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Post by Reno on Dec 12, 2010 19:22:47 GMT -5
Ears twitched at the other's question, knowing his silence had given him away. Still, he tried to remedy the short bout of weakness. He snorted shaking his head and trying very hard not to think about how much he would miss the other's scratches behind his ears and his books and his laughter... "N-No, of course not! I mean, how silly that would be. We're both males anyways; one day we're going to have to depart from each other when we choose our mates! It is... the way of men."
"That's simple Axel." Soran said, before looking out at the scenery around them, the glimmers of lava making his eyes sheen a shade of blueish-orange. "Don't return to him." The slave beside him jerked in shock at the suggestion, eyes wide at the idea of it. Don't return?
The imp immediately shook his head, saying Roxas would never allow that!
The brunette looked at him, raising an eyebrow, before smiling gently, "To be honest Axel... I don't think Roxas would waste his time worrying about you, when he's too busy plotting on how to take the throne."
The imp stared at him in shock for quite some time, his mouth open and closing wordlessly. How had he... he known?! "I'm not so blind Axel, really. Or stupid. Perhaps a little gullible and a little too trusting, but definitely NOT stupid. But, never mind that. You don't have to go back Axel. You can if you want but... I can grant you Safe Passage to anywhere Norn has a treaty with, even to Makatza. Somewhere you can be safe and free and live your life the way YOU want to."
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 12, 2010 20:00:16 GMT -5
Ven smiled again at the quick reply and hummed. Terra was right. It was the way of men when women came into the picture. That's when things became complicated. So why... was their relationship suddenly more complicated? He kicked the thought from his sleepy head and sighed tiredly. "Yea.... but I'm still going to miss you... even if you'll be safe.... I'll be worried."
"Prince Soran.... that's..... that's not how it works." Axel frowned, looking away guiltily. "Your brother is my master. He owns me. My place is by his side, or wherever he wants me to be. It was...." He started, about to admit it was selfish of him to seek help after a punishment but Soran would never understand. "It's not my choice anymore...."
Heavy hooves beat the ground as two large horses made their way through an over grown forest. From the map, it was known as the Grove and wasn't visited all too often. Here, the Fountain of Death resigned and for quite some time, it was known to be a cursed forest. Apparently, death came easy to those who passed through. Unfortunately for them, the Grove was a short cut to the next few towns. They reached it around, well, when dust was suppose to be approaching. They had left early in the morning with a lit lantern and now their fuel was running low. Because the Grove was so overgrown, Terra changed forms, returning to his monster shape to guide the way through.
Ventus looked around, hearing some sounds that he had never heard before. He started to truly miss the sound of birds but they were scarce since the sun went out.
"We might have to camp here for the night, Terra... Terra?" He pulled on Sorrow's reins, glancing back to see that the wolf was no longer at his side. "TERRA!?"
Green eyes glanced around the library, his fingers pulling and stretching at the bandage wrapped around his hand. It was stained with some dried up blood but it wasn't his own. Latium had placed an old sample to make it look like he had an injury... all thanks to Soran's idea. Someone had found him on the balcony and brought him to Riri. Slowly, he looked at the table that held some specimens that Latium was testing and researching as Soran was doing his studies. Roxas was nowhere to be found.
A piece suddenly caught the imp's eyes and he sat up, making the wooden chair shift and make a noise which caused both Shee to glance at him. "What is this?" Axel asked as he pointed to a stone that was radiating some sort of magic. "It has the same design as my master's wings."
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Post by Reno on Dec 12, 2010 20:28:19 GMT -5
Though nothing like a cat's, Terra did not have too much difficulty wandering around in the night, though to be honest he missed the sun especially because winter was drawing near. they would have no hope of lounging in the sun for warmth, and it would be difficult to find their way to the paths without light.
Let alone not accidentally wandering off a cliff or something equally dangerous!
Hopefully with Ven's map and his instincts though, they did not fall too far off course.
His ears twitched though when a noise echoed in the forest, making his steps slow, and he tilted his head back, taking in a deep breath. Instantly he grimaced, smelling crowfood and the heavy but stale scent of blood on the air. Something was rotting in the forest; prey left behind or lost in the darkness?
