Melani- The WindStrider

[Rito]

Name: Melani

Species: Avian

Gender: Female

Alliance: Benevolent

Age: 12

Human equivalent: 17-18

Mature Adult at Age: 14

Appearance: Melani has a thin, wiry frame that is contributed to both her upbringing as well as her genetics. She is built to be muscular yet as light as possible, weighing in at a mere 65 pounds. She has thin arms and legs, if a tad long, and a skinny neck. She stands just shy of five feet tall. Her face is very pixie-like, with slightly pointed ears and chin, as well as a narrow face. Her nose is peculiar, beak-like and slightly pointed, like that of a bird of prey’s beak, yellow at the base and nearly black for the remainder. She has two, almost black stripes over her eyes, ending in a curved point on her face, as well as slight yellow shading under directly underneath them. Her eyebrows are very faint, a dark brown that matches her hair, short, light, and almost feathery, always sporting a “wind blown” look. As far as her eyes, they are a startling shade of amber, having a slightly reflective tint, like that of a cat’s giving her a rather piercing gaze, even when trying to be happy. She has is very pale, her body dotted here and there with freckles, a physical representation of the spots generally found on a peregrine.

Even though she is an avian of sorts, she does not have much plumage, her body rather smooth, the only hair that can even grow on her head, the only exceptions a small bit of tiny feathers on the center of her chest, as well as the slightest hint on her groin. Moving down her diminutive frame one would notice her tail feathers, ashen grey and about two feet in length, sprouting from the lowest part of her back, directly above her rear, able to be fanned, typically a sign of her agitation or excitement.

Looking at her limbs would be another key sign to her avian genetics, her hands, starting at her wrists, made out of the same hard material as a bird’s talons, if considerably smoother, her fingers long and sharp, ending in lethal points. Her legs, starting below her kneecap are the same, her toes elongated and talon-like, allowing them to grip surfaces easily, having four toes and a fifth backwards for balance.

She has the distinct ability to “shift,” her arms melding into wings, just shy of fourteen feet from tip to tip, the same speckled gray that matches her species, with jet black tips at the far reaches. She is clothed in a light blue, zip up hoodie and jeans, dressed so to allow her quick transition between the ground and the air. The clothing, a gift from a…friend, one from a faraway place, has been worn in considerably, one of the knees having already given out on the jeans, even though, miraculously, the hoodie was still largely intact. Staying light, her only other adornment is a gray, messenger style bag, kept over her shoulder, as well as a silver bangle that she uses to keep her tail feathers up, in the shape of a curled, thin leaf.

Personality: Mel is a wanderer at heart, and acts accordingly: any time she comes to enjoy someone’s company, fate, it seems, always drives them apart, be it friends, family, someone closer. And so she roams, wanders, soars. quiet by nature, she speaks last, if at all, and comes off as cold to the unwary observer. It is not that she has nothing to say, but rather keeps her thoughts to herself, unless asked otherwise.

Her moods are, if anything, fickle, enjoying being in the company of others for a time, before returning to her own, inner world, and retreating back to solitude. It isn't that she completely dislikes people, but, in fact, she's taken to relying on herself, accustomed to large amounts of time alone. This makes her naturally resilient to change, accepting differences in her surroundings; whether it is a difference of company or terrain matters not. Balancing out this rather stoic position she seems to hold on to is her natural, childish side, drawn to shiny objects and endlessly, if politely, curious. This was born through her responsibilities, taken on at quite an early age. Another hint towards her youth is her speed to anger or excitement, even it is not immediately noticeable. As much as she attempts to keep her feelings to herself, her own abilities betray her rather frequently to the wary observer. The air around her is receptive to her mood and her mood, to the weather: on a calm, cool day she may feel light and carefree, and while irritated the wind itself seems to develop a bite as it curls around her.

In conversation she is typically rather quiet, keeping her responses short, but not always concise. Sometimes, it seems, her thoughts have ways of passing her up, causing her to effectively ramble in short bursts. She hates interrupting anyone, and will often fall quiet for some time if anyone interjects, picking up her scattered thoughts another time.

Abilities:

Flight: As she has the ability to shift, she can achieve and sustain flight. She is built for gliding, and, while fairly agile, cannot maneuver all that well in close quarters.

