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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 1:00 pm
Lyka shook her head warningly at Delila. Although other cougars were talking loudly and rudely, she wished to show Eris the same respect that she would have shown any kitten in the tribe. The Teen Ceremony was an important thing, not to be ruined by misconduct lest the spirits be insulted. Some spirits even required that nobody at all be present at the ceremony. Of course, Delila couldn't have known this, as she hadn't had a mother to explain it to her, but Lyka hoped she would get the hint. Nobody had spoken at Jei's ceremony. Nobody should speak at Eris's.
She twitched an ear when the sudden wind shift ruffled her fur and inwardly cringed at the scent of blood and the noise. It was an unusual ceremony to say the least. What on earth was Eris doing in there? Surely she wouldn't be hurting herself.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 1:20 pm
Delila raised an eyebrow curiously, taking the hint and remaining silent. She'd never been to another Cougar's Ceremony to be honest and the only one she had witnessed thus far had been her own. She had no idea that she was supposed to remain completely silent, but she noted the fact immediately. Too bad no one else seemed to be following that rule. She stiffled a soft growl, settling for glaring at the noisy, disrespectful Cougars with fire in her eyes.
The wind shifted, carrying with it the increasingly familiar scent of the Gust Cliffs. Delila frowned, turning her attention away from the other Cougars and towards the tent, her senses practically yelling at her in alarm at the combination of crashes and strong scents flowing from within. What the...?
The reappearance of Eris was nothing short of shocking. Delila's eyes widened in surprise, taking all this in. Was this a typical Ceremony? She'd certainly never heard of anything quite like this in her life. Her own Ceremony, while seeming strange to Delila herself, hadn't been quite this...dramatic. At least she didn't think so. She glanced at some of the other Cougar's faces, Lyka included, as she tried to judge from their expressions whether or not this was normal.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 1:34 pm
Jei gawked. Her sister was bleeding! She hadn't moved all that much - stepped a decent amount away from the tent, but she hadn't gone to her mother. The teen took a deep breath, tilting her head to the side and eyeing her sister. Something was off. Something really, really important was.. off. Jei was scared, for one of the few times in her life. Terrified, even.
"Eris.." she hissed, utterly ignoring what she was told and inching towards the cougar she'd sworn to herself to protect. Jei was too close, at this point.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 1:46 pm
The others finally became silent as the bloodied kitten approached the fire. Something was in her eyes that unnerved them all. Theta sighed and stepped forwad to begin as Eris stood before the fire. In her hand she held a neckalce.
"With this, Eris begins her journey down the path the spirits have choosen for her. Take this Eris, and let the spirits guide you."
She handed the necklace to the kitten and stepped back.
Eris merely looked at the necklace. A chain! They were trying to chain her again! NO! She wouldn't let it happen! In a fit of rage she tore the chain to pieces and growled at Theta. The chain links fell to her feet, making tinkling sound as the wind began to pick up even stronger.
"I will NOT have my future decided for me! I will choose my path and I will walk it! The spirits are only in my way!"
She growled deeply, baring her fangs as she looked up into the moonlit sky.
"Spirit you told me you'd be here to help me! Help now! Break my chain!"
The wind suddenly began to lash out at every cougar present save Eris. Mothers grabbed onto their kittens to keep them from being blow away. Others croched low to the ground to keep from falling over. Some whre caught unaware and blown backwards into caves or against stone walls. Theta herself formed a barrier behind her and Vixa to keep them from being blown over.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:12 pm
Delila's instincts kicked in quickly, though not quickly enough to keep her from being lashed about by the winds. She managed to keep her feet at least, quickly sinking her claws into the trunk of a gnarled tree as she struggled to brace herself against the powerful winds.
She snarled, still holding on as she fought the urge to call out to Eris. Whether in warning or concern, she didn't know, but she wanted to shout something. Unfortunately, she was torn by the unspoken warning from Lyka that she should stay silent.