He took another whiff and then froze. That... That scent. No, it couldn't be. It just couldn't be. But, there was no mistaking it. That was the scent of... his father!!
He didn't even think about it as his feet carried him rapidly off the trial and into the trees, diving under low-hanging branches and hopping over fallen logs as if they were as clear as day, his rush mad but overjoyed as the scent became stronger and stronger. "DAD?!" He yelled as he burst into the clearing.
Both eyes drew to the stone Axel had pointed out, before Latium explained. "It is a piece of Daybreak, the fountain that was destroyed. I brought it back for some study - but Artios and I were unable to draw any certain conclusions about it."
The imp frowned, still puzzled and he clarified, "What you are seeing is the Balance. Roxas' wings are a rarity on this world. Black-and-white winged Shee come possibly only once in every generation and the original creator of the Balance on our world was one as well, named Xan. It is not surprising you see a similarity - it is said when a new black-and-white wing is born, he becomes somewhat of a... 'protector' of the Balance on this world and it is said his energies mix with it."
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 12, 2010 20:48:15 GMT -5
The young Shee jumped off his horse, landing on the ground with a thump and luckily Sorrow was there to catch him as he lost some balance. "TERRA!?" He called again but there was still no response. A gulp pushed down his throat as he looked around in the darkness, now not having nearly as enough light to illuminate a few feet in front of him. "If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny!" He warned but still there was silence. "Terra....?" Fingers rubbed the neck of his nervous horse, keeping her still as they stood there in pure pitch black. Why did they have to be in Death's forest?
When Terra broke into the clearing, he did indeed see a large, Atterian cat laying on the littered floor. As the wolf walked up and spoke to the body, he didn't get a response back. The panther laid there motionlessly, his limps crossed some and one was extended like he had tried to pull himself up but that was as much as he could do. The side of his face was scared and his eye clearing missing. On the flank and side of his body, wounds were dried and crusted over and it looked like scavengers tried to get rid of the body as some bite marks and rips in the cat's fur was obvious.
When Terra leaned closer, he could finally hear it. Deep gasps and inhale through the large black nose. This Atterian was alive.... but barely.
"But... it's the same pattern..." He frowned, fingering the stone. Latium again brushed it off with his reasoning but Soran continued to look at the fragment in the imp's hand. Even as brother's Soran knew Roxas pretty well.... but this imp was around Roxas 24/7. He probably knew every detail, including freckle and birth mark, on the prince's body. He knew not all two wings were the same, just like snowflakes.
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Post by Reno on Dec 12, 2010 21:14:33 GMT -5
Terra's heart jumped into his throat as he beheld the lean cat-like Atterian, his hopes rising so high he felt like his heart might burst as he approached the damaged creature. They crashed just as instantly when he curved around the form and saw that, while close, this was a panther, not a leopard.
But the scent... it was so alike. How was that possible?
He lent down, to get another sniff of his scent, to try and find a clear difference under the scent of blood and scavenger food. But, inside, his eyes were drawn to his ribs, that were slowly expanding and retracting - he was breathing!
"Ah, SHIT!"
The young prince, still waiting nervously on the trial without his guide and praying that nothing back had happened, nearly screamed as the black form burst from the trees. "Ven! You must hurry! He's hurt!" He shook his head impatiently as the other started to ask questions, his teeth latching onto the edge of his shirt and tugging him forward. There was no time!
He managed to coax the other into following him off the well-space trial into the confined space of the forest, leading him back the way he had come... to where the Atterian lay, his form nearly still.
Soran stared at the stone for a long time too, his eyes troubled as well. But it was said the Balance was mixed with the power of Black-and-White wings that had lived among the world since the dawn of the creation. Why was it so particular to Roxas...? What could it mean?
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 12, 2010 21:30:31 GMT -5
"WA-WAAA- WHOA!" Ventus cried as his cloak was pulled and he had no chance to argue anymore. Quickly, he brought the horses close to the area that Terra wanted him to go, tying their reins to a nearby tree. He knew they would get spooked easily in this uncertain wood but they couldn't fit through the brush. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon!" He reinsured the gentle beasts before quickly grabbing some healing potion and was on his way. He panted and yelped as he tried to follow the wolf, getting hit and scratched by various pieces of brush. By the time he reached the area, he though HE was barely living!
