|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:53 pm
Headed for the volcano by the moonlight, headed for home. Every muscle in her body ached from the strain. Limited in time, wasn't that was the demon had said? A pair of blazing red eyes looked up at the moon, but did not reflect its beauty. Silver disc in the sky, wholly completed, openly inviting the fire wyrm to explore by its light. Her footing suddenly slipped, causing the black bodied Ealir'faryn to hit the sand, gasping for breath.
What happened? The voice of Alirae rang in her mind, faint. Weakened. Not banished. Not able to be banished. Clinging to her body, attached to her soul.
I don't know. Gods above, I don't know! She could feel Alirae's anger with this response as she struggled to her feet, small wings flapping furiously to try and aid her. Around her neck, the demonic amulet pulsed red faintly, in tune with her heart, though not raging as so.
A dark stain upon the sands remained as she walked slowly on, the deep ruby liquid sinking into the grains, joining it as Alirae had joined herself. Then surely, her foggy mind reasoned, Alirae should be able to be purged, but simple need for safety drove her on, refusing to answer questions, refusing to explain. She gazed upon the darker form of the volcano against the dark sky. Ealir drew in her breath, releasing a frantic screech. No message accompanied it, as she fought to keep her mind clear from darkness tingling at the edges, threatening to bring her down.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:19 pm
Illuminated by moonlight, the sandpits just outside the volcano were a scene of relative peace. Most of the wyrms slept in the volcanic caves. It was warmer inside, not to mention more private, and most of the inhabitants craved the privacy as well as the comfort.
Not all of the wyrms were so inclined, however. Thrynor, unable to sleep, was lying in one of the sandpits, his gold and white wings outspread across the surface of the sand. The sand was hardly warm or comfortable, but considering that he couldn't sleep in the comfort of shelter, he was not bothered in the least by this. He occasionally shifted into another position, his serpentine body sprawled across the sand and his mind wandering into all sorts of strange and unfamiliar places. Gods above, was he a disaster.
He was just allowing his thoughts to drift into the dangerous territory of feelings and emotions when his sharp hearing picked up the sound of a distant screech. His head shot up immediately, and he coiled up, his head swinging back and forth as his red eyes scanned the horizon. He caught sight of some sort of movement and immediately alerted his bonded before slithering out of the sandpit to investigate. As he approached, his mouth opened in a threatening stance, and he hissed loudly. //Who are you? What do you want here?//
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:35 pm
The sight of a wind wyrm against the sky frightened her. She had been promised safety, a home. Halen... Halen had stayed here because she knew it was going to be a safe place. At the loud voice, her body rocked, her mind refusing to register the familiarity. At the questions, her own mind began inquiring, the answers slipping beyond her reach. Fatigue embraced her, weighing her down worse than before, her head dropping slightly, the amulet clanking against her scales. Blearily spotting the open wound on her chest set her alarm off, finally gaining control of herself with a weak push to aid from Alirae.
I... I am... Am I... Ealir'faryn! She cried out, hoping her message reached his mind, hoping he understood. I seek am seeking the end of pain, hurting, bleeding any way dead dying, no. Alive, hurt, Her usually confident voice did not carry these ramblings well, but she was panicked. Hurt badly, bleeding. Seeking death or aid. Seeking aid in any way. You choose, 'm too tired. Her eyelids felt heavily, falling over the glowing orbs. Fighting weakly still, she heard Alirae's voice from deep within herself, whispering.
You can't fall. Not now. Not so close to help. You were sure that you'd be fine here.
Broadcasting on accident, Ealir's voice was filled with sadness. I'm so sorry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:59 pm
Thrynor's eyes narrowed as the scent of blood entered his nostrils. His wings flared, and his hiss increased in volume and intensity until the moment he heard a familiar voice reaching into his mind. His mouth audibly snapped shut, and he slithered closer, his posture changing from aggression to concern. //Ealir? Ealir?! Ealir!// he cried, most of her ramblings lost on him. He faintly caught a hint of some mention of 'hurt' and 'dying', and that alone spurred him to action.