This couldn't be a normal Ceremony by any measure. Had there ever been a Ceremony that just...went wrong? Perhaps the spirits rebelled or something like that? And Eris herself...had she lost her mind? She had actually growled AT Chieftess Theta and openly rebelled against her by destroying the necklace. Something was seriously wrong here and it was reaching straight into Delila's core, making her stomach twist in nervous apprehension.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:25 pm
The wind was swirling like mad. No one could get close to Eris, not even Jei. She kept her eyes on the sky and knew it was time to sing one of her last songs as a kitten.
((This is Bring Me to Life, by Evanesence))
"How can you see into my eyes like open doors Leading you down into my core Where I've become so numb Without a soul My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold Until you find it there and lead it back home"
Suddenly it was as if the wind began to create imagines of Gust Cliffs around the entire area. Spirits of dead of cougars, from adults to kittens appeared sitting on each cliff. Their eyes were completely white and the accompanied Eris in song.
(Wake me up) "Wake me up inside" (I can't wake up) Wake me up inside (Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up) Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up) Before I come undone (Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become."
Eris was lifted into the air and placed on one of the spiritual cliffs. Across from her, another cliff formed. And there stood the red cloaked spirit from the Cliffs. Eris sang only to her.
"Now that I know what I'm without You can't just leave me Breathe into me and make me real Bring me to life"
(Wake me up) "Wake me up inside" (I can't wake up) Wake me up inside (Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up) Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up) Before I come undone (Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become."
Spirits: Bring me to life I've been living a lie There's nothing inside Bring me to life
The Spirit walked across the empty chasm to Eris and stood behind her. A silver chain ran down from the dark sky and attacked to Eris's neck like a collar. The Spirit placed her hands on the kitten's shoulders as she continued to sing.
"Frozen inside without your touch Without your love, darling Only you are the life among the dead"
The Spirit: All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me
Eris: I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems Got to open my eyes to everything
The Spirit: Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
Eris: Don't let me die here There must be something more Bring me to life
The Spirit held her hand out and in it was a stone. No one could see what it was, but it was a eye. She reached around and placed it on Eris's forehead where it began to glow. Then she stepped away as Eris continued her song.
(Wake me up) "Wake me up inside" (I can't wake up) Wake me up inside (Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up) Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up) Before I come undone (Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become.
Eris began to grow, her limbs extending. Her hair got a bit longer and the stone began to sink in. Soon her hair covered it.
Bring me to life I've been living a lie There's nothing inside Bring me to life"
As the last note died from her lips, the chain and collar attacked to her neck shattered in a mighty blast. The wind seemed to ripple with the effects of the blast. Suddenly the wind died and Eris feel to the ground with a thud. She looked out cold. All was quite. Deadly quiet.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:31 pm
Jei had managed to anchor herself onto the ground, but when Eris started singing and that spirit appeared.. She almost let go of the ground. Everything seemed to be a blur - her sister, her beloved sister had been singing, gotten something from some horrible spirit, then..
She was falling. Falling and falling and helpless. Jei couldn't help it, she launched herself towards her seemingly.. seemingly.. "ERIS!" the teen was louder then she had ever been, sprawled almost completely over her sister and shaking the other's body frantically.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:45 pm
The mass of white hair and blood from Eris's wounded hands and feet just laid there for a moment as Jei shook her. Then...something....happened inside Eris. Her entire body tensed as if seizuring then her eyes flew open. As red eyes met her sister's face, all she could think of was......kill it! Make it stop! STOP IT!!!!! AHH..
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Her mental scream carried into her own voice as Eris suddenly attacked Jei vicisously. Claws, teeth, anything. She was ready to tear her sister apart.
Theta had watched as Jei had gone to Eris but her eyes went wide as the once loyal sister began to maul her elder.
"LYKA! RITA!! Grab Eris!! RUTH! VIXA! Grab Jei! NOW!"
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:05 pm
This was...too much. Far too much to take in at once. Delila stared wide-eyed as the spiritual gave way to something that seemed even more dream-like. Her ears still ringing from the earlier blast as the mystical chain burst, she watched in horror as Eris turned on her beloved sister. She really had lost her mind.
