on the rocks ;; asher

[Tibby]

It was like an assault on all fronts.

Nothing but gray to see; nothing but slick to feel; nothing but wet to taste; nothing but roar to hear; nothing but the smell of wet dog. Whatever it was that struck him to climb the waterfall today, Tibby found himself hoping to a god he wasn't sure existed that it never happened again.

In truth, he wasn't having that much trouble; it was just taking so damn long. He'd expected to be at the peaks, the dry parts of the highlands, by sunhigh. Instead, it was very much the middle of the afternoon, and while he was coming close to the top now, the constant switching between dog and human had him more exhausted than the climb itself. At least he had the forms to switch between; having to climb this thing in either one exclusively would've been too much for him. If he had to choose, the dog was definitely preferable; it was more natural-feeling, and missing one of three legs rather than one of two arms was easier to deal with.

At that particular moment, he felt himself slip, as though the world were having a laugh that he dare put his unnatural state on a scale of good and bad. Opting for the longer legs of the human form, he morphed to prop himself against a few choice rocks, turning the face the Nilda packlands while the spray from the waterfall continued to soak him to the bone.

The water - colder than usual thanks to the onset of fall - gradually made its way to the back of his mind though as he took in the view. While it wasn't the top of the waterfall, it was high enough to see clear across the packlands. It was.. strangely beautiful. Tibby never considered himself the type to enjoy or admire nature, though he did admit it had some truly amazing things to offer. This was a strange occurrence for him though, and he didn't really want it to end.

Until a particularly spiteful drop of water flew straight for his eye. Then it was again time to get to the top of this thing.

Remaining human seemed the best option for now - plus he was kinda tired of switching. With much lunging, grunting, and general clawing and scraping, he set about finishing the last leg of this vertical journey.

[Asher]

Whatever had possessed the bird to leave the comfort of his cave and head to another territory remained lost on him. The cave was his safe place, far enough away from the rest of the flock to be able to keep to his own thoughts. Asher was sick of being bombarded with all kinds of stray thoughts and feelings, and it was simply calmer away from everyone else. Of course, he could control his power a little more now, but every now and then he still struggled with it. The humans were cruel beasts, he thought, and they deserved to be punished for their ruthless experiments on the inhabitants of the dome. Still, he would never get the chance to exact this revenge; there was no chance he would make it out alive. That stood for all of them though; the Menagerie was their grave. The dull roar of the waterfall provided a blackout for his powers. It drowned out the soft murmur of faraway voices which he was thankful for. Even creatures incapable of coherent thought could be heard by them; though their warbles made no sense. Asher was aware that he was no longer in Lawaii territory and thus did not have the protection of his flock mates. The idea did not frighten him in anyway. He was accustomed to straying from their territory and as a large eagle he could take care of himself. Besides, the Nilda were unable to fly so he had a quick escape if necessary. As he neared the peaks, his mind was suddenly intruded upon by another voice. The voice was discussing the difference in forms and which it preferred. If he had been in his human form, his lips would’ve curled up into a pleased smile. Swooping downwards, Asher flew towards the source of the thought. His eyes narrowed in on a figure clinging to the rocks, evidently trying to make its way to the peak of the waterfall. As he came closer, he felt the cool spray of the falls on his feathers. Increasing his speed, the eagle spiralled, shaking off the droplets of water as he approached the strange figure. Asher, daringly, came incredibly close to the creature’s head before dipping away again, and moving slightly lower, and out of reach of any limbs. How long’ve you been at this? Surely it’s time to give up soon, Asher murmured, sending the thoughts directly to the human-canine. He understood that this retromorph had a disability, and he almost commended the creature of making it this far. There were only a few more ledges to go before he reached the peaks, and despite his usual pessimistic attitude, Asher actually thought he might make it. Swooping outwards, Asher circled the lake before flying back in and landing on a ledge just above the human’s current hand position. Once he was perched there, he shifted, legs swinging over the edge of the cliff. “Hmmm nearly there I suppose. Is the view worth the effort?” Asher barely needed an answer. He’d been up to the peaks so often that he knew full well the stunning views that one could see once up there. Besides, he could fly. He had seen all kinds of things. Bird’s eye views were always better. Asher continued pushing his mind out towards the other retro, picking out the important thoughts that regarded him. Perhaps this meeting would be good for his power. Besides, if the retro attacked, Ash had one arm and two wings on him; the pup wouldn’t stand a chance. ooc; sorry for the uber long wait. uni sucks. also sorry for suckish post, my asher muse is broken...

[Tibby]

The intrusion of a foreign voice in his head nearly popped his eyes out of his head. He went stiff and his grip tightened on the rocks, panic nearly overtaking him. After a moment he blinked, wondering if the exposure was driving him some kind of insane or something. Gradually his muscles relaxed, just in time to tense again when a giant bird landed near his good arm. A flash of fear - were his fingers about to become bird food? - and then the creature turned suddenly human. Forehead hit rock as a heavy sigh escaped his chest. Short, intense emotions like this would turn his hair gray much too early.

"I have no idea about the view," he said, his Egyptian accent muffled by the continued head-to-rock position, "I'm just a glutton for punishment I think." He stayed in this position for a bit longer, resting, before finally turning his head back up to the stranger. "If you are going to kick me off, please make sure my trajectory doesn't involve repeated bashing. I would like for my death to be swift." All in all, Tibby was optimistic about the nature of other people, but he wasn't the type to deny the presence of worst-case scenarios. Legitimately awaiting a response, he chose not to climb any further, adjusting his grip for the potential wait.

ooc: not a problem. it's given me lots of time to build up my own muse - and university comes first anyway. good luck in your studies.