Where Rumors Grow [M] [Giraffe]

[Goldie]

@wandering_giraffe

It was just past dawn and Jelani was already out of bed and seated cross-legged on the floor of her bedroom with scrolls and papers spread out before her. A colorful robe made of loosely spun cotton rested around her shoulders to help chase away the night's chill, but she knew soon enough the sun would beat down on them and she would trade the garment for something more fitting for the day's heat.

A lamp flickered beside her as she studied the map, a frown deepening on her features. Something wasn't making sense. But no matter how long she studied it, she couldn't quite place a finger on why. What was she missing? Too many good fighters were losing contact recently out on missions to ensure the Never King would remain in his slumber. And yet, after centuries, they still could not locate the one piece of information that would keep him locked away for good.

Where in this dammed world was the artifact that was said to raise him? It had never been in their possession. Yes, they had the priest who slumbered in stone deep beneath their compound, but was that enough?

Previous leaders seemed to think so, but her? No...something wasn't sitting right with her. Something was wrong...

She rubbed a hand over her haggard features. Bags were under her deep brown eyes and she was thankful that her deep complexion helped to hide just how tired she felt. When was the last time she had slept properly? Years, probably. After taking over the Mtetezi at the age of 20 she had basically agreed to never sleep again.

A soft knock came at her door.

"Enter." her voice was deep and melodious, but that too was laced with years of worry; years of duty.

A woman entered and pressed her fist to her heart before giving a curt bow, "We have a missive."

Jelani motioned for her to come forward and reached up to accept the small envelope. It was thin, not much was written here she knew well before she even used a small, jeweled letter opener to slice through the top. A small card slipped from its wrapping and she glanced down to skim the words.

"Nuru." her eyes snapped up and she jumped to her feet, "Fetch Pyla to me now. Quickly."

Nuru's fist touched her heart and she bowed once more before disappearing back into the hallway. Jelani shrugged the robe from her shoulders and hastily donned her day-clothes. Much like her robe, they were brightly colored with blues and yellows which were woven in a pattern to distinguish her rank. Like all Mtetezi, it was a cropped, loose bodice and matching skirt with slits to her hips. But these were just for color and comfort. The real attire was the leather armor that strapped on top and held everything in place with belts and loops. She slipped circlets of gold around her upper arms which rested between black tattoos that wove in circles around her biceps. Even these each held a meaning. One was for her family. Another for her rank. More were added over the years and would continue to grow as her deeds increased.

Leather sandals were the last thing she donned before sweeping up her work from the floor and depositing it onto her desk.

Then, ready, she sat and waited.

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla sighed, her eyes scanning the sky for Zephyr, her pet falcon. He had left to go find the mock artifact she had hidden an hour ago.
She adjusted the specially made leather gauntlet on her wrist. She had it made for Zephyr, because while she trusted him, his talons were still razor sharp, so she just went ahead and got something to protect her arm with.
She idly inspected the newest tattoo she had gotten, a silver caricature of Zephyr, one that covered her entire left arm. Pyla loved tattoos, and her entire body, except for her head, was covered in tattoos. She had a Phoenix, mid flight, on her back, with flames surrounding it.
A loud cry filled the sky and she glanced up. Zephyr, ever the drama diva,  was proudly announcing his return. Pyla wryly shook her head as he flew back.
"You absolute idiot!" She jokingly yelled at him. He had the crudely carved "artifact"...but also had brought back something else. A very pissed off kitten.
"Zephyr!" She yelled.
"If anything happens to that kitten...where the hell did you find that?!! I give you one job, Zephyr. One job."
Zephyr had gently let the kitten onto the ground, who Pyla immediately picked up and comforted. She gave Zephyr a death glare.
"What were you thinking? You could have injured the poor thing."

Zephyr immediately turned around, his eyes looking offended.
"Pyla!"
Pyla immediately looked up from the kitten.
"Yes, Nula?"
"Jelani needs you immediately!" Nula informed her.
"I'm coming right away."
She was still holding the kitten, and sighed.
"Actually, Nula, would you mind holding this kitten? Just until I get back?" She didn't even wait for Nula to say yes, she just handed it to her, and then took off at a brisk walk, Zephyr following and landing on Pyla's shoulder.
"Zephyr! Talons!" Pyla protested.


Pyla arrived at Jelani's door and didn't even knock, opening the door and walking in.
"You wanted to see me—-Zephyr NO!"
Zephyr had happily flown and landed on Jelani's shoulder, nuzzling up against her.

