Vinelli

Beyond the shores of her world,
There was a time where she would love to stay at the place where sand met her claws,
Her heart now bears an untold story, like a ship at sea, though it longs for land.

A great untruth, her lips have borrowed,
A boundless treasure to line her chest,
dreams of purpose is her gold,
the words of wealth are in their untold destiny,
And words are all she bequest

The tales of world far from the shore,
The hidden beauty of land that are harsh,
She has found more than she could have wished,
Underneath the unforgiving terrain

She fights to protect,
the fierce and loyal warrior,
A family at last she has,
and to thanks a certain kindness a clan gave

Perhaps she will remain unwritten throughout history,
No x will mark her on a map,
But in books of prose and poetry,
She will live through as a valiant protector,
In paragraphs and songs

This curious young skydancer,
You have no clue,
Of the stories you hold,
And the fights that scar you

Fluidly slipping between and over the many wires crackling with electricity, Vinelli found herself staring up at a huge, yawning canyon. The robes she wore rustled in the slight breeze, as she took in the scene with a gaze full of wonder. A river, bubbling and splashing with cool, clear water, coupled with what could only be described as a floating city. An island paradise, she thought.

And now my home.

Warily she sidestepped some protruding shrapnel, taking great care to avoid the sizzling electricity capable of turning her into a pile of dragon bones and ash, all the while vigilantly keeping a lookout for any possible danger.

“There’s nothing, as usual. What a waste of time,” her teammate complained, as the patrol slowly winged their way back to the floating settlement. The others all grumbled in assent. All except Vinelli. She refused to let boredom sully her wondrous position as clan knight - well - she was still only an apprentice. Even so she treasured her apprenticeship even more than a Pearlcatcher loved its pearl, and every waking moment was spent guarding the clan in the ways she could.

Vinelli had been so lost in thought that she had not realised the rest of the patrol entering the gates. You’ve fallen behind again, Vinelli - how can you be a good knight if you can’t even keep up with your own clan’s patrol? She hastily flapped toward the gates, but a strange hum stopped her in her tracks.

Looking down, she frowned as she noticed, not for the first time that day, that agitated ripples spiderwebbed across the normally tranquil river. It’s worth investigating, she told herself. Better prevention than cure - after all, who knows what’s causing this? With that, she glided down to the roiling waters below that churned and broke apart with each wingbeat she took.

Slowly, soundlessly, she landed, claws gently coming to rest on the silt lining the river. As quietly as she could, she inched across the narrow river banks, eyes opened and ears pricked for any possible danger. But how would she be able to sense anything, given that even her ‘forehead orb’, as she dubbed it, was unable to discern any energy signatures whatsoever?

Metre by metre, she crept along the dusty path, still unable to ferret out anything useful. Sighing, she turned to leave, dejected and ready to give up when she heard voices that sent her scrambling for cover. Luckily, she managed to dart into a formation of reddish boulders that perfectly concealed her lithe frame and all her armour. Her sword clinked faintly against the filigree metal, and frowning she shuffled to avoid any further noises.

“Get ready to attack.”

That was all she heard before she instantly vanished, teleporting back to her clan to warn them. However, no one would listen to her, not even the clan leaders or her own mentor. Frustration bubbled, and as she furiously stormed out of the settlement, tears blurring her vision and her sight threatening to go white, she swore that even when no one believed her, she would be ready for anything those mysterious beings attempted to do.

As a knight of Clan Ozton, this was her duty.