Private In the Pursuit of Knowledge

[Pyeth Raffinki]

Lovecraftfluff

Pyeth rested beneath his favourite tree taking shelter from the oppressive sun, from his position the Rishi observed the recovering foliage he had helped the custodian water days before not that Pyeth would ever complain. He liked the garden, it was frequently peaceful, and his favourite spot was always free. Occasionally he would watch others practise their craft most well versed in the ways of The Force but sometimes lacking in martial skill. He suspected the reason for this was their upbringing, on Rishii hunting was something to aspire too, many of his clutchmates practised and challenged one another daily. The reality of life amongst the flock was one generation would provide for the next while the elders passed on their skills, knowledge, and ensuring the survival of the village. Few places, if any in the civilised galaxy had such concerns where each day was a matter of life and death.

"Of course, I am one to talk." He mused recognising his life on Rishi had been cut short, he was exiled not long after completing his first hunt. Fauvel had said they were wrong to have exiled him, Pyeth however, respected his elders and their judgement. His only hope was to one day repair that bridge be reunited with his people, perhaps even save them from the polluted lands they inhabited. They were dying, too stubborn to leave ancestral lands, too proud to listen to an exile, he feared that by the time the fruits of his training would begin to ripen he would have nothing left to save.

Yes, he understood now the nature of his mother's plight a so-called ghost plague that only subdued with the introductions of restrictive mining rights and industrial limitations but enough about his history. He had to focus on his studies and put his beak down. Books, he found nothing so dull. It had taken him months to learn the most basic of galactic scripture, and he realised now why the elders passed down knowledge through stories and song, he could not expect the same from his Master. After all, they did not have the same amount of free time as the chieftains.

Pyeht's feathers ruffled in frustration collapsing the book shut. He didn't have the focus for reading, not today. He felt a fragment of bark splinter behind him and flinched in response to the pain, his bruises from Talay hadn't healed yet. Pyeth exhaled attempting to relax and soothe his flaring emotions, falling back on the words of his father. "Fristi milta orisa nifint" (Anger is the one thing that grows in confinement.)

He needed a distraction before nostalgia consumed him.

 

[Lovecraftfluff]

The path that the wanderer walked today was not one that was familiar to him, yet supposedly this was somewhere he had been countless times. The forest has changed so wildly since he last came here, ivy choked the once noble plant life, strange bones littered the ground and an unusual stench permeated the air. Whatever horrors had happened here they had been truly relentless to the life here, this was of no import anymore, not his world to shepherd, not his crime to clean. Branches cracked under his talon as he strode forth, the staff seeming to darken with his motions and thoughts, the force knew he had grown jaded to the plight of this world.

Then the voice came, he recognized Raptornan but never spoke it himself but the point stood that he was not alone. His wings spread out and fell low to the earth, his colours obscured by the foliage as he spread his hand to the dirt. Twisting mists beginning to pour from the air around his arm, snaking into the soil as the whisps began to speak. What spirit remained in the earth were certainly pained, even in his state of apathy he couldn't deny the feelings it sent through him. Tears rolled to the earth as he felt out for the world around him, finding a Rishii like him not too far away. Withdrawing with a gasp and a quiver.

The wanderer strode towards the tree, something about it stood apart from the rest, it felt... different. Reaching out again he felt the presence of the force bound to bark and bone, living and dead at once. Then he felt the other one, a force-sensitive one shadowed by some terrible pain. The dark waiting to pounce upon this wayward vessel, Yo'tek had to know, he had to understand such curious connection to the force. "Hello? Is someone there?... We want to help! Are you hurt?" The rishii played the mimic game, worried if the stranger were to turn hostile with such unknown force potential that the wanderer would lose.

 

[Pyeth Raffinki]

"Hello? Is someone there?... We want to help! Are you hurt?"

Pyeth's downy bristled, he had not expected company. Frankly, it was embarrassing having been so distracted by the vortex of frustrations failing to notice their arrival. Flinching the Rishi climbed to his talons holding the book firmly as he walked out from behind the tree speaking, "Yes I am quite alright. I just uh fell out of the-" His lie was interrupted, catching glimpse of the older Rishii stood in front of him.

Another Rishii? He thought, eyes dancing as he studied the intruder, ensuring he had not been mistaken. It was Rishii alright, from beak to tail but not like any he had ever seen, shades as vibrant and colourful as blueblossum. He recalled the stories, about the sometimes subtle differences between nests. A means to identify neighbours but never had he seen one, let alone expected such variety.

His plumage relaxed all other thoughts forgotten, superseded by curiosity and wonder. What had brought the Rishii to the stars? Was it a desire for adventure, or something more spiritual?

"You got me good." Pyeth trilled, "If I had expected company I would have taken extra care preening today. Especially for a fellow Rishii. I'm Pyeth, a Squire in the Obsidian Knights."

"I came out here to study." He said raising the leather-bound book, "Talks about some ruins nearby that I haven't yet been able to find."

 

[Lovecraftfluff]

Yo'tek planted his quarterstaff beside him before squatting down, with an inquisitive smile, kin so far from home was a pleasant sight to see. The force warped beautifully around this Rishii before him, in a moment of dissociation, the vibrant blue-bird almost seemed to stare straight through his compatriot, pondering not on the nature of his health or threat but of the fascinating nature of the other side. There was something profoundly special about this hawk-like avian, the way the force moved and flowed. It was a mesmerizing sight to see, stopping short of reaching out to touch the immaterial laid before him Yo'tek finally heard the words the young squire spoke. "Obsidian Knights... it's been a long time since the soil of Rishii has graced my talons. I'm afraid this clan's name is lost to me. I seldom remember even my own heritage were it not for the scraps of literature I have above my nest."

Coming to a stand once more the wanderer took up his staff and offered out a hand in assistance. "If it's knowledge your seeking it might be better to see without eyes. Tell me what are the legends of the place we seek?" The Rishii's voice was that of a young man but one that had seen far more than he ever expected to in his short few years hurtling about the everspace. His eyes tainted by a fog with a mind of its own, surging and swirling about the pupils as it invaded the dazzling greens of his irises, sparks of what looked like a microscopic storm tearing through them as it dissipated.

"The force is our blessing, I see it in your air, Rishii has blessed you truly." He whispered excitedly, fascinated to find such relics and legends whispered of in local folk tales.