//Ealir, what happened? How...?// he asked, slithering closer and cautiously stretching out his neck to her. //Ealir?// he inquired as he heard her final comment, recognizing the sadness in her mental voice. //Ealir. Come with me.//
A swishing sound announced the arrival of another being, and Raveo backwinged to alight on the ground by his wyrm. The shifter let loose a low growling sound and then straightened, his wings disappearing and his face shifting back to a more human and less feral appearance. "Thrynor? What's this?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:16 pm
The repition of her name calmed her down slightly, enough for her mind to recognize the voice, the worry. Thrynor! She nuzzled weakly at him in recognition, sending him a positive signal to his command. She would follow, and hopefully she'd be okay. She had to be, Thrynor was here. Nothing could go wrong, not while he was here.
There was just darkness, just us and then he came out of nowhere, yelling, angry, clawing. Hurting. Alirae... protect, hurt. I don't understand. Her frantic voice was attempting to make some sense out of it all, trying to comprehend what had happened, but all it really had been was a few flashes of hurt and then the kind of darkness that had constantly surrounded her in her youth.
As the other landed so close, she leapt, a jar which her weary body couldn't stand. Her legs hit the sand, sending a shocking pain through them as they faltered, a small whimper escaping her. She looked away from Thrynor's bond, somehow afraid he'd see her as a monster.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:35 pm
Thrynor let out an anxious croon, letting out an obvious sigh of relief as Ealir recognized him. When she nuzzled him, he returned the caress as gently as he could, his nostrils flaring at the scent of her blood. She was injured, and it put all of his protective instincts into overdrive.
//He... who is he? What did he want? Ealir?// he asked, his wings flaring in and out in a demonstration of upset. He saw her start at Raveo's arrival, and he crooned again. //It's all right, Ealir. Ealir... it's all right. He won't hurt you.// He extended a wing to her. //I promise.//
Raveo glanced back and forth between the two, his own nostrils twitching as he caught the all-too-familiar scent of blood. "I'd ask, but I don't think I want to know," he said, stepping closer to Ealir. "You're wounded."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:00 pm
I don't know. On the verge of rambling again, Ealir took a deep breath, keeping her eyes open for fear of the darkness that waited at the edge of her vision, waiting to take her away. At the offer, she struggled to him leaning against his body, feeling safer than she had in months. I had never... or don't think I have. Seen him, I mean. He was just angry, angry. I don't know. She looked up at Thrynor pleading, begging for answers he didn't have.
At the bat-man's comment, she looked down at herself, spotting the gash as the Devil's Amulet pulsed brighter for a moment. It hurts, she sounded sad, apologetic still. Ealir let the light from the amulet die, only slightl bothered in the mind that she had gained that ability. It was getting hard, hard to tell where she and Alirae were connected, harder by the day to tell the difference other than the fact she knew herself, had known things that Alirae did not, did not know things that Alirae did. The demon did not grow tamer, constant thoughts of vengeance against a dark shadow to Ealir fanning flames that had existed for a long time. It was unpleasant, not knowing where she would end up in this. Not knowing that once her purpose was complete if she, as a house, would be tossed aside, a used tool, or if merely herself would cease to exist in this body, perhaps trapped in the damned amulet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:15 pm
Thrynor encircled her with a wing, not bothering in the least that he was being used so literally for support. //It's all right...// he reassured her. //We'll find out about him later, find out why he was angry.// Though some portion of him--was that his heart?--burned with fury and a desire to singe the offending one from the inside out, the hybrid fought to keep himself under control. There was no point in upsetting her more. The fact that she was this much of a wreck, this upset, frightened him. He had never seen her like this. Never. //You need to rest; you need healing.// he added.
Raveo could not hear what Ealir said at first, only hearing Thrynor's half of what was obviously a private conversation. Unlike his more good-natured wyrm companion, though, he had no qualms about eavesdropping, so he deduced what he could from Thrynor's speech. Upon her admission of pain and the faint flicker of fear in Thrynor's bright red eyes, the shifter gave a quietly reluctant grumble. "I'll get Aliscia after we are inside. It's not safe to be injured out here in the dark." He didn't really like the scent of her, but if Thrynor was this enthralled with her, it wasn't wise to do nothing.
