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 Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:04 pm
"Shush you!" The man shoved the wildly barking dog away from the creature buried in a sea of blankets. The dog refused to be silent so it was pushed unceremoniously out the door and left to bark into the night. Panicking the man returned to the blankets. "Don't fret little one. I don't intend to hurt you." He crouched down and pushed some of the blankets aside. There was nothing in the pile but the warmth left behind by Renè. While the other creatures were occupied, Renè had darted away into the shadows of the hearth. Her eyes darted around the room. Where was this place? Who are these creatures? So loud. So big. The man searched the blankets frantically. His kage had disappeared. He had paid that mage a great deal to bring her back. She was different, but she was still his little girl inside. Probably. The mage hadn't asked much about her. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps he should have trusted the mage. He sighed and began to search the room. Finally, he decided to let the dog back in. Perhaps with his help the kage would be found. As the door was opened, Renè saw her chance. She darted out just as the larger creature was shutting it. Once out she ran as fast as she could to the shadow beside the small house. It was chilly and she shivered a bit. She stayed close to the wall as she peered out. The streets were dark, a few soldiers were patrolling. They were headed toward the house, probably alerted by the furry creature's noise. She backed away and darted further down the street. She jumped onto some stacked crates and then onto the city wall. From here she could see two worlds side by side.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:49 pm
Although the furthest walls of the Kingdom were barely guarded, with the bulk of city militia much deeper inside, it was still a highly dangerous place for unnatural creatures such as Lirazra. She walked along the outside wall, noting the stark emptiness that lay outside those weather-worn granite slabs. It was an odd location for her, but she had seen something in her dreams that had brought her out there, just know that it was her god reaching out to her. Where is the door? she thought, quizzically, finding the doorless wall to be unsettling. Then she saw it. A tiny little thing-- was it a housecat? No, no, the spikes... "Hey, you up there!" the yellow female whispered. "What are you doing? Don't you know how danger--" Suddenly, the loud thunk of an iron door being unbarred rattled their ears. "Hurry! Come!" she cried, ready to run for her life the moment the door opened. How did she get in there? she thought, her heart pounding. She had no idea where they would go or if this little baby would even heed her words, but a maternal instinct gripped at her heart.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:03 pm
Shivering alone and fearful in the dark, Renè had little desire to survey her surroundings. Her eyes were focused largely on the dark alleyway she had run through, waiting for more of the creatures to find her. Her initial instinct was to jump off the wall and continue running, but the other side didn't look much more inviting. Who knew how dangerous it could be out there? At least here she had some vague idea of what she was dealing with. It wasn't long before she heard a voice, clearly addressing her. It wasn't like the creatures she had just escaped. It wasn't as loud, nor half as frightening.
She reluctantly looked away from the alley to see the large yellow kage. The noise startled her and she curled up instinctively. Renè heard the invitation and paused only briefly before jumping down from the wall and approaching the newcomer with slight caution.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:26 pm
Emre? Emre? Emre?
It was the single though going through Tera's mind. She had wandered away from the camp, even though Emre had warned her not to go far. But now she had gotten lost. Or rather, she had been lost for a while now, and hadn't found her way back to her people. She was scared, and her favorite human's name kept running through her head. She was worried that if she was gone too long, they would leave her. Or worse! Another scary thing would attack, and she wouldn't save them. Her thoughts were becoming more desperate.
Emre. Emre! EMRE!
Find humans. Humans find Emre. Not bad humans. Good. Find humans. Wall? Wall talked to... no not wall. Voice. Soft voice. Emre? No, not Emre. Who?
Tera carefully walked closer towards the walls of the Red Kingdom. She knew it was a dangerous place. But she was desperate. Help. There was a beast like the one that tried to hurt her humans. Bad. Bad! What was that? The sound of metal. Bad sound. BAD! This was very bad! She couldn't help the reflex of a small swirl of smoke flowing from her lips. No, fire stay down. Fire makes you seen.
The creature! What was it doing? Telling humans things? Bad creature. Tiny? Oh, a tiny thing. Tiny thing jumped from the wall?!
Tera paused and stared.
This is bad! RUN!
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:54 pm
All at once, the heavy iron door that had blended in so well with the dark stone wall burst open, three guards pouring out with shields and a torch raised. They shouted amongst themselves as one pointed at the tiny Kage, while the rest unsheathed their swords as they spotted Lirazra. "Monsters!" one of them shouted. When they caught sight of the third Kage, they shouted out even louder. "Guards! Monsters at the west wall! Send more men!"
Lira instinctively leapt in front of the young Kage, wanting so badly to make sure she was unharmed but knowing it was not the proper time. It was too late. Those stubby baby legs would never outrun grown men, even if they wore boiled leather or heavy cheap mail. She turned, took a mouthful of soft baby neck fur in her mouth, and bounded far from the wall carrying Renè off.