Air control: Mel can influence the air around her, largely in currents or streams. This, while not so much effective in any sort of combat scenario, is extremely useful in the air, tightening her cornering, giving her extra lift, even streamlining her while diving.

Speed/Reflexes/Sight: While in such a world as this, it wouldn't be abnormal to see many that are deft of hand and foot, Mel's time both spent in the air, and in dangerous environments has left her uncannily fast, although not really built for any sort of combat. Her vision is relatively remarkable as well, picking up the tiniest details at impossible distances.
Disadvantages:

Flight: As she is built for flight, with honeycombed bones, larger lungs and air sacs, she is extremely vulnerable to physical harm, be it intentional or from crashing in to the ground. Also, to shift it takes a good bit of concentration, some time, anywhere between 25 an 40 seconds, really, and she feels a bit winded after such a motion. Trying to shift any faster can result in serious harm.

Control: Every little motion takes the tiniest bit of energy which at first seems very little but, after using it in flight for some time, becomes rather daunting. Also, it has a continual habit of controlling her, not the other way around, seemingly guiding her towards where? She doesn’t really know.

Sight/Reflexes/Speed: The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. She's not really built for stamina. Also straining her eyes brings on some serious headaches sometimes.

Family: As far as family goes, she was raised by a tribe high in the very tops of the mountains, far from the forest we all know and love. They were not necessarily of kin by blood, but by honor and friendship, a motley assortment of races and individuals, living as one, large family. She didn’t necessarily have a “mother” or “father” in that regard. As many would join and leave as they saw fit, there was never a strong sense of community among the scattered tribe.

History: (I’m going to flesh this out tonight, I just really want to get this up there.) For many years Mel was content with her tribes way of life, living as a simple forager, as her natural agility and abilities making her prime for scouting out areas, and keeping an observant eye on things. And for a long time she was happy, her body and mind tempered and sharp, fighting and riding the strong gusts of her mountain kingdom, so to speak.
And then it all changed. She met someone, a boy, just a tiny bit older than her but he, well, he was like her. She had been found, quite literally, as an egg, no nest, nothing to claim, just a rather large egg. There were no bird kin to her, everyone else was rooted to the ground, and then there was this figure who came in to her life. He told her of entire other places, a magnificent forest and realms beyond, that he had traveled through…and of the impossible world he had hailed from, sounding as bleak and pale as his skin and hair. The boy was still young but there was a light in his eyes that she had never quite witnessed before. After a few nights though he had completely vanished gone, except for a note and a peculiar little piece of jewelry…and a map, a map of the forest he had talked for so long about. Nervously she had unwound the little scroll of paper and in his simple, curled scrawl written his final message:

I have found what I came for, and I have to return. Perhaps one day we shall meet again.
I leave with you this little trinket I picked up ages ago, and this map. It may not seem like much
But perhaps, if you find your way to the forest, fly overhead and go for the village. Ask for me there.
~Egret
It didn’t take long for her to decide, packing what little she called her own and bidding goodbyes to those around her, she left. There was no rhyme or reason, merely following the wind, never truly able to tell if she was guiding it, or if it was carrying her.

IC Entrance: For the first time in her brief existence, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Amber discs peered solemnly at the trees looming off in the distance, her sharp eyes catching every detail, straining her neck as she tried to gauge how large the trees are, at least a few hundred feet. Shaking her head, wings outstretched she continued drifting almost lazily forwards, filling her wings every so often with a small gust, a faint updraft, trying to conserve herself the best she could. Even as early as it was, the sun just peaking at the top of the sky, she was already becoming weary, the excitement at finally seeing the dark green in the distance causing her to strain her body too early, and it was beginning to show, dark circles under weary eyes, and wings just held taut enough to sustain motion.

