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Isibel has never seen an odder collection of fauna. She has not traveled extensively, but she is sure that creatures of this size - lizards as heavy as ten elves together, beavers eight and nine feet long, turtles with shells the size of small houses - are not customary. Yet the island is riddled with them.
The creatures have no particular fear of elves, but nor do they seek them, and none of her party have been attacked; she feels safe enough traveling through the forest on her own, stepping lightly, looking for the sweep of the treeline and any springs that might be useful for settlers if elves settle here. Besides, she is a student of the small magics, some of which may be cast quite rapidly if there is need; she could frighten away an animal that took too much interest in her. The ribbons tied around each of her knees and ankles (blending seamlessly with the rest of her travel outfit) are some of her finest small magic, guiding her steps so that she may place her feet as elves ought to be able to and bring no embarrassment to her House. They don't make her truly graceful, but she can walk, and care will do the rest.
She's deep into the forested part of the Unknown Island when she starts finding statues. Old statues. The trees have grown up around them, it looks like, they've been here that long; they're worn and weathered and have lichen growing on them.
And they're all of unicorns.
The oldest sculptures are none too skillful, but as she proceeds inward towards the center of the island, they become newer and better and it's plain to see that they're not of unicorns, but a unicorn. A unicorn with a broken horn; this is not, it soon becomes apparent, random damage to early statues. Someone has carved a specific unicorn, dozens - hundreds? thousands? - of times. And the art has been made with such intense love, and the newest of the statues are so delicately done that they look almost like real unicorns, with all the magic that implies, though they hold still and are on closer inspection all still carved from stone.
Someone loved this unicorn, and lived on this island, and made a thousand statues of her, and now the place is inhabited only by giant animals that certainly could have done no such thing. Isibel wonders what happened to the sculptor. To the unicorn, too.
On she walks.
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small_magics
small_magics
Isibel looks at his hand out of the corner of her eye, having no idea what he is planning to do with it, and she draws the shape of the berry and the leaves and writes down the color so she'll be able to tell the other elves. (She will have to come up with some way to get them to believe her, but perhaps she can just advocate general caution with the plants.)
She draws a box around the blank space under the berry drawing in case he wants to show her more poisonous-to-elves plants.
She draws a box around the blank space under the berry drawing in case he wants to show her more poisonous-to-elves plants.
endragoned
He sighs, and brushes bits of berry off his hand on his leg, and rubs his face with both hands.
Then he takes a few steps away and snatches up a small brown mouselike creature from the forest floor. It squeaks in alarm and wriggles frantically, but he holds it gently and pets it until it stops struggling. He looks at Isibel to see if she is paying attention.
Then he takes a few steps away and snatches up a small brown mouselike creature from the forest floor. It squeaks in alarm and wriggles frantically, but he holds it gently and pets it until it stops struggling. He looks at Isibel to see if she is paying attention.
endragoned
Good!
He holds the tiny rodent close to his chest, closes his eyes, and tilts his head as though listening to it. For a few seconds, he stands very still, just like that. Then he opens his eyes, and touches a berry on the bush, and touches the mousealike (with the pads of his fingers, not with his claws), and shakes his head. Touches his forehead, touches the mouse, touches the berry: this is knowledge he has, that the berry is not edible to the mouse. Touches the mouse, touches his forehead, does the closed-eyes-listening-pose: this is how he acquired that knowledge.
He holds the tiny rodent close to his chest, closes his eyes, and tilts his head as though listening to it. For a few seconds, he stands very still, just like that. Then he opens his eyes, and touches a berry on the bush, and touches the mousealike (with the pads of his fingers, not with his claws), and shakes his head. Touches his forehead, touches the mouse, touches the berry: this is knowledge he has, that the berry is not edible to the mouse. Touches the mouse, touches his forehead, does the closed-eyes-listening-pose: this is how he acquired that knowledge.
small_magics
Isibel nods slowly.
She holds out one of her hands towards him tentatively.