"Wow...." The blonde gasp, seeing how large this creature was. It was no doubt an Atterian.
Slowly he walked over, being overly cautious since he couldn't see how immobile this beast was unlike Terra. With a flick of his fingers, a flame was created and he slowly passed it over the cat, seeing the numerous wounds on his body. "I wonder what happened to him..." He ventured but was sure he knew the answer. Atterians didn't get very far if they ran away and being in this wood was obvious. He had tried to escape. "I don't know what I can really do, Terra... His wounds are too deep to heal with just potion." He frowned, slowly glancing at his friend. "I think we have to just... move on at this point."
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Post by Reno on Dec 12, 2010 21:50:32 GMT -5
"You're not even going to fucking try?!" Terra cried, sounding truly offended, betrayed and a little irrational as he growled at the other Shee. Why should he feel surprised about that? Atterians weren't his kin - what did it truly matter to him if one died? "I should of known. He's just an animal to you. If it was a Shee... you would of helped. If this is how it's going to be, you should just get lost." He snarled accusingly, not caring about the way those blue eyes widened in hurt.
"Give me that!" He snarled his teeth snapped so close he almost caught Ven's fingers if the other didn't yank back so swiftly. He found he didn't much care. The wolf stalked over to the panther, his teeth clamping into the potion bottle, hearing it crack under the pressure.
The glimmering, shimmering green liquid fell swiftly from the cracks as the wolf walked around the panther, dripping to get the worst of his wounds.
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 12, 2010 22:37:06 GMT -5
The blonde's eyes widened when he heard the sudden, rash snapping from the wolf, accusing him of...of!
"Terra, no, I---AH!" He pulled back, holding onto his hand for the fact that he almost lost it. He watched as Terra spread the healing potion over the wounds, seeing them pull and started to heal. What the wolf didn't know was that was all the healing potion could do. It could only close wounds so a person wouldn't bleed out and be in so much pain. This panther... he had to have been here for a few days, maybe even a week! He needed more than his wounds to be closed to get better. There was no way to tell Terra this though, not the way he was suddenly....crazed.
Suddenly, the Shee fled, running away only to get gawked at by his so called friend. He pushed through the whipping branches, ignorning how they stung and though he had tears in his eyes, it wasn't from the pain they gave him. He burst back into the trail, spooking the horses some but with the frittering of his expose red wings, they calmed. Fingers quickly undid some buckles, pulled some ropes and blankets from their pouches and suddenly began tying them together to make a hand-made stretcher. He had no idea if it would hold the weight of the large Atterian... but he had to try.
The prince looked back at the horse Terra had been riding, a young mare that was still being trained for racing. She was fast and smart and would be his first experiment for Control magic. He pulled her reins from Sorrow and pulled her to the middle of the path. "You need to guide us to the Fountain of Death. We need Source water to heal his inner wounds and rehydrate him. Please, show us the way." Suddenly, he yanked the poor horse's mane so hard, her scale began to bleed. Finger tips began to glow and he pressed them against her wounds.
"Aer enim volat
et cum omnibus creaturis officia sua exercet,
et firmamentum eum sustinet,
ac aer in viribus istius pascitur."
Ventus chanted the spell, allowing his magic to flow into the horse through her blood before pulling away and slapped her rear. The horse cried and he could see her eyes lighten, becoming eerie as they glowed before she shot off down the trail. Magic glowing imprints of her hooves led the way she traveled. With haste, the Shee prince grabbed his stretcher and rushed back to the spot where Terra was still encircling the panther. "Come on! Help me put him on this!" Ventus was quick to order, laying down the blankets and rope. "We need to get him to Sorrow so she can pull him to the Fountain."
Together, the two pulled and tugged the dead weight onto the blanket and began to pull the body through the forest.
"Fountain? What fountain!?"
"The Fountain of Death!"
"WHAT!? ARE YOU---"
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Ventus screamed, his voice cracking as tears ran down his cheek. "The guardian of Death was a man named Zedkiel. He was a blind judge and his judgment was the fairest ever known. Death took him as a guardian because Death isn't always such a bad thing. Death wanted to give those who deserved a second change the right and with Zedkiel's help, Death can bring a man back with a second breath. This Atterian will have the same rights as any living creature. You have to trust me on this, Terra!"
