[EVENT] Lost Traveler

[Arcane]

Strange sounds and odd, giant footprints have been found in the jungle. A party is sent to investigate, to find a bronzerider with Igen knots, and no idea how he got there. He claims to be from this pass and this world (thank Faranth), but alleges not all the tracks are his. He's caught flashes, he thinks, of a large reptilian creature, stalking him from the shadows.

[Dragon]

Giana and Goranask of the Weyr Guard were an obvious choice to be among those who investigated the strange signs on the trails in the jungle around Semaca. With one hand on the point of the large bronze's shoulder, Gia peered at the large and unfamiliar tracks, glad for the light that had her wher in his goggles. They might be out of bed at an irregular hour, but it was certainly easier to see the signs in daylight.

"I've certainly never seen anything like it," the twenty-four-turn-old mused. Of course, she and Goranask hadn't been in the south that long; it was only about a turn and a half since they'd taken passage on a real actual pirate ship to transfer down to the Summerlands. "What do you think, Goranask?"

Nothing seen before, the wher commented to both his handler and the rest of the party. He peered at the tracks through his darkened lenses, his curiosity at least obvious to Giana.

[Windra]

Mazurka would be hot on the trail for this. Right? Wouldn't they? Because, you know ... Naira was. And though her attention was divided into asking all sorts of questions to see if the poor lad was of sound mind an investigating the unusual marks, if was pretty obvious to see which of the two was gaining more attention from her.

"Maybe a wher. Right?" She was incredulous, glancing behind her to those who might have been bonded to the flightless cousins. "Those are some seriously huge feet unless it's some amped up gold. Naath?"

Nothing. The green was airborne, surveying the area. She was a surprisingly quiet little thing that glided over them every few minutes, casting brief shadows over the gathered huddle. Beakman and Radar trailed behind her - a flighty pair of chaperones. Whatever it was, they may have left some time ago.

Naira clicked her tongue at Goranask's confirmation that the tracks weren't familiar. That struck wher off the list. "Oh Summerlands, full of surprises."

[Dragon]

Goranask seemed particularly affronted by the suggestion that the tracks might belong to a large wher. Me big, he pointed out. Queen-size, almost.

"He is," Giana confirmed. "There are golds smaller than he is. Not many but there are - and they don't really get much bigger than him. Biggest gold I've ever seen was - I don't know, less than a foot taller? Maybe a couple of feet longer. And the print isn't shaped right for a wher, either." Gi would recognize a wher track anywhere.

No, this was not the track of a wher, but Giana wasn't at all sure what it could be. She glanced at the white flit and the - uh, was that a raven? - raven, oddly glad her irritable little flit hadn't decided to accompany them. Zuu'd just have made trouble, probably. "I agree that the tracks don't seem to be particularly fresh, though."

[Agenothree]

While Giana and Naira investigated and discussed possibilities, Lancel was mostly quiet, though his face was locked in a contemplative frown. Though Figaro was somewhere cozy for a nap, Fiero was perched in a tree not far ahead of everyone else, his head on a swivel, alert for trouble. Alezaeth was content to let Naath run surveillance from above, deciding it would be better for a dragon to stay close in case of attack. As she too regarded these strange footprints, drawing from her bonded's memory for something like it, she huffed wordless dismay at finding nothing of note. From where he stood at her shoulder, his body tense and ready for action at a moment's notice, Lancel sighed too.

"Wher or not, I would suggest caution," he began, his voice steady, but something hinted at him being uneasy still. "Few creatures would actively shadow a full-grown dragon, particularly a bronze... Perhaps Semaca hosts some unusually large variant of tunnel-snake, or something related?" I cannot detect a scent I recognize, Alezaeth added, lowering her shoulder to allow her bonded to leap to her neck again at his almost unconscious signal.

Lancel also didn't believe that this creature was far, seeing as Igen's wayward dragonrider had spoken of seeing flashes of it following him, though he didn't say as much to others of his party. But he did agree that it wasn't a wher, most likely; whers were smart enough not to engage a dragon in single combat, and most weren't large enough to leave such a large footprint behind, not to mention how it was nowhere near nightfall! More concerning still was how this dragonrider couldn't recall how he'd found himself and his bronze in Semaca at all. Though it could very well be due to error on his own part, Lancel doubted that too; perhaps this creature they were investigating had some involvement in these missing memories, and that was a frightening thought indeed.

Regardless of what exactly was afoot, it was enough to put Lancel on edge, his hands tight in his straps. Semaca was a beautiful land of mystery and countless question marks, no doubt.

[Windra]

Naira's head jerked at Goranask's tone. Had she stepped on his overly-sized toes? "Oh - no no, I didn't mean that you aren't - you're huge! But this is like ... " Her brain stretched to think of things of lore. Old time stories, legends of foul beasties lurking in the shadows - snatching away some damsel to be held in a high tower or something. "There's the Golden Ghost up north but I've never seen it. They say she's a giantess or something like that. But it's like you said - the gait, the toes, it's all wrong."

While Naath's eyes were ever-probing, it was Radar who held Naira's attention the most. Nothing against the brilliant green but that raven? He was keen on cats. Particularly spotties. It probably had to do with avian instincts. Felines ate birds, right? He wasn't screeching bloody murder, so that was definitely a good sign.

There are no local felines, Naath affirmed. Naira could breath a little easier.

"That's something too, innit? No cats. Whatever it is might've been big enough to spook them. I don't think the felines like to tangle with something they know they can't win against."