That was when she realized another Kage had come sniffing around the border of the Red Kingdom-- she looked like no Kage Lira had ever seen, and for a second she nearly thought it was some weapon the humans would use against her... until she saw the tiny-winged Kage running away just as she was. There was no time to get acquainted with her now, though. It was dark plains in front of them now, spotted with tents of beggars, wispy trees, and the occasional snake-like river cutting through the grasslands. If they couldn't outrun those men... she didn't even want to imagine what they would do. Make an example out of them, perhaps. Lira had seen firsthand how most civilized humans treat Kage like her.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:04 pm
Renè flailed for a moment as the yellow kage picked her up. After a moment she went limp. The other clearly wasn't intending on making a meal out of her. At least not yet, and it was carrying her away from the noisy creatures she had just escaped. It didn't matter much anyway. She knew she was outmatched. This creature was far larger and stronger than she was. Somehow, this felt right and safe.
As she was carried she caught site of another creature fleeing from the giant stone walls. The colors kept her attention as they scurried away. Renè barely remembered what they were running from until she heard more shouting. The metal clad creatures were so noisy. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea why they were chasing her. She hadn't done anything. From the moment she woke up she had been surrounded by loud, threatening creatures.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:10 pm
Scary! Bad! Mean!
These were bad humans, humans wanted to hurt her. Not nice at all! Ah, monster running? Like her then. Help, not hurt, right?
Digging the claws on her right front leg into the dirt, Tera spun around, calling up the fire breath that she had been trying to keep down before aiming at the guards and letting the blaze go. She had to work on her aim, but a flaming wall of grass and tree spindles should be ok, right?
Distract. It was a hopeful thought. Distract bad human, get away. She didn't stay still long enough to see if the fire stopped the people. She turned to chase after the fleeing yellow monster and the tiny one in her maw.
Don't stop. Safe. Where? Where? Close, please...
She didn't know where they were going.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:33 pm
The rippling wave of fire caught the guards completely by surprise, lighting up the night sky and nearly detonating some nearby foliage. The humans instantly stopped their chase, one of them catching on fire and rolling over while the other two attempted to stamp it out. Their cries and furious shouts faded away as they galloped on, Lira's heart still pounding in terror despite Tera's effective distraction. Did that thing... breathe fire? She may be on our side, but... is she a devil? She shuddered, hoping she could outrun the humans and the winged Kage.
Soon enough, Lira came across an abandoned old carriage that had been overturned and broken into. It still had soft fabric inside and moth-eaten curtains draped across the opening. Perfect. With the rush of adrenaline quickly subsiding, Lira felt completely exhausted. She crawled into the wooden structure and finally let the baby free from her grasp, panting deeply, her chest heaving. "Thank you, God, for leading me to this little angel..." she murmured, bowing her head in prayer. "As you are my savior, I am hers."
Her eyes opened once more, and she frowned. "My sweetling, how did you get inside the city walls?" She realized the baby was extremely young, but did that mean she was born inside the city walls? That sounded ludicrous, even though the evidence sat right in front of her. She couldn't believe it. "You are truly a miracle, little one..." she sighed, resting her weary bones as she awaited the inevitable approach of the devil Kage. "God help me."
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:49 pm
Renè stared as the orange light and fierce heat exploded behind them. Whatever that colorful creature had done it had stopped the metal ones. As they yelled in fear and pain Renè cringed. She was happy to have them distracted, but it seemed they would be loud regardless of the situation. Luckily the large kage carrying her wasn't stopping. Hopefully they would get far enough away to get some peace.
Renè was tired. Her night had been filled with adventure, more than many babies would put up with. She was grateful to the one that had carried her off. Thinking about it she doubted she would have survived the night if not for this one's unsolicited kindness. After being set down, Renè stretched and yawned. She rubbed against the other's leg and curled up against her warmth.
Too much excitement.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:05 pm
Far ahead. Yellow one small like a star. Chasing the star into the night, never catching, like always.
Tera was glad to have left the bad humans far behind. The fire had done the trick, and those bad men had stopped. So all she had to do was follow the yellow monster, bright against the night like a star. Yes, a star leading her where it was safe.
She had no idea that the other thought ill of her, though she herself only saw the yellow one as a monster, like those wild things that would hurt her humans. But at the moment, she offered a safe escape, and maybe protection. When Lira vanished into the cart, Tera hesitated outside. She didn't want to be in such a closed up space. Not with a monster. But if she were in the open, she'd be seen.
No choice. Inside. Coming. Be gentle.
Tera slipped inside and moved quickly to the far wall before sitting down and staring at the yellow monster and the tiny one expectantly. She didn't know what they would do, but she would be ready!
Watching. Careful. Calm. No harm. Unhurt?
