Up a creak

[sil]

I just like posting things. If I have to introduce each of my characters as I post about them than I can add them in. But this idea is just floating and I thought I'd pop it out there.

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

The Tapejara flew over the fast moving Amu river, flying low and crying in distress. She dived low, leting her feet grab at the water and pulled up a soggy head for a breif moment before she had to release it to the racing waves.

But she wouldn't give up. She flew about the cliffs, calling and calling. After a while, a larger Ornithocheirus flew out from his cliffside home. After a brief look at the scene, the great pterosaur glided from the cliff down to the river Amu. Luck was with the human that day as the Ornithocheirus grabbed at his tunic as it rushed up to the surface, and slowly the great prehistoric glider lifted his charge from the water and toward the shore.

It was pure luck that the great pterosaur wasn't washed beneath the waves. He brought the human to the slim sandstone shore, lifting him out to about his torso. The Ornithocheirus settled to the ground next to the human, and watched. The Tapejara settled herself onto the humans back, and the added wait pushed the swallowed water from his lungs. The boy coughed and water trickled from his mouth. Slowly he opened his eyes to see both pterosaurs watching aprehensivly.

"Kigha.." he gasped and raised one feeble hand to pat the small pterosaur. Kigha chirruped happily and nuzzled the hand. The boy looked up slightly at the Ornithocheirus. "Thank you." he sighed lifting his hand in the traditional gesture.

The Ornithocheirus nodded in response and with one great sweep of his wings returned to the sky, and his nest. Kigha chirruped and pushed her small head against the boys hand. The boy took it as a hint and moved slowly from the waters edge. Once he had his back facing the cliff face, he collapsed. Kigha cuddled into the crook of his arm and nuzzled against his wet body.

Jioden looked up at the sliver of sky high above then down at the tiny pterosaur in his lap, and finally up the river, toward Canyon City, and his only chance of survival.

~*~*~*~
Wil Jioden make it? Will anyone come to his rescue? Why was he in the Amu anyway? Only you can answer these questions! Continue the story to find out!

[Anemone]

"Sun above!" Ciara Alvidrez said, as she paused for breath and leaned back from the cliff face. "Can it possibly get any hotter?" She tucked her brush into her canvas bag and took a swig from her canteen, and she took the time to examine the rock in front of her. She had only begun to uncover the carvings here, and--she noticed as she looked to either side of her--there was still a lot of wall to go before the whole thing was done. "Great," she sighed, and she picked up her tools again.

Something on the ground upriver caught her eye. It was something dark and ragged, vaguely humanoid, almost like... a boy! She dropped the brush, and it fell unnoticed to the rock below. Quick as she could, she began to rapel down the side of the cliff.

"Hang on! I'm coming!"

She hit the ground, stopped just long enough to untie the rope, and ran hard and fast in the boy's direction. She knelt beside him.

"You alright?"

[sil]

Jioden looked up slowly from his quiet thoughts. On his lap, Kigha chirped at the new arrival. Jioden looked up slowly, and saw the woman above him. Even though he was tired, hungry and stranded, the woman's question sparked his sarcastic side.

"Does it look like I'm all right? I fell off a bridge into the Amu because some idiot pushed me, rode the torrent for miles, was saved by an Ornithocheirus and left stranded down river of any civilization. What do you think?" Joiden sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to snap, I'm just so angry at Carlan and tired I guess." Jioden tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't support him. He slumped slowly back to the ground, Kigha flitting about his head in distress and concern.

Slowly he held his hand up to her. "I'm Jioden." he said quietly.

[Anemone]

Ciara took his hand. "Ciara Alvidrez." She pulled him up and let him lean on her shoulder. "You need rest. My team is camped a little way up the river. Asim will have to see to you--" She placed some ginger fingers on the back of his head. "--that's no small bump you have, there." She turned her attention to little Tapejara. "You can hitch a ride, too, if you want. You shouldn't be too heavy."

She started to move along the river, helping Jioden along. As they walked, she found herself staring at the foaming water. To think that he had washed up, here, of all the places on the river. His luck was nothing short of extraordinary, and she found herself wondering what could have happened had she not seen him. She pushed away the morbid thoughts, silently reprimanding herself. Then something else crossed her mind. She suddenly turned to face Jioden.

"Did... Did you just say that you were... pushed into the river?"

[sil]

"Yes, I was pushed, By Carlan. We were attending a mentorship in Canyon City. I'm training to be a Medic, and Carlan a Smith. We were here on school business, him to examine the Smithies, myself to study the affects Canyon crystals have on healing. Now I've always been the better student, and Carlan would just have none of it. I've tried to help him, everyone has, but I'm afriad he never let's anyone in." Joiden breathed deeply, he thought maybe he broke a rib or to, because his breathing hurt so much.

