. At this point, it was almost a lazy argument between old friends who had already decided long ago what would come to pass.
The two dragon-blooded women watched this struggle in silence for a moment, each watching the horizon as night turned to day. The air around them at that moment was almost somber as they each thought on the task at hand. It wasn't a dangerous one, per se. No more dangerous than anything that required large amounts of magic. In truth, Nyara wouldn't have considered her daughter's idea at all if it wasn't for the need for space quickly. The elder dracon often chose not to utilize magic when other means could be employed. Her jade gaze finally left the horizon behind as it cut toward her daughter. Eyes so much like her own met hers in silence. They had been over this enough that nothing needed to be said.
If one were to observe from a distance, one might easily have mistaken the women for twins of a sort. The color of their wings and tail differed of course, crimson and emerald, but they appeared to be of an age with one another with the same long, auburn hair. That they wore clothing that was identical would add to the illusion. They were both attired in black leggings and shirts that both hugged the skin and covered as much of it as possible. It was the nature of their work that caused them to both dress so, not wanting clothing to become a nuissance nor to be struck with debris. If one were to move cloaser, one would begin to take note of other small differences. One had a manner that spoke of quiet wisdom, while the other had a fire that burned in her eyes. Other small differences in their features and the age one woman seemed to carry, if not on her face then in her elegant manner, would mark these two as mother and daugher.
The silence between the two women continued, but the younger dracon stepped up to the rope that marked the ground where the farm's cellar would be. It was a rather large parcel of land for the farm itself would be immense. Rya spared a moment to glance at her mother, as the elder dracon shared a look with the third person in the scene, a knight who watched over the two women with a touching amount of concern. She shook her head a little and sighed before setting her sights back on the task at hand. Her mother had a way of charging ever forward, taking in people along the way with her. It was this very reason that the farm was being built in the first place. The inn simply couldn't accommodate everyone and still remain an inn.
Rya drew in a deep breath, bracing herself as she raised a hand. The gesture was unnecessary, but it helped her focus. She knew this would be a long and daunting task and any bit of help she could give herself would be welcome. It would be up to her to take the lead in this, not her mother. Though the two women shared a magical bloodline, their talents differed. From her fingertips, she summoned forth tiny filaments of air that she sent into the ground near the center of the parcel of marked off land. Again and again, these small spikes would drive into the earth, weakening it. It was this beginning that would take the longest. Once they had broken into the land, it would almost become a simple, if tiring, task. Rya frowned in concentration as she worked. The ground was still largely frozen, which would be helpful once they had progressed to the point where they could remove large blocks of the earth, but at the moment she found she had to fight through the ice packed dirt. She drove her threads of magic deeper, expanding them a little before retracting them back in order to repeat the entire process.
Nyara had taken a step back as her daughter worked, observing in silence. She wasn't able to wield more offensive magics in the intricate way her daughter could, a fact that caused the elder dragoness to well up with pride. A soft smile played over her features as she let her gaze take in her daughter's face before turning back to watch the earth as it seemingly loosened and churned itself. She found herself on edge now that they were actualy out here and was glad for Jorah's comforting presence. She shared another look with the chevalier then stepped forward to join her daughter as she felt the flow of magic from the woman change subtely. Instead of spikes, now wide wedges of air bombarded the ground with enough force for Nyara to feel a tremble up her legs. She settled her wings tighter to her back. Soon now.
Rya's brow furrowed in concentration as she slammed wedge after wedge down into the earth. She only had to plow up enough so that they could see beyond the surface of the ground. This was certainly not the way she would have wished to go about such a task, but given what they had to work with, this seemed to be the best way. Well into the morning she worked like this, ever expanding the area she was working with until she had an area about three foot wide plowed up. It may not have seemed like much from where the casual observer stood, but the hole sank eight foot deep into the earth. Rya closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath as her shoulders relaxed. It would move faster now once they cleared the hole of earth. She looked at her mother with a nod to indicate she was ready, her wings also tightening around her. They had never before done what they were about to do.
