Hazardous Portraiture

[Whim]

Ewan awoke with a bewildered scream as the forest floor shook. The peafowl stood in silence, staring out at the forest, and the dog was whimpering and looked ready to bolt. "Wh- what's going on..." he sprang up trying to disentangle himself from the blankets.

At the very bottom of the hill the were camped upon a dark shape emerged from the jungle. It looked to be a lizard of some kind, standing upon two legs and almost 12' nose-to-tail. Its maw was large and toothy. Whatever spell kept the wild dog guarding their camp gave way and the canine bolted with a whimper.

"We... we gotta move!" Ewan haphazardly grabbed his pack and began stuffing various supplies from around the camp into it. There was no time for such things but he already lost one spellbook! He wans't losing another.

[Ice]

Pension noted that the boy had woken up. He frowned as he was helping the boy get all that stuff they had. He was able to quickly get most of their stuff. He figured that whatever the boy had was the least of it. He then glanced at the boy as he spoke to him

" Oh yeah I know we need to get out of here. " He said to him. He then looked at the creature who was coming closer to then. " What the hell is that thing?" He asked out loud. Then he shook his head and looked at they boy again." Go ahead of me. I want you to atleast be safe." He said. This persona usally did not care. However he knew that it was best not to tick off native tribes.

[Whim]

"Tyrant... lizard? Some kind of dragon? I've only heard stories!" he looked around the clearing in a panic. He could see the beast's silhouette coming their way. Was it drawn by the fire?

"Dash toward the road and we'll lose it?" he grabbed at Pension's arm-like wings and tugged the peafowl along. The bird's current persona had a queer amount of confidence for an artist facing a lizard! An idea dawned on him as he peered at the enormous trees surrounding them "Or! Or you said you can fly a little? C-can you make it?"

[Ice]

Pension just frowned a bit."oh well Wed better run in any case." He stated. He had gotten all he could quickly. What the boy said didn't sound good at all.

He was then stumbled as the boy was pulling him along . It wasn't confidence that made him so bold. It was the feeling that he could get hurt by the natives that made him wish to protect the boy. That and the fact that he looked like a child.
" Maybe we can" said to the statement as they hurried along. Then his question came and he thought for a brief second.

" Yeah I can. I need you to hold on tightly if I am going to get us both up there though." He said as he looked up at the trees. He hoped that the thing could not climb or fly though. That would be very bad for them if they got stuck in a tree with that thing.

[Whim]

Ewan gulped climbed on Pension's back, holding on for dear life, and wondering if the bird could bear his weight. It was certainly an awkward situation. Intelligent birds, he imagined, didn't much enjoy giving out rides. "O-okay!"

Letting forth a defeaning roar the tyrant lizard broke into a charge toward the boy and bird. "QUICK!" he shrieked, forgetting all the other sorts of spells he might've thrown its way.

[Ice]

Pension was glad that the boy was not too awfully heavy. He was actually a bit stronger than he looked. Some of his personas were actually quite good at fighting and running for long distance. He just didn't like doing it. " Just hold on tight." He stated now.

He then flapped his wings as he ran. He noted the thing was running too . With in a few seconds he had gotten off the ground. Soon they were in the air and in a few minutes he had found a very high branch to land on. " Hold on this might be bumpy. " He said as he made his landing.

[Whim]

The pair tumbled along a dense thatch of branches and into the trunk of the tree. Roughly ten feet below them the beast roared and snapped and roared, ineffectually, pacing angrily back and forth. Ewan disentangled himself from Pension and non-chalantly dusted loose blue down from his fingers. He was hanging on far too tight; flying would've been fun if not for the near-death experience of it all.

"Sorry. Hadn't tried that one in a while. S'posed to make all the animals in the forest bring you food and stuff," he gave Pension a sheepish glance, peering down at the tyrant lizard with awe. "It is pretty impressive, ain't it?"

There was a dim orange glow in the east though it barely pierced the fog. It was near morning. How they were going to progress from here... was anyone's guess.

[Ice]

Pension had noticed how tightly that the boy was hanging on to him. He didn't really blame him though. He wasn't excatly the best flyer in the world. But he was at least efficient enough to get them out of danger. That was all that counted. As they landed another more friendly persona took over. He bliked a bit looking at they boy to make sure that he was okay. At least for now. It seemed that he was.

"Yeah he is impressive. I am just glad that we are okay. I do wonder how we are going to get out of here though." He said. His voice was noticeably more calm and kind. He looked out just seeing the first light of the dawn. Wow it had been an eventful night.

[Whim]

"Could try drawing him! If you don't mind getting bellowed and snapped at." The tyrant lizard glowered at the pair, lumbering about the thicket in search of easier prey. Ewan gave a yawn and shimmed to the edge of the branch and shyly peered down. "Didn't get much sleep did you? Could try to rest up here."

"Don't fancy climbing down while that lizard's stomping about." Surrounding the pair was a dense canopy twined branches and vines. An agile climber or glider might simply hop tree to tree.

[Ice]

Pension was looking at the lizard creature. He was not aware that there were creatures like him out here. It made him realize that this place was very dangerous. Though he supposed that things could have been worse. They could have been eaten. That made him glad that he was a bird. He then heard what the boy said to him.

" Well he'd certainly be interesting to draw. " He said to him now. He then kind of smiled at what he told him next. " Well being more animal like then human makes it to where I don't need much sleep." He then looked at the boy with a smile. " Would you like to get some extra sleep? You didn't get much either." He said to the boy now.

[Whim]

"I'm good. Don't suppose I'd be able to sleep much after all that excitement anyway..." Ewan crept along the branches to explore their surroundings. The dormant volcano, where the phoenix roosted, lay on the on the horizon. "I think we should go. Bit nervous about going down to earth. Gods know what's up here huh? Serpents you think? Nagas? Hopefully not more apes."