[Jabberwoky]

The bronzepair are finally spotted. The rider is hurt, barely conscious, and his dragon is clearly favoring one leg. A crash landing in unfamiliar territory is bad news for everyone involved. He warbles, trying to get your attention.

[Dragon]

Giana grinned as Naira hurried to assure Goranask of his massive size. He was a big boy, and he was proud of the fact. He was also one of the older whers around Semaca, as far as Gi knew. Twenty-four was not a young wher! "And you're a handsome fellow, too," Giana observed fondly.

A warble caught Giana's ear; her head and Goranask's turned in sync, searching for the source. "Did everybody hear that?" Where - there!

Breaking through the trees, her eyes fell on the downed rider and dragon. Dragons dwarfed whers, and this one was no exception. They also tended to be a little less violent than whers, which was usually a good thing. "Hello?" she asked, the wherpair approaching warily.

[Windra]

Naath's voice interrupted from high above. Contact, she stated simply. Radar circled the sky in repetitive twists like the true carrion-devourer he was. Beakman was contend to mimic the lazy swirls.

True to her word, there was a warble - thick, belonging to something heavy. But also something familiar. The wher pair was already on its way to investigate the noise and Naira followed swiftly behind with her hand palming the bone-hilt of her belt knife. It did not take long for them to come across the wounded beast and his rider who was, evidently, just barely there.

"Ohhh that's not so lovely," Naira muttered as the sight unveiled itself before them. They were both hurt and none among them were healers.

Naath touched down softly behind them. She hopped their direction in her own peculiar gait. In an aside, she queried the bronze, Can you still fly?

"Your leg doesn't look great but, uh ... " She slipped past the bronze, bowing her head in a quick greeting and apologetic grin. "Let's check out your bonded, huh? They're definitely worse off than you." Naira knelt down to glance the individual over, not daring to move him. Who knew what was broken? "Ya hear me? D'ya remember your name? We're gonna be flying you back to Semaca, for sure ... "

[Agenothree]

Lancel fell quiet again, content to listen to Giana and Naira talk amongst themselves and mull on his own theories, but it was that cessation of sound that let him hear it: a warble, a call for aid from something that recognized them as friend. Naath confirmed from her aerial vantage that it was indeed Igen's wayward dragonrider and his bronze, which prompted him to act. At his unspoken direction, Alezaeth cautiously moved closer, careful where she put her paws, until she was close enough that both could see them, and what misfortune had befallen them.

Though he favored his leg, Lancel quickly deduced that the bronze was in much better shape than his bonded, who was rapidly losing consciousness from his injuries. Lancel feared he might've suffered some sort of head trauma, which meant they needed to move fast. Naira seemed to think something to that extent as well, seeing as she went to investigate his injuries, asking him questions to further determine his condition. Though he didn't think she'd get an answer, Lancel said nothing about it and let her focus, shifting his own elsewhere.

As Naath landed close at hand, he was immediately aware of that loss of aerial surveillance, no matter how difficult it was to see through Semaca's dense jungles from above. Though they'd found the dragonrider and bronze of Igen, that was but one part of this puzzle. It was still a mystery how they'd gotten here, but more concerning still...somewhere, something still lurked that would purposefully track a dragon. As though spotties and deadly insects weren't enough, he sighed inwardly. Alezaeth warbled aloud, perhaps in amusement for her bonded's dismay, perhaps for the sake of the bronze.

Semaca! she broadcast to all who'd listen of her Weyr, her voice high and clear. We've recovered injured, and require additional assistance of healers. Keeping her message simple and concise, she saw no point wasting time with further words, or risk muddying her meaning. Looking to the bronze, her eyes whirled softly. Healers will be along shortly, I assure you, she said gently, as Lancel hopped down from her neck, though he didn't advance immediately; that would be foolish. But tell us what happened. We know little other than your arrival here and being in peril by an unidentified creature.

Speaking of creatures, those both identified and not, Lancel kept his head on a swivel and didn't stray far from Alezaeth, his eyes searching for signs of danger in Semaca's lush greenery. Though they numbered two dragons and a wher themselves, spotties were still a significant hazard, not to mention this mysterious beast that had been hunting these two...

[Dragon]

Everyone else was asking the important questions. Could the dragon fly to the Weyr? And someone had called for a Healer - very good. There wasn't much left for Giana and Goranask to do, at least not directly. There were undoubtedly better-trained hands to stabilize the rider and handle the dragon.

"Goranask and I are going to watch the perimeter," she announced practically. This would only get worse if they were set upon by spotties, or whatever had made those strange footprints.

[Windra]

Alezaeth called for healers and Giana was patrolling the perimeter. All well and good. But could a wher fend off spotties? Radar hadn’t cawed once, though both wind-bound creatures soared the air in endless circles with eyes searching the undergrowth. Naath glanced at Naira, an unspoken word passing between them. Heads might be butt on occasion, but their brains worked in tandem where it counted. The rider was in no condition to walk. They didn’t know if he’d snapped his neck or something. But they were also sitting wherries just yearning for a big cat to pounce on them, even with all the draconic presence.

”Waiting for help might, uh, not be the best idea, right?’ she told them. ”Let’s have him looked at in the safety of Semaca. Right here we’re not exactly … safe?” Nothing from Radar. Still very good. But for how long? ”Let’s load him up on one of our dragons and get him airborne. Straight flight. Big bronze boy should still be able to fly, I hope? Naath is bigger than yours,” she told Lancel without a bite to her tone. It was simply factual. ”Could probably cart me and rider boy. But maybe we should roll him onto something solid like … heck, solid wood plank. Just for stability. See anything we can use?”