"We were walking across the bridge back to our quarters, and Carlan pushed his way through a croud of girls, one of them being my friend Pyda, out of the way to get there that much faster. Pyda stumbled and dropped her violin over the side. I got angry and told him to apologize, and he ignored me. So I went up to him and grabbed his shoulder, to turn him to apologize, and he still wouldn't do it." Joiden took another deep, shuttering breath, and continued, clutching at his side as they moved to Ciara's camp.

"So I tried to turn him to face the girls, and he got mad and started shoving me. I stood my ground but he's a big guy and the bridge was small, and next thing I knew I was in the river." Joiden finished his story just as they were entering Ciara's camp. Kigha flitted about Jioden's head as he was lead to the medic's tent.

"I never thanked you, Ciara. I owe you my life." Joiden looked at her thanking her with his eyes. Kigha flitted down to Ciara's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. Jioden laughed which turned into a slight gasp as the movement sent sharp pains into his abdomen. "Kigha says thanks too." He gasped, smiling despite his pain.

~*~

"Carlan! What have you done!" It was more of a statement than a question. Pyda looked at him with tear strained eyes, Jioden had been her closest friend.

"Look I said I'd get you a new violin." Carlan knew that wasn't what she was talking about, and frankly he didn't care. Jioden had always been a stuck up little brat, trying to help him with his crystal allignments. Bah, dumb healers, smithing was a real mans work.

"I'm not talking about the violin Carlan, and you know it. What are you going to do about Jioden?" Pyda grabbed at the front of his shirt, pulling her close to him, her slight frame betraying a greater strength. Carlan didn't look at her. She let him go, pushing him away from her. "Well I know what I'm going to do. I'm going straight to the authorities." Pyda turned on her heal and strood purposefully away from Carlan.

Carlan grabbed at her shoulder. "You can't do that. I'll be in so much trouble, and you don't want that now do you Pyda." He pulled her close to him forcing her close to him, smiling mischievously.

"Let go of me Carlan, or I'll call assault, I've seen what you cna do, and I want none ofe it." Pyda threw her small fist against Carlan's chest, trying to break free.

"I'm afriad I can't allow that Pyda. See the other girls are gone, and it's just you and me who saw me push Jioden over, and soon it will only be me." Carlan walked to the edge of the small bridge.

"Carlan, don't" Pyda pleaded with him, she was guinuinly scared, her long black braid dangling off her head over the raging torrent of the Amu.

"Oh but I must Pyda, I can't get caught." and with that he pushed Pyda over the bridge aswell.

~*~*~*~*~*~
Bum bum bummmmmmm. What will Pyda do? will she be saved? Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of Up a Creak!

[Anemone]

The trio continued their slow journey along the banks of the Amu, stopping frequently to let Jioden rest. The sun was high and bright, blasting light and heat into the gorge, and the river roared just loud enough to discourage coversation. The heat, Jioden's condition, and the rocky ground all seemed to be turned against them, and it almost seemed as if they crept a yard with every hour of motion.

After what seemed like quite a long time, two white tents appeared around the curve of the canyon wall. The water here was calmer, and almost tranquil, although the rapids roared in the distance. A weathered Ankylosaurus stood up to her ankles in the water, watching the sunlight sparkle on the bed of the river. Ciara smiled and swept her hand out in front of her.

"Home," she said, and grinned. "Not much, is it? But at least you'll be well looked after."

A tall man dressed in desert robes emerged from one of the tents, a piece of paper in his hand. It didn't take him long to notice their bedraggled visitor.

"Asim!" she called, although he was already rushing towards them. "Some help would be appreciated!"

"It seems that we have both found something today," he said, handing her the paper. "Maddock has the translations you needed. I will see to the boy."

Ciara made sure that Jioden was feeling up to standing, and then ran off towards the tents. The robed man assisted the boy towards the other tent, offering a hand whenever Jioden stumbled. Once inside, the man set up a cot for Jioden, and applied a sticky paste to the cut on the back of his head. When he was sure that the boy's scrapes and bruises had been attended, he sat down beside the bed.

"You have incredible luck, my friend," he said, "Though I suppose it wasn't luck that threw you into the river."

(ooc: Ick! Why was it so hard to write that last line?)

[sil]

Jioden sighed as he settled into the bed. His head felt so much better, his breathing was easier, and his thrist was quenched.