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Post by Reno on Dec 12, 2010 23:05:07 GMT -5
"......Alright Ven...." Was the only answer he was given before the beast beside him went silent, helping the other drag the panther out of the forest. And after the other Atterian had been secured to Sorrow, they were on their way.
Terra was still panting as they finished their sprint to the fountain watching silently as the Shee jumped from his horse and pulled the dying Atterian over to the fountain. It was, like many of the others, unique in it's creation. The water itself seemed black, knowing in such a dark area that even during the day, shadows forever engulfed this fountain. It felt ominous and made the hairs on shoulders bristle, seeing Ven speak to the fountain in a tongue he did not understand.
And then slowly he backed away, gripping the other young mare and pulled it over, unable to look at him as he said,
"All we can do is wait."
Terra sat there, so still he could hardly breathe, as his eyes focused on the panther the rest of the sounds drowned out around him except for that rasping breath. Each breath that, to his dismay, was getting slower and slower... until a soft harried neigh came from his horse as the spell broke before quietening when Ven soothed her.
His ear tips shook as he lifted them as high as he could, leaning forward some in the following silence, just thinking he had lost the sound as one might lose a scent trial. But no other noise could be heard. The Atterian had stopped breathing.
"No... How can that be it?"
"Terra..." Ven was saying, but as he looked over his voice faltered, seeing the wolf as he never had before. The creature's ears were against his head as his body slumped towards the ground, his normally impressive size seeming so small as even his fur seemed to droop in his sorrow.
"He... He smelt like my dad... just like him. I couldn't save him and now..." The wolf said chokingly, his head so low his nose was brushing the dirt. "What use am I, really? All I do is watch everyone around me die... A hopeless failure... every time."
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 13, 2010 20:55:51 GMT -5
You never listen to me.... do you?
Ventus looked away, drowning in his own thoughts before looking up at the fountain, whose waters looked like spirits as it flowed from the top down to the pool. He was sure he said the right words, though his Old Nornian wasn't the best. Hopefully, the Guardian would understand his call for help.
"THEY DIE!?" The boys echoed while they were learning tales of the Fountains.
"Well, they don't call it the Fountain of Death for nothing." The teacher smiled, glancing over his large book at them.
"They come back, right?" Soran asked, his eyes already glossing over with worry.
"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The guardian will judge the life he is saving. He has to pour his own magic into the the dying body. However, there are many good people in Norn and though this method is for last chance's, not many had to call for Death's magic."
"Latium..." A voice came from behind and the four looked back at the door that lead out to the hallway. "Are you trying to scare my boys before their bedtime?"
Suddenly, Ventus's eyes widened as he noticed the shadows twist and turned around the spout before flowing down with the water and passed the barrier. They floated over the Atterian and vanished, being pushed through the beast's large black nose and as they did, the panther inhaled deeply. "Ah!" Ventus stepped back when he heard a low growl and gargled coughs but with a flicker of the long, black tail, he knew the Atterian had been spared. The guardian thought his life was worth saving...
The prince was frozen even when Terra lunged forward, pushing his snout into the black fur, barking happily.Eventually, his legs moved backwards, bringing him away from the fountain to stand by Sorrow. Dark blue eyes lowered to the ground before setting on it, and to his surprise, Sorrow laid down by his side. He rubbed her side gently and cuddled up to her warm, now completely blocked from the sight of the two beast... but that was fine with him.
As the wolf continued to circle around the weak cat, he paused when a golden eye slowly opened, now certain that it wasn't his father but the smell was still so familiar. "Who...."
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Post by Reno on Dec 13, 2010 21:15:58 GMT -5
Terra was so busy wallowing in misery, the pain so strangely acute as he remembered the loss of his father, he almost missed the intake of air the other panther took. It was... unbelievable. It was... the word escaped him but he didn't worry of it as, instead rushing to the other's creature's side, his joy abundant.
"My name is Terra." Came the response, the wolf nuzzling his slightly, partially so the other could catch a could whiff of his scent and know he was no threat, "We found you in the forest on the brink of death. You're very lucky that Ven got you here in time."