The sorcerer lead Pension along the canopy. They went slowly and carefully at first, picking up speed as he grew more confident in his climbing. The peafowl was no doubt better suited for the whole affair. They'd traveled a few hundred feet when Ewan heard a branch snap. He scuttled back with a yelp, arms flailing, and managed to grab a vine before the branch fell away beneath him.

"Can't believe I joined that stupid tribe! Almost got me killed playing guide for you!" the boy huffed, swinging back and forth.

[Ice]

Pension nodded as he listened to the boy. What he said made sense in a way." Yeah same here. I just hope that there is not something worse then that thing up here. " He said to him. His kind weren't tree dewlers. They preferred the ground. Though he did feel safer up here.

He followed the boy as he moved through the trees. He was better at climbing then humans were. Though he was by no means an expert.  He then saw that they boy had almost fallen out of the tree due to a branch breaking. He then heard what he said. Now he felt really bad for getting him in to this situation in the first place.

" I am sorry. I never meant to put you in danger." He said with a sad sigh. " Maybe we should just give up now before one of us gets killed." He now added. This was his sad personality coming out.

[Whim]

Ewan gently swung back to safety, heart pounding and looking quite a bit paler despite his sun-tanned skin. Of course the bird looked positively melancholy. He was used to the bird's changing temper by now, usually somewhere between wistful and terse, but this despondence made him feel horribly guilty. "Well we can't give up now! We're awful close. And- and you already had to give part of yourself to that daemon. You really wanna make it for nothing?"

"Cannopy seems pretty safe anyhow. Guess most of the predators I roused are on the jungle floor. And you can fly tree to tree fine. Its me that's the problem..." he laid out his large grimoire and thumbed through it, wrinkling his nose in thought. "Just need to make myself climb or fly..."

Of course as Pension knew the boy had a poor grip on his spells once they were came to fruition...

[Ice]

Pension watched as the boy swung back to safety. He was glad that he wasn't hurt. The persona that was currently out was not very enthusiastic. More or less it was the part of the artist that was sad and depressed. Almost the half that wanted to give up.


" Well I guess you are right. " He said to him with a sigh. He then heard what else the boy was saying to him . He frowned as he thought about what happened last time he used a spell. " Do you think that you might want to be careful. " He said to him. He did not want them to get into more trouble.

[Whim]

"I"m a very good magician!" the boy smiled and tried to reassure the peafowl, already beginning to page through his grimoire, stopping occasionally to murmur in some odd fey tongue. "Just an enchantment to make me more agile is all. Could make myself sprout bird wings. Would really be something to fly around up here wouldn't it?"

Though in bickering with the peafowl the enchantment got away from him. A tingle ran over the boy's body. Brilliant green feathers sprouted from everywhere. His limbs twisted. And then he began to shrink. In the boy's place was a tiny parakeet perched atop the book.

"Y-you distracted me! I was just supposed to grow wings!" he huffed in a shrill voice, flapping about, and not very intimidating at all. "And- and wasn't that bridge daemon supposed to make you cheery and not so worrisome?"

[Ice]

Pension just nodded. If there was one thing to not it was that he had many personas that had similar issues and thoughts.  It was the curse of have many different thoughts going on at once. . A problem that could and often did result in the harm of others around him.

He watched as the boy accidentally changed himself into an actual bird. Then he when and blamed the peacock for it. Now that made him mad.  "Do not blame me for your mistake . You wanna see another persona. Well how about you meet this one. " He growled. Now it was very clear that he was upset. And that was not a good thing.

[Whim]

Ewan fell silent and perched on the tree beside his book, stretching a wing to examine it. Being small and not having arms was awkward business, and annoying. "I suppose we can get there faster at least.

"You'll carry my pack, won't you?" he cocked his head at Pension nervously. The peafowl was certainly unpredictable.

[Ice]

Pension just closed his eyes. He was trying to force himself to calm down. He should not have gotten that upset. " I am sorry. I just get upset easy."  He told him him now.  He then smiled at him slightly. " yeah I guess we will get there faster though." He added . He hoped that his friend understood that he could not control his self that good.

He then heard his other question. He had no problem carring the boys pack. " of course I will" he told him now. May be there would be no more problems now.

[Whim]

"Sorry." Ewan chirped, flapping about. He'd turned into a bird once or twice before. It didn't feel as exciting as he'd imagined; perhaps in teaching him how to fly the spell drained the novelty of the experience.

"Hope this doesn't wear off..." the Ewan waited patiently for Pension to take his pack; still a bit cagey over potentially losing his book. No matter; they were off.

The pair went flying through the canopy. The jungle grew dark and dense, at first. They darted past a feathered serpent thick as a tree-trunk, then soared over a moot of enormous apes wearing bones. They near careened into a squirming tree oozing phosphorescent sap, which a multitude of little faeries were gathering into jars. Eventually they came to see the sun again and the forest grew thinner and thinner until the ashy hills of the volcano were in sight.

Thick fog surrounded it and there was an orange haze in the distance. Was it the sun or an erruption? Ewan perched on a branch and looked to Pension. "Least we're out of the woods. Sure you want to go further? Never heard of this errupting though I don't want you cooked all the same..."

[Ice]

Pension nodded to the boy. " I hoped that it doesn't either. " He stated. He then pick up the boy pack. Then they were off to make their way to the volcano. He took in all the sites that they seen on their way there. It was really interesting to the artist. After a while the finally arrived near their destination.

As he looked it over he noted that it seemed that the thing wanted to blow up. Though he still had confidence that they would be okay. After all he did not hear the usual sounds that came with eruption. " I think that we will be okay. It doesn't sound like it's eruption . " He told him as he looked on with great interest now.