Of Magic and Nature (Interactive Story)

[Bookworm5515]

Keep watching. You don't know if they're friendly.

[trickszy]

well, trust no one! stalk him for awhile, make sure to avoid the wolf!

[Mayagaming]

From Ajax's point of view he might not exactly trust them. So, he might decide to stalk them silently and learn more about them to decide further actions.

[Piefan]

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ａｊａｘ
Male---Hawk---???
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

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Ｓｔａｔｕｓ
Healtht and uninjured
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Notes;;
Also, yes, this guy's
totally the Shadow who
showed up earlier.
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

Almost subconsciously, you edge further from the two. You've met wolves before, and you would rather not repeat the experience. Still, you're hesitant to leave - given your usual level of stealth, it'd likely see you anyway.

From your spot on the tree, you watch them, but it produces no results. They walk around, often straying from the path, with the wolf occasionally making some gesture you can't interpret or the boy gaining a strange expression. It's impossible to eavesdrop on their conversation without making your presence obvious - telepathy's like that, apparently. Annoying to those who are trying to sneak around, convenient to those keeping secrets.

You begin to grow annoyed with every passing moment, watching them walk by, the canine looking solemn. As you follow them, you skip from branch to branch, the densely-packed trees making the task easier.

At last, what little patience you had snaps.

Though you quell your anger - this was a ridiculous waste of time - you now feel at least some certainty that they are not going to kill you. This appears to be nothing more than a leisurely stroll through a wood. Why, exactly, they're doing it in the middle of the night is beyond you, but that's irrelevant.

A little less carefully than you should, you spread your wings and fly into their field of vision. Leaves rustle noisily as you brush against them, serving to alert the two to your presence even before you speak to them.

As you begin to connect your mind with the boy's, the wolf jumps.

Though you're too high up for it to bite you, it swings a paw, about to knock you from the air. With a high-pitched screech, you flap your wings, gaining altitude. Though you mostly dodge its attack, its nails brush against your feet, and you resist the urge to shudder.

By Daniel, this thing's violent. Worse than you.

"Stand down," mutters the boy.

The wolf complies, albeit reluctantly; you can just hear it snarl as it drops to all fours. Still, it looks up at you, gaze hard and cold. You make a noise of annoyance in response, to which it replies with a soft growl. The exchange repeats, going on for several seconds before the boy intervenes.

"Who are you?" he says; his voice is raspy, and surprisingly loud. Even from your spot far above him, you can hear it as if he were speaking into your ear.

"The same question could go for you."

"Yes, well, I asked first."

"You're the human roaming a forest at dawn. My presence's more justified."

"... Fine, then. My name's irrelevant, but you can call me Shadow."

Shadow. You're pretty sure you've heard the alias before, but you wouldn't be surprised if there were multiple people using it. Brushing off the memories, you give him your own name. "Ajax."

"Alright. Nice to meet you, then, Ajax," he says. The lie seems almost convincing. "Is there any reason you approached us?"

Silence falls as you try to find the right words - you've never exactly been eloquent. You prefer communicating through action, if you must do so at all. Your answer, when it finally comes, is simple: "Curiosity."

"Fair enough." He smiles politely, in stark contrast to the still-scowling face of the canine beside him. "May we leave now?"

You aren't actually sure why he's asking you, given the fact he has a wolf next to him - one who could probably defeat you in a fight within a minute. Maybe less. Still, he seems to genuinely believe that he needs to seek your permission before heading off. You could take advantage of that. "No. I'm still curious, and you haven't really answered any of my questions - your name doesn't give me much information."

He's silent, but he nods slowly. The wolf speaks next, tone impatient. "Ask a question and let's be done with it. We don't need your approval to pass through this forest."

(A/N: Tip - he won't give his/the wolf's actual name. Don't bother.)

[Piefan]

DRIYLA - the country where most of OMaN (Of Magic and Nature has a somewhat unfortunate acronym, as you may have noticed) takes place. With a thriving economy and booming population, it's the one place where wizards and druids coexist.

That's not to say, however, that they like it. They're on the verge of civil war - it's only the authorities' tight rules and swift enforcement that stops millions of deaths. Children, however, are seldom taught about that. As far as they're concerned, relationships between the two factions are tight, but they're willing and able to get along.

Part of their rivalry is the mages' contempt for nature. "Contempt" may not be the right word, however. While there are plenty who consider it worthless, there are almost as many who recognise its power, but feel that druids are squandering their abilities. When they could be eliminating the populations of pests or manipulating the ecosystem to their ends, they're... talking to animals and growing cool gardens.

The druids share the same contempt towards their rivals, but it's mainly aimed at their extravagant lifestyles and skinny physiques, as well as their constant insistence on interfering with everything.

Driyla's government is split up into two parts, each containing the members of a single faction. While they aren't officially separate, most consider them to be, and no statement has been released correcting them. The ratio of druids to wizards in it is around 3:5, a fact which has sparked some protest on the former's part. However, the mindset within them is mainly "I want people to represent us, but I don't want to be among those people."

The mages' showy festivals attract many starry-eyed children, meaning that they have a slightly higher number of teenagers joining them yearly. The druids occasionally attempt to compete, with all-natural banquets and dazzling uses of power, but they prefer to let their beliefs speak for themselves.

A question may have popped up in your mind by now: "Hey, wait, if they hate each other so much, why are they living on the same land? Aren't there other places in the world?"

If you recall the story of Daniel and Anastasia, mentioned earlier in this thread, this is where the former was born, and where the latter died. As they are the founders of both forms of magic - Daniel of druidic and Anastasia of arcane - both factions consider the land to belong to them. Neither are willing to leave, and so, they remain, in dubious harmony.



EDIT: OMaN has a sequel/revival now.