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 13, 2010 21:37:13 GMT -5
"You're very lucky that Ven got you here in time."
"Tch..." The Shee scoffed as he heard the voice in his head, only hiding himself more under his blanket and wishing he could fuse with Sorrow.
".....name.....Terra." Shadows danced before him, only seeing blurs of blacks and blue. "We found..... forest ....of death. You're .....lucky that ......got you here ...... time."
He growled, the voice making his head ache but when a cold muzzle rubbed against his, he's nagging disappeared. That smell. It reminded him so much of... of... Hatori. The golden eye shut for a moment and there was silence, only the sound of happy panting warming his face. The eye opened again and focused on the beast in front of him, getting a better look at his shape. The Tellus family had always been a line of felines, but this was clearly a canine. And were those.... blue eyes staring at him.
"Terra?" A raspy voice filled the young Atterian's head. "You... You know Hatori.....by chance, kiddo?"
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Post by Reno on Dec 13, 2010 21:51:55 GMT -5
"You know Hatori.....by chance, kiddo?"
Now he remembered. That word. He read it in one of his books and it was so confusing - and it's definition he read in his dictionary didn't make it any clearer. He had to resort to asking Ven to clarify it.
"You've never heard that word before?" The blonde asked curiously and in a way, almost sadly, as Terra shook his head. A thoughtful look passed his face, and the wolf knew he was figuring something out about him. He had started to learn that many things he did not know acted on some level that 'enlightened' Ven about him and his people.
"So...?"
"Oh!" The blonde smiled a bit. "Well it means basically that something had occurred that one could fathom possible. Like... Like um... Like a Shee living even after his wings are torn out. Or... ummmmm...."
"Or... an Atterian and a Shee becoming friends?"
"........Yeah. Like that. That's what a miracle is."
Terra's ears twitched before he chuckled softly. "Know him? Yes. Intimately... he was my father."
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Post by Rikugurl on Dec 13, 2010 22:10:32 GMT -5
Two words stuck out to the panther.
One being 'father', which made him actually chuckle. So, it seemed like those two legged were able to get his brother to mate. What else did they make his brother do against his own will? Did he have other nieces or nephews?
The other word that brought him grief was the word 'was'. That meant that his kid brother was dead. If he had stayed at that breedery, could he had prevented his brother's death or was it something that couldn't be avoided?
And what of his brother's mate?
Mate?
WAIT!?
His eye widened, probably giving Terra some more hope but he was only thrown into panic as the panther tried to get up on his four legs. "AQUA!?" The monster called, wincing from the pain of his weakened muscles. Terra did his best to help the large cat relax but it seemed useless for a moment. "AQUAAAAAAA!!!" The ground nearly shook when the cat fell back to the ground and a growl pushed through his throat, his furry black ears slowly pulling back in shame.
When the dust settled, the wolf came close again, almost putting his nose against the panther's for comfort. When the obvious question was asked, the golden eye rolled away as memories came back to the older Atterian. "My mate... we were headed to... Makatzu when... when.... those Shee devils attacked. I told her to run and I managed to take some down but.... there were too many... and I fell. I'm an old man, Terra..." His voice became hoarse as sadness covered his words like darkness blanketing the earth at nightfall. "I couldn't save her... I don't know what happened to her... but I need to find her. She's my everything... and she's holding our child."
His eye rolled back to look at the wolf, his nephew and most likely the only other Terrus left besides himself. "Name's Xigbar.... I.... was Hatori's elder brother."
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Post by Reno on Dec 13, 2010 22:31:01 GMT -5
Blue eyes blinked at him in shock. That was how he knew his father...?! He was his!!
"I had two brothers." Hatori said with a yawn in his voice as he settled beside his young son, the boy comfortably nestled against his side. "I never met my first brother - Eraqus. He didn't make it past the Assimilation. But my second brother, Xigbar... ah, now he was an Atterian."
"You're my... uncle... Father was worried about you. He said he didn't know what happened. That just one day you were gone." The wolf said softly, but he seemed to purr with contentment. It was too bad his father wasn't here...
Then something hit him hard with realization. Aqua... his uncles mate... she was... AH!
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