[Goldie]

Jelani tried to hide her annoyance when Pyla entered without even a knock, but the unruly bird sent her over the edge and she scowled.

"Pyla." She nodded curtly, noting that the woman hadn't even attempted to show the proper respect. Was she still that annoyed over Jelani's election after all these years? If she wasn't as skilled as she was, the Mtetezi would never have tolerated her for this long.

That and often Jelani felt they had picked the wrong person; wondered how different her life would have been if they had just picked someone with more experience.

"I assume you haven't forgotten proper protocol." She reprimanded, not even moving to address the bird on her shoulder nor the claws that pressed dangerously into her skin. She was Mtetezi. She was their leader. She could not afford to be weak.

"And your falcon needs a firmer hand. If it will not follow directions, it has no business in our ranks." It was not a statement directed just at the bird.

[wandering_giraffe]

"Zephyr!"
Pyla's voice had a dangerous edge to it, like a razor sharp sword.
Zephyr immediately stopped and flew back to Pyla, clicking his beak in an apology.
"I'm sorry, we were both out of line. Forgive my boldness," and she bowed slightly.
Zephyr ruffled his feathers, affixing Jelani with his golden eyes, unbeknownst to Pyla.
Pyla straightened up, and stood at attention. If Pyla was honest with herself, maybe she was slightly annoyed still. But she had pushed down those feelings and ignored them, so perhaps they had become more of a subconscious thing.
Pyla cleared her throat, hoping that Zephyr wasn't doing anything ridiculous.
She pressed her fist to her heart and held it there slightly longer than normal.
"What do you ask of me?"

[Goldie]

Jelani sighed and rubbed her hand down her chin. She was tired...so so tired...but this was her life. If she wasn't the embodiment of poise and strength their entire civilization would crumble. No. She didn't have time to be tired.

She took a small, militant step forward, and handed the letter she had just received. There were very few words on it, but they were enough to spook her. She needed to know if she was being paranoid. She needed another perspective from someone who wouldn't mince words; someone she could trust. Someone who forgot to bow and show proper respect.

"Tell me what you think."

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla took the letter and read it, her eyes widening.
"I think several things. Number one, it could be a trap. Number two, it could be true. These coordinates are too specific for it to be false. So I think it has some credibility too it."
Zephyr quietly hit Pyla with the end of his wing. Pyla didn't notice.
"Number three, it's honestly probably a combination of one and two. And as much as I hate to say this, we should go check it out." Zephyr shook his head at Jelani, which Pyla didn't notice. Or so he thought.
"Zephyr. You're on thin fucking ice," Pyla warned, shaking him off her shoulder. He indignantly walked over to Jelani and sat by her feet, glowering at Pyla.

[Goldie]

Jelani nodded curtly, it was exactly what she was feeling.

"Too many of us have been disappearing." She spoke quietly, "I'm loath to send more out to meet a similar fate but....something is changing, Pyla. My bones feel uneasy. The desert is restless."

She looked up at her friend, her soldier, her better, "I will be going on this mission. Will you join me?"

[wandering_giraffe]

A slight smile formed on Pyla's face.
"Yes, I will join you."
She thoughtfully reread the letter, looking at the parchment the letter was written on.
"Curious, this parchment is unlike any I've ever seen."
Zephyr moved...only to sit on Jelani's foot, and continued glowering at Pyla.
Pyla grinned.
"Zephyr, you're leading the way."

[Goldie]

A curt nod in reply and then Jelani pressed her fist to her heart and bowed towards Pyla in a sincere form of respect as a thank you. And she meant it. Pyla represented everything she could never be in this life. Her future was written so solidly that only death would mean freedom. She just hoped that in her time as the Mtetezi leader she was able to continue leading them with strength, honor, and safety most and foremost. After all, if she failed, the world would suffer.

"Pack light, we must move swiftly and quietly. We will leave at twilight to keep unwanted eyes from following and I will shroud us as we move. Tell no one. Is that understood?"

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla pressed her fist to her heart, bowing slightly.
"Yes, understood. Zephyr! Come on!"
Zephyr indignantly got up and flew to Pyla, landing on her shoulder.
Once Pyla got back to her living quarters, she hurriedly packed, grabbing her scimitar and her desert staff. She packed a small rucksack and slung it over one shoulder.