Yet still she persevered, flapping once and twice here and there, relying almost entirely now on her innate abilities to guide herself forwards, passing over mountains not unlike the ones she was raised on. Frowning, those amber discs fading, she grew lost in thought, her dark hair blowing back over her face as her thoughts turned to home. The nostalgia was merciful, however, instincts kicking in as her mind detached itself from her body, guiding her forwards in to the later day. Her thoughts drifted back to that youth, that guiding light that brought her here, and she stiffened, faint fears beginning to drag down at the corners of her mind, all the reasons that, in fact, this was the wrong place or, even worse, he never made it back. Regardless, she was here, and she would at least make an effort to find him. A wry smile touched her lips and she sampled a passing thought, perhaps she'd "find herself"

Nearing the imposing forest she could see now that, at least deeper in, the trees were that large, impossibly so and incredibly thick, leaving her with one of two options: she could either fly over, or risk having nowhere to land, or resort to moving on foot. On a snap decision, or perhaps it was the fear of colliding head first in to one of these behemoths, she tucked and fell, descending rapidly towards the ground. As tired as she was, the mind numbing thrill of falling was almost completely cancelled out, the worried air hesitantly tugging back at her as she picked up speed, those gargantuan trees becoming more and more factual, now towering above her. Finally, still a hundred feet up her wings snapped open, flaring her gaze hardened as, with some effort, she pulled a soft pillow of air before her , filling and straining at her wings as she slowed to a near stop, her sharp, taloned feet planting in to the loamy soil as she landed.

The sun had already begun to fall in to the horizon at this point, casting long, looming shadows through the dark trees, giving off an eerie feel. Stepping forwards, the lone figure looked up in to the trees, her wings slowly receding, that irritating tingling surging across her wings as the bones shifted back in to place, her fear receding a bit, concentrating on the task. Finally, after a few moments, she flexed her sharp fingers experimentally, giving both arms a once over before deciding that they were in fact present. A step or two forwards and she winced as a particularly cool tendril of air brushed by her on its escape from the trees, sending the faintest shiver across her body: it appeared as if even her greatest ally was uneasy here.

(Not my best work, but I'll hopefully get it fleshed out here soon. x:)

ALSO FACE REF: http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/Rito2/head.png

[Windra]

OoC

Pretty!
Also, I vaguely remember you. =D

--

There wasn't a whole lot to do on a day like this.

Today ... was a special day. Not because of rebellions, or wars, or anything in the dramatic sense. It was a day in which nothing was happening. A stoic silence filled the air. Breezes kicked up then withered and died. Only the birds filled surrounding areas with their singsongy chirps, and even their melodies were spaced too far apart to really count. It was an afternoon, now descending into twilight, where one could simply kick back and relax, closing their eyes to the setting sun with hardly a worry on their mind.

Naira was one such person. Perched high up in the tree tops - something which had been a favored activity for the longest time - with her back pressed to a thick branch, the Reaver rested. Arms folded behind her head to support it. Legs criss-crossed. The long, silvery tail drooped downwards, closely resembling a snake to any body who didn't take the time to get a closer look. Eyes to the sky. Despite the blindness in one optical, the changing hues of light was still a sight to see. Streaks of navy blue and gold pelted off into the distance, marking the transition between day and night. Already the stars began to peek out from their heavenly hiding place. Naira extended a hand and began pointing at various constellations with one clawed index finger.

"Mermaid ... " She couldn't outright name them. The sky was different here than it was on Earth and all the constellations she was familiar with had been replaced with ones alien to her. Orion was nonexistant ... at least not to the naked human eye. Maybe far off in the distance ... she could even see the green speck that was home. "Tiger ... "

What peaked her interest was a rather large bird plummeting from the sky. This wasn't totally abnormal. Creatures of all sorts and sizes resided here. But soon she heard snapping twigs and shaking bushes below caught her attention for the briefest moment. An initial glance down revealed nothing, so she returned to her celestial studies. But the noises persisted. Finally she pivoted, angling her body so hat she was facing the ground without any real danger of toppling off.

"Hello, is someone there?"

[Rito]

OOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC: Updated the abilities section a bit. Forgot a teensy bit of stuff.





The sights rekindled a youthful flame inside of her as she walked around a particularly thick tree, her peculiar fingers lightly playing across the ancient, gnarled bark, filling her, strangely enough, with a sense of ease, as if this behemoth was standing fast against anything and everything the wastes could throw at it. Musing to herself, the faintest of grins touched her pale lips. Perhaps her senses were off, this place couldn't be too bad...could it?

