It was the worst idea ever. The shock of the impact almost made Soot inhale as the water engulfed his body, but he made himself a rock and waited. The slough was not terribly deep; he had to ball himself up in order to keep his head under, but he managed. And as he waited, he got a sense, some deep ...

Was it strange that Soot had never been taught how to fight in the air? The thought was fleeting, there and gone as he struggled to get his bearings -- was he even supposed to, or just look for his enemies, his sole ally? -- missed the timing to help Ash and was hit again, hard enough for a spike of...

The first step was to escape. The second was to help Ash. The third was resuming their mission. This knowledge passed through Soot's mind like lightning bolts, striking repeatedly between each of his heartbeats. He chivvied her with voice, by cutting too close around her. Their feathers brushed, and...

Ash's voice was loud, and it went straight from Soot's ears to his feet. He went, and when he passed Ash he grabbed her by the hand and yanked her with him. She was too slow, she was always too slow and it was always up to Soot to make sure she didn't get hurt or -- or -- her quills were suddenly pu...

"Yes?" "Yes." " Yeeeees ?" Which was speaking when wasn't quite so easy to decipher. That was wrong. Soot had a hunter's attunement to prey, and inability to tell what direction sound was coming from was something a boy would do. Not Soot. He was nearly a man, would be ...

Ash always tried to take charge of situations, given half a breath to do so. Endless chattering seemed to fall from her tongue, leaving Soot the unhappy recipient. Of course he'd stick by her; she couldn't be trusted to take care of herself. She was a girl , after all, and not one trained to combat ...

Soot was breathing hard. He tried not to show it. His body wasn't offput by his desires, and as he was still overheated from the long flight his all too human skin started to bead with sweat. The pretense that he wasn't at all affected by strain was something he was quite familiar with, and he tosse...

Scouting. A true Hazanyii warrior did not scout . Soot had been chewing over the assignment, warring honor with a child's responsibility in his head. Did they truly still count him as a child? Had they given the trip to them because they were young and hardy, or because they didn't want to waste any...

by Kat Name: Soot (tentative) Age: 15 Height: 5'10 Weight: Think gangly teenager just starting to develop visible muscle. Description: There are hints of manhood within Soot's lanky frame, compounded by a deepening voice that still occasionally cracks and soul-deep brown eyes. He is not particularly...