Again, Rya would take the lead, summoning up a gale that tore around the two women. It wasn't long before Nyara added a gale of her own, counteracting her daughter's spell. Tension was clear on the faces of both women as they pushed and pulled against one another, Rya with a warmer and lower wind, Nyara with a higher, cooler one. Rya's fists clentched as she tried to control the whole amalgamation, holding it poised over the hole she had carefully churned up. She grit her teeth for a moment as the magics they were using tried to escape her, her feet planting themselves on the ground against a possible backlash, but seconds later, the whole thing came together in a snap of rushing air.
The cyclone that formed was small at first, barely even there, but Rya beamed all the same as she carefully fed their creation. Faster and faster she spun it, taking a quick glance to make sure her mother was weathering the changes. Strain shown on the elder dracon's face, but they both seemed to hold up well. Rya nodded once to herself then bid the tiny tornado down toward the earth. It was this part that she and her mother had wrestled over for a good portion of the night. To create a tornado and let it loose on the forest in a manner of speaking had not been a thing either woman had taken lightly. Rya was careful to guide the thing, spinning it ever faster as she drew up the earth she had broken loose. Always faster so as to not allow too much debris to escape until she was ready to let it go. The storm grew and swelled with both the stomachful of earth it had as well as the constant channeling from the two half-dragons. Rya lifted the tornado once she was satisfied and bid it high above the forest, sending it out in a direction that they had proven clear before dawn. Only once it was well away did she lessen her force on it, letting it slow and begin to dwindle, showering the forest below in the removed earth.
Rya knew this would be the most difficult part of anything she did today. She couldn't risk letting the gale fall out of her control which became increasingly harder as the distance grew. Her jaw tightened as she stared straight ahead, looking at nothing as she caught her mother's arm with her hand. The elder dracon nodded and called back her own spell, letting the wind disapate as it swirled around them. Rya drew in a deep breath as she felt the storm she contained lessen and then stop completely. The emerald winged woman slumped for a moment, a look of concern crossing her mother's features before Rya smiled up at her. From here, it would be easy.
Nyara sat on the ground, watching the deepening dusk with a tired gaze. Things had progressed well thus far with Rya sloughing off huge blocks of frozen ground which the two of them lifted and piled off toward the edge of the clearing that would house the farm. They would have to be dealt with, of course, but that was a problem for later. Right now, the only goal was to get the land ready for construction to begin. Nyara wiped her forehead for a moment, dirt smearing with sweat as she watched her daughter slice through another chunk of earth. Soon...they would be done soon. She pulled herself to her feet, swaying lightly before she managed to catch her balance. Her wings, her tail, her shoulders, everything about her drooped. She steadied herself on her daughter and added her magic to hers, watching as what seemed like the millionth block of earth came free and floated to the pile. She sank to her knees once more.
Rya frowned softly as she watched her mother, wanting to send the woman away, but she wasn't much better off herself. In truth, she had born the brunt of the effort today as she knew she would, and she couldn't have continued without her mother's aid. Her jade gaze scanned the now gaping hole before them. So close. She gritted her teeth and sliced through mud and rock and ice one last time, the block that fell away larger than any other they had done. It would be the last. Rya needed it to be the last. She nodded down to her mother and held her hand down, pulling the elder up as she took it. Nyara paled as she saw what her daughter intended...both of them were so tired...but she nodded a little and closed her eyes. The strain was enormous and showed clear on her face. One more...just one more. The last one. Rya cried out beside her, not in pain, but rather trying to rally herself in a more vocal fashion than her mother had chosen, her chest heaving lighly with panted breaths. Rya closed her eyes, reaching deep for just enough energy to hurtle the last block into the trees, watching it explode and scatter as she wavered on her feet.
At the last, Ny collapsed once more to her knees then almost melted to the ground, her eyes falling half closed. She was tired. Beyond tired. She smiled wanly as she looked out over the ground before her. Yes, she was tired, but it didn't matter, it was done.