Taking a drink from her little flask and feeling much revitalized from it, she decided to press on, a bit more of a bounce in her step, feeling almost at home. She was a pale little figure, and her drab clothes did nothing to help, her hair permanently set in that "windswept" look. Grinning at a particularly menacing mushroom, Oh Gods, she was talking to a mushroom, the little bird continued on her way, the speckled, ashen tail feathers pinned back, business-style.

Still wandering, no longer on edge in the slightest, she was completely taken aback at the sudden voice, ringing out clear against the relatively quiet forest. Immediately tensing, talons digging in to the loamy soil, she looked up in to the thick canopy, trying to pinpoint where, exactly, it originated from. Deciding that, regardless of who, what, or where just spoke to her, she finally chimed in, her voice as light and sing song as the distant birds, chirping lazily. "Um...yes? Am I not supposed to be here?" She said, her sharp gaze still flitting across the branches.

[Windra]

As soon as she saw something waltz into the root-ridden path below, Naira tilted forward even more in a haggard attempt to spy the wayfarer. Eventually her eyes found their mark - something speckled and small dozens of feet below. It looked faintly humanoid, but from this height the Reaver was lucky if she could make out any exact details other than color and pattern. From the way it peered about, Naira was relatively sure that it - she, judging by the voice - had absolutely no idea who was speaking to her or where it came from. So the brown-haired girl waved a gloved hand to catch her attention. Hopefully the frenetic movements made her position amongst the trees obvious.

"Oh no, you're fine. I just didn't know there was anybody here," called Naira, her own voice alto-soprano compared to the strange-looking one's beautious notes.

With a harumph, she swung herself over the branch and held on with one hand ... dangling a long way up in the air, but with great ease and lack of anxiety. A fall from such a height would prove fatal for any normal being. For the Reaver, it was simply another thrill. As it were she began swinging back and forth. Eventually picking up enough speed by doing so, Naira released her grip and went flying into another batch of branches across from her, these ones much lower. It was clear by deft manuevers that she was a natural at this chore. Clinging to her new 'perch', the half-dragon clambered to its topside and stood, looking down with her arms crossed while in plain sight.

"You're very ... small," Naira commented once she was able to get a better look at the speckled thing. "Everything looks small from up here. What I meant was that you're very thin. What are you?"

[Rito]

Peering upwards in to the trees, she quickly spotted the figure as they descended rather deftly through the gnarled, woven branches, moving closer to the ground. Closer being a relative term here, still suspended rather high above the ground. Raising a hand, Mel gave the figure a faint, light wave, head tilting to the side as she found herself entranced by the unusual eyes.

(Ima finish once I get off of work. x: )

[Rito]

Peering upwards in to the trees, she quickly spotted the figure as they descended rather deftly through the gnarled, woven branches, moving closer to the ground. Closer being a relative term here, still suspended rather high above the ground. Raising a hand, Mel gave the figure a faint, light wave, head tilting to the side as she found herself entranced by the unusual eyes. The girl, deemed by the softness of her face, seemed cheery enough and she spoke, straining against herself to keep her voice raised. "I'm well...I guess I'm just a little birdie, too egg-headed to keep off the ground..." The faintest of grins touched her pale lips as the catcalls of old acquaintances echoed in her head.

Mel jumped at the faintest of crunches near her, whirling on one set of tense talons, her fingers rooting in to the thick bark behind her, stable and ready to leap. At the squirrel skittering across the soft moss, seemingly vanishing in to a cluster of curly, peculiar mushrooms. Like everything around her, even the dull emerald hue of the fading sun cast through the thick leaves, they were a deep viridian, speckled with the tiniest bits of luminence. Laughing, she slumped down against the consoling tree trunk, the faintest of quivers in the small chirp of noise. Head resting back, her deep eyes stared back up in to the trees, tracing some rather...unorthodox lichen, appearing to be growing before her very eyes. "A foolish little birdie who doesn't know her place..." She muttered inwardly, regaining herself. Speaking up once more, she shot a question at the figure perched above her, idly tracing figures in to the brilliant moss around her to disguise her curiosity, a faint, warm undertone in her voice: "So can you tell me where I am? And why you're here?"