Pyla arrived back at Jelani's quarters alittle before twilight, Zephyr sitting proudly on her shoulder. This time, Pyla knocked briskly on the door.

[Goldie]

But Jelani was not in her rooms when Pyla arrived. Instead, she was already waiting in the shadows of the hallway before her sister in arms even arrived. It had been a long day with lots of preparations needed before the leader of an entire organization could just waltz out of the gates. People needed to be informed, albeit very few people as she did not want her absence to be known to any but a trusted few.

Once the Is were dotted and Ts crossed, she was able to pull out her travel sack and begin packing. Extremely light packing. The Mtetezi had perfected traveling in the desert and she had enough water and food to last two weeks, along with coin in case they needed to stop for more. Most were nutrient dense strips of salted meat and a few specialty breads - more like crackers - that had enough calories and additives to sustain you for a day.

A blade was strapped to her back and a set of sensible daggers rested at her hip. Otherwise her attire was practically identical to that she had donned that morning with the exception of a sand-colored, hooded duster that fell to the floor to help ward off the sun. Her hair had been braided in tight rows around her head and then piled on top in a sweeping bun-like design that was sewn tightly in place.

"You weren't seen?" She asked from the shadows after Pyla had knocked.

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla didn't expect Jelani to be out of her room yet. She slightly jumped when Jelani spoke.
"No, I wasn't seen. I made sure of it." Pyla uneasily adjusted her rucksack.
"Jelani...something's coming. I've got this strange feeling. I think the sooner we find the source of the letter, the better."

[Goldie]

"Good." Was her curt response as she lifted her bag over her shoulder, "We should be quick then."

She turned and began the descent down the stairs and towards the cold desert air that came with the setting of the sun.

"And I know." She murmured quietly as they moved, slipping out of the gate just as the sand began lifting from the earth to shroud them. Jelani's doing. "I feel it, too."

Two camels waited for them and once they were mounted, they'd be off.

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla got on her camel, and they were off. She was always amazed at Jelani's powers, and this was no exception. They were shrouded from everything, the sand expertly veiling them.
Zephyr quietly sat on the camel's head, watchfully looking for any danger and occasionally guiding them. They journeyed for half a day, before they stopped, Zephyr pointing towards two sand dunes that were slightly bigger than the others. They rode over to the crest of one of the sand dunes, and looked over the side.
A dark, yawning hole was in the valley formed by the two sand dunes, sand cascading over the sides and falling into it seemingly forever.
Pyla got off her camel and stared, her jaw dropped.
"Wow..." was all she could say.

[Goldie]

Jelani clicked her teeth and pulled on the reins and just stared. Her senses of the desert extended far and this tickled at the back of her mind in a sinister, unnatural way.

"Pyla..." she said quietly while reaching to unsheath the blade strapped across her back.

Then she dismounted and quietly inched forward until her toes were close to the edge but not close enough to be at risk. The whole was massive. Expansive. Dark.

"We should investigate. Do not make a sound." Every part of her was screaming that this was a trap. Gods they had walked right into it. Now all that mattered was if they could get out with their lives and, maybe, determine what this trap was meant for.

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla looked...and looked. She knew the sinkhole——whatever the thing was—-was most likely a bad omen. But Zephyr seemed to be nonchalant about the whole thing, cleaning his feathers and shaking the sand off of himself.

Something just felt...off about this seemingly infinite hole in the ground. The way the sand just...fell over the sides down into an inky, dark blackness was unsettling.

While Pyla was lost in thought, contemplating how to get into the sinkhole without drowning in sand, Zephyr flew over to Jelani, deciding to carefully sit on her shoulder.
Pyla unslung her staff. She looked at Jelani, who seemed quite on guard about this strange hole in the ground.
Pyla was quite worried. This, more likely than not, was probably a trap of some sort. But who designed it? Or was the sinkhole naturally occurring? It felt too ominous for that. It rather gave off the atmosphere of a portal to hell. The way the silence fell over everything like a blanket was almost oppressive.

Silence is golden until it's overwhelming and then silence is formidable.

Zephyr clicked his beak a few times, and Pyla absentmindedly ignored him, musing to herself. Zephyr could see...something down there...it looked like precious metals...or...something else. Zephyr jumped off of Jelani's shoulder, circling around the expanse a few times, getting uncomfortably close to the hole every time he circled around it.
"Zephyr!" Pyla's voice was panicked.
"What are you doing—-" Zephyr dive bombed into the hole, disappearing.
"If we survive this I'm going to kill him," Pyla muttered to Jelani.