Construction of the farm had truly begun.
The two dragon-blooded women watched this struggle in silence for a moment, each watching the horizon as night turned to day. The air around them at that moment was almost somber as they each thought on the task at hand. It wasn't a dangerous one, per se. No more dangerous than anything that required large amounts of magic. In truth, Nyara wouldn't have considered her daughter's idea at all if it wasn't for the need for space quickly. The elder dracon often chose not to utilize magic when other means could be employed. Her jade gaze finally left the horizon behind as it cut toward her daughter. Eyes so much like her own met hers in silence. They had been over this enough that nothing needed to be said.
If one were to observe from a distance, one might easily have mistaken the women for twins of a sort. The color of their wings and tail differed of course, crimson and emerald, but they appeared to be of an age with one another with the same long, auburn hair. That they wore clothing that was identical would add to the illusion. They were both attired in black leggings and shirts that both hugged the skin and covered as much of it as possible. It was the nature of their work that caused them to both dress so, not wanting clothing to become a nuissance nor to be struck with debris. If one were to move cloaser, one would begin to take note of other small differences. One had a manner that spoke of quiet wisdom, while the other had a fire that burned in her eyes. Other small differences in their features and the age one woman seemed to carry, if not on her face then in her elegant manner, would mark these two as mother and daugher.
The silence between the two women continued, but the younger dracon stepped up to the rope that marked the ground where the farm's cellar would be. It was a rather large parcel of land for the farm itself would be immense. Rya spared a moment to glance at her mother, as the elder dracon shared a look with the third person in the scene, a knight who watched over the two women with a touching amount of concern. She shook her head a little and sighed before setting her sights back on the task at hand. Her mother had a way of charging ever forward, taking in people along the way with her. It was this very reason that the farm was being built in the first place. The inn simply couldn't accommodate everyone and still remain an inn.
Rya drew in a deep breath, bracing herself as she raised a hand. The gesture was unnecessary, but it helped her focus. She knew this would be a long and daunting task and any bit of help she could give herself would be welcome. It would be up to her to take the lead in this, not her mother. Though the two women shared a magical bloodline, their talents differed. From her fingertips, she summoned forth tiny filaments of air that she sent into the ground near the center of the parcel of marked off land. Again and again, these small spikes would drive into the earth, weakening it. It was this beginning that would take the longest. Once they had broken into the land, it would almost become a simple, if tiring, task. Rya frowned in concentration as she worked. The ground was still largely frozen, which would be helpful once they had progressed to the point where they could remove large blocks of the earth, but at the moment she found she had to fight through the ice packed dirt. She drove her threads of magic deeper, expanding them a little before retracting them back in order to repeat the entire process.
Nyara had taken a step back as her daughter worked, observing in silence. She wasn't able to wield more offensive magics in the intricate way her daughter could, a fact that caused the elder dragoness to well up with pride. A soft smile played over her features as she let her gaze take in her daughter's face before turning back to watch the earth as it seemingly loosened and churned itself. She found herself on edge now that they were actualy out here and was glad for Jorah's comforting presence. She shared another look with the chevalier then stepped forward to join her daughter as she felt the flow of magic from the woman change subtely. Instead of spikes, now wide wedges of air bombarded the ground with enough force for Nyara to feel a tremble up her legs. She settled her wings tighter to her back. Soon now.
Rya's brow furrowed in concentration as she slammed wedge after wedge down into the earth. She only had to plow up enough so that they could see beyond the surface of the ground. This was certainly not the way she would have wished to go about such a task, but given what they had to work with, this seemed to be the best way. Well into the morning she worked like this, ever expanding the area she was working with until she had an area about three foot wide plowed up. It may not have seemed like much from where the casual observer stood, but the hole sank eight foot deep into the earth. Rya closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath as her shoulders relaxed. It would move faster now once they cleared the hole of earth. She looked at her mother with a nod to indicate she was ready, her wings also tightening around her. They had never before done what they were about to do.
