Upon The Foothills Of Fate

[Aiwaz Khath]

It was not far after dawn on Voss' surface, and upon the foothills of a great colossus of earth, stone and ice - some few miles north of the famed Jedi temple that stood noble and proud - the early morning gold began to leak out over the vestiges of grey and blue from the night before, consuming it with rich pinks and oranges. The morning breeze was pleasant, cool, but warmer than the late night winds that had all but died down. A quiet and soothing chorus of birds, deer and other creatures could be heard echoing their first family calls for the day, across the expansive golden vista of the morning landscape.

It was along these foothills a young Jedi was training vigorously with the sun. Some hours earlier, he trawled through open countryside in the late night dark with his kuri companion Yuyo so they could experience the beauty of the dawn as Auron perfected the intricacies of his art. Silently, face stern and unmoving, he recited the moves' names to himself as he performed them flawlessly, while Yuyo watched calmly, often distracted by flies and the call of birds overhead.

Auron closed his eyes and concentrated. Steel hand, Dragonsnake, Förräderi... The fluidity of his motion was enhanced by the man's connection to the Force, which channelled sensations of the Light from his heart, through his veins and muscles and along his skin. Such concentration was exhausting, and he frequently rested in order to accumulate his focus once more, but it was not long before he returned to a ready stance and began to move once again as water. Recently, he had begun to heal rapidly from the wounds that plagued his mind and soul. His recent acquisition of a master and his newly found Force bond with the kuri had only intensified that healing. Being the most at peace he had been in a long time, his personal practice of Teräs Käsi and meditation had only improved, and when he flowed through his environment like the very wind itself, he smiled inside, putting love into every motion.

[member=Anora Vahn]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Admittedly, it was a little odd to find someone up before sunrise. Else; someone else up before sunrise. Anora had been getting up early for the past few days, not because she wanted to witness the spectacle of the sky changing colors and life being breathed into the world around her, but because she had needed the practice. While most things dealing in physicality she learned quickly, when it came right down to using the Force? There were still hitches in her performance.

Now, that's not to say she hadn't improved at all. Quite the contrary, really. She could do what was asked of her, and she could do it without hesitation now, but she still didn't feel the flow of the Force as second nature. So, she had begun getting up early, before most others were out and about, and practicing.

So needless to say, when she spotted Auron not only up and awake at the early hour, but leaving as well? Anora had debated heavily with herself before giving in to her curiosity and following suit. She didn't follow right behind him, obviously, and from time to time along the way she would stop to see something, or investigate something else, so by the time she actually caught up to him? He was well into his routine and the sun had already started to light the area.

He was clearly into what he was doing, so she didn't interrupt. Instead, she stood aside with her arms folded and her head tipped a bit to one side as she watched what he was doing.


[member="Auron Song"]

 

[Aiwaz Khath]

Yuyo's head raised, her eyes perked and her small nose sniffing ahead. For a while, she simply remained still and silent as Auron continued to practice, but he could see through her eyes, smell with her nose, feel with her heart. In a moment of alert from the kuri, he stopped too and turned his gaze; there he saw Anora. He smiled welcomingly, but before he had the chance to say anything to her, Yuyo had already begun bounding towards her with assured confidence, and resolved to share her affection with a new friend by slobbering all over her.
"Yuyo! Calm," he called, with his outer voice and his inner, that drifted through the Force towards the kuri. She turned her head to her master for a moment, her eyes locking with his for all of five seconds, and then returned her attention to Anora. This time, the kuri was much more subtle, and gently pushed her face against the new human. There was a feeling, an emotion that shone through the Force to Auron from his companion.
~Friendship~
He sent a feeling of positivity and affirmation back to the beast, walking a little closer to Yuyo and Anora, patting his familiar along the side of its stomach.
"Sorry. She can get a little excitable sometimes." He blushed a little at Yuyo's surprise welcoming. "What are you doing here so early?"


[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

There was no panic from Anora when she was more or less charged at - if one could call it being charged at. She even had a dopey sort of smile on her face as if she were braced and waited for the oncoming assault. So when the kuri was called off, Anora had shifted her gaze to Auron instead until the calmer approach happened. Once she was nudged and pressed against, Anora's smiled returned and she reached down to caress the creature without a second thought.

"I was about the ask you the same thing." she answered Auron's question, looking up to him again. "I've been getting up early to practice while it's quiet, and I saw you leaving." her smile turned to a slight smirk. "I suppose it was a little stalker-ish, now that I think about it, though at the time it was merely curiosity." Good to know that she had something in common with someone else in the class. Getting up early to train wouldn't seem weird to everyone.


[member="Auron Song"]

 

[Aiwaz Khath]

Auron grinned in response, watching as Anora accepted Yuyo's greeting.
"I'm deeply offended that you would stalk me," he jested, before chuckling a little. "No harm. I am much the same. The late night and early mornings are quiet, and this place gives me much peace." His eyes scanned across the environment towards where the golden sun glowed silently and strikingly, and looking ahead to the hillsides and mountains the flanked their space. A quiet breeze moved passed them, causing Auron's hair to dance a moment.
"This is one of my favourite spaces. I can feel the Light a lot here, so it gives me the chance to centre myself as much as possible." When he smiled, he did so with unconditional respect for all around him. "Do you want to join me? I was considering heading up that beast over there and meditating on its summit. We can do some training up there, if you want to." He pointed to a mountain a few miles to the north. Trimmed with green, it seemed more inviting than some of the other alps of the area. Instead of it being capped with snow like its brothers and sisters, much of its peak remained a grey-green. It was closer to a high moor than a mountain under further inspection. "It'll take us a few hours to get there. I have plenty of food if you want to eat something later." He motioned to the bag that was slung over Yuyo's back. "What do you say? Fancy an adventure?"


[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

It was nice to know that Anora wasn't the only one who took to early mornings just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the day. It was also relieving that she hadn't caused any harm with her following Auron all of the way out here. When he spoke of the area, she took the time to look around more thoroughly. So took in the area, the way the rising sun cast both shadows and filled other spaces with light, and she took a deep, steadying breath. It was most certainly peaceful, and had quite possibly just become her favorite place - thus far.

When he asked about joining him on his hike, Anora shifted enough to look at the proposed location. It admittedly didn't seem all that far, though she knew looks were deceiving. "I think that's a brilliant idea," she answered him, turning to be able to look at him once more. "I think a day of exercise and training would do me a world of good right now." She was still playing catch up in classes after all, so all of the extra opportunities she could get, she was going to take.


[member="Auron Song"]