"Thank you." He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. "And no, it wasn't luck that landed me in the river, at least not good luck. I was pushed. One of my roomates at Canyon City pushed me in when I caused some minor confrontation." Jioden looked out the door of the tent at the scene he saw before him. The much calmer river here was something he hadn't expected, and he welcomed the lack of roaring from the rapids in the distance.

Kigha alighted onto the bed next to him, chirping happily. Her friend was safe so she could rest now. Jioden smiled at the little pterosaur, glad his ordeal was over when he saw the glint of black in the river.

"What's that?" he asked pointing outside.

~~~~*~~~~

Pyda rode the river better than she had hoped. Curling herself into a ball had help, and when she could she swam to the surface for air. The river was relatively rockless, the bigger ones being more forgiving than the smaller ones.

Eventually the torrent slowed, and Pyda could swim relatively easily, though she could only go one way. The muted sound of the rapids roared behind her, and she was surprised to bump into the bulky form of an Ankylosaurus.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." She tried to stand but the current was still to strong. "Could you stand still for a moment?" She asked the Ankylosaur kindly. It nodded in ascent, and Pyda dived beneath its large gurth.

On the lee side of the saurian it was much easier to stand, and shakely Pyda did, using the Ankylosaur as a crutch. She looked up to see two small tents on the shore. A woman who looked not much older than herself walked out of the further one. She looked up from the notes she held in her hand and saw Pyda, her mouth not as agape as Pyda would have thought.

"I... I think... I need some help." Pyda stammered before she fell to her knees in the now much shallower Amu.

[Anemone]

The Ankylosaurus moved closer to Pyda, allowing the girl to grab hold of her and use her to limp to shore. Ciara helped the girl along to the tent where Jioden was resting. "I take it you were pushed too," she said, and the girl nodded in return, surprised. Ciara sighed. "Great. Next think I know, you'll be coming out of the cliff walls." They were almost to the tent, now. "Whenever I meet this Carlan fellow, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind." She pulled back the flap and helped Pyda inside.

"Asim! I've got another one for you!"

The man stood up from his seat next to Jioden's cot. He set to work at once. "There is another cot over there, where she can rest." Pyda gratefully sank onto the bed. Asim turned to Ciara. "It appears that there are some wrongs that need adressing. It would be well to send word to your father in Canyon City."

[sil]

"You can use Kigha." Jioden said weakly, his eyes trying to focus on the girl who had entered. His eyes wouldn't focus. It couldn't be Pyda could it. She hadn't been pushed over.

"Hi Jio." Pyda said as she sat weakly onto the cot. Jioden looked at her, his eyes finally agreeing with his brain.

"Pyda? But how did you get here?" he asked, scratching his head, and wincing when his head and ribs fought against the peculiar movement.

[Anemone]

Ciara nodded and held out an arm to the little Tapejara. "You up for it?" she asked of Kigha, who promptly flew over and perched on her shoulder. Apparently, she wanted to help however she was able. Ciara stroked her head and started to head outside. "Oh, Asim! I'll be back in a little while to help." She flashed a smile in his direction, but the man merely nodded and returned to his work, hardly noticing as she took her leave.

"You should both rest," he said to his patients. "I will be near if you need my help." He moved over to the other side of the tent, drawing a curtain to give the two some privacy. Jioden and Pyda could hear the scratching of a chair being drawn across the floor, and a weary sigh as the man sat down to his work. The air was heavy with the smells of various herbs and incenses, and the faint clack of a mortar and pestle started to pound its soft rhythm.

***

Ciara tied a small note to Kigha's foot.

"Alright. I need you to deliver this to a Diego Alvidez in Canyon City. He's a Skybax rider with graying dreadlocks--shouldn't be that hard to miss." The Tapejara chirped her assurance and took off into the glare of the bright afternoon sun. Ciara watched as she faded to a speck, then disappeared altogether, before taking out the scroll Asim had given her and unrolling it. A look of alarm flickered across her face, and then the took off running towards one of the tents.

"Maddock! What on earth did you dig up?"

[Korkoa]

I stood on the small bridge in Canyon City, looking over the Amu River. Something wasn't right. I had seen a boy running away from the bridge as I approached. As I looked into the river, I saw a small black speck in the water, swiftly floating away. I thought nothing of it, until a small Tapejara flew up from the river, with a small peice of parchment tied to it's leg. "Ho, there, small one! Run fast, seek peace. What is this?" I gingerly pulled the parchment from it's leg. My eyes narrowed as I read it. "Don't worry, my small friend." I said, "Take this to who you it was meant for. I will help find this boy."