(And I apologize about the flat bio, I was excited to get it up, so the description of her is a little...bleh. x: )

[Windra]

Naira chuckled as the stranger jumped at a squirrel charging out from some bushes and thenc alming down, muttering something under her breath. "Jumpy too, eh?" The bird-thing's unusually calm demeanor was something to be praised. Yes, the stranger was surprised and confused about her surroundings, if only a little, but she retained a level-head. Most of the newcomer's Naira met were either terrified, or irritated. Then again, many got dumped here by a badly-timed portal jump.

One green eye looked up, then down again. Eventually she gave in and let go. A drop from that height would kill a normal being and be remotely painful for another being. More than once Naira found herself rubbing sore knees that popped out of place from the impact, or resetting bones that twisted in the wrong direction. But she'd been practicing something ... and as the ground came dangerously close, she enacted her plan and held out her hands.

The stranger might have felt the wind kick up. But not from either side, goin from east to west or north to south. It was coming from down ... to up! Somehow or another, an air current was being directed towards the ground, bouncing straight up. It pushed against Naira. Acting as an air cushion, it slowed her decent to a crawl until about ten feet up, when it suddenly gave out and she fell face-first onto the ground.

Grumbling something to herself, Naira pushed herself off the terrace and stood. "That's a work-in-progress," she mumbled while brushing the dirt from her clothes and generally straightening herself up. Once satisfied, she looked up. "Right, you're in Deep Forest. Not exactly the most fascinating name, but hey ... Anyway I live here. So do a bunch of others." Both eyes - one blind and pale blue, the other a vibrant green - settled on the beak that was the stranger's nose. "Oh wow, you really are part bird aren't you?"

[Rito]

Raising a startled hand, she took a feigned step forwards as the figure fell, hesitant to whether to intervene, figuring that the peculiar, tailed figure was either invulnerable, or was just atypical. Plus, she wasn't built for sudden amounts of weight, just about anything would crush her. Suddenly, the relatively passive air picked up around her, tail feathers bristling ever so lightly. One foot moving back, resting on those sharp, taloned toes, her eyes, still locked on to the girl with her sharp gaze, tilted her head to the side once more in the, well, rather bird-like way she was known for. Watching the rather...abrupt, landing, she could feel the sharp release as the air beneath her softened rather quickly, quickly dissipating around the figure as she landed in a lump.

Slowly letting her worn satchel slide to the ground now, she resumed leaning against the tree as, considering for a moment, "Try thinking of it as more of a cushion, you're gonna burn yourself out without doing much good." The faintest of wry grins touched her lips for a moment as she thought, "Trust me on that one."

Hearing the name, she nodded solemnly, happy that, for once, her drifting had done something productive for once. "So I'm in the right place...." She said inwardly, eyes drifting back to the trees as she paused, her short, curious breaths her only movement, her thoughts split in quite a few different directions now.

"Yes, you could say I'm part bird, or, well, I am one...really." Stopping, a pointed finger moved up to her chin as she thought, "There's a lot about me that makes me one...and you can't see all of it."

[Windra]

Naira found herself acquainted with fresh pain searing from her nose at some point. It was subtle at first. She didn't notice the throbbing until it was excruciating. Focusing her eyes down the middle of her own face, the Reaver saw that her nose was crooked and broken ... and set about fixing it with a twist of her fingers and a dull snap! This prompted a sneeze, whereupon she covered her face and muttered an, "Excuse me," while grinning.

The advice this peculiar person offered immediately set off alarm bells. As such, Naira cocked her head at the strange bird. Not taken aback in the least - there were many within this Forest who could control one or more of the elements. But still, she was curious. And it showed.

"I'll take it you can bend the air as well?" she inquired, bemused. But the bird-person was suddenly entranced with their surroundings, and admittedly deep in thought. The fact that she had heard about Deep Forest was surprising indeed. Many stumbled here without knowing it even existed: an oasis hidden in a sea of barren stone. Suddenly the stranger snapped out of it while stating that there was a lot about her that made her a bird, some that Naira couldn't see. The Reaver reacted by holding her palms up and laughing. "I won't ask. But if you don't mind, I would ask your name?"

[Rito]

(Sorry about the dissapearance, I shall post later tonight! c:)

[Windra]

[center]OoC

Hey, that's life. I'll be waiting.[/center]

[Windra]

Woops, wrong thread.