[Goldie]

Jelani instinctively held her arm out to keep Pyla from stepping too close to the chasm as her damned bird decided to jump off a cliff. That bird was a liability and  set her teeth on edge.

But he was the least of her worries right now. There was a pit before her and in her chest and she couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that something was desperately wrong. Her eyes were telling her one thing, but her mind was screaming falsehoods that she simply couldn't rectify. If she made a wrong choice, just one wrong step, she could cause the downfall of her sister in arms. The guard had orders to treat them as fallen if they did not return in a fortnight, but she would do anything in her power to keep that from happening.

"Pyla." She said in warning. Jelani wanted to reprimand her for her inability to train the falcon, but that wouldn't keep them from harm so she let it die unspoken.

"Pyla, look at it." She pointed towards the center of the sinkhole, "This feels wrong. Do you feel it?"

On a whim, she stooped down and grabbed a handful of sand and cast it over the ledge and it....floated there....

And then fell.

[wandering_giraffe]

If Jelani hadn't held her arm out Pyla might very well have gone over the edge. It wasn't like Zephyr to just dive down into something like that. She concernedly looked into the sinkhole thing, but she couldn't see Zephyr and she couldn't hear him. Something was wrong...she instinctively gripped her staff tighter, anxiously looking for any sign of Zephyr.
"Jelani, I think—-"
Her surmising was interrupted by a flash of silver at the bottom of the dunes and an unearthly screech. A blur of gold shot towards them and Pyla instinctively fell into a defensive position, before realizing that blur was Zephyr. And he was flying towards them awfully fast.
Then something else flew past her face, but it wasn't a bird. It was an arrow, followed by two more, narrowly missing her and embedding into the sand with a thunk. Pyla's first thought was to protect Jelani. She couldn't tell if the arrows were being shot at Zephyr, or they were being shot at Jelani.
Time seemed to slow down, and she could see an arrow headed straight for Jelani. She couldn't move fast enough. She couldn't see, her eyes stopped focusing. The world seemed to go out of focus and lose its sound. All she could hear was her own heartbeat. The arrow was still making its way towards Jelani. Her eyes focused again, and out of the corner of her eye, the golden blur that was Zephyr flew in front of Jelani, and the arrow impaled into him, a pained scream echoing across the desert as he lost control and slammed into the side of the dune. She wanted to run to Zephyr and help him, make sure he was ok. But she couldn't. She pushed down the grief that was threatening to explode into rage and ran for Jelani, pushing her to the sandy ground and shielding her from any more potential deadly arrows.

[Goldie]

It all happened so fast. So ungodly fast. They were expected and now found themselves in an ambush and at a clear disadvantage. The moment the first arrow registered, Jelani reached into herself and tugged at the piece of the desert that lived there and sand immediately responded. They were shielded from sight, but arrows were not hindered by tiny pieces of glass and stone and they came in an unescapable onslaught of deadly rain.

Zephyr was hit and then Pyla was shielding her. Her mouth filled with sand, but none of that mattered.

"Close your eyes!" She cried and tugged on that warmth within herself harder to urge the winds. Wind would protect them, but it would also blind them.

And she would lose control.

She always lost control when she was forced to delve deeper into the smouldering depths of her abilities. It would try to consume her body and spirit. It was unforgiving. It was dangerous. It was chaos.

But it would be the only thing that could save them.

"You must lead, Pyla." She demanded before she grabbed hold of that tiny thread and kindled a spark into a roaring fire. The winds howled and swirled while sand whipped against their bare skin and hopefully the arrows would be thrown off course. Hopefully Pyla would be able to get them both to safety.

For now, Jelani used every ounce of her existence to keep the desert from destroying everything in its path with a sandstorm of behemoth proportions.

[wandering_giraffe]

Pyla was bracing herself for the painful impact of a hostile arrow, but it never came. What had been oppressive silence had delved into chaos, the sand seemingly roaring to life and covering them. Pyla's desert survival instincts kicked in, and she  quickly grabbed Jelani by the arm, helping her up and quickly going over the other side and traversing down. The sand only seemed to get more intense, and for a few moments Pyla was worried they would be trapped in the sand storm, but then, as she leaned against the sand dune to rest for a short second, there wasn't a sand dune there. There was a small cave, and Pyla quickly got herself and Jelani inside.
"Are you hit anywhere? Are you alright?"