His wyrm companion rumbled in agreement, giving Ealir a gentle lick on the muzzle. //It's warmer in the volcano. I'll help you.// It was a statement, not a question, and his tone betrayed the urgency as he coiled his body around to slither back to the volcano, sliding his neck beneath hers. //Lean on me...//
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:45 pm
As his wing hugged her close, Ealir felt her worries trickle out of her mind, perhaps even leaving her body down a small red stream that subtly leaked down her golden ridges. The fire on her back died down so as to refrain from burning him. Rest sounds so nice. Smiling for the first time in a while seemed to make her feel better, seemed to make the pain and past panic fade just the slightest bit from her thoughts.
At the mention of another human, a small light kicked on in the fire wyrm's mind, one which she had tried not to linger too much on. She hadn't felt her for quite some time, had been worried, had been scared for her. Thrynor, I left my bonded Halen here when I left. Do you know where she is?
She obeyed his command, fully aware that not far back in her history would she have been ashamed of such help. Then again, this was Thrynor. The one. Thank you. So very much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:57 pm
If Thrynor noticed the diminishing flames, he didn't comment. Fire worried him little. His only concern was her at the moment. //And healing. You're bleeding. I can smell it.// The hybrid wasn't one to mince words, and he certainly was not about to start now. He bent his head a little to give the wound a gentle lick. //It will be easier to rest where it is safe.//
He didn't answer her question at first, as he wasn't sure exactly where the girl in question was at the moment. Raveo picked up on that and sent a quick thought relay through his sister, who touched Alinta's mind. Alinta, in turn, awoke the other wyrms to inquire and then sent a quick mental probe through the volcano and the inn grounds obviously in search of the elusive companion.
//You're welcome.// Thrynor said as he led her toward the volcano. It was close now. Just a few steps more, and warmth would be waiting. He let out a quiet hiss as a shadow appeared at the entrance to the volcano's network of caves and then relaxed when he saw who it was. //Alinta.//
//Your bonded woke me up. Well, really, he woke Ravea who woke me but... /Ealir!/// The light wyrm fairly pranced in place and then froze when she caught the scent of blood. She backed into the entrance and moved to let them pass. //How...? What happened??// She asked as Thrynor slithered into the nearest unoccupied sandpit. She suddenly remembered that she was searching for Halen and darted out of the caves, broadcasting a thought in the inn's general direction. //Haaaaaaaaaalen? Oh /please/ be here! Now is /not/ a good time to be gone.//
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:23 am
I am. I hope he didn't rip many scales out to get to that point. I don't remember. At his statement, she agreed, but she had felt in a haven from the moment she recognized the voice. Going to sleep's not the problem. It's the waking up again I'm afraid for.
She let him lead her, more than willing to get somewhere safer. At the shadow of the light wyrm, Ealir took another moment, though not long of one. Alinta! Again, the questions she didn't have answers to. When they reached the sandpit, she waited to find out if she could lay down, if she could rest. I was attacked. But... I'll be fine now.
Sitting on the plateau, alone again, watching the moon, the stars, in simple awe of the world. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, resting. Or at least, they had been. Her fingers had been running down the familiar scar on her left leg that Ealir had given her. Ealir, who had left her.
Something distant awoke in her mind, sending a flood through her mind, images, words, all compounding into a headache no creature in the world would envy. She could feel, felt the claws, the bites, the tearing. Her pale fingers entwined in her brown hair, pulling to try and wake her up, to dam the flood, but to no avail. And, then, suddenly nothing. Her hazel eyes stared at the sand beneath her, somehow on her hands and knees, marks in the sand revealing she had attempted to get up and fallen. What kind of seizure had that been?
Standing slowly, her head pounding, she felt poke in her mind, accompanied with Alinta's voice, which resounded in her head. Letting loose an aggrivated shout, Halen kicked violently at the sand before turning to where she knew the volcano was. Angrily she ran towards the home of the Thayne and Xyleea family, muttering under her breath, "Someone's going to pay for that."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:32 am
Thrynor rumbled out a soft growl before containing his emotion. //I hope, for your sake and his, that he didn't as well.// The fact that he wanted to rip this unknown 'he' limb from limb was making him angry, as much as he tried to shove that emotion away. Not now. He'd get angry later. Not now. //I'll be here when you awake; you don't have to fear it. Aliscia is coming.// he said, gently nudging her down into the sand.