She holds out one of her hands towards him tentatively.
endragoned
He crouches and sets the rodent down on the ground, where it immediately scampers away.
Then he takes her hand in both of his. His skin is very warm. He closes his eyes and... does whatever it is he does; whatever he's getting out of it, it does not produce corresponding sensations in Isibel.
Then he takes her hand in both of his. His skin is very warm. He closes his eyes and... does whatever it is he does; whatever he's getting out of it, it does not produce corresponding sensations in Isibel.
endragoned
When he opens his eyes a few minutes later, he is smiling very faintly.
He reaches for the pencil and paper.
He reaches for the pencil and paper.
endragoned
He starts drawing a catalogue of plants and animals.
The enormous brightly coloured lizards are apparently venomous (he draws a person being bitten by one and dying gruesomely), but good to eat as long as you avoid the venom glands. The large beavers and turtles likewise check out; in fact, later sketches seem to indicate that any animal larger than she is will make a good meal.
Most berries are in the poisonous category, but there are a few he declares safe. Most kinds of large fruit are safe, but two are poisonous. He identifies several kinds of nuts as safe.
All frogs, apparently, are poisonous. So are a lot of small snakes and lizards. The mousealikes are safe, though.
He hums and talks to himself while he draws.
The enormous brightly coloured lizards are apparently venomous (he draws a person being bitten by one and dying gruesomely), but good to eat as long as you avoid the venom glands. The large beavers and turtles likewise check out; in fact, later sketches seem to indicate that any animal larger than she is will make a good meal.
Most berries are in the poisonous category, but there are a few he declares safe. Most kinds of large fruit are safe, but two are poisonous. He identifies several kinds of nuts as safe.
All frogs, apparently, are poisonous. So are a lot of small snakes and lizards. The mousealikes are safe, though.
He hums and talks to himself while he draws.
small_magics
Isibel attempts to think of ways to present this notebook to her expedition leader. Maybe she should claim she followed a mousealike watching it eat. Thirty times.
endragoned
She will have a little more trouble with that in a minute: lacking a common language in which to describe colour, he strokes the paper gently with his talons until his drawings colour themselves.
small_magics
Isibel sighs. That's the sort of thing small magic could do if she chose to take the trouble, she supposes. She does still have the issue where this is not her drawing style - not any elf's drawing style - but maybe she will just copy everything into a new notebook.
small_magics
She reads through it, nodding her comprehension, and then looks back the way she came, frowning. She mimes showing the notebook to an imaginary elf and then splutters (may as well talk aloud, for effect) - "No, I only have a feeling about these things, no, I didn't find a Wildmage on the island, please just don't eat the berries." She throws up her hands again and sighs.
small_magics
She then draws a party of elves finding the unicorn statues and looks quizzically at him.
They're going to find out that someone was here anyway.
They're going to find out that someone was here anyway.
small_magics
Isibel thinks.
Then she mimes showing the whole notebook to an imaginary other elf. Start to finish. And she then tucks the notebook under her arm to clasp her hands in a pleading motion, also directed at the imaginary elf.
She's not sure if they'd believe her, but she thinks they'd probably at least ask a Wildmage to check her for Taint before killing her, and it might work.
Then she mimes showing the whole notebook to an imaginary other elf. Start to finish. And she then tucks the notebook under her arm to clasp her hands in a pleading motion, also directed at the imaginary elf.
She's not sure if they'd believe her, but she thinks they'd probably at least ask a Wildmage to check her for Taint before killing her, and it might work.
small_magics
Isibel waits. She'll think of something else if he doesn't want her to try this.
endragoned
After some contemplation, he throws up his hands and nods. He doesn't like the idea, but he can't think of a better one.
small_magics
She takes two steps, then looks over her shoulder: should she go now, or is there more to say?
small_magics
She thinks of something herself. She draws the island, and a vague sketch of half her path to the camp on the beach (not that they'd be hard to find, but she doesn't want or need to direct him right to them) and then a path back. Then she looks at him. Where will he be if they come looking? (So she can direct, or misdirect.)