Again, Rya would take the lead, summoning up a gale that tore around the two women. It wasn't long before Nyara added a gale of her own, counteracting her daughter's spell. Tension was clear on the faces of both women as they pushed and pulled against one another, Rya with a warmer and lower wind, Nyara with a higher, cooler one. Rya's fists clentched as she tried to control the whole amalgamation, holding it poised over the hole she had carefully churned up. She grit her teeth for a moment as the magics they were using tried to escape her, her feet planting themselves on the ground against a possible backlash, but seconds later, the whole thing came together in a snap of rushing air.
The cyclone that formed was small at first, barely even there, but Rya beamed all the same as she carefully fed their creation. Faster and faster she spun it, taking a quick glance to make sure her mother was weathering the changes. Strain shown on the elder dracon's face, but they both seemed to hold up well. Rya nodded once to herself then bid the tiny tornado down toward the earth. It was this part that she and her mother had wrestled over for a good portion of the night. To create a tornado and let it loose on the forest in a manner of speaking had not been a thing either woman had taken lightly. Rya was careful to guide the thing, spinning it ever faster as she drew up the earth she had broken loose. Always faster so as to not allow too much debris to escape until she was ready to let it go. The storm grew and swelled with both the stomachful of earth it had as well as the constant channeling from the two half-dragons. Rya lifted the tornado once she was satisfied and bid it high above the forest, sending it out in a direction that they had proven clear before dawn. Only once it was well away did she lessen her force on it, letting it slow and begin to dwindle, showering the forest below in the removed earth.
Rya knew this would be the most difficult part of anything she did today. She couldn't risk letting the gale fall out of her control which became increasingly harder as the distance grew. Her jaw tightened as she stared straight ahead, looking at nothing as she caught her mother's arm with her hand. The elder dracon nodded and called back her own spell, letting the wind disapate as it swirled around them. Rya drew in a deep breath as she felt the storm she contained lessen and then stop completely. The emerald winged woman slumped for a moment, a look of concern crossing her mother's features before Rya smiled up at her. From here, it would be easy.
Nyara sat on the ground, watching the deepening dusk with a tired gaze. Things had progressed well thus far with Rya sloughing off huge blocks of frozen ground which the two of them lifted and piled off toward the edge of the clearing that would house the farm. They would have to be dealt with, of course, but that was a problem for later. Right now, the only goal was to get the land ready for construction to begin. Nyara wiped her forehead for a moment, dirt smearing with sweat as she watched her daughter slice through another chunk of earth. Soon...they would be done soon. She pulled herself to her feet, swaying lightly before she managed to catch her balance. Her wings, her tail, her shoulders, everything about her drooped. She steadied herself on her daughter and added her magic to hers, watching as what seemed like the millionth block of earth came free and floated to the pile. She sank to her knees once more.
Rya frowned softly as she watched her mother, wanting to send the woman away, but she wasn't much better off herself. In truth, she had born the brunt of the effort today as she knew she would, and she couldn't have continued without her mother's aid. Her jade gaze scanned the now gaping hole before them. So close. She gritted her teeth and sliced through mud and rock and ice one last time, the block that fell away larger than any other they had done. It would be the last. Rya needed it to be the last. She nodded down to her mother and held her hand down, pulling the elder up as she took it. Nyara paled as she saw what her daughter intended...both of them were so tired...but she nodded a little and closed her eyes. The strain was enormous and showed clear on her face. One more...just one more. The last one. Rya cried out beside her, not in pain, but rather trying to rally herself in a more vocal fashion than her mother had chosen, her chest heaving lighly with panted breaths. Rya closed her eyes, reaching deep for just enough energy to hurtle the last block into the trees, watching it explode and scatter as she wavered on her feet.
At the last, Ny collapsed once more to her knees then almost melted to the ground, her eyes falling half closed. She was tired. Beyond tired. She smiled wanly as she looked out over the ground before her. Yes, she was tired, but it didn't matter, it was done.
Construction of the farm had truly begun.