Raveo stood on the edge of the sandpit for a moment, his pale eyes narrowed and his face grimly impassive as he wrestled with decisions. He was not fond of Ealir by any means, but Thrynor was obviously smitten beyond all reason. Fine, then. If it made Thrynor happy, Raveo would just have to deal with it, and for the moment, that meant making Ealir happy. He sighed quietly and then shifted to his half-form, swooping out of the cave entrance.
Having heard brief snippets of the conversation, Alinta sent a gentle, friendly feeling of welcome in Ealir's direction. Then she turned back to the open space and loped out, Raveo soaring overhead, both in search of the elusive Halen: Raveo, out of duty, and Alinta, out of friendship.
"Gods, Thrynor, I'm not even going to ask," Aliscia's beautiful, if rather sharply-toned, voice echoed throughout the caves. Most of the wyrm inhabitants, deeper in the caves, were feigning sleep to avoid drawing her attention. "What the- oh." Whatever tongue-lashing she had been about to give him died on her tongue as she spied Ealir. "Gods." She eased herself down into the sandpit and approached the two, taking in Thrynor's protective stance and obvious upset. Well, this was going to be fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:03 am
Ealir settled down in the sand, being careful not to get any grains in the wound. The pain would have been immense, something that she didn't want to have happen at the moment. She watched as Alinta and Raveo left, wondering if they were going to search for Halen.
At the voice of another, her head turned, spotting the human. Thought she was tired, she wanted to be awake. Just for a bit. At Aliscia's 'Gods', Ealir looked down guiltily. She didn't even know what happened...
Halen stormed on until she spotted someone in the sky. A quick judge of frame, and a loss of how she had acted before, she yelled up at him, "Hey bat boy! Come down here; I just had this horrible splitting headache. What's going on?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:18 pm
While Thrynor curled in a protective stance beside Ealir, Aliscia made her way closer to Ealir. The blonde human looked concerned, albeit a bit sleepy. "You're... Ealir?" It wasn't really a question, mostly because Xyleea had inserted the name into her mind, a relay from her obviously distressed son. "I'd ask you how it happened, but I'm not sure if I want to know," the healer grumped a bit, carefully approaching the wyrm to get a closer look at the wound. "Gods, that looks nasty."
Raveo's sharp hearing picked up Halen's movement before he heard her... summons. Hissing from between clenched teeth and beating back the urge to throttle the girl, he made for the ground, backwinging to a rushed and rather forceful landing near her. His pride had taken a beating, mostly because he had actually obeyed what she'd so rudely demanded of him. Humans. "Your companion is back."
"And hurt," Alinta added aloud, her rasping, albeit higher-pitched, voice a noted contrast to Raveo's deeper one. "She asked about you." The light wyrm flared her wings out, prancing impatiently in place. "Come on... let's get back!" She reached out to relay a brief message to Thrynor, who uncurled slightly and relaxed a tad.
//Halen is coming.// he told Ealir. Truth be told, even if Halen resisted, Thrynor guessed that Raveo would try to drag her anyway. The very thought of it made him snort softly. Gods, that'd be a fight he did not want to miss.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:35 pm
At the sound of her name, Ealir looked at Aliscia, nodding confirmation. She watched at the woman approached, not responding to her sort of question for the story. At her final comment, Ealir nodded again, resisting the urge to look down at the hole in her scales. Sleep seemed to be lingering just on the edge, beckoning gently to her. Trying to stay awake was gettig to be harder, but she didn't want to doze off before Aliscia was done.
Spotting him filled her with relief, mainly because it wasn't a strange lycan she'd been talking to. Talking to Raveo like that was just fine with Halen; he had thick skin and retorted often in a similar way. It was familiar, comfortable. At his news, she felt stunned for a moment, Alinta's addition not making her feel any better about the fact a seemingly vanished bond had just reappeared. Considering her options, she decided that it didn't hurt in the least to at least make sure Ealir was fine, no matter how angry she was with the fire wyrm. "Let's go." Halen started walking, too proud to ask for help getting back quickly.
Damn fire wyrm, unable to take care of herself. Shot over the until recently blocked link, Ealir smiled absently. She could feel Alirae's disgust at the fondness felt for the human girl, but at that moment, she didn't care.
I've missed you too.
Over-grown lizard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