There was still the flash of concern for them. Bad humans had chased them to. Be nice maybe.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:22 pm
It seemed she had been right. The baby was far too young, and Lira's words went right over her head. But what could she do? She held so many mysteries, but all she did was snuggle up to Lira's leg, tired from the exertion. At least she seemed to forgive Lirazra for snatching her up in her teeth to flee, although she had been as gentle as possible. A warm smile rose to Lira's lips, suppressed feelings of motherdom burning at her heart like the fire Tera had let loose upon the city guards. Unfortunately, she took a vow of chastity an entire lifetime ago. And as far as she knew, that included making children even in her new body. Gently, she wrapped her tail around the tiny thing's shoulders and pulled it closer.
And then the devil entered their wooden retreat. Lira could get a good look at her now, noting how her wings didn't appear bat-like and she was green and blue... not red or black at all! Was she a devil in disguise? Regardless, she withdrew against the wooden wall of the carriage. "You're... you're not going to burn us up, are you?" she asked meekly, knowing that asking a devil to leave would just be asking for trouble. At the very least, she did not trust Tera, but she could appreciate that she wasn't hostile and had helped them escape.
"Where are you from?" Perhaps if she had a decent story, Lira could believe she was just another Kage, albeit completely bizarre.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 8:58 am
Burn? Burn. No, not burn. Never burn. Nice. Never not nice.
Tera's coal-black eyes focused on the elder female's yellow eyes. She seemed mad. Mad? No not mad. Scared? Maybe. Why? Bad men chased them that's why. Tera's tail curled around her own legs as she stared at the other female and the baby. From. From.
Tera... from camp. Woods. Yes. Wandered, lost now. Alone. Lost Emre. Emre... Emre... Want to go home.
The name seemed to be the clearest thought as she tried to explain where she was from. She didn't know how far she had traveled though. She looked down again, shuffling her paws. She didn't like being alone. Alone was like before. When it was just her and the shadows, and that was scary. She didn't want to be alone with the shadows again. She wanted to find her people again.
You. Who? Where?
She wanted to know the same. Where was the yellow monster from? Who was she?
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:39 pm
Renè was able to sleep for a little while, but there was too much going on to really go the rest of the night. She woke feeling a bit better. She had calmed down considerably while being carried and the short nap had helped that along. She only just peeked out from behind her savior's tail.
The other creature was there now as well. Now that everything had calmed down Renè was able to get a better look at both of the large creatures. They were speaking to each other, but Renè didn't really understand any of it. She didn't understand anything that happened today. It seemed like the whole world was just out to hurt her, except these two. These two were quiet and gentle, a delightful change from the two creatures in the house and the metal ones that had chased them.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:23 pm
Tera's thought process made her speech very broken, but Lira could understand it well enough. She had always assumed devils were tricky, clever, cunning... this creature was disjointed and scared just like she was, albeit she had quite a powerful ability at her disposal. Lira noticed it smelled like charcoal and cinders when the blue and green Kage breathed, but she soon decided that she was just another Kage. That was it. No devils.
Sighing in relief, Lira shook her head. Her own story and details weren't important. "I am just a vassal for my God... and he sent me here," she mused, looking down upon Renè happily. "Though I have no idea how she ended up within the kingdom walls. Am I supposed to figure it out? Is there more to it than this, or... or did he send me a little angel to care for?" Her heart began to swell, though deep down she knew there was a chance this baby had a mother somewhere. There was no way to tell, though the lack of crying for its mother had gotten her hopes sky-high.
Her ears perked forward, swearing she could hear voices in the distance. If they hadn't given up the chase, Lira knew their peaceful respite wouldn't last much longer. She was at least half a night's trek from her own home at this point, and she was afraid to bring the baby so far so fast. It all boiled down to the baby's safety-- nothing else mattered at all anymore. Gently, she pet the little creature with the tip of her tail.
"So you're lost?" she finally said, giving Tera the attention she deserved. "We should find your camp. I'm sure my god will light the way for both of us." She always enjoyed meeting groups of Kage-friendly humans and other Kage, giving her a chance to share her religion and happiness with others.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:52 pm
God?
She heard that word before. Some of her humans spoke of such a person. Wouldn't they be pleased to know she had met a friend of his? This idea pleased her and she offered Lira a vague nod as if she understood.
Lost. Very lost. Days lost. Camp... forest. Travel, trade. Move food. Things.
How to convey the people she adored were traders, and they moved around a lot. She had last seen them in the forest days ago, but they were going north. That was why she couldn't find them. They must have moved on without her. Her ears twitched slightly, tail stilling for a moment. It was a really sad thought.
Tiny.
The thought was for the child Kage. Was the baby lost too? Or was this yellow monster it's mother? Maybe monster wasn't the proper word. She wasn't attacking. But what if she tried to harm her people if they found them?
Not safe. Tiny. Bad humans. Walls. Emre said... bad things. In walls. Pain. Experiments.
She heard rumors in the camp that inside the walls, people did horrible things to Kage. Some of them thought perhaps Tera had been one unfortunate Kage, and that her troubled, disjointed thoughts were because of something that happened in the city and she escaped. Tera had no idea though. She remembered nothing before waking up in the snow.
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