Delila's thoughts flashed back for a moment to their time on the Gust Cliffs with the cloaked Cougar. Hadn't it said that she and Lyka would be witnesses when Eris broke her last chain? So, was this it then? And what did it mean that she had broken her last chain? Had she in fact severed her grip on reality itself. She shuddered at the thought. For so long, she'd gotten to know quiet, submissive Eris and here... Delila looked up again as the new Teen focused her aggressions on her sister, Jei. She was like a different Cougar altogether...and it scared Delila to the core.
She watched, feeling helpless even as Theta ordered the adults to pull the two apart. She wanted to help as well, desperate to stop this insanity. Who knew if it was too late already to prevent permanent damage to the two...and she didn't mean physical damage. Inching closer, she waited for an opportunity to help if she was needed. Chieftess Theta hadn't asked for her help, but she couldn't help but feel like she needed to do something. She'd grown close to Eris over time and her heart ached to see this happening to her and to Jei.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:12 pm
Jei was horribly, horribly quiet. Not a single sound escaped her (now torn) lips. A gash across her forehead, narrowly missing her eyes (she was vaguely reminded of the white healer). A gruesome tear along her neck - she twisted herself slightly as blood made her dark neck shine. Then the worst, the horrible scratch along her chest.
She sort of wondered why it didn't hurt so much.
A rip at her shoulder, a vicious mark on her collarbone, soon the teen was a bloody mess (torn skin and aching wounds), refusing to let go of her sister. She would die if she kept this up, but Eris needed help. She needed help and Jei would protect her, she had to help, she had to..
Some sick sense of pride flew through her. So Eris could fight. Despite the situation, Jei gave a twisted half-smile.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 4:31 pm
Rita leapt forward immediately at Theta's command, not waiting for Lyka. She tried to push Jei aside, ignoring the elder teen for the moment as she focused on the berserk spotted teen. They had to separate the two as quickly as possible, before Eris could manage to do permanent damage to her promising sister.
She needed only a moment to study Eris before her hands darted forward, grabbing the teen's wrists. Rita planned to use her superior strength, weight, and fighting skills to subdue the raging Eris, but she found that more difficult than she might have imagined. Eris' strength and fury was impressive and Rita found herself struggling not to end up mauled as well.
"Someone hurry and get Jei out of here! It's the only way to stop her!" she snapped suddenly, realizing they had a serious situation here. Eris was behaving like some of the more wild warriors; a fact that was alarming in itself. She didn't flinch as a stray swipe left a long gash in her forearm, but focused instead on getting a good hold on Eris and wrestling her away from Jei. Pure insanity had disrupted the Ceremony and Rita was hesitant to consider the reprocussions of all that had happened here just yet.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:07 pm
Lyka was knocked backwards by the wind. Quickly, she plunged her hands deep into the ground, anchoring herself in place, her ears laid back and a feirce snarl in her throat. She was not supposed to interfere with a ceremony, but something was wrong here, very wrong, and stones beneath her hummed with fear. She crouched flatter still, as the Gust Cliffs began to materialize around them and she could again feel the pulsating waves of power, like some giant heart beat that shook reality itself, a frantic tempo to Eris's haunting voice. Would she fall again, like on the Gust Cliffs? The wind was so strong that Lyka's eyes watered and she barely caught the exchange between spirit and kitten. Then, the chain shattered and the shock wave that followed resounded in the mountain's echoing rumble.
Lyka's fur bristled at the sight before her, not sure if she should get involved. Why wasn't Jei fighting back? The Cheiftess's voice snapped her out of her reveire and she dutifully rushed forwards at Theta's orders, shoving one of her gauntlets between Eris's teeth as Rita took hold of her wrists. She wouldn't balk at using her own teeth either, repeatedly lunging for the spotted teen's throat in an attempt to cut off her breath until she fainted, and using her other hand to help Rita secure one of her arms while twining one leg with Eris's both to entrap it and in hopes that she would topple and the two adults would be able to use their greater weight. Her side and shoulder were being mauled pretty badly and blood was streaming from a cut on her cheek, but she tayed firm to her orders. Eris had to be subdued, and it looked as if the only way that would happen was if they knocked her out.
"Rita. Twist her arm back and kick her in the gut a few times."
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:46 am
The kicks weren't needed. Eris was already short on breath from constant screaming. A good bite to her throat and she passed out from lack of oxygen. But they had to restrain her before she woke up or she'd tear into the next thing she saw. A strand of white hair fell to the side to partially reveal a spiritul third eye had been given to the teen. But the rest of it was hidden by her hair.
Theta rushed over to Rita and Lyka, pushing ropes into the free one's paws.
"Take this, tie her up inside our deeper cave, where we put the wild ones. But don't tie her hands to her side, she'll just escape."
Theta explained were to find a rock formation that would allow them to tie Eris up with her hands and feet spread out from her body, like in an X formation.
"Let her be able to at least kneel on the floor or we'll dislocate her arms. But just make sure she can't reach her restraints. I have to help Vixa with Jei, come and get Kimae to heal your wounds once you are finished."
With that the Chieftess left and took Ruth aside to talk to her. The mother was terrified for the life of her daughter and demanding Eris's blood for her attack. But Theta had to know what happened to Eris before she'd allow any more bloodshed.
Vixa snapped Ruth's attention to helping her carried the severely injured Jei to the healing area. She started barking orders to Kimae to get the salves and bandages. Rarely did Vixa have to actually use her healing powers but this time she had no chocie or Jei would bleed to death. She rubbed her hands together, calling on her spirit guide to help her, then placed her hands palm down on the teen. A glow spread over Jei's body and her deepest wounds were healed enough to stop the massive blood flow. Now it was up to the bandages and medicines.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 3:21 pm
Lyka released her hold the moment she felt Eris go limp. Despite the situation, she felt a small surge of accompllishment as she licked her teeth and Eris started to breath again. Just enough pressure, and not a single drop of blood. She caught Eris's shoulders in one arm and took the rope with one hand, adding a silent but dutiful nod in acknowledgement of her Cheiftess's orders. She tried to heft Eris over her shoulder, but the teen had grown too heavy for Lyka's light climber's build.
"Rita, would you?"
She gestured towards Eris's unconcious form craddled in her arm. Lyka gathered the remaining ropes and walked deep into the caves, following the enraged calls of the Wild Ones. She worked quickly, binding Eris's wrists tightly, but not too tightly. Despite what she had seen, Lyka still felt her heart twinge for her. It seemed cruel to chain her down after all that she had been through spiritually to free herself, but orders were orders. She was to make sure that Eris could not escape. As a last precationary measure, she place her palm over Eris's bound wrist and began to push.
Accept this. Open and accept this. Hold it and keep it prisoner here.
Slowly, Eris's wrist began to sink into the stone until it was fully entrapped. Theta could undo such a thing easily, as she held command over all the earth, but there was no way that Eris could free herself, especially not in her weakened state. The blue-grey cougar repeated the procedure with the other wrist. She growled curtly, part to Rita, part to Eris, and part just to herself.
"It is done."
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 3:41 pm
Rita finished binding Eris' ankles at the same time, rising and stepping back to survey their work. She nodded once, eyes drawn at once to Eris' trapped wrist. "Yes, she won't be escaping from that." She had heard of Lyka's connection with the mountain, but she had never seen this unique ability firsthand. "I didn't know you could do that with other Cougars," she commented idlly.
Delila watched in horror as Eris was subdued and Jei taken away for healing. Her eyes followed Lyka and Rita as they carried off the unconscious spotted teen, before turning away. There was nothing more she could do to help Eris now. But there was Jei.
She followed after the second group, not sure what she could do but desperate to help in some way. Vixa had already stopped the worst of Jei's bleeding with her powers when Delila arrived, looking around and feeling awkward. She'd never done more than washing minor cuts and such for herself as a kitten, so most of this healing business was a mystery to her. Finally, she took a deep breath, feeling intimidated with not only Vixa, but Theta nearby.
"I'm no healer, obviously, but if you need an extra pair